#also my comms r open too

[miloicy]

heartslabyul the most bunny dorm ever series (1/5)

starting this off will be acey!

[frankenbridez]

been very busy lately but a highlight i’d like 2 share is i went to see deth.klok last weekend =^_^= 🌟

[cheswirls]

this yr of studio art classes was so funny bc in the fall it was an entire semester of intensive painting/pixel art for nature landscapes and in the spring i took all of that and did jack shit. didn't improve a damn thing. what do you mean learn to draw buildings and objects and inanimate things no????? if its not alive i don't wanna < said someone who did the most zoomed-in illustrations in the middle of cityscapes as physically possible to avoid drawing roads/windows/towers/streetlights/etc

[autonomousroboticorganism]

you get jealous (TF Prime)

featuring - Optimus Prime x F!Reader, Bumblebee x F!Reader, Knock Out x F!Reader, Smokescreen x F!Reader, Wheeljack x F!Reader, Soundwave x F!Reader, Shockwave x F!Reader

summary - a new female recruit makes you feel inferior and insignificant, though your Cybertronian lover is quick to reassure you

warnings - slight angst

*(R/F/N) - random female name

a/n - i tried to make Knock Out's angsty like the others, i really did. but we all know that bot is too interested in himself to be interested in another 😭 also, i had no inspiration for Soundwave's or Shockwave's so theirs might be bad this time...sorry!

OPTIMUS PRIME

For a while there was nothing for you to be worried about. The only femme in the group was Arcee and she didn't even entertain the idea of romance, especially with any of the mechs currently in the team. So as far as you were the concerned, jealousy was never an issue in your relationship with the Prime.

Until a certain arrival changed that.

"Ratchet," your boyfriend's voice came through the comm-link, "Set a groundbridge for our coordinates. We will be arriving with a new recruit."

"Another one?" You asked, surprised. "They're coming in fast now."

You and the other human allies of the Autobots lined up at the railing to get a look at the new Autobot as the groundbridge opened. The usual suspects came through, before someone you had never seen before followed Optimus through.

A female Autobot. A very pretty one.

"This is (R/F/N)," Optimus introduced you all, then told her your names one by one, finishing with you. "And this is (Name)."

"Pleasure to meet you," you smiled up at her.

"The pleasure's all mine," she replied, though she didn't seem to be very interested in you or Jack, Raf and Miko. She turned to Optimus, smiling at him sweetly, "So this is your base? Would you like to show me around?"

You felt sick to your stomach. It was very obvious that this femme was interested in Optimus, whether or not her intentions were true or she just liked the idea of dating a Prime. You turned away from them, Optimus starting to agree to show her around when he noticed how upset you were.

"Actually, I believe Smokescreen would be better suited for that task," the Prime told her, before his footsteps drew closer to you. As she left with the younger bot, you felt him tap your shoulder. "Are you alright, (Name)?"

"Yes," you replied in a small voice. "I'm fine."

Optimus looked at Jack and Miko, who shook their heads to tell him you were not fine. You didn't turn to look at the Prime, which also indicated you were bothered by something.

"May I speak with you in private?" He asked hopefully, wanting to sort this out as soon as possible.

"...Fine."

You didn't mean to give him attitude, you hated snapping at Optimus. But you were jealous, no doubt about it, because he finally had a shot at a partner of his species.

"What bothers you?" He asked when you were in his berthroom.

Now that you were alone with him, you couldn't stop the flood of emotions that overwhelmed you, and your eyes became glassy.

"Do you like her?"

"Who?" He frowned. "(R/F/N)?"

"Yes."

"She is skilled in combat," he responded, "But I sense that is not what you mean."

"No, it's not," you confirmed, sighing and sitting on his berth dejectedly. "We both know you've never really had a chance to find a partner that's your species. Now that there is one, who seems interested in you, where does that leave me?"

"I have no need for a partner of my species," the large bot declared, coming to face-level with you. "I do, however, need my human partner. Who underestimates just how much I feel for her."

You looked up at him, surprised, "Really? You don't want someone like you? Someone you don't have to be gentle with?"

"(Name)," the Prime picked you up and placed you on his chassis, "You are what I want. That will not change, regardless of how many of my kind arrive here. You have nothing to worry about, for you will remain my partner regardless."

Your tears stopped brimming in your eyes at his words, and a shaky smile formed on your lips, "Thank you, Optimus. That's exactly what I needed to hear."

He smiled and held you close, aiming to prove to you that he will only ever want his sweet little human girlfriend.

BUMBLEBEE

It was no secret that the Autobots needed more bots. It was undeniable that the team has long since required new members to assist in the fight against the Decepticons and the battle to protect earth. So when another beacon alerted the base to its presence, you were excited to meet whoever else had arrived on your planet. Especially since Smokescreen had turned out to be so cool.

That excitement dwindled when you got your first look at the new arrival, who was a femme. A really pretty one, too. She was also young, much like Bumblebee, and it looked like the two knew each other.

That was confirmed when Bumblebee came over to you excitedly and beeped and whirred so fast you only caught 'old friend' and 'glad she's here'. You started feeling queasy, but you forced it down because he was just so cute when he was excited and you didn't want to ruin the mood.

"That's great, Bee. I'm glad she's okay." And you meant it. You would welcome any friend of Bee's with open arms, and she was just so nice you understood why Bee had made friends with her.

"Is this your human?" She smiled at you. "She's so pretty1"

"Thank you," you smiled back, forcefully. "I was just about to say the same to you."

Only Jack and Miko were aware of how you really felt, and to get you away from the awkward and uncomfortable situation they called out to you to join their game.

"What are we playing?" You asked them, trying not to look at where Bee and the new recruit, (R/F/N), were standing and talking.

You didn't have the heart to tell them you didn't really want to play. Though they could already tell, from how distracted you were by your thoughts.

"Earth to (Name)!" Miko waved a hand in front of your face.

You snapped out of it, "Oh, sorry...I think I'm just going to take a walk." Before any of them could reply, you got up and walked away.

Bee noticed you leave, his optics following your figure as you retreated down one of the long hallways of the base. He wasn't worried about you getting lost, you knew your way around, he was worried about the forlorn expression you had on your face.

He found you sitting against the concrete wall, your knees pulled up to your chest and chin resting on top. Your eyes had a faraway look in them, but what really struck him was the slight frown on your lips. He beeped in concern, earning your attention.

"Oh, hey Bee. I'm fine, don't worry. Where's (R/F/N)?"

More beeps led you to find out she was with Smokescreen, as Bee had followed you out of concern when he noticed you looked down. Another beep asked you what was wrong.

"You've got a great friend," you told him, looking down. "But wouldn't she also make a great partner?"

The scout looked confused, then asked you what made you think that.

"It's just...you guys have a good friendship and I can see you've known each other a while...a lot longer than I've known you. And she's Cybertronian, a relationship with her would be so easy..."

Bumblebee disagreed, telling you that even though he's known you for a shorter time, his relationship with you is as easy and natural as transforming because you fit with him in a way she doesn't. He went on to say that he likes his relationship with you, and he loves you, so nothing and no one will change that and you don't have to be jealous because she can't compare to you in beauty, and she doesn't have your personality which he absolutely adores. In essence, she's not you.

"Bee..." You smiled up at him, his words warming your chest and maoing your heart swell. "That's really sweet...I didn't know you felt that strongly." You slowly stood up and beckoned him down so that you could kiss him. "I love you too, my cute scout."

He whirred happily and lifted you up onto his shoulder, relaxed now that he's made you feel better. He walks back to the others with you, but instead of going to talk to (R/F/N) again, he went with you to watch you beat Miko and Jack in their video game.

You soon forgot why you were even jealous in the first place, and when (R/F/N) told you that you and Bee made the cutest couple, all your worries were put to rest. He was yours, and would always be yours.

KNOCK OUT

You'd never had to worry about sharing Knock Out's attention before, because he was only worried about two things. His paintjob and you. Everything else was sidelined and not as important as you or his finish, especially if it had anything to do with the other Decepticons. And there had never been any female cons apart from Airachnid, so that wasn't ever an issue either.

Until now.

Starscream had been sent out with a few Seekers to investigate a signal that was coming from what seemed like a Decepticon stasis pod. He came back with the prettiest Cybertronian you'd ever seen, or maybe the second prettiest. Knock Out would always top the list. Nevertheless, you were a little intimidated, to say the least.

Especially when she started flirting with your mech. Insecurity welled up inside you, it would be so easy for him to just leave you for someone who's the same species.

"What a stunning finish," you could hear the femme saying, "I can't help but keep staring at it. Share your secret, Knock Out."

The mech was flattered by the praise, but he was too busy being pleased with himself to notice that she was flirting, "Why, thank you. That's the nicest thing any con has said to me."

"Well, there's more where that came from," she smirked at him, leaning in a little too close for your liking. "Would you buff mine?"

Her words ignited an ugly feeling in you, and you scoffed and rolled your eyes as you crossed your arms. She apparently didn't like this, turning to glare at you.

"Does your little pet have a problem with me?"

Knock Out was between the two of you in a second, shielding you protectively, "Has anyone ever told you that insulting someone won't earn you any favours?"

"I insulted the human-"

"And that's an insult to me," he cut her off. "She is my little girlfriend, and if you wish to speak ill of her, I'd be more than happy to schedule a dissection for you." For added effect, he morphed his servo into a scalpel.

You smiled when he did this for you, jealousy now replaced with admiration for the mech. You stared at him, a little in disbelief and a little in awe.

"You would pick the lowly human over one of your own?" She was stunned by the idea.

"I would pick her over anyone."

You felt your cheeks burn at those words, your heart thumping so wildly you feared it would break out of your chest. You felt giddy, the idea that you were his first choice always sending your heart soaring.

"Suit yourself then," she huffed and left the lab.

Knock Out turned to you, smirking, "Was my little human jealous?"

"Jealous?!" You protested. "Me? No way."

"Uh huh, and I'm blue," he replied sarcastically, chuckling. "I think it's rather cute that you were jealous of a femme that isn't even half the woman you are."

Your cheeks burned again, "Stop! You can't do that!"

"I'm not doing anything," he replied innocently, though his smirk told you that he knew very well what he was doing.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" You asked him, serious now.

"Every word," he didn't hesitate to answer. "There was never a reason for you to be jealous of a femme, I can't date someone with a nicer finish than me."

You knew he meant well, but you face-palmed. Of course he had to say that, of course that had to be a factor. Nevertheless, you were comforted by the fact that he preferred you over femmes, for any reason at all.

"Now do I get a reward for being so sweet?" He asked you, tapping his faceplate with his long, sharp digit.

"As many as you want," you smiled and leaned up to kiss his faceplates multiple times.

SMOKESCREEN

When Smokescreen falls for you, he falls hard. He devotes himself to you, in a similar fashion to how he devotes himself to being the best he can be. When he does something, or when he loves, he puts every fibre of his being into it. There's no room for doubt with this bot, because he's so affectionate that sometimes it's hard to get away from him to do other things. He has once locked you in his vehicle form and pretended to be in power down to keep you from going home because he'd miss you too much.

So when an Autobot life signal pops up, you don't think much of it at first. And when the team brings back a new femme, you're not alarmed or anything. You're eager to make another friend, and that's all that's on your mind.

You think nothing of it when the femme comes in through the groundbridge a little too close to your Cybertronian boyfriend. She's smiling and chatting animatedly to him, but as soon as his optics found you in the base he's rushing over to introduce her to you, the most important thing he's ever had.

"(Name)! Look who we found!"

You found out that she used to be friends with Smokescreen before they got separated, although she seemed to have a different version of the story.

"Smoke, dear, you forget that we almost became sparkmates."

She said it so casually that one would think it's a meaningless comment, but her optics told you she'd mentioned it with malicious intent. That being to upset you, a human she didn't know but decided she didn't like just for being Smokescreen's girlfriend. You assumed he must have either rejected her or they'd been separated before they could begin to date.

You narrowed your eyes, but you couldn't deny that a part of you did feel jealous at the idea. Truth or not, you despised the idea of your loveable bot with anyone else. It hurt to even think about, so you did your best to not imagine Smokescreen with a Cybertronian lover, even though it would make more sense.

"Oh yeah, I remember that..." He mused, then launched into the story of how he'd met you, "And no one understands me better than she does!"

You smiled at the young mech, chest filled with warmth, until (R/F/N) decided to chime in with another dubious story.

"I miss our spot on Cybertron," she pressed, "It was such a nice view of Iacon." She sighed nostalgically, and then went on to describe how she missed meeting him there to just relax from the stress of the constant fighting, when they'd had breaks.

You realised then that you didn't have a special spot with Smokescreen here on Earth. That did dampen your mood a little, and a small frown formed on your lips. You had been together a while now, but the only places you ever went to with him were your house and this base. Maybe some recon missions, but nothing romantic.

"(Name), what's wrong?" Smokescreen asked you, ever the observant lover.

"Was it something I said?" (R/F/N) asked innocently.

"I'm just going to get some air," you got up and headed for the elevator that would take you the top of this rock.

"Wait, don't go!" Smokescreen went after you. "You have to tell her about-"

"Maybe later," you waved him off. "Enjoy reminiscing."

You had never gotten mad at him before, so this confused him. Of course, being the worried bot he was, he abandoned his conversation with (R/F/N) to join you up top.

"Seriously, did I do something?" His tone implied he was afraid it might be his fault.

You sighed, "No, Smoke. You didn't do anything." You pressed your thighs to your chest and wrapped your arms around your legs. "Your friend is the problem, actually."

"(R/F/N)?" He asked, sitting beside you, "What did she do?" He easily picked you up and set you down on his leg.

"She kept going on and on about how you almost dated and how you guys had a special spot and everything," you admitted, "And it just occurred to me that we ARE dating and don't have a spot..." You looked up at him, eyes glassy. "And I can't help but think it would be more natural for you to be with one of your own kind."

He blinked once, twice, confused. Then he started to speak, and everything he said was exactly what you needed to hear, surprisingly.

"(R/F/N) and I never 'almost dated'. I don't know why she said that. She and I were always just friends, and the spot she was talking about was where we met so she could update me on the war, considering I was stuck on guard duty. I never looked at her in any other way, I promise. But when I met you...I don't think I've ever loved or will ever love anyone as much as you. You take up a lot of my thoughts, and I'm pretty sure it's obvious but I love your company. She may be my own species, but she's not the one that makes me feel special, she's not the one that makes me smile and she's not the one that I want to be around all day. You are. And I absolutely adore my little human girl, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Thanks, Smokey," you smiled, climbing up to give his faceplates a loving kiss. "That means a lot to me. I love you too."

And the two of you sat there and watched the sunset, the view better than anything Smokescreen had ever seen on Cybertron. He decided then and there that this would be yours and his special spot, and he held you even closer.

WHEELJACK

When Wheeljack left to explore your planet to see if he'd stay, you both kind of left things up in the air. You'd shared one spur-of-the-moment kiss, and nothing more. So you weren't really sure where that left the two of you, especially since he was Cybertronian and you were human. That and he was unpredictable and you didn't know when he'd come back.

When he did come back, though, you hadn't expected it to be with a very pretty femme that only Bulkhead recognised, so you assumed she had been a Wrecker too.

"Hey, (R/F/N)!" The big green bot yelled excitedly, rushing over to greet her. "You found another one, Jackie!"

"Yeah, turns out she's been exploring this rock for a while, doing the same as me. Trying to see if it's worth staying to join Team Prime," Wheeljack explained, grinning at them both.

"And?" Bulkhead prompted.

"I think it's worth it," (R/F/N) grinned. "The native life forms are cute too."

Miko, who had been rooting for you and Wheeljack to get together ever since you had met him, looked at you in concern. You just took a deep breath and walked away, failing to hide the jealousy bubbling to the surface.

"I'm fine."

Wheeljack looked over when he noticed Miko chasing after you, and for a moment he was confused. You were usually happy to see him, and after that kiss he thought he'd earned more than a greeting. Then he dismissed the thought, but your sudden departure nagged at him until he decided to follow you too. He stopped when he overheard you and Miko talking.

"But he likes YOU, (Name)! I'm sure of it!"

"Doesn't seem like it," you replied, and your voice sounded... sad. "Look, if he wants someone that's the same species as him, I'm not going to stand in the way. Plus, she's a Wrecker too. He probably spent lots of time with her so she knows him better than I do. She'd be a perfect fit...everything I'm not." You looked down, sighing heavily.

Wheeljack had no idea what to do with this information. He couldn't approach you now, he wouldn't know what to say. So he decided to go to Bulkhead, who knew more about humans than he did.

When you returned to the main area of the base, where everyone was still gathered, you walked right past Wheeljack. Again, no greeting. You headed towards the other humans, but Wheeljack scooped you up before you could get there.

"Hey! Let me go!" You protested, struggling against his grip.

"No," he denied, transforming and locking you in his vehicle form, "You and I need to talk, and you need to stop avoiding me." Then he took off, out of the base.

"There's nothing to talk about," You insisted, crossing your arms. "But your Wrecker friend, she's nice. Good choice."

He sighed, "I'm sure she'd approve that the human I want has such an attitude. I've always known you were feisty sweetheart, but this is something else. You angry about something? Or maybe jealous?"

You scoffed, "Jealous? Why would I be?"

"Because we both know that neither of us has forgotten that kiss," he suddenly came to a stop. "Now come on, admit it. And then I'll tell you who I really want."

"Annoying as ever," you grumbled, "But fine, yes I'm jealous. Can you blame me? She's not only a Cybertronian, but a Wrecker too! She's the obvious choice for you, it just makes sense. You and I...we don't make sense."

"When has that ever stopped me?" He questioned. "Look, I brought (R/F/N) back because I thought Bulk would be happy to see her. And maybe I was looking for an excuse to see you."

"Why?"

"Because my choice is you, (Name). I want you."

Your eyes widened at his confession, your heartbeat picking up pace. You found yourself getting flustered, cheeks burning.

"Yeah, well, unfortunately I want you too."

SOUNDWAVE

Soundwave keeps to himself, with only you and Laserbeak as his companions. He only needs your company, so you never have to worry about his attention being divided or shared. When he wasn't busy doing tasks for Megatron, he spent his time with you, teaching you about Cybertron and its culture while you did the same for him about Earth and humans.

That changed when Starscream found another femme for the group, one that instantly recognised your lover. He didn't know her, but she seemed to know everything about him. While it was kind of creepy, you were also a little jealous.

Soundwave never got irritated, he was a very patient bot. So her hanging around him and constantly chatting to him never got to him, but it was getting to you. It was harder to spend time with him alone now that he had a fangirl around the ship.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh, I know about that!"

"I can accompany you to retrieve the relic, if you'd like."

At each remark or suggestion, you became increasingly annoyed. And maybe a little jealous, because she could join Soundwave on missions without the risk of getting hurt too badly. You were always stuck on the ship, never allowed to go anywhere.

"Fine. Go with Soundwave."

You heard her start rambling excitedly after Megatron gave her permission, and you sighed from where you stood and made your way back to Soundwave's berthroom.

Now you trusted Soundwave more than anything, and you never doubted him. But you didn't like the way this femme felt as if she could invade his personal space, just because he couldn't verbally tell her he didn't want her to. And you didn't like the fact that they would be alone for majority of the day while you sulked in the berthroom without a clue what was going on, or what she was doing.

They came back a few hours later, as you had gotten comfortable on his berth with a book. You didn't look up as he came in, and didn't even speak even though he knew you were aware he had arrived. He sat down next to you, using a slender digit to push your book down to reveal your face, and his screen lit up with a question mark.

"Nothing," you told him, putting your book back up.

He wouldn't give up, and pulled the book out of your hands instead. Placing it down gently next to you, he brought his large visor close to your face and again displayed a question mark. That was then followed by a heart, meaning he's worried because he cares.

You sighed and curled up with your legs against your chest, "It's really nothing, Soundwave. Nothing important anyway."

His screen suddenly showed a picture of (R/F/N), and then an angry emoji. You struggled to hide your growing smile, his method of communication never failing to make you giggle.

"Okay, yes, I don't like her. She's too...excited, especially around you. Not to mention, she can go on missions with you and I can't..."

He started to type on his visor now, showing you when he was done: She is too eager, but I do not pay any attention to her. ANd when we are out on missions, I only think about you.

As you read this you smiled, feeling a little better. He always knew just how to comfort you, and what to tell you when you were feeling down. He continued to reassure you that you didn't need to be jealous because he would much rather prefer your company on missions than her, but he also loves you just the way you are. He told you he adores his little human, and that he finds you cute. He also reminded you that you were special, because he usually leaves humans alone, and assured you that no femme was going to change that.

You beamed up at him in response, "I already knew that, I guess I just get worried sometimes that we can't do everything together because we're not the same."

He typed out that you never had to worry about that because he's actually glad he can keep you out of harm's way, and this way he can never lose you. He also typed out that he doesn't care that you're not like him because his affection for you was not based on your species or form, but rather who you were and how you treated him.

"Okay," you finally relaxed, smiling fully now. "Thank you, Soundwave. You always know just what to say." You kissed his visor, and a heart popped up, making you smile even more.

SHOCKWAVE

Shockwave was a unique Cybertronian. Not only did he absolutely terrify both Autobots and Decepticons alike, not only was he physically imposing, but his intelligence far outshone that of any of the bots you knew. He was also emotionally detached, from everything and everyone except you. He only showed emotion to you, and others got the steely glare of his one red optic. He was content with just you in his lab, keeping him company, and he liked to show you his experiments and explain what he was doing. He never minded sharing his knowledge with you, and he never cared that you weren't as scientifically inclined as he was.

It also never truly bothered you until Megatron found a femme partner for him in the lab, after Knock Out's and Starscream's blatant failure with the zombie Breakdown. He wanted someone to keep a close eye on Knock Out while helping speed up Project Predacon, but instead got a femme much more interested in your boyfriend.

"Can I suggest a more prudent path?" You woke up from a nap to hear her asking Shockwave. She then went on to say a bunch of scientific words and terms that you didn't understand.

"I see. That would be most logical."

You looked at him in disbelief, unable to comprehend the fact that he was outsmarted by this femme. If he was so intelligent, how intelligent did she have to be to come up with a different solution? And why did you feel so jealous that she was that smart? Why was it making you feel so inferior?

Shockwave seemed to notice your silence. He would usually enjoy your chatter while working, secretly listening to everything you said while maintaining his focus. But right now you were just sitting there staring at him, or maybe staring at his new lab partner. And he did not like the expression on your face. It was a mixture of hurt, embarrassment and sadness, none of which he ever wanted to inflict on you.

"(R/F/N), could you please show this to Lord Megatron?" Shockwave asked her, handing her a tablet.

"But-" She tried to protest.

"It is our status report," he cut her off, "He will require it."

When she was gone, the scientist came over to where you were sitting and lowered himself so that he could be eye-level with you. His face was just his optic, but his voice showed concern.

"Little one, why do you look so upset? Have I done something?"

"No," you shook your head, "It's not you."

He paused, waiting for you to continue, but you didn't so he spoke again, "Would you like to inform me of the reason?"

You sighed and finally met his gaze, transfixed almost instantly by his glowing red optic, "I've just never felt more inferior or more dumb than I do now. She's so smart and she knows everything you do and seems like such a perfect match for you. I'm a human who knows very little about Cybertronian science and can't physically help you in the lab..."

He listened intently, not moving an inch as you told him about your insecurities and how you were jealous of how easy it was for them to work together.

"I do not require any assistance from her," Shockwave told you, "But I sometimes require assistance from you. Your company helps to remind me that I am not alone anymore, and even though you cannot physically help me with my projects, you make them easier for me to bear. When it becomes overwhelming, you are there to calm me down and ease my tension. You console me in ways that no one else can, and I hold an affection for you that I will never hold for anyone else. Including (R/F/N). You do not have to worry, I do not consider you to be less intelligent than her, you just have a different kind. However, intelligence alone does not matter to me. You are attentive to my needs just as I am to yours, and I can ask for no better romantic partner."

His words may sound monotonous and meaningless the way he said them, but you knew better. To you, it was basically a love confession, and he was basically pouring out his spark to you. You appreciated every single word, and it worked to make you feel better.

"Thank you, Shockwave," you smiled and climbed onto his servo when he held it out for you. "That's all I needed to hear. I'm glad I can be helpful to you in any way."

"Now that your illogical thoughts have been dealt with, I shall take a break from my work to indulge in that cuddling you like so much," he told you, going to his bethroom and laying on his berth. He placed you on his chassis, and placed his single hand over your smaller body. "Are you comfortable?"

"Very," you smiled and curled up on his warm chassis. "With you, always."

And as you relaxed, you heard him say quietly, "As am I with you."

[solar4seekstron]

You?! Part 1

TfCyberverse!Soundwave x Cybertronian!GN!Reader x TfCyberverse!Rodimus Oneshot

Content: SFW, Rodimus is the first to try to get with reader, Rodimus and Soundwave were together once, Poly Relationship.

Introduction Movie Oneshot Masterlist

TW/Tags: Fluff, couple kissing scenes, Laserbeak has moms now at the end, Reader is being reader, cute moments between Rodimus and Reader, Soundwave loves robot waists, Oh my god guys have you seen Rodimus thighs?!?!

You were a part of the Autobots for a very long time. When the two sides came togetehr at last…In a way. You were there just to try to keep the peace. Trying to make sure not too much fights happen.

Everything stays that way for a while. While there was peace still.

You always noticed Rodimus giving you a small smile on his dermas when you’d drink at the bar or just passing by when doing your daily patrols.

Always making sure to wave to you and wanting to hang out.

You didn’t mind much. Same thing almost with Soundwave. At times in your usual dojo when practicing with your swords. Soundwave at times would pass by.

He does it so much you’re sure he’s doing it on purpose.

One day when at Alchemists Bar, you were having a nice chat as Rodimus made his way in. He always knew when you’d choose to come in. Which is usually on a Tuesday night.

You were chatting with Alchemist and drinking some energon. Rodimus made his way over. Feeling himself getting nervous as he stared as you. Your back to him.

He takes note of your frame, your smile, your optics and paint job. Primus why are you so pretty.

He thought to himself.

He met many bots. Mechs and femmes. He’s met them all but you. You are something else whenever he sees you. And tonight will be the night that he’ll take his chance!

Alchemist knew very well of Rodimus crush on you, he has been doing this job for a very long time.

So he placed some energon for Rodimus. Rodimus taking note as he got closer. The mech would walk away as you also took not f the energon.

You holding your own mug as your other arm leaning on the counter.

A small grin on your dermas as your optics narrowed down. Looking at your cup as Rodimus took his seat. You then spoke.

”So, you finally taking your chance Rodmius? Or you going to chicken out?”

You glance to him while he picked up his drink. Chuckling a bit as he looked at you then at the cup. His forearm on the counter as well.

”Thanks for being patient I suppose…..So how long?” You let out a soft chuckle.

”Since you didn’t let go of my cervo on the day we met R.” You take a sip of energon before turning your frame towards him.

He did the same. Physically gulped as his optics stared at you with drink in cervo still.

“I tell you what. If you can beat me in training combat then…I’ll go on one date with ya. So make sure you’re strong enough to defeat me. Hand in hand. Alright?”

You have stood up as you smiled down at him.

“See you around. Rodimus.” You then walked out of the bar. Rodimus stunted for a minute there.

Little did you both know. A certain bird was listening in the bar. And so a day later you waited in the dojo your sure owned. Having already comm to Rodimus of what time. And so you were training.

When you heard the doors open, you assumed it was Rodimus. “R you’re early. By 1 minutes it seems. Is there a rea-“

You stopped once you turned around. Seeing it’s Soundwave as he stood there is all his glory. “Ah Soundwave. Didn’t expect a former decepticon to ever step into my dojo of all places.”

He stays quiet for a moment before speaking. “Dojo is open to all Cybertronians and more. No matter what side. Is it not?” Damn he got you.

You let out a soft sigh as you fully face him. Rodimus was barely making his way to the dojo. He was pretty far. “You’re right there Soundwave…I suppose it’s not much of a deal. Is there an actual reason you’re here?”

He’d slowly nod before you. Getting closer until he finally stands infront of you. You’d have your cervos behind your back as you waited for him to speak. You were taken by surprise when he presssed his forhelm against yours. He did have to lean down a bit since he was taller.

He knew this is something you did during the war to show respect. Especially to comrades during the war.

His cervos placed on your waist as he spoke. Leaning his helm back a little. “I’m not much one to combat but I lived enough to be able to survive a war.”

”Soundwave.”

”Please just give me a chance to prove myself. Soundwave and Y/N Superior: Together.” You just stared at him. “Soundwave…I live by a code. If you can defeat me in some way.”

You both hear the door chime. Soundwave looking back. Both of your seeing it’’s Rodimus. “Hey Y/N Sorry that I’m a bit-“

”…………..”

”YOU?!” Both Rodimus and Soundwave said at the same time. Soundwaves cervos off your waist both clenching as he looks at Rodimus.

Rodimus getting closer as he spoke.

”What are you doing here. Were you spying on me again?” Rodimus pressed a digit at Soundwaves chest before Soundwave slapped it away.

”In your dreams Autoscum. I am here asking for a chance. Why are you here?”

“Guys please. Not in the dojo.” You two keep bickering as you stand there. Soundwaves arms crossed as Rodimus placed his own cervos on his hips. After a minute you’d stand inbetween him.

One cervo on each of the mechs chest as you then spoke. “Listen you two. The point here is to fight me if you want a “chance”. Not to have a spike measuring contest in front of the Sires memorial.” The three looking at the memorial of Yoketron who passed before the war.

Rodimus then spoke after letting out a sigh. “Sorry Y/N. We should get started then.”

He looked at Soundwave at the last part before walking deeper into the Dojo. You’d look at Soundwave before walking back following Rodimus. Soundwaves cervos clenched as he watched you two walk away.

He turned around. Making his way to the door. You and Rodimus both stretching your arms and neck as you looked at each other with a smile.

“You ready to show me what you got Rodimus?” Rodimus let out a soft chuckle before responding.

“You have no idea.”

He chuckled. You both then soon started at hand in hand combat. Rodimus mostly working with guns struggled a bit. Eventually you were able to get the upper hand.

Holding him down as you sat on his stomach and keep his cervo retraint and your chest pressed against his. The two of you staring at each other as he struggled to get up. “You’re pretty strong for a bot Y/N”

”When you have been trained for years by a former knight. You learn a thing or two when it comes to building your inner strength.”

Rodimus keeps struggling. Trying to think. He’d then get an idea and have a sly grin on his dermas.

You looked at him confused until he leaned up.

His dermas connecting with yours. His optics looking at you as yours are wide.

He realizes he has a chance and turns you both so he’s ontop. Once he was ontop, both cervos on the floor supporting him up before holding you down while still surprised.

You had a bit of trouble getting him off.

“You sneaky little bot. Always got that trick up your sleeve?” Rodimus chuckled.

”Just for you.” He keeps you held down.

After a few moments he kept you down. He does have the upper hand. And so eventually. Trying to not smile because of his grin. Eventually you gave up. How can you not when seeing a face like his. You’d sigh and stop struggling.

”I yield.” Rodimus sat up with his cervos up. “YES!!!!”

You let out a soft chuckle as he leans back down. Placing his cervos back on the floor as he looked down at you.

“So we together now?”

You’d shrug. Putting your cervos on you stomach as you stare up at him. “Sure. It’s been something that’s been waiting for millions of years.”

He lets out a nervous chuckle until you both finally kissed once more.

The kiss gentle and sweet. Both not noticing Soundwave watching before fully walking out. Closing the door quietly and gently.

After a few days you and Rodimus became Conjunx endura. Eventually he moved in to your apartment over your dojo. As you both had dinner he eventually told you how he and Soundwave were Conjunx. Which caught you by surprised. He was a bit sad about it. Appearently it was when the war ended.

The two talking about getting together. Something the two have been pining for since the two fought in battle millions of years ago.

But because the tension was still high. The relationship didn’t last long.

You’ll admit you have had feelings for the for a very long time. But you never had the guts before to ask other of the two out. And so after speaking to him. You both descided to go to Soundwave.

Who was currently feeding Laserbeak at his home while his other cassettes sleep. You both making your way to his door to speak to him.

When Soundwave opened his door he was taken aback once seeing you both.

He’d then sigh and try to close the door until you stopped it with your cervo. You then spoke to him and Rodmius joined in. Speaking as he places a cervo on Soundwaves shoulder.

”Come on Soundwave. Maybe there is a chance for the two of us now. Things actually have died down and Y/N here could be what we needed. Let them help us.”

Rodimus gently grabbed Soundwaves cervo as he stared at him. Then at you as you had your cervos placed together infront of you. “Soundwave. Maybe the three of us together can be what makes it better for the two of us to be together.”

Of course Soundwave lifted his helm up a bit. He seems to be deep in thought. You then are the one to take his cervo as he then looks at you.

“Come on. It couldn’t hurt. Could it?”

He looked at you and Rodimus back and forth before sighing. Before speaking.

”Offer: accepted.” You and Rodimus both chuckled and hugged him on both sides of his frame. He was a bit surprised but gently sets his cervos on your shoulders.

Sort of hugging back.

The three of you would then hear Laserbeak making bird noises. Soundwave was the only one to understand him.

Rodimus asked. “What he saying?”

Soundwave lets out a deep chuckle and spoke. His cervos now on both of your and Rodimus waist.

“He said. He’s not calling you two mom.” That caused you and Rodimus to chuckle before you would kiss one side of Soundwaves cheek and Rodimus kisses the others.

The three of you would stay together for a very, very long time.

Before y’all freak out in the comments because of that ONE episodes. Y/N will never let something like that happen. They will be able to stand up to tarn alongside Rodimus. Rodimus and Y/N being able to keep Soundwave from sacrificing himself.

I hope you guys were able to enjoy this. I know I did. lol.

As always a repost is appreciated and I hope to see you guys in the next one!

Hope you all have a good rest of your day!

[sofiaruelle]

Oh wow, I was not expecting a whole drawing of them trying the dance and falling around. It's very beautifully done, I rmmbr just staring in awe for a while at first 🩵

I have another odd question about the she trio/ass gang, which u don't have to draw

Cause I saw a little video of Harvey going hard; dancing to MiseryxCPR(xReese's Puffs) and it had me laughing for a long while, and I wondered who would be the ones singing the song if say the stardrop saloon had some kind of karaoke night

My head tells me both Sam and Abagail would end up doing Reeses's puffs, but that would leave one of the other songs without a host :/

Harvey would probably end up saying stuff about how cpr doesn't require mouth-to-mouth anymore or smthn, and Shane probably worried Marnie would walk in-or just, too drunk off his ass having fun to care 🤔

nah man i just have to draw them. and oh look I even have another essay under readmore! 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

✨Also my commissions are open! ✨ if anyone is interested! :D< please reblog/share the og comm sheet ,if you can! it would help me a lot thank you!!!

Honestly i can imagine them all just being pissed drunk before attempting to sing the song😂. i know fersure the SHE trio would require more liquid courage for it (heck even to join/start a kareoke sesh!)

Shane gives of major Kareoke Tito (uncle) vibes~. Yknow that one tito who specifically sings “My Way” by Frank Sinatra and has a bunch of classic rock songs under his belt. He’s not good at singing perse but he can at least carry a tune. He and Sebastian would totally connect with singing Misery. but like Shane vaguely knows the song (he’s heard it on radio a bajillion times but he doesnt know the name of the song so its not quite on his playlists) so he when he’s super sloshed and can barely read the screen, he tries to sing it from memory and misses a couple of the words. but hey! at least he knows the chorus and is in tune.

Meanwhile Sebastian has Misery “secretly” on his go to playlist. He doesnt admit it (the songs is too main stream and overplayed but he stumbled upon a vocaloid cover and rest is history.) He definitely always chooses the song every kareoke sesh (although not his first choice) and he’s passionate about it even has a little performance too(lots of head bangs, fist pumps and that classic 2000s disney knees bent together, feet wide apart moment)! For his duet with shane he’s the first to shed a lil tear and that gets shane going and they cry through most of the song in their own lil misery world ignoring the chaos around them.

Sam is a fucking menace for singing CPR and I do agree He and Abigail would go off on Reese’s Puff BUT i can definitely imagine being commited to singing CPR (we all know he’d awkwardly twerk). Especially if it was to troll on Harvey who probably thought it was a wholesome song about doing CPR at a specific BPM. 😂

Harvey good lird poor harvey! He’s probably the most sober out of everyone. It doesnt help that he’s no light weight + lowkey becomes designated baby sitter everytime (he’s soooooooo going charge them extra in the morning if they come stumbling into his clinic asking for some hangover cure). He was so excited about adding a new song to CPR tempo list he was gonna teach at the nex first aid classes!! Who would have thought that a singer with a cute wholesome name like Cupcakke was just so… sooooo SCANDALOUS!!! He should have known Sam was up to something the moment he grabbed him by the shoulder!!! “This is medical malpractice, Samson!!!” He spends the whole trying to sush Sam who’s having so much fun laughing at Harvey’s reaction 😂

Abigal. F e r a l.

Help! Elliot has fallen over! He honestly just has a mild peanut allergy but he has been drinking and hooo boi. thats not good. thank goodness Harvey is sobered up (with the help of Sam ofc) and has an epipen on hand! Catch Leah cackling from her seat by the bar before assisting Harvey.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

"You need your ACL reconstructed."

Price stared at the doctor as she leafed through the scans of his stupid bloody knee, blinking rapidly as he tried to process just exactly how fucked he was. He was running the calculations and the answer was coming up: significantly.

After it had given out on a recent yomp with Bravo Company, he has given in and skulked into medical like a whipped hound. There was only so much ibuprofen a man could neck with his coffee before it became farcical. His stomach was beginning a small revolt. Eventually, his mind unable to accept what it had just heard, he cleared his throat. "Come again?"

She sighed, running a hand through her neat crop of grey hair. After dealing with his bullshit for nearly twelve years, she had no patience left for it. "You're having surgery John, and I'm signing you off for four weeks after. From there, it'll be six months before you return to the field."

"Not happening." Price pushed off the gurney and did a rather shite job of hiding the wince as his knee gave another unwelcome spasm when his foot hit the floor. He remembered the landing that had finally done it; a routine jaunt through Belgrade. Nothing too taxing. Uneven ground, some loose gravel and a distraction because of static through Comms, and he'd gone arse over tit. Gaz had been amused until he realised Price had been struggling to get back up again.

Fucking embarrassing.

"You can huff and puff as much as you want, captain. My decision's final," she said, emphasising his rank to put his impending tantrum in perspective, and then, for good measure, "also, your cortisol levels are high, which is probably why you're getting a bit soft in the midsection. The time off is needed."

"Olright, Janie, bloody hell, no need to go for the throat." He placed a hand on his belly, prodding the layer of give with a sad sigh. "What the fuck am I meant to do for four weeks?"

"Read, go fishing, binge Netflix, catch up with family. You know, what normal people do for R&R..." She glanced up at him and rolled her eyes at the deep frown on his face. "Stop thinking of ways to bribe and blackmail me. I'm booking the surgery for a week's time."

"A week isn't long enough."

"Tough shit. Lost your appetite recently? Belching like a retired general at a Number 10 dinner?"

Price squinted. "Yeah."

"Congratulations, you gave yourself a stomach ulcer by slamming the ibuprofen like Polos," Janie murmured, turning over her notes to annotate her recommendations. "Four weeks--

"--fockin' hell, come in with a limp and leave in a fockin' body bag--"

"--so that's five weeks enforced leave."

Price opened his mouth to argue the toss but it clicked shut when she raised an eyebrow at him. He knew better than to push his luck. "Yes, ma'am."

"Don't call me marm, John. It makes me feel old." She tapped her biro against the clipboard and then gripped it against her stomach, her head tilted, as she considered his miserable sulk. "You need to consider that promotion in the next few years."

"It'll take me outta the field," Price grumbled.

"If you snap something else at the wrong moment, then a bullet's going to take you out of the field. Think it over."

Nikprice Hurt/Comfort?

Yeah, it's Nikprice Hurt/Comfort.

[wandamaximoffsbadgirl]

Can I request Carol Danvers x Reader. While the whole team is on a mission, Reader finds themselves in trouble. Carol swoops in a saves them. The team starts to harass R, which makes R have feelings of doubt toward their abilities and also not good enough for Carol. Angst and then you can end it however you see it. Thank you! If you don’t like this request, please feel free to ignore.

My Voice of Reason

Warnings: Bullying of R by the team that's about it

Word count: 660

A/N: thank you for this request! I had a fun time with it~

“Y/N! Come in! What's your status?” Cap shouted over the comms. Your head was reeling after being knocked back about 50ft. You had no voice left, you had been shouting, using your voice manipulation to subdue the enemies. 

You had run out of throat spray to ease the pain and talking was something you couldn't even fathom. 

“Anyone got eyes on Y/N?” Natasha called through the comms.

“I'll find her.” You heard Carol call through, and before you knew it, she was standing above you. “You good, Echo?” The nickname that stuck with you for being able to mimic any sound. You were able to nod, point at your throat, and sign ‘no’. “Can you get up? Can you walk?” As Carol asked, another handful of Hydra goons came round, and without a second thought, Carol picked you up before unleashing an attack, knocking them out. “Let's get back to the QuinJet.” You nodded, gripping onto her, burying your face against her to hide the blush covering your cheeks. 

The ride home had been full of whispers as if you couldn't hear them talking down. It was your voice that wasn't working, not your ears.

You felt Carol's strong hand on your shoulder. Looking over, she gave a soft smile. “Almost home. We'll have to debrief, but you should grab some medicine first.” You gave a soft smile back and nodded. 

“Y/N do you have anything to say?” Tony remarked, all eyes on you.

“Ran out of meds. Couldn't talk.” Your voice still hoarse.

“I am so sick of that excuse! You need to train more often and stay off missions. You're grounded.” Cap called across the table. You pulled your sleeves over your hands, picking at the skin around your nails. You couldn't look at any of them. 

“I'm sorry…” you spoke softly. Letting the ‘adults’ talk even though you were 21 you were still the youngest besides Peter, but Tony kept him mostly off field.

A few hours later you'd been released from the debriefing, heading straight to your room. “FRIDAY. Soundproof.”

“Sound proofing complete ms. Y/L/N.” As soon as it was soundproof, you let out a banshee scream in frustration. You yelled until your voice was just about gone again, “Fuck them. I try so hard…Tony has a stupid suit, Cap is a super soldier, Thor is a literal God!” You yelled. “It's not fair…its…” you started crying which turned into uncontrollable sobbing.

“Echo? Are you in there?” You heard Carol knocked at your door. As you tried to gather yourself together real quick and told FRIDAY to stop the soundproofing. 

“Y-yeah…here…” you called out, spraying your throat.

“Can I come in?” Carol asked, making you hesitate for a moment before opening it and pulling her inside. “Hey, you okay?” Carol cupped your cheeks, you tried looking away, anywhere, but at her. She was always so kind and caring towards you. “Look at me Y/N.” It caught you off guard, she never used your name ever since she learned your nickname so of course you looked at her. “Don't listen to those idiots. You're amazing and you're an amazing super hero. They have fancy gadgets and enhancements. You don't have those things. Sure your voice is a power and makes you an enhanced individual, but your power hurts you too. It isn't endless your body has limits and they need to understand that.” 

You felt your body shake at her words, trying to hold back your tears, but they end up falling as you're pulled against her. “Shhhh I'm always on your side.” Carol pulled your face up gently before pulling you into a soft kiss making your heart soar as you kissed her back pushing up on your toes and wrapping your arms around her shoulders. 

Through all of it, Carol was here with you, and so long as you had her by your side, anything the other members said didn't matter.

[magicalbats]

Fantasies Play Out

Rating: R-18+

Word Count: 18.921

Warnings: aphrodisiacs, pining & yearning, pathetic soggy men. femdom, overstimulation, handjobs, PIV, cowgirl position, dacryphilia, rimming, anal fingering, prostate massage, edging & orgasm denial

A/N: Alright, here's my longest comm yet. I'm so, so happy the commissioner gave me permission to post this because I simply MUST continue to spread my femdom agenda, and what better candidate exists for tribute than Kaveh? lol This was written using one of the lovely @tearsofcalamity's OC's, her name is Jeanne and she's ... quite the woman, haha. If you're anything like me you shouldn't have any problem at all self inserting with the text left as is so ... please enjoy! ❤️

⭐

Peering sullenly into his open wallet, Kaveh breathes out a single lamentable sigh over how much lighter it now was. Practically empty by all accounts, and what little mora he did have left would go very quickly. This he knew a little too well. 

He was struggling. No ifs, ands or buts about that. Between trying to stay caught up on the rent and his considerable debt payments (which hardly even put a dent in the total sum he owed to the renowned Lord Sangemah Bay) as well as the quite necessary bottles of wine he purchased for himself at the taverns and the shops, it was all going to be gone again in frustratingly quick order. And he’d only just returned from his most recent job out in the arid desert too. What a shame. 

It couldn’t be helped though. He’d needed these components for Mehrak and there wasn’t any getting around the costly price tag that came with them when one was working with a piece of complicated machinery as old and mysterious as his little helper was. He couldn’t exactly begrudge her for that. Mehrak may have been a costly sinkhole, an extra expense he hadn’t needed, but she was also an exceptionally good assistant. And, well. Perhaps she also helped chase away some of the isolated loneliness he’d felt closing in around him since he’d lost everything he’d worked so hard for, but there was no sense in dwelling unnecessarily on that. 

Mournfully clasping the purse shut and tucking it away into the safety of his pocket, Kaveh says to the ironworks shopkeep, “Thank you, Rahid. I appreciate you always keeping these bits and baubles on hand for me.” 

Because of course Mehrak needed parts of a very specific dimension that weren’t found anywhere else in modern Sumeru so they needed to be custom made. A costly sinkhole indeed. 

Sitting behind the counter, the elderly man sends him what can only be a sympathetic look from under the bushy, dusted gray droop of his eyebrows. He was happy to make the petite screws and nuts, and odd shaped bolts Kaveh needed since it kept food on his family table but evidently he wasn’t without his scruples. He’d certainly been around long enough to recognize when someone was limping steadily towards his last leg, yet he could only discount his wares so much without giving them away for free.

His sympathy just makes the blond’s stomach flip in on itself though, and he quickly busies himself with gathering up the handful of metal pieces laid out between them on the counter of the small shop. Pity was the very last thing he needed right now. 

“You should take it easy, old friend. You’ve been working an awful lot lately.” Rahid says in his usual low rumble, his voice permanently raspy after a lifetime spent working the forges, breathing in all the hot steam and iron smoke of his craft. 

“Ah, thank you but I’m afraid I don’t have any time for that at the moment. Someone is always in need of an architect, aren’t they? Busy, busy, busy.” Kaveh tries for nonchalant, tries to laugh it off like it’s no big deal as he slips Mehrak’s new screws into his other pocket where they wouldn’t stab him the next time he reaches for his wallet, but Rahid hardly seems convinced. 

In fact, the way he stares at him over the counter would seem to suggest that he could smell bullshit from a mile away, and he wasn’t impressed with Kaveh’s attempt at deflection. 

His deliberately casual laughter quickly morphs into nervous chuckling. “Hey, now. What’s with that look, huh?” 

Rahid narrows his eyes as if he wanted to give Kaveh a right and proper tongue lashing but says instead, “Well, as true as that may be - and I don’t doubt that it is given the quality of your work - you should still make some time for yourself. Take it from an old coot like me. You’re still young and capable. Don’t get so focused on your livelihood that you forget to live a little. You’ll regret it when you get to be my age. Surely there are some girls around the city who have caught your eye that you’d like to get to know?” 

Well, there was one, but she wasn’t from the city, or even Sumeru for that matter. 

She also wasn’t what Kaveh would call a girl either. 

Thoughts drifting idly to Jeanne only to inevitably take up camp there, Kaveh decides that she’s all woman and what a woman she was. 

Fontainian by birth and blood, she was an enforcement officer of the Maison Gardiennage who came to Sumeru on business with some amount of regularity. What that entailed was more often than not tracking down scoundrels that thought escaping to the opposite shore of the vast sea would save them from her wrath, or mora hungry merchants with a penchant for trouble and a bit too much free time on their hands. 

They’d happened to run into each other during one such incident involving a Fontaine trader who was underreporting his earnings to avoid paying all the taxes he owed. Having been in the wrong place at the right time, Kaveh, young and just as naive as he was now, had very nearly gotten duped out of a month's worth of pay by the shady businessman. But then Jeanne suddenly appeared like the hero in a storybook to interrupt the transaction before it was too late, saving him from what, in retrospect, had clearly been a scam. She’d made quick work of the lout and the two of them had become fast friends after that. Even now it struck Kaveh as being curiously fateful, that initial encounter. Like he was some hapless damsel in distress and Jeanne the noble chevalier of justice. 

But that was about where the fanciful tale ended. Years later they were still just friends despite Kaveh’s occasionally wistful thoughts to the contrary of someday being more and it’s not as if anyone could really fault him for that. 

Jeanne wasn't only pretty, she was downright stunning. And not in spite of the bisecting scars that ran across her face but because of them. He’d never seen someone quite so beautiful or captivating, and he more than anyone else had an eye for that sort of thing. There were very few in this world who understood the concept of aesthetic objectivity quite like he did, especially when others were much too focused on their own predefined subjective tastes to look past that. In many ways, Jeanne was the kind of woman he could see himself wanting to spend the rest of his life with. 

Unfortunately for him, she was unflappable and largely oblivious to the puppy faced looks of wanting he’d sometimes catch himself leveling at her, especially when they were drinking together. She always seemed to think it was just the wine talking, influencing his behavior and making him more needy (and whiny) than he normally was. Of course she wasn’t exactly wrong about that, but it was beside the point. While Kaveh undoubtedly appreciated her willingness to humor him in her own curious way during such moments, it didn’t exactly do much to soothe the yearning in his heart. More than anything he wanted Jeanne to take him seriously, but it looked like that was never going to happen. 

He's so caught up in these spiraling thoughts that he doesn’t even realize he’s letting out another groaning, long suffering sigh until Rahid chuckles a knowing sound in return. 

“That bad, eh?” 

Kaveh snaps his attention up, surprised at his own slip. “What? No. Nothing’s bad. Everything’s great, in fact.” 

The aging ironworker pins him with a critical, wisened look that seems to speak volumes. Clearly there would be no fooling a man nearly triple his age who’s been around long enough to have already seen and done it all, but that doesn’t exactly make Kaveh feel any better about being so damn transparent. 

“I’m afraid there’s no hiding it, boy. You can lie to yourself if you like but there’ll be no pulling one over on this old dog. I’ve heard that kind of sigh before. You’ve got a little sweetheart, don’t you?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He huffs, fluster quickly creeping up on him like a potent, thrumming buzz. “She’s not little. Th — I mean. I mean she wouldn’t be, if there was someone like that. But there’s not. I don’t have the time–“

“Alright, alright,” Rahid mercifully cuts off his floundering with a wave of his wrinkled hand. “I get it. There isn’t a girl you’re soft for.” 

“A woman.” Kaveh can’t help but correct him even when he knows he’s only digging his own grave deeper still. 

“Yes, of course. But if there was … what would be stopping you from courting the young lady? Surely you don’t lack for confidence? A handsome and successful architect such as yourself should have no problem getting anyone at all you set your sights on.” 

The blond hesitates, opening his mouth and then closing it again in favor of chewing on his bottom lip instead. He was tempted, oh, he was very tempted to lay it all bare. It’s not like he had anyone else to confide in about this sort of thing without running the risk of being laughed right out of the room. Or worse, stared at in contemptible silence and wordless judgment by the likes of that blasted Al-Haitham. He’d sooner take all his secrets to the afterlife before ever trying to have a discussion like this with the scribe. 

But Rahid was an old friend whom Kaveh has known for many years now and a decidedly trustworthy individual. He’d never sold him faulty parts or tried to price gouge him, hadn’t even asked what he needed these peculiar components for like many others might have. If there was anyone who could be trusted with this information it was probably him. 

Cautiously, Kaveh sends him a slow look of consideration. “Hypothetically speaking?” 

The old man nods in agreement. “Aye. Hypothetically.” 

“Well … if there were someone — and do keep in mind that this is purely speculative conjecture — if there were someone like that and they genuinely didn’t seem to realize I wanted to pursue them, what else could I possibly do to get my feelings across? Especially if they don’t even live here and I only get to see them on occasion …” 

Rahid lifts his brows in surprise. “She’s not from Sumeru?” 

“Hypothetically!” 

“Hmm. Well, I can see how that might cause you some trouble then. Trying to make a long distance relationship work is always hard. But, tell me boy, have you actually told her what you’ve just told me?” 

“I — I have, just … not in quite so many words, I guess.” Feeling his cheeks grow hot at the unbidden memory of grumbling out a half baked attempt to flirt with her the last time Jeanne had been in town, Kaveh drops his gaze and anxiously shifts from one foot to the other. It hadn’t worked, of course. He’d been so drunk and vibrating with liquid courage that he couldn’t even remember what exactly he’d said to her. All he knew with any certainty was that she’d softly tutted at him that he’d had enough for one night before wandering off to fetch him a glass of water. The lingering embarrassment was almost enough to make him feel faint. 

But at Rahid’s pressing sound of encouragement, Kaveh jumps at the chance and recounts the whole sorry tale to him in an impulsive rush that comes pouring from his mouth, unable to stop it even if he’d wanted to. He tells the old man everything; how they met, how simultaneously wonderful and imposing Jeanne could be at the same time and yet how oblivious she still seemed regarding his feelings. He even lamented, ad nauseum, how she never lost her composure while they were drinking long into the night together and how he couldn’t figure out how to crack her shell because of it. 

Eyes brightening at that last bit, Rahid abruptly leans forward against the rickety counter as if in great interest. “That right there sounds like your chance, boy. If she won’t hear you out sober, then you should do it when her guard is down. Everyone is more open to suggestions when they’ve got alcohol in them.” 

“But that’s the problem. No matter how much she drinks, she never lets her guard down. I don’t exactly consider myself a lightweight but she’s got the tolerance of a bear!”

“I see.” Murmuring thoughtfully, Rahid leans back to cross his arms in consideration. It’s clear he’s pondering over something with all the appropriate weight and gravitas the situation calls for. But he reaches his conclusion surprisingly quickly — much more quickly than Kaveh could ever make up his mind — and he stands with a soft scrape of his stool against the shop's floorboards. “Give me a moment. I think I may have something that could help you.” 

Blinking owlishly, Kaveh tracks his steps over to a stout cabinet pushed up against the side wall where he slides open one of the drawers with a dull jostle. 

“What do you mean? Don’t tell me you’ve got some hundred year old snake wine waiting on standby for just such an occasion or something?” 

“Ehh, not quite. But this should do just as well, if not better. Here we are.” Pulling out something that remains unseen in his blocky fist, Rahid closes the drawer back up and returns to the counter. Kaveh isn’t quite sure what to expect, but the petite glass vial he holds out to him is somehow the very last thing he could have guessed. There’s a faintly pinkish liquid inside that sloshes against the interior at the slightest shift and, squinting, Kaveh leans closer to get a better look. 

“What is that, some sort of alchemical potion?” 

“You’re not wrong, but you’re not exactly right either. Just take it. Trust me. You’ll be grateful you did the next time this young lady is in Sumeru. A few drops of this in her drink will have her, uh, loosening up quite a bit and you’ll have your chance to talk to her as much as you want.”

Kaveh shoots him a plainly horrified glance. “Are you telling me to drug her? She’ll kill me, Rahid, have you lost your mind?” 

“Archons above, this isn’t going to incapacitate her or nothing like that. Relax. My wife and I use this stuff to get in the mood with one another in our old age, that’s all. It just helps us with the warm up, if you get what I’m saying.” 

The blond offers a soft sound of enlightenment as if he understood perfectly now but, given the way Rahid critically eyes him, it’s clear the older man isn’t entirely convinced he does. 

For better or worse Kaveh is much too preoccupied with staring at the small vial in rapt fascination to notice though, and his hands idly clench into greedy fists where they’re braced against the counter. Regardless of his understanding or not, there was no denying the wisdom in Rahid’s suggestion. If Jeanne wouldn’t allow herself to drop her walls naturally then giving her a little nudge in the right direction was just the logical next step, wasn’t it? He was always much more loose lipped with a few drinks in him so if he could coax her into being the same … 

This really might be the thing that would finally tip the scales in his favor where the Fontanian woman was concerned. 

“How … how much would you want for that?” He finally brings himself to ask. 

“Nothing, old friend.”  The soft note of sympathy in his voice is clear as day, and it brings Kaveh’s attention up with a snap. Ignoring his hurried protests, Rahid reaches across the counter and bullies the glass bottle into his fumbling hands, adamantly refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer. “Like I said, just take it. You need it more than I do, don’t you boy? My wife and I can get by without. Besides, it sounds like your situation is much more dire anyway. Just promise me you’ll take a break from working so much and put it to good use, eh?” 

Gently cradling the vial in his palms like it was some sort of precious, highly fragile artifact, Kaveh gropes for something to say. He couldn’t very well let it slip that he didn’t have much choice and reveal just how far from grace he’d fallen in the process, not without permanently staining his reputation as a capable and respected graduate of the Akademiya. 

But the greater meaning behind this gesture is not lost on him. Not by a long shot, and he finally settles on, “Thank you, Rahid. A thousand times, thank you. I hope you know how much I appreciate this.” 

Dismissing him with a brief wave of his hand, the old man quickly turns away, giving him his back. “Not another word about it, Kaveh. Now get out of here. Before I change my mind.” Then, like an afterthought, he adds, “I’ll make sure to have more of those components on hand for the next time you need them. Take care of yourself out there.” 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The little bell over the door chimes a merry sound as he steps out into the street and the humidity dense, year-long heat of Sumeru. The city is a constant buzz of noise and bustling activity, myriad smells from nearby cafes and vendors, but Kaveh hardly notices any of it while he makes his way down the road. His attention is all for the petite vial in his hand, so slight yet monumentally heavy against his palm. 

It was strange to think that something this small and seemingly benign could potentially be the answer to at least one of the many problems in his life. But as they say, matters of the heart are some of the most significant and challenging one can face, and he was inclined to agree. 

Financial problems could be parsed and sorted out in due time. Hell, even his living arrangements seemed stable enough for him not to have to worry about it too much at the current moment. Al-Haitham, for all of his bad attitude and unreasonable nature, seemed perfectly content with the way things were, even if Kaveh did sometimes suspect he’d only reached out a hand to lorde it over his head. Did that really mean it was okay for him to be expending this sort of energy on the issue of Jeanne rather than any of his other troubles though? 

“Well,” He murmurs softly under his breath, consideringly turning the bottle this way and that to watch how the rosy liquid inside reflects in the sunlight. “There’s no telling when I’ll even get to see her again so I think this should be fine. At least I’m prepared now.” 

Which was more than could be said before that exchange with Rahid. He’d have to remember to thank him properly for it later when he was back on his feet again, especially if the mysterious concoction ended up working a veritable miracle. Hopefully that wouldn’t be too far out in the future.  

Moreover though, the implication of what he was holding in his hand was a bit too tempting for him to think any better of it or reconsider his ready acceptance of this gift. Rahid had only said it would loosen her up but what exactly did that entail? He’d never seen her lose her composure before so Kaveh had no idea what that might look like. Would a truly inebriated Jeanne be clingy and soft with him? Prone to whining, the way he sometimes was? Or perhaps she would allow herself to laugh more openly, more freely without her self imposed walls there holding her back. 

The thought alone makes him huff a quiet laugh as he makes the turn into the packed market square, intending to cut through to get home a little quicker. “Yeah right, maybe when shroomboars sprout wings and fly. That would be awfully cute though …” 

And if her lips were loosened enough to coax a long anticipated yet never realized confession out of her? All the better then. She may not have taken him or any of his prior attempts at flirting seriously but surely she wouldn’t discredit her own actions once everything was said and done, right? 

Feeling oddly optimistic about the situation, Kaveh lifts his head to pay attention to where he’s going only to damn near drop the bottle in surprise when his eyes immediately alight upon a tall figure. The height as much as the manner of dress makes her stand out in the crowd, a feathered cap and a heavy coat worn over the shoulders that are at complete odds with the common attire. The burgundy red hair is what truly strikes a familiar note of wanting in his heart though, and he comes to an abrupt, lurching halt to stare at her in disbelief. 

She hasn’t noticed him just yet, only halfway through the motion of turning away from the owner of the shawarma stall she’d stopped at, but it didn’t really matter. He still recognized her on such an intrinsic, bone deep level that a shock of static electricity promptly surges through his entire body to set him abuzz from head to toe. Mouth going drier than the desert plains, he openly gapes at her like a beached fish. 

She notices him standing there another heartbeat later and, blinking at him in her closest approximation of startlement, Jeanne moves to face him. “Oh, what a coincidence. I was just on my way to pay you a visit. How have you been?” 

Kaveh fumbles desperately for something intelligent to say, coming up decidedly empty handed. It was like just the sight of her had short circuited his brain so beyond repair that no amount of trying to kick start it back into gear was working. There was simply no way, no way she’d just so happened to appear before him like this though. Was someone playing a cruel joke on him? Or had he finally cracked under the building pressure piling up around him and he was now hallucinating the singular object of his desires? 

But the longer he goes without responding the more her usually stoic expression pinches in vague concern, and he finally has to force himself to clear his throat with a rough cough so he can speak. “I - I’m fine. Good. Better than ever, in fact. What about you? I wasn’t … I didn’t expect to run into you like this.” 

Her suspicions evidently alleviated, Jeanne allows her expression to fall back to her usual neutral mask again. “I'm well. I thought about sending you a letter of correspondence prior to my arrival but I figured a surprise would do just as well. It’s not often I get the chance to drop in unexpectedly like this, after all. And for the better, it seems. Were you just on your way home?” 

“Oh, yes, I was just …” Kaveh trails off when a cold note of terror races down his spine. She didn’t yet know he’d lost everything. All of his furniture, his house, his beautifully maintained garden on the veranda that now belonged to someone else who’d no doubt swooped in like a vulture to buy up the gorgeous property he’d had no choice but to sell. He didn’t have a home to go back to unless you counted Al-Haitham’s largely minimal space and there wasn’t a god strong enough in this world or any other that could make him take her there. Even if she had sent him a letter there was a very real chance he never would have gotten it. 

“Kaveh?” Jeanne’s voice breaks through the muddled mess in his head as abruptly as if she’d sucker punched him, and he snaps out of it with a jolt. “Are you quite alright? You look a little pale to me.” 

“I’m fine!” He insists, a bit more loudly than he’d intended, only to grimace when she narrows her eyes again with renewed suspicion. “Sorry, sorry. I promise I’m fine, honest.” He quickly tries again, much more softly this time. “I just got back from a job out near Aaru Village, that’s all. I guess I’m still feeling a bit fatigued but it shouldn’t be anything a glass or two of wine won’t fix, haha… Come on. What do you say? For old times’ sake?”  

At his nervous attempt at laughter, Jeanne breathes out a quiet sigh and shakes her head. “Wine isn’t the solution to all of life’s problems, Kaveh. Haven’t I told you that before?” 

“Well, you’re not wrong of course, but in this case it most certainly is. You’ll see. Why don’t we just go down to Lambad’s for a drink? You’ve already got a snack to go with it.” 

Kaveh gestures towards the single serving of shawarma clasped in her hand and, as if she’d forgotten she was even holding it, Jeanne contemplatively glances down at the shishkabob skewer. Taking his chance while she’s not looking, he covertly slides the little vial into his pocket and safely out of sight before she can notice it. He hadn’t quite gotten so far as figuring out how he was going to slip a few drops of the mysterious substance into whatever she was drinking but thankfully she wouldn’t have reason to question him about it just yet. That solved at least one of the many problems her sudden appearance had presented. 

Now he only needed to stall her long enough to decide what he was going to tell her regarding his living situation. One issue at a time here. 

“I suppose I could do with a drink.” She says, bringing her attention back up just as he’s withdrawing his now empty hand from his pocket. “But you need to hydrate yourself before anything else if you’re feeling unwell after your travels. Promise me you’ll make sure to drink some water when we get there?” 

“Deal.” He gratefully blurts even as his heart gives a dully subdued flutter inside his chest. Jeanne, feared enforcer of Fontaine and scourge of all wrongdoers, worried about him? Kaveh would’ve been tempted to giggle over it like a schoolgirl had he not been so weak in the knees with relief. As long as he could keep her distracted enough that she didn’t start asking any prying questions, there was a very real chance he could still salvage this. 

Nodding once to indicate that the decision has been made, Jeanne leans down as if to grab the stately, heavy looking luggage at her feet. But even in his frazzled state Kaveh is still quick to jump into action and he lunges forward, snatching it up off the ground before she can. He falters though at the weight, a small grunt leaving him when he encounters more resistance than he’d anticipated. He quickly recovers though and bounces upright again with a victorious grin aimed at her even as his arm threatens to buckle under the weight of his new burden.  

Not looking particularly amused, she levels him with a frown. “You needn’t concern yourself with that, Kaveh. I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own suitcase, seeing as I’ve been doing just that up until now.” 

“I know that but please, I insist. Isn’t this what they call chivalry back in Fontaine? I’m just making sure you feel at home, that’s all.”

She tries to fight it but a brief, rueful smile still manages to grace her mouth. It’s as beautiful as it is fleeting, and Kaveh has to work very hard to keep his free hand from coming up to touch at the spot over his chest where his heartbeat is pounding out a staccato rhythm. He really did have it bad. Not that that comes as a surprise when he’d already known full well but there was something reassuring in having such a tangible confirmation that his feelings for her haven’t changed or lessened one bit since the last time they’d met for a meal and drinks. 

It fills him with a fresh surge of hope for the prospects of this unexpected chance encounter as they start to make their way down the road together. Still, though, he can’t shake the feeling that something seemed a bit unusual about her demeanor this time. Far be it that he was complaining but Jeanne wasn’t typically in the habit of being so laid back or relaxed, and that makes him shoot her a curious look. Her posture was as proud as ever yet seemingly less severe in the set of her shoulders and the sure sway of her hips. Most anyone else probably wouldn’t have caught on that anything at all was different but he certainly had. 

“You must have only just gotten here if you haven’t even dropped off your luggage yet. Talk about good timing. And forgive me for being blunt but you seem to be in a good mood today. What kind of job are you here for this time?” 

Another small smile pulls at her mouth, but this time it doesn’t immediately disappear. “There is no job. I’m on vacation. Lucky me, right?” 

Kaveh’s lips slowly part. She’d been given holiday from her obligations within the Gardiennage and she’d decided to spend that time in Sumeru? With him? He almost doesn’t believe his own ears even as he blurts, “Oh, that’s wonderful! You’re always working so hard, you’ve certainly earned yourself a break by now. But … you could have gone anywhere, right? Why here?” 

Jeanne sends him a lingering glance that he can’t decipher quickly enough before she turns her attention forward again with a quiet sniff. “Why not? I like it in Sumeru, and it’s not a very long trip. I’m familiar enough with the roads and the people that it just seemed like the logical conclusion.” 

“Ah, right. The old stomping grounds, eh?” He laughs, trying to cover up the distant note of disappointment that creeps in. Of course she wouldn’t choose to come here for him, specifically. He was just one of probably many faces that made up the familiar tapestry of the foreign city in her mind. His wishful thinking was going to get him in trouble some day. 

The physical manifestation of that was a heavy burden in his pocket that he couldn’t ignore when each step seemed to emphasize the weight of the vial resting against his thigh. Perhaps accepting Rahid’s offer had been a mistake after all. If there was nothing there in the first place then no amount of loosening up was going to improve his situation with her, would it? 

And that was to say nothing of the fact that he still had no idea what to tell her about his descent into poverty. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lambad’s Tavern isn’t particularly busy in the middle of the day but it’s not quite empty either, so Kaveh makes a point of picking out a secluded booth seat in the far back corner. He’d cited wanting to be away from the oud player and the crowd naturally drawn in by live music when she’d given him an odd look, but in reality he’d needed the relative privacy to get his head on straight. 

Over an hour later and he still hasn’t quite accomplished that, nor has he made a single decision on how to proceed from here. Not whether to tell her the truth or come up with a convenient excuse as to why he couldn’t invite her back to his place for a nightcap as he customarily did. Not whether to slip her some of the pink concoction when she wasn’t looking or toss it in the trash at his earliest opportunity to be rid of the evidence. Kaveh wasn’t normally this hesitant or irresolute but the situation was so littered with proverbial land mines that he feared making the wrong move a little too much to make any move at all. 

And Jeanne, in all the splendor and glow of the relaxed mood brought about by her holiday away from the court of Fontaine, was not making it any easier on him. 

“I did miss having your company, you know. Since I’m not on the clock this time I say we try to make the most of it while we can. I think we should go sightseeing together, actually.” She says, perfectly casual about it while she picks up her stout goblet from the table and takes a sip. He can’t help watching from the corner of his eye how the elegant line of her throat daintily bobs with the swallow but he quickly averts his gaze before she can notice. 

There was very little he wouldn’t give to press his mouth to that pale strip of flesh and nuzzle into her pulse. He felt like he was going mad. Jeanne de la Roche herself wanted to spend that much time with him? Willingly? It almost seemed too good to be true. 

“It occurred to me that I haven’t ventured out from the capital city or the port towns very much,” Jeanne goes on, idly swirling the glass in her hand now. “But Sumeru is a rather large country, isn’t it? I should think I’d like to see more of it.” 

Eager to busy himself with something so he can hide his jittery nerves, Kaveh leans forward to take up the decanter from the table and refills his own cup. He knew he was drinking a little too fast for a situation as precarious as this one but it couldn’t be helped. It would’ve seemed far more strange if he’d hardly touched his wine at all after pleading with her to come here. 

“Why, of course we can.” He tells her as amicably as he can manage. “I already have a few places in mind that I’d love to show you. I’m probably not the best candidate to play tour guide but … if you think you’re up for it, I can probably move some stuff around in my schedule.” 

Never mind the fact he didn’t yet have another job lined up after only just completing the last. His financial troubles had forced him to be a little more cautious about where and how he spent his time. Long gone were the days where he could leisurely mingle at the parties and grand openings hosted by wealthy businessmen or dignitaries who were keen on networking with him lest he run the risk of his secret getting out. Reputation was, unfortunately, a key factor in such stuffy social circles and he’d largely distanced himself from that particular crowd under the guise of being too busy to humor them. It was a vicious cycle and he could feel the pressure steadily closing in around him even now. 

But Jeanne didn’t need to know that. She’d probably understand it, given her own experiences dealing with courtiers and unreasonable noblemen who were accustomed to things being done a certain way, but he didn’t want to unload all of his woes on her. Not yet. 

Or preferably ever, if he was lucky enough to get out of it entirely. 

And she seems pleased enough with his willingness to accommodate her that he’s certain he’s made the right choice. Her smile is private and brief when she flashes it at him, but the teal of her eyes takes on a stunning warmth that very nearly makes his heart give out on the spot.

“Excellent. Of course I won’t take up all of your time though. I know just how busy you usually are but I must admit I’m looking forward to it. Are you certain a day or two of exploring Sumeru’s countryside together won’t hurt your productivity too much?” 

“Certainly not.” He swallows hard. “I’m looking forward to having a break of my own. All the better if it’s with you.” 

Offering up a brief sound of agreement, Jeanne thoughtfully glances down into her cup with that same secretive smile still in place. It strikes him as oddly curious, like there was more at play behind her good mood than just the vacation or the drink, but as always she doesn’t allow him enough time to parse what it might mean. 

Unfolding her legs where they’d been neatly crossed one over the other, she sets her goblet back down on the table and rises to her feet. “Then it’s settled. Excuse me for just a moment. I’m afraid I need to visit the powder room.” 

“Please, take your time.” He murmurs, attentively watching as she steps out from the booth before disappearing further into the tavern. Kaveh feels vaguely like a clingy puppy at the vague sense of loss that comes with watching her go but he quickly snaps himself out of it. 

This was his chance, wasn’t it? 

Surreptitiously, he glances at the glass she’s left behind. It would be all too easy to slip a few drops into her drink and no one would be none the wiser when their table was sequestered in the far back corner, away from where any prying eyes would be able to see it. Except he still hadn’t quite made up his mind yet. Was this a step too far? Would he be breaking some unspoken trust between them if he went through with this? 

The clock was ticking. He’d have to make his decision fast. 

“Dammit,” Cursing under his breath, Kaveh fumbles to get his hand inside his pocket. The glass vial feels warm from his own body heat as he wraps his long fingers around its slight circumference but he hardly even notices it in his flustered state. If he really went through with this … if he actually slipped her something without her knowledge … 

Oh, Jeanne was going to string him up like a solstice turkey if she ever found out. 

“I can’t do it.” He murmurs, hating the sinking feeling of defeat that makes his stomach feel like a solid lead weight yet he knew this was a line he just couldn’t bring himself to cross. No matter how badly he wanted to see her punch drunk and giggly (if such a Jeanne even existed) there was simply no way he’d ever be able to reconcile it with his conscience. In truth, he felt something like a slimy creep for even considering it in the first place. 

So he sits there for the next odd minutes, just sullenly regarding the little vial in his hand until she comes back and slides into the booth next to him again. His slumped shoulders must catch her attention, because she leans close to him to inspect what it is he’s looking at. 

“And what is this? Some sort of alchemical potion?” 

That manages to make him smile. “Hah. I said the same thing, you know. A friend gave this to me. He said a few drops in your drink would increase the efficacy and make it more potent.” 

Or something like that. Kaveh had been drinking a shade too fast since they got here to properly remember what exactly Rahid had told him. Not that that had been much to begin with, in retrospect. 

“Hmm. Interesting.” 

He’s not sure why he does it. Perhaps it’s the wine making his head feel fuzzy and muddled, or perhaps it’s nothing more than a last ditch effort on his part to win her over, but he holds it out to her in offering. “Wanna give it a try? I’m not sure how much effect it’ll actually have on you but …” 

She noises a brief sound of consideration, making up her mind surprisingly quick, and giving an elegant shrug. “I don’t see why not. I can’t even remember the last time I felt truly drunk.” 

“I’ve noticed that.” Numbly passing it over to her, Kaveh watches in disbelief as she uncorks the petite stopper and lifts it up to her nose for a sniff. He can hardly believe the situation would turn out this way after all the indecisive grief he’d endured leading up to this moment. 

Not only had he saved himself from dealing with the long lasting guilt of doing something so nefarious behind her back but she was also willing to drink it on her own accord? It truly seemed too good to be true. 

But, to his continued surprise, she does indeed reach out to position the vial over her waiting cup. A deliberate turn of her wrist sends a few pink droplets falling into the wine, dying it a faintly rust color in the center where it slowly starts to bleed out towards the edges. Jeanne appears to hesitate though, and at first he assumes she’s rethinking this decision – which he couldn’t exactly fault her for if that were the case. But then she tips the glass bottle again, spilling another healthy dose into her goblet, and his brows take a very expeditious trip up to his hairline.

“Uh, don’t you think that might be too much?”

“We’ll find out, won't we?” She shoots back, and he doesn’t realize she’s teasing him rather than issuing a challenge until she sends him a confidential smile. “It’s just as you said, Kaveh. There’s no way to know how much effect this will even have on me so I don’t see what harm it could do. You’ll have to forgive me though if I start acting like a fool. Can I trust you to watch over me if that happens?”

Kaveh starts to open his mouth, wanting to reassure her that everything is fine, of course he would, and to not give it another thought. But before he can even get a single word out she abruptly leans forward to snatch up her glass. In one smooth motion she brings it up to her mouth, tips it bottoms up, and drains what must be a good half of its contents all at once. 

Eyes widening to the approximate size of dinner plates, the blond lurches forward to grab at her elbow. “Woah, woah, hey! Slow down, there’s no rush is there? Don’t — you can’t drink it that fast!” 

She lowers the goblet enough to say, “And why not?” before decisively lifting it again. 

“Because -“ He fumbles for something to say, anything other than the humiliating truth, even as he grips her tight in an attempt to stay her hand. It’s no use though. She’s much too strong, stronger than him by a very noticeable margin, and there’s nothing he can do to stop her from taking another healthy swig. 

Such a realization probably would have hurt another man’s ego, left him feeling emasculated and lesser than. But Kaveh, on the contrary and much to his growing horror, only feels a dizzying rush of sharp edged excitement swell in his gut when her bicep powerfully flexes under his fingers. It’s like she doesn’t even notice he’s holding onto her at all and it is with a great deal of buzzing trepidation that he realizes just how easily she could have overpowered and pinned him down. It wouldn’t have even been much of an accomplishment. Despite the biological advances he naturally possessed as a man, he never could have gone toe to toe with her and hoped to come out on top. 

He quickly yanks his hands away as if she’d scalded him, his breath coming out in a quick rush now. His cheeks feel like they’re positively blazing while he watches in dismay as she finishes off the rest of the wine before reaching for the decanter. This wasn’t so strange for her, in truth. Jeanne seemed to enjoy dropping some of the stuffy aristocratic manners she’d been raised on when she was with him and she could hold her alcohol perfectly well under normal circumstances. But he had no idea what effect that strange liquid was going to have on her, especially not when she’d consumed so much of it all at once. 

And that was to say absolutely nothing of the unmistakable tendrils of arousal curling hot in his lower belly now. 

Practically shaking, Kaveh self consciously huddles into the corner of the booth and tries to get his bearings straight again. He’d known Jeanne was physically fit and strong, of course. It was a big part of the attraction, after all. But he hadn’t fully comprehended the actual differences in their strength, not like this. He’d never had it quite so poignantly displayed right in front of his very eyes before. 

And something told him he’d just made a grievous mistake when he decided to open up Pandora’s Box with that mysterious concoction. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thirty minutes later and Kaveh knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has indeed made a monumental mistake. 

Jeanne, to her credit, doesn’t appear to be drunk or even particularly tipsy for that matter — not the way he and many others get, at any rate. She was still a steady, unflappable presence sitting next to him in the booth, neither faltering in an intoxicated daze nor slurring her speech like most did when they were inebriated. By all accounts she seemed to be almost entirely sober. 

Except the way she looks over at him is so hungry and pointed that he feels vaguely like a cornered prey animal staring down a half starved beast. The change had come on gradually at first and then more quickly when whatever he’d slipped her really started to kick in. Now she looked like she was seconds away from pouncing on him right then and there, and he wasn’t so sure he would have had the strength of will to tell her no. 

If this was Rahid’s idea of ‘warming up’ with his wife Kaveh was going to have to have another long talk with him. 

In the here and now, he fumbles for something to say. Anything at all to diffuse the situation and give him a chance to figure out how to fix this newest screw up in his long list of a track record. It seemed that no matter what he did, he really just kept digging his grave deeper and deeper. 

“Are you alright, Jeanne? Y - you look thirsty. Why don’t I grab you some water?” 

He quickly stands, but Jeanne is just as quick to grab his wrist and tug him back down. Her fingers are reminiscent of iron manacles, and he rather helplessly collapses into the seat again. Surreptitiously glancing into her darkened expression, he decides that this would have been a rather terrifying experience had he not been so embarrassingly aroused by it. There was clearly something very wrong with him. 

“No water.” She murmurs, her voice noticeably huskier than usual. If he didn’t know any better he’d think it was the sultry, intimate tone she would use with a lover in their most private of moments, and that doesn’t do much to help him fight down the erection trying to spring up in his pants. He needed to think fast. 

“Alright. Can I … can I get you something else, then? Maybe something to eat? That might — it might absorb some of the … wine in your system.” 

Jeanne gives her head a slow shake, burgundy forelocks swaying gently with the motion. “No. I’m not hungry for food, but thank you.” 

Oh. 

Unsure what else to do, Kaveh lets out a threadbare little laugh. “Ah, I - I see. Then are you in the mood for something else? I can get you whatever you want. On me, of course.” 

It’s not like he had the extra money for that but it doesn’t really seem to matter. She only drops her gaze as if in thought, deeply considering something that only she was privy to in that moment. 

Those cool, sea-green eyes snap back up almost immediately though. 

With a single minded decisiveness that makes his heart lodge itself in his throat again, she nudges closer to him in the booth. Stammering, he quickly brings his open hands up to indicate surrender but she just reaches right past them to grab his chin without so much as pausing. Completely ignoring the surprised squawk he lets out, Jeanne rather demandingly angles his face up at her as she leans in, pressing her body right up against his side until he's practically pinned back into the seat. 

She looks like she’s about to devour him whole, her entire frame practically vibrating with the urge to act on whatever is going through her head, but she manages to stop at the last possible moment. Visibly holding herself in check she takes a deep, faltering breath and lets it out on a slow exhale, trying to regain her composure.  

“I’m not sure what's happening but … I think we need to leave.”

“A - are you alright?” 

“I don’t know. I just suddenly feel so damn hot.” She slowly shakes her head, clearly unable to make any sense of it. It is with a great deal of effort that she forces her fingers to unlatch from his chin and she stiffly returns to her side of the booth, panting softly under her breath. 

Kaveh can’t help the worried guilt that rushes over him as he takes in her new demeanor, the hunched set of her shoulders and the fine sheen of sweat starting to form across her face. If he didn’t know any better he’d think she was suddenly coming down with a cold. This was not at all what he’d expected to happen based on Rahid’s vague description but, well. She had consumed more than just a few drops worth. He just hoped it wasn’t making her sick. 

“It’s okay, Jeanne. Let me pay the tab and then we’ll get out of here,” He tells her, consolingly reaching over to place his hand across her back. “Your place is closer than mine so lets - -”

“No. I’ll pay.”

“But I already said it was my treat - -”

In lieu of a proper response, she merely reaches up lightning quick to snag his wrist and Kaveh can’t quite help the startled yelp he lets out in response. Unperturbed by his reaction, she stands up in a rush and half drags him after her. Another blinding, white hot surge shoots through his body at the demanding way she steers him out of the booth, stopping just long enough to snag her luggage up off the ground before making a beeline up to the front counter. He’s helpless to do anything but follow along right in tow when she’s got an ironclad hold on him like this, and Lambad sends them an odd look from behind the long bar at their approach. 

“Leaving so soon? It’s not even been two hours yet.”

“O - oh, you know,” Kaveh nervously laughs, scrambling for an excuse that wouldn’t sound as incriminating as the current scene looked, but Jeanne is quick to cut across him. 

“We might come back tomorrow. I’m not feeling very well, unfortunately.” That much is clear in the way she shivers just ever so slightly as she sets her suitcase back down so she can dig into her pocket. The fact she refused to let him go, as if she was worried about him making a break for it, is not lost on him but there wasn’t much he could do about it at this point. 

A handful of mora is slapped down on the counter with enough force to make Kaveh wince and then she’s physically dragging him towards the exit. By the time they make it outside and step into the dense heat, Jeanne is full on panting like she couldn’t quite catch her breath, and the two of them stumble to a halt just on the edge of the road. Realizing she was hardly in any condition to navigate the city streets on her own, the blond cautiously steps closer to put his uncaptured hand on her shoulder, hoping to steady her a little bit. 

“Here, let me lead the way. Do you feel like you’re going to be sick? Maybe I should take you to a hospital …”

“No. That's not necessary.” She groans very softly, keeping her head hung forward so that her hair keeps her face mostly hidden from him. “Just want to go home. I think – I think I need to lie down for a while.” 

He was decidedly in agreement with that, so he gently coaxes her into motion until she at last gives in and shuffles after him on heavy feet. Luckily the house she rented year-round for her stays in Sumeru while on business was conveniently closer to the tavern than his old home would have been, so that saved him from having to break that particular news to her just yet. It was one of the very few breaks he seemed to be getting today. 

More importantly though he isn’t quite sure what to do with her in this state. She’d said she didn’t need a hospital but was she sure about that? Did she have the presence of mind to make those kinds of calls right now? In many ways this was the exact opposite of what he’d been hoping for. Instead of a clingy, affectionate Jeanne he’d gotten one who looked like she was either going to collapse or start retching everywhere. For all he was aware, she might even end up doing both and he had no clue how to handle any of it. 

But for once the gods seemed to be on his side because they eventually make it to her single sized home without incident and only a few curious stares from people wondering what was going on with the Fontainian woman. There was no telling what kind of rumors about them might be circulating around the city come morning but that was the least of his concerns. With her help, he manages to get the door unlocked and the two of them stumble inside. 

Immediately dropping her luggage, Jeanne moves to lean heavily against the wall while he gets the door closed. Even with her hair hanging forward he can still make out the furious flush that stains her cheeks and he cautiously approaches her, idly noting that when she was slumped like this they were at almost perfect eye level with one another. 

“Are you positive you don’t want me to fetch a doctor for you, Jeanne? I’m worried about you.” 

“Don’t be,” She insists, lifting a sluggish hand to vaguely wave off his concern. “I’ll be fine. I must have just drank too fast. I wasn’t expecting that brew to hit me so hard.” 

Deciding that was a major understatement, Kaveh reaches up to tug her coat off her shoulders. That probably wasn’t helping her current condition much, and it strikes him as oddly domestic. Like he was a housewife welcoming her hardworking husband home from a long day. 

His belly painfully clenches at the thought and, struggling to fight down the erection that tries to spring to life in his pants, he tosses her jacket on the nearby coat rack and then stiffly takes her by the shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed before you collapse on me.”

Much to his relief, she complies without a fuss and pushes off from the wall. Leaning into him for support, Jeanne allows Kaveh to guide her further into the house and down the hall. He’d only seen her bedroom once or twice before in passing, when he’d helped her with her luggage on previous trips, but this time there’s enough static tension hanging in the air that he can’t quite stamp down the mounting excitement in his lower body. It’s a shameful thing to realize his self control was this bad but he makes a valiant effort to keep it at bay while he gets her directed over to the waiting bed. 

“Here we are. Once you’re settled in I’ll go get you some water to drink.”

She doesn’t immediately sink onto the waiting mattress though. Even at his encouraging nudge, she just stands there breathing heavily, and he anxiously bends his head close to try and get a better look at her. 

“What’s wrong? Do you feel like you’re going to be sick?” 

“No.” 

“Then why don’t you - -“ 

It happens much too fast for him to comprehend any of it. 

One moment he’s standing on his feet, helping Jeanne support her weight, and the next she’s flipped him forward to hit the bed, sprawled out on his back. Kaveh barely has enough time to draw a sharp gasp as he bounces once before she’s on top of him, pinning him down against the sheets. Staring up at her, he’s so surprised in the aftermath of that sudden rush that he doesn’t even have the wherewithal to do anything else but gape at her. 

What in the seven hells was happening now? 

“Kaveh,” 

He gives a slight jolt. “O - oh. Yes – yes, Jeanne?” 

“I’m going to kiss you.” She announces with so little fanfare that he very nearly does a double take. 

“W - wha —“

“Kaveh,” She cuts across him, the strict command in her tone making the blond obediently snap his mouth shut. Apparently satisfied with that, she goes on. “I’ve thought about doing this for a while now. Quite a while, in fact. I’m not sure what was in that vial but I want you far too much right now to deny it any longer. I won’t force myself on you though, so speak up if you don’t want it. This is your chance to reject my advances. If you don’t take it I’m going to kiss you.” 

His eyes grow so impossibly wide it looks like they just might fall right out of his head and go rolling off across the floor, and with it comes a sudden realization. What Rahid had said about that pink concoction. He’d never come right out with it but he also hadn’t stated that it would make her drunk either. That had been his own jump to conclusions on the matter. What he’d told Kaveh was that it would warm her up and that he used it with his wife in their old age. He’d said it would give him plenty of time to prove to Jeanne that he was serious about wanting to pursue her. It wasn’t an elixir for drunkards, it was an intimacy potion! 

Kaveh’s brain stumbles over that thought, hardly even daring to believe it, but the proof was looming over him with a hungry, voracious look of wanting darkening her face. That explained everything. Why she was so short of breath and her skin flushed with perspiration. He’d thought she was feeling ill after ingesting all that wine on top of the mystery fluid but clearly that was not the case. She was so worked up because she was indescribably aroused. 

And he was the sole focus of all her attention? 

The poor architect very nearly faints dead away on the spot. 

Desperately groping for some semblance of a hold on his composure though, he starts to open his mouth. He’d wanted to tell her he would rather talk this out instead of making any rash decisions when she was so obviously under the influence and her judgment was clouded, but his silence must have stretched on for much too long at that point. Because Jeanne abruptly swoops in and he just manages to suck in a surprised gasp before her lips crash into his. He violently jerks as if she’d electrocuted him but, in truth, she doesn’t even seem to notice it. She’s much too busy trying to devour him, claiming his mouth and dominating the kiss before he even has a chance to try and take the upper hand for himself. Like her role of total power and control in their dynamic was already a foregone conclusion. 

Hell, maybe it was. 

In a truly dizzying rush, white hot static surges through his system with all the subtlety of a powerful explosive going off and Kaveh instantly gives over to the intense, bone rattling yearning he harbors for her. Tipping his head, he hungrily kisses her back, softly groaning into her mouth. His lips tremble under the demanding push and pull of hers even as he instinctively brings his arms up to wrap them around her shoulders, clinging to her while his long fingers dig into the soft fabric of her blouse. Noising a brief sound of approval, rewarding him for his eager response, she gives his bottom lip a taunting bite before lowering herself to languorously stretch out on top of him.

There really isn’t much difference in their builds, he suddenly realizes with her body pressed up tight against his like that. They were almost the same height and her shoulders not much wider despite the obvious strength residing in them. In truth, they probably would’ve been just about evenly matched if only Kaveh had taken Al-Haitham’s advice and he’d spent a bit more time exercising his muscles instead of hunching over his drawing table late into the night on various projects. Not that it really mattered now, at this crucial juncture. It was clear he’d be no match for her in his current state even if he’d wanted to fight and wrestle with her for dominance. 

He doesn’t, though. He really, really doesn’t want to pretend to be something or someone he’s not, especially when Jeanne herself never made any qualms about who she was either. This was in many ways exactly what he’d been dreaming of. To have her on top of him, pinning him down and taking whatever she wanted from him, so he happily surrenders, all but melting against her and letting her set the pace however she saw fit. 

And she doesn’t hesitate to do so, either by virtue of her proud, natural inclination for being in control or perhaps it was just in response to his submissive body language. Where once they’d barely touched each other beyond an occasional friendly brush of their hands, Jeanne now shamelessly presses herself flush against him like her claim on the blond man was already a bygone matter of fact. It was as if every single one of his shameful fantasies was coming to life in real time and he almost chokes on the boiling rush of emotion that swells in his chest. 

A pathetically small whimper escapes him and in response the hand that had come up to possessively wrap around his throat relaxes before falling away altogether, sliding up to cup his cheek instead. Her fingers are feminine and dainty yet rough with worn callouses. The grip she usually used for holding her sword is especially powerful, and it has him shuddering against her as blunt nails dig in just enough for him to feel the pinprick, drawing another muffled gasp out of him. But she quickly releases his face in favor of reaching further back to sink her fingers into his hair. Closing her fist at the back of his head, Jeanne gives it an experimental yet no less insistent tug that has his lips warbling open with an accompanying mewl. 

To his groaning surprise, she doesn’t hesitate to take this chance and she plunges her tongue into Kaveh’s mouth to suggestively caress over his in a long, wet swipe and savor the taste of him on her palette. The buzzing daze that encompasses him only grows stronger still and he feels downright delirious even as he dips his head back against the sheets to better accept her conquest of him. 

She's quick to pull away though, leaving him sprawled out and panting underneath her. Issuing a faint groan of disappointment at the loss, he cracks his eyes open to peer up into her face. 

He’s only slightly surprised to find Jeanne’s breath is coming even quicker than before, her cheeks flushed hot in what he now recognized as eager excitement, but somehow she still didn’t look half as worked up as he felt. It probably would have made him laugh, if only he’d had the extra oxygen to do so. Even when that blasted potion was wreaking havoc on her self control she still managed to keep some hold on her composure. It was in many ways astounding. 

“You … you didn’t have to stop.” 

A quietly strained laugh rises in her throat, soft and husky, to accompany the slow lift at the corner of her mouth. 

“Oh, is that so? What an unexpected surprise this is turning out to be.” She murmurs, uncharacteristically doting in the way she speaks to him now. Looking confident and svelte in her eager glow, she pushes up to get a better look at him. “I must admit, there was a very real part of me that hoped things would turn out this way eventually. I didn’t want to approach you with unwarranted expectations though. We’ve already danced around each other for far too long for me to start making assumptions now, wouldn’t you agree? But I suppose I had nothing to be worried about this entire time. You’re a good boy, aren’t you Kaveh?” 

His throat cinches shut, making him cough around the startled sound that materializes from his mouth unbidden. She doesn’t seem to pay it much mind though, shifting her weight more to the side so she can glance down the length of his body with a pointed look. Obediently, and not knowing what else to do, Kaveh hesitantly tears his eyes from her face and follows suit. 

The straining tent in the front of his pants comes as more of a shock to him than it does her. She’d probably felt it as soon as she’d flattened herself to the front of him but that doesn’t stop Kaveh from sucking in a sharp, deeply embarrassed gasp. His cheeks feel like they’re on fire as he shyly draws his knees together in an attempt to conceal his arousal from her but it’s no use. He’s much too hard, and the tent remains. The sharp sting of humiliation almost brings tears to his eyes, and he whimpers softly in his distress. Not only was this unbelievably shameful but he also feared the possibility that she might dismiss him from her presence because of it. This wasn’t exactly the kind of overly enthusiastic reaction most women would want out of their potential partners, was it? 

But Jeanne, evidently, is not most women. She practically purrs, in fact, when she brings her hand down to gently trace the center line of his chest, down over his nervously flexing stomach and even further than that to finally reach the jutted bulge between his legs. Possessively, she curls her fingers around it and palms him with a subdued, taunting squeeze. He almost sobs right then and there, whining softly at the first glorious touch of her hand on him. 

He’d been anticipating this for so long, dreaming and fantasizing about what this exact moment might look like, and he was ashamed to realize how dangerously close he already was to busting in his pants. This was the effect Jeanne had on him. This is what she turned him into. 

“My, you’re certainly excited aren’t you? And to think, I hesitated so much for fear that you might not reciprocate my interest …”

“P - please,” 

“Hush, Kaveh. Now that I’ve finally got you in my bed I won’t be letting you go anytime soon. You’re going to be good and do exactly as I say, aren’t you?” 

He quickly nods, swallowing so hard it almost makes him gag. “Yes. Yes, ma’am. I will. Anything.” 

Jeanne draws a slow, carefully controlled breath in response even as a distant shudder of anticipation wracks through her. “Ooh, look at you. Already so eager to please me. Is it possible you’ve also thought about this before?”

At his needy little whimper she offers another soft, velvety laugh that rushes straight to his cock, making it twitch in her hold. He’s so hard it almost hurts but he can’t quite bring himself to complain about that right now. Not when she was holding him like that and he could still taste the glorious flavor of her mouth on his tongue. So out of his mind with sharp tinged arousal, all he can do is offer up a faltering moan to accompany the dazed nod of his head. 

“I see. Then we are both fools, aren’t we? But are you certain you want to do this, Kaveh? I’m not the type of passive woman who will just indulge you long enough to get you off. If I’m to have you then I’ll have all of you.”  

He quietly seethes at the suggestion of what she was saying. It made it sound like he was some kind of honorable maiden about to be bedded by a chivalrous knight of the court, and the way his cock jumps in her hand makes it quite clear just how much he liked that idea. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced and yet so deeply attractive that he wasn’t so sure he would’ve been able to reject anything at all she asked of him from here on out. She could have told him to go jump off the highest point of the Akademiya’s tallest spire and he wouldn’t have given it another thought. 

“I … gods, I think I’d be mad if you didn’t at this point. Please, Jeanne. I’m yours, however you want me.” 

Humming a brief sound of approval, she gives his straining erection one last, lingering squeeze before dragging her hand up to fiddle with the brooch that holds his mantle in place over his shoulders. While she works on that, she leans close again and brushes a teasing, featherlight kiss over his lips. Struggling to keep his breath evened out, Kaveh needily kisses her back but no amount of desperation on his part manages to prepare him for when she abruptly sits upright and throws one leg over his middle without any further buildup to that pivotal moment. 

Settling on top of him, she shoots him a sly little smile even as she reaches down to take his slack wrists in her hands. Folding them up above his head, she pins them down to the bed with her weight before hunching close again so she can claim his mouth the way he’d been hoping she would. Jeanne’s hunger is obvious in the way she kisses him as if she were trying to consume his very life force, and in the way she not so subtly grinds her pelvis against him. Even through the many layers of clothes still separating them he can feel the intense heat radiating out from between her legs, and he issues a soft whine when his balls draw up in warning. 

This wasn’t good. If he shot off in his pants before she even properly touched him skin to skin, he was never going to forgive himself. She may not have been very put off by his other shortcomings but he had a feeling this was one she wouldn’t be quite as willing to overlook. 

So with a great deal of effort he tears his mouth from hers, sucking in a ragged breath. “Nghn, J - Jeanne … I might - -“

She unexpectedly shoves her face into the line of his neck, nipping at his pulse, and he physically shakes straight down to his toes. This was exactly what he’d thought about doing to her back at the tavern and the irony of that isn’t lost on him. Having the roles reversed so completely, being on the receiving end of such amorous attention … 

“Ooh, I think — I might need a moment, please.” 

“Aww, what’s the matter, Kaveh? Do you already feel like you’re going to cum for me?” She purrs against his skin, laughing softly when he trembles so violently in response the bed distantly rattles. “Don’t worry. I know exactly how to get you ready for another round if I need to, so there’s nothing to fret about. You’re in good hands, I promise.” 

“W - what does that mean?” He squeaks, unable to keep the nervous trepidation out of his voice. 

Ignoring the question, Jeanne sits up on his stomach and lifts her hands to make quick work of her red tie, her finely made courtiers jacket and then her blouse which she practically rips off in her rush to get undressed. Kaveh, feeling unexpectedly scandalized by the unprecedented strips of creamy flesh being revealed to him, almost brings his hands up to shyly cover his face. He can’t quite rip his eyes away though and he outright stares at the full cups of her satiny brassiere in something not unlike disbelief. He’d never been so blessed with a more tantalizing, beautiful sight in all his life. 

“Now it’s your turn.” She murmurs, hungrily licking her lips as she sets her sights on the sash at the front of his waist. Giving it a good tug is all it takes to have it loosened and then she’s flipping the bottom of his flouncy shirt out of the way so she can get at his pants. 

Kaveh starts to protest, wanting to ask her to at least slow down, but a quick look at Jeanne’s expression makes him think better of it. She was going to chew him up and spit him out one way or another, there probably wasn’t any point in stalling the inevitable. 

Clenching his hands into tight fists, he simply watches as she gets his slacks unfastened and then roughly yanks them down. A soft whimper rises in his throat but she pays it little mind, much too focused on getting them yanked off right along with his shoes. She doesn’t hesitate to come back for his underwear and his cock is soon springing up to arc through the air with a rigid bounce, making him hiss at the sensation as much as at being suddenly exposed. Feeling rather self conscious of his sudden nudity, he snaps his attention up to fretfully gauge her reaction. 

The pleased smile that slowly pulls at her mouth catches him off guard, and he nervously fidgets under the watchful spotlight of her attention. 

“Well, Kaveh, I must say you’ve got a rather pretty cock, don’t you? I expected as much given how lovely you are in the face, but …” 

Eagerly, Jeanne reaches out to wrap her fingers around him and he jolts at the abrupt contact, teeth clenching in an attempt to stave off his impending release. She hadn’t seemed worried about it but he really had no idea what she’d meant by knowing how to get him ready for another round. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to find out. 

“Mm, and you’re sensitive too. How delightful. I wonder what would happen if I just …” 

With a tauntingly slow motion of her hand, she tugs up on his cock and drags her hand from about mid shaft up to the head. Kaveh gives a full bodied, lurching jerk in response, letting out a gutted moan when her fist makes the foreskin bunch over his tender glans. He clenches his toes so hard it actually hurts, desperately trying to will his orgasm away, but if she felt any sympathy for him she certainly doesn’t show it. She simply pulls her fist down, retracing the path she’d already taken once, and he outright chokes when it draws the skin back from the glans entirely with a sticky wet click. 

“Oh my,” She breathes out, sounding a little surprised and a lot excited. “That’s quite a lot of precum, isn’t it? You must have really wanted this bad.” 

“I - I’m sorry,” He whimpers, his flat stomach dramatically flexing under the tension. “I can’t — I don’t think I can hold it …” 

“Is that so? And if I tell you I’ll give you a reward?” He shoots her a harried look of confusion and Jeanne smiles rather magnanimously in return. “If you can avoid cumming for the next five minutes, I’ll treat you to something really nice. How does that sound, hm?”

Archons above, she was trying to kill him! 

At his helplessly weak nod, she offers a quiet sound of approval and an encouraging squeeze to his shaft. His hips fruitlessly buck under the sensation but he quickly stills them again when she starts to drag her hand back up at a painfully sedate pace, caressing him in torturous slow motion. Full on wheezing, Kaveh screws his eyes shut and forces himself to stay still even when his muscles start to vibrate with the intense urge to give in. To follow after her grip and thrust into her fingers, to let loose and spasm for all he was worth. Even putting aside the reward she’d mentioned, he just didn’t want to disappoint her. 

So he simply lies there and takes it while she jerks him off at such a staggered, halting pace he really feels like he just might go mad. It was hard just to breathe around it let alone think, and as a result the only thing he can do is focus his cotton stuffed head on not cumming. He repeats it again and again, like a lifesaving mantra, but he’s so close that it feels like a lost cause. His balls are heavy and they ache fiercely where they’re drawn up tight against his scrotum, so close to shooting off but forced to hold back. This was hell. Glorious, mind numbing hell and it existed squarely within the confines of this bed. 

“Such a good boy you are,” She coos another moment later, making him heave and desperately arch up off the bed at the inviting sound of her voice. His narrow, shaking hips are the only part of him that stays rooted to the mattress while the rest of him desperately twists with back bending need, grunting at the effort of trying to stave off his release. “You’re doing so well for me. I can tell how close you are. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just let go and - -“ 

Cutting her off with a strangled, partially horrified moan, Kaveh can’t stop himself from thrusting up into her grip any longer and he does so with such force it makes something in his lower spine pop. That’s all it takes, just that one hurried rush of movement, and his cock pitifully erupts in a sudden stream of milky white discharge. He cums with a hardly dignified sound, gutted and elated in equal measure. Spurt after spurt, it just keeps coming to paint her knuckles white and stain the bottom of his loose fitted shirt, until finally it runs dry with one last aching twitch that leaves him desperately wheezing. 

“Oh, god!” Bonelessly, Kaveh collapses back into the bed, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed. It takes him a prolonged moment to get his bearings straight, or at least enough to comprehend that he was still alive and Jeanne was very much not a figment of his imagination, and he slowly lifts his head to glance down at her. 

Smiling slyly, she rather daintily releases his cock and holds her hand up to show off the incriminating evidence coating her hand. “I’m afraid you only lasted about two minutes and thirty seconds but …” 

“Please, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” He says in a rush, but she continues on as if he hadn’t even spoken. 

“I’ll admit that was still longer than I thought you’d manage to pull off. With the way you were acting, I’d half expected you to lose it in under a minute.”

Practically withering in shame, Kaveh shyly draws his knees together but Jeanne is quick to palm his legs apart again. A soft whimper escapes him at the sticky smear she leaves along his thigh, like a reminder of his failure. This was not quite how he’d envisioned this unfolding. 

“Don’t fret, now. I told you I’d take care of you, didn’t I? Besides,”

Peeking up at the pointed tone in her voice, the blond warily follows her line of sight down to his groin and a soft mewl escapes him at the sight of his cock, still half hard and stirring with interest. He’d cum so hard he almost felt numb from the waist down now but there was no getting around what he was looking at. It wasn’t going to take much to have him at full strength again. That much was obvious. 

“I can go again,” He quickly stammers before she can jump into action and take care of it for him. “I’m sure I’ll last longer this time too. But you should — you should really let me take care of you first. I promise I’m good with my mouth.”

“I’m sure you are.” She agrees, smiling at him like she knew he was stalling for time and she thought it was cute. “But I don’t think that will be necessary. You’re going to take care of me another way, Kaveh.” 

Pulling back from him completely, Jeanne takes a moment to withdraw a handkerchief from the pocket of her trousers with her unsoiled hand and she uses it to wipe the cum off the other. Carelessly tossing it aside, she then sets her hands to work on her pants and he tenderly winces when his spent cock bobs with growing excitement at the implication of what was to come. She genuinely was trying to kill him, he decides. And she was doing a spectacular job of it so far. 

“Be a good boy and take off the rest of your clothes for me, hm?” 

It takes everything Kaveh has not to outright sob as he obediently sits up and starts tugging off his shirt. Soon the both of them are completely naked, save the sleek black bra Jeanne leaves on for the time being, and he self consciously brings his arms up to wrap them around his chest when she returns to him on the bed. He feels more than a little foolish for it, like some awkward maiden that wasn’t used to being seen in such a vulnerable state — and, really, that actually wasn’t far from the truth — but she doesn’t seem to be half as disappointed by that as he may have once feared she would be. 

If anything, Jeanne actually looks quite pleased with the blond in her bed, and she reaches out to gently take his shoulders once she’s kneeling next to him. “Lay down?” 

He complies, eager pinpricks erupting along his skin where her hands touch him. Of course he’d known he was pathetically, regrettably weak for her long before this, but looking up at her now he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she really was the one for him. Who else could even compare? No one was as strong as Jeanne, nor as pretty. No other woman came from a background of aristocratic opulence while behaving like she did. She was — everything, wasn’t she? 

“Good. Now, be good for me and let me have my fun, okay?” 

Swallowing his nerves down, Kaveh offers a single nod and Jeanne coos at him very softly in response, assuring him that he was making the right choice for once in his life. Bracing her hands against his narrow chest, she confidently throws her leg over his middle again but this time she keeps her pelvis angled up rather than immediately settling on top of him. He feels downright hysterical when she reaches for his cock and possessively wraps her fingers around it. Despite the fact he was still recovering from his first orgasm, it immediately flexes in her hold to stand at attention. Obedient and loyal, just like his heart was, apparently. 

He seethes softly under his breath at the ache in his overwrought loins but doesn’t try to fight it as she angles him towards her cunt and the glorious thatch of red hair there, a shade darker than that on her head. A vague sense of panic does make his chest expand with a sharp gasp though, and he fumbles his hands down to grab hold of her hips. So soft and womanly under his fingers, yet indescribably powerful when they flex with the motion of lowering herself onto him. 

Truthfully Kaveh hadn’t thought it was possible to get any more worked up then he already was, yet the first silky soft brush of her wet lips against his glans has him feeling dangerously close to passing out. Contrary to his earlier statement, he was not going to last any longer than he had the first time. 

“W - wait —“ 

“Are you nervous, Kaveh?” She laughs, the sound so inviting and teasing it very nearly has him going cross eyed with the intense surge of fresh arousal that sparks in him. “Don’t overthink it. Just lie back, relax and let me have my fun, hm? You want to please me, don’t you?” 

“Ahh … y - yes, ma’am. I do.” 

Breathing out a clipped, anticipatory sigh, Jeanne sedately drags him back and forth through the wet folds and creases of her cunt, ensuring that he was nice and sticky too. Not that he thought he needed it when she already felt like she was soaked so penetration was sure to be a nonissue, but it certainly felt good. Heavenly, actually. 

Fingers sinking into the soft give of her hips, he silently pleads with any god willing to listen for his stamina not to give out at the worst possible time. 

Another anticipatory moment later, she finally angles him back towards her entrance and starts to sink the rest of the way down. The blinding rush of heat that all at once envelops him damn near sends him careening over the edge right then and there, but he valiantly holds it back with a sobbing little hiss. Clutches at her like his life depended on it, and it very well might, while Jeanne gradually takes him deeper and deeper into her body one inch at a time. Just as he’d suspected, she was already perfectly lubricated and he gives a powerless curse under his breath, stealing a harried glance between them to watch her swallow him down to the base. Her thick curls are a poignant contrast to his coarser, ashen brown ones, but they look right at home mingling together like that. 

“Bless the seven - -!”

“Mmnn, you feel so good, Kaveh. You’re just where I want you to be.” Giving a taunting wriggle of her hips to make him sensitively wince, Jeanne reaches for one of his hands. Slides it around to the front of her abdomen and presses down on a certain spot along her lower stomach. “Right there. Can you feel it? That’s how deep you are.” 

The wordless noise he lets out is rife with distress, and he sucks in a horribly frazzled breath in an attempt to steady his nerves a little bit. She just laughs though, another soft, liltingly husky sound that makes him want to cry out. 

And he does, mewling a huffy noise into the statically charged air when she leans forward to square her balance in the center, on her toes and with her hands palming his chest. She starts to move then, keeping her motions short and experimental at first while she gets a better feel for him and how he hits her most pleasure inducing spots. It doesn’t take long for her to pick up the pace though and she begins to bounce in earnest, taking him in long, drawn out plunges now. 

Flicking her long braid over her shoulder mid bounce, Jeanne pins him with a salacious grin. “Yeah, right there. You’ve got it. Ahhn, you’re such a good boy for me. You’d better not, nghn, bust as quickly as the first time. Not before I get mine.” 

“J - Jeanne —“ 

He sounds incredibly whiny even to his own ears but he can’t help it. Not when he could feel his cock throbbing inside her, still tender from getting hard again much too soon after already cumming once, and she didn’t seem to care. She was clearly much more concerned with her own pleasure now, enthusiastically chasing that gratification on top of him, but that just seems to ratchet his own excitement up even further. The more she took from him the more he wanted to give, the higher his arousal seemed to climb. 

It is with no shortage of horror that Kaveh realizes he’s going to cum again, not because she was riding him so expertly, but because she was using him for her own pleasure and that was getting him off more than anything. Even in all his fantasies and wistful daydreams, he’d never imagined that having her treat his cock like her own personal toy would turn him on quite this much. 

“Oh! Shit! I - if you don’t slow down, Jeanne, I’m - -“ 

Her hips start to come down faster, harder in response, and the sharp slap of skin meeting skin rises louder in the air. He practically chokes on it, squirming underneath her as every muscle in his body rapidly tenses up in preparation to blow another load and simultaneously to try and stave it off. It wasn’t just overwhelming, it was downright mind numbing, and he pathetically whimpers even as his eyes start to roll back in his head. 

Too much. It was too much. 

“Please — please —“ He’s babbling, his mouth running on autopilot now, but still she doesn’t seem to care. 

His cock was hers to use however she saw fit and it was clear she wanted it thrusting deep into her guts right now. It feels like every ounce of blood in his body rushes down to his groin all at once, making it swell to uncomfortable proportions as his balls tightly draw up again. He tries to hold back, really, but it’s all too much for him to bear. The wet warmth of her body gripping him like a vice, the breathy sounds that slip from her mouth and the all encompassing smell of her cloying on the back of his tongue. He was powerless before it. 

And he cums again, just like that. His strangled, frantic moan is high pitched and bordering on frantic as he shoots off inside her but even then she just keeps going. Even when his cock finishes spraying her inner sleeve with white, creamy clumps, she just keeps riding him. The only response he gets that indicates she’s even aware of it happening is a low, huffy groan in the back of her throat but it doesn’t so much as make her pause. 

His hands practically cramp up from how hard he’s clutching at her, roughly sucking in a series of wet, faltering breaths. His body can’t take it when every conceivable inch of him was painfully throbbing in protest at the continuous stimulation. The sensation is sharp and stabbing, and he finally throws his head back against the sheets to helplessly wail up at the ceiling. 

“Oh, Kaveh,” She finally murmurs another moment later. “Are you crying?”

His eyes snap open so suddenly it takes them a heartbeat or two to catch up and make any sense of the visual input. Just in time to watch Jeanne lean over him, getting close to his face and alternating her previous bouncing motion to a slower, more savory grind that makes him wince in his oversensitized state. She doesn’t seem to pay it any mind though, her teal eyes taking in his face with obvious delight. 

“You poor thing,” Breathing out softly, she slides one hand up from his chest, over his neck and higher still to cup his cheek. “You really are tender, aren’t you? I wasn’t expecting to make you cry until at least the third round.” 

Kaveh’s taxed heart nearly gives out right then and there. “T - third round? You … you can’t be serious - -“

“I’m very serious, I’m afraid. I’m not sure what else you expected when you gave me an aphrodisiac though. Don’t tell me you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?” 

“Aph - wait, you knew?” 

“Well, I didn’t at the time but I’ve certainly figured it out by now. In all honesty, I picked up very early on that you were acting rather strange today but I hadn’t expected you to go to such lengths just to get me into bed. All you’d had to do was ask, you know.” 

He just gapes up at her, big, wet glistening tears beading along his lash line to make them clump together. What she was saying wasn’t just inconceivable, it didn’t make any sense! If she’d suspected something amiss, if she’d had any doubts about his intentions then …

His eyes suddenly go big and round. “You — that’s what you meant earlier … about unwarranted expectations?”

She smiles at him, a vaguely mischievous, sly little smile, and exhales a savory sigh. “Yeah, but I’d say that’s a moot point now, wouldn’t you agree? I’ve already made you cry so …” Closing the distance, Jeanne’s tongue flicks out to lap up a salty tear from his cheek and he startles like she’d shocked him. That only makes her laugh though, and she pulls back to sit upright again so she can reach behind her to unclasp the hooks on her bra. “Let’s continue, shall we? I’ve got something special in mind for that overly eager cock of yours.” 

Satiny cups fall away, revealing her bare breasts to him at long last, and Kaveh sucks in such a harsh, flustered gasp it almost sounds like he’s choking. Pleased with his reaction, she tosses the garment aside and then much to his slack jawed surprise, she moves to dismount from him. His spent cock slips free humiliatingly fast and wetly flops down to rest across his lower belly, completely soft now. 

Self consciously, Kaveh reaches down to gingerly cover himself from her scrutiny but she merely turns to climb down off the bed as if it were none of her concern. Maybe it wasn’t, and he practically withers at the thought. 

“Get on your hands and knees for me.” She says, not bothering to look back at him while she tugs open a drawer on the nightstand. 

“Please, Jeanne, I don’t think I can handle another round so soon.” He groans, even as he slowly pushes himself up to sit. It wasn’t just his cock that felt sore and achy, his entire body hurt at this point. “If you just give me, I don’t know, an hour, I’m sure we’ll have much better results.” 

“You really expect me to wait that long?” 

“W - well, no, but - -“

“Hands and knees, Kaveh. Now.” 

Whimpering softly, he does as he’s been told and turns over to assume the position. He wasn’t sure what, exactly, she had in store for him but there were certainly a few sinking suspicions running through his mind, and he wasn’t sure if he was prepared for any of them. Mentally or physically, it seemed he really had bitten off more than he could conceivably chew. 

She soon returns to him, evidently having found what she was looking for and crawling up onto the bed to kneel just behind him. He can’t quite bring himself to look back at her, a little too embarrassed by everything that has already happened here today as much as the unseemly pose he was currently in to face her head on. He was also more than a bit nervous too, and he decidedly did not want her to see that reflecting back at her in his expression. Sure, Kaveh may have been fruitlessly grasping at straws here, but he was dead set on preserving whatever minuscule amount of his pride he still had left. 

Which was decidedly not much at all. 

“Relax for me. I’m not going to hurt you.” 

“I know that …” 

But did he really, though? He trusted her, yes, but there was a very real part of him that didn’t know what to expect in the coming moments and that made him understandably a bit jittery. 

That fact is very poignantly highlighted when she touches him, placing her hand along his lower back, and he jolts so hard he nearly comes right up off the bed. Chuckling softly at the reaction, Jeanne rubs comforting, coaxing circles into his skin as if she were encouraging an overly skittish pup to settle down. 

“So jumpy. Have I actually done anything to make you this nervous yet?” 

He grumbles a low, noncommittal sound, not entirely sure he trusted himself to speak when he was as naked as the day he was born and spread out on her bed on full display. His reticence quickly proves to be a moot point though, because when she drags her hand down to the cleft where his ass starts, he outright yelps in surprise. 

“Wait - -“ 

“Unfortunately I don’t have the time or the patience for that right now. You said you were going to be a good boy for me, didn’t you?” 

“ I — I did, but …” 

“Then do as I say and relax. I promise you aren’t going to hate this half as much as you think you will.” 

Groaning softly, Kaveh hangs his head in a clear sign of defeat and Jeanne takes that chance to readjust her position behind him, settling directly between his knees now. Both of her hands come up to cup his cheeks, giving them each a savory, appreciative squeeze, and he mewls very quietly when she spreads them apart. His face positively blazes with the knowledge that she was looking at his most private areas uninterrupted and he restlessly fidgets as a result. 

He feels her lean close then and he braces himself — for what, he isn’t sure, but it’s certainly not the wet swipe of her tongue across the tight pucker of his asshole. The sensation is unmistakable and jarring, and he instinctively tries to shy away from it with a frazzled yelp. 

“Jeanne!” He shrills, further embarrassing himself with the high pitch of his voice. 

“Goodness, you really are like an innocent virgin, aren’t you?” 

He doesn’t exactly have a comeback for that, not when he was certainly acting like one, so he just settles on a vague sound of disagreement. 

Chuckling, she leans into him again and, now that he actually knows what’s coming, he clenches his teeth to stay any of the humiliating sounds that rise in his chest at the next swipe of her tongue. It’s a bit less shocking this time but no less confusing when he can’t make any sense of why she would be doing this. Surely she wasn’t … she didn’t plan to - -

“Don’t tense up so much,” She murmurs against him, warm breath fanning over his skin and tickling the sticky wrinkle of his hole. He feels a slight twitch in his groin in response to the featherlight sensation but it’s not near enough to have him springing back up to full attention again. 

So he simply takes it with as much grace as he possibly can, passively letting her lap at him without protest until he can eventually feel the tight rim start to puff up under her ministrations. The muscle was slackening and giving way, allowing her more freedom to poke and prod at the center to tease the suggestion of penetration. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that or any of this, but he doesn’t protest even when she seals her mouth around him and gently starts to suckle. Now he felt overwhelmed in a completely different way than before, and he wheezes quietly under his breath. This was unfamiliar territory for him, completely uncharted, but it is his implicit trust in Jeanne that keeps him from bolting like a frightened rabbit. 

And just like the easily frightened hare, he all but quails when she finally pulls back some moments later to fiddle with something behind him. He didn’t want to look, couldn’t bring himself to look, but he quickly figures out what she’s up to when her fingers come up to touch him and they’re unnaturally sticky with grease, genuine surprise making his heart stutter a beat. 

Dear god, she was really going to do this! 

“Ah, J - Jeanne, are you sure that’s - -“ 

She carefully pushes, dipping one digit just inside the tight ring of muscle without stopping long enough to hear him out, and he instantly blurts out a wordless sound of startled shock. Unable to stop himself anymore, he snaps his head around to peer over his shoulder at her but she just offers up a vaguely conspiratorial smile. 

“You’re tensing up again.” 

“Well, can you really blame me!” 

“No, not really. But trust me, you’ll find you’re much more keen here in just a moment.” 

He doesn’t believe that. He doesn’t believe that at all, not when his hole was weakly pulsing around the intrusion in a way that made him feel panicky and trapped, and that was to say absolutely nothing of the sharply felt pangs of embarrassment he could feel creeping up his neck. 

But then she pushes in a little deeper, slipping in down to the second joint, and his entire body seizes in response, igniting a red hot, tingling sensation low in his gut. His mouth drops open in surprise but nothing comes out, his chest rapidly contracting with the quick gasps he pulls in. It still didn’t exactly feel good, or at least he’s pretty sure it doesn’t, but he felt … something from it. Something that takes his breath away and threatens to suffocate him. He’d never been penetrated like this before but to have Jeanne doing it, carefully fingering his body open, it occurred to him much too late that she was probably right. He probably was going to like this if she was the one doing it. 

“Oh, oh, oh,” He wheezes, fighting the instinctive urge to pull away when she just keeps going, dipping her finger further in until he feels the obvious press of her knuckle flush against his hole. Swaying unsteadily on his hands and knees, he frantically gropes for his frazzled thoughts for something to say. “That’s — hold on, please, just … take it slow, okay?” 

“Didn’t I already tell you I don’t have time for that, Kaveh? You’re going to take what I give you however I see fit to give it. Do you understand?” 

Not waiting for him to respond (as if he even could respond to that), Jeanne angles her finger down and gently massages along his inner wall. The sensation is strange and he still can’t quite decide if it was pleasurable or not, so he just squirms in place while she feels along his guts. At least it didn’t hurt. That seems to be his one and only consolation in this confusing situation he’s gotten himself in, and for that he was thankful. 

“Ah,” She suddenly blurts. “Found it.” 

He almost finds himself asking what it is she’s found in his ass of all places but he doesn’t quite make it any farther than opening his mouth. She abruptly angles that insidious digit downward, digging into his interior wall, and a shock of static electricity immediately shoots through his entire system with enough force to damn near bowl him right over. He comes very close to full on wailing in response even as his hips subconsciously buck under the pressure and his cock gives a distant, muted twitch. 

Icy fear promptly races down his spine. No. No, it couldn’t be — 

She repeats the motion, massaging down into that unimaginably sensitive bundle of nerves with a forceful curl of her finger, and his knees almost give out in response. He understood now what it was she wanted but he was helpless to stop it at this point, outright sobbing while she expertly turned his own body against him. No matter how much he tries to fight it or will it away, his cock was slowly coming back to life with each twist of her hand even when it hurt to do so. He was still much too sore after two consecutive orgasms but even through the discomfort he still gradually starts to harden again. 

Left with no other choice, Kaveh finally allows his upper body to sink down onto the bed where he folds his arms and buries his face in their protective cradle. He’d never be able to look Jeanne in the face after this. It had already started off bad enough when he’d shot his load in under four minutes but it had only continued to get worse from there, and now she was fingering his asshole to coax yet another erection out of him. 

Somehow it doesn’t even come as a surprise when the tears start up again. 

“There you go. Just look at you.” She murmurs approvingly some odd minutes later when his cock has finally finished filling out and it was now a heavy, hanging weight between his legs. “If I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t even think you’ve gone one round yet.” 

“Nnghnoogh, please, Jeanne. This is hardly, aghhn, the time for jokes.” 

“You’re right. Well, let’s get you fitted then.”

Kaveh blinks through the tears, wondering what she was talking about now, but he doesn’t get the chance to ask. She starts to slowly pull her finger out without any further warning and he whines at the resulting drag against his guts when the muscle tries to cling to her on the way out. It’s like she doesn’t even notice though, or perhaps she doesn’t care, and she slips free with a tiny little slurp from his clenching entrance. Physically cringing at the sound, he shoves his face further into the comfort of his arms and tries very hard not to sob. 

He can hear her fiddling with something behind him but he’s a little too far gone to wonder about what the next trial might be. He’d find out sooner or later anyway, and in this case it turns out to be quite soon. 

Carefully, her hands slip something over his rigid cock and draws it up to the base. It feels vaguely like leather, and that thought is quickly solidified in his mind when she tightens it until the material cinches around him in a tight squeeze that is resoundingly uncomfortable on his already nerve sensitive skin. Sucking in a sharp breath, Kaveh shoves himself up on his elbows so he can peer down at himself. Sure enough, the black thong secured around his scrotum is obvious and speaks for itself. The message was clear. If he couldn’t control himself enough to hold back his orgasms until she was satisfied then she’d help him out. Give him a nudge in the right direction. 

He absolutely hated how familiar that sentiment sounded. 

“You can’t — you can’t do that, Jeanne! It’s too tight and … that’s not fair, is it? I could have used my mouth.” 

“Ooh, are you whining, Kaveh? Such a sad little thing you are. Unfortunately it’s not your mouth I want right now though.” Rising up, she leans over him so she can press herself flush along his back. Her hand comes around to curl under his chin and manually turn his face up at her, and he offers her a tiny little sniffle to go with the puppy eyed face he makes. “What I want is that pretty cock you’ve got between your legs and you’re going to give it to me, aren’t you? Hm?” 

“Nnghn … yes, ma’am.” 

“Good. Now switch me spots.” 

She peels away from him so she can move up a little higher on the bed while he gingerly gets himself situated on his knees. Even just a brief glance down at the state of his poor cock, swollen and darkened by the tight band cutting off the circulation to keep him hard and ready, is enough to make him feel light headed with overwhelm. He’d wanted this though, had practically begged any god willing to listen for even just one real chance with Jeanne, and he knew better than to fight it. He’d dug this hole for himself so, with an accompanying sniffly, he compliantly moves to position himself between the bend of her knees when she gets settled on her back. And looking down at her spread out like that, he dully realizes that he’s never been happier in all his life. 

It wasn’t just that she was pushing his body right to its limits while simultaneously keeping the important bits of him grounded in reality, although that was certainly gratifying in its own right too. It also wasn’t a simple matter of fulfilling and acting on his long held attraction for her, making his fantasies a reality. Rather, there was something about this power dynamic between them that just made him feel whole and complete, like he’d been born just to play this role for her. He’d experienced felt anything quite like it before, and it is with an immense amount of nervous anticipation that he lines himself up with her entrance. 

“I’m going to do it.” He announces, thinking it was for her benefit, but she immediately shoots that idea down when she tsk’s very softly in response. 

“What did I tell you about relaxing, Kaveh? Don’t worry. I’m confident you’re going to do an excellent job.” 

As if to prove that, she reaches between them and wraps her fingers around his straining length, giving it a tight squeeze. He shudders, feeling every little thing in high definition when the nerves were so sensitized and swollen with excess blood. It’s hard just to breathe through it but she helps him with this as well by gently guiding him back into place and encouraging him with a slow tug. 

Clutching her soft thighs in a death grip, Kaveh follows the suggestion with his hips and pushes forward, spearing into hot creases and folds in torturous slow motion. He can’t quite bring his body to move any faster than that and he lets out a frazzled, high pitched keening sound when he starts to sink inside her body again. It felt even more intense than it did the first time, and he surely had the black thong cinched tight around his scrotum to thank for that. Almost like having a transcendental experience, it makes his soul feel like it’s flickering out at the edges.  

He keeps going though, a little too far gone within the heightened daze of his arousal to think of anything else other than burying himself as deep into Jeanne as he could reasonably go, and he doesn’t stop until his pelvis is flush with hers. Letting out a wounded, faltering grunt, he sways unsteadily over top of her. Tries to ground himself to no avail. He wasn’t going to come out of this on the other side the same person he’d once been. Of that he’d never been more certain.  

“Kaveh,” She says his name so soft, so dotingly, as her hands come up to cup his face and angle it down at her. “You’re crying again, my love. Do you really like being inside me that much?” 

Numbly nodding his head even while the tears continue to streak hot tracks down his cheeks, the blond fumbles for something to say before finally settling on, “I do. Of course I do, but … I want to make you feel good too.” 

A slow smile curls Jeanne’s mouth, more sly and knowing than it is sweet, but like a loyal dog Kaveh is just happy to get whatever he can. He doesn’t mind the way she looks at him like a hungry, powerful predator sizing up its prey and he doesn’t mind the way she reaches down to possessively grope at his chest either. Despite him being almost totally flat and lacking in much to grab, that doesn’t stop her from pinching at his poor little breast until he hisses, half in discomfort and half in pleasure. This, too, he was happy to be on the receiving end of. 

“You are making me feel good, you silly thing. But I’d feel even better if you started moving already. I’m not much for cock warming, you know.” 

He blushes straight up to his ears, stammering out a quick apology. Unconcerned, Jeanne slides her hand further down and then back to reach for his tight ass, giving it an appreciative jostle. 

“Quickly, now. If you don’t act soon I’ll have to fuck you instead and show you how it’s done. Considering the way you reacted just from having my finger inside you I don’t think you’re quite ready for that yet, are you?” 

“N - no, ma’am. I’m not.” 

“Didn’t think so. Then get moving.”

⭐

Crossposted: here

[crushedsweets]

emptying my askbox :3

half is creepypasta related half is random chatting

ahhh. i used to roll you guys around the playground

i feel like theyd be pretty evenly matched actually.... but im on kates side anyway

THE PLUG COSTUME IS INSANEEEEE BUT ALSO TRUE HE WOULD GO TO SPIRIT HALLOWEEN W HER AND GRAB THAT SHIT AND SHED GET SO HEATED HAHAHA

i also see liu as older!! swapping jeff n liu would be crazy. i think i already kinda talked about it but i cant remember ? ! something along the lines of jeff trying to protect liu but also toughen him up and he ends up just being an asshole T_T

if he told me to get out of bed id be scared as hell that this random grown man is in my home

iim so grateful. i needed this

what r these depressed ass men being toxic about....

please be wary this will lead to infection

yes i have but its not super my thing!

me when im buff as fuck

i love her music

the way i said id do this and then got nervous and stressed with school. i wanna open comms with only 1 slot at a time. LMFAO

?!??! DO WHAT

thank you anon!! <3 i hope ur doing good

this is so funny to me but also im glad u get to enjoy the beast

i like when i get asks that have nothing to do with me/creepypasta/my blog and i just have to be a little confused about it

please this man is not good for you please pleas eplease be cautious

dont do this to me

please.

i SWEAR i responded to this but apparently i didnt???! anyway i see it i hear it i understand it i think itd be funny to make a tiktok w a breaking bad audio

true.... i shouldnt be embarrassed to let this man eat..

WHY R U HATINGGGGGGG

i just know ej is pretentious as hell abt fast food

he's drooling EVERYWHERE. he's sick and just staring blankly at a wall with a paper towel under his cheek n its hella wet. GGROSS

please financially compensate me

ok so i cant draw this cuz im sleepy and also i think it would be hard to draw BUT. nina would fail and hurt herslef. toby would fail but keep doing it over and over and over until he does it, and now hes really good at backflips.

thank you.

thank u sm anon!!!!!!! :3 i like loser toby too he's goofy

THANK YOUUU TEDDY BEAR ANON such a cute emoji tysm

i really think youre onto something here anon.. i really do

[innocent-cat]

I saw the Vox Machina with an Eda like reader and liked it, can I get a platonic one for Reader who is like King?

Not human thinks they are something related to monsters (but it turns out they are powerful creatures), are basically like a kid who gets frustrated when something doesn't go right and releases a squeak of rage, and is on a journey to find their family.

Waitttt I actually love this idea?

HEY!!! YOU!!!! my comms r open!! please request me!!

PartTitan!Reader x Vox Machina

HEADCANNONS

warnings - none

"Temper Titan", Titan!Reader x vox machina

everyone at once (devil emoji)

Nobody really quite KNOWS what you are, but they know you're part.

Referencing to the title, Percy has said he thinks your part titan, but due to advancements, there is no way to know for sure.

Because of that, Vox Machina had become known for having a "Temper Titan."

It's kind of embarrassing, at first when you heard of it, but you are pretty terrifying when you're mad.

Much like King and other titans, when you stomp or yell, the ground shakes and often things that should be strong enough to be stable such as a boulder, break.

Vox Machina also calls you this… but.. at least they accept you?

Anger issues goes crazy as a titan. you're real sensitive, but you can often end up sad instead of angry when they try to wind you up mid-battle.

Scanlan often tries to make fun of you during a battle but instead he just tugs on your strings and makes you cry.

A little upsetting when it happens, and you end up not talking to Scanlan for a while.

called you a whole loser dude

He was MEANNN man.

Of course, your cries are just as powerful if not more powerful than your stomps and yells.

he likes to pretend you couldn't drag him with and without magic

Sadly, when you do have a temper, Keyleth can feel it through her plants.

Its a downside, so when you're going nuts, Keyleth is down and coping with the fact the ground and plants are in pain.

its also a battle field issue a lot.. thankfully Scanlan's bard magic can always lift them up, but, it makes them a big, chunky target.

You being a little kid they don't want to be up too long without you.

Percy is especially careful about this.

Vex and Vax on the other hand could not care LESS.

swim or drown in their little world.

Keyleth scolds them about their carelessness for you, but when it comes down to it, they are the first ones to dive in and save you.

Vax especially.

They both see you as a younger sibling.

They try to keep your temper under control, but it doesn't work out sometimes, and you guys end up having to run away while in public

Like.. literally mid tantrum they'll just pick you up and put you on trinket.

sent away for poor behavior!!!

Vax buys you literally anything you want and its crazy..

its not even because he doesn't want you to be mad, its because he wants you to have what he didn't in his childhood, but Vex has a different view, and still wants you to grow up and be a responsible person.

BUT ANYWAYYYYYYY MORE KEYLETHH??? YES MORE KIKI

she often likes to take you out to nature just because

her connection to it makes her feel you have one too because they all think(know) you're a titan.

its really nice because you'll literally just lay there and you'll feel vines and grass growing around you comfortingly

like a big ol' blanket

Sometimes, you'll go out to her little spot without her, and you'll literally just be there for HOURS.

You gave Percy a heart attack.

he kinda scolded Keyleth for it so you started crying.. and.. titan tantrum.

he kinda just sighed and picked you up and brought you home with Keyleth

Grog is also low-key protective of you???

a lot like how he is with Pike

Pike might have told him to protect you, but either way, he is quite the man for the job.

consider him a body blocker

PIKE WILL MAKE YOU FUCKING MEDITATE WITH HER

not for religious reasons, just to help you calm down sometimes.

She's super sweet to you man.

mama pike

usually the one cooking for you because she strongly believes you should not be eating all the crap Vox Machina eats because they're all raging alcoholics with mommy or daddy issues(most of the time both)

[venbubbless]

day 1 of asking people to commission me because I'm desperate...

I'm currently opening some emergency comms rn (examples provided) these r 5-10$, grayscaled, lineart done, and shaded too bur grayscaled. currently only doing till bust! 10$ is if ur adding a second character since 5$ per character. single character only 5 :>

(pls commission me I beg)

for more details or to commission pls text me on Insta or comment under this post that ur interested, I'll dm u TT.

some extra detail about the commissions:

☆payments r done thru PayPal, venmo and cashapp only! I dont take zelle or any ebits wtv those r!!

☆payments will be taken AFTER u finalize the rough sketch ! it will take me approx a day to complete the drawing! or maybe even less depending on my schedule!

☆there aren't any payment return options once u have received the final drawing btw, however I will give a 24 hour time limit in case ur not satisfied to let me make any changes that u may need!

☆ u will also not receive the final product until u have paid, I understand that there r times ur waiting on a paycheck and stuff but I'm charging only 5-10$ and I've been scammed way too often w ppl running away w my art so please understand this 😭🙏

[melishade]

Attack on Prime: What if Soundwave arrived in AOT and caused trouble? AKA The Chaos Timeline

Main Story

Peaceful Timeline Pilot

Beloved Timeline Pilot

TFP Optimus in Episode 1 Pilot

War Timeline Pilot

So I had promised this months ago with that pilot poll that I ran, but I never got around to it because I was so focused on the main AOP story line. But I had time, and the inspiration! And I was finally able to write the pilot for one of the first AOP AUs on my Tumblr blog: What if Soundwave was in AOP, aka the Chaos Timeline! Now let us begin!

Summary: Soundwave's loyalty was unwavering. True in the face of hardship and suffering. He believed in the Decepticon cause, and he believed in Megatron. He's held onto the hope that Megatron would lead them into a bright future, which is why he immediately searched for him the minute he got out of the Shadowzone. However, when he found Megatron on this strange world, all of those years of loyalty and service went out the window. And he finally snapped. Also TW Gore and TW Blood

Soundwave tried to attack those human pests. He tried to kill them. He tried to remove them from the controls of the ship and stop them, and in turn, the Autobots, from gaining the advantage. But he couldn’t even touch them. His body phased right through them like it was nothing. But he wasn’t wearing a phase shifter. This happened because these children somehow managed to cross streams with the bridges. And now he was stuck in an alternate dimension where he couldn’t touch anything. He tried accessing his comm. link, but no one responded to him. What was going on?!

Soundwave realized that the rest of the Decepticons were left unattended. Megatron was left alone to fight the Autobots! Soundwave bolted out of the deck of the ship, racing down towards the Omega Lock. Their numbers had already dwindled so much after the infestation and the loss of the Insecticons. The Autobots had a chance to end the war in their favor! And Megatron! Megatron would be killed!

Soundwave noticed to door to the Omega Lock was open and he bolted through the opening. He looked down the opening of the ship to the cyber matter and the Lock’s structure. But it was too late. Soundwave had bare witness to Bumblebee ramming the Star Saber directly through Megatron’s chest. Soundwave felt his spark drop at the sight, and he ignored Laserbeak’s cries to him, trying to pull him back to reality. But…Soundwave couldn’t even hear. His master. His friend. His brother in arms, was fell by the lowly scout Megatron had mutilated eons ago.

Soundwave snapped out of his shock when he saw Megatron’s corpse slide off of the Star Saber and plummet to the Earth below. Soundwave jumped off the Nemesis and onto the Omega Lock structure. He leaned forward while gripping one of the pillars of the lock, seeing Megatron’s body starting to burn upon reentry. Soundwave contemplated diving after him. He had to go back to his friend. He was even prepared to jump, but the Nemesis jerked and began to move. Soundwave held onto the pillar as he felt the Nemesis go through the spacebridge, taking the ship and everyone who was still on board back to Cybertron. Soundwave reached out towards Earth, to where Megatron was, but the spacebridge closed, leaving any chance of him returning to Earth null and void.

==

Soundwave hated these clowns. He despised them with every fiber of his being.

The Cybertronian had believed that once the Quintessions were disposed of, his people would create a just society. One that didn’t require putting down the common bot and forcing them into unhealthy working conditions. But the new council decided to take a page out of the Quintessions’ books and implement their own caste system. This caste system didn’t allow those in it to move above their station if they so desired. It didn’t allow those who were built differently to receive services that would help them thrive on Cybertron. It just used the bots and scrapped them the moment their usefulness ran out.

He gave them chances. Time and time and time again. He pleaded his case, and gave them every opportunity to repent and fix the system before any long term damage had settled in. But they all refused. They didn’t care about freeing Cybertron. All they wanted was the power for themselves. And he was done.

He had left the council right in the middle of one of their meetings, stunning quite a few of them. Someone did approach him and begged him to stay. The bearded one: Alpha Trion. But Soundwave quickly pulled his shoulder out of bot’s grip. He took a vow of silence. He had covered his face. He had changed his appearance to prevent the council from finding him. If Soundwave could not change the system through reason, then he would destroy it with force.

==

Soundwave worked tirelessly, trying to get out of his prison. Whatever commotion was happening outside of the Nemesis, he chose to ignore it. It wasn’t a priority at the moment, and nothing outside of this dimension could harm him, which allowed him to maximize his efforts. He ignored the shaking and jerks of the ship. He ignored the arguments the Autobots were having, and the mutiny that Starscream tried and failed to achieve. He had heard words being thrown around regarding Unicron the Chaos Bringer, and that did make him hesitate a little. He didn’t want to deal with Unicron again, but he also didn’t want to stay here until he perished. He was going to get out of this place first, then he was going to deal with Unicron.

Laserbeak was chirping at him, trying to tell him something important, but Soundwave ignored the mini-con for the moment. Nothing could hurt them in this dimension; he didn’t have to worry about Laserbeak’s safety. The spymaster became elated when he realized that he could still connect to the spacebridge, but grunted when he felt the Nemesis crash into ground. He immediately checked on Laserbeak, seeing if he was alright. Maybe that was what the mini-con wanted to tell him. Laserbeak signaled that he was alright, allowing Soundwave to breathe a sigh of relief and continue working, ignoring an unfamiliar aircraft fleeing the planet in shame.

==

Soundwave didn’t realize how hard things would be on his own after leaving the council. He had to burn all traces of his original existence to prevent himself from being tracked. No home. No assets to his name. Just his new armor and covered face.

He scoured the streets of Kaon, doing odd jobs here and there in order to get some energon. But he had no roof over his helm, and he refused to work under someone in a place like the mines. He’s aware that the bosses there will bind poor Bots into unbreakable contracts, and work them until the rust away or get crushed to death. He would maintain his freewill, no matter how hard it would be. Soundwave winced when he felt something sting his shoulder. He noticed his armor was beginning to erode and quickly bolted to take cover. Acid rain. It was worse in these parts of Cybertron than in the upper caste sectors.

Soundwave scrambled towards an alley and took cover under an awning. He could hear the sizzle of the metal eroding and he could see the acid rain hitting the ground hard, but he chose to ignore it. He was safe for right now.

Then he heard shrill cries for help. Soundwave raised his helm and followed the noise to see…a mini-con. A mini-con that was getting pelted by the rain, unable to fly away and take cover due to its damaged wings. Soundwave initially decided to leave it alone, and let nature take its course. He didn’t want to receive any more damage from the rain. But the mini-con kept on crying, begging for salvation. Those cries grew weaker and weaker, until…it stopped flapping its wings and fell limp to the floor. Soundwave internally swore as he ran out into the rain, feeling the searing acid all over his body once more as he snatched the mini-con and ran back to his shelter. He examined the damage the mini-con had suffered, and they looked severe. He wasn’t sure if it was even going to make it. But no creature deserved to die like this.

Soundwave immediately got to work, taking parts of his own damaged armor and surgical tools lying around to seal and repair the mini-con’s wounds. He worked as quickly as he could, ignoring the rain and ignoring his pain to keep this Bot alive. After grueling hours of work, Soundwave managed to repair it enough to keep it stable for the time being. He then used a syringe he found lying on the ground, thankfully not too severely damaged from the rain, and injected it into his neck, siphoning out some of his own energon to transfer over to the mini-con. As the energon in the syringe continued to decrease, Soundwave saw the visor of the mini-con flicker to life. It was still weak and frightened, so Soundwave used his E.M. field to reassure it that it was alright and that it was safe. It was safe from the rain and Soundwave promised that he would keep it alive.

He wasn’t going to abandon it like the council abandoned its people.

====

Soundwave waited patiently in the shadows while the Autobots were distracted. With their rebuilding and reconstruction of Cybertron. He listened to their talks of peace and ceasefires, knowing full well they didn’t have the same charisma and leadership as Optimus Prime. The only Autobot who came close was Ultra Magnus.

He had tested the range he had from the Nemesis controls to that of the newly installed spacebridge that the Autobots were constructing under their name. His spacebridge could reach theirs. Now he just needed to time it right. He waited. Waited and waited until they least expected it. And then the opportunity arose when the spacebridge opened and a large ship came through. Soundwave activated the spacebridge from the Nemesis, causing a third portal to open up. Soundwave made sure that Laserbeak was fastened to his chassis before transforming and flying through and making it to the other side.

Soundwave transformed into his bipedal mode hearing panic and surprise from the other Autobots. He saw the Autobots drawing their weapons and aiming it at him. Soundwave immediately got into a fighting stance, prepared to attack and defend himself.

“Soundwave, stand down!” Ultra Magnus ordered him, but the spymaster refused. He wasn’t going to bend to their will.

“Soundwave, stop! The war is over!” Soundwave felt his anger flare when he heard Bumblebee speak. He snapped his helm towards him, contemplating tearing out Bumblebee’s voice box again himself for killing Megatron!

“The war will continue in Megatron’s name!” Soundwave had compiled the voices he had on file to speak.

“Wait…you don’t know?” Bumblebee was surprised.

“Know what?” Soundwave demanded.

“Megatron…he came back to life, but he forfeited the war,” Bumblebee explained.

Soundwave nearly lost his composure right then and there. Megatron was…alive?! That should have made him elated! Happy! But he didn’t go back for his master and merely stayed on the Nemesis as it took him back to Cybertron. But the confusion came. Forfeited? Megatron would never forfeit the war! Megatron would never quit! His attention fell to the other Autobots, but they didn’t have any expressions or features that would indicate that they were hiding something. Were they…were they actually telling the truth?

“His body got hijacked by Unicron, and Unicron tried to destroy Cybertron, but Optimus sacrificed himself to defeat Unicron, and that was before Megatron forfeited the war and left,” Bumblebee continued explaining. “We do have proof. I used the cortical psychic patch to show the memory.”

The patch doesn’t lie, and the Autobots don’t even have enough information on the schematics to even attempt any forms of manipulation. The fact that they were so confident to use it and show it to others meant that they were telling the truth. Megatron was alive, but he had forfeited, but it sounds like they didn’t have him.

“Where is he?” Soundwave demanded.

He heard Ratchet scoff. “You really think that we would tell you that-!”

“We don’t know,” Bumblebee answered truthfully, earning surprised cries from his allies, “I saw him fly off world, but I don’t know where he went.”

Soundwave took a look at his surroundings one more time. He was outnumbered, possibly outmatched, and he didn’t have the resources to repair himself if he got hurt. Not to mention, he still had Laserbeak to consider. Without giving any of the Autobots time to consider, he transformed and quickly flew off into space. He could hear the cries of the Autobots fade as he continued flying upward and out of Cybertron’s atmosphere.

“Bumblebee, what were you thinking?!” Arcee demanded.

“I figured if we answered him truthfully, he might’ve left us alone. Which he did!” Bumblebee retorted.

“And everyone here knows that Soundwave is fiercely loyal to Megatron and the only ‘Con that Megatron would even consider listening to!” Ratchet reminded.

“Soundwave has no leads! We’re talking about the span of infinity! How in the Allspark is Soundwave going to find Megatron through that?! And even if he did, it would take him eons?! Long after the war is over!” Bumblebee reasoned.

“And what if you’re wrong?!” Ratchet demanded.

“Then!...” Bumblebee trailed off, realizing the point to Ratchet’s words. Soundwave: the third-in-command to Megatron was now roaming freely in space. And will no doubt use his freedom to restart the Decepticons.

“If Soundwave is ever to return, then we will prepare plans to counteract him and any other Decepticons that choose to align with him,” Ultra Magnus declared, “For now we need to focus on rebuilding and bolstering our forces in the event of a Decepticon invasion.”

Soundwave’s first decision was the land on Luna-1. He knew he had no leads to go off of in order to locate Megatron, but he did inform his master that he had sent Airachnid to Luna-1. There was a chance that Megatron came to the moon in order to permanently dispose of her. When he stepped over a hill and saw the remnants of Insecticon carcasses rusting away on the surface, he knew that he was correct. He walked towards the carcasses that remained and examine the ground for any information that would direct him to Megatron. He found the outlines of spider legs in the ground, no doubt belonging to Airachnid, but he also saw a new set of pedeprints one that he did not recognize. But he noticed the way these new pedeprints tracked in the ground. The steps and patterns were familiar, unforgettable. These were Megatron’s pedeprints! Megatron was here on the moon, and based on the pedeprints, he had fought Airachnid, probably killing her in the process. Bumblebee did mention that Unicron had hijacked Megatron’s body. There was a possibility that his appearance was altered in the process to compensate for the damage he had undertaken from the Scout. But Megatron was here and he was still alive. But where did he go from here?

Soundwave looked up towards the expansive throws of space. He knew it would be a fruitless effort to try and find Megatron in the vast universe. Megatron could have gone anywhere, and disappeared to a place no one would ever find him. But Soundwave wasn’t going to give up. He refused to believe that Megatron would abandon the Decepticons. Not after all of the hardship and sacrifice.

Soundwave transformed and flew off of Luna-1 and away from Cybertron. He had Megatron’s signal on file, and even though his range was small compared to the Nemesis, he could use it to find him. The Decepticon movement could wait. His new mission was to search for his master and friend and bring him back to his senses to finish what they started.

==

Soundwave didn’t mean to acquire more mini-cons. It ended up just happening if he was being honest.

Soundwave was still taking care of Laserbeak and helping him regain his strength when he encountered Ravage. The feline mini-con was savaging for energon nearby, and Soundwave took some pity on it by providing a small cube. It wasn’t much, but it should have kept the creature alive for another night. Besides, he was focused on keeping Laserbeak alive.

The next thing he knew, Ravage had returned, and in its mouth was a rare metal meant to help repair wounds. Specifically for Laserbeak. Soundwave couldn’t help but be surprised, but Ravage had wagged his tail, expecting praise for his hard work. Soundwave thought he would be useful and let Ravage stick around. He did not bind the cat to him, and let him choose to follow him. He wanted to give him a choice. It was going to be the same for Laserbeak. With Ravage’s help, he had managed to repair the mini-con’s wounds and bring him to full health. Soundwave gave him the option to fly free, and expected the avian creature to never return, but Laserbeak merely turned back around and landed right back on Soundwave’s arm. Soundwave couldn’t help but be moved at Laserbeak’s loyalty while Ravage purred, rubbing up against his leg. Soundwave kept them both as companions from that point on.

Rumble and Frenzy tried to con him when they first met. Rumble was meant to be the distraction while Frenzy was trying to pickpocket him. Ravage sniffed him out and grabbed Frenzy’s arm with his mouth. Soundwave stopped Ravage from tearing the arm off while Soundwave grabbed the twins and lifted them high into the air. Soundwave was prepared to turn them over to the authorities. He had two mouths to feed. He didn’t need two mini-cons trying to steal from him. Soundwave’s anger dissipated when he noticed the way their optics flickered, and he realized that they were experiencing energon deficiency as well. Soundwave also remembered punishments were harsher against mini-cons. The discrimination against the mini-cons were stronger.

Soundwave decided not to turn them in; however, he had to force them to stay by his side as punishment and to keep them out of trouble. Soundwave did his best to keep all four of them fed, and it was difficult. Soundwave expected the twins to run when they had the chance. Pits, he actually played coy to let them run, but they continued to stay. They wanted to stay by his side. It was extra mouths to feed, but they kept him alert and they kept him alive.

The five of them helped each other survive in the worst of Cybertron.

==

Soundwave searched but found nothing.

He searched the cosmos for Megatron, trying to find any leads on Megatron. He had infiltrated both Autobot and Decepticon ships that he encountered for any leads, killing the Autobots aboard their vessels and stealing their basic supplies while sparing the Decepticons in order to build allies and maintain relationships.

The Decepticons he encountered willingly lent him their ship’s navigations in order to locate Megatron’s signal, but so far, the ranges that were provided yielded nothing. He thanked them in his own way by informing them that Cybertron was alive and provided them the map he had recorded for himself to get back home. He informed them of the dangers of an Autobot driven world, but what they decided to do was completely up to them. The Autobot’s navigation systems weren’t any better; he still had no leads regarding Megatron. Even so, he used the information from both Autobots and Decepticons to chart a map of this particular sector of space. Which places were safe to cross and which places were not.

Laserbeak had informed the Decepticon that he needed to rest, and Soundwave couldn’t help but agree. He landed on a barren asteroid, lying back against the dirt and sighing to himself. He expected Laserbeak to eject, but the mini-con chose to stay on his chassis of his own volition. Soundwave enjoyed the simple act of comfort, and powered down to regain his energy.

==

Soundwave heard the rumors of a gladiator making a name for himself throughout Kaon. An undefeatable champion that was not only strong with his combat, but wise with his words, which was considered a feat for many low caste workers. Many were cut off from a proper education in order to keep them locked in their caste position.

Still, Soundwave was intrigued at this gladiator, who had gone so far as to naming himself after one of the Thirteen Primes: Megatronus. Soundwave had witness both ends of the caste system, and his ultimate desire was to change it. However, he had no true leadership skills. He was someone who worked in the shadows and stayed away from the spotlight. Hiding and waiting was his specialty. If Soundwave wanted to change the system, he needed someone who could influence the sparks and minds of all Cybertronians.

Soundwave entered the Pits and signed up for the gladiator matches immediately. He used his skills to rig the match so that he would be fighting Megatronus, much to the dismay of the mini-cons. They advised and begged him not to fight Megatronus. They’ve seen his matches. He hasn’t lost a single one since he started. But Soundwave needed to know. He needed to know if Megatronus could help bring about the change he so desperately desired.

Soundwave stepped into the arena when he heard his name being called, sword and shield in servo, and was immediately met with boos and jeers from the crowd. None of the onlookers knew much about him, and a fresh face usually meant a fresh kill. That was made especially clear by the energon stains on the ground from the previous match. It was a massacre.

Soundwave then looked ahead when the announcer started to hype up Megatronus, getting the crowd excited for their champion. Soundwave watched as the gladiator stepped into the ring, and was met with an interesting sight to say the least. This gladiator was mostly silver, and his appearance wasn’t as intimidating as some of the other gladiators tried to make themselves. A shield resided on his left arm, showing signs of damage and use. He saw red marks around the gladiator’s joints, and his optics were a common blue. What made him so special?

The announcer declared that this would be a fight to the death, causing Soundwave to snap his helm towards the announcer in surprise. A fight to the death? This was supposed to be a fight to the first wound. Who rigged this system? Soundwave searched the crowd and glared through the mask, seeing mob bosses transferring credits to each other. Slag. He should have been more mindful.

Soundwave stared ahead to his opponent, who merely clenched his right servo into a fist, summoning a sword of his own. He got into a fighting stance, shield in front of him while sword behind him. Soundwave got into his own fighting stance, preparing himself to fight. He needed to live. He needed to live for them.

Fight! Both combatants raced towards each others, swords clashing upon impact. Soundwave did his best to plant his pedes into the ground as Megatronus pushed him back. He was strong, but he was putting too much force in the attack. Soundwave released his sword, letting it drop to the ground before bending backwards, causing Megatronus to lean forward. The gladiator was looking at Soundwave in surprise, but Soundwave curled his digits around the handle of his shield and smacked Megatronus in the face with it, sending him flying sideways across the arena. Everyone gawked at the sight while Soundwave straightened himself out, grabbing the sword that he dropped in the process. He wasn’t going to go down easily. Soundwave was also a skilled combatant, but he made sure to keep that hidden in order to have the element of surprise.

Soundwave saw Megatronus standing up, looking just as surprised as everyone else. The gladiator wiped some energon pouring from his mouth and examined it. And then, Soundwave saw it. Megatronus neutral expression so far, had turned to such a maniacal grin. Megatronus snatched his shield and raced forward towards Soundwave, but Soundwave dodged the swing of his sword at the last minute. Soundwave saw the sword swinging upright and quickly bent backwards, the edge of the blade just narrowly missing his mask. Soundwave swung his own sword downward, but Megatronus raised his shield above his helm to absorb the attack.

The announcer declared that they had a true match on their servos as the crowd became divided. Half of the members cheered for Megatronus while the other half cheered for Soundwave. As the cheering continued, Soundwave and Megatronus’ swords continued to clash. They twirled and danced with each other, locking blades and shields before releasing each other to gain some distance. Soundwave was lighter than Megatronus. He was able to jump into the air to gain a height advantage, but Megatronus was prepared for that, blocking and countering his attacks so easily. It was impressive.

But Soundwave wouldn’t be able to achieve his dream if this was a fight to the death. And Megatronus had no real connection to him. The gladiator wouldn’t throw the match for his own dreams. Neither Cybertronian wanted to die, but it was apparent with every swing, every punch, every kick, and every cut that neither would relent. Soundwave had to live. If not for his dream, then for the mini-cons he had sacrificed everything for. He wouldn’t let them go back into the dark.

Soundwave and Megatronus had forced each other to the other ends of the arena before charging at each other. Megatronus let out a battle cry, but Soundwave remained silent as the familiar sound of metal tearing through metal was apparent. Both had stopped in their tracks, arms and swords extended outward, both covered with energon. Soundwave could feel the searing hot pain in his side, but he remained standing. He wasn’t going to buckle, or waiver. The whole arena waited with silence. They wanted to know who would collapse first. Soundwave heard cries of shock and disbelief and looked behind him to see Megatronus bending the knee first. He had bested Megatronus, and caused the crowd to be in an uproar, but this fight was still a fight to the death. Those were the only options given to him, and he had to abandon his ideas for a better Cybertron to protect the mini-cons. Soundwave tried to limp over to Megatronus to deal the killing blow, but Soundwave found himself collapsing to the ground in response. Scrap. The wound was deeper than he anticipated. Soundwave held his side, trying to force himself upright. He heard the crowd cheering and careened his helm to see Megatronus standing up. The gladiator walked towards him with his blade still protruding from his arm. Soundwave saw Megatronus looking down at him, but he didn’t waiver. He would face his death right here and now. He just hoped the mini-cons would be able to survive without him.

However, Soundwave, and the crowd was taken aback when Megatronus discarded the shield and recalled his sword before extending his servo out to him. What was Megatronus doing? This was a fight to the death.

“This combatant is filled with great strength and pride! The mark of a warrior!” Megatronus addressed the crowd, “To have someone like him die here would be a waste of such strength! And I defy anyone who believes that he deserves to die!”

Megatron addressed Soundwave. “Can you stand?”

Soundwave forced himself upright, and took the servo that was offered to him. Soundwave wobbled and forced himself to stand, but Megatronus was kind enough to offer his own body for support. Both warriors were injured, leaking energon, but Megatronus raised his clenched servo high into the air, causing the crowd to cheer wildly.

“Raise your servo,” Megatronus advised in a whisper. Soundwave was confused at the idea, but decided to take his advice and raised his fist in the air, causing the crowd to act like madmen.

“We gave them a good enough show, and you’ve made a good impression,” Megatron explained, “Both of us will get to live, regardless of what the mob bosses say. Trust me on that.”

Soundwave nodded his helm in response.

“Let’s get you patched up.” Megatronus assisted Soundwave in walking out of the arena, “And if you’re willing, I wish to discuss possible arrangements.”

Soundwave looked up at him in surprise, and Megatronus smirked. “Over a match, of course.”

Soundwave couldn’t help but smile behind his mask. Perhaps there was hope for the future.

==

It’s been six months. Six months since Soundwave started his search for Megatron. The farther he flew out into the universe, the less Cybertronians he found. The less help he received. The less hope he had in finding Megatron.

By the Allspark, where would Megatron even go? He had nowhere to go. Was he really just abandoning the cause because of Unicron? Or something else? Megatron has dealt with Unicron before and he still remained the same. He still fought for the Decepticon cause…whatever that was now. But all that effort. All that sacrifice and energon spilt, it couldn’t have been for nothing, especially after going through the Pits together and back.

Soundwave found himself begging a little. He wanted to find Megatron. He wanted an explanation. If Megatron said he was tired, if Megatron was showing adverse effects of Unicron’s influence on him, he could accept that. Unicron was a powerful entity. Megatron would have been influenced by him.

Megatron wouldn’t abandon everything after all this time. Not of his own free will and volition. Not after all of that sacrifice.

==

Soundwave was devastated. Sparkbroken. He let rage consume him earlier, but now his processors were silent. He couldn’t think of anything else.

Peace talks had failed, and Megatron declared war against the Autobots, against Optimus. Megatron apologized to Soundwave for not properly considering the consequences of bringing someone from a higher cast into the fold, but it was too late now. The war raged on, it consumed the planet. Both Autobots and Decepticons were killed.

And so were Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage.

Soundwave had heard Ravage scream out in pain before the comm. links were cut. He ignored protocol and raced out towards the battlefield to get to them. But it was too late. His mini-cons were dead, Laserbeak only being spared because he wasn’t assigned to this mission. And the Autobots there celebrated their deaths. They had taken out the minions of Soundwave, they had said. Well, Soundwave didn’t have much to say. He never did. He let his actions do the talking, and he slaughtered all the Autobots in the vicinity. He ignored their screams of pain and pleas for mercy. They didn’t deserve any of that.

The Decepticons had only arrived moments after the carnage, stunned to see the damage the quiet and reserved spymaster had caused. Everyone except for Megatron. The Decepticon leader approached his third in command who was on the ground, gently holding Ravage’s corpse in his servos.

“Soundwave-!”

“The Autobots need to burn,” Soundwave used his audio recordings to declare, “The whole system needs to burn. They did this. No more negotiations. No more peace talks. They will not change.”

Megatron placed a clawed servo on his shoulder. “We will conquer Cybertron and kill the Autobots, and bring about a new age.”

Soundwave didn’t say anything regarding his declaration.

“Take time to grieve,” Megatron ordered him, causing Soundwave to snap his helm towards him, “I never liked mini-cons. You know that well about me, but I know how much they meant to you. And they had contributed greatly and fought valiantly. We will give them proper burial rites.”

Soundwave nodded his helm at that, grateful that his master was being considerate and showing mercy.

==

Soundwave searched for a year for Megatron’s location, slowly giving up hope that he would ever find Megatron at all. The thought of Megatron giving up, and not wanting to be found ached him. It made him angry and desperate. After everything that they had been through, Megatron couldn’t have abandoned the cause like this. Abandoned him like this. Soundwave needed the fight to continue and they needed to be victorious so their efforts wouldn’t be in vain. That was when Soundwave came across something.

It was a ship that crash landed on a moon a while ago. It looked like it was still operational to a degree, and wasn’t claimed by the harsh and cold environment of space. Soundwave landed on the ground and stepped inside the ship to investigate. He walked down the quiet halls, keeping watch for any signs of life. He didn’t want to deploy Laserbeak in an unknown environment just yet.

Soundwave found an open door leading directly to a console and saw that it was operational. Soundwave instantly used his tendrils and attached them to the keyboard, downloading information into his databanks. Soundwave saw that the weapons systems were still maintained and operational and quickly disabled them. Instinct kicked in as Soundwave turned around and smacked the Autobot that was trying to ambush him, sending him flying across the room and slamming into the wall. Another Cybertronian appeared from the shadows and tried to attack, but he wrapped his servo around his neck cables and lifted him high into the air.

“Let go! Let go!” The second Cybertronian screamed at him. Soundwave ignored him as he continued searching through the ships logs. The spacebridge they somehow managed to construct had been used over eleven months ago. Soundwave searched the video feed to see what it was used for, and froze when he saw video of Megatron stepping onto the ship. He never expected his leader’s form to be so different because of Unicron’s influence and control, but the optics. The optics were the same! It was him!

Soundwave quickly pulled up the last set of coordinates used on the spacebridge and opened the portal to that location. Looking closely at the map of the planet, it looked like Megatron was sent to an island. That might make the search easier for him. The spy master slammed the Autobot into the floor of the ship before overheating the energon tanks of the ship through the console. Soundwave bolted through the unstable spacebridge before landing in a grassy field on this new world. He felt the heat of the explosion of the ship on his back, but the spacebridge collapsed in on itself before it could do any real damage to him. Soundwave then took a moment to examine his surroundings, noting how similar it was to the scenery on Earth. He then ignored the sight before widening his search radius for Megatron. He nearly gasped when he finally, finally, managed to pick up Megatron’s signal. He was here! He was here on the island! He was alive!

Soundwave immediately transformed and flew towards Megatron’s location, feeling more excited and elated than ever.

==

Soundwave felt like he should have said something when Megatron’s obsession with dark energon grew. The way that the substance seemed to have called Megatron to him, and the fact that Megatron carelessly stabbed the shard into his chest with no consideration for the consequences or even his own life. He still made the decision to trust Megatron’s decision and not question his actions, even though he could help but agree with Starscream and some of the other sentiments whispered among the vehicons.

But still, Megatron had changed. Sure, change was bound to happen when engaging in war, but Megatron changed for the worse once dark energon got involved. He was obsessive, more controlling, more violent at times.

But Soundwave decided to trust Megatron. He decided to trust his judgment as he had always done, because Soundwave believe that he wouldn’t abandon them or turn his back on them.

==

Soundwave flew over a set of large walls when he saw Megatron’s signal getting closer. He was about to land and greet him directly, but stopped when he realized that there was another signal that was next to him. Soundwave landed a safe distance away and hid within the trees to get a closer look without being seen. He peered through the gaps, and saw Megatron standing there, looking so different, looking annoyed, but alive. After a year, Soundwave had finally found him. Soundwave grew tempted to approach once more but froze when he saw…

Optimus.

Optimus Prime was there. He had approached Megatron and the two were talking. They weren’t being hostile with one another. They were on speaking term. What? What was this?! Why was Optimus alive and in his previous form?! Why was Megatron getting along with him?! Soundwave heard loud footsteps and gawked behind his mask, at the sight of some organic titan that was big. Taller than all three of them, and it had no lips, revealing its teeth. Soundwave looked at his surroundings further and saw humans on the ground, staring up at all three of them, but they weren’t bothered by the sight. They weren’t afraid of Megatron. One of them was even throwing insults Megatron’s way which Optimus scolded them for.

Megatron was alive…working with Optimus…working with humans….working with…whatever that massive thing was! Megatron had let them, left him! He had abandoned the Decepticon cause for Optimus and lowly humans! He couldn’t believe it! Megatron had betrayed them! Megatron-!

Laserbeak tried to calm Soundwave down and reason with him, but the spymaster could only see red as he lunged forward.

==

Sasha was bored today. She shouldn’t have been. Hanji declared that they were all going try some new battle plans when going up against Marley. It’s why they were all equipped in their 3D gear and why Eren was in his titan form. Still, Megatron was kind of throwing a fit about it as they were discussing battle plans.

The teen yawned, resting her chin on her hands, waiting for something to happen, when she picked up on something. It happened so quickly that she couldn’t properly register it, but it was like a predator, waiting in the shadows to strike unsuspecting prey. It was filled with rage and murderous intent, and it was heading for Megatron.

“DUCK!” Sasha screamed, causing everyone to be on high alert, but a purple object rammed directly into Megatron’s gut sending him flying across the field. Megatron rolled across the dirt as the purple object flew up into the air and transformed into another titan. It landed on the ground with grace, and everyone took notice of its strange features. It was skinny and nimble, coated completely in purple, but the titan had no face. Its face was just a black mirror.

Eren looked over at Optimus to see shock in the Prime’s optics. Eren then snapped his head forward to see of Megatron was alright, but he looked just as shaken as Optimus at the sight of this new titan. Megatron’s mouth moved and uttered a single name.

“Soundwave.”

Soundwave bolted towards Megatron, forcing the ex-con to flip backwards and dodge a strike clearly meant for Megatron’s head. The strike hit the ground instead, and the Survey Corps was stunned to see the new titan create a crater. Soundwave rushed him, forcing Megatron to take out his shield and block a flurry of attacks, each one meant to be more lethal than the last, causing more damage to his own shield. Everyone was stunned to see Megatron struggling and getting overwhelmed, but he didn’t go on the offensive at all.

“Damn it! Attack!” Hanji ordered as they flew towards the fight.

“Are you serious-!”

“Just do it!” Hanji screamed at Connie.

Levi followed close behind, prompting the rest of the Scouts to follow.

“Wait, wait! Soundwave might still have Laserbeak!” Optimus snapped out of his shock and called for them.

“Who?!” Jean snapped his head back towards the Prime. Mikasa snapped her head to Soundwave, and the spy master took notice of them closing in. Soundwave drop kicked Megatron to create room for himself and extended his arms outward. Everyone was shocked to see his chest move and drop off of his body. His chest then transformed into that of a strange bird who flew directly towards them. With its sharp wings, it managed to cut the cords of both Connie and Armin’s 3D gear, causing them to drop to the ground. It then flew back around and started firing red bullets at the Scouts, forcing them to scatter. Jean gasped in horror when Floch was hit by one of those bullets, causing his body to be incinerated in one shot.

“Fall back! Fall back!” Hanji ordered as they all scrambled to get away and make some room for themselves.

"Eren, stay back! Do not engage!" Optimus ordered as he activated his battle mask and charged at the faceless titan who went back to attacking Megatron. The titan shifter was still baffled at the sight of Megatron refusing to attack Soundwave, ordering him to stand down and talk this out. Eren turned to his friends in his titan form, and saw they were preoccupied with the strange bird that detached itself from Soundwave's chest. They kept on dodging the flying creature in a panic, not really sure how to approach this thing or even respond.

He didn't know what was going on. He was so confused and afraid. Why did Megatron seem afraid of him? Eren examined Soundwave's movements. He was fast and agile, dodging attacks from Optimus like it was nothing while striking Megatron with all that he had. And despite that small, nimble, frame, he was actually causing some push back against the massive titan.

Eren gasped when Soundwave managed to grab Optimus' arm and throw him over his shoulder towards Megatron. The two crashed into each other before slamming into multiple trees. Eren had no choice. He knows listening to Optimus' advice was probably the best way to go, but he had to engage. They were in danger. Eren charged at threw a punch at Soundwave's back, but gasped when Soundwave dodged the attack without even looking behind him.

Eren looked at the faceless titan, and despite everything. Despite the size advantage, despite the fact that Soundwave had no face, the titan looked furious. He saw his own reflection mirrored on the screen, but he could've sworn he saw eyes glaring at him. And he could feel the murderous intent radiating off of this thing!

Soundwave raised his slender arm and slammed it down on the back of Eren's neck. Eren felt his senses shut down and he almost passed out from the hit. It actually broke his connection to his titan body for a brief moment. Eren slammed face first into the ground and groaned, feeling his human body reconnecting with his titan body. Eren gasped when he noticed out of the corner of his eye Soundwave reaching for the nape of his neck once again. Eren quickly rolled out of the way as Soundwave's fist hit the ground hard.

“We need to tag team and coordinate a single shot!” Hanji ordered.

“How?!” Jean demanded, “Oh fuck!” The bird had its own set of long tendrils that grabbed Jean midflight and tossed him into a building. He crashed through the window and hit the floor hard.

“Mikasa, with me!” Levi ordered the other Ackerman, “Hanji!”

“Hey pretty bird!” Hanji called out to the purple bird, waving around frantically and drawing as much attention to themselves as possible, “Look at me! Come and get me!”

Laserbeak’s attention was now on Hanji as he tried to chase them down. He then noticed Sasha grabbing a thunderspear and firing it at him, but he quickly flew upward, dodging the attack and letting the explosion go off. However, Laserbeak felt two hooks latch onto him and looked up to see Levi and Mikasa flying down towards him with two thunderspears. Laserbeak couldn’t help but notice the blue in their eyes mirroring that of energon before the thunderspears were wedged into his wings. They flew past him, and pulled the pins off the spears, causing them to go off. Laserbeak screeched in pain while Mikasa got caught up in the explosion.

“Mikasa!” Levi saw Mikasa hit the ground hard, dislocating her shoulder and arm in the process. Levi flew over to her, ignoring Laserbeak spiraling out of control and crashing into the ground.

Eren scrambled to stand upright and charged again, but yelled when a long, glowing, snake-like appendage emerged from the side of Soundwave’s body and wrapped around his arm!

"What the hell?!" Eren screamed in the nape, but Soundwave seized Eren's moment of weakness and used his appendage to crush and rip off Eren's lower arm.

Eren forced himself to regenerate quickly, thankful for the recent injection of the energon serum, but Soundwave was unrelenting. Another appendage emerged from the other side of his body before jamming into his ribcage. Eren screamed when Soundwave started electrocuting him from the inside out. Eren couldn't retain his proper bodily functions as Soundwave pulled out the appendage in his side. The titan shifter noticed small tendrils at the end buzzing with electricity at the tips. Eren tried to smack him in the head, but the faceless titan ducked before digging his hand into the open wound in Eren's ribcage. Eren was stunned to find his wound didn't even regenerate, but ignored it as he tried to kick Soundwave away. However, Soundwave's appendage quickly wrapped around his leg and began crushing it.

Eren screamed out in pain as he felt the crushed leg get torn off. Eren then felt something heavy get ripped out of his chest, and he was horrified to see that it was the beating heart of his titan form.

Soundwave didn't crush it though. He merely tossed it aside before wrapping both appendages around Eren's waist. Eren yelled in fear as Soundwave swung him around with his whole body before throwing him across the grass. Eren's body skidded to a stopped, destroying the foliage and whatever else was underneath him. Eren tried to regenerate, but...he couldn't. Why couldn't he regenerate? What was he even hit with?

Eren's gaze forced himself to see Soundwave approaching him. He didn't understand. Who was this...this thing? Soundwave's appendage reached for his neck and wrapped around it, ready to crush it, and him, but Megatron quickly rushed Soundwave and slammed him in the face with his shield. Eren was shocked at the sight of the screen shattering on impact as the appendage let him go.

Soundwave rolled across the ground rather violently as pieces of his mask scattered across the grass. Eren tried to force himself onto his arms, but his body felt so weak. He could only adjust his head to see Soundwave scrambling to get up. Those long fingers of his right hand were pressed upwards against his broken mask, trying so desperately to hold it in place and keep it intact. But broken glass still fell to the ground, and Eren managed to catch a lone red optic staring in horror at Megatron. It looked so betrayed at Megatron's single act, but why?

"Soundwave! I am ordering you to stand down!" Megatron commanded.

"Traitor!" Eren couldn't tell if that was Soundwave's voice. It sounded like someone else was speaking, but even then, the voice that came out was broken and distorted.

"The war is over and we lost!" Megatron yelled, "There is no need for this senseless fighting! Now stay down!"

"No."

Eren managed to blink at that. That sounded real. That sounded like a monster. It sounded like the voice of a monster that would hide in the closest or under the bed. It was the stuff of nightmares. The lone red eye that stared in horror now burned with rage towards Megatron. Megatron seemed to think Soundwave was something that came from nightmares too, since he looked horrified at the sight of Soundwave speaking.

"Megatron: No longer my master."

Before Eren could think, Optimus had shielded his body as Soundwave used his appendage to fire red bullets at everyone in sight. In all the chaos and confusion, Eren saw Soundwave grabbing the bird that was on his chest before transforming and flying off to who knows where.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Hanji screamed at Megatron as they landed on the ground, "Go after him!"

The Commander ended up pausing when they noticed just how horrified both Optimus and Megatron looked at the figure that was flying off. They had managed to catch Megatron's lips moving, mumbling something about 'breaking a vow'. What the hell did he even mean by that? Hanji nearly scowled at Megatron’s catatonic state before turning to Sasha. “Go get Jean!”

“Got it!” Sasha flew up towards the window that Jean had crashed through and pulled him out before flying over to them and setting him down on his back.

Optimus quickly cut Eren out of his titan body and laid him down on the ground. “Are you okay?”

“God, I feel sick,” Eren groaned in pain.

“Eren!” Armin ran over to his friend to see if he was alright. Connie could only limp over, feeling that he had a bruise on his leg.

“Optimus…who was that?” Sasha asked, still shaken by the experience as Levi helped Mikasa over to everyone else.

Optimus deactivated his mask as he stood up. “Soundwave: Megatron’s third-in-command during the war, and his minicon companion: Laserbeak.”

“The what?” Hanji demanded.

“That was one of your soldiers?!” Levi shouted at Megatron, but stopped his shouting when he noticed how shaken he still looked.

“Soundwave is a very skilled, very powerful combatant,” Optimus continued explaining, “He was once a gladiator like Megatron, and a fiercely loyal ally. He was Megatron’s eyes and ears during the war, listening for Autobot intelligence and for Decepticon traitors.”

"…He was the only one I trusted as Leader of the Decepticons," Megatron finally spoke up, "We fought together in the Pits of Kaon. He was the only one who had ever come close to besting me in combat. He took a vow of silence long before I met him, and had not spoken a word during the war.”

Megatron turned his attention to the humans on the ground. “He just broke his vow today."

The Survey Corps couldn’t help but be shaken at Megatron’s declaration. They turned his attention to Optimus, who’s expression looked just as grim as his former enemy.

"...oh fuck," Levi swore.

==

Soundwave didn’t know how long he was flying, but he ended up landed in the desert out of exhaustion. He still held Laserbeak close to his chassis and was mortified at the damage those humans managed to do. They had damaged his wings, and the poor mini-con was croaking in pain!

Soundwave’s feelings of mortification quickly turned into rage when he saw more pieces of his mask falling and hitting Laserbeak. Megatron. Megatron! Megatron you liar! You traitor! All those years spent on his war! All of those eons promising change! Going against the council! Going against Optimus! Everything! He just abandoned it all! All the loss! His mini-cons! Dreadwing! Anyone that was still loyal to him! He just casted them all aside! He abandoned them for weak organics and a Prime!

Soundwave let out a scream of rage and fury, causing the birds in the area to fly away in a panic. No more. No more waiting in the shadows! No more serving under anyone else! If Soundwave was going to enact the change that he desired, he would do it with his own two servos!

(A few notes:

-The Chaos Timeline does take place a year before the Azumabito Clan show up. -Yes, this is more Soundwave centric and the AOT cast don't show up until the end, but I gotta build background and character motivation since we don't have much on Soundwave in the actual show. -Speaking of, I had to dip within the aligned continuity in order to build a story for Soundwave. His motivation, his loyalty, his mini-cons, why he went batshit on Megatron. -Yes, I brought in the other mini-cons and yes I decided to have them killed. We never see them in the TFP show so I assumed they died in the war. -Soundwave really just came in, rocked everyone's shit and left.)

[bramblepurr]

commissions r now open!!!

[plain text: commissions r now open!!!]

my donos r still open also!! if u order a comm pls message me here on tumblr as it’s easiest for me!! examples r on the comm page n pls make sure u look through the add-on options so u order the right thing!!

some examples of my art can be found in my tag “mauk art”!! i’m happy to do Pretty Much anything so long as it’s not excessive gore/super smutty!! furries n robos r welcome :)) i’m trying to keep these comms p easy for me to handle too so for now i’m only doing headshots in colour n limited backgrounds

[aprillikesthings]

OKAY last one tonight

and it's a doozy

s5 ep5 Save the Cat

I always wonder if people get the joke in the episode title? There's a famous book about writing scripts called Save the Cat. I kind of assume at least one person in the writer's room for She-Ra has actually read it.

Also Daci got me Strawberry Oatly (vegan ice cream) hell yes

LET'S DO THIS

eek

she tells them she's alone??? hm

oh the others were clinging to the outside of the ship in space suits lol

roll intro

okay Entrapta and Bow are gonna fuck with the computers and Glimmer is gonna find Catra

god it must be weird for Glimmer to be on the ship again???

WHOOPS

okay so Adora tells Horde Prime: hey you're gonna let me leave with Catra okay?

"The Heart of Etheria. And if you don't do what I say, then I'll use it...and destroy you and your empire for good."

"You would never risk the safety of your Catra."

(Ever noticed he always says this? Your Adora. Your Catra.)

Adora: "You don't know me. And you don't know what I'm capable of." Horde Prime: "Oh...but I do." Horde Prime: "I am old, far older than you can imagine. My brothers lend me their life force, and when one vessel fails me, I simply elect another."

(Like a Time Lord but WAY creepier)

"There is something so...familiar about you, Adora."

"Not since I faced your ancestors, and crushed their once-mighty empire beneath my heel. You call them the First Ones. And you are one of them, are you not, Adora?"

AUGH

Meanwhile Entrapta thinks she's spotted her boyfriend

She's got the little chip she gave him ;_;

(maybe?)

not good!!!

ARROWED

BAHAHAH oh right that's how this guy starts. Anyway this poor clone is panicking because the jolt removed him from the hive mind

he starts SOBBING. "how will Horde Prime see my thoughts?? how will he know I am faithful???"

but then:

Entrapta: "Can you open this door?" He does Entrapta makes a happy little squeaky noise

Entrapta: "But we broke him! We're responsible for him now. Pluuuus, he can open doors!"

He says he'll take them to the server room, and Bow gives him his nickname of "Wrong Hordak" lolol

Glimmer went back to her old cell, and Catra's not there

And that's when Glimmer realizes their little earbud comms aren't working

Horde Prime: "I thought the First Ones were all gone, but clearly...some faction remains. That race of tyrants...abandoned you on a forgotten planet in a shadow dimension. They made you their weapon, their...She-Ra."

I mean, it sounds bad when you say it that way (because it is, actually)

Adora: "I don't fight for the First Ones. I fight for my home, for myself, and for my friends. Now for the last time, where is Catra?"

oh, god

augh

he's not...wrong

Horde Prime: "As she would've said, 'You are so very predictable.'"

eeughghg

AAAAAAAAAUGH

I knew this was coming, I knew it was this episode, and it still makes me want to crawl out of my own skin

SAME ADORA, SAME

NOOOOO

Horde Prime: "I have made her anew. I saw her mind...so ensnared in grief and rage and pain...and I brought her to the light."

(okay but if he saw into her mind did he see all the times Catra thought about kissing and/or having sex lol)

Adora's absolute horror here is so relatable

Adora: "Catra, you have to fight it!" Catra: "My place is with Horde Prime, Adora. I don't want to leave." Horde Prime: "Tell her what I've done for you." Catra: "Prime has given me peace. Something you could never do."

"But he has made it whole again."

"I'm happy here. You could be happy, too."

(It's genuinely hard to rewind this to get decent screenshots because hearing/seeing Catra act all weird with the chip is just SO UNCOMFORTABLE)

And there we see it--the first hint that Catra is actually being actively tortured and forced to say/do this shit like some kind of sentient puppet, having to experience her own body doing/saying these things without her permission. Her eyes even keep twitching.

Horde Prime: "I will give her to you, if...you want her... But first, you must do something for me. You...will give me She-Ra." Adora: "Never." Horde Prime: "Very well."

He snaps his fingers and everyones in-ear comms shriek with static and electricity

(okay I gotta stop just copy/pasting the script)

He squeezes poor Catra's neck and for a second her eyes go back to normal, she looks at Adora, and then they start glowing again. Adora notices!!

aaagh look at poor Catra

but yeah Adora can't bring out She-Ra on command right now (and he knew that)

UGGGH

OH SHIT THAT'S RIGHT oh god oh fuck

okay so Glimmer's in the trophy room thing and she kicks the ass of a couple of clones, that's cool

but also

"I know you're still in there. I'm not leaving without you."

Catra gets a good slice into Adora's leg

Adora: "I don't want to hurt you!"

AND I'VE HIT THE IMAGE LIMIT okay hold on

[errantsquam]

ERRANT MERCH MANUFACTURER MASTERPOST

list of manufacturers i've tried. hopefully easier for other artists to get started in the merch game. Singapore/SEA centric. I update this whenever I feel like it.

Taobao manufacturers require some basic Chinese knowledge, but it's honestly not that bad. May set up a phrases masterpost in the future.

Use at your own risk because your experience might not be the same as mine. But this is what I've personally experienced!

[R] - Recommended. However, try at your own risk. Caveats will be mentioned

[NR] - Meh. Usable but probably not recommended

STICKERS/PRINTING

[R] Danlim - Self-service again. Less self-prep needed, the people there will give you feedback if they think your alignment is messed up (very helpful!). Supports self-collection or delivery (but delivery is on the expensive end). Supports holo which is very nice. Low MOQ.

[NR] walyadfx.sg - (SEE UPDATE) Shopee manufacturer. Only tried them for transfer stickers. Self setup on an A5/A4/A3 sheet, but since they're transfer stickers there's no cutlines needed. Affordable and low-ish MOQ (if A5 sheets count as such lol) Came pretty fast and the quality was decent

UPDATE: Their printing is much duller on vibrant colors, but the transfers stick smoothly without finicky air bubble shenanigans! Smaller designs may be blurrier, too. Only use for simple designs.

[R] shuijingbiao - Transfer sticker manu. REALLY good quality, super vibrant colours! Blues and purples print well which is a huge shocker. Smooth and not blurry, even for text at smaller sizes. However, these are a bit more finicky to apply, and there may be air bubbles. A total bitch to scrape off too (which is probably a good thing). Make sure to order extras.

[NR] Gogoprint - Self-service is neat. However, you need to prep the files yourself, and a lot can go wrong. Some stuff to take note of is the correct PDF format (PDF X-1A), and making sure your strokes don't turn into vectors (there are some cases where this happens). High MOQ. Otherwise, more crisp than Vograce.

[NR] Vograce - Shipping isn't worth it. Printing is a little duller.

ACRYLIC CHARMS

[R] Juno Creative (Taobao) - Also on Alibaba at a slight markup. Good, affordable, better quality than Vograce. Hot stamped colors are gold/silver/red/green/blue/light blue/purple/pink. Please note that if you're doing hot stamping, DO EPOXY. The foil is not stable and will peel off otherwise. One-sided hot stamping otherwise. Use Weiyun to send larger files to them

[R] Bemick/Wenzhou Yadian (Alibaba) - My go-to for hot stamping. Supports single or double sided. Offer gold/silver/red/green/blue. Printing is generally better quality than both Juno and Vograce, but double sided prints "hover" slightly if that bothers you. Hot stamp is more iridescent than metallic. I like it though. Low MOQ but costly at lower MOQs.

[NR] Vograce - Still has the dull printing problem. Gross markup

PLUSHIES

[R] Gaopeng Toys (Alibaba) - Hesitant recommendation. They are the safe and commonly used option and have a low MOQ (as low as 1), but obviously low is expensive. Up to 3 changes allowed per sample, otherwise you pay the cost again. They handled the engineering of my complex sample pretty well. However, they have a tendency of using craft glue instead of something like a ladder stitch, which may be invisible or awful-looking depending on your product.

Have not mass produced with them yet. Treat as a cheap plush commission (assuming your local indie artist isn't open for comms).

[NR] Vograce (Manjuu) - They're probably middlemanning. They actually fucked up and sent my sample with its back upside down (yikes). Printing is dull (a common Vograce problem). Not sure who they're middlemanning for, but likely Doujin Studio (haven't tried) is my guess.

COINS

[R] Jinyin (Taobao) - Hesitant recommendation. WeChat needed for communication. Printing quality is nice, and they give advice to make your design read better. But the rep flipped out at me because I had an unusual shipping address (Taobao's warehouse).

[NR] Wenzhou Jinshi (Taobao) - WeChat needed for communication. Printing quality worse than Jinyin. Rep flipped out at me for sending the Chinese equivalent of Google Drive (Weiyun). Generally rude aside from that, no feedback given, and they get a lot of customers, so you're not important.

SPECIAL CLASPS

If yoiu're non-Chinese, you can order from here too! Do check the r/taobao subreddit for guides on setting up.

Please try to select 'Direct Shipping' instead of 'Consolidation' during payment though, otherwise you'll need to jump through some hoops with Alipay in order to pay Taobao. (Not impossible, just frustrating and scary if you think your packages are going to be held hostage)

Typical search term: 异形扣

Listing 1

Listing 2

Carbuncle Clasps

Jackpot

MANUS I'M STILL WORKING WITH

[NR] Kakubao (Taobao) - Soft (rubber?) PVC 3d charms, same as a lot of Sanrio charms. WeChat communication only. They fucked up the overseas shipping not once, not twice, but THREE times and tried to pin the blame on me and get me to pay lol. Only got a partial refund after a lot of complaining. They also bribe you to take down bad reviews. Don't use them.

OTHER COOL LISTINGS I HAVEN'T PERSONALLY TRIED

Doujin Studio Bottle Cap Buttons (Taobao)

Wing Flapping Acrylic Charms (Taobao)

Medicine Pill Acrylics (yes, it is that weird) (Taobao)

Please view listings and reviews at your own risk! Reviews may be doctored/paid for. Things to look for are

Unusually eloquent praise of the manufacturer, mentioning stuff like rush orders, etc.

Pictures that look like they came from a factory. The factory ITSELF, not the package. Common tells are gloves/factory equipment in the back/etc that multiple reviews have.