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ma-yawntu · 3 months

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mine, all mine. v.

chapter five: bad idea

pairing: neteyam x female!metkayina!reader

summary: you knew it was a bad idea to get closer to him... so why was it so hard to stay away?

word count: 3.2k

warnings: mentions of injury, blood, bruising, fluff

now playing... wait a minute! by willow

series masterlist

The more you thought about your almost-kiss with Neteyam, the more you came to realise that it was probably for the best that nothing happened. Maybe you weren’t thinking clearly in the moment, too wrapped up in the rush of adrenaline you felt after punching Ao’nung’s friend in the face. You were frustrated and vulnerable and your brain seemed to turn to mush when it came to Neteyam; which bothered you a lot, because how could a boy occupy so much of your mind completely unimpeded?

You found your sister back in your family’s marui, silently thanking Eywa that your parents were still occupied with the little incident at the beach, likely still scolding your little brother for his lack of self-control. Tsireya sat on the ground in the middle of the marui, rather aggressively chopping vegetables to prepare for last meal later on.

“Reya?” You called softly, tail swishing behind you anxiously. Tsireya looked up at you, eyes blown wide and you could read her thoughts in an instant. She opened her mouth slightly and you quickly brought your hands up as if surrendering. “I know what you’re going to say.”

“You were kissing him!” She whisper-shouted, ears pinning flat against her braids.

“We didn’t kiss, Tsireya,” you rolled your eyes, “you made sure of that.”

Tsireya sighed, dropping the knife with a soft clang and resting her palms on her folded knees. She looked up at you, her eyes wide with a mixture of slight hurt and curiosity, her hairless brows furrowed, “how could you not tell me?”

Your shoulders relaxed at her words, your eyes closing as you sighed shakily. You hadn’t uttered a word about your time with Neteyam to your sister while she talked your ear off about Lo’ak, to you it seemed pointless to mention; it would never happen between the two of you. She was your sister but it wasn’t that simple– Tsireya had freedom when it came to choosing who she would one day be mated with, she was allowed to look freely without the pressure of disappointing your parents. But not you– your life had been planned from the moment you were born, there was no way your parents or the village would allow you to pursue a forest Na’vi born from an ex-sky demon (as your mother put it), the notion was absolutely preposterous.

“It is not that simple, Reya,” you breathed.

“I am your sister,” Tsireya stood up, crossing the room to grab your elbows gently. You avoided her gaze for a moment until she tugged on your arm, forcing you to look at her, “with me, everything should be simple.”

You breathed out slowly, lips forming a tight line, “it will not work– it cannot work between us… If mother and father find out…” You didn’t know how to put it into words to convey the uproar it would cause, but your sister understood, her shoulders dropping and her lips forming a tight line.

Tsireya paused for a moment before meeting your eyes again, “how do you know if you do not ask them?”

You wanted to laugh at that, you knew she was only trying to be optimistic but any optimism you had for your life had been squashed long ago, “you know what the answer will be, Reya.”

“Neteyam is hard-working and kind– he would have been the Olo’eyktan of the Omatikaya one day if it weren’t for the Sky People… There have been worse odds,” she shrugged.

“You encourage me too much,” you scolded gently.

“It is my job,” she grinned.

You wrestled with her words for a while, occupying yourself with preparing fish for the last meal while Tsireya left to gather more herbs. You wanted to believe your sister with every ounce of your soul– believe that maybe, maybe, your parents would allow you to see Neteyam instead of forcing these horrendous meals with possible suitors down your throat. But deep down you knew it simply wasn’t possible– your parents wanted a Metkayina man for you, someone who knew the ways of the water and knew how to lead the people… anything other than that would be out of the question.

Your ears pressed flat against your hair at the sound of your father’s booming voice. Your father, mother and younger brother barging into the marui, your father’s hand wrapped around the base of Ao’nung’s kuru.

“What was that?” Your father spat. Ao’nung’s body was slightly slouched, a bruise blooming just under his eye from where Lo’ak had swung on him. Your father let out a frustrated noise, “they are guests here, you do not cause trouble!”

Ao’nung didn’t answer and your mother hissed in annoyance before her eyes found you. You stood up almost instantly as she bounded toward you. Her warm hands found your face, moving your head around and pulling on your shoulders and arms, inspecting you for injuries.

“What were you thinking, maite?” she hissed, your eyes downcast as she spoke. “You do not encourage a fight!”

“I am sorry, mother,” you bit the inside of your cheek, knowing it simply wasn’t worth it to argue.

“Are you?” Ao’nung barked. You rolled your eyes as your parents whipped their heads around to look at their son. “You did not defend me.”

“You were being a skxawng,” you retorted.

“Maite!” your father yelled, silencing you in an instant. Your father eyed you for a moment longer before he let go of your brother, pushing him toward you, “fix him up.”

You wanted to scoff, instead you looked at your mother with a look that begged for her to fix your brother’s injuries instead of you. She looked at you and sighed, “we will speak of this later,” she said before glancing briefly at Ao’nung, she turned back to you with a frustrated sigh, “you will keep an eye on your brother.”

“Ow!” Ao’nung hissed as you pressed a cloth to the graze on his cheek.

You clicked your tongue and rolled your eyes, “don’t be such a baby.” You flicked his forehead before continuing to work on the raw grazes along his skin. If you were honest, you weren’t being overly gentle with him like you were with Neteyam– mostly because you thought your brother was asking for it by being such a jerk to Lo’ak and Kiri.

“You’re not going to lecture me?” He questioned after a beat as you gathered some cooling balms to help ease the burning sensation of his wounds.

“Seems pointless,” you retorted, “you do not listen to me.”

“Rich coming from you of all people,” Ao’nung rolled his eyes.

You elected to ignore him and continue rubbing balms into his damaged skin. You remember the first time you did this for Ao’nung, he was barely seven years old and had scraped his knee on some coral while playing with some of the bigger kids. You had only just started your tsakarem training but you’d been patching up your own injured knees since you were younger than him.

You remembered how he was trying to put on a brave face, his bottom lip wedged between his teeth as you gently washed away the sand and blood. You remembered how you held his hand as you applied a balm and dressing to his little knee and how you caught his little tears with your thumb and told him–

“It’s okay to cry when something hurts, Ao’nung.”

You often wondered what had changed in him as he got older, why the two of you butted heads once he reached his teenage years. At first, you were sure it was because the two of you were so different and you firmly believed he was arrogant and rude… But as you got older, the more you realised you butted heads so much because you were far too alike.

“You should stay away from him,” Ao’nung muttered.

Your eyes glanced up at him and you were completely unreadable– a trait lovingly gifted to you by your mother. It drove your brother crazy how emotionally flat and withdrawn you could be. Your movements hesitated for a moment before you gathered more of the healing balm onto your finger, rubbing it into his graze. Your brother hissed at the pain and you rolled your eyes, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m serious,” Ao’nung retorted. He knew you knew what– or rather who he was talking about.

“It is none of your business.”

Ao’nung rolled his eyes, “you are my sister, that makes it my business.” You didn’t answer him because since when did he care what you did? You focused on rubbing oils into the bruise on the junction of his neck and shoulder instead of dignifying him with a response. Ao’nung watched your hardened expression and sighed, “Mother and father will not allow it–”

“Don’t you think I know that, Ao’nung?” You snapped, staring daggers at your brother. Ao’nung noticeably stiffened.

Your brother stared right back at you, his jaw clenching angrily. You didn’t need him telling you what a bad idea it was for you to be spending time with Neteyam– you already knew everything he was thinking because you’d already thought it yourself.

You were pulled from your thoughts when someone cleared their throat, your ears perking up at the sound. You turned to the entrance of the healing marui, noticing Lo’ak standing there awkwardly.

“Lo’ak,” you nodded your head at him, praying to Eywa he didn’t catch on to what you and your brother were talking about. Lo’ak quickly curled his fingers at his forehead before gesturing to you. He too had bruises, not as many as Ao’nung but a few on his face with his knuckles sharing the same purple colour as yours.

“Could I talk to Ao’nung?” Lo’ak asked, his jaw clenched.

“Sure,” you sighed, putting your balms down beside you and shooting Ao’nung a warning look, “be nice,” you muttered through your teeth.

“What is wrong?” Teyoa drawled.

You had been upset, stuck in your own head about everything going on with Neteyam and you found yourself at the fisherman's marui helping Teyoa and a few of the other elders descale the fish from the most recent catch. You hadn’t realised you were rather aggressively descaling the fish in front of you, nicking your fingers on the sharp edge of the scales.

“Nothing,” you retorted. Teyoa shared a look with the other elders, trying to suppress a smile at your lame retort.

“It does not seem like nothing,” Teyoa replied with an airy laugh.

You didn’t respond, electing to fold the cuts of fish in thick palm leaves. Working with your hands helped you to calm down, helping to focus your mind on the task in front of you instead of fighting with yourself about moral dilemmas. Teyoa watched you from the corner of his eye, noticing your rather sloppy folding technique given your bubbling anger.

“Have you been practising?” Teyoa asked, attempting to move the subject away from whatever was bothering you.

You sighed, shoulders slouching at his question which was a resounding no. “I have not had time,” you sighed, dejected.

“There is always time, you must make time,” Teyoa shrugged. You gave him an unimpressed look, lips pursed in annoyance. Teyoa chuckled heartily, “I think you have an opportunity.”

“How so?”

“You have some of the best archers in all of Pandora staying in your village… Perhaps you should seek assistance?” Teyoa suggested with a shit-eating grin.

Your mind immediately blinked to asking Neteyam; embarrassingly quick you might add. You knew Neteyam was likely one of your only options; he would keep your little secret from your parents and your meddling brother. Teyoa was right, the Omatikaya were some of the best known archers in all of Pandora, it would be stupid of you to not seize the opportunity. But it also meant spending more time with Neteyam… Perhaps alone with Neteyam.

“You hesitate,” Teyoa drawled, effortlessly peeling the skin of the fish back.

“I do not,” you retorted, offended.

“Then you should go and ask,” Teyoa’s eyes flickered behind you. You turned your head, watching as Neteyam stood on the edge of the beach helping Tuk and Kiri searched for shells ankle-deep in the water. You felt a smile tug at your lips as Tuk held up a particularly pretty shell in front of Neteyam, watching as he enthusiastically applauded his youngest sister.

You dropped what you were doing, wordlessly leaving the fishermen’s marui to approach Neteyam and his sister’s at the beach, Teyoa grinning to himself as you left. You watched Neteyam and Tuk, suppressing a giggle at how Tuk kept giving handfuls of coloured shells to Neteyam while Kiri took her time inspecting every tiny shell she found.

“Whatcha guys doing?” You called softly, watching how Neteyam’s ears pricked up quickly at the sound of your voice. Tuk quickly snatched her pouch of shells from Neteyam’s hand and held it behind her back with a suspicious toothy grin. You quirked a brow at the youngest Sully, “what are you hiding, Tuk?”

“Nothing!” she quickly retorted, swaying side to side on the balls of her heels.

You rolled your eyes playfully, “you know, the best shells are in the shallows of the reef just out there,” you pointed toward the edge of the reef where you could easily see other young Metkayina children looking for shells. Tuk followed your finger, her eyes sparkling. “You’ll find the most colourful ones out there.”

Tuk’s little face lit up and she quickly snatched Kiri’s hand, “Kiri, come on!” She exclaimed as she started wading into the water, splashing water all over you, Neteyam and Kiri.

“Slow down, Tuk!” Kiri called, slightly irritated. With an annoyed groan and a roll of her eyes, she quickly made her way after her sister, leaving you and Neteyam standing ankle-deep in the water.

“Are there really shells out there?” Neteyam asked curiously, a hint of a smirk in his voice.

You turned to him with a slightly offended expression, “you think I would lie to a seven year old, forest boy?”

Neteyam held his hands up in surrender, “you’re right,” he chuckled.

A beat of silence fell over the two of you and you suddenly became nervous– since the last time you were alone with Neteyam you almost– almost– kissed him. Neteyam could tell you had something on your mind by the way your tail swayed behind you a little faster than usual and how you anxiously fiddled with your hands.

The two of you took a breath.

“Was there something–”

“–Could I ask you something?”

The two of you pulled your mouths shut, a smile tugging at Neteyam’s lips as you tried to suppress a smile, covering your mouth with the back of your hand. Neteyam shifted closer, “what did you want to ask?”

You were getting cold feet being put on the spot, thinking of just pretending it never happened and returning to your mediocre life. But the way he was looking at you made you feel so warm and in the end– Neteyam wasn’t scary, he would never make fun of you.

You sighed, “I need to ask– I wanted to… Could you–” now you felt dumb, unable to get the simple question out. Neteyam listened to you intently, his gaze making your skin feel hot. You averted your eyes for a moment, clearing your throat. Neteyam began to laugh softly and you frowned, “don’t laugh at me,” you whined.

“I’m not, I’m not.”

“It kind of seems like you are,” you retorted, crossing your arms over your chest and cocking your hip out with an unimpressed frown.

“No, it’s just–” Neteyam stopped himself, staring at you with such fondness for a moment, “you’re adorable.”

You felt your cheeks heat up at that and you became embarrassed, “shut up.”

Neteyam could only laugh and you rolled your eyes playfully turning on your heel to return to the village. Neteyam followed after you, too curious to let you go without knowing what it was you wanted to ask him, “hey, wait– didn’t you want to ask me something?”

“My better judgement tells me that what I wanted to ask is stupid and I’m better off not asking at all,” you called back, your tail swishing behind you and curls bouncing between your shoulder blades– Oh how Neteyam wanted to play with your hair– “But you’ve piqued my interest,” Neteyam retorted, still chasing after you as you moved rather quickly through the village toward the thick mangrove forest.

“Consider me flattered,” you replied coyly, turning to walk backwards and shoot him a playful smile.

Neteyam blindly followed you into the thick of the forest, truth be told he would have done whatever you told him to do no matter how ridiculous. He watched as you stood at the base of a rather tall tree, a small carving etched into the smooth bark. You reached up on your tiptoes, pulling a rather well-hidden heavy bow from twisting branches. He watched you, his tail flicking around curiously.

You held the weapon behind your back and looked up at him, “do not laugh.”

“I won’t.”

“I’m serious,” you pressed, gaze narrowing at him.

“I promise,” Neteyam crossed his heart in a similar manner that Tuk did when you first met her and you could only grin at the gesture.

You sighed before bringing the bow in front of you, holding it close to your chest. You kicked around some leaves with your foot, unable to look him in the eye. You hummed in annoyance, “I want you to teach me.”

Neteyam’s eyes widened a fraction, his eyes glazing over the crafter bow in your hands. It definitely wasn’t the best he’d seen but also not the worst and considering Metkayina used spears almost exclusively– it was pretty good for a first try.

“Teach you?”

You frowned, heart drumming in your chest, “I am okay but I could be better.”

Neteyam’s eyes met yours and the corners of his lips perked up in a smile, “why me?”

You rolled your eyes, getting the feeling he was only trying to flatter himself by putting you on the spot and making you nervous (it was working). “Because…”

Neteyam tilted his head, catching your eyes again and silently encouraging you to continue.

You hissed in annoyance, “Because I trust you, okay? And I cannot have my parents knowing I do this or Eywa forbid my brother.”

“You trust me?” Neteyam grinned.

“Don’t make me regret it,” you retorted.

Neteyam chuckled softly, “you are lucky, I used to train the young hunters at High Camp before my family moved here.”

“Those poor children,” you gave an exaggerated frown.

“Hey,” Neteyam playfully scolded, “I was a good teacher.”

“I’m sure you were, pretty boy,” you retorted, hips swaying as you started making your way toward your secret little part of the beach, Neteyam hot on your tail.

“You think I’m pretty?” Neteyam questioned with a shit-eating grin.

You clicked your tongue and rolled your eyes, “I am teasing.”

“I feel like your teasing is always based in truth.”

“You are wrong.”

“I don’t think I believe you.”

“Are you going to teach me or not?”

a/n: i know i've been gone forever but i'm back!!!

taglist: @s0urw00lf, @peqch-pie, @greatsstuffsposts, @lavzxx, @quaint-and-curious-being, @rivatar, @msblacklupin, @ineedmentalhelp123, @ravenxx88, @alicetweven

#avatar #atwow #avatar way of water #avatar x reader #avatar the way of water x reader #atwow x reader #neteyam x reader #neteyam #ao'nung #kiri #tsireya #lo'ak #jake sully #neteyam x y/n #neteyam x you

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apas-95 · 10 months

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cannot bring myself to care at all about old ass war criminals dying. the reason we kill fascsists in armed conflict is to prevent them from doing harm. he already did all his harm, nobody stopped him. this isn't some final defeat, this is him having made it through life, having completed all his objectives. if at any point were the course of his life interrupted, were the direct line from birth to grave, studded with crimes, blocked and severed, then it could be valued, it would improve things. him peacefully travelling to the end of the line, unimpeded, is something that i cannot bring myself to give a single fuck about, despite his state of death and pain superficially resembling revolutionary violence.

he should have been killed a long time ago, not as some deserved punishment for sins, but for the sake of those who would have been saved by it. he was not -- and those people died, and starved, and grew up impoverished. it does not matter to them that, decades later, he suffered; only that he was not stopped.

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magicalbats · 4 months

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Oh, Captain (Luffy x reader)

Rating: R-18+

Word Count: 5222

Warnings: Afab!reader, gendered language, noncon, physical coercion, outdoor sex, inappropriate use of 5th Gear

A/N: My second ever commission and the lovely donor was kind enough to give me permission to post it for everyone else to read. Thank you for a great experience, @avidbroswer!! 🩷🩷🩷

⭐

Let’s help Luffy, they’d said.

We’re a crew, they’d said. Family.

You don’t feel very much like family when you’re running for your life from the very captain you’d sworn loyalty to. Or at least, you’re pretty sure that the strange figure with white nimbus cloud hair is your captain. You’d watched it happen from a (questionably) safe distance, when he suddenly transformed in a surge of sparking static electricity that made your skin crawl like it was trying to escape from your bones but it’s still hard to believe that it was really him. Even having seen the reality of it with your own two eyes doesn’t make it any easier to accept.

Luffy was supposed to be a dark haired, dark eyed youth in the prime of his life. Not this uncanny version of him that giddily laughs with boisterous amusement while he ping pongs about so violently within the craggy mess of scorched earth in the wake of his battle with Kaido that you can feel the massive chunks of rock slamming into the ground as much as you can hear it. One after another, from the left and then the right, they just keep falling in an almost continuous rain of rubble and ruin. The resulting shockwaves very nearly take you off your feet more than once but you force yourself to keep running even when your sore legs scream in protest, aching from the exertion. It was the only choice you really had at this point.

And it’s not lost on you that this is technically your own fault for getting so close to the fight but you’d wanted to help. All that talk of family and crew, and unwavering allegiance to the Straw Hats had clearly infected your brain because you’d rushed straight into the danger zone despite knowing good and well that you were the only one close enough to make it in time. Now you were the one who needed help and it wasn’t going to arrive soon enough to do you any good.

What an idyllic fool you’d been.

“Ah!” You suddenly get tripped up in all the rocky debris laying across the ground and fall to your knees with a seething hiss. Your palms come back scraped where they’d shot out to catch you but you’ve managed to avoid taking the brunt of it to the face. Thank the stars for life’s smallest miracles.

Panting heavily, you just sit there amongst the broken wreckage and detritus for a harrowingly long beat, trying to catch your breath. You can still hear the chaotic destruction of Luffy — or the man who had once been Luffy — bouncing around like a rubber ball behind you, completely unimpeded by the laws of gravity or common sense. It sounded like he was having a blast.

Maybe that was good. Maybe he hadn’t even noticed you yet, so lost within the mess of demolished land and too tiny a speck to even draw his attention. You had a chance to escape then, if that was the case.

Any such hopes quickly fizzle out when his uproarious hooting and hollering abruptly rushes towards you, getting louder and louder until your eardrums start to vibrate. You suck in a sharp, nauseated gasp and slap your hands over your ears as you twist around to look behind you. Just in time to watch Luffy sail overhead like a shooting white comet. The kickback from his high velocity speed hits you seconds later, tearing a shriek from your mouth when the wind hits you full force and as solid as any wall.

Too busy ducking down with your head between your knees to protect yourself from the sting of flying rocks, you don’t get to see how he manages to pivot his momentum mid air and land a couple hundred yards away. You hear it though. You feel the shock of impact too, when it races through the ground to make the rubble underneath you tremble. It goes quiet then, and unnaturally still. Suddenly all you can hear are your own labored gasps.

You hesitate to do it but, realizing you have no other option, you slowly lift your face to peer out over all the fallen debris. Standing at a distance, Luffy just looks at you with a fiercely manic edge in his now golden-yellow eyes that makes your veins ice up. You’re more certain than ever that this cannot be your captain. He should have been giving you the usual bright faced, happy go lucky grin he always did when he inexplicably came out on top against all the odds that were stacked against him. Not this — viscous leer of victory.

But if this wasn’t Luffy then who in the seven seas was it?

“Have you come to celebrate with me?”

His voice isn’t quite the same either. More raspy, like the weight of immense power flowing through him was putting strain even on his vocal cords. You don’t think you like that any more than you like the way he’s eyeing you up as if you were a stuffed pig on a roasting spit. Even for his bottomless pit of an appetite, you’d never seen him look at another person quite like that.

Cautiously slow, you straighten up out of your defensive huddle. Work to get your feet under you without taking your attention off him for even a moment and then stand so you can prepare to … what, run again? A lot of good that had clearly done you.

“I don’t think it’s time to celebrate just yet.” You tell him softly. “We need to find the other Straw Hats. Make sure they’re all okay. You still remember them … don’t you, Luffy?”

Your emotional plea only succeeds in giving him a momentary pause. “But I have so much energy left. I just want to dance and shout, and jump into the air! You’ll join me, won’t you?”

He takes a step towards you, a rather aggressive one at that, and you quickly back up. Something told you if you didn’t agree to go along with this he was going to try and force you into joining in on whatever constituted his idea of merrymaking. Unfortunately you weren’t sure if you’d survive that, given the state of all the crumbled boulders littering the ground on this now desolate stretch of land.

“No, Luffy. Not right now. We have to - -“

With an abrupt jerk, he lurches forward as if to launch himself at you. His rubbery legs momentarily struggle for traction on the ground, as if they couldn’t quite decide what consistency they wanted to be, but you don’t plan on sticking around long enough to find out. Feeling like you’ve forgotten how to breathe, you spin around and make a mad dash for it, barreling straight into a dead sprint.

It’s a resounding effort in futility.

You don’t even make it three whole steps before he slams into your back hard enough to take you right off your feet.

There’s a split second moment of shock at how fast he’d managed to close the distance, and then the ground is rushing up at your face again.

That dizzying blur of vertigo inducing free fall coupled with the way your vision tilts on its axis very nearly has you spewing your guts right then and there. But if Luffy picks up on the dire, sickened tinge coloring your wounded grunt he certainly doesn’t act it. He just flings his arms around your middle, alarming in their fleshy elasticity and yet still familiar to you, then hauls you up against his front before you can slam into the rocks.

Everything happens much too fast for you to keep up with any of it. Your brain is reeling, still trying to recover from the impact of his body colliding with yours and the subsequent head rush that followed. So stunned you can’t even find the wherewithal to protest his treatment of you let alone try to fight your way free. Unable to do anything else, you simply allow your limbs to bonelessly flail when he takes a handful of eager steps forward with you in his arms.

In the next moment Luffy spins you out away from him, snagging your wrist to stop your momentum and make you jerk to another abrupt standstill. The yank on your shoulder causes it to pop, splintering pain racing up your arm as you cry out. He doesn’t care though. He either doesn’t care or he doesn’t notice, because he just pulls you right back into him again, hard enough to make you collapse with a teeth rattling jolt against his chest.

“Come on!” He laughs, loud and frenzied, his hold on you much too tight where it’s shackled around your wrist. “Dance with me! Aren’t you having fun?”

Teeth gnashing to fight back the nausea, you bring your uncaptured hand up and brace it against his shuddering frame. You’re more than just a little surprised to find his heartbeat hammering out a sharp, almost violent staccato against his ribcage, so powerful you can feel it thrumming through his skin. It reminds you of an endless procession of war drums. Too many to count and impossibly loud, their ferocity equally intimidating and awe inspiring.

What in the world had happened to him?

You don’t have the privilege of lingering on that question for very long. Couldn’t afford to, as you try to get your tired legs situated under you again so you can stand on your own. “You’re hurting me, Luffy. We don’t have time for this right now. Just let me go. Please.”

But he doesn’t even seem to register what you’re saying as a plea at all.

A snickering, raspy laugh rattles up out of him, and you vehemently push at his narrow chest with your uncaptured hand. Shove him as hard as you can. He still doesn't budge though, simply reaching up to snag that wrist too so he can forcefully spin you around in his arms. You feel sick with the rush of motion coupled with the fatigue and throbbing pain in your body but there’s nothing you can do to stop it. He’s too strong, too wild, too lost in whatever manic high he’s slipped into after his fight with Kaido.

Tightening his grip to lock you against his front, Luffy moulds himself to the line of your back with such an unnatural, rubbery motion that you find yourself fighting not to wretch even as his mouth finds your neck. He nuzzles at you for a brief moment, just brushing his lips over your jackhammering pulse before angling his nose towards the spot just behind your ear. The breath he draws is slow and savory, and he seems to hold it in his lungs for an unnecessarily long time.

When he at last sighs out, displacing some of the loose flyaways in your hair, an unmistakable rumble low in his chest accompanies it. “Mmm, you smell good. Like victory.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? “Luffy, just listen to me … don’t do this. I - I don’t really understand what's happened to you but we can figure it out together. We’ll fix it. I promise. But you need to let me go or - -“

“Let you go? But we’re having so much fun. I want to have even more fun with you but you’re not a fighter, not like he was. And you don’t want to dance with me either.”

He sounds dangerously close to pouting when he says that last bit and you give a halfhearted twist in his hold, testing for any slack. It’s no good though. For as little effort as he seemed to be putting into it, his arms were like iron shackles where they’re criss crossed over your body. Dammit.

“Why?” You seethe in frustration and fast mounting panic. “Why won’t you just go back to normal, Luffy? This isn’t like you!”

His frame shakes behind you with the giggles that rise within him, making his whole body vibrate like a mercilessly shaken soda bottle. It quickly grows, rapidly multiplying and expanding until he at last throws his head back with a cackling peel of laughter aimed up at the sky. It’s much too close to your ear and deafeningly loud, reigniting your desperation to get away from him, but your wild thrashing just causes him to laugh even harder. Like he found it hilarious that you were scared and trapped against him.

“I can’t!” He howls, belly laughing so ferociously it makes you jerk in his hold. “I can’t go back until I’ve used up all of this energy! It feels like I’m going crazy but it feels good too! Amazing even! I’ve never experienced anything like it before! I want to keep going but you can’t fight and you won’t dance with me … but there’s something else we can do together, isn’t there?”

“What are you ta - -“

He releases you so suddenly you don’t even realize you’re crumpling to the ground until your butt has already hit the rocks, surprising a yelp out of you. Fresh pain immediately races up from your backside in a blinding starburst and you outright hiss as you gingerly start to angle yourself onto your hip in hopes of taking some of the pressure off of where it hurts the most. You don’t quite make it that far though.

Luffy’s hands are suddenly on your shoulders, shoving you forward to sprawl out rather inelegantly on your front. He follows you down, pinning you to the destroyed ground with his body weight, and you immediately start to panic in earnest. Your captain didn’t look like much more than a lanky beanpole at first glance but he was so densely packed with muscle that he felt like a sack of bricks on top of you. It makes it hard to breathe and the quickened, gasping lungfuls of air you suck in don’t exactly help. Your chest constricts painfully tight as you struggle against him, forgetting all logic and reason in your blind desperation to get away from him.

He doesn’t even seem to notice though, still just as unbudging sprawled out over top of you as he’d been when the two of you were standing. No amount of kicking your legs or bucking up underneath him even gives him pause, and his greedy hands fumble down to your waist where they squeeze tight enough to rip a hurt shriek from your throat. This doesn’t cut through the manic haze spurring him on either. He doesn’t even waver.

“What are you — stop that! Have you lost your mind!”

“I’m sorry.” He snickers, not sounding very sorry at all as he shoves his face into the crook of your neck again. Another deep, savory inhale. Another rumbling exhale right against your pulse. The faintest growl that trails afterward is new though and you go painfully still under him, hardly even daring the blink despite all the grimy dust kicked up in your desperate fight for freedom.

You’d never, ever heard such a sound come out of him before. It scares you perhaps most of all, and you’d seen many a frightening and unsettling thing since stepping foot into Onigashima. Somehow this just really took the cake though.

“I’m sorry,” He says it again. Contradicting this, his callous worn fingers dip into the hem of your pants and start to tug at them, jostling you with each insistent pull. “I’m sorry, heheee. I just can’t help myself. If I can’t have you I don’t know what I’ll do. You’ll help me calm down, won’t you?”

Your mind struggles to process that. He was asking you to help him? Not with words or medicine, or even the endless supply of food he would have otherwise asked for had he been in his right mind. He wanted your body.

So that’s what it was then. What it all boiled down to.

If he couldn’t fight you and you refused to dance with him then that left only one other option. He was going to fuck it out of his system. Anything to get rid of all the excess energy running through his body, making him vibrate like a lit fuse on top of you. It made a certain amount of sense, you supposed, but that didn’t mean you had to like it.

Curling your hands into tight fists against the rocks, numb to the abrasive sting, you draw a rattling breath to center yourself. It doesn’t do much in the way of good. “Please don’t do this.”

It’s like he doesn’t even hear you, a grunt of victory puffing out of him when he finally manages to get your pants tugged down over the curve of your ass.

“Please.” You gasp, the sound wet and faltering.

Completely ignoring you now, Luffy reaches further down to fumble with something lower while his opposite hand possessively curls around your hip to keep you in place. You hiccup rather sadly at the distant sound of rustling clothes, almost completely lost under the violent pounding of blood in your ears, but there’s no missing the fleshy nudge against the back of your thigh that soon follows. It leaves a sticky smear where it touches you, inspiring an eruption of horrified goosebumps in its wake.

You don’t have to look to know what’s touching you. The innate knowledge of what’s happening and who is responsible for this paralyzing fear that grips your aching heart in a chokehold is horrible and suffocating all at once. Stinging tears spring up and well in the backs of your eyes but you clench your teeth to try and stifle the terrified wail threatening to claw its way up your throat, knowing it would only sound hysterical.

On one hand you almost couldn’t believe this was really happening, even though the reality of the situation was staring you right in the face. It just seemed almost too implausibly awful to be real.

But on the other, Luffy wasn’t exactly known for his self control or restraint. You knew this. Had even found it charming at one point or another, so you brace yourself for the worst. It just might be the only thing that ends up saving you.

“Captain - -“

“I’m sorry.”

He’s suddenly between your legs, pressing up into you from behind. You go ramrod stiff against him, your whole body clenching in genuine distress, but it does very little to stop him. Like he’s done it a million times before, or perhaps thanks to the instinctive muscle memory bestowed upon every man with a working cock, he pushes right in on your entrance until cunt slips start to part under the pressure. A thin, tremulous groan escapes him at the first kiss of your hot guts against the tip and then he just keeps pushing. Even when your muscles tense up and try to keep him out. Even when he meets a great deal of resistance as your body tries its best to reject him. If anything he almost seems to take it as a challenge the same way he would another combatant or a roadblock standing between him and his goals.

In this case his goal is clearly to sink himself in you right down to the hilt, and he just puts more effort into his cause the more you try to fight it. Leans his weight into you until it feels like your poor cunt is taking the full brunt of his mass. The resulting stretch of your inner sleeve is painful and drawn out, taking much longer than it otherwise would have had you been even slightly prepped for this.

Your mouth hinges open but nothing comes out for a prolonged moment as the tears break loose to streak down your face. It feels like he’s tearing you in half! Either he was much bigger than you’d assumed he’d be or by virtue of how tightly your interior walls were squeezing him — or even some terrible combination of the two — it was like you were being split down the middle. You couldn’t even breathe through the choking discomfort of it and a threadbare, sobbing little mewl dislodges from your throat when he at last manages to shove himself past that first barrier.

Full penetration is much easier for him to achieve after that but it’s no less painful, and you cry out when he snaps his hips forward once, twice, and finally lodges his length the rest of the way in on the third. A pleased huff slips out of him as he settles on top of you, a fresh wave of giggles quickly following suit. It was like he’d gone mad. So wrapped up in the raving power that had turned his hair white that he can only laugh about it even while he’s buried balls deep in your body.

That short lived pause is all the respite you get though and Luffy is soon moving, rutting into you with quick, sharp little jabs up into your guts. You shriek at the top of your lungs, clawing at the ground while you kick out behind you, but he ignores this the same as everything else. Lying prone and trapped under him, all you can do is take it.

“Waah — why are you doing this, Luffy? It hurts! If … if the others find out about this - -“

“I know, hahaaa. I know. I’m sorry, but I can’t stop. You feel … this feels amazing! Almost as good as fighting Kaido did!”

You seethe at that, trying your damndest not to get caught up on it right now but that proves to be more than a little difficult. He really didn’t see any difference between fucking and fighting? Somehow that seemed so typically him, and you think you would have probably joined him in laughing about it under better circumstances.

But better circumstances wouldn’t have found you being roughly jostled back and forth on the ground by his eager, jack rabbit thrusts. The motion of his hips lacks any and all refinement with no technique to speak of, and yet that doesn’t stop you from seeing stars every time his cock blindly rams into your upper wall. It punches the air from your lungs and materializes out of your mouth in the form of heaving, strained bleats of distress that quickly climb to a higher and higher pitch with each second that goes by. Not for the first time today, you feel like you really might throw up.

“Ooh, that’s …” He suddenly gasps, lets out a half strangled groan, and drives himself into you even harder. Faster. The force of his pelvis slapping against your upturned ass rapidly grows to a steady, almost constant blur of stinging swats — plap, plap, plap, plap — and you shriek at the rapidly swelling pressure on your gut. “Ooh, that’s good. That’s good! It feels so good! I - I can’t - -“

Without warning, your pussy abruptly floods with wet, sticky warmth. He hadn’t even given you a chance to beg for him to pull out.

Your eyes widen to the approximate size of dinner plates but he just keeps pistoning his hips even as the rest of his shuddering frame gives a series of little jerks to thoroughly empty his balls into you. He shows no signs of slowing down or tiring any time soon though, his limitless energy evidently far outpacing his obvious lack of experience.

It’s a hard thing to wrap your reeling head around just how quickly everything has happened and yet there’s no mistaking it for what it is. The sensation is completely foreign to you but you innately understood it for what it represented, what it could potentially mean for your future. You’re not half as relieved to have it done and over with as you are terrified of what it meant.

Even more confounding, however, is that it doesn’t so much as make Luffy slow down let alone stop now that he’s painted your inner sleeve a thick, creamy white. Not the orgasm itself which, considering how much he fills you up, should have thoroughly drained him for the time being, nor the possible repercussions of allowing himself to shoot off inside of you like that. He just keeps going without a care in the world, like it wasn’t his problem and he still had more than enough stamina to keep up the harried pace he’d settled into for the foreseeable future. The only sign of it burning up any of his energy at all is the slightly labored quality his breathing takes on, but that’s it.

Realizing that this ordeal is still far from over, you give your body a twist and try to angle your cunt away from the constant attack of his cock. “H - hold on a minute, what … aagghhh, what are you doing, Luffy? You - - you can’t just cum inside like that, you idiot!”

“Can’t stop! Heheehe, I can’t, I can’t, not when you keep squeezing me like that!”

All but wheezing at the intense pleasure of thrusting into the sticky mess he’s made of you, Luffy presses himself flush against your sweaty back and circles his arms around your middle. You brace to shove him off, or at least try to, but you don’t quite make it that far.

Catching you completely off guard, he yanks you up against him and practically throws himself back onto the ground. The sudden lurch lodges your stomach in your throat, and you let out a frazzled scream as you land on top of him. That he cushions the impact with his rubbery body only comes as a slight relief when you were struggling just to get your bearings straight, disoriented and stunned in the aftermath of his impulsive decision when you unexpectedly find yourself blinking up at the sky.

You start to pull yourself upright, wincing, only to quickly realize he’s still got one arm looped around your waist to keep you held in place on top of him. The other is — you gasp when you glance down to see him already fisting his cock in hand, guiding it back to your entrance where it had slipped out in that rush of movement. It’s still achingly stiff and unrelenting, like he hadn’t already spilled his seed in you only moments ago, and your heart painfully wrenches with the fresh wave of dread that comes over you.

“W - wait, please don’t - -“

The head of him finds your cunt, pressing back up into you again, and you outright sob when he mercilessly snaps his hips to impale you on that stiff length once more. You sway unsteadily at the fresh stretch, trying to decide if it’s better or worse in this position, but gravity soon proves itself your enemy when the weight of you on top of him firmly sinks his cock even further into you than before. It feels like he’s tickling at your ribcage like this, but all you can do is give a wounded little mewl and try to steady yourself. Undaunted, he reaches up to tug your pants the rest of the way off.

“Luffy,” Sniffling sadly, you fight him as much as you can in your physically exhausted state but it’s no use. Your bottoms come off to leave you bare and exposed from the waist down, sitting upon his cock like a whore on her rightful throne.

The tears quickly start up again, streaking hot tracks down your flushed, sweaty face while he gets himself situated underneath you. His hips lift, nudging you just a pinch higher so he can brace his feet underneath him while his hands come around to anchor around your love handles. Then, he’s moving again.

Completely unconcerned by your crying, Luffy flexes his legs to thrust up into you and the same fleshy slap as before quickly rises loud in the air again. Plap, plap, plap, plap. The wet squelch of your seeded cunt sucking him in deep on every upward plunge joins in, adding to the obscene cacophony of noises even as you toss your head back to sob at the sky. You can hear him grunting underneath you, clearly enjoying himself quite a bit, but you couldn’t say the same. Your body was already a sore, achy mess of bruises and scrapes, and this certainly wasn’t helping. You were just getting more and more tired by the minute.

“Nnghhnnn, please, captain. Please don’t cum inside again, I … I’m begging you!”

The only response he gives is a low, rumbling groan that seems to bleed into you and reverberate endlessly inside your belly, making you squeeze your thighs together as if to block him out. But of course it doesn’t work. Given the way he stutters over a raspy hiss of your name he actually seems to like the way it makes your walls tighten around him, unintentionally though it may have been. There was really nothing you could have done to dissuade or stop him once he’d set his mind to something, and it seemed he very adamantly had his sights set on using your cunt until his energy reserves finally wore out.

Distantly, you wonder how long that will actually take.

“You’re mine, you’re mine, you’re mine,” He chants underneath you, again and again, even when his hands tighten around your hips to guide you into bouncing right along with him. Having no other choice, you snifflingly spread your legs wide and brace your feet on the ground, moving with him despite the throbbing ache in your muscles. “Mine, mine, mine. My prize. My treasure. My woman!”

He viciously slams his pelvis up at the end, further punctuating his claim on you, and the sharp stab of his cock rips a wild shriek from your mouth. “N - no, captain, please! I can’t — I don’t want it! Not like this! You’re not … aaghnn, you’re not Luffy! You’re not!”

The only response he gives is a deranged little laugh that makes his cock jump where it’s wedged inside you. That push on your upper wall makes the tension running through you double and then triple, your heaving gasps coming a little quicker now even as his hands travel up your body. You can’t stop him like this when your own were propped behind you along his flexing stomach to help you maintain your balance in this precarious position. It’s not hard to figure out what his intentions are though, and you screw your eyes shut so you don’t have to watch him grab hold of your top.

A deafening riiiip tears through the air when he shreds it, the poor cotton helpless before his far greater strength. He leaves it hanging from your shoulders in tattered pieces as your tits bounce free, the stiffened tips already aching and strained long before he greedily palms at them like a starved man clutching at a lifeline. The blinding friction of his calloused palms and fingers on your teats makes your cunt spasm around him and you wail, screaming for someone, anyone to save you from your captain.

Unfortunately for you, help was still a long ways off and Luffy wasn’t even close to running out of steam.

⭐

Crossposted: here

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #luffy x reader

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v3nomly · 1 year

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「 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞. 」

꒰characters...꒱ Astarion x Reader

꒰summary...꒱ Quick little horny thoughts on Astarion fucking you in front of a mirror.

꒰warnings...꒱Pure filth.

꒰a/n..꒱Everything is under the cut because it starts filthy and ends filthy. Let me know if I should extend this into something longer!

Just imagine Astarion fucking you in front of a mirror. Naturally, it's solely you in the reflection, but every action he does is mirrored unimpeded by his image. Your hole gaping and dripping with arousal, seemingly clenching around nothing as he fucks his cock deep inside you. He wouldn't even have time to dwell on wishing to see himself, as he watches you come undone. How completely and utterly debauched you look while you allow him to take you.

Astarion would have you try so many positions finding favorite things to do in each one. Loving to tease you so slowly while you sat in his lap, so he could see every clench of your walls. Or having you on all fours as he notes the way your eyes roll back with each thrust that hits your sweet spot.

Astarion would give up being able to walk in the sun, as long as he is able to enjoy you like this. Everything about it was addicting. From the feeling of him buried inside you to your cock dumb desperate moans and mews. It's the closest he gets to truly seeing himself, and by the gods, he can't get enough.

#astarion x reader #astarion x you #astarion x mc #astarion fanfic #astarion #x reader #reader insert #˗ˋˏ꒰ঌ ven writes

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turtlesandfrogs · 2 years

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I made this Pre-pandemic for a "Starting plants from the grocery store" class I was teaching, here it is edited down for anyone interested.

For saving seeds, the fruit should be fully mature for the seeds to be fully mature. Therefore, you can use seeds from a winter squash but not a baby zucchini, and the likelihood that the seeds of a tomato (or red bell pepper) will grow are much higher than for a green bell pepper. Unfortunately, many are either going to be poorly suited for your conditions, or hybrid, which we'll touch on later.

Stem cuttings are a great way to start many common culinary herbs! Especially basil!

Some tubers to consider starting from are sweet potatoes and actual potatoes.

And then of course, the bulbs! Green onions and garlic are your best bets!

These are outdoor plants and thus are Somewhat Fussy if you're going to grow indoors. Do not overwater them (eg, letting them sit in a tray of water for days) nor let them dry out completely. Try to keep them evenly moist, with thorough waterings that then pour out the bottom of the pot unimpeded.

Given that they are outdoor plants, a south-facing window (assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere) or grow lights are your best bet. If they don’t get enough light, they will turn pale and stretch towards their light source. They won’t grow as quickly or as healthfully as they would with sufficient light.

Examples:

Tomatoes & peppers! Tomatoes are the one that actually inspired me to make this because I saw this clip on starting plants from kitchen scraps, and they buried the whole dang half of a tomato! Don’t do that! What a waste of a tomato half! EAT your tomato! Take the seeds out!

If you’re intending to grow these outdoors, start them about 6 weeks before your last frost. If you have not grown plants from seed before, here’s some information from another class I taught: https://tinyurl.com/seedstarting2020

If you’re intending to grow them indoors the whole time, you will likely need grow lights for both tomatoes and peppers, and they like it if you keep your house on the warm side. I would suggest growing them outdoors and buying seeds for a dwarf tomato if you really want to grow indoors.

The down side is that most are hybrid, so when you grow out the seed, it's not necessarily going to grow well, be productive, or taste good. Even if it is open pollinated, it's probably been bred to thrive in conditions unlike those you can provide. If you need a successful crop, I highly suggest buying seed, or swapping with a reputable source. Although if you like and can find yellow pear tomatoes, those are an exception to this entire paragraph.

Basil! Basil is a great one to do stem cuttings of, get it started indoors, and then plant out once night time temperatures stay above 50f (10c). I prefer to start them straight into soil, and seem to have a higher success rate this way. To do this, remove all leaves except the top bud, and bury the stem in soil up to just beneath that bud and firm gently. Keep the soil moist and the pot above 60f, and you should have a good success rate. This method works for mint, lemon balm, rosemary, sage, etc, as well.

Green onions- really easy, put the bottom inch or so in soil and they’ll grow very well for you. I prefer soil over water because a) the water gets stinky, and b) they grow better and stronger in soil.

AND MORE:

Sage, rosemary, and thyme (also any stemmed herb): just like basil

Lettuce, carrots, beets: you get the tops, but usually they’ll try to bolt. Easier just to buy seeds. If you want, I usually start in shallow water and then plant as soon as I see roots growing. Again, keep the soil moist, and for these ones, keep them in a cooler part of your house. But really, they almost always bolt in my experience.

Sweet potatoes: Get them in the fall, it takes months for them to start growing (unless you're somewhere warm apparently? ). They will sprout, grow roots, take slips to plant outdoors once night time temperatures study above 50f (10c)

Garlic, just grab a clove and plant in the fall. Boom. GARLIC.

Squash- you don’t know what you’ll get, because they might be cross pollinated with another variety or hybrids. If you do grow it out and it’s bitter, don’t eat it, it’s poisonous. If you want to know more, search “toxic squash syndrome”

Ginger: Plant the rhizome in summer, harvest before frost, or overwinter indoors with a lot of light.

Pineapple: Doable, but it takes three years to get a harvest. Plant in well draining soil, and give it as much heat and light as you can.

Just for fun: (Unless you’re in the tropics or have a lot of patience.)

Mango, avocado, citrus. Take years, and a different climate than I have to fruit. If you’re in the tropics, go for it, but know that avocado pollination can apparently be tricky. I am not in the tropics, so I do not have direct experience with this. Citrus I think I've read also don't come true from seed.

Apples, pears: take years, and don’t come true to type. You do not know what you’ll get, and you’ll probably get something that is not worth eating (but would work for cider). These do need a cold dormancy period in the winter to do well. Of course, you could plant them and then top graft if it does turn out they don’t taste good.

Plums, peaches, apricots: take years, often do come true from seed, but peaches and nectarines are very susceptible to peach leaf curl, so may just die depending on where you are.

#gardening #vegetable gardening #yes that post made me remember but i did already have it written up #regrowing vegetables #pirating vegetables

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haveyouplayedthisttrpg · 2 months

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Have you played TEETH ?

By Jim Rossignol and Mark Davies

TEETH is a comic-horror tabletop roleplaying game for 3-6 people, set in the remote, wind-blasted moors and sopping bogs of northern England in the year of 1780—a place blighted by an alchemical catastrophe that has breached reality itself.

Players enter as Hunters—specially trained killers, trackers and academicians, whose job it is to drive back the monstrous things that lurk here, and, more importantly, ensure that the trade in occult artefacts remains unimpeded, and the English Crown's coffers full.

However, this is subterfuge! The Hunters have another secret task to perform here—one that may change the fate of all England, or even the world—and they must complete it before Winter turns to Spring, or be trapped forever.

During this time the players will face the hardships of the wilderness, slay nightmare beasts, incur monstrous corruptions, eat cursed pies, unravel devilish intrigues, attend fancy balls and maybe, just maybe, keep their wig on.

#ttrpg #tabletop rpg #poll #poll time #2020s #united kingdom

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my-naughty-writings-and-musings · 1 year

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You suggested some merformer based asks, so consider this: Merformer! Shockwave x reader? Maybe the reader is a marine biologist and isn't used to being studied, especially this... thoroughly?

As usual I went way overboard, and with a slightly different vibe than you might have intended so I hope you like this, anon!! I was imagining a TFP Shockwave but of course you're free to imagine him as you choose!

For those who don't know: if you like my writing style, you can always commission me, and please reblog to help spread my work! Thank you!

Note: Thalassicon is just my word for what merformers call themselves.

Holding on tightly to Shockwave, you reminded yourself that oxygen was limited as you sucked in each careful breath from your scuba tank, and that he'd promised you it was just a quick swim through these dark tunnels to reach his lair. You trusted him completely, but it was impossible to shake your instinctive anxiety as his massive frame pulled you through the underwater caverns without a trace of light. Time seemed to drag on until a light blue glow at the end of the path caught your eye through your goggles.

As the light grew brighter, the water around you became warmer as Shockwave had promised, and you clung less tightly to his back to raise your head for a better look, almost forgetting to breathe when he finally swam clear of the tunnel and entered a massive underwater cave.

Bioluminescent plant life gave the water a beautiful blue glow, their long, delicate tendrils swaying with the currents Shockwave left in his wake as he pumped his tail without urgency to swim forward. You barely remembered to hold onto his back as you tried in vain to mentally catalog the rich biodiversity before you, wondering if the mech had cultivated it all himself just to keep his home suitably lit. As you stared in open awe, a sudden gesture for you to let go caught you quite by surprise, and you blushed at having lost yourself to the beauty of it all. Releasing your hold on his back, you allowed the merformer to take control when he spun to face you, trusting him completely as he cupped your tiny body in one servo and pointed upwards. Overwhelmed by everything, you merely nodded and allowed him to take you to the rippling surface overhead.

The air above was thankfully far fresher than you could have anticipated so far beneath the ocean, and there was also no shortage of light to see by either, thanks to a similarly breathtaking species of bioluminescent plant casting its soft glow down from the high ceiling above.

"You can breathe freely. I installed air scrubbers to keep oxygen at an ideal level." Shockwave instructed, holding you at the surface so you didn't have to waste your energy treading water. Happily removing your mask, you took a deep breath and massaged the creases left on your face, savoring the feeling of unimpeded oxygen before you looked around for a better idea of your surroundings. The cave was absolutely massive, and had a number of adjoining caverns with varying levels of exposed stone atop which Shockwave stored his less water friendly technology and salvage. More than a few boat engines the size of automobiles were stacked about and waiting to have their parts repurposed, along with a number of shipping containers you doubted had been pulled from shipwrecks. All in all, his lair felt just as much like a pirate's treasure cove as it did a scientist's lab, and you loved it more than words could convey.

"I never thought you'd actually bring me here. Am I your first visitor?" you asked in awe, allowing him to pull you in as he floated on his back. Setting you down atop his ample chest, he ensured you were lying comfortably on your belly before he answered your question with a single word and a nod.

"Affirmative."

You smiled and looked up at the glowing vines swirling along the stalactites overhead, sighing softly at the beautiful scene and the warm water lapping at your wetsuit. Despite rarely understanding his technological feats thanks to your biology focused education, you were awed by everything he'd accomplished, and were beyond grateful to be given the privilege to behold his home. More than a few conversations had alluded to how his culture considered visiting one's home to be a great gesture of trust saved for only the closest of friends and lovers. Considering the hidden depths of your feelings for him, that thought carried far more weight in your head than you'd intended, so you quickly pushed it down as you always did such things. "Thank you for trusting me, Shockwave. I'm honored."

"You have proven yourself to be my ally." he affirmed, gently taking your hand between his thumb and foredigit. The touch made your heart flutter, especially as you met his single red optic and saw his helm accents twitch as they did when he was processing deeper than usual emotions. "I am not one for my people's superstitions, but I do believe in our custom of reciprocating gestures of trust. You gave me reason to trust you completely, and I wish to do the same."

Straight away, your mind snapped back to the fateful day he spoke of, the terror and uncertainty still raw thanks to how little time had passed. It had been a blur; the ambush by government officials, the net that had unintentionally caught you with him, and his shock when you took the time to cut him loose after freeing yourself. Echoes of the shots that had so narrowly missed the both of you were still clear in your mind, and you could easily recall how he'd held you close to take the hits as he swam for your lives... In the moment freeing him had just been a matter of course, and looking back on it you couldn't imagine doing anything else. You needed him to know that, even if he still seemed to struggle believing it. "You don't have to reward me for what I did. It was the right thing to do, they were going to hurt you."

"Perhaps." he mused in deep thought, going quiet and averting his optic. You allowed him time to think, able to tell from his twitching antennae that he was running over something very challenging in his processor. Looking ready to drop the topic and move on for several defeated seconds, he suddenly steeled himself and met your gaze, holding your hand all the more tightly as he carefully enunciated every last word. "But you have done far more than earn my trust. I have found our time together... enriching.

Though he obviously didn't expect a reply, you were in no shape to give him one, the shock on your face giving him another moment of pause before he forged ahead. How like him, you'd have thought if your brain weren't frozen, to drop something like this so suddenly... Neither one of you excelled at handling your emotions.

"You are unlike any human I have ever met, observed, or would have theorized possible." he continued to confess, obviously struggling but feeling a deep need to get through this. Your heart flipped at his words, beating strongly enough you were halfway worried he'd be able to feel it through your wetsuit, though if he did he didn't let it stop him. The merformer looked to your tiny hand in his, sharp optic tracing all the details imperceptible to the human eye as he allowed himself a rare emotive sigh from his vents. "I have grown very close to you, even if our relationship started on purely academic terms."

"Shockwave..." was all you could say, your voice locked in your throat and your eyes damp with more than seawater. Perhaps in your most self indulgent dreams you'd have allowed yourself to fantasize about such a moment, but to have it happen in reality, which was hardly known for its kindness, you simply couldn't dare to believe you'd be so fortunate. Then again, hadn't your entire relationship been a kind of fantasy made reality? Bumping into this brilliant mech, earning his interest with your scientific endeavors, beginning a relationship of mutual academic benefit that had deepened into something more... You only wished you could find enough words to tell him you felt the same, and had for such a long time. Some of the other feelings he created within you could be discussed at a later date...

Before you could try to force out a reply, Shockwave shifted once again, his antennae twitching backwards and his gaze dropping more out of what you dared to call bashfulness than simple nerves. It seemed the merformer wasn't done surprising you with shared yearning

"For my people, bringing another to your home means more than displaying trust. It is also intended to express a certain amount of... desire." he explained in the most halting voice you'd ever heard from him, usual confidence nowhere to be found.

"O-oh?" you squeaked, hopeful the glow wasn't bright enough to betray the blush turning your entire face to fire. He couldn't possibly be speaking of the same kind of desire that had made you wonder what his servos would feel like on your bare skin, or the kind that had you theorizing what certain parts of his anatomy looked like and hoping to find out... Thankfully for your sake, he seemed even more overwhelmed by what he was trying to say, enough that he didn't even seem to notice your struggles.

"We... do not approach such matters like humans. When a Thalassicon wishes to have a relationship that is more... intimate, there is not a period of courting. That is not to say we do not engage in courtship, only that it is not a prerequisite for physical relations. Intimacy is more for... expressing a certain level of trust, as well as desire, and..." he drifted off, the uncertainty in his voice so thick it weighed down every last word. Slapping his face into the palm of his servo, he mumbled in total defeat, too overcome to continue. "This is very hard to articulate."

The last thing you wanted was for him to stop, especially when you could swear you understood what he was trying to say, and very much wanted the conversation to continue in the direction it seemed to be heading. Taking a firmer hold of his hand, you pulled it close to yourself and sat up quickly. Something primal within you gave you the capacity to speak. "Then... show me? Use your hands?"

"If I have your permission-" he began, holding his servos just shy of your wetsuit.

"My full consent, and ask questions if you need to." you explained as you stripped off your mask and oxygen tank in record time, fully motivated to get things moving. You dared to hope you really understood just what he was getting at, that he yearned for your relationship to be more physical, and that your own desire for the same was soon to be quenched. It was much harder to be bashful with such giddy excitement fluttering through your belly.

A surge of similar energy moved through his massive frame, and you felt all thirty or more feet of him become alive beneath you, making your position straddling his chest all the more exciting. Biting your lip to hold back an overwhelmed whimper, you welcomed both of his servos as they lifted from the water, taking a hold of each one and guiding them to your body until his digits settled on your hips. Straight away you felt how different the contact was from any time he'd touched you in the past, a realization that only intensified when he began to explore, sliding his servos over the tight fabric of your wetsuit with all the deliberation one would expect of a scientist. You sat up straighter to open more of your body to him, jaw going visibly slack as his thumbs massaged up your front and stopped just shy of your breasts.

Recalling that you also had a pair of hands that were very skilled at studying aquatic anatomy, you let out all of your pent up curiosity and arousal and began to explore his massive frame, tracing the seams on his chest and savoring the smoothness of his mesh. As his touches stirred something in you, so did yours in him, the hum of his spark intensifying beneath your very fingertips. You were flattered and awed by the mech's receptiveness to your obviously desired advances.

"May I see you as you are?" he asked suddenly, tapping a digit over the tiny zipper on your front. Thoroughly pleased by the bold request, you met his gaze to find far more of his usual confidence had returned, a change you hoped was here to stay. Your certainty that it would intensified when his other servo traced your curves and took their time savoring the softness of your organic body. "I wish to know you without obstacles."

"Here, let me..." you began helpfully, pulling down the zipper in a manner you hoped read as inviting. He'd made his fascination with human anatomy known only in passing, but as you unzipped your suit and revealed a thin sliver of skin beneath, his optic betrayed far more than just academic interest. Loving the attention, you tried to play it cool as you peeled the wet fabric off your shoulders, moving slowly thanks to how the swimsuit clung to you when it was soaked. You managed to free the upper half of your body without too much trouble, baring your breasts to the open air and earning a quiver of excitement from his frame before you decided help would make the remaining process much easier.

"If you could help me pull off- oh!"

To your continued surprise, he didn't hesitate to follow your instructions, peeling off your wetsuit in a series of precise movements and leaving you naked on his chassis as he tucked it away in a convenient subspace.

Completely bare and wet, you looked to him in a brief moment of total vulnerability, fears of rejection rising up only to be quickly squashed down when his optic dilated and his voice rumbled more deeply than you'd ever heard it before. "Fascinating..."

Shockwave did just as you'd bid and began to explore, starting at your legs that had so often fascinated him as a being with a tail. Tracing the shape of your muscles and somehow finding every sensitive nerve along the way, he made a point to massage your thighs, encouraging you to spread them but not yet focusing between them. The mech was approaching your body as one would an exquisite meal, savoring every last bit and saving the very best parts for last. You were a bit too overwhelmed to be impatient when he made it to your ribs, circling his thumbs over the tender flesh on the sides before he dipped inwards to heft your breasts, making your breath hitch as he finally got to your erect nipples. Biting your lip was the only way to hold back a moan.

Beneath you, his frame grew heated, and you felt an almost crackling energy building in the mech as his arousal increased with your own. All the little feelings for him that you'd pushed down over the past few months were returning with interest, creating a fire between your legs that refused to be satisfied by simple touches and demanded attention. Granted your own boldness by your pent up needs, you took a hold of his wrists and pushed them downwards, sitting up to bring your pussy into view in the hope he might skip exploration and go straight for experimentation. A needy whine was your attempt at an invitation.

To your delight and near overwhelm, Shockwave growled at the sight, his desire letting you know the move was the right one even before he spoke with the same level of open, feral want. "How do you prefer to be stimulated?"

"Clit, circles, please." you begged, incapable of anything more eloquent. Thankfully he was quite the master of blunt communication, and seemed to find the invitation more than sufficiently invigorating from the desperation with which he slipped his servo between your legs. Supporting your weight entirely, he began to rub his way from the tender skin between your legs to the sopping lips of your entrance, where he found a wealth of lubrication to get started with.

Your first moan echoed along the ceiling when his digits met your throbbing clit, the smooth mesh delighting you more than you could have ever imagined as he began to circle the erect bud as you'd requested. It occurred to you that you'd never once described such human anatomy to him, and even though you'd learned your species were shockingly similar in this regard you were confident the speed with which he'd found your sweet spot meant he'd been doing research. That thought alone had you moaning far more shamelessly, your hands holding on tightly to his servo as he adjusted you to press his thumb into your clit whilst his foredigit fingered your entrance to test its flexibility. Your eyes rolled back when you felt the heavenly stretch of him slipping inside.

"Need this. Need you." he said quickly, tail slapping the water as your open enjoyment egged him on. Dropping his spare servo to his waist, you had just enough scientific curiosity available to whip your head around in time to see his modesty plating retract, which allowed for an erection nearly as long as you were tall to swing forth with a splash. Beholding the full size and intensity of his arousal made your walls pulse around his digits, something that was not missed on the mech as he began to pump with a groan of pent up, frustrated arousal. You were hypnotized by the impressive purple length, watching in open mouthed desire as his digits moved up and down its streamlined ridges and simple rows of red biolights.

"Shockwave..." you moaned again, grinding down into his palm as the water around you grew choppy from your shared exertions. Hearing his name had exactly the effect you wanted, his thrusting digit going deeper and curling up into your sweet spot as his thumb pressed firmer circles into your clit. The warmth of your arousal running down to pool in his palm made the scientist all the more eager, his tail churning the water as his other servo splashed into the waves with every pump of his erection. Though you wanted to watch him work, you found your eyes rolling back as a familiar coil began to build in your lower body, the promise of a long overdue release making it more or less impossible to care about anything beyond the ecstasy of the moment.

"I'm so close!" you announced to encourage him, cries spilling out of you with every thrust of his wrist. Thighs quivered on either side of his palm as you practically bounced in his grasp, moving yourself to the rhythm of his masturbation and praying both of you could reach completion at around the same time. Judging by how his every sound was some animalistic growl or moan of want, you doubted it would be long, especially with his noises adding so much to your own enjoyment. There was something unspeakably flattering about having such a massive, beautiful, intelligent being moaning over what they were doing to you...

A sudden twist of his deeply buried digit and an increase in the pressure on your clit did you in without warning, making your entire body spasm in his grip as you came hard around him, throbbing walls sending waves of ecstasy through your very being. Stars swirled in the spinning lights overhead, forcing you to grab him for balance as you rode out the release you'd needed for weeks without relief.

Seeing you so overcome pushed Shockwave into his own explosive release, his spinal strut arching as he came in plentiful ropes of transfluid that gushed over himself and grazed your bare back. Moaning in euphoria, he somehow managed to keep you balanced and upright as his hips twitched into every throb, the remainder of the mess being washed away by the waves even before reality came hurtling back. You managed to catch a glance of his near theatrical release before your own orgasm faded into the afterglow, and by the time he did the same you were much closer to unconsciousness than you would have thought possible.

Collapsing in his grip, you very nearly fell off into the water before he released his spent spike to hold you up with both servos, chassis rising and falling as he ventilated hard to cool off. Naked and completely satisfied, you allowed the warm water to welcome you as you were laid flat on his chest, your own ribs expanding repeatedly for deep breaths of exertion. You weren't sure you'd ever been more spent in your life...

"I built a small station on the far side of my lair. There is a platform on which you can rest and dry off." Shockwave said suddenly, total exhaustion belying the monumental step forward the two of you had just taken. It didn't even really hit you when you nodded for him to proceed, your limp body staying just where he kept it on his chassis as he swam slowly in the direction indicated. Purring, you noted the lingering warmth of his release on your back with a bit of pride. Shockwave had needed this just as desperately as you had...

Laying on his chest as the two of you lazily floated towards your destination, you wondered what might come next in your relationship, but admittedly couldn't think of much of anything in depth with so little energy to spare. It was enough just to be happy with him, with how everything had turned out since the fateful day the two of you had met... Judging by how tenderly he cupped you to himself as he swam along, you dared to believe he felt the same way, and if he preferred to show such emotions the way you'd just experienced you were more than fine with it.

#valveplug #transformers #lemon #maccadam #robot x human relations #tf #self insert #human reader #merformers #mermay #shockwave x reader #transformers x reader #x reader #nsfw////#tf imagines

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retroactivebakeries · 4 months

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tsuchinokogirl bank robber has figured out how to flip “being real” on and off so she can just slither unimpeded through walls, bank vaults, jail bars, etc. “like shadowcatgirl from catgirl x-men” no completely different from shadowcatgirl from catgirl x-men.

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itsclydebitches · 1 year

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I really want to take a moment to appreciate the conversation between Roy and Trent in 3x02, as a part of Ted Lasso's larger commentary on toxic masculinity.

Because these two are classic nerd/jock archetypes, yeah? (At least on the surface. The fact that they're far more complex than that is kinda the whole point.) Roy Kent is the handsome, talented, scariest motherfucker around, able to treat people like shit and still earn the devotion of the fans because he possesses the coveted Sports Skills. Trent, in contrast, is the queer kid who was never able to participate in sports himself, instead needing to turn to writing about them to find that in. As he tells Ted, for him sport is the metaphor and his words, delivered with an "edgy" style that pulls no punches, defend Trent in a way he's never been able to defend himself physically; they gain respect in a field where he'd otherwise be considered a joke. ("Is this a fucking joke?") Plus, given the implied backgrounds and present day characterization, I don't think it's much of a reach to believe that scathing articles like the one Trent wrote contain a certain amount of bitter satisfaction: Roy is "over-hyped," "mediocre," "disappointing," and driven by "rage." If that doesn't sound like a bullied kid finally getting back at all the jocks Roy represents, I don't know what does.

Notably, they repeat a version of this history during Trent's first week at Richmond. He's easily the most anxious we've ever seen him, jumping at loud noises, hands twitching in his pockets, very self-consciously trying to form a connection with the players and failing miserably. Trent is without his armor now - that of a high-profile journalist, safe behind his cutting words - and he's unable to rebuild any given that he's being denied the chance to write his stories. Why is that the case? Because top dog Roy Kent has decreed that no one talk to him. Now, we know based on Roy's characterization and what's revealed later in the episode that this is done out of a desire to protect his players from the abusive press, but outside of that context this looks a lot like the popular kid playing the part of a bully. Trent is the new kid entering class, being clocked as the outsider, briefly welcomed by someone with no prior bias (Dani)... and then that's shut down real fast from Roy. Funny as Ted Lasso is (and I was legitimately cracking up throughout the episode) there's also something extremely disquieting - in a very familiar way - at watching someone go from, "Hi! :D" to "FUCK YOU!" all on the say-so of someone with a lot of authority and social power. This dynamic continues throughout the whole week, with Trent growing more and more on edge until, finally, he just gives in. When Roy starts popping balloons he doesn't stand up for himself and demand that he share their office respectfully, Trent just tries desperately to ignore the bullying - and it is bullying, given that Roy stops popping the moment Trent leaves - and then quietly runs away, acting apologetic as he goes. When the players refuse to discuss strategy with Trent he tries to leave again, defeated, which is a far cry from the doggedly confident reporter who would wait for Jamie after practice. Woven among the humor, Trent is at his most vulnerable here, looking more and more like the victim in a hostile, traditionally masculine space.

Of course, given that this is Ted Lasso, the situation is far more complex than just, "Bullies exist and that's #bad." The locker room scene is initially set up to look that way, in large part because it takes place in a locker room/bathroom. AKA, two spaces where bullying tends to occur unimpeded - and we've already seen that in Ted Lasso back when Nate was the underdog, cowering before the rest of the Richmond team. Roy's control over the group is so complete that no one dares challenge his order to ignore Trent (except, of course, Ted himself. The guy who sparked Roy's growth from the get-go) even though the group is clearly very relieved when the ban is lifted. Roy screams at Trent, making him jump, and orders him into the semi-privacy of the showers. It speaks volumes to me that Ted feels the need to give a reassuring nod and that Trent clearly needed it because, again, outside of the fact that they're both obviously adults now and that on a surface level this moment is meant to make us laugh, this is all very reminiscent of the bully pulling the nerdy kid somewhere where he can hurt him without consequence, all while everyone sits there and watches, not really wanting it to happen, but not willing to stop it either. Everything from the setting, to Trent's defensive body language, to Roy pushing the wallet against his chest in a move reminiscent of the classic shove to start off a beating, all of it heavily implies that kind of bully/victim dynamic.

But, as said, it's not that simple. Because Roy isn't the bully here and Trent, crucially, isn't just the victim. The scene goes on to reveal that Trent is the one who has caused Roy harm, by printing a unnecessarily cruel article when he was just seventeen years old. (A revelation that pairs very nicely with his introduction this season - "Love that" - reminding us that just because Trent approves of others standing up to bullies doesn't mean he's never been one.) That was a decision that "wrecked" a young Roy, to the extent that he kept that quote in his wallet for years, only now reaching a point where he can admit how much that hurt him. Trent's explanation is understandable given his heavily implied backstory. Not that he was trying to build his career, but that he would do so by "seeing the worst in people" and hurting them first before they could hurt him. Roy was right all the way back in Season One, Trent is a colossal prick... but that's likely because others were colossal pricks to him first. Here then, we see that cycle of abuse once more, the same one Nate is currently trapped in. The difference, however, is that when Ted says, 'Your ego is hurting us, Roy' Roy listens and when Roy says, 'You really hurt me, Trent' Trent listens, and the three of them together put a stop to the cycle then and there. Trent apologizes. Roy forgives him. Roy lifts the ban and by the end of the episode they've reached a place where they can speak honestly with one another. Not just about Roy's feelings - which is a HUGE thing for him to make Trent privy to - but about the complexities of Trent's career too. We've already seen that balancing the truth with compassion is fine line for him to walk - as evidenced by him texting Ted, but still publishing his article about the panic attacks; leaving his job, but still sniffing out the Richmond story - but here we get the reversal of that. Trent has already said, 'I'm working on emphasizing the ethics of my profession' and now Roy comes in with 'I'm working to admit that a cruel article isn't necessarily an inaccurate one.' He did play like shit at Chelsea and though Trent didn't need to break the spirit of a seventeen year old, the players do need to come to terms with the fact that they're in a high profile career where everyone is judging their performance (something Ted himself is all too aware of). This is the kind of nuanced understanding that's only possible post-apology/forgiveness, wherein the story has reminded us, 'Victims are capable of becoming bullies themselves and they need to own up to their actions just as much as they deserve an apology themselves.'

All of which is REALLY important for the framing of Nate's arc because he is in Trent's position, poised somewhere between victim and bully. It's obvious the ways in which Nate was a victim of the Richmond team, of his father, and even of the public, but it's significant that he's still a victim even as he now consciously hurts others too. Rebecca had a long speech this episode about how charming Rupert is, how he'll pursue you and in the process make you feel like you're the most important person in the world, someone chosen... and though she was talking about Zava, all I could think about was Nate. He's still being charmed and wooed by Rupert, what with the compliments and the new car, but all of it comes with reminders that he's worthless without that approval (surely a cleaning lady must have parked there...). Rupert is the top dog at the moment, his oh so benevolent popularity extending to Nate, encouraging him to model that behavior in order to keep his interest... but inevitably Rupert will toss him aside, just like he did with Rebecca. He'll become bored and Nate will have to grapple with the fact that, in his effort to avoid being a victim, he became the bully instead, just like Trent had. Rebecca is waiting to help Nate understand the ways in which Rupert can demolish your sense of self-worth. Trent is waiting to help Nate understand how to own up to your mistakes. And of course, there's Ted Lasso in the wings, the American outsider who can offer a much needed, compassionate perspective on the whole of it - as well as some personal insight into panic attacks during interviews. The entirety of the Richmond community, thematically, is being built into a reflection of Nate's struggle; a collection of experiences and wisdom and kind-hearted insight that can help him if (when!) he chooses to accept it.

#Ted Lasso #Ted Lasso spoilers #Trent Crimm #Nate Shelley #mymetas

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idkyetxoxo · 5 months

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Three | Allure | The Last Kingdom

"No, I would never fall for your seductress traps,"

"You just might darling you never know"

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───☆⋅☾⋅☆───

I sat outside, the metallic clang of my blades against the whetstone echoing in the air as a man approached, urgency etched into his features. "Forty, maybe fifty men, marching toward us on horseback," the Dane announced, directing his words toward Ragnar, who rose from his spot beside me.

"Close the gate and await their approach," Ragnar ordered briskly. The messenger nodded, hastening to carry out his assigned task. With practised precision, I carefully sheathed my daggers, their edges gleaming in the fading light, before rising to my feet.

Soon enough, the silhouette of approaching riders emerged, led by none other than Bloodhair himself. They sought food, shelter, and parley, seemingly willing to negotiate their grievances with Uhtred through peaceful means.

Ragnar, to my dismay, ordered the gates opened, allowing the Danes entry. I shot him a frustrated glance, my disapproval evident as they strode in unimpeded. "That man knows no honour," I muttered under my breath, my irritation simmering just beneath the surface as Ragnar glanced at me and then simply walked away.

A dry laugh escaped me as I spotted Aethelwold among the Danes. Turning to Sihtric and Finan, I voiced my exasperation, seeking consolation in their shared disbelief. "Surely, this is ridiculous," I remarked, running a hand through my hair in frustration.

"They're your brothers," Sihtric reminded me, his words carrying a hint of resignation and accusation. With a heavy sigh, I acknowledged the truth in his statement. "They'll be the death of me," I muttered, watching with a mix of resignation and apprehension as Uhtred entered Skade's cell, walking straight into her web of manipulation.

"Another fun night?" Sihtric's voice caressed the air as Finan departed, leaving behind a trail of lingering intrigue. My brows knitted in curiosity until his gaze slid down to my neck, where the bruising lovebites peeked out from beneath the exposed skin.

A smirk played on my lips as I crossed my arms, "Jealous it wasn't you?" I teased, my tone dripping with mischief as I raised an eyebrow in challenge.

His response came swift and sharp, a tut of denial escaping his lips. "No, I would never fall for your seductress traps," he retorted, his voice tinged with a hint of defiance.

A low chuckle escaped me, laced with allure. "You just might darling you never know" I whispered, my breath teasing his ear as I leaned in, a suggestive pat on his shoulder accompanying my words.

With a coy smile lingering on my lips, I glided away in the direction of Uhtred, ready to scold him for whatever dalliance he found himself in with Skade.

──☆⋅☾⋅☆──

In the grand hall, a cacophony of cheers echoed as my brother, Haestan, Cnut, and Bloodhair forged an alliance, pooling their strength to lay claim to Wessex.

Beside me stood Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth, their expressions a mixture of apprehension and reluctance toward the impending conflict. "As their sister, I should be standing with them, but I can see this will not end well," I remarked, taking a measured sip from my cup.

"You're the only one with sense in this lot," Finan quipped, earning a smirk from me. "Aren't I just the complete package, then?" I teased, eliciting laughter from him. Sihtric interjected quickly, "Maybe if you weren't so evil."

"Am I evil?" I asked, turning to Osferth, who shook his head vehemently. Leaning back with a satisfied grin, I responded, "See, even the baby monk knows better."

Sihtric's retort came swift and practiced, "he fears the darkness of your mind and what you might do to him if disagreed with," he added, eliciting a wide-eyed response from Osferth.

With a reassuring pat on Osferth's shoulder, I leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, "Rest assured, Osferth, I only reserve my darkness for the deserving." Tousling his hair, I added with a mischievous glint, "The only one in danger is the rat over there," casting a pointed glance at Sihtric, who rolled his eyes.

"Beauty and brains, what more could you want?" Finan's voice, smooth as honey, accompanied by a grin as he leaned towards me, wrapping an arm around my waist and drawing me closer. With a wink directed at Sihtric and Osferth, he seemed to revel in the attention his teasing garnered.

"A woman who can also behead a man with a weapon smaller than the palm of your hand," I countered in a low whisper, gently moving Finan's hand from my side to the sheath holding my dagger at my waist. Fluttering my lashes at him, I watched as amusement flickered in his eyes before he teasingly pushed me away.

Turning towards Sihtric, I couldn't resist the opportunity to provoke him further, sticking my tongue out at him as he rolled his eyes once more. The tension in his clenched jaw betrayed his inner thoughts, his gaze fixed on the exchange between Finan and me.

Before our banter could escalate further, one of Ragnar's men seized my arm, pulling me into the midst of my brothers' celebration, where the revelry and anticipation for the battles ahead were notable.

Yet, even as I celebrated with the man at my side, my gaze continually drifted towards Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth. They stood apart, their expressions guarded behind tight-lipped smiles.

──☆⋅☾⋅☆──

I watched as Ragnar warmly greeted the two newcomers, and my heart leapt with joy once I recognized Thyra's familiar face. "Thyra!" I exclaimed, rushing to envelop her in a heartfelt hug.

"I've missed you terribly. These men give me nothing but headaches," I teased, prompting laughter from her as she held me affectionately.

The joyous reunion was swiftly interrupted by Beocca's solemn announcement to Ragnar and Brida. He had come to fulfill the king's order, to formally banish Uhtred and myself from Wessex. Yet, I sensed there was more to his visit as Thyra instinctively guided us away.

Alone with Beocca, we received alarming news of Aethelflaed's peril, orchestrated by Aethelred. Aethelwold's visit to Aethelred hinted at a treacherous bid for the Wessex throne. With Haesten's imminent return, Aethelflaed's hiding place was at risk of exposure. Beocca reiterated Uhtred's promise to Aethelflaed and her unwavering trust in him.

"Uhtred, you cannot turn a blind eye to this," I implored softly, meeting his frustration with understanding. "I know you cannot forsake Ragnar, he is my brother too, but this army he's assembled is not going to stand," I reasoned.

Uhtred's conflicted expression mirrored the turmoil within him as he deliberated, eventually deciding to confer with Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth as well.

As Uhtred departed, I lingered with Beocca, noticing the conflict etched upon his face. He acknowledged the inner struggle I endured, torn between the loyalty to my brothers, grappling with the weight of a decision made difficult by the relentless pull of destiny.

I made my way to where Ragnar and Uhtred stood, having savoured some much-needed moments with Thyra. As I approached, Ragnar's sharp words cut through the air, questioning Uhtred's allegiance. My steps quickened, sensing tension in the air.

Uhtred echoed my earlier sentiments, asserting that the hastily assembled army was bound to crumble. Ragnar's anger flared as he demanded Uhtred's unwavering loyalty. My gaze shifted between them.

Just as Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth entered, Uhtred declared his intent to rescue Aethelflaed. Ragnar's hurt was unmistakable as he confronted Uhtred, revoking our name for betraying their bond. He was no longer Uhtred Ragnarsson.

"Ragnar do not do this" I interjected, pleading with him to see reason. "These men will only tear you apart further, you're brothers," I implored, gesturing to the men gathered around us, hoping to appeal to the bond that once united them.

Ragnar remained resolute. "My decision is final," he declared firmly. His words cut through the air like a blade, leaving a tension in their wake.

Unable to contain my dismay, I confronted him. "So you would deny your own sister as well?" I questioned, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, a shield against his rejection.

"If she wishes to side with the traitor, she is no sister of mine," he declared, his tone final and unyielding. Thyra's gasp of shock echoed my own disbelief, a testament to the rift that had formed between us.

With a heavy heart, I made my own declaration. "Then I suppose I am no sister of yours," I declared, my voice quivering with wounded pride. Swallowing back tears threatening to spill, I turned away, unwilling to let anyone witness my vulnerability.

Retreating to the solitude of a secluded corner, I leaned against a sturdy tree trunk, allowing the weight of my emotions to overwhelm me. Tears lightly marked my cheeks as I sank to my knees, the weight of betrayal pressing down upon me like a suffocating blanket.

Tears rarely stained my cheeks, even in the face of physical torment. I often find humour in pain, a trait others found disturbing, even barbaric or creepy at times but pain has become all too familiar, something I've learned to embrace.

Yet, this moment was different. One of the few men other than my father who embraced the darkness the world draped upon me, who accepted me despite the labels, treated our bond as if it were nothing. As if I were nothing.

The sound of approaching footsteps snapped me out of my reverie. As I quickly brushed away my tears, I locked eyes with Sihtric, bracing myself for his reaction. I anticipated mockery, jest, anything but what followed.

Without a word, he knelt beside me, awkwardness evident in the air between us. With a hesitant gentleness, he pulled me into his embrace, and though I accepted it, the unfamiliarity of the gesture left a lingering sense of apprehension.

Despite the discomfort, in that moment, as he held me close, I allowed myself to surrender to the pain, as he held me close.

He was personally experienced with the anguish of being treated harshly or forsaken because of titles, if anyone understood that pain, it was him.

───☆⋅☾⋅☆───

Ragnar said not today sis 😔 and dw they aren't getting together for a while there's still a lot more suffering and challenges before they even contemplate any meaningful connection.

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