#anyway. curious to see where this one lands on the scale.

[theminecraftbee]

okay thing i'm also curious about: where on the pendulum of tone will this life series fall? it'll be hard to tell episode one - episode ones tend to largely be sillygoofy in the life series REGARDLESS of which one it is - but every life series so far has had a different tone. third life was experimental, and felt sort of like a slow burn followed by a rapid descent into madness. last life felt almost hopeless from the start, a darker tone of mistrust. double life was almost sitcom-like, but with an ending that suddenly and jarringly reminded you exactly WHAT you were watching.

which makes me curious. where on the pendulum will this one fall? are we swinging back towards last life's darkness? are we staying closer to the lighthearted end? will it be another series that starts with comradery again and descends once more into hell? or, most likely: are we getting an entirely NEW tone, once again?

i guess we will see.

[teejaystumbles]

Idea/Ask for Mermay?

I love the line: "A bird may love a fish but where would they live?" With mermaid/dreamling twist?

Thanks! :)

this made me go feral over the idea of harpy!Dream and merman Hob! I wrote this in about two-three hours and it's not edited or anything but I hope you like it even if the question where they would live is not answered 😅

I may write more for them/expand on this scene or draw them, but it won't be today.

Anyway Happy Mermay everybody! Let's gooooooo!

Dream sees the glint of scales under the waves and veers in its direction. With a smirk he drops down, claws outstretched-

When he realises his mistake it is too late. He cannot break his descent without risking dropping into the sea. His claws glance off the coppery scales, leaving long sharp scratches behind. A long copper coloured fishtail rises from the water and slaps at him, missing Dream's right wing only by a few centimetres. He hastily pulls himself up into the air again with a heavy flap of his wings and stares down in disbelief.

A dark-haired man's head rises from the waves and yells at him, "Oi, mate, watch it! I'm not a fucking sturgeon!"

A merman! Dream has heard of such creatures before but he has never seen one in his life. Admittedly, he has not been around these shores for long. He cocks his head, curious. The merman frowns and shouts, "Hey, I've never seen you around here before. Aren't harpies usually living in the South? Where it's warmer?"

Dream scoffs and flaps his wings again to stay in the air.

"If you want to interrogate me, perhaps you can accompany me to a place where I can rest my wings. I'm not a seagull, I can't just land on the water."

The merman stares at him open-mouthed, a perplexed look on his face. Dream frowns. Has he not used the correct language? But then the merman nods and flaps his tail. There's a blush on his cheeks and he pulls at the fin on the side of his head where an ear would be.

"Yeah, sorry, 'course. Follow me. It's not far, there's a rock close by."

Dream had seen the rock earlier and nods before steering towards it. The merman ducks back into the water and with a flash of his brown-golden fin he is off, faster than Dream expected. He follows, pondering his decision. What is he doing, seeking conversation with this being? He is not usually one for social interaction. He came here to be alone.

--

Hob notices the shadow above and thinks it’s just a gull flying overhead. He doesn’t look up, there’s no flying predator large enough for a merman to worry about. When suddenly a sharp line of pain is scored into his flesh he thrashes his tail on instinct, trying to knock the attacker down. What the fuck?

He surfaces quickly and looks up. There’s a giant bird flying above him, flapping its black wings to gain some height and distance from Hob’s fin. Except it’s not a bird. It’s a man with bird wings! A harpy, his memory supplies.

Angry and shocked, he shouts the first thing that comes to mind: "Oi, mate, watch it! I'm not a fucking sturgeon!"

He feels stupid straight afterwards, talking to a stranger like that, what if the harpy can’t even understand him?

Hob has heard about harpies. They don’t live in these colder climates, though, or at least that’s what he’s been told. They stick to the Mediterranean, being sensitive to cold. Shows how much there is to learn still. Hob loves to learn new things. 

The bird man cocks his head as if considering Hob’s words. He shouts again, testing if the creature can understand him, "Hey, I've never seen you around here before. Aren't harpies usually living in the South? Where it's warmer?"

The harpy scoffs, a very human sound and says, "If you want to interrogate me, perhaps you can accompany me to a place where I can rest my wings. I'm not a seagull, I can't just land on the water."

Hob gapes at the man. So he can understand him! The harpy’s voice is deep and carries far without being raised. Hob stares at the harpy’s sharp face, his plush lips pouting at him. He narrows his piercing blue eyes at Hob and Hob hastily jerks himself out of his stupor. Embarrassed, he pulls his ear fin.

"Yeah, sorry, 'course. Follow me. It's not far, there's a rock close by."

The creature nods and Hob dives, swimming towards the rocks a few hundred metres away. They are close to the shore and there are plenty of cliffs and rocks nearby.

Hob reaches the rock first and watches the harpy approach. The being lands gracefully, its sharp black claws gripping the rock for support. It has black wings instead of arms and the feathers shimmer purple and blue in the sunlight. Its legs are also densely feathered, plumage covering its body up to the hips. The man’s torso is white, his face human and beautiful with a shock of unruly black hair framing his sharp cheeks and falling over his brows. Hob knows he’s staring but the harpy is the most stunning thing he has ever seen. Dangerous and beautiful, all sharp claws and bones and feathers that look both sharp enough to cut and so soft that Hob desperately wants to touch them to find out how they feel. He restlessly jerks his tail and hisses when he feels the sting of the wound the harpy gave him. He had completely forgotten about it. He lifts his body to the surface to inspect the wound. It’s not that bad, just a shallow scratch. The harpy shifts restlessly behind him.

“I apologise for my error. Do you require medical assistance?”

The harpy’s deep and dulcet voice rolls over Hob like a wave of warm water and he sighs, temporarily forgetting that he has been asked a question. He stares back up at the bird man, lost in a fuzzy haze.

“Are you alright?” the being’s inquiring voice draws him back to reality. Hob blinks and then frowns. He ducks a bit deeper into the water, eyeing the other warily.

“Sorry, I…I’m fine, it’s just a scratch. But tell me,” he says, deciding that it’s better to set things straight right away, “are you a siren? Your voice, it’s…it’s messing with my head.”

--

Dream’s back stiffens when the merman asks him if he’s a siren. Has he been involuntarily charming the other? He curses himself and carefully focuses on stopping any latent magic from entering his voice when he answers, “I apologise. Again. I was not aware I was doing it. It’s been a long time since I…talked to anyone.”

The merman raises an eyebrow but seems mollified and ready to listen, rather than just swimming off. He seems to be a very curious person, too curious for his own good. Dream sighs and shuffles his wings nervously.

“There is indeed a siren in my family line. Some of her magic has been passed down…to me. And some of my siblings. I do not use it…intentionally.”

No need to tell the merman that the mentioned siren is his mother and that Dream has indeed inherited quite a lot of her powers. He truly is not in the habit of using his voice to charm others. He prefers to not be around others anyway.

The merman blinks, seemingly fascinated. Dream studies him more closely. He is an adult male with copper skin and dark brown, almost black hair that flows over his shoulders and down his chest into the water. Dream wonders how long it is. The man’s face is handsome, with a strong nose that would make any harpy envious and amber eyes that look kindly up at Dream, shining with curiosity and intelligence.

“Apology accepted. Just please don’t use it on me anymore,” the merman says easily and draws himself a bit more onto the rock. Dream notes the length of his hair, the wet ends curling just around his dark brown nipples. The feathers at Dream’s neck stand up as he fights his irritation at the alluring display. He draws his gaze away from the merman’s chest to meet his eyes again. The man is smiling guilelessly.

“My name is Hob,” he says brightly, “can I ask your name, stranger?”

Dream straightens and tries to answer with dignity, hoping the other has not noticed his staring.

“I am called Dream. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Hob.”

He is surprised that he means it.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Hey bestie popping by with a random ask: what have been your favs so far from your old jbl project?

Hi! Thank you for the random ask.

I was actually just working on my monthly breakdown so I was trying to write just a couple of sentences about what I watched this month so this comes at a good time because this month I definitely saw one of my favs.

The Novelist. I don't know if I can coherently convey my thoughts about it but I'll give it a try. I think there were several factors that made me take so long to watch it. I never read full reviews about it, because although I don't mind spoilers in general, I also like to go into some shows as unbiased as possible. That was not easy. I basically went into it thinking it was depressing and it involved a lot of sex that I wasn't sure where it would land of the consent scale. I don't really remember where I got this idea tbh. Anyway.

Although after hearing people like you, @twig-tea and @bengiyo talk about it in different contexts I was less wary about it for sure. So I went into it with a more open mind, even with reservations. I mean I basically went through the lighter parts of the ojbl list first, so part of me was dreading the rest. I don't mind darker stories, or darker bl's. I have way darker ones coming up on the list. But I always feel like I need to be in the right frame of mind for them. Because I can get too emotionally invested and my moods tends to swing easily.

All this to say, I wasn't expecting a story about two lonely people 'using' each other to fight that loneliness. As I was just writing in my breakdown post, Kijima was such an interesting character to me. Because in the beginning I was just curious about him, like there was something odd about him, his demeanor. And when I realized that he was faking part of it and just using Kuzumi I hated him. So much. But, and I have to give major props to the actor, because in episode 4 when Kuzumi leaves and Kijima in on the table just listening to the record and crumpling the pages, I was gone. I fully saw him for the first time. That man is lonely and hopeless and I felt so much for him in that moment. And that of course lasted through to the end and that smile

I was practically clapping. Brilliant. It was such a beautiful ending. I felt like the show broke my heart a bit and it was all healed in this moment.

So to recap, not only was this a wonderful surprise that completely obliterated my expectations, but it's so beautiful. Everything is good. The cinematography, the music, the acting, everything was brilliant. So good. So if everyone that reads this has not yet seen for some reason or another I urge you to do it. I still have yet to see the other installments so I can't speak to all of it but this one is so worth it. I honestly can't believe that Kijima has become such an important character to me.

I think before this one, my favourites were for sure the first two I watched. Ai No Kotodama and No Touching at All.

They were both such great surprises. Let me just quickly look through my notes because my memory might betray me. Oh okay.

Ai no Kotodama I really enjoyed how it was shot and edited. I liked how they used several things to mirror the relationship, the perfume , the stair gazing and the other couple. I felt everything served the story in a really interesting way. I also like that the girl wasn't the usual bl girl and in the end she was actually jealous of their relationship more than in love with either of them. I also really like how the film made me unsure about their relationship almost from the start, because it makes sense in this case. My confusion mirrors Shinya's confusion and fear.

I also really liked No Touching at All's directing. It was really interesting how they used the camera work. For most of the film the couple is usually far away from us, the camera is on the other side of the room or something like that. And it's almost keeping us at a distance. So when the camera finally gets close up, it's during their break up, which I thought was intentional to cause the most emotional impact. Like now you should be invested in this moment because so are they. They are being honest for the first time so there are no more barriers for us because they are being truthful and removing their own. I also think Shima's internal struggle was really well portrayed, I liked the fact that he initiated the break up for self preservation reasons and so Togawa coming back to him at the end is what allows him to trust it. It makes me believe more in their future together.

This got a bit longer than I intended. These three are definitely my favourites but I'm really enjoying this project, even if I don't love everything, I think there's always something positive about all of them. At least the ones I've watched.

Anyway I hope that answers your question. My next one will probably be Mood Indigo and I'll have to look at my list again but I know I have a couple other ones on there still to watch.

Thank you so the question.

[icejello]

Anyways svsss au idea but it's The Little Mermaid, it's not gonna follow the original story per se. Who's the little mermaid? Luo Binghe ofc, he's been BEGGING his dad (yes it's tianlang-jun) to let him go up to the human world but his dad said noooo bcs humans are dangerous (is it bcs binghe's mom was actually human and they killed her with the reasoning that she betrayed humanity by being with mermaids? Um sorry Su Xiyan but you will have to be dead in this one).

It's not like life is that dull for little binghe, there's his older cousin zuzhi-lang and there's also his friends mobei-jun and sha hualing but none of them seems that interested in exploring the human world and he's just so CURIOUS.

And on his 17th bday he practically begged his father to just let him take a peek and he promises he won't go alone, he'll bring his friends and his cousin can join too for extra measure! Surely it won't be that dangerous, right? Tlj finally gave in but on the one condition that binghe must NOT interact with any of the humans.

Binghe is thrilled! He went up and the sun was just setting and the sky was such a beautiful color. And then he noticed the ship. It was majestic, huge, he's seen wreckage of them on the sea bed but he NEVER saw them actually sailing on water and he was awed. He didn't expect a more breath taking sight could ever appear in that same moment but it happened and he saw a young man standing on the ship. He was beautiful with a smile on his lips as he stared out into the ocean.

But then disaster strikes! A sudden storm appeared and the ship somehow got damaged. There was yelling everywhere and binghe wanted to swim over and help but his cousin held him back bcs he promised his father he would not interact with the humans. But then he saw the pretty man fall from the boat and he ignored everything else to go and save that stranger. He managed to save the man and laid him at the beach where he hoped someone would find him.

Zuzhi-lang immediately dragged all of them back as soon as binghe was satisfied that the human would be safe. He didn't hesitate to report it to his uncle and his father got angry (he was worried). Binghe argued that it wasn't just him! He saw mobei save a man too! But mobei never made any promise to not interact with a human so that excuse did not work.

As soon as he could get away, he immediately went to the beach where he had left the man but he wasn't there! Binghe was stressed, did something happened to him? He was tempted to go on land to check it out but someone pulled him back and he's surprised to see mobei glaring at him. His friend asked him what he's thinking and binghe admitted he was worried about the man that he had saved. After having to watch binghe continuing to look increasingly and obviously nervous, mobei could not stand it anymore and asks him why he didn't just use his power to disguise himself as a human.

This surprised little binghe ofc bcs what? Power to disguise himself as human? That's the first he's heard of it. Mobei just explains how the mermaids from the royal blood line all have a special power to turn themselves into human but it doesn't last long and they need to always return to the sea or they would turn to a sea foam and that the disguise can easily be ruined if they come in touch with water bcs scales would show up.

Binghe is intrigued, he's curious, he's excited, he's nervous. He begged mobei to teach him and he only agreed to it after binghe would not shut up about it the whole way back. Now binghe is a great learner, it didn't take him long to learn it and the next day he immediately went up to look for the pretty stranger. Mobei-jun pointed out to him a spot where some clothes are hidden bcs as mbj said "he can't walk around naked" and binghe has no idea how mbj knew about those hidden stash of clothes but he didn't question it bcs there are more important things at hand!

Walking with legs felt weird ofc, this was a first for him. He struggled and practiced to find his balance and when he was confident enough, he went deeper into the land to look for the stranger. It wasn't long before he reached a city and he was mesmerized. The buildings looks nothing like what he's ever seen in the sea, there's so many ppl walking around, he sees little children running around playing, there are writings that he's never seen of and he momentarily forgot what he was there for. Binghe reminded himself that he's there for a mission and he shouldn't stay there too long.

He walked around, he didn't know where to start, there's so many ppl and it's such a big place, where does he even start with? But then he passed by a group of ladies and they were talking about how handsome the young man they just passed is. Binghe didn't question it and immediately ran towards the direction the ladies came from. He almost ran pass but stopped dead in his track when he finally caught sight of the pretty stranger sitting under a tree. He had a slightly annoyed look on his face and had a small frown as he listened to the young man sitting beside him ramble on.

Binghe watched, rooted in spot, as the stranger lightly smacked the other guy with a hand fan. He heard the guy call him something that sounded like "cucumber-bro" and the only thing he could think of was the sea cucumbers. Binghe must've made a sound in confusion because the both of them suddenly turned to look at him. It caught him off guard and he immediately turned to run away when he saw the pretty stranger opened his mouth to say something but instead he ran into another young man and fell down. The young man glared down at him and he heard the pretty man tell him to leave him alone. Binghe felt like his voice is as lovely as his face.

Binghe ran away as fast as he could but he managed to hear something about that newly arrived young man as the pretty man's fiance. It didn't make that much sense to binghe, they didn't look like they were a couple if anything it seemed like there's an air of awkwardness between them! That was when he passed by a few ppl talking about how lucky it is for Liu Qingge to save a pretty man like Shen Yuan and immediately got his hand in marriage as a reward. Someone interjected that Shen Yuan is the lucky one bcs Liu Qingge is obviously a very beautiful guy with great fighting skills. Now little binghe did not know who those people who was mentioned were but he could sense they were talking about the pretty stranger and that guy he ran into! Personally, binghe thinks that whoever marries Shen Yuan is obviously the lucky one, it's not like that guy Liu Qingge looks THAT good! But there were more important details from the conversation that he just heard! Lqg is marrying Shen Yuan bcs he saved him but he didn't! It was Binghe that saved the pretty guy! So if anything, it should be HIM that marries the pretty guy!

Binghe realized it was late and went back to the sea feeling annoyed. How could someone just CLAIM they did something they didn't?! He knew his father would be anxious at him disappearing for so long and would be angry if he knew where he actually was but now is not the time! Binghe escaped to the land every chance he can and sometimes he would find Shen Yuan there at the tree again but sometimes he would have to go home with nothing. Binghe ranted and complained to his friends. How is that fair? It was him that saved Shen Yuan why does someone else get to be rewarded for it! They're tired of his whining about someone else marrying his little crush and shl accidentally suggested that binghe goes visit the sea witch.

Binghe didn't understand, he's heard of the sea witch but he doesn't need powers to be able to turn himself into human. But when he heard about how he could try asking the sea witch for a spell that would let him stay longer on land without water ruining his disguise, he was determined. Mbj glared at shl for that suggestion and she realized her mistake when she saw the determined look on binghe's face. Luo Binghe is a prince and the only child of tlj, what would happen if he found out that they told his son to go make a deal with the sea witch? He would kill them! They tried to change his mind but he would no longer listen to them, he was set on being able to tell Shen Yuan the truth.

A deal comes with a price and binghe lost his ability to talk bcs of it. He's not mute, he's just no longer able to talk unless he gets true love's kiss. He rushes to land and as luck would have it, ran head first into Shen Yuan. He was kind enough to help little binghe up and he immediately recognized him as the boy that's always watching him but would immediately run away if he was spotted. Shen Yuan tried to ask him for his name but lbh despaired when he realized that he could not tell him. Shen Yuan thought Binghe was an orphan because he didn't respond when he asked about where he lives despite seemingly able to understand him.

Shen Yuan took Binghe under his wings and realized hey, this kid seems to not know that many things. He didn't seem to understand a lot of things at the house, even the most basic and simplest things. Shen Yuan tutors teens and kids in his spare time, either teaching them academics or some self defense skill, so it didn't bother him to have another new boy to teach. Though it seemed like the boy is not able to speak, he does learn quickly and it wasn't long before he was able to tell Shen Yuan who his name is through writing. Shen Yuan enjoys the times he spent with his new disciple, he seemed to get along well with the other 2 older kids that often gets tutored by Shen Yuan too. Actually, Luo Binghe seemed to get along with everyone just fine except for one person, Liu Qingge.

Shen Yuan's parents keeps pushing him to set the wedding date but he keeps pushing it back bcs he wasn't ready. He was grateful ofc that Liu Qingge saved him but it wasn't him that decided to get married as a reward! That was his parents! And some things doesn't make sense to Shen Yuan, Lqg claimed to only found him at the beach, he denies being the one to save him but if that was the truth then who saved him? But his parents took it as lqg only being modest and now they're both stuck in this engagement. Still, as stressing as everything is, binghe felt like a breath of fresh air to him. Truly, he never met a guy like that, he doesn't seem to understand a lot of things when he first arrived but he didn't seem dumb.

How long would it take little binghe to finally reveal the truth to shen yuan? Will he ever confess? Will Shen Yuan reciprocate his feelings? Well that will all be revealed if i actually do write this.

[guiltreservoir]

in spite of the way that it is ✧ read on ao3

⫘⫘⫘

when buck first brings it up, it's to everyone in the 118, or at least anyone who's willing to lend an ear. he saunters into the kitchen with a smile bright enough to account for the unseasonably grey weather outside, megawatt-beam elation radiating off of his body and bouncing into every corner of the station. the minute he starts blabbing about how tommy came to his place late last night, at least two ears are swiftly discounted — chim walks away with his hands firmly clapped over the sides of his head, saying, "la la la, don't want to hear it," much like a petulant kindergartener.

bobby finds himself suddenly very busy with noisily reorganizing the utensil drawer, but doesn't quite leave the area; hen immediately raises her brows and takes a pointed sip of her orange juice, knowing buck will continue unprompted. ravi, just coming up the stairs himself, has no idea what he's walking into, the poor guy.

and eddie — eddie knows better than to involve himself in this. he could easily extract himself now, fake a phone call with christopher's school, pretend like there's something imperative that he left in the locker room. instead, he remains parked at the table, piping mug of black coffee insisting that he needs mo' joe as it sits untouched in front of him. his own uncertain reflection stares back at him from the coffee's dark surface.

"i think i finally found someone who can match me," buck's declaring, cheeky grin still lighting up his face like a marquee sign. eddie can practically see the colorful bulbs flashing above his head, a giant neon arrow and the brazen announcement: this lucky guy got his brains fucked out last night!!

"bless that man," hen snorts, shaking her head a bit. ravi's brows knit together in confusion, and when he asks for details on what buck's referring to in the first place, hen's head shaking deepens. "ignorance is bliss, ravi, you probably don't want to know."

"buck got laid last night," falls out of eddie's mouth without him meaning to let it, and fuck, he hopes it sounded more casual than it felt, bubbling up his esophagus like bitter-hot bile.

ravi's, "...and?" is reassuring. eddie feigns a laugh, relieved his cover isn't blown. he glimpses at buck, whose gigantic smile hasn't faltered for even a millisecond, and ignores the mass of earthworms writhing beneath the tin lid of his breastbone.

"and it was seriously awesome!" buck pumps his fist into the air, triumphant and ridiculous, sunbeam personified, and god. buck may be the one getting railed into his mattress by his new boyfriend, but eddie is the one who's truly fucked.

⫘⫘⫘

when buck has eddie over for drinks at his place the next night and asks him if he wants to hear more about it, he convinces himself it's a fine idea. how much can really go wrong, anyway? it's just the man who cradles eddie's whole cowardly lion heart in his unknowing palms, telling him about the way that eddie's good, kind, unbearably hot friend fucked him so tenderly he cried.

it's fine. everything is fine.

buck's never been one to spare details, especially not when eddie allows him all of the space and time in the world to lay out how he got laid. the nearly-gone beer in his hand (on his lips, on his tongue, on the collar of his shirt where an errant drop landed) is fuel for his fire, rattling the confines of his inhibitions just enough to knock a few loose, get him spilling details like the belgian white down his throat.

"he was really good, eddie." the glint in buck's eye is evidence enough, but eddie wants more; he's curious, to a detrimental degree, a tabby cat scaling a tree to catch a sparrow whose wings will carry it to safety, leaving him hungry and without the knowledge of how to climb back down to level ground.

"yeah?" he presses, like he needs to.

"yeah," buck continues. the next pull he takes from his bottle is long, slow, draining it empty. eddie's eyes track the movement, the pink curl of his mouth over the bottle's rim, the wet flick of his tongue across the cusp, the bob of his adam's apple as he swallows the dredges. "it was like he could just... tell what i needed."

eddie's stomach drops. he blames the beer. his mind offers, silently, i would know what you needed, too.

he blames the beer.

"he made sure to take it slow, to start. he's— he's not a small guy, you know."

flashes of tommy's sweat-slick skin offer themselves up readily in the eye of eddie's mind. all thanks to their sparring during muay thai, he knows how it feels to be pinned beneath that man, to feel the heft of his strong arms and legs and chest against his own, to feel so utterly surrounded. he can only imagine what it's like to have tommy inside, too. he says, rougher than he means to, "i know."

buck clears his throat, ducks his head. when he meets eddie's eyes again, his cheeks are flushed. "i... i don't have to tell you about this, man. maybe it's too much. i mean, he's your close friend."

"you're my close friend," eddie says thoughtlessly.

the expression that settles on buck's features is complicated, to say the least.

"buck, i told you it's okay. you can tell me whatever you're comfortable with me knowing." eddie's can of worms burst opened wriggles and squirms, a slimy tangle mucking up his chest cavity. he catches and clings onto buck's gaze and adds, unequivocal, "i'll tell you if i want you to stop."

if buck's face wasn't already rosy, it would be now. his mouth falls open before his response catches up to him, and the spit-glint of his bottom teeth against his tongue makes eddie grit his own together, lest he say something he shouldn't.

"are you sure?" buck asks, back turning to eddie while he reaches into the fridge behind him for a third round. when he turns around again he's got two cold bottles in his hands, tilting one towards eddie, an offering that eddie accepts as automatic as breathing.

the fizzzzz-clink of buck popping the beercaps punctuates eddie's answering, "yes."

"alright." another generous swig of buck's drink bolsters his nerve. "i didn't think he was gonna fit at first, eddie. i swear to you, it doesn't seem like it should work. it's not like i haven't had anything up my ass before, i mean, tommy's even been warming me up for the real thing. but."

warming him up, jesus. buck's nonchalance is staggering, even when frankly, this isn't even the first time eddie's been confronted with such imagery. he wishes he could forget buck telling him about the times taylor had used her strap with him. not because it wasn't an appealing thought — eddie might have complex emotions around taylor, but the idea of buck getting dicked down by anyone at all has always been one that twists his guts into feverish knots. hence the desire for selective amnesia.

he fails not to wonder exactly what the thick line of tommy's dick would look like snuggled between the cleft of buck's asscheeks and swirls his beer in its bottle before knocking back a good-sized gulp, saying, "i'm guessing you made it work eventually."

because how the fuck else is he supposed to react while he's busy painting a vivid mural of his two 'close friends' fucking on the ceiling of his overenthusiastic imagination? he might as well be michelangelo with the way he's filling in the blanks with such inspiration.

the sputtering laugh that comes from buck has no right being as charming as it is. "he did indeed get his dick inside of me, yeah, great job putting those pieces together."

"thanks, it was difficult."

"i bet," buck responds. his gaze separates from eddie's and drifts down the length of his torso, catching on the steady rise and fall of the breaths expanding his chest before continuing down his past his bellybutton. he focuses just below eddie's belt before skimming back up to peer into his eyes again. "he took his time getting me ready with his fingers, and even still i felt like he was gonna split me in half. he got maybe halfway inside and i was already seeing stars. thankfully he kinda paused and gave me a second to adjust."

"come on, man." eddie's heartbeat threshes his ribcage and echoes all the way up to his eardrums, frantic and heady, bass drum kicking a chaotic rhythm. he can't help but imagine tommy's big, surprisingly gentle hands working buck open before slicking himself up with lube to nudge inside. he wonders if it made buck gasp, if he cursed and clenched at the blunt shock and slow push and steady tilt of tommy's hips. he wonders if tommy's got claw marks on him somewhere from buck scrabbling for purchase while curling his toes and communicating without words that he needed a minute.

"too much?" the way buck's half-mast eyes glitter reminds eddie of a tiger slinking low through moonlight silver-soaked grasses. all at once he can sympathize with the position of a lone antelope lurking just beyond through the open plains, vulnerable and enticing.

he perks his ears forward, tilts his head down, looking into the eyes of the beast who's about to consume him, and says, "no."

the antelope places its fragile skull straight into the tiger's hanging maw.

⫘⫘⫘

when eddie makes it through the next couple of days without jerking off about it, he considers himself victorious. he's been doing a fine job of distracting himself, hanging out with his girlfriend, his kid. he's been reading before he falls asleep to keep his mind from wandering too far. he's been working out more, burning off the extra energy that's been vibrating through his entire nervous system since buck drenched his subconscious — and his conscious mind, who is he kidding — with the most luscious, arousing descriptions of sex he's ever heard.

he's doing fine, until he's leaving the station with buck after a long shift and tommy's there to pick him up. he's standing outside of his buck's jeep, conveniently parked next to eddie's truck, eyes crinkly with delight at the sight of them. his voice carries through the atmosphere and shudders straight down into eddie's molten core, a simple and swift, "evan! eddie."

"hi, tommy," eddie says at the same time that buck says, "hey, babe!"

evan.

babe.

eddie is going to dissolve into a cloud of nebulous vapor.

he autopilots his way through the rest of their short conversation, ears buzzing with static, cottonmouth setting in. he doesn't pay attention to the small talk, mind too busy reeling with potential. the moment he'd caught sight of buck's jeep, he was a goner.

where is tommy's car? did he stay the night at buck's, hang out at his place for the day just waiting to come play chauffeur and take him back home to pound him into the mattress while kissing him deep and lazy, like his lips are laden with ambrosia?

"catch you later, eddie," he hears tommy say over the ringing in his ears. buck knocks shoulders with him and nods agreeably, lashes fluttering and lips stretching into a pretty smile.

the best eddie can manage in response is a pathetic wave and a half-hearted, "bye, guys."

his drive home is thirty-six minutes too long. he relinquishes his willpower and allows the fog of his daydreams to creep in.

"tommy called me a good boy when he finally bottomed out," buck had told him around a drawn-out exhale, hops heavy on his breath, steaming the air between their faces. somewhere between the third and fourth beer the space between them had collapsed, eddie backed against the kitchen counter and buck looming over him, cool and collected and beautiful and dangerous, striped wildcat on the hunt.

"he told me how incredible it felt inside me, how i was all warm and tight. and god, eddie, you don't understand how crazy it felt. it was so much, but in the best way. it was warm and tight for me, too."

that's when eddie had spooked and bolted, yanking free from within the loose gape of buck's tiger fangs and nicking himself on jagged ivory edges. worms clustered and crawled up from his chest and into his throat as he stumbled away, wounded and wet. he'd choked out, "i can't," and buck had backed off without hesitation, no longer a fierce big cat but a helpless cub, saying, sorry and low, "i know, i know, i should've stopped sooner."

⫘⫘⫘

when eddie finally gets his hand around his dick, it's nearly enough to make him cry. the bittersweet reprieve of it, the way he's been craving his own attention while being even better at withholding it from himself — there's practically nothing he's more practiced at, but just because it comes fairly naturally to him at this point doesn't mean it is painless.

he sinks into a different brand of masochism found in the inviting expanse of his mattress, world narrowed down to the sensation of his slippery grip around his blood-rushed cock, to the white-hot fantasies splaying themselves out in the darkest meadows of his mind, absolutely resplendent. he tries to make his hand feel warm, tight, incredible, like buck's soft aching insides; he speculates whether or not tommy would talk to him like that, if they were to hook up. would he qualify as good, in tommy's eyes?

with barely a second thought, he brings his free hand down to play between his asscheeks, knuckle ghosting across the delicate skin of his hole. tommy's fingers are bigger than his, tommy's bigger all around. a moan wrenches itself free as he swipes up some lube from where it's dripping down his balls and presses a fingertip inside.

eddie's pace picks up along with his breathing, chest heaving like he's been running for hours, days, years. maybe he has been. maybe he still is.

"fuck," he grits out, rolling his hips up into his hand. his mind is playing through scenes of buck opening up for tommy, tommy so careful and confident, scenes of buck wrapping his limbs around him to draw him as close and deep as he can get, buck so open and wanting. buck, such a fucking good boy.

eddie's orgasm shreds through him gut to throat like the sharp starving blade of a hunter, come spattering across his stomach, stickying his fist.

there are real tears streaking down his cheeks, now, damp and unrelenting, a mix of relief and guilt and something else he can't figure out a name for.

he jams the heels of his hands against his eye sockets and thinks, i know, i know, i should've stopped sooner.

[fiberturkey89]

"Silent Storm"

(A roleswap within my AU, where Jiro was the one Sora met instead of Zanth, takes place before the AU fix Staying Together.)

He had long forgotten what the taste of fresh fruits and meat felt like.

He missed the various types of earth that he used to roam, from the scorching heat of the volcanoes to the pleasant meadows of valleys.

The smell of the lands, a wisp he couldn’t quite grasp anymore.

It danced on his memory akin to the winds that used to aid his wings midair whenever he soared across the realms.

The winds in this place were aritifcal, the lights simulating a soft glow akin to one of his old nests, but without any of that comforting warmth.

He missed the airdrafts that carried him across the lands. The lands were new, different than previously. The people he met along his travels were even more so. He hoped that the few he met reunited with their families and tribes.

Jiro couldn't say the same for these foul ones, however. He eyed the green-eyed one as she departed from the chamber, that one treated him as if he were a mere hippo. Aggressive, without reason. Without thought.

Well. He was above that. He could control his claws and his thunderous breath.

His teeth and eyes had seen more than she could ever fathom. It was only by pure luck that these fools had caught him at all.

Curling up to take a nap, he yawned. Despising how they left him in here with his chipped and shedded scales longer than usual, it was perhaps only luck that they cleaned his prison every week or so.

He supposed it was only one person who really cared enough, anyway. He hadn't seen the one man who came in and cleaned them up now that he considered the length of time...

Peeling his lip back, he hoped that one was alive. Afraid of him as the man was, on occasion, he offered scraps of vegetables from his lunch as compromise to clean the prison without issue.

Jiro considered it ironic luck that one had the brains to keep him content. Using his wings to act as a cover for his head, he readjusted himself with a snort.

He was too tall, too long for this cell, he kept accidentally sitting on or stepping on his own tail. Grumbling, he closed his eyes.

"Is he okay?" A small voice asked, catching him off guard. How long had he been unfocused for? Was he losing his touch?

"I wouldn't worry. It has moments like this where it rests after it sheds its scales. " There it was. The deception, the lies.

Uncoiling from his position to see a newcomer and the green eyed rot-hatch, he was taken aback to see a young human staring at him.

She stared back, a full smile being the thing that greeted him. She lightly waved, and he sniffed in response.

What an odd one. She had no fear, no ingrained hatred for him.

What made this one different from the others?

"Nothing to worry about. It's always been the most responsive of the Dragons we've worked alongside. We simply caught it in the middle of a nap."

The words awed the girl, her eyes widening, though Jiro shot green-eyes a stare that would have even made a bull Elephant in musth halt its charge.

She ignored him, causing his claws to dig into the cold ground below. Fool. When he escaped, she would pay. Her and that red-eye moron.

He had more interesting matters to lend to, however, considering this child was eyeing him with wonder.

"A Dragon..." The girl murmured, approaching his prison. He cocked his head. How curious.

He thought more would know of him, considering how much they lied.

Especially whatever it was red-eyes often did with him in the background. Talking as if they were long time friends.

Jiro snorted at the thought, friends? With a Dragon Hunter? Boars and hippos would fly before that happened.

Though, this human. She resided in this place with them but seemed to have no interest in their occupations.

Other children or teenagers would have certainly spouted their loyalty to the Hunters or their queen by now. Not her.

She was.. young, for a human. Very young. She couldn't be any older than.. what were the words that humanoids regarded their ages with? Ten? Eleven? Something like that.

If his memory didn't fail him.. he was... about ten years older than her? He could be wrong. Humanoids were strange.

"A real Dragon.." The girl uttered again, making Jiro grin softly despite the circumstances.

Few children that came into this chamber gave him more than a passing glance or even recognition.

He had this pink haired one's full attention.

So far, he liked this one. He wondered how long it would take for her to turn violent against him, he thought wryly. All the children seemed to after minimal coaxing.

"I can't believe you're allowed to have them here in the lab- this place is magical!"

Jiro bit back the urge to laugh. This child had no idea what true magic was. It certainly wasn't this 'lab'. Perhaps if he ever escaped, he could have her meet one of the true magic users out there.

He did, however, appreciate that he had been associated with magic. Puffing out his chest in pride, he raised his head to tower above her, showing off.

She giggled, reaching a hand out upwards, and if he could talk, he would have warned her. However..

This time, he nearly laughed proper when her hand bounced off of the prison. He couldn't blame her at all. One couldn't quite see the barrier that separated him and the outside chamber.

Her grin faded for a moment, and he blinked in suprise when it disappeared for longer than a second.

He wanted the smile to come back. No child in his presence should be without a smile. They always did with genuinely instead of an adult.

Doing his best not to side-eye green-eyes, she walked over to the thing that would open his prison, he waited. "Oops, sorry. Let me deactivate the field. This one has long accepted its role in our lab. It won't be any danger."

The field went down, and he had to refrain from thwacking her with his tail in front of the girl. Perhaps if she tested his patience, he'd consider it, even if it meant dying.

He'd at least take this brute with him.

Besides, he was only dangerous when he chose to be, not when he felt like it.

If only they could get that through their skulls.

His eyes focused on the girl who strained to reach her arm over the gap. What an energetic one. Much different than the grumpy adult humans in here.

He supposed that was par for the course, humans seemed to naturally sour as they aged.

Craning his neck to bridge the gap, he pressed his snout into her hand gingerly, knowing how little it took to bowl a human over. He smiled softly, staying still.

She returned the smile with an ear to ear grin of her own, eyes alight with joy. Lightly bumping the edge of his snout to her fingers.

He surpressed the urge to recoil, surprised that she carried a charge like he did. It was faint, but it was undoubtedly there.

She had the Dragons Gift, much like himself. Allowing himself to smile freely in joy, he trilled. It was good to see a hatchling to walk free. She must be hiding it well.

Pressing his snout again, he inhaled her scent and committed it to memory. Smelled akin to flowers.. metal, and.. cats? What an odd assortment.

Her hand was warm, almost as warm as his fathers scales. Smoother than his, however, almost like his mother's velvet scales.

He crooned softly, causing her to break into a fit of giggles. "Awh, you sweet thing! Do you have a name?"

He would've told her his name was Jiro, but he was unsure of how to communicate that-

"Subject 152 stroke 9A. Though the janitor and the lab technicians have taken to calling it Sora."

His tail twitched. He was not an it. He was a he like how the girl was a she.

He had a name, thank you. One that had been gifted to him by his parents. Jiro was a fine name, if you asked him. Not whatever Sora meant.

It sounded like it would be a bad name for a Dragon like him.

The girls eyes widened, so she knew what it meant. Whatever it did caused her grin to vanish. It must be a terrible name for it to disappear. "Sora? The ancient Imperian word for orphan?"

...

Firstbourne's fangs, you lounge around a flock of Dragons to keep up with the latest news once, and then humans consider you family - he swore on the Source Dragons' names he was going to stomp these humans into the ground.

Except the girl, of course. She was a Dragon like he and had given him the proper respect. The others, however..

He had to refrain, very, very, very hard from blasting green-eyes with his lightning. He had to refrain from the thoughts that filled his mind for chewing out those others who called him that.

Even the one who cleaned his prison.

He however, kept his eyes and snout on the girl in front of him, taking care not to let his anger cloud his judgement.

Her eyes turned downcast, her shoulds loosened heavily, and she frowned. "What happened to your family, Sora?"

His jaws hung open for a brief moment, a thought he hadn't been willing to entertain in his time here. If at all since the Merged Lands.

..How were his mother and father and sister? Had they joined those tribes of others that came from other lands?

He wouldn't be surprised if they loosely stood with one, his kin of Thunder Dragon preferred to live in the same general region but never came together, save for mated pairs who would call relatives when it to was to welcome a new one into the world.

He backed away, laying his head down and staring at his scales. Attempting to gauge if they'd ever been caught by these blast rotten boar-brains.

As far he'd been aware, they had escaped safely in another one of the realms before the Shattering-

Breathing suddenly became difficult, his scales felt as if they were being slashed by an Ice Dragon who was trying to attack him.

His muscles tensed in searing hot pain, as if the lightning was being pulled out of his very being.

He roared, crying out in pain as his eyes narrowed at green eyes in hatred, the smile she adorned from seeing him writhe in pain sickened him.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!"

The pull faded, and he collapsed to the cold, hard floor. This cave of despair is the only thing to remind him that he was alive.

His vision was blurry, and his limbs felt as if he was buried beneath a heap of rocks. He panted, greedily inhaling air. He could just barely make out the argument to be having as his hearing faded in and out.

He couldn’t see what was becoming of green-eyes, and the girl, struggling to lift his head, he gave up as his vision continued to darken.

He wanted to see what was becoming of it, if the girl was okay- but he couldn't due to his weakness. "-This is why I brought you here-"

So that was her name.

It didn't suit her.

She had a much fiercer attitude than she let on.

She deserved a better name.

Her parents were weak. If they gave incorrect names to their children, then that meant they had unbefitting names, too.

Giving in to darkness, Jiro forcefully slept, unaware of what happened next and unable to do anything after that.

___________________________________________

The next time he had awoke, he had lost track of the time, coming to with bleary blinks. His scales felt disgusting and heavy.

His wings felt as if they were bound again, cramped and strained in this tiny space.

Shaking the sleep off of his scales and repositioning to rid himself of uncomfortable cramps that followed with, he noticed that it was the dead of night.

A moments peace, then.

Laying back down, his snout bumped into something lightly recoiling with a hiss and crackle of thunder. He calmed when he realized it was..

A bucket of water?

Looking around to make sure it wasn't one of green-eyes' behavioral tests, he carefully lapped at the water. Sighing in relief as it eased his burned veins, as if the rains themself were dousing him.

He kept himself from paying too much attention to the small shape huddled underneath one of the tables.

The door opened, and he quickly hid the bucket under a wing, meeting the guards' gaze with a look of disgust.

The human, wearing a helmet that prevented Jiro from being able to see his expression, simply turned around and muttered something incoherent.

He wouldn't return for a while.

Quickly finishing his water, the dragon sniffed at the bucket again, his eye ridges raising in suprise.

It was indeed one of the rare metals that a dragon like himself required to eat on occasion. The girl knew his kin supplemented their needs with things like these.

Smart one, she is. Very smart. He trilled in approval, even smiling. She would have been a good Dragon.

No, she was a good Dragon.

"I got you one of the copper buckets we use for the calves at the greenhouse," she whispered, approaching him and pulling off her hood.

Calves? Cow? Meat? He licked his chops at the idea of fresh meat. He couldn’t recall what he had eaten last, but it'd must've been ages ago.

Pulling a pack from her back, Jiro's desires for flesh were overtaken by surprise, how had this girl snuck in here unnoticed by annyone?

Was the patrolling really that horrendous? Poor fools, they wouldn't last a day if there was a competent Invader in their midst.

Quickly pulling the keep to his prison down, he noticed her eyes were red and swollen. "I also got you some steel torque nuts... I-I dunno how well these work, but these should give you back some strength."

His gratitude came to a stop when he considered how her own flock must already be turning against her for cutting his torture short.

He had heard the public shaming that they enforced on others for simple mistakes. Green-eyes had made the call to the others that there was a strange one in their group.

He felt a crackle of electricity spark in his jaw.

He would have words with whoever reduced her to this state. If they so much as dared harm this hatchling any more than they had.

Words would be shared with teeth and claws. This was a promise.

Taking out his hatred by ravenously eating the bucket and the small morsels she dropped in gently, he crooned softly - grateful to the child for coming back and giving him food.

She lay some more food down before him, one of them being a favorite of his. "I also got you some watermelon and bananas. Sorry, we don't have any red meat. I can try getting you some fish?"

He nodded quickly after carefully crunching through the watermelon, loving the memories that came back with the moisture rich fruit. He then ate the bananas next, his stomach more content than it had been in possibly seasons.

He felt some some semblance of embarrassment when he tilted his head and motioned to her pack in query after his fill, though.

Hugging herself for a moment, she presented a small thing in her hands that held food. "I do have two potatoes, but they were for me - you can have them if you want?"

Holding them out for him, he fervently shook his head and hissed, nudging the thing back to her chest with a harsh snort, startling her.

"Are.. you sure? I can always get myself more-"

He growled, causing her to go silent. He tenderly raised the thing she was holding to her chin and chuffed. Her food was her food. Not his. "Okay- okay, I'll eat."

He was hungry, yes. But he refused to take the share of a hatchling who had done more than enough for him and, by extension- needed the sustenance to grow into a powerful individual.

Watching her eat her fill, he huffed in satisfaction, the Thunder Dragon reclined in his seat, yawning. His stomach was feeling better, his bones weren't aching as much, and he had company.

Carefully shifting his scales into one corner of his prison, he sighed. The thought of his parents and sister coming back to momentarily haunt them, better him than either side.

If his parents had been the ones captured, either would've died of a broken heart if they'd been separated. His kin mated for life, and his sister had a full life ahead of her.

He's take this agony many lifetimes over if it meant preventing any of them from being captured.

Even if he wished he could escape himself.

He could say the same for the girl who would most likely needed to escape herself, as she was no longer welcome here.

The girl who needed a name. Because her sires were failures at naming their own offspring.

He watched her eat, eyes locked on the exit of the lab. She was brave, definitely, even in the face of being caught and the punishment that came after.

Perhaps he should wait for her to prove herself before he got hasty. After all, his original name had been Thunderstrike before his parents had bestowed his true name once he had completed a feat.

Even the precursor required a feat..

Once she finished, she began to pack her things and pull up her hood - stretching carefully. He inspected her state, good, good. She was healthy. Strong.

While they hadn't exactly conversed, there was nothing wrong with simply being in each others company.

The girl chewed her lip, gazing between him and the door after some minutes of silence. "I could help you escape? There's a city across the desert we can go to! I saw these bird-wyvern things flying during the day.."

Wyverns, what a rowdy bunch they were. Many of them were decent enough company if you were looking for news, very gossipy if you asked him.

However, he shook his head. Attempting to rise, he only fell over, causing the child to lurch forward as if she could catch him.

Hands moved to his snout, and he purred softly in confirmation. He was fine. Simply too tired to move properly.

She wasn't taking no for an answer.

"I can keep bringing you food and we can escape! I promise, I know the best ways out, or-or maybe I can get something that'll help your legs-"

Jiro's frowned, he shook his head. Raising a claw to show how it trembled, his scales chipped and broken, he motioned to it.

The girls eyes furrowed, her lip wobbling. "I can help you," she repeated, this time firm. "I can come up with a plan to get you through the main gate-"

He then lifted up the girls much more stable hand with a gentle bump of his snout. Raising his own claw again and then letting it drop to the cold floor.

"You're not weak!" She blurted out. "You wouldn't slow me down! We just... need to plan properly! I can do it!"

He shook his head again, truly stubborn like a Dragon. He nudged her towards the thing that would raise his prison.

He would slow her down. There was nothing to be said. No amount of planning could help him escape.

He had no fear of death. He would fight until his last breath.

She should, however. She should have a fear of the consequences that come. She had a life ahead of her.

His entrapment could be a lifetime.

The girl, frustrated at her limits, quickly pulled up the field and took off- early enough to avoid the patrol that would come.

Sighing, Jiro lay back down, closed his eyes, and went to sleep. Grateful for her help. Feeling some guilt for having to send her away.

___________________________________________

He was unsure of how long it had been since he saw her last, but she had gotten taller. Longer hair.

She was thinner.

He didn't like that.

She had become sadder, her eyes almost always shiny when she saw how his scales dulled and flaked from the constant drainage.

She hesitated to touch his scarred and scored snout, her once stable hands trembling much like his weakened claws.

Only, hers was out of sadness, his was out of weakness. She was powerful, for being able to mourn over a being she only met twice.

He was ashamed she couldn't see them in their proper luster, ashamed she couldn't see him in the prime of his life.

Yet he still attempted to ask how she was.

She wouldn't answer him. She avoided his eyes.

He felt some level of hurt. He had only been looking out for the Dragon Gifted.

What an odd thing that he would become curious about this girls life in the little time they had known each other.

He still stood strong whenever he saw her after. However, she visited him rarely, sometimes to simply have him as company, other times to share a quiet meal.

The seasons continued to change without him, and he worried for the girl as her eyes began to lose their sheen.

Faintly, but it was there.

__________________________________________

She brought him two watermelons tonight, a fish, a bucket, and torque nuts. "Here you go," she said.

She was doing too much. He could do nothing except offer his company.

He would repay her with the gift of flight when he escaped.

He watched her before he ate, how she turned around partially to keep an eye on the exit. He could see that her spirit was dying faster than he was.

He was the one in the cage, but so was she.

The two ate in silence. It was heavy. Much like the volcanoes he nested in for some nights, bathing in the heavy heat.

This was cold.

He finished his meal, resting his skull against her leg as she ran her hands up his head - her touch was still warm.

Still full of life. Full of power much like he once had.

"We can still try to go to the colored city across the desert," the words were hollow, no fight to them.

They had this discussion before, and she always came out unsuccessful.

She needed to escape. No, he needed her to escape on his behalf.

"I wanna go there," she announced. "But I don't want to leave you behind. It's unfair. You should be free."

He agreed, and he should be free. Where the winds and the thunderstorms call for him, the cool nights and the warm days. The seasons came and went along with him.

It was a distant memory that he could only fathom thanks to the food she was giving him. The seasons hadn't stoppped to acknowledge he was gone, of course.

They stopped for nothing, and no one.

The task of bringing him food was draining her.

Her hand's tremble proved that. He'd seen what an outcast among the flock looked like. She had no place here.

Perhaps it was time. No, it was time. His strength only came back little. The food amount was not enough for him to properly heal himself.

Moving his head away from her leg, he sifted through the dull scales in his prison, his most recent shed having come at a bad time.

He picked up the most rich scale he could and placed it in her lap. Calling up his lightning to gently charge it, for only she would be able to feel it.

This was his gift to her.

"You're giving this to me?" She said, voice hushed. "I... thank you."

He chuffed in welcome, it was a very pretty scale if you asked him.

This was his way of escape, even if he couldn’t be there to see the dusk and dawn, the stars and sun.

He nudged her, pushing her to her feet. "Wh- Sora! What're you.. doing?"

He unfurled his wings, still able to shine that undercurrent akin to lightning as he motioned to the cieling.

"You.. want me to go?" She bit out, and he nodded in conformation. Offering her a smile that no doubt was more of a grimace considering how her lip wobbled.

"But-" He silenced her with a huff and a headshake, forcing himself towards the blasted thing that would entrap him.

No, the thing that would separate him and her.

This was her feat. His test to her.

Make it across the desert to this city and.. live.

She didn't cry but instead, she sighed. "You really are a stubborn Lightning Dragon," her eyes became as glassy much like the sands he would scorch for amusement, and he used his snout to wipe them away.

Jiro wholeheartedly agreed. He and his sister got it from their mother, the comment making him chuckle in amusement. His laughs not as full they would have been some time ago.

The girl hugged his snout, gripping tightly. He pressed against her, gentle to make sure he wouldn't bowl her over.

She couldn't be any more than.. twelve, or thirteen if he was remembering human ages right.

It was a while before the two separated, blue fleckered gold eyes met his own. He bowed his head and trilled gently, motioning her to raise it.

With great reluctance, she raised his imprisonment. Holding her hand there for a few moments as it twitched in the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry, Sora."

Jiro, he would have corrected. Instead, he snorted in goodbye to her. Watching her pivot and run out of the lab.

Leaving him alone.

Sora. A name for orphans in this place called Imperium.

It's what the girl would have been calling herself. She and him both knew that.

He disagreed on her being an orphan.

She would always be welcome to his family.

The name spoke of loneliness, of heartache. It's what that name would make most think.

But he had already given her a precursory name, one he considered worthy of the little Dragon.

She would make her own name in time, one that would truly fit her and be the one that told everyone else who she was.

One that she would roar whenever somebody used that infernal name her parents had given her.

He wished he would be able to hear her roar it to the winds, much like the quiet thunder she brought with her.

She had yet to cross the desert, in her view.

But to him, she had already done it. He was no longer as alone as he thought he was, in this place called Imperium.

For Silent Storm would give him company.

[icebrooding]

A non-comprehensive first word-vomit of my thoughts abt Janthir wilds in non-chronological order:

Poky is my son and if anything happens to him I will commit Crimes of a very bad nature. I also called he and Braham would be great friends even before it got mentioned as a possibility right at the end.

I really like what they've done with the Warclaw; not only is the new skin extremely cute but I've been having so much fun w/ it's skills. Boing boing boing.

This soundtrack fucks REALLY hard??? Like holy shit??

Isgarren soft boy story reveal (but I already knew he was soft from SotO anyway but this is probably the most explicit we've had about just how soft--)

Greer is gonna have a lot of people horny for him, I can just kinda feel it? If people want to fuck the bog queen, I can imagine people also want to fuck the sexy-voiced Titan.

The 'boss segments' sure felt like boss segments, holy shit. I had no real issues on the first Greer and Decima fights but the one at the end actually caused me a lot of issues. Not sure how, but it did.

I really love the first half of the expac being this kind of 'low stakes' feeling adventure (and really FEELING like a good adventure, the way the maps are designed and their scale making exploring them SO good ouegh), and then the latter half is this slowly ramping 'oh fuck, Titans', culminating in 'oh fuck. /another/ titan.'

I somehow REALLY really appreciate the 'we cannot do this we need to retreat' stuff. I really liked the one at the end, the Commander's hesitance before calling off the pursuit. Feels like they've really learned over the years that rushing in isn't in their (or anyone's) best interest.

I genuinely always thought Sorrow was gonna be a polar bear. Did not expect a grizzly, but appreciate the subversion of my expectations. Even after her reveal I'd expected the lowland appearance to be an illusion of some kind, but nah. Girl straight up grizzly. Gotta respect.

On that note, I did have a joke going on for a few months of 'we walk into the lowland kodan lands and just find her sitting amongst them like 'oh shit'' so this was pleasant for me lmao.

Sincerely curious on how things will go between her and Isgarren after that little catfight. I don't wanna see Dagda crushed by losing her again :sadcat: She's like the kid caught between a really bad divorce--

Can Lyhr finally meet Rand again--

Can Stoic Alder be my new dad? And can he please not die I cannot bear (HAH) if anything happens to him either ; _ ;

where is zojja

Mildly upset that we're shown not to really remember Dagonet. I REMEMBER YOU, BIG BRO :crycat:

on that note did his voice get deeper

I feel like the horror of the White Mantle came across really strongly, as someone who (still, damnit) hasn't gone far in GW1, reading the notes around Syntri really painted a really gruesome and horrific image of the sentiments at the time... it was upsetting, to say the least.

Fuck? Ether towers and Jade Constructs though--

I would have appreciated any warning from my friend abt how going into the water of Syntri was like reliving my least favourite parts of Subnautica all over again.

I'm just gonna pretend we didn't talk to Anise at the end of the story LMFAO. I did not like that, honestly.

I KNOW HE WAS MENTIONED AGES BEFORE BUT ISN'T IT FUNNY HAHA IN SOME WAY THAT MABON, VOICED BY LIAM O'BRIEN, HAS AN ALIAS FUCKIN' NAMED "OBRYN"

spear aesthetic fucks even if i suck at it

Caithe getting to sit on the fireplace is iconic. queen behaviour

look, if we're (MAYBE) going to the domain of anguish (maybe isgarren can scream enough to open a portal again for us) then can we finally just bring legavo there and go ham? i'm sure it'll be fine.

more thoughts at another point when i can formulate sentences

[ureternalmajesty]

My Little Mermaid

Retired Knight!John Price x mermaid!reader

Authors note: reader is black and will remain black unless said so. The crew is 141 but they left with price and are his crew.

“He left for the ocean, this boy from the land, his spirit soars northward, his heart in her hands.” — Michael Faudet

The ocean holds many wonders and the most beautiful creatures. Merfolk were one of the wonders and beautiful creatures.

The stories of mermaids we lost and were placed by new ones of them luring and killing humans and fishermen. Merfolk haven’t been seen in over eighteen years they’ve went into hiding or have been poached and killed for their scales.

Those are stories and rumors that were spread throughout the kingdom. But fact is what is true and known.

—

Waves rise and fell rocking the boat that was anchored in the middle of the ocean. A spot that this boat has been frequently sailed through and anchored.

The man aboard was given the boat and land close to the shore when he retired from his knighthood. The shadow the boat casted onto the waters made by the moon had the creatures below curious.

Swimming up to the boat using all your upper body strength to pull yourself into one of the lifeboats peek through the gaps of the boat to see a man and his crew.

Music floated through the air and feet stomped to the rhythm as others danced. “Alright that’s enough outta the lot of ya.” A masked man spoke calming the people that were singing and dancing.

“Aye but it’s the captains day Ghost.” One of the men slurred clearly drunk off his ass as he wrapped an arm around the masked man’s shoulder. The sound of boots made you look towards where the sound was coming. “Let ‘em be ghost bout to turn in anyways.” You looked over the man. He was burly in size his eyes were comforting as you gazed at them still peeking over sliding your tail over the lifeboat ready to jump back in the water if needed. He was handsome and kind toward his men.

Down to every feature on the man including his mutton chops and his voice made your heart flutter. The singing and dancing started again as the captain made his way over to where you were quickly diving into the water looking above at him now leaning over the rail with something poking out his mouth when your eyes caught something shiny. You peeked your head above water and to get a better look.

A necklace. “What is that?” You heard mumbled as you dove back under. Only catching a glimpse of the green and pink scales and tail splashing before being completely submerged in water.

Choosing to believe the it was the lack of sleep and alcohol that was now in his body the captain rubbed his eyes and turned in for the night mumbling curses.

“Bloody ‘ell now I’m fucking see things.”

—

Humans were always fascinating creatures they had so much incredible things. “Y/n! Wait!” You stopped and floated along side your sister. “We aren’t allowed above water and you went above surface.” S/n rambled.

You giggled and swam slowly ahead of them. “It’s fine s/n nothing happened. Those humans are nice. Especially the captain he treats the others kind.” You looked back at her and gave her a smile.

“Y/n don’t go falling in love now. We aren’t allowed to be above surface so don’t look for love in the above world.” She swam next to you giving you a comforting smile.

You nodded and swam away. ‘I’ll go back for that shiny thing…and maybe see him again.’

I don’t know what I’m doing with this but I’m making this a series and I hope it’s actually going where I hoped it would

[twinflameauwof]

what’s the lore of the world? like what’s going on? the conflicts some may say (i love all the art you’ve posted btw)

aaaaaa I’m genuinely so glad I got this questionnnnn!!! (YAP FEST HERE WE GO)

I’m not the best at explaining things, but basically in Pyrrhia, there are 8 tribes instead of the canon 7, and that extra tribe is the Mistwings. The Mistwings are descendants of a large group of Rainwings, Seawings and Icewings that somehow formed a society together. This resulted in the Mistwings, dragons that are a mystery to the outside world, no one knows they exist.

They live deep in the rainforest, where the land was enchanted by an ancient Animus to have constant mist falling over it, and the Rainwings are too scared to enter it. The enchanted object is called The Ghostflame, and after a princess wins a challenge against the queen, the former queen will stick around until a new heir is secured, and then she will disappear into the forest, this is believed to “feed” the Ghostflame.

Anyways, moving on from those guys, the Sandwings are basically the Nightwings in this situation, pretty much everyone see’s them as self-righteous, full of themselves, hoarder dragons because of previous queens, and the current queen, Mirage, is making many attempts to de-stigmatize her tribe, which isn’t helped by many rebellious Sandwings going out and doing whatever they want to please themselves, this results in late Mudwing Queen Fern’s death.

MudWings are nomadic, being tough enough to traverse through nearly any environment (except the Ice Kingdom), many troops leave the kingdom to cultivate and sell unique goods.

Nightwings are how they were in Darkstalker’s book, basically, and under the royal family, there are three Nobel houses named after the three moons, Oracle, Perception, and Imperial.

Seawings are split between three societies, the Deep Kingdom, the Sea Kingdom, and the Reef Kingdom. The “DeepWings” are a group of Seawings that live out in the open ocean, pulling rafts behind them for proper resting and feasts, they technically have a “queen” but it’s less traditional. The Seawings are closed off and often don’t participate in many inter-tribe events except for the royal family. The “ReefWings” are far more social, living half in the ocean and half on beaches, their scales are more colorful than the others’, and they are responsible for most trade. The “Council of Pearls” is a group of regal dragons from all 3 segments that make decisions.

The IceWings aren’t doing the best, but they’re not doing bad, their last queen, Chorus, died of an illness soon after having her first egg, leaving her husband, Silver, to fill the roll until their (luckily) daughter could grow to fill the roll. In this version, the Icewings are less isolated, and have one of the greatest armies on the continent.

Queen Talon of the Skywings loves being entertained, which is why the Skywing Arena still exists in this AU. However, instead of it being essentially an execution, it is seen as a way for dragons to earn glory. There are very strict rules in place to keep dragons from being harmed severely, any heavy injuries can lead to suspension and even being banned from The Arena.

Rainwings are also very similar to canon, except for the other tribe’s opinions on them, in this AU, their venom is common knowledge, and it is well known the amount of damage they could do if involved in a war. They do not write scrolls (although they can still read/write, just not often) instead, they share stories and teaching orally, they are believed to have one of the best schooling systems of the continent.

I hope this was sufficient information! Much of this AU is still being worked on, and Pantala is being covered by the other owner of this account, so I don’t have much info on that, and I’m also not completely finished with the lore and culture for each tribe (I made some of this up on the fly lol) so if anyone’s curious about something specific, please ask, it will force me to continue thinking about this! (Which is a good thing, trust me)

[vizishereig]

hello! prompt 13 with the whole gang? (luis/leon/piers)

hi nini! big disclaimer, while I think about Piers A LOT, this is actually my first time writing him :) so yeah! also... this one got away from me... ended up being 1.4k :'D

this is from the B-Side universe, where things go a little fuck-y. aka Luis engages in some minor kidnapping!

13. Exploring Decca (prompt list)

Decca, Piers realizes, is huge.

The city is a sprawling thing, layers upon layers built into the cavern. It’s dark, too. The whole place feels like someone grabbed all of those seedy back alleyways in Earth and mashed them together, mixing in some markets, eternal night, and different colored lanterns.

Despite that, though, it feels almost homely. The outer ends where civilians live hold much more warmth than the sterile environment of Luis’s and Leon’s districts, both cold and sterile in their own way. But that was familiar. This? This is new.

Luis has his tail wrapped around his arm, the fucked up one of the two. He still can’t handle looking at it most days, opting to wear a long-sleeved shirt to cover it. Green scales still peek out through the sleeves, though, and those get picked at.

The red tail contrasts well compared to the black shirt he’s wearing, and the slight tug on his arm (like a mother holding her child’s hand, he thinks with a small spark of amusement) is keeping him from being lost in the crowd of Scozien. Luis is talking, a steady stream of commentary, as he keeps glancing around.

Leon’s nearby, his tail curled over his shoulder in what he learned was an effort to self-soothe. He’s always paranoid in crowds, a mix of something that had happened in his past and the training his military provides him. Piers has only seen him truly relax maybe a handful or so of times, all but one of them within Luis’s company.

“Ah, here we go,” Luis says, clasping his hands together as they reach the outskirts of the city. It’s quieter here, sounds echoing faintly from the city the further they move.

“Where are we?” Piers asks, looking at the opening to the cave they stopped in front of, curious. There’s a dim glow coming from inside, a calm blue that reminds Piers of the first time he met Leon. Freshly escaped from the lab and immediately brought to the blue-scaled Scozien, who had looked him up and down in a too dim room and rolled his eyes.

“This is for Luis, that’s it. We don’t need to be buddies,” Leon had said.

Not that Piers had listened.

Leon, once Piers had managed to poke at his walls enough, was funny. Dumb quips and jokes are slipped into his speech when they can be, blue eyes glittering with a mirth that mirrors Luis’s, even if it’s dulled by tired eyes and dark bags under it.

He’s also tired. All the time. Piers rarely sees him sleep, always awake before him and heading to bed after he does. He has suspicions that the man doesn’t sleep very much, if at all.

If he wasn’t plagued by a bone-deep exhaustion after his mutation, he’d probably be the same way. As it is, though, he’s too tired to do much other than sleep through the nightmares, living through each one before a fade to black.

Luis is talking again, pulling him from the memory. “This, my friend, is one of the most diverse ecosystems in Scozai! Well, aside from the rare oasis you can find on the surface, which is a huge support pillar of some species-”

“Off track, Quixote,” Leon interrupts, blue eyes skimming the city line. Still on the lookout for someone who could potentially recognize Piers.

“Ah, sorry. Anyway, I could talk your ear off about it if I wanted to, but I’d much rather show you,” Luis says, and there’s that glimmer in his eyes again. The tail around his arm shifts a little, grip readjusting, and they’re heading inside.

Where the cavern that makes up Decca is made of tech and full of cramped houses and buildings, here stands almost empty. The area is the size of a basketball court, one far corner getting a sliver of sunlight from a tiny hole in the ceiling. The pond it lands on has grey-green foliage around it, all of it curling towards the sun like desperately reaching fingers.

The main spectacle, though, is the way the water glows.

Bioluminescence, he knows. Things are moving in the water, creating small ripples. Where the edges touch the rock glows bright every time the water moves. It’s beautiful, made more so when Luis moves close to the pool where the sun is, sticking his hand in it. The scales on his hands grow a bit more, trying to protect him from the sun.

The sun dances off of the reflective surface, red turning gold, pieces of sunlight scattering across the room. There’s a smile on Luis’s face as he looks at Piers, the expression turning warmer as he takes in the awestruck look the solider had.

“It’s pretty, no? Not everything here is dust and darkness,” he says, pulling his hand out of the sun, light scattering and disappearing. “Come here, yours can do the same.”

His arm, which he’s been trying to not look at. His arm, which is no longer something that he finds his own. Scales prickle under his skin, forgettable until he’s subjected to too much heat. He doesn’t want to see it, wants to shy away.

But. Luis is looking at him, patient, knowing. Leon, when he looks over at him, is perched on a stone, one leg brought up to his chest, the other on the ground. He’s relaxed, an eyebrow raised as he looks at him. A silent challenge in blue eyes.

“This is what you are now, accept it or don’t. But this is you,” He had said, late one night. Brutally honest, unflinching when Piers had snapped at him. Blue eyes were calm as he had lounged on a chair, tip of his tail twitching up and down in a bobbing motion. He had relaxed, coming in the apartment in a flurry of limbs, going still when he saw Piers. He had blinked once, slowly, then let whatever tension he had seep out.

The image had lingered in his head, the sight of Leon splayed there, arms extended over his head, stretching a bit. Waiting for Pier’s response. He hadn’t given one, just looking away and trying to calm his racing thoughts.

He walks over to Luis, moving his sleeve up. It’s not hard, it doesn’t mean much. Just letting him get some sun, after weeks without any. Just seeing his arm, with the scales. He feels a little sick at the thought.

In the shade, his arm looks almost normal. Touching it is where it gets weird, feeling small bumps under his skin, where the scales hide. Luis’s tail wraps around his leg, a warm hand coming to hold his arm. Gently shoving it under the light with any preamble.

The odd feeling of scales pushing through flesh emerges soon after the sun hits his skin. It’s warm, reminding him of the heat on a too hot day, sweltering. Normal for Scozai, he gathers.

“Oh, yours is like mine,” Luis notes, sounding pleased. He had looked away, he thinks, a little embarrassed. Light is scattered across the cavern again, but he forces his gaze back to his arm.

Green scales glint gold, and Piers feels a mix of awe and a bit of revulsion. He pushes it away when Luis’s arm joins him, green and red turning gold in the sunlight.

“What do you mean, like yours?” he asks, words catching up.

“Nothing, really. Your scales just glow gold like mine. Leon’s turn silver instead. The normal color is bronze, though. It’s dull, better for not drawing attention,” Luis says, pulling his arm away again to beckon Leon over. The blonde sighs, long suffering, but pulls himself over. Luis’s tail unwinds from his leg to latch onto Leon’s as soon as he was in reach.

Leon lets his hand fall under the sun without much fanfare, and Piers watches as blue turns silver, light intermingling with his own gold.

“Do you know why different scales give off different colors?” Piers asks, a little curious as he finally lets his hand fall, grimacing at the feeling of scales retreating into flesh. Luis lights up and Leon groans a little, but there’s a smile playing on his face. Normal for the two of them, then.

Luis starts to explain, but Piers is immediately distracted by the feeling of a tail wrapping around his leg. Luis’s is still wrapped around Leon, so… oh.

Leon had, seemingly unconsciously, wrapped his tail around his leg. He’s looking at Luis with a fond smile, one he only reserves for moments when it’s the two of them. And Piers, tagging along in the shadows.

Something bitter is in the back of his throat as he listens to Luis, the cold feeling of Leon’s tail like a brand on his skin. He pushes it away.

[jacenotjason]

What exactly happened to the real Eddie in the mimic AU? I've been curious since you first started posting about it

ALIRGHT alright alright alright here’s the explanation of how the Mimic took Eddie’s spot in the first place. Again, I have plans of making a comic on this, so if you don’t want spoilers for… chapter one, feel free to skip this!

Eddie was doing the last bits of his mail route, the sun was setting and it was almost time for him to tuck in :3! As he walked, he heard a voice from the forest, Frank’s voice! Frank told him he had gotten carried away and had chased a butterfly into the forest, spraining his ankle! :( he couldn’t move!

Ofc, Eddie sprang into action, he left his mailbag on the floor and jumped into the woods to find Frank! He called for him and attempted to follow his voice, but Frank stopped talking. Eddie’s confused and worried, but keeps looking. He’s wondering if he’d heard anything at all!

The mimic had been using Frank’s voice! It slowly makes itself known, and its strange vocal spasms lead Eddie to turning around and seeing him! Eddie wasn’t scared of the mimic, he tipped his hat and tried to introduce himself, but the mimic just stuck his claw in his neck.

If you missed my last post, mimics have sedative tipped claws, the potency varies from creature to creature and the scale is huge, from straight fuckin water to literal immediate death. I won’t spoil where ours lands, but, it was potent enough to knock Eddie out immediately. He just conks out lol

Mimic takes Eddie away :3 he goes to a little lake to create the Eddie form. It takes about an hour, and he wanted Eddie there as like a reference, and is using the lake as a mirror to see himself.

I was gonna go into more detail about how the mimic creates faux flesh and makes the disguise, but I’m gonna not! It’s kinda gross so I’ll save that for something else.

Anyways, after about an hour and a half, it’s perfect! He gets dressed and grabs Eddie again. He takes him somewhere he’s sure he’ll never be found, and leaves em there.

Thatssss all ill give yall :3 hopefully that’s satisfying!

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

🍰 anon here!!!!!!;£284?48/?4?50:?4&3@;

IMNREALLY EXCIYED FOR UR MER!SUGU FIC!! I always daydreamed about an au where the reader was a sailor and suguru was a merman or like?? the other way round??? u get what i mean.. anyway im just rlly excited bc ur writing is always really good and u never miss!!

can mer!geto transform from merman to human?? or does he flop around like a fish..? is he familiar with the land and human society or has he have no knowledge about it?? though i cant wait to see ur interpretations on this au i do find the idea of geto being clueless and hostile to everything harmless while reader takes care of him adorable !! 🥲

i have so many things i want to ask and rant about but im going to keep it to a minimum so i dont accidentally overwhelm you with the inboxes but if i could ask when did you start writing and how long have you’ve been writing for? keep up the work ari 🩷

HIIII MY LITTLE 🍰 ANON :333

i’m so glad to see you!!!!! i hope you’ve been well <33 no worries at alllll abt sending in asks, i love receiving them!!! i’m just very slow at responding sometimes 😭 but i’m so glad that you’re curious abt this au!!

merguru can’t transform into a human, he always has a fin!!!! depending on the phase of the moon his shape gradually turns more monstrous, but throughout most of the fic he’s just . a very pretty guy with a fin and scales LMAO . he absolutely hatesssss humans but was very fascinated by them when he was younger, so he has some general knowledge!!!! in general i feel like merfolk probably stay up to date on humanity if only for the sake of protecting themselves :’) or….. luring them in. they aren’t exactly kind creatures, either.

but wahh… i agree with you!!!!! the idea of reader having to take care of their hostile little merman is very cute and also very in line with the fic <33 merguru is kind of a dick but . he’s cute…… a cute bratty little fish………

aaaaaaaa as for your other question 😭 it’s . WELL….

technically . i did . write some oc x character isekai fanfics….. on quotev…….. when i was like twelve…………… 💀💀 it still haunts me to this day. i managed to find one of the fics a while back and it was like 10k words??????????? how??????????

anyway that doesn’t matter the point is that . i started out young but then never wrote anything again outside of school assignments 😭 it was actually when i got into jjk that i started properly writing fanfic again, and x reader this time!! i have a very vivid memory of reading a cute drabble and just. silently going to my notes app to write a choso/reader blurb…… very surprising i know. then i started writing more little drabbles and blurbs there, and then longer fics, until i finally made a fic i was completely happy with and found the courage to make a writing account here!!! (the fanfic in question was this <33 i still love it a lot!!)

so yeah!!! i guess i’d say i started writing fanfic seriously like …… two, three years ago??? something like that. i think my writing’s grown a lot since then!!!

[jonathanwrotethis]

Shipwrecks, puffins and chip shops

It’s been a long day. My feet hurt. My legs hurt. Ominously, the achilles tendon that flared up while doing a charity run last year has flared up once again. I’ll have to be careful over the coming days and weeks.

So what did we do today?

We made our way to the north-eastern coast of Anglesey this morning, and did a circular walk from Moelfre, taking us first to the remains of an iron age village at Dyn Lligwy, and then on to a memorial where the “Royal Charter” wrecked with the loss of over four hundred lives in the 1800s.

In the afternoon we visited Beaumaris once again - this time to get aboard a sight-seeing boat that would take us out to “Puffin Island”. If you’ve never seen a puffin, they are a curious looking bird in the Awk family - with a short, solid body, small wings, and a distinctly un-aerodynamic shape. They are also quite rare - only inhabiting a few coastal islands around the United Kingdom.

While travelling out to the nature reserve the puffins have settled on in recent decades, we heard about the history of the island, and the lifecycle of the various birds that inhabit it. Some of the stories beggar belief - from a shipwreck landing rats on the island that the RAF had to eventually bomb with rat poison to wipe out, to an idiot landing a number of rabbits on the island - which proliferated into tens of thousands.

The puffins were unexpectedly wonderful. When landing they try to hover - only they can’t - so invariably crash every time they try to land. I watched one almost land wonderfully - only to completely lose control on final approach and fall head-first into the lapping waves below. When it bobbed up you could almost hear it spluttering “I’m fine!, I’m fine!”…

On our return we wandered along the sea-front at Beaumaris and picked out a popular-looking hotel to find some refreshment. While my other half found a table, I wandered in to find the bar.

Oh my word.

I’m not quite sure how I might describe the hotel. I have a good friend that’s a wonderful script-writer - all I could think about afterwards was that she would have thought she had hit gold. Think Fawlty Towers, but on a bigger scale.

While waiting in the queue at the bar - which itself took some finding - an elderly gentleman behind be struck up conversations.

“You’re luck you were not here half an hour ago”.

I glanced at him, questioningly.

“There were six people in the queue half an hour ago, one person serving - slowly - then when somebody came to help, the other buggered off.”

I smiled.

He then turned to the next person in the queue behind him, and recounted the exact same story - that everybody in the queue and all the bar-staff had already heard.

While carrying my drinks away from the bar, I became quite annoyed - that so many people find no greater delight than complaining about anything and everything. So many people find fault, rather than empathy with those they complain about. Right wing conspiracy theorists cause the same frustrations. It’s always about “the man”, and failures perceived through rose-tinted “better in my day” glasses - so rarely empathy or understanding.

Anyway.

Enough with the negativity. I won’t be drawn into their world.

We bought chips on the way home from a traditional chip-shop in the next village to where we’re staying. The staff were friendly, the locals picking up orders were wonderful, and the food was amazing.

Tomorrow is… tomorrow. We’re really not sure how we might share our final day here. Perhaps the weather will decide for us. We’ll see.

[yeehawbvby]

Falling Away With You | Ch. 45

Sebastian x F!Reader and M. Rasmodius x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: Time for that cute date with Magnus! :^)

Author’s Note: I was gonna release this chapter either tomorrow or next Wednesday, but here it is early, as a little Halloween Spirit's Eve present!! (Totally beating myself up rn for not lining up the Spirit's Eve chapter to come out today.. ough)

Anyway, there's a lotta RomRas referenced in the first half of this one! It’s pure, cavity-inducing fluff >:3 And some sillies, because of course there is.

I hope y’all enjoy it, take care, and happy Halloween! x

Table of Contents + Work Summary

Check it out on ao3!

Prev | Next

After freshening up in Magnus’ restroom, I jog back downstairs to the main floor, where he’s patiently waiting for me to head out.

After I slip on my shoes, he takes both of my hands in his, calmly stroking my knuckles with his thumbs. “Ready?” 

I hum my affirmation, nodding and smiling at the handsome wizard in front of me. As per usual when I’m being teleported, I close my eyes, saving myself from any potential freak-outs. I’m curious to know what it looks like to teleport, but today isn’t that day… Or tomorrow. Baby steps, (y/n).

I realize we must be at our destination when I feel a soft breeze against my cheeks and hear the sounds of nature.

The air smells fresh and crisp, and as Magnus steps aside and I open my lids, I’m met with a beautiful, serene forest, like something out of a fairytale. The pine trees directly ahead of us are coated in green moss and beige fungi, and as my eyes scan upward, I notice that there’s a vast cliff behind them, with more woodland up top.

As my gaze pans right, I see a waterfall that drops onto a small, elevated piece of land before creating a new and thicker cascade just below it. There’s a pale rainbow forming around the foam at the bottom, making every straying droplet look like glitter bouncing through the air. The crystal-clear water of the river it flows into shines iridescently under the sunlight, and as I turn around to follow its path, I realize it’s all gathering into a vast lake full of fish I’d never known existed. Some are purple, with pointy pink fins; others teal, with what looks like small rubies and emeralds and sapphires embedded into their scales. 

Completing my full circle, I peek behind Magnus, noticing a similar pattern to what I’d already seen: a long and wavy river, waterfalls, and trees galore. When I finally look back up to him, he’s peering down at me. His cheeks are pink but his eyes stay maroon, and he has that cozy, lovestruck gaze he usually does when looking my way. 

“Where are we?“ My voice comes out quiet, as if speaking any louder would somehow disrupt the peace.

“Grenville Falls,” he answers. “A forest of magical origin that lies far from civilization, and one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever come across in my travels.” I guess that explains why it’s so serene here. Humans haven’t been around to taint it yet. “Until now, most of the magic we’ve discussed has been almost purely pragmatic.”

“Almost.” I give him a shit-eating smirk.

My brother in Yoba is seriously trying to pull the “Magic must be used responsibly!!!” bullshit after casting spells on me for his own horny entertainment on several occasions. Magnus laughs before looking around at the grove we're standing in.

“Buuut,” he pointedly continues, “we’ve only barely touched on the simpler joys that magic can bring.” He turns back to me and laces our fingers together, a soft grin slightly plumping the warm apples of his cheeks. “I realize that, spiritual interference or not, it must have been hard to befriend me – let alone begin seeing me romantically – given how suspect our first interactions must have made me seem, alongside how out of touch I am in current social practices.”

Oh. So he really had almost no idea that I was unwillingly swooning right off the bat? I thought he’d read my mind plenty back then… maybe it was less than I’d assumed. 

I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. Maybe he knows now, if anything – and if not, I could always just tell him when he’s not, like, pouring his entire heart out to me.

Magnus continues, “And yet you took the trouble to give me a chance, my dear, in spite of all that stood in our way. You’re so incredibly precious to me, and I wanted to give you even a sliver of the joy that you’ve brought into my life. So,” he sighs, reaching into his shirt pocket, “Although I don’t have a bouquet, as per tradition with the humans of the Valley, I thought you deserved to be properly and officially courted.” Magnus pulls out a fucking ring, and upon seeing the whites of my eyes, he chuckles. “I promise, this is not a marriage proposal.”

“Oh thank god.” I breathe out a nervous laugh, my right palm resting over my heart.

“But I am asking if you’d do me the honors of being my… girlfriend?” Magnus looks off to the side briefly, tilting his head as his eyes pinken. “I’ve always preferred the term ‘partner,’ but I’m not sure how common of a label that is in these times.” He shrugs, bringing his gaze back to mine, and beaming with again-maroon eyes upon seeing me enthusiastically and vigorously nodding my head. 

“‘Partner’ is fine, I like ‘partner,’“ I squeak out. My cheeks are on fire, I can’t tell if it’s more from the thick blush coating them or from smiling so wide. 

I jump to koala myself onto Magnus, unable to resist pecking his cheek and burying my face into his neck before accepting his gift. As always with physical contact, he barely needs time to think as he wraps his arms around me for support, one hand resting on my lower spine and the other against the back of my hair.

“I honestly didn’t think you were gonna ask,” my mumbles muffle into his collar. “I just assumed it was some sorta elemental tradition for sex to solidify a relationship, or something.”

“That is true in many cases, actually,” he confirms, setting me back on my feet. “Luckily, we more mindful beings have a say in the matter.” 

Now that I’m not frazzled by what seemed like an engagement waiting to happen, I can actually look at the ring – which Magnus had looped onto his pinky for safe keeping during our embrace – up close. It’s fucking gorgeous, oh my god. A small moss agate is clasped against a gold band, and the bits holding the stone in place look like thin vines. Seems almost too delicate to wear.

Holding the ring between his left thumb and forefinger, he says, “That necklace Lady Welwick gifted you is an artifact imbued with her clairvoyant magic to aid your clairvoyant magic, generally speaking. But artifacts can be made to assist you in any aspect of magic, or of life itself, really.” Bringing his right hand up to his right earring – with his usual long, red ones adorning both ears – he explains, “These are similar, in that they provide a defense I don’t normally have. Although young for my kind, I’m still… er. I am an old man.” 

My lips twitch as I attempt to hide a smirk. Magnus notices and chuckles.

He shushes me teasingly before continuing, “I don’t have the same oomph in me that I used to, so I wear these to keep myself safer in case anything should go awry. The rings I often wear serve a similar purpose — but those, I change to accommodate what is on my schedule each day.”

I nod in understanding, eyes wide with intrigue as Magnus brings his hand down to match his left. 

“I conjured this with the same purpose as my earrings. I’ve yet to teach you defensive or combat magic, and while you may hopefully never be put in such a way that someone or something could threaten your well-being, this will offer a veil of protection, as well as invigorate you once you’re able to arcanely fend for yourself.”

“That’s so cool,” I mutter. “Thank you, Magnus,” I smile up at him. Swooning completely. “I love it, it’s perfect.”

“It’s the least I could do for you, my love,” he offers, his expression mirroring mine. He then asks, presenting an upturned palm to me. “May I?”

I nod, opting to place my right hand in his. Rather than looking down at our hands, I keep observing him:

The way he mutters something about hoping it fits under his breath.

The soft squint in his eyes.

The way his bottom lip rests subtly beneath his top teeth.

How his almost nervous expression turns into a bright grin as the ring is slipped on in a flawless fit. That familiar spark I experienced when putting on my necklace for the first time buzzes through my newly-accessorized digit, but I ignore it in favor of watching Magnus for just a bit longer.

Happy, dense crows feet form at the corners of his eyes as he pans them up to mine, before they widen slightly, his irises turning rosy as he notices that I’m staring. I simply smile up at him. The crinkles next to his eyes come back and he chuckles, taking my cheeks in his hands before leaning way down to softly plant a kiss on my forehead, and then my lips.

I giggle out of our smooch.

“What?”

“This feels like an actual proposal, honestly.”

His brows furrow. “Did I do too much?”

I get back on my tippy toes and pull him back down to me before he’s out of reach, whispering, “No way,” before stealing his lips again.

_______________

After all the cheesy stuff, Magnus summoned us a picnic! It took him a bit, and I needed to lend him some mana as he had to teleport it all from storage at home, but he managed. The blanket he brought for us to sit on has a purple gingham pattern, and the food and drinks were rested within a stereotypically tan, woven picnic basket. 

Encased within the basket was a large bottle of cherry wine, a few empty cups, and some snacks. Mostly charcuterie-type things, like cheeses, fruits, and sliced meats, but he included some raw veggies and a few dips for ‘em as well. When I asked about the extra cups, Magnus said that the water here is perfectly safe for drinking, and that he added those so we wouldn’t need to mix the water and wine at all.

As soon as he told me that, I grabbed a cup and rushed over to the river. I’ve never had fresh water like this before – and holy fuck, it was so nice. Never tasted anything like it.

Fast-forwarding to right now, we’re laying side-by-side, lazily snacking on the few crackers and apple slices that are left. Both feeling all silly and happy and wine-drunk. About halfway through the bottle’s contents, we abandoned our cups in favor of occasionally passing the glass vessel back and forth to each other.

Speaking of which, now seems like a good time to top myself up!

I lean up onto my elbows and grab the bottle by its neck, chugging a few gulps back. Magnus, who’s peacefully lying still with red cheeks and closed eyes, startles a bit when I tap his arm with the bottle. I smile down at him. 

“Sorry,” I giggle, “want more?”

He nods, then shuts his eyes again. “Feed it to me.”

My giggle turns into an ugly snort-laugh. “Why?” 

“I’m sooo comfortable, (y/n)…”

“Too bad! It’s dangerous t’drink laying down.”

Magnus rebuttals, “I love danger.”

“Why are you lying?” 

“Who, me?” He opens just one eye, smugly smiling up at me. 

“Don’t play dumb.”

“To think my beloved partner would accuse me of such a horrible thing…” he trails off, sighing dramatically while closing his eye again.

I know Magnus is only teasing, but I still pout with furrowed brows. What a little shit! It’s at least nice to learn that he’s a coherent drunk, instead of the bumbling mess I am.

“Y’know what? Fine!” 

I take a little wine in my mouth, then lean down, meeting Magnus with my lips against his. A surprised hum escapes him, but he melts into the kiss regardless. I stay still, so as to not blow my own cover (this would totally blow it easily in most cases, but right now, he doesn’t seem to notice). Finally, the moment Magnus’ lips part, I let the wine trickle onto his tongue. It’s barely even half of a sip, so it should be safe enough.

Another startled noise emits from the wizard’s throat, but he quickly adapts, swallowing the wine before bringing a large palm to the back of my head. Kissing me harder and deeper. Catching me off-guard. Oh boy.

I put a palm against his chest to steady myself, feeling my already-toasty cheeks heating up some more when he adds tongue. Noticing that my lower half is heating up too, I pull away, rolling over to lay on Magnus’ belly. It would feel wrong to do The Sex in such a seemingly sacred place. 

My head jostles as Magnus sighs contentedly, and I turn onto my side to look at him. 

“You’re s’handsome…” I murmur, reaching over to trace his jaw.

He raises his head a smidge to meet my gaze. The little bit of a double-chin this gives him is adorable. Makes me laugh. After a lazy smile, he lies flat again. As he moves, he reaches a hand to my hair and begins running his fingers through it, occasionally soothing my scalp with some light scratches. I hum, thoroughly enjoying how it feels.

Magnus sighs again, then dreamily murmurs, “It’s truly remarkable how lucky I’ve gotten meeting you.”

Smiling, I shake my head. “It’s more—“ I swallow back a small hiccup, “S’more fate than luck, no?”

“I suppose, but it feels lucky, nonetheless.”

I pop the last bit of apple into my mouth before letting myself relax into his touch. After a few moments of thought, I wonder out loud, “What kinda hobbies do y’have other than magic?”

Magnus doesn’t respond right away, but knowing how little time he has for things not magicky, I don’t rush him. 

“I’m not so sure, honestly…” he eventually answers. It comes out quiet, almost whispered. “Gardening, I suppose, although that is often tied to my magic in some way.” 

I frown, then suggest, “So let’s figure something out together.”

He peers down at me. “Anime,” he announces determinedly.

“Wh-“ I cut myself off to laugh, “What?!”

“I would like t’watch anime.”

Maybe it’s the booze, but I hug my tummy as I roll to lay on my side, curling in on myself with giggles. I almost knock the wine over, and Magnus quietly tuts at my clumsiness.

“Why don’t we start you off with manga instead?,” I suggest once I’ve relaxed. “Might like it better.”

“Manga?”

“Anime, but in book form.”

“Oh, that sounds splendid!”

“You read it backwards, just so you know. It’s usually published in Gotoroan, an’ translated for distribution elsewhere.” I emphasize the last two words with a vague wave of my hand.

“I can do that.”

I close my eyes for a few moments, the conversation coming to an abrupt end by my spinning head. “Is there a spell t’cure drunkenness?”

“I don’t believe so.”

I groan, rolling some more to nuzzle my face into Magnus’ chest. 

“Although,” he adds, “a cheeky dip over there might help us sober up.”

“What about the fish?”

He snorts. “Why would they care?”

…Y’know. I was worried, at first, about the potential danger of swimming with these funky lookin’ fish. But something about how candidly Magnus responded convinced me that I should’ve been more worried about the critters’ opinions. 

And you know what? He’s sooo right! Why would they care? Why should I care?!

I flop off of Magnus, laying flat against the blanket for a moment. He stumbles onto his feet, then assists me in doing the same, before beginning to strip. 

My mouth falls open, a little bewildered. For some reason I thought he’d conjure up swimsuits, or that we’d swim in our underwear, or something like that. Promptly, I begin lifting my sweater over my head. 

I observe, “We’re raw dogging this lake, huh?” The chilly air gives my skin goose bumps, but I don’t mind, given how much alcohol raises my temp.

“What are we ‘dogging?’”

I snort. “Oh. Slang.”

“For what?” he asks, stepping out of his boxers. He stumbles a bit and I hold his arms to stabilize him. Shamelessly give him a once-over, too. 

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

“I’m very old, (y/n).”

“Not old enough!” 

Seeing me struggle out of my skirt, Magnus offers the same assistance I gave him. Then, he glares at me. Silently, but not even telepathically, telling me he’s gotta know. Sighing and remembering his yearn to be hip and cool, I give in.

“Fine. Sex. But like, without protection or whatever.”

“Ah… we are indeed raw dogging this lake!” 

I chuckle at his enthusiasm. “Hell yeah we are!”

He holds his hand out to me, and practically drags me with him upon contact. I stumble a bit, then jog, wanting to match his pace. Don’t have the time or coordination at the moment to hold my boobs in place, which has me feeling a little self-conscious…

The water shocks me out of any negative thoughts though.

“Holy shit, s’freezing!” I strengthen my hold on Magnus as if it’ll steady my shivers. 

“It’s not that bad.” His teeth are chattering. 

“Liar.” I splash him with my free hand. He lets out a tiny yelp and tries to pull away, but I keep my grip firm, attempting to hit him with a few more watery snipes. 

“Oh, if it’s a war you want, so be it!” 

“What?”

“Hold your breath,” he warns before promptly yanking me down.

I scream out bubbles, laughing in delirium due to both the sudden change in temperature and Magnus’ own distorted under-water laughter. After a short moment of observing how ethereal he looks — his purple hair floating around him, the sparkle of his pale gray skin being tinted blue, the otherworldly fish circling around us — I shake my hand free and promptly bring myself back up to the surface. He follows my lead. 

“Damn it,” I continue to giggle, repositioning my wet hair out of my face. Swiping some water from my eyelashes, I once again mentally thank Yoba for waterproof makeup. “So cold…”

“This seems to be doing the trick though, wouldn’t you agree?”

Unfortunately, he’s right. I feel surprisingly more level-headed now than when I was laying on him in a wine-driven stupor. “Yeah, yeah…” 

I look around, admiring the beauty of our surroundings again, now from a different angle. I don’t notice anything new, but it’s still just as pretty, nonetheless. 

Feeling something tickling my ankle, I look down into the water, watching as a sparkly blue fish swims around me. I giggle. 

“Hey buddy,” I murmur, reaching down to try and stroke its scales. The movement scares it away, though. “Aw, man.”

“‘Twas a good effort.”

I meet Magnus’ fond gaze and furrow my eyebrows. “Not good enough.”

“Maybe someday.”

I sigh. “What are these fish, anyway?”

My partner shrugs. “Many are your typical river fish, such as carp or bass, whose forms have been altered due to the magical properties of the area.”

“Huh,” I grin, returning my gaze to the fish that swim a mere few feet away from us. “That’s sick.” I look back up at Magnus, quickly diverting my attention again when I notice the dreamy stare he’s still boring into me. My cheeks heat up, warming my whole body a little, as if I’m not skinny dipping in an almost freezing-cold river.

Then, my mind ruins the moment — as it typically does — suddenly drifting to my fish friend’s scales, then back to the weird note I received earlier. 

“Can these fish’s scales be made into ink, or something?”

“Perhaps.” With a brow furrow and head tilt, he asks, “Why do you ask?”

“Um…” I think for a moment.

Do I tell him? Well, I suppose there’s no backing out now, really. He’s looking at me so expectantly, and he could read my mind if I were to lie too poorly. 

“I got this letter earlier,” I go on, “and the ink looked really similar to that blue fella that was here before, right down to the way it shimmers. Never seen anything like it.”

Magnus frowns. “I hope it hasn’t come from one of them.” 

A particularly small fish swims closely by the old wizard, this one a vibrant purple. It almost matches his hair. He reaches a gentle hand towards it, and it doesn’t back away, unlike the blue fish who graced me a moment ago. Lucky… 

“It’s been a mutual decision between the Ministry and First Slash that places such as this remain unscathed.” He peers back up at me, letting the guppy move on. “Who was its sender?”

I shrug. “Didn’t have a name or return address. I didn’t feel any energy from it, either.”

He hums in thought. “I’ll take a look, if you don’t mind the intrusion. Maybe I can discern who or what it’s from.”

I offer a small salute. “You got it, boss.” Then, I sniffle. It’s super boogery. I better not be getting sick from this…

“Let’s get you out of here,” my partner prompts, noticing my… goopy state.

Magnus wades over to me, reaching out a hand. I’m surprised it’s so warm as I clasp mine into it, and take advantage of his body heat, looping my arm through his and pressing my bare body closer as he guides us to the shore.

“We’ll head back once you're warm and dry, alright?”

I grin up at him. “Sounds good to me.”

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

WAIT WAIT WAIT I AM A CLOWN AND A FOOL

FOR THE HADESTOWN LYRICS, TAAKITZ IS *RIGHT THERE*

KRAVITZ IS A MUSICIAN

But if you want to do either blupjeans or taakitz, that's cool lol because I feel like those lyrics specifically is good for blupjeans, but the song in general is very taakitz and aaaahhhhhh

Anyway, I hope you have a lovely day lol <3

"So you're the Grim Reaper." It's not a question, rather a statement of fact.

"That's a name some people call me, yes."

"Like, The Grim Reaper, tee em tee em tee em?"

"The very same."

"Huh." He pauses for a moment. Sits back on his hands as the breeze beckons the tall grass to dance in the wind. It tickles his forearms, bare from where he's rolled up his sleeves. "Are you here to kill me?"

He shakes his head and laughs. Gently, no hint of malice for ten country miles. "No, not at all."

He squints. "Then what're you here for?"

A shrug. "I was wrapping up another job—"

"You killed someone else?

"I shepherded his soul to the Astral Plane, yes."

He nods before motioning for him to continue.

"I was in the area and I saw advertisements for your show. It looked entertaining so I decided to stop by."

"Didya like it?"

A nod. "I did. I haven't cooked in so many years. It was nice to see someone so skilled and passionate."

"So were you alive then? At one point?"

"Awfully forward aren't we?"

"Sorry. Just curious."

"Don't be, I would do the same thing in your position. Yes, once upon a time, I was alive. I was a performer like you. Not cooking though. Music."

He softens. Clearly he wasn't expecting such an honest answer. "What'd you play?"

"Anything I could get my hands on. I had a real soft spot for strings though. The violin was my favorite."

"Can you not play anymore?" He chews his lip before snapping, a brilliant epiphany having come over him. "Ah, I get it, you're one of those ghosts so you can't touch anything from the living world."

He reaches out a cold hand, making gentle connection with an impossibly warm wrist. "Nope. I just so rarely have the time."

He looks at the connection but doesn't move to terminate it. "I'd like to hear sometime." He smiles something small and a little self conscious. "If I'm not being too forward again, that it."

"I don't think you are. What's your name, handsome?"

"Taako. And yours?"

"Kravitz. It's a pleasure to meet you, Taako."

-

They laze around in the grass for what feels like moments but the arc of the sun in the sky suggests has been hours. They lie in the soft sunbeams, talking about nothing and everything. As the day goes on, they inch closer and closer until they're hardly any distance apart. Their fingers intertwine until their hands reach a temperature equilibrium.

Truly, Kravitz is content to stay like that forever, though the feather the length of his forearm that lands in his lap, materializing from seemingly nowhere, seems intent on not letting him fall victim to such displays of sloth.

He groans and sits up, idly twirling the feather in the fingers of his unoccupied hand.

Taako gazes up at him. "Duty calls?"

"It does, I'm sorry to say." Kravitz squeezes his hand as though Taako is a kite threatening to fly away into the vast blue expanse. "I'll be back soon. I promise. Wait for me?"

A smile. "I will."

---

To say that time doesn't flow exactly the same for Kravitz now than it used to is an understatement, though it's hardly been a problem in the past few years. The Raven Queen moves on an even slower cosmological time scale than he does so it's become hard to notice these incremental changes. Seconds turn to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days; the sand in his hourglass moves more akin to molasses these days.

Of course, Kravitz doesn't know this. What reason would he have to know this? Not many mortals he spends time with these days. So when he tells Taako he'll be back soon, he believes is.

He just has a few jobs to deal with.

Circle of necromancers, spooky death cult, nothing he can't dispatch with ease.

The paperwork, on the other hand? Kravitz is certain that the paperwork is a special cosmic punishment for him.

But in what feels like only a few hours' time and he's—

And he's being debriefed for another quick case. Nothing special, just the murder of a quarter of a little frontier town. A quick stop in to investigate and he'll be able to drop back in on—

"Taako?" He asks the moment he steps through the rift he's sliced for himself.

He looks haggard. Horrified. With 40 bodies around him, how could he not be?

Taako looks at him, a slurry of emotions pulsing across his face. "This isn’t... I-I didn't..." He stammers out. Anger takes the stage on his face. "Where the fuck were you?"

Kravitz tries to take stock of the situation. "I was summoned by my Lady. Taako, what happened? Did you do this?"

"That was four years ago," he spits. Another evaluation of the surroundings. "I don't know what happened," he says, voice barely above a whisper, laboring under about six layers of emotion.

Kravitz blinks at him. "I-I never meant to be gone so long. I'm sorry. I'm sure you thought I forgot about you. But doing this to attract my attention?"

"I would never," Taako’s ears twitch more the more incensed he becomes. He shakes his head and looks like he's about to start dry-heaving. "This wasn't me. I don't think it was me, anyway."

"You don't know?"

"I think maybe a spell went wrong but I don't know and my one witness just turned tail on me and ran and I think he's going to report me to the militia and who could blame him? I'm th-this monster!" He says, his voice climbing several decibel hills. And then it clicks. "Even you're here to kill me!"

"Taako. Taako. Listen to me. I'm not here to kill anyone. This is an unusual event. A tragedy. I intend on finding out what happened here after I assist these individuals in making it home." He hesitates in saying home but it appears as though Taako catches his meaning well enough. "I'd like to talk to you about what happened here. I promise i will work more swiftly now than I did. I want to get to the bottom of this. And I'm going to need your help doing it. So, will you wait for me?"

Taako chews his lip, pointedly avoiding looking at the scene around him. And then, at long last, a small nod. "I will."

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

Being in the Shrine of Resurrection for one hundred years, Link hasn't had much of a chance to touch anyone

(It's just 5+1 hug edition)

Link… isn’t sure when the last time he had touched anyone was.

Monsters didn’t count, and throwing a Yiga over his shoulder definitely didn’t. Brushing hands while exchanging rupees or items only lasted for a second… and no matter how many times they try, he simply couldn't touch any of the champions.

Only two of his recovered memories had him touching anyone outside of a combat situation, so clearly he was used to it… so why does it hurt so much when he sees others exchange casual touch? Why can’t it be him on the receiving end of a hug or a hair ruffle?

Maybe this is normal. He only has a month’s worth of memories to his name, and he’s traveled very little of Hyrule. Maybe it’s normal to only touch those close to you.

(But… he doesn’t have anyone. He’s alone with only four spirits for company.)

-

“We are close to Zora’s Domain.” Mipha says one evening, folding her hands in her lap. She looks at the gray storm clouds in the distance. “I know we promised not to push you… but the reservoir is close to full, now. It will be dangerous for not only my people, but those downriver as well.”

“It’s fine.” He says. It’s been long enough; he needs to do something. “I was going there anyway.”

“Oh.” She says, some of the ever present stiffness leaving her. “Thank you, Link.” She brushes a hand against his arm in thanks, but he feels nothing but a cool breeze.

-

“Say, hey there!” A voice calls from above, cutting through the sound of rain.

He looks up, catching sight of a figure waving at him. Upon noticing Link’s attention, he leaps down, landing on the ground with surprising lightness.

“Pardon the entrance, but you are a Hylian, aren’t you?” He nods. “I was hoping perhaps you’d have a moment to talk.”

He tilts his head to the side slightly, curious about what could possibly have been important enough for such a dramatic entrance. “Okay.”

“Splendid! Ah, but I’m forgetting myself. I am Sidon, Prince of the Zora! If I may ask, what is your name?”

“Link.”

“What a fantastic name! Although I can’t shake the feeling I’ve heard it somewhere before…” He muses. “I can tell by the way you carry yourself that you are a proud warrior. You must have quite some skill among your people.”

“I guess.” He’s never really thought of himself like that.

“Right now, Zora’s Domain is in grave danger because of the massive rainfall coming from the Divine Beast Vah Ruta! The only way to appease it is with shock arrows, but I’m afraid we Zora cannot touch them. Will you please accompany me to Zora’s Domain and help us?”

He glances at Mipha, but she’s frozen in shock, staring at Sidon.

“Sure.”

Sidon grabs his hand, shaking it enthusiastically. He grins broadly, showing off sharp teeth. “Thank you, Link, thank you!”

He stares down at his hand, only distantly acknowledging Sidon’s words of warning and the elixir handed to him. The place where skin met scales tingles, and it’s with a still clouded mind that he heads to Zora’s Domain.

-

“Thank you.” Sidon says, tears at the corners of his eyes. “For letting my sister’s spirit rest.”

He nods, Grace sitting warmly in his chest, and pointedly doesn’t look in Mipha’s direction. She’s free to move on, and he doesn’t understand why she decided to stay with him.

“Oh, Sidon.” She says softly. "Have you blamed yourself all this time?"

Sidon drops to one knee, and wraps him into a hug. It’s too much all at once, almost overwhelming, but he melts into the warmth, hugging him back just as tightly.

“Ah.” Sidon says when he pulls back, all too soon. He clears his throat. “That was a bit sudden; perhaps I should not have done that.”

“No!” He says, face hot, and waves his hands frantically. “I didn’t mind, not at all!”

“Very well.” A smile once more appears on Sidon’s face, and he pats Link’s shoulder. “Let me treat you to a meal, yes? I imagine that fight was quite taxing.”

-

Across the continent, the Gerudo Desert is the opposite of Zora’s Domain.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen my home like this.” Urbosa says, as if Link isn’t getting scammed out of all of his rupees right in front of her. “The sunset is beautiful, no?”

“Not as nice as one on the snowy peaks of Hebra, but it has its appeals.” Revali agrees, obvious glee in his voice as he watches Link hand over six hundred rupees. (Honestly, it’s not worth it.)

He rolls his eyes, hurrying back down the ladder with a bundle of clothes in his arms.

-

Before they enter Gerudo Town once more, Riju turns to him, and hugs him. “Thank you for helping my people.” She says, muffled by his armor, and releases him quickly, dashing across the sand with Patricia following her.

He stares down at the empty space, confused, before a warm feeling unfurls in his chest. Not even Revali’s laughter at his stunned expression is enough to shake it away.

-

Riju waves to the side of the throne where a pair of chests lie, still a little flustered from her surprise hug earlier. “These were Chief Urbosa’s weapons, the Scimitar of the Seven and Daybreaker. I think she would have liked for you to have them.”

He opens the chests, and Urbosa comes to stand at his side, inspecting the weapons.

“I don’t know how they were retrieved, but I hope they will serve you well.” She says as he slings the shield over his shoulder.

“Hey.” Buliara says gruffly before he can leave. He turns back, and she reaches out and ruffles his hair. “You did good, kid.”

Link freezes, not moving until the weight leaves his head.

“Take good care of Chief Urbosa’s weapons. If you ever need them repaired, come to me.”

“Thank you.” He says, and rushes out of the throne room, the touch still lingering on his head.

-

Rito Village is cold. He isn’t sure why he expected otherwise, given the warnings he received on the journey there, but the biting wind seems at odds with the warm atmosphere there.

The Flight Range is even colder, and as he puts away his bow, shivering, he’s grateful he decided to spend the rest of his rupees on the snowquill armor.

“Good job, kid.” Teba pats his head. “You might even be as good as Master Revali.”

“I think not!” Revali says, scandalized.

It’s only the sheer absurdity of Revali’s outrage that keeps him from freezing up again, and he ducks his head, hoping it wasn’t obvious. Is this what it should be like? Casual touches, even between strangers? He wouldn’t really call Teba a friend yet, so that couldn’t possibly be it.

-

“Link!” Tulin says, barreling into his legs for a hug. He pats his head, smiling down at him. “Did you see it?”

“He was quite excited when Vah Medoh settled above the village.” Teba says, gesturing to the seat next to him.

“How are you doing?”

“My injuries were not as bad as I feared. I should be asking how you are doing; the battle was visible even down here.”

Link winces, hoping Revali won’t be too upset when he eventually notices the destroyed pillars. “I’m fine. It only got in a few hits.”

Teba hums, and pats him on the head again. “You’ll have to tell the tale another time. It’s getting late; you should rest here for the night.”

Why does he keep doing that? A part of Link screams, even as he wishes the contact had lasted longer.

“I can’t do that.” He says instead.

“Of course you can. Harth, Saki and I have more than enough room.”

-

If Hebra is going outside during a blizzard, soaking wet, then Death Mountain is running into a fire covered in oil. While fireproof elixirs keep him from dying or spontaneously bursting into flame, it doesn’t stop him from sweating buckets.

It’s with those thoughts that he scales the mountain, Yunobo following him. Hiding from the Skywatchers, having to constantly catch his breath for reasons unrelated to the heat, he almost wishes for the spontaneous combustion instead. The only reason his clothes aren’t soaked through with sweat is because the heat dries them too quickly, so it could be possible.

“I’m awfully sorry about this, little guy.” Daruk says when he stops to down his third fireproof elixir. “Rudania would never usually do something like this.”

“Not your fault.” He signs, just out of Yunobo’s sight.

He chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, you’re right, but I still wish there was something I could do to help you here.”

-

“Link!” Yunobo cries when he staggers back down the mountain. “I can’t believe you jumped into the volcano like that!”

He gives him a weak thumbs up, keeping the cryonis summoned block of ice pressed to his forehead. He'd run out of elixirs a few minutes before reaching the city, and it was already taking a toll. “‘M fine.”

Yunobo obviously doesn't think so, because he picks him up and starts rushing through Goron City. It's probably a good thing; he felt like he was going to collapse any second.

“He’s dying!” Yunobo says frantically to the healer.

“I’m fine.” Link insists. “It’s just a few burns.”

The healer, a Hylian for some reason, looks him over. “You can set him down over there.”

“What– no–” He protests.

The healer shoves a bottle of fireproof elixir and one of water into his hands. “Drink these while I grab some bandages.”

He drinks them, and feels mildly better, enough to attempt to leave the bed. “I’ve got to–”

“Whatever you can do can wait, young man.” The healer says sternly, already pulling away the ruined shreds of Link’s shirt. “These burns are quite severe.”

“What’s a Hylian doing here anyway?” He asks, resigning himself to his fate even if it’s just to relieve Yunobo’s hand wringing.

“My partner and I run this place together. He handles any injuries the Gorons might have, and I handle the rest.”

“Is his skin supposed to look like that?” Yunobo asks worriedly.

“Hm.” The healer says. “No. The scarring underneath the burns is quite intensive. Quite old, too…”

“It’s nothing.” Link says. “Can’t you just treat the burns?”

“No. You’ll be on bedrest for the next few days I’m afraid. By Hylia, you must have fallen into lava.” He mumbles the last part to himself. That’s… probably concerning.

“Well, he did jump into the volcano.” Yunobo says.

“He jum–” The healer sighs, and lifts his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Yes, with those burns, I can believe it.”

-

“I’m so glad you’re alright.” Yunobo says a few days later, scooping him up into a hug.

He pats his arm, and hugs him back, the stress of the last week leaving him; the warmth he feels isn’t from Death Mountain’s heat.

-

Standing in the ruins of Hyrule Field, he helps Zelda to her feet, and wordlessly pulls a tunic from his slate.

“Thank you.” She says, letting go of his hand after a long moment. She pulls it on, and rolls up the oversized sleeves.

It dawns on him after a moment– this is the first contact with anything she’s had in one hundred years, of course she would be reluctant to let go. He offers his arm to lean on, and tries not to show that the contact means as much to him as it obviously does to her.

-

Halfway across the field, the Champions’ gifts rip out of his chest; he staggers, falling to one knee and clutching the space above his heart.

Zelda drops down to his side and rests one hand on his shoulder, peering into his face with concern. “Link? Are you okay?”

The warmth of her hand does nothing to replace the hole left by his gifts’ presence. Tears trace down his cheeks, and it takes everything he has just to remember to breathe.

“Gone.” He whispers hoarsely, the word broken.

“Oh.” She says, realization dawning, and pulls him into an awkward hug. “Oh, Link. I’m so sorry.”

He buries his face into her shoulder, tears soaking through her borrowed shirt instantly, and weeps for what’s lost.

-

He runs away to Hebra. Rito Village has always been the place he’s most comfortable, and he can’t face Sidon, who looks so much like Mipha, or Riju, Thunder Helm hanging awkwardly on her head. They’ll ask no questions there, and he knows Teba will let him stay at the Flight Range for however long it will take for the hole in his chest to close.

“I saw the Malice disappear from the castle.” Teba says one afternoon, when Link is staring at the fire, lost in his thoughts. He reaches over, patting Link on the head just as awkwardly as the first time he’d done so. It doesn’t fill him with the warmth it usually does. “You did well, kid.”

“Not enough.” He signs. “They’re gone.”

Teba frowns. “The Champions? They died one hundred years ago.”

“Their spirits. They left after I killed the Calamity.”

“You mean to say– Master Revali has been here as a spirit this whole time?”

“You don’t have to call him Master. He was barely older than me.”

“I… see.”

“I don’t know why I expected them to stay.” He says, signs jumbled together as the words come out faster and faster. “They were ghosts for a hundred years, they deserved to rest. But– it hurts. They didn’t even say goodbye.”

“Hey.” Teba says. “It’s okay to hurt. To us, their deaths happened a long time ago, but it was just a week ago for you."

"It doesn't feel okay. I'm supposed to be a hero, why does it– why does it feel so– why do I feel so weak?!" He curls his hands into his hair in frustration, dislodging the feathers.

"Heroes are people too, kid. You don't have to be strong all the time."

"I miss them." His voice cracks painfully. "I miss him."

"I know." Teba sighs. "My father died a few years back. One day you’ll wake up and the pain won’t be so unbearable.”

“It doesn’t feel like that will ever happen.”

“You’ll just have to trust me, then.”

-

There’s a commotion outside the Flight Range. Link doesn’t pay any mind to it, focused solely on the targets; up here, it’s almost possible to believe the rushing winds are from Revali’s Gale.

“Yes, I know I’m impressive, but please, I must speak with Link.”

A voice drifts through the air, strikingly clear despite the wind, and Link snaps his attention towards it. It… can’t be.

“Well, well.” Revali says, folding his arms behind his back. A strange blue liquid drips from some of his feathers. “Not as good as me, but it’s passable, I suppose.”

Link drops his bow, not caring where it lands, and snaps his paraglider open. He falls to the snow ungracefully, and rushes to Revali, catching him in a hug that makes him stumble.

He ignores the cold liquid, focusing on the warmth seeping through his feathers, the heartbeat thumping rapidly through his chest. Alive alive alive.

“How.” He says.

Revali hugs him back, and he seems almost as desperate as Link does. “There was some sort of chamber in the Divine Beast, like the Shrine of Resurrection. I think it only activated after the Calamity was gone.” He paused. “We were… never really dead.”

That explains the liquid, then. He remembers it dripping from his hair for hours after leaving the shrine.

“Glad you’re okay.” He says, muffled by his feathers.

“Yes.” Revali says, his voice unusually soft. “I’m glad you’re okay as well.”