#anyway welcome to my dark twisted mind i guess

[beatriceportinari]

top five movies >:}

evil..... i barely watch any movies and yet I cannot chose. ok this is probably just going to be a list of the first movies I remember but you can take the fact I remember them as a good sign. 1. videodrome 2. the handmaiden 3. adolescence of utena 4. the talented mr ripley 5. annihilation

[dumbbitch-academy]

Use Me

Astarion x f!reader/tav

WC:3k+

Smut! 18+ MDNI

Summary: Reader is basically ovulating and is super horny because of this, so Astarion decides to help her out after finding her frustrated.

Contains: p-in-v sex, dirty talk, masturbation (female and male), mutual masturbation, oral (male receiving), face fucking (male receiving), reader gets embarrassed easily (there are some shame moments but nothing major), reader and Astarion are so horny for each other omg

A/N: Hello Everyone! Here is the full fic! Just keep in mind this is my first time writing smut! As always feedback is always welcomed! I did not expect this fic to become so long as it did but I am pleased with how it turned out!

Masterlist (it is short but it soon shall grow)

AO3 for those who prefer!

It had been so annoying all day. No matter how much you tried to will it away, the need and want for carnal release would not stop bothering you. It consumed you, and you hated that. The only thing you could think about was him, taking you in every which way that you could think of. You imagined his strong chest against your back, his smell overtaking your senses. The way his hands felt on your breasts, how his kisses to your throat set your neck aflame. His groans as he made his way to enter you, eyes closed with his brows scrunching up in the middle. You wanted all of this. But there was one problem with this solution. He was out on a mission and you did not want to burden him with your needs of release. 

You tried to think of why you could be so desperate, until you remembered, you were supposed to become fertile soon. You guess soon had finally arrived, much to your annoyance. The best you could do was to retreat to your tent and try to tend to this problem by yourself. Surely you would be able to take care of this, and then this whole irritating problem will go away. 

“I am going to my tent, I am not feeling too well, best not to bother me for a bit!”, you called out towards Gale and Shadowheart. Shadowheart nodded in acknowledgement, whereas Gale called out to you “Would you like help? I have a few wonderful teas that I keep for emergencies, such as headaches, sore muscles, or even a belly ache.” Gods, why did he have to be so helpful at the worst of times? You shook your head, “Oh thank you Gale, but I just feel overly tired. I would like to have some quiet time to nap.” You could see his mouth start to form a word as you quickly slipped into your tent, which was luckily a good bit farther from the rest of the group, “Okay, thank you, bye-” as you made your fast exit. 

Once you secured the tent flap, you took a deep inhale and raised your hands to cover your face. Astarion. You could feel the need start to build higher, if it was even possible. Astarion. You quickly went to pull your pants down, as well as your underclothes. They had already been wet from imagining Astarion taking you in whatever way he wanted to use you. Use me, Astarion. You went to pull your tunic above your head, your breath catching as you felt the fabric drag slightly across your nipples. Fuck, you didn’t know if you had ever been this horny before. You laid back onto your bed roll and started to twist your nipples in your fingers. You traced your hand down and slowly began to play with your sensitive bundle of nerves. You could feel the wetness that coated your soft dark curls there, the wetness providing excellent glide for your fingers to play with yourself, all while you imagined him. You imagined it was his hand, or tried to anyways, it always felt much better when he was the one playing with you there. You wished that you could smell him, to be able to feel enveloped. Fuck, why did he have to go on that stupid mission again? It was at this point you remembered that he had left his white shirt in your tent that morning before they set out. Using your clean hand, you palmed around for it until you felt the familiar fabric. You brought it to your nose and deeply inhaled. Gods, it was almost intoxicating. You huffed out a breath as you inserted a finger into your aching hole, fuck you needed something inside you. You thought about his cock, the thickness, stretching you with a delicious sting. You added another finger to try to achieve the same feeling, your breath hitching. You began to pump your fingers in and out, still thinking of the real thing. However, no matter how long you kept this up, you never were able to get anywhere near where you needed to be to finally cum, much to your frustration. 

It was not until a good amount of time had passed that you heard footsteps walking up to the tent. “Darling, I am back. Shadowheart mentioned you are not feeling well, do you need help?”Astarion called from outside the tent flap. Yes, more than ever. “Oh, uhh, hi Astarion, no I am okay, thank you though, my love!” Your voice failed to sound as nonchalant as you had hoped it to. Astarion was not buying it and began to open the tent flap slowly, “Love, you really sound distressed, I am going to come in okay? I want to make sure you are o-” He quickly rushed in and tied the flap secured when he saw what kind of state you were in. Cheeks red, his shirt in your hand, your chest heaving, legs spread with your hand still inserted into you. You all of a sudden burned hot, cheeks glowing even more, but this time from embarrassment. You quickly in one motion threw his shirt to the side, grabbed the blanket from your side, and wrapped yourself in a cocoon of shame. 

Why you felt such shame, you were not totally sure as to why. You were in a committed relationship, and had slept with each other quite a few times. But never had he ever walked in on you pleasuring yourself. The feeling of shame was met with easy red eyes from Astarion and a giggle, “Not feeling good you say? Surely an orgasm can take away any headache, do not let me stop you, my love.” 

“I do not have a headache, please Astarion, I am…” He could sense your humiliation and slowly went to sit down beside you with his legs crossed. “Darling, there is no need to be ashamed, we haven’t in a while and you have needs. Don’t let me stop you. Please continue to fuck yourself while you…” he glanced over to his tossed shirt “smell my shirt. You always surprise me, my sweet girl.” By now you accepted the situation, “Astarion, I have been horny all day, I cannot seem to take care of it. I think I am just going to go jump in a cold lake. Or just ignore it because I don’t want you to feel obligated to hel-”, you were cut off by a quick kiss to the forehead between your brows. “Darling, I would love to help you. Let me, please. I have been wanting to take you for the last few days actually… thinking of every single curve, freckle, giggle,” Astarion slowly coaxed you out of the blanket that had been your fortress against your own embarrassment for the last several minutes. “You… you do not have to do this if you don’t want to, Astarion. I can take care of this myself, really. You won’t hurt my feelings if you leave,” you looked up at him and shifted your body to sit with your legs crossed mirroring him. “Tav, please, let me take you,” a dangerous glimmer in Astarion’s eyes while he nodded, giving you permission. You nodded in return and moved to your knees as you leaned your neck down to meet your lover’s lips with a small tentative kiss at first, which began to deepen. He rose up to his knees, his armor abrasive against your soft skin. He pulled away when he noticed you pull back slightly, scratchy armor was not your favorite feeling in the world against your bare chest. Astarion remedied this by immediately taking off his top garments to have only his leather trousers and bare chest against you. You hummed in thanks and took his lips in another kiss, more heated than before. You could feel his hands wander up your back, tracing along your spine in opposite directions. He ended up with one hand gently holding the back of your head while the other firmly rested on your round ass. The desire which had been snuffed out momentarily stoked once again. You reached behind him and pulled him in closer, moving your mouth to trace kisses along his jaw, stopping at his ear lobe. His unneeded breath caught and a small moan escaped his lips. He pulled back to look into your eyes, his had begun to be half-lidded. “I thought I was helping you take care of your little issue, my love”, he sensually whispered as he went to kiss your neck, which he began to suck on the sensitive skin there. The hand he had on your ass began to knead the cheek, eliciting a groan from you. You needed more. You pushed away from him suddenly and went to lie down on the bed roll once again and nodded up at him. He nodded back at you and followed you, straddling one of your legs, making sure that they were opened for him. Bracing himself up with one arm above your head, he began to feel your breast, heavy, warm, and so ready to be played with. He moved his fingers to twist and play with your nipple as he began to rub your engorged sex with his thigh, causing you to breathe out his name. He moved his mouth to suck and lick your other nipple, humming in pleasure as he tasted your skin. You closed your eyes and brought your head back and began to grind your dripping cunt onto his thigh, no longer feeling the embarrassment that clouded your mind before. 

You began to quietly pant out labored breaths as he gently nipped your nipple between his blunt teeth, careful not to puncture you there. “Mmmmphhhh,” you groaned with need, which earned you a sultry giggle, “Eager aren’t we? Cannot wait to be on my fingers? Or how about on my face? My cock? Tell me what you want, my darling love. Let me hear you.” It was all too  much but not nearly enough to get you off. “Anything. I need you Astarion. Take me, use me. Mark me, fuck. Do anything you want to me,” you begged as you continued to grind on his thigh. The slick spreading everywhere, not that either of you cared at this exact moment. The only thought between the two of you was each other and each other's pleasure. 

A low growl came from Astarion’s chest, “Come here then, on all fours.” Astarion moved to give you more space, pulling down his trousers, you moaned with anticipation as his cock popped out, already achingly hard, precum deliciously pearled at the tip. You licked your lips and eyed up at him, “Please, let me suck your cock. Let me taste you.” Astarion had already fisted his erection, staring down at you, pumping slowly, “Good girl, you may suck my cock with that filthy mouth of yours.” 

You moved forward and took the head into your mouth, lavishing his flavor. Moaning onto his cock, you began to bob your head back and forth, your body moving slightly with you. Astarion held one of his hands on his hip while his other went to rest on your head. He didn’t push it down, only kept you and him moving together perfectly. “Gods, your mouth is so fucking warm. You were waiting all day for this weren’t you? Waiting for my cock to be inside you, wherever I wanted it to be, huh? My dirty girl, always so good and eager for me. Pleasing- hah, fuck that’s nice- pleasing me with your body,” Astarion praised you, his voice a slightly higher pitch than his normal speaking voice. You loved when he sounded like this. Free to express his pleasure however he wanted to, speak freely and openly. Whatever came to his mind during pleasure. He had begun to pump his hips in tandem to your movements. You took this opportunity to flick your tongue against his frenulum before fully letting Astarion take control. “Want me to face fuck you? Force your throat onto my cock?” Astarion had always made sure to ask. A low moan came from your chest, nodding as you felt pearls of wetness fall down your thighs. With your permission, Astarion grabbed your head and began to viciously pump your head and throat fully onto his cock at a devastating pace. The salty precum freely flows onto your tongue and down your throat. You looked up at Astarion, who already had his garnet eyes fixed onto you, “That’s right, take my cock. Look into my eyes while you gag on this dick. Fuck. Fuck, I love you. Mmmmmphhhhhh, I want to make love to you forever.” It was so liberating for the both of you. He noticed you trying to fuck yourself on nothing that was there, and took mercy on you by leaning over and using one of his hands to slide two fingers into your dripping wet cunt. You both moaned heavily, fucking each other in tandem to where pleasure knew no bounds between your bodies. “Fuck, I need to be inside you right now. I want to cum in you, please. Please let me fuck you,” Astarion began to whine. Immediately both of you let each other go, his cock releasing from your mouth with a pop. 

“Please, take me. Cum in me. Gods, fuck me,” you begged as well as you moved to lie on your back. You began to immediately play with your clit with your legs spread open, staring up at Astarion and noticed that he had instantly lost the rest of his clothing with lightning speed. With heavy eyes, he began to stroke himself with one hand, his other pinching his own nipple. You followed this and played with your own nipple as well. Your huffs of air coming from your open mouths as you pleasured yourselves just staring at each other. When you decided it was time, you used your fingers you were stroking your clit with to beckon Astarion down to you, smirking at each other as he took your slick fingers into his mouth as he settled between your legs. You hooked your legs around his, and braced yourself for his cock to finally be inside of you, wrapping both of your arms around his neck and shoulders to keep him close. You stared into each other's eyes as you could feel him enter you with the swollen head of his cock, both groaning at the feeling. You relished the stretch as he impaled you onto his cock, sinking deeper and deeper into you until he bottomed out, his thighs pressed into yours.“Fuck, move please, fuck me,” you whined as you began to wiggle your hips trying to fuck yourself on his thick cock. Astarion groaned at the sight and feeling of your entire being begging for him. He began to rock his hips to meet yours, huffing breaths with each thrust. He stared into your eyes and you stared back, the love between you two burning so intensely as the molten pleasure between you made your bodies sing for one another. You could feel his hips snap faster and faster, becoming more erratic. You would both come undone for each other. He leaned his head down to your neck, breathy high pitched whines quietly escaping his mouth as he kissed open mouth kisses below your ear. You brought one of your hands to play with the tip of his ear, you knew how much he loved his ears played with the closer he was to his end. “Please, please may I cum? Please I have been good, please let me cum,” Astarion slurred out, unable to keep his voice even. You always thought he was so cute when he asked to cum, genuinely as a light smile crooked the side of your mouth. 

A moan escaped your mouth as you leaned in, connecting your lips together and nodded as you deeply kissed him. You broke the kiss just long enough, “Yes, my love, come for me. P-please cum inside me, Astarion.” You gave him another kiss at the same time you clenched around him and lightly pinched his ear. His orgasm racked his body as his hips snapped violently into yours, slurring out your name as his eyes rolled backwards. The feeling of his cum shooting deep into you was all you needed to reach your climax as you felt your legs shake and arms tense around Astarion. 

Both of your breathing was deep and labored as you came back down, skin glistening with a sheer layer of sweat. “I love you,” came out of both your mouths at the same time and this caused a burst of laughter to erupt. Smiling down at you with his hair stringy and hanging down from sweat he went to move out of you, “Okay, hold on, I'm pulling out.” You felt the uncomfortable release and quietly winced. He rolled over and laid on his back and you rolled to your side, facing him. “So… feel any better?”, Astarion asked with a smirk adorning his face. You groaned in embarrassment, “...yes.” You knew he was genuinely asking, not just poking fun at you. You moved to wrap your arms around him as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders in return. You stayed there in contented silence until your stomach rumbled, which had Astarion snorting out a small laugh, “Come my dear, let's get you something to eat. I am sure Gale would be insulted if we stayed in here all night without you having dinner anyways.” 

You both got ready and began to make your way out of the tent, but did not find anyone at the campsite. You were suddenly worried of an ambush that had taken place during your intense romp together. But as you were walking around you found a quickly written note which read:

“ We decided to go to the river… We will be back once you “feel better”- Shadowheart”

The intense heat that spread through your cheeks, bringing a strong blush across your ears and entire face caused Astarion to full belly laugh after he had read what was contained in the letter. You covered your face with both hands and groaned in embarrassment, “ We are camping so far away from them from now on we are going to be across the river, oh my gods.”

[sweetracha]

Choose a Flavor

There are two versions of this story based on what experience you want to have. Will you be a good girl or a brat?

Flavor Selected: Brat

Sugar Content: Spicy Sweet (SMUT!)

Allergy Warning: Hard Dom Chan, Titles (Master and Daddy), Pet Names (Bunny, Baby, Doll, Etc), Dumb is used, Spanking, Denial, Overstim, Begging, Pet Play? (Name and Outfit more than Roleplay), Illusions to aftercare

Here you are now standing in his playroom. It was perfect, everything you could have dreamed of and more. You had seen it once before when you were going over consent contracts. Chris wanted to make sure you felt comfortable in this space. He made love to you in the black silk bed that sat on the middle wall. He was so sweet, soft, and sensual in those moments. You wondered how he could ever be a dom.

Trying to drown out your busy mind you took in the sights. Christopher, or Bang Chan as you learned was his dom persona, had an eye for detail. The room was decorated with leather and silk, reminding you of the silk piece he had you wear tonight. Red lights colored the corners tastefully. Paddles and other impact gear were organized along the walls. Ropes were twisted neatly on the bedframe. A wand and some other toys were charging on the black wood nightstand. Finally, you took in the scent of the room. Sharp whiskey and leather filled your senses, a perfect match to Chan’s cologne. Being so lost in the art of it all, you didn’t hear the door close or footsteps behind you.

“Hello little bunny” Chris welcomed as he slide up behind you, gently wrapping a hand around your throat. “Are you ready to play little one?” you nodded in response.

“Words honey, don’t be a brat now” his grip tightened. 

“Yes Master” you meekly replied

“Good girl, here is how tonight is going to go. Every question I ask will be responded to verbally, Every order I give will be followed, and every word I say will be heard. Do this little bunny and Daddy will reward you greatly. If you fail to listen to me, however, you will be punished” His hand around your neck pulled you in close as he leaned into your ear and whispered “Hard”.

Tonight you were left with two choices. Be the good girl your dom wants you to be or have your fun and be a brat. Rewards or punishments were the ultimate questions. 

You picked to be a brat tonight

Chan spun you around so you were facing him, it didn’t matter if he had a shorter stature. Right now he towered over you. Leather-gloved hands came up to fix your pretty white bunny ears on top of your head. Christopher cooed at how innocent you looked in the dark space. He was going to have fun with you. Those same rough leather hands tilted your chin up to stare into his intense eyes.

“What are your safe words bunny?” You knew this was an important question to establish an answer but you couldn’t help yourself.

“Green for go, Yellow for slow down, and Red for stop…just like a traffic light” You rolled your eyes. “I thought even a soft dom like you would have known that.

You could see a fire in his eyes, he knew your games. His gentle hand became hash on your cheeks as he held your face. He lowered down to your level and got real close.

“Watch your tone brat, I won't repeat myself. Now what is my name tonight”

“Christopher but I guess because we are playing make-believe you are ‘Bang Chan’. How did you come up with such a clique porn name anyways” you mocked. The hand not occupying your face slithered to your roots. With a handful of hair, he yanked you back. Chris didn’t miss the way your eyes rolled as you let out a grunting moan.

“Fucking brat. Should have known you'd never be a good girl. But you know what princess? I know exactly how to tame you. At the end of the day, I know you just want to be my dumb little pet bunny.” He let go of your hair and made his way to the bed. The way he sat down on the edge made you realize just how massive his thighs were, if it was any other day you'd beg him to let you ride but not tonight.

“Come lay over daddy’s lap baby” he patted his slack-covered thigh.

“Oh what are you going to do, is the big daddy going to span–AH” You were cut off by Chan yanking you over his lap. Toes barely touched the wooden floor.

“Yes princess, master is going to do just that. He is going to spank your bratty little ass until it is bright red. I won’t make you count tonight, Im not sure your dumb little bunny mind can count that high” You were royally fucked and couldn’t have been more excited.

His first swat was light, almost to test the waters. When you didn’t show any signs of discomfort he swung again, harder. He continued his assault on your bum until you were wiggling in his lap. Moans were mixed with whines and huffs of air. He could get used to this.

“Look at these poor panties and babydoll daddy bought you, baby, they are getting ruined. Better take them off. Stand up. Now”

“No”

“Bunny, I suggest you turn around and face the wall right now and strip. I was going to let you off with only a few more but I see I need to teach you some manners, don't make this worse than it already will be”

You decided to do what he said for once tonight. Something about the venom that dripped from his words scared you a little. That familiar sub-fuzz began to overtake you. As you began to strip the silk babydoll gown you heard Chris moving in the background. He grabbed a few things and took his spot back on the bed. Like a king claiming his throne. 

“Back over my thigh princess, Im not done with you” This time you draped yourself over him.

He warmed up your now naked bottom which was already glowing a nice shade of red. Out of nowhere, he swung again. You could tell he was using his full force now. 

“I can’t believe you decided to be so disobedient tonight. I had so much planned for you but no, you had to be a brat. Now Daddy has to teach you how to be a good girl for him” he paused the rain of smacks to feel between your legs. “Awwww baby girl, so desperate now arent we” you moaned when he began to circle your clit. “So wet baby, probably being such a little brat because you were so uncomfortable” his digits now began to pump inside of you slowly. It wasn't enough to make you cum but it did keep you on edge. You whined and rutted your hips back in desperation. “Awwww shhhhh poor baby, I'm not done with you yet” and like that, he pulled out and spanked you with the same hand that pleasured you. He continued until you finally admitted defeat.

“Ouch, Daddy Im sorry! Please I'll be a good girl just please let me cum! I need you. I need master to touch me” You slumped in submission. Chan plunged his fingers back into your cunt and set a brutal pace. Moans and yells escaped your lungs are you were thrust into pure unimaginable pleasure. Just as Christopher felt you clench…

“Ask for it” he slowed down.

“What! Please No”

“Ask for permission to come babydoll”

“Please Master can I cum. PLEASE” you begged like your life was on the line.

“Fucking Cum” and with that you did. You spasmed on his lap as he finished you off. While he was still punishing you he wasn’t going to be too cruel. He helped you down from your high and gently laid you on the bed.

“Bunny, you took Daddy’s punishment so well. You did such a good job, Master is very proud. But it isn't quite done. Im going to wreck your sensitive little body one last time and you are going to take it” again with the faux comfort he was so good at. Just as you were going to get ready for him, he flipped you around.

“Oh, I forgot to mention. No looking at or touching Daddy. You are going to remain arched on all fours as I ruin you. And because I know my dumb little bunny can't follow any rules, Master will tie your wrists to the bed to help you” and he did just that. Black and white ropes were wrapped around your wrists and secured you to the bend. His leather hand slid down your back with pressure forcing you to arch. Then he slammed into you. He was done with teasing, done with making you beg, done with waiting. He needed his own pleasure. Chan was going to be selfish with your body. You were his after all, right?

He set an unrelenting pace that was backed by hard thrusts. Imediabity he found your g-spot and when you screamed out in pleasure he abused it with his tip. Too lost in how amazing you feel, Chan didn’t say much. The room was filled with moans, pants, grunts, and the occasional swear word. It wasn’t until you spoke up did he come back to reality.

“Can I come, Master?” Finally, you were being his sweet obedient girl.

“Yes bunny, come for Daddy” He followed his approval with long drawn out powerful thrusts, the kind he knew you liked. As you clamped down on him hard and came with a scream he filled you up. A howl-like moan left him and he emptied inside of you. Your poor body leaked from him. With two fingers we scooped his cum up and pushed it back inside you, mesmerized by the sight.

“Shhhhhh baby it's okay, we wouldn’t want to waste a drop now would we” he cooed with genuine care this time.

“No Daddy we wouldn’t,” you said with a sex-drunk giggle which eased his worries about being too hard on you.

“It’s okay now little one, I'm just Christopher right now bun” 

“Channie?” you slightly sat up with a sweet questioning expression on your face. He was going to marry you someday.

“Yes princess, Channie is here. Let's get you into a bath baby girl.”

Change Flavor?

[the-west-meadow]

hi! hope youre doing good! could I request Lukas Matsson x reader fic with the prompt “why are you awake right now”

im in love with your writing!

so thankful for the Lukas love. got carried away again, 18+ only!!

Lukas Matsson x (fem) Reader

prompt: Why are you awake right now? 18+ ONLY

In an unexpected twist, you spent your first night in Stockholm stranded at Lukas Matsson’s estate with the Roys. A torrent of icy rain had made travel to your hotel nearly impossible, so Lukas had diverted you to his house. He called it your welcome party to Sweden. 

At two in the morning, you were still wide awake. You could hear the sound of a TV from behind Roman’s door, Shiv on the phone with Tom, and total silence from Kendall’s room. As his assistant, you were basically always on call. At least for now, you were off the hook and free to roam.

The house was otherwise quiet, with the sound of icy rain pelting the roof. You wandered the dark halls barefoot. Of course the concrete floors were heated. Beyond dark kitchen, the light of a TV flickered from the another room. You peered inside then froze, looking in at Lukas himself, reclining on the sofa in only a white tank top and shorts. You started to turn and creep away, but it was too late.

“Is the TV too loud?”

You stepped into the room hesitantly, self-conscious in just a t-shirt and shorts. 

“No, it’s fine. I just got lost… on the way to the bathroom.”

“There’s one in your room.”

“Right.”

He gave you a curious glance.

“Why are you awake right now?”

“Jet lag. I never sleep anyway.”

Lukas nodded knowingly. 

“I’ve never met anyone I respect who sleeps well.”

He gestured towards the TV.

“Well, I’m watching Swedish dramas if that interests you.”

You padded into the room. There was no where to sit but on the sofa with Lukas. Tucking your legs beneath you, you took a seat at the far end. You blinked at the screen, where two Swedish detectives leaned over a body.

“I don’t speak Swedish,” you said.

“It’s okay. I’ll explain. By the way, have you tried any of our snacks yet?”

He held out a bag of gummies and you took one, examining it.

“What is it?”

“Bilar. It’s supposed to be shaped like a car.”

“It looks like a rabbit.”

"Yeah. Now that you mention it."

“What is that?” you asked, pointing at his soda bottle.

“Julmust. It’s soda we drink at Christmas.”

“It’s April.”

“I guess I don’t do things like normal people.”

“I could have told you that.”

He gave you another curious look, which turned into a grin.

“Sorry,” you said. “Jet lag. My filter is gone.”

“It’s okay. I've never had a filter. It gets me in trouble a lot.”

He gave you another glance.

“So can we agree to pass over all that small talk bullshit?”

“Fine with me. I don’t have the energy for it.”

“You can hit me if I say something shitty.”

“Sounds like you have something in mind.”

He sat up, putting aside the soda and candy. 

“I could have gotten you guys a ride to your hotel. But I wanted you to stay here.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I don’t know when we’ll have a chance like this again.”

His eyes passed over your bare legs. His arm was spread along the back of the sofa, lingering close to your shoulder. You felt the heat flush into your face. You had caught the looks he gave you at various events with the Roys, and yet this was the first time you had found yourself alone with him.

“Why didn’t you come to my room?”

“I wanted you to come to me.”

You stretched out your legs, grazing his lap.

"I've got all this energy I don't know what to do with," you said.

He slid one hand up your calf, creeping along your thigh. His eyes were fixed on you, watching your reaction.

"I think I can help with that," he said.

You took a sharp breath as his hand pivoted to the inside of your thigh. 

“I think the others are still awake,” you whispered. 

“Then you’ll have to be very quiet.”

He gently took hold of your ankle, pulling you towards him. You wrapped your legs around him, feeling him between your thighs, just the thin fabric of your shorts separating your skin from his. 

“Do you think you can be quiet?” he asked, eyeing your lips, your neck. 

“I’m usually not.”

He let out a low breath, brushing your hair out of your face. 

“I wish I could hear that,” he said. 

“What about you?” you asked, grinding into his lap. He tilted his head back, letting out a low moan. 

“Shh,” you said, then leaned over him, taking his head in your hands. As you kissed him, you felt him grind against you from below, growing harder. He grabbed your hair suddenly, pulling your head back.

“Whoever breaks first loses,” he said. You grinned into his lips.

“Deal.”

In one movement, he picked you up and lay you down on the sofa. He pulled off your shorts, tossing them on the ground, and nudged your legs open with his palm. He looked at you with a glimmer in his eye.

“I think I’m going to win,” he said. He stroked you between the legs with one long finger, gazing into your eyes. You threw your head back, biting your lip. 

“See?” he grinned. “You’re already so wet.”

“Fuck you,” you whispered. 

He slid the finger inside as you stifled a moan. Then with a wink he lowered his face between your legs. You felt his tongue hot and wet against you. 

“Oh my god,” you whimpered.

His other hand slid up your leg as his fingers moved slowly, rhythmically, in and out. You clenched your fists in his dirty blonde hair, meeting his blue eyes as he glanced up to see your reaction. All the while, the TV light flickered silently over your two bodies, pressed against each other on the sofa. 

“I’m still going to win,” you gasped. 

He lifted himself up, gazing down at you with his hair wild, breathless. He kicked off his shorts, buried his hand in your hair, and pulsed into you all at once.  

The moan that escaped you was beyond your control. You felt his entire weight on top of you, cradling you in his huge arms, as he teasingly put a hand over your mouth. 

“You lose,” he whispered. 

Not two minutes later, the door to Kendall’s room slid open. He peered out into the hall. Silence. Padding through the house, he made his way through the kitchen until he saw the TV flickering from the other room. 

He peeked inside. There you sat, side-by-side with Lukas, a blanket over your laps. Between you were several bags of snacks. 

“Hey guys,” he said uncertainly.

“What’s up, man?” 

“I thought I heard something.”

Lukas nodded at the TV. “Someone just got murdered. You want some snacks?”

It wasn’t hard to miss the fact that your hair and Lukas’s was a mess, several pillows had fallen to the floor, and your cheeks were flushed. You looked at him guiltily. Kendall caught your eye and gave a slight grin. 

“That’s okay. I’ll leave you guys to it.”

With a little wave, Kendall withdrew from the room, leaving you alone again.

“Poor guy,” Lukas said. “Guess he can’t sleep either.”

Then he tilted your face towards his and kissed you on the lips. His hand slid beneath the blanket.

“Now, where were we?”

[waterdeep-weavemoss]

Futures in the Dark

Well, fuck, I did it I guess. Enjoy. Gale x Tav, nothing explicit.

Tav sat in the damp grass, forearms on her knees. Beneath the cold light of Isobel’s protection fire could burn warm, yet she shivered, gooseprickles rising on her skin. The campfire was a little way off and everyone had gone to bed anyway, the absence of their chatter and laughter only drawing her attention to the unnatural calls and shrieks coming out of the dark. Gazing upwards, she tried willing a sun there. Nothing but pitiless void.

A twig snapped behind her, some ways to her left. The dagger at her hip flashed as she drew it and spun, leaping to her feet.

‘Easy,’ said a voice. ‘I already shaved this morning, Tav.’

‘Gale,’ she sighed, relaxing. ‘You scared me.’

‘Sorry. May I?’ He gestured to the ground next to her. She nodded.

‘It’s damp.’

‘Psh.’ He muttered a spell and the grass beneath them was dry and sweet smelling. Another word and a small fire was crackling between them, yellow and welcoming. Magic seemed easy as breathing for him, revitalised him even. There was extra sparkle in his eyes tonight. ‘So,’ he said, settling next to her with his legs tucked underneath him. ‘We leave these lands on the morrow.’

‘Mm.’ Tav put her chin in her palm. ‘I’ll be glad to leave this horrible place behind. What a nightmare.’

‘I can’t disagree,’ said Gale softly. ‘But I can’t help but feel utterly buoyed by recent events. It’s been on my mind, drowning out everything else, preventing me from sleeping even. And if I may be so bold, you’ve been thinking the same.’

He had her there. Sleep had not come, not since the colony and its secrets; every time she closed her eyes she could see the floor of the place, squishy underfoot and white with death, gore pressing in on all sides in masses of red and sickly green. ‘What we saw… I never thought it would actually exist. That there are places in Realmspace taken over by those- those things…’

‘The hells come to meet us,’ he agreed. ‘Even when you have the audacity to believe in something else.’

They stayed quiet for a long time. ‘You defied her,’ Tav finally said. She looked pointedly ahead down at the water, even as she felt his eyes burning into the side of her head. The unspoken hung fog-thick between them: for me.

‘As deaths go, a mindflayer colony being the last thing one sees is incredibly low down the list. In fact, I’d venture to say it’s dead last, if you’ll forgive the pun. Tav,’ he said, an edge in his voice, ‘look at me.’

She wouldn’t. ‘What’s it like?’

He made an exasperated noise. ‘What’s what like?’

‘Faith.’ She didn’t know why she couldn’t look at him. Perhaps it was for fear of drowning. ‘Devotion.’

‘It’s hell,’ he said simply. His voice had sharpened. ‘At least with Mystra. The constant striving to be everything she could ever ask, and never measuring up. Knowing you suffer and that it’s merely an amusement. You know Tav, I was a fool to believe she actually cared. I don’t believe any of them do. And I believe that crown, the one on the brain, it’s our way out.’

‘What are you going to do?’ Her mouth quirked. ‘Become a god yourself?’ She finally turned to look at him, and what she saw frightened her. His dark eyes were intense, holding hers, a sort of manic gleam lighting them up. He reached for her hands and clutched them in a strong, hard grip, drawing her to her feet. His thumbs pressed into the tops of her hands, his mouth twisting into a terrifyingly assured smirk.

‘With the crown, I could,’ he whispered. ‘For us. I could do anything.’

‘Gale-‘

‘Trust me,’ he said, drawing her in. ‘That thing could be the key to everything. No more bending to the will of the gods. I’d be better than that, Tav. I can reforge it, I know I can. I can… remake the world, make it better, for us. Please.’ His hand moved to cup her face, forehead pressing against her own. ‘Let me show you, at least. Give me a chance to share my vision with you. Not here, perhaps, not now when we are still stumbling out of the dark, but soon. The city awaits and it will not be kept waiting, but the crown… the crown is the way.’

‘You scare me sometimes,’ she whispered.

‘Oh, don’t give me that look,’ he said, his voice dropping to rumble low in her chest. ‘I know you. You may be doe-eyed but you find all this just as thrilling as I do.’ He smiled dangerously, his slender fingers trailing up her neck, pushing back her chestnut hair to rest at her thrumming pulse. ‘I’m sick of praying and getting nothing back.’ He breathed in, as if to collect himself, retain control. ‘You asked what it’s like. Devotion.’ He pressed his open mouth to her collarbone, stroked down her neck with practiced fingers, humming in satisfaction when he drew a shiver from her, down her spine. Her breathing shuddered. ‘It’s like this.’ He drew back.

‘I see,’ said Tav, trying and failing to keep her voice from quavering. ‘I want a real answer from you. Not today, fine, but… one day soon.’ She curled her fists into the purple velvet of his shirt. ‘Okay?’

‘You don’t want to know,’ he said, his eyes going flat black and hungry. ‘Worship is sacrifice. And all the gods know I’d burn the world down for you. So don’t ask me Tav, because I will.’ He gently extricated himself from her grip. ‘We’ll talk of this again, but not today. Look.’ He took her jaw in his hand and turned her head east. ‘The first sunrise in a hundred years.’

The sun was rising gold and warm, bathing them in its light. The wizard took her hand and squeezed a silent farewell. He left her there, watching his retreating back, her stomach knotting with dread at what he was walking them into. In the quiet, without his hands touching her, she had clarity. He had spared her, leaving her there; if he had continued she would’ve done anything he wanted. He had been there too though, his heart under her hands, and yet they had been merciful to each other. He had let her in, into the dark, her hand held to his chest. Now it was manifesting, and she would be devoured. She would need to hold on, she told herself. No matter how he begged, cajoled, played her body with voice and touch, she would need to gather the strength of the heavens and the hells if that crown were ever going to remain off his brow. And yet a tiny part of her, a power hungry, selfish part, wanted him to do it. To assume the mantle of a god and the world be damned. Tav bowed her head briefly, trying to summon a prayer to her lips and failing. ‘Protect him from himself,’ she murmured instead. ‘Gods above and below, you do this. I fear he might let love destroy him. But only if it doesn’t destroy me, first.’

Tagging @aryancunin @daenerystargaryensgirlfriend @owlseeyoulaterpal @netherese0rb as thanks for engagement/encouragement :)

[nightghoul381]

Dark If ~Jude Jazza

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Bitter End | Premium End | Epilogue

London, the capital of the United Kingdom, boasted glittering prosperity during the reign of her majesty Queen Victoria.

I’m an ordinary citizen who works as a postman in the city.

I don’t have enough money to buy tickets to the performances I want to see.

(Okay, everything has been delivered for today.)

(If I could work a little more, I would be able to buy tickets to see that performance…)

Kate: “I’m back.”

Director: “Kate! Just in time for…no, but the roads are dangerous at night…”

Kate: “What’s wrong?”

Colleague: “Well, they have a vacancy for a night delivery person, so we’re short-staffed.”

(That’s it!)

Kate: “Please let me go!”

I take on an additional deliver and walk through the townhouse district illuminated by gas lamps.

(All I have to do is deliver a letter addressed to the bookstore manager.)

(Ah, “Kingsley Books”… here it is!)

Kate: “Excuse me, I’m from the post office, the manager…”

(There’s no one here, I guess I’ll just have to come back tomorrow,--Oh, what’s this...)

I picked up the book that had fallen casually at my feet.

As if drawn to something, I opened the untitled book.

Kate: “…!”

The wind whipped up, and I was enveloped in blinding light—

Beautiful man with long hair: “Welcome to the distorted fairy world…”

Beautiful man with long hair: “Our first visitor! Yaaaayyy!”

Beyond my open field of vision, a beautiful long-haired person was waiting for me.

Kate: “H-here… I… I was at the bookstore just now, and…”

I had no idea where I was or who the person in front of me was.

All I know now is that this is not a bookstore, and I still have work to do.

Kate: “Um, I’m in the middle of a delivery. So, I’d like to go back to Kingsly Books.”

Beautiful man with long hair: “I’m afraid that will be difficult.”

Kate: “Huh?”

Beautiful man with long hair: “Actually, I don’t even know how to send you home.”

The man, who introduced himself as Victor, tried to explain things to me and soothe my confused mind.

The place I am in now is between the world of fairy tales and the world in which I live.

Kate: “…Fairy world.”

Victor: “You were led here by an untitled book. Don’t you remember?”

Kate: “Yes. So, does that mean I got lost inside a book?”

Victor: “That’s right. You’re a quick and intelligent young lady.”

(I never thought that the adaptability I had honed as a postman would be put to use in a place like this.)

Kate: “But you… Victor, sir. I’m sure you just talked about a ‘twisted fairy world’.”

Victor: “Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, and Thorn Princess**.”

Victor: “Most fairy tales in the world have a fixed plot, and generally end with a happy ending.”

Victor: “However, in the world of fairy tales, the plot of the story has gone awry, chaos has reached its peak, and the ending is far from happy.”

Kate: “…How can that be?”

Victor: “That’s because…each fairy tale has something missing.”

Kate: “…Something missing. What is that?”

Victor: “Even I don’t know that.”

Victor: “I believe you were called here to look for it.”

(…er, in other words)

Kate: “If I find what’s missing, the distortions in the fairy world will be corrected, and the story will have a happy ending.”

Kate: “Then, I’ll be relieved of my role.”

Victor: “Perhaps then you can return to the world you come from.”

(If that’s the only way, I have no choice but to do it anyway.)

(Find what is missing in the distorted fairy world and correct the distortion. And with my own hands, lead it to a happy ending.)

Then I will return to the world I came from and continue my delivery.

Victor: “Ah, I think it’s almost time to wake up.”

Victor: “Miss Kate. With your hands, create the happiest ending.”

Victor: “—Come now, let’s go to the distorted fairy world.”

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Bitter End | Premium End | Epilogue

[blackjackkent]

Zevlor and the two Flaming Fist always wreck absolute face (no pun intended) in this fight against the mind flayers. It's a joy to watch Zevlor set everyone on fire with Searing Smite.

Annoyingly, I had to do the fight a couple times because one little intellect devourer kept showing up late to the fight and interrupting our conversation with Zevlor afterwards. XD

"Hells. I didn't think I was going to make it."

Zevlor looks terribly drained and considerably more battered than Rakha last saw him. He manages a slight smile as he looks past her at Wyll, but it seems to take most of the energy he has left.

"The Blade of Frontiers," he murmurs. "The savior I needed, if not the one I deserved."

(A/N: LOL. Further proof that Wyll is Faerun Batman.)

Wyll smiles slightly in return, but doesn't say anything. His eyes are troubled and he watches Zevlor with a certain amount of caution.

Rakha can guess why - and it's clear that Zevlor knows it too.

"I... owe you an explanation," he says quietly. "Much more than that. But first... please..." He swallows. "The others. The ambush... tell me they survived?"

Rakha raises and lowers one shoulder in a half-shrug. She could give him some placating answer, but why? He knows his failure; he would not believe her anyway.

"Some," she says flatly. "Not all. Because of you."(*) Her tone isn't really accusatory so much as simply factual - but Zevlor flinches from it all the same.

"Somehow, I suspect it's worse than you imagine," he mutters. "Likely you heard that I broke, or froze, or some other lie kinder than the truth." There's a pause, in which he visibly squares his shoulders, a soldier providing a report that tastes bitter in his mouth.

"We were ambushed by cultists, yes," he says. "And then I heard... Her. Their false god, whispering promises in my mind..." His gaze goes distant over Rakha's shoulder. "I would be a paladin again - with a god's purpose, a god's power. Everything I needed to protect my people. And all the while, the cult tortured them. They fought, and ran, and died around me while I imagined myself their savior. By the time I regained my senses... it was too late. I did not just surrender to the Absolute. For a moment... I welcomed it."

Rakha listens in silence. Her head twinges sharply. She remembers the strange joy that filled her in the presence of that orb in the laboratory - the influence of the Absolute, overwhelming, saturating. She remembers how ready she was, in that brief moment, to surrender to its influence in exchange for a sense of peace...

And before that, she remembers the terrible night the beast almost ripped out Wyll's throat, while she watched from behind her eyes and could do nothing to stop it. In that moment, everything was rage and violence and everything that she was... was lost.

For a moment... I welcomed it.

She knows the same failings Zevlor speaks of. Mental surrender. Loss of control. And, just as she did with Madeline in the ritual circle out in the dark, she wants to lash out at him, and in doing so, lash out at herself.

But Wyll stopped her, with Madeline. Is this justice? he asked her. Is there purpose?

Zevlor was not in control of himself at the ambush. She was not in control of herself that night in camp. Wyll... Wyll has not turned away from her for it...

"It sounds like you were enthralled," she mutters haltingly. "It's... not your fault."

It's not your fault.

She is sure she can sense Zevlor's response as clearly as she hears it in her own mind. Then whose is it?

"It would be nice to think so," he says, with the same flatness to his voice as to her own. "But whatever these monsters twist us into... I believe it begins in us."

It is Rakha's turn to flinch, to look away. He cannot know how those words cut her to the heart. He doesn't mean the beast, of course, only the tadpoles... but they are both flavors of the same poison.

Maybe he's right, and there is no distinction between her and the things in her head after all.

"I won't make excuses," Zevlor goes on, too caught up in his own turmoil to notice hers. "I can't make amends. But I know something of what you came to do. I want to help, if you'll let me. Ketheric is below. He thinks you're no longer a menace. Descend and show him how wrong he is. If there are any more survivors to be found, I'll find them - and lead them out of this place."

Rakha shrugs. She doesn't care what he does. She has far too many other things occupying her mind. "Fine," she mutters. "Good luck, Zevlor."

"And you, my friend," Zevlor says gravely. "And pathetic, inadequate as it is... thank you."

-----

He turns and walks away, deeper into the flesh-lined corridor beyond. Rakha watches him go and then straightens her gloves with a sudden, forceful jerk.

Wyll is watching her. Perhaps he has some inkling of what is going on in her mind, because he puts a hand on her arm and starts to speak. "Rakha--"

She jerks her arm away from him. "He said Ketheric is still further below," she says curtly. "Keep moving."

------

(*) Slight artistic license here to truncate Rakha's line to be more her speaking style. The full line is: "Some. Others ended up in a cell in Moonrise. That's on you." Honestly the oddest thing about the line options here is all of them seem to indicate that more people survived than actually did. There's no option, for instance, to mention that all the kids except Mol are gone.

[kazoosandfannypacks]

👑 kingdom trap

👑 kingdom trap

This is one of my Cygnet Scholar (Hope Swan Jones/Gideon Gold) AUs, and it's set in the Enchanted Forest as a kind of "no curse au."

In this version, Hope grows up as a princess, the granddaughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Snow and Charming only had one child, Emma, who also only had one child, Hope, and Hope has spent her entire life preparing to take the throne. However, by some magical miracle, Snow White has a child in her old age, and it's a son. By the laws of the kingdom, the throne that Hope has been preparing her entire life to inherit now falls to her infant uncle instead.

Rather than do something stupid like plan to assassinate a baby or whatever a twisted mind would do in one of these stories, she realizes there's more than one way to be a queen— all she has to do is find an eligible crown prince. Fortunately for Hope, there happens to be a prince who fits that description in the next kingdom over: Prince Gideon, the son of Queen Belle.

The only flaw in this plan: around the same time Emma married Hope's father, the once legendary and vengeance-seeking Captain Hook, Princess Belle of their neighboring kingdom married the elusive and nefarious Dark One. Although both have since reformed and claim to have mended their villainous ways, there's still a tense hatred between Captain Hook and his crocodile, and their two kingdoms have ceased all trade and forbidden all communication between themselves, at risk of a full fledged war breaking out between them.

But when Hope sets her mind to something, there's little anyone can do to stop her, and she sneaks out of her castle on a secret diplomatic mission: to win the heart of Prince Gideon and find a place to rule on the throne of her father's sworn enemy.

here's a little snippity snippity of it!

 "What did you say your name was?" Gideon asked.  "Hope," she said, then rolled her eyes a little, "Princess Hope. Of…."  "Misthaven," Gideon finished when she hesitated, "I was unaware you were in attendance this evening."  "And you are?" Hope asked, though he could tell she already knew.  "Prince Gideon," he said, with as much regality as he could, "of, well, here." He shrugged and gestured to the castle behind them, and heard her laugh a little.  "I guess someone's been studying interkingdom relations," she said.  "And from what I've heard," Gideon crossed his arms, "Misthaveners haven't been welcome in this kingdom since your father took the throne."  "Really?" Princess Hope asked, stepping closer to him with a coy smile, "because from what I've heard, you don't seem to care for the rivalry anyways."  "Rivalry, or war?" Gideon asked.  "It's hardly either," she said.  "Regardless," he said, "if it's not war, entering that ballroom could still be the start of one. Why would you risk attendance at this ball?"  "The same reason you don't seem to mind that you're running late for it," Hope said, "I'm taking my story into my own hands— and I need your help to do it."

WIP ask game!

[sanvirtheobserver]

Taking Flight, Chapter 34: Roll Call

The Knight's roars are cut short as their head is cut clean from their shoulders. The other two Knights stare daggers as Pietro stands over their fallen broodkin with a straightsword in his hand. One Knight roars and charges in with their mace. Pietro is quick to dodge, the mace shattering the earth beneath it. The second Knight fires several fans of burning flechettes from their Splinter. Pietro expertly dodges and weaves through the oncoming barrage as he dashes right up to them.

Pietro: Amateur.

The Knight doesn't even have time to react before both their arms are sliced clean off. A flash of silver pierces through the Knight's head, the light fading from its eyes as it drops to the ground. The first Knight charges in, violently swinging their mace at Pietro. But try as they might, they can't seem to land a single solid hit on the Frenchman, whereas he is able to land thrust after thrust on the Knight with pinpoint accuracy. One single parry sends the mace flying out of the Knight's hand.

Pietro: Don't take it personally, amigo. You were just in my way.

In an instant, several silver flashes streak across the Knight's body. He dusts the bits of chitin off his suit as the final Knight falls to pieces. A moment of calm passes before he hears some footsteps coming from behind him. He swivels on his heel, sword at the ready.

Y. Sniper: GAH, friendlies! Friendlies!

Pietro carefully analyzes the YLW Sniper along with Tari, Belle, and Whisk. They had just come in after following the trail of dead Hive to his position.

Pietro: Identify yourself, bushman.

Y. Sniper: Rufus Mason. From Yard Logistics Workers. We were hired by Mr. Potman to clear out the infestation.

Pietro: I see.......

He slowly lowers his blade and turns his attention to the girls.

Pietro: And you three must be the adventurers Potman had mentioned.

Tari: Yes sir. My name is Tari, and these are my friends Belle and Whisk.

Pietro: Pietro Sterling, at your service.

Belle: Let me guess. You're doing pest control for Potman too?

Pietro: While I am assisting with the extermination wherever I can, I have my own reasons for coming here.

Whisk: So, you're here looking for treasure I presume?

Pietro: You could say that. The Mercenary life is all about the thrill of seeking that next big score. Isn't that right, Rufus?

Rufus: I mean, so long as it offers a nice challenge that gets you out of the house and across the world, then yeah. All with free healthcare and dental, mind you.

Pietro: Yes.......Anyways.......

He takes a moment as he analyzes Tari's robotic arm.

Pietro: ............What brings YOU here?

Elsewhere, Mario and Meggy are making g their way through the ever deepening depths of darkness.

Meggy: Holy Carp this place goes on forever. BOB? BOOPKINS? IF YOU CAN HERE US, SAY SOMETHING.

Mario: Mama Mia, this place is darker than Ben's sense of humor.

That's when they some odd sounds coming from a nearby tunnel. Peeking out, they see what remains of RED Team and YLW Team after their encounter on the bridge. The RED Pyro gives them a warm welcome via a warning shot from her flare carbine.

Mario: Hey, what was that for?!

R. Pyro: (You should know better than to sneak up on someone with a loaded gun.)

Mario: .............. Why is she speaking in Charlie Brown?

Meggy gives him a quick bop on the head.

Meggy: Sorry about that. He's...... not the brightest.

Seeing that the two aren't dangerous (if not a little rude), the RED Pyro sighs as she holsters her carbine. She turns over to her team, who are still working on trying to get across the ravine in their way. The Scouts get across easily enough with their double-jumps, while the RED Soldier tries Rocket Jumping. He does survive the initial blast and goes flying, but twists his ankle on the landing and falls screaming into the abyss. The Medics are....... awfully calm about this development.

R. Medic: You'd think he'd carry a parachute.

Y. Medic: Instead he settled for the para-BOOT.

The two medics share a laugh while the RED Sniper and YLW Demoman hatch a different kind of plan. The YLW Demoman lays a few sticky bombs and the RED Sniper lays his backshield on top of them at an angle. The plan is for those two to use the blast to launch them both over the ravine. Once they're both seated, the demo finishes his fifth bottle of scotch before pulling out a detonator.

R. Sniper: Watch and learn, boys! This is gonna be a real peace of cake!

Y. Demoman: Welcome, to the *BURP* train station. Let's kill a wizard.

With a push of a button, the payload detonates with enough force to send the two flying across the ravine......... before the Sniper crashes into a pillar and the Demoman ends up half buried in the ground. How either of them are still alive is honestly a miracle, but Mario seems unimpressed.

Mario: This is taking too long! Let's do this Mario style.

Mario rummages through his pockets before pulling out a Mega Mushroom and........ a random Koopa Troopa. Not the weirdest things he's pulled out of his pockets.

Koopa Troopa: WHERE AM I?! WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE IS MY FAMILY?!

His cries are silenced as Mario force feeds him the Mega Mushroom, causing the Koopa to grow to an immense size. As the growing continues, Mario tosses the Koopa over the ledge and his shell gets stuck between the two ledges. His immense shell has now become a bridge for everyone to cross.

Mario: Tadaaaaaaa!

R. Medic: Good work, camarade!

Y. Heavy: Little man is credit to team!

The other mercs cheer as they cross the "bridge." Meggy just looks on bemused while the RED Pyro is still processing what in the fresh hell she just saw.

R. Pyro: (Does he do shit like this on the regular.)

Meggy: Yeah. You get used to it. Name's Meggy, by the way.

They shake hands.

R. Pyro: (Garnet.)

Elsewhere, we see Boopkins and Soldine meet up with Bob and GRN Team doing some Excavation. The GRN Demowoman flicks a switch, detonating a plastic explosive that helps soften up the limestone mass in their way. The GRN Heavy gets to grinding out a path with his drill. Upon seeing Bob, Boopkins immediately rushes over and gives him a big hug.

Boopkins: Bob! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!

Bob: Boopkins? Where the hell have you been?

Boopkins: I tried to keep up, but you were too fast and I got lost.

Bob: Oh yeah........ Sorry about that. But hey! I got first pickings on the loot.

Boopkins: Oooooh, can I see?

Bob shows Boopkins the dufflebag full of miscellaneous trinkets while Soldine walks over to a handful of BLU mercs. The BLU Sniper keeps her head low as the BLU Medic tends to her. The BLU Soldier gives a salute to Soldine as he scans the area.

B. Soldier: Captain Edward Marston, reporting for duty sir.

Soldine: Where is the rest of your team?

Edward: Right here, sir.

He hands Soldine a chain lined with various trinkets. Among them were six class badges, all caked in blood.

Soldine: I see........ My condolences.

Edward: They fought hard and were damn good at it. Maybe even the best.

Soldine turns his attention to the GRN Medic.

Soldine: Doctor Tödliche Heilung, I presume.

The Medic turns to face the mechanized soldier. His face mask releases a hiss of steam as he adjusts his glasses.

Tödliche: That would be me.

Soldine turns his gaze to the bottle held in the doctor's clawed hand. A black liquid swirls within the glass, it's red sheen gleaming like eyes within the abyss.

Soldine: That substance........ what is it?

Tödliche: This, my friend, is Kuva. I harvested this sample from the "Denizens" I've encountered down here.

Soldine: Kuva......... I've heard the stories.

Tödliche: Yes. The Old Blood of the Orokin Empire. Some say it's the key to eternal life that cures all wounds. Others say it's a poison that corrupts the mind, body, and soul.

Soldine: What do you believe?

Even beneath his mask, you could see the slightest smirk.

Tödliche: I believe it's a matter of perspective.

Back with Tari's group, another Knight falls before Pietro's blade. He wipes the black ichor off his blade as the group turns their attention to a new discovery. Before them stood an ancient gate of ornate steel recessed into a frame of pallid marble and opalescent glass.

Rufus: Mother of Madcaps........

Tari: These have to be the ruins the SMGs located.

Pietro: SMGs?

Tari: More friends of ours.

Whisk: Wait a minute......... is THAT why your arm is glowing?

And glowing it was. Tari steps forward and places the hand on the door. The glow spread across the edges of the interlaced plates. Untold ages of dust fall as the plates begin to shift. Several openings form and merge until the gate has completely recessed into the arching frame. Before them laid a single bridge leading deeper into the earth, the path alight with a vivid azure hue. Tari turns to the others as they gather to look inside.

Tari: Just when you think you've hit the bottom........

[swiftfootedachilles]

i jusr recently got into shameless and have been on the hunt for gallavich content and your blog is so perfect ive spent the whole day reading through ALL your gallavich posts you get them more than the writers do. Anyways u had a post where in the tags you talked about the possibilities of gallavich where noel fisher was actually mickeys age and the loss of buck toothed twink 17 year old mickey and I SUPPORT. Thinking about s2 mickey (in looks) with s11 ian is too much like the size diff UGH😫

hello and welcome to my dark twisted mind. gallavich spins in my head like a microwave i know them so well because theyre an intrustic part of my neurological function i have absorbed them thru osmosis and they live inside me now

seriously its easy to forget but mickey was a CHILD when he experienced the horrors in the show 🥺 even shorter, crooked teeth with a big gap, with that air of awkwardness only teens can have

a lot of s1-3 gallavich narrative moments were directly influenced by the actors' ages. i wonder how things couldve been different if they were different ages when casted? do you think the showrunners wouldve had them kiss sooner? how would their on-screen chemistry be effected if we were more of peers off-screen rather than noel fisher being a mentor for cameron monaghan? its such an interesting topic, but obviously everything happens for a reason and noel fisher at that point in his career was PERFECT for mickey

i also think some fans get too attached to on-scren portrayals of characters. like obviously mickey is a fictional character played by a much older actor, hes actually a natural strawberry blond, the markers are drawn on with literal sharpie. as audience members we are expected to suspend our disbelief and not take everything literally. mickey is mickey, not (several-times-snubbed-by-john-wells) actor noel fisher. mickey is a kid. hes a natural brunet. his tattoos are real. even though thats not reality, we are to understand that this show exists somewhere else and not here. another example is in s11 when mickey alludes to not working out despite having a body you can only get from working out 😭 idk i guess what im getting at is id love to see more portrayals that are less literal? like him with his big ass tooth gap and noodle arms. the absurd gallavich size difference. actually being able to see/read him growing up physically and mentally. same with other characters. like MY s1 ian did NOT straighten his hair so i love to imagine it much more curly and messy (i know that poor kid was not using products for his hair type). or like can you imagine fiona looking barely college-aged? how much more IMPACTFUL that is for her story of being a mother to her FIVE siblings? or putting more or less weight on characters, changing minute physical attributes because it fits the character, not the actor portraying them... like we are the creators of our own realities we can truly do whatever we want. HASHTAG MAKE MICKEY EVEN MORE BLORBO SHAPED!!!

[thesconesyard]

Yeehaw!

When the Cactus Blooms

22. Learning the Ropes

“James T. Kirk! Show yourself!”

Jim tucked himself in the dark corner of a stall. If Christine was yelling for him like that it couldn’t be for anything good.

“I know you’re in here!” Christine called, her voice closer.

“He’s in Pepper’s stall,” Bones walked by and told her.

“Traitor!” Jim hissed at him. “Oh, Christine, were you calling me?” he asked innocently as he stepped out of the stall. Christine rolled her eyes and stalked towards him.

“You are going to find work for that girl to do out here. She is wasted in the house. She’s helpful, but that is not enough.”

“But—”

“No buts James Kirk,” Christine said firmly. “She belongs outside. Her family traveled. The house doesn’t suit her, so you will teach her. She likes working with her hands. She enjoyed helping Scotty fix things. Teach her more about living on a ranch. Understood?”

“Yes Miss Christine,” Jim said with only a hint of sarcasm.

“Good. I’ll send her out.” Christine turned to leave the stables.

“You know this is my ranch, right?” Jim called behind her.

“Sure Jim,” Christine called over her shoulder. “But who keeps everything in running order?” The stable door closed behind her.

“She got ya there kid,” Bones laughed next to him.

“Well, I don’t like all those fancy details anyway.” Jim grinned, but it faded quickly. “What should I do? I guess it isn’t fair to expect women to just want to do the easier jobs.”

“Oh ho kid, don’t let Chris and Uhura hear you say that. They work just as hard as any of us out here. You want to be in that kitchen in the middle of summer? Bent over in the gardens? Putting up with a bunch of unruly men like us?”

“Ok, ok,” Jim raised his hands and laughed. “I got your point. I’m just not sure what Jaylah would like? What do you think? You know her better than me.”

Bones reached up to scratch the back of his neck.

“She’s a quick learner. When we went riding, she picked everything up right away. Scotty says she’s an excellent mind for fixing things and coming up with solutions. Just take her through your day Jim, she what strikes her fancy best.”

Just a short while later Jaylah entered.

“James T?” she called.

“Over here!” Jim said, sticking his head out of a stall.

“Christine says I’m to come help you,” Jaylah said as she stopped in front of him. “I am no good at cooking and housework is boring.”

“Don’t you worry, we’ll keep ya busy,” Jim grinned. He looked her over and she seemed to blush.

“They are Pavel’s,” she said, glancing down, and sounding nervous. “He let me borrow them for riding. Uhura says we will make my own soon.”

“That’s a good plan. Dress in what makes you comfortable. You done much work with horses or cattle?”

“Not much. We traveled on foot mostly.” Sadness entered her voice as it always did when she referenced her family.

“I inherited the ranch too young,” Jim told her quietly. “I had to learn a lot of things myself. So don’t worry, we’ll teach you. Let’s get these stalls finished then head in for breakfast. Are you alright near the horses?”

Jaylah reached up to pat the horse next to them. “I am getting more comfortable,” she smiled.

Jaylah worked hard all morning and Jim couldn’t help but appreciate it. She would be a most welcome addition to their home.

“Now what James T?”

“Something more fun,” Jim replied with a wink. “Come on.”

Jaylah fell in step beside him as they went to the stables and grabbed a pair of ropes. He led her out towards the north pasture. As they walked he worked on one end of his rope.

“Ever thrown a lasso?” he finally asked as they stopped aways from the north pasture fence.

“No,” Jaylah shook her head.

Jim took the rope she was carrying and twisted and tied it’s end like he had done to his, then passed it back.

“Like this,” he said, swinging the looped end above his head, then releasing it at a fence post.

“Oh,” Jaylah said with awe in her voice. Cautiously, she attempted to repeat Jim’s movements.

“Here,” Jim said. “You want to hold it here- like this.” He moved Jaylah’s hands on the rope. “Real casual as you swing, then release as you’re pointing where you want it to go.”

Jaylah missed the fence post.

“Good!” Jim cried. “Great for a first try. Now reel your rope back like this.” He demonstrated. “Keeps it from tangling and not flying right.”

She got the post on her fifth try.

“Once we get good at a still target we can try a moving target, then on horseback after that,” he said as she made the post again.

“Oh,” Jaylah looked at him with wide eyes.

“I’ve already told you you’re welcome as long as you need,” Jim said, “but do you want to stay? Or is there somewhere else you’d want to go?”

Jaylah stilled and looked at him.

“I have nowhere else,” she said faintly. “I would like to stay here.”

“Then you will,” Jim said firmly. “Welcome home.”

[c-r-ash-crash]

Keep The Faith Ch. 25: A Coronation

Joey blinked awake.  His vision was bleary.  Faint sunlight filtered in through the windows and birds sung brightly.  Slowly he stretched and tossed the covers off.  His communicator clattered to the ground noisily; he had forgotten he’d dropped it beside himself when he dozed off.

He swung his feet over the bed, and glanced at his ruined shirt from last night and groaned.  Great.  Now he only had one shirt he could wear.  Not that he really needed one.  It was plenty warm enough in the jungle.

Then, he realized why he had woken up despite the early hour and his earlier exhaustion.  An incessant knocking was coming from his door.  “Joey, I know you’re awake now,” came Hade’s voice.  “I can hear you moving around.  Open the door please.”

He fell back into his bed with a thump and debated just ignoring her and going back to bed.  Hade, apparently reading his mind, began to knock louder.  “I’m just gonna keep going,” she said.  “Now open this door.”

Reluctantly, Joey stood up and opened the door.  Hade nodded gratefully, then she stepped inside.  “Oh, yeah, uh-huh,” Joey muttered.  “Just go ahead and invite yourself right in.”  “Apologies,” she said.  Her hair was done up in an elaborate series of braids and twists.  Distantly, Joey wondered how early she must have gotten up to do that.  “But we’re on a bit of a tight schedule here.”

Joey noticed she had something bundled in her hands and he pointed towards it.  “What’s that?”  “Oh, it’s for you, my lord,” Hade said.  “Just the proper formal clothes.  I had Tairon help me adjust them, so hopefully they should fit.  Go ahead and change and then meet me by the edge of Ichibi Umbusulwa.  Quickly, please.  I need to change as well, so I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

She handed Joey the bundle and he took it, surprised by her formality.  She bowed slightly, and then stepped back out of his treehouse and into the jungle.  After a moment of staring at the now closed door, he turned his attention to the pile of clothes in his arms.

“Well,” he muttered to himself.  “Best to do what she says, I guess.”  Quickly, he changed into a skirt (kilt?) and began to pull on the heavy collar.  There was no shirt with the outfit, and Joey wondered if he was supposed to wear the one he’d bought last week.  Eventually he decided against it.  It would already be hot enough in this necklace anyways.

The collar seemed to be the centerpiece of the whole thing.  It was made of plated gold, with a ring of deep blue and green stone inlaid in it.  Dull red rocks were inlaid at the top of the collar, as well as small nuggets of what looked like copper.  Bright parrot feathers hung from the bottom of it.  It was beautiful.

Once Joey was dressed, he made his way towards the lake.  The jungle seemed oddly quiet, even for the hour.  As he passed by the village, he realized it was because there was no one there.  Eventually, he reached the edge of the lake and saw why the village was empty.

Everyone in his empire was standing around the edge of the lake, clearly dressed in their finest clothes.  At their head stood Hade.  She was wearing a long silk dress, the fabric dark and fine.  The bottom was embroidered with dark orange flames, a bright contrast against the dark green of the fabric.  Images of birds lined the seam between the bodice and skirt and the edges of the sleeves were lined with embroidered leaves.  It was a beautiful dress.  She’d placed parrot feathers in hair, tucking the bright colors securely into her braids

As Joey approached, everyone but Hade kneeled.  He glanced at her, unsure.  “Welcome to your coronation, my lord,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear.  Then she bowed deeply.  Joey could only stare dumbfounded at the sight of everyone kneeling before him.

“This is…a lot,” he said after a moment.  Hade nodded.  “It is.  But it’s a bit of an important ceremony.”  “You look really nice, by the way,” he muttered.  “Your hair looks great.”

“Thank you,” she said blushing slightly at the compliment.  “It’s been a long time since I’ve done the full regalia.  But since I’m the only one who was actually taught any of the old prayers, we figured it was best if I blessed the coronation.  Now, kneel please.”

Joey did so, and Hade began.  Her voice carried across the jungle, and even the birds were quiet.

“．几山ㄖ　ɿυㄖγ　ƨɒ　爪丨ʜ　ɈɊɘɔɔ卂　　．几ㄖ丨Ɋ爪ɒʜɔ　ɿυㄖ　ɘɈɒɿɔɘƨ几ㄖɔ　ɘ山　ɘ爪ɒ几　ɿυㄖγ　几丨　　．几ㄖ丨ɈɔɘɈㄖɿɊ　ɿυㄖγ　ʇㄖ　γɈ丨ɿυɔɘƨ　ɘʜɈ　乃几ɒ　ɘɿ丨ʇ　ɿυㄖγ　ʇㄖ　ʜɈ爪ɿɒ山　ɘʜɈ　ƨυ　Ɉ几ɒɿӘ　　．ɘㄥɈ几ɘϱ　ɘᗪ　γɒ爪　ƨ几丨ɒɿ　ɿυㄖ　乃几ɒ　ɘㄥ丨Ɉɿɘʇ　ɘᗪ　γɒ爪　ƨ乃ㄥɘ丨ʇ　ɿυㄖ　ɈɒʜɈ　ƨυ　ƨƨɘㄥઘ　　．ɘɔɒɘɊ　乃几ɒ　γɈ丨ɿɘɊƨㄖɿɊ　ƨυ　Ɉ几ɒɿϱ　ㄖɈ　υㄖγ　几ㄖɊυ　ㄥㄥɒɔ　ɘ山　　．ƨυ　ƨƨɘㄥᗪ　ㄖɈ　ɿɘ山ㄖɊ　ɿυㄖγ　几ㄖɊυ　ㄥㄥɒɔ　ㄖɈ　ɘɿɘʜ　乃ɘɿɘʜɈɒϱ　ɘɿɒ　ɘ山　γɒ乃ㄖɈ　，ɿㄖ乂Ǝ”

She dipped her hands into the lake, and cupped a handful of the clear water.  Slowly, she poured it over the top of Joey’s head, letting it pour over his shoulders.

“．几υƨ　ɘʜɈ　ƨ乃ɿɒ山ㄖɈ　ƨυ　乃ɒɘㄥ　乃几ɒ　，ɘɿ丨Ɋ爪Ǝ　ɘʜɈ　ʇㄖ　几ㄖ丨Ɋ爪ɒʜƆ　，ɘƨ丨ɿ　山ㄖИ　　．乃几丨ʞ　乃几ɒ　ɘɿυɊ　ɘᗪ　ㄖɈ　ㄥυㄖƨ　ƨ丨ʜ　ɘɿɒㄥɔɘ乃　乃几ɒ　ɘʞɒㄥ　乃ɘɿɔɒƨ　ɿυㄖγ　ʇㄖ　ƨɿɘɈɒ山　ɘʜɈ　ʜɈ丨山　爪丨ʜ　γʇ丨ɿυɊ　ɘ山”

Joey rose, the small speech having ended.  Hade bowed to him once again, then she turned and marched into the jungle.  He followed after her, as did his people.  After a moment, they came to the steps of the Town Hall.  Hade climbed to the top and Joey stood just a step beneath her.

Beneath them the crowd gathered, looking up expectantly.  From a small podium behind her, Hade produced a circlet of gold.  A large emerald sat in the center of it.  Joey bowed his head, and Hade placed the circlet firmly on his brow.  Then, he turned to face his people as she proclaimed, “I present to you Emperor Joey Graceffa of the Lost Empire”

[bauhausoracle]

A fanfic???

Hello y’all, uhm, I guess I am writing a fanfic, it is kind of dark at some point and I think I hate it, but I want to complete it... Would anyone would be interested? I will post some kind of prologue/plot but please if it does not sound right it is because I wrote it first on Spanish and then translated it, so.. ??? By the way, this has ships but not really? It is just a big mess?

Warning!! Drug use, Sex, Gender Transition, Drug Addiction, Rehab, Gang activities.

English: Raimond is a pretty calm town. After I got back from rehab I realized that the summer was over, the car I was in was doing sixty miles per hour and the wind was hitting my face, blowing my hair back. I looked in the car mirror and thought I should shave again. Maybe a change of style would do me better, you know to keep up appearances. I clenched my fists and winced, stupid to think that I should hold onto an image if I didn't even have a good one to begin with. Honestly this place was stupid, people really had no problem making fun of each other, everyone was twisted. As we passed the road that would take us home through the window I could see a beautiful girl in a pink skirt and a long blue hair that cascaded down to her waist, I smiled and thought maybe I could talk to her in the future. You could tell she wasn't from here. "She's new," my younger sister blurted out, reading my expression. I just nodded. Once I put one foot on the ground, looking at the house where I lived, a memory came to my mind. The image of the velvet curtain that I clung to to keep from falling, the blood that was spilling on the cut of a bottle and the feeling that when I vomited my soul was separated from my body made me tremble. I shook my head to try to chase those thoughts away. My mother, who had been silent the whole way, took me softly by the neck and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Welcome back, Akio”. "Now we can start over.” I agreed without saying anything, but I promised that I would behave myself for the first few days. I didn't even believe it, but everything was going to be okay, I guess. "Let's watch that movie you told me about," I told her, my voice hoarse. It was still a little early, but I didn't have much to do that day. My mother turned around and smiled. "Of course". She answered to walk to the living room. What you should know, is that this town is a little different… It's full of crazy people and many, many stupid teenagers. If I could get the hell out of here, I would, however my mother was the only thing I had left and honestly, I'd rather put up with this bunch of idiots than abandon her. That's how I found myself walking towards Raimond University, a public university full of teenagers, just as he had described them before, crazy and stupid. "Oh, my God. Are you alive?" Someone to my right asked, I just stuck my middle finger out in a disgusted gesture. Did they think that the great Akio Fudou would fall so easily? Nonsense. When I got to the first class, many people turned to look at me, the people with a couple of functional neurons were afraid of me enough not to ask, but their eyes were on me. "Many people are looking at you, so there are only two choices, either you did something stupidly brave or you did something bravely stupid". Mentioned the person behind. I turned to see who it was and I found a guy with very long pink hair and tanned skin. He had an irritating smile and his great joy caused me some uncertainty, but I knew this idiot since the beginning of last year. "Man, I'm glad you're okay, welcome back." He patted me on the back and I grumbled asking him not to touch me. “Believe me, it's such a great honor to be back.” I said sarcastically, emphasizing the word great. "Well, you have to accept that you're better off here than rehab anyway." I agreed to that, of course it was better. "How long have you been clean?". "Six months" I replied, I heard a snort that turned into a small laugh and I shook my head. Someone, anyone, get me out of here.

[infernaleikon]

Omg omg spotify just recommended this song to me: Kill Bill by SZA, and it has such intense obikin vibes to me. But is like Anakin/Vader chasing obi-wan throughout the kenobi series and a new hope? Or is it more jealous obi-wan who has fallen to the dark side because he’s jealous of Anakin’s relationship and is chasing Anakin around? What do you think??? Or am I just losing my mind and think literally everything relates to obikin now even when it doesn’t ??

listen, i heard boom boom boom by the vengaboys last summer and thought this would be a song anakin plays on a ridiculously loud and uses to “serenade” obi-wan (who’s both confused and exasperated), so you’re definitely not losing your mind. let me reassure you. you're not. we're all brainrotting here and we all welcome it ✌️

that being said omg those lyrics tho. i did wonder who would be who. i feel like obi-wan is more likely to be the one to at least try to be with another person after being with anakin and breaking up for whatever reason but i don't see him falling like this and then (trying to) killing his ex sjsjsnsn. this level of obsession is more anakin’s forte. that being said i think an obi-wan who quietly seethes with jealousy is just absolutely delicious to me.

anyway!! yeah, i think it would be more anakin (or rather vader, really, if you closely follow the lyrics) chasing obi-wan. and the thought of that is devastating, isn't it. i wouldn't be able to (or even want to tbh) write something like this but yeah, i think vader would kill obi-wan and his potential new partner to make sure nobody else would have his former master if he himself can't have him. its a bit murky tbh because while anakin/vader do have these violent outbursts (anakin with clovis, and vader is, well, vader and also canonically kills obi-wan) but anakin (and by extension vader) (they're not separate people, im just trying to distinguish moments of his life sksjsnsksk) didn't physically attack padme over clovis, he “only” choked her when he first fell and was already steeped deeper in the dark side than ever before, therefore already more twisted and enraged and out of control. so there is still, i suppose, a fine line to walk between him not actually wanting to hurt the person he loves and him being so utterly deranged that he does (nearly) kill them. so it would depend which nuance you want to give to the setting and story. because i could also see him killing the partner but not obi-wan, and make this be a sort, idk, taunt? or threat and a promise that if he can't have obi-wan, he'll make sure nobody else will, but because he's also cruel and vindictive and possessive but in a way that makes him unwilling to actually kill obi-wan, he'd go for killing every person who tries to get close to obi-wan. which is just very fucked up and dark and very unhappy.

anyway, i dont actually know why i typed this all up tbh but even though im not usually into something like this (writing or reading-wise) it's still fun to sort of brainstorm it or something i guess??

so, again, you're def not alone and not losing your mind!!

[badtasteaquarium]

[A] diskette

After a long and tedious meeting with the GUN Commander, Shadow walked down the long corridor of HQ, eyes on the floor in front of him. More testing, more trials, he thought. I thought the experiments were over, but they apparently want more data. Are they trying to recreate me? He ran the calculation in his head, but it came back with an error. That is one thing I cannot do. Predict the future.

"Hey!"

He blinked, and Rouge manifested in the middle of his path. "What's the matter, sourpuss? Let me guess--the commander was bullshitting with you?"

He sighed. "So to speak," he replied.

"Well, I have something that can take your mind off all that. Literally." She beamed and produced a red floppy diskette between her fingers.

Shadow stared at the disk, then back to Rouge's eager face. She loved to wear colorful, heavy makeup on her eyes and lips, but it didn't hide the dark circles beneath her eyes. "What is that?" he asked.

"It's a program for you."

His nose wrinkled. "Then you will find it useful to know that the 'bullshitting' I just did with the Commander was about doing more trials and tests. I am not interested."

He walked past her, shaking his head, but as predicted, she was not swayed. "Oh, come on! I've been working for weeks on this! I spent the last two days debugging it!" she exclaimed. "It's for your benefit!"

"Is it?" he said. "Or yours?"

"Well..." She fell behind a step. "It could be a mutual benefit. But it's mostly yours! Damn it, you know I'm one of the only people who can code in your native language..."

Shadow stopped and turned towards her, his gaze stern. "And again, I ask you: are you just doing so for your benefit?"

Rouge crossed her arms under her ample chest and met his stare. "This is your problem, anyway: you need to be able to relax." She flicked the disk up again. "This can help."

Shadow's gaze soften as his memory banks fired.

[RETRIEVING DATA FROM C:\... "--It's you. It's really you." Rouge embraced him tightly, even as the fizzling Chaos Energy wafted off him. "Welcome back," she said.]

He swallowed. "Fine," he said. "Where would you like to set up?"

She grinned. "My private office. After hours."

---

Rouge's office was small, to put it lightly. It was made smaller by the fact that she had crammed it full with a desk, an extra table, and a futon that if folded out, would take up any floor space left. A modern computer was set up at her desk, but the table housed a dumb terminal, along with a floppy diskette reader and an extra keyboard.

"Have a seat," she offered, immediately plopping at her desk and typing. "I'll get the cables out in a minute..."

Shadow stared at the Medusa's nest of cables in a bin on the desk. "With such limited space, you could stand to be more organized," he grumbled.

"Oh my word, you are so cranky," Rouge huffed. "I've been busy!"

He sighed and sat himself on the futon, folding his arms. "I do not know what you plan on doing to me, but I want you to know this: if it is at all unpleasant, I will refuse any future endeavors."

"I can live with that," Rouge replied absently.

Shadow blinked. That is not what I expected her to say...she must be confident...

She wheeled her desk chair over to the spare computer and popped in the floppy disk. It rattled while she turned on the terminal and began fishing for cables. "I think this should be long enough--oh."

When she pulled one out, it took several along with it. She sighed and began untangling, while Shadow leaned over to pick up the unnecessary cables. He took note of the tired creases beneath her eyes once again. "You talk enough about me," he said. "Shouldn't you get some rest as well?"

Rouge tilted her head back and forth, her mouth twisting. "Yeah, probably," she admitted. "I'll keep my work phone off this weekend, how's about that?"

She giggled, and he frowned. Then, she held up the parallel port. "Here, you want me to plug you in?"

Shadow took the cable from her and lifted the back of his hair to secure it into the back of his neck. She carefully unwound the rest and plugged it into the floppy drive. There was enough slack on the cable for it to touch the floor before reaching the desk.

"Is it running?" Shadow asked.

Rouge glanced at the terminal. "Shoot, I need you to interface first." She popped out the floppy disk. "Can you run your BASIC for me?"

Shadow nodded.

["RUN>>BASIC"]

The terminal on the desk flashed, then read the following:

“EXPANDED S.A. BASIC V. 2.0.2005 60287 BASIC BYTES FREE [PARTITIONED] READY…”

"There we go. Okay." Rouge popped the disk back in. In his mind's eye and on the screen, the program began to populate:

[LOADING FROM DRIVE A:\… … … <3 ~SPECIAL PROGRAM~ <3 BY ROUGE <3 © 2xx8 LANGUAGE PERMISSION BY GUARDIAN UNITS OF THE NATION, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

OPTIONS: MULTIPLE? Y/N INTENSITY 0-9? CLARITY 0-9?]

"What is this?" he asked. "Do not touch that keyboard."

Rouge held her hands where he could see them. "You can go ahead and review the code. I'm sure you'll be able to parse it faster than any human could."

Shadow's eyes narrowed at her, his jaw clenching. She did this for your benefit, or so she says... He closed his eyes.

[>>CHECK DRIVE A:\ 3000 BYTES. RUN PROGRAM ANALYSIS? Y/N >> Y INITIALIZING...]

Shadow's eyelids fluttered.

[PROGRAM FOR SEXUAL GRATIFICATION. SUPPRESSES INHIBITION CIRCUITS. INTENDED FOR SELF PLEASURE BUT CAN BE USED WITH A PARTNER. VARIATION PARAMETERS CAN ADJUST: MENTAL CLARITY. INTENSITY. NUMBER OF CLIMAXES. COMPATIBLE WITH MODULE PSDW-4065-F, PSDW-4065-M, AND PSDW-4065-X. MODULE DETECTED AUTOMATICALLY. END ANALYSIS.]

He shook his head, rubbing his temples. "You wrote a sex program for me? Rouge."

"What?!" she exclaimed. "You're not stupid or a baby, you already know how to do all that shit!"

"Not that I need to, nor is it necessary for my function."

"Are you sure?" Rouge leaned forward, hands on her knees. "Shadow? Are you positive?"

(In the dark of an abandoned lab room, Maria knelt before him, hard cock in her hand as she stroked gently. "Is this all right?" she asked, sweet and gentle. "Does it feel good?"

Shadow gripped the counter, only able to nod. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue over the tip of his dick. "How about this?" she asked afterwards, not taking her eyes off him.

The brittle, particleboard counter cracked underneath his grip...)

Despite the memory swelling in his chest, he still shook his head. "There is no point, I am sterile, after all--"

"I know about you and Dr. Maria," she insisted. "I know, because I did this with her consent."

Shadow's heart stopped as he stared wide-eyed at Rouge, who leaned back in her chair, pleased as she played her trump card. He opened his mouth, wordless at first, but eventually overcame his disbelief to speak. "You...if this gets out of hand, and I lose control--"

"I will take full responsibility," she said, hand over her heart. "At my own risk."

She was not to be deterred. He would need to speak with Maria about this, but now was not the time. "Damn it all," he hissed. "Fine, you may proceed with configuring this...program."

Rouge grinned, then swung back around to the keyboard and began tabbing through.

Before she was finished, Shadow gave pause. "Wait. Did she ask you to report on this?"

"Just between the two of us, totally off record," she replied with a wink.

Shadow grimaced. Embarrassing! The women in my life conspiring against me...

He tried to shake the feeling to address the program, still hanging in his mind's eye:

[OPTIONS: MULTIPLE? Y/N: N INTENSITY 0-9? 9 CLARITY 0-9? 1]

"That should be goooood," Rouge said, elongating the last syllable. "Hm. Well...no. It's fine. I want to see how hard you can go."

"That sounds like a terrible idea," Shadow replied matter-of-factly.

"You're so boring. This is why we're doing this, you know," Rouge dismissed. She turned around fully toward him. "Are you ready?"

As intense as possible. With as little self-control as can be prescribed. Adrenaline pooled at the pit of his stomach. "You know that I have the power to hurt you. That even if you tell me to stop, I may not be able to."

Rouge slapped her thighs. "Hey, if I die, I die."

This did not give him comfort. Still, her eagerness showed on her face, and he found himself forced to oblige. "Fine," Shadow sighed, and his telescopic pupils dilated.

[>>SNAPSHOT RECORDED. STORED TO C:\...\RECORDINGS\07-09-2XX8-22.36.40.mp4]

Rouge grinned, then spun on her chair and slapped the enter key.

[>>RUN … … … … …]

She let out a whistling sigh and faced him. "Whew! Now, hopefully, it works."

The terminal behind her ran red with shifting symbols and garbled text scrolling endlessly down the screen. Shadow rolled his shoulders back. "Are you nervous?" he asked.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," she replied, looking down at her manicured nails. "But I'm a big girl, I can handle it." Her turquoise eyes glinted in the dark as she met his. "Besides, I--"

She appeared to keep talking, but Shadow suddenly could not hear it. A body wide shudder coursed through him, his mouth watering so much that he was forced to swallow hard to contain it. Hardly aware of it, he stripped off his jacket and his shirt, leaving his GUN dog tags to clink against his chest.

Rouge stopped mid-sentence, lips parted. "Ooh. Oh, here we go," she muttered.

Shadow had never noticed her lips before. They were so full, painted with a shade of fuchsia that called to him. What would they look like with his fingers in them? With his cock in them? His heart began to race, mind quickly saturating as the ache in his groin grew more persistent.

"Sh..." Rouge stammered, eyes widening. "Shadow?"

Rouge was wearing her typical GUN uniform, buttoned down to the middle to show off a revealing tanktop. Most of her clothing was form fitting to each curve of her body, through her chest, her stomach, her ass, her thighs. Shadow imagined leaning over and grabbing her where she sat--the thought was so powerful--

(grab her saddle her over your lap)

--that he briefly hallucinated it--

(rip off everything squeeze her bite her)

--before refocusing his eyes and his ears to the sound and space of the room. He became aware that his eyes were glowing. "Come...here," he managed to say, his voice box distorting in its restraint.

Rouge slid off her desk chair to sit beside him on the futon, immediately shuffling off her company shirt. "You are so warm, I can feel you from here," she said. "I didn't think about how it might spike your thermals..."

Shadow could acutely sense her vitals--heavier breathing, harder heartbeat--made even more prominent with her chest heaving in sync. Her huge, fat tits.

He reached out and grabbed the back of her neck. The sensation prickled through his spine, some of the only organic pieces left of him. With his other hand, he yanked her forward by the waist and began sucking at her neck.

"Ahh!" she exclaimed. "Oh, fuck, we're really in it now--aah!"

Shadow reveled as he pressed her further into her, the smell of her tickling somewhere in the back of his skull and deep in his groin. Her hair in his fist, he tugged and bit, squeezing and clawing at her waist. It filled his mind with a delightful, perverse pleasure.

He felt like an animal. Driven by instinct. Not since he had the Chaos Emeralds in his grasp did he feel so alive, so real. So much of him was calculated, premeditated, and restrained; now, he felt overclocked, hyper-aware, and oh so, so, so hungry.

Rouge had been keening, trembling under his grasp, but he felt a warmth trickle down his chin. He paused to examine his work. She was already deeply bruised all the way through her shoulder and collarbone, and droplets of blood ran down her shoulder.

"Oh...I..." he began, but

[OVERRIDE. OVERRIDE. OVERRIDE.]

the apology that began dissolved before it could be spoken.

It was also encouraged by Rouge, who while a little shaken, smirked at him all the same. "Oh, you're vicious, baby," she purred. "Show me what else you can do."

The husky resonance in her voice sent shivers through him again, and this time he descended on her mouth, forcing his tongue in immediately, desperate to consume. He pulled her onto his lap, grinding his hard cock through his pants against her crotch, hot, hot and needy. Rouge wrapped her arms around his waist to press him closer, her hands drifting lower along the tracks in his spine, down to the ports at the small of his back. She used a nail to scrape against them, making his cock twitch in his pants.

"Hnn, nnn, fuck," he mumbled into her mouth. He pulled at the back of her shirt, and in one motion, ripped it from the back and shredded it off her body.

"Oh!" Rouge yelped. "Hey, easy--"

It left her in her bra, a black, lacy push-up that she was nearly heaving out of. Without ceremony, he stretched the band under the cups and pulled it off over her head, not bothering to undo the clasps, showing her tits on full display. These tits she's always showing off, now I finally see them, now they're finally mine, mine, mine.

Shadow pushed her down on the futon and grabbed both of her breasts, overflowing in his palms. She yelped, and he pushed them together, baring his teeth. "You've wanted to fuck me," Shadow growled when he opened his mouth, and spread her legs. "I've seen you staring, I know you want it."

Before she could answer, Shadow bent over her and jammed two fingers in her mouth. He tugged at her lips before stroking her tongue, then began fucking her mouth with his fingers. "This...is just a preview," he huffed, a roaring in his ears. "This...this is just...the beginning..."

Rouge's eyes watered, and when she tried to squirm away, Shadow held her down by her thigh with his free hand. "I don't think so," he said. Rouge choked on his fingers as he pushed them deeper in her throat. He found himself chuckling as she floundered beneath him, but withdrew in order to let her breathe. She coughed as she caught her breath, gingerly holding her neck.

He let go of her thigh to undo his pants, hastily discarding them to drag his cock in front of her face. Rouge managed to find some composure, but could not take her eyes off him.

"What do you think?" he heard himself say.

"I've seen you...in stasis, but I've never seen you hard," Rouge managed. "You're going to fucking destroy me, aren't you?"

Shadow's eyes lowered, and he grinned with parted lips. "I'm gonna make you feel like you've never felt before," he purred.

[>>INITIATING CHAOS DRIVE ENERGY REDIRECT. >>REDIRECT COMPLETE. INITIATING APHRODISIAC PROTOCOL.]

The last sliver of his rational brain gave him pause, despite him rubbing his cock against Rouge's lips. That is not something I was aware of before, he thought. But with the sight of Rouge's fluttering eyes, rolling back, Shadow quickly dismissed it. Who cares about the why...

It was easy to shove his cock into Rouge's mouth. She hummed as it went in, and impressively, didn't gag as he bottomed out. Whore, he thought, and nearly said, but caught again behind his teeth. He wasn't all programming and wires--his brain was still flesh and blood, fully integrated with the power of Chaos energy. It clawed through the red, lust induced haze to offer his partner a shred of dignity, despite her lipstick smearing on her mouth and her moaning growing less restrained.

He could keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't turn his mind off.

(look at this cock-drunk slut, look at how she deep-throats you, she's so into it, she wants you to fuck her brains out with those huge tits and ass bouncing on you, ride her and make her moan make her scream let her be so desperate--)

"Hnn," Rouge sighed, her eyes glassy as she pulled his dick out of her mouth to hold it near the base. Her voice held a hazy, entranced tone. "You taste...so good..."

Her tongue lolled out of her mouth. Static increased in Shadow's mind.

"Then keep sucking it, bitch," his mouth said, harsh and distorted.

She shuddered, grinning, then gleefully began sucking him off again, slowly sitting up to kneel on the futon before him. Shadow covered his mouth with one hand, and grabbed her hair with the other. It's so mean, he thought, heart racing. It's so dirty. It's so perverse. But it's so...it's so...

[>>WARNING: CPU AT 99%. THERMAL THROTTLING RISK AND DRIVE FAILURE.]

The warmth on his cock receded as Rouge sat up. "You're...fighting it," she said with a chuckle, still in the same distracted tone. "Stop."

Shadow blinked, trying to focus on anything that wasn't shoving his cock between her thighs. "I...I..." he stammered.

"If...you...ngh." She shook her head. "Damn it, that's stronger than I thought." Rouge cleared her throat and spoke more clearly. "If you don't let go, you're going to fry one of your CPUs or overload your RAM, and I'll never hear the end of it."

Shadow began to tremble.

(hot slut with a mouth good for fucking)

(I can't say that!)

[>>WARNING: THERMAL THROTTLING IMMINENT.]

He ground his teeth, and sighed deeply.

Rouge sat up fully and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Trust. Me." she said emphatically.

Shadow met her eyes. I trust you. I do not trust myself.

But, I will have to.

(you need to)

I need to.

With a hard swallow, he closed his eyes, feeling them roll back.

[>>DEACTIVATING ADVANCED OPTICALS. >>CPU: 97%... >>ACTIVATING INFRARED HEAT VISION.]

Shadow's eyes snapped open, seeing only a white hot heat map of Rouge in front of him,

and he let go.

He ripped off her uniform pants and panties in one go, throwing them across the room. Firmly, he grabbed her by the hips and propped her up on the futon. While she spread her legs for him, he forced them wider and immediately began to finger her, her cunt already soaking wet.

"So easy," he muttered, the scent and heat of her sending shivers down his spine. One finger turned to two, three, and four very quickly as he stretched her, pushing as far as he could go. "So fucking...easy...nngh..."

Rouge panted and started to whine again, squirming under his touch. "Oh damn it, fuck, Shh...aaah, Shadow," she keened, the hazy tone and glassiness in her eyes resuming. "Just get your cock in me already...!"

Shadow grinned, and pushed himself inside her with ease.

The feedback was immediate, every receptor in his spine firing at once as her warmth engulfed him. He groaned deep in his chest, bottoming out and smacking her thighs as he gripped them. "Fuck, you're so hot," he groaned. "And warm...a-aagh!"

Momentum took him, and he began to thrust at a hard and heavy speed. It rippled through her body, and she moaned and shook with every pounding thrust, His fingers gripped and grabbed at her soft skin, and there was so much of her to grab. This is everything, Shadow thought, delirious in heat. I've never felt this...

This raw pleasure...carnal and obscene...

I need it, I need it, I need it...

[>>EDGE.]

Just as he felt a peak rise, it dropped off as quickly as it came. He blinked and bent over Rouge, grabbing a fistful of her hair without letting up his pace.

"You like it, don't you?" Shadow whispered into her mouth, tasting the heat and sweat wafting off her. "Don't you..."

Rouge babbled uselessly, head rolling back, only able to utter moans and cries.

Shadow did not stop to let her speak. Instead, he chuckled and gingerly kissed her cheek. "Good."

[>>INFRARED HEAT VISION OFF. >>ACTIVATING ADVANCED OCULAR VISION... >>CPU: 95%...]

He blinked and saw clearly now: Rouge's half lidded expression completely lost to the brutal fucking she had succumb to. Shadow pushed deep

[>>EDGE.]

and felt another wave drop off him. Need it. Need more. Need more. Shadow mashed his lips against Rouge's, immediately forcing his tongue into her mouth. She moaned loud, and he felt himself return it, the pleasure delicious and trembling through his whole body.

(it feels good to moan)

(get more into it)

"Ahhn," he sighed. "Ohh, fuck, fuck..."

"More, more," Rouge sang, clutching on his back. "Harder...aah!"

She squealed as he thrust

[>>VIBRATOR ACTIVATED. >>EDGE.]

harder into her, digging his fingers into her waist as his focus tightened. He bit down on her lip, pulling on it while straightening his posture, brow furrowing as he pounded her, endlessly and repeatedly.

[>>EDGE.]

He fell into a rhythm, sinking into the wet, slick sound of her pussy, how hard his dick was,

[>>EDGE.]

how close he felt, how close, how fucking close,

[>>EDGE.]

how badly he wanted to cum, cum, cum,

[>>E?????DGE. >>CPU: 99%...]

Rouge's moans were turning to whimpers, turning to whines. "Nngh," Shadow groaned. "I...I...need..."

He started to shake, keeling over as static prickled on his scalp. He was glued to her hips, and green sparks started to flicker on his fingertips. "Need...need...nnnngh..."

Shadow's moan came out as a whine, and his vision flashed yellow. There was no more edging. It was now or never. "Ahh...aah...AAAH!"

The air crackled with electricity as Shadow clutched Rouge, his orgasm surging through him like an overloaded circuit. He was an overloaded circuit, releasing pent up electricity he never fathomed he held. Shadow's body shook, and Rouge trembled in turn, tense in his arms and around his cock. It felt like an age, distorted through the haze of animal lust in his mind

(YES YES YES YES YES FUCK HER FUCK FUCK FUCK)

that slowly, slowly faded as the wave of pleasure subsided.

Then, it was quiet.

[>>PROGRAM TERMINATED DUE TO SHUT DOWN. >>BASIC TERMINATED. >>CPU CHECK...OK. LOAD 50%...49%....43%... >>RAM CHECK...OK. >>SYSTEM ANALYTICS...OK. >>DRIVE C:\...OK. >>DRIVE A:\...OK. >>CHAOS REGULATOR...75% LOAD. COOL-DOWN MODE. OK.]

Shadow's eyes fluttered, and he fully came to himself when he smelled burning plastic. Hastily, he reached to the back of his neck and pulled out the cable, which was indeed singed on the end. "I hope you have more of these," he muttered, tossing it aside.

He glanced at the terminal, which read nothing. "Diagnostics read a force shutdown. Hopefully nothing critical was damaged, but I am afraid you will have to get any logs from me."

Finally, his gaze fell down to Rouge, still balls deep inside her. Carefully, he withdrew, his cock glistening with their mingling sex. Oddly enough, she did not react. "Rouge?" he said.

She laid still. Eerily still. "R...Rouge?"

Rouge did not respond.

A wave of nausea clutched him, and he quickly held a finger to her neck, bruised and bleeding. No. Oh, no, no, no.

[>>VITAL ANALYSIS: PULSE: 0]

She was not breathing. "Fuck!" he exclaimed.

[>>CHAOS DRIVE ENERGY REDIRECT: DEFIBRILLATOR.]

He hastily rubbed his hands together until he felt static pulsing beneath them. Thank Chaos I was trained on this, he thought, fighting the panic eager to set in his bones. Please, Rouge, please, I'm so sorry, please come back. Carefully, he placed his hands on her chest.

[>>CLEAR.] "Clear."

A brief shock burst from his hands, and it pulsed her body. Placing both hands near her heart, he counted a rhythm. One, two, three, four, five. Then, he opened her mouth to breath into it.

[>>RECALIBRATING: CO2 TO O2...COMPLETE.]

Shadow poured fresh air into her lungs. "Promise you, I am not...j-just a weapon," he muttered as his breathing apparatus recalculated. "I can...I'm not..."

He pulsed her hands over her heart again. One, two, three, four, five.

[>>VITAL ANALYSIS: PULSE: PLEASE WAIT...]

"Come on, come on," he murmured under his breath, throat burning.

[>> 1...2...3...4.... PULSE: 70 BPM]

Now breathe, he thought desperately, hands shaking as he lifted them off her chest. Breathe!

She gasped and coughed, and her chest began to rise and fall in rhythm once again. Shadow sighed shakily, shoulders falling. Miracles do exist...

Rouge tilted her head up, eyes fluttering open, and smirked up at Shadow. "Ugh," she groaned. "That was crazy...they don't call you the ultimate life form for no--oof!"

Shadow laid beside her and held her close, tears running down his face. "Thank Chaos you're all right," he said, muffled into the crook of her neck.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Rouge replied. "I just passed out for a second--"

"Don't be stupid!" he shouted suddenly, still muffled as he clung to her. "I-I had to restart your heart...I could have killed you!"

He kneaded his head into her shoulder as the panic and adrenaline continued to course through his entirety post-orgasm. "I didn't...realize I would discharge l-like that...you couldn't...you're..."

"Shh," Rouge hushed, and stroked his hair.

She said nothing else. That's what happens when you lose control, Shadow thought, that is why they want you as a weapon. You can be as clandestine or as overt as you need to be. You can have sex with a spy to spill their information, and kill them mid-coitus. So versitile you are, Project Shadow!

He grinded his teeth, but exhaustion was eager to take him, as well as neutralize his venomous self-berating. You also were fitted for rescue, to heal. You were meant to be a cure. You are the reason Maria is alive. And despite it all, Rouge is also still here because of you...

Shadow felt himself drifting into a doze. "Good," Rouge murmured. "This is what we in the business call 'aftercare'."

Shadow lifted his head up and opened his eyes. "Wh...what?"

Rouge nodded, but Shadow noticed the shakiness of her own deep sigh. "I've played with boys meaner than you, who didn't care half as much," she said. "I'm okay, promise."

Shadow's deep red-eyed stare bore into her. "Are you?" he asked. "Please, do not lie to me."

She looked away at first, then managed to meet it. "Fine. I am a little shaken up," she admitted. "But I did set the parameters to maximum, so if that's your full power, then I know where to adjust the code."

Shadow nodded, then reached out and cupped the side of her face with one hand, hardly touching her skin. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I would never harm you on purpose," he said, measured and even. "Or any one else, in this manner..."

Rouge's face broke into a weak smile. "Oh, Shadow," she said. "I know. Maria's very lucky." She bit her lip and paused. "I wouldn't use this program with her."

"Of course not."

"There's a reason I was the one who tested it."

"You mean it wasn't purely for your own fantasy?"

She laughed, and kissed him quickly. After, however, she winced. "Ouch, you did really get me," she said, gingerly touching her swollen bottom lip.

They both sat up, and Rouge pawed around for her clothes. The blood on her neck had dried, but the bruises remained, and more dotted her hips and sides. Shadow winced to himself. Damn it. I cannot bear to imagine what "meaner boys" did to her...

"And you shredded my uniform, too!" she said with a laugh. "You really were an animal."

"Please, don't," Shadow sighed, hiding his face with the palm of his hand.

"Sorry," she said with a shrug. "I did have a good time."

[>>RETRIEVING DATA FROM DRIVE C:\... "Hey, if I die, I die."]

"You're crazy," he muttered.

"Just a little," she said, pinching her fingers. She wandered to her desk, still naked, and picked up a pager lying abandoned. "You'd be surprised at the amount of people who want to be roughed up. And you know something else?"

She paused and gestured at him with the pager. "What?" Shadow said.

Rouge smiled wryly. "I think you had some fun too."

Shadow sighed deeply. I could dwell on this guilt, but what good would it serve? She survived by my hand, and her bruises will heal. His stomach still churned, but deep inside him

(you did have enjoy yourself)

he knew the truth.

"Hey Doc, it's Rouge," she said into the pager. "Shadow and I just got finished testing. If you don't mind, could we meet at your office and debrief? I'll get the logs. And could you bring a change of clothes? Thanks, hon."

She dropped the pager and turned around to pat Shadow on the shoulder. "Hey sourpuss, if it makes you feel any better, you won't almost kill anyone if you just use it to jerk off. But, I'll still make some adjustments."

Shadow snorted. "Thanks."

She winked at him, and his heart eased.

[hydropyro]

The Fiddler Went Down to Faerûn

Chapter 2: K-oh-k

“Ya’ll sell food and drink here?” the newcomer asked, his voice carrying across the room. He attracted the attention of a few other patrons, but none so much as the nobleman sitting in his small alcove in a back corner, not out of sight, but out of mind.

The noble’s watchful eyes peered over the cover of the book he was reading to inspect the odd-spoken creature. Human, as far as he could tell, but his clothes and accent were – off. He’d been all over the world and had never seen anyone quite like him.

“This is the only kinda money I’ve got,” the young man was explaining to the Mamzell as she inspected the green paper with a sour expression. “I don’t suppose ya’ll can take check?”

“Everyone is welcome in Sharess’ Caress, but we are a business. If you can’t pay, please leave.”

Raphael’s heart leapt in his chest. He couldn’t know for sure just yet – but he had a guess as to why this man was so out-of-place. Despite his numerous oddities, he was definitely human – and the devil could almost taste his unique but viable soul.

He slipped a silk ribbon into his book and rested it on the table before emerging from the dark alcove where he liked to watch the people come and go about their business. “Mamzell, please, put this man’s bill on my tab,” he said, raising a hand to stop the increasingly annoyed proprietor. “You can have his meal brought to my table.”

He stood near to the human now. Tall, lanky, with a curved black box of some kind slung over his shoulder like a rucksack, but firmer. Raphael rested his chin on his thumb, rubbing his lip thoughtfully with his forefinger a moment as he assessed the stranger – the alien – before him.

“Bless you, sir,” the man said, extending a hand toward the devil. His smile was broad but not too eager. Just polite. “My name’s Johnny. I’m sure you’re for guessin’ I’m not from ‘round these parts.”

It wasn’t often that Raphael found himself speechless. He felt his lips tug at the amusement in him, but he suppressed his smirk as best he could, accepting the man’s hand and being surprised by the firm shake he received.

He turned and led the way back to his table in the little alcove, pulling the second chair out for this ‘Johnny’ character before taking his own seat.

“You look like you’ve travelled quite a way,” Raphael said, leaning back in his seat and crossing one leg over the other. "You must be famished, but before our host brings your supper, please tell me about yourself.

“I’ll return the favor once you’re settling into your meal.”

Johnny’s smile returned. There was no malice or twisted amusement in his smile. Though he was clearly a grown man, in his twenties for sure, he had a smile as innocent and honest as a child. “You have a funny way of talkin’, my friend.”

“Don’t I just?” Raphael returned the smile. Many had caught his interest, and he had found many mortals fascinating, but few could capture his attentions as easily as this stranger had. His soul was strong and wholly unsullied, and yet Raphael was more interested in hearing him talk – for the moment.

“Well, as I said, I ain’t from around these parts. I paid someone to take me somewhere that I could complete my ‘mission’,” he chuckled, as though laughing at himself. “It cost quite a bit, but I’m happy to say that it worked. Though – between you and me – I’m not exactly sure where I am.”

“Did you arrive by ship?” Raphael asked. He had a feeling that the alien hadn’t.

“Nah, I just – well, you won’t believe me anyway. I’m not too sure I believe me. Don’t want y’all to think I’m a quack.” A drink was placed in front of the man, smelling like ale, and Raphael’s sip of brandy was topped up to two fingers.

“I pride myself on being quite open-minded,” the devil assured him.

The stranger sipped the ale and made a face, then coughed a moment. “That sure ain't no Coors. I’m really not much of a drinker – d’ya s’pose they have a Coke?”

He didn’t have the faintest idea what the man was referring to. He sat silently, and Johnny didn’t press him on his desire to procure a ‘k-oh-k’. Raphael mouthed the word, tasting it for a moment. It almost sounded vulgar. “This is a brothel,” Raphael offered, letting his words trail off, though he wasn’t confident that the information was relevant to the desire presented.

“A what now?”

Raphael didn’t repeat himself. Maybe that word was just as foreign to the outworlder as most of his words were to the devil. “You mentioned having an unbelievable tale,” he said, trying to get the conversation back on track.

“I am a lover of stories. And I’ve been around a long time and seen my fair share of the unbelievable. I can assure you that you’ll find an enraptured audience in me.” He took a sip of his drink and rested his hand on the table.

Johnny laughed. He pushed his own drink away from himself, not seeming to like the flavor. “Well, what if I told you that magic is a real thing?”

Raphael didn’t like to push into the minds of mortals. It would make his job easier, yes, but much less interesting. And, even with his own nature, he often found that many of their passive thoughts were too disturbing to want to uncover. He made an exception this time, and stared into the young man’s eyes, pushing his consciousness through the ether toward his. He hummed so Johnny wouldn’t feel too ignored.

His words were – more-or-less – in Common. As he pushed into the human’s mind, though, he was assaulted by a cacophony of strange music he’d never heard and words in a language he couldn’t hope to place. He recognised a few from things Johnny had already said, like ‘k-oh-k’, and was given the vague image of a vial of dark fluid, but still had no real understanding.

He felt magic about the human, but then it seemed that this Johnny wasn’t familiar with magic, and so may not have even known that it affected him. Perhaps he believed he was speaking in whatever odd tongue that filled his mind.

Raphael retreated, shaking his head and sipping his drink again so as not to have to respond immediately. The noise had been intense and so foreign.

“See, I told ‘ya you woudn’t believe me,” Johnny beamed as though he’d won some kind of a bet.

“Oh, no, I believe you.” Raphael snapped his fingers, and his glass refilled again before the human’s eyes. A small parlor trick, but it made the man’s eyes widen as big as saucers.

“Holy shit,” the human exclaimed in a whispered cry, covering his mouth. He wasn’t afraid, though. In fact, he leaned forward to get a better look at Raphael’s glass before twisting his body to peer under the table for a moment. His strange behavior was earning their table some unwelcome, curious stares.

Raphael laughed. There was assuredly nothing holy about it, but the stranger didn’t need to know that just yet. “I have a room, you know. Maybe we’d be better having your meal sent there and continuing this conversation in private.”

The jovial young man sobered then, holding up a hand defensively. “Look, mister, please don’t take this the wrong way. My Mama taught me that God’s most important lesson is love, and I took that to heart. I do ‘preciate the kindness you’ve shown, but I’m hopin’ it don’t have strings attached.

“An’, given what you said earlier about this bein’ a brothel, I gotta let you know, I’m not lookin’ for that kind of company – least of all with a man – no offense.”

Raphael wasn’t sure that Sune would agree with such a sentiment, but then he supposed she was nowhere in the human’s mind. “You misunderstand me, my young friend.” Raphael mirrored the hands up, palms out gesture. “I have business in the city and am just staying here in the meantime.

“As far as my kindness,” he studied the man quietly for a moment. “I like to help people, but I’m not really one for charity. I would ask that you repay my deeds in kind, but nothing of that sort, I assure you.

“I am simply interested in your travels here, and the mission you’re on, and I would greatly appreciate hearing of it. Maybe I can even be of some help?”

Johnny frowned and considered Raphael’s words. The devil wondered how much of his thoughts were considering, and how much were translating, what he’d said. “Just hangin’ out, talkin’, right? Nothin’ – else?”

“Perish the thought,” Raphael said. “This is a major port city. New faces come and go like the tide, and yet you are the most interesting person I’ve met in a very long time.

“One adventurer, one story-teller, to another – all I ask is that you indulge me in your tale. Nothing more.” He stood and straightened his tunic, dropping a few gold coins onto the table.

Johnny nodded and followed the devil to his own feet. He left his glass on the table, wrinkling his nose at it. “’Ight, as long as I have your word on that.”

“You’ll find no man more of his word than I,” Raphael assured him. “Please, follow me.” Johnny was wary but followed the devil dutifully through the brothel and out across the walk toward his rented room. It was dark, now, but the streets were still just as busy as they’d been in the day. He opened the door for the man and stood aside so he could go in before following.

“Real fancy place,” Johnny complimented.

He’d rented the best room the establishment had to offer, of course. He always did, though he rarely needed it for its intended purpose. It was helpful to potential clients in demonstrating his wealth, and the various gifts he had to offer them. There were inns that he could stay at, or even the room of an acquainted noble or two, that would do the same, but none of those options gave the possibility of impromptu clients like a brothel did.

If mortals, especially those with questionable moral stability, could be reliably enticed by anything, it was sex.

Raphael took a seat in an armchair and gestured for the man to take the other near the hearth. He kept the lights low. He had no intention of sleeping with the man, and didn’t want to spook him by illuminating more intimate parts of the room. “Care for a drink?”

Johnny settled into the chair, placing his package on the ground beside his feet. He tried to relax, but seemed uncomfortable. “Uh – yea – do you have water, by chance?”

Raphael reached to a small cabinet to his left and collected a glass. He didn’t actually have water on hand, but created it inconspicuously before passing the glass to his guest. He poured himself another brandy.

“Now, please,” the devil smiled at the man, sinking back into his chair and resting an ankle on the opposite knee, “tell me everything.”