#didn't fix any vines either

[prettyboykatsuki]

sloppy seconds | s. getou + s. gojo

✮ tags ; afab +fem!reader, weird relationship dynamics, polyamory if you squint, mild obsession, overstimulation + unprotected sex, wet and messy, dubcon (gojo references passing out on readers end but its all consensual) 18+

✮ wc ; 2.3k

✮ a/n ; nonsensensically horny about this idk

Suguru doesn’t mind sharing. Not with Satoru.

Never with Satoru. 

It’s easy to mistake that willingness for benevolence, and for a lesser sorcerer - fear. But it’s neither, nothing so complex. Nothing worth philosophizing over, something Suguru loves to do. Suguru just doesn’t mind sharing with Satoru for anything.

If he has to explain himself - it’s like this. Satoru is an extension of Suguru himself. A part of him, ingrained in him, grown into him. Not like ivy vines, but a flower pushing through concrete, a stubborn spectacle of Suguru’s gray matter. Satoru is the bluebell that refuses to be plucked, to die, to be anything but involved. 

That and Satoru is not good at not coveting all things Suguru owns. He’s even worse at try to pretend he doesn’t want them. It's pitiful and frequent enough to make Suguru wince every time. A boy born into God doesn’t know how to play fair, even when his best efforts are made to do so. 

When Satoru longs for something, his whole body has to whine for it. His eyes will flutter and he’ll slow himself down like a sloth, laugh less. When he really, really tries - he almost becomes a shell of himself. A shell of a shell, a masquerading puppet. 

He’s not equipped for it. Suguru finds the whole display pathetic. 

Well, Suguru likes appeasing him, too. That’s part of it. He’s not so dishonest that he can’t recognize that he enjoys seeing the way Satoru breaks the things Suguru gives him. There’s a novelty in that display, like a child crying for a toy and playing too rough. Suguru fixes them, sees if Satoru learns from his mistakes and he never does. Satoru likes things that are shiny, things he can’t have. Discards them and loses interest when it’s already his. 

Suguru never gives Satoru something unless he’s certain he doesn’t mind it being broken, or being used, or being a little messy. If there is any apprehension, Suguru won’t do it. Won’t let Satoru cry his way into it either. 

He also likes the chase. Satoru does. Like an overgrown dog. Likes begging and pleading, making a big show.  He can be manipulative too, if it’s something that has to be taken, but he’ll heel if Suguru puts his foot down. 

Most of all, Suguru enjoys cleaning up after Satoru’s messes. It makes him feel important. There’s always an undercurrent of amusement and warmth when Suguru picks up after Satoru. The strongest is uncharacteristically sloppy, and doesn’t know how to indulge in things without getting sick of them instantly. 

Their relationship is like this - Suguru is the hand that feeds, and Satoru is the thing that bites. Suguru sighs and clicks his teeth, but the scars in his fingers and all the bite marks prove that he doesn’t really care about Satoru learning his lesson.  He just likes to feed, likes to watch Satoru eat off his hand for a while before Satoru gives up on being good and uses his mouth to devour. Suguru watches this happen idly, lets the whole thing roll off of his sleeve and laughs. Because that’s just Satoru, after all. 

For all reasons above and then some, Satoru's interest in you doesn't shock him at all.

Suguru loves you. Maybe in some twisted way, but it’s love. You’re rather obstinate. He suspects he might have a type, but he likes you so much for it. When Suguru pushes your buttons - you’re not the kind to sit back and take it. And for how much Suguru gets on your nerves, Satoru gets on yours worse. Between them, only Suguru only saw the best in you. Satoru didn't understand that part of you is what makes you so special. Only you could refuse him so often and keep Suguru wrapped around your fingers, unable to ignore you or keep his hands off of you.

(He’s a good enough man to you just to make you melt since he knows if you really got mad you'd leave. He knows how to smile and sorry until you lay in his arms and hit him soft because you claim to still be mad.)

The decision to share you is one Suguru makes lightly. It’s featherlight and simple. Satoru will indefinitely break you in some way. Will rip at you like the ill-mannered man he is. Suguru will bask in it like he always does. Satoru is only so keen on having you because Suguru so utterly adores you. Of course he knows that. But curiosity always wins Suguru over. He couldn't help but want to know what exactly Satoru will do with you once he had you. 

It surprises him after, but Satoru doesn’t lose interest in you as fast as Suguru expects. Or at all. Maybe he should’ve predicted that, since he knows best you’re not so easy to break. 

But Satoru tries. God, does he try to just do that.

Suguru glances back towards Satoru. He has a lot more energy than him. Enough to fuck you utterly dumbstruck 

He watches on as he does it now, with the same mild fondness. Something stirs seeing you like that of course, but it’s not so distracting he can’t do other things. 

Satoru has you in his bed with your legs pinned up against your ears. Impatience makes an interesting image of Satoru. His sweatpants are pulled over the meat of his thigh, covered in cum and sweat since he refuses to take them off. His shirt is still on in much the same condition, though the black fabric masks some of it. Still it sticks unmistakably to his abdomen, clings tight to the lines of his abs. 

Satoru himself seems keen on making himself sick on you. His hands are folded underneath your knees with his face against yours - warm, wet and sloppy kisses making the entire room sound sticky. The air of his apartment is so thick with lust, Suguru’s sure he could slash through it with a knife and still not make it to fresh air. 

Suguru is a little used to it. So he’s horny, but he’s not there yet. He approaches the bed with a smooth and familiar demeanor, the mattress dipping underneath his weight as he sits next to you. Your eyes are tear stained and wet as you blink, sensing his presence even amidst your delirium. 

You try to reach your hand out for him but Satoru is quick to shut it down. Suguru tsks. 

“Don’t get greedy,” Suguru reprimands, and Satoru only shoots him a frown. His focus in fucking you open doesn’t cease for even a minute. “Missed me did you?” 

Your mouth forms around his name. It tries, but the words are muffled by Satoru’s own lips again. Suguru laughs a little louder this time, but doesn’t stop Satoru in any way. When he pulls away from you, your eyes are glazed over. Mouth open, tongue sticking out and covered in spit. Bitten to hell and pink with someone else's saliva. Suguru reaches towards your face and wipes your mouth, his back facing Satoru. You whine, letting your face curl against his hand. Desperate, so desperate for him despite being fucked out of your mind. 

“So greedy,” Suguru teases, because you are - because he’s made you that way so perfectly in his image. “Satoru isn’t doing a good job?” 

Satoru grumbles with possession he’s hardly earned, but again - this is of no concern to him. He watches Satoru ratchet his hips a little more, watches him fuck you on his cock even deeper than before. Your eyes roll back and your jaw goes slack, and from this angle - Suguru can see the way all the loads his best friend has pumped in you have gathered at the base of his cock. A thick, creamy ring of white making your pussy deliciously sloppy. Your cum drips down your sex, paints your ass white as he keeps fucking him into you with all that stamina. 

That’s what gets him, he finds. All that energy, all that mess. Suguru feels a shiver roll through him as Satoru fucks his loads into you deeper. He’s longer where Suguru is thicker so Suguru imagines how far that really goes. How hot it must be inside of you, fucked so ruthlessly you’ve gone completely stupid in bliss. Satoru can fuck like an animal just like he eats like one, and god don’t you look so pretty being ripped apart in front of him. 

Satoru bottoms out and stays there this last thrust, so hard the bed shakes. His thighs stick to yours as he grinds his hips up, pulsing against your gspot - reaching right into your womb. You moan brokenly, whimper as you get fucked. Suguru knows it now - that it means Satoru is about to cum in your greedy little cunt for umpenteenth time unconcerned with the consequences. 

Satoru shivers, riding out his high as he pumps whatever he has left into you before he pulls away. Thick strings of arousal keep you two together before Satoru inevitably manages to get off of you. He sits on the back of his legs, admiring his work - his hands going to smack your puffy cunt - pleased and finally relieved. You yelp, completely worn out. 

“You didn’t pass out this time,” He says, pleased and completely different than he was before “Good girl.” 

You let out a pained whine, and Suguru coos.

Satoru gets off the bed and looks for a water bottle to drink, peeling his shirt off when he finds it and rehydrating himself. He has the courtesy to come back and let you have some when he returns. You swallow it as best you can when you’re laying down and drinking it from his lips.

“You gonna have your way with her now, Suguru? How cruel.” Satoru says. 

Suguru ignores him. “Go wash up and order dinner.” 

Satoru hums noncommittally and disappears, leaving you alone together. When Suguru replaces Satoru’s weight in the bed - your reaction is immediate. You close your legs, but Suguru forces them back apart as he gets a good look at your sore, abused cunt. 

Satoru can be so brutal when he wants to, but thats what he likes most to see. You’re in a sorry state. He uses nimble fingers to open you up - looking with a wicked grin as your cunt opens up for him. Nearly gapes from how stretched it is, how much Satoru has fucked you. You’re still soft and sticky inside, your clit hard and swollen. Full to the brim with Satorus seed, heady with his scent.

He tsks at Satoru’s unprofessionalism, wonders if he’s been as dexterous as he should’ve been. 

The questions answered when Suguru touches your pussy and you pull away - skittish and helpless as he pinches the hard bundle of nerves. He whistles at how easily you’re stimulated, and then groans at the way Satoru’s cum starts to drip out of your hole. He uses his pointer finger to collect it back up - pushing it back where he wants it. You cry out - for Suguru mostly.

Suguru hums delicately as he picks up after Satoru’s mess. 

He unclothes you properly first. Takes off your shirt and dirty shorts before he undresses himself. You like skin to skin, so his shirt comes off as his pants lay low on his hips. When he’s like that, you reach your arms around his neck like you know what’s coming. Suguru chuckles at how instinctual it is, lets you reach out for him - your sticky body adhering to his skin. 

“Messy little pussy. Going to let me fuck you some more? Fuck another load into you, huh beautiful?” 

You nod stupidly. He kisses the side of your head. Of course you will. 

It never fails to send pure electricity up Suguru’s spine when he fucks you like this. Never fails to make him so hard he’s lightheaded, feeling how soft and wet and sloppy you are. Your cunt doesn’t resist him in the slightest. He slides his thick, heavy cock right into your pussy with unbelievable ease and feels everything. Feels your walls pulse with tremors of orgasms, overstimulation making you dizzy with need. 

Suguru groans. You feel incredible like this. Feel perfect, so stretched open, so delirious, full of his best friends cum. He’s never felt a single thing so euphoric as this. 

He ducks his head down to give you the proper care. The best part of all of it for him. His mouth latches on your tender tits and his hand goes between your bodies - thumb circling your clit as he bottoms out easily into your pussy and stays there. 

It’d be a waste to fuck you hard, everything dripping out where Satoru has worked so hard to fill. Suguru opts instead to lay you out on your spine and grind into you. Your legs weakly wrap around his waist as the head of his cock bullies your gspot, pushing into you and rubbing against the sensitive spongy area. Silky walls soggy as they cling to him while you cry out again. 

With Satoru, you mostly keep to yourself. Bratty and firm. But with him, you’re so needy. You whimper his name and beg for his attention and ask for something you aren’t sure of because you trust Suguru so completely. You forget your obstinance as you beg him for a proper orgasm, not one that happened to get rung out of you because Satoru can’t help himself. 

Suguru can never last long like this, but he lasts long enough to fulfill your wishes. He relishes in the weakened pulses of your pussy, spasming around him for the last time. Your nails dig into his biceps, as he hums against your tits and lets you ride out your continued high. 

Only once it’s over does he let himself cum. Buries himself as deep as he can go and gives you his own load, grunting into the crook of your neck as he shakes - his abs tightening before going soft inside of you. Thick white ropes of cum filling you even deeper. Sloppy fucking pussy for his pretty. perfect girl.

“Suguru,” You whine, your hands gripping onto him for life - usual personality evaporated to mush. “Suguru I love you,” 

He laughs to himself. See? No issues. Suguru always knows how to put you back together. 

“I love you too, baby.” 

[readychilledwine]

another fic idea for you, my queen, if you would like to write it into existence. instead of thesan publicly having a male lover, he has a peregryn female who is his “beard”. like he tells everyone she’s his lover when he definitely doesn’t swing that way. let’s pretend everyone believes him 🫢 and their agreement is actually a bargain that she can’t break with the stipulation being that the bargain is fulfilled once she finds her mate. her bargain tattoo is super visible like up her neck (or on her face, but like tastefully of course) during the high lord meeting, azriel has a love at first sight moment (he’s obsessed but the mating bond hasn’t snapped) and he is once again thwarted by Rhys who tells him to stay away to prevent war with dawn court. azriel still secretly meets with the peregryn who 100% returns his affections bc she’s not ACTUALLY with thesan. but then they’re somehow caught red handed. shit hits the fan because keeping up with appearances, thesan is literally about to throw it down with the night court for stealing his girl. He’s actively beating up azriel (who is letting him bc angst 🤷🏽‍♀️) with the peregryn screaming at him to stop when the bond snaps and her very visible bargain tattoo fades away (dramatically like with gold shimmers or something bc it’s dawn court LOL) and it’s happily ever afters all around. (I hope you don’t mind me sending you these fully fleshed out ideas bc I can’t write worth a damn but I know you would do them justice 🫡)

Love and 1000 other Lies

Summary - Aurora has held her place with pride and joy aince accepting Thesan and Bastian’s idea and becoming their coverup. But a certain shadowsinger seems to have other plans for her and her future

Warnings - implied smut, swearing, threats, mentions of war, time jump transitions, sappy Azriel

A/n- after my final edit and run through, this is just shy of 5.7k words. I fixed some grammar errors, changed out some wording, and turned this into a full on love child. I hope you all enjoy her as much as I enjoyed the long process of writing her, perfecting her, and editing her. I used a new writing method, so I do apologize for weird cuts and flow if there is any 💜

"Ew," Thesan joked quietly as his fake lover went to hold his hand, lacing their fingers together. "You need better hand cream."

She shot him an insulted look, eyes darting between her best friend and his actual lover. "I use the hand cream you two bought me. It's not my fault you didn't drop warrior from my title when you decided on our… arrangement." 

Thesan nodded to the guards, he offered his "wife" his arm, holding her a little closer as they entered the room a few high lords had already entered with their parties. To the outside world, it was Thesan and Aurora the High Lord and Lady of Dawn who were very much in love. On the inside they were best friends, and had been forever. Thesan loved her like a sister he had never been blessed with, and she loved him, and his mate, like the brothers she had always wanted. 

75 years ago, when they had asked her to publicly marry Thesan to protect him from Amarantha's claws, she had not hesitated to say yes. She had not hesitated when it came to the bargain either. Was she thrilled when morning glories began to appear on her neck, wrapping her ear like the vines they grew from, and appearing on the right side of her face? No. Thesan had not been either, but could they change it? No. Now though, it was just part of her. It was a piece of who was and would be until she found her mate and presented him to Thesan.

He escorted her to her chair, kissing the top of her hand gently before taking his place. His own mate stood behind both of them, keeping the outward appearance as their selected guard. Bastain loved Thesan dearly, and he had been the one to come up with the plan of using Aurora as their cover. He never once was jealous until they were trapped under the mountain, and playing an occasional role became a daily struggle between the three of them. Mainly due to the common room inspections they were forced to endure. Thesan and Ro were forced to take their marriage to levels they had not expected nor wanted. Levels they had promised each other wouldn't be crossed. 

The three of them watched each party enter, every High Lord coming to greet the Peregryn female to compliment the beauty of their home and Palace. Aurora smiled at each compliment, thanking them and holding their wife’s or female guest’s hands as she played her role. The gentle home maker, the skilled combat healer, the soft soul who had somehow captured the heart of Pryithian’s most elusive High Lord. 

Kal and Viv were particularly taken with the pond that centered the room. The lord of Winter had always wanted to incorporate more of the land into the building Amarantha had destroyed where he formerly hosted meetings and gatherings with outside courts. “I just do not understand how you manage such things,” he turned to Aurora. “Thesan, I may steal your wife for a few weeks. My court could use such talented eyes.”

Aurora smiled at him as they took their seats and she sat back on her own, straightening her dress before putting her hand back on Thesan’s muscled inner forearm. 

Bas leaned into his husband's side, "I can't wait to remind her she has the taste of an Illyrian Brute when we are all alone." Thesan covered his mouth, eyes sparkling. “I designed that for you, you harlot. You did do a lovely job with the stone, plant, and fish selection though.”

Aurora whispered back, a soft smile hiding the small and playful pissing contest between her and Bas. ”You realize that is much more important than the design of a stone pool, right? I am literally the one who made it worth looking at.”

“She is not wrong, Bas. She did a lot of the-” Thesan paused. "The Night Court is here."

Aurora rolled her eyes, a headache already starting at the thought of seeing Rhysand again. "Do I really have to be here?"

"Yes," the males both said quietly. 

Bas handed her a wine glass over her shoulder. "No one said you cannot drink through this though, my lady." She took the wine happily. 

"Thank you, General." 

"Of course, my lady." He replied playfully. "Must Rhysand always make everything an ostentatious fashion show?"

Aurora almost spit her wine out, gripping Thesan's hand a little tighter. The High Lord hid his own laughter by clearing his throat. "Composure, 'Rora," he hissed under his breath. "Azriel is extra scrumptious today, though. The Mother took her time on that one."

Bas hummed in agreement. "I heard he plays both sides of the field." 

Thesan raised his brows in excitement. His urge to gossip came forward as his eyes began to sparkle. "Oh do tell."

"Later." Thesan noted Azriel's eyes on his "wife" the whole meeting.

It wasn't that he could blame the male, Aurora was stunning, especially for fae standards. Gorgeous silky chocolate hair, plump full lips, a button nose, and beautiful curves that sat on her muscled frame perfectly. Her dress accented her hourglass figure. Had he enjoyed the company of females, he would have courted her, possibly married her for real. It was her mind that intrigued Thesan most. She was intelligent, witty, funny. SHe held herself to high standards and performed at that standard whenever it was asked of her. There was also her selflessness. Her willingness to place a target on her own back to protect him, to protect Bastian, to protect their court. Aurora was as beautiful inside as she was outside, a true sparkling rare gem of his court that he could have used for so much more than a fake marriage.

He placed a hand possessively on her thigh as she focused on her quiet discussion with a kneeled down Bastian. Thesan shot Azriel a look of warning as he caught the shadowsinger staring at her again. "Rhysand, tell your family to keep their eyes off taken females." 

Despite the marriage being fake, Thesan knew two things. The first was he had to keep the act of a protective territorial male up. The second was he would never yield her to the hands of the Night Court. He would never yield any of his fae to the Night Court. Not after years of Rhysand’s constant humiliation. His constant attacks. Not after what he had done to the barely healed wings of his wife.

The High Lord of Night knitted his brows together before turning to Azriel and following his gaze to where Bastian and Aurora were whispering Hybern's battle plans Tamlin had just presented. “I apologize, Thesan. She is just as radiant today as rumors and gossip makes her out to be. Forgive Azriel. Please. It is both rare to see a female with wings, and one in such a high position of power among the Illyrians.”

Aurora paused, feeling the room's eyes on her. She made confused eye contact with Viv who simply pointed to the Night Court as she and Kal too had picked up on the stares from the Spymaster. "Did I miss something, love?"

Thesan gently pulled your hand to his. "Nothing, dove. Just a male not keeping his gaze where it belongs." He kissed her hand gently. "Thoughts on those papers?"

Aurora handed them back to Bas with a sigh. "Our air legion would not be enough, nor would the Illyrian Armies. If they truly have those numbers, we will need to work closely with the Night Court and their general. The bigger concern is their Naval fleet. I would have never guessed to have put Hybern in possession of that level of an armada.”

Rhysand spoke. "Which brings us back to the question at hand Lady Dawn. Can we trust Tamlin when Spring has been known to ally with Hybern and he is the reason they are here?"

Aurora spoke without thinking, 50 years of anger lacing her tone. "I did not realize all males were their fathers, Rhysand.” She watched as the sentence struck where she aimed it and his sharp jawline tightened. “Should we worry about you and where you stand as well? Your father only fought with us during the last war because he did not want to lose his place as High Lord had Hybern's last efforts been successful. It seems the offer Hybern made Tamlin would have surely swayed your father. Perhaps it swayed you as well, seeing as your so-called High Lady,” Aurora held up the letters Feyre sent Hybern on “behalf” of Tamlin, “Is the actual reason they invaded a full year ahead of plan.”

Tension in the room rose slightly as the Lord of Night and Lady of Dawn stared each other down. No one sitting in those chairs who had witnessed her torture would soon forget her screams, nor how Rhysand had smiled as he administered it. "Of the High Lords currently present, I've experienced cruelty from two of them. One simply because of my wings,” a pointed look to Autumn had even Beron looking away, refusing to be in the stare of a female he knew could end all trade supply of healing herbs and medicines to his court. “And one because he was evidently so deep into what he wanted us all to believe was an act that all courtesy went out the window." Her gaze went back to Rhys, hard eyes meeting shamed violet ones.

Rhys shifted. "I never wanted to hurt you."

Bas spoke firmly, the timber of his voice almost shaking the room. "You plucked her wings bare. Twice. You do not get to say you never wanted to hurt her when you did. You will not address my lady any further. We will choose to believe Spring until given a real reason not to that isn't some farce of a lovers spat."

Azriel growled at another general commanding his High Lord, and Aurora immediately stood facing him between them. "You've already attacked Eris Vanserra, Shadowsinger, do not test your luck against the Dawn Court in our home. Unlike Autumn, I am more than capable of handing you and finishing what you start. We are warriors too, shadowsinger. Try your best to not forget that.”

Azriel felt his chest tighten, then warmth, and a snap. His eyes went wide before he turned to Rhysand with a panicked expression. 

Lady Dawn was his mate. 

Azriel paced the room Helion, Cassian, and Rhys all sat watching him in. "What do I do?"

Cassian spoke first with a shrug. "Nothing you truly can do, Azriel. Unless you plan on breaking up a marriage between the High Lord, who may I remind you controls healers, healer apprenticeships, and the flow of healing medicines and tonics, and his wife absolutely hates your high lord and brother."

Rhys nodded gently. "I already pushed that alliance enough without choice, Azriel. We can't risk it. They supply all of our healing houses, they staff our healing houses. All of them are on contract and Thesan could pull the healers home without notice or warning.”

Helion shifted. "So I'm the only one who noticed then?" The three males all looked to him, indicating for him to continue. "Aurora fidgets with her "wedding ring", Helion putsput fake emphasisemphases on the phrase, "when she's nervous. She spins it, slides it off and on. She never wears that rock. Her finger is tanned, and there is no indent indicating she actually wears her wedding ring frequently. It could be because of her status as a second general, but, still, even if she had it off to train for 3 to 4 hours a day, she should still have some sign of it on that pretty hand of hers.”

Helion took a sip of his wine and continued. "That bargain on her also has specific conditions. I have not had the pleasure of being alone with her long enough to read the rune markings, but it is not a life bargain one would normally see between a High Lord and his Lady. I would talk to her, alone, Azriel. I do not think that marriage is all it is cracked out to be.”

Rhysand leaned forward. "The reason Amarantha began to target them was because their room never smelled of sex, but Thesan did. As did Bastain and his room. But never Aurora. Whose room only ever smelled like her. She thought it was…. Odd."

Helion nodded. "That's my point. She's covering for them. We all know Thesan had no interest in females until Amarantha started rearing her ugly ass head around. Then suddenly Thesan and sweet Aurora were married. It is suspicious at the very least, and a lie at the most."

Rhys shook his head, standing to go to bed. "Stay away from her, Azriel. I do not want to have to add War with Dawn on to our family meeting agendas. I also do not want to deal with fighting a war with no healers for our court.”

Azriel could not find sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, heart beating too rapidly with joy and his soul screaming too loudly with excitement. He felt a tug on the bond, and Azriel immediately left the room, following his shadows to where they said Lady Dawn currently was.

He took him a little while to find her in the dark herb garden, and he almost stopped his approach completely when he did. Her long hair was completely down, her feet bare as she stood by the lake in the flowing knot and rope styled dress she was wearing. "Shadowsinger," she greeted calmly as a tendril of dark Mist weaved between her fingers in greeting. 

Azriel moved standing next to her. "Lady Dawn."

They stood there in silence, both afraid to break the dam and address what happened in the meeting. Azriel broke the silence first. "Can you feel it?" 

Aurora answered honestly. "Only because of my powers. It didn't snap for me yet, and I do not know why." 

Azriel stared at the bargain tattoo dancing on her neck and face. "Does it have anything to do with the bargain?" She shrugged at the question. "What exactly is the bargain?"

"I can't tell you." Azriel nodded at the response. His eyes then went down to her hand, noticing the lack of diamonds currently adorning her left ring finger. 

"Where are your chambers?"

Aurora rose a brow, a small smirk forming. "Bold."

Azriel nodded. "I've waited over 500 years for you. I will be as bold as I need to be."

He took her shamelessly that night. Noting how she truly did have her own chambers located nowhereno where near Thesan. How her chambers only smelled like her. 

He memorized every shiver, every sound, every plea. She had not been touched, truly touched, in years. Azriel hated the thought of it. He hated the idea of her alone in this giant bed. He hated the thought of her being woken up to the sun rising and painting the sky in soft light instead of waking to kisses and worship.

He hated that his bond was being hidden by a lie. He slipped from her room using the shadows and returned to his before the sun fully rose. He held back tears as he washed the scent of her off of his skin, hating every single second of it. He looked away from Rhysand as he asked for help masking what lingered. Not in shame, but so his brother wouldn’t see his hurting, his small amount of guiltguit wracking through him.

Breakfast the next morning was filled with uncomfortable silence. Aurora sat next to Thesan, eating silently as shadows ran her legs and skirts under the table. She had glamored the scent of night mist clinging to her skin softly, the love marks, the small bruises. She smiled as Thesan kissed her hand, trying to pull her from her distracted mind with a look. 

Azriel kept his gaze from her. Keeping his focus on his plate and just holding the memories from last night as close to him as possible. 

They sought each other out weeks later before the war truly began. Azriel etched the look on her face as they stood in Velaris together ininto his memory. He led her to his cabin, keeping her with him that weekend. He learned she loved to read, to explore and hike, to laugh. He had laughed so hard in those 3 days he was pretty sure his body had discovered unworked muscles. It had taken him those 72 hours to fall for her. He wasn’t sure if it was the bond driving it, or just because they were simply meant to be, but Azriel knew after 72 hours he would never love anyone like this again. And, selfishly, he never wanted to.

She came to him during the war. Seeking him out in the dead of night near their camps, drenched in blood and exhausted. “Azriel,” Aurora set her weapons down, almost collapsing at his feet as sobs shook her to the core. His mate. His gentle mate. A 2nd general of a large legion of warriors, breaking down as he moved to her instantly. 

He held her close, stroking her matted hair as she clung to his leathers. “It's okay,” he soothed her, wishing that bond had snapped in those stolen moments alone so he could send her everything he was feeling, every trapped word. Azriel snuck her into this tent that night, keeping her close after bathing the blood, dirt, and sweat from her body, from her soft hair and wings. 

That was the beginning of a nail in the coffin. 

He had not been as vigilant as he should have due to his focus locked solely on Aurora. 

She was his priority, not her husband’s mate watching them. 

Bastian kicked off the tree. This was the third confirmation he needed. The first had come the morning after the High Lord’s meeting. Aurora’s room had a scent he knew, but hadn’t been able to place. The second came as he watched her sneak out and fly towards the Night Court. Now this. He wanted to chalk it up to war bringing out emotions and needs in all of them. Afterall, he had shamelessly fucked Thesan into a state of bliss and emptyness just moments ago. But there was something in the way Azriel held Aurora, as if he was familiar with her and her body that gave Bastian the answer he needed. 

They were having an affair. 

And she was a traitor and potential threat to their court.

A month after the war, Azriel and Aurora began to fall into a soft dance. Every two nights, they met in the Day Court, hiding their affair, their love, among Helion’s many fae and open court. Guilt had set into Aurora’s mind at times, guilt that she was betraying her court, her two closest friends. Guilt that she did not feel the bond the way Azriel did. Guilt that as she laid beneath him that night with Azriel peppering kisses and gentle words of adoration and praise into her tanned skin with each slow calculated movement inside of her, that she loved him. 

Aurora had truly, madly, and deeply fallen for this male without caution, without second thought, without hesitation. She didn’t need a bond to tell him that as her head fell back, and she whispered those three words over and over, whining desperately for him, pleading for him, feeling nothing but the wholeness only Azriel brought her. Her nails sunk into his back when they found completion together, minds and souls merging into one. 

A ring box sat on the bedside table next to them, a glittering black and blue gem centered in gold with sapphires sat beside it, mocking her as he slept . He was behind her, an arm curled around the curve of her waist, soft breathing fanning her neck and causing her to shiver in anticipation of the morning sex she knew they would have. 

The ring was such a contrast to the blush pink diamond that sat silver Thesan had gifted her. It wasn’t fair. Thesan was allowed his lover in their scam of a marriage, yet Aurora was meant to be the docile wife blind to what everyone else clearly could see. Every meal between her, Thesan, and Bastian was becoming more and more hostile as resentment built and built on her end. It wasn’t fair, knowing she’d fly home to Dawn tomorrow and they’d be wearing those golden bands while she hid this gorgeous ring and only wore it when she was alone. 

She didn’t know they knew. That they had agreed to let her confess in her own time and explain. It wouldn’t matter if she had told them, until that bond snapped, she was trapped in this limbo. 

Azriel landed as quietly as possible on Aurora's balcony. It was eerily quiet and dark inside of her normally life filled room. He entered slowly and paused when he saw Thesan sitting on her couch in front of the fire.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" The High Lord sipped something as he waved Azriel closer. "How long have you been fucking my wife in my home?" Azriel did not respond. Only setting his weapons aside to show he meant no harm. Bastian came into the room as well, Aurora held tight in his grip as tears streamed down her face.

Azriel couldn’t suppress the growl that tore through his throat. “Let. Her. Go.” 

Thesan was tired of games, though. Tired of months of lies after pretty lies. “He will after you two try to explain yourselves. It is a crime to fuck a High Lord’s wife. Or did Rhysand not tell you that when he put you up to this?”

Azriel glared towards Thesan before locking his gaze on Aurora, the feral side of him watching for any sign of pain or distress since he could not feel her the way he should have been able to. He called out for Rhysand in his mind, not even flinching as Rhys and Cassian appeared behind him.

Rhysand took in the scene, taking a deep breath as his suspicions were all but confirmed. He knew he had no right to judge. After all, he had taken his own mate from her impending marriage to another High Lord. “Thesan, let’s talk about this, please.” Rhys put his hands up, showing he meant to harm as he approached the other High Lord. “I know this is not ideal-”

Thesan interrupted, anger spilling into his words. “He’s fucking my wife. My 2nd general. How much information has she handed to all of you? How deep does this betrayal go, Rhysand?” Azriel paled at what was being inferred, at the consequences Thesan could hand his mate if he felt necessary.

Banishment and death, Aurora realized slowly. This was going to end with her being banished from her home, and possibly from the Night Court to maintain that little relationship Thesan and Rhys had rebuilt, or with her and Azriel’s death. “I told him nothing,” she whimpered out. “It wasn’t like that, Thesan. You know me better than that.”

“I thought I did,” those words felt like hot knives in her chest, cutting deeper than she had ever imagined they could. “I can see now I was clearly wrong about you, Clearly wrong for picking you.”

Aurora just nodded, taking the scolding before looking at Azriel. “Just let him live, Thesan, please. Do what you want with me, but let him live.” Bastian’s grip on her faltered slightly, and Thesan’s mask fell. There was desperation in her tone. “He’s just a male. You know how you all are when something pretty and kind looks your way.”

Bastian closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, “So you initiated it?”

The lie fell easily as she looked as Cassian gripping Azriel’s arm, holding him back from rushing to her, and in place in case they needed to escape. “Yes, I sought him out each time.” 

Thesan knew she was lying. He knew the meeting between them were mutually planned. “So, you confess to high treason then, wife?”

Death. She realized fully. This was going to end with death. She should have been more afraid, but she couldn't be if her confession led to Azriel's safety. “Yes.”

Thesan's face dropped fully. “And you Azriel-”

“Should not be held accountable for my actions,” Aurora interrupted. “Let him go. Ban him from Dawn if you must, but please, let him live.” 

Thesan moved to her, taking her chin in his hand. “You love him?”

All she could do was pause, lip trembling as she looked at Thesan's hurt eyes. “I do.”

“More than our people, our court?”

Azriel felt Rhysand move to him as he went to jump, the urge to protect his mate growing stronger and stronger. “Stop,” Rhysand growled and commanded. “She's trying to save your life. Fucking stop.”

“She is my life!” Azriel shouted back. “She is my everything.” 

Azriel broke free from them, glaring harshly, “she is why I get out of bed. Why I am happy. She is why I don't fucking hate myself so much anymore. She makes me want to be better. She makes me want to be a better male for myself, for her, for all of you.”

Aurora pulled at Bastian’s grip, wanting to reach Azriel, to hold him. “Let her go. We will leave to the continent and never return. We will both swear out of our positions. Please, Thesan, let my mate go. Do not hurt her.”

The words had Bastian’s hand fall off Aurora's arms, shock setting in as she rushed to Azriel, jumping into his arms and holding him as if her very life and being depended on it. 

Thesan was frozen in place watching them. Watching as she whispered goodbye and kept trying to fight him into leaving. “I'm not leaving without you. I'm not living without you.” 

Azriel had a tight grip on her upper arms. “I would face 1000 executioners, 1000 deaths, before ever returning to life where you are not in it. If I have to die at his hand by your side, Ii will.”

Aurora shook her head, eyes pleading. “Please go.”

Azriel's lips tightened in a sad smile. “No, angel. I'm not leaving you.” He pulled her to him, holding her head against his chest as she began to cry. “I love you far too much to say goodbye this soon.” 

It was as if time was standing still, Rhysand and Cassian unsure of what to do as Bastain grabbed a lunging Thesan's arm and held him back while pointing.

Before them, Aurora's neck and face bargain was glittering, glowing softly as her and Azriel stood there, eyes shut and foreheads touching. He was whispering every soft confession of love to her, of how he had waited for her for centuries, and how he would have waited more. The mark began to fall like snow, sparkling its way down and removing itself from Aurora as the scent of a strong bondbind between mates began to fill the room. 

Thesan calmed instantly. Realizing his own hand had played a part in her inability to fully make thatr sacred connection. That their bargain had come with terms he had unknowingly placed. It had forced Aurora to learn and fall in love with Azriel without its influence and power. Ensuring she loved him more than her position, her fae, her court. 

It had ensured the male loved her the same though. Ensured he would live for her, breathe for her, bleed for her. 

Azriel kissed her deeply, not opening his eyes before forcing her back behind him and offering himself to Thesan. 

They loved each other so deeply that their feelings mirrored and merged. Causing him to be blissfully unaware of her ability to see that golden string and of her feelings hitting him wave after wave, colliding with his own in harmony. 

Rhysand's jaw twitched as he gently grabbed Aurora. “Fly her home, Cassian. Get her out of here.” 

Bastian held a hand up. “There's no need to do that. Her part of the bargain is fulfilled.” He turned to his mate. “Let her go, The’. Let her be happy. She's sacrificed so much for our home. For us.” 

Thesan looked at her with pride and sympathy. “I'm so fucking happy for you,” he rushed to his best friend. “Oh Gods we get to plan a wedding!” Thesan pulled her in close. “An actual wedding, Rora. Not some bullshit paper with conditions.” 

Cassian rose a brow to Bas, crossing his arms. “General.”

Bastain raised a brow to Cassian, mimicking his stance and tone, “General?”

Cassian put his hands up, smiling. “Why didn't you two just tell all of us? We don't care.”

Bastian smiled, head inclining to Thesan. “To protect him. The rules of war are not the same as the rules for leaders.”

Rhysand scoffed. “Tell that to Helion, Tamlin, and Tarquin.”

“And you,” Azriel quickly said. “Beron and Kal are the only two that haven't slept with another male.”

Thesan was too deep in Aurora, wiping her tears away to even care about the rest. “Rora, I have the perfect dress in mind. You're going to love it. It's this pretty white drop waist with a lace back. Cute off the shoulder ties. Big full tulle skirt. Not like Feyre's cupcake monstrous dress, but classy. Faerie tale like.'' Aurora nodded. All her worries were forgotten as she waited for him to continue. “Oooooh in the High Garden,” Thesan was practically drooling. His true side coming out in front of strangers for the first time. “I always imagined your hair down in a waterfall braid with flowers too.” 

He made it a reality a year later. Aurora rocked back on her high heels, hands shaking as Bastian stood beside her, waiting for the cue to take her before Rhysand, Feyre, Thesan, and the High Priestess of Dawn. “Breathe,” Bastian commanded softly. Almost smirking as the command forced an effect on her. 

He had enjoyed giving commands since being sworn in as Thesan's husband and second High Lord of Dawn. He thought it was funny how almost unbearably compulsive the commands were to follow. “Asshole,” she muttered softly. “I'm allowed to be nervous.”

Bastian shrugged. “It's just a wedding with over 500 fae present. I don't understand what there is to be nervous about? It's not like this wedding also seals an agreement between Dawn and the Night court in regards to healers, trade exports, cross training between our camps-”

Aurora glared at him, her face paling. “Shut. Up.”

It was still odd to see her bare skin. Her face was unmarked from the bargain. Azriel had promised his mark on her would appear elsewhere, wanting the world to admire her beauty. 

He was hoping for her spine, somewhere hidden from his countless enemies, but visible in the low back dress styles popular in Night. Hell, he would settle for a tiny A adorning her ring finger. 

Just something marking her as his. 

The music began and Bastian offered her his arm, “Ready, Aurora?”

She smiled and nodded. “As ready as I'll ever be.”

[varteeny1234]

I COULDN'T THINK OF A BETTER TITLE LMAO. @cursedthing this is revenge bc you got us locked in sudoku jail for 2.5 hours /silly (viking solved the sudoku on stream earlier)

Summary:

Viking's alone time is interrupted by Avid, who is concerned about the safety level of the top of the ant farm. Absolutely nothing goes according to plan for either of them!

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 1207

Warnings: Incredibly brief mention of noise overstimulation but only a mention

ENJOY THE VIVID FLUFF! (feat. catboy viking)

The many sounds of the many farms scattered throughout the Dark Oak kingdom's giant glass tube were loud enough for the average person, but for Viking, whose ears were considerably more sensitive, it often became too much and he needed an escape. Whenever this happened, he would usually end up flying to the top of the frame of the ant farm. It was so high up that it was nearly silent. 

And that was exactly what had happened today. 

There weren't many clouds in the sky, sadly, so Viking couldn't cloud-watch from above like he wished. He sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the frame, staring out at the islands below. His own kingdom was full of moving parts, all packed together. The Jungle kingdom, which was more in front of him, was full of lush plants and vines that waved lazily in the wind. 

Viking closed his eyes, feeling the soft wind blow through his hair. He'd left his hat down in the Dark Oak tube- not something he would typically have done, but he wasn't going to fly back down just to grab it. 

Up here, in the sky, all alone, it was peaceful. 

That peace was unfortunately shattered when a faint, familiar voice called out his name. 

What did Avid want with him? 

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes. A shape was flying around the ant farm, coming closer towards the top, and Viking with it. Viking debated not letting Avid know he was there, but he spotted him a second later. 

"Viking! There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Avid exclaimed. He swooped up, then semi-gracefully landed on the frame. Viking noticed that he was wearing his OSSHA uniform, with a suspicious glance. If Avid was here on OSSHA business, it couldn't be good. He didn't trust that organization one bit. And now Avid was interrupting his quiet time! 

"What do you want with me," he deadpanned. "What does OSSHA want with me? Last time I checked, the Dark Oak kingdom is plenty compliant. And if it isn't, then you should go talk to Fix."

Avid sucked in a breath through his teeth, tsk-ing. "Well, you see, it's actually the top of this ant farm that's not compliant! There's not a hand-rail to be seen up here, so high up above the ground, where even if you didn't fall into the void there's no way you'd survive the drop..." 

Viking tuned out the rest of his rant, shutting his eyes again. He was pretty sure that any handrails added to the frame would be removed again the same day. And it wasn't like anyone was going to die from falling off it- they all had elytra now! 

"...Are you even listening to me anymore?!" Viking's ear twitched, when he tuned back in to whatever Avid had been saying. 

He simply shrugged in response. "Nah, I don't really care about your OSSHA business. No offense, of course. I just don't see the point in putting handrails on the top of this thing." 

Watching Avid splutter as he struggled to figure out how to answer that, he couldn't help but snicker. It was way too easy to break Avid's train of thought- if he had one, anyways. His brain was already all over the place 24/7!

Unfortunately, he recovered, now sporting a somewhat-offended glare. "Oh, so you think that safety is just something to laugh at, huh? Well, what happens if you're just chilling up here, and someone were to just give you a little push-" 

He stepped forwards, obviously trying to push Viking off the edge to teach him a lesson or whatever. Viking saw him coming from a mile away and, much faster than Avid had moved, kicked out his leg and hooked it around Avid's, knocking him off-balance. 

Avid toppled over and landed directly on top of Viking- who, as funny as it would have been if he had, did not plan it at all.

No one said anything. Viking and Avid stared at each other. Then, Avid grinned.

"Proving my point exactly, honey. You could fall so easily here!" He poked Viking's nose with his index finger. Between the action and the incredibly unexpected pet name, Viking found himself the one struck speechless. That wasn't something that happened often, he knew. Avid knew this, and his smile stretched wider. Both of them were now sporting a flush across their cheeks. 

Well, he couldn't let Avid win... whatever this was, could he? If he wanted to flirt, then Viking would flirt. 

Viking matched his smirk. "You fell for me pretty good, I guess." He let his hand trace over Avid's side. "Hmm... but I can't add any handrails anywhere with you lying there." 

As he expected him to, Avid froze for a second before rolling off of him. He started to say something, but Viking's plan had a step two. He flipped himself over, so that he was now on top of Avid, completely reversing their positions from a mere few seconds ago. 

"You're really easy to trap, you know that, monkey-man?" Viking teased. 

"Hey! Wait- you did that on purpose!" Exclaimed Avid. Viking laughed as he nodded. 

"Yes, I did. I remember you were saying something about handrails, honey?" For one last final touch, he called Avid by the same pet name he'd given him. 

Avid blinked, blushing madly. "Yes- Yes. Handrails. Uh- build some, please. Safety is important! Do- do that!" He stuttered. Viking felt something on his leg, and realized Avid's tail had wrapped itself around it. It was cute, how it always did that when he got flustered. He let himself lie down on top of Avid completely, his chin resting on his chest. His own tail flicked back and forth, and he smiled. 

"Nah, still don't want to. It's nice here right now. The sun feels nice." 

He wasn't kidding. The cloudless day meant that the sun was beaming directly overhead onto them, and whenever it was like that, the heat tended to make Viking's brain go all fuzzy. The combined warmth from his and Avid's bodies was only making him sleepier. 

He didn't really like to call it purring, but he hadn't yet thought of a better name for the rumbling sound he made in his chest. 

In spite of himself, Avid laughed again. "You're purring, Viking! I- oh my gosh, that's adorable! You know, I heard from Ruby that you purr when you get really cozy in the sunshine, but I've never witnessed it in person! How could you hide this from me?!" He squealed. The noise grated on Viking's eardrums. 

See, this was why he didn't purr around other people. Their reactions always ruined the moment! 

Viking made a grumpy noise that sounded like "Mmrp." 

"Aw, what, do you not want me to talk? Hey- ugh. How about a deal. I let you go and stop bothering you about the missing railings here, but you have to let me enjoy your purring. It's just so cute!"

"Sure," Viking said. "I can agree with that."

...He hoped Avid didn't find out anytime soon about the sensitive spot behind his ears. Now, that was something he would never live down.

[lilith-little-world]

Could you please write some domestic headcanons for reader and wukong? Love your story btw^^ (or more like the concept lol)

Awww thank you, I wanted to do a slight twist to the isekai trope that explains how the reader got transported to another world. Although, the reader is far from the only one. She just happens to survive the transmigration... Kind of. I'm honestly kind of excited to start writing the first chapter soon. It's going to be one hell of a ride.

Now to those domestic headcanons, hope there are no spelling errors, I manage to break my Grammarly keyboard every single time I write something-

(Don't you dare judge the quality I was rushing through so badly then I realized I forgot how to fucking draw. I'm going to post some art here, it's going to be meh quality just until I get used to drawing again.)

- At first, it took a good while for you guys to settle down in one place. With you enjoying the urban lifestyle. Since it made visiting shops, friends, and just having a fun day out way easier. Wukong prefers to be isolated, his only interactions being mostly with Mk and you. However, after Wukong complains for the 100th time, you move to Flower Fruit Mountain under the condition he takes you out every few days into the city and that your friends can come and visit every once in a while.

- Surprisingly, he tries to renovate and spruce things up. House feeling a little small? Want a room for your things specifically? He and his clones will start making preparations (Also maybe ask Mk and the gang for help on what exactly to do and if he's desperate enough, he'll ask DBK for some advice.) Slowly but surely, the once small hut becomes more home-like. Then when you're both satisfied, he'll move on making the pathway to the house to the entrance of the waterfall. Cleaning up any debris or rumble of pillars and crumbling murals of the past. It was by your constant nagging that he restores it, getting rid of vines and moss.

- Other than wandering around or chilling at the house you literally have nothing to do. As much as it was a nice thought of spending most of the day doing your hobby, you physically don't have enough willpower to do it every day. One day while laying around, you noticed how dusty and unorganized the house truly was. So that is how you got stuck with cleaning and keeping things organized. Yet that didn't stop there, you noticed small things like a creaky loose floorboard. That you managed to fix after searching for how to on your phone. The sink isn't draining properly, drain cleaner is already on the need-to-buy list. The problem still not solve, time to put in some elbow grease and hope you won't get too dirty.

- However, you're definitely not touching his little hoard that he has been collecting over the centuries. The last thing you want is to release some ancient curse or break something that was once important.

- He can't cook, don't even try to make him, you don't want another fire, so get that cookbook open and pray you made something edible. Over the months you had gotten better, but there's much to improve. Yet, complete failure or not, Wukong still tries it out since he is immortal, it won't kill him, and the last thing he wants is for you to get seriously sick from food poisoning. If the food was not edible, then he's either going to get takeout or you both are going out to eat, give him a few minutes to throw up the abomination you created out his stomach.

- It's only fair that he washes the dishes. You make breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it's the least he can do. (That's if he still suffers from food poisoning, it's your turn to wash the dishes.) He picks up around the kitchen, any produce you left out back in the fridge. Spices in the cupboard in their usual spots. He knows you do a lot around the house, so it's now his turn to help.

- There's one chore you both do together, it's washing and putting the clothes away. You separate the clothing in their respective pile, while Wukong loads the washer. Whoever hears the washer finishes, loads the dryer, (cough you cough). Then when the loads are done, you guys come together and fold the clothes. While watching tv to pass the time. Although Wukong likes to make a big scene whenever he grabs your underwear or bra, it was only natural that you do the same with his boxers. You guys now know each other's undergarments and clothes sizes after that. Well, it makes shopping easier.

- Wukong kept his word and takes you to the city, and if you want a vacation away from the mountain. He got a temple ready to stay at and landmarks to show you. Over the years, he saw many things and wants to show you all of them. He never liked big crowds, so going to festivals was never his thing until he finds out you enjoy it. Well, looks like he's hanging out with the gang in the city, yaaay... Just make sure you're beside him for a good portion of the time there.

- He was a little hesitant about inviting the gang to the house, but he couldn't say no to both the student that he considers like his own son, Mk and his darling lover, the love of his life, you. In all honestly, Mk and you had already planned a day to bring the group over, and you guys decided to tell him last minute. Even though he would like a heads up, so he can reject the idea, strangely the simian doesn't mind. He had nearly forgotten that the mountain could feel so... warm and lively.

- Just be warned now that he has you beside him 24/7, this touch-starved monkey will be cuddling and kissing you, the first chance he gets. Don't fall for his tricks, he's a sneaky one.

- You made a small habit to groom his fur. Running your fingers through, him relaxing within your hold. If there's a comb or brush, you will get out any tangles or knots. His fur is now soft and fluffy and he is ready for pets and cuddles. You like to spoil him once in while.

- You guys hardly argue or fight, there was a time you even feared that the honeymoon phase will be over and then reality will hit. Yet it hasn't, maybe because Wukong is actually trying to be a better person so he can stay by your side. Also, he saw you angry once and he will do anything not to get on your bad side... again. Wukong tries to get your thoughts first and asks for people's advice, though he still has trouble speaking his ideas or thoughts. Being alone for centuries will do a lot of damage to a person’s psyche.

- So things are pretty peaceful, Wukong is opening up more and you managed to have a happy life despite the odds being against you. Now it's time to answer the question, will you become immortal and join Wukong for eternity, or prolonged/have your regular human lifespan? Sadly, Wukong wouldn't be able to handle your death. It will take all of his last remaining time to ever move on...

Wait a minute-

[alwaysteveswife]

hey lovely! i just recently discovered your blog and O M G i CANT get enough!!! your writing is absolutely amazing!

i had a steve x reader request of you were taking them?

what if Y/N was the one being cursed by Vecna?

If this were our last night | Steve Harrington x Fem! Reader.

A/N: Thank you so much, your words mean a lot to me 🥺 I'm glad you like what I do as much as I like to do it 💕. I hope you like it 🥰.

It's 1986 at Hawkins, the first year they thought everything to do with upside down was over. At least it was until the Chrissy Cunningham incident. The investigation at the hands of the teens soon began, bringing to light Hawkins' darkest secrets and, in the process, Y/N's troubled past.

Words: 638.

How long had it been since they had first gotten into all this upside down and shit? You were aware it was somewhere between three or four years, but you could have sworn it had been decades.

In '83 Will had happened, in '84 the demodogs came to Hawkins and Will had gone into some kind of weird trance that you didn't want to see in person, in '85 a giant spider formed out of human flesh and Billy died, but that was supposed to be the end, wasn't it?

Well, apparently it wasn't.

Now it was 1986, and fucking Dustin Henderson walked into your boyfriend's work screaming that it was very likely that shit had come back. Now it was 1986, and all indications were that you were directly related to all that shit.

How fucked up life could be when it put its mind to it.

"Honey?" Steve grabbed your shoulder gently, his brow furrowing slightly "is everything okay?"

You nodded, your gaze fixed on the school counselor's folders, more specifically on the patients' symptoms, on Chrissy's symptoms.

"Yes" you nodded again, fear beginning to cause your chest to tighten until you couldn't breathe "I am, I'm just a little...surprised."

Steve grimaced. He wasn't convinced, you knew that, but you didn't want to tell him the truth either, you didn't want to worry him any more than you had to, not when it could be a simple coincidence.

Just then a bell rang in your head. A shiver ran down your spine, the fear growing more and more. You closed your eyes for a second, just for a second, but the moment you opened them the whole atmosphere had changed.

Something vine-like was hanging everywhere, stuck on the walls and on the floor. Tiny particles of what you expected to be dust were floating all over the place and it was so dark you could barely see where you were stepping.

The second bell rang again as you left the room. You walked slowly down the hallway, stopping only when you had that clock in front of you.

It was attached to the wall, covered by those strange, disgusting vines. The glass was slightly shattered, but the hands and pendulum still worked.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.

The third chime sounded, but this time, when you opened your eyes, it was no longer in front of you. The wall was empty, and large hands rested on your shoulders, shaking you slightly.

"Hey, pretty, what's wrong, why weren't you answering?" Steve's concern echoed in every word.

"I..." a sneaky little tear slipped down your cheek, remembering everything that had happened the last few days.

The headaches, the nosebleeds, the nightmares about the crash, the watch, your father.

"'You' what?" Dustin insisted, staring at you.

"I think he's coming for me" you whispered, your voice trembling, covering yourself with your arms, trying to lighten the burden you were beginning to feel.

"What?" you looked at Steve. He looked almost as scared as you did. His eyes were narrowed slightly, his eyebrows were drawn together between his brows and his jaw was clenched so tight you could hear his teeth grinding.

Suddenly, without your expecting it, Steve took your hand and started walking briskly to the exit of Hawkins High School, the kids following as fast as they could.

"Steve? What are you doing?" you muttered, shaking your head slightly.

"We can't just stand here and wait for whatever this thing is to come after you" he growled under his breath "I don't plan on letting it take you, not you" his face softened a little, letting you see the fear in his eyes, "I'll do whatever is in my power not to lose you, even if it means having to come face to face with the whole damn upside down."

Masterlist

[lostonehero]

@voidhaseyes

Poly mechs

Enjoy

BTW NSFW smut included

Jonny wipes the blood from his lips. His breathing was shallow, and the bags under his eyes needed to be covered better. His makeup was smeared from the tears from coughing too hard. He stared into his bathroom mirror. "Shit."

This disease from New Texas was mostly legend. He never took it seriously. It was a combination of genetics and weird supernatural bullshit. He can rip the roots out, but they would just grow back. It wasn't tall enough to reach down his throat to pull. He knows excatky how and why this started, but it wasn't as if he could fix this.

It was a more recent development that the others decided to make an official name to their relationships. Even Lyf has joined, even if he strictly stays physical with Marius. He.... he couldn't, he didn't fit. He knew he was broken, and they only humored him by asking. He couldn't be what they needed. These stupid plants won't change his mind either.

Jonny sighed and started to fix his makeup, take a long drink of water and head out of his bathroom, and out of his room to resume normal activities.

.......

The pain was something he could get used to, the vines digging into his lungs, spreading to different organs to the point where he should be dead but isn't. He can hide the pain from the others. Jonny stared angerly into the mirror at the cactus flower, blooming on his back. Nobody warned him it could spread to his skin.

New Texans have extremely thick skin, physically to defend against the heat, burning sand, and rocks. It's the reason why he doesn't have tattoos. His skin breaks the needles. This, however, annoyed him to great lengths. Pulling the damn flower out does nothing. It grows back in seconds like a stark reminder of his infliction. Pulling out the stem just kills him and he wakes up on the floor with a bigger fucking flower in its place.

Jonny can't let the others know. No more white shirts. They were already getting suspicious of his breathing problem. He couldn't let them see any of this.

........

The infirmary after DTTM and Aurora's rebuilding has become more of a therapy office than a physical doctors office. Tim adjusted his position as he laid on one of the many beds, there was a nest he liked but Lyf was currently out cold in the middle with his tendrils taking to all empty space and he really didn't feel like getting trapped in them today.

Marius tapped his clipboard, not really ready to write it's more for the look than anything. He has nearly memory as good as Ivy, and her brain was a computer. "So besides stealing a bed, why are you here, Tim? You're about as good as avoiding this place as Jonny."

Tim huffs, crossing his arms as he sinks into the bed. "It's actually about Jonny. Every since we agreed to all date, he's been distant. I've tried to talk to him, but he's been avoiding all of us. Like fuck he even changed his outfit."

"Well, he has been more on a hair trigger as of late." Marius paused and tapped his pen to his lips. "Have you tried confronting him?"

"He shot me in the face." Tim frowns. "Like don't get me wrong, Raphealla is great, and so is Ashes in bed. Brian tries, but he isn't into it due to the lack of feeling. You're pretty fine, too, but your dick freaks me out, no offense."

"We have very different anatomy, I really am not offended." Marius put his board down. "Have you tried asking Jonny for just sex?"

"That's the thing, Jonny has been so cagey about even being close he just doesn't answer. He freaked out bad when Ashes tried to pat him on the back. Nastya isn't a help either she has never seen Jonny act like this." Tim frowns. "I'm worried this could be something from his species, or worse."

"I would suggest cornering him, but we both know the lengths Jonny would go to get out of a conversation. Maybe you should try to court him. He could possibly want something like Lyf and I have." Marius sighs. "Although getting Jonny to confess any thoughts and feelings regarding himself is harder than pulling teeth."

Tim groans and covers his face. "I just miss him. I love him so much, and I haven't even been able to tell him that. I figured it out after our arrangement. I wanted so badly for Jonny to join us, but now I just want him." He sighs. "My bed is so empty without him. I miss how he would make a nest out of my bed. I miss our little arguments. I miss the long nights of us just in each other's company."

"Since you can't talk to him directly, try writing him a letter of all these thoughts and feelings." Marius smiles. "I'm sure we still have that unburnable paper around."

Tim nods. "You're right. You're right." He sits up. "Thanks for this."

Marius smiles. "It's my job. I've also been meaning to ask, is it weird to have it out all the time?"

"My dick doesn't bother me, Marius." Tim sighs heavily. "We've been over this."

"It's really weird, though!" Marius crossed his arms. "There's no protection!"

"I'm leaving." Tim shakes his head and gets out of bed to leave to his room.

......

Jonny adjusted his goggles. For all claims of insanity and madness from Tim, his handwriting was the neatest and fanciest on Aurora. Not that he would admit the fact he has hoarded every letter Tim has written him. Even if everyone assumes he burns them.

The contents were not what Jonny expected. Tim apologized for whatever he had done to slight him and just wanted to talk to cuddle like they did before. His goggles were getting blurry as they filled with tears, but that was quickly forgotten with the feeling of his throat closing, but he couldn't feel the steams or even the petals in his throat or mouth. He tried to scream, but his voice was stolen as his vision went black.

Jonny woke up with a start. His heart was still ticking away as it would for eternity. He grimaced and dragged himself up from the floor. He pulled off his goggles and grimaced at the feeling of the tears that builded up inside. "....." He stopped he tried to speak again. To curse to scream to shout. No sound escaped his lips. He he tried till he was blue in the face but his room remained silent.

Jonny scrambled to his feet and ran to his bathroom. The mirror showed the roots have ingrained in his neck rather than choking him again as if they learned it wouldn't work. It weaved a pattern of an ornate choker with small but beautiful flowers interlaced in the pattern. He knew they went through his vocal cords, preventing him from making any noise. This disease never dealt with an immortal, and it shows. Killing him won't work, so why not take away his ability to see and sing until he confronts the cause.

His claws dug into the bathroom counter. He could handle this. He didn't need his voice. He didn't need to sing. Marius or Tim can easily take the lead, and they didn't need him. He just needed to get off Aurora. He was getting to be useless. They didn't need to know that he was cursed, and they didn't need to have him as a burden. He just had to bide his time till they landed planet side on some random pit stop.

He could avoid them. He can not be a burden. He isn't a burden. He just doesn't belong. They outgrew him, like he always knew would happen. He shook, feeling more flowers emerge on his back and bloom. It hurt, but he deserved it for the monster he is. They only pitied him. Why else would they even try to get him to join them?

.......

"Jolly Good, Jonny. I Have Been Ordered To Find You And Bring You To Family Meal Time. You Have Missed Apromixly 1587 Meals." TS smiles, grabbing Jonny by the scruff of his neck.

Jonny hissed, which seemed to be the only noise he could make besides growling. His hidden food storage has finally run dry, and he just needed to sneak into the garden to grab some fruit and vegetables. He can't let the others see him like this. He curses Nastya for teaching TS the perfect hold to immobilize him.

"You Are Not Normally Quiet When I Grab You." TS frowns. "You Grew Out Your Horns! They Look Lovely."

Jonny growled low from his chest. Maybe he forgot to continue to keep them short, but he didn't need pity from TS out of everyone.

"You Have Such Lovely Flowers In Your Horns. I Don't Believe Aurora Has Them In Her Garden." TS continues to chatter.

"You are correct, Toy Solider, I believe those are native plants of New Texas. Although Jonny has cut all my cameras in his room so I am unaware of how he obtained them." Aurora chirps back. "Jonny, care to explain?"

Jonny growls again louder.

"Good, you caught him." Ashes crosses their arms. "It's been nearly two years, Jonny. Why the fuck are you isolating?"

TS holds Jonny up. "I Think He Has His Own Personal Garden."

Jonny growls and hisses like a feral cat.

"Garden?" Ashes raised their brow. They are now studying Jonny. He was too thin. He was probably rationing his own food to stay away from everyone. The flowers were new, but.... but.... their eyes widen. "Aurora alert Raphaella and Marius. Fucking TS they're growing from his fucking skin. Get him to Raphaella lab now, and don't let him escape! That's a fucking order."

TS salutes and heads down the halls as Jonny growls and hisses the entire way.

.........

Raphealla stared at a naked Jonny after sedating him. Removing his clothes was easy he wasn't even wearing his belts even though he actually needed them now, considering that he looked half starved. Ashes was right. The plants seemed to be growing within Jonny.

Marius had a pale expression on his features as he looked through the scans. "Raph."

Raphealla looked up at Marius, and the look on his face made her own heart sink. "Marius, what did you find?"

Marius silently placed the x-rays and other scans on the projector. The plants started in his lungs, but now growing on the outside like some sort of symbiosis. "The roots wrap around every organ thankfully, not tight enough to stop their functions as if they learned. Every flower on his body, the roots connect to a vital organ, and any attempt at removal will destroy said organ. I think the most concerning is around his neck." He points to the scans. "They purposely sewed into his vocal cords, rendering them completely useless. And I mean sew, look at them they are almost identical to how Jonny stitches clothes. Nit to mention how the roots surrounded his heart, almost making it impossible to see on any scans or even assess for repairs."

Raphealla swallows the lump growing in her throat. "They're everywhere, even on his legs and arms. I don't.... I don't know how we can even start fixing this. Is Brian on his way?"

Marius nods. "So is Tim. I can't really stop Tim he's been determined to talk to Jonny since the start. Ivy is looking into all the records of New Texas, but only has found records of anything similar to old legends and curses. She claims they aren't vertified but are following them. Nastya is talking to Aurora about the early days when it was just her, Jonny, and Carmillia."

"Whatever is happening, he must have been scared it was contagious, or at the very least didn't want any of us seeing him like this." Raphaella pauses. "Tim, be careful and don't pull at any of the flowers it will kill Jonny making any sort of sedation useless."

Tim stared at Jonny on the table. He seemed so much smaller than he ever was before. Jonny was the shortest Lyf was a close second, but New Texans are notorious for being short species, and Jonny was considered tall at 5ft 3in, but here he looked so small and weak. He was careful manurvering Jonny to the side so he could hold him. His his fur was so much thinner than normal. He wrapped himself around the smaller man and took a deep breath. "I'm staying till he throws me off."

Nobody cared to argue as Brian stepped inside.

........

Jonny woke up groggily, but he was comfortable, the first time in a while. He could feel arms wrapped around him they were thin but all muscle. He felt as if he could breathe deeply. The smell of Gunpowder told him who was holding him, but the soft even breathing and the near silence also told him the other man was dead asleep. Why was Tim even doing this? Was it out of pity? He had everyone else to do this with.

Tim hummed softly, pulling Jonny tighter. Which was extremely abnormal, Jonny was the cuddly one. He allowed the other man to climb him like a tree and cling it was never the other way around. "J-mmmm."

Jonny knew a few things for certain. Tim only talked in his sleep during a nightmare. Tim hated to cuddle and rather have someone cling to him. Tim was also very violent if he had a nightmare. None of that added up to the current behavior. He opened his eyes again to another shock. He was facing Tim's chest. He was being held in a position where Tim was trying to protect him, at least in New Texan culture. It was considered the closest way to sleep save for lovers and mothers protecting their children.

Tim didn't seem to like Jonny moving and pulled him even closer against him.

When was the last time Jonny was embraced like this? The touch felt like heaven. It was also a fact that he heavily guarded from everyone even before DTTM that New Texans are a tactile species, from headbutts to gentle touch meant the world as since gestures and it was needed. He knew he was naked, and he knew Tim was just in his boxers. Tim hated sleeping naked. It frankly scared him, and only Jonny knew why.

Tim yawned, and his grip loosened as he woke up. Being this close to him, Jonny can hear the soft whirl of his eyes now focusing. He stretches and yawns again. He doesn't seem to realize Jonny is awake. He rubs Jonny's back and makes a small, confused noise.

Jonny can see from his angle not moving much that Tim has one of the flowers from his back in his hands. He didn't even feel it. He wanted the feeling of Tim's dull nails back on his back. He starts to purr as Tim starts to dully Scratch his back again, alerting the larger man that he was awake.

"You know." Tim didn't make an effort to move. If anything, he got more comfortable laying next to Jonny. "Raphealla said that it would kill you to pick a flower. You don't seem dead, and I'm going to put this in my hair."

Jonny tries to growl, but his purring to way too loud. He settles for burying his face in Tim's chest. He wished Tim had less corse hair on his chest, but humans didn't have proper fur.

"Yes, you're so scary." Tim chuckles. "I really missed you. I just want you. The others aren't the same. Ashes is fine, just a bit too strong and forceful, which has a time and place. Raphaella is very clinical, which is actually a kink I didn't know I had, but still. Marius... Marius's dick weirds me out no matter how fun it is. Ivy doesn't like men, which is fine. We just cuddle, but then she tries to drag me into her bed, and I get trenching everything. Nastya is strictly physical, was Aurora only. Also, i don't think she really likes me, but everyone says that's normal. Brian is good, but I feel like I'm playing with a toy, and he doesn't really enjoy it either. We just talk mostly. TS tries? I don't actually know what it really wants, but is it really enthusiastic. Lyf is only into Marius. He kind of shuts down at any other advances except cuddles but cuddling with Lyf is to be trapped for eight hours because he forgets your there and you just get dragged around the ship till he realizes he is still holding you. Apparently, Marius thinks it's adorable."

Jonny pulls away and tries to speak to ask what Tim means. They were all supposed to be together, right? He didn't really understand what Tim was explaining.

Tim's mechanical eyes lock with Jonny's amber eyes. "Did you really just think it was all just sex?" He smiles softly. "I suppose that's a part of it, but mostly, it's emotional. I actually stopped the physical side because it just didn't feel the best without you. I miss you, your weird nest of a bed, your damn touching, and just everything. I feel better with you. Hell, I told you things I still haven't told the others." He sits up and pulls Jonny to his lap and rests his chin on Jonny's head. "I also have no idea what your father looks like, so I say this without prejudice. Your horns are nice, and I want to use them as blowjob handles."

Jonny shook with a silent laugh.

"It's really fucking weird not hearing you talk." Tim huffs then pauses. "Oh, you grew a new flower. It's blue, that's my favorite color. Can I uhhhh." He motions with his hand, pointing at Jonny's stomach.

Jonny cautiously reached out and plucked the flower from his stomach. It didn't hurt, and he didn't even feel it grow. He turned around and gently placed it behind Tim's ear. It did look nice in his hair.

"I missed you." Tim smiles and gently presses his forehead against Jonny's.

Jonny could feel tears leak from his eyes, but he didn't seem to care, and he gently pushed back and purred even louder. They remain like this before a small voice clears their throat.

"Jonny, and Tim." Ivy raised a brow. "I understand you can't talk, so I will need you to nod or shake your head to confirm my research."

Tim sits Jonny in his lap. "Sup, Ivy."

Jonny pauses and nods.

"Good, now Jonny, is this a disease or a curse?" Ivy pauses as Jonny makes a motion combining the two. "Oh, it's both?"

Jonny nods.

"Fascinating." Ivy hums and writes something down for physical records. "Are you currently in pain?"

Jonny shakes his head no.

"Can you get a towel or something before we continue?"

Jonny gives a shit eating grin and shakes his head.

"Of course not." Ivy sighs. "Glad to see this hasn't changed you being a piece of shit. I would be concerned if it did." She gives a small smile as Jonny shakes with a silent laugh.

Jonny pulls Tim's arms around him. He grinned again, getting comfortable.

"Keep grinding, and I'm going to give Ivy a show, and she'll get nothing done." Tim smiles.

Jonny smirks. He missed this. He missed how he fit in Tim's lap. He missed Tim's touch. He missed the banter between everyone. He wanted to smell like Tim. He wanted to ask if he promised, but instead, he decided to grind against Tim's crotch again.

"Listen here, you awful awful man keep wiggling, and I'm going to make sure you can't move. I'm going to make you my little cocktail warmer." Tim stops as Jonny starts to purr.

Ivy chuckles. "There is a 98% chance that Jonny would like that, and a 50% chance he would still answer my questions."

Tim hums picking up Jonny who helped while he rolled down his underwear enough to let his cock spring free. "Now let me - f-fuck Jonny. Jonny you fucker I was going to s-stretch you."

Jonny really missed the burn. Of course, Tim's human, so he doesn't have a knot like he does. Well, humans are also a single sex species. Humans kind of suck in the biology department. Oh wait, Ivy was asking him something.

Ivy pinched her brow. "Jonny, is there a cure? I am going to throw my notebook at you if I have to ask again."

Jonny nodded and then made a so-so motion with his hand. There was curing what he had. There were ways to lessen the damage and even make the plants retreat from vital organs, but it's always going to be inside of him with the lingering effects. Maybe he could control the plants one day that would be neat. He just didn't know what was needed to start the healing process. Mmmh, Tim was really comfy and warm.

"Ivy, this was a bad idea." Tim's cheeks were red. "I've forgotten something important."

Jonny smiles wide.

"What did you forget?" Ivy raised a brow.

"Why I banned this in our bedroom." Tim groans turn into a moan as Jonny shakes in a silent laugh.

"Why? This seems quite tame to the masochism Jonny enjoys." Ivy seems curious now.

"Jonny doesn't feel discomfort or pain like this. This is natural for new Texans since the men have knots. Jonny can sit here for days if I let him." Tim sighs.

Jonny clicks his tongue. He forgot only Marius knew New Texans were a hermaphroditic species with both working sexes. It probably would have been wise to tell Tim before that his dick wasn't up his ass.

"Fascinating, I will inform Raphaella she will want to test that if you're ok with that, Jonny?" Ivy blinks when Jonny nods with extreme enthusiasm.

"Fuck you Ivy for indulging him. Also fuck you Jonny I didn't even put a condom on." Tim is red face because Jonny felt really nice.

The condom thing could be a future problem, but in Jonny's defense, he can blame Tim. Tim was making such wonderful noises as he turned himself around to face Tim and lean his face against his chest.

"Fine you fuck get comfortable, Raphealla and Marius is here." Tim rubs Jonny's back.

"Ah, Jonny, is that wise?" Marius raised his brow as Jonny gave him the finger and started purr louder. "That is fair. I will keep an eye on the aftermath."

"Amazing, I thought you were lying, Tim. Is this comfortable for you?" Raphaella's eyes light up as Jonny gives a thumbs up.

"No." Tim smiles as he sighs. "But it makes Jonny happy, but I'm drawing the line at 8 hours."

Marius hops up and sits next to the two. "How are you feeling, Jonny?"

Jonny continues to purr as he holds onto Tim. He maneuvers his tail to hold Marius's. His heart wasn't ticking in time when Marius wrapped his tail around his tighter. He did like the touch.

"Any louder, Jonny, and you're going to start vibrating." Tim swallows back a moan.

"Ah shucks, it seems I'm stuck now Raphaella, you'll have to study from afar." Marius grabs Jonny's hand and slowly rubs circles into it. He can see a few petals fall from around his horns.

"At least you're clothed." Tim puff out his cheeks in a false pout.

"You've still git your knickers on." Marius smirks as Jonny shakes in a silent laugh causing Tim to moan.

"Can you please pick between me being hard and soft or I'm about to cum the next time you laugh." Tim can feel his blush reach his ears as Jonny stared up at him with such a innocent gaze with doe eyes. "It is also not fair you have an innocent look."

Jonny can feel Tim's dick return to full attention at the sound of Raphaella putting on rubber gloves. He did mention a medical kink. He isn't opposed to Raphaella getting closer. He can feel Tim squirm. Maybe he could get used to this if he had Tim with him during this. He didn't even notice how close she got until he could feel her breath on his neck.

"Now we should check if these vines have gone below. We can't have you in this position without the ability to relieve yourself." Raphaella hums softly her breath against Jonny's ear. "Now your species has an internal member until arousal or prodding."

Ok, maybe Jonny can see the appeal in some medical play. He dug his free hand claws into Tim's back the moment he felt the gloved hand touch the slit where his dick would come out of. He growled low and deep as a warning.

"Sensitivity is expected with reproductive organs Jonny, now relax." Raphaella's gloved hand felt cold, and there was some lube on the fingers.

Jonny silently whined and grinded on Tim's cock as he felt the cold finger press into his slit. Marius was pulling his left hand to where he didn't know he could focus on his free hand digging into Tim's back, and he knew he drew blood.

Tim moaned loudly.

"Aha, there it is." Raphaella quirks her lips into a small smile. "Much larger than expected for your size, Jonny. I'm sure Tim enjoys it when he allows you to use it." She methodically rubs the tip. "I can see where it inflates to form a knot. Marius, are you going to compare with your own penis?"

Jonny could hear Marius's belt unbuckle, and his hand was on something oddly wet and cold. It was moving slowly at first, but it was like the octokittens with no suctioncups. It was slick with a slime like substance, and he flexed his fingers and heard Marius's breath catch in his throat. He turned his head to see his his hand in a mass of squirming tendrils they were thin but long, and a lot of them. They were an odd purple color with black slime. They felt nice on his hand. If this is what Lyf got to play with, maybe he was a smidge jealous. He pinched a few between his fingers, and that seemed to send them into a fury of movement.

"Jo-jonny." Marius whines. "D-don't a-ah!"

"O-oh!" Nastya swallows walking into the room. "I was told Jonny was awake.... Aurora."

Aurora chirps.

"What a mess all of you." Nastya crossed her arms and had a smirk on her lips. "Seems a bit unfair Ivy, how about you put Raphaella in her place?"

"Will do, I will require Ashes to take care of Tim and TS to bring its collection of straps. Lyf should be informed as well that there is a 75% chance he will enjoy watching Marius unravel." Ivy was undoing her belt. "Raphaella, I need you to strip now and unhand Jonny's penis or I will make you." Her voice was the softest, and she was barely taller than Jonny, but hearing a soft moan from Raphaella answered the question on who topped.

Jonny sinks his teeth into Tim's shoulder when Raphaella hand leaves his exposed dick.

"Are you streaming this to Brian?" Nastya smiles and takes a seat to watch in the corner. "Good, let him know I'm going to fine tune his nerves."

In a different position, he wanted Marius to use what he was packing on his own dick. Could he fit inside the tip? He felt a roll of pleasure wash over him at the thought alone. He had to ask Tim. His eyes rolled back as Tim bucked his hips.

"Oh Jonny, my little kitty, if you're going to bite, do it like you mean it." Tim traced his fingers down Jonny's back.

Marius leaned back and whined as Jonny squeezed in response. "Ca- fuck. Fuck if you don't get Lyf here to fuck me, I'm pulling you off of Tim and riding you." Jonny's claws felt delicious on his dick.

Jonny growls again, biting down harder. Feeling strong hands cup his ass.

"Been a while you feral fuck." Ashes chuckles. "TS got me all the fun toys. If Tim wasn't balls deep I would have you on the biggest thing I've got just to watch you struggle to take it like a good little breeding bitch."

Jonny soundless whines releasing his teeth. He licks at the blood, making Tim shudder.

Ashes chuckles at Marius. "Using Marius as a stress toy? Good boy. Now, since I can't play with you, Tim, slide back, and I'm going to prepare you. Whatever I use I expect a thank you."

"Yes, Hades." Tim thrusts up as the cold feeling of fresh lube.

Jonny gasps. He wanted more. He wanted to feel Ashes's scales on his skin. He was getting impatient, with the noises Marius was making, and Tim's shallow thrusts. He needed more touch. He wanted o-oh! He could feel TS's wooden hands on his back.

"This Seems Very Fun!" TS sounded as cheerful as ever. "It Seems You Have Another Hole I Will Play With."

Jonny purrs in delight. He bites his lip, when the fuck did TS learn how to do that and how the fuck is it this good? He was going to be stuffed in both holes, and he can't wait. He doesn't realize Lyf is here till Marius starts to make loud noises he can't quite place as moans. It was a weird clicking, but with how wet he felt, they were good noises.

"For fucks sake, Byron if you were going to get this unraveled I expect more clothes off." Lyf's low voice sent shivers down Jonny's back and he wasn't even talking to him. "Well get into position and don't you dare let Jonny's hand leave your cock."

Jonny was certain he wouldn't let go he liked the feeling way too much and couldn't help but imagine how it would feel in his mouth or on his own dick. Unfortunately, from his angle, he couldn't see what Lyf was packing as his pants fell to the floor. Marius was no longer speaking a language he could understand or making noises that sounded remotely like a creature could make, but it went straight to his own dick that nearly went back to being internal. He turned to his right to see Raphaella getting railed by Ivy. That was a massive toy made for two, and Ivy seemed to be an expert.

Ashes chuckles. "It seems your cockwarmer is getting distracted. I know the perfect way to fix that Persephone."

Tim drool as his hips went up and Jonny felt it. "Big... very big Hades."

"Only the best for my girl." Ashes chuckles. "You better cum into your toy like a good bitch."

Jonny purrs loud from that alone. He was close himself from the sights, feelings and fuck the sounds. His toes curled, listening to Tim whine and moan. His vision went white as he came harder than he ever thought was possible, TS pressed all the right spots and Tim cumming sent him over the edge. His eyelids grew heavy as he slipped into unconscious bliss.

......

Jonny grimaced and opened his eyes. He softly gasps he is in a warm bath, Aurora doesn't let him bathe at all, and he doesn't even let him have one in his bathroom. He wasn't even that sore. The petals in the water annoyed him, but he couldn't really do anything about that. He sunk into the warm, soapy water.

"You know tin would be doing this if he wasn't still out cold." Marius chuckles.

Jonny furrows his brows and motions vaguely with his hands, not bothering to try to talk.

"My species are known for sex that can last weeks, months if it's a heat and bonding. I love you guys, and I love Lyf, but the most he can stand is a few hours, which isn't his fault. My species is quite violent, so why would the sex be different. Oh, the crew has passed me around a few days at a time. It's fun, but it's fun but not really the same. Anyway, Aurora suggested a bath for you as a gift." Marius smiles.

It was the perfect gift. Jonny adored water and baths. His species however if from the desert, and that means he would get sick if he did it as much as he wanted. He purrs softly as Marius cleans his hair and horns.

"I do have to ask, about before. Was that ok? We kind of rushed into it." Marius smiles softly as Jonny nods. "Good I was worried we rushed you into it. Did it bother your plants?"

Jonny tilted his head confused.

"Right, better question, can you feel the plants?" Marius raised a brow when Jonny made a so-so motion. "It depends on the situation."

Jonny nods. He tries to speak and to his surprise, and Marius's noise comes forth. It was rough and nowhere near healed enough to sound like his normal self. He slowly begins to speak. "I..." He takes a breath. "If it... um"

"If Tim knocked you up." Marius added.

Jonny nodded. "I don't want to get rid of it. Before you ask, I don't think the plants would hurt it or kill it. I just, fuck never had this risk before. Tim and I were always careful, I made him wear condoms, or Ashes used their toys. Maybe it's the stupid plants or the high from the sex but I think I want to stay. I want to see where this goes. I want to create a story for us."

"Well, that means no drinking or smoking.... um actually wait would that hurt the fetus?" Marius pauses. "With my species, it would be harmful if the expecting didn't do that."

"Marius, every time I learn something new about your species, I want to punch you in the face." Jonny sighs. "I'm clean, didn't excatly hide away alcohol or smokes in my food storage. Also, I don't think I can smoke anymore, I might actually throw up. I can't tell you how many cigarettes and cigars I went through trying to kill the plants in my lungs."

"You didn't actually answer my question." Marius chuckles.

"If it did stick, this will be the last bath I have till the brat is here. Water could trigger an early labor and a go-to for New Texans for an easy abortion. Well, if you had the money to get the water or alcohol, any liquid worked. Women would do that to get out of forced marriages, but they didn't stop the rape though. Maybe it's different now and finally equal on the gender thing. Anyway, it's not unheard of for someone with straight horns to have kids." Jonny sinks in the water with a blush on his cheeks.

"Never thought I would live to hear the day Jonny talks about his planet and the culture. Ivy is going to kill me for this information, but I won't tell her." Marius smiles. "I'm not going to ask for more details. You deserve to come around on your own, but I would like you back in my office in two weeks to check."

"Is it bad that I'm hoping it sticks?" Jonny stretched out his legs. "I want it to be Tim's, too. Can't be yours. Your species has that weird biological rule and shit."

"Just because I can't breed with a different species unless we are bonded through heat isn't weird." Marius huffs. "I hope it did work, I haven't seen you smile like this since before DTTM. If not, then we just have to plan another improtu group sex, or just throw you and Tim in a closet till you tire each other out."

Jonny snorts. "I guess if it's the doctors orders."

"Now you're just delirious, come on up and out of the bath." Marius picks Jonny out of the tub. "A quick shower than I'm going to wrap you snug in a towel."

"Don't threaten me with a good time." Jonny giggles clearly exhausted but happy.

.......

Jonny woke up next in a mess of limbs, and the smell of sex was completely gone. TS, Brian, and Marius probably leaned up. He wiggles his arm free only to have a tendril wrap around him. That was probably Lyf, Tim warned him about, but he couldn't seem to care as he fell back asleep.

.......

"The plants have seem to retreated for now, but I don't think we'll be able to remove the choker around your neck or the various flowers on your body." Raphaella smiles. "So that's good news in other news. Why are you twitchy? It's good news."

"I promised I meet Marius today, so can we speed this along?" Jonny already hopped off the table, buttoning up his shirt.

"Marius, huh? Does Tim know?" Raphaella chuckles.

"It's gonna be a surprise." Jonny shoots finger guns and runs off to the infirmary, leaving a very confused Raphaella. It wasn't a long run, and he nearly crashed into Lyf, heading inside.

"Ah! Oh, hi Jonny, you seem excited for whatever Marius planned for you today." Lyf blinks. "Do you need me?"

"Nope, not a sex thing." Jonny looked nearly giddy with excitement and anticipation as he ran into the infirmary.

"I....I didn't think it was?" Lyf shakes his head and heads down the hall.

Marius laughs. "Jonny, relax. It's not even that hard of a test."

"I'm not worried!" Jonny huffs. "I'm excited."

"You know if it's positive." Marius takes a small droplet of blood for the test. "You can't be running around like that, especially since majority of us is armed and don't do well with surprises."

"I'll be safe! I'll stick to the vents like Nastya." Jonny huffs and crosses his arms. "So? Tell me!"

Marius pulls down his monocle goggles to be dramatic. He didn't excatly hide his smile. "Congratulations, Jonny." He started to chuckle, watching the flowers bloom around his neck.

"Really?" Jonny was nearly vibrating with excitement. "Wait no fuck it test me again."

"Jonny, it's a very clear - oof." Marius chuckles softly as Jonny hugs him tight.

"Fuck I gotta tell Tim." Jonny smiles wide and pushes Marius away. "Don't tell nobody I'm gonna surprise my partner first." He laughs manically as he rushed down the halls.

[princessasmosprincess]

Charmed, I'm Sure

Chapter 25

Summary: No human has ever avoided Asmodeus's charm. Except for you.

Pairing: Asmodeus x GN Reader/MC

Genre: Drama, angst, a bit of fluff.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence in this chapter. There's an old skeleton I briefly describe at one point so death implied but not of any named or important characters.

***

Author's note: Charmed is officially one year old today and I just wanted to thank everyone who has read it so far. It's been really fun to write and show how much I love Asmo. I've really enjoyed reading all the feedback I've gotten and every comment on my fic no matter how short is so precious to me. Hopefully the story will be finished soon, there's not that much left to go!

***

Levi, Mammon, and Beel came barreling through one of the corridors, screaming.

“OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN IT'S GONNA EAT US! LIKE, FOR REAL!” Mammon cried.

The huge, teal snake was hot on his heels, hissing angrily, its hood expanded on either side of its head to appear even bigger. Like a giant cobra. It easily slithered over the vines on the floor, navigating them quickly and avoiding holes in the tile while still seeking its target. It seemed to know this area very well.

“Gah...it's giant. And disgusting!” Asmo wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, I hate having to look at unattractive things.” He released you, the snake’s presence was a real turn-off. Maybe there would be time to pick up where he left off later. Assuming everyone made it out of the labyrinth alive.

“Hey, how 'bout you stop talkin' and HEEEEEELP!”

“I am a fan of eating, but l'm not interested in being eaten.” Beel dodged the snake’s fangs.

“As if we didn't already have enough problems as it is, they had to go and bring us another one.” Solomon shook his head. “Well, we'd better get out of here.”

“Get out of here and go where, exactly?!” Levi nearly tripped over a vine as he scrambled out of the way.

“Just shut up and follow me.” Solomon grabbed your wrist and started running down one of the corridors without waiting for the others.

These halls looked nearly identical to the ones you came from and the further you went, the more you really hoped Solomon hadn't somehow led the group in a circle. You tried to take note of certain identifying features as you went: a statue over here, ancient runes left by some poor wandering prisoner over there, empty chrysalises from vampiric butterflies littering the ceiling, anything to tell the passages apart.

Several minutes of running at top speed left you and Solomon out of breath. The demons behind you seemed a little better off, although Levi was trailing behind quite a bit. The snake wasn't that far behind him, hissing and thrashing its tail as it maneuvered expertly through the labyrinth.

Solomon pressed forward, taking a few quick, sharp turns before pulling you into a narrow chamber that branched off to the right so the two of you could catch your breath. The entrance was small, no bigger than an average doorway, too small for the snake to pass through. Probably.

The walls were lined with prison cell doors, a demon skeleton, half crumbled with age, sat in one of the cells. Its horned skull grinned at you with its somehow still white fangs and a blank stare and you tried to avert your eyes.

“Looks like we managed to lose it somehow.” Asmo leaned against one of the cell doors and pulled out his compact mirror, trying to fix his mussed hair under the low light.

“Yeah, but what're we s'posed to do now, huh? You expect us to hide here forever?” said Mammon. He had placed himself as far away from the entrance and the demon skeleton as possible.

“You're the one who woke that snake up, Mammon. You don't get to complain.” Beel grunted, pushing his sweaty hair back from his forehead. His hands were shaking as he slid to the floor, his back against the wall. Normally one of the strongest, his hunger was apparent in his physical symptoms.

“Hey, I didn't wake it up! I just saw a snakeskin lyin' on the ground and figured I'd sell it for a pretty nice sum!” Mammon protested. “But when I tried to grab it to take it with me, it turned out there was still a snake inside! That's when that monster suddenly came after us, all mad 'n stuff…”

“He's NOT a monster.” Levi dropped to his knees in exhaustion next to Beel, “He's Henry 1.0.”

Asmo snapped the compact mirror shut, his eyes wide, “What?”

“Henry...?” said Mammon, “Wait, you mean THAT Henry?!”

“Are you sure?” Beel asked.

Levi clutched his side, panting from the strain of all that running. “I know Henry when I see him. And that is Henry, no doubt about it. I can't believe I'd find him down here of all places.”

“Henry?” You asked. “What are you talking about?” The only Henrys you knew were the fictional one from TSL and Levi’s tiny goldfish back at the House of Lamentation.

“He's talking about the pet snake he used to have.” Said Beel. “Every time Levi gets a new pet, he names it Henry.”

“Um… I wanna say you're on your fourth Henry at this point, right?” Asmo chimed in.

“No, you're WAY off. I'm currently keeping Henry 2.0.” Levi adamantly corrected. “I kept Henry 1.0 in his glass case and took really good care of him, but one day he disappeared. How many years has it been, I wonder?”

So the snake chasing you had once been Levi’s pet. You suppressed a laugh, imagining Henry 2.0 somehow escaping unbeknownst to Levi and becoming a whale-sized goldfish. That scenario didn't seem that unlikely for the Devildom.

“I don't believe it. I never thought I'd see him again…” Levi was tearing up, “But here he is, alive and well-and he's gotten so BIG! Oh, it's such a relief. I'm so glad he's all right.”

“Well I sure ain't!” Mammon said.

“Anyway, I at least managed to snap a selfie with him as we were running away. Here, check it out!” Levi excitedly showed you the selfie on his now cracked D.D.D. screen, the motion blurred picture showed Levi’s proud smile as Henry brandished his fangs mid-hiss, only a few feet behind him in pursuit.

Solomon spoke up next, “If he used to be your pet, do you think there's some way to pacify him?”

“Nope, no way.” Levi frowned. “He looked like he'd forgotten me completely.”

“Well yes, I'd say so, considering he just tried to eat you…” Asmo gave him a pat on the shoulder for condolences.

“We should attack it.” Beel’s dark rimmed eyes flashed red for a moment, “We should take that thing down, then grill it up and eat it. I'm hungry.”

Levi grabbed Beel’s arm, “No! I won't let you hurt Henry 1.0! And he's NOT FOOD!” He was prepared to restrain his younger brother if need be.

“Okay then, what SHOULD we do? If we don't do somethin' about that snake, we're never gonna get outta here.” Mammon pointed to the entrance. Henry was slithering back and forth in the hall as if pacing the floor, his tongue flickering to taste the air. He was searching.

“Violence isn't the answer.” You said, lowering your voice and giving Levi a reassuring glance.

“Thank you.” said Levi, matching your volume. “MC is the only person making sense right now.”

Solomon peeked out the doorway, “We don't necessarily need to hurt Henry to get out of here. There's another strategy we could try.”

Asmo clung to Solomon’s arm, resting his head on the sorcerer’s shoulder to fawn over him, “Oh Solomon, I knew you'd come up with something! Not only are you good-looking, you're smart, too.” He tapped him on the nose.

“Thanks,” Solomon put his hands on Asmo’s shoulders, moving him back an arm’s length, a calculating look in his eye, “Alright, I'll be counting on you to make this work, Asmodeus.”

“Huh? ...Me?” Asmo looked incredulous.

“Ah, I see what he's thinkin! While that snake is chewin' on Asmo, the rest of us can make our escape!” said Mammon.

Asmo scoffed. “Uh, no. That should be YOUR job, Mammon. As the stupidest one among us, it's only right.”

“Oh no, nuh-uh!” said Levi, “No feeding Mammon to Henry 1.0! He'll get a tummy ache!”

“HEY! You guys are bein' REAL RUDE, ya know that?!” said Mammon.

“Are you thinking of using Asmo to mesmerize the snake?” Beel asked.

“Exactly.” said Solomon, “We should make use of Asmodeus's natural charm. If he can manage to tame Henry and win him over, then maybe he'd be willing to show us the way out of the labyrinth.”

Asmo thought for a moment. It did seem doable. And if he succeeded he was sure to get a lot of praise, hopefully from you.

From you? Why would he need or want praise from you? He brushed his hands against his pants as if trying to push that thought away. You and your praise didn't matter to him.

He still needed to get out of this labyrinth, though.

“Ah, okay...yes. Well, I suppose I could do that.” He sighed languidly, “You know, it really should be illegal to be so stunningly beautiful that you can even charm a snake. I'm so attractive sometimes I scare even myself.”

“Yikes.”

“Ah, so you find it scary too, Beel?” Asmo smiled, “I mean, I'm not surprised.”

“No, I said that because I think he just spotted us... Henry, I mean.”

The snake was flickering his tongue in the air right outside the doorway, his size preventing him from entering. He hissed and bobbed his head, trying to find another way in.

“Right! I'II begin by using my magic to amplify Asmodeus's powers.” Solomon rolled back his cuffs. “Then Asmo, you mesmerize Henry. The amplification process is going to take a bit of time. So Mammon,”

Asmo smirked, knowing exactly what would come next.

“Me?” Mammon protested, knowing exactly where this was going, “Why’s it gotta be me? Why can't one a’ them go?” He pointed over to Levi and Beel who both appeared to be at death’s door. There was no way either of them could safely follow through with the plan in the state they were in.

Solomon continued speaking, ignoring the ridiculous suggestion, “And MC, you two distract Henry in the meantime.”

Asmo’s eyes darted to you, his stomach flipped as Solomon said your name. “Wait,” he said.

“Something the matter?” Solomon quirked an eyebrow.

Asmo didn't know what to say. The idea of you facing Levi’s disgusting snake really bothered him. Mammon was a demon and could handle himself, but you were only human. You could get hurt. He looked down at his own clasped hands, “Um… I don’t–”

“Solomon,” you cut him off as the giant snake slithered closer to your hiding spot. “Will my bracelet protect me and Mammon from Henry?”

Solomon crossed his arms, letting out a breath in a whoosh. “I don’t know. The spell I cast on it was relatively simple so it’s hard to tell with a creature of Henry’s size.”

You took Mammon’s hand, lacing your fingers with his as he blushed and stammered, “Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

You gave a confident smile, winking over your shoulder at Asmo.

Asmo’s jaw dropped. What a tease. Where did this MC come from? Surely this wasn't the timid human who had been living with his family for the past few months. There was such determination in your eyes. Maybe your reaction to seeing the Demon King’s portrait earlier wasn't naïveté but actual fearlessness. Asmo felt his heart rate quicken. That was kind of attractive.

“We have to work quickly before he figures out a way in,” said Solomon, snapping Asmo out of his own thoughts.

“Right,” You tossed a loose stone past Henry and it clattered on the floor on the other side of the corridor. Henry turned toward the sound and slithered away to investigate. You had your opening. “Come on, Mammon.”

“HEEEEY! What's the big idea pushin' me right out into its path?! I mean, come on!” Mammon complained loudly as you pushed him out of the comfort of your hiding place. His voice alerted Henry to your presence. The snake began to charge after you.

So reckless. You’d gone out there without a plan beyond “distract Henry.” Asmo bit his lip, frustration building inside him. He had the urge to pull you back into the safety of the cell block. When this was all over he swore he would lecture you like he had before, it didn't matter if the others were around. And if you cried this time he would just have to take you in his arms and–

“Okay, Asmo, I take it you're ready?” Solomon cast his hands out in front of him.

Asmo tore his eyes from you and Mammon running from the snake. He took a deep breath, he really needed to focus, now more than ever. Everything was riding on him. He had to at least do this for you, “Yep, go right ahead.”

“WHATEVER! JUST DO IT ALREADY!” Mammon yelped, swerving and darting from the snake’s fangs. The two of you were doing your best to keep Henry close enough to the center of the hall for Asmo to be able to work his magic when the time came.

You grimaced as Mammon squeezed your hand, pressing on the developing bruises Asmo had left earlier. You were yanked behind him as little more than a rag doll, barely having time to jump out of the way each time Henry struck.

Solomon spoke the incantation, “Denizens of the darkness, awaken! You who are born of shadow, hear me! I am the one called Solomon. I call upon you now to lend your power to Asmodeus, Avatar of Lust!”

Solomon’s magic warmed Asmo from the inside out. It was a familiar, exhilarating feeling that washed over him, one he’d grown to love over the centuries with his connection to the sorcerer. “Ooh yes, I LIKE this! I'm SO turned on right now!” The magic coursing through him really got his blood pumping. Sometimes a pact could be draining, but other times, like when he and Solomon were in sync with their goals, it felt so good!

“AAAAAH! HERE IT COMES HERE IT COMES HERE IT COMES!” Mammon dodged Henry one last time, pulling you against his chest in an attempt to shield himself from the snake. Unfortunately it seemed like your bracelet was doing very little to deter the creature. Henry rose to tower above you, hissing loudly.

You grasped at Mammon’s arms which were so tightly wrapped around you, and you braced yourself.

Asmo stepped out into the hall directly in front of you, his eyes shining with rose colored sparkles as he locked his gaze on the snake, “That's right, Henry. Look me in the eyes.” He cooed.

Henry stopped in his tracks, his tongue flicking out once.

“...Yes, that's a good boy.”

You peered over Asmo’s shoulder as the charm took hold, the snake’s eyes glowing that same shade of pink. Asmo continued speaking low, enticing whisperings to the snake who was completely enraptured.

After a moment, Henry began to hiss as if responding to Asmo.

“What's that now?” Asmo grinned, looking back at you over his shoulder before turning to Henry again. “Well, how about that. He says he'll show us the way out of the labyrinth!”

Asmo listened carefully as Henry let out a series of hisses, pointing his tail from time to time like one might do with their hands when describing directions of how to get somewhere. After a few minutes he stopped, tilting his head to indicate he was finished.

“You got all that, Solomon?” Asmo asked.

Solomon nodded. “Nice job, Asmo!”

“Well, really, did you expect anything less of me?” He preened.

Levi ran out into the corridor to fuss over his pet like a parent welcoming his long lost child home, his breathing finally returned to normal. “My Henry!”

Asmo got Henry to lower his head so Levi could give him a kiss between his eyes.

“How long do we have before the charm wears off?” Beel asked as he stood shakily. Henry stayed in place, obedient and still mesmerized.

Asmo tapped his chin with his finger. “Well for a human it usually lasts for a few days.” His eyes flickered over you briefly. “For a demon it can be a few hours. Especially lower level demons, they are so easy!”

“Henry ain't a demon, though.” Mammon pointed out.

“Yes, that’s right,” said Asmo. “Henry is a creature, an animal. Unintelligent. His brain isn't as developed as even a lowly human.”

“Hey!” Levi said, not sure if he felt insulted for you as a human, or for Henry.

Asmo continued musing. “But he’s a creature in possession of some magic, that’s clear from his size, most snakes even here in the Devildom won’t get that big… You know, I’m not sure. It could last months, it could last a few minutes.” Asmo giggled. “So we better get moving in case he wakes up!”

Asmo and Solomon led the way down the dark, twisting corridors, keeping at a fast clip as they went even further into the labyrinth. The vines here were beginning to thin out.

Solomon yanked Asmo’s arm as he went to make a wrong turn.

“What was that about?” Asmo yelped in pain. “Didn't Henry say ‘Sss ssss ss’? That means ‘turn left at the Minotaur statue.”

“Wrong dialect, that would be correct in sea snake but Henry is a land snake. He said go right.”

At the next turn, the hall appeared to be better maintained. It was brighter, with more torchlight, and the cobblestones floor was even and flat. The walls were decorated with mosaics of Devildom beasts and demons, similar to the one on the floor of that large chamber with the old chandelier, but there were no missing tiles here.

“He said there would be a gate…” Solomon said, “Right there!”

The large wrought iron gate was flanked by two ornate lanterns, the flames burning brightly with apparent magic. The circle of light illuminated what looked like some sort of cellar, with rows of shelves full of Demonus and jars of pickled foods and preserves. The gate was locked with a padlock, a magical signature emanating from it.

“Henry said this cellar is right under the castle.” Solomon touched the padlock and then recoiled as its magic shocked him. “We should call someone and let them know we’re down here.”

Asmo pulled out his D.D.D., frowning when he saw the screen. “There’s no service.” He held his phone up to see if he could find a signal.

Levi and Beel did the same.

“Nothing,” said Beel. He gazed longingly through the bars.

A far off rumbling sounded deep in the labyrinth in the direction your group had just come from.

“Is that–” you began.

“Henry just woke up,” Asmo confirmed.

“We ain’t got time to wait for someone to come down here.” Mammon slid a credit card sized, enchanted lockpicking set from his wallet and knelt on the floor in front of the gate. “Let’s hope whatever locking spell Barbatos has on this gate ain’t too strong.”

Mammon got to work unlocking the gate. Emerald green sparks flashed from the keyhole but as long as he touched the padlock only with the tools, he avoided getting shocked.

The rumbling was progressively getting louder, it seemed that Henry was out for revenge, angry that his prey had escaped him.

“How much longer?” Levi asked urgently.

“I’ve almost— AHH!” Mammon dropped the tension wrench, his hand bumping into the padlock and sending a shock up his arm with more green sparks. He fumbled for the tool and began again, “Ain't a lock out there that’s a match for The Great Mammon.” He said, trying to hype himself up.

Henry's shadow stretched across the wall in the torchlight, coming into sharp focus before he could be seen. He was close.

“Come on!” Asmo shook Mammon’s shoulder, “He’s almost here.”

“Will ya stop that?” Mammon shrugged off his brother's hand, jiggling the lock as he doubled his speed.

The lock dropped to the floor and the gate swung open just as Henry rounded the corner, hissing loudly as he spotted you, Solomon, and the demons.

“Everybody in!” Mammon pushed you through first, and letting everyone else go before him. He slammed the gate shut as Henry lunged at his heels.

You passed through the rows of shelves. Everything was meticulously organized, from the Demonus categorized by millennia to the Devildom root vegetables lining the back wall and the jars of preserved goods with their carefully written labels lined up by type in the middle.

Asmo swiped a jar of Barbatos’ homemade blue rose crystal pickles from one of the shelves and handed it to Beel.

“Thanks,” Beel said, opening it right away.

“I’m proud of you for keeping it together, hon,” said Asmo.

The cellar was dark with no torches to light the way but then you spotted the staircase with a single door at the top. “There it is!” You could practically taste your freedom.

Despite being the last one to go through the gate, Mammon was the first up the stairs. He frantically banged on the door. “Someone let us out!”

“Please!”

“Help us!”

The cellar door opened and everyone tumbled onto the floor of the castle’s kitchen where several Little D’s were preparing dinner.

“Welcome back.” said Barbatos.

***

Cross-posted on AO3

[kuumara]

Without you it's hard to breathe (literally)

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Mike didn't want it to be like this. How did this even happen. Fuck Nancy for saying this would be a good idea. And fuck everyone who agreed to it.

Now Will is drowning. Mike is pulling him out the water but what if it's already too late? What if he took too long to pull out his knife and cut the vine holding Will by the throat? What if he jumped in the water too late?

They weren't even intending to go to Lovers' Lake, the vine dragged Will into it. They weren't even close to it. And now Will could die.

Mike lays him on his back, unresponsive. Robin is standing there, mouth wide open.

"Keep watch!" Mike yells, out of breath. He feels insane. His brain and heart are thumping and it's making his head hurt.

Robin holds up the gun Nancy gave her and prepares the Molotov cocktail, in case anything surprises them. Again.

Mike isn't sure what to do. He wasn't there when they had a 'Healthcare day' at high school. That was a year ago, now. Damn it, if he would've listened, he could've been helping Will right now.

"Listen to his breathing," Robin said, still in shock.

Mike brought his ear to Will's lips, and heard breathing- shallow, barely there, detectable only by him feeling Will exhale.

"He's- barely," said Mike. Robin closed and shut her eyes roughly a few times, trying to recall her first-aid courses.

"Does he have anything in his mouth," she said in the end. Mike shook his head.

"I- I don't know! Do CPR!"

"But he is breathing!"

"Not for long," Robin said in distress. Mike wanted to kill her right then and there.

He huffed air into Will's mouth a few times, his logic telling him he has to be his lungs.

After he connected his lips to Will's, after ignoring the bombs in his stomach, after successfully making Will breathe faintly with him, after feeling his breathing become more and more stable, he heard a muffled shot.

Mike almost shat his pants; one second all he knows is Will, his lips, making him breathe successfully, saving him, it's really heart breaking to see the moment get broken by a stupid demogorgon. A dead one.

"Is he better?" She yells at Mike.

Mike looks to Will, his eyelids fluttering but never fully opening. He groans.

"We have to go, quickly. There might be more shit coming, even though I've got a silencer."

Mike nods, wide eyes still fixed on Will. He puts Will's head on his knees, lifting it up. He hovers his hand over his mouth, feeling deep breaths, Will's falling and rising chest showing that he's better as well.

"C'mon," he whispers to him as Robin helps him lift Will up, Mike's arm wrapped tightly around his middle.

"Quickly, let's go to Hop's cabin." Robin says and leads the way, gun pointed for monsters ahead and occasionally behind them.

As they walk, Will needs less and less Mike's help. He hasn't spoken a word since he woke up, probably shocked. Mike wants to ask him what's wrong and make him feel better, but there might be monsters hiding in the trees, waiting for them to make just a little bit too-loud of a noise.

So he sticks to holding him close, squeezing Will's hand draped over his shoulder. Even though they both know Will doesn't need help walking anymore.

Mike should be paying attention to any suspicious noises, but all his brain is filled with is the replaying of the moment Mike's lips encased Will's.

He knows it's not that big of a deal. He was drowning for fuck's sake. But his brain couldn't care less about what he thinks. So he's stuck replaying his 'CPR' and burning up, feeling as red as a tomato.

Will thankfully doesn't notice it, and they make it to the cabin safely.

Mike sits Will on the couch, knowing very well he can do that himself now. He does it anyway, sitting beside Will instantly. Probably getting a bit too close.

Will doesn't care, but doesn't make eye contact either.

"Hello? Hello? Over." Robin interrupts them. Again. Or rather, interrupts Mike again.

She's trying to contact help, or to ask someone on what to do after a drowning. Or is it just okay now? Just like that?

Will looks at Robin. Not Mike. And Mike doesn't really- like that, so he puts a hand on Will's back and drags it to his shoulder. Getting his attention. Finally.

Will looks at him with tired eyes, and Mike doesn't like his attention anymore. He turns red as a demon, but Will just softly smiles.

"Thanks... Thank you," he whispers.

"Of course." Mike blurts dumbly. Will huffs a laugh.

"Are you- feeling alright?"

Will nods. "Thanks to you, yeah," and smiles again. Mike damn near explodes.

And, just like that, he's staring at Will's lips, ridiculously up close. He feels his breathing, just like by Lovers' Lake. His mind goes blank when Will puts a hand on his knee, and goes in for it.

"They're coming, I told them the monsters probably heard the shot and will-"

Robin came from the bathroom. Now she stopped, looking at the guys in front of her, both red as strawberries, ruffled hair and Mike's jacket God knows where.

They've both very nearly bolted to separate sides of the room, but only making it to sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Keeping as much distance as possible, their eyes darting nervously. Red as strawberries.

She tries to cover up the mischievous smile creeping up on her face, failing, and Mike scowling at her before quickly moving his eyes away.

And after two years of watching them dance around each other- all she can think is good for them.

--

@howtobecomeadragon 's idea from tags and @dunkeyfromshrek brought it to me attention aye (and motivated this thang)

i actually dk how to perform cpr so if ur a first aid NERD that wanna complain lmk and ill fix it

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

The Girls' Trip Fairy Tale Ending--Chapter 3 of 5

Summary:  This is my combined birthday gift for Joni (  @jrob64​  ), Marta ( @snowbellewells ) and Krystal ( @kmomof4 ).  Happy birthday ladies! Four fandom friends are nearing the end of their annual girls’ trip when they’re suddenly visited by Isaac, the author before Henry.  He gives them an each a gift–an opportunity to jump into any scene in the storybook they want and fix it.  Large focus on CS, although other characters and relationships will be explored.  A big shoutout to @hollyethecurious​ and @winterbaby89 for betaing!

Word Count: 2897

Other chapters:  (1) (2) (4)

Can also be found on: (ao3) (ff.net)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Note: Happiest of birthdays to Marta, @snowbellewells! I hope you enjoy your trip into the book! (You might want to sit down when you read this; there is a decent chance you'll swoon, hehe.)

Chapter 3

The book deposited Marta somewhere in the middle of the Storybrooke cemetery as dusk settled over the town. She grinned, knowing she was exactly where she was meant to be–and because against all odds and logic, she was about to actually meet and interact with Graham. Best. Girls’. Trip. Ever.

She wasn’t going to fulfill her purpose by standing here and thinking about the surrealism of her situation, though. She needed to find Regina’s vault, and she needed to find Emma and Graham before Regina did.

She scanned the cemetery past rows and rows of completely ordinary tombstones, some with loving epitaphs and others rather nondescript.  She even saw one on which was etched three bears standing side by side. The epitaph for this stone read “Jesus saves.”

Finally, in the distance she saw the large mausoleum with its twin pillars and its circular crest, emblazoned with antlers or curved vines. Marta wasn’t entirely clear what they were supposed to represent.

Even more significantly, she saw the three figures of Emma, Graham, and Regina standing before it. They spoke for a few moments, and then Regina threw a punch, which Emma quickly returned, before slamming Regina up against the vault.

Marta’s heart sank; she hoped she wasn’t too late. 

As Emma began walking purposefully toward her cruiser, Graham not far behind, Marta knew she had to make her move.

“Graham was right,” Marta said quickly, catching up to Emma. “Regina is keeping his heart in the vault!”

Emma stopped and stared at her for a long moment. “Is there something in the water today? Have I dropped into some bizzaro world where I’m the only person who hasn’t lost my mind? Do you realize how you crazy you sound, Marta?”

“Yeah, I’m sure I sound insane,” Marta said, “and normally I’d give you the opportunity to figure all of this out on your own, but right now… it’s literally a matter of life and death. We can’t let Regina get to that heart!”

Emma closed her eyes for a moment, growling in frustration. “Okay, say I believed you,” she finally said, encompassing both Marta and Graham in her glance, “we searched the vault. There’s nothing there but a coffin.”

Marta didn't know how much she should or could intervene. It was probably best to be a little cryptic and circumspect.

"It seemed like you were interrupted in your searching," she said. "I'm sure there's more to be discovered there than you realize."

"She's right, Emma,"  Graham insisted. " I can still feel it. It’s there somewhere."

"Look, Graham,"  Emma said gently, taking his face in her hands and looking into his eyes. "It’s been a difficult and emotional day for you. Please just take a breath and trust me. Everything is going to be alright."

Marta saw the moment Graham conceded, and she began to panic. “You have to listen to me!” she tried again. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true!”

Emma shook her head. “Look, we already tried searching for it, and that led to an encounter with Regina that I don’t think either of us is ready to repeat anytime soon. If there’s something there, we can always come back and look for it another time, but until then, there’s a first aid kit in the sheriff’s station that’s calling my name.”

“But–” Marta tried one last time, but they were already gone.

Now what?

She considered heading back to the vault and confronting Regina herself, but she wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to go up against the Evil Queen–even in the Land Without Magic. What she needed was an ally.

And then it clicked. Henry. Who better than the truest believer, who had been working so hard on Operation Cobra, to help her stop his mom from doing something irreversible?

She needed to get to Henry now … wherever he was.

She’d no sooner had the thought than she was at the front door of the mayor’s mansion. She could really get used to traveling at the speed of thought like this! Knowing she didn’t have a moment to lose, she rang the doorbell and then waited impatiently until Henry opened the door.

“Marta?” he asked, his brow furrowing. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s an Operation Cobra emergency!” she said. “We have to get to your mom’s vault A.S.A.P.”

Without a word, Henry grabbed his coat and followed her out the door. As they rushed back to the cemetery, Marta filled Henry in on what was happening–being careful to heavily edit the situation, not entirely sure it was suitable for ten-year-old ears.

“And so,” Marta finished, just as the vault came into view, “I thought you could distract your mom, and then I’ll grab the heart and take it back to Sheriff Humbert.”

To Marta’s profound relief, the plan went off without a hitch. When they got to the mausoleum, Marta hid behind a nearby tree while Henry called out for Regina. She came rushing out, and Marta slipped in behind her just as Henry started in on a tale of how he didn’t know where Regina was and he’d been worried.

Thankfully, Regina hadn’t had time to push her father’s coffin back into place before rushing out to her son, and Marta ran down the cold, stone stairs, heart pounding, fearing to find a pile of dust instead of a heart, but to her relief, she saw it right away, bright red and glowing from inside the small box in which Regina had kept it. Marta took a moment to peer into the box to make sure she truly had her prize before closing the lid and making her way back outside. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next thing Marta knew, she was standing in the doorway of the sheriff’s station just as Graham leaned in and kissed Emma. No sooner had his lips touched hers than he pulled back with a gasp, his eyes blown wide.

“Emma,” he said in wonder, “I remember!”

“You remember … what?” Emma asked carefully.

“Everything,” Graham answered. 

Marta stepped forward. “Then I’m sure you’ll be pleased to see this again.” She extended the box toward him.

Graham gasped. “You got it? You really found it? How?”

“Let’s just say…” Marta said, “I knew where to look.”

For a moment, Emma merely looked back and forth between the two of them, her confusion and unease plain to see all over her face, and then she threw up her hands and headed for the door.

“Look,” she said, “I don’t know what the hell is going on around here tonight, but it’s just … too much. I forwarded the station phones to my cell; I’m going home. Graham just … take care of yourself, okay?”

He smiled at her gently. “See you tomorrow? Maybe we can talk.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Promise you’ll get some rest?”

“You have my word.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Marta blinked again, she found herself just inside the door of Granny’s diner.  She glanced around, confused.  She didn’t remember this scene from the show.  Maybe it was something new created because of her changes?

Marta noted that it was dark outside, so it must be evening.  Was it the same evening as her previous scenes had taken place?  What was she meant to do here?  Just as she considered stepping out the door, she spotted Graham sitting alone at a booth near the back of the diner.  He slowly brought a porcelain cup to his lips and took a sip as he looked pensively down at the wooden box in which Regina had kept his heart.

With no idea what she was intended to do, Marta decided she might as well join Graham.  He looked up as she approached the table, and a smile lit up his face at the sight of her.  He gestured to the opposite seat of his bench, and she took the offered seat.

“I owe you a debt of gratitude, Marta,” Graham said.  “If you hadn’t been there, hadn’t believed my wild tale, I shudder to think what might have happened.”

Marta felt a shiver go up her spine, remembering what really HAD happened in the original storyline.  “It was no trouble,” she assured.  “I knew you were right, and I didn’t want anything worse to happen to you.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand with another gentle smile.  “Thank you, nonetheless.  I know the things I’ve said and done over the past day have been–difficult to believe–but you’ve had faith in me even so, and I appreciate it more than you know.”

“Well,” Marta said, “I … know more than you think.  I believe you.  On all of it.”

“Do you?” he asked, surprised.

Marta nodded.  “And I know that you’ve been controlled entirely too long.  You need to get your heart back in your chest.”

Graham sighed, and glanced sightlessly out the window.  “Then you know I need a magic wielder to make that happen.  The only ones currently in this town are Regina and Mr. Gold, neither of which I trust to help me.”

Marta thought for a moment and a specific scene came to mind: Mulan returning Aurora’s heart in Rumplestiltskin’s cell.

“I’m not entirely sure that’s true,” Marta said.  “I’ve, well, I’ve seen a non-magical person return a heart.”

He glanced at her quizzically.  “Just who are you, Marta?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she asked with a small, secret smile.

His returning smile could light up an entire room.  “Perhaps I would.”

For several moments, Marta couldn’t speak, could barely remember her own name or why she was here.  That smile was lethal.

“Anyway, that’s … not important,” she answered, still more than a little flustered.  “The point is, I think it can be done.  I could try, if you’d be willing to let me.”

He was silent for a moment, considering it, and then he nodded.  “It’s worth a try.”

Graham got to his feet, and Marta gave him a questioning look.  “I’d assume you shoving a red glowing object into my chest might attract… attention.  I thought it would be best to go somewhere a bit more secluded.”

Nodding at the wisdom of that, Marta got to her feet and followed Graham to the back hallway of Granny’s, where he gave her his heart. (Marta was sure for the rest of her days she would never forget the warm fuzzy feeling that gave her.)  Holding it carefully, she hesitated for a moment, before quickly plunging her hand into his chest.

Graham gasped, closing his eyes and grimacing in pain for a moment.

“Are you okay?” Marta asked quickly.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, and the smile that came over his face would put the sun to shame.  “I’ve never in my life been better,” he said, “and I have you to thank for it.”

Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his lips, placing a quick, grateful kiss on its back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Marta was fairly certain she’d swooned after Graham kissed her hand, and this time when she came to, she found herself in Mary Margaret’s flat. Emma sat at the kitchen table, pushing around the cereal in her bowl rather listlessly.

Breakfast time, then–must be the next morning.

“Emma?” Marta asked, taking a seat on the other side of the table, “I just wanted to make sure you’re doing alright. Last night was kind of a lot.”

Emma snorted.  “Yeah, you could say that.  I have a knock-down, drag-out fight with the mayor, who also happens to be my son’s mom. My boss kisses me and then has some sort of … break with reality.  All in a day’s work in Storybrooke, right?  I’ve only been in this town a few weeks, but already I realize things are just … weird … here.”

“Well that is one way to put it,” Marta replied. “But … maybe try to keep a bit of an open mind about Graham.  Obviously he was going through … something … yesterday.”

Emma rolled her eyes.  “Not you too!”

Marta’s brows furrowed.  “Not me … what?””

“Mary Margaret’s already been all over me this morning about closing my heart to love and not giving Graham a chance, and being afraid, and, well, whatever other crap she mentioned.”

“So I take it you told her about your kiss,” Marta prodded.

“Yeah, and she jumped all over it,” Emma said with a frustrated huff.  “Got all excited, talking like I’d just started dating my true love or something.  It was just …way too much for this early in the morning”

Marta chuckled.  “Knowing her, I can imagine.  She means well; just wants you to be happy.”

“I know she does,” Emma sighed.  “I just wish she’d back off a little sometimes.  I’ve been a loner for a long time.  I’m not used to… friends.”

“Well you have them now,” Marta said, “and that’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah,” Emma said slowly, “except when they're jumping to too many conclusions about my love life.”

“Okay, I could see that,” Marta conceded. “So what are your thoughts about Graham and what happened last night.”

“I don’t know,” Emma said, looking down at her bowl of cereal and continuing to drag her spoon through it.  “I do have, I don’t know, feelings of some sort toward him.  I do care about him, but … well, for one thing, he’s clearly going through something right now.  I don’t know if he’s sick and delirious, or something else, but all that crap he was saying back at the office–”

“Yeah, I know it strains credibility,” Marta said carefully.  This was harder to navigate than she’d anticipated.  If she said too much would she change the future?  Was Emma even ready to hear it?  “Maybe he just needs a little time.  You probably do too.”

Emma barked out a laugh.  “That’s for sure.”

For a few moments, the two were silent, thinking about the conversation and the events of the past day.  Finally, Emma spoke up again.

“It’s not just Graham’s … issues, though, to be honest.”

“What else is bothering you?” Marta asked.

“It’s just … those feelings I feel toward Graham? I don’t think it’s love.  I just don’t think I feel for him what I should feel for the man I’m in love with.  I don’t want to start something and hurt him later.  I know I’m the last person who should have this, I don’t know, romanticized view of love, but I just feel like there should be more to it than this.”

Marta smiled gently, thinking about a certain leather clad pirate Emma was only weeks from meeting for the first time.  She thought about their epic love story that even death itself couldn’t stop.  “Emma,” she said, “I have no doubt that epic, passionate, all-consuming true love is out there for you, and I have a sense that it’ll find you sooner than you think.  Until then, there’s nothing wrong with keeping things with Graham at the friendship level.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma thanked Marta for the talk and then headed for the station.  Left alone in the loft, Marta wondered what else she was meant to do.

Then she noticed the storybook–the storybook Lucy had at the start of season 7, the one that contained all of the events of canon along with the past fairy tales.

Maybe she was supposed to flip through and see what changed thanks to her ministrations?

She paged through until she found the events of the past day, and then she moved forward.  Regina, angry with being thwarted and concerned with how much of the truth Graham might know, came up with a creative–and particularly cruel–way to solve her problem.  After convincing the town that Graham had suffered a mental break and was no longer fit for duties as sheriff, she had him committed to the Storybrooke mental asylum in the hospital basement.

It appeared the rest of season one continued largely the same as canon.  Curious what would happen following the breaking of the curse, Marta kept reading.

After the curse, Graham was freed from the mental hospital and went on to team up with Ruby to head up the task force to reunite people with their missing loved ones.  Working together brought the two of them closer, and it wasn’t long before they began dating.

Through the seasons, Graham continued to help the heroes as various villains showed up and were subsequently defeated.  Eventually, he and Ruby decided to pull back from the craziness and enjoy their life together, even as the world continued to crash around them.

It was all Marta could have hoped for her favorite first Storybrooke sheriff.

She’d no sooner closed the cover of the book than she felt a tug in her midsection, and the room around her began spinning.  She closed her eyes against the sudden dizziness.  When she opened them again, she was back in the living room of her cabin, looking at the eager faces of her friends.

“I can’t wait to tell you what just happened!” she said excitedly.

“Well, you’re gonna have to,” Isaac said irritably.  “Come on; I don’t have all night.  Who’s next?”“I think it’s my turn,” Krystal said, a blood-thirsty gleam in her eyes, “and I know exactly what I’m going to do.”

Notes:

--I hope you enjoyed your birthday gift, Marta! Your affinity for a certain handsome Storybrooke sheriff who deserved so much better is well known to all of us. Since we got so little of him in canon, I thought I'd give you more one on one interaction with him!

--Up next: A bit of a longer hiatus. The next chapter will be posted on October 15, Krystal (@kmomof4's) birthday. We'll be moving on to the missing year between 3a and 3b, and Krystal will get a chance to give Neal the ending he deserves. (Cue evil laughter)

NEXT CHAPTER-->

[flowers-the-sun-witch]

bmb day 6!

feat: Flowers, @wizblr-blue-moon-ball's Lurien, and mentioning @hyper-lynx's Liam and Hemi! The start of this is based off the latter's start as well, but it deviates from there.

Flowers blinks their eyes open, suddenly realising they had fallen asleep. Sluggishly, and also a little embarrassed, they stand, fixing their dress as they do so. They glance back around the room they're in. No one's entered it besides them, as far as they can tell, and the attendees seem to be congregating outside. They sigh, before stepping out into the hall, just as Lurien, looking considerably more tired than the last time they'd seen him, starts to speak.

“Esteemed guests! The hour is drawing late. We have prepared a final surprise for all of you. If you would please make your way to the atrium, then follow the signage to the newly opened sky garden. Please bring any spellcasting equipment you have handy.”

Flowers automatically glances up, even though they know that the garden wouldn't be in the main hall of all places. They then sift through their pockets, making sure that they have some form of spare materials on hand. They internally panic for a moment, but calm as they find a dark blue agate stone, obviously shrunk down so it would fit, hidden in their dress. They breathe. It'll be difficult to do, well, anything really with this, so they'll have to be a little creative, but they haven't had much of a challenge with their magic recently. It will be fun, either way. Probably.

Flowers pauses briefly, letting most of the crowd travel ahead of them, then join the trail of stragglers and attendees who apparently didn't get the memo when everyone started leaving. As they walk, they admire the portraits, huge banners, tapestries, and other fine decor they see along the way. Soon after, though, they realise that everyone's mostly left them behind, and try to move a little faster. Finally, they walk past the doorway into the sky garden. It was more of a glorified balcony or terrace, really; flowers and other shrubs and plants of all kinds line the corners, but in the centre is a giant rune circle, large enough that everyone could sit in the ritual space with no issues whatsoever. They turn, and are immediately startled by the fact that Liam and Hemi are right next to them. They take a seat next to Liam quietly, some unknown guest on their other side.

And then the show starts.

Lurien, surprisingly, seems to be conducting his magic spontaneously; it travels up into the air in a pillar of light, shining both pure white and with every colour imaginable, then branches off into thousands of 'twigs' of power. It winds and twists, almost looking like vines strangling the stars, now difficult to see with all the new light. Flowers holds their agate, now properly sized, tight to their chest. There isn't much of a reason to do so— of course, they haven't been given anything to really do with it yet— but at their action, a couple others also do the same. It feels right to do.

The air trembles with something, and they sense that it's nearly the end of the light show. The branches, now fading slightly, start to shine bright with colour, doffing their previous white glow. The tips of each branch form orbs of swirling red and blue and purple, and Flowers fixates on one, clutching their gemstone tighter to themself. As they do so, the orb seems to almost explode, colours dancing in the sky so brightly that stars dance in their vision for a few moments afterwards.

After theirs went off, a chain reaction begins; thousands of balls of light explode into the cloudless sky, like a firework show. Some only burst into colourful circles of light, like Flowers', but others form shapes— Rabbits bounding through the lights, trees sprouting and growing at a rapid pace, dragons waving in between the others. Still more branches, not yet faded, trace sigils and symbols that Flowers does not understand into the air. Underneath them, the balcony trembles with energy. They glance down for a split second; the rune circle is glowing as well.

And then it's over. Fireworks crackle one last time, before dimming, then they disappear. The atmosphere itself around the attendees seems to relax, and they let their shoulders drop. The runes' light fades as well. Flowers sits down back on their assigned seat; they hadn't even realised they'd stood in the first place. They hear Lurien talking about the rest of the ball, but they aren't listening.

That was beautiful.

[ozanxbulut]

STATS:

Character Name: Ozan Cesur Bulut

Character Age:  37

Neighborhood: Sterling Lake

Occupation: Wolf Mountain Vineyard

Faceclaim: Berk Cankat

Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey

Years of Residence in Covington: 20+

Pinterest Board / WANTED CONNECTIONS

Character Inspiration: lucifer morningstar (lucifer), nolan ross (revenge), gomez addams (addams family), fox mulder (the x-files), winston schmidt (new girl)

BIOGRAPHY: 

TW: child neglect, drugs, alcohol, violence

For the first few years of his life, Ozan never really wondered about his father or why he wasn’t around. Those first few years, he also didn’t wonder why his mother was never around either. As he grew older though, he began to realize how alone he was and other kids asked how he could do anything that he wanted, how he could stay over at other houses and never get into trouble. The answer was easy though, he was alone. Before, his mother would show up everyday, eventually she showed up every couple of days with a new boyfriend or a new job that she promised she would keep, most times though, she'd disappear for days or weeks. He didn't know any better, could not understand that he needed a parent to watch over him, to take care of him,

But he began to wonder why when his bicycle broke, there was no one to fix it, or why there was never anyone waiting at home for him with warm hugs or hot chocolate after running home from school. Ozan sometimes felt so heartbroken that he couldn’t sleep, or sometimes showed up at his best friend’s home with a blanket because his house was too cold and scary, when he became a teenager, he took advantage of it.

Parties became a daily thing, with it, a child that had one found a home in school and homework, eventually became familiar with drugs. To forget it all. To finally stop thinking about coming home and instead running around with his friends, crashing parties and shoplifting or any sort of thing that would make him feel more than the emptiness that he had always felt. His mother eventually found her way back home, but trying to rescue a young man that had never learned to respect her after years of neglect and ignoring his cries for help would never be easy. It wasn’t until he got arrested for stealing whiskey from a gas station that his mother decided to take matters into her own hands. In her words, she did what she should have done from the moment he was born; send him to the United States, to finally meet his father.

His father was a warm man, owned what was back then a small vineyard in Covington and to his benefit he looked genuinely surprised when a bitter Ozan showed up on his doorstep with only a backpack and a letter from his mother, a one night stand that he’d had in Istanbul when he went on vacation with his friends sixteen years prior. Percival never questioned if they were father and child, he did, however tell him that he would have two jobs now: school and everyday he would show up to the farm and spend the rest of the day there. Ozan hated it all and he tried to run away twice. English was impossible to learn, he couldn’t make any friends, he hated school.  Not to mention, the withdrawals were stronger than him and there was no way to get his drugs without knowing anyone, with no money. He did everything to push the man away, but instead his father only pulled him back in.

After a year of arguments and back and forth, and a failed school year, Percival persisted, giving his child structure and discipline where necessary. If he didn’t want to finish school that was fine, but he would work for him and he would earn his money, his food and whatever else he wanted. If you ask him now, Ozan cannot tell you when he and his father became a family, but he assumed that the early mornings taking care of vines, washing barrels and picking grapes slowly turned into conversations, eventually into sharing a cigarette and finally into hugs. It made him realize that, perhaps, feeling at home wasn't a myth.

His routine became erratic; get high, show up to work, go out with friends he eventually made, hooking up with people he barely knew, going home to sleep barely enough to wake up and do the same thing all over again. Again and again. A few years down the line, the vineyard turned into a famous spot for weddings in the region, visited by celebrities, by tourists and weekend crowds curious about their wines and though he didn't have much to do with the success, Ozan felt on top of the world. 

Everything came crashing down when Percival was diagnosed with MS almost five years ago. Suddenly, the only caregiver he had ever had, needed Ozan's help. And Ozan, although loving and now an adult, was so lost in his addiction that he didn't know how to even start but regardless, made it his mission to help his father as much as he could. He took his father's spot at the Vineyards, knowing that it meant the world to his father to see his lifetime work continue to thrive and grow despite his condition, moved back into the family home and turned his entire life around in a span of a year by embracing his now busy life, making so many decisions and cleaning his act up.

It’s been the best five years of his life, but also the worst years of his life. Sobriety is not easy to achieve while surrounded by parties, events and people with means. He was sober for two years, then again for a few months and now it’s been a year of sobriety, but it’s something that he struggles with and Ozan honestly doesn’t know if he will ever be able to fix that part of himself, but he tries. Now more than ever, he tries for himself though. He tries to be the man that he wants to be, wants his father to remember as a good man and not as the lost kid he'd met twenty years ago. 

LIKES

working with his hands

petting animals

green peppers on pizza

silly pranks

being in a good mood

being annoying

smoking

desserts

organized spaces

DISLIKES

driving

wearing coats

the sun

eggs

coffee

sleeping

routines

silence

TRADEMARKS

giving people nicknames, resting bitch face, dirty jokes, dad jokes, wearing several rings, messy hair, airpods, making people laugh, being in a good mood, being loud

[the-fiction-witch]

Don't Open The Red Door

Media IRL X Horror Movie

Character Thomas Brodie Sangster

Couple None

Rating Spooky

The clock hands clicked over and the chimes began. Ave Maria rang out from the bells slightly echoed across the hall. The Main lobby of the Ophelia Hotel sat fairly vacant, the large glass double doors with stained purple and green glass around the doors in dancing vine shapes. A black and white checkerboard marble floor littered with impressive furniture and antiques most of which had dust covers and protective layers ready for the shutdown. Two large archways on either side one lead through to the restaurant and Bar, the other to the spa facilities and the hotel rooms. In the corner a large office with foggy glass and a large desk empty of a receptionist with the hotel logo on the desk. Signs up to direct people to various places, A large sign up on the desk with the hotel logo and some information about the winter closing.

Sat on one of these uncovered purple chairs sat the body of a young man no older than thirty, in well-pressed clothes and shined shoes a black pair of suit pants and a light blue button down, a folder on his lap often his fingers around the folder. He was a thin-built man with the sort of pale skin that makes any red seem aggressively apparent, a head of loose natural curls that didn't have much pattern or way about them almost like you could tell he'd spent the last two hours with wet hair and a comb attempting to style them and now dry this is what remained. His hair is the colour of a slightly dark milk tea darker at its root almost mimicking the darker Tapioca pearls often found at the bottom of Milk tea drinks.

The door to the office opened and a man with a grey suit and dark under eyes that showed a clear hangover. A Jaw that sat somewhere between a square and a diamond with fairly high cheekbones but not so high it would be something you'd notice about him. With chocolate eyes and a nervous frown.

He came through and set his hands on the desk "You must be Mr Sangster,"

The young man stood and fixed himself slightly "Yes Sir,"

"Perfect, Rodger Ashland nice to finally meet you in person," He said as he came around the desk and shook the man's hand clearly harder than Mr. Sangster expected his face for a moment read of panic before relaxing into a smile.

"Yes lovely to finally meet you, Mr Ashland."

"Rodger is fine, After all this time I think we can dispense with the formality,"

"Absolutely,"

"Thomas wasn't it?"

"Yes,"

"Good, Come on we'll sit in the bar." He said before he led Thomas deeper into the hotel, into a small bar with three large glass doors, they came through one and then had the left door that led to the restaurant and the right that led to the ballroom. A few souls working cleaning and tidying the place. Rodger sat down in a rounded green booth where some paperwork already sat and Thomas nervously slipped into the booth across from him and set his folder down. "Sorry I'm a little all over the place, everyone is. We had our big farewell to a summer party last night things got a little rowdy as they always do," he explained

"That's alright, I've heard tales of the farewell to summer parties here." Thomas chuckled

"We are well-fabled" he laughs "Now, Tell me about you."

"Me?"

"yes, I must have read through your paperwork a hundred times since we first spoke But I'd love to know about you give me the story, the tale of Thomas,"

"Ohh, Well. Not really much to tell I suppose." Thomas said nervously "I was born here on the island, both my parents worked off the island, and my grandmother looked after me most of the time. When I was older my parents moved us off the island did my schooling, got my grades, and was trying to do the office intern thing for a good while."

"And you moved back recently?"

"Yes, I'd been sort of running fast getting nowhere in the city for a while felt like a fresh start and just then my grandmother got sick so I came back to look after her."

"That's very sweet of you, she still?"

"No, She passed away this June,"

"I'm very sorry to hear that. What sort of thing do you spend your time doing, you have some hobbies?"

"Just basic work at the moment, but I really enjoy gardening, drawing and even baking sometimes."

"Sounds lovely, like you will find yourself some things to do while you're here."

"I'm sure I will"

"Now I know we've been over most of this but just for the sake of clarification" He explained "The hotel has two hundred and fifty rooms, one hundred of them are suites the majority, then we have seventy-five basic rooms and seventy-five of our grand rooms, We have the reception, ballroom, bar and restaurant and then the spa facilities downstairs. Then we have the kitchen, storage and the laundry." He explained "We also have the gardens. Ohh and the east tower but that's not relevant for you" He explained

"Okay, No problem"

"The official title is caretaker, key responsibilities just looking after the place and making sure the place is kept clean, and safe, we don't get any broken windows or mouldy showers. General upkeep while the place is empty. You're also security but we haven't had any issues in the last twenty years so I don't see why you would know but there is protocol for any issues"

"Yeah I don't imagine you get much trouble"

"We did discuss of course the... big issue"

"Yes."

"as I'm sure I don't need to tell you when that causeway turns to marsh you're on your own"

"Yes, I'm aware. October to late December usually right?"

"It depends of course on the weather if we have a very wet October then it'll be later if we have a drier October sometimes it's all sorted before Christmas. last year it was so wet the damn thing was closed up by September 12th and didn't open back up until days before we reopened in January" He laughs "Absoulate emergencies like you've cut your hand off. They do have a small boat at the ambulance bay that can get out to you but you are going to be on your own" He said

"I think honestly some time alone is just what I need"

"Good, A few years ago getting a caretaker in was a terror cabin fever and the like but you'll still have wifi, phone signal can be a bit buggy, especially with storms but that's true for most of the island as you know, It's why I always like hiring someone from the area you're already used to this sort of thing" He explained "So any questions for me before we get on?"

"Yes actually I did want to ask, why didn't the last caretaker want to come back this year? if you don't mind"

"No idea, He was a very... superstitious man always ranting and raving about things he marched off when I came to open up in January and not seen him since"

"Superstitious?"

"He thought the place was haunted"

"Haunted?"

"I think the cold nights just got to him, It makes sense it's a big old place, you're here alone all day and night makes sense you might start seeing things"

"Do you think it is?"

"What?"

"Haunted. I mean"

"I'm not superstitious." He said "But I'll let you into a little secret about this business," He said "Hotels are where a lot of people come to die"

"What?"

"Some people decide they don't want to be in the world anymore for whatever reason and demons they have. And quite a lot of those people come to places like this, and book themselves a few nights in a nice suite with a good view. They treat themselves to the fine beds, the big baths and all the amenities. They spend every penny knowing they can't take it with them, they'll up one night heavy with drink and end it all. safe in the peace that a maid will come round in the morning and their body will be taken care of rather than left rotting for god knows how long.

I've worked here for twenty years, and I cannot count how many lives ended here. just in the time I've worked here"

"I see."

"But is the place haunted? No, I don't think so. The place doesn't have some horrible history, or some kind of burial ground, anything like that"

"Never been one to believe in ghosts and ghouls"

"Good. I only live in town so any issues you'll be able to grab me."

"Perfect,"

"So? you're still happy?"

"Absolutely, So long as you feel like you trust me with the place I'm more than happy"

"Perfect, Let's get you up to your room" He explained

Rodger led Thomas down the corridor they had already walked back to the main lobby, he stopped at the front desk opening a drawer full of organized cards.

"We used to have a little bedroom back in this office here used to be the caretaker room that was back when we did proper shut down turn the water off, electricity all that sort of thing found it just wasn't worth it in the end. And we found caretakers sneaking up to stay in the rooms anyway" He chuckled "All the hotel room keys are cards now but a caretaker card will get you into any of the rooms so just leave the cards as they are. I would say take your own room card just then you know where you are" he explained "The caretaker card will get you anywhere you need," He said "I'll take you through the lift I will say when you're here alone you're best to use the staircase, the power often fluctuates and the lift is getting older now we wouldn't want you getting stuck"

"Makes sense, that's alright good to get my steps in"

"Good way to think of it course you know about the ground floor" he chuckled as he led Thomas through to the lift they waited patiently for a good few seconds until the doors opened revealing the small silver lift with purple and green carpet a sign at the back to advertise the closing. They both headed inside and silently headed up to the 1st floor, where the doors opened to a long corridor that looped around and back to the lift with the rooms scattered around a maid cart left by the lift the same carpet at the lift continued, a sign on the wall reading '1648-1720' "Seventy-five rooms on this floor all basic rooms nothing too exciting" He explained going to one of the green doors with a silver door knob and a plaque reading 1646 Rodger used the card to scan the door and opening the door revealing the basic room.

The room was small with no windows light cream walls, a wooden floor, a small desk built into the wall with a mirror over it, a purple love seat with a green textured cushion, two small wooden bedstands, and a wooden bed with green linins and a purple runner, a wooden chest of draws to the side One large light in the centre, a small bathroom at the bottom behind a cream door with a green tiled shower and a grey toilet and sink. "Very basic our cheapest rooms fifty eight of them all on this floor"

"They are very nice" He smiled "I'd be happy in one of these"

"Most usually are, come on Next floor is the double rooms," Rodger says heading up to the lift again Thomas followed until they reached the next floor all the same again with the sign '1721 - 1795', Rodger led Thomas across the hall to a Purple door with a silver handle and the sign reading '1723' he scanned the door and opened it up revealing the larger room, it had a large window looking out to the grounds, light cream walls, a wooden floor, a large wooden bed, with purple sheets and a green runner, wooden bedside tables on each side of the bed, A large green shaded light in the centre of the room, a large painting of grape fields behind the bed, two light sconces each above the tables, a green rug under the bed, a large vanity with a purple chair, two draws, a large oval mirror on a hinge to be adjusted, with a lamp on the side of the vanity, a large purple sofa with green pillows and a small tv, a small wardrobe and chest of draws, a door to a sizable bathroom with purple tiles, A impressive tub and shower combination, a toilet and two sinks. "grand room, higher cost for better stuff. Second floor and half the third floor seventy-five completely" Rodger explained

"This is very impressive."

"A few basic things are missing, the bath products and all that" he explained

"It's really nice" Thomas nodded

"Now up to the suites" He explained heading back to the lift, they went up to the fifth floor a corridor much the same as all the others a sign reading 1861-1897 Rodger led Thomas far further down the long corridor than the first few rooms down in fact to what seemed to be the very last room 1897 double doors painted dark green with a silver plague and doorknob but as Rodger unlocked it Thomas found his eyes wandering down the hall, The corridor looped of course as all the other floors had but there was an additional door no other floors had painted red with no information or signage.

"Everything alright?"

"Where does that door go?"

"Ohh that's to the east tower. We shut the place off far too dangerous but the boss is looking into renovations perhaps over next winter or even the next a lot of work to be done it'll be terribly expensive. You can ignore it"

"Fair enough sorry-"

"Don't worry about it." he says "Now this is your room"

He opened up the doors revealing an impressive room, wooden coat racks by the door, a small side table by the door with a shoe rack, a large four-post bed with purple sheets, a green runner, green and purple cushions, and even green curtains wrapped around the posts, a green and purple spiral rug under the bed, a painting of purple flowers over the bed, two large bedside tables with draws, two wall sconces over the tables, a large purple three seater sofa with green cushions, a green chair with a purple cushion, a stone electric fireplace, a large fluffy green rug, a large tv, a small wooden coffee table, A large metal frame light above the table, a wooden desk with a mirror and space for writing equipment, a wardrobe with many draws built into the wall, a door to a very large bathroom with green tiles, a large walk-in shower, a large sink with a hanging mirror, a toilet, a corner shower tub large enough for two with jets for bubble massage, and some bathroom storage.

"Whoa... this is impressive"

"This is the largest of our suites, you're home for the next few months," He says handing over the key card "Happy?"

"It almost seems a bit too much for me"

"well we like our caretakers to be comfortable, get yourself unpacked and settled we don't lock up till Monday so get what you need in"

"I will do, Thank you"

"No problem" he nods heading out and shutting the doors behind him leaving Thomas alone in the room.

He let out a sigh relaxing for a moment before jumping into the bed with a wide smile.

Thomas sat in his blue car well scratched with a few patches of hastily repaired rust, His focus was intense on the causeway between the Ophelia hotel and the rest of Totspur Island. The Causeway was merely a thin excuse for a road that only one car could pass at one time, the road edge was nothing but mud, moss and murky water. When bad storms come through or through most of the winter water would flood the causeway making it impassable and cutting off the Hotel from the rest of the island. "Ohh Shi-znick" He muttered quickly adjusting the steering wheel to make sure the wheels didn't go too far to either side. At last, he reached the stone bridge only just wide enough for the car, onto the main body of the island.

The main island was no bigger than your typical village, a few local shops, basic businesses and houses all littered the island. He drove through these small twisty roads before pulling up into a small car park beside the ferry ticket booth.

Thomas climbed out of the car and grabbed a leather messenger bag from the backseat. He made his way to the small old-fashioned shop front, with bright red wood being touched up by a man in grey overalls, The post office lettering perfectly painted on the glass. And the islands one post bost build into the stone. Thomas pushed the door open and headed inside the post office.

A small store with a dusty wooden floor, a few shelves of cards, boxes and random items. A red desk where a tall man stood. Jack Montgomery a man who stood at six feet fell with sculpted arms from years of carting bags of parcels back and forth with merky mossy green eyes and a short cut of chocolate hair. He wore a simple postman uniform and was making notes about some deliveries he had yet to make. He smiled as he saw Thomas the two had been friends since the days of childhood, Thomas cared for Jack much like one cares for a younger brother even though Jack was a good year older and fairly larger than Thomas, But Both of them knew when it came to matters of the mind Thomas would outway Jack ten fold mostly due to Thomass wealth of experiences when compared to Jack. As in all the years, they had known one another Jack had lived on Totspur island his whole life only travelling to the mainland to collect the post for Totspur residence and nothing else.

"Hey up! Mister Caretakers In" Jack laughed

"Word Travels fast" Thomas chuckled coming over to the desk

"Everyone knew you'd get the job."

"You did?"

"Course, You're the best man for the job up there"

"I'm sure I'll figure it out"

"What's to figure? just watching the places isn't it?"

"There's a bit more than that Jack."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find your groove with it."

"I hope so."

"You'll still be popping in I hope?"

"I will do, at least before the causeway closes me off"

"Just be careful you don't get cabin fever up there I know it seems like a big place but you'll find yourself walking in circles in no time days the causeway closes"

"I know, Kinda hoping to just lock myself away, get some good sleep"

"Don't spend all the time sleeping, Thomas."

"Why not?"

"You can sleep when you're dead." he says "Doesn't that place have a pool? sauna? gym? you could come back in January fit as a fairy boy"

"I highly doubt that" He laughs "I hope I have enough books"

"Ohh you do. Your last literary parcel nearly sunk the damn ferry"

"Sorry"

"Yeah you should be"

"You're always welcome to come up Jack if you get a free moment"

"I thought you weren't allowed visitors?"

"I'll bend the rules, It's only you."

"I'll have to take you up on that. But I want the grand dining room not stuck up in the kitchen"

"Deal" He chuckled "So? Can I have my Parcels?"

"Absolutely, you're taking up all the space in the store room."

Jack headed back into the store room for a few moments returning with two huge parcel bags almost overflowing with parcels "You sure did a lot of online shopping"

"I'm stuck in that hotel from now till January, got to make myself comfy"

"Fair enough, You're carting this to your car through"

"That's fair Jack" Thomas nods

Thomas drove his now very full car with all his postage items as well as a bunch of shopping from the mainland. He drove through the island finally arriving at a small cottage, with reclaimed stone walls, and a small white wooden conservatory. Thomas parked his car, climbed out grabbed a bundle of flowers and headed up to the house He unlocked the blue door and headed inside the sweet little house, everything wood with crotchet laid all over the place, He went through the house silently into the old-fashioned kitchen. He went to the sink and worked on the flowers, cutting the stems, taking off some of the looser leaves and making the flowers look as nice as possible. Once the flowers were nice he took them out into the sweet flowery garden that overlooked a sharp drop to the grey water around the island, he headed over to a stone statue of a ballerina with a gold plaque in its base reading

'Zelda Mayweather'

He smiled as he sat on the wooden bench across from the statue close enough as he sat he could arrange the flowers in front of the statue fixing them in the quiet with only the sounds of the gentle waves to interrupt. Until he settled himself back on the bench his eyes unable to leave the statue and the memories it evoked.

"Hi, Nana" He smiled "I got the job. I know I told you that already, But I start tomorrow. So... I'll be gone for a while. I'll come visit whenever I get a chance but you know what the causeway's like I could be gone for a while. But it's a really good job they pay me really well, and I get to live in the hotel with all the amenities, and they give me a check every month for my food half of which I have just gone and spent for this month. I didn't do all of it but I got a whole pallet of a bunch of stuff to keep me going." he explained "I... I'm really gonna miss you Nana."

He got up from his seat pressed a kiss to his fingertips and tapped the top bun of the ballerina

"I'll be good. I promise" He smiled before he wiped his eyes to prevent his tears, he headed inside locking the house up tightly making sure every door and window was locked up tight, the electricity off and everything ready to be left.

He headed out of the house locked the door going back to his car and drove off down the road again towards the causeway.

The room was utterly silent with the one exception of the small clock ticking away on the bedside table. There hadn't been an inch of movement in the room for many hours now, the hotel room sat just as it had so many days before but now with Thomass suitcase yet to be unpacked, a few items littered about where he had bought or collected them to bring them into the room. He lay in the bed almost unnoticeable having not even untucked the sheet from the bottom of the mattress, his head laid softly against the pillow a gentle wheeze in his nose on each intake of breath.

The sound of cheap bells erupted from the small clock, which quickly caused Thomas to stir sitting up and rubbing his eyes as he turned off the alarm. He got up fixing the bed behind him as he stood in his long blue and white stripe trousers and a long-sleeved white shirt. He wandered across the room and into the bathroom, He used the toilet and turned the shower on letting it heat up as he went to the sink grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste and giving his teeth a firm scrub and clean. Once done He stripped off and climbed into the shower cleaning himself and his hair. Before drying off and getting dressed for the day into some black jeans and a light blue button down took his key in his pocket shutting and locking his room.

He stopped short a moment glancing at the one red door for a moment before finally heading away to the stairs, the large wooden spiral stairwell with stops at each floor dark wood with a green carpet and purple edges, A light hung from the top floor a large spiral of various lengths of wire with glittering orb shades on each end. He headed down and into the restaurant, a large wooden room with half-panelled walls, purple wallpaper, and windows overlooking the garden and the water, many tables littered the room the chairs all tied around the tables. He headed through the doors into a silver industrial kitchen where a few staff were cleaning and sorting ready for the hotel to be shut down, But they ignored Thomas as he went to the corridor with three large doors, each for an industrial fridge, freezer and pantry. He grabbed some bread and a couple of eggs he took them to the kitchen and made himself toast and scrambled eggs, taking them to the dining room and sitting by the window to eat his breakfast. Once finished he took the plate and washed it up in the sink. He headed through the hotel to the back deck where he sat on a small bench looking across the sweet garden full of vines, flowers, and water features.

Thomas smiled as he sat looking through the garden taking in the fresh air.

"Morning Thomas" Rodger smiled as he approached the deck

"Ohh Morning,"

"Sleep alright?"

"Amazing thanks, I see why people pay so much for those beds"

"They are worth their weight in gold after a bad day" he laughs "We are about ready to lock up if you're ready for us to go?"

"Yeah sure, if you guys are all done" he nods getting up and following Rodger back through the hotel now empty of any soul at all, with furniture covered or protected, the whole place set up ready for the winter. The few staff still here had gathered at the front climbing into a small van, with several seats.

"Okay, you've got all the rules, all the tasks, all the junk" He says

"Absolutely"

"Alright, Here's the keys." he laughs handing the front door keys over to Thomas "Don't burn the place down. Don't have any parties. and don't lose your damn mind"

"No problem" He laughs

"Alright any issues you have my email," Rodger says leaving to sit in the van helping everyone else in and heading off down the causeway.

Thomas gave them a wave before heading inside and using the key to lock the front door up tightly.

Leaving him alone in the Ophelia Hotel.

Thomas had woken in fact before the alarm had even sounded, he sat against his headboard rubbing his eyes. Once the alarm went off he quickly turned it off and exited the bed with vigour and headed to the bathroom to do his usual business and he gave his teeth a complete brush. Once the shower was heated up he stripped off and climbed under the refreshing water using a good puddle of body wash, a good squirt of shampoo and a fair dollop of conditioner. Once done he took a fresh towel and dried off before getting dressed into some loose blue shorts and a half-sleeve grey shirt. He dug around in his stuff for a moment grabbing a few items and holding them in his arms.

He shut his room locked it and headed down the stairs to the main lobby of the hotel, he walked through to the ballroom.

The ballroom was one of the largest rooms in the hotel with a polished wooden floor, half-wood walls and green and silver art deco scallop wallpaper, a beautiful silver chandelier with electronic candles, a stage at the end for a band with speakers littered around the room hidden by paint and style to make them invisible, all the small chairs stacked up on the corner covered for the winter. He went to the center of the room and put down his items, the first he unrolled revealing a blue spongy sticky Matt that immediately tried to return to its roll but Thomas quickly added his phone, a book and his water bottle to the corners trying to stop it from curling. He took the bottle with him to the kitchen, setting it on the countertop. He went to the fridge grabbed some fruit and some power in a large rub from the pantry and returned to the counter with them, he diced his fruit and added it to the blender with a few scoops of the powder letting it all mix as he returned the unused fruit and the power back to their places. By then his brown smoothie was done. He filled his bottle with the smoothie and returned the bottle to the corner of his mat. He then took this phone over to the back of the stage and set it up with the speakers. Soon enough sweet relaxing sounds of rain, waterfalls, gentle wind chime bells and soft supple flute began to play. He headed over to his mat and gave his body a stretch before he opened a small pink Yoga book sitting it in front of his mat.

The first page has instructions and images for the downward-facing dog which Thomas proceeded to move into with slight strain, his arm then came and flicked to the next page revealing instructions and images for a worrier pose which he slowly moved into almost falling over where he momentarily lost his balance, he then clicked to the next page with the instructions and images for mountain pose which he moved into. Thomas let out a slow breath and picked up his bottle having a sip immediately grimacing as he took it but forcing down a decent mouthful. He quickly put the bottle down and continued on with the pages proceeding through Straightforward bend, Low lunge, pyramid, triangle and Garland pose without too much trouble even if he was rickety and unbalanced, and there were a few times his body clicked and cracked. He moved into a tree pose even if he was never actually still unable to balance on his one leg.

“I am a tree. I am a tall, peaceful tree. Ohh shi-” He gasped as he lost balance and his body hit the floor and he hissed in pain, He then moved the pages and went to a plank then a cobra pose, then a bridge pose clearly enjoying himself a lot in that pose before ending with corpse pose and forcing down a little more of the smoothie.

Once he forced himself up rolling his mat and leaving it at the side of the hall with his book grabbing his phone and bottle heading out the hall and across the lobby.

Soon enough Thomas reached the spa side of the hotel with the same green and purple theming but a little more sparse and modern. A long corridor with dark green tiles with strips of purple times dotted through it, the corridor littered with purple wooden doors, And three glass doors, One to a gym, one to a sauna and the last to the pool. Thomas skipped the doors and headed straight into the gym switching the light on as he did revealing the textured black floor and ceiling with mirrored walls, the room littered with bikes, treadmills, and various weight machines.

Thomas headed over to a bike set up his headphones and climbed on. He sat cycling for a good thirty-five minutes or so often mouthing the words to his songs. Before jumping off and taking his phone and bottle with him he had another begrudging sip. He left the gym clicking off the light and headed into the sauna.

The room was covered from floor to ceiling with purple tiles, a raised square in the centre with coals behind glass, with a few wooden planks as seats, Thomas cracked the heat up and sat himself close to the electric fire that started up on the coals as soon as he turned on the temperature. Thomas relaxed there for a good few minutes sweat dripping down his head before he turned the place off and left moving into one of the small doors revealing a little changing room with a shower sink, toilet and lockers for people’s things who were using the spa area. He kicked off his clothes and had another shower just enough to get the sweat from his workout and the sauna. He got dressed back into the same clothes and headed to the kitchen making some toast and jam washing everything up as he ate it making sure to tip away the rest of his smoothie.

Thomas then did some smaller tasks doing some laundry, checking the rooms and doors making sure everything was still locked up doing all his duties for the day by the time he was done it was only half one in the afternoon so he grabbed a book and went out onto the porch for the rest of the afternoon, Only coming in to make a quick dinner and get himself up to his room unpacking a few more things before making his way to bed.

Thomas went through his days in this first week with his routine sticking to it like glue with only minor changes like what fruit went into his morning smoothie, which gym machine he went on and often how long he steamed in the sauna. He did his daily checks on the doors, windows, and rooms and did his daily tasks. Once finished for the day he went to his room and made sure to make the place clean even if he had made very little mess he still proceeded to clean the room as if he was expecting a royal visit, he set up his laptop on his desk and turned on the camera using it’s view in full screen to make sure he moved things out of the camera’s view, adding books to the table, making his bed with cushions, moving some clothes and items out of the view of the camera. He fixed his hair with some neon blue hair gel from a cheap plastic tub grabbed an intense handful and used it in the mirror to flatten his fluffy hair down into a flat, slimy style. The tips of his hair became crispy and the whole of his head looked thick with grease. He changed into a button-down shirt and slipped on a gold chain with a large cross. He let out a sigh and sat on his chair checking the time as he adjusted himself a little before shutting down the camera and making a call.

The Speakers played the dialling sound a good four times before it clicked and revealed the nicely decorated beige room with a woman sitting on a chair.

She sat in an ankle-length yellow dress with long white sleeves and a pronounced white collar. On the top collar of her left side sat a brooch of sparkling silver gems in the shape of an ichthys fish with a crucifix inside and some flowers down the side. A Chain around her neck leads to her dress. She had the same pale skin as Thomas, a light red head of upright pin curls, intense makeup and some bright pink lipstick.

“Hello Pumpkin!” She smiled widely

“Hi Mama” He smiled

“You see me?”

“Yeah, Yeah I see you. You see me okay?”

“Yes, I see you fine Pumpkin” she smiled

“Great,”

“Where are your glasses, Thomas?”

“Ohh there here. I was just cleaning them” he says grabbing a pair of thick black glasses from the side of his desk and slipping them on quickly

“Ahh, So how goes the new job?”

“Uhh yeah it's fine, been getting all my work done it's great”

“That’s lovely, Must be lovely all the time to sit with the bible and read. Just a shame you can’t visit for mass though”

“Yeah I’ll be okay though here on my own”

“I’m sure you will, It’s just a shame we all won’t get to see you” She explained

“So how are things with you?”

“Ohh it’s been so lovely pumpkin we’ve had so much work in the church lately, we had some sweet visitors from the local choir groups this week, and we got some fresh new carpeting” She explained listing various things without much relevance mostly about her work.

Thomas managed to have a break as she sipped her tea and he quickly took the chance to change the subject “So, How’s Martin?”

“He’s been working so hard lately, he did a lovely sermon yesterday, He’s been so busy with his school program work. And we’ve been planning a little getaway for our wedding anniversary”

“Ahh that sounds great where are you going to go?”

“We’re planning on going to Gabon on a three-week mission”

“Sounds like a lot of fun.”

“If you weren’t working you could come with us”

“It's okay I wouldn’t want to impost, I’m sure you two will have lots of fun and I’ve got enough work to do here” He said

“Ohh Hey kiddo” A voice chimed in as Martin Montgomery came into view in his washed-out jeans and black collar shirt “How’s the island?”

“It’s great thanks, getting all my work done”

“Good lad. Lord Loves a busy soul” he said

“Yeah, absolutely” Thomas nodded “I uhh I’ll have to run actually my laundry’s just finished downstairs”

“Of course, don’t forget your daily prayers and have a nice few days Thomas my love”

“I will mama, I’ll talk to you both soon”

“Bye kiddo” Martin waved

“Bye Pumpkin” she cooed

“Bye” He waved and soon enough the call rang off he quickly unplugged the camera, turned off his laptop and threw his glasses on the side letting out a deep sigh as he removed the chain from his neck sitting it back on the desk without much thought.

Thomas found himself walking in the gardens of the hotel, with his mug of tea in hand. The sky was a dusky darkness the sun having set below the horizon but still some light in the sky even if it was quickly disappearing, Thomas walked his shoes forcing sound from the gravel path. But as time went on the more worried Thomas seemed to get as he seemed to find himself going around the garden in circles, finding himself puzzled by the hedges, flowers and paths constantly finding himself back at the fountain in the centre of the garden. No matter what direction he took he seemed to keep finding his way back with no sign of the way back to the hotel's doors. The light getting dimmer by the minute with no lights in the garden at all. He began to get angry from the frustration and panic his walk got faster turning into a run trying to find his way out of the gardens but they seemed to loop around him as if the gardens themselves were changing to keep him there. He left his mug behind and tried desperately to trace his steps, to use the light still in the sky to find his way but always he ended up back at the fountain.

For a moment Thomas stopped to catch his breath on the edge of the fountain. The grey stone circle holding the mossy water, a tall podium in the centre where water would flood down if it had been running. On top of the podium were two stone statues one a man covered only with a sheet across his crotch, in the arms of a woman in a long hooded dress bringing thoughts of the famous pietà, yet in this, the male body was not dead fact the face read to be screaming out as if in agony and the woman who cradled him in her arms had sharp demonic teeth having bit his skin open. Thomas forced himself up and purposely headed off away from the fountain but no matter what way he went he always found himself back at the fountain panic now rushed through Thomas as he raced around the garden desperate to find his way, he saw the light of the hotel that he had left on and he sighed in relief making his way towards the doors.

But as soon as Thomas's foot stepped up on the wooden step a dark green vine wrapped around his ankle tightly forcing him to the floor

Thomas screamed trying to pull it off his ankle but the vine simply tightened and began to drag his body back towards the garden, Thomas screamed and kicked digging his nails into the dirt and gravel and trying desperately to crawl towards the hotel, but the vines were far too strong pulling him faster into the garden through the grass and flowers no matter how hard he tried to prevent it the vines only got tighter and stronger forcing him back to the fountain where more vines arrived breaking through the ground to wrap around his every appendage forcing him into the flowers and dirt trying to pull him underground

"ahhhhh-" Thomas screamed sitting up in bed and putting a hand to his racing chest as he gasped "It's fine. I'm fine. Everythings fine" he muttered to himself laying back down on his pillow trying to get back to sleep

but seconds later the alarm began to sound so He turned over and turned it off rubbing his eyes and trying to get his head on straight before he noticed the tent he had created in the covers

"Oh... not now you" he sighed to himself before forcing himself out of bed.

Thomas had woken to the alarm, it quickly rose him and he sat against his headboard rubbing his eyes. He turned it off and exited the bed with vigour, headed to the bathroom to do his usual business and he gave his teeth a complete brush. Once the shower was heated up he stripped off and climbed under the refreshing water using a good puddle of body wash, and a good squirt of shampoo and going without conditioner today as he did attempt to squeeze the thick conditioner from the bottle but decided against it before any reached his hand, Once done he took a fresh towel and dried off before getting dressed into his loose blue shorts and a half-sleeve white shirt. He grabbed his items all loaded into a bag and left the room in a smooth walk.

He headed down the stairs to the main lobby of the hotel, he walked through to the ballroom.

He unrolled his sticky Matt leaving it in its usual place, He took the bottle with him to the kitchen, setting it on the countertop. He went to the fridge grabbed only strawberries and some power in a large tub from the pantry and returned to the counter with them, he diced his strawberries fairly large still and added it to the blender with a few scoops of the powder letting it all mix as he returned what remained of his strawberries and the powder back to their places. By then his bright pink smoothie was done. He filled his bottle with the smoothie and returned the bottle to the corner of his mat. He then took this phone over to the back of the stage and set it up with the speakers. Soon enough sweet relaxing sounds of fire cracking, wind blowing, and gentle rain on glass began to play. He headed over to his mat and gave his body a stretch before he opened a small pink Yoga book sitting it in front of his mat.

The first page has instructions and images for the downward-facing dog which Thomas proceeded to move into, his arm then came and flicked to the next page revealing instructions and images for a worrier pose which he slowly moved into, he then flicked to the next page with the instructions and images for mountain pose which he moved into. Thomas let out a slow breath and picked up his bottle having a sip smiling as he swallowed a decent mouthful. He quickly put the bottle down and continued on with the pages proceeding through Straightforward bend, Low lunge, pyramid, triangle and Garland pose without too much trouble even if he was shaky and unbalanced, and there were a few times his body clicked and cracked. He moved into a tree pose even if he was never actually still unable to balance on his one leg.

"I am a tree. I am a tall, peaceful tree. " He gasped "I. Am. At. Peace." He then moved the pages and went to a plank then a cobra pose, then a bridge pose clearly enjoying himself a lot in that pose before ending with corpse pose and enjoying more of the smoothie.

Once he forced himself up rolling his mat and leaving it at the side of the hall with his book grabbing his phone and bottle heading out the hall and across the lobby.

Soon enough Thomas reached the spa side of the hotel with the same green and purple theming but a little more sparse and modern. A long corridor with dark green tiles with strips of purple times dotted through it, the corridor littered with purple wooden doors, And three glass doors, One to a gym, one to a sauna and the last to the pool. He sat in the sauna with his smoothie for a good while working up a fair sweat and drinking most of his smoothie but stopping at the bottom as most of what remained at the bottom was simply the strawberry juice, blended seeds and the powder. Thomas got up after a while and headed into one of the small shower rooms leaving his bag in the locker as he showered himself off changing into a pair of swim shorts and heading to the other side through to the pool.

The walls and floors purple tiles with green to line the pool and such like a large window overlooking the garden, The pool is a large rectangle with a half circle hot tub at one end, a railing down one side of the hot tub to petter lay and relax, as well as built-in stone stairs to get in and out of both the pools. Round globe-like lights hung high enough they wouldn't be an issue to any swimmers and some small lights below the water.

Thomas fiddled with some things before he walked into the water and began to swim, at first letting the water soothe him then starting to swim laps around the pool edge doing a good five times round before he climbed out and swapped to the hot tub turning on its roaring bubbles and gentle heat

"Uhhh that is nice" He cooed moving to only his head remained above water the bubbles often lapping at his chin as he allowed the warm water and bubbles to care for his every bone. Even at times he held his breath and sank below the water to fully enjoy the bubbles before popping back up when he needed more air.

He took a good breath and sunk below the bubbles letting his body relax, He pushed himself up just above the bubbles opening his eyes but Thomas jumped as he saw a woman.

She stood by the edge of the pool, barefoot, in a long sage green dress with a ruffled hem, a flat collar with the same ruffles and a large green ribbon a few tones darker than the dress with a bow at the small of her back, she was a larger woman filling the dress well, she had long black hair in waves and curls, with a green fabric tied as a headband and a black ribbon tied in a bow around her neck like a choaker, her skin deathly pale, and her hands clasped behind her back.

Thomas panicked, by the time he jumped from the water she was gone.

Thomas bolted out and down the corridor back to the main lobby he checked the lifts were still empty and shut off, so he bolted to the stairs looking up the spiral well not seeing a soul. He went back and checked each of the doors finding them all locked. He quickly got his clothes back on and grabbed his key card.

Thomas checked each and every room himself, the kitchen, the dining room, the library, the gym, the lobby, ballroom, and every single one of the hotel's bedrooms. And he found nothing.

No sign of anyone but himself, no books moved, no blankets pulled out, no curtains askew. No sign that anyone but himself had been here since the doors were locked.

He calmed down a little cleaning up the water from where he ran out of the pool, and he sat in the lobby's office checking cameras at the time he was in the pool, He watched them until he saw himself, no-one went through the lobby until he did, he saw no-one run out, no one went down the corridor until he ran out looking like a mad man on the camera. He even checked the pool camera watching himself swim, watching him bob in the hot tub and then climb out and run away like a creature possessed no one entered or exited the room, no woman was on the camera.

"I must be loosing my mind" he sighed

Thomas double-checked the cameras a lot, as he found himself unable to settle without checking every inch of the hotel on fast-forward for the last twenty-four hours camera by the camera just in case but he never saw anything of note. He locked his bedroom door and left a chair in front of it he barely got any sleep holding his phone in hand almost all night just in case he needed to call for help. Eventually, he forced himself to bed for the night.

He woke with his alarm and got on with his usual business doing his yoga and having a few minutes on the treadmill before he returned to do some dishes in the kitchen left from yesterday's panic, When His phone began to make its ring.

He took it from his pocket and saw 'Jack Montgomery'

"Hey, Jack."

"Hey man you okay?" he asked

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, How's you?"

"Ohh you know could be shitter" He laughed "I've got a couple of days without a post to deliver how about I come up and have a drink and dinner?"

"My my that does sound enticing, You going to take me dancing too?" He chuckled leaning on the kitchen counter side

"Don't be a dick Thomas"

"Sorry, yeah sure come up I'll make you dinner and we can have a drink in the bar"

"You mind I take a room for the night?"

"No no, no problem I'll make the bed in one of the grand rooms."

"Ohh very nice, right I'll see you in a bit"

"See you in a bit. Be careful on that causeway"

"I will Mum" he chuckled before hanging up

Thomas finished the dishes and sorted the place out making up a bed in the suite next to his own before heading down to unlock the front door as he saw Jack's car pull up.

"My my, living large these days aren't you Thomas?" He laughed "Mansion big enough for you?"

"Ohh you know, It's not full of playful bunnies But I'll do" he chuckled "Come on I'll show you around the place" 

[safety-net-did]

I have a jean overshirt I love. I can't recall for sure at the moment, but it is either one of my mom's that I adopted a long time ago but didn't really wear until recently, or it is one I thrifted that reminded me of the one she had.

Recently I noticed some holes in it, and decided to fix them. I decided to use visible mending as I'm trying to embrace that aesthetic, since I love it. Also because I really hate the clothing industry.

I didn't think to take any photos until after I got the patches on, so I took photos from the back where you can kinda see what they were like before mending.

I tried to be thematic with the original embroidery without trying to make it blend by any means.

Putting my pictures under the read more because it gets long with the image IDs.

[Image ID: 3 photos of the original machine embroidery on a medium blue thin jean shirt.

The first shows assorted flowers growing up a trellis and out of a watering can. The flowers are in shades of pink and white. A small bird sits beside the watering can. The embroidery would sit on the wearer's right side chest.

The second shows a small burst of flowers of the same types. The embroidery would sit just below the wearer's nape.

The third shows a small section of fence with a vine climbing it and a few small flowers at the base. To each side is a cat. On the left a long haired cat laying down facing the viewer. On the right a short haired cat stands on its hind legs braced on the fence. There is a small bird on the fence, and another flying above. The embroidery would sit on the wearer's left side chest.

/end ID]

[image ID: 3 photos showing the progression of mending a hole in the same shirt.

The first shows a small patch of similar denim sewn to the surface of the shirt with a combination of whip stitches and back stitches.

The second shows the same patch, seen from the opposite side of the fabric. On this side a tear is clearly visible. It is about 3cm long and 5mm wide. The sides of the tear are frayed. Thread is loosely woven over the gap, connecting the sucking holding the patch on.

The third and largest photo shows hand embroidery of a daisy-like flower over the patch. The stalk emerges out of a section of grass and splits into three flowers. The left and right flowers are seen from the side, the centre flower faces the viewer and has a mottled yellow/brown center. The petals are three dimensional loops of thread.

This embroidery sits on the the wearer's right hip.

/end ID]

[image ID: 3 photos showing the progression of mending a hole in the same shirt.

The first two images show the same mending process on a different hole. This hole is about 1 cm in diameter.

The third and largest photo shows hand embroidery of a set of three rose-like flowers over the patch. There is a small pink rose, a medium purple rose, and a large pale blue rose. They rest atop four leaves in two different shades of green. The flowers are three dimensional mounds of woven thread.

This embroidery sits on the the wearer's left rear.

/end ID]

[image ID: 3 photos showing the progression of mending a hole in the same shirt.

The first two images show the same mending process on a different hole. This hole is an asymmetrical tear, about 2.5 cm long and 1 cm wide.

The third and largest photo shows hand embroidery of a trellis with a yellow-flowering vine weaving through in an upward S pattern. The flowers are sets of 1-3 french knots. Interspersed along the vine are relatively large leaves.

This embroidery sits on the inside of the wearer's left wrist.

/end ID]

[image ID: 3 photos showing the progression of mending a hole in the same shirt.

The first two images show the same mending process on a different hole. This hole sits at the edge of the cuff binding, and is about 3cm square.

The third and largest photo shows hand embroidery of a a set of six stalks of a lavender-like flower. The flowers are a variety of heights. There are three purple and three pale blue flowers in an alternating pattern. The purple flowers have a bubbly texture, while the blue flowers are more wispy.

This embroidery sits on the outside of the wearer's left wrist.

/end ID]

[lousycamper]

There Will Be (Were) Giants

Chapter 1. The Marksman?

He doesn't remember.

His yellow eyes narrow, while he aims his trusty rifle. He shoots something – what? – and gets to the next thing. Works alongside some...one – who? – who has enough raw power to snap him in two like a toothpick and leave a trail of frost and corpses in their wake. He remembers nothing else, except of a feeling of morbid fascination and sounds of gunshots echoing all around.

He doesn't remember, and, as far as he concerned, he can't. Each time he starts asking himself these questions, it leaves him with nothing but a head-splitting migraines. So he stops, untill the pain goes away. It gnaws and eats at him, that he can't recall anything at all beyond those snippets. He tries his best to ignore this feeling of irrational guilt. It's hard, because there's not much to keep his mind occupied.

He wanders around the seemingly broken world with nearly nothing on his person, except for a slightly torn wide-brimmed hat, a fairly tattered but still wearable poncho, a slightly singed set of clothes, and a very familiar, despite being partially splintered, weapon. It actually hurts to see this familiar rifle in his hands damaged so badly, that it renders it nearly completely useless. It actually causes something inside of him to twist and cause pain. It's just... He probably could shoot it fairly well, but he isn't really sure that he can fix it.

He survives off what he can get when he can get it. Berries, roots... Sometimes, when he's particularly lucky, it's meat of some twisted creature, caught in a makeshift trap. He sleeps when he can find shelter, usually below trees or in caverns. He drinks from streams, boiling water when he can. This is how he learns, that his survivalist skills aren't nonexistent, although they are nothing spectacular.

He bandages three of five his eyes as well as he can, with bandages made out of torn off parts of his clothes. The ugly wound that mars a better half of his face begins to scab, becoming a scar. Somehow, his strange luck makes it so he didn't lose his eyes. He's endlessly thankful for that, because his eyesight is mostly the thing that saves him these days. The realm he's inside of has no shortages of various beasts or disasters to throw his way. Even though with two eyes he can see fairly well too, it's the other three that help him really pick out details on further distances and see much better in the dark. His face wound still heals, forcing him to bandage himself, but he still can see through the gaps in between wraps, always staying vigilant.

If he spots danger, he runs away, because there is simply no way for him to take on any one of encountered monstrosities in a fight. He doesn't stay in one place for long either. Not that he has any particular destination in mind, but camps attract attention, and he wants none of that. He feels like there's enough of it concentrated at him already, from all the creatures here. All the eyes... He's got trouble sleeping, and that's an understatement. Maybe that's why he has these migraines and hallucinations...

Sometimes it's a pipsqueak of some sort, in clothes with tears from claws and teeth, staring at him with his only good eye. Sometimes it's a hulking giant figure, partially covered in beaten and worn metal armor. Another one looks like a kid with spidery legs made of spiky vines and treeroots, sprouting all kinds of leaves and mushrooms as something that looks like a hooded cloak. The fourth is actually fancy, with his clothes looking akin to a rich pirate captain, but this one slowly crumbles into dust before his eyes. And the last one, the only woman among them, even though tough and brutish, looks like she had something searing-hot explode her into pieces, and then was sewn back together. Whoever did that, wanted it to hurt as much as possible, because the stitches were ugly and very much poorly-done. She wore a hat, made of a head of a wild boar, and both she and the dead hog looked at him. Thinking of them made his head hurt again.

Even more disturbing was that he had the same stitches as that woman. Gruesome, visible and stretching along all of his body. He couldn't help, but see some sort of connection between them, despite her being his hallucination and making his migraines spike.

That's the reason for his reaction to actually seeing another someone, not something, alive... Is both disbelief and relief. The fact that he can see them with his limited vision is so relieving, that his knees nearly buckle. Nearly. He regains his composure, a bit suspicious yet, while making his way to the... Man? He shouts at them, using his trusty gun as a prop to hold himself upright – he feels worn after long hours of trekking through the torn-apart world. He waves his hand at the person and can't help but smile. It's gonna be alright. He found somebody!

He is met with a look of shock and bewilderment on other man's vaguely familiar angled redish face, partially hidden under the wide-brimmed hat. Two yellow eyes look at him with a mix of interest and disbelief. The instrument in his hands, something that looks like a guitar, but isn't a guitar, lays forgotten, as a man stands from his place at the encampment, his dark clothed sillhouette a stark contrast on the unkept background of the surrounding world.

— Marksman?.. Is that you?

He stops himself, now only a few paces from the man. His throat hurts, because shouting after who-knows-how-long of not speaking to anyone would do that to you, of course. So, he opts to instead tilt his head quizzically, while looking at the known-unknown musician.

Is he? Isn't he? Who is this Marksman?

(Look me up on ao3, there might be more stuff you'd like)

[gamerbearmira]

I don’t know if I asked you this already (I know I asked a few other tumblrs) but do you think Julieta’s food is able to cure a sickness like a common cold? I personally believe her food helps relieve the worst symptoms and gives the immune system a boost but that’s all. Building onto that, how would all the Madrigals react to being sick? And I’m sure the gifted Madrigals’ powers would act up as well. How would you think that would work?

I think so too, it would maybe it would help, but not immediately cure. She might have to give someone her food for multiple days, but it really depends on how sick whoever she's feeding is. It does help though, but it wouldn't fully get rid of the sickness. That's why in most cases they gotta tough through it 💀

Alma and Mirabel they're alike. No gift, but they're still kinda connected to the miracle and essentially Casita. So like, the house acts up. A lot. Especially with Mirabel. Stuff moves around randomly, there's shaking and whenever Casita is asked to bring something, it brings something entirely different. And expect something to be thrown or to be thrown. The only safe place is the rooms or the kitchen. Sometimes, very rarely in fact, the gifts themselves will be all wonky. The family members don't even have to be sick, just being around one of the two can screw them up lmao

Felix, Agustin and Antonio are also kinda the same. Very much tripped out, very much not listening to whatever your saying. Oh you said something? Dang didn't catch tea, can you tell me again. And it repeats about 6 times before whoever's talking gives up. For Antonio, the animals are kinda just surrounding Antonio?? Although some of them are found doimg the strangest things, and upon investigating, Antonio is trying to ask them to still sick with chores despute being sick, but he says the most random things and. That results in the animals doing random things 💀

Isabela, plants are just growing everywhere. Mostly vines, but a variety of flowers and other random grow as well. Not even just in her room, they might aooear in Casita, and one of the family members end up tripping on one of them. So they constantly gotta watch the ground, cause Isabela can't really control where her plants are.

Dolores just. Her hearing is out of wack. Sometimes she can hear stuff, sometimes she can't. If she's really sick, she really can't much at all unless your right next to her. Her gift isn't disappearing, its just reacting to her sickness, so it goes in and out sometimes, but it nothing Julieta's food can't fix.

Luisa doesn't move. Lays dead still, but she'll talk. She can lift stuff, but it varies. She can either lift a building or barely lift up someone like Camilo or Mirabel. Though most of the time she just can't control her strength, so she just lays down so she doesn't accidentally burt anybody (which she feels really bad about).

Camilo is shifting into random people at random times. He'll try and leave his room when he's sick, but it's pretty easy to catch him because he'll cough or sumn and give himself away when he suddenly shifts into either himself or a whole nother person. He walks weird too, so if you see a villager or family member walking around weird mad Camilo's not him bed, it's more than likely him 🗿

Don't let Julieta cook ❗❗❗💯💯 no but seriously. Her gift barely works, the more sick she is, the less likely the food is to work. Either that, or the food is raw. Never overcooked, just raw. She thinks it done and takes it off to early, leaving it undone. Her gift isn't any better, sometimes it'll do the opposite, because she didn't cook it correctly. So it'll end up hurting whoever eats it 👽

Pepa's weather is kinda off the chain. One minute it's snowing, the next its sunny and then its raining. It doesn't even matter what emotion she's experiencing, the weather just does it's own thing. It's pretty unpredictable since no one can use her emotion as a crutch. Hence why she's kinda just kept in her room. She doesn't like it, but it's not like she's got that energy to object ヽ（´ー｀）┌

Bruno he can't do vision. Not just cause of the headache but also because it won't be accurate. You ask him about on thing and he might try, but it won't work. The future vision will be about something entirely different, so no one even tries to ask for one. And don't let him have any salt cause he'll keep throwing it over his should out of habit; he says that he thinks throwing salt will make him better, but it's fist cause he's experiencing temporary short term memory loss and keeps forgetting he threw it to begin with 😭

HOPE THIS WORKS AND IM SORRY I FORGOR TO POST IT FOR SO LONG 💀💀

[timelorddarthswagger]

Someone liked one of my old theories. For NOTW. And initially I was going to scour my drafts for one of the Auri theories I was working on. But it was daunting... So you lot get a summary. We know kvothe has changed his name. And we can suspect that he had some part in instigating a war after he killed a King. We know from the flow of events that Ambrose was moving up the line of succession.

The war could be in part to no clear legitimate heir. Let's say the maer is also dead but did his royal duty in producing an heir. If his wife is still alive. That would make her a regent of some kind. But we also have reason to suspect that Auri might be the Princess Aurian. Kvothe possibly going to Auri for help or confiding in her and how she'd said she would protect him. Might put enough of herself back together to become a contender for said throne.

Now given the effect that Kvothe had on Auri. By giving her a new name. He gave her back a piece of her self. Because he knew something of what she went through. In a way he helped open one of the doors of her sleeping mind. Who better to trust to give him back his name then someone he gave a name to? And in the way that auri is influenced by the name she was given. In slow regars of silent things. Auri has a figure or toy of someone from the order aymr. Given that she's seen kvothe with blood down his hands and even in a way knighted kvothe by calling him her ciridi or however it was spelled. If she fixes kvothes name and gives him back to himself. Along with the name that kvothe had built for himself in the same way that Felurian has.

I think Auri will go from named to maker. And kvothe might take on the mantle of one of the Knights of the order. Like one of those self fulfilling prophecy type of situations. In a way it could be forshadowed in the way that Bast spoke to chronicler about the nature of mask. Before kvothe was pretending to be more than he was and though he started to see the merit in his actions as being things worthy of a story. He didn't truly believe it until the encounter with Felurian. A d it makes me think of the nature of his true name. Flame , thunder, broken tree. Kvothe has many instances of fire in his life that could spur the first. The same goes for the second. And in part I thought the broken tree was about his family tree. But Bast mentions that the tree in the Fae can see all of time. And that anyone who meets it is killed on the spot. I have to wonder if that fae creature butterfly effected things to make the meeting with kvothe happen. And what would it gain from setting kvothe after lanrae? Well we know lanrae sought it out for a fruit that could bring back the dead. Kvothe might have done the same.

The cathae showed the causality of its nature by manipulating the branches and vines to kill the butterflies. And some thing had to have trapped the cathae in the tree. The broken tree could be either kvothe freeing the cathae or killing it. Being the fae bargin of a fruit for freedom. Or not providing one in hope of kbothe lashing out in the way he did when Ambrose broke his lute. I could only imagine what he'd do with a shattered mind. Since we know it got into his head before when it spoke of Denna's patron and his mother along with his troupe. And given the plum bobs lasting effects of giving him a short temper and a lack of inhabition when riled up. I won't ve counting out that aspect of it, for bow at any rate. That's a tangled mess of a half crafted theory that's half remembered.

I haven't re-read the books in a while. Recovering from psychic damage that came at the hands of all the bad book adaptations recently.