#and the reason i use present tense is she’s STILL like this. don’t even get me started on her university friends

[fingertipsmp3]

I may not be showing it 💯 but being bullied in high school made me a bitter little person

[gatorbites-imagines]

Logan Howlett x Cyclops variant male reader

Ficlet

Reader is a Cyclops variant, just extra spikey, because Scogan is one of my guilty pleasures. I don’t know a whole lot about the X-men, so this I try to keep it vague.

I’m also very sick, so if this sucks, that’s why. I didn’t get a request for this, but I just needed it out my system.

Deadpool and Wolverine Spoilers ahead!!

The void was a strange place, it didn’t take Logan long to learn that. Being stuck with Deadpool meant he had come to expect seeing weird shit, but a very angry, very bloody, almost half feral Cyclops was not one of them. You were simply so… angry. From what the resistance could tell them, your deep connection to the punch dimension, and whatever else had you picked up by the TVA and dumped into the Void, kept you safely out of Novas grasp, even if she very openly wanted you by her side.

Seeing the familiar visor made Logans heart ache so deeply, but that snarl on your lips reminded him too much of himself. Deadpool being himself immediately started cracking jokes, only for you to blast him with your eyes. And instead of just throwing Deadpool back, it seemed to completely disintegrate arm right off his body. Logan later learned that was one of the reasons the TVA picked you up. Apparently, your mutation was… wrong. Cyclops wasn’t meant to slice people in half with his eyes, just throw or punch them back. But whatever life you had lived, had shaped you differently.

Working side by side with a Cyclops again took some getting used too, and for you it was difficult too. But that rivalry but underlying respect was still there. You couldn’t decide if you wanted to hit him or kiss him when Logan absentmindedly called you Slim for the first time. In the end you nailed him in the knee with your one of your beams, just enough to get him to trip face first into the ground. That had caused Logan to snap out at you with his claws, but there had been no real heat behind it.

After everything, with Nova, with the TVA, and with you and Logan for some reason settling down in Deadpools dimension, things were up in the air. The X-men still existed in this world, and neither of you felt much want to join them again. Both for the fact that they clearly already had a much more stable Cyclops, and their Wolverine had been dead for years at this point. So, in the end you two just stuck together, tracking down different mutant traffickers and other bad guys, and dealing with them in your own violent manner. Your beams and other abilities, and Logan technically being dead in this world kept you both an unknown card in this world, to everyone but Deadpool at least.

Sure, at some point your actions would catch the attention of the X-men, but it would take them a while, and during that time the relationship between you two brewed into something new and different, but still good. At least, you thought it was good, and if Logans shoulders growing less tense and his eyes less haunted meant anything, then you could only assume the same from him.

Seeing Jean, Remy and Anna Marie on a hit wasn’t something you expected though. Logan had never truly dealt with his grief of losing them, and you had over dealt with it, to the point where you felt nothing but an empty black hole, which fueled the more deadly part of your powers. In the end, you sent Logan away, as you distracted the present X-men, with the fancy black beams you had mastered, keeping their appearance different enough that they wouldn’t be able to tie it back to their Cyclops.

Maybe the reunion with past familiar faces was what broke the camels back with Logan, as the moment you guys got back to your motel room, you found yourself flung onto the bed, Logan easily ripping your baggy clothes off your body. “Logan- hold up” you grunted out, as he descended upon you like an animal, sinking his teeth into your neck, your shoulders, your chest, as his hands grabbed and kneaded at you. Unlike most cyclops, you had a healing factor, so it was fine, but still, seeing him so fervent had you worried.

Logan had never been one for talking about feelings, but he also wasn’t gonna force you to do something when you clearly wanted to talk about it first. In the end, you two wound up laying side by side, Logans ear resting against your chest to hear your heartbeat even if his heightened senses easily could have heard it anywhere else. It was clearly painful for him to talk about it, how he felt, what he wanted to do about it but couldn’t, what he thought of himself, so on and so forth. And through it all, you just found yourself rubbing his back and caressing his hair, giving him replies when he needed it.

Getting all the nasty details off his chest seemed to be what Logan needed, as he became so much more relaxed and softer afterwards. You had never imagined you’d see the wolverine of all people being soft, but him laying on your chest and drawing small shapes on your stomach was proof it was real. Hearing it all from Logan brought of some of your own suppressed memories, stuff you wanted to forget or stuff you had overanalyzed till it lost all meaning, but still, you found yourself spilling it all to him. What happened to you, your own x-men, your powers, how you ended up in the void.

It left you both feeling vulnerable, like an exposed nerve, but also so much closer. It was at this point you two officially started your relationship, and would also be the day you celebrated anniversaries, even if Logan acted like he didn’t care.

In the end, you two hadn’t really planned too far out in the future, what you would do, where you would go, you just kinda lived at the edge of your seats and went where the wind took you. Of course, you guys joined Deadpool and his little gang of misfits every now and then, whenever you were around his territory. You shouldn’t have been surprised when the X-men finally fully tracked you down. Apparently, Colossus had been a great guy and kept you two hidden, since you in his words “needed time to heal and find yourselves”.

Them having Kurt bamf into your motel room was too much though, especially as Logan almost skewered him on his claws, only avoided by old instincts of Kurts taking him out of fire. They had all been near tears when they saw Logan, some happier or weepier than others. He fit in so great with them, and made that lonely sour feeling rear its ugly head as you sank into the background.

Logan, being ever observant, pulled you to the front, and introduced you by his nickname for you, easily stating that you were his, and that was that. Your visor had been lost a long time ago, replaced by whatever shades or goggles you two could find, but it was pretty clear who’s variant you were. It left the X-men floundering when it became obvious you two were more than just allies. Your preference for bloody violence was also pretty new, but what could they really do.

You both denied joining the X-men, blaming it on not wanting to settle down in one place. Xavier had a very knowing look on his face, so you wouldn’t be shocked if he knew exactly why neither of you felt comfortable amongst their ranks, at least for a long while. That didn’t keep different X-men from pulling up on you two any chance they got. Apparently seeing an edgier more rebel version of their leader and/or headmaster was quite a hit. They talked about you offering students beer for months, and how sour this worlds Cyclops looked about you made you cackle. So maybe it wasn’t all bad. But only the future could really tell, but with Logan, and your shared group of randos, then that future didn’t look too bleak .

[wileys-russo]

childhood sweethearts (8) II a.russo x reader

series playlist one two three four five six seven

will they? won’t they? the age old question x

childhood sweethearts (8) II a.russo x reader

once again alessia found herself sat alone in the same cafe as last time, profound deja vu setting in. her leg was bouncing anxiously and her eyes flickered to the door every few seconds, nervous you'd not show despite having been the one to extend the invitation to her.

but this time alessia knew she was early, having been far too worried about what you might actually have to say to her that she'd shown up a whole forty minutes before your agreed meet up time.

having sat in her car for the last twenty five she'd ventured inside, waiting until it was five minutes before you'd hopefully show to order your coffees, remembering what you had gotten last time and crossing her fingers it was what you'd want again.

her body relaxed the moment you walked inside, raising her hand as you spotted her, the blonde cursing to herself at the awkward gesture as you sat across from her with a smile, seemingly quite relaxed which alessia didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad.

"is this mine?" you asked gesturing to the iced coffee in front of you as the blonde nodded, rambling out that she hoped it was right and that if it wasn't she could easily get you another. "hey, alessia breathe. this is my regular order, it could be two degrees and i'd still get an iced coffee." you joked.

the two of you made some polite small talk, alessia asking about your week as you enquired about hers. the two of you swapping a few stories and a laugh before you decided to put her out of her misery, easily sensing her obvious nerves for why you'd asked her to meet with you in the first place.

which you could hardly blame her for given how your last conversation had gone, and it had taken you a lot of thinking to actually move past that.

"so i obviously asked you to coffee for a reason." you started, alessia nodding as she finished the last mouthful of her drink, setting the empty glass aside.

"i know that the last time we spoke was a bit...tense?" you smiled awkwardly, as one does when the last time you're present in front of someone you scream at them about your dead dad and then promptly collapse into a disgusting sobbing mess.

"and i appreciate you giving me the space that i asked for." you thanked her softly. "there's obviously a lot of history with us alessia and its not something either of us can or should forget, the good and the bad alike." you continued, the blonde across from you twisting her rings around her fingers, clearly still apprehensive about what you might say but listening intently.

"i won’t lie i was so incredibly angry with you for a really long time. and i was hurt and upset and i didn't understand why you did what you did or why you thought i’d have not supported you from the beginning.” you continued, alessia accepting your words with a nod.

“it took me even longer to actually come to terms with my pain and start to move past the anger because it didn’t do me any good, leaving it and you behind. i remember when you won the euros i was grateful to be living overseas because i don’t know how i’d have coped seeing your face plastered everywhere when i had been trying my best to move on with my life.” you were perhaps a little blunt in your words but the blonde across from you appreciated the honesty.

“i got over the breakup a lot faster than i actually got over losing you. i may have lashed out at you about it but you weren’t wrong, we were a huge part of each others lives for a long time before we dated. and i think i felt like once I moved past losing you as a partner, it hurt more to grieve the actual history and years of friendship and that immense bond we had before which was just suddenly gone.” you admitted quietly, a flash of pain glancing across both yours and alessia’s faces momentarily as the blonde was briefly plagued by the memory of her own feelings toward the loss.

“but look i think there is some merit in saying that people change. and i can see that you're making an effort to try and show me that's not who you are anymore." you noted, pausing for a second to collect your thoughts.

"i still feel that the kiss was a mistake, and that it can't and won't happen again. i’ve moved past those feelings for you and i just can’t risk being hurt like that again.” you remanded softly, alessia's stomach clenching at the memory of your lips on hers but she made sure this was disguised, nodding along. unbeknownst to her all of this was also playing on your mind, but you’d shoved deep down how good it felt to lean into the feeling of her lips on yours in favour of not ever wanting to be so let down again, you had your walls up for a reason and you’d learned to protect yourself as best you could.

"but you were right, we do both live here now and its obvious our mums are clearly back in one anothers lives again so we are going to have to interact regardless. so, i guess what i'm trying to say is that i'm open to trying to be friends again." you revealed, alessia's eyebrows shooting upward unable to disguise the obvious surprise on her face at your words.

"but slowly. i still have a lot of trust issues after everything, and they don't just go away overnight." you warned as alessia nodded furtively, clearly trying to hold back the grin which you could see tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"okay." the blonde breathed out, biting her bottom lip to stifle her smile as you shook your head with a smile of your own. "okay?" you chuckled, sipping on the last of your coffee.

"okay. yeah this is good, this will be good. but slowly! i can do slowly." alessia nodded, more as if to reassure herself than you as you hummed. "and just friends less, that other chapter is closed now and i don't want to open it again." you cautioned gently, aware that obviously all of this would be triggering things for her too, not just within you.

"i understand. like i said, i've missed you. to have you back in any capacity is more than i deserve, thank you." alessia admitted quietly with a shy smile, her heart admittedly pounding. again there was the soft vulnerable shy side of her you’d rarely seen growing up, and it was obvious that in her maturity there’d been some changes to her once almost aggressively over confident demeanour.

but between this opportunity that alessia been presented to have you back in her life coupled with the fact you'd just not called her by her full name without correcting yourself, she was quite the happy mess.

"to friendship." alessia lifted her empty glass with a grin causing you to laugh. "really?" you raised an eyebrow in amusement as alessia nodded and gestured for you to do the same. "it's empty! its bad luck to cheers with an empty glass.” you accused pointing to her finished coffee with a roll of your eyes.

"there's some...watery coffee like liquid left." the striker peered into her glass with a wince, the two of you sharing a look and a wide smile.

"fine, to friendship." you knocked your glass into hers, downing the last mouthful of your coffee as the blonde sipped the few milimetres of melted ice left in her own, grimacing in disgust.

"so, how do we um…do this?"

~

walking into training that afternoon there was seldom a thing someone could have said to wipe the shit eating grin off of alessia's face.

she was always known to be a positive person by nature, never unkind or rude to any of the staff or her team, always yelling out encouragement during drills or games, cracking jokes or messing about with the girls who she was closer to.

however to those same girls it was also not hard to see that today there was very obviously an extra bit of pep in the young lionesses step as she sauntered into the cafeteria for lunch, flashing around a toothy grin.

"you're even more chipper than usual less. have a good morning?" lotte questioned with a surprised smile as alessia sat down with her tray of food, humming in agreement. "would you like to elaborate?" lotte chuckled picking at her chicken as vic sat down followed closely by katie and caitlin.

"russo! you're glowin today. have a cheeky midnight rendezvous did we?" katie teased as alessia's face blushed bright red which vac wasted no time teasing her about, pinching at her cheeks as alessia shoved her off with a playful roll of her eyes.

"no. just caught up with an old friend for coffee." alessia explained with a shrug, shoveling a mouthful of food in as lotte narrowed her eyes slightly. "not..." she trailed off with an insinuating look as alessia avoided her eyes.

"oh less." lotte sighed, shaking her head as she picked at her food. "not the ex missus from the bar?" katie caught on quickly with a shocked look, alessia hissing for her to be quiet and smacking her arm across the table.

"an ex girlfriend? you like girls? why am i the last to know about this?" vic scoffed in offence shoving the blonde beside her. "cause you chose not to come out that night! russo here got beyond blind pissed and called her ex missus who had to come and pick her up, and the poor girl was not happy about it." katie caught the dutch girl up as caitlin shoved her, nodding to alessia with a firm warning look.

"oh was that private information? sorry less." katie winced slightly as vic rounded on alessia with a hundred questions. "okay fine i'll tell you! just shut up for five seconds." alessia huffed at the shorter girls persistence who immediatley went quiet, all four girls now looking to the blonde for an explanation.

so with twenty minutes left before they were expected into the gym, alessia opened up about almost everything between you and her, well as much as she was willing to share with her friends anyway.

"christ russo, you planned on leavin without even tellin her? harsh. i'd have dumped ya too, and kicked your arse!" katie whistled, caitlin stomping on her foot with a firm look at her girlfriends inability to clearly read the vibe of a room.

suddenly the training staff called for everyone to head toward the gym as the girls stood, alessia appreciating the forced cut off of their previous conversation as they all dumped their trays and split up to head off out of the cafeteria.

"i stand by what i said early on, are you sure this is a good idea? that you're able to be just friends with her? that break up had you really not okay for a long time less." lotte questioned softly, eyes shining with care for the younger girl.

"look i can't answer that right now. but i would rather have her in my life as a friend than nothing at all. she’s been my best mate since we were five lotte and we've spent too long apart, i miss her." alessia admitted with a sigh, lotte nodding in understanding, pulling her into a tight side hug before they were split up for drills.

~

"oh look what’s come crawling out of its cave, it lives!" your older brother harry teased as he opened the door and let you in, causing you to shove him with a roll of your eyes. "hello stranger." your older sister lilly called out from the sofa causing you to groan in annoyance.

"sorry i have a life outside of mooching off mums cooking and fully stocked up cupboards." you retorted back, shrugging off your jacket and hanging it up by the door.

"they're not here yet." harry added as you glanced toward the backyard where several people littered about. alessia hadn’t been wrong your mum had organised another get together with the russo’s, however of course being the hostess with the mostess she had also invited several of her other friends and their families along too.

“why are you both hiding out in here then?” you chuckled, wandering into the kitchen and shaking your head at the amount of prepped food, enough to feed twice the amount of people. though it would mean you could likely steal some leftovers for your work lunches this week and that was a promising thought.

“i’m taking a break from all the polite small talk and lil’s sick of people touching her tummy.” harry chuckled nodding to your pregnant sister who nodded in agreement. “how is my little niece or nephew doing?” you grinned happily, thumping yourself down beside her and looking at your sister with hopeful eyes as your brother ventured back outside.

“i already told you we’re not finding out the gender until the baby comes, nor will i be revealing any names!” your sister warned making you groan in annoyance, giving her a pout to which she just playfully shoved your head away.

“buzzkill. where’s oli then?” you asked, unable to spot your sisters husband anywhere. “work. he’s taken up every second weekend to try and help us save for the little one.” lily patted her stomach. “you know for some extra money we could capitolise on you being pregnant. i’m sure thats like a fetish or something somewhere.” you shrugged casually as your sister looked at you like you had four heads.

“i’m not even going to dignify that with a response god you are so weird!” your sister shook her head as you only grinned. “so how was your date then? i don’t see a ring!” she teased as you rolled your eyes. “is there anyone mum didn’t tell?” you huffed in annoyance at the ever meddling behaviours of her. “please you know her hairdresser, the market attendant and her nail lady are all rooting for you to find a husband or a wife soon.” that caused both of you to break out into a laugh.

“i date all the genders and yet here i am the only single sibling. i’m honestly shocked mums not tried to set me up with someone or sell me off like a prized cow yet.” you rolled your eyes with a smile.

“oh believe me she’s open to it! but you’re lucky she’s so gullible because i personally know you didn’t go on a date, you were just avoiding alessia.” lily quirked an eyebrow knowingly. “i was not!” you defended though you quickly abandoned that strategy at her firm gaze, seeing right through your lies.

“it didn’t work anyway she just came over afterwards.” you sighed as your sisters eyebrows raised. “oo did you two have hot hate sex?” lily asked as your eyes bugged and you smacked her on the arm. “what? of course not!” you scoffed in offence with a deep seeded frown.

“please if you think i didn’t know the two of you were more than friends once upon a time then you’re even more of a moron than i thought. harry and i have known for years!” your sister chuckled as your mouth formed a small o in shock at the reveal.

“how?” you questioned with a frown. “well firstly because you didn’t just deny it-“ she started as you groaned. “and secondly you were both horrible at sneaking around. the shared love bites alone were enough, you’re just lucky mums so oblivious.” she chuckled as you sighed, head thumping back on the pillow.

you’d told her way back then that both you and alessia had decided not to be friends anymore after she kept going to college from you, but you’d never told her the true nature of your relationship.

“why didn’t you ever tell me that you knew! especially after i came out!” you shoved her in annoyance. “i figured you’d want to leave it in the past. plus with dad and everything you had enough going on without the added stress.” her voice softened as you nodded.

“so she came over afterwards? are you two working it out then?” lily asked curiously as you shook your head firmly. “not like that. but we are slowly working on building a friendship back.” you revealed as your sister squeezed your shoulder in a silent understanding.

“well that’s nice then. but come on, if we don’t go and mingle soon i fear mum will send in a search party.” your sister rolled her eyes before you helped her up, the two of you making your way outside, greeted by cheers as you were passed from old family friend to friend giving pleasantries and half sincere smiles.

and that’s exactly how alessia found you as the russo’s arrived, the sun already setting as they made their way around the side of the house, gio and luca bickering as mario warned them to drop it.

they were a little later than everyone else, as arsenal had just won 4-1 with a lunchtime fixture much as alessia had encouraged her family to come here and she would meet them later they never missed a match where they could and she was grateful for their undying support.

as her family dispersed to greet everyone alessia’s eyes of course found you first, a soft smile coming to her lips as she watched your head go back with a laugh at something.

long gone were the days the two of you would hide away from everyone up in your room, it had seemed time had busted you right out of your shell as the blonde watched you effortlessly and confidently engage in conversations with everyone, joking around and waving your hands about as you clearly told some sort of story which had the group around you in stitches.

but well aware that the two of you were trying to go slow alessia chose purposefully not to go to you first, instead making her way around to those who she knew saying hello. she found herself engaged in a heated conversation with her brothers and a few of her dads friends about the match which just passed, playfully taking the mick out of them for the fact they were spurs supporters and that’s who she’d just beaten.

“lessi darling have you eaten anything since you played?” your mum interrupted, grabbing her arm with a smile as alessia shook her head. “well we can’t have that. come with me!” alessia laughed as she was lovingly dragged inside where the rest of the food was, chatting away with the older woman as she piled a plate high with it.

“mum for god sakes stop force feeding people!” alessia’s head turned as you appeared, stepping through the back door with a playful roll of your eyes. “she hasn’t eaten and she’s just played a full match! let your mother be a mother would you.” the older woman swatted at you as you grinned,

“heard you lost, what a shame.” you sighed toward the older girl who rolled her eyes. “no it’s not like golf, remember the team with the most goals wins!” alessia quipped back, thanking your mum with a kiss on the cheek as the woman placed a stacked plate of food in front of her.

“boring.” you shrugged, sending her a smile and offering her a drink which she accepted, your mum excusing herself back outside. “you went to a sold out semi final of the world cup without even knowing the rules of the game, and as an english woman. you’re lucky you didn’t get your head kicked in on the train home!” alessia laughed after she’d swallowed a mouthful of food.

you chuckled at that and retorted that you were not anyone’s favourite person that next day at school especially your very torn up very australian students. but the comment did have you thinking back to that night, where you had to see her for the first time in years and she didn’t even know you were there.

your coworkers had all but dragged you to the match, and despite not being a football fan you didn’t live under a rock. you knew alessia was in the england squad, your social media had been drowned in friends and family all posting and sharing about the teams extremely successful tournament.

englands love and pride for football ran deep and despite being in another country it seemed you just couldn’t escape the beloved strikers face following you around.

it had been the same for the euro’s however you’d been able to try and avoid that as much as you could with that not being something many australians bothered about. but with this tournament happening on the same soil you worked and lived on, it had become ten times harder to ignore it.

it had taken two days of stress and panic for you to actually come to terms with the fact that you’d be seeing her again, even from hundreds of metres away up in the stands, kept safe by the four walls of the corporate box you were all being treated to. your coworkers had forced you into a matilda’s jersey however you made a point of buying an england scarf as to not entirely betray your home country.

it had comforted you to know that at least alessia wouldn’t know you were there, and unlike every other time you’d supported her at a match in the past her eyes wouldn’t meet yours with a cheeky grin and a point in your direction when she scored.

that didn’t however stop you from cheering when she did, you were after all still very proud of the team and knew what this would do for womens sports even if you weren’t personally a die hard football fan. the cheers which were very quickly silenced by the murderous glares of the australians surrounding you in the box.

“you wore an australian jersey?” alessia gasped in disbelief as you revealed that to her. “i was trying to fit in! i had an england scarf.” you defended yourself with a laugh, the two of you sat on opposite ends of the lounge after alessia had finished eating.

“traitor to your own country.” alessia tutted making you roll your eyes before the blonde let out a large yawn, quickly covering her mouth as her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “sorry!” she apologised, shaking her head as if to wake herself up a little.

“don’t be. i was actually going to head home pretty soon, do you want a lift?” you offered hesitantly, alessia assuring she didn’t want to be a bother. “you’re not, pretty sure everyone’s made a point to tell me you only live a few minutes down the road. and I’d like to get out of here before they break out the karaoke!” you joked as alessia couldn’t help but nod in agreement, accepting your offer.

it took the two of you a further hour to say your goodbyes, the time now ticking over past eight in the evening you accepted the boo’s and the jeer’s that you were bailing early, brushing them off with a smile and a hug.

promising carol you’d come over soon and see her properly you finally made a break for the exit, alessia following suit as you made a beeline out the door and toward your car.

“they don’t ever get tired of making the point we grew up and aren’t thirteen anymore huh?” you laughed as you both buckled up. “oh look at you! so grown up! so beautiful, looking just like your mother!” alessia cooed sarcastically, reaching over to squeeze your cheeks and shake your head back and forth as you laughed and swatted her away.

it was almost scary how easy it felt to slip back into this light banter with her, chattering away as if no time had passed it surprised you how effortlessly the chips had fallen into place.

though despite that your walls were still very much so up, and you knew there were certain topics of conversation you’d avoid with her, and you still wanted to take it slow.

“hey this is really random, and please feel free to say no. but do you want to go get ice cream? there’s a gelato place not far from my apartment and i’ve kind of been craving it lately.” alessia asked apprehensively, fiddling with her hands.

“weren’t you just yawning a few minutes ago?” you chuckled, not catching the way alessia’s face flickered into disappointment for a moment before a smile quickly tugged at her lips.

“but hey who would i be to say no to ice cream.”

~

“this is me just up here.” alessia pointed as you nodded, driving a little down the street until you found a park. “you really are quite close, i could have walked from my place.” you smiled as the two of you got out of the car.

“the winds picking up and it’s supposed to rain tomorrow you might want a jumper or something.” alessia noted as you nodded, opening the back door and frowning at the empty seats.

“oh my jacket!” you remembered with a groan as realised you’d left it at your mums house, and of course it was one of your favourites. “dressed inappropriately for the london weather, remember you’re not in australia anymore!” alessia teased as you closed your door with a huff.

“i had one! i left it at back at mums place.” you sighed, wrapping your arms around yourself as indeed the wind had picked up. “typical. wait here.” alessia rolled her eyes playfully, stopping herself from inviting you inside well aware that might be a little too soon.

“less its fine i’ll warm up as we walk!” you called after her but the stubborn blonde dismissed you with a wave, glad to be facing away from you as she hurried toward her front door, hiding the smile which wound its way onto her lips at you again not calling her by her full name.

progress.

“here.” the striker returned a few minutes later, holding out a large charcoal grey coat in your direction, having slipped on a hoodie underneath the puffer jacket she was wearing earlier and tied her hair back into a low bun.

“your arms are so long.” you shrugged it on with a huff and rolled up the ends of the sleeves making alessia laugh. “not my fault i had a growth spurt and you’re the same height as when you were twelve.” the blonde smirked causing you to push her with a roll of your eyes.

“i am not! i’m barely a head shorter than you.”

“wow i didn’t realise heads were a metre long.”

“at least i know the size of my own legs. i saw you fall over before!” you grinned, the blonde indeed having tripped over the leg of a chair and tumbled down to the ground, relentlessly ribbed by her brothers for it she had been grateful no one else had seen.

or so she thought.

“thank you though.” you spoke more sincerely, definitely grateful for the barrier from the icy sharp poke of the london evening wind.

as the two of you walked it took every single ounce of your restraint not to focus on the fact that the coat smelled like her and that her scent had changed over the years from how you remembered it.

no longer was it plagued with notes of bergamot and lavender, or her infamous green apple shampoo. now you found yourself drowned in the faint but still ever present aroma of what was likely a rather expensive perfume, much more floral and light but still with some woody undertones, like how the ground smelled in spring after it rained.

it seemed ridiculous to say but she smelled rich, and yet still just as ever alluring as she had when you were younger and you’d steal her hoodies. relishing in pretending that she was with you in bed on nights where the two of you had to be apart, the blonde away on some sort of football tournament or camp.

if anything that made it a little easier to just tell yourself it was someone else’s coat given the unfamiliar aroma, to delude your poor overworked mind that you didn’t notice that you could still find yourself in a drunken haze on how intoxicatingly comforting it felt to wear her clothes, which had always hung off of you in the most ridiculous ways given your height difference.

because you wouldn’t dare to fall back into that trap, you couldn’t.

“can i try that one please?” alessia asked politely with a smile, pointing to a rocky road flavour as your eyes surveyed the counter, biting down on your bottom lip as your options ticked over in your head.

“oh yum. hey try this.” she nudged your shoulder with hers and held out the half eaten spoon toward you without a second thought. you knew she hadn’t meant anything by the casual gesture, the two of you had always shared food or drinks without a care.

but now, with your walls up and already struggling to pull your head out of the hazy fog caused by the fact you were wearing her coat and drowned in her smell, the simple gesture felt far too familiar for you to accept.

so you shook your head, pushing it back toward her and avoiding her eyes you felt look toward you. “can i please get a scoop of the caramel peanut butter and one of the cake batter please? in a cup.” you requested with a smile toward the young girl serving you.

“can i get a scoop of the rocky road and the cookies and cream please? in a cone.” alessia ordered her own, moving toward the counter as you were preoccupied with reading all the other weird and wacky flavours in the small but seemingly busy shop.

with you distracted she wasted no time paying for both of them with a simple tap, thanking the girl and grabbing both her cone and your cup, chuckling at your sweet tooth and making her way to you.

“that’s not fair! you payed for coffee too.” you scowled once you realised what she’d done, the two of you sitting down on a small table outside. “you can pay next time then.” alessia smiled over her ice cream causing you to roll your eyes.

“so do you have a busy week? though that’s probably quite a stupid question given your job.” alessia asked and quickly clarified with a sheepish chuckle.

“you’re not wrong. but they’re actually a great group of kids, a couple i have to keep an eye on but i love teaching them at this age. they’re just starting to learn and develop opinions and big feelings and watching that and encouraging it is so rewarding. much as those big feelings can sometimes be very overwhelming.” you laughed and suddenly realised you were rambling, a slight blush covering your cheeks.

“sorry. but no my weeks okay? I actually have monday off because they have an excursion and i drew the lucky card of not having to chaperone.” you sighed happily, as much as you did adore your class to wrangle over 40 kids in an environment outside of the school was often a nightmare, so you weren’t upset at missing out and having a three day weekend.

“did you really draw cards?” alessia asked with an amused smile. “no we draw names out of a hat.” you teased before explaining there was a rotating roster of which grade teachers had to attend each excursion.

“but a three day weekend means rory is dragging me out tomorrow night. which feels illegal given it’ll be a sunday!” you chuckled with a shake of your head, your long time friend forever trying to harass you into going out with her had meant she’d capitalised on this opportunity as soon as you’d make the mistake of mentioning it.

“what about you?” you switched the focus back to alessia who paused to swallow her mouthful of ice cream. “a few of the england girls are around london for an award show tonight so we’re going out tomorrow night to catch up. though for some reason they’ve decided to let tooney plan it so god knows what we’ll end up doing!” alessia rolled her eyes with a smile.

“award show? look at you, the little football mad girl from Kent going from mud wrestling and slumming it in the boys team to living it up in london rubbing elbows with celebrities.” you grinned as the two of you decided to start walking back.

“hardly, it feels so odd. people knowing who you are, wanting your attention or an autograph, knowing you’ve made their day even just by giving them a wave. you ride out the highs but then there’s the lack of privacy and all the media assumptions and the news articles and the criticism of every single match. i’m so incredibly grateful for all of it but sometimes its a little much.” alessia admitted with a sigh.

“i’m sorry i can’t even begin to imagine how that feels.” you empathised with the taller girl with a small frown. “i don’t even think i know how it feels. one day it’s the best job ever and you’re getting silverware and praise and the next you miss one kick and feel like you’ve let an entire country down.” alessia continued with a wince.

“social media would really make it worse huh.” you winced along with her at the thought of the millions of trolls which could hide behind the anonymous natures of theirs accounts. “god you have no idea. it was really bad when all the contract negotiations were going on with united before i moved to arsenal.” alessia sighed as you listened intently.

“everyone was telling me what to do or assuming what i was doing and that would lead to another news article speculating about my future and suddenly everyone feels the right to tear down everything. my football, my family, my weight, my appearance, everything. and it felt like i couldn’t escape it anywhere, even my own teammates were questioning what i was doing and where i was going if not with united but without a contract signed with arsenal yet because of the transfer window i legally couldn’t tell anyone what was happening.” alessia vented, the two of you finishing your ice creams as you dumped your empty cup in a nearby bin.

“sorry! that was…look its in the past. but yeah, social media sucks.” alessia caught herself becoming overtly emotionally at the memories and quickly breezed over them. “hey that sounds awful and i’m really sorry you had to go through that, but less don’t diminish the fact it felt horrible. people can be so cruel and cowardly on social media.” you grabbed her arm and gave her a smile so soft it had alessia’s knees wobbling.

“thank you. if anything nowadays it just drives me to train harder and play better, the best way to shut them up is by proving them wrong.” alessia shrugged, wrenching her eyes away from yours for fear of drowning in them.

“wow well it’s comforting to know all those years of torture kicking footballs at my head was worth it then.” you smiled bumping your shoulder into her. “mmm yeah using you for target practice really paid off, thanks!” she bumped you back with a grin as the two of you arrived to your car.

“text me when you get home safe yeah?” alessia asked with a slight frown as you nodded, unlocking your car and shrugging off her coat, folding it neatly and handing it back to her. “they have these crazy things called heaters in cars now.” you joked before she could offer for you to keep it, not wanting to entertain the thought.

“thank you, that was nice. catching up and stuff!” alessia smiled, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. “yeah it was.” you agreed sharing her thought, as nice as it could be for exes who suddenly decide after six years to try and be friends, nothing weird or hard about that at all.

a silence fell between the two of you, both sizing the other up and very clearly unsure how to end things. did you hug? did you both just part ways? did you say goodbye?

you both obviously picked up on the slightly awkward tension and chuckled shyly, and then with a few more moments of silence alessia decided to go for it well aware of a potential rejection.

she stepped toward you and opened her arms slightly, clearly hesitant as you paused. but then your arms were wrapped around her and your face was pressed into her chest and alessia held her breath for fear if she even moved slightly you might disappear.

your body filled with a warmth you’d not felt in years as her taller form wrapped around you in a tight hug, the double layers of clothing covering her only bringing more comfort as you could have melted into her.

but your walls suddenly sprang back up and you pulled away, sending her a rushed smile and a quick goodbye before slipping into your car as she made her way to her front door, watching as your car pulled off and disappeared around the corner.

busy driving you failed to see your phone light up with a notification as you turned your music louder to try and distract your mind from overthinking.

@alessiarusso99 has requested to follow you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter nine

[lynzishell]

The Present 🧡 Chestnut Ridge

Prev // Next

Transcript below the cut:

Phoenix: How long have you guys been up? Julian: A couple hours. Danny: Yeah, papa said to let you sleep in so you won’t be cranky today. Phoenix: Oh, he did, did he? Danny: D’you wanna meet my goats? The orange one is Chester, the black one is Goober, and the spotted one is Lucky.

Julian: Watch out for Goober. I’ll be limping the rest of the day. Danny: [laughs] Julian: You think that’s pretty funny, do ya? Danny: [still laughing] Yes.

Phoenix: What? Joseph: How’re you feelin’ this morning? Phoenix: Fine. Joseph: Sure ‘bout that? Phoenix: Yep.

Joseph: I think it’s time you and I talked. Phoenix: [scoffs] No thanks. Joseph: I’m serious. Anything you wanna say, anything you wanna ask, let me have it. Phoenix: [shakes head] I came here for Danny. I have nothing to say to you. Joseph: Alright.

Joseph: Have you ever ridden a horse? Phoenix: Uh. No. Joseph: C’mon then. Phoenix: Wha-?

Joseph: Let’s go, city boy! And watch where you step in those shoes of yours. Phoenix: What’s wrong with my shoes? Joseph: [laughs] Phoenix: [sighs]

Phoenix: I can’t believe I’m doing this. She’s not gonna throw me off, is she? Joseph: Well, that depends on you. Are you tense? Angry? Need to get anything off your chest? Phoenix: I’m good. Joseph: Good. If you’re calm, then she will be too.

Phoenix: Oof! Fuck. Joseph: [laughing] You’re fine. Get up, take a breath and try it again.

Phoenix: Ahh! Joseph: Sure you don’t wanna talk? Phoenix: Fuck you.

Phoenix: Shit. Joseph: [laughing] That one looked like it hurt.

Phoenix: What the fuck is this? You think we’re going to have some cliché father/son bonding moment or something? Joseph: [shrugs] Why not?

Phoenix: WHY NOT?! Because until that stupid fucking letter, I didn’t even know if you were alive! Do you know how long I waited for you to come back? Eleven years. Do you know why I gave up? Because when mom died, you still didn’t come back, and no one could find you, so they sent me to live with Julian. And I figured there’s no way you’re still alive. There’s no way, if you ever cared about either of us, you still wouldn’t come back.

Joseph: I—

Phoenix: I’m not done. Because it was another eleven years before I heard from you. But it’s too fucking late. I want nothing to do with you. I didn’t want your letter. The only reason I am here is because when I told Dawn to shred the thing, she read it instead. She read it and she told me about Danny. And I couldn’t in good conscience not let him know that he has a brother, that I’m here, that if you leave him, he’s not alone. And I’m glad that you seem to finally have your shit together, that you’re able to be a decent father to him. That’s great. But now I’m done. Because I preferred it when I thought you were fucking dead.

Joseph: Why didn’t you shred the letter? Phoenix: What? Joseph: Why did you give it to Dawn instead of shredding it yourself. 

Phoenix: I… [sighs] Because… I needed her to do it. Joseph: Why? Phoenix: Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to.

Joseph: For what it’s worth, I always loved you. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about you. When I left, I never intended to be gone forever, to miss your whole life.

Phoenix: Then why did you? Joseph: Let’s sit down, get out of the sun.

[scarletwritesshit]

🐉 Jiyan x F!Rover 🐉 Dragon's Faith

Rover stood by Jiyan’s side, her body tense and nervous. She wasn’t nervous due to simply being in close proximity to him, as they were both well adjusted to each other’s presence. This time around, however, things were far more properly structured than a battle on the fly or a casual hangout. She tried her best to look imposing and refined, as a Resonator of her caliber theoretically would be, but she couldn’t free herself of the nerves still bothering her.

Just how does he do it? she thought, looking at Jiyan. He’s so noble and imposing, yet it all came to him naturally. I don’t even know who I am, let alone the minute details of how I’m supposed to present myself.

Imposing glare. Straight posture. As still as a rock. Jiyan made it look easy. Whenever Rover took a deep breath to try and steady herself, she only succeeded in making herself look like a paranoid chicken. She could not figure out why she all of a sudden felt so on edge.

Jiyan, though focused on supervising the soldiers as they practiced, noticed Rover’s poorly hidden anxiety out of the corner of his eye. He put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to gently get her attention, but she jolted out of her skin.

"I apologize, but I did not mean to startle you," Jiyan said. "You seem awfully tense, is something the matter?"

"No. I’m perfectly fine. I think," Rover said, taking a deep, shaky breath.

She was not fine. Rover felt as if Jiyan was silently judging her down to each individual breath. She even felt as if she was incorrectly using her own two feet to stand.

"Are you a little nervous?" he asked.

"Me? Nervous? I’m absolutely fine," she spat out.

"There’s no reason to lie. I can see you practically trembling in your boots."

"...Okay, maybe I am a little nervous. But can you blame me? I’ve never had to stand in front of a well-respected army before. I think."

Jiyan gave Rover a reassuring rub on her shoulder.

"Relax. You hardly need not worry about supervision as I call most of the shots here."

"But what if I’m, oh I don’t know, standing improperly?"

"…Standing improperly? I don’t believe there is such a thing as that. Your posture is fine and you are acting respectfully, if that is what you are concerned about.”

"Er…not exactly. You make everything look effortless, and it makes me wonder if I should even be standing on the same level as you."

"Of course you are. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to fend off the onslaught. Cut yourself some slack, my love."

"It’s one thing for us to unwind together in private, but you’re a completely different person while in command of your troops. I can’t help but feel intimidated."

Jiyan glanced to his side and gave her a reassuring smile. Although he had to keep an eye on his troops as they trained, he could spare a few brief seconds for Rover. She was just as important to him as any individual force. Perhaps Jiyan would consider her to be even more important, but he was in no position to be playing favorites.

"I don’t even feel worthy enough to be with you,” she continued.

"This theoretical concept of worth you speak of is of no concern to me. I’ve been rather fond of you since the time we first met."

Rover tilted her head. "Really?"

"Indeed so. Even if you were not as incredible as you have proven yourself to be, I still would love you dearly regardless. Besides, we’ve endured literal hell side by side together. I have more than enough of a reason to have complete faith in you."

Rover took a deep breath and once more attempted to steady herself. Jiyan was rather insistent that she was fine, and that she had no reason to be so self-conscious. Still, she could not shake the nagging feeling that she was out of place standing next to the general.

Jiyan pulled Rover in close and rubbed her side in an attempt to soothe her further.

“Relax,” Jiyan said, softly looking at Rover. “Unnecessary stress is detrimental to your health."

Rover looked over at him and nodded her head in acknowledgement. She knew that she would have to relax, but that was far easier said than done. Jiyan lifted his hand away from her shoulder and kept it still as Rover noticed a green Loong manifesting from behind him and coiling down his outstretched arm. He held out his hand as it slithered past his palm and gazed at Rover, tail still wrapped around his lower arm. She could feel her anxiety increasing once again, as now she had the general’s Loong watching her every move.

"It’s not just my trust you have," Jiyan said.

The Loong nudged Rover’s shoulder, like a cat headbutting its beloved owner. Her arms remained tense, despite how gentle each nudge was. It was kind of adorable, and Rover did want to pet it, but she held still and stared at it nervously out of fear of accidentally disturbing it.

"Go on," he said, "I know you want to."

Rover held out the palm of her hand, reluctantly inviting the Loong to slither into it. It looped around her arm once, still remaining somewhat wrapped around Jiyan, then rested its head in her hand. She scratched the underside of it gently, and it quickly melted into her hold.

"See? Nothing to worry about, love."

The Loong slithered in the air around her, and Rover kept her hand held out. It coiled completely around her arm and nudged its head into Rover’s open palm. Despite her ever-present nerves, it strangely seemed to be soothed by her presence. In fact, it almost seemed fully trusting of her.

"It… seems friendly," Rover noted, still wary.

"Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?"

"I guess if you’re truthfully fond of me, then I’m not sure, actually."

Jiyan’s companion continued nuzzling against her hand, making a sound as close to a purr as a small beast could manage. If even his Loong trusted her, then she ultimately had no reason to be so tense around him, even if it did take a little bit for her to force herself to calm down. After a few headbutts to her palm, the Loong dissipated, and Jiyan smiled and nodded with approval.

"You’re overthinking. Deep breaths, and soon you’ll be leading the troops right by my side."

"Y-yes sir," she said.

Jiyan squinted his eyes at her.

"I mean, yes, Jiyan."

"Much better."

[nalpurey]

in honor of the 10 months anniversary of my first ever drabble i never posted, i present to you: my first ever drabble i never posted. yippee

cw: femdom, malesub, both are afab, mentions of sa, overall fluffy playful smut. it’s scrlm btw <3

also this takes place after scara’s story quest. people were headcanoning he’d join us in our travels so yeah<3

here goes nothing

As the flames danced, their shadows cast wide on the ground. Lumine yawned, feeling settled in the familiarity of the campsite. Her traveling companion was always full of surprises, and tonight was no exception. He had requested a sleeping bag in their shared tent, much to her disbelief. “What? Just because I don’t need to doesn’t mean I can’t,” he had said, grinning mischievously. Lumine had rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile at his antics.

The two had lit a bonfire and were sitting close to one another, quietly and secretly enjoying the warmth and company of each other’s presence.

Lumine subconsciously stared at her companion. She couldn’t help but notice the way the wanderer winced imperceptibly as the weight of his body pressed against an apparently sore muscle. Lumine saw the way he stood up and straightened his back, only to wince once again as he sat back down. It was clear to her that he was in pain, and it was clear that this was something he was used to, but she still frowned.

“Are you hurt?” She carefully asked, slightly tilting her head to the side.

The wanderer shook his head, not even looking at her. “It’s nothing worth mentioning.”

The traveler sighed. We’ve been traveling companions for a while now, and he still isn’t opening up. Sure, he should take his time, but he has no reason to not trust me after what we’ve done to protect each other…

“You know,” she started in a sweet voice, staring at the dancing flames, “it’s pretty normal to get hurt, or even just have a sore back, when you do nothing but wander around and fight monsters all day. Just let me help you.”

He shook his head again, but his voice had softened. “I don’t… need healing.”

Lumine decided not to ask if that was just another way to say no or he actually didn’t need any healing as a puppet.

“But you’re in pain”, Lumine insisted. “You won’t let me heal you, so at least let me cook you some food, give you a massage or something.”

“A massage?” At the wanderer’s seemingly disgusted frown, Lumine only nodded. “But why?”

“It’ll help your muscles relax”, she responded with a smile.

He rolled his eyes. Though he was doing his best to appear indifferent, he was curious about what she would do. He stared at her hands for a couple seconds, wondering if it would have been that bad to have those soft fingers touching his skin.

“Fine then. Do your worst.”

Oh, he just had to make it into a challenge, didn’t he?

She smiled a bit widely this time. She felt like this could help them get closer. She already considered him an ally, but she wanted him to acknowledge that; to see for himself what it meant to have a companion to place his trust in.

He took off his kimono and pulled down the top part of his bodysuit. His pale rosy skin looked soft, and as perfect as a doll’s. Looking a bit more carefully, Lumine couldn’t help but notice five fading rounded scars on the center of his back. The one in the middle was bigger than the others, and those were undoubtedly the marks his puppet strings had left.

“So? Are you gonna do something, or—”

He freezed upon feeling her warm hand trace up his spine.

“Mnnh…”

“Good?”

He bit his lip. “Shut it.”

“You’re tense. Are you always like this, or…” She stopped herself, her attention being caught by something else. A small symbol on the highest part of his back. It didn’t look like a scar, it was more like a birthmark. She let her curiosity get the better of her and slid her thumb over the mark, softly. “What’s this?” She asked simultaneously.

Tingly waves of pure electricity shot through his body, running straight to his crotch, and the wanderer couldn’t prevent a soft moan of sheer pleasure from escaping his slightly parted lips.

Lumine stopped her thumb immediately. “Did I hurt you?” She asked with urgency.

“What? No. Of course not. I’m not that fragile.”

Encouraged, the traveler pressed a bit harder on the spot. Her thumb drew slow circles along the mark, until…

“Ahn… please…”

Lumine made a surprised sound, golden eyes widening.

The red-faced wanderer hastened to clarify, “That… slipped out.”

But she had already stopped. “Please what, though? Are you sure this isn’t an uncomfortable place for you to—”

“Shut up, it wasn’t a please stop.”

“Then what was it?”

“It was nothing.”

She only let out a chuckle. She really wanted to be friends (or maybe even more) with him, but right now she couldn’t resist teasing him. “Maybe you find this arousing,” she suggested with a shrug. “This one is probably a sweet spot of yours, am I right?” The wanderer parted his lips to speak, but her thumb found itself on the birthmark again and he had to close them shut to suppress the noise he felt bubbling up his throat. “It’s really pretty, though. It’s a mitsudomoe, right? Very pretty…”

The wanderer could barely focus on her praise, completely absorbed by the feeling of Lumine tracing circles around such a sensitive part of his body.

Until she realized this could probably not help his sore back. Much to the wanderer’s disappointment, she went back to massaging his back, and yes— that helped a lot, but it just didn’t feel as good.

It was pretty relaxing, though. Lumine’s touch was delicate, careful. It was completely new to him.

Maybe being in the traveler’s company wasn’t that bad.

: : :

He looked so… serene in his sleep. He looked like nothing in the world could ever disturb his slumber. Why wasn’t he always like this? The traveler could only wonder why he didn’t sleep more often, since it made him so calm and peaceful. Maybe if he had slept like this every night he wouldn’t have been so short tempered.

Most of his clothes were lying forgotten in an angle of their tent, neatly folded.

She didn’t even realize she was staring at him, his tiny, immobile sleeping figure, his pink synthetical lips that were just barely pressing against each other, his relaxed brows, his smooth and perfect skin… yes, nothing could ever disturb his slumber…

“Mmgh… hah…” The puppet’s eyebrows started to furrow, and his body began to tremble ever so slightly. The traveler let out a sigh. Oh, she should have expected him to have nightmares. The wanderer was muttering something incomprehensible, so she got a bit closer, trying to make out what he was saying.

“D-don’t…”

Oh, here it comes. What will it be?

Lumine touched his shoulder, trying to wake him from his presumed nightmare.

Will it be… “don’t hurt me”? “Don’t betray me”? “Don’t abandon me”? “Don’t—”

“Don’t stop…”

Her eyes widened. If only she looked down a bit lower, a quick glance at the bottom of his tight bodysuit would have been enough to tell just how soaked wet he was.

In fact, at some point, during her attempts at waking him up, she somehow noticed the dark spot of wetness between his legs.

A subtle smirk crept onto the golden haired traveler’s face.

He looked so irresistible, and she couldn’t stop staring. She even forgot she was trying to wake him up.

The wanderer’s squirming and tossing around only increased in frequency, finally awaking him.

He blinked once. Twice.

“Were you having a dream?” Lumine enquired innocently.

“Not your business…” he replied, looking away so that she couldn’t see his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “How could you tell…?” He quickly added as soon as he realized he could have said or done something in his sleep.

“Call it intuition or whatever.” She shrugged. “It’s not hard to tell if someone’s dreaming if they keep making noise. Was it a bad dream? Or was it about what we discussed earlier?”

He shuddered, rolling onto his side. “Not. Your. Business.”

“I’m assuming it was?” The traveler challenged.

“I said it’s not your business.” The wanderer responded.

“How about you tell me—” He cut her off.

“How about you go to sleep and leave me alone?”

The traveler couldn’t help but chuckle at his defensive aggressivity. “Fine, fine. Goodnight Kuni.”

He didn’t say anything in response.

Lumine ignored him back and wrapped a warm blanket around herself, facing the other way. Not even a minute had passed when the wanderer softly called out to her.

“What is it?”

“Can we… share that?” He was pointing at the blanket.

“Are you sure? You don’t look like you’re cold.”

“Shut up.”

She was right, actually. She always was. He was feeling as hot as he didn’t recall ever feeling, but for some reason he wanted Lumine to be close to him, and sharing a blanket was the only way he considered. There was no way he would explicitly ask her to come closer.

She sat up, scooted closer and pulled the blanket onto him. “Sleep well.” No response again.

She lied back down, on her side, facing away from him.

The wanderer was glad she couldn’t see him squeezing his legs together and rubbing his thighs against each other, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable, hot wetness that was only growing and growing between his folds. As it grew, he noticed he was starting to breathe, loudly— he just couldn’t help it. This feeling was too much, he wanted it gone. He didn’t even need to breathe, why did it feel so necessary yet so difficult right now?

He pressed his forehead against the nape of the traveler’s neck, making her chuckle quietly. Feeling her warmth against himself was somehow relieving, but it also made his body shake with desire and want.

He muffled a groan of discomfort by covering his mouth with his hand.

“Fuck… Lumi—”

“I’m still awake, you know. Do you need something?” She sleepily muttered.

“Ugh…”

“Won’t you just tell me what’s wrong?” She insisted softly. “I can help you.”

The wanderer wanted it. So badly— but he still had his pride. He shook his head, even though Lumine was facing the other side and couldn’t see him.

She took his silence as a no, anyway. “… Alright. Goodnight again.”

“… ‘Night”, he replied this time, in a small voice. He was determined to let the overwhelming feeling go away on his own…

But a few minutes later, he couldn’t care less. He tapped her shoulder lightly, swallowed his pride and breathed out a whispery “… Help?”

The traveler sat up again, her golden eyes shining, as if she’d been waiting for that moment. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him and waiting for him to say something more.

To which the wanderer furrowed his brows and muttered something that sounded like “come on”.

“What do you want?” Lumine asked innocently, raising a brow.

“Stop talking and do something already!” He whined impatiently, forcefully grabbing one of her wrists and directing her hand to his abdomen, not daring to push it lower— maybe hoping she would do that herself. She smiled, running her fingers up to his chest instead. At her caress, his body relaxed against the thin mattress.

“Lower”, he demanded.

But she liked his chest too much to just leave it alone already. She put both of her hands to use; while one massaged his chest through his bodysuit, the other traced its way to his lower stomach, then even lower, then some more, until it was resting on his clothed sex.

As soon as he felt her touch, the wanderer inhaled sharply, his body tensing up. The hand that was caressing his upper body found a nipple and focused its attention on it, earning delicious moans from him and helping him loosen up some more. His eyes were glued to her as soon as she started moving her hand. She really was handling him with care. The combination of her touch and the embarrassment of the situation, of how she looked so serious and focused on him, was really getting to him.

The more Lumine rubbed his clit through the fabric, the more he felt the urge to strip off and expose himself for her. He struggled to remove his bodysuit, and the traveler lent him a hand as soon as she noticed. Once free of his clothing, he laid back down, putting himself on display. The traveler licked her lips.

He was completely flushed red from his face to his chest, his weakened arms resting above his head, his hardened nipples demanding more attention, his parting legs tempting her, his blue eyes silently begging her to touch him. So she did, and he whimpered imperceptibly when her hand made direct contact with his clit for the first time. Not feeling any friction, but only a somehow unsatisfying contact, he moved his hips closer to her, but much to his displeasure she withdrew her finger. He let out a soft cry. He was feeling so good, why did it have to stop already?

“Are you playing with me?” He whined, trying to sound intimidating. “If you’re only doing this to annoy me, might as well…”

He trailed off, observing her. She was giving her thumb a few licks, carefully wetting it before placing it on his engorged clit and moving in slow circles, as two fingers of her other hand held up the hood. To which the wanderer could only shut his eyes, throw his head back and let out a long “oohh…”, pleasantly surprised at just how good it felt.

He wasn’t used to this.

Her pointer finger slid down, passed his urethra and pressed against the slit. Her thumb was still working his clit, circling it at a steady pace. Feeling that she wasn’t speeding up, the wanderer complained in a breathy voice. “That’s… too slow.”

She gradually picked up the pace, lubing her finger with his juices to help it slide inside his hole. She looked at him. His eyes were tightly shut and his closed fists were grasping the blanket they were sharing earlier. She was being careful with her movements, afraid to hurt him. “Hey, Kuni. You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”, she asked, slightly tilting her head to the side.

“Not of… my own will”, he responded through clenched teeth.

Oh.

That wasn’t completely unexpected.

The traveler removed her clean hand from his body to caress his cheeks.

“I’m… sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s… nothing, really.” He gave a nod of his head to signal her to keep going from where she had stopped.

She experimentally moved her finger, but he had gotten tighter. Thinking back about what happened had apparently made him tense up again. “I, uh… I don’t want to hurt you”, Lumine stated. He looked away. He knew it would hurt if she pushed inside him right now.

Sensing his anxiety, she straddled him and softly placed a kiss on his cheek. Her right hand lightly grazed the sensitive birthmark on his higher back, as she continued leaving kisses on his face. The wanderer made a little smile, and let out soft noises and hums of pleasure, while she showered him with affection by pecking his forehead, cheeks, and even the tip of his nose.

“My— my lips too.”

“Alright.”

Complying with his request, Lumine kissed him on the lips. His lips parted, letting her tongue in as soon as he felt it prodding his mouth. She adjusted her position so that her knee was now in between his legs, and he started to roll his hips against it immediately, moaning into her mouth. The friction felt so good on his clit, and now he just wanted more, more, more.

When their lips parted, Lumine kissed his neck, softly nibbling and sucking on it, relishing in the way he tilted his head back to expose his body even further, curving himself to get her to do more, every single cell of him screaming “take me, and do whatever you want to me”. And desiring nothing more than that.

She cupped his chest with both hands and gently fondled his porcelain skin. The wanderer was breathing heavily, completely lost in the feeling of the soft skin of his neck being marked by her mouth and his sensitive nipples being stimulated this delicately. His folds started to lubricate again as he rubbed himself against her leg, hips bucking furiously. His hands feebly grasped the traveler’s golden hair, trying to push her further onto his body. He guided her where he wanted her attention, and the traveler found herself licking and suckling on a nipple. His other breast, small enough to fit in her palm, savored the traveler’s caresses. He could feel something hot churn into his lower stomach. The feeling was slowly taking over his entire body, it was like a drug, and now he needed more.

“Lumine… it feels good, ahh…”

The traveler smiled against his skin. They were making progress.

“Lumine. I think I’m ready.”

“Mhm?”

“Yes. You… won’t need to go easy on me.”

“Well, I’m still going to make this as comfortable as I can.”

He smiled imperceptibly, nothing but pure love in his eyes. He gave a slight nod of his head to encourage her. “Come inside… Lumine.”

Her finger found itself back where it was earlier, circling the hole before slowly sliding in. Her body was moving on its own, as if it was on autopilot.

“N-ngh…”

She gradually pushed her finger deeper, observing his face to make sure it wasn’t too overwhelming for him. “Is this okay?”

The wanderer nodded frantically. This felt way better than he had imagined. “More… more…” he managed to squeeze out, his voice sounding broken and hoarse. “Go deeper…” He was sweating, so much so that his skin looked a bit shiny from the moisture.

“You’ve got to call me ma’am for that”, Lumine said.

“In your dreams. I’m not calling you that,” he mumbled.

She chuckled. “I wasn’t serious, dummy.” And as proof, her finger went deeper. The wanderer instantly forgot Lumine had been teasing him.

“Oohh… nnh… just like that…”

Encouraged, the traveler kept rubbing his inner walls with care, searching for that one spot that would have her Kuni crying out in pleasure.

The wanderer was lost in a trance-like state. His ocean eyes were unfocused and teary, and a bit of drool could be spotted at the corner of his mouth.

When Lumine’s skilled lips made contact with his clit, pressing a loving kiss on it, Kuni’s eyes went wide and he whimpered slightly in surprise. He lost his composure once again when she began to give it the softest kitten licks, sloppily throwing his leg over Lumine’s shoulder, making it easier to buck his pussy right into her mouth as she licked at his hardened clit.

“Haah… ma’am, feels so good…”

The traveler could feel blood rushing to her cheeks. And her crotch.

She was feeling like his pleasure was the only purpose of her life. She lapped up all the delicious juices that came out of him, her gentle licks turning into messy and frantic sucks.

And the wanderer, oh, he was long gone. Weakly holding Lumine’s free hand, occasionally squeezing it when he felt like the pleasure was too much for his body to handle, he’d never felt as good as he was feeling now. His head thrown back in heavenly bliss, resting on the blanket he had used to lie to the traveler and get this in exchange— oh, it’d been so worth it, he kept thinking. He would have done it again and again if it meant feeling the same pleasure he was feeling now.

The traveler was so gentle with him. Did he even deserve her gentleness?

“Kuni? Are you feeling alright?”

Warm juices trickled down her chin as she lifted her head from his crotch to make sure he was okay. Placing a hand on the underside of his thigh, she waited for his nod to start eating him out again.

“I’m feeling... a little more than alright.”

[just-wrting]

Can't Take the Hint

Title: Can't Take the Hint

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Summary: You're having a hard time rejecting guys, thankfully the one you're into helps you out.

Warnings: Creepy guy and smut

Word Count: 2,826

Master List

A/N: This was meant to have more scenes in it, but I've opted to save those ideas for another time. This is also only my third time writing smut so I hope it's not that bad.

“I don’t know Dave. Asking them out seems like a bad idea.”

You hear Hotch’s voice even through the closed door. You want to linger and listen, but there’s a new case. Instead, you knock gently on Rossi’s office door. Within a few seconds, it swings open and Hotch is standing in front of you.

“Garcia said she’s got a case and to come get you guys,” you say. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

“No, we were just finishing up. In fact, I’ll walk with you if that’s okay?” Hotch moves toward you, and you back up.

“Sure. Though I hope you don’t mind if I borrow Rossi later. I have some guy trouble that I want his advice on.”

For a split second, he frowns. It’s so quick you think you’re imagining it. You study his face intently, wondering if it was just a trick of the light. There’s no reason that he would be upset about you having guy troubles. He’s just your boss, nothing more.

“Rossi’s advice may not be great, he does have multiple divorces. I could help you.”

“That’s actually why I’d like to talk to him about it. He’s gotten used to rejection.”

You give him a soft smile. He chuckles but doesn’t say anything. You know his offer still stands if you ever need to talk to him. He’s a great boss, and you’re grateful to him for being there for you when you need it.

You do your best to pay attention as Hotch and Garcia present your next case. A couple of bodies turned up in a forest on the west coast, and the local police had no idea how they got there. They all showed various stages of decay, indicating that they had been there for a different amount of time each.

“Well, the ME states the body that had been there the longest was there for about a year. Given that there are six bodies in that area that puts us at a murder every two months,” Emily says while placing her tablet down.

“So either he’s doing something to them that takes about two months, or he’s being extra careful.” Rossi rubs his chin.

Reid leans back in his chair. “Based on the ME’s report of the most recent body, he’s most likely torturing his victims for about a month.”

“Great. Cause that’s what we need to be doing, scouring the missing persons reports for a person that could be joining the body pile,” you groan.

Granted, Garcia is lightning-fast and great at sifting through things like that, but you still think it’ll take forever. This is shaping up to be one of those cases that just takes time. Time that you don’t have to be wasting on dead ends and possibilities.

“Wheels up in thirty,” Hotch says, snapping you out of your thoughts. “Be prepared for long days.”

—

It’s been over an hour and everyone is just lost in thought. Occasionally someone will throw out an idea, but without doing more interviews and crime scene analysis, there isn’t much to discuss. You take the opportunity to slide into a seat across from Rossi.

“Mind if I ask you some stuff? Take your mind off the case for a second?” you ask. “I promise I’ll be quick.”

Rossi gives you a smile. “Sure thing, kid. What else is someone with as much wisdom as I, supposed to do?”

You relax muscles you didn’t realize were tense. “Besides helping others out, I’m not too sure. So there’s this guy, I see him all the time since he goes to the same breakfast place as I do, and he asked me out.”

Rossi nods. “And you aren’t sure if that’s a good choice?”

“Actually, I know it’s a bad choice. Since the day before I’d seen him with another girl. They’re obviously a thing so I told him no. The problem is that now he won’t leave me alone. I don’t know what I did wrong.”

Rossi reaches out to grab your hand. He gives it a gentle squeeze and makes sure to look into your eyes.

“Kid, you didn’t do anything wrong. A man like that is just plain creepy and probably won’t take the hint until you tell him there’s another man you're with. If you need us to, I’m sure Hotch or Morgan will gladly help you play pretend to get him to leave you alone. We’re here to help each other.”

You slowly nod. You really didn’t think you’d actually encounter one of those guys that give off the same energy that serial stalkers have, but you did. Not to mention, it was while you weren't working.

“You’re right. I’ll give it some thought during the case, but for now, that’s what needs our attention. Let’s just hope things go better than they usually do.”

—

Things are not going better than they usually do. Hotch paired you with him and Morgan to go to the crime scene which wouldn’t have been an issue if it wasn’t for the constant drizzle that had started well before you had landed. Nothing says ‘a great day for a walk in the woods’ like rain.

You watch as an officer slips slowly down the hill to reach where the last body was found. The whole area was slick with mud. It’d probably be fun if you were a young boy in your own backyard but as an agent hoping to get an idea of what this dump site looked like in its horrible prime, not so fun.

The rain picks up and you duck under a tree. Hotch joins you while Morgan chuckles.

“I’ll go get the umbrellas from the SUV since you two must be made of sugar. Don’t start without me.”

Shortly after Morgan walks off, another officer approaches you. He sticks his hand out for you to shake.

“You must be Agent Hotchner and Agent (L/N),” he says while giving you a large smile. “Do you need an umbrella? I have one in the car.”

“Oh no thanks. Agent Morgan is returning with the ones he went to get. I can see him now.”

The officer’s smile wavers, but stays firm on his face. “Well, (L/N), I’m Officer Mike Morris. If you need anything, anything at all, let me know right away and I’ll help you.”

With that, the officer leaves. Hotch looks at you with an odd look on his face. You can’t quite place the emotion that’s behind his eyes.

“Here’s the umbrella. You two can share it because I’m not letting (L/N) pull me down into the mud.”

Morgan gets a head start down the hill. You watch him complete the task with ease, and you can’t help but be a bit envious. Sure you can take down grown men, but Morgan makes most physical feats look easy.

“(Y/N)?” Hotch’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts. “You do know that if you need anything, both on the case and off the case, you can talk to me, right?”

His hand rests on your shoulder. You give him a smile and start to head down the slope.

“Of course. You’re my go-to person if I need something, Hotch. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

—

It’s the next day, and you’re sitting at the table staring down a pile of paper. It’s early in the morning, and you think you’d kill for a cup of coffee right about now. Unfortunately, you got up early and were one of the first in the office. That means that there was no coffee for you to have and you have to wait for some to brew.

A sudden knock on the doorway startles you. You whirl around to find Officer Mike Morris standing in the doorway.

“I see you’re into mornings, just like I am. Figured you would want a cup of coffee.”

He sets down a cup of lukewarm coffee. You watch as the liquid settles and realize that the color is off. It won’t taste the way you like it, but you do your best to take a sip. You’re right. It’s not how you’d like it.

“(Y/N)? You left early today so I brought you coffee and breakfast. I hope that’s okay.”

Hotch walks into the room holding a tray of coffee and a to-go bag. He briefly looks at Officer Morris before looking at you.

“Thanks! What did you get me?”

A soft smile spreads across Hotch’s face. He sets the coffee tray down and pulls one of the cups out. You carefully read the label on the cup. It’s made just the way you like. As you take a sip, you feel the caffeine send tingles to your brain and you start to wake up.

“And breakfast?”

Hotch pulls a muffin out of the bag and hands it to you. You're quite grateful for the snack. Nothing says FBI breakfast like coffee and a pastry.

“Thank Hotch. I got up pretty early so I didn’t have a chance of getting food.”

You bury your face back into the papers, ignoring the men. You can feel the tension in the room though. They seem to be locked in some sort of silent fight, over what you can’t tell. A fight over ruining your train of thought is possible, but you can’t imagine that making you useless was a great idea.

“Well, (L/N), I’ll see you later. Don't be a stranger,” Officer Morris says before leaving.

—

“Oh, I call shotgun!” You say as you open the passenger door.

Hotch slides into the driver's seat. “As long as you don’t touch the radio we’ll be fine.”

Before the two of you can leave the parking lot, there’s a knock on your window. Hotch is quick to lock the doors. You frown when you see it’s Officer Morris. He seems to be everywhere. If it wasn’t for the fact that he didn’t fit the preliminary profile, you’d assume he was the unsub.

Rolling down the window, you ask, “ Was there something you needed, Officer Morris?”

“I heard you were headed to see the Willows and I figured I should come with. They’re grumpy and old so they don’t take well to strangers. I actually happen to know them quite well and am off duty now.”

You glance at Hotch, unsure of how you should shut Officer Morris down. Hotch’s mouth is drawn in a thin line and his eyes are cold. You can practically feel the irritation coming off him and you turn your gaze to the clock. Staring at the time seems like a better choice.

“I think (Y/N) and I will be fine. We’re both highly capable agents who’ve dealt with difficult people.”

Morris smiles tightly. “I’m sure (L/N) is an exceptional agent, but I can assure you that these aren’t your ordinary grumpy old people. We got a call once that Mr. Willow tried to shoot the mailman when he got too close.”

You hear the leather squeak as Hotch’s hand tightens on the steering wheel. He’s getting far more than irritated. In fact, you’d venture to say he was getting pissed. It wasn’t hard to tell why. Morris is wasting your time.

“Aaron is a more capable agent than I am!” you blurt out. “So if you don’t mind, we’ll be off. Serial killers don’t wait around for us to find our clues.”

You let Hotch roll up your window and drive off. As soon as you start rolling, you see him relax.

“Man, he just won’t let up. Is there something I’m missing?” you ask.

“If he gives you any more trouble, I’ll take care of it.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Of course.”

—

It finally hits you once Morris grabs your wrist. His grip is tight. You shake your hand a couple of times, but he still holds fast.

“I’ve been hoping that I could get a chance to talk to you alone, (Y/N). I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner.”

The whole time you had been here, Morris was hitting on you. You pride yourself on being able to read people, but you admit that your ability to spot romance is a bit lacking. Unfortunately, you have zero interest in going out with Morris. Not only is he being quite rude at the moment, but you had no intention of going long distance. Not to mention your lingering feelings for someone else.

“Well, given that we still haven’t caught the killer, I’ll have to decline. There’s no time to waste.”

His grip tightens even more before he releases you. His eyes are dark and he’s sporting a tight frown.

“Does Agent Hotchner not let you date?”

You stare at him in shock. “Excuse me?”

“Is Agent Hotchner interfering with your personal life? Does he dictate whether or not his team members can date?”

You shake your head. “No, he doesn't. This is a personal choice. I’d rather not go to dinner with you when I have a serial killer to catch.”

Morris says nothing, but you can tell he doesn’t believe you. His animosity toward Hotch confuses you. You don’t bother trying to understand it, however. There isn’t anything about this guy that is making sense.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to go back to my team. If you need anything, feel free to contact one of them.”

With that, you turn and walk back to the main room. You want nothing more than to have someone tell him off, but you opt not to mention anything. The team has other things to worry about.

—

Once again, Morris has done his best to ask you out. This time making the mistake of asking in front of Hotch. The tension in the room grows thick, and you feel uncomfortable. You can see Hotch seething.

“I don’t think-“

You’re cut off by Hotch. “You are to leave (Y/N) alone for the rest of this case, Officer Morris.”

His voice is icy. There’s a vein popping in his forehead and his hand is tight on the file. There’s no one else in the room to stop the fight that’s about to break out.

“(Y/N) doesn’t need to date whoever you approve of Hotchner. You’d be stepping out of your boundaries by making that choice.”

Hotch strides over to where you’re standing. He tosses the file onto the desk next to you and grabs your face. Within milliseconds, he’s pulled you into a kiss.

His lips are chapped and you let his tongue enter your mouth you can faintly taste blood. He’s passionate about it. One hand reaches around to the back of your head to keep you in place. There’s more force than necessary, and you feel yourself growing light-headed.

You don’t know how long he’s kissing you for, seconds or minutes, and it doesn’t matter. He’s set a fire inside of you and you find yourself whining when he pulls away. He’s careful to keep you close though.

“If you don’t mind, Officer Morris, (Y/N) and I will be leaving.”

—

Aaron pins one of your legs up against your body with the other wrapping around his waist. Your ankle is behind his head and you feel sweat fall from his brow.

“Why didn’t you tell him off sooner?”

You can’t answer his question with anything but a moan. You arch your back as he continues to pound you. Your body craves him and you feel delirious. The only thing you can think about is the way he’s making you feel.

“I could’ve done more to you in that office, but he doesn’t deserve to see you like that.”

Each thrust of his hips punctuates his statement. You can’t even tell what he’s saying though. The only thing on your mind is him. The way he’s filling you up. The way he feels inside of you. The way that each thrust hits that sweet spot makes you moan.

“A-Aaron!” you cry out.

His lips press harshly against yours. With one final thrust, you come undone. Your fingers grip his bicep tightly as you cum and you feel your legs tremble. You’ve been doing this for hours, and you’ve lost count of how many times that was.

When he pulls away, his face is soft. There’s no more anger or jealousy hidden in his eyes and a smile is slowly spreading across his face.

“You aren’t hurt are you?”

You giggle and shake your head. “Just a little out of practice for this. I’ll be a bit sore later but otherwise fine.”

His next kiss is soft and tender. You relish the fact that you’re spending the night with him.

“Good because when we get back to D.C. I’ll have to show you a different side of this. Perhaps after dinner?”

You let your eyes flutter closed. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

[aquagirl1978]

Reunion

A/N: My third entry for An Invitation to Crown hosted by @judejazza - this is Part Two to my earlier fic, Cigarettes After Sex. Pairing: Jude Jazza x f!Reader Prompt: body worship Word Count: 1748 Tags: NSFW; Minors - DNI; reader is female; reader is called 'princess'; oral sex (suitor receiving); come swallowing; piv; explicit language used.

“I’ll do it.”

Everyone turned and looked at you - well, everyone that is but Jude. And Ellis. They weren’t there in the castle when Victor called everyone for this meeting.

“Are you sure about that?” Victor asked, his eyes searching yours for even a hint of hesitation.

“I’m sure,” you replied. You needed something – anything – to get your mind off of Jude and this mission presented the perfect opportunity to do so.

“Well, that’s settled then,” Victor announced with a wide smile and a clap of his hands. “Will, Liam and Alfons will go with you to –”

“She’s not goin’ anywhere. Too dangerous.”

The sound of silence rang loudly through the room as all eyes focused on Jude standing in the doorway. You looked at Jude, whose eyes were focused elsewhere, wondering why he was there. Not daring to hope he was there because maybe, just maybe, he still cared for you.

“She asked to go,” Will stated, his head tilted as he stared back at Jude. 

“She’s not goin’,” he repeated slowly, glaring at Will. “I won’t let her see what you're capable of,” he added under his breath, his gaze shifting briefly to you. 

Your breath hitched as you locked eyes with Jude. You missed him, far more than you cared to admit. Even momentarily, you could see the storm clouding his amethyst eyes, a storm you wished so desperately to be swept up into.

“To fulfill her job as Fairytale Writer, she needs to see with her own eyes what we do.” Will turned his gaze to you, his smile both mischievous and alluring.

Stop looking at me like that; your smile has no effect on me.

“It’s your choice. You don’t have to listen to him,” Will continued, resting his chin in his hand, blood red nails gently tapping the table.

“You’re not Ellis, you can do what you want.” 

A flicker of frustration flashed across Jude’s face as his body visibly tensed. “Go to yer room.” He didn’t speak your name or look your way, but all in the room knew his words were for you.

“What you choose to do next is up to you,” William said.

Your eyes flicked between the two men; really, it was an easy choice for you to make.

*****

“What’s going on, Jude?” you asked, spinning in your spot to face him. Safe in your room and away from watchful eyes, you were finally able to give him a piece of your mind. “You broke it off. You left me. You ignored me for days on end.” You spit each word out, hurling the truth at him, hoping one would strike him and hurt him as much as he hurt you. “Why now do you care what I do?”

“It's dangerous,” was all he said.

“Yeah, you said that already.”

Jude looked away, his gaze unable to meet yours and huffed a small breath. “Didn't want ya to get hurt,” he said softly.

“Jude…”

Your heart ached as you spoke his name; you were right, he still cared. 

“”Don’t go gettin’ yer hopes up. I’m still a bad man.”

“You're not a bad man, Jude. You’re a good man, who happens to do some bad things.”

Jude just stared at you, curious to hear what words would next come from your mouth.

“And I accept that. I want to –”

“No more yappin’,” he said, cutting you off. Before you could get another word out, he stepped in front of you. With his face mere inches away from yours, you braced yourself, expecting a barrage of reasons why this wouldn’t work, while staring straight into his eyes. 

And then you saw a flicker; it was subtle, but it was there. A softening in his expression as he stared back at you.

You weren’t expecting him to bring his hands to your face and cup your cheeks gently; he surprised you when he pressed his lips to yours in a kiss. 

“Jude…” you said softly, pulling away from the kiss in a moment of shock.

“Shuddup,” he whispered, pulling you back in for another kiss. Wrapping his long arms around your shoulders, his fingers reached for the laces of your blouse, your body tingling from his touch. 

For the first time in days, you felt alive, his kiss breathing life back into you.  Jude was back. And you were in his arms where you belonged. 

He pressed his body against yours, his heat radiating as you felt a familiar firmness that stoked a fire in your belly. You pulled away from his kiss, his disappointment expressed in a strangled moan; overcome with desire, you flashed him a grin before you began to unbutton his shirt. 

Taking your time undoing his buttons, you let out a small laugh as you swatted his hands away from helping you. There was only one way to make up for lost time together and show him how much you loved him, and that was to drag this out as long as possible. 

Fingertips danced across his chest, tracing the lines of even the faintest scars, lingering when you noticed how his breath hitched and his body tensed the further you explored.

With a few quick tugs, you pulled the hem of his shirt free from his waistband to get to the last few buttons. Your grin grew wicked as you sank to your knees to finish your job. 

His gaze still upon you, he took your hand in his, and gently, so very gently, placed your hand on the bulge between his legs. Slowly, you traced the outline in his pants, enjoying the sweet, pleasurable sounds he made. 

Your gaze lingered on the prominent bulge in his pants. Sighing softly, you brought your hands to his waistband and unbuckled his belt. As your fingers wandered by his waistband, you tilted your chin up and looked into his eyes, waiting for his nod before continuing your exploration. His eyes were half-lidded, darkened with desire, as he gazed back at you seductively. 

“Princess…”

To hear him finally call you that, his special name for you, was enough to send warm tingles all throughout your body. Wrapping your fingers around his shaft, your eyes shifted to the cock in your hand.

Words could never describe how much you loved his cock. How much you loved holding his cock in your hand. How much you loved sliding his cock inside your mouth. 

Unable to tear your eyes away from your hand on his cock, you began to stroke his shaft, so softly at first it was almost torture. Your thumb teased his tip – it was soft as velvet, a drop of pre-cum appeared; you could not wait to slide your tongue over it and lick that drop. You stroked your lover, enjoying the weight of his balls cupped in your hand. 

He brought his hand to your face, tangling his fingers in your hair. You glanced up at him adoringly, one last time before he guided your head towards his hips. With a smile on your lips, you teased his tip once more, another drop appearing; your tongue darted out, licking it, enjoying its sweetness on your lips. Pumping his cock a few more times, you opened your mouth wide while sliding his length inside. 

Dragging your lips up and down his hard shaft, he groaned as he pulled your head closer to his body. Flicking your eyes up to meet his, you loved seeing his face filled with such pleasure. Popping his cock out of your mouth, you wrapped your fingers around him as you placed a trail of kisses along his shaft. You then placed gentle kisses on his balls, taking each one into your mouth. 

Wrapping your hair in his hands, he guided your mouth back to his throbbing cock. Sliding it into your mouth, you sucked on him until his length hit the back of your throat. He held your head there firmly as he began to thrust into your mouth roughly. Heat flooded your body as your mouth was filled with his cock. 

“Ah, fuck…”

Once he began to tremble, you kept your eyes on his, never wavering, as he shot his load down your throat. Lapping up all his juices, you licked his cock clean as he moaned blissfully, his hand finally letting go of your hair. 

He offered his hand to you, helping you stand. You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, eager to see where the night led you.

With the moon shining bright through the windows in your room, Jude guided you towards the bed, shedding the last of your layers on the way there. When the back of your knees hit the mattress, you gently fell onto the plush covers. Jude climbed onto the bed, his body straddling yours, a hunger in his eyes that you missed so much. 

His mouth fastened to your neck, his teeth grazing your skin in a trail of biting kisses, his long fingers traveling up your thigh searching for your sweet spot. You let out a lewd sound when he slid a finger inside you, his thumb teasing your clit. 

His touch filled you with so much pleasure that when he finally slid his cock inside you, you felt like you might come instantaneously. 

Later you could take your time with him, but right now, you just wanted to feel every inch of him inside you as you squeezed his length on each thrust. Dragging your nails down his back, you left light scratches, marking him, claiming him as yours. Enraptured, he claimed you, his mouth sucking sweet marks across your chest.

When your pleasure peaked, it exploded. A warmth filled your body like you never felt before as Jude joined you in a state of rapturous bliss. He collapsed on you, your bodies still joined, your euphoria ephemeral.

He lifted his head and stared at you; the room was silent, so silent you could hear your heart pounding in your chest. He brought his hand to your face, his thumb tracing the outline of your lips.

Jude finally smiled at you, a smile so warm it made you melt.

“I really can’t get rid of ya, now can I?”

“Nope.”

“Even though I’m a bad man who does bad things?”

“Whatever,” you said with a huff of laughter.

He couldn't hide his smile as he pressed a kiss on your lips before resting his head on your chest.

Tagging: @redheadkittys @themiscarnival @coral-relevium @cyberk1ee @kookie-my-little-sunshine

@pathogenic @ellisgivesmelife013 @ikemen-writer @nightghoul381 @judejazza

@xbalayage @xenokiryu @alydra @drachonia @ranhanabi777

@silver-dahlia @lunaaka @ikesenwritings @starlitmanor-network @sh0jun

[1perplexed1]

More ranting but its the protags now

Danganronpa, despite its out of pocket comments and shitty development sometimes, is actually still great with presenting how characters deal with trauma. This is mostly gonna be about the 3 main protags but yk (p.s. I haven’t watched the gameplays in over a year or two, so correct me if I’m wrong😓)

Makoto, being a cheery guy, still came to forgive everyone for their misdeeds. He didn’t yell at Kyoko for getting mad at him, he kept Sakura’s secret, he still got along with everyone, and he didn’t hold a grudge despite being sent off to the execution. He never held a grudge (apart from Junko but that’s cause she’s a bitch!!). He obviously went through a lot, watching people he actually knew for 3 years die right in front of him while he thought he didn’t know anyone, as well as nearly dying from the execution. But even so, he still kept his optimistic self and continued encouraging everyone despite knowing what the cycle would be, never giving up. In the Dr3 anime, in the scene where he’s driven insane, you can actually see that a lot of his trauma is internalized. Meaning he still holds regret in his heart, but chose the healthy way out and continued to work on it, despite having to go through 2 different killing games. His trauma had a heavy impact on him, which was the reason why he could be driven to despair, but even so, he’s a strong character, which allowed him to keep his mindset and still fight for the best

Now onto Hajime. Hajime is a whole different story. We don’t know much about his backstory or family, apart from a few glimpses into his Reserve Course life. We can easily tell that he truly dreams of becoming talented because Ultimates were a big deal in the world, but the Reserve Course was deemed as being desperate for that (they were lmao). So dealing with obvious self-esteem issues and somewhat implied self-loathing, he sold his damn body to scientists to experiment on.

What you believe is entirely on you. You can believe that Hajime and Izuru are two seperate identities, sharing the same body and brain, as a split personality, or you can believe that Hajime and Izuru are one in the same, with his brain just getting a few modifications. And there is no humane way for him to be able to accommodate all of those talents without obvious body modification, so imagine that, some parts of him aren’t even his at that point. Anyways, Hajime deals with trauma a bit differently. He gets agitated and deals with it like any average person: panicked and desperate. Constantly seeing his friends die, it gave an impact on his brain where he had slowly, but unknowingly grown used to it, with still being obviously impacted, but each time less and less, though it’s really faint. By chapter 6, Hajime let those bottled up feelings out, since he never lets his guard down and is always tense, and is obviously upset and angry because he had no reason to be there, again his self-loathing. In the anime, we can see him getting better, accepting his past (via the symbolism of Chiaki fading out, though he still keeps her dear in his heart), and moving on by going back t his friends. So he most likely also ends up dealing with it healthily!

Shuichi? Oh fuck he’s a mess…

Shuichi obviously also struggles with a self-esteem problem, but it’s not severe. He generally doesn’t believe he’s worth his Ultimate, because he only solved one case the police couldn’t, and is quite shy or introverted on his own. Throughout the gameplay, he obviously builds up confidence, which could also play as tiredness and anger, because of continuously doing these class trials and losing people he tried to make a genuine connection with. Even so, he tries to stay strong, but again, he never truly built true confidence, which is why he’s so easily knocked down in chapter 5, where his feelings are exposed, revealing that he did in fact become/was already depressed. He gave up with everything, because knowing there was no point in killing, everyone’s deaths were a waste, and everything that happened was pointless, gives a pretty big impact. He even comes to a point of giving up on his own life. But with a bit of support from Maki and his friends, he gets back up on his feet again and continues on, making everyone’s deaths important because they never lost their value. Though in chapter 6, you can see his confidence waver again, but he still stands his ground, proving that he actually grew to accept everything, and built actual confidence, which I think is a nice touch to his character.

So truth be told, Danganronpa, despite still being shitty, is still good at character development when they actually put work into them. But of course, sometimes you just can’t get that

[dozing-marshmallow]

hi! i was wondering if you could write duncan and courtney dating headcannons with a fem reader on the show? (separate) if not that's ok!

Awww no, it is okay! Thank you so much for the request, enjoy!<33

DATING COURTNEY HEADCANONS

From what we know about Courtney, it wasn’t hard to guess that her type was someone contrasting her.

So you were a bit of a cheeky contestant.

Okay, “a bit” was an understatement. Courtney didn’t like to admit it, but she found jubilation in your many ploys on the show.

Because of them though, she’d be on the assumption that you weren’t taking the competition seriously (even though you weren’t actually there to win the money), but you appreciate her reminding you to focus on the game and her helpful tips.

She wouldn’t want to openly say you guys are in a relationship as she’s aware that some people may try to exploit that for their own motives, but makes it clear that you’re off limits.

At night, you often share a bunk with her. Courtney would insist to be the little spoon, all the way through to the morning with her head on your chest.

Your darling Princess!

She loves sharing school stories with you.

“They actually had to rush her to the ER! Can you believe the manners some people have? How much of a litterbug do you have to be to throw your juice box out of a window from the fourth floor? We have bins for a reason!”

“Woah... So your teacher got a concussion from someone doing that?”

“Yeah! It sounds pathetic, but it’s what happened! The school assigned me to be in charge of delivering work from her and delivering notices to her. Makes sense since I was the only qualified student to take up that responsibility while still ace all my classes!”

She’s also fond of discussing hair with you and you play with hers and vice versa.

You like giving her little plaits, ponytails or a bun as high as it can go.

Additionally, she tries persuading you to do karaokes with her.

“It’s way better if we don’t have any instruments! You have nothing to hide behind and we’ll get used to being vulnerable with each other!” she smiled when she said it.

Looks like that couldn’t apply to her,“Oh, man...”

Though she’s a perfectionist, she loves complimenting you a lot.

“If you took that cap off your head and wore a headband instead, you’d look even more adorable! Would you do it for me at least?”

And her occasional feedback.

“What do you mean you haven’t read a single book this entire year!?” she jumps to her feet, horrified.

“Courtney, relax! It’s not a big deal.” you try to assure her with a grin.

She was more shaken at your presumably clueless behaviour to reading,“No, it is a big deal! You can’t just have everything on the outside and nothing in here!” she taps a tense finger to the side of her head,“My girlfriend’s gotta have brains with her beauty! I’m not dating no dummy!”

So she ordered you to sit down on the entrance steps of the Killer Bass cabin while she searched for a novel to give you- girl brought ten.

Out of her choices, she decided to provide you with Mercy Among The Children.

“There!” she hands you the clean copy, no crease or wrinkle, like all brand new,“You will read all of that and when you’re done, you will answer ten summary questions that I came up with to show me how much you learnt. And I will know if your answers are accurate, because I happened to give a presentation on this very book! I did it with ease thanks to my experience as a CIT.” her CIT talks got tedious very quickly, however if it made her happy, you didn’t want to take that away from her.

Therefore you gave something of your own instead,“What if I don’t know how to read?” you knew such question would aggravate her.

She shakes her head in disbelief, perfect autumn hair swaying,“Oh, you’re gonna have to do a lot better than that! You read the fine print of the contract to participate, didn’t you?”

Nope, but let’s pretend you did.

After a few seconds of “reading”, you call her name, to where she sat next to you, watching.

“What’s on your mind now?”

“I uh...” you turn to the back of the book, eyes scanning over the blurb,“Kinda don’t like the voice in my head narrating this. Could you read it to me?”

It seemed this request had halted her brain for a moment as she had stared at you with eyelids split apart again before her loving reprimand frolicked in the air,“Are you crazy? (Y/N), you know I love you, but I can’t do that! You gotta do this on your own, get used to reading in your head! How will you do in an exam when you have to stay quiet? I refuse to hear you getting disqualified over something as little as that!”

She’s so irresistible when she gets worked up,“Then I’ll transfer to your school so I can hear your voice everyday and be sure to pass my next exam.”

Her aim to lecture you had evaporated,“Oh wow...“ her eyebrows sprung back and she couldn’t believe herself for laughing at your not so futile charm,“Okay okay, just this once!” she declares, gently taking back the novel with both hands so it was still open.

As Courtney’s elegant voice embellishes the passage written down on the pages, you make promise to yourself to continue reading it in your own time.

After all, you know she’s just looking out for you.🤎

DATING DUNCAN HEADCANONS

You thought he asked you out as a joke, but he was serious.

Serious in love.

And he loved to be open about it. Not with words, but with his arm around you, calling your name.

He sprayed your hair for a day to see how green would look on you, however you got worried when it didn’t come out.

He would share stories from juvie and usually had an edible treat to give you as you talked. You always thought he had brought a stash of sweets, but looking at his luggage, you realise there was no way any high caliber food could survive in it.

“Mm, thanks Duncan! Where did you get this from?”

He winked,“Don’t worry about it.”

So you didn’t.

Duncan’s surprisingly very good at drawing; you use that talent as a couple’s activity.

He also likes drawing his initials on your arms with a marker, never forgetting to add a skull.

Loves playing with your hands and placing his one on your leg.

Sometimes you wear his shirt or use it as a blanket.

While Duncan wouldn’t really like to hug in public, he’d do gestures like rubbing your head or squishing your face.

He fantasises you someday getting a matching piercing, since you refuse to let him give you one.

“This nose piercing wasn’t painful, like a lot of wet wussies say, but it is a bit uncomfy for a few days. You sure you don’t want me to pierce ya? It’s free of charge~”

The treatment for the infection won’t be,“No thanks! I might decide to pierce my ears!”

“Ear piercing?” his face scrunched like the choice was boring, but his voice held hope,“Where exactly?”

“The lobe would be nice... But I’d also want to get one on the inside! Like industrial!”

“Now you’re talking.” Needless to say, he approved of those ones.

Duncan’s a night owl, so found his favourite part of the day being at night, when everyone else was certainly asleep. You two would go out to a different part of Camp Wawankwa every time to breathe in the wildlife air and have conversation crafted for the dark.

The first nights, you were hesitant. Your chest was tight. It was hard to enjoy the secluded moment with Duncan when your mind was racing with panic.

“Oh Duncan... What if someone sees us? I don’t wanna get in trouble...”

“We won’t. We’re not doing anything wrong.” his calm tone of voice somewhat helped, head swivelling to the closest functioning camera duck tapped on a tree,“The worst Chris’ll do is tell us to go back inside, though knowing him, he probably doesn’t care.”

You trace a finger on his chest,“I wish I could sleep with you in your cabin. But the girls would be suspicious if my bed was empty, and let’s not talk about what the guys would do.”

“Keen, huh?” his unibrow forms a squiggly line as one of the separate eyebrow bones upreared, making you push him gently out on exposed instinct,“I’m pretty sure everyone knows about us by now and the guys would be fine if you crashed in for a night or two.”

“I know...” Duncan’s friends were nice guys. When they wanted to be,“I just don’t wanna make anyone uncomfortable.”

His laugh gets clogged by his nose,“You? Make anyone uncomfortable? Babe, trust me, unless your name starts with H and ends in arold, you don’t gotta worry about being alienated. If it means that much to you, we can wait until more people go home for us to share a bed.”

Ohh! You had forgotten about the competition and how it worked! Love makes you forget about the everyday things like the collection of the fires supplementing the sky just being rocks floating in space,“Until more people go home... How...will we make sure it’s not us?”

“Welll. I like you so that’s one less person to vote for you.” he starts,”The rest of the guys like you so you can count them out. Now for the chicks... Anyone you think wants you gone?”

Instantly, someone came to mind,“Heather,” your boyfriend makes gagging noises at the name, vining a smile on your lips,“Ever since I turned down her offer to join her alliance, I must’ve ended up on her watch list. Sure, we can act civil, but I can tell she’s impatiently waiting for my elimination.”

He snorts, brushing his hand on your back,“Seriously? Chicks hold a grudge over anything! Well, that alliance of hers can’t be doing so good when one of her so called members don’t even like her, so it’s not like you’re missing out on anything.”

“True... I get to enjoy the Duncan instead,” you look into his blue vision for that, seeing his irises sprout in ardour. You leave a tangible mark of your lips on his, finding your eyes wondering to a large robust tree not so far away from where Duncan held you,“I wonder... Do you think we could secretly build our own secret treehouse?”

“Up there?” he follows your gaze and whistles,“It is possible... All I’ll need are some tools to steal from Chef and it’ll be there in no time.”

“Duncan!” his romantic selfless take on your suggestion is piled over by his out of place mention of Chef’s inventory, which clicks something to your attention,“Is that...where you’ve been getting the snacks from?”

An unbeaten chuckle rippled out of his ribs, how carefree he was,“Looks like the cat got outta the bag!”💚

[thenightfolknetwork]

Hi. I have a bit of a problem regarding my appearance.

You see, for a long time I was a vessel for a greater deity. But, recently, that deity has left me. Usually, this isn’t supposed to happen. But, The Great One will do as She desires, so I was left behind.

The problem is, while She was inhabiting me, She made a few adjustments to my appearance. Horns, ear piercings, tattoos, etc.

When She left, the horns and scales disappeared. But the piercings and tattoos stayed. Honestly, I don’t mind them. I find them very stylish and have grown accustomed to them.

But it’s not exactly my call. You see, I am Sapio. Without The Great One using my form, I’m about the most average Sapio out there. But the markings and piercings adorning my body are symbolic of the devine-folk genetically related to The Great One. Which I am not. So, naturally, me having these markings is seen as incredibly appropriative.

So, what do I do? I can’t remove them, they’ve been divinely protected beyond belief. I can’t cover them either, they’re everywhere, and bundling up in the middle of Arizona summer isn’t exactly a wise choice for me.

So, how do I get people to realize that I’m not trying to be offensive? Or at least, how do I stop being offensive?

Unfortunately, reader, there's nothing you can do to ensure people don't misinterpret your physical appearance. It would make life a great deal easier if we could transmit our good intentions and mitigating contexts into the minds of others at a whim.

But even if we could, that's no guarantee others would take the time to actually listen before forming an opinion – or even that, after hearing our reasoned defences, that they would agree with us.

I think it's important to emphasise that you aren't actually being offensive here. Cultural appropriation is a very real issue, but you haven't appropriated anything. You were fully and sincerely part of the culture to which these adornments and markings belong.

In fact, I would strongly argue that you have every right still to identify with this culture, if you so wished. 'The most average sapio out there' has never been a vessel for a great deity. That experience doesn't stop being part of your story just because it is now in the past tense rather than the present.

However, you may still wish to avoid the stares and snap judgements your appearance might draw. In practical terms, you might consider using a glamour to subtly alter your appearance, or at least to draw attention away from your more controversial features.

Any reputable, licensed practitioner should be able to supply you with such workings, and many offer discounts if you're buying bulk. Glamours can be expensive though, so you'll likely want to reserve them for situations where they'll be most effective.

If you're just popping to the shops or taking a walk round the park, your best defence is a shift in mind-set. You don't need strangers to understand you. You know who you are, and you can share that with people who take the time to actually engage with you.

Otherwise, keep your head high, and concentrate on the opinions that matter – your own, and those of the people who love you.

Alternatively, you might consider getting some custom t-shirts made. 'I Was A Vessel To An Elder God And All I Got Were These Lousy Piercings' has a certain ring to it.

[For more creaturely advice, check out Monstrous Agonies on your podcast platform of choice, or visit monstrousproductions.org for more info]

[glitterrosesnzz]

show

i'm back home which means! it's time for me to go absolutely nuts and post a h/azbin l/ucifer fic!! this features a few hc's ive seen going around, + a few of my own...

Lucifer sniffled as he stepped out of the shower, quickly grabbing the towel he’d set out beforehand and wrapping it tight around himself as a chill down his spine made him shiver. 

Damnit. He’d been hoping the shower would get rid of the slight feeling of offness he’d woken up to. 

Evidently, it hadn’t, which was never a good sign. Especially for someone like him. 

Dropping the towel onto the back of his couch, Lucifer started pulling on a pair of pants- 

A drop of water fell off of his still wet hair, landing directly on the tip of his nose. Lucifer froze, feeling an itch settle in. 

So this was how this was gonna be, huh. 

Lucifer sniffled again, rubbing his nose as the itch grew stronger, tensing up as the sensation of magic swirled up his arms. 

“Hh…Hh’Ntshiew!” The half stifle was enough to calm the buzzing in his nose down, at least temporarily, but Lucifer still remained stiff. He had felt his magic surge just now- but there had been no fire, no wings, no fireworks, and nothing around him seemed to have suddenly swapped colours, so what could possibly have- 

A sudden loud, distinctly Charlie-sounding shriek from downstairs made Lucifer jump up, snapping the rest of his clothes and hat on instantly as he opened a portal down to the hotel lobby. 

He stepped out to find that his daughter was up in the air in Vaggie’s arms, her girlfriend’s wings flapping frantically, while Angel Dust and Husk had climbed up onto the bar counter, which, Lucifer supposed that was all fair, considering- 

“What the fuck is a lion doing in the hotel lobby?” Angel Dust shouted, letting out a small noise of terror as the lion immediately turned it’s attention towards him. Lucifer winced, before putting on his usual showman’s smile, stepping forwards. 

“Don’t worry, I got it!” He said, making a show of twirling his cane in an overdramatic fashion before pointing it at the lion. 

The lion lunged at him. 

Lucifer let out a yelp, snapping his fingers instinctually, trapping the lion within a reasonably sized iron cage. There was silence for a moment, everyone glancing between him and the lion in the cage. Lucifer’s nose, unfortunately, twitched. 

“Hh…hehH-” 

“My, my, what is all this chaos so early in the morning?” There was a surge of radio static, and Alastor emerged from the shadows beside the cage, making the others jump and turn their attention to him as he tapped his microphone-cane against it. “Catching today’s dinner already?” 

Taking the opportunity that had been presented to him, Lucifer quickly took his hat off, twirled it- and used it to hide his face as he stifled two sneezes as quietly as he could, hoping that no magic side effects would slip through. 

“H’nNt! N’tch!” 

There was no magic sensation, thank goodness, and though it wasn’t satisfying in the slightest, it took the immediate urgency away, so Lucifer quickly returned his hat to his head before anyone could grow even the slightest bit suspicious- relieved to see that they were all still captivated by Alastor’s sudden appearance. 

“Alastor, we’re not going to eat a lion.” Charlie was set lightly back down onto the floor by Vaggie, and proceeded to walk over to the lion’s cage, keeping a healthy distance away as she observed it. “Maybe we can find some way to tame it…” 

“Ah, how unfortunate. I was somewhat looking forward to a dinner with a show.” Alastor said, leaning slightly on his cane. 

“A show?” Charlie asked, and then, to Lucifer’s horror, Alastor pointed at him. 

“Haha, what’re you looking at me for?” Lucifer asked, trying to ignore the various looks now directed his way. “You’re not expecting me to get in that cage are you? Cause, buddy, you’ll end up in there long before I will.” 

“Goodness no. I would never expect you to willingly endanger yourself.” Alastor said, the constant grin on his face somehow appearing even more smug than usual. “Though it admittedly would be fun to watch. No, the show I’m waiting on should be starting any minute now.” 

On cue, almost as if to spite him, Lucifer’s nose twitched again, the tickle flaring up. 

Fuck. He needed to leave this conversation now. Lucifer prided himself on his ability to sometimes stifle, but he knew full well that he was absolute shit at holding back. 

“W-well, I don’t know what you’re o-hH-...on about, but, but I’m just going to go… back to mhhy… my room-” He turned, fully planning on forming another portal but- 

“Not so fast.” Alastor suddenly appeared in front of him, and Lucifer’s breath caught. “The star performer can’t just leave when the show is about to start, now can they?” 

“W- watch mehH… hE’TCHshiew!!” Lucifer’s wings flew out, spreading wide, and Alastor quickly stepped back, giving him a wide berth to avoid getting hit. 

“Hh- hHIE’SChiiew!!” Ah, and of course there was the fire. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands as his breath hitched again, his wings tensing in preparation. Couldn’t it have just been the wings? Why was his body and magic suddenly pulling out the whole shebang? At this rate, next his magic will be pulling out the- the- 

“Hh’iETshh!” …Fireworks. “Hihh- haH- h’ETSHhiiew!!” And there was the fire again. He needed to get a handle on this, before he ended up damaging something, or worse- hurting someone. 

“Hh’TSHh! ‘Tch! HhIE’SCHiiew!!!” 

Fuck. 

“H’Ngtsh! Hehh… hH’IETChhiew!!” 

Double fuck. 

“HN’Tshiew! Hh- eT’SHhiew!!” 

Hells Bells, why couldn’t he fucking stop- 

“Hh- hihH….” The sudden sensation of cool metal resting just under the tip of his nose took him by surprise, shocking him just enough to send the tickle temporarily back into dormancy. His wings slumped slightly with relief, and Lucifer blearily opened his eyes to find that the metal was, in fact, Alastor’s microphone-cane. 

The demon himself was standing a good distance away from him though, of course, the cane held out at arms length, just enough to touch. After a brief second, Alastor pulled his cane back, shifting it to rest in the crook of his arm as he clapped slowly. 

“My, my, what a performance!” He laughed, ignoring the glare Lucifer directed at him, “Though it is a shame that the carpet ended up being an unfortunate bystander.” 

“Wha- oh, shit!” Sure enough, there were scorch marks on the carpet, evidently from the fire. If possible, Lucifer’s wings slouched further. “...Sorry, Charlie. I’ll uh, I’ll fix it up-” 

“It’s, ah, alright, dad.” Charlie sounded uncertain, and Lucifer turned to her to find that she was looking at him with concern. “Are, um. Are you alright?” 

“Of course!” He was definitely sure at this point that he wasn’t, but he couldn’t let his daughter know that. “It was just a little tickle-” 

“Little?” Husk’s voice sounded from behind the bar, and Lucifer finally realized that, at some point, the bartender and Angel Dust must have ran and hid behind the counter. Husk was now standing, leaning against it with an almost irritated expression, while Angel Dust was still crouched, as though he was ready to duck back down again. “It certainly didn’t seem ‘little’ to me. You’re sick.” 

“WhaAat? No. No, nu-uh, no I’m not.” Lucifer crossed his arms, avoiding eye contact with the rest of the room. Charlie let out a sigh. 

“Dad.” 

“I’m not sick!” Lucifer insisted, despite the Look the rest of the room was giving him. “I don’t- I can’t even get sick, I’m an angel- fallen sure, but still an angel-” 

“Vaggie can get sick, and she’s an angel.” Charlie argued. 

“...I’m an archangel?” 

“Outside of power levels, sir,” Vaggie said, moving to stand beside her girlfriend, also staring at Lucifer with concern. “Whether you’re an archangel or not doesn’t affect much in this matter.” 

Lucifer stared at the two of them, then at Alastor’s still smug looking grin, and then over at Husk and Angel Dust at the bar. After a beat, he sighed. 

“You guys aren’t going to believe me no matter what I say, are you.” At the various negative shaking of heads, he sighed again. “Thought so. Fine, so maybe I’m coming down with a cold or something. So what?” 

“Dad, you just almost burnt the floor to ashes.” Charlie said. Lucifer winced. 

“Well, I-”

“He was also responsible for our little lion problem this morning, I would assume.” Alastor suddenly added on, seemingly delighting in Lucifer’s panicked expression. Angel Dust finally stood up straight in shock at the revelation. 

“That’s why- Charlie, princess.” He said, “I think we’re going to have to either quarantine your dad, or build a bunker.” 

“I’m leaning towards the bunker.” Husk muttered, and Angel Dust smirked at him. Charlie pinched her brow in exasperation. 

“We’re not going to build a bunker.” She said, “Though… something like a quarantine isn’t that bad of an idea… Dad, go back to your room.” 

“Huh- but-” Lucifer couldn’t even get a word out. 

“Go back to your room and rest, dad.” Charlie insisted, “You seem… mostly fine now outside of the… incidents, but we don’t want whatever this is to be getting any worse.” 

…Lucifer supposed he could see the logic in that, even if this somewhat felt like he was being grounded by his own daughter. 

“Fine.” He said, snapping his fingers and re-opening the portal to his room. “Just, call me if you need anything, okay?” 

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine, you can just stay in bed all day today!” Charlie said, patting her father on his arm. “I’ll send Niffty up to your room with some tea later… Wait, where is she anyways?” 

“She’s in the lion cage.” Angel Dust deadpanned. 

“Niffty-” 

Lucifer stepped through the portal and let it close behind him before whatever chaos was about to begin could truly start to happen. After a moment of standing in silent debate, he shrugged off his jacket, kicked off his shoes, placed his hat onto the bedside desk, and flopped down onto his bed. 

He supposed having a rest day wouldn’t be so bad… 

…Ah, shit- 

“Hh’EITShhiew!!” 

There was a loud scream from downstairs, followed by a roar, followed soon after by a surprisingly loud shout of; “We’ve got this! Don’t you dare come down here dad!!”

Oh, right. He’d made that cage out of his magic, hadn’t he.

…Maybe Alastor was going to end up getting his ‘lion lunch’ after all.

[star-going-supernova]

Gregory introduces Spring-ness to Freddy

The first prompt up there is number three of our tumblr generated prompts and comes from TheGrimRead3r on ao3! The second one came in during this event, but there was no reason not to put them together. This one is a sequel to Amongst the Dead, and the tldr of that ficlet is that Vanessa got spring-locked and possesses a white bunny animatronic now.

A Difference Keenly Felt

Vanessa didn’t know what she was doing. In the grand scheme of things, that is, because right now, she was letting a kid stand on her shoulders in order to climb into a vent. A kid she desperately wanted to save. Which meant now was not the time to have an existential crisis. Gregory’s slight weight left her, and she listened to the clunking of him scooting around up there.

“I’ll go unlock the door,” he called back to her, and then he was off. It was a good thing they weren’t trying to be quiet, she mused with a soft huff.

She wandered back over to the door in question. Her movements still felt stiff, but it was already a far cry from the absolute struggle it was to stand up. She hadn’t moved since she’d been tossed into that room like junk—as if she wasn’t a… as if she wasn’t an actual person.

A dead one, yes, but clearly death wasn’t as final as she’d once believed.

Vanessa looked down at herself, at what she thought of as her body now. It didn’t feel the same as her human body, of course, but it was still hers. There was a much duller sense of feeling, like she was touching things through a thick blanket, and she’d completely lost her ability to taste and smell. But the limbs moved as she wanted, and her eyesight and hearing was certainly improved.

It wasn’t the body she would have chosen for herself. If she could get her human one back, she would in a heartbeat. But instead, she was a fuzzy white rabbit animatronic, which was just salt in the wound.

She hadn’t known how to feel when she realized her human body had been removed. The insides of her animatronic suit were far from clean—judging by the way Gregory’s nose wrinkled when he got too close, she still smelled of rot—but it hurt a little to have lost that last piece of who she used to be. She was grateful, though, to not have to be so aware of the flesh and blood that had clogged her insides.

The door unlocked, and as Gregory pulled it open, he said, “You’ll never guess who I found! I don’t think I mentioned it, actually, but Freddy was helping me before we got separated, and that was when I met you!”

What passed for fear when one’s body lacked flesh and hormones and a brain to translate those chemicals flashed through Vanessa, and she looked up in a panic to see Glamrock Freddy standing behind Gregory. His smile faded a bit when he saw her, but Gregory didn’t notice either of their reactions.

“Freddy, this is Vanessa. She watched over me while I took a nap. Vanessa, this is Freddy. He was helping me before I met you.” He barely gave them a chance to take each other in before he was off like a shot. “I’m gonna go get a Fazerblaster like you suggested, Freddy! Be right back, play nice!”

Vanessa tensed as she was left alone with a real animatronic. He eyed her distrustfully.

“You are not like me,” Freddy said eventually.

“Uh,” she replied. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You are… different. Wrong,” Freddy said. She flinched minutely; trust me, she wanted to say, I know. “There is no ‘Vanessa’ in my files of past or present animatronic personalities. You do not exist, yet you stand before me.” His countenance hardened, and even though Vanessa wasn’t hooked up to the communication system the way a proper animatronic would be, she could nearly feel the protective rage settling over him. “If you are trying to hurt Gregory, I will stop you.”

She raised her hands and shuffled away. “I’m just trying to help, okay? The kid needs as much as he can get.”

“Who—what are you?” Freddy demanded.

“I’m Vanessa,” she said. “I… I’m…”

He moved fast for a robot, much faster than she did, as unused to her mechanical body as she was. He slammed her into a wall, looking quite ready to rip her apart if need be.

“Okay, okay!” she cried. “But you can’t tell Gregory, yeah? It’ll—it won’t help.”

“I will be the judge of that.”

She wished she could swallow or run a hand through her hair or even just breathe. But all of those little human things had been taken from her. Their absence, the difference in all the little things that made her up… she felt it deep and sharply.

But it wasn’t like she could cry about it.

“I’m Vanessa,” she repeated. “And I was a human. I got… I was tricked into this suit—it’s got springlocks, which are really really dangerous—and I. I died. In here. And now my body’s gone and this is my body now.”

The light of Freddy’s eyes flickered. She could hear the subtle clicking and whirring of his body as he processed that.

“Vanessa Anderson,” he said slowly.

Her voice box emitted static, as close to a choked breath as she could manage.

He continued, “She is in my files as a night guard who went missing a year ago.”

A year. Had she really been asleep, shut down, whatever, for that long?

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “That, that was me. And now I’m…” She gestured helplessly at herself.

Freddy backed off, releasing her. “I am very sorry, Vanessa Anderson. I… will not tell Gregory.”

“Thanks. And I mean it. I just want to help him. I, I can’t let him end up like me.”

He looked at her, then, really looked at her, and he nodded. Maybe it was wishful thinking, or a remnant of her humanity that demanded she seek emotion even in emotionless things, or maybe it was because she understood him in a way she wouldn’t have been able to as a human. But whatever it was, it seemed to Vanessa that Freddy was looking at her with more compassion than anyone had shown her in years.

[ranposbabe]

Infidel | Johan Liebert x Reader

Chapter 17

When was the last time you spent time outside for your own pleasure ?

Sure you can recall your now multiple encounters with Nina yet you couldn’t recall ever wondering out on your own.

At least as of late.

Down near some alleyway in the town you were desperate as to wanting a clear mind yet you didn’t get your hopes up.

Your mind was plagued with the misfortune of recent events.

Practically one after another.

It was so irritably warm outside that it felt as if your cast was seconds away from magically slipping off.

You step outside a local shop disposing off an empty bottle in the public bin that was used as an ashtray by the public. Butts of cigarettes piled on the bin and some even laid at your feet. The harsh smell somewhat lingers still in the air.

You started to regret it. No matter what you do your mind can’t be put at ease and the longer you stayed outside the more frustrated you found yourself.

The numerous shops in the town clearly didnt amuse you.

But as you glance across from you, you manage to catch a glimpse of something. Or someone. Despite the non rememberable faces of a sudden crowd passing by, a stare pierces straight through the crowd right towards you.

A girl no older than thirteen.

Her hair quite the same as yours. The same in length and shade.

Her eyes no matter the darkness or light shared the same resemblance as to yours in colour and lifelessness. Her skin almost as pale as her dress. A silk white gown almost like a nightwear that gives her the appearance of an angel. She appears pristine yet as she stands barefoot her feet lack the cleansed look that her dress had.

A swan that waddled through mud almost.

Just as the swarm of people past by she’s gone. As if you were placed under a spell you found yourself crossing the pathway and without hesitation making your inside.

There was no glass panes as it was blocked off by wooden boards making sure no light could peek through.

Ahead was an alter where you could slightly make out the appearance of the strange girl.

The area was littered with thousands of candles different shapes and sizes with some burning quicker than others.

Droplets of wax smeared the marble table.

It gave the illusion of the present being set during the night

The more steps you took you found yourself walking more cautious and slower. Every step you took the atmosphere felt more warmer and tense. You took notice of the cracks in the old flooring. The cracks became longer and bigger the more closer to the alter like an old tree with endless branches.

Her hands at first gave the impression that she was praying yet when you stared at her longer her fingers interlocked like she was clenching her fists. However maybe she was praying in her own way.

You weren’t exactly sure.

“Kneel with me.” She speaks so soft and yet she sounds like she’s on the verge of tears.

“I don’t pray”. You shake your head, your cast well on display.

“You don’t have to.” She’s quick to answer.

The tips of her fingers blushes in scarlet

You reluctantly agree and join her in kneeling.

“You’re frustrated.” She states.

“Why ?” She wonders. A part of you wonders too.

Ten minutes. In those ten minutes your mind is blank and for some reason you don’t question anything about your current situation. It takes ten minutes for you to find the courage to speak.

“My father treats me like I’m a child.”

You whisper, too conscious and to opens your eyes.

“My father treats me like I’m grown.”

She whispers back, her eyes are shut aswell.

“It’s not our fault that we’re the daughters of questionable men.” She spoke with such certainty in her tone.

The candles flicker in her direction, her face glows while despite kneeling at her left side you remain in the shadows.

“Why did you follow me here ?” She wonders with still such a gentle tone.

Something that seemed unfamiliar to you as of late. “Because you kept staring at me from across the path ?” Your eyes widen in bewilderment, unsure of what the girl seeks from you.

“You’re so naive. You fail to recognise the disturbance around you.”

A child calling you naive. If you had the strength you would’ve laughed.

It was like looking in a mirror that held the past. A mirror that would soon shatter if held up any longer.

“You’re being played with.” She speaks with such urgency yet remains calm in her words.

“What am I doing here ?” You laugh at sudden realisation of it all.

Your attempt to stand is stopped as she places her tiny hand briefly on your cast. Her eyes lock onto something that you miss.

“It was my heart that was played with.

For you it is your mind.”

“Can I give you some advice ?” She doesn’t give you the chance to reply.

“You needn’t seek what not to be sought.

If you do so it will destroy you.”

“So you’re basically telling me curiosity killed the cat ?” You look around, thinking at any moment someone would jump out screaming with laughter after pulling a joke on you. As if someone was lurking around. Though you soon were quick to brush it off. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“Is it childish to want to not question anything even while being in the completely unknown ?

At that you don’t respond.

You don’t even look in her direction in fear of uncertainty.

“Is it childish to sometimes not want to be surrounded by complete complexities?” She continues.

The candles flicker in your direction. Your skin glows in the light as you attempt to answer.

“I don’t think it’s childish.” You finally spoke with certainty in your quiet tone.

A single tear falls from your right eye.

You would’ve stopped the tear before it could’ve even escaped but you didn’t.

You’ve been through it. Unsolved cases, the shed burning down and even being thrown down a flight of stairs and yet it’s now when you’re in the company of a stranger a tear manages to slip away.

Her small thumb reaches out and wiles the tear from your cheek.

“Why are you barefoot ?” The question seemed idiotic as soon as it slipped past your lips. Perhaps it was genuine curiosity or that you just wanted to distract yourself even for a brief moment.

“I suppose we both have our odd quirks.

She playfully tilts her head to the side

“I’m not the one who followed a stranger into an abandoned church.” She smirks.

In a instant she returns to her prayer like state. Her eyes closed and her lips tight almost like a frown. You notice that her knuckles are turning white.

“You think you know it all but it is him that is ahead of you. No matter how much you think you know or how close you come near the truth he will be ahead. Always.”

Your eyes wonder to catch a glimpse of one of the candles before you.

The flame flickered so high and violent.

Just the same as when the shed was set ablaze.

“Who is he ?” You ask, brows furrowed in confusion. “Your ending.” She smiles so politely as if she had no understanding to her words.

You slowly rise with your knees starting to ache. The further you walk away the smaller the branches of cracks become.

Or at least that’s what you thought.

“Don’t come back here again.” She calls as she remains kneeling. She opens her eyes once more yet she doesn’t dare look back unlike you.

Her nose scrunched up like a fussy rabbit.

For once truly showing child like behaviour.

“Next time you do, it will be a sin.”

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TAGLIST: @nimuelis @meigalahadovna @sugaredpersimmon @thesimpupthesky

[its-jaytothemee]

Until I Met You - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Into Darkness

Pairings: Halsin x Tav

Word count: 5,596

Rating: Currently M, will be Explicit in later chapters.

Read on AO3

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Summary: Tav and her companions make the journey into the shadow cursed lands of Moonrise. She and Halsin struggle to cope with the darkness choking the land, but are lucky enough to find a small pocket of light among it. Part 21 of the slow burn fic. Tav and Halsin POVs.

Tags: Slow burn, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, fluff, eventual love confessions, eventual smut, angst, implied past rape/non-con and abuse, graphic description of injuries, brief suicidal thoughts.

A/N: Let's get this act 2 party started! The chapters dealing with act 2 are going to be much heavier with angst and hurt/comfort but I'll sprinkle in some lighter stuff when I can!

The darkness was even heavier than Halsin remembered. He felt as if the long tendrils of shadow were weaving their way into his lungs, replacing the very air he breathed. Everyone stood still, unable to take another step forward as they began to realize the depth of the curse on this land. Tav was tense beside him, her fingers pressed into the back of his hand as she continued to hold it by her side.

“I don’t know what I expected, but damn – this place is cursed.” Karlach let out a shaky breath.

“I tried to picture it in my head but…this…” Shadowheart trailed off for a moment. “This is a lot.”

“I think I may have been a bit overzealous trying to push us here sooner.” Wyll’s voice was quiet, yet it still carried through the cold air. “Hold close to the light and keep the shadows at bay.”

“We press forward. Maybe we can find a place to camp around the lighter parts of the curse. Keep your torches up, we have spares if we start to lose any. Stay close together, and we might just survive this.” Tav kept her voice strong and confident, but Halsin could still feel her hand shaking in his.

She led them forward, pulling Halsin along behind her. Her other hand held her torch out in front of her to persuade the shadows around them to remain at arm’s length. The cold feeling seeping into his skin threatened to drag him back down into his darkest memories. Only the warmth of Tav’s hand seemed to keep him grounded and present with their traveling party.

The corruption of the shadow curse had weaved its way into every fiber of the land. The trees and vines surrounding them were lined with the dark energy, warped beyond the control of his druidic magic. He reached out to touch one of them and felt nothing. The hollow echo he sensed caused his throat to tighten and tears to sting his eyes.

What if that means that Thaniel is…is…

Halsin pushed the thoughts away. He couldn’t afford to fall to despair. Soon enough he hoped to have his answers, best to hang on to that hope as long as possible. As they continued their wary stroll, Shadowheart stopped abruptly, causing her to linger back out of their torchlight. Her torch, he noticed, was no longer lit.

“Shadowheart! Stay close!” Tav turned to scold her.

“The curse…” She was looking at her hands in wonder. “It’s not affecting me like everyone else.”

“That’s not possible.” Halsin stayed close to Tav, each of them holding a torch high in the air.

“You know what this means?” Shadowheart looked between all of them, tears of pride shining in her green eyes. “I’ve been blessed.”

Tav stiffened at his side, her nails digging into the back of the hand she still held.

“Lady Shar, she’s blessed me while others are left to face her wrath. She loves me…” A few tears rolled down her cheeks, sparkling with each pop of the fire adorning their torches.

“Okay, so what does that mean for us?” Astarion turned to ask.

“She wouldn’t bless me without reason, no matter how much favor I’ve curried with her.” Shadowheart looked lost in thought for a moment. “Grymforge, all the signs of Dark Justiciars we’ve found, it’s no coincidence. I need to remain on the lookout for any place dedicated to Lady Shar. A temple, perhaps.”

“This whole damned place is dedicated to Shar thanks to her dark magic.” Tav spat back, her nails felt like they were embedded in Halsin’s skin, but he made no move to take his hand back. “You say she loves you? All she’s done is provide you with protection from her own corrupt power. That’s not love.”

“It is not for me to question my Lady’s will. She will show me the path to follow, I’m sure of it. Besides, it’s a good thing I’m protected, it means I can help us navigate these lands.” He could have sworn he saw a brief flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

“You wouldn’t need her help navigating these lands if they hadn’t been destroyed in the first place.” Tav started to take a step towards Shadowheart, but Halsin held her back.

“Regardless,” he interrupted, squeezing Tav’s hand to try and soothe her temper, “This will all be for nothing if we can’t find a safe haven within the shadows or a more reliable way to shield the rest of us. Having one person protected from them will not be enough.” He tried to keep his tone level, but his own hatred of Shar soaked into every word. Being here with one of her faithful disciples would be…challenging to say the least.

Tav took a shuddering breath beside him as she turned to continue their exploration. Her grip on his hand had loosened, now back to a comfortable hold as she pulled him along behind her.

“Is it just me, or do the shadows seem worse somehow? Heavier? Almost as if…” Tav trailed off as she took in their surroundings.

“As if they’re spreading.” He finished her thought. “Yes, I feel it too.”

He had never considered the possibility of the curse spreading, the theory brought waves of guilt crashing down on him. How far would they roam if given the opportunity?

Time is short, we must find Thaniel. It’s time to tell her.

“Tav, I need to tell you something.” He whispered, still holding her hand tight in his.

“Can it wait? I hear something up ahead.” She turned toward him as she spoke, but her attention was clearly elsewhere.

“Of course.” His shoulders slumped at her reply, he had been anxious to get his plan off his chest.

Tav began to take her hand back, her fingers slowly starting to slip away from him. He tightened his grip, not wanting to let go of her just yet.

“Is everything okay?” She turned around to face him, concern obvious in her expression.

“Yes, of course, everything is fine. My apologies.” He reluctantly let go of her hand but not before she gave it one final squeeze. Even in the unnatural darkness around them, he caught the faintest hint of a blush across her cheeks as she grinned at him. His now free hand reached up to touch the braid she had woven into half of his hair earlier this morning.

They crept through the woods, making their way down the gnarled vines and branches that littered the ground. He heard voices and saw the glow of firelight shining from behind a rocky hillside.

“Stay together…keep to the light!” An unfamiliar voice called out in the darkness.

Tav motioned for them to hold their position behind her. When Halsin peered around to look at her, she looked as if she had seen a ghost. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke again.

“Harpers.”

***

Tav crouched frozen in place, processing the sight before her. The four people in front of her all wore the silver harp pin used by the Harpers.

So, the Harpers have made their way back to Moonrise.

For the first time in so many years, true hope swelled inside of her. If these Harpers had found a way to survive here, maybe there was a chance that Tev was here as well. Maybe others survived too. Perhaps they had just been trapped and awaiting rescue.

Without thinking, she took a couple more steps forward.

“Tav? What are you doing?” Karlach’s panicked whispers called out to her.

“It’s okay. They’re Harpers and they haven’t been affected by the curse. They could help us!” She whispered back, her excitement must have been clear on her face. The renewed hope that Tev could be here, alive, propelled her forward.

“Stop! Who’s there?” The Harper leading the group called out to her.

“My name is Tav, I’m a friend.” She stepped out into their line of sight with her hands held up.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” The curly-haired woman kept her eyes locked on Tav.

“I’m one of you, an ally.” She slowly reached for her pack and spun it around to show them the small silver Harper pin fasted to the side.

“Anyone could have grabbed a pin off a corpse. Now come into the light, hands high.”

Tav complied, signaling the others to follow her. The small troop of Harpers gave them wary looks, studying them by the light of their torches, trying to size them up. Their eyes moved from Tav over the rest of their travelling party, eyeing the small pack of animals following in their footsteps. One of the Harpers was backing away from them, his face twisted with fear and uncertainty.

Stay in the light…

The curly-haired Harper turned back to one of her companions. “Yonas! Move in!” She ordered.

Their warning came too late. One of the shadows had appeared behind him. Tav watched in horror as it sank its claws into Yonas’s back and dragged him away into the trees. The other Harpers ran after him with their torches, desperately calling out to him, beckoning him back to the light.

“Follow my voice! Come back to the light!” The Harper leading the group yelled toward him.

Tav looked back at Halsin, terrified, a knowing look on both of their faces. He shook his head slowly. A low growl sounded from Lunari next to her.

It’s too late, the shadows have claimed him.

Memories of her first time in the shadows came rushing back to her. Once again, they threatened to paralyze her, to drag her into their cold abyss. But then she looked around to her friends whose faces had warped into varying states of horror and fear. Halsin’s face had paled, his eyes fixed on the place where Yonas had been standing. Tav snapped herself back to the present. She forced herself to be here for them. Above all else, she would not lose anyone else to this wretched curse.

A pained scream echoed from the trees where Yonas had been dragged away. The sound made Tav flinch as the chorus of those familiar screams came back into her mind. She watched as the other Harpers recoiled away from the sound, accepting that their companion was lost. More shadows swirled around them, silent hunters stalking their prey. The now cursed Harper, Yonas, moved toward them.

“…Join…me…” The unnatural voice called to them.

“There is nothing more to be done for him, we’ll help take care of this. Stick together, stay in the light. No heroics.” Tav’s voice sounded weaker than she meant it to be.

“Harpers – you heard the woman. To arms!”

Weapons were drawn but had to be balanced with the torches they all held in their hands. She couldn’t use a bow with one hand unavailable.

“Fuck.” She muttered as another group of shadows descended on them.

She took her torch and threw it into a nearby brazier to help illuminate the area, freeing up her other hand for her bow.

The unnerving screeches coming from the shadows sent bone-chilling shivers throughout her body. Her companions had shaken off their shock and joined the fight. As Shadowheart came running down the gnarled vines, Tav noticed the wraiths and shadows flinching away from her.

The mace.

“Shadowheart! Stay close!” Tav fired a shot at the cursed Harper.

“I told you, I’m fine!” She snapped back as she called forth radiant spirits to swirl in a protective circle around her.

“No!” Tav growled, having no energy to hide her annoyance. “The mace! I think it’s hurting them!”

Another agitated shriek from a wraith helped support her theory.

“Stay close to Shadowheart!” She waved her other companions down to her side.

They circled around her with the Harpers, huddling close to the radiant light of Lathander to keep the shadows weak. The curse felt even lighter in the warm glow of the mace than with torches. They all stood with their backs facing each other, their animal companions in the center along with Barcus, keeping the gaps close so the enemies couldn’t permeate their ranks. Spells and arrows soared through the air to combat the relentless shadows. Pained groans rang around the circle of fighters as a few swipes broke through the light.

“Everyone, back up!” Shadowheart called out the command as the shadows swarmed on one side of their clustered group.

They parted to give her room, moving behind her and to the sides just in time for her to unleash a giant beam of radiant energy through the remaining enemies. The shadows and wraiths dissipated into the surrounding darkness and Yonas’s body fell to the ground.

“Argh, how can something made of shadow and mist hurt so bad?” Karlach groaned as she held her side where a small black scrape was etched into her skin.

“Here, love.” Tav dug a small healing potion out of her bag. Karlach drank it in one gulp and let out a sigh of relief as the injury faded. The curly-haired woman approached them.

“Well done, but we need to move. I know a safe place if you–”

“Last Light Inn?” Tav cut her off.

“Y-yes. How did you know?” The Harper gave her a bewildered look, followed by more suspicion.

“I found this letter on a Harper in Grymforge.” Tav handed over the parchment for her to read. “We need to find a way into Moonrise Towers. Can you help us?”

“Jaheira will want to speak with you.” She tucked the paper into her pocket. “Please, join us at Last Light.”

Tav’s breath caught.

She is here, she’s found a safe haven.

“We’ll follow behind you.”

***

The short fight left Halsin drained. Seeing the shadow beings in action again, watching yet another person be twisted and claimed by the curse, it was almost too much to bear. He tried to take a step, but his legs wouldn’t comply, the horrid memories of Moonrise left him frozen in place and unable to act.

The group of Harpers said something to Tav that he couldn’t make out before running back in the direction from which they came. She stood there looking after them, motionless. In the dim firelight he could just barely perceive the tremors rolling over her body. The sight caused the ache in his chest to return, and the energy to flow back into his muscles. He jogged up to her side and quickly pulled her into a hug, realizing he needed it as much – if not more – than she did.

“I thought I could handle this…” Her breathing was unsteady, and her entire body was shaking.

“We can, Tav. We’ll do it together.” He assured her as he held her tight against him. She reached up and hugged him back as she buried her face into his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry. We had no idea…” Karlach had joined them down by the brazier. “This darkness is heavy.”

“That it is.” Halsin kept his arms tight around Tav as he rested his chin on top of her head.

“Last Light Inn.” Her words were muffled by his shoulder.

“What did you say?” He pulled back to look at her.

“They’re going to Last Light, it’s somehow safe from the shadows. Jaheira’s there, Halsin.”

Amidst the fear, he could see hope shining through her eyes.

She thinks Tev might be there as well.

“Then let us make haste.”

***

Last Light Inn was only a short walk away from the small clearing where they fought the shadows. Tav’s heart started pounding as they approached a large dome of light. A familiar light teeming with Selûnite magic. The moment she crossed its threshold, the warmth flowed back into her body, giving her a moment of respite from the curse. She took in her surroundings, surprised to see so many people gathered here. And not just Harpers. The symbol of the Flaming Fist adorned many breastplates that passed her by. She even saw children running around, tiefling children.

The dream visitor’s voice glided into her thoughts. “This must be the refuge the Harpers spoke of.”

“Yes, this is Last Light Inn.” Tav replied in her mind.

She scanned the small crowd for the Harpers she met earlier, hoping they could point her to Jaheira. Before she could locate them, another group of Harpers surrounded her and her companions.

“Hold it right there!” A young woman shouted as she pointed a crossbow at Tav’s chest. She held her hands up in front of her.

“Easy!” The curly-haired Harper came running to her defense. “She’s with me.”

“Lassandra, what is the meaning of this?” A stout dwarf pointing a sword at Karlach’s abdomen called back at her.

“This is the woman who fought the shadows with us. She had the letter.” Lassandra beckoned them to stand down. After a moment they complied, still giving Tav and the others apprehensive looks.

“Come with me.” Lassandra waved for her to follow.

Tav took the lead as her friends trailed a few steps behind, each of them on high alert. She took in the crowd around her, desperately hoping she would see those messy white curls come running toward her.

It’s been so long. Could we even recognize each other?

“Jaheira!” Lassandra called out as they walked into the small courtyard. Hearing her name snapped Tav back to reality.

Standing before her was the High Harper herself, Jaheira. A grand hero of Baldur’s Gate. Tav expected an introduction, or at least some kind of greeting. Instead, she found herself tangled in a large patch of conjured vines. Lunari crouched into a protective stance, her jowls shaking with a low snarl.

“Is this how the High Harper greets her allies?” Tav struggled in vain against the vines. Even if she reached out to them, it was obvious that Jaheira had a much stronger connection to them than she could ever hope to have herself.

“Of course not. I greet my allies with fine wines. But you?” She gave a polite smile as she pulled out a small jar containing a mind flayer tadpole. It started to writhe and pound against the confines of the glass as soon as it came into view of Tav.

“You are no ally. I could smell the foul odors of Grymforge the moment you crossed the moon shield. You should not have come here, True Soul.” Jaheira gave a curt nod to her Harpers who drew their weapons, causing Tav’s companions to do the same.

“I am not…a True Soul…” She grunted as she struggled against the vines threatening to crush her legs.

“What are you doing?!” A young tiefling girl came running up to Jaheira.

Mol? What is she doing here?

“She’s the one who saved us!” Mol recalled the events of the Emerald Grove with Jaheira, assuring her that Tav and her companions were the ones that helped them escape. Tav tore her attention away from the vines and realized how many tiefling faces she recognized around the inn.

“A True Soul with a mind of her own? How is this possible?” Jaheira looked from Tav to each of her companions. Halsin stepped up next to her.

“High Harper Jaheira,” he gave his typical fisted salute with a small bow of his head, “my name is Halsin Silverbough. Until recently, I was Archdruid of the Emerald Grove.” Tav’s head whipped around to look at him. His voice had taken on a commanding tone, one she only heard when he was addressing others as Archdruid. A stab of embarrassment hit her as she tried to hide the blush that this voice brought to her face.

Silverbough?

Jaheira looked him up and down before glancing back at their strange adventuring group.

“Halsin? Master Alwin spoke highly of you. I heard you had taken his place after his untimely death. A shame we must meet under these circumstances.” Jaheira reluctantly dismissed the vines holding Tav in place. She saw a quick flash of grief pass over Halsin’s face.

“He was too kind, I’m sure.” Halsin let out a shaky breath, his tone dropping to a more casual one for just a moment.

“You are infected as well?” She asked, one hand resting on the scimitar at her hip. Right on cue, the tadpole in her hand slowed its writhing when Halsin stepped in front of Tav.

“No, I was studying the tadpoles and had the good fortune to meet the adventurers you see behind me.” He gestured to their traveling party before walking back to place a hand on Tav’s shoulder. “I will gladly vouch for them. They saved my life and stopped a slaughter at the Emerald Grove from the inside and out.”

“Excuse me!” Mol yelled with her hands on her hips. “I already gave my word for her, what? The word of a tiefling not good enough for you?”

Karlach let out a loud laugh at Mol’s outburst. “I like this kid!”

“I appreciate the plethora of associates you have to speak on your behalf. Yet my question still stands,” Jaheira’s hand twitched toward her weapon again, “how is it that an entire group the infected remain in complete control of their minds.”

Tav reached into her bag slowly to produce the artefact. “Because of this.”

She told Jaheira everything she knew about the strange relic, which to be fair, wasn’t much. She also told her of their adventure so far, how they had traveled through Grymforge to reach Moonrise, hoping to infiltrate the cult. The others in the group chimed in every now and then to back up her stories. As they spoke, the mind flayer tadpole in Jaheira’s hand was destroyed.

“Congratulations, you have earned yourself the benefit of the doubt.” The Harpers surrounding them stood down. “We have supplies in the inn should you need them. Come find me as soon as you can, we have much to discuss.”

“Thank you, High Harper.” Tav sighed, relief washing over her after their tense encounter. Before Jaheira turned to walk away, her eyes lingered on the small tattoo of a broken sword on Tav’s throat.

“Please, take a moment to rest. The shadows drain strength from even the strongest soldiers. I will be just inside when you are ready.” Jaheira walked off towards the inn.

Tav could feel the tension in the air slowly dissipate as the uncertainty around their arrival faded. Before she could say anything, Karlach came running up to her, squealing with delight.

“Oh, my gods, soldier. That’s Jaheira. The Jaheira!” She tapped her feet in place as she watched the High Harper walk away. “I mean, you must know how incredible she is if you were a Harper.”

“I actually hadn’t met her until now, but I had heard plenty of stories even before I joined their ranks.”

“Like the Bhaalspawn crisis? I’m sure you know the stories, how she fought Sarevok Anchev in the hidden Bhaal temple beneath the city.” Karlach continued her excited gushing.

“I remember it well, yes. The murders in Bhaal’s name caused chaos in the streets. I vividly recall my mother being so upset with me for sneaking out one night to go to a tavern while the culprits were still on the loose.” Tav smiled fondly at the memory. Tev had helped her climb out of a window so they could go drink and dance in the Lower City.

“Oh, right. Sometimes I forget that you’re old.”

“I’m not old!” Tav laughed. “I happen to be in my elven prime.”

“So, what shall we do next?” Gale had stashed his torch and once again carried the icy quarterstaff he crafted in the Underdark.

“I guess I’ll go check in with Jaheira, see what she knows about Moonrise. I figure we can set up a camp nearby, best to stay close if we have a safe place from the–” Another loud shriek from Karlach cut her off.

“OH MY GODS, IT’S DAMMON!” She pointed to an area that looked like a smithy. Sure enough, Dammon stood over an anvil, hammering away at some piece of armor.

“Let’s go say hi!” Karlach took off before anyone could respond.

Tav waved the others to follow as they ran after her. By the time they caught up, she was jumping up and down with excitement.

“…touch people?!” Karlach shouted at Dammon.

Holy shit, he figured it out?

Tav felt her own excitement grow thinking about it. Had he already found a solution to her engine troubles?

“Exactly!” He smiled back at her briefly before his expression fell again. “But…there’s more you should know…”

“Yeah, yeah. First, let’s get old rusty fixed up a bit more.” She whipped around to face Tav. “Soldier! We have another piece of infernal iron somewhere, right?”

Tav dug through her backpack while Karlach vibrated impatiently next to her with one hand held out.

“Aha!” Tav tossed the metal to her, which she handed off to Dammon.

“Very well.” He turned away for a few minutes while he heated and hammered the metal. Karlach fidgeted next to her, watching him every step of the way. Tears had gathered in her eyes in anticipation of her upgrade.

“Here you go, you’ll have to install it yourself, same as last time.” Karlach pushed aside her clothes to insert the daunting machinery into her chest cavity, paying no mind to modesty as she did so. Gale and Wyll immediately averted their eyes, blushes creeping over their faces at her impromptu undressing.

After some pained grunts and upsetting grinding noises, Karlach fixed her clothing and looked around at her companions.

“Did…did it work?” She gave Dammon a pleading look.

“Only one way t–”

Before Dammon could finish, Tav leaped at Karlach, throwing her arms around her neck. She froze at first, worried that she would still burn Tav’s skin to a crisp. But there was no searing pain, no hiss of burning flesh, just warmth. Just the feeling of finally being able to hug her new friend.

Karlach’s arms shot up to hold Tav in place. They cried together as they swayed back and forth, she refused to let Tav pull away. For just a moment, she forgot all about the curse and mind flayers and the Absolute. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt such a pure joy as she did while hugging Karlach.

“Thank you.” She whispered between her sobs.

“You’re so welcome.” Tav smiled against her shoulder. Their happy cries devolved into uncontrollable laughter.

“Hey soldier?” Karlach sniffled as she kept a tight grip around Tav’s waist.

“Hm?”

“You really need a bath.”

They laughed together again as Karlach finally released her from her grip.

“I’m sure we all need one, love.” Tav wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Alright, look out everyone! Mama K is touching everything!” She let out a cackle as she took a step toward the others.

“Wait, Karlach…” Dammon started. “There’s more you need to know.”

***

Halsin fought back tears as he watched Tav tackle Karlach into a hug. After their conversation yesterday, he had been so worried about her. Seeing her get another upgrade for that infernal engine gave him at least a little bit of hope in these wretched shadows. He hung back a little, letting them have their time together.

Step one, fix my engine. Step two, giant bear hug.

He waited patiently for her to finish talking to Dammon, hoping her offer still stood. But whatever the blacksmith said next smothered the joyous air that had surrounded his companions just a moment ago. Tav looked distraught, Karlach was waving her hands back at Dammon, speaking low enough that he couldn’t quite make out the words. The smile returned to her face not long after, although Tav still looked disappointed.

Karlach started shoving her way through her companions, pulling anyone who would let her into a crushing hug. Astarion was barely able to wiggle away from her grabbing hands. Lae’zel allowed a clasp of her arm, like a warrior’s handshake. Everyone else welcomed the warm embrace. At one point she had Gale, Wyll, and Tav all in a hug at the same time. Halsin shifted his gaze to the dirt beneath him, kicking it into little piles. He felt a stab of disappointment standing over here alone, more likely than not she had forgotten about their conversation, not that he–

“HALSIN!” Karlach’s booming yell caught the attention of everyone around them. “BEAR HUG!”

He couldn’t help the ridiculous smile that spread across his face as she charged toward him, arms open wide. He held his out as well and braced himself just in time for her to slam into his chest, almost knocking some of his teeth out with her horn. She laughed as his arms wrapped tight around her shoulders.

“That’s the stuff.” Karlach sighed as she squeezed him tighter. “It’s nice to hug someone taller than me.”

“A sensation I rarely experience myself.” His smile broadened as she sighed contently against him. Tav was looking at them with a sad smile on her face and looking like she was holding back tears.

“Okay then.” Karlach pulled away from him and scanned the courtyard. “I’m off to shake the hand of every person here who will let me.” She ran off in a flash, barreling around Last Light to find her first target.

Halsin recognized Dammon now, he was one of the refugees at the grove. Looking around him, it seemed their caravan had made its way here. Many of the mischievous children had been running around since they arrived. He scanned the courtyard looking for more familiar faces but finding few.

Perhaps they’re all inside.

“Thank you.” Tav had made her way to his side again.

“Whatever for?” He turned back to her with a smile.

“For speaking up for us. I know you don’t like to throw your title around. Or former title I suppose.”

“Think nothing of it. The Harpers were our allies all those years ago, I presumed Jaheira would honor that agreement.”

“Who was it that Jaheira mentioned? Master Alwin?”

Halsin’s eyes stung once more, but an affectionate smile still took over. Despite the grief thinking of his fallen mentor brought him, he tried to remember him with warmth and fondness.

“He was the Archdruid before me, my teacher, my mentor. Although he was truly more like a father to me.”

She placed a hand on his arm.

“What was he like?”

He hesitated. It had been so long since he had spoken of him. When he first took over the title of Archdruid he spent his first days being compared to his wise and fearless teacher. He found himself walking in his shadow, one so large that Halsin could never hope to stand tall enough to cast one of his own.

“He was an incredible leader. Able to inspire courage in even the frailest of hearts. He believed there was a balance to achieve between us and nature and worked tirelessly to bring it to fruition. Master Alwin was the one who rallied our forces here at Last Light on our last day of battle.” A few tears rolled from his eyes. Until now, he had forgotten how much he missed him.

Would he have found a way to lift the curse sooner? Could he have protected the grove from the influence of the Shadow Druids? Would he have helped the tiefling refugees while keeping the peace with the other druids?

“Halsin?” Tav’s concerned voice pulled him from his spiral.

“Forgive me. It’s been some time since I’ve talked of him with another person. I didn’t quite realize how much I still miss him.”

Tav gave him a knowing look. No doubt she had her brother on her mind. She leaned forward to wrap her arms around his waist, drawing him into a hug. How was it that he felt even warmer holding her against him than Karlach?

“Best not keep Jaheira waiting too long, my friend.” He tried to force himself to pull away from her embrace, but his arms stayed locked in place. It was still another moment before she moved away.

“Care to join me?” She looked up at him to ask.

“I think you should perhaps take a chance to speak with her alone. Harper to Harper.”

“Former Harper.” She sighed.

“I doubt it will make much difference to her.” He let his hands drop from her shoulders.

“Okay then, I’ll go speak with her.” She spun around scanning the area for something, panic rising in her eyes. “Where’s Lunari?”

They found her lying on the ground, tongue happily sticking out to the side as Karlach hugged her and rubbed her belly.

“I suppose I can leave them here for now.” She smiled at the sight, but there was still a sadness clouding her expression that he couldn’t quite place.

“I’ll gather the others once Karlach has finished hugging every living soul in sight.”

“Thanks, love.”

As Tav strode away towards the inn, he couldn’t shake a nagging feeling as he observed the small crowd around him. Many tieflings that had resided at the grove were present, but something was off. They seemed to be almost in mourning. And where was Zevlor? Halsin expected he would have come out to greet their party once he heard of their arrival. He walked over to Wyll and tapped him on the shoulder. “Wyll, I think something might be wrong here.”

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2022: 15-Side Effects Ch.10

FIRST /  PREVIOUS

Marinette panted as she rested in the hospital bed. Their pups had just been born, yet she felt like her body was still in overdrive.

"Marinette?" Damian questioned in concern.

"I-I think something is wrong." she spoke, "Too hot. Pain."

Damian quickly rushed over to her side and sniffed her mark. He couldn't smell illnesses or the faint scent of death.

'Not dying, but in pain. Is this because of our pups?'

"Father, get someone now!" he demanded.

Bruce quickly rushed out as Marinette began to pant more rapidly. Just as an older nurse walked in, the air became hot and tense. The smell of the twin's afterbirth was fading rapidly. Marinette gripped the bedrails, as her parents held the pups. Damian was busy nuzzling her, trying to keep her calm and reassure her she was safe. Suddenly, her scent changed to that of an Omega. Damian quickly pulled away from her and stared at her in shock. Marinette's panting and grip began to lessen, until she rested flat against the bed.

The nurse smiled, "It's been some time since a shifting has occurred."

"Shifting?" Sabine questioned.

"Why did my mate change from a Beta to an Omega?" Damian demanded to know.

"A long time ago, Alphas use to have free reign on who they mated, even Betas." the nurse began to explain, " If Betas were close enough to their Alphas, after birth, they would become an Omega. They would become beter suited to raising their pups. Many frowned upon it and so a law was created."

"Wait." Mari spoke, "So even the wolves, themselves, would choose Betas over Omegas?"

"Yes." the nurse answered.

"What law?" Tom asked, handing Damian and Marinette their pups back.

Bruce frowned, "I don't know about any laws."

"Not all places abided by the law, but in Europe we still do." she continued.

"What happened?" Damian pushed, "Why was the law created in the first place?"

"Some Alphas became crazed with the idea of creating new Omegas or 'Perfections'. They were called that because they were perfectly suited for their mates in every way." she answered, making the couple smile at each other, "The only problem was that not all Betas would change. Alphas started sleeping with every Beta they could find. They would keep them in their pack, but after birth, if they didin't change, they would turn their backs on them. They Beta's child was considered a Bastard, since the Alpha refused to mat until they changed. Then, they would go back to sleeping around."

"That must have caused some long lineages." Bruce inquired.

"Yes." the nurse sighed, "Sometimes the pups were sent elsewhere to be raised, instead of staying in the pack. They were watched carefully for interbreeding. Other times, the Alphas killed their child, blaming them for the Betas not changing."

Marinette hugged her pups tightly and growled.

"Habibiti, I will do no such thing." Damian spoke, slowly, "These are our pups and no harm shall come to them."

"Another reason for the law was other Omegas." she continued to explain, "Omegas, themselves, started getting upset and pushed around the Betas in their packs. Some even went as far as killing the Betas, pupped or not, for getting close to the Alpha. A law was created and Alphas were told never to touch a Beta again. Some alphas agreed. Some didn't."

"I've never heard of such a law." Bruce stated.

"It was made long before you were born. I was told about the law when I was a child from an older sibling." she answered, "Parents usually told their child at a certain age or after presenting."

"I lost my parents as a child." Bruce spoke, "My guardian never told me any of this."

"My mom is always traveling and I wasn't on speaking terms with my pops for a long time, but he is very traditional." Tom declared, "He never told me, either."

Sabine shrugged, "It's still common in Shanghai to mate, regardless of status. It was a bit of a shock when I came here and was told it was forbidden."

"Grandfather is very traditional, as well. My lineage on my mother's side contains many cultures and traditions. Surely, Grandfather would have told me about status as a child. He always assumed I would become an Alpha. He trained me to lead and be an Alpha." Damian spoke, before turning to his mate, "Me choosing to disobey my wolf, me choosing her over an Omega, choosing someone I cared about, turned her into an Omega?"

"Yes." The elder nurse smiled.

Marinette smiled at Damian, "Thank you for giving me a chance and for strengthening me so I can protect our pups."

Damian leaned down and kissed her, "I would do it again."

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