#and he enjoys it so much they fall into giving horse-riding lessons

[smallsies]

malevolent au where they're cowboys. thats literally it.

[sanarsi]

Private lessons

no-outbreak!instructor!Joel Miller x f!Reader

Summary: Joel gives you private horse riding lessons Warnings: +18, MDNI, age gap (reader is 36, Joel is 41), dom!Joel, unprotected PIV, playing with pussy, horse accident, wounds and blood Wordcount: 2,7k An: Oh yeah, cowboy Joel taking care of your wounds and you? The dream came true. Enjoy your meal xx Music I worked with: West Coast - Lana Del Rey

Masterlist

Sunday lessons with Joel Miller became your routine.

The desire to learn to ride a horse turned into a stubbornness that Joel had never seen before. He was honestly amazed to see how hard you tried to tame one of the most submissive horses. And he was even more amused by how you failed at even that.

Joel was usually in charge of young people, school children or young adults.

And then there was you.

The only woman over thirty who fell off a horse more times a day than she was years old. No small feat.

So yeah, Joel Miller was stuck with you.

“Loosen the reins,” he said, watching you slowly ride around the training field.

“They’re loose. Should I let go of them completely?” you growled under your breath. An hour of riding and all you’d learned was that your ass was sick of that damn saddle.

Joel smirked as the horse tried to turn to the side again. And that certainly wasn't the reason you were unconsciously tensing one hand more than the other. You stubbornly tried to put the horse back on the right track, which made the horse neigh disapprovingly.

Yeah, Joel had to admit that he enjoyed your lessons despite everything. He laughed so much it would make his stomach hurt.

"Synchronize your hip movements with her. You bounce off her like a ball," he said again, crossing his arms. You sent him a deadly look and tried to fix your mistake. You really tried.

But suddenly the horse neighed restlessly, changing speed, and you flew too far forward. You squealed, grabbing her neck, then fell flat on the ground. You groaned in pain, turning to the side and bent in half, feeling your crotch burn with pain. You hated that fucking saddle.

Joel quickly found himself by your side, kneeling down to take a closer look at you. His hands turned you onto your back, making you moan louder.

"You were supposed to synchronize your movements, not fall off of her," he commented, amused. His hand touched your temple, making you hiss in pain. "You're bleeding," he said seriously.

You barely opened one eye to look at him. He carefully examined the cut on your forehead until he finally looked into your eyes.

An eye, actually.

"How much can you see?" he asked, holding up two fingers in front of you. You frowned, looking at his hand.

"I don't know. Three?" Joel sighed heavily, and you groaned again from the pain in your head, back, crotch, and everything, actually.

After a moment, his arms were under your knees and back, lifting you up. Ignoring your moans of pain, he moved towards the exit of the training room. You curled up more in his arms as you walked through the stables, the loud neighing of the horses only worsening the pain in your head and PTSD.

Horses would be in your nightmares for the rest of your life, that’s for sure.

"I guess we'll have to go back to basics before I let you ride a horse again," he said amusedly as he walked through the clearing towards his home.

A medium-sized wooden cabin like something out of a movie. Perfectly in Joel's style.

He walked inside with you and immediately the smell of pine, wood and grain hit you. A pleasantly calming mix that sobered your mind a bit. He sat you down carefully on the sofa and you immediately fell flat feeling the pleasant softness of the leather beneath you.

"Am I dying?" you asked groaningly as Joel began rummaging through the cabinets in search of a first aid kit.

"Yeah," he nodded, pulling out more things onto the counter. "But I'll save you, don't worry," he added, returning to you with a few necessary things.

You opened one eye, looking at the table where hydrogen peroxide, a few patches, and some pills were now lying. You groaned painfully as he knelt down by the couch and examined your wound before he got to work.

You obediently lay there not moving an inch as he cleaned your wound and then carefully applied a few small plasters. You winced from the hypersensitivity as he began to clean the remnants of dried blood from your face.

"You will live," he said, handing you two painkillers and a glass of water. You propped yourself up on your elbow, taking a few sips before handing the glass back to him. Joel looked at you for a moment, worried as you winced in pain. "Does it still hurt anywhere?" he asked, to which you immediately nodded.

Bad move because your head was spinning.

You stopped, trying to calm the growing nausea.

"Where?" he said again, starting to wander your face, searching for any wounds he might have missed.

"I hit the saddle" you groaned automatically clenching your thighs. Joel immediately looked at your hips looking for potential injuries. He gently squeezed his hand on your thigh and placed the other on your stomach holding you in place so you wouldn't squirm.

"You probably bruised your pelvis. I can't see any-" he suddenly stuttered, frowning when he noticed the blood stain on your pants.

His hand moved between your thighs to look at the stain that was almost next to your intimate areas. He pinched the material next to it with his thumb, which made you hiss in pain.

"I have to take your pants off" he announced and without waiting he started unbuttoning the button and zipper of your jeans. You lifted your head to watch as he concentrated on each movement.

"You could at least buy me a drink first" you mumbled under your breath and laid your head down again staring at the ceiling.

In one confident move he pulled your pants off your hips, which made you move a little towards him.

"Easy, cowboy" you snorted surprised by his strength. Your pants landed on the floor and Joel's hands immediately pushed your thighs apart. You gasped as you felt his rough, warm hands way too close to your pussy.

"You cut your thigh," he announced after a quick look at your wound. And again without a word he got to work. You hissed as he gently cleaned your wound. His fingers gently stuck plasters to secure the cut.

And with each movement his knuckles accidentally brushed against your clit covered by the thin material of your panties.

You swallowed hard feeling how in addition to the pain you were starting to get hot and all the blood was flowing between your legs.

"Joel..."

"Almost finishing," he interrupted you frowning in concentration as he tried to perfectly secure the wound.

And his knuckles continued to irritate that damn nerve point.

Your breathing quickened as you started to feel too much pleasure from it. You moaned quietly closing your eyes and he took it as a sign of pain that he could accidentally cause.

"Sorry," he said quietly and started to be more careful with his finger movements.

“It’s okay,” you replied, trying to sound normal as his knuckles began to rub your clit slower and more sensually. The fire in your belly began to creep dangerously towards your clit, signaling an approaching orgasm. You clenched your hand on one of the sofa cushions, feeling that you only needed a few strokes to come.

But then his touch disappeared.

"I'm done," he said, satisfied, watching his work. You began to breathe heavily and blinked a few times in shock at what had just happened. "Anything else?" he asked, looking at your face. You swallowed the lump in your throat, trying to act normal.

"Y-yeah," your voice trembled. "My synchronization of movements ended with a battered cunt," you snorted quietly, feeling the weight in your lungs.

Breathing became exceptionally heavy as you lay before him, battered, half naked, and warmed up from the near-orgasm he had unknowingly given you.

Joel's gaze immediately dropped to your hips and panties. He was about to make some dry joke when he saw the wet stain on your panties. And it didn't escape his attention how your pussy tightened, wetting the gray material even more.

Oh fuck.

Joel glanced at your face and again at your cunt, feeling a wave of heat pass through him. The wisest thing would be to withdraw from this situation. But doubt flew through his head.

Because after all, he was only a man.

And you lay before him, wet, breathing heavily.

Oh, you were thirsty.

"Here?" he asked, slowly running his hand along the length of your cunt until his fingers touched the wet spot. You gasped loudly, feeling his large, hot hand warm your pulsating womb.

His fingers pressed against your wet hole until your panties were soaked through. Your breath hitched as his other hand settled on your stomach.

“Or here?” He ran his fingers higher to your clit and gently began to rub circles on her.

A soft moan escaped your lips, unable to respond, too drunk from his touch.

“I guess here,” he nodded with a smirk. His fingers slowly teased your throbbing clit, and he watched as your face turned from pain to pleasure. He used his other hand to hold your stomach as your hips began to push into his hand. Your soft, sweet moans filled the room, hitting his cock as it hardened in his pants.

You wanted him to give you more.

To really touch you.

To sink his fingers into you.

To feel how wet he made you.

But he just gently rubbed your clit through the material of your panties. Fucking torture.

Your head began to spin, not from the accident, but from the orgasm that was approaching like a tsunami. You knew it was coming, slowly, making itself known in every part of your body. Until it finally hit.

You arched your back with a groan and shuddered as the orgasm hit your body. Joel held your hips in place, continuing to stroke your clit. Until you began to tremble in his hand.

He took his hand away and you started to breathe heavily. Your panties were soaked from the orgasm that was still pouring out of you. You rubbed your hand over your face and slowly propped yourself up on your elbows. Your gaze immediately met his, but your attention was drawn to his hand gripping his crotch.

Oh.

He was painfully hard. And his look was enough to show how much he had to hold himself back from fucking you on the floor like an animal.

You swallowed hard and slowly sat down on the couch. You were now like predator and prey. Joel watched your every move carefully, his jaw clenched tightly.

“I feel better now,” you said uncertainly. He nodded without a word. You blinked a few times, clenching your fists on the sofa, feeling something incredibly heavy hanging between you.

But Joel couldn’t help himself.

He stood up on his feet, not taking his eyes off you for even a second. His fingers found his belt, which he began to unbuckle.

“Time for your riding lesson” he said seriously in a hoarse voice. Your mouth fell open in shock as you watched him with those gleaming eyes.

He unzipped his fly and lowered his pants a little before wrapping his hand around his hard cock that was waiting ready in his underwear.

You didn't even register the moment he sat down on the couch next to you and pulled you on top of him. You sat on him with a lost look, resting your hands on his chest.

"Relax, after-hours classes are free," he said with a smirk.

His fingers pushed your panties aside and your snot immediately flew down, staining his boxers. His gaze fell down to your pussy and he hummed in satisfaction before looking you in the eye again.

"At our age, I'd take it as quite a compliment that I've made you so wet," he said teasingly. And a moment later his lips were on yours. You immediately returned the caress and ran your hands down his neck.

Fuck, even his neck was fucking masculine.

His stubble tickled you with every movement of his lips. Your tongues quickly found each other as his fingers found your wet slit. You moaned as he began to spread wetness along your entire length.

After a moment, his hands gripped your hips, forcing you to lift them a little. You pulled away from his mouth the moment you felt his tip just before your exit.

"We'll teach you how to ride a horse properly now," he said, raising his eyebrows encouragingly. Your breath trembled and a moment later his hands forced you to impale yourself on his cock. Slowly, so you could feel every inch of him entering you.

You parted your lips and moaned loudly only when you were sitting all the way on him. Joel gasped as he felt your so damn wet cunt tighten around him. He tightened his fingers on your hips as his cock twitched inside you.

“Forward and back. As if you were rubbing against me,” he began to explain and began to guide your hips. You moaned as his cock gently moved inside you and your clit rubbed against his happy trail. “That’s right,” he whispered, panting heavily.

You tilted your head back, submitting to his strong hands that guided your every move. His cock was still deep inside you, never stopping rubbing against your sweet spot.

“Yeah,” he panted, watching your pussy grind against him. He dug his fingers deeper into your skin. "Now we'll add bumps," he said, forcing your hips to rise with each thrust.

You moaned louder, barely catching your breath as your hips made semi-circular movements, impaling yourself on his cock.

Joel moaned softly and clung to you, attacking your neck with his lips. He bit into your skin, leaving wet marks behind as his hands forced you to speed up your movements. You moaned louder and louder, tightening your fingers around his neck.

“Fuck, you ride me like a pro, baby,” he growled against your neck, impaling you harder on his cock. You nearly screamed as he drove himself into you to the very base. His breathing quickened as he forced your hips into faster but still smooth movements.

“Fuck, Joel-” you moaned, tangling your fingers in his hair. His cock twitched inside you at the sound of your voice.

“Just a little more, baby. You’re doing great,” he panted, feeling your pussy squeeze him perfectly every time he hit that perfect spot.

“Yeah but I-” you stuttered, moaning. Joel looked at you and ran his tongue up your throat, finally biting your chin.

“Cum on my cock,” he breathed, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you closer to him. You collapsed into his arms as he leaned back on the couch and began thrusting into you. You buried your face in his neck, moaning as he held you in place, thrusting into you with fast and hard movements.

Your orgasm hit its peak in an instant. You gasped for air as you experienced the intense rush, clenching around his cock. Joel groaned into your ear as he felt your cream flow out of your pussy and onto his balls.

“A gallop is always captivating,” he whispered, nibbling on your earlobe before growling throatily as he came inside you.

One hard stroke.

A second hard stroke.

And a third hard stroke.

His cum began to flow from your slit as he panted like an animal against your ear. You groaned tiredly, falling into his arms with all your weight.

Joel tangled his fingers in your hair, hugging you to his chest. He tilted his head back, calming his breathing as his cunt squeezed against him, squeezing the last drops of cum out of him.

“Next lesson next Sunday,” he panted, making you laugh tiredly. He smiled to himself before placing a kiss on your head.

[billysgun]

BILLY THE KID · requests are open! ·

sharpshooter

|fluff| billy takes you shooting

. . .

cherries

|smut| you and billy lose your virginity to each other

. . .

warm waters

|fluff|you and billy enjoy your new calm life with a hot bath

. . .

bandage

|fluff| after you found him wounded, you took him back to your house where you healed a very flirty billy.

. . .

teasing

|smut| being on the road means no privacy, and billy takes that risk with you against a random barn

. . .

hand holding

|smut| your perfect first time with billy as he passionately and softly shows how much he loves you

. . .

smitten

|fluff|billy is still love-sick for you with your new domestic life and baby boy

. . .

obscene

|smut|billy loses all control once he tastes you and vows to never leave your side

. . .

spinning

|fluff|billy isn’t afraid to sing his heart out to the girl he loves as he spins her around the kitchen

. . .

flowers

|fluff|you sit in a field of flowers with your baby girl as billy rides around his two favorite girls

. . .

baby making

|smut|you and your husband try for a baby as he slowly makes love to you at the break of dawn

. . .

chasing

|fluff| since you got pregnant, billy has been on edge for your well-being, so you decide to toy with him a little

. . .

jealously

|fluff|during a party for the house, you catch girls flirting with billy and can’t stand it, little do you know, billy feels the same way when he finds you talking to one of the members

. . .

lessons

|fluff| you watch your husband give your daughter her first horse riding lesson while you cheer with your newborn boy on your chest

. . .

kicking

|fluff| billy is making you breakfast, wondering how he got so lucky with you when your baby starts kicking

. . .

saving

|angst|billy comes and saves you when you’re kidnapped and beaten by a rival gang

. . .

sleepy

|smut| after a long day, the gang stops at a boarding house where billy sleepily fucks you

. . .

whiskey · pt 1

|fluff|you’re the daughter of billy’s boss, you’re filthy rich and had eyed billy a while ago. and this night, you decided to follow him to the saloon.

liquor · pt 2

|smut| billy finds himself undressing the richest girl in town, and decides to teach her a lesson

. . .

mornings

|fluff| a slow morning with your newborn and husband

. . .

sneaking

|fluff| on a cloudy morning, you and billy sneak behind the barn to steal kisses from each other

. . .

birth

|stress + fluff|billy tries to talk you through giving birth while you wail in immense pain

. . .

your girl

|fluff| Ciara is a childhood friend turned lover one drunken night…he lives with the consequences daily and now, with his eyes set on you, you do too.

. . .

lone prairie

|fluff|billy softly sings you to sleep while running his fingers through your hair

. . .

gingerbread

|fluff|It’s christmas day and you’re panicking to make the perfect gingerbread men…while Billy goofs and teases around you

. . .

breathtaking

|spicy fluff| the house is throwing a party and you, a cowgirl with only a father and too many brothers to count, shows up in a breathtaking dress

. . .

loyal · pt 1

|angst| during the fight against murphy, you find out you’re pregnant with billys child, and now you see where his loyalties lie

forgiveness · pt 2

|fluff|billy finds you after you ran from the gang, and falls apart in your arms

. . .

caress

|fluff|billy slowly brushes his fingers through your hair as you start to drift off into sleep

. . .

ache

|fluff|billy cuddles you to help with your cramps

. . .

quiet

|smut|you and billy have sex for the first time since the birth of your baby girl, and you have to keep your needy moans quiet so she won’t wake

. . .

bite · pt 1

|spicy fluff| vampire!billy has been watching you for a while now. and one night at the saloon, you decide to meet your shadow

blood · pt 2

|smut|you become irresistible to vampire!billy after he claims you, and he can’t seem to control himself when around you

crave · pt 3

|fluff|as you walk home with billy by your side, you run into another vampire and billy protects you

eternity · pt 4

|fluff ending|as billy feasts on you, he unknowingly turns you into a vampire

. . .

braid

|fluff|billy helps relax you and your growing baby by braiding your hair before bed

. . .

bad dream

|comfort|billy holds you after a nightmare about him dying

. . .

limp

|fluff|you falling asleep in billy’s arms

. . .

run away

|fluff| you run away with billy from your disapproving father

THE HUNGER GAMES

· finnick odair ·

sponsors

|fluff| you're allying with finnick during the quarter quell when a sponsor sends a delicious sauce for the fish finnick caught.

TWILIGHT· requests are open! ·

· edward cullen ·

woven

|fluff|edward sneaks into your bedroom like always. but this time, you ask him to hold you

[momotonescreaming]

I went digging through my fics, and found this. Absolutely no idea when I wrote this, or if I shared it already, but I can't stop thinking about it. Enjoy.

It’s the 1800’s, and Steve is the first born and only son of Richard Harrington, heir to the Harrington fortune. Expectations have been placed upon him since he was born, and it only got worse as he got older. He was too kind, liked flowers, and playing in the mud, and learning about horses and carriages and trains, and sitting with his mother while she put on make up and had her ladies maid do her hair. Then came the lessons from the private tutor (since the Harrington’s were too good for the local school) and Steve wasn’t as book smart as his father wanted him to be.

His father was mean and his mother was scared and so Steve spent a lot of time out in the fields as a young boy, wandering the land his father owned, picking up sticks and pretending to be a sheriff or an adventurer riding a fast horse into the sunset.

So he played until it got dark and Steve still didn’t go back home. Dad would yell and Mom would give him That Look and he didn’t want to change into his fancy dinner clothes. So Steve stays out late and wanders.

There are things living in the woods.

Things with teeth that hunt and kill and make people disappear. But no one tells poor little Steve this. He gets attacked by a wolf that isn’t quite a wolf, and screams so so loud.

Nobody hears him.

One of his father’s farmhands find him in the woods in the early morning. His clothes are ripped and he’s dirty and covered in blood but he doesn’t have any wounds, save for one single wolf bite. The man rushes him back to the Harrington Manor House, and someone calls the doctor. Steve is bathed, and fed, and checked over and the doctor tells his parents that he’s lucky it wasn’t worse. He gets better and goes back to his lessons.

Next month he gets a fever. Steve is sweaty and delirious, and hungry and itchy and restless and nothing quite helps. He blacks out one night and when he wakes up he’s curled up on the hardwood floor and all his furniture has been ripped apart. The servants whisper the word “werewolf” in the halls.

His parents fire half the servants, pay them off to keep their mouth shut, and hire someone who can help. A friendly woman named Mrs Henderson, whose dead ex-husband was a werewolf like Steve. She teaches him what she can while Richard Harrington hires men to build a stone basement underneath a small cottage at the very back of the Harrington Land. Where no one can see.

So Steve grows up, he falls in love, he finds out his sweetheart Nancy doesn’t love him, he befriends Dustin Henderson, and then Robin Buckley - a  dorky local girl who plays the trumpet and works at a store in town. And once a month, he takes himself down to the basement of the cottage, and turns into a werewolf. Mrs Henderson could only help so much, not being a Werewolf herself. His control is better than it was, but he still doesn’t trust himself. So chained in the basement it is.

Then there’s Eddie Munson, the poor son of an outlaw living with his uncle in a tiny house in the town of Hawkins. Grew up learning how to break the law with his father, how to live off the land, how to shoot and hunt and survive. He hated it, little Eddie wanted to learn to play the guitar and read and tell stories. But Pa didn’t give him much of a choice. Until Ma died and Pa spiralled and ended up getting caught and shipped off to prison. So he went to live with his uncle Wayne. And he made friends, and told stories, and started writing.

And then he watched a girl die and got blamed for her murder. So he’s on the run, and he knows how to survive but not when he doesn’t have any supplies. And not in a town where everyone knows his name and his face. So he runs. And he hides. First in his friend Rick's, who’s away in jail or on a job or something. Eddie's not sure and he really doesn't care right now. But he gets close to getting caught again. So he runs again until he finds a barn, semi abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

He’s close to the Harrington’s land, this he knows. But everyone knows they travel for business all the time, so it’s fine.

Except it’s not.

He’s tired and hungry and scared and it’s dark. There’s a light in the distance - lantern. He ducks down, waiting. Except it’s not the Sheriff, or Jason Carver (who took it upon himself to become a bounty hunter, to avenge the death of his sweetheart). It’s Steve Harrington. The semi-estranged, semi-reclusive Harrington heir, who looks grim and angry as he storms across the field. And he doesn’t see Eddie, doesn’t look at the barn, doesn’t even have a horse.

Steve goes into the cottage and Eddie doesn’t know whether to stay put until he leaves in the morning or make a run for it. Eddie is still paralysed with fear and indecision when he notices the full moon in the sky.

He hears a guttural scream, the snap of bone, a howling; and Eddie remembers the stories his Uncle Wayne would tell him of the things that live in the woods.

[another-lost-mc]

Hi Jes!! I’m sorry to hear you’re not feeling well 🥺 if I could I would deliver soup to you!!! ✨💕

If you’re up for it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on ✿ ■ ♡ with Mephistopheles 🥹

You're so sweet! 💕 Thank you! :3

■ -  Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

Mephisto's bedroom is on the second floor of his parent's large estate. In the house's left wing, he has a small cluster of rooms including his bedroom, private bathroom, and office/personal library. It's far enough away from his brother's rooms that they have their own space and privacy, but he's close enough that he can hear his brother call for him (a regular occurrence when he was younger and would have bad dreams). Mephisto's linens and décor encompass the dark, rich colours that remind him of the forest nearby where he likes to ride his horses: dark browns, greens and burgundy. For luxurious accents, he prefers onyx, crystal, or silver.

♡ - Romantic headcanon

He is eager to share his interests with his beloved. He would love to take you on a horse ride and have a picnic at one of the meadows near his home. If you're hesitant about the idea, he does everything he can to make it appealing to you: he has a custom set of riding equipment prepared for you including boots, jacket and breeches that look suspiciously like his own, and a helmet. He'll encourage you to ride your own horse, giving you as many lessons as necessary to ensure your safety and comfort, but if you can't be convinced, he'll place you on his horse instead and take the reins for both of you.

(the nsfw headcanon is below the read more link)

✿ - Sex headcanon

Mephisto enjoys the thrill of fucking you at RAD. The Newspaper Club office is one of his preferred locations when your alluring presence and enticing glances throughout the day are finally too much for him to ignore. Joining the club to be close to him, or simply visiting him when you know he'll be working late on a project by himself, provides many scandalous opportunities for him to indulge in a little depravity with you. He leans against the heavy wooden door after he pulls you inside, tendrils of loose hair falling over his forehead while his breath hitches, and watches as you sink to your knees and reach for his belt. Perhaps he swipes his work carelessly to the floor while he bends you over the desk where he grinds against you while his fingers dig into the soft plush of your hips and thighs. Better yet, maybe he guides you onto his lap while he sits back in one of the leather wingback chairs. He's merciless as he teases you with not-enough friction of his thigh rubbing between your legs. Your gasps and whimpered pleas for more are finally satisfied by his nimble fingers, warm and fragrant from the buttery leather gloves he wears, slipping beneath the waistband of your uniform.

random headcanon asks

[tightjeansjavi]

𝕓𝕝𝕦𝕖 𝕛𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕟’𝕋𝕖𝕩𝕒𝕤 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕤

𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟞

Curry Combs & Water Fights

♡ 𓃗 ♡

Pre!outbreak Joel x horseback riding instructor f!reader

~word count: 3.8k~

Summary: Joel Miller, single father; total soft dad has an astronomically enormous crush on you, his daughters horseback riding instructor.

Warnings: soft! Joel, shy! Joel, horny!awkward!Joel, fluff, flirting, slow burn, feeling flustered, sexual tension, brief horny thoughts, bantering, teasing, no use of (y/n), (+18) minors dni !

blue jeans playlist:

Austin, Texas

The next time you saw Joel Miller was early Saturday morning for Sarah’s next horsemanship lesson. More-so, Joel saw you before you saw him. This was the first time he and Sarah actually saw you horseback riding. You were quietly trotting alongside the rail on Ezra. Joel could hear you softly talking to your horse as you lightly wiggled the reins between your fingers so that Ezra would lower his head. You were working on keeping him collected so his topline was properly getting worked. Just like when going to the gym, you target specific muscles to strengthen. The same was for when you exercise horses under the saddle. Joel of course didn’t know much about riding, let alone properly exercising horses, but he could tell by how willingly Ezra responded to you that he was enjoying doing his job. Not only were your hands quiet, but your seat was as well.

Joel unashamedly couldn’t help but watch the way your ass would rise and fall as you posted the trot. Your thighs were strong, this was apparent. Plus, you were wearing the tightest pair of riding pants that this man had ever seen in his life. Did you really also need to be wearing a tight tank top as well? Jesus Christ, it was white as well. Dangerous thing to be wearing while working a job where you would evidently be getting dirty.

You hadn’t noticed your Texas tall glass of water just yet. Your attention was solely focused on Ezra beneath you. As you were turning the corner, wiggling the reins between your fingers once more, Ezra let out a soft snort as he dropped his head. You rewarded him with a good pat on the side of his neck as you exhaled and he slowed his gait to a light walk. “We’ll finish out with a canter..and maybe a gallop if you’re good?” You spoke softly to him, reaching over his neck to scratch behind his ears. You looked up at the opportune moment to see Joel, and Sarah on the other side of the arena gate.

A smile spread across your features as you waved. “Hey! I didn’t even hear you guys come in. Sorry for the delay, I wanted to get Ezra exercised a little before it gets too hot out.” You brought your horse to a halt at the gate and he leaned his neck down over the side so Sarah could give him a nice pet.

“Sorry if we’re a bit early. Y’know Sarah just practically yanked me out of bed this mornin’, disturbed my beauty sleep and everythin’ ain’t that right kiddo?” He was holding yet another vanilla soy latte in his grip. This time it was iced because he figured it would be nice and refreshing against the sweltering Texas heat.

Sarah let out a soft giggle as she reached her hand up and gently pet Ezra’s velvet soft nose. “Uh huh. Sureee dad. That’s exactly how this morning went.” She looked over at him and stuck her tongue out playfully.

“Another latte? Joel..I’m gonna have to start paying you back for those.”

“Oh no no. You will be doin’ no such thing. It’s just a latte. Only costs me a few bucks and I uh—I don’t mind doin’ it.” He cleared his throat, shifting his weight on either foot.

“Alright, fine but next time I’m going to get you something, alright?”

“Oh no—darlin’ you don’t have to do that.”

“I insist.” You spoke with a soft grin as you gently pulled Ezra’s head back over onto the inside of the arena. “Pick your poison and I’ll have it ready for you at Sarah’s next lesson. Deal?”

“Oh well I’m a simple man darlin.’ I ain’t into any of that fancy crap. Just like a good old black coffee. No cream or nothin’”

“Ohh so you’re one of those coffee drinkers?” You spoke teasingly as you eased Ezra back into a trot. “Black coffee it is.”

“What is that supposed to mean? You know what the lady in front of me ordered today? It was completely frufu. Y’know, I ain’t even think there was any coffee in her concoction. Just a whole lotta syrup and milk.”

“You gotta live your life on the dangerous side every now and then Joel!” You glanced back at him as you rode along the rail. He swore under his breath that you definitely winked at him, but then again, it could just be the heat frying his brain.

“Alright, darlin’. I’ll try your vanilla latte next time. Does that make me normal now?”

“Just a little, Miller.” You shortened your reins up slightly as you eased Ezra into a collected canter. You held the reins lightly in one hand while your freehand rested along the outside of your thigh.

“Woaaaah! Dad! Did you see that? She’s riding with one hand! That’s so cool!”

“I think she’s just tryin’ to show off a little for us kiddo. Whad’ya think?” He leaned down and whispered to her.

“Pssh. I think she’s just trying to show off for you.” Sarah responded with a light giggle.

“Don’t be so silly, sweet pea. Doubt she’s doin’ that for me.”

Sarah fought the urge to roll her eyes at her dad as she looked over her shoulder at him and gave him the, ‘sureeee’ look.

You cantered Ezra around the arena a few times, focusing on keeping his head collected and your leg lightly applying pressure every now and then. Once you were satisfied, and Ezra worked up a good sweat, you slowed him down to a cool down walk. You let the reins rest along the front of the saddle as you dropped your stirrups and stretched your legs out. “How do we feel about doing a bit of grooming today? I was going to have you work with Frankie in the round pen but it’s getting a little too hot, and we’re gonna turn them all out after I’m done with Ez here.”

“Oh like brushing him down and stuff? Yeah! I’ve always wanted to learn how to do that!” Sarah spoke with excitement laced in her tone

“Perfect! I’m gonna let him cool down and then we’ll get him groomed and hosed down. You don’t mind getting a little wet, right kiddo?”

“Me? Nah! We’re gonna give him a bath too?”

“Yep! He’s the best one when it comes to baths as well. He loves it!”

Shit shit shit. Was all that came to Joel’s mind when he realized that giving Ezra a bath meant that you were definitely going to be getting wet. No, not like that, you freaks. Although..he was certain that tight tank top you were wearing would certainly become see-through at some point. Really, Joel? That’s all you can think about right now? Get your head out of the gutter right now. Keep this shit up man and you ain’t gonna survive.

Once Ezra was fully cooled down, you hopped out of the saddle. You gave your horse some well deserved pets, scratches and all the kisses. You decided to untack him inside the arena, setting his bridle and saddle down along the fence while Ezra followed you around.

“You guys uh—really have a strong bond huh? That’s really cool..I mean genuinely it is. Do most people bond with horses like that?”

You looked up at Joel with a soft smile as Ezra nudged your shoulder with his nose. “I think everyone has the capability to bond with a horse like this. It takes a lot of patience and dedication. We both have an intense trust for each other. Not to be a total cheese ball or anything, but I’d die for this horse. No questions asked.” You spoke while slipping his halter over his ears and led him out of the arena.

“They have an extremely good judgment of character too, don’t they?”

“Oh, absolutely. It’s incredible how much they can really pick up on human emotion. Ezra wouldn’t let you get within a foot of me if he thought you were a bad person Joel.”

He nodded as he wrapped his arm around Sarah’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Well, he’s a cool horse and I’m glad he approves of me.”

“Me too.” You genuinely meant it.

After leading Ezra down the aisle, you attached the crosstie clips to either side of his halter before grabbing the grooming box. “So, normally we would do a full brush down after a ride but considering he’s pretty sweaty, we just wanna lift up as much of the dirt as we can.”

You pulled out a rubber curry comb from the box. “Sarah, I’m sure you know what this brush is called, right kiddo?”

“That’s a curry comb! It’s used to lift up the dirt from their coats, right? The other two brushes are used to brush the dirt out.”

“Bingo. So we wanna use this in circular motions all over his coat. You don’t have to worry about being super gentle either. Think of it like you’re giving him a little massage.” You handed her the curry comb before bending down and grabbed two more. One for yourself, and one for Joel.

Circular motions. Okay, that’s enough. She’s talking about brushing the horse, you goon.

Sarah jumped right in to using the curry comb along Ezra’s right side. This was your perfect opportunity to show Joel how to properly groom. “You don’t mind getting a little dirty, do ya?” You asked as you stood alongside him on the other side of Ezra.

Joel nearly choked momentarily as he looked over at you and shook his head. “Uh-no, not in particular. So we’re giving him a massage in a sense?”

“Yeah. Just wanna lift as much dirt from his coat as we can. It’s pretty simple, I promise you that.” You didn’t hesitate to grab his hand that was holding the curry comb and place it on Ezra’s withers, rubbing the bristles of the comb in circular motions into his fur.

So does this mean that you—never mind.

Joel cleared his throat the second your hand grabbed his and he could feel the tips of his ears turning red in embarrassment. “Yeah, pretty simple. You’re right about that darlin’.” He spoke above a whisper, glancing over at you.

The three of you fell into a comfortable silence as you massaged out most of the dirt from Ezra’s fur. Afterwards, you showed Sarah how to properly pick out the rocks and dirt from his hooves with a hoof pick. Joel looked over your shoulder in pure fascination as you described the different parts of a horse's hoof.

Sarah knew all of them of course.

After the dry part of the grooming was completed, you unclipped Ezra from the cross ties and led him outside to the outdoor wash stall to hose him off.

You left Joel and Sarah with Ezra while you ran into the tack room to grab a bucket and horse shampoo.

Sarah was gently petting Ezra’s face while he nudged against her hand, surely looking for treats. “So, are you gonna ask her out already or do I need to push you to do it?”

Joel leaned against the wash rack fence with his arms across his chest. His daughter was quick to pick up on things that was forsure. “Wh—what are you goin’ on about kiddo?”

“Dad. Don’t play stupid with me. I already knew you had a crush on her, remember? So just ask her out already because you guys have practically been flirting this entire time.” She looked over at him with a knowing grin.

“Sarah, sweet pea it ain’t like—”

“Well..uncle Tommy did tell me that you fell asleep at the barn with her last weekend. He’s waiting for you to ask her out already too.”

“Uncle Tommy told you that? Of course my brother did. He’s got a big mouth, that's for sure.” He scrubbed a hand over his face with a deep sigh.

“You’re way overthinking this dad. You like her, and she obviously likes your ugly mug for whatever reason.” She said with a soft giggle.

“Hey! I do not have an ugly mug baby girl, you take that back right now!” His tone came across as being playfully stern but he definitely was offended that his kid was saying something like that to him.

“I’ll take it back if you ask her out today. If you wait any longer, you’re gonna miss the opportunity!”

“Kiddo, it ain’t that easy to just—”

“Dad. Do I need to spell it out for you? What’s holding you back? Besides, I like her. She’s super cool and sooo pretty. Like, ridiculously pretty dad.”

“Cause relationships are complicated as it is kiddo. They ain’t easy, and it’s been so long since..” He trailed off.

Sarah let out a sigh as she walked over to her dad and gave him a big hug, resting her cheek against his chest as he hugged her tightly to him. “Since mom left us. Dad, I know but you can’t let that hold you back from something like this. You deserve to be happy too.”

“Where the hell did you learn to be so wise, huh? They teachin’ you this stuff in school or somethin’?” He kissed the top of her head, smoothing down her curls gently.

“Nah. I just happen to have a really cool dad that has taught me how to express my emotions. So I’m letting him know that he needs to do the same.”

“I swear to god if you make me cry right now—” he hugged her tighter as he closed his eyes briefly. He loved his daughter so much and she was truly his blessing. Maybe Sarah was right, maybe you could be good for him. How would he ever know if he didn’t take the risk and try?

“So does this mean you’re gonna ask her out?”

“Yeah, sweet pea. I will.”

Sarah looked up at her dad with a big grin before she gave him a little fist bump just as you returned with the bucket and horse shampoo.

“You guys ready to get him hosed down and turned out?” You turned the hose on, spraying it off to the side and adjusted the temperature. “Hey Joel? If you don’t wanna get wet, I suggest you stand on my side. Otherwise you’re definitely going to get sprayed.

“I don’t think a little water is gonna kill me darlin’”

“Suit yourself!”

You started spraying down Ezra and when Joel didn’t move out of the spray of the stream, you purposely sprayed him a little with a soft giggle.

“Hey! You doin’ that on purpose?” He laughed as he stepped around the front of Ezra.

“Noooo! Not at all, you were just in the range of the hose.” You looked over at him with a grin. “Hey, Sarah? You wanna start lathering him up with shampoo? A little goes a long way.”

“You got it!” Sarah grabbed the bottle of horse shampoo and poured a bit onto Ezra and stood up on her tippy toes so she could reach his withers. She hummed happily as she worked the shampoo into his fur.

You filled the bucket up with a bit of water then and dunked a clean rag into it, ringing some of the water out before you gently began to wipe Ezra’s face. You shouldn’t have turned your back on Joel because soon enough, he was picking up the hose and spraying you with it.

“HEY! Come on man! You’re doing this on purpose!” You tossed the rag back into the bucket before you faced Joel and immediately tried to grab the hose from him with a laugh.

“It’s only fair that I spray you too darlin’!” He chuckled, keeping his grip on the hose firm, but loose enough that you could still grab it.

Soon enough, the two of you were having a full on water fight. Your clothes were being soaked through as you tried to shield yourself from the spray. “Joel! That’s enough!” You laughed, placing your hands over his as you tried to grab the hose.

Sarah and Ezra were watching the two of you frolic with the hose and Sarah was covered in a mix of soap and water as well as she stroked the side of Ezra’s neck. “My dad is gonna ask your mom out. You cool with that fella?”

Ezra nickered in response, rubbing his face against her shoulder. He was definitely rubbing his eye crusties into her shirt.

“Hey, You goober! You’re all wet!” She giggled, giving him a little side hug. Ezra dropped his head over her shoulder, as if he was giving her a hug back.

“Do you yield darlin’?” Joel asked while your hands were still over his, trying to pry his fingers from the hose.

“Never!”

“Had a feelin’ you were gonna say that.” Joel was trying to not focus on the fact that your tight tank top was most definitely see through now. He could make out the outline of your bra and—

The moment you saw that this man was distracted, you ripped the hose from his grasp and turned it on him. You soaked him to the bone while he yelled for you to give him mercy. You were both in hysterics at this point. Holding your stomachs as you bent over and laughed

“Are you guys done with your water fight now?” Sarah asked with her arms crossed as she leaned against Ezra.

Joel was ringing out his t-shirt and shaking out his hair a bit when you turned the hose back onto Ezra. “Yeah well..she started it!”

“I also finished it.” You confirmed with a grin as you finished spraying washing out the soap from Ezra’s fur. Once he was fully washed, you grabbed a rubber squeegee, sliding it over his fur to extract most of the water.

Sarah gave her dad the ‘look’ to go and ask you out already. She could tell that the nerves were starting to get to her dad but she didn’t want him to chicken out. Sarah walked over to him, giving him a little nudge in your direction as you were wiping down Ezra’s face with a towel.

“Hey uh—hey darlin’?”

You were humming quietly to yourself as you gently wiped Ezra’s face, giving him a quick kiss on his velvety nose, in your own little world now.

“Darlin’?” He asked again, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Maybe this was too soon. Maybe you both were just supposed to flirt a little and nothing would come of it. This was stupid, he thought.

“Hm? What’s up Joel?” You looked over at him, tucking the rag into the belt loop of your pants as you stroked Ezra’s soft forehead.

“So I was uh—I was thinkin’ and I’m hopin’ it ain’t too soon or anythin’, but uh—would you maybe want to—”

“Yes.” You responded before he even had a chance to finish asking you.

Joel was frozen on the spot, stumbling over his words right now as his face turned red. “Wouldyoumaybewanttogooutonadatewithme?” His words were strung together into one jumbled sentence.

“Yes, Joel. I’d love to go out on a date with you. Just to be clear, you’re not just asking me out because my shirt is see through..right cowboy?”

“Really? You’ll go out with me? Phew. I don’t know why I was gettin’ so nervous to ask you. I just uh—our last conversation in my truck I wasn’t sure if you were bein’ serious or not. I don’t wanna overstep any boundaries or anythin’—”

“Joel, Breathe. I was already going to say yes before you finished. If you weren’t gonna ask me out, I would have beaten you to it.”

“I’m not askin’ you out cause your shirt is see through. Uh—not that I was lookin’ or anythin’ like that.”

“I know, I’m just teasing you.”

“So..when are you free? I know you got the bartending thing goin’ for ya as well so whatever day works for you?”

“How about Friday night? I have the evening off.”

“Friday night? Perfect. I’ll pick you up at let’s say..6:30?”

“Works for me. Oh and Joel? I’m still expecting our little phone dates to continue happening as well. They’re honestly becoming a part of my morning routine.”

“Are you trying to make me blush or somethin’? Can’t go sayin’ that shit to a man like that darlin.’” He chuckled.

“I’m serious! It really brightens my morning.”

“Okay! You guys are officially gross!” Sarah chimed in with a laugh.

“Gross? This ain’t gross at all, sweet pea.”

“Yeah, yeah okay whatever you say!”

Joel went to pull her in for a sopping wet hug but Sarah was quicker than that and she just slipped out of his grasp.

“Damn kid. Always keepin’ me on my feet.” He placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head.

“So, Mr. Miller. Where are you taking me Friday evening? Just so I know how to dress for the occasion and all that.” You clipped Ezra’s lead rope onto his halter before leading him out to the pasture gate as Joel walked alongside you, unlatching the gate for you.

“Well, now that would just ruin the surprise darlin.’ Just wear somethin’ that you feel pretty in. Promise I ain’t gonna take you somewhere fancy smancy.”

“So no ball gown attire?”

“Shit, I’d have to go and rent a tux if that was the case. No ball gown attire I’m afraid. Although, if you wanna go dancing sometime..if you end up wanting to hang out with my ugly mug more, I know a really fun bar for that.”

“Who said that you have an ugly mug, huh? I’d say it’s pretty damn easy on the eyes. I’m sure wherever you’re planning on taking me is going to be wonderful. I can’t wait. It’s been forever since a man has taken me out on a proper date.”

“My daughter said I have an ugly mug.” He chuckled, letting you and Ezra walk into the pasture before you slipped his halter off and watched as your horse happily galloped off into the field.

“Well, Sarah is absolutely wrong about that. You have a very handsome mug.” You brushed your hand against his bicep as you strode past him. The butterflies were already fluttering deep in the pit of your stomach. You could not wait for Joel Miller to take you out on a proper date. The only downfall was that you had to wait till Friday night to see just how well he could treat a lady.

She thinks I’m handsome

She thinks I’m handsome

Was the only thought going through Joel’s brain as he latched the gate close, and followed you back into the stables.

tag list: @chaotic-mystery @peterhollandkait @soft-cryptids @dinsdjrn @bearsbeetsbeskar @beskarandblasters @lovers-liability @777-wonders @mirasantidotes @pedgeitopascal @atinylittlepain @dreamingofdaddydin @cutesyscreenname @loquaciousferret @korynnekorynne @kirsteng42 @bonglorddaryl @novemberrain-writes @sarahhxx03 @myrealmofchaos @finnsbubblegum @danilakozlovsky @pedrit0-pascalit0 @ssa-raye @pedropascalfan221 @missgurrl @leeeesahhh @yazsos

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

oh, there could be some interesting combinations with Elayne and one of Robella’s kids?

Yesss, throw her at those Tyrells!

I think she'd really get on with The Rose Twins/Aerea & Adrienne, particularly Adrienne, but she's a package deal with her sister so they're both there. Adrienne is very "no nonsense" on the surface & takes herself seriously, she wants to be super dutiful & important & just kind of live up to what Elayne projects, but the whimsy has too much of a hold on her. She would try very hard to push that side of herself down to try to impress Elayne, but honestly I see her telling her that she doesn't have to try so hard. It's very "little sister who wants to be like her big sister" energy to me. Catch them hanging out in the library saying they're going to read stuff they're supposed to for their lessons, & then indulging in the story of Jonquil & Florian & giggling about it. The serious girlies are bringing the "but I do love romance & fanciful stories" out in each other.

Aerea, on the other hand, simply does not care. We're starting out a weird horse girl telling Elayne about our riding off into the sunset on a grand adventure fantasy on day fucking one, brother (gender neutral). If you don't love her at her "neurodovergent info-dump," you don't deserve her at her "I care so deeply & support so strongly & take such an altruistic interest in your interests that it might make me throw up." She's definitely more talkative & a little less vague than Helaena, but they're weird girling at similar frequencies & Elayne already knows how that works & is at least prepared for Aerea on that front. She's one of the few people Adrienne doesn't put airs on around (she stays pretentious, but that's just how she is), & for how busy she is, Aerea is kind of a relaxing presence to be around & it's easy to give yourself some breathing room & get caught up in her "I don't have to always think about social cues & opinions" thing when you're spending time with her & actually engaging with her, & that's a thing that I think could be at least a brief benefit to Elayne. A tiny break from any pressure she might put on herself due to her position & it's expectations, just a few minutes while she hangs out with the younger teen girls that think she's cool & glamorous.

Griffith "Pretty Boy" Tyrell would flirt with her. That's just how he is. "If I am completely covered up/leave things to the imagination, & turn on the charm do you think I'll get some puss?" He won't because even if she is charmed Elayne is way too mindful to put out, but he'd leave it be at that & then kind of mentally categorize her into the same place he's put his sisters & cousins. He is capable of being platonic with women, lmao. He'd respect Elayne as someone who's smart & kind & is very much falling into the Courtly Ideals of Chivalry (which is a thing he enjoys. Like, its not a requirement for him respecting you, it's just an added buff because he's Reach-pilled & knightmaxxing--I apologize for nothing), & he'd probably see her as at least casually a friend. He is close with the Targtowers & Aegon is his boy, after all. If someone is important to them he'll make an effort. His "oh fuck, I have to protect women!!!! *runs into oncoming traffic*" includes Elayne, he will kick someone's ass for her honor if need be. Just because he was having sex doesn't mean he was neglecting to study the blade, & anyone who would besmirch Elayne's character or be a creep towards her will feel his wrath. All women are queens, & if she breathes he's a thot.

[lanitalay]

Among Flames and Starlight Chapter 9

a/n: lets all take a collective cleansing breath and enjoy this chapter, its a good time

Warnings: none

Wordcount: 3.2k

Other Chapters

“And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.” Irene counted to the rhythm and watched her little students move to the beat. “Good, take a water break and we’ll finish up the dance.” 

She had begun giving the children of Jesminda’s village classes a few months ago. The unexpected visit to Velaris reminded her of what she loved about living there and, while a small village in Autumn was not the same as the bustling city, she was determined to make it a better place to live, in whatever way she could. Jesminda and Lucien helped her fix up an abandoned barn to offer the classes and after a slow first few weeks, she had a couple of dozen regular students. 

“Alright children, positions!” The pitter patter of their tiny feet never failed to make her smile. “Hands up! And one, two, three, four, hands down, six, seven, eight. We do that two more times then go back to the pirouette.”  

“They’re looking so good!” Jesminda compliments as she helps Irene sweep the barn floor. 

“They have improved so much in the last few weeks, I think they’re really excited about the recital.” Irene is closing up the windows and doors so that no woodland creature makes a home out of her makeshift studio.

“Even Lucien is excited for the recital, we don’t have much entertainment here other than who’s sleeping with who. By the way, did you see how little Mae’s mother kept eyeing you? She looked just about ready to take a bite.” 

Irene laughs, which she frequently did with Jesminda “she was doing no such thing.” 

“Oh yes she was, next time I catch her I’ll send you a signal.” 

“Are you ready to go?” Lucien asks from the main doors. 

“Honey, help Irene with the windows, will you?” 

Lucien nods and holds up large square pieces of plywood against the window opening while Irene bolts them down. “Let me get my things and we can go.”  

Irene and Lucien dropped off Jesminda at her cottage before returning to the Forest House. On the ride back they stopped at a creek to water the horses. “You seem… better. I mean, better than when you first got here.” 

She was petting her horse and gave him a hint of a smile “I’m feeling better, I kind of forgot how much I enjoy dancing. Victoria and I have taken lessons all our lives.” 

“Well, I’m glad. This version of you is much better than corpse bride.” 

“Hey!” She said and kicked some water his way.

“Just being honest.” 

“Let’s go back to the house, I’m hungry.”

The pair left the horses in the stables and went to Mora’s wing of the house where they usually had dinner. Typically it was just the three of them, but today Eris was sitting at the table talking with his mother. 

“Hello,” Lucien greeted Mora with a kiss and his brother with a punch in the shoulder. 

“Manners, Lucien!” 

Eris smirked as his brother gave them an unconvincing “sorry.” 

“Irene, please tell me he acts civilized when you two are out.”

Lucien sits down next to Mora and Irene resolves to sit next to Eris. “He’s the perfect gentleman.” 

“You don’t have to cover for him.” Eris teases. 

“Well, there was one time he spooked my horse on purpose and it threw me off…” she couldn’t help the smile on her face as she finally got to throw him to the wolves. After that fall her back was sore for days. 

“Good gods! We are going to have a long talk, Lucien. Tomorrow morning you are to report here.”  

“Yes ma'am.” He conceded. 

“What is it that you two do anyways?” Eris asked, beginning to cut into the filet served for dinner. Irene picked up her own cutlery and sent a questioning glance to Lucien, not sure what she should answer. He shrugged. 

“Well, I’ve been teaching dance lessons to some children from the nearest village. Most days Lucien accompanies me.” Eris and Mora shared a surprised look. 

“You didn’t know?” He asked his mother, since she saw his wife more than he did. “Not a clue.” 

“Let’s have this stay between us, please.” 

“Don’t worry dear, we won’t tell a soul outside this room.” 

The rest of the meal went by in pleasant conversation. Irene looked around and realized that breathing felt natural again. The months of shock, grief and trauma still lingered. She doubted they could ever be erased. But in this moment, in this room, with these people, life did not feel like an inescapable prison. 

The next morning Irene was back in the stables, she didn’t have class but the day was beautiful and she thought it would be a shame to spend it inside. She was getting her horse ready when a loud rustle of leaves caught her attention. Coming out of the forest was Eris. She squinted as she saw movement around him. A pack of hounds were running along his side and nipping each other as they chased a stick he threw. One of the hounds got too far and Eris called him back with a whistle. How had she never known he had dogs? Making sure the stable gate was closed, she walked over to where he now stood, throwing pieces of meat to the canines that followed his command to “sit.”

“Do they have names?” 

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Yes.”

“Well, what are they?” 

“If you really want to know, you can read their collars.” 

“Do they bite?” Eris only smirked. “They don’t usually interact with strangers.”

Irene rolled her eyes and looked at the dogs, there were six in total, each a different shade of brown. Their tails were stilled and ears pointed, not used to hearing a female voice. Two had their tongues out, doe eyes focused on Eris’ hand where he held more treats. Adorable. 

Irene deemed their cuteness a testament to their good behavior. So with a few careful steps she got closer to them and extended a tentative hand. They remained seated, the one nearest to her inched forward his nose and sniffed her palm. Then she reached for the top of his head and pet him softly. Irene turned her head to give Eris a gloating look and when she turned back the hound had opened its mouth all the way. The princess of Autumn let out a blood curdling scream as she threw herself back and covered her face with both arms, bracing for an attack that never came. 

“He was yawning, Irene.” 

Scrambling to her feet as quickly as she could she lunged towards Eris, “why would you do that?!” She shoved at his chest and at that one of the hounds barked. 

“I didn’t do anything.”

“They could have attacked me!”

“They are well trained.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Mulligan, Shaw, Monty, Elma, Crusty, and Cricket those are their names.” 

Irene put the strands that had broken loose from her braid behind her ear and crossed her arms at her chest. “Which one is Elma?” 

“Her,” he pointed to the hound in the middle. Chocolate brown and splattered in white dots. She looked like someone spilled white paint on her. 

“She 's cute.” 

“She is a bloodhound capable of tracking a scent for miles and has been known to take down deer twice her size. Cute is not the word I would use to describe her.”

“Where do you keep them anyway? I’ve never seen them around the house.” 

He throws a few more treats their way, which are caught effortlessly in the air. “There's a cabin through there” he pointed toward the opening in the forest he had walked through moments before. “It’s about a mile and a half away, they live there. Some of the ground’s keepers watch them when I can’t.” 

“I would have never guessed you had pets.” 

“I don’t consider them pets.”

“Sure, Crusty there looks like a killing machine.” Eris stared flatly at her “I didn’t name them, my brothers did, when they were younger. Hugo was about four or five and he would only eat the crust from any pie, it didn’t matter the filling. So when I showed him the pup he named it after his favorite food.” 

Eris showed a hint of a smile at the memory and Irene felt a pang in her chest. The middle brothers were always skulking around the house, or in private meetings with Beron. Irene made it a point to never be caught in their path. Not after they were audience to her pre-wedding hazing. The handprint on her ribs had faded, in a few months nothing would be left of the threat Beron seared on her skin. 

She stayed silent for longer than she should have. “I should get going, I want to ride for a while before lunch.” 

Eris nodded and waved her off as he went back into the forest, hounds at his heels. 

Irene was in Mora’s wing, sulking. Autumn showers had turned into torrential rain making it impossible to ride into the village. The paths too narrow and muddy. Her stomach sank as she pictured her students waiting for her. The recital was less than a week away and every practice leading up to it was crucial for their confidence. 

“I feel terrible.”  Irene fell into one of the armchairs near the hearth. “It will be fine, dear. Missing one day won't hurt anybody. But going out in this weather will.” 

“Do you know where Lucien is? Maybe he can winnow me.”

“Lucien is helping in the kitchens and is not allowed to leave the house until he behaves himself.” 

“Oh.” 

“If Beron finds out about his behavior the consequences will be worse.”

“I understand.” 

“That’s what happened with my other boys, they were being rebellious as many young fae get around this age but Beron got to them before I-” the door opened and Mora quickly shifted all of her attention to the sweater she was knitting. 

She relaxed when she saw it was Eris. “Honey, what a lovely surprise! I thought you were gone until tomorrow.”

He kissed her cheek and nodded towards Irene as a greeting. “The trip got cut short because of the weather.”

“It really is coming down out there. Better you stay inside until it clears up.” 

“Lucien?” Mora sighed, “I was just telling Irene that he’s helping in the kitchens.” 

“Oh right, I heard chaos from the pantry. What about you?”

Irene was attempting to knit a scarf, Mora was teaching her but it did not come easy to the witchling.

“I’m making a scarf.” 

“I don’t think you are.”

“Be nice, she’s learning.”

“Yeah Eris, be nice.” Irene stuck out her tongue to him and he rolled his eyes, 

“Your stitches are too tense, the scarf is going to be uneven.” He observed. “You know about knitting?” 

“Yes-”

“I taught Eris when he was little,  on rainy days like these we would knit for hours. I still have the first thing he ever made. It’s a single chain and he attached some eyes to it and named it Snakey.”

“Mother, please-”

“I’ll go get it!” Mora got up from her seat and went into the next room. Irene smiled as she heard the Lady rifling through boxes of old memories. 

“A male of many talents.”

“You could say I’ve been blessed by the Mother and the gods.” Irene snorted “Whoever it was did not make you humble."

“Here it is!” Mora came back with a tattered old thing. It looked like it could turn to dust if she set it down wrong. “Oh my… this is quite something.”

“It is not as pretty as it used to be, Eris carried it around until he was twelve. He would take it everywhere.” Irene laughed at the stringy toy.

“It… I bet you had a lot of fun.” She wanted so badly to say it was the ugliest thing she had ever seen, but Mora looked so happy and proud of what her firstborn had made that she could not insult it in her presence. 

The next day the rain lessened, but there was a persistent drizzle that kept the terrain slippery. She sighed loudly, settled on going  to the library and read. “You seem to be everywhere these days.” 

Eris looked up from the book he was reading and raised a sharp brow. “Hello, Irene.” 

The princess of Autumn wandered around the shelves until something caught her eye, then she joined the eldest Vanserra in the small alcove. “I can’t believe it’s still raining and Lucien still can’t leave the house.” Irene huffed as she found a comfortable position and opened the book. “Do you have somewhere to be?”

She closed the book. “I have the dance lessons in the village and the recital is so soon and if it keeps raining like this I won’t be able to go, Lucien can’t winnow me-”

“I can take you.” 

She looked at him, mouth pursed in a quizzical frown. “You can?” 

“Yes.” 

“Right now?” 

“Well I’m reading right now-”

“You can bring the book, let's go.” She stood and discarded her own selection on the floor. Then looked at Eris expectantly. “Come on, I’m sure that I’ll have to clean up the studio and that will take time.” 

“Fine.” 

She reached out a hand to help him stand and once he straightened they were in front of the barn. Irene quickly opened the door and closed it as soon as they were in to keep the rain out. The inside looked good enough, there were some puddles here and there but nothing grave. 

“Thank the Mother we boarded up the windows.” Irene quickly located a mop and began working on the stagnant water. Eris was quietly scoping out the place she had turned into a half decent studio. There were no mirrors or bars and the floor was not completely level and smooth but it was warm and spacious enough to dance comfortably. She had painted musical notes and dancing figures along the walls. There was a console piano covered with sheets of protective fabric and racks of little clothes lined up near the back. 

“How long did it take to fix this place up?” 

“Probably a month, Lucien helped with the heavy stuff and… someone from the village helped me paint and clean.”

“And the piano?” 

“Oh, that was also Lucien, I don’t have a clue where he got it from. One of the parents typically plays the music.”

“And the clothes?”

“Those are the costumes! One of the moms is a seamstress and she volunteered to make them.” 

Eris looked around and put his hands on his hips. “Irene, this is impressive.”

“Oh, thanks?” 

“I mean it.” He scans the studio again as if to make sure they are alone then steps closer to her. When he speaks again it's barely audible “I think… This court needed a project like this.” 

“Eris, you're scaring me.”

“I’m being nice.”

“That’s not like you.”

“Is there another mop?” Irene almost reached out to make sure he didn’t have a fever. “You can read your book or just come back in a few hours. No need for-” 

“Yes or no?” She pointed to a skinny, rickety door “there’s another one in there.” 

Eris opened the deteriorated door and added it to the mental list he was making of things that needed improvement in this studio. The floors had to take priority, they were far too splintery to properly learn to dance. Then he began mopping up the other large puddle. The barn had a good structure and the roof wasn’t leaking anywhere, the windows must be the problem. Once he finished with the puddle he inspected every window and confirmed that there were crevices where water was filtering through. 

“These windows need to be replaced.” 

“I don’t have the means to replace them yet-”

“Yes you do, you receive a salary for holding your position.” 

“I do?”

“Yes, I’ll show you how to access it back at the house.” 

About an hour later a few students showed up, only the ones that lived within walking distance since the roads and paths were still dangerous. Irene decided to give the four students that showed up a waltz lesson. They paired up and she began showing them how to do a basic box step. 

“If you are leading, begin by stepping forward with your left foot. If you are following, you take a step back with your right foot.”

“Like this teacher?” The kids both stepped forward and bumped their foreheads together.

“Uhm no. Which one of you wants to lead?” Both of them raised their hands. “Why don’t you lead first and then you can switch, alright?” 

“Stand up straight and one-”  

After a few attempts the kids were still not understanding the flow of the dance. Irene tried to explain that the steps were fluid and not stomps but they kept stepping on each other’s toes and tensions were running high. At the beginning of the lesson, Eris was reading behind the racks of clothes, not wanting to interrupt with his presence. But after hearing the commotion he peaked out his head in curiosity. He could not deny that Irene looked comical trying to explain the nuances of a dance to little kids. “It’s more than a dance, it's learning how to work together!” She exclaimed at one point, attempting to raise morale, to no avail. 

“Ok watch me again” and began to do the waltz by herself at which point Eris stepped out “I can help demonstrate.” The students and the parent who was playing the piano went still as they saw the heir of Autumn in their clandestine dance studio. 

“Oh, that would be helpful.” He walked over and placed his right hand on her back. “Notice how his elbow doesn’t drop.” Then Irene put her left hand on his shoulder and placed her other hand in his. The piano began a simple melody and Eris led Irene around the room in the box step. “See how Mr. Vanserra isn’t looking at his feet.” 

He was looking at her, into her eyes. She couldn’t look away. Suddenly remembering how handsome he was. How, when she first saw him in Adriata, she longed to be his sole focus, if only for a moment. She was counting in her head how many rounds they had done but after the third one lost track because Eris spun her toward him so she ended up with her back facing his front. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and nearly forgot where they were, her face turning a shade of red. 

Then he spun her to face him again. His grip on her back was a little bit tighter, as if he needed to make sure she wouldn’t step away. The music faded and the pair disentangled. “Thank you, Eris. See students?” She continued her explanation and then the kids tried to imitate them. “Much better!” 

Eris was watching, hands in the pockets of his pants, trying to settle the pounding in his chest. 

taglist: @sidthedollface2 @acourtofbatboydreams 

[killiansprincss]

Timeless - a Captain Swan AU - Chapter 2/19

Summary:

Season 3 divergence - When Zelenas time portal works, Henry wakes up alone in Storybrooke and must travel to the Enchanted Forest to get his family back. Only once he gets there he quickly realises its not like the one in his book, theres no Evil Queen and his mother Emma wasn't put through a wardrobe, theres even a poster inviting the entire kingdom to her engagement ball, to Hook. What will happen once Henry gets them to break this new curse and they get their memories back? In which chapter is inspired by a different Taylor Swift song.

AO3 CH.1

This is the newest chapter in my new CS Enchanted Forest with a twist AU, this fic has my entire heart so please read it! This is a Snowing chapter and will be focusing on Captain Swan very soon!! Please enjoy :)

Marys Song -

She said, "I was seven and you were nine"

I looked at you like the stars that shined

In the sky, the pretty lights

And our daddies used to joke about the two of us

Growing up and falling in love

And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes

And said, "Oh my, my, my"

____________

“Johanna, I'm so bored.” Princess Snow, at 7 years old, was an independent girl. She loved her parents, but she was stuck inside her palace, and after 7 years of roaming around every inch of the palace, she wished to go outside.

“My dear Snow, why are you bored?” Snow loved Johanna, her lady in waiting. She was like a mother to her when her own mother was busy, but she didn't understand that she needed time away from the palace, she wanted to be like the girls she sees outside her window.

“Johanna please. We can tell mother and father I need a riding lesson! Or you wish to teach me about nature?” Snow was desperate to see the outside world.

Johanna sighed. “I will see what I can do.”

Snow smiles, she knows she’s won, Johanna is pretty easy to wear down.

A few days later Johanna tells Snow they can go riding together outside the royal path, and snow couldn’t be happier. 

“Snow! Snow! Wait, you can’t go too fast!” Johanna calls out as Snow's horse gallops ahead slowly out of sight.

Snow's horse Nightshade starts to gain speed and she unintentionally loses sight of Johanna.

“Nightshade! Slow down! Ahhhhh.” Snow starts to scream as she clutches on Nightshade for dear life.

Nightshade neighs loudly and comes to a halt, throwing Snow off screaming as she hits the ground.

“Hello? Are you okay?” She hears a voice say.

She opens her eyes to see a boy, blonde scruffy hair, no older than 10 standing over her. He gives her a hand and helps her to her feet.

“Thank you.” She says to the boy. He was wearing ragged clothes and had dirt on his face. He was very different to any boy she had around the castle, even the stable boys were better dressed than he was.

“I’m David! What’s your name?” He asks.

“I’m..My name is Mary.” Snow smiles at the boy. She considered telling him who she was, but then again this was the first person her age not from the palace and she wanted to see what it was like. Being a normal child. “Do you live here” 

The boy, David nods. “Me and my mother do, we grow crops on our farm to sell at the market, where do you live?”

Snow couldn’t tell him she lived at the palace, so she simply says, “I don't live far from here, but my parents don’t let me out of the house much, I don’t have many friends.”

“I’ll be your friend!” David says, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, Snow liked him, he had an infectious smile, and he was the first person to not see her as a princess,

“I like you David! You seem like a good friend!” They talk for almost an hour until Snow hears Johanna on her horse frantically looking for her.

“Oh no.”

“Is that your mother?” David asks.

“Not exactly no, but I may have lost her on my journey here.” Snow explains.

‘There you are! I have been looking for you! I was worried sick!” Johanna loved Snow, she cared for her like a daughter, and not just because it was her job to do so.

“I’m sorry Nightshade lost control and threw me off, I don’t know where he went. But I made a new friend, his name is David! He owns a whole farm, isn’t that amazing!” Snow always looked for the positives in life, something awful could happen but Snow would look and see the good thing, something her mother taught her, always look for the good even  in the worst of situations

“We have to get you back home, your parents will be worried sick!” Johanna says, wiping the mud off Snow's dress.

“What about my friend? When can I see him again?” Snows asks, she wasn’t about to leave the first friend she had made.

David smiles at Johanna, there was something about this girl that he liked, he wanted to see her again.

Knowing Snow would keep pestering and pestering her she simply says, “Okay, okay. As long as you stay on the trail with me. Tomorrow, I can see what your mother thinks.”

Snow smiles, “see you tomorrow David! I can’t wait!”

“See you tomorrow Mary!” David calls out as Johanna helps Snow onto Nightshade.

“Mary?” Johanna asks.

“He can’t know I’m a princess, he won’t want to be my friend. Please Johanna please, don’t tell him.” Snow begs, this is her one chance to be somewhat normal, to have someone look at her like she was normal.

Johanna reluctantly agrees and the next day, Snow goes back to David and his farm. And the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. They become best friends, Snow helps him harvest the crops, and he even gets her to milk the cow. Snow loved it, she was coddled at the palace, her mother would scream if she knew the things she was doing. But she didn’t care, she was having fun and that was all that mattered. 

A few months later, after spending every few days together, Snow isn’t able to keep up her secret for much longer.

____

“We’re going to the King?” David asks his mother, excited to see the palace that rumour has it is remarkably beautiful.

“Yes my dear son. The Farm is suffering, and we need his help.” Ruth explains to her son. Their farm had been suffering for weeks, but Ruth was stubborn and wanted to find a way without asking the King for help. Too proud. But after the crops had been wilting they were not able to sell any to the market, and hadn’t the money to sustain themselves.

“Wow the Palace! I can’t wait to tell Mary about this!” David and Mary had become fast friends, they told each other everything, she would tell him about her horse Nightshade and he would tell her about how he ran around chasing his sheep. He knew she was clearly from a wealthy family-her clothes were nicer and not many families could afford a horse for their children. But she wasn’t snobby like some of the richer kids in the kingdom or the ones he met during his brief moments at school who looked down on him for not having much money, but Mary she didn’t mind that he had to work for his money, she was happy to get her pretty clothes a little muddy. He liked that she was different. And since he didn’t bother to go to school anymore he didn’t get to meet any other kids his own age. He knew he had a good friend in her.

King Leopolds and Queen Eva’s palace was grand. It was far more elegant than he could’ve imagined. There were colours he had never seen before, and the walls were decorated with so many paintings. One wall was lined with paintings of who he assumed were all the royals, they each had crowns sitting atop their heads with brightly coloured jewels.

They join the line of other people. His mother said that around this time of year, the King and Queen are generous and like to help out their people who are in need. There are roughly 10 people in front of David and his mother. He sees the Queen sitting on the throne at the end of the room, she has dark hair and a red dress on. The King sits beside her in deep conversation with the man at the front of the line. Then at the end, David presumes is the princess, he isn’t the tallest so he can’t see her very well but she sits on her own throne and her parents seem to adore her. 

It must be nice, David thinks, to have two parents. David was always told his father was a brave man who sacrificed himself for others and that’s why he wasn’t around. But David wasn’t dumb, he didn’t know exactly what happened but he remembers hearing them fighting all the time and vividly remembers sneaking out of bed one night when the fight was really bad, his mother was yelling at him for being drunk. He also remembers her crying a lot, when he didn’t come home. And the day she told him he was gone forever, that was not a good day.

“Your majesties.” Ruth bows in front of the King and Queen when she gets to the front.

The King and Queen smile. “Whatever can we do for you?” 

“Mary?” David creeps out behind his mother to take a look at the royal family, and in the Princess’ throne, Princess Snow, was his best friend Mary.

“David!” Mary, no, the Princess replies. “I can explain!”

“Snow?” Queen Eva looks to her daughter and to the young man. “Do you know this boy?”

“You’re the princess?” David looks at his friend in disbelief, she was lying to him?

“I wanted to be a normal girl for once, not a princess. So I’ve been getting Johanna to sneak me out of the palace.” She tells her parents. She looks over to David and his mother, fearing that he won’t want to see her again, “I’m sorry I lied. I thought you wouldn’t want to be my friend if you knew I was a Princess.”

The Queen whispers to her guards who announces to the rest of the people waiting to speak to the King and Queen would have to come back later. They needed to know what their daughter was getting up to.

“You’re Majesties, I had no idea young Mary here was Princess Snow.” Ruth felt so embarrassed, she had come to the Royal Family for help with her farm and ended up being in the middle of a scandal with her son. “But she and my son David have become quick friends, my boy has been getting her to milk our cows and feed our pigs. If I had known the truth, I wouldn’t have allowed this to happen.” Now the thoughts of the young girl mucking out didn’t sit well knowing her life of luxury and servants waiting on her. 

King Leopold crouches down and looks at his daughter in the eyes, “Is it true? You’ve become friends with this young man?”

Snow nods, worrying what will happen. But Leopold just smiles and takes a look at David. “I’m not going to deny my daughter friendship. I admit I worry about my dear Snow so we do keep her locked up where it’s safe, but if she has found a friend in you young man, then I say why stop the blossoming friendship.”

Queen Eva can see how happy her daughter is, and like her husband said, who are they to deny friendship, “I believe it will do Snow some good, having a friend like you David. You can teach her that just because she is a princess, does not mean she is any better than someone like yourself who was not born into royalty.”

The King and Queen in the spirit of friendship pay off all the loans on the farm, and promise that if times get hard again, they would be more than happy to help again in the future, it was the least they could do for David who was their daughters first real friend. David and his mother were always welcome in the palace to see Snow, except when she had royal duties or lessons.

“You’re not angry with me?” Snow asks David, “for lying to you?”

David shakes his head, “I couldn’t be angry with you! I think it’s really cool you’re a princess!” He takes a look around at the ceiling, seeing all the floors and rooms it must have, “you just have to show me around the palace!”

_______________

I was sixteen when suddenly

I wasn't that little girl you used to see

But your eyes still shined like pretty lights

And your daddy used to joke about the two us

They never believed we’d fall in love

Years passed for Snow and David, and they remained best friends, well into their teen years. The King and Queen had offered Ruth and David roles at the palace, so that David could be close to Snow, and Ruth would not have to worry about the harsh winters but they politely declined, they loved their work on the farm too much. The three parents were amazed at how close their children were, they would joke that a royal wedding was in their future, but at their young ages they couldn’t think of anything worse.

Until that changed slowly over the years.

“I don’t like that Hercules kid.” David says seeing Snow excited to go hunting with her new “friend” who happened to be half Greek god.

“Okay Charming.” Snow teases, using the nickname she gave him a while back, “just because he’s a demigod doesn’t mean you need to be jealous, you’re just as strong and powerful as he is, running around after the pigs and carrying milk to the market is a hard job!”

“I’m not jealous! I don’t care how big his muscles are.” He lies, hoping Snow doesn’t detect any more jealousy. “It’s just that Greek gods are known for being corrupt, what if Hercules is also corrupt and will corrupt you by association?”

“He’s just teaching me how to use a bow and arrow, it’s not that deep!” Snow rolls her eyes at her best friend, he was overprotective sometimes, or at least that’s what he said.

The truth was, David was in love with Snow. He doesn’t know how or when it happened, but he was in love with her. He started to notice how her hair shone in the light and how her green eyes would light up when speaking about something she liked. He’d look at her lips and wonder what it would be like to kiss her. She was his best friend and it did worry things would change which is why he kept it hidden.

David would make excuses to come and see her more often because not seeing her was painful. But now she had started seeing Hercules, a literal Greek god who was good looking with large muscles and perfect hair, of course Snow was obsessed with him, he didn’t blame her, it would be if Aphrodite was around-though David did wonder if her beauty would compare to Snows. He was too afraid to tell Snow how he felt, she was a princess and he was just a shepherd. He couldn’t be with a princess, she was going to marry someone rich and noble and have royal babies while David would be left alone on the farm until he died.

“All right well I have to get back to my mother, those pigs don’t feed themselves.” He was too much of a coward to say how he truly felt, one day she would announce her engagement to a prince her parents chose, and David’s heart would truly break.

____

“Stupid Hercules, with his big muscles and being a half god.” David was angry. Not at Snow, not directly at Hercules either. He was angry at himself for not saying anything sooner.

“Stop stop stop.” Ruth tells her son, she can see his head is not focused. “You realise you're not feeding the pigs anything?” Gesturing to the empty bag of pig feeder.

“Sorry, I guess I’m just a little distracted.”

His mother nods, “I can see that. Go to her. Tell her how you feel before it’s too late.”

David scoffs, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m your mother. I know everything. I see the way you look at her, you’re not just friends anymore are you.” And it wasn’t a question she was asking, it was a fact.

David kisses his mother on the cheek and runs to the palace, he was going to tell Snow how he felt. At last.

When seeing Snow, he would use the servants entrance rather than go through the main gates, it would take him into the kitchens where he’d smile at the head chef who knew him as he went to the passageway that led to a stairway outside Snow’s room. He lingers in the stairway next to her door for a few moments, working up the courage and going over what he was going to say.

“Johanna, I can't believe it!” He hears Snow's voice from inside.

“I take it you had a good time?” Johanna was still Snow's most loyal servant, he had gotten to know the older woman over the years and knew how much Snow loved her.

“He kissed me! Hercules actually kissed me! My first real kiss, I can’t believe it!”

In a matter of seconds David’s heart broke into a million little pieces. He was already too late. Hercules had got there first.

What really hurt was ‘my first real kiss’. David was her first kiss, granted they were both young and it wasn’t anything romantic, Snow dared him to kiss her, and he did. They both laughed about it, it didn’t mean anything. Except it did to him. He thought about it all the time, and as he grew older he wanted to kiss her again. Now he will never get the chance.

____

Snow hadn’t seen David in almost 2 weeks. It was a long time, Snow didn’t have any royal visits or duties planned so why hadn’t he come to see her?

Hercules was also gone, he was going to complete his next labour and he was one step closer to Olympus. Before he left, he kissed her goodbye. It was magical and beautiful, but he was gone. She would miss him, but they had only spent a few weeks together, and she didn’t love him. The kiss was nice, but her heart didn’t belong to him.

David on the other hand. What was it about the shepherd, he made her feel things nobody else did. The only person who knew of her feelings for him was Johanna. She probably knew the moment they met that they would end up falling in love. Except, he only thought of her as a friend. He will only ever think of her as a friend. He was always the little boy she met on the farm, who chased around the chickens and didn’t care that he had dirt on his face, but then over the years he became sweet and Charming, hence his nickname, and she kept thinking about his eyes. She would close her eyes at night and he would appear in her dreams, confessing his undying love for her, but then she would wake up and he would just be her friend.

For some reason he hadn’t been showing up, he would send letters saying he was busy with the farm, or he was making extra trips to the market. Something was up, and she was going to find out what.

She went to find her horse Nightshade, and rode up to his farm. He was there, he wasn’t at the market, and it didn’t seem like he was that busy.

“Hey Charming, you look really busy at Market Day.” She shouts as she dismounts Nightshade and ties him to the tree.

David drops the chicken feed, not expecting to hear her voice. “Dammit.” The chickens are now all around his feet where the food fell, pecking at him. His mother was going to kill him.

“Snow? What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” Snow was shocked, and annoyed that he was feigning innocence, “Where the hell have you been David? I haven’t seen you in almost 2 weeks, I miss my best friend.”

She hears him mumble something, and can’t quite make it out, she thinks she heard Hercules name. “What was that?”

He makes his way out of the chicken cot. “I said, I thought you were too busy courting Hercules.”

“I’m not courting anyone, and certainly not Hercules.” She says standing up straight and poised, careful not to let any emotion slip past her guard,

“No?” He asks, eyebrow raised clearly not believing her.

“No of course not, and I’m not sure why you would think so.”

David shrugs. “Just assumed so, I mean you were spending so much time together.”

“I thought you weren’t jealous?” Snow didn’t know why he was so jealous all of a sudden, even if she was romantically involved with Hercules it shouldn’t matter to David who has not once shown any interest in her other than friendship.

“I’m not jealous.” He’s lying, Snow can tell, she can always tell when someone is lying to her.

“David I’m not sure what is going on with you lately, one moment you’re my friend, the next you’re avoiding me and acting jealous because I’m spending time with someone else.” She wanted answers, she was tired of playing it safe. “If you don’t want to be my friend anymore then I don’t care.”

She turns her back and walks back over to Nightshade, if he was going through something, then he could figure it out on his own.

David swears as he runs to catch up with her. “Look, you were my best friend, still are. But I think I love you Snow. And no, not just as a friend. I think about you all the time, I want to be with you, I want to kiss you again and not laugh about it. I don’t care that I’m just a shepherd, I’m in love with you.” He looks into her green eyes and tries to read her reaction but he can’t, so he continues, “but if you’re with Hercules, how do I stand a chance against someone that’s a Greek god? I know that I’ll never be enough for you, but I want you to know that I’ve been in love with you for years and I don’t think I’ll ever not love you.”

Snow doesn’t say anything. She’s in shock. He loves her? Really loves her? The boy she’s been in love with for years, loves her back?

David watches Snow's facial expressions, sure she’s shocked and thinking and probably finally realising why he had been acting strange the past few weeks. When she doesn’t say anything back, he realises it was a mistake and turns back to his farm.

“Charming wait!” She calls out. Instead of saying anything, she runs over to him, grabs his coat turning him to face her and says nothing as kisses him. She kisses him for the first time, nothing like when they were younger no. This kiss is something she has wanted to do for years, she’s no longer the 9 year old that got kissed by David as a joke, she was 17 and in love with her best friend. He was the only person she wanted to be with.

“Wha-what was that for?” David asks when they finally pull away.

Snow laughs. “Seriously? Charming, I love you too. I think I’ve loved you for years, I just assumed you only ever saw me as a friend. And Hercules by the way, he’s gone. I didn’t love him, it’s you who I want to be with.”

David kisses her again. This was perfect.

_____

Years pass and Snow is still in love with David. David’s mother is over the moon, she wants only happiness for her son. The King and Queen on the other hand were a different story. They loved David, he was a great friend to Snow and he made her happy, they adored him for that reason.

However the kingdom was suffering, they were not as rich as they once were. They always wanted Snow to marry for love, but they didn’t think she would fall for the penniless shepherd. She couldn’t marry him, he would bring no money and no wealth to the kingdom. Snow had to be married to another prince, or a duke from a wealthy kingdom.

The two had spoken about marriage over the years, whilst Snow knew her parents wished for her to marry a nobleman or Prince, she knew they loved her and loved David. She wanted to marry for love and did not think they would have a problem. David on the other hand did have his reservations, whilst he loved Snow and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of their lives together, he couldn’t imagine actually marrying her and marrying into royalty. Life would be different. But then for Snow it was worth it.

So the two lovers go to the King and Queen to ask for their blessing.

“Your majesties, you know how much I love your daughter. She makes me happy every day and I can't imagine life without her.” He smiles at her and she squeezes his hand in reassurance. “I know I do not come from much, I am but a shepherd but I promise to love and cherish your daughter every day, I wish for your blessing to marry her.”

It’s King Leopold who speaks first. “David, we understand how you feel about our daughter. I do not doubt your intentions.”

Queen Eva picks up where he doesn’t know how to continue, “Snow. Dear sweet Snow, as much as we would love for this union to happen, it simply can’t. Our kingdom will be in debt three years into your marriage if you do not marry a nobleman. We were going to introduce you to the idea of suitors but then the two of you began a courtship of your own and I was hoping you would come to your senses. I’m sorry but we do not accept this union.”

Snow didn’t know what to say, she looked at her parents with wide eyes and shakes her head, lip trembling as she fought the tears that wanted to come out. There was nothing to say to them so she storms out of the palace with David at her heels. It’s only when she is outside the palace walls that she drops down and tears begin to flow.

“Let’s run away together.” Snow tells him a few nights later. Since telling their parents, Snow had been staying with David at the farm, avoiding her parents.

“What?”

“I mean it. Let’s get married, and run away together. I don’t want to be a Princess or Queen if I can’t be with you. So let’s get married, without telling my parents. It can be just you, me, your mom and Johanna. Then we can run away and start our lives together.” Snow was crazy, David thought, but brilliant at the same time.

He kisses her and tells her, “If that’s what you want.”

“I’m only happy if I’m with you.” And she meant it, they were meant to be together, she could feel it.

“In that case.” He drops down to one knee and pulls out the ring he’d had in his pocket for months. It wasn’t new, it wasn’t the fancy jewellery she was used to, he wouldn’t be able to afford that if he tried, he’d end up starving for 2 years before he could buy a cheap metal band. But the ring he gives Snow is special, it’s his mothers, he didn’t want to accept it at first, his parents' marriage didn’t work out. But Ruth said she saw great things in he and Snow's future, she was getting old and wished for nothing more than to see her son get married before she died.

[allylikethecat]

the new all the kings horses is so good!! my jaw dropped when he switched back to thinking of him as matthew instead of matty because thats what he called him earlier when he didn't trust him. i feel so bad for matty though 😭😭😭

AHHH thank you so much for reading! I hope it was worth the wait and I apologize again for taking so long to post it. My body was being very rude and falling apart on me. Thankfully I think I'm better now (even though I did accidentally set my alarm last night for 4:30PM instead of 4:30AM so I was rather late for my 6am riding lesson lol)

Poor Fictional!Matty is really going through it. He thought he was giving Fictional!George space because that's what HE likes / wants when he is injured/unwell and also is absolutely shitting himself that he is now expected to travel and go to all these horse shows this summer. That's not what he signed on to do, he hasn't shown properly in YEARS and he basically got ran out of the sport before. And now Fictional!George is accusing him of stealing medication?! (He didn't by the way) and also for setting him up to steal his rides on the horses (also did not do)?! Like he thought Fictional!George loved him and he was thinking maybe he loved Fictional!George as well and instead he has somehow managed to get his heart broken standing in the aisle way at his place of employment.

AHH I'm so glad you noticed that bit about calling him "Matty" vs "Matthew" it was a switch that I know people noticed but didn't comment on when it first happened and I was so excited for it to flip back to "Matthew" when things went south. If you can believe it though, the outlined version of this chapter was set to be even more devastating but then I back tracked a little and was like "Ally chill." Thank you so much for reading and for the continued support! I hope you continue to enjoy this fic and that you are having a wonderful Wednesday and a fantastic rest of your week!

❤️Ally

[etherealmoonbow]

Dating Mablung Headcanons

Hello Everyone! I hope you are all doing good 😘. I wrote some headcanons about Mablung. This elf deserves more love from us. 

I hope you enjoy the headcanons. Have a good day 💕

-Mablung of the heavy hand, famed warrior of Doriath and Thingol’s greatest army captain. 

-His extraordinary combat abilities are very well known all around Beleriand. Many respect him and many other fear him. -Mablung didn’t had any weaknesses to fall for. He was invincible, until... he met you.

-Its very likely your relationship started up as a friendship which slowly bloomed into great love. -Being in a relationship with Mablung is like living a dream. His love is warm and he never takes you for granted. 

 -Mablung loves to spend lots of time with you. For him, each minute is precious. Every moment spent with this elf is like an escape from the harsh reality and cruel wars. 

 -He loves to take you out on dates. He’ll show you his favorite spots around Menergoth. He’ll invite you to taste the best food. And will even take you for a ride through the woods of Doriath. Of course he will insist both only use one horse.

-Another of the privileges of courting Mablung is being able to watch him train and give combat lessons to the younger elven soldiers. And if he takes off his shirt, you’ll enjoy it even more. 

 -The young ones will tease Mablung when they notice you, but it doesn’t bother him, he likes to know you are watching him. 

-He might even show off a little, for the young warriors to learn, clearly.

-When Mablung uses his complete armor he looks very handsome. One of the benefits of his profession. 

 -Mablung may need to act stern when other soldiers or when the King is around. But he is always very sweet with you. 

-The soft way he treats you doesn’t compare to the stoic way with which he addresses his soldiers.

 -Unfortunately, Mablung’s job keeps him away for very long periods of time. He may need someone who can handle themselves when he is not present. He needs someone who’s independent.

-Mablung has seriously considered faking a sickness just to stay a little longer with you. But his honorable and strict moral code wouldn’t let him do that. But if you ask him... maybe he’ll do it.

-After long periods of time away, the reunions are very emotional. Sometimes you’ll end up crying while holding each other. Especially if you knew Mablung was going on a dangerous mission.

 -You are Mablung’s most valuable possession. He can loose anything but you. He has vowed to himself to protect you, even if he no longer lived to see you again. 

-Mablung has seen so much evilness, death, and misery in his life. He doesn't wants you to experience the same. 

-One of his deepest fears is losing you. He is afraid someone may use you to cause him harm. It’s not fair for you to get affected by his problems. 

 -That’s why he is so interested in teaching you self-defense. Even if it’s a few movements. It gives him peace of mind to know you are not completely defenseless.

-When Mablung is around Menergoth, you may visit him from time to time in the barracks. 

 -Army guards have grown accustomed to your visits. They even enjoy them, especially when you bring some food or treat for them. 

-They are happy for his commander to have such a good-hearted partner by his side.

-When Mablung is informed of your visit he’ll rush to meet you. 

 -You’ll end up volunteering as a healer or a cook in the army to spend more time around Mablung.

-Doriath elves are grateful to have Mablung as warrior and protector of Menergoth, so expect to receive many grateful gifts.

-From jewels to chickens. Everything is appreciated.

-Mablung has many friends because of his job. And everyone is aware of how much Mablung cares for you. 

-Menergoth elves care deeply for you because of being the partner of a renowned warrior. And they’ll love you even more if you treat them kindly. 

-The Queen is well aware of this and may ask you to help her out in social events.

-Mablung, as loved as he is, he is also respected. No one will dare to put a hand on you. It’s a guarantee. 

-No living being would dare to provoke Mablung’s anger, especially when King Thingol has you both in such high regard. 

[science-fantasy-superheroes]

Big Brother AU

Inexplicably, I had a dream about Pixar’s Brave and now I have a new OC: Hogus, Merida’s older brother. (Thank my dream for the name.) As much as Merida is like Fergus, Hogus is like Elinor. He and Merida get along pretty well, but their parents are kind of the extremes of each other, so it’s a lot harder to connect with them. But Fergus usually lets Hogus slip out of rough-housing when Merida leaps onto his back with a battle cry. And Elinor lets Merida run off and be rowdy more often when Hogus is there and genuinely enjoying her tapestry lessons. Merida still learns proper etiquette, and Hogus still learns how to use a sword, but it’s a lot more bearable and less tense for everyone. Anyway, directly inspired by what I saw in my dream, I wrote a few scenes from when Hogus is 12 and Merida is 8 (about two years before the triplets are born).

[Content Warning: tween death]

As a battle between the clans rages on, Hogus, Merida, and some other kids come riding on horses to spectate from the top of the hill. Merida and the other kids are ensnared by the sight of valiance, but Hogus better understands the gravity of war and death, and though genuinely curious about the battle, his excitement quickly falls into something only meant to mirror the others’.

In the valley, Fergus rides his own horse, slaying down everyone who comes near him. Someone gets in a lucky hit that sends his sword flying out of his hand. His surrounding enemies think they’ve finally got an advantage on him until that same man is stabbed in the gut by a throwing knife, Fergus now wild with the delight of bloodlust. Still, they’re sure he has to run out of throwing knives eventually and close in on him.

The sword landed halfway down the hill, the hilt sticking up in the air as if to summon someone to pick it up. Hogus knows it’s dangerous, but he can’t let his dad get slaughtered. Before he can convince himself otherwise, he charges forward and grabs the sword.

The kids are shocked and start to move closer themselves, but even they are aware that some people don’t come back from the battlefield, and stop before they get too close to danger.

“Dad!” Hogus calls out, waving the sword in the air to get his attention. “Dad!”

But all Fergus sees is someone running at him with a sword. And with an admittedly expert throw, he stabs his own son in the shoulder.

His arm goes limp and he drops the sword.

“Hogus!” Merida screams, immediately snapping Fergus out of it.

The rest of the warriors back off, knowing not to interfere, and the rest of the battlefield gradually comes to a stop.

“Hogus…”

Hogus meets his dad’s eyes, and breaks into tears. He’s not mad or disappointed, he just wants his dad.

Fergus rushes forward, just in time to catch Hogus as he goes limp.

“Dad… I’m sorry…”

“No, no… I’m sorry…” He finally breaks and cries too. “I’m so sorry…”

Back at the castle, Elinor is startled by the front doors slamming open.

“Fergus! What—?” Her breath catches in her throat at the sight of her son. “Hogus…” her eyes fill with tears. She can only watch as he runs past her, yelling for a doctor.

“Mama!” Merida clings to her dress.

“Merida…” She picks her up and hugs her. “What happened? How did…? None of you kids ran into the battlefield, did you?” She wasn’t trying to be accusatory, but she needed to know what happened.

“Only Hogus! But he was just trying to give Dad his sword! And…” She sniffs as more tears start to fall again. “And Dad was throwing knives at his enemies… But then he missed…” She can’t continue and sobs into Elinor’s neck.

She just holds her closer as the horror of what really happened dawns on her and she cries harder too.

Several hours later, Merida nervously waits outside a room.

“Hey, Merida,” her dad finally pokes his head out. He’s exhausted, but smiling. “You can come in now.”

His smile makes her hopeful, so she runs in. “Hogus?” she calls out.

“Hi, Merida,” he waves, smile bright as ever.

“Hogus!” she jumps onto the bed to tightly hug him.

“Ow!” he winces, and Elinor pulls her into her lap.

“Careful,” she gently scolds. “He’s still healing; his shoulder’s a bit sensitive.”

“Oh! Sorry…” she sheepishly apologizes.

“It’s okay,” he smiles. “I’m happy to see you too,” he opens up his good arm.

She beams and carefully crawls around to his other side to hug him.

Days pass, and Hogus hasn’t gotten any better. He’s only gotten much worse.

“Mum…” his voice is weak as he struggles to breathe and his eyes are watery. “I… I think…”

“No… No…” she gently runs a hand through his hair, not able to handle hearing what she already knows.

“… Can Dad come see me now?”

She brushes her thumb over his cheek, “Running the kingdom is not more important than you.”

“It kind of is…”

Her hand falls to his good shoulder. “Not this time.”

She looks to Maudie, who dutifully nods as soon as they make eye contact, then exits the room.

“… I’m sorry to leave you guys like this… I don’t know why the will-o’-the-wisps decided this–” he gestures to his shoulder– “for me, but… I don’t regret saving Dad. I just… I wish he didn’t have to feel guilty about it.”

“He’ll be okay.” She squeezes his hand. “I promise.”

“And you, too?”

“…” She glances at Merida sleeping next to him. “We’ll all be okay.”

Just then, Fergus runs in, a bit out of breath. He relaxes at the sight of his son alive and awake, but the panic in his face, the fear, thinking that he was too late…

Elinor can’t take it anymore and lets her emotions spill down her cheeks.

It makes Hogus lose control, and then Fergus can’t hold himself together either and lifts his family into his arms, waking Merida up.

“Hm… Hogus?” she murmurs blearily. She sees the tear streaks on his face and jolts up, looking around at her parents. “Why’s everyone crying? You’re going to be okay, right? You just got sick like when I did! You’re just going to cough for a bit and then you’ll be okay! You’re not…!” She gives up trying to convince herself, and Hogus hugs her as best he can.

Fergus cries all the more. “I’m so, so sorry…”

“It wasn’t your fault; you’re a really good warrior.” He looks up at him. “And a good dad.”

Fergus holds them as close as he can. “I love you, Hogus. I love you so much…”

“I love you too, Dad…”

After a moment, he feels his lung shut down.

“Mum… Merida… I love you, too…”

Merida can only bury herself in her brother’s chest, but Elinor speaks for both of them.

“Oh, my darling, we love you too… We love you, too…”

He squeezes his mom’s hand, presses close to his dad, and hugs Merida tight as best he can. His clothes end up bunched in Merida’s fists, and his parents bury their faces in his hair. They stay together– they stay with him– even after he takes his last breath.

Their grieving period is long– it doesn’t feel long enough– but Fergus finally finds the strength to summon the clan leaders. The meeting is a somber occasion, out of respect. Elinor is present, with Merida nestled in her arms.

“The warring has to stop or our children will be fighting next. And they—” his voice breaks, and he glances at Merida watching him while her head rests on her mom. “They don’t deserve to deal with our issues… So, men, what are your terms of peace?”

[robinofinashiro]

"come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. take a look and you'll see into your imagination."

characters/fandom: johnny joestar / jjba

request status/note: closed / i want to be wifed up personally by johnny lmao here's a short but sweet self indulgent johnny fic!!

pronouns: she / her

"johnny, what are you staring at?" gyro asked as he tapped the handles of his best friends wheelchairs anxiously. johnny, who had been preoccupied staring at you, didn't hear what he was saying making him slap his blond friend on the back of his head, "you listening to me man?"

when johnny finally came to his sense, he went to swing at gyro who easily dodged it. gyro finally realized what his friend was staring at and smirked. he had known of his friends crush on you. it wasn't hard to tell that johnny was practically smitten over you and had been since the day you came to the horse stables with hot pants.

"hey guys, what're all of you doing?" gyro screamed to grab your and hot pant's attention. you smiled, walking over to the two of them, "nothing! just came to the stables with hot pants to see her horse and to get some riding time on mine. any reason why you guys are here?" you asked.

gyro stared at johnny wondering if he'd say anything to you but he could sense that johnny was not going to speak up, "same reason as both of you. say, why don't you invest in a horse? you're here as much as we are and we've seen the way you've rode on hot pant's horse before, you should really consider it," gyro said.

"i think i'm okay just riding horses for fun, i don't really think i'd enjoy being a jockey," you replied taking off your hat. the way your hair fell down made johnny swoon internally, "come on, you'd be a great jockey! right johnny?" gyro asked.

you looked to johnny with hopeful eyes. you knew of his history as a famous horse jockey, the lineage that he came from, and his older brother nicholas who was just as famous as he was.

"yeah, i guess," you gave him a smile meanwhile gyro wanted to strangle the blond idiot, "really? i mean, that means a lot coming from you and gyro. you guys are famous and really good at this so maybe i should give it a try," you murmured as hot pants rolled her eyes.

"first you should learn how to put your helmet on properly," hot pants joked as she whisked you away to help you back on your horse. you were just a beginner, nothing of a superstar yourself yet, but from the few lessons you had gotten from hot pants and even diego, you were sure you'd be ready for a race in a few months time.

johnny and gyro stared at you as you made your way around the track, not really setting a pace with your horse.

"it's embarrassing that you're this shy in front of her. what happened to the old johnny that nicholas talks about?" gyro asked. johnny knew gyro was saying that to get under his skin, "you were a whore johnny, there's no way that completely went away. ask her out, god damn it!" gyro exclaimed.

johnny, who had now made his way to use his crutches, smacked gyro on the arm, "if you're so infatuated with her, why don't you ask her out?" johnny asked. gyro rolled his eyes, "because i'm not the one swooning over her every time i see her. you're practically drooling every time she comes into your view," gyro retorted.

the two of them went silent as they continued to watch you ride your horse. you were laughing about something with hot pants, not paying attention to them in the slightest which made johnny thankful. you were just so...gorgeous to him. he would hate to admit that he was falling in love with you but something about the way you drew him in made him wonder if he was or not.

"johnny, gyro! come join us!" you screamed from the track. the two of them looked at each other before going back into the stables to get their individual horses. you liked valkyrie and slow dancer, both of them getting along with your horse well, but something about slow dancer and the way johnny interacted with it made you smile. it really reassured the fact that the joestar family really was prodigy jockey family.

the two of them eventually caught up to you, johnny winning the small race against gyro as he steadied slow dancer next to you. gyro was whispering something in hot pant's ear, her expression growing surprised the more he continued to talk which made you look at johnny in confusion.

"we should ride into the field, that's a great way to get used to uneven ground which you should learn about," gyro said. you nodded excitedly, "well, as long as someone's here to help me. i don't think i'd be able to go off on my own also, it's getting pretty dark now so we shouldn't be out to long," you replied.

"johnny can help you!" hot pants immediately said. you stared at johnny in confirmation and the four of you immediately trekked your way towards the field. hot pants and gyro were in front of you as you slowly rode next to johnny, "okay there, darlin'?" he asked every so often.

you nodded each time, petting your horses mane softly as the open field made her more comfortable. the blue/purple darkened sky made the stars shine brightly as you looked up every so often to bask in it. you and johnny didn't realize that hot pants and gyro were no longer in view when you started to look around at your surroundings.

"can we take a break? i'm getting a bit thirsty and i'm sure gyro and hot pants are way too far in front to even attempt to catch up too," you asked johnny. the blond, who had caught onto gyro's plans earlier during the trek agree, "sure, i have water in my backpack," he said as he carefully got off and stabilized himself onto his crutches once more.

you sat down on the green grass as the nightly fireflies flew around you. you knew with johnny's injury, you kept in mind how far into the field you went into in case an accident happened and you needed to call for help.

eventually, johnny landed next to you and gave you the unopened boxed water. the air around you was at a comfortable silence, "so, how's physical therapy? gyro tells me that you're getting less pain from it," you said.

he smiled at you.

"it's fine. i still have a year before i could even think of walking without assistance," he replied. you shook your head, "well, i think it's great that you're still horse riding and all that. it's in your blood so why wouldn't you be," you giggled.

johnny tapped the ground anxiously, not knowing what to say without sounding stupid. you were staring at the sky again, something that johnny noticed you kept doing while riding.

"like the stars?" he asked. you agreed almost instantly, "always have. even as a kid, i used to have those sticky stars that went on a wall that glowed in the dark," you replied laughing at the horrendous value of those stick on stars, "it's just so peaceful."

the two of you were now laying down on the grass as you noticed gyro and hot pants racing back to the stables as fast they could go. you noticed that johnny was making no move to leave so you remained side by side. the two of you murmuring about how one star shined brighter than the other.

"you have a lot of stars on your outfit, is it because of your last name?" you joked. he agreed making you laugh, "really? that's so funny! it's like a play on your name which makes sense but that's such a cool last name," you said.

without thinking, johnny blurted out the first thing that came into his head.

"maybe you'll take it some day."

your eyes widened at bold statement. you had a small indication that johnny might've liked you but you never banked on that hope. it was johnny joestar for crying out loud. anyone would die to be in your place. to marry into the popular joestar family but here johnny was, actually saying it to you.

"what do you mean?" you asked now sitting up straight. johnny murmured a weakened 'nothing'. you moved closer to him, staring at him in the eyes, "johnny, what did you mean by that?" you asked again.

he wanted to pull back. to let this all go but gyro's words rang through his head. somewhere deep inside him was the playboy that used to entertain multiple girls at one time but at the moment and maybe even forever, he just wanted you.

"i don't think there's much explaining to do sweetheart, my statement was very straight forward."

you stared at him before crawling on top of him and bending down to kiss him. the action took johnny by surprise but he reeled you in, putting his hands on your neck to keep you there. your hands found johnny's hair, running through the small knots in it.

the small noises coming your lips as johnny moved his hands to hold you by your waist made you whimper in surprise. you slowly pulled away seeing johnny's blue lipstick smeared on your face and on his face.

"see me taking the joestar name?" you asked. johnny agreed, pulling you back down for another breathtaking kiss. his technique was a bit sloppy given that he hadn't kissed anyone like this in years but regardless of his form, you weren't complaining. he explored your mouth like it was his job.

"i see you taking more than that hun," he murmured against your mouth.

across the field, gyro and hot pants screamed for both of you, not realizing what the two of you were actually doing. it wasn't until johnny had pulled himself up and kiss you down your neck when gyro put the pieces together.

"maybe we should head out before we see something we shouldn't."

hot pants instantly agreed as the two of them proudly walked into the stables to safely put valkyrie and gets up away. gyro knew that johnny was going to confess eventually but he didn't think he'd get this far on the same night. as for hot pants, she was just happy that you found someone.

[clarrissanewt]

The Deadly Sonata

series masterlist (part 1)

~next

Pairing: Regulus Black x fem!reader

Warnings: royal!au, prince!reg, arranged marriage!au, dark themes, angst, fictional violence

To join the series taglist, reblog with a '🌙'

A/n: okay, so this exactly didn't take a week- enjoy!

“Regulus Black!” The youngest Black halted on the ball of his feet at the familiar voice. “Blasphemy for the fact that I was trying to find you for the last fifteen minutes. Where have you been, anyway?”

Regulus loosened the grip on the dagger, smiling in acknowledgement. “Had my lessons with Dumbledore. With daggers.” Rotating the small dagger around his slender fingers, he threw it towards Y/n, who caught it with almost no difficulty.

“That's not fair!” Y/n whined, adjusting her corseted uniform. “McGonagall still thinks it's not fit for me! The more I try to persuade her, the more she threatens to make my world fall apart.”

“You are allowed to fall apart a little,” Regulus mused, deciding to let her keep the dagger.

“Wow, Regulus Black and his philosophy classes. I've been here for ten years and all they have taught me is archery. I mean, it's like potential getting wasted.”

The boy hummed in agreement. “You know sword fighting and closed combat techniques too. And I guess, I taught you a little about horse riding too.”

“Exactly. You taught that. They didn't.”

“What do you do when you are not having battle lessons?”

“Poor Prince Regulus,” the girl rolled her eyes as she yanked off her boots, “pity you don't know Hogwarts School for Nobility is more of a finishing school for girls- we can be warriors if their eyes ain't dusted with the old thinking.”

“Tell your father,” he blurted before realising how hollow his advice sounded.

“Um, about that, I don't think he can do anything,” she stared at the ground as if it suddenly became interesting. “Our bloodline only holds titles. No power. Just fortunate enough to even learn archery.”

“Okay...never mind that. Have some news?”

“No,” she dipped her feet in the periphery of the Black Lake, the cold water soothing the heat of the warm evening. “Had something to ask though.”

“Go ahead.”

“How much pain do you all have to go through? Before...before giving up is okay?”

Regulus thought for five minutes straight. An orangish, typical twilight sky stretched over them when he decided he never knew the answer. “I've no idea.”

Y/n nodded, not looking back at him. “Okay, one more question, but easier. Is the Black Lake,” she pointed ahead at the expanse of the lake which always glowed a pitch black, no matter what the time of the day it was, “is this named after your bloodline?”

The ravenet chuckled and shook his head as he sat beside her, folding up the sleeves. “As far as my knowledge allows me to peep, no.”

“Good,” she grinned and flicked out the dagger towards him, “you are teaching me this stuff here.”

“And my gain?”

“You don't seem to have friends. I can be one.”

For being from the most important and influential nobility of Scotland, this should have offended the youngest Black to the core of his heart. It didn't.

Suppressing an amused smirk, he stood up, not taking the dagger that was held out for him. “Every night. At nine.”

“I'd have been killed if it wasn't to learn this baby sword.”

“A dagger,” Regulus corrected solemnly, and even though he found 'baby sword' awfully cute, he pushed the thoughts aside with the curls of his hair.

“Yeah, yeah, genius. A dagger.”

“We'll do the basics today, okay? Go hard on yourself if you can,” he took out another dagger, and even in the dark, Y/n could make out the glint of a pale stone on its hilt. “Four months more, and you will feel ten years of waste if you don't go hard.”

“As you say, My Grace,” Y/n chided in a cool voice and Regulus tutted in response.

“Daggers are usually for close ranged combatting. Nice for attacking, brilliant for defending. And I think-”

“Perfect for stabbing.”

“I feel so too,” Regulus smiled in agreement. “Can be used instead of shield, you know. Long daggers are a thing too, for disarming.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a blotch of royal uniform at some distance, which he decided to ignore, thinking it wouldn't be a problem. It wasn't. Yet.

* * *

“I tried.”

“I know,” Regulus dusted his white shirt, extending his hand to help Y/n up. “And that's your mistake. Don't try. Be murderous for a moment.”

Y/n didn't question him. He had been going rough on her for the past few months anyway.

“It's the last day today. And we might never meet again.”

“I'm aware, Reg,” she replied softly. “I wish I could say these thoughts make my determination stronger, or makes this whole thing easier. It doesn't.”

“Reg? Since when am I not Regulus Black?”

“Consider it something between friends. Another round, ready?”

Regulus had to admit, going hard on her wasn't easy. Never easy after that particular night when he was summoned by his mother. As much as he wanted to ignore her, stay away from her so that her future doesn't get marred, he couldn't. Her smile was so infectious, so radiant that he had to smile too. And now, on the last night at Hogwarts as he lay beneath her, the dagger of her hand pressing against his throat and the waves of the Black Lake coaxing the curls of his hair as they passed by, he looked into her eyes, feeling like drowning in the satisfying depth.

Why was it so addicting? The stars overhead were reflecting back from the Lake in her eyes, shimmering like a scattered bunch of pale twinkling opals.

“You are my best friend,” he said in a low voice, suddenly feeling his throat go abnormally dry, “I wish I was yours too.”

The pressure of the tip faltered on his throat, and grappling it as a chance, he rolled up, thereby switching their positions.

“Don't fall for tricks, Y/n,” his voice was still low, and Y/n was still at a loss of words. Why did the moonlight make him look so ethereal? So tempting? “You will lose.”

Without another thought, she pulled herself up, pressing against the building pressure of the tip on her throat, and her lips met his, both of them stayed still against the foreign touch before Regulus encased hers in his lips, the dagger falling forgotten on the grass and Y/n took the reigns, forcing him into the ground.

“Don't fall for tricks, Reg,” she pulled away while Regulus lay there transfixed. “You will lose. More like, you are already lost. On the other note, it was always you, no matter how much I denied it.”

He wanted to hold her, to ask her to be near him, but kept quiet anyway. When she extended her hand, the same way he did, he couldn't help it any longer.

“Do you believe in forever?”

“Let me think, genius,” she waved off her hand when he didn't take it and sat beside him, the proximity of the waves, ringing a low music, “I...I don't. What's the use of forever, if I'm not ready for tomorrow?”

“If tomorrow came anyway, will you be there for me?”

“Are you flirting?” Y/n gasped in faux hurt. “I'll-”

There was a swoosh at a distance, and Regulus, far from being clueless at this happening, clutched onto Y/n's arm, hauling her up. “You can't be here. Not now.”

Y/n mindlessly watched the ripples of the waves, not wanting to feel the pang of hurt in her heart. Her royal carriage could come anytime, and she was in a lethal denial that Regulus could have left early morning, not even bidding her a goodbye, not even promising to meet her again. She just wished she didn't have to wait forever.

Did last night mean nothing? Nothing to stop him to say a goodbye not meant for forever, nothing to stop him for a small promise?

Y/n wanted to cripple and lay there in a foetus position not wanting to feel the loss of his warm hands or his loose white shirt flowing slightly in the wind along with his hair.

“Regulus, my little boy,” Walburga bellowed on her throne as soon as he walked in, his shirt stained with dirt from the last night. “My pride! Nothing your older brother was!”

“Mother,” he acknowledged lowly.

“You know what I want, Regulus, I want an heir for my kingdom before my death! The bloodline can’t afford to be stained. Sirius- he was a disgrace, but not you, not you, Regulus!”

He flinched when the goblet from her grip tumbled down the steps to near his feet. She was obviously drunk. And when a normal Walburga wasn’t safe, a drunk one was an obvious no no.

“Wouldn’t you do that for your mother, Regulus?” She wailed in an amplified voice. “She is the perfect one that caught my eye, she radiates power! Marry her.”

[monstersandmaw]

Male werewolf (Rollo) x female character - Part Two (nsfw)

Disclaimer which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. 

Here’s the third out of my batch of five commissions for you! I hope you enjoy it. It features my commissioner’s feisty girl Frost, and our gruff but sweet werewolf boy Rollo.

Contents: There’s a healthy dose of pining and idiots in love, with a bit of minor aggression from another party towards Frost, who handles it pretty easily, and some nsfw to finish, featuring knotting and claiming. Wordcount: 7048

Part One, in which they rescue a Lord Blackthorn’s prize stallion, and Frost makes a reluctant friend in doing so, can be found here (3rd person, sfw)

I had so much fun with this one, so thank you for letting me borrow your OC again, dear commissioner, who wished to remain anonymous again.

“How long will you be away this time?” Livia asked with surprising clarity of diction, given the choke-hold in which Frost currently had her. “Gods dammit!” she laughed, tapping out. “How do you always get me in a head-lock so quickly?”

Frost snorted, glanced up, smirked, and with a calculated shove, released the nobleman’s daughter, sending her reeling across the dusty yard. Livia screeched and windmilled her arms in a vain attempt to avoid planting face-first in the dirt, but her staggering fall was broken by the quick reactions and strong arms of the russet werewolf whom Frost had seen coming over, and Livia had not.  

The blush on her friend and pupil’s cheeks was almost better than the way Levi’s ears swivelled back shyly and he set his employer’s daughter back on her feet with a mumbled apology and a dirty look at Frost.  

Frost cackled unapologetically, and cracked the tension from her neck. Across the other side of the yard, a grey-pelted werewolf was watching her with steady, golden eyes, and as their gazes met, he smiled a fraction and shook his head slowly. Even from that distance, she could tell that Rollo was amused by her antics, and was also trying not to show it.  

“Please try not to dump the lady in the dirt,” Levi said flatly.  

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Livia chuckled, patting her father’s guard on his huge bicep and making his tail wag inadvertently.

He stopped when he caught Frost’s eyes on it, and growled a fleeting warning to her as he stalked off to talk to his brother on the far side of the yard.

Oblivious, Livia turned to Frost and asked, “So? How long will this trip be? Your last job took you away for a month. Levi refused to help me with my training, and you said when you got back that I was worse than when we started!”  

This time Frost’s playful mood softened and she folded her arms, cocking a hip. “You know I only said that to tease you, right? You’re doing fine, Livia. Better than fine. I mean, you won’t be joining me to protect Miriam’s shipment this time, but you’re stronger and fitter than you were when all you were doing was needlework and wistfully staring at Levi’s broad shoulders and chest…”

Livia yipped and lunged at Frost, clapping her hand over the other young woman’s mouth and glaring at her. “Shut up!” she laughed. “By the Gods, don’t embarrass me any more today, alright? You’ve already made him have to catch me, for goodness’ sake.”

“Well, you are quite the catch, darling,” Frost purred, and Livia rolled her eyes. “And he loved it. Why do you think he had to leave so suddenly.”

“To talk to Rollo?”

Frost raised an eyebrow. 

“Stop deflecting,” Livia grumbled. “How long will you be gone?”

Frost shrugged. “It’s, what, a four day ride by horse and cart to Harrow Ridge?”

The young noblewoman gave a nod and started to brush down the smart riding trousers she wore whenever Frost was giving her a self-defence lesson.  

“So just over a week then, at a guess. Miriam’s paying me enough to stay the night in town after we’ve delivered her lace shipment, so once the horses have rested, I’ll come straight home. It’ll be a piece of cake, and you’ll barely miss me.”

Livia grinned, and they headed inside the main house for some refreshments.  

Of course, the best laid plans, and all that…  

Rollo, in his usual werewolf form, had seen her off after walking with her in companionable silence to the drider’s lace workshop. Their friendship had been slowly developing since the successful return of Lord Blackthorn’s prize stallion, Silver Shadow, but Rollo was still gruff and silent most of the time. Of course, after their adventures together, Frost knew that he wasn’t being actively hostile — that was just how he was. There was a steadying pull to his silent presence, and she found almost any excuse just to be near him these days, even if he was as hard to read as he ever had been. Still, he hadn’t sent her away, so she supposed that was a good sign.

With the two valuable crates of lace securely fastened to the small cart, and the two mules harnessed and ready, Frost swung up onto the back to sit with the cargo, and grinned at the driver to set off. Dangling her legs over the edge like a child, she waved at Rollo before he nodded once and turned away, his storm-grey tail dragging through the dust as he headed back to Lord Blackthorn’s fancy townhouse, and she left Linden Corner for the wide open countryside and the market town beyond.  

The driver didn’t say a word to her as they rumbled along the well-kept Queen’s Road to Harrow Ridge. Frost thought the small, wiry, taciturn faun was named ‘Sage’, but she had only met them once in all the weeks she’d been at the town, despite the fact that she’d been employed as an extra pair of hands by almost everyone at one point or another.  

They had dyed their long, curly hair a pale, lichen-green, and the entire length of both cervine ears were pierced with a series of gold rings, with another through their septum, and they had the most startlingly dark green eyes Frost had ever seen, but what their voice sounded like, she hardly knew. After the four days it took to reach the bustling town though, she finally worked out that they were simply extremely shy, which manifested in an awkward exterior, and a solitary career as a wagon driver for the village.

None of that bothered Frost, and she left them to their own devices while they travelled, though she quietly hoped the space would let them adjust to her presence. The weather held, the bandits stayed away, and she spent most of the ride staring up at the open autumn sky above, with the rattle of harness, the rumble of wheels, and the soft snorts of the mules for company.  

It was only once she reached the town that things went a little downhill.  

Frost should have heard the footsteps coming up behind her, and she should have reacted sooner, but she and Sage had finally managed to have an actual conversation as they made their way from the adjoined stables round to the inn, and she was tired and distracted.  

A gang of three surprised her and Sage, emerging from the shadows of a nearby alleyway. Two of them took Sage by the arms and dragged them back into the dark like a spider down a tunnel.  

“Where’s that fat sack of coin we saw you pocket earlier then?” a third man growled as he grabbed her and looped his thick forearm around her neck.  

A moment of blind panic shot through her before she made her body go limp and awkward and heavy until her boots hit the stone again, at which point she jabbed her elbow into his ribs and used her shoulder to flip the surprised and winded assailant over her shoulder onto the ground. He knocked himself out on the cobbles as he landed, and she sprang away, drawing her knives from her belt instead of her sword since the alley was narrow.  

The scrap didn’t last long, and it ended with one of the thugs bleeding from a cut on the thigh, crying for his mother with Frost’s blade at his quivering throat, and the other trussed up in their own scarf. Sage darted away to fetch the City Watch, and before too long they were explaining what had happened to a Watch Captain in plate armour.  

The centaur staring down at her with a stern expression nodded. She told her and Sage to be more careful, and then dragged the big man on the floor away by the scruff of his shirt, his back scraping on the flagstones of the street as she hauled him off to the clink with an orc and a minotaur handling the others.  

“You alright?” she asked Sage as the pair stepped shakily into the inn, and the faun nodded shyly.  

Word had apparently spread of the assault and of its outcome, because they were heralded as something akin to conquering heroes by the entire common room of the inn, much to Sage’s embarrassment and Frost’s amusement.  

“You should hear about the time I had to rescue a harpy from three rampaging boars, with nothing but a pot of honey and a small zither…” she muttered to Sage as they collected their free drinks and headed for a table in the corner. Sage’s eyebrows sailed high, but they grinned, and Frost realised she had made another friend from Linden Corner.  

It wasn’t until much later that the previously unseen bruise blossomed fully around Frost’s eye, and when she came down to breakfast the next morning, Sage gasped. She hadn’t known the wiry faun had it in them to fuss so spectacularly, but somehow they managed it. They didn’t let up until Frost informed them that she’d received far worse by accident from her rough-and-tumble, adoptive gnoll family.  

Still, Sage did let her ride up beside them on the way home, and when Miriam insisted she keep a little more coin than they’d agreed on for the inconvenience of the black eye and split lip, Frost didn’t argue. “My money was well spent on you, clearly,” the older drider said in a motherly tone that reminded Frost of her own adoptive mother’s.  

“Thank you,” she said, and pocketed the extra gold without further protestation.  

With the extra coin to spend, she could have gone to the inn, but Lord Blackthorn had let her keep a cot above the stables, in the section of the hayloft next to Rollo’s room, and she fancied a quiet, private evening to herself. She went to wash up in the kitchens of the townhouse first though, praying she wouldn’t see Livia just yet and have to explain to her pupil how her self-defence teacher got surprised in an alleyway by three common footpads.  

Combined with the contents of the small lock box under her bed, she also now had more money in her possession than she’d ever had in one go in her life, and thoughts of her family nagged at her.  

“I’ve got to go back and see them,” she muttered to herself as she left the kitchen by the side door after her bath, wet hair plaited and dangling down her front, while dusk pooled in the corners of the courtyard beyond and torches were just beginning to be lit in the town beyond.  

Her plans to be stealthy, naturally, were foiled when Rollo emerged from the stable block and stopped dead at the sight of her. As usual, he was in full shift, with his smoky grey fur rippling softly in the evening breezes. The little white highlights at the tips of his ears and the flashes of scarring over his muzzle and cheek were picked out like lines of lightning in the twilight. He stalked over like another of the shadows in the courtyard, looking relaxed and happy to see her again, but when he joined her, his lip curled and he growled, reaching for her face with his paw-like hand. His black claws pricked her skin and made it tingle.  

“What happened? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Rollo,” she snorted, pulling her face back however reluctantly. “Don’t get your tail in a twist.”

“Who did this to you?” he growled. “Who hurt you?”

The protective rumble in his voice went right through her, but Frost had to laugh. She waved her hand dismissively at him and rolled her eyes. “Some losers in Harrow Ridge who thought they could help themselves to Miriam’s coin,” she said. “Don’t worry, they’re all in irons now, and I doubt they’ll get off lightly. Gods, you should have seen the muscles on the centaur who dragged them away after I wrapped them up for her like Yule gifts.” A slight exaggeration of events, but still; she’d won.  

His soft growling filled the air again and looked up at him. The gruff wolf’s shoulders dropped and his growl turned into a pathetic little whine. “You're really alright?” he asked in a low rasp.  

Taking pity on him, she stepped close and boldly put her hand on his cheek. “Yes,” she breathed, letting him nuzzle her palm. He closed his bright gold eyes and his tail swept once across the dirt behind him in a quiet, relieved movement.  

“Good,” he rumbled. “That’s good.”

“You’re sweet to worry about me, Rollo.”

He stared at her for a long moment and went sad once more. “You’re not sticking around are you? You’re heading out again.”

She nodded. “Yeah. My family gave me everything when they took me in as a child, and I owe it to them to share my good luck with them,” she said, patting the coin purse on her belt.

Thoughtfully, he nodded. “I’ll go with you. I’ll have to clear it with his Lordship, but —”

“— no, Rollo. It’s fine. You could keep training Livia for me though.”

He raised his lip at that. “I’m not a nursemaid.”

“Good thing she’s not a child,” she fired back, laughing. “She doesn’t need to become the next leader of the Queensguard, Rollo. She just wants to feel like she’s not completely helpless. Plus, she wants to impress your brother a bit, and we all know he’s got a crush a mile wide on her. Help a pair of hopeless lovers out for me while I’m gone, would you?”

Something flashed in his eyes but he looked away before she could tell what it was. She thought he was going to argue more with her, but instead, he fell silent and subdued, nodded, and stalked off without a word, the tip of his tail dragging in the dirt of the stable yard.  

She didn’t see him again before she left.

Lord Blackthorn lent her one of his rangy old mares from the stables for the journey, but Rollo was nowhere to be seen when she went to collect the horse. She rubbed Silver Shadow’s nose as she passed, leading the bay mare out towards the sunny courtyard, and the stallion whickered at her, hoping for an apple. “Sorry, you spoilt little brat,” she laughed at him. “Any treats I’ve got are for Moss here.”

Moss, the scrawny bay mare, swished her tail and pretended like she wasn’t the least bit interested in any apples Frost may have had, but by lunchtime, the mare was reluctantly eating out of her hand, and Frost had made another friend.  

She spent a fortnight with her family, and definitely picked up a few more black eyes and bruises as she sparred and scrapped with her five brothers, though each blow dealt was accidental and was hardly serious.  

“Tell me about him, this werewolf ‘friend’ of yours,” her adoptive mother smiled one evening as she raked her clawed fingers through Frost’s hair while her daughter rested her head on her scarred thigh and stared into the flickering campfire flames in front of them. Her mother’s ears were ragged from her years of fighting to maintain her territory, and her muzzle bore more bite marks than almost the rest of the clan put together, but it had never hardened her heart. She listened while Frost reluctantly spilled her growing feelings for Rollo, speaking of their adventure through the woods to rescue the stallion, and when her younger brother — sitting cross-legged nearby and whittling a new amulet — heard her tale, he flicked an ear and listened too.  

She’d expected playful teasing from the gnolls about falling for a werewolf, but in the end, her family told her that if he was a good soul, then she should muster the courage to tell him how she felt. “If only it were that easy,” she muttered.  

Two weeks later, she hopped back onto the rangy mare and prepared to head back to Linden Corner.  

“Frosty, wait!” At the sound of her younger brother’s friendly yip, she rolled her eyes and turned in the saddle to look at him.  

“I hate that name and you know it,” she groused but he just giggled and bared his teeth at her in a shy smile.  

“I’ve got something for you,” he said, holding out a necklace in his paw. A delicately-carved, birchwood pendant dangled on a long leather cord, and as she leaned down to take it and turned it over in her fingers, she saw that it showed a pine tree with a stylised moon behind it. He’d carefully singed the wood black to make it stand out against the unmarred moon, and he’d found some green ink to dye the tree before sealing it and stringing it.  

She turned it over and over, and then looked down at him from the horse’s back with blurred vision. “You’re really good you know?” she croaked, and his big, round ears swivelled back against his head and he wagged his stumpy tail.  

“I wanted you to have it. To… To give to your werewolf,” he said shyly. “As a courting gift. Blessing from the family and all that…” he added in a mumble.  

Frost choked softly and hopped down from the saddle, flinging her arms around his neck. “Love you, you big softie,” she said into his fluffy mane.  

His arms closed around her and he held her tightly. “Love you too, sis,” he grinned. “Take care out there, alright?”

She nodded, mounted the horse for a second time, earning a soft snort and a flick of her tail in admonition, and with a final glance back over her shoulder to wave at her gathered family, she set out for Linden Corner again.  

This time when she rode into the stable yard after a long journey, it was bustling with people.  

Savi, the gnollish guard she’d first encountered on duty out the front of the house with Aster the enormous minotaur, let out a long, low whoop when she saw her, and it made something tug inside her at the family she’d just left behind. Rollo was nowhere to be seen, but his brother was training what looked like a new recruit in how to use a sword, and to her surprise, Livia stood beside him, following along with her own wooden practice sword.  

“Those two finally figure things out?” she asked in a whisper as Savi joined her and took the mare’s reins from her.  

Savi rolled her eyes and then giggled so loudly she had to clap her hand over her muzzle to shut herself up.  

“Took them long enough,” Frost smiled.  

Livia looked up halfway through one of the patterns and screeched with delight. Letting her practice sword fall to the earth with a clatter, she left the small class and raced over. She slammed into Frost, nearly knocking her over and ignoring Levi’s yelled ‘oi!’ to get her to come back. “We missed you!” she said, pulling back. “Welcome home.”

“I hear you had something to take your mind off my absence though,” she snorted pointedly, and Livia blushed a deep crimson as she shot Levi a look over her shoulder. His gaze was very deliberately not directed at her.  

“How can you have heard already?”

Frost nodded at Savi’s retreating back as the gnoll led Moss away to the stables for her.  

“She’s probably still annoyed that she didn’t win the betting pool on which one of us would make a move first. Well, I suppose she’s still in with a chance to win the one on you and Rollo, but —” her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh my goodness, I wasn’t supposed to tell you about that!”

Frost halted. “Does Rollo know about it?” she asked first. “He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’d take something like that too well.”

“Don’t think so,” Livia said.  

Levi came up behind her a moment later and casually put his hands on Livia’s shoulders. She leaned into him and Frost grinned. “Welcome back, Frost,” he said, and the conversation slid away from bets and wagers. “How was your family?”

“Well, thank you,” she smiled, looking around the yard and finding the absence of a certain dark grey werewolf disconcerting. “Your brother around?”  

“He’s moping in the hayloft,” Levi grinned. “If you head up now, you might catch him before he goes for his usual evening run. He’s been going further and further each time.”

There was a note to the older werewolf’s voice that sent a quiet chill through her. “Levi, is he alright?”

Levi huffed a laugh and nodded. “Yeah. He’s been moping around since you left; trying to tell himself he’s not worried about you out there in the world, all on your own…”

Frost rolled her eyes. “I arrived at this town on my own. How does he think I got here?”

“Not through your nice manners and pretty needlework,” Livia grinned and Frost lunged for her.  

To her pleasant surprise, Livia fought back well, though she was quickly overwhelmed. Right before she yielded though, Levi grabbed frost by the belt and yanked her back like a pup by the scruff of her neck. “Go find my brother and pull him out of his funk, and leave Livia alone.”

With a playful scowl, Frost nodded, but ducked into the stables first to check that Moss had been made comfortable. Savi was rubbing her nose and the mare was tolerating it politely. “Ah, you love it really, girl,” Frost grinned at the mare, who tossed her head but certainly didn’t object to the continuing attention.  

By contrast, Silver Shadow whickered warmly at her as Frost passed his stall, and she paused to scratch him between the eyes the way he liked. “Good boy,” she smiled, kissing his velvety muzzle. “I’ll see you later. Got other hellos to make first.”

The smooth rungs of the wooden ladder up to the hayloft felt familiar under her hands as she climbed, but instead of turning left to her own, small, partitioned-off section, she went right and knocked on the rustic door. The wall was hardly more than a series of vertical planks nailed to the beams above and the floor below, but it afforded a hint of privacy, and it was warm enough for a werewolf up here. Come full winter, she’d need more insulation, but for now, it was fine.  

“Rollo?” she called and pushed the door open.  

Curled on his bed, fast asleep with his nose under his tail, was Rollo. She drew up short, not ready at all for how sweet he looked, but she couldn’t help noticing the slant of his ears and the slight pinch to his brows. He didn’t look relaxed, even in sleep.  

His right ear twitched and he jerked his head up with a snarl, lifting his lip until he saw who was standing there and, rather comedically, froze. “Frost?” he breathed, getting up and swinging his legs off the bed before pausing with his hands on either side of his thighs. “You’re back.”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “I… uh… I just arrived. Listen,” no point beating about the bush, “I’ve got something for you… From my family. Well, from me, but my little brother carved it. I…” and with that, she marched over to the bed and tugged the leather cord off over her head, thrusting it out to him. The pendant dangled at the end of it, swinging back and forth, and for a long moment, Rollo just stared at it.  

Carefully, he took the warm pendant in clawed fingers that trembled slightly, and he turned it over to see the moon and pine tree.  

“I told them all about rescuing Silver Shadow from those bandits,” she mumbled, cheeks heating with awkward embarrassment. “I think it inspired him.”

It became apparent that he couldn’t wear it when he was a werewolf — the continuous length of cord wouldn’t fit over his head, let alone around his neck — so he nosed it once and then hung it reverently over the wooden post of his bed frame. “I’ll wear it when I’m human,” he said, though that was as rare as a blue moon, “And it can live there while I’m a wolf.”

She smiled. “Glad you like it. Listen, I should… I should go. I… I need to grab my things from Moss’ stall. I left my saddlebags with her stuff, and I should clean the tack, and I need a bath because I’ve been on the road for days and I literally slept in a bush last night, so… yeah. Anyway.”

“I’m glad you’re back safely,” he said once she’d stopped herself rambling, with his steady gaze locked on her face. “I’m glad you came back.”

From the doorway, she paused and looked at him. He’d actually doubted that she would return at all, she realised with a sudden crushing sensation in her chest. “Yeah,” she said, voice unexpectedly rough. “Me too.”

Three days later, her frustration with herself for not coming out with her true feelings for Rollo started to get the better of her.  

She snapped at Levi when he quipped in passing that she had been going easy on Livia’s training. “Alright then, tough-nuts,” she snarled, balling her fists and bristling. “Come on.”

He’d agreed to spar with her readily enough, but when she started to get too serious, his ears flattened and his eyes sharpened. His claws dug into the dirt of the stable yard and he had her on her back, winded, in under a minute.  

“Again!” she called, shoving herself upright and raising her fists. “Come on, Levi. Stop holding back.”

He shook his head. “No. You’re done, Frost. Go clean up.”

“What? Afraid I’ll make you eat a muzzle full of dirt this time?”

He rolled his eyes and darted at her, grabbing her around the middle and depositing her inelegantly onto her backside again. She sprang back to her feet immediately and swung wildly at him with a fist and a yell. This only gave him ample opportunity to grab her by her punching arm and simply tug her off her feet, using her own momentum against her. She fell face-first into the dirt with a disgruntled, bitten-off screech, but she knew she was bested.  

With another inarticulate snarl, she got up and slouched off across the yard, pausing by the water pump to clean herself up. She took a deep breath and then meandered more calmly into the stables to find Silver Shadow looking at her quizzically from his stall. He whickered gently, and she softened, heading over. He exhaled his warm, hay-sweet breath over her palms and then nodded his head when she moved up to stroke the whorl between his eyes, lifting his silvery forelock to one side.  

“I’m an idiot, Shadow,” she sighed.  

They stayed there a long time before he twitched back, ears flat, and eyes rolling. He gnashed his teeth and nickered a warning, and Frost laughed quietly. “There’s only one person he hates that much,” she said, turning to find Rollo standing well out of range of the stallion’s pincer-sharp teeth.  

“Mmhmm,” he agreed. He wasn’t looking at the horse though. “You alright?”

Exasperated, she rolled her eyes, folded her arms, and turned to lean her backside against the stable door, using Shadow for cover to keep Rollo out of range. Coward, she scolded herself. “Yeah.”

Rollo’s wolfy brows rose and she made another grunt of disgust. “Fine. Levi wouldn’t spar with me properly. I needed to blow off some steam, he was holding back, I goaded him into going more full-on, and he just tipped me into the dust. I got exactly what I deserved, but I just… I was annoyed with him for going easy on me to start with.”

“You do realise how strong a shifted werewolf is, don’t you?”

“I grew up with a whole clan of gnolls, Rollo. I’m not an idiot.”

“And yet you goaded a werewolf in full shift to fight you?”

“Shut up,” she snorted, unable to stop the good-natured laughter creeping into her voice.  

Rollo moved a pace closer, but Shadow wasn’t having any of it. The stallion lunged over the stable door at him, teeth bared and snapping, and Rollo snarled right back at him.  

“Stop it, both of you,” she said, stepping forwards and grabbing Rollo by the arm to pull him out of the stables. Over her shoulder, she pointed her finger at Shadow and said, “That was rude. No more treats for you.”

The horse looked unrepentant and glared at Rollo.  

“C’mon,” Rollo chuckled. “Walk with me?”

However much of a mess she was feeling, emotionally, she was unwilling to pass up the chance to spend time alone with Rollo, so she nodded and they headed through the back of the stable yard and out into a small copse that bordered the fields where the horses would be turned out during the day. Almost all the fiery autumn leaves had been whisked away by the strengthening winter winds, and the branches stood starkly against the deep blue of the evening sky like delicate, black lacework.

“I know…” Rollo began uncertainly as they wound leisurely down a path between the trees, “…I know you don’t seem to set much stock in your own wellbeing…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she laughed.  

He shrugged. “You’re not afraid of anything, it seems,” he said. His tone was somewhere between awestruck and anguished. “But you…” he sighed heavily and stopped walking. “Frost, it scared the shit out of me when you came back with that black eye.”

“Rollo, it was just a bruise. You should have seen the other guy!”

“What if he’d had a knife? What if —”

“Then I would have changed my fighting style. I’m not an idiot. I know how to handle myself.”

Rollo let out another rough exhale. “I know you do. I just…” He turned his smoky grey muzzle away. With his ears and tail down, and his hands clasped behind his back, he looked the picture of misery.  

“Rollo?” she murmured, stepping close to him and touching the soft pelt on his chest. It drifted through her fingers like campfire smoke and she splayed them wide, enjoying the warmth radiating off him in the chilly evening. Rollo gave a low rumble and she looked up to find his eyes closed. “Rollo?”

“Frost, I’ve… I’ve grown… fond of you. I’m not good at expressing myself, but… I don’t think I could bear it if something happened to you, and seeing you hurt — even a little bit — it spooked me. Left me… shaken.” And with that, he did look at her again. Somehow, despite being much taller than her, he managed to look at her through his lashes, and her heart swooped.  

“Rollo, what exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying I care about you. A lot. More than I ever thought I would care for a human — for anyone. And the idea of something more serious happening to you… scares me. And I don’t know what to do with that.”

She slid her hand up through his fur to his face and cupped his jaw in her rough hand. Wolves obviously didn’t purr, but he rumbled something quiet and gentle and closed his eyes again, leaning into her touch like a cat all the same. He let out another shaky breath and didn’t open his eyes.  

“I didn’t know you felt that way about me, Rollo,” she said. “Savi’s going to have a field day. She’s got a betting pool on how long we’re going to keep dancing around each other or something.”

“You’re kidding?” he laughed, letting his eyes fall open and finding her face. “I’m going to have her running drills for a month for that.”

“I knew you’d hate it.”

“How come you knew about it and I didn't?” he chuckled, his shoulders dropping and the tension dissolving from his muscles.  

Frost grinned gnollishly and Rollo just stared at her.  

“You’re so fierce,” he whispered at last. “Gods, you’re so beautiful, and so fierce. Frost, I’d… I’d like to court you, but —”

She shook her head and his ears swivelled back so quickly she was surprised they didn’t fall off. “No, Rollo. I know what I want.” She paused, and stepped right up to him, gazing into his face while he stared down at her with his jaw slack with disbelief and his hands soft at his sides. “I want you.”

With that, he leaned down in a rush and scented her, rubbing his cheek against her neck and face with his soft fur, his hands going to her hips while he whimpered quietly and keened her name. “I’m yours,” he whispered, drawing back a little. “Come on,” he added, with an eye to the fading light and the way their breath fogged between them in the deepening dusk. “Let’s get back.”

He led her by the hand back to the grounds of the townhouse, and he followed her up the ladder and into his secluded part of the hayloft without a word. He closed the door behind them with a soft click and stared down at her, waiting like a hunter for a signal to move.  

She smiled up at him and crossed to his bed, undoing her belt as she went and slowly turning back to look at him. “Gods, look at you. You’re gorgeous, Rollo,” she laughed as she stared at him. “You could be quite intimidating you know? Standing in the doorway all menacing like that…”

A long, low, rumbling growl rippled across the room from him and she grinned at him.  

“Oh, I love that sound,” she smiled, eyes flashing. She lifted her top over her head, her long plait swinging down her back, and undid the simple bindings that held her chest during the day. Only after she began to unlace her green buckskin leggings and lever off her boots did Rollo move.  

He dropped to all fours and paced across the bare floorboards to her, and as she let the very last of her smallclothes hit the ground, he took her hips in his hands and nosed between her legs. His tongue laved over her sex and she bucked, shivering. “Rollo,” she breathed, hardly daring to believe it was finally happening after all those months of looking and wondering and fantasising…  

After tasting her again with the tip of his tongue just once more, Rollo reared up to his full height again, hands still on her hips.  

For a long moment, he just stared at her, pupils blown huge, tongue just beginning to loll, shiny with drool as he started to pant, and she glanced down his body to see the red tip of his cock starting to show through the soft fur. “I want you,” he growled, still waiting for her cue.

“I’m yours,” she echoed back at him and he finally acted on it.  

He began to scent mark her neck and collarbones and cheek again, first slowly and then with growing urgency until he was rocking his cock against her hips as well. Then he began to snarl and mouth at her neck, raking his teeth across her pulse and laving his tongue along her throat. She shuddered and went slack in his grip, letting him hold her up in his arms, her spine bending backwards like a willow towards the river.  

Rollo couldn’t stop growling, the vibrations of it rumbling through her as he moved his cold nose and hot mouth to her breasts and began to curl his tongue around her budding nipples, finally taking them between his front teeth and tweaking her hard enough to make her jerk and gasp against him.  

“Rollo, please…” she grunted. He still had hold of her hips, so she simply lifted her legs and latched them around his waist, just above his tail. At that, he snapped his teeth with a groan and laid her down on the bed behind her. She did not unclasp her legs from around him.  

He locked his jaws right around her throat, pinning her in place for a moment. Her hands scrabbled at his chest as she gasped in pleasure, and Rollo loomed over her with his tail high behind, his hips still rocking against her. His slick, hot tip nudged against her entrance and she moaned, spreading her legs further for him. “Yes…”

“You’re so wet,” he grunted, pushing back and putting his palms on her thighs to stare openly at her. “So beautiful. Can I use my mouth on you?”

Mutely, she nodded, and nearly passed out at the sight of him disappearing between her legs and licking his tongue in a searing hot strip across her sensitive, wet folds, upper teeth resting on her mound. She felt almost devoured by him. Now, he took his time with her clit, working her into a shaking, shivering, begging mess until she arched her back and almost screamed his name in frustration. “Rollo please, I need… I need you… All of you.”

His lips lifted into a beautiful snarl, and then he finally — blissfully, tantalisingly — lined himself up with her. And then the bastard halted again. “Are you sure?”

“Gods yes,” she yowled. “Rollo, if I don’t have you inside me right now, I swear I’ll —”

He didn't give her the chance to finish that, sheathing himself inside her with a slow but unyielding thrust.  

Frost had never felt so full, and she grabbed onto his shoulders, breathing hard while he let her adjust to the sheer size of him all the way inside her. “Alright?” he asked, his voice making him sound wrecked already. He was shaking all over from the effort of holding himself back.  

“Yes,” she said, relaxing and looking up at him. “Gods yes…” she said with a smile when she met his eyes. “Look at you… I’m good. You can move. Please move?”

He laughed softly and then rocked his hips and she let out a long, broken mewl.  

“Gods you’re so tight, Frost,” he said, leaning forward after a few long, deep strokes to brace his weight on his left hand and letting the other close around her exposed breast. His claws pricked her skin and she bucked, clenching around him until he growled again and didn’t stop. His teeth closed on her collarbone as he picked up his pace, drool sliding down his tongue and over her skin as he marked her, snarling his pleasure as he fucked into her over and over without releasing his jaws from her shoulder.  

“Gods, Rollo,” she panted as he sped up, thrusting deep inside her with calculated force. “I’m close. I’m going to come.”

The werewolf didn’t have words any more, and she felt what was unmistakably his knot swelling inside her. He wasn’t able to pull all the way out any longer with each stroke, and he began to whine behind the continuous growling.  

“Shh, I want it,” she crooned, stroking his fur and making him whimper and shake. “I want you to knot me. Gods that’s big,” she grunted. “You’re so big. You feel so good…. that feels so good. Your knot feels so good…” she babbled senselessly.  

Heat crescendoed in her muscles as he swelled, her core tightening to a white hot furnace, and she began to lose track of herself as she bucked upwards into him, taking his knot as deep as she could. The bed rocked beneath them as he still tried to thrust, but he was tied to her now.  

Without warning, his relentless rhythm faltered and he flung his head back, arching his spine and emptying himself into her with a howl that no one would ever let them live down. In that moment though, tied to him as he filled her, he then claimed her as his own with his cock buried inside her and his teeth around her neck, gripping her tightly without breaking the skin.

Her vision whited out as she came around his huge knot while he was still coming inside her, and he shook with the intense pleasure of it all until finally he collapsed on top of her, breathing hard. When she grunted, a little sore and almost mindlessly full, he rolled sideways and dragged her with him, holding her carefully.  

He opened his eyes at last and his gaze drifted down to the marks he’d left all over her neck and shoulders. He looked horrified for a long moment until she laughed and brought her fingers weakly up to run them over the tender bruises.  

“Yours,” she smiled dazedly up at him.  

“Yours,” he mirrored, licking the tip of his tongue sweetly over them. “Did I hurt you? I didn’t plan to knot you… I haven’t… had one in a—”

She shook her head and kissed the tip of his scarred nose to silence him before she burrowed into the paler fur of his chest. “No, you didn’t hurt me. It was perfect. I won’t be able to walk properly for a week, but I don’t mind right now.”

With a soft, doting chuckle, he tugged her somehow even closer and cradled the back of her head with one paw-like hand. “I probably should have been in my human form for our first time,” he mused.  

“When have I ever gone about things the easy way, Rollo?”

“True,” he said and nuzzled his nose into her hair. “Gods I love you.”

She squeezed his ribs until he wheezed, and then, just because she could and she was curious, she clenched her inner muscles around his over-sensitive knot and he whined, snapping his jaws in a gentle rebuke.  

“You're courting trouble with that, Frost,” he growled without bite.

Naturally, she did it again.

___

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[rosemary-morgan]

HC's about your pregnancy and how the boys would take care of you

I have some cute ideas in my mind. Let your dearest dwarf take care of you 🖤🌷 Thank's for all your support and love. I hope you will enjoy my HC's

Sorry for any mistake. As you know, English is not my native language 🙏

Characters: Bofur, Thorin, Kili, Fili, Dwalin and Ori

Bofur

After you told him about your pregnancy, he was overjoyed! He has always wanted to become a father one day and you are fulfilling a big dream for him.

He loves to spoil you. Bofur is very excited and looks forward to his child.

When fears and worries rob you of your sleep, Bofur sings something for you. His sensual voice always calms you down, and that helps you fall asleep.

On some nights, when you lie in the sheets together, he quietly sings to his unborn child. He gently lays his head on your lap and looks at your belly with love. These moments are very special and beautiful.

He is already making toys for his unborn child. Hand-sized horses carved from wood, dolls, and much more.

Thorin

Your pregnancy has brought you two even closer together. He loves you with all his heart and soul. A dream comes true for him.

You are so special to him. He will protect you and his child with his life. He would die for you both.

You love his tender kisses on your stomach. You love it when he caresses you gently. He gives you the feeling of safety.

If you are not feeling well (nausea, headache), then Thorin will take care of you. He knows that on some days you have to deal with the negative aspects of pregnancy. But you're not alone.

He’ll gently stroke your hair while your head is resting on his lap, while you cry softly. You will never be alone. He is there for you. Always and at any time.

He will tell you in his gentle voice that everything will be fine. You will hear words full of love that will make your heart laugh again.

You take a lot of walks in the forest and in the mountains because you love the peace that surrounds you.

Kili

Kili is a bit afraid at first. After all, he is going to be a father. But what should a father be like? He is really nervous, but with you by his side, with his one great love, it can only be wonderful.

With each passing day, he rejoices in your pregnancy. He will become a father!

He is over-cautious and overprotective. If anyone is rude to you - God have mercy on them! Kili will make sure to teach them manners!

He will ride for you to every town to get you what you long for. No matter what it is and at any time. You´re his princess and as such, he will treat you.

Kili is looking for closeness to you. Even more than before. You both spend the nights full of love and affection.

He will let you know how beautiful you are. How beautiful your belly is, where new life is growing. Oh, Kili is so proud of you. And he is a proud dwarf to have such a wonderful woman by his side.

Fili

Fili is so happy! With the news about your pregnancy, you made him the proudest dwarf in the world. His beautiful wife brings new life into the world! Who would not be happy and proud?

Fili knows that you are going through a special time and that you need every support, and you will get it from him. He does most of the housework because he doesn't want you to overwork yourself.

He takes walks with you and the fresh air is always good for you. You love to spend the afternoons in nature and talk about your future. About the new life that is growing in your belly.

When the evenings become colder, Fili wraps a warm blanket around you, covering up your beautiful belly so that you and the baby stay warm. He wants to prevent you from catching a cold under all circumstances.

He will prepare baths for you, with fragrant oils, and petals of flowers. And while you take a bath, he admires you, caressing your belly, while he keeps looking at you gently. Full of love.

Dwalin

Dwalin is also over-protective. He will never tolerate anyone bothering you or being rude to you. Then you can be sure that he will teach them a lesson.

He always wanted to start his own family. And that’s why the dwarf is so happy.

Dwalin is very tender and careful with you. He has always been, but now he’s overly cautious. He is a big and strong bear, but a soft one.

Dwalin is very worried when you are not around him for a long time. He just wants you and his child to be safe. He only relaxes when you return to him safe and sound.

Dwalin loves it when you laugh, he loves to see you happy. And since your pregnancy, you seem happier than ever.

He feels very honored and swears to protect and to love you forever.

Your nights are passionate and full of love. Dwalin lets you know how much he desires you.

Ori

Ori is more than excited, but also anxious. He becomes a father for the first time! Although it was planned, still, he is nervous!

Ori will probably ask you about thirty times during the day if you need anything.

He will knit a lot of clothes so that the baby is warm and safe. And of course, he will also knit for you a lot of comfortable things. Cozy socks, scarf, and sweater. After all, you need to be pampered!

At the slightest sign of illness, he will immediately seek advice from a healer. He is terribly worried for you!

Ori will spoil you with many delicious dishes. In the morning he will bring you breakfast in bed and while you eat, Ori will talk and laugh with the baby in your belly.

Ori is very gentle and treats you as if you were made of porcelain. Accordingly, he also protects you. You and your baby are the most precious gift for him.