#dust is such a gentleman for not kidnapping you for personal feelings

[doodler16]

Sorry if this post feels a bit conjoined but it's a thought that's been on my mind for a minute.

Cw for abuse discussion.

Vivziepop has said before (not sure where specifically) that she's not afraid to kill off characters but what are those characters in question?

The only major character deaths in the hell verse I can think of is both Pen and adam. However the former gets reincarnated back to heaven and a ladder just dies despite being a human. It makes me wonder she says that because most of the characters are already dead in a sentence this is a story about the afterlife.

Then on the other side of the spectrum you get characters like stella, crimson, and valentino. A trio of characters who's entire character trait is to basically just be around to abuse their specific victims. This is despite the fact that many of the victimized characters have means to fight back or just straight up end their abusers life.

(more specifically stolas and the imps. I know Angel's under contract But if plot armor wasn't a factor I'd feel like he'd get Charlie's help.)

Honestly it makes me think back to the dire gentleman's video I watched again recently and it made me think

"why can't they simply take out their abusers, it's hell."

Tldr: where is the so-called fearlessness to kill characters and why isn't it done on the shitty abuser villains. You ain't Araki VP.

That’s the funny part. In Hazbin Hotel, Vivziepop has “killed” off Sir Pentious and Adam. In Helluva Boss, the writer Adam killed off Chaz. That’s literally it so far. I believe what Vivziepop means is she is not afraid to permanently kill off a character (I will see it when I believe it, at best a character gets mildly injured and that’s it).

My personal theory of why she hasn’t killed off the abusers because their “arcs” aren’t done and would be too easy. You mentioned Valentino, Stella, and Crimson. For example, Valentino there are still things we don’t know about (besides him being an artist and rapist), like his connection with Angel Dust, how they met, how did he meet Velvette and Vox, how did Valentino die as a human, etc.

For Crimson, I would live if Millie killed him off and he was a one off character. He is so forgettable, but I’m sure Vivziepop has plans for him. I’ve been seeing theories that he’s going to do something to Moxxie and Millie’s future/potential kid. This could lead to actual face off between Moxxie/Millie and Crimson. Getting closure, etc. Ozzie could get revenge on Crimson for kidnapping Fizzarolli.

And Stella! I don’t know what the future will look for her and it’s hard to tell what Vivziepop will do with her. I wouldn’t be surprised if Stella ended up homeless and kicked out of her mansion by Octavia or Stella somehow gets a restraining order from Stolas. Vivziepop mentioned in an interview that Stella has a Beatrice backstory for season 3.

[liliallowed]

Is the original lv triangle still canon? Like when Y/N had a crush on the Player and the Player didn't have much interest in them other then using them as a way to piss off dust?

Is it like a different timeline or somethin?

short answer? no! it's no longer canon!

I think it really depends on first impressions.

if they met dust when he was in a bad mood, they'd see crimson in a better light cuz they saved them. but to answer your question no. it's not Canon anymore. in that scenario dust would just be chasing after y/n for the funs which... is extremely out of character.

this LV triangle was just an idea I had in response to someone else's take on dust being a stalker. (they guys to depressed to currently bother even stalking love interests tbh)

and I have nothing against dust being a stalker the guy probably keeps tabs on a LOT because of his reset paranoia. I just feel like, even with a crush he wouldn't let himself indulge? like, he'd probably think he doesn't even deserve to be near his crush or LOOK at them. cuz that's how much he'd hate himself for the thing he's become. he CAN stalk a love interest but, it'd be more like a daily check up on them rather than digging up personal info.

being their quiet shy shadow... and he wouldn't really get too involved or bother with finding out every detail about their personal life. unlike crim dust isn't an obsessive lunatic high off power.

it may have been like that but I don't like portraying dust as a cliche stalker yandere. he CAN be like of course... when he's either tracking y/n to kill them or tracking crimson. but the possessive "you're mine" stuff? that's more crimson's style. dust just wants to take crimson down. he doesn't associate LV and love together like them not unless he's already in a relationship he has to destroy.

so in conclusion? he might have not been in love with y/n to begin with then crimson saves them and he's just gonna shrug it off.

he won't kidnap his love interest. unlike your average yandere, he doesn't give himself any space to even enjoy another persons company knowing death just follows wherever he goes.

[bnhahq101]

Yandere hcs for the male villains? Preferably with a male reader, but gn works too.

He is possessive like no tomorrow

He tries to woo his darling first, only resorting to kidnapping if they continue to turn him down or he perceives there is a threat to them

Stalks them a lot before he even approaches them, noting their likes and dislikes, any unique preferences and other personal info

He may be a broke ass man but whatever money he does acquire (Aka steals) he spends on making his darling comfortable after kidnapping them

This man won’t raise a hand against his darling

Instead he will resort to psychological tactics and “remove” others (i.e. their family members, friends, etc.)

He will “train” his darling to love him

Won’t “force” himself on them, but will coerce them into it (again mind games)

His favourite method of “training” is isolation and he will leave them alone locked in a room with food and water for days with no source of entertainment

He’s not delusional and is aware of what he is doing is wrong, but he just wants to be loved

He loves cuddling his darling, especially when they are in his lap

If they ever show him willing affection, he would be over the moon.

There is no subtlety with this ashy motherfucker

He goes straight to kidnapping them and keep them in his room with a nest of blankets and pillows for them in one corner or even the closet if they want

will threaten to dust them if they try to escape

he will dust those they care about and anyone who seems to get too close as punishment

Demands daily affections and cuddles, always mindful to wear his digi-art gloves so as to not accidentally dust them

Will demand them to tell him about themselves (What they like, what they dislike, their favourite colour, etc.)

If they play nice, so will he, doting on them with affection and stolen gifts

He will restrain them if necessary, but always makes sure the restraints are padded enough to not be too uncomfortable.

 

He kidnaps his darling early on, under the veil of providing protection

Kai is incredibly possessive of his darling, making them scrub themselves red if they are touched by someone else

He treats them like royalty if they behave, and like a burdensome pet if they don’t

He keeps track of all of their health stats, performing medical exams on them himself on a monthly if not weekly basis

His favourite thing to do is simply sit and observe them through the two way mirror of their room.

He isn’t above hurting them, “remaking” them if they try to escape, but he prefers punishments that don’t mark their skin

Honestly, if you don’t try to escape, allow him to doll you up, accept cuddles on the rare occasion and allow the monthly/weekly medical examinations, he’s not too bad of a Yandere

But if they are non-complacent, it will be literal hell

 

This man will kidnap them the moment his obsession begins

Will use physical force to mindbreak them and “train” them

He doesn’t give two shits about their feelings or if they don’t want his “affections”

Honestly, he is the worst among the villains to begin with and this is reflected in his Yandere state

Restraints are also a common occurance

Threats occur daily, and physical abuse is his go to as punishment

His darling is a pet to him, not someone to love and he will kill them if he finds them too tedious

 

Completely the opposite of Goto

Jin is obsessive, yes, but he is so incredibly scared of hurting them in some way.

He worships the ground they walk on and would do anything for them

Jin would try to win their affections every way he could, only wanting their happiness

His obsession for them is something that both “sides” of him can agree on

He tries to reign in his more creepy traits, and ends up acting like a golden retriever, constantly tailing them if they let him.

Even as a Yandere, he is a complete gentleman

Yes, he is obsessed and possessive, but he is also incredibly silver-tongued

He will manipulate his darling into a relationship, slowly isolating them from everyone else

They wouldn’t even realize he was manipulating them either, as he would have an excuse for every action that actually made perfect sense

He will dote upon them, never raising a hand against them

His darling would live in utter blissful ignorance and if they ever did find out, by then it would be too late

 

We all know his obsession with real heroes versus fake heroes; now imagine him with a darling

He starts as a stalker type, simply being content in observing them as they go about their day-to-day life

He keeps a small notebook in which he records shit he notices (their best qualities, their favourite clothes, etc.)

His possessiveness comes in the form of wanting to protect them from heroes and villains alike

He would approach them eventually, probably after saving them from being mugged.

He is blunt with his obsession, but is surprisingly not as creepy about this as others

He would give his darling two options

Option one: allow him to “court” them properly

Option two: accept their fate of having him as a demented guardian angel, who would kill any hero or villain that got too close

He refuses to kidnap them, knowing they would be in greater danger of harm if he did so

Danjuro Tobita/Gentle Criminal (ran to photo limits)

He is a delusional type and would kidnap them early on

While he would never physically hurt them on purpose, it may happen by accident

He would want to shield them from the world, saying it is too dangerous for them

He would restrain them if necessary, but always uses the softest most padded restraints possible

He loves dressing them in what is essentially life size doll clothes

Honestly, his darling would probably develop Stockholm syndrome or learn to just go with the flow  

 

Kurogiri is a wildcard of a Yandere

Though he projects a gentleman aura and may appear calm, he’s a scary motherfucker

His darling has no chance of escape once he chooses to kidnap them

If they try to escape him, he will teleport them into a variety of situations (i.e. in the middle of the ocean, on top of a tall building, etc.)

He is a master manipulator and isn’t above physically hurting them

But he will also dote on them with gentle touches as he tends to wounds he inflicted, whispering sweet nothings in a honey sweet voice

Eventually, they would either go insane or fall victim to Stockholm syndrome

 

He is similar to Jin regarding his Yandere tendency

Only he is more likely kidnap them if necessary and may accidentally hurt them by holding them too tight

He would stick them in his room that he had already prepared for them, filling it with their items he had stolen from their own home

He would be shy even after kidnapping them and honestly his darling would probably pity him

He knows what he is doing is not right, but he also knows he can’t just release them after already kidnapping them

He will bring them their favourite foods, offers to play video games and watch anime with them and even offers to take them out if they promise to not try and escape

If he accidentally hurts them with his claws, he is incredibly apologetic and would take care of them accordingly

He would ask for cuddles eventually, becoming depressed if they reject them but elated if they accept

 

Honestly Kendo isn’t that bad of a Yandere

Yes, he may accidentally harm them by grabbing their wrist or arm and accidentally snapping or dislocating something, but he actually feels horrible about it

He is possessive, but he won’t kill their family or friends if they remain platonic

He has his code

Instead he is more about protecting them from harm, so strangers are fair game

Kendo is not delusional either, he knows its wrong to kidnap them, but his need to protect them overrules it

He can get frustrated though, especially when they don’t give in to his affections

He prefers isolation for punishment

[silverflqmes]

໒⦂ 𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋’𝐒 𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋.

synopsis. in which anakin’s the demon king and the reader is a rookie knight who happened so to have strayed away from her group, into the arms of her nemesis. [ pt. 2 ]

tw. virgin reader, rough sex, dirty talk, bondage, oral ( male receiving ), slight degradation, unprotected sex, praise, face fucking, choking, anakin’s fucking thick ass thighs, yeah❤️

notes. uncomfortable with smut or younger than 16? please dni.

for @anakinswhore 🙈💞

anakin skywalker x fem!reader.

eventually after a good hour or so, y/n stirred in her sleep, slowly regaining consciousness as her lashes parted to reveal her tired, e/c hues.

for awhile she just stared at the ceiling before finally sitting up, rubbing her eyes before letting a quiet yawn out. when did she even get the chance to fall asleep? the knight allowed her hand to drop after a few rubs, carefully taking her new surroundings in.

her brows had etched together in confusion, and she pushed herself off the bed at last, gaping when she looked out the window to see the same setting she was in before she passed out.

right, she remembered it all now. that dick of a king knocked her out and brought her here on behalf of their tedious deal.

plopping back down onto what she assumed to be his bed, she sighed deeply, scrutinizing her possible exits. while she had no clue if he’d freed her friends yet, she still wanted to be able to plot her own eventual escape as well.

i mean, no one in their right mind could just sit there waiting for death to welcome them; certainly not y/n. she had a job to do and she intended to finish it.

rising to her feet, she checked her waist for any extra weapons she could’ve had on her, only to groan when she recalled leaving all her items and tools at her room in the inn. fuck.

for extra precaution, she groped around her body for anything that could be useful to aid her escape, but alas, not even those daggers she often stored in her boots were present.

she began to panic and searched through his room frantically, opening every possible drawer, cabinet and closet on sight. the desperation was slowly kicking in and she only continued to become sloppier with her actions.

so badly, that she wasn’t even ready to collide into what felt to be someone’s chest; a male’s- to be precise.

oh right, of course he would return.

the rebel fell onto her rear with a loud yelp from the impact, never failing to miss the coy smile he wore while he looked down at her from where he stood.

like the ‘gentleman’ he made himself out to be, he offered his hand to her, hiding his chuckles in his other hand, “y’know, most people ask before going through someone’s stuff, but i assume that doesn’t apply to you?”

growling, she slapped his hand away, pushing herself up on her own as she dusted her clothes off, glaring up at him just as she did a few hours ago in the forest. it’s as though he enjoyed getting on her nerves. the girl huffed, “and most people don’t casually kidnap others and place them in their bed, acting as if nothing had ever happened.” she retorted, stepping back twice to keep a more comfortable proximity.

“oh? and would you have preferred being locked up in a dungeon cell? maybe you would have,” anakin mused, a smirk etching itself onto his lips as he stepped forward to close the distance between them once more, watching as she repeated her actions till she was flush against the wall. 

he leaned in closer to her, blocking the light out of her face with his beautifully curved horns. “i can arrange that.” he hovered near her ear, knowing well that she had a sensitivity there from earlier.

y/n shuddered at his proposal, feeling a shameful warmth rise to her s/c cheeks. he was always so slick, even in their previous encounters. no matter what, anakin always ensured he was close to her.

she lifted her hands to push him away, wanting nothing more than her personal space back, but he refused to budge, eliciting a low growl from her lips. “i’d rather be chained up in freezing cold cell than be harassed like this.” she spat, shoving at him a little more harshly this time, but no avail.

a sigh had escaped his rose colored appendages, golden hues flickering down at her disappointingly. “is that what you really want then?” he mumbled before finally backing away, folding his arms over his dark brown and black colored robes. “fine then.”

it’s, the fact that she thought he was kidding-

without a second wasted, the warmth, light and luxury of anakin’s bedroom had transitioned into something far darker and colder, with the soft patters of leaking pipes being the only thing audible other than her breath, his and some faint screams off in the distance, that she only assumed could be from torture chambers, if anakin had those.

zoning out completely, y/n hadn’t noticed the cold metal piece latching onto her neck, replacing whatever freedom she assumed had left.

she turned her head, allowing her gaze to fall to the dirtied cobblestone flooring. “well you brought me here and chained me up, you can leave now,” she muttered quietly, walking toward her ‘bed’ when she felt a sudden tug on the chain and she was yanked back, stumbling into the hardness that was his chest.

a wince appeared on her features when the air was suddenly knocked out of her lungs, a loud cough escaping her lips just after as she turned to scowl up at him. “f-for fuck’s sake, warn me next ti-”

“shut your mouth, right now.” he interjected, silencing her.

the look in his eyes was anything but smug; it was menacing, far scarier than any glare she’d received from him- or others in general. it shook her to the core, but oddly brought a strange sensation to her covered, lower half.

anakin could sense her arousal and his grew in turn for her. gods was she pissing him off; any patience he had left was gone, which was never a good sign for anyone, and this brat of a girl was no exception.

annoyed, the setting changed once more back to anakin’s room, which confused the girl as to what he was planning on doing.

wordlessly, the king forced her up against the nearest wall, curling his fingers snugly around her cuffed neck as he pressed his lips onto hers, closing whatever space was left between their bodies. 

y/n could only remain still by his actions, utterly petrified by the lewd approach he took. just what on earth was he doing? was he not supposed to kill her?

feeling a squeeze on her vital points, her lips parted for a gasp and he shoved his tongue down her throat, painting her walls with his saliva as though she were a canvas and his tongue was but a brush coated in paint.

the softest of moans escaped her lips and anakin indulged in her sweet sounds, rolling his hips flush against hers while he pressed his clothed, erected sex against her own. there wasn’t a doubt in his mind now, she was still pure, untainted by any other being. and he was gonna take advantage of being her first and very last.

after what felt like centuries, he broke the kiss to regain his breath, dropping his hand from her neck to allow her the chance to recover as well. 

y/n panted, placing her hands at his chest this time for support as she clutched tightly onto his dark robes, afraid her knees would cave right then and there. “gods.. w-what was that..?” she asked him slowly, fear evident in her tone. she couldn’t be acting like this, she was a knight! and to give herself to the person she swore to defeat? it was disgraceful.

finally recuperating his own breath, anakin chuckled quietly, amused by how little she knew of intimacy. “a kiss, my love. i assume that was your first one then?” he whispered softly, his warm breath tickling her lips when he leaned in closer. with a cunning yet, charming smile, he connected their foreheads, training his yellow colored hues on her clouded ones. “you should give into your desires more, you’re more beautiful when you express yourself with full honesty.” he praised, his voice like saccharine; it weakened her.

her lips had parted to protest, but she closed them right after, glancing away guiltily. “giving into my desires won’t do me any good, your majesty. now please explain to me what’s going on, i thought you were taking my life. did you even release my party?”

the demon lifted her head from her chin with his two digits, rolling his eyes playfully. “of course i did, i’m not a liar, y/n. anyway, i meant i was taking your life as if it were my own; which i would define as,” he paused, brushing his lips tenderly over hers this time. “making you mine.” he finished.

widening her eyes, y/n thought back to obi-wan’s words from before, swallowing thickly.

back then, she hadn’t a clue what he meant by them. he was just so vague about telling her to rescue him; what from? how? why?

she now knew the answers to all those questions. or rather, answer.

in the end, love was all he needed to save him. and whether it was verbal, physical or both, she was willing to offer that affection needed to bring him back to his senses.

only issue was that she wasn’t ready for his kind of love.

y/n heaved a soft breath, looking up at him seriously. “and what will you do now?” she asked him warily, leaning into his touch more when his hand curled further around her chin and cheek.

such a simple question had the curly haired king’s smile turning into one far more suggestive, aurum orbs now darkening with lust. “well sweetheart, that all depends on your performance tonight. so be a good girl for me, okay?” he uttered softly into the shell of her ear, retracting his hands from her body to hook them beneath her legs, hoisting the virgin onto his right thigh with little effort.

her lips quivered in pleasure, confused as to why she felt so good on his thigh of all places. was it the texture maybe, or the width? maybe the muscular feel? she wasn’t all that sure, but she knew for a fact she wanted more of that feeling; more of anakin.”a-aah.. please- shouldn’t we be on the bed for this?” she asked him quietly, whining when he pressed his thigh harder against her clothed folds, drawing a soft mewl from her lips, whimpers of need not far behind.

the demon king smirked at this, raising a brow upwards at her breathless inquiry. “patience, we’ll be there soon, darling. besides, you’re enjoying yourself down on my thigh, why ruin the fun for you? relax and save your questions for later.” he told her curtly, bouncing her lightly on his thigh which had her head tilting back slowly, chain swishing from the light movement.

up until now his dominant character never really bugged or had her feeling some way, but now? she couldn’t be anymore aroused. y/n was sure she could have her climax crash down right then and there on his thigh, had it not been for her holding it in.

“f-fuck, please anakin..!”

he chuckled. “please what? speak more clearly, you could be pleading for anything here, y/n.” he mused, leaning in to trail kisses down her jugular, pausing every now and then to roll the skin between his teeth, slowly.

she bit her lip to hold back her cries, eyes stilling on the sinful mess she was making of her clothes; wet circles all over her crotch and they were seeping through to his pants as well.

shakily, she brought her hand down to her clothed sex, dipping two fingers into her panties as she rubbed circles around her flushed, lower lips, seeking more friction before carefully sinking them into her heat.

noting this, anakin stopped her hand from moving any further and pulled it away from her sex, sliding her off his thigh till she was staggering back onto her feet.

she glared up at him for practically dropping her, ready to yell once more, however she was silenced by her slick coated fingers being plunged into her mouth harshly.

anakin shook his head, growing frustrated with her impatience. “for a virgin, you’re getting too ahead of yourself there, love. you’re just so sloppy, have you even masturbated before?” he hummed out, shoving them deeper till her e/c hues were swelling with tears. “what a dirty little slut.. don’t worry though, i’ll fix you.” he muttered lowly, narrowing his cold eyes.

finally her tears fell, rolling freely down her plush cheeks, whilst her pleading cries went completely deaf to his ears. 

fuck, she hated how much she was enjoying this.

a muffled scream left her lips, and she lifted her unoccupied hand to free the one in her mouth, but anakin was quicker.

the demon pinned it above her head with ease, thrusting her fingers a few times more into her mouth before pulling them out, watching as her hand fell to her side.

the sight of her was anything but innocent. she had tears trickling down her cheeks, a stream of uneven breaths falling past her lips and a hazy look in her eyes. she was simply irresistible.

anakin was sure to ruin her more.

“mm, you’re so cute when you’re finally giving in to me, princess.. should i reward you?” he asked her sweetly, awaiting her response.

“y-yes please!”

with one last pant, she nodded hastily to further confirm her words, following close behind him after he’d released her hand.

gliding her tongue over her soft lips, she watched as the horned male sat himself down on his bed, eyes never leaving his sculpted thighs. god, did she want to stuff her face in between them.

with a small motion of his fingers, she walked up to him eagerly, never once breaking contact with his vibrant pools.

he let a carnal groan leave his lips when he shifted in his place, pupils slitting. “good,” he began slowly, “now on your knees and open that pretty little mouth up for me as wide as you can,” he ordered quietly, watching as she sunk down quickly to her knees, just as he’d requested.

the human girl scooted closer to him, bringing her hands up to his confined sex as she undid his belt and pulled the fly of his zipper down, springing his cock free from its clothed captivity. 

meticulously, she took his hardened length into her hands, blinking at the sight before her. y/n hadn’t exactly seen one before so of course she wouldn’t know what the average was, but she knew for one that his certainly wasn’t.

anakin’s hands had slipped into her h/c tresses, tugging her closer to him as he eyed her down with desire dancing in his golden embers. “my love, we don’t have all day here. just take what you can and use your hands for the rest,” he advised, patience running thin, though he covered that, somehow.

nodding absentmindedly, she started by his tip, laying kitten licks to clean his precum up, slowly dragging her tongue down the base to slick it up before taking him into her mouth eventually.

the curly haired threw his head back and sighed out, yanking a bit harder this time on her hair as he groaned. “fuck yeah, use that pretty little tongue of yours baby and take me in some more, you know you want to..” he encouraged, though it sounded more like a warning.

doing as told, she took another inch into her mouth and hollowed her cheeks out to take more, moans muffled by his thick, lengthy erection.

“a-aahh.. yes- fuck!” he belted out, finally losing control over his instincts as he took matters into his own hands ( literally ), bottoming himself out deeper into her throat. 

in the end, there was only so much patience one could have, especially anakin.

and apparently, the girl could only handle so much of his strength..

taken aback by the sudden force, she fell back onto her ass with a muffled cry, lips detaching from his muscle as she coughed a few times in a poor attempt to even her breathing out.

knitting his brows together, skywalker gave her a tired yet distasteful glare, notably disappointed. “we’re not finished here, y/n.”

amidst her recovery, the taller stood to his feet and reached for her head, bringing her forward. he chuckled darkly, lining himself back up at her lips. “now.. let’s try that again,” he stated, ploughing himself into her, further than before, desperate for his release.

tears poured down her glossy cheeks yet again, the pain becoming unbearable, yet she felt so good and filled all at the same time.

retracting one hand from her head, he wiped her soaked cheeks with his thumb, remorse bubbling within him. “nghh.. hang in there baby, it’ll all be over soon, i promise.”

had it not been for what he was, maybe he would’ve had more restraint, but he couldn’t help those instincts that screamed for him to break her.

at last, he hit his own climax and spilled his milky seed in hot spurts into her mouth, filling her cheeks up till his bitter fluids were running down her chin.

squeezing her eyes shut, y/n swallowed every last drop of her ‘reward’, groaning as she wiped her lips clean with the back of her hand.

pleased by this, the wavy haired brunet crouched down to where she was and lifted her off the ground, placing her gently onto his bed.

unfortunately, he didn’t have anymore time for any other activities or foreplay; he needed to be inside her, fucking her walls up right then and there.

hurriedly, anakin discarded her clothes with little effort, leaving her in nothing but her panties and a bra. he flicked his tongue down his bottom lip, craving so much as to eat her out, but there wasn’t any time for that.

“you’re so beautiful,” he whispered quietly to the young woman before him, gently reaching behind her to unhook her f/c colored bra as he threw it to the side somewhere.

while he worked around her underwear, y/n couldn’t wait any longer herself. she began undoing his robes for him, slipping them off his broad shoulders as she drank the sight of his glorious body, fingers brushing over each curve and scar. “you’re not so bad yourself,” she replied softly, smiling up at him for the first time.

this sudden passionate feeling was incomprehensible for her, why did she feel this way all the sudden? were they not meant to be enemies and stay that way?

she frowned at the thought, but brushed it off as quickly as it came.

the demon took notice of this and grew conflicted. should he stop and ask her about it?

he shook his head to rid himself of his doubts, inching himself closer to her body before capturing her lips in his own.

it was only natural to feel doubtful, he’d just have to assure her, right?

pulling away from her lips, he trailed kisses down her jawline, sucking and nibbling on her tender skin. “mm, you taste so sweet, my love.. and you’re still so soaked from earlier, all for me, i assume?” he snickered quietly, rolling a lone finger up and down her quivering petals.

she whimpered tacitly into his shoulder, nodding her head slowly. “o-of course.. who else would it be for, you’re the only one here,” she remarked somewhat impatiently.

“as i should be,” with another laugh, anakin finally stopped his teasing methods and pushed his finger into her sopping core, curling it slowly. “can i add another, darling?” he asked her sweetly, noting how loose she was from her pooling arousal.

she nodded eagerly, “y-yes please, h-haahh~ could you go faster too?” she moaned, weaving her fingers into his soft brown locks as they inched closer to his horns, her expression reflecting nothing but absolute awe.

y/n always thought of demons as such cruel creatures, which is what they were made and perceived to be, of course. but only now did she stop to take in the very sight of one, and how beautiful he is. 

she was mesmerized.

a smile formed on the male’s lips, his eyes softening at her actions. “hold them.”

the maiden blinked at the sudden request, not even noticing that he’d added another finger in. could she really?

“are you.. a-aahh, sure?” she was still a bit doubtful.

he rolled his eyes playfully, “if i wasn’t, i would’ve told you. so go on,” he encouraged.

doing as told, she traced his thick, curled horns, curling her fingers around them to feel their smooth yet intricate texture. “they feel a lot nicer than i expected,” she commented quietly, wincing when she felt a pang in her stomach. must be the long awaited orgasm.

“i’ll take that as a compliment then,” he murmured, sighing at how soothing her hands felt, before sinking a third finger into her hole to stretch her out further, feeling her walls begin to tighten.

her sounds and hums of pleasure never went unnoticed by him, fueling his actions all the more.

she respired, squeezing his horns, “a-anakin, i’m close,” she whispered softly, burying her face into his neck while her hands loosened their grip, falling weakly onto his shoulders.

“shh, i know, i can feel it, love. just cum for me princess.” he coaxed, applying extra force to his final thrusts until finally, her climax crashed down onto his fingers, painting them in her warm slick.

gasping out in ecstasy, her fingers dug deeply into his smooth skin, creating red, crescent shaped moons in her wake.

finally, the royal pulled his digits out of her and sucked them clean, humming at their sweet taste. “you’re such a good girl for me, y/n.. do you think you’re ready now?” he asked her, lining up slowly at her entrance, eyes flickering to hers for consent before he went any further.

she gulped, but nodded nonetheless, laying her head down against the pillow. “i think so.. just be gentle though, okay?”

“of course, tell me when to stop.” he told her, carefully thrusting himself into her heat, making sure to avoid going in all at once.

her grip strengthened on his shoulders, but she kept her composure. “k-keep going, ani,” she assured.

the nickname brought a flush to his cheeks, but it left as quick as it came. he couldn’t recall the last time he heard that name. it was, refreshing.

finally anakin sheathed himself fully inside of her, feeling the tight squeeze of her gummy walls surrounding him. he groaned deeply into her, eyes becoming half-lidded. “fuck, you’re still so.. ngh, t-tight.. i’m gonna move, okay?” he called, awaiting her nod before pulling out and sinking back in, repeating his actions over and over again.

after a string of moans, she squeezed her eyes shut, crying out to him in a needier tone this time. “f-faster anakin, please i’m close..!” she begged, feeling that same pit form from before.

“i got you.. don’t worry,” he assured, sealing their lips off with one final kiss before allowing his orgasm to meet her own, pumping her full of his cream colored fluids.

she basked in the bliss that was his love and warmth, wrapping her legs around his waist as she shifted her arms to his neck for better support.

anakin held the kiss as long as he could before pulling back, bringing her up with him till she was nestled on his lap.

he nuzzled her neck softly, using his abilities to free the rebel warrior of her restraints before engulfing her in a tight hug. “was that deal so bad after all?” he had to ask, smiling lazily.

she clicked her tongue, laughing quietly at his remark. “how ‘bout i give you an answer after you stop this war, fair enough?”

he sighed. of course she would be difficult, but he saw no reason why he shouldn’t stop the war, he got what he wanted anyway.

“deal. now can i have my answer?” he huffed, turning his nose up in the air childishly.

she pecked his cheek, offering a loving smile, “it was wonderful, anakin.”

notes. THIS IS SUPER RUSHED HDJDKSKD istg i drew such a blank for half of this🧍‍♀️ it’s so messy fgdjfsfvjsfsj definitely not my best piece LMAOOO but yeah i hope you enjoyedd <33 hopefully i can whip out something better next time && less- whatever tf this was 😭

previous. missed part one? click here!

[yandere-wishes]

Yandere Teams //Twisted Wonderland x Reader//

The quality of my writing keeps getting worst and worst 🤣

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Malleus + Lilia

Lilia and Malleus are one of the better pairs of yanderes to share a darling. Malleus is so eager to keep his darling locked up, away from everyone, everything. But simultaneously Malleus has a weak spot for Lilia, he looks up to the older fae and desperately wants to gain his approval. He also trusts his judgment, so if Lilia wants to play a little bit "rough" with the darling then Malleus is willing to turn a blind eye. On the other hand, Lilia has a sicker, much more twisted manner of thinking about their situation, the older fae doesn't just see the Darling as his property he also sees Malleus as his now! Yes in Lilia's warped mind both Malleus and the poor darling belong to him and only him. 

Life with the two isn't too bad, it's really all a matter of staying on both their good sides. Don't tick off one and expect the other to side with you. Malleus always takes Lilia's side no matter what, in his eyes, the pink and black-haired fae can do no wrong. On the other hand, Lilia just doesn't care. 'Malleus put you under a sleeping curse?' oh well that just how he is. 'Malleus broke your arm when he mistakenly thought you were attempting to escape?' That's just how things are around here better get used to it. 

Just sit around like a nice pretty doll and let the two powerful fairies do as they want with you and everything will be okay.

Jade + Floyd

It all started when you made the mistake of asking Jade out on a date. One day when you'd swallowed up enough courage you marched up to your senior and all but begged for a date. To your surprise, Jade had agreed, hesitantly but never the less the "yes" was said. Oh, how happy you had been that day. Rushing back to your dorm room to doll yourself up.  Fantasizing about the date as you danced around the room.

But when you actually arrived at the Mostro Lounge somethings off. Jade isn't...well, right. His smile is too big stretching across his cheeks in the most unnatural manner. His eyes have lost their spark, they're dull and dead almost like they're made of silicone. His personality isn't right either, he's too fidgety too hyper. He's all but bouncing off the walls and singing every other word.

When you finally walk over to him, the teal haired teen lounges himself at you, wrapping his arms so tightly around your body that air can't pass through your lungs. It's in that quick-paced breathless moment that you realize your mistake. This isn't Jade, this isn't the sweet charismatic gentleman no..this is his brother Floyd, the one person in NRC that haunts your dreams. The one boy that never goes one day without screaming your name through the hallways and "accidentally" bumping into you.

Try as you might to get out of his grasp and run for the exit, it's all futile. The younger just keeps hugging tighter and tighter until pesky black spots start to float around your sight, the bright lights fade into shimmering orbs as your consciences slowly slips away.

It's later when you wake up that you notice just how grave and hopeless your situation is. The grinning faces of both twins are peering down at you, sharp teeth on full display as they get closer and closer...

These two are the most in sync yanderes you will ever meet. Sure they seem like polar opposites but when it comes to their darling they can agree on practically EVERYTHING.

Now friendly reminder that Floyd is the more aggressive one out of the two. His cold fingers are always trickling over your skin, pinching the flesh as he proclaims how "cute" you are. Jade is the last string of sanity for both you and his brother. He makes sure you are both in line and never go overboard...technically Floyd never goes overboard. Jade is also much more hesitant to hurt their precious darling, he does enjoy how much you need him, but he hates seeing his little "goldfish" (the only fish's name I can write without getting a mini heart attack, yes I hate fish that much XD) in any form of pain. Now both marks are a completely different story, both twins adore marking their darling. Jade prefers to leave "love bites" over your neck and shoulders trailing down to your arms, while Floyd prefers to mark your thighs and torso area.

The twins may not be the most intense yanderes but they aren't very subtle either, just when you're starting to go with the flow they change something to throw you off and send you spiraling down a waterfall of confusion.

Riddle + Chenya Riddle and Chenya are the most contradicting yanderes you'll ever meet. These two can't agree on anything! Riddle usually set rules but Chenya always manages to convince their darling to break them under the pretext that "they won't get punished". Technically he's not telling a complete lie, He won't get punished but you sire will. Riddle is slightly more sympathetic when he's punishing his darling for a broken rule that Chenya convinced them to break. He knows that it's all his childhood friend's fault but he still has to discipline you with the hope that next time you won't listen to that idiot.

Now both these boys are possessive and desperate for any form of affection their beloved will give. Doesn't matter if it's kisses or gentle head pats so long as they can feel their s/o's tender fingers over their flesh. This usually leads to a tug of war between childhood friends. One of them is always trying to strangle your attention away from the other. Wither its Chenya sneaking up behind you and Riddle while you cuddle or Riddle yell and screaming until you and Chenya break apart your kiss and make room for him on the couch.

Overall these two are so chaotic together that sometimes their darling wonders why they even teamed up in the first place...

Leona + Ruggie Leona and Ruggie are actually a very underhanded duo. It's obvious from the start that Leona is pulling the strings. He manipulated Ruggie into helping him, briding the younger boy with the promise of the darling's undying love or food, either one works. It's Ruggie that does the physical kidnapping, it's also Ruggie that has to take care of the darling. Making sure they stay fed, clean, having something to wear after both he and Leona got rather aggressive on some nights. He does all the heavy lifting, while Leona just lays around cuddling the darling before falling asleep.

Leona has multiple ways of keeping both Ruggie and the darling in line. He's always being so considerate, so "caring" constantly showing them in pricey gifts or treating them over the top fancy restaurants. Anything at all no matter how expensive as long as it keeps them compliant.

These two do make a good team, but it's all manipulation and mind games. When the dust settles did either of them really love you? Or was it all a sick game for the two wild beasts? 

Divus + Sam

Now Divus and Sam are a rather...odd mix. They don't work very well as a team at first, they're constantly bickering arguing over the smallest things. What their darling will wear, what she'll eat, etc, etc

It gets so bad at one point that Divus and Sam actually start a custody battle over the poor darling. The other teachers are intrigued, playing along for their own amusement. At some point, Lilia - only wanting to see how disastrous it will be- suggests a trial like they do in the movies and because the teachers in NRC are over-glorified children themselves that's exactly what they do!

The jury is made up of the dorm leaders, all reluctant to be there -with the exception of Kalim and a very confused Malleus- Ashton is Divus' lawyer, a horrible one at that. The man has no idea what's going on and is constantly yelling "OBJECTION"!  At some point, Azul and Riddle take their gym teacher aside to explain the basic principles of a courtroom to him.  He's slightly better after that bringing in students to testify for professor Crewel after he promises them a passing mark in his class that is.

Mozus is surprisingly a great lawyer, he has the perfect "witness", asks all the right questions and is constantly throwing shade at how bad Ashton is at anything that requires a bit of wit.

Crowley is obviously the judge, he's just happy to be there honestly. The poor bird-man's throat is slowly going raw from the number of times he's screamed at Ashton to quite down, at Leona to wake up, at Kalim to sit down, at Vil to stop checking his makeup and at Idia to get off his dame phone! An hour into the "Trial" and he already has his verdict.

That leaves you, the reason this whole catastrophe started. You're seated by the headmaster, dressed up in a glittering white dress, your hair and makeup done as if you were the guest of honor at some banquet. Your hands are threaded with silver handcuffs identical to those used on criminals if anyone with no prior knowledge to these events was to enter they surely would think that you were the criminal on trial here.

Finally Crowley proposes a split. Divus gets the darling from Sunday to Tuesday, while Sam gets her on Thursday until Saturday. With Wednesday being a day in which they both get their beloved. The setup works for a few weeks, almost shy of a whole month but...

It gets too much, neither men can standing being apart from their lover for three whole dame days! It's to vexing, too taxing. So they find another way, actually, it's Sam that turns up one day at Divus' room looking like a kicked puppy and all but begging to see their darling. Feel a tingle of pity Divus lets him in. This ends up becoming a normal thing. Every time Sam has you Divus will show up in his room and visa versa. They get better at sharing, agreeing with one another, one may even say they start to enjoy each other's company as much as their darling's.

[cafe-enchante]

Finding Grandpa's Photo Album

*Context: In one of the Q&As on Misyr's page he admits a funny memory he has of the player's grandfather, where Misyr had stumbled upon a photo album filled with pictures of the protagonist and how the player's grandfather yelled at him and chased him down to get it back

Warning: Heavy Spoilers for the routes

Rindo Kaoru

Finds the old photo album while doing some deep cleaning and inventory for you in the storage.

Wasn't even sure what it was at first, the cover is very non-descript and it wasn't until he opened it and saw you as a two year old that he realized it was the old photo album he once saw your grandpa yell at Misyr for taking.

Wants to be a perfect gentleman and bring it to you, not looking at such personal memories, but he can't help himself.

It really hits him hard how he was fresh out of high school when you were born when he sees a picture from your first birthday and the date is a few years after he graduated

You end up coming to check on him and find him with the most loving, gentle smile as he's looking at photos where your grandfather is crying over your elementary school graduation

You want to be embarrassed, the whole album is nothing but photos of you up until your grandpa died but Rindo asks if the two of you can look through it together

You end up sharing some more embarrassing stories about some photos and Rindo shares some from his own past to make up for it

Rindo will admit later on, in a quiet moment, how much flipping through that album meant to him, and how he hopes they can add to it one day with pictures of their own kids and grandkids if his new body permits (or he suggests adoption, if it doesn't)

Canus Espada

Canus doesn't actually find the photo album himself, Titania and Vennia do by accident when you let them rifle through some boxes of stuff to look for an older edition of a fashion magazine you had

The two had been very cruious about it, not understanding that all the little people in the pages were you and had asked Canus in the main part of the Cafe

You were in the kitchen at the time.

Canus immediately understood what the album was, and tried taking it from Titania, but she's a lot quicker than anyone gives her credit for and kept pestering Canus with questions

The noise drew you out of the kitchen to check what was up when Titania finally slapped the album and opened to a random page, asking who the fairy was

Said fairy was you, at age two, dressed as Tinker Bell for Halloween

You explained what the album was, and that the pictures were all of you that had either been taken by or sent to your grandfather to document the stages of your life (you also had to describe what Halloween, Christmas, and Graduations were)

Canus watches the entire time silently, but you can tell he is dying to flip through the album himself.

He had met you as a small child and getting to see you at various points through your life through this album was a marvel in and of itself

He asks if he can keep the fairy picture and then asks if they can add a new photo of the two of them

Ignis Carbunculus

He finds the album while searching through recipe books

He wants to make something special for you for dinner on your birthday and thought it was a book of your grandpa's recipes

Was surprised to open it up to find a picture of you with your grandpa out by a river, you proudly holding up a fish that looked like it was the same length as you were tall.

You must have been only ten in the picture and it was clear your grandpa was shouldering most of the weight of the fish.

His search forgotten he flips through the album to see more snapshots and memories, most of just you but some with your parents or friends he has never met

It feels him with a feeling he can't name, but he knows he doesn't like it.

So he takes the album with him and later in the day asks you on a date out of the blue.

During it, he manages to snap a pretty decent picture of the two of you together using your phone and when you get home he demands you print the picture immediately.

Confused, you print it for him and are surprised when he pulls out the album and slides the picture in, right next to the photo of you and your grandpa when you went fishing

Ignis is blushing the whole time and refuses to explain, but you dont need him to.

Just give him smooches and everything will be fine

Over the years the two of you add more photos, eventually being joined by red-headed children. Many of them.

Il Fado de Rie

You actually found the album and brought it to Il to show him.

Your parents had dressed you up as an angel for Christmas when you were a baby, fake wings and halo and everything, and when you found the album you knew you had to show Il

Il wasn't sure how to take the baby angel photo at first especially since the wings on baby you were pure white, but seeing how excited you were made him put his own thoughts aside and enjoy the novelty of seeing you at various stages of life

He ended up loving all of your baby photos, seeing you with round chubby cheeks being held or starting to crawl or walk (and the amount of outfits! Il swears he never saw you wear the same thing in more than one photo)

When he saw your highschool graduation photos and prom photos he asked tons of questions. How was it? Did you have a date? Did you drink?

All questions stemming from playing otome games, obviously, but you can hear a tinge of jealousy whenever the topic of you dating came up

You answer him honestly about everything and show him more pictures, some more humorous, some not so much.

He has so many questions about every picture and some of the other people he sees in them

You don't mind because every question he asks he also gives you the most interested and joyous smile

He is genuinely over-joyed by the end that you shared this with him, and asks if he can look through it more sometimes so you suggest that maybe they can add to it with photos the two of you take.

He looks like he is about to cry. Hug him.

The first picture he adds is of him and Solitus, one you had taken when Solitus had visited the cafe and Il was getting him to try one of the sweets you had made. There was a relaxed smile on Solitus’s face, and a joyful one on Il’s

Misyr Rex

He has been looking for that album since you first opened the door.

At first it was for the memory of it, one of the pictures was from when you were five and your grandpa had helped you brew your first cup of coffee in the very cup you later gave to him

As he grew closer to you he would admit it was also because he longed to see the years he missed by not going to see you

He doesn't find it until after the Noah incident, but before you are able to actually pass through the Gate and back to Enchante

He would pass through and take care of things while you focused on your own power, so he took care of the cleanup and such

He is ashamed to admit he found it in your bedroom while he was dusting in there

No one had entered it since Noah had kidnapped you and you had left the album open on your desk

The photo you left on was the very one he wanted to see the most.

He spent a lot of time looking through it, looking at the photos of you through your life and the hints of the events that made you the person you are today

You had been worried when he was late coming back to you, his eyes a bit red and swollen but that was tossed aside when he showed you the album with a gentle and loving smile and the two of you flipped through the pages and you told him the context behind the memories

When you got to the picture of you and your grandpa you explained that it is actually an embarrassing memory for you, since you didn't remember giving Misyr the cup and had assumed he was a regular that would bring it back you had actually been scolded heavily by your grandfather for just giving it away to a stranger

A lot of the memories made you laugh, snuggled up close to Misyr as he flipped through the pages and you pointed out other such photos (like one that was taken at the Cafe when you were five. Your grandpa was trying to get you down from the rafters, or another one when you were in middle school with some friends about to go into a haunted house)

As Misyr flips through the pages and you talk, Misyr cant help but notice that it's the first time since you gained this new power that you dont flicker out of view or become intangible

The photo album stays mostly in your room at the cafe, now shared by you and Misyr (though you have to return through the gate at night as you cant be away from your world for a full 24 hours). New photos get added from time to time. Some of you, some of Misyr, and after some time some of a child with bright green eyes

[puwumats]

guys,,, i've been head full all thoughts about a critical role crossover that like maybe three people will enjoy but i'm gonna obsess over it anyway

so like, mighty nein teen wolf au right?

fjord is a 16 year old boy who lives in Wildemount Hills, with his single mother melora. the night before he starts his sophomore year, his best friend (and enabler) beauregard drags him out into the woods to find a body

he leaves those woods with more than he bargained for - a bite from an alpha werewolf. he starts trying to make the transition from teenage boy with severe asthma, to badass teenage werewolf but has many life or death situations along the way. he becomes allies, friends, and even family with many people in his adventures:

caleb widogast, the werewolf man who was manipulated in his teens into giving information about his family by a hunter, trent ikithon. his family were then trapped inside their house and set alight by ikithon, leaving caleb a husk of the person he once was

caleb's only friend for many years, veth brenatto - a classmate of calebs back in high school, veth and her family were already planning on moving interstate when the fire happened, and so they offer caleb a chance at a new life away from all the tragedy. whilst veth returned to Wildemount Hills not long after she finished high school to settle down and marry her old flame from Dwendal High, yezza, caleb remained as far away from the town as possible. at least, until word gets to his ears that there's a new alpha in Wildemount Hills killing people. only then, does he follow her back. (under all the angst though? he's a real softie. you can tell just by observing the way he looks after his godson)

the new girl in town, jester lavorre, whose upbeat attitude and mischievous streak light up the lives around her. her mother, marion, lived her life as a bit of a shut in ever since her dad disappeared when she was a kid. when her dad finally returns (after a long con, parent trap-style plan set in by jester herself), her family moves to Wildemount Hills to start anew. what she doesn't know, is that her father, commonly known as the Gentleman in less than reputable circles, is actually from a very powerful family of hunters, and his return to Wildemount Hills isn't just for a new start. also, at some point early in her childhood, she gets possessed by the spirit of a nogitsune. through either sheer willpower, her natural charm, or some kind of higher power, instead of going into full "chaos and pain" mode, the nogistune (lovingly referred to by jester as the traveller) ends up being mostly chaotic neutral instead of chaotic evil - satiating himself on the chaos caused by jesters pranks and tricks on the people around her

the kanima, yasha nydoorin, who was being controlled and manipulated by an evil hunter who was using her to kill people for his own gain. with quick thinking, and a little bit of love (cough beau cough), fjord's pack is able to bring her back to herself, snapping her out of the hunters control. her and beau have a 'will they wont they' relationship until the end of their senior year of high school, where, through fear of potentially losing the love of her life, beau confesses her feelings to yasha. when the dust settles, they have a passionate reunion, and everyone immediately sighs a breath of relief because come on - its been long overdue. the pack is just glad they don't have to deal with the raw sexual tension between the two anymore

the weirdly insightful veterinarian - and fjords' boss - caduceus clay, who always seems to know the answers to stuff - even if his advice is vague and ominous sometimes. fjord and the pjack find out soon enough that he's actually an emissary - his whole family are. caduceus' sister, calliope, even pops into town on occasion to check on her little brother, and at some point even becomes the guidance counselor for Dwendal High for a bit.

the one that didn't make it, mollymauk tealeaf. a kitsune, molly was extremely proficient in swords, and in words. his death almost destroyed the pack - hell, with some of the pack being kidnapped by the same mercenaries that killed molly, it was a borderline miracle that the pack survived at all. molly died in fjords arms, and for a while, so too did fjords heart. when the pack finally caught up with the mercenaries, saved their friends, and put a stop to the hunters, fjord almost killed all of the hunters - true alpha status be damned. if it wasn't for the comfort and support from what friends he had left, he probably would have died there, fighting with everything he had until there was nothing left. he still thinks about molly sometimes, but it's starting to hurt less now.

[one-leaf-grimoire]

You gotta make a post rescue sex scenario with Julius now

// fuck you now I do >;( *winking while scowling* also I may have gone too long (again) but hey... it's Julius I have to. This is the 200 follower reward lmao (jk... one of the awards ;) )

// also this is set directly after that post I made a while ago bc I lack creativity lmao

Warning: Spicy 18+, hot post rescue sex? Lol

You definitely didn't expect the day to end up like this. Not only did you get kidnapped, imprisoned, and transported to some strange forest, you also managed to escape and get rescued. The most unexpected part was WHO rescued you... by some stroke of luck, Julius Novachrono, the Wizard King himself, was your savior. The way he... disposed of your attackers made you feel some type of way, so you couldn't resist thanking him with a kiss. However, it was quickly evolving into more.

You froze as soon as his hands suddenly slipped down over your ass, threatening to squeeze. But he caught himself before he did and quickly pulled away. "Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to get so friendly~" However, he was happy when you closed the gap once again. Part of you was clinging to him for safety, but another part of you wanted more. "I don't mind..." you told him sheepishly. "As long as they don't see us." You glanced back at the two guys stuck in Julius's magic prison.

"Don't worry, they can't see or hear anything... but, uh, are you sure?" He didn't want to rush anything here. "I mean, I won't say no to a cute girl, but we just met, I wouldn't want you to regret anything."

That was sweet, but you had already made up your mind. "I don't think I would ever regret this." You slid your hands up his chest, batting your eyelashes. "...please..."

Julius really didn't need much more convincing, your words making him smirk a little. "Very well... since you asked nicely~" Without wasting another precious second, his lips crashed into yours once more, hungrier than before. His hands were immediately all over you, grabbing at whatever part he could, each touch more deeply intoxicating than the last.

Your underwear was the first thing to go, his fingers quickly returning under your dress to prod roughly between your legs. If it wasn't for his other arm looped around your back, your knees would have already buckled from the feeling. "Did I really turn you on that much?" he teased. "Maybe I should do more rescues."

"M- shut up-" you moaned a little, burying your face in his shoulder. Despite the teasing, you were feeling a bit bold from adrenaline and took the opportunity to slip your own hand down the front of his pants, feeling satisfied when he moaned against your skin. "I like you already~"

It wasn't long before you both got tired of just groping at eachother, so Julius grabbed your waist and pulled you down with him. He didn't want you to have to lay on the grass (what a gentleman) so he put down that big robe of his first before pushing you on your back. You didn't have much time to get comfortable, he was already crawling on top and trailing kisses down your body. He kissed once teasingly at the apex of your thighs before sitting up and undoing his pants.

... damn, Julius 👀

"...you're still okay with this?" he asked, looking concerned as you stared up at him. You snapped out of it and gave him an enthusiastic nod. "...good." He didn't say anything else as he moved back on top, grabbing one of your thighs to wrap around his waist. You squeezed your eyes closed as you finally felt him rub against your entrance lightly, before suddenly thrusting in with one stroke. It stretched you pleasently, drawing an embarassed sound from your lips. "A-Ah-" was all you could get out in that heated moment.

Neither of you was going to last very long and you knew it. The moment his cock entered you, your body basically gave in and started clenching. Julius had you pinned by the wrists as he ravaged you, already lost to the lustful feelings. "It's alright... cum for me," he whispered, his voice a little unsteady. He didn't have to tell you twice, and a smile graced his features as you cried out and came undone underneath him. "If I pull out... I'm going to get my robe all dirty. You don't want to make me do that, do you?"

You shook your head quickly, still riding out the orgasm and trying to keep up with his pace. Fuck the consequences, all you wanted was for this man to take you for himself. "P-please, J-Julius, I need you-"

The sound of his name on your lips was enough. He kissed you hungrily as his hips pumped into you, his pace slowing as he finally got his release. The groan against your lips sent a shiver through your body, your legs trembling as his touches became more gentle.

Apperently fucking in a forest was no excuse for him to skip aftercare. He helped you get dressed before pulling you into his arms for a little while. You were exhausted from everything that happened today, but the fear from earlier was completely gone. "...thank you," you finally gathered the strength to say.

Julius chuckled and kissed your cheek. "For what? Saving you? Or..."

"Both." A blush dusted your cheeks. "I, uh... I didn't expect to meet you this way, and I definitely didn't expect you to be so..."

"Sexy?" You frowned up at him as he giggled at his own joke. What a strange guy. "Anyway... I should probably take you back, and these guys to prison."

"Oh..." You were a bit disappointed to say goodbye, but a moment later you found yourself rolled up in his robe and in his arms. "Ah! Where are you going to take me, exactly?"

Julius smiled down at you. "...I'm going to make sure you make a full recovery. Personally." He winked, as if his intentions needed to be made clearer.

What a strange day indeed... not only were you kidnapped by bandits, but now you were being kidnapped by the Wizard King? Well... that second option wasn't so bad ~

[agrestebug]

It starts with coffee

Hey everyone! The Miraculous Fanworks Discord is celebrating their anniversary! HUZZAH! So here is a little one shot as a treat - thank you so much to LadyBuginette from the server who submitted the prompt!

Trying to act casual, Marinette peered slyly over her large sunglasses. Her gaze focused on the café across from where she and Adrien were having lunch. Adrien shook his head at his girlfriend of eight years, but couldn't hold back the smile at her antics, "They'll be fine."

"I know they'll be fine." Marinette told the love of her life quickly, "I just want to make sure. Kagami is one of my best friends,"

"And Felix is my cousin." He reached across the small table and laced his fingers through hers, "Princess," he called her softly, immediately getting her attention. "They'll be fine."

He held her beautiful blue eyes with a soft smile on his face. Her fingers squeezed his and she let out a heavy sigh, "I know, I know you are right, but I was the one who set them up. If it backfires,"

"It won't. You have always been a people person, ever since college. You and your miraculous instinct to know when two people are a good fit has never been wrong." He reminded her triumphantly, lifting her hand and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

She smiled at the move, her cheeks dusting with a soft pink, "Tomcat."

"How dare you." He teased, "I am a purrfect gentleman."

"No, don't start with the puns Kitten, please." She practically begged.

"Promise to enjoy your own date instead of worrying about theirs." He told her instantly, "Only then will I purromise."

She groaned but relented, taking off the sunglasses and taking one last look over at the café, seeing how awkward her two friends looked. This wasn't a mistake… right?

"All right, okay. I promise."

…

Felix had his eyes glued to the address on his phone. Why in the hell did his cousin want to meet him for lunch like this all of a sudden? This was his ONE day off from Gabriel, and he was sure there were much better things he could be doing than grabbing a quick coffee with his obnoxiously positive cousin.

God he hoped Adrien hadn't ordered for him. If he had to force down one more of those, cups of sugar Adrien liked to think passed for coffee, he was going to walk out without so much as a word.

He entered the small café, glad at least that it seemed pretty empty. Adrien's fame tended to haunt them at the worst of times, and it was even worse when they were both out. One of the unlucky side-effects to being practically twins.

He waited for a minute or two, getting ready to call and check on Adrien's whereabouts when his phone rang. He saw her face and frowned, answering it quickly, "Marinette, where is he?"

"I kidnapped him!" She said brightly, "Sorry to steal your lunch date, BUUUUUUUT, I sent a replacement. Make sure you treat her well or I will tell everyone about your love for little black cats."

He groaned as he realized what she had done, "You planned this didn't you? Damn it Marinette I told you I didn't…" he paused, seeing a very beautiful girl with short dark hair walking into the café. She looked around, a slight scowl maring her distinct features. He knew instantly that she was Japanese, but never had he seen eyes quite like hers. They were hazel, yes, but he felt like that description was dull and more of an insult no matter how he thought about it.

"I… have to go." He managed to force out, clicking off when he heard Marinette giggling.

The dark haired beauty made eye contact with him, her expression turning knowing as she slowly made her way towards him. He placed his phone inside his jacket pocket when she stopped in front of him, "Marinette was correct. You could pass for Adrien quite easily."

Her tone was flat, not a judgment in any way whatsoever. Surprised by her bluntness, he said it in the same flat tone, "Our mother's were twins, so the odds of their children bearing similar likeness is purely based on genetics."

"Statistically however, the odds of twins birthing separately and still having a child bearing remarkable resemblance to one another is less than one percent, assuming your father's were not related in any way." She stated, her somewhat cold gaze piercing straight through him.

"I guess." He muttered, fighting the urge to shift uncomfortably under the strength of her gaze. It was a rare person who could hold his own cold gaze for so long. Let alone make him consciously feel uncomfortable.

She was interesting, to say the least.

"Marinette said I would like you." She told him.

"That right." He asked skeptically, even though it didn't come out like a question.

"Yes. However I believe she's biased." The girl told him, giving him an awkward smile that was all teeth.

He cleared his throat at the underlying implication, "Well she didn't say much about you. I was tricked."

The weird smile fell off her face easily, replaced by a carefully masked neutral expression. "I don't need your charity."

She turned to walk away, and his hand moved of its own accord. He gripped her arm, just hard enough to force her stop before instantly letting her go when her expression hardened.

"It's not charity." He clarified, "My apologies if that is how it came across. It was not my intent."

She studied him carefully, staying silent for a moment before telling him, "Pressed dark roast, no sugar, no cream. I'll find a table." She turned away from him again, and he stared at her in a new sense of shock. She drank her coffee the same way he did. He turned and went to the counter, placing the order and adding a few vanilla and almond biscotti's.

Just because he liked his coffee dark, didn't mean he didn't enjoy having something sweet with it.

He paid and the waitress told him they would bring the order out to the table. He found the dark haired girl sitting at a table outside, glaring angrily at her phone and texting quickly. He heard her small huff as he sat down across from her. She immediately put her phone away, a scowl still on her face as she looked at him.

"I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Kagami Tsurugi."

He nodded once, "Felix Graham de Vanily."

They went silent, only holding eyes for a few seconds before looking away. He was going to murder Marinette for this. How could she have possibly thought that putting him through this sort of awkward endeavour would make him happy? He huffed out loud, already planning multiple ways to get back at Marinette for this stunt. And Adrien too. His cousin was wrapped around the designer's finger, so he had no doubt that he'd had some part of this.

"If something is bothering you, you shouldn't let anyone see or hear it."

He glanced over at her, freezing his face before he could let the emotion pass, "Of course. A momentary lapse that won't be repeated, I assure you."

She nodded tersely, the air between them turning awkward again when the waiter saved them for a few moments by bringing their coffee. He took a sip, enjoying the deep, rich flavor of the coffee when a warm breeze brushed past them. "It's nice out today." He commented, watching over the rim of his cup as she took a sip.

A ghost of a smile graced her features, "It is."

He was lost in the image of that small smile that she let out. He was a Graham de Vanily. He'd be damned if he couldn't find a way to make her smile for real. He tried to make small talk, to see what he could trigger to get her really talking. If he could find out what she liked, he knew he'd be able to see a real smile on her face.

He was surprised through his questioning to find that they had more than their taste in dark coffee in common. Kagami practiced both aikido and mixed martial arts, something that he himself had taken since he was four. They had both spent a majority of their life outside of France, but had still ended up being drawn back here. It even seemed that they had similar upbringings, with parents of influence that forced them to play a part.

Felix mulled over her words about how strict of a schedule she followed while finishing off another cup of coffee. This girl was… amazingly unique, to say the least. She was strong, both in will and in heart, but carried an air of calm that could intimidate anyone with a single glance. She also had a bit of a sarcastic nature, one that he fully appreciated.

He watched her finish off her first cup of coffee, thinking that this really was nice. He wished his other dates had gone the way this one was.

"I am surprised." He started slowly.

She caught his eyes, "That right," she stated, the same way he had earlier. His lips twitched, wanting to turn into a smirk. So, she wasn't just beautiful. An idle thought crossed his head, most dragons were beautiful, but it didn't make them any less deadly.

"Yes." He said calmly, "That you agreed to stay. This isn't the first time Marinette has pulled something like this on me, or Adrien for that matter."

"Your surprise then surprises me." She said, placing her cup down gently, "I knew what I was walking into, granted, it was more to quiet Marinette's…" Kagami went silent, her brows knitting together.

"Obnoxious positivity." He supplied simply, pointing towards the biscotti, "Ladies first."

She grabbed one, smirking, "You've been on the receiving end of it too then?"

He said it tiredly, "If you only knew."

A soft smile finally formed on her face, and her voice lost some of its harshness, "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. I bet I have you beat."

He let his manners slip just the smallest bit, "Not a chance in hell."

She giggled, and the sound echoed in his heart. He smiled, diving into the story and knowing he would win this. The second he was done, she started her own story, one he could hardly believe. But he could do one better. He told her one of the worst stories he had, where Adrien and Marinette had tag-teamed him. He had ended up on a double date with the sickeningly sweet lovebirds, trying the entire night not to gag. His 'date' was more consumed with her phone than anything he'd had to say. And she had the gall to ask him to go out again.

Kagami laughed as their third cup of coffee was brought out to them, "That sounds painful, extremely so."

He shrugged, but was smiling himself, "It can't be as bad as Adrien and Marinette dancing around each other in college. He was so blind to her feelings, I offered to buy him glasses more than once."

Kagami's smile widened, "I remember that. Poor Marinette. I tried to give her the confidence to go after him the way she wished, to no avail."

They said it at the same time, "Thank god for that masquerade."

They smiled at each other, "Marinette in that Ladybug dress." "And Adrien in that cat suit. They were a sight to see."

"Adrien told me that night, he hadn't been that happy since his mother passed. As obnoxious as they can be, I'm glad he has her." Felix admitted, thinking back to how different he and Adrien had reacted when they lost a parent. When his father died, he'd secluded himself, and purposely pushed people away. His uncle had trapped Adrien in his gilded cage, but Adrien never lost his light. He fought so hard to keep that light bright, and in the end it had acted like a beacon that brought Marinette to him.

Kagami's solemn voice broke though his thoughts, "Sometimes, I wish I had reacted the way Adrien did."

He nearly choked on his coffee at her words. He hadn't said all of that out loud had he?

She heard him sputter and continued quietly, "When my father passed, I secluded myself. I purposely pushed people away to avoid ever feeling that way again. If that was what love brought, pain, from a fate no one can escape,"

"Then it was better to be without it." He finished, understanding her perfectly.

She nodded, asking him gently, "You as well?"

"When my father passed." He admitted, "My mother pushed me to date for a while, wishing for an heir to the estate after me," he scoffed as he thought back to his mother's not so subtle hints, and saw Kagami shaking her head tiredly.

"My mother has spoken the same to me on numerous occasions. That's why I left and moved in with Marinette." She said heavily, "Children have never been one of my desires."

"Nor mine." He agreed, "What sort of father would I be? I can barely deal with Adrien and Marinette half the time."

"Deal with them?" She said scoffing, "I walk away when they become too much."

They shared a laugh, and he noticed the sun beginning to lower. She glanced around too, seeing his look, and said it sounding almost disappointed, "It is getting rather late in the afternoon. Maybe we should wrap this up."

She stood and he stood with her, not ready to let her go just yet. "Perhaps you'll allow me the chance to make up for my earlier rudeness."

He held his arm out for hers, and to his inner joy that seemed to have bloomed in her presence, she put her arm in his. He smiled at her, really smiled, and she smiled back as they left the café. On the way to her and Marinette's apartment, they exchanged a few more stories and were laughing again by the time they made it to the apartment door.

"Oh wait until I bring it up, he is going to go scarlet." Felix told her happily at the embarrassing story of Adrien she had just shared with him. Making fun of Adrien and Marinette was another thing they had in common.

"Make sure you take a picture and send it to me." She told him, taking her arm out of his. "Thank you, for walking me home." She said sincerely.

"It was my pleasure." He whispered, his voice barely able to get the simple sentence out. He pushed a small piece of her loose hair behind her ear, lowering his hand slowly.

A small blush appeared on her cheeks, and he asked her softly, "Would you, consider doing this again, with me? A real date."

She smiled, the hazel of her eyes turning to amber gold, "I'd like that."

He smiled brighter, "Whenever you are free next. I'll alter my schedule to meet yours."

"That won't be necessary,"

"It would be my honor." He said, taking a small step back away from her so that he could leave, "Have a good night Kagami."

He turned away from her, the urge to stay much harder to push down than he would have ever thought.

A firm hand grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. There was a fierce expression on her face, "Idiot."

She pulled him back to her and kissed him soundly. His eyes briefly widened in shock until he returned the pressure. A soft hum escaped her as she pulled back with a triumphant smirk, "Good night Felix."

She opened the door to the apartment and walked inside, closing the door softly behind her.

He smiled to himself, staring at the door like an idiot for a minute before turning to leave, already in anticipation of seeing her again.

The elevator opened, and he laughed as he entered, hearing dual squealing coming in the direction of the girls' apartment.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to know what you guys think! This is cross-posted on A03 and FFN under the same username AgresteBug - so please don’t repost without my permission!

[artificialqueens]

Like They Do in Vegas, 5/5 (Vanique) - Mac

AN: It’s finally here!!! Last chapter!!! Thank you a million times over to Meggie for betaing this and being my personal angel.

Thank you to all of you who have been reading and leaving such nice comments! I never expected to make this into a full chaptered fic, but I’m so happy I did and I’m really proud of this tbh. I hope you enjoy the last chapter!!! Thanks again!!

BGM Challenge Notes: Here is the playlist I made for this fic.

Summary: Monique tries to make it up to Vanessa in an unconventional way.

Vanessa didn’t know why she agreed.

That was a lie, she did know why she agreed, but she figured if she didn’t say it out loud it wouldn’t be true.

Monique had taken her hand, smiled when Vanessa’s silver ring bumped her own gold one, and led them out the door of the casino, into the back of a sleek black car. The driver greeted them cordially and it took Vanessa a moment to register that this must be Monique’s personal car because she never gave an address; she hardly spoke two words to the driver before they were jetting across the brightly lit streets.

The leather was cold and unforgiving against Vanessa’s bare legs, but Monique’s hand rested gingerly on Vanessa’s upper thigh, still cautious, and shaking just the slightest bit.

Vanessa hated that the contact warmed her up.

They drove for a while, the city lights fading in the background as desert rock formations appeared.  If Vanessa had more sense in her she would have worried about getting kidnapped, but something in her gut eased those fears.

Something she wasn’t ready to name just yet.

Monique’s hand remained a steady reminder that this was real, that she was here. When it disappeared suddenly, Vanessa looked up to see that they had stopped outside a dimly lit building in the middle of nowhere.

Vanessa’s door was opened for her and she thanked the driver with a wary smile. Before she could exhale, Monique appeared once again, offering her arm to the younger girl.

They walked slowly toward the building, giving Vanessa ample time to admire Monique in the low light.

The respective silver and gold color palettes of their outfits clashed, but in a way that wasn’t wholly unbearable. Vanessa had on another silver-white dress that hugged her curves, while Monique had opted for a gold top, matching gold belt and accessories. The black of her pants accentuated her color choice.

A sudden gust of wind and a loud chopping sound cut into the still desert air. It was then that Vanessa noticed the shape of a helicopter just past the dim lights of the building.

Monique noticed her shock and smiled gently. “You aren’t scared of heights are you?”

Vanessa shook her head, eyes wide as Monique continued to lead her toward the helicopter.

An older gentleman greeted the two of them, or at least Vanessa thought he had, the loud beating of the blades of the helicopter was too loud for her to properly make out the words he said. But he opened the door for them to climb up into the aircraft before closing it behind them solidly.

Monique smiled at Vanessa and helped the still shocked younger girl into her many seatbelts. She tried to ask what the hell they were doing, but the noise made it impossible. Monique shook her head, motioning to the headphones next to Vanessa’s seat and placing her own pair over her ears.

Vanessa followed the silent instructions and suddenly the oppressively loud noise made by the blades was blissfully quiet.

“That’s better.” Vanessa heard Monique’s voice in her ears, staticky over the mic. She nodded, still unsure of what exactly was happening.

“Are you ready, Ms. Heart?” the pilot asked.

Monique continued to watch Vanessa as she answered, eyes never once leaving the younger woman’s face. “Yes, thank you, Don.”

Vanessa gripped the seat as the aircraft began to lift off the ground. Monique noticed her white-knuckled grip and carefully unclenched Vanessa’s fingers and to interlock them with her own.

The reassuring gesture just made Vanessa’s already racing heart beat that much faster.

As they ascended higher and higher up, Vanessa could no longer make out the building they had come from, the expanse of the Nevada desert overtaking her vision.

It looked achingly peaceful at night, the usual heat-red rock dark and smooth. The dunes almost seemed to be rolling the longer she looked at them, the dust and rock and earth shifting and tumbling over itself.

As they reached cruising altitude, the helicopter jolted forward and began their journey back toward the glimmering Las Vegas. The city started off as only a small point of light and soon magnified to a world of color.

Vanessa felt the lights of Sin City draw her in as they always did, only the feeling was amplified impossibly by the sheer scope of the city. As they soared above the twinkling expanse of life, Vanessa pressed her face to the glass in an effort to look closer, makeup be damned.

She pointed excitedly at places she recognized, hotels, casinos, shows, street names, places she hadn’t even registered going. Monique paid attention to each tangent Vanessa went on, asking questions, covering her mouth to hide smiles, shaking her head in disbelief.

And Vanessa loathed that it felt natural to be so vulnerable.

As soon as Vanessa stopped talking though, the aircraft went silent with the sort of tension that made the palms of her hands sweat. She was suddenly reminded of their situation.

Monique coughed awkwardly. “I figured since you liked the view from the hotel, you’d like this even more.”

Vanessa looked over to her, their eyes locking for the first time since the casino. Monique looked as nervous as Vanessa felt, worrying the skin of her hands.

“It’s beautiful,” she said seriously.

And it was. Breathtakingly so.

But the whole of Las Vegas was nothing compared to Monique.

“So are you.”

Vanessa couldn’t hold eye contact at that, opting instead to stare at her fidgeting hands on her lap. The sudden weight of it all falling onto her exposed shoulders, making her shiver at the feeling.

“I’m sorry for lying to you,” Monique practically whispered.

Vanessa fought the urge to dismiss her worries. To say ‘the hell with it’ and kiss Monique within an inch of her life because no one had ever cared this much before. It felt too personal. Vanessa felt too exposed.

And yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wouldn’t last. That this overwhelming sense of being cherished was temporary.

She was reminded that the pilot could hear their conversation, so rather than say all the things she wanted to in that moment, she settled for simplicity, and hoped her eyes would communicate the rest.

“I know.”

They soared silently above the city for a while longer, Vanessa lost in thought.

When they touched back down to the ground hours later, Vanessa felt exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. She hadn’t registered in the moment how on edge she was and how the anxiety had essentially zapped all her energy.

She rested her head against Monique’s shoulder as they got back into the car and sped off toward the city. With Monique’s arms wrapped securely around her, fingers carding through her hair gently, Vanessa had never felt safer.

When they came to another stop a bit later, Vanessa blinked her eyes open blearily. Monique took her hand this time and helped her out of the car and onto the bustling street. They stood there for a moment, Monique still holding Vanessa’s hands in her own.  

It was only when Vanessa lifted her head to see where they were that her stomach dropped.

“What the fuck,” Vanessa blurted.

Monique bit her lip nervously. “I figured you probably done all the fun touristy stuff before except this.”

Shock was an understatement. “This is a weddin’ chapel.”

Open 24-hours! The sign boasted. Legal Marriages!

“Yeah.” Monique nodded. “You wanna get married?”

She offered so nonchalantly, so casually, that if Vanessa didn’t know any better she could have mistaken her words for a conversation about the weather.

“This is crazy.”

Monique shrugged. “Well, I’m crazy ‘bout you, so it’s fitting.”

Vanessa was speechless, brain still trying to comprehend what was going on, if this was happening. “You-you don’t even know me.”

“I do though,” Monique insisted.

“Not well enough to marry me!” Vanessa exclaimed.

“I think I do,” she responded simply, as if this was totally normal.

“I’ve barely known you two days!”

“And that was enough time for me to know that I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Are you…?” Vanessa shook her head. “You not serious.”

Monique just smiled. “I love you.”

Vanessa’s whole body tensed. “You can’t mean that,” she whispered, worried that if she spoke too loud Monique might say it again.

Vanessa’s brain kept replaying that one little word over and over again in her mind.

Love. Love. Love.

Was that what it was? Was that the reason she went out with Monique that first night? Helped her win at Blackjack? Let her pay for dinner? Went back to her room? Was that the reason she had been willing to hear Monique out? Had given her another chance?

Was love the reason it felt so risky to be here? So exposed? Was love the reason that even now, when confronted with this insane idea, that a part of her wanted to say yes?

“Tell me I’m lying,” Monique spoke softly, taking Vanessa’s hands and placing them on either side of her face, forcing their eyes to meet. “You read people so well. Tell me I’m lying,” she breathed.

Vanessa sighed and looked, really looked at Monique.

The older woman’s eyes were deep in their softness, vulnerable and open, holding nothing back. Vanessa felt a full-body shiver take over as realization dawned on her.

There was no trace of anything malicious in Monique’s eyes. No trace of anything other than raw adoration.

She looked at Vanessa like she was the lights on the Vegas strip.

Like she had never seen anything more beautiful.

Vanessa nearly took a step back at the intensity of emotion staring her down. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, Monique’s eyes never ceasing in their openness, the joy and fear and love pouring out threatening to drown her.

And yet it didn’t.

Every crash of emotion against Vanessa’s chest that edged on too much eased a moment later, the same emotion that held her captive freed her in the same breath.

“Monique—” Vanessa started, unsure herself of what she wanted to say.

“I know.” Monique nodded, taking Vanessa’s hands in her own, the two of them fitting together as if they were always meant to. “I know this is crazy and I know you have your doubts and you’re fearful of the world because people have hurt you in the past. I know even though you’ve never said it, that you’re waiting for me to do the same.” Monique gave her a small smile and stepped that much closer. “I’m not perfect, not by half. But I am in love with you. So let me. Let me love you imperfectly.”  

The sheer amount of feeling Monique conjured in Vanessa, the confusion and elation and fear and comfort and love… It was overwhelming.

It made her want to let her guard down.

“Why do I wanna say yes?” Vanessa shook her head in spite of the smile on her face. “God, you make me crazy.”

Monique chuckled, and Vanessa’s heart leapt, pressing itself against her chest in an effort to get closer to Monique.

“So I guess the feeling is mutual.”

It was Vanessa’s turn to laugh, the sound echoing in her own ears the longer she let it. Monique just grinned at her, only leaning in to capture her lips when Vanessa paused to take a breath in.

The air around them felt so light, Vanessa swore she could float out of her skin. But she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay here, lips pressed against Monique, body sparking at her touch, smile set in the corners of her eyes.

“So what do you say?” Monqiue held her close, hands planted firmly on Vanessa’s waist. “Will you marry me?”

“Aren’t you already married?” Vanessa quirked an eyebrow up.

“Divorce papers were sent to him the moment you got in the car.” Monique smiled. “They should arrive tomorrow.”

Vanessa shook her head with a chuckle and leaned back in Monique’s arms to take her in.

“Ask me again tomorrow.”

[evoedbd]

Queer Advice

Summer -  Emily Collins is terrified that Dracula's Brides will need a virgin sacrifice, and she knows exactly who that person would be. Havenfalls finest are LESS than helpful with their brilliant plan to protect their virgin huntress. ((Meshed in Mac having a version of her MC, because she’s the only character who truly NEEDS her MC to reach her full potential.)) *******

“Alright. This is serious business. We’ve found out more of Dracula’s plan and i- SERIOUSLY?” Emily started out seriously, striding into the closed bowling alley with purpose. Once the door swung shut, however, the party lights revealed something that nearly made Emily blow a gasket. A cuddle pile! An honest to whatever god may exist cuddle pile! During what was meant to be a meeting to save lives. Not just A life, but multiple. On a potentially world dominating scale. This was serious business and yet four bodies remained tangled together; a series of semi naked limbs and plaid that became indistinguishable from each other.

 Mackenzie Hunt was the easiest to distinguish amidst the chaos. The Alpha was an absolute beast of a woman, in no uncertain terms. A copper skinned goddess standing at 5.11ft high, with muscles that appeared to be forged from literal copper by an artist of ancient times. Forest green eyes kept careful watch over the bowling alley, even though the gentle smile on her lips betrayed her affection for the others. Her duty as pack leader and town sheriff seemed to weigh her brows down ever so slightly, a fact emphasised by lighter hair against darker skin. Her short, choppy hair was ruffled, suggesting she had been running a little earlier. Or perhaps fingers had been running through her hair, like she now ran her own fingers through Aisha’s chocolate dust locks. Just as Atlas allegedly held the world, Mac supported the tangled individuals on her lap. Even then, she positioned herself so that she could break away and spring up at the first sign of trouble.

 Aisha Collins appeared content enough with her head resting on the arm of the couch. Aisha looked so similar to Emily one might mistake them for twins, with their high angled jaws and blazing blue eyes. Aisha had grown into her grace, keeping her head held a little higher than Emily, which made her features seem finer. Her sharp edges were softened, as if the world around her was constantly caressing them into tranquillity. The cargo pants she wore hid her lanky legs, even as they tangled with another pair of fine legs clad in designer jeans.

 Annabelle Shepard lay facing the other direction; legs tangled through Aisha’s. Her chest rose and fell with the gentle contentment of peaceful slumber. It was easy to forget how fierce the young woman could be when one looked at her soft face. From gentle curves to large, expressive eyes, Annabelle was disarming. When awake, her cheer was almost infectious, yet she held a certain bite to her. An unnameable quality that exposed the truth of the hardships she had faced. That made you respect her without even knowing her. Her lithe arms remained folded against her chest. As always, her arms were covered by long sleeves with buttoned cuffs. The few times Emily had seen Annabelle’s bare arms, she had been greeted with thick, unsightly scars. They were vicious and deep, as if she had been savagely attacked by a rabid animal.

 Damien Ryder took the weight of the cuddle pile. He supported Annabelle’s sleeping form, with his nose tucked into her hair. His arms wrapped around Anabelle, with one of his hands holding Aisha’s legs. The tussles of his signature jacket tickled over plaid and denim, offering something for Aisha to twist around her fingers in her half-conscious state. Looking at Damien, the most striking thing about him was the pain. It darkened his ginger ale brown eyes; dragged on his broody brows. Even in a relaxed setting, his squared jaw seemed hardened and his lips downturned. That along with his shoulder length fawn hair gave Emily the impressions of a western outlaw. All that was missing was the twig of barley for him to chew on.

 “Pack thing.” Aisha sleepily explained, waving her free hand in a dismissive manner. It seemed as if she believed that nobody would understand it, so she did not bother explaining. There was a gentle cheekiness to her tone; a happiness which Emily couldn’t bring herself to attack. It was with a long-suffering sigh she directed her attention towards the literal devil in the room.

 “You just want time off work.” JD accused, a smirk touching their lips as they leaned back against the bar. Jordan Davies was the epitome of teenage angst turned into professional anarchy. Lanky and long, JD was only a smidgen taller than Emily, yet appeared to be half the weight. Beneath the biker’s leather jacket and baggy red singlet, Emily was positive she’d find nothing but a ribcage. That leanness was matched in JD’s youthful face. Mischief twinkled in ember coloured eyes, as always. Nobody could look at JD’s troublemaker getup; numerous piercings, and flame orange hair without feeling as sinful as if they were sneaking out after curfew. Something about the Jersey Devil invited chaos and trouble of the best kind. The kind where you’d wake up hungover, married to a goat and wondering where your trousers were.

 “It would mean you’d have to actually do your job, Jordan.” Razi commented, an amused smile forming beneath his elegantly groomed facial hair. Razi was a picture, with only one stylish lock out of place. With his broad, defined features and luscious dark hair bound into ponytail, it was amazing he settled for a bowling alley in a backwater town. Mythical blue eyes shone; sapphires gleaming against his bronzed skin. As usual, the hunky Djinn wore a silken button up shirt, with the sleeves folded up to his elbows and dark suspenders. The half-popped buttons showed off his defined chest, along with the many hairs curling across his skin. When the light caught those hairs the right way, Razi appeared to glow, adding to his calm mystique. This, along with his dazzling smile, was truly what made Emily think the only way to describe Razi was “An exotic gentleman.” ... yet Razi’s sister called him the ugly duckling. If that was true, Emily doubted the world was ready for the Nassar family.

 “Come on, Razi. Hikari has that locked down.” Aisha called teasingly, her lips peeling into a troublemaker’s grin to match JD’s. Emily could only wince in sympathy as she looked over to the poor demon, who was struggling to rearrange the bowling balls without breaking them.

 Hikari barely passed for human, being half Fae and half, well, Satan. Her soft, youthful features were only hardened by the copious amount of eyeliner surrounding her neon pink eyes. Darkness was a theme for Hikari, with her full, blackened lips and tiny black horns which sprouted from her coloured hair. Her long hair was perhaps the most colourful thing about her, fading from pink to purple the lower one went from her scalp. Two tiny buns sat on top of her head, little spirals of colour that were almost disarming... almost. Nothing could disarm Hikari’s attitude or sharp tongue.

 “Look! This is serious! I was doing my homework on potential rituals which the Brides may preform to resurrect Dracula and it turns out that, aside from me, they may ne-“

 “Wait... don’t tell me. A virgin sacrifice.” Aisha snipped in, appearing awfully amused when she spoke. When the entire group remained silent, powerful blue eyes widened in absolute alarm.

 “Seriously? I thought that was bogus... talk about cliché.”

 “Well, Van tried to correct things apparently, but nobody took him very seriously. If he were around, Vanessa is convinced he’d have a lot to say about the current state of things.” Emily informed, her own brows pinching as she went to speak again.

 “Of all the things to get right, eh?” JD laughed, only to grow silent at the look on their friend’s face. For all JD’s chaos, they knew when someone was hurting, and they knew when their common brand of humour wasn’t going to add to the situation.

 “Not any virgin. The closer to the intended, the better. We already know I’m the intended, with that kidnapping proposal and me being the only human Collin’s woman in town. The virgin sacrifice, well I think I know who that is. I assume it can’t be any of you. Or Diego. I already know it can’t be Grace-“

 “Definitely not Grace. We can both confidently confirm that.” Aisha agreed, causing both her and Emily’s faces to flush furiously. Grace’s prom night had not ended with her date dropping her off, rather with Emily and Aisha chasing a teenage boy out of her room with a mixing spoon and a coffee mug. It was an uncomfortable enough moment that all the Collins women did their best to avoid discussing it, yet none of them could ever bleach it from mind. Aisha had seriously considered trying it once she became a wolf. Thankfully, Mac had convinced her not to test out her new powers. JD also refused to erase the memory, finding it too hilarious to see Emily and Aisha squirming.

 “I don’t get along with any other family members. Don’t have any friends outside of Havenfall. The only other person I am close to is Vanessa. What do I do? She’s already in the crosshairs, if they catch onto this...” Emily appeared to dissolve into panic, her brows contorting. All the way from her shoulders to her hands appeared to vibrate, blurring subtly due to her trembling.

 “If you don’t want her to be the virgin sacrifice, just have her lose it.” JD suggested rather casually before they took a swig of their drink. Emily could only gape, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets as she did her best impression of a guppy fish. Mouth agape, lips flapping as she tried to find the words.

 “Wow. Just wow. Is sex literally the only solution you can offer, JD?” Emily demanded, almost on autopilot. She was in shock. The idea was ludicrous! Insane! Utterly bonkers! She couldn’t just go up and offer to sleep with Vanessa! The huntress was already so shy about most interactions, given that she had never even had friends, let alone a boyfriend or girlfriend. If a compliment left her utterly flustered, and proximity took her breath away, then what would suggesting making love do? No, it wouldn’t be making love. Vanessa couldn’t be in love with her. It’d be sex. A physical convenience. It’d rob the hopeless romantic Vanessa of her first experience with love if she agreed to it.

 “I’m just saying. A good shag would solve several problems for her.” JD pointed out, once more grinning like a cat who had gotten the cream via nefarious methods. Emily was ready to burst. To smack the demon over the head with a bowling ball. Better yet, ask Hikari to do it. The Scene Demon would probably love to dish out some payback to JD.

 “And who would you suggest we get her into bed with? You? Diego? Razi?” Emily demanded harshly, bringing a hand up to pinch at the of her nose. Her thumb rubbed over the small scar beneath her glasses, which bounced over her knuckles as Emily attempted to purge the images from her mind by rubbing at her eyes. Picturing Vanessa with JD did not bring images of love, only an image of the Huntress kicking a demon’s flaming backside out of her van. For Diego, she could only picture a holy sword shooting out the van to decapitate the vampire, or a stake plunged into his heart. Hardly romantic. Razi... might at least be allowed to speak, but he’d wind up with the door slammed in his face.

 Emily was so caught up in her musings that she missed the look shared between Aisha and Mac, yet she did not miss the words her cousin spoke.

 “Actually... you’re the best candidate.”

 “What? Why me?” She almost shrieked, feeling as if she’d been sucker punched in the gut. Was it because Vanessa was her bodyguard? Did they just assume that it’d be acceptable? Was this how boys felt when paired with their female friends? Pressure? A touch of violation? Great. First it was a girl and boy couldn’t be friends, now it was automatically that if two women were close, they had to be lesbians. Would the clichés and stereotypes ever truly die?

 “You’re the only single human woman here.” Mac pointed out. Ok. Emily could concede to that logic.

 “Huge flaw in that, guys. You’re all just assuming Vanessa is gay!” Emily stated the obvious. Instantly, she was met with various looks of amusement and pity, all of which made her brows feel heavy and her lips ache with the urge to tip into a scowl. Honestly, for a group of outcasts and Queers, their lack of consideration was astonishing.

 “Or kinky. Come on. The leather? The whip?” JD unhelpfully added, miming a whip with their left hand when Emily fixed her glare upon them. The human felt her brow twitch even as she opened her mouth to snap back at the overly satisfied demon. Before she could even utter a single sound, a snort from her cousin cut her off.

 “It’s true. No Straight woman would wear that much leather.” Aisha added, smoothing out the moment with logic.

 “That’s a value judgement!” Emily scolded on instinct. A rather calm, deadpan stare was the only response. It only got worse as Emily felt her cheeks flush a brilliant cherry tomato. A flush which she was convinced spread to her collar given her spike in body temperature. She wasn’t stupid enough to blame it on the room heating up, not when she was the only one suffering. Okay, so maybe Aisha had a point... slash the maybe. Emily had to concede. She’d never met a woman who kept her nails short and wore so much leather who wasn’t somewhat inclined towards women. Thinking back over their interactions, Emily remembered when she had raised the question about dating history. Boyfriends? Girlfriends? Vanessa had stated explicitly she had no time for girlfriends... ok. So that had to be a hint, right? Vanessa had been so flustered even saying it. As if she expected backlash. So maybe she was a little bit gay? A little. But that was only one half of the sexuality equation.

 “She stares at your ass when you walk away. Seriously, she wants a piece. The biggest piece. I can see the gay from across the bowling alley.” Hikari’s voice rung out, drawing Emily’s focus to the approaching Fae daughter of Satan. Hikari had a look of utter condescending disbelief on her face, as if she was utterly flabbergasted that Emily could be so stupid. The intensity of that look sure made Emily feel more foolish than she had ever felt in her entire life, even if she was unsure why.

 “She looks at you like you’re chocolate cake, but she forgot to bring a spoon to eat you with.” Razi continued Hikari’s logic in a much gentler fashion.

 “Are we forgetting the little issue my last partner had? It’s called a penis!” Emily strained the word “little” with her voice and her fingers, thumb and forefinger held apart to depict the size.

 Mark had started out a wonderful partner. A caring man who was decent looking. He had a good job, solid family and had been involved with his church. Early on, Emily had thought he could be the one. Or rather, the best she would ever land with her background. When she had brought him to the bowling alley to meet her friends, however, things had gone south. Fast. Mark had torched his pristine image within minutes by his relentless attack on JD’s lifestyle. Mark exposed a traditionalist streak; which Emily couldn’t overcome. At the time, she hadn’t understood why everyone found Mark’s shouts that JD was going to hell so funny. She’d been busy dumping the tool.

 “Ahha! So you admit it was small.” JD cheered, leaping on the chance to have another dig at Mark. The Demon’s grin was victorious; so full of malicious glee that Emily couldn’t even bring herself to defend her ex. Not that she would ever feel inclined to.

 “So not the point.” Emily groaned, dropping her face into her hands. Maybe if she pinched the bridge of her nose hard enough, she could repel the building shitstorm which was her massive headache.

 “Does it matter?” Hikari demanded in an almost aggressive manner. Shocked, Emily removed her hand and stared at the Fae daughter of Satan. The Faemon appeared impassioned, her neon pink eyes blazing with such intensity it could be compared to a blast of heat straight to Emily’s face. As if she’d stepped from an air-conditioned building into 116 degrees.

 “Like, seriously. Who cares if you’ve only been with men in the past, they ain’t the shit.” The Faemon continued, earning an almost amused snort from Emily. JD smirked, Razi coughed. An actual laugh came from Aisha, whilst the rumble of a chuckle echoed softly from Mac.

 Emily had always known she found both men and women attractive, yet no woman had ever fit the bill of Girlfriend material. Usually because they were straight. Men had always been easier when it came to dating, thus Emily had learned how to handle her foolish crushes and attraction to men. Women not so much. They still left her tongue tied, overwhelmed her thoughts when she found one she deemed attractive. She still couldn’t flirt in any capacity, and she absolutely could not contain her thirst.

 “If you actually connect with Vanessa, go for it. She’s cute, she’s single as fuck and into you. Are you seriously telling me a vagina is getting in the way?” The Fae continued, driving her words home with several firm pokes to Emily’s shoulder. The human could only blink. Hikari had an excellent point.

 Vanessa was gorgeous. There was no getting around that. All lithe muscle in a highly feminine frame. Dark hair spilling down her back; hair which seemed to absorb the light in a lilac black cascade. Breathtaking violet eyes, which shone with every single emotion Vanessa ever felt. Yes, Vanessa was physically stunning, yet there was more beauty to her than just her appearance.

 Vanessa was just so earnest. Everything about her was so sincere and true that is knocked Emily off her feet. Vanessa’s bravery; her capacity to make Emily believe in the impossible with her blistering passion and steadfast loyalty. It was inexplicable. Emily was forever awed by Vanessa as a Huntress, as well as a person. Whilst Vanessa’s heroism was undeniable, so was the woman beneath the legend. The tender concern in Vanessa’s eyes was almost blanketing; a warm comfort in the night. Vanessa’s genuine smiles transformed Emily’s heart into a prism of light, reflecting the warm glow of happiness throughout her entire chest. Watching Vanessa’s wonder as she was exposed to new things was addictive. To Emily, it felt like watching a whole new world birthed from nothingness. The gentle warmth and pride Emily was a constant undertone for her excitement to engage Vanessa. To learn more. Every scrap of information given by Vanessa was a treasure; a clue leading Emily deeper into a labyrinth. The journey alone was worth more than any treasure. Each moment a glistening point of connection that Emily felt content to exist in. Vanessa’s laughter... melodic. An angel’s song. The sound alone made the world fade away and infused Emily with a sense of unequalled joy. Such a pure, sincere sound as a happy Vanessa gave Emily’s heart wings.

 “They sell solutions for that.”

 And with Aisha’s comment, Emily’s joy came crashing down. She plummeted, feathers falling from her metaphoric wings with every flap of logic and confusion tangling around her. One moment there was an argument that just because Vanessa was a woman it didn’t mean Emily couldn’t like her, or even, lord forbid, LOVE her. Then, the next moment Aisha was starting to talk about changing Vanessa? It was in jest, clearly, yet that didn’t stop the violent impulse to shout surging within Emily’s veins. Vanessa was PERFECT the way she was. Why would Emily need a silicone attachment to try to deceive her when... Ok, so maybe she was completely into Vanessa. But with angels song and happiness, why would Emily want to ever leave? Or violate that trust?

 “I wouldn’t tolerate the townsfolk bothering you two, you have my word.” Mac chimed in, noticing the increasing furrow in Emily’s brow. That was enough to break Emily out of her outrage. Mackenzie was being sincere. Worrying for Emily as if she were one of the pack. That was enough to draw a soft smile to her lips, a gesture of gratitude to the Sheriff.

 “Seriously. Humans are so hung up on this shit.” Hikari huffed in annoyance, pausing to blow on her bubble-gum. The bubble grew for a second, then the pronounced pop rung through the silent air. A gunshot before Hikari delivered her perfected opinion on humanity.

 “Losers.”

 “Gods, are all supernaturals Queer?” Emily didn’t even realise her question had been out loud before she noticed the group pause.

 Razi appeared to have been stuck by lightning. His utter shock at the question was reflected by his parted lips when he went to speak. Instead, no words escaped, and his elegant jaw snapped shut. Hikari simply resumed blowing bubbles, evidently indifferent to the question. JD let forth a bark of surprised laughter, followed by a series of eyebrow wiggles at their shocked boss. The Djinn took it in good humour, simply sighing. Meanwhile, Mac and Aisha shared a knowing look; a secret amongst the pack perhaps. Annabelle appeared rather amused as she cast her sight on Damien, who coughed subtly when faced with the weight of his pack’s stare.

 “Most are open. Even the ones in typical relationships.” He strategically answered, his eyes lingering anywhere save the almost smug grins of his pack.

 “Its a small community, we don’t judge.” JD chipped in. If the devil was burdened by the focused attention of the room, they didn’t show it as they leaned against the bar. In response to the silence which followed, they gave an all too casual shrug. That irritating silence was broken by Emily, who let out an unspeakably pained groan as her head to fall forwards into her waiting hands with a rather pronounced thud.

 “This conversation has veered so far off track it’s stuck in the gutter.” Emily’s voice was muffled by the palms of her clammy hands, which were shielding her face. In another universe, the one flashing behind her closed eyes, this conversation had not taken such a turn. They had remained logical and avoided all embarrassment as they came up with the perfect plan to protect Vanessa. There wouldn’t be a literal pile of attractive Supernaturals snuggling on the beaten down old couch. No devilish devils or sexy, well dressed Djinns making jokes. This wouldn’t have dissolved into a discussion about sexuality... and Emily’s temples wouldn’t be throbbing in time with her marching band for a heart.

 “I get it, this topic is uncomfortable. That doesn’t change the fact it would reduce Vanessa’s eligibility to practically zero.”

 Whether Aisha was genuinely trying to help, or was teasing was uncertain. Her deep eyes held the gentle understanding of a mother; matured and nurturing with a underlying protectiveness that was enough to knock an elephant off track. However, the subtle tilt of her lips betrayed amusement. Restraint. The entire wolf pack seemed to somehow snuggle closer together.

 “Look, I’m not about to go up to my friend and be like Hey, so you’re a virgin. Let’s change that so Dracula won’t sacrifice you. That is so tacky, even a porn film would reject that script!” Emily practically exploded, turning to make endless gestures to emphasise her points. Hands and hips became a second language, crudely mimicking out points in a manner equally as explosive as her booming voice. Honestly, the AUDACITY of these people! If Emily had cared a little less or was just a little braver, she’d have already bitch slapped all of them.

 She paused, taking a moment to breathe. Deep breaths. In through her nose. Out through her mouth. Her thumb sought out the small scar across the bridge of her nose when she pinched it, almost as if the gesture could contain the storm about to explode from within her.

 “She deserves someone she wants to share her life with, not just some convenient exchange.” Emily concluded, pouring every ounce of sincerity into her words. It was true. Vanessa was a romantic, behind everything. For such a vulnerable thing as physical intimacy, Emily wanted Vanessa to have the dream. The perfect first time. Candles and romance with the person she was in love with. The person she wanted to spend eternity with. Emily couldn’t even imagine a world where she took that away from Vanessa. A world where duty claimed the last piece of Vanessa; the piece only protected by lack of time. It was Vanessa’s ONE true freedom. The only part of her life that the Order hadn’t dictated or infected. How could anybody ask Emily to take that away from Vanessa? How could they even THINK it?

 “It’s clear you care about her. That must count for something.” Mac’s gentle tones drew Emily out of her internal raging. When Emily turned her gaze to the Alpha Werewolf, she met kind forest green eyes. Mackenzie Hunt understood, at least enough to sympathise with the Collins girl. Mac bore the weight of her power so well that it was all too easy to forget Mac was only a couple of years older than Emily. As far as werewolves went, Mackenzie Hunt was a young Alpha. Barely more than a pup. Yet, she saw Emily’s struggle. Even without a word of it, she offered her full support. Her approval. Even without being a wolf, Emily could feel the power in it. The warmth that emanated from the Alpha’s care.

 “Yeah. A better time.” JD added in a remarkably sincere tone. For a split second, Emily almost believed it. Then, the devil’s lips curled. Moment ruined.

 “I’m not listening. La La La.” Emily announced, lifting her hands in a weak effort to cover her ears. Still, she couldn’t help letting her mind wander. What if they didn’t have a choice? Would Vanessa be willing to accept her? Could she even live up to even a single dream or fantasy Vanessa had? Vanessa’s lavender tinged grey eyes were so expressive. Would those purples tinges darken to black with lust? Could Emily hold her gaze, or would Vanessa’s gaze devour her soul? How would Vanessa’s soft skin feel beneath her lips? Would hardened abs twitch underneath loving a kiss? Would Vanessa even want that? Could she have the patience to allow Emily to truly make her feel divine with gentle explorations and sincerely sweetened words? Or would she be inclined to take the reins? How would those battle forged hands explore if given freedom to do so? What would she want? Maybe the whip...

 “You’re blushing.” Aisha’s amused tones dragged Emily’s mind from such a salacious place. She had to get out of the bowling alley, before things became even more awkward. Before she started imagining things more explicitly. She lowered her hand to her pocket, wiping clammy palms against the coarse material before she pulled out her phone. A lifeline to save her from humiliation.

 “Oh look, I got a text! Gotta go!” She stumbled over her blatant lie in a rush to get the words out. Her phone had not chimed. Without waiting, she broke into a brisk walk towards the door.

 “To ensure Helsing’s safety!” Came a quip from behind her. Emily didn’t hesitate in raising her middle finger over her shoulder, shouting out to the chorus of laughter chasing her into the streets.

 “LA. LA. FUCKING. LA.”

[critroleing]

If Campaign 2 went Live in the Middle (like Campaign 1)

Since you guys liked it so much the first time, let’s run through the real world AU where campaign 2 was the one we started in the middle of, but more in depth this time.

There would be a backstory/introduction vid that played in the beginning of episodes and in the break. This is more or less what it would say:

Caleb: All of his backstory will be explained in one chunk, including stuff like the residuum crystals in his arms, his past name, and the concept of scourgers, stuff that was plot twists that came along the way for us. No attention will be paid to how this backstory came out to the characters. Nor who among the characters actually know any of this. We will assume by default that everyone knows.

Nott: this is the story of Veth, mostly. The story of how she got bullied as a child, had a marriage and a baby, got kidnapped and transformed into a goblin but regained her family and now they’re waiting for her in Nicodranas. The story of how she regained them is kind of like the story of how Pike died. Technically it was in game, but it’s so far away it’s essentially backstory.

Beau: The lore we’ve gotten from her is much more sporadic, but they’ll take the pieces of what we have gotten and treat it like the Lore Drops we’ve gotten from people like Caleb and Nott. Her childhood in Kamordah will be explained, along with how she got kidnapped by monks, has a baby brother and mentor named Dairon will all be given as if everyone knows these facts and not like they were carefully dished out to one person here and one person there. (Because of this the fandom’s view of her will be slightly off from who she actually is, and that will lead to a good chunk of fans disliking her, at least until they get the hang of her character.)

Jester will probably be the least affected by this change. We knew her backstory early and met her mother later, which is how this turns out. Her backstory does reach all the way up to include the gnoll follower she met in Asarius and preparations for Travelercon. The Traveler will inevitably turn up somewhere and talk to Jester. He will seem super shady. In other words, nothing much will have changed.

Fjord: Huge changes here. During the time we wouldn’t have seen Fjord has learned who Uk’otoa is, followed him, almost set him free, stopped working for him, lost his powers and started working for another power. That is a lot of developments to be relegated to backstory, and this is on top of the backstory he already had. There will be a brief mention of Fjord having had a different accent in the past, the fandom will not pick up on how big of a deal that is.

Caduceus: His backstory might include the story of the Clays, the Dusts and the Stones, in which case he will feel a lot like Keyleth did. He will sound like he has a Plan, in a way that he did not seem to, watching it episode by episode. We don’t actually know all that much about Caduceus’ personal life, so his backstory presentation might have to go for the big picture stuff.

Yasha: She’ll get her own presentation. We know this because Ashley wasn’t there for the first few episodes of c1 but Pike’s presentation was there anyway. Explanations of her backstory will include Zuala, blacking out and coming to again, the Stormlord, mentions of Obann but not her current situation. That will be explained in the very beginning by Matt, with interruptions form the rest of the gang. The fandom will not understand how serious it is until Yasha comes back.

Molly will not get a presentation. He, in fact, will not be acknowledged until someone makes a reference to him and suddenly the cast will remember that, oh, the audience doesn’t know who he is. The audience understands that this was Taliesin’s previous character, but the extent of his influence on the party will be lost as we have no real feel for Molly’s character or what he could have inspired in others.

Male pronouns will be used when explaining Molly, people will immediately forget that and it becomes pretty common to see and hear Molly depicted as a woman and then people correcting them. The Ruby of the Sea will take some explaining, but she’s definitely one of the people we have to meet as soon as possible. “She’s the best lay ever, you guys,” Laura informs us. We do not get the joke.

Someone remembers Pumat Sol exists. They try to explain him. It’s really hard. Matt does an accent and the fandom enjoys it.

The fact that the Mighty Nein are already established in Xhorhas feels alienating to a lot of viewers. Apparently they’re heroes of the Dynasty? And have a house? With a tree on it? And Beau’s mentor Dairon is there?

So the reason they are heroes is because they gave the Bright Queen some sort of artefact. The fandom is unsure of what it was or where it came from, but it may be that the Empire has another one. The larger lore of how the Dens and Beacons work is largely lost, and with it a lot of understanding about the larger world and the war.

At some point far in the future it comes out that they’ve already met Trent Ikithon, Caleb’s main bad guy. Nothing much seemed to happen. Lots of meta about how that meeting was going to happen has to be thrown out.

Jester has pets. Sprinkle doesn’t get mentioned a lot, but at least he’s on adventures with them. There is also Nugget, who lives Marion and we eventually get to meet. We don’t know where they came from, presumably Jester had them the whole time, like childhood pets.

They also adopted a baby bird for a while. They say it could mimic speech? The people who know what kenku are have their suspicions, everyone else thinks it’s another pet.

Beau has some trauma related to some academic by the name of Professor Thaddeus. Much meta has been written about who he is and what happened between him and Beau.

They know a gentleman who’s blue and sweaty. He is also maybe Jester’s dad. Jury’s out on that one.

The Empire feels so far away, and so Other. People praise Matt for making the humans the bad guys and the Drow the good guys.

The fact that they were pirates once comes up in conversation. A joke is made about it. Nothing is explained.

Eventually it comes out that it had things do do with Fjord’s patron, there was a sexy cult leader pirate with a French accent who Fjord slept with, and they got banished from the pirate island within a day.

They still technically have French accent pirate’s ship. It’s called the Ball Eater. They go there once and we meet the Tortle bagpiper tattoo artist who runs it. His name is Orly. The fandom loses its’ shit.

The ship is named that because of Fjord apparently. He ate some orbs once, so they say.

Fjord also ate a sword once? Was he in a circus? Yasha and that Molly person were in a circus, was Fjord there too?

Jester carries around a an erotica book. Where it comes from no one knows, but it doesn’t seem out of character for her so we roll with it.

They have had an encounter with a dragon, an ancient white one, but they haven’t killed any.

Except maybe they have?

Beau has slept with two (2) whole guest characters.

Jester casts Sending to talk to a guy. Matt answers in a very sexy voice. We think the guy is an NPC. He’s not.

A sweet lady once sent actual letters with actual, physical gifts to them.

After that there are more than a few bets on what other NPC’s are actually guest characters being jaegered for the moment.

Why are they even called the Mighty Nein? The cast explains that it had to do with a session in the early levels when they were rolling a lot of nines, and it sounds funny when Caleb says it. It was probably funny if you were there, but for the fandom it just sounds kinda dumb.

Nott might get some more shipping attention, given that she’s actually a halfling. She also might not, because she’s both married and ugly.

Fjord and Jester still share a deep bond, but the more overt parts of Jester’s crush that were prominent in the earlier episodes seem to have mellowed out by the time we meet them. Fjord and Jester also haven’t, percentage wise, spent more time together as a pair than a group, so that dynamic isn’t really seen. Fjorester exists, but has a very different vibe to it.

Widomauk does not exist.

Beauyasha might exist, if only because they are the only two confirmed wlw in the group. It’s more of an idea until they meet and chemistry can be measured of course.

Beaujester exists, but very much in the ‘look at their emotional chemistry, wouldn’t it be nice’. In a way, not much has changed, you just have less of a basis to ship on.

Fjorclay might be big for a while, given how important Caduceus has been for Fjord’s journey lately.

Videos resurface of the cast playing at home before this campaign became public. Fjord has a Texan accent. Nott calls herself a little goblin girl. That is a really weird Caduceus voice. Life feels strange.

Sam asks Liam on their podcast what would be the worst character to play in D&D, just the worst. Liam suggests goblin. Seems like he was thinking worst as in most morally dubious.

Nott rolls a natural 1 and shoots herself in the foot with her own crossbow. That’s not good, the fandom thinks, what if she got killed doing damage to herself? Besides, that would look really dumb.

We will never know about Spurt.

Jester, Fjord and Yasha got kidnapped by slavers once, we find out alarmingly late. They seem fine though, so that turns into another trivia fact.

Actually no, that’s probably mentioned in passing when they’re explaining how Molly died. It doesn’t really hit home with most if the fandom though.

Unclear where Caleb can teleport to. Generally assumed that he knows at least one teleport circle in the Empire.

In this world Vox Machina probably doesn’t exist at all. At least not online. Maybe they played all of that campaign at home, so we get occasional references to ‘their first game’ or ‘their home game’ but have no context for that either.

In which case you could make a whole category for references to the first campaign we wouldn’t understand.

Like why Taliesin is explaining how the guns work.

Or the ruins of Draconia down south.

Or why the team were so hyped to go to Whitestone.

Or maybe this was their first campaign after all, and none of these things have any additional context.

Nott will be looked at mostly as a halfling mother. Instead of discussions about if she’s even old enough to be an adult she’s considered older than the rest, and a large contingent of the fandom is mad at her for adventuring when she has a child waiting for her at home.

Caleb has at least two homebrew spells. They are eventually referred to as Dunamancy. The fandom realises the level of worldbuilding Matt’s on in that he’s made an entire new school of magic.

Feel free to add more. I’m sure there’s stuff I haven’t considered out there.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Fictober18 Day 19

Original Fiction

Prompt: “Oh please, like this is the worst I have done.”

Erin/Gerald story Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4  / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7

“What are you talking about?” 

Olivia’s face was pale, her eyes wide with fear. She swallowed uncomfortably, taking a step away from Erin.

Erin followed her, moving until less than a foot of distance was left between them.

“I should have seen it sooner. Maybe I did.  I saw the signs, but I ignored them, because I didn’t want it to be true, because I couldn’t believe it even if I tried.” She sighed, rubbing her neck, wishing she could cry. “Gerald knew it. He didn’t want to tell me. He hinted at it, talked around it. In the end he just handed me the means to prove it without saying a word.” She gestured at the dust that was all that was left of the level 2 wind artifact.

“So now, here we are. You know me, better than anyone else in this place. We’ve watched out for each other, helped each other, cared for each other. So there’s no reason for lies, excuses or talking around the issue.”

“Erin…” Olivia’s eyes were red, shining with unshed tears.

“So I’ll repeat my question one more time, Olivia:” Erin swallowed, wiping away her own tears. “What. Have. You. Done?”

Olivia backed away, shaking her head slowly.

“You won’t understand. You can’t. Since day one we’ve been treated differently. You’ve had everything handed to you. Even without powers your position in this academy has always been secure. You never had to worry about you or your loved one losing their life just because you didn’t do well on a test. But me…” Her hands balled into fists, her face becoming angry. “I had to fight every single day for my place here. If I don’t keep my scholarship, I lose my chance at a future in healing, lose my brother a chance at a normal life. I have to protect my family. If that means staining my hands… doing the dirty work for someone else…”

“Hurting other people?” Erin’s question was quiet, but in the cool night air, it felt like she was shouting.

Olivia sighed. “Not all of us get to be the hero, Erin. I can’t rebel, can’t speak my mind, can’t protect other people. I can only save me and my family. Going against her… It’s as good as killing my brother off with my own hands. “

“Olivia…” Erin reached out, but the other girl backed away, staying just out of reach.

“No… just… stay out of this. There’s nothing you can do. Not for me, Not for him… not even for yourself.” She met Erin’s gaze, tears running down her cheeks. “We’re all trapped in her schemes now. We just have to survive the best we can.”

“Wait…” Erin couldn’t finish the sentence before she was struck with a grade 4 wind spell, pushing her off her feet, knocking the wind out of her. By the time she struggled to her knees, the other girl had already used physical reinforcement magic and wind magic to race far beyond what Erin could see.

“No!” She pounded her fist on the ground, frustration and pain welling up within her. Why did it have to be Olivia?!!!

She pulled out the golden chain around her neck, rubbing her thumb against the blood red stone attached. Closing her eyes, focusing within, Erin activated the artifact, a grim smile forming on her face as a location appeared within her mind.

Good thing Gerald thought to give this to me.

He was being kept in one the buildings along the outer edge of the forest that surrounded the academy. Often used for storing spare tools, it was isolated, rarely opened… perfect for hiding a kidnapped prince.

She mentally reached within herself, frowning as the all too familiar ringing in her ears started as the restriction spell prevented a smooth flow of magic. Her aunt was right, the spell was cracked, breaking apart at the seams. If she kept pushing…

Erin thought of Olivia’s face, despair shadowing her features. She remembered Gerald’s smile as he told her goodbye, knowing he might not see her again.

Determined, she pulled more power out, activating spiritual reinforcement to assist with her other magic, and then focused on physical reinforcement and wind magic to boost her speed as much as possible. As she moved forward, faster than the eye could follow, she felt a severe pounding headache at her temples, blurring her vision, but she put it from her mind, focusing on the goal ahead.

I have to save them.

No matter what happens to me, I have to bring everyone else home safe.

She moved through the forest, dodging past trees, bushes and rocks. Throughout the trip Erin continuously pulled out more and more magical power, feeling the restriction spell splintering as she ran. She prayed that the backlash wouldn’t happen before she could achieve her goal.

Finally, Erin arrived outside the building, which the artifact had indicated Gerald was being kept at. She stopped, looking around her as she waited for her heart rate and breathing to slow. The world was silent, as if everything around her was holding its breath, waiting for the upcoming confrontation. Erin felt strangely calm. She had a fairly clear idea of exactly who was waiting for her at the edge of the forest. 

This was not going to end well.

Slowly, carefully, she pushed open the door to the wooden cabin, giving her eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness within.

Gerald sat on the floor, propped up against wall, his hands and feet bound. Standing over him was a sobbing Olivia, clutching a silver chain and clear stone which she held over his head.

“This is all your fault! She was never supposed to know I was involved!” Olivia could barely get the words out through her tears.

Gerald sighed. “Do you really think you could have hidden this from Erin? They were framing her for YOUR crimes!” He shook his head. “Let me help you! Let Erin help you! Whatever they’re threatening you with, let’s deal with it together!”

“SHUT UP!” She pressed the artifact against his forehead. “I didn’t want to do this, but you’ve left me no choice.”

“Stop.” Erin spoke softly, but both of the room’s occupants froze, then turned to stare at her.

“What… Erin… How did you…?” Olivia stuttered, shocked to see her.

Gerald grinned. “You came to rescue me? Thanks!” He sighed. “I never really saw myself as being someone who needed to be rescued, but I’m more than willing to be the ‘gentleman in distress’ if you’re the one rescuing me.”

“How about just you don’t get kidnapped anymore?” Erin rubbed her forehead, irritated at his overly cheerful expression.

Gerald chuckled in response. “Oh please, like this is the worst I have done?  Let’s just get married, you can keep a closer eye on me then.”

“… We’ll talk about it after we get you back home safe.”

Gerald’s mouth hung open in shock. He turned to Olivia, ignoring the amulet hanging near his face. “Did you hear that?! You heard that too, right? She didn’t say no! Am I dreaming?” He smiled. “Olivia, this may sound strange, but thank you for kidnapping me.”

“Shut up!” Olivia and Erin spoke up at the safe time, before turning to face each other once again.

“Olivia, please, just give this up. I’ll figure out a way to help you. If you keep down this path, I may not be able to save you anymore.”

Erin reached out, but Olivia shook her head, taking a fighting stance.

“I don’t need saving. I know what I’m doing. If I do her dirty work now, I keep my scholarship, get a guaranteed spot at the largest healing center in the Capital.” She activated physical reinforcement magic, preparing for battle. “She has serious connections with the government, that’s how she got these amulets. She knows someone within the government, someone top secret, that has a restriction ability…”

Her face was stern, but her eyes held the yearning she felt. “If that person can restrict my brother’s ice ability… he might be able to live a normal life. I’ll do anything… ANYTHING to make that happen. “

“Even killing me?” Erin regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.

“…” Olivia just stared silently. She didn’t have to answer. The truth was written in her expression. Erin felt her heart drop. Grimly she took a defensive stance, wondering how much more power she could draw on before the restriction spell cracked further and she experienced the rebound effect.

“That’s enough.”

A prim voice spoke out through the darkness. An unnatural wind struck grasped Olivia, pulling her up against the wall where Gerald had similarly now was hanging, suspended. Everything else in the cabin: chairs, boxes, a small table, were all crushed into powder by the ferocity of the wind, but around Erin it was calm, nothing more than a gentle breeze.

This was the terror of a calamity level power.

A woman stepped out of the shadows, a slight smile on her face. She had forgone her usual headmistress uniform, and was wearing the armor that she had received as one of the strongest knights in the country. One hand grasped a silver sword, wind and fire magic shimmering down the blade. The other moved through the air in a graceful pattern, controlling the deadly winds that moved throughout the cabin. She stopped not too far away from Erin, her usual polite mask firmly in place.

Lady Belanna.

All of a sudden things suddenly became clear for Erin. The pieces that hadn’t fit together since she found out about Olivia’s involvement clicked into place. There had always been someone controlling things behind the scenes. Someone powerful, someone with connections.

“I’m so glad I arrived in time to save you! Good job catching the true culprit, dear.” The Headmistress smiled, gesturing over to Olivia who was trapped up against the wall. “Now your name can be cleared and the true criminal punished…”

“Just shut up.” 

Erin interrupted calmly, stepping forward, her hands clenched at her sides. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“What’s there to question? You caught the girl red handed.”

Erin’s voice was almost a growl. “And so you’ll pretend you weren’t threatening her scholarship, or promising to heal her brother to force her into it?”

“…” The headmistress raised an eyebrow, “That’s a lot of faith in someone who was just about to kill you.”

Erin shook her head. “What I don’t understand is why. Why are you doing this? You’re one of the most powerful knights in the country besides my father. The powers taken off of students here would be worthless to you.”

She didn’t answer right away, staring at Erin as if seeing right through her. The only sound came from Gerald’s and Olivia’s agonized gasps as they struggled against the magic that suspended them up in the air.

“… You truly don’t realize, do you?” When the woman finally spoke, her mask slipped, a vicious, bitter expression taking over her face. “Just how much of an embarrassment you are to him.”

“You…” Erin started to interrupt, her eyes wide with shock, but the woman continued loudly, her eyes showing a fanatic devotion.

“Your father… he’s perfect. Powerful, ambitious, strong willed… absolutely perfect. The only stain, the only annoyance is that he has a child like you.”

Blades made entirely out of wind formed in the air, moving towards the two captured students’ necks. Inching nearer until only millimeters separated skin from the deadly spells, she herself moved closer to Erin.

“I tried to get you to trust me, to depend on me. I isolated you, arranged for everyone around you to push you away. You should have come begging for my help! You should have been crawling on your hands and knees hoping for my favor!”

Lady Belanna was spitting with rage, her eyes wide, the sword in her hand trembling.

“Instead you ignored me, blithely continuing down this path to humiliate Him. But still, my love for him is great enough that I will overlook your arrogance and ungratefulness.”

Erin tried to back away, but the woman followed behind her. “You really…”

“I arranged to gather the abilities you used to have, enough to restore you to your former level of power. We’ll pretend you recovered from whatever caused your powers to decrease. You can re-enter society as a proper daughter to Roderick. It will be perfect.”

“…” Staring at the older woman in shock, Erin finally whispered. “And Gerald and Olivia?”

Lady Belanna shrugged. “We’ll sacrifice the girl as a scapegoat. She was always meant to take the fall for the attacks anyways. As for the prince…” She glanced over at the struggling young man who glared at her in return, unable to voice his obvious rage due to the constraints of the wind spell that held him in place.

“It’s a shame, but I can’t allow witnesses.” She smiled, a cold expression. “Don’t worry, once you are properly established as a true daughter of Roderick, you will have plenty of other suitors.”

“You’re insane.” Erin could barely force the words out in her anger. “You really think people won’t realize what you’ve done? That I’ll go along with this?”

The headmistress waved her free hand, and a wind spell surrounded Erin, trapping her in place. The wind blades threatening Gerald and Olivia started to move forward, about to pierce through skin.

“It doesn’t matter what you or anyone else thinks. The strong survive and rule, the weak can only perish.” She grinned “I thought you would have realized this by now.”

Erin was ten years old. Avoiding chores, she hid in a secret compartment in the grand hall of their home. Her aunt had showed her the spot once, and ever since then Erin came here whenever she didn’t want to be found.

It was perfect. Large enough for her to rest comfortably, while small enough to just be able to fit her. Small peepholes provided her with a way to watch what went on in the main room, without giving away her hiding spot.

“Roderick, you can’t do this! Your plans will upset the very balance of magic in this world. You will destroy us all!” Her mother’s desperate tone broke the girl from her pleasant day dreams. Startled she looked through the door to see what was going on.

Erin would always… always regret that decision.

Her father stood tall and proud, his gaze cold as he stared at his wife. He casually gestured and she was lifted into the air by wind magic, struggling to breathe as it tightened around her throat.

“I will do as I please.” His words were spoken with ease, as if he were discussing the weather at tea, rather than murdering his wife. “The strong will always rule, the weak can only abide by it… or perish.” With a wide grin, he made another gesture, water slowly forming a long column around Erin’s mother, trapping her within.

Too terrified to move, barely able to even breathe, the girl watched as her mother struggled, and slowly drowned, floating mid air as her father watched calmly.

Finally the water disappeared, and her body dropped heavily to the ground.

“Place her body in the lake. I’ll inform her family that my wife, giving into despair, drowned herself to escape her sorrow.” He glanced over, and Erin shuddered as his eyes passed over her hiding spot. “Can you handle that?”

“Of course, Roderick.” A familiar older woman’s voice spoke out. Erin couldn’t see her, but knew who it was all the same. She had visited many times in the past….

Lady Belanna.

Erin felt something within her snap. The ringing in her ears, a constant reminder of the restriction spell laid upon her, had disappeared. In its place was a sense of rightness. A feeling of completion. She took a deep breath, able to feel all of the wind magic currently under Lady Belanna’s control. It called to her. 

Erin threw back her head and laughed.

“What’s so funny?!” The older woman snapped, her eyes slightly frightened at the younger girl’s insane actions.

“You honestly think that making me strong would bring you back into my father’s good graces? You underestimate how little I matter to him. “ Erin smiled. “But more than that, for all your plans, you’ve made one, serious error:”

At her whisper, the strong magic winds, the blades threatening her friends… everything stopped.

“You thought I was weak.”

“What…” Lady Belanna was shocked, but had no chance to voice any other complaint as all the magic currently under her control was wrested away from her. She was gripped tightly by wind magic and thrown against the wall, hard enough to crack ribs.

“You think you are strong because you have catastrophic level wind magic?” Erin laughed, but there were no signs of pleasure on her face. “I can go beyond that.”

SLAM! The woman was thrown against the opposite wall, striking her face. The sound of her nose breaking against the hard surface was abnormally loud in the quiet of the cabin. She tried to scream in pain, but found the air sucked out of her lungs. The sword in her hand was ripped away, and flung into a nearby wall. 

Lady Belanna gestured wildly, and large white magical flames filled the cabin. They were similar to the spell used by Wilhemina to threaten Erin during her last duel. A level 4 fire magic. It had completely suppressed her just a few months ago.

Now Erin only smiled wider. “Weak.”

The entire cabin went up in flames, the walls incinerated to ashes in a moment. Olivia and Gerald, protected by the wind spells that held them in place, were moved further away and gently placed on the ground.

“Pathetic.”

Boulders the size of elephants tore themselves from the ground, landing behind and to either side of the older woman, trapping her in place. Erin stepped forward, each time her foot touched against the ground the earth shuddered, world pulling away from the intensity of the magic that clung to her body. Terrified, crying, Lady Belanna tried to use wind magic to fly out of the trap of the boulders, but found herself unable to move. She could only stare forward in horror as the young girl walked closer, stopping on a few feet away.

“I could kill you like how he killed my mother…” The space between the boulders filled with water… the woman swam desperately, holding her breath, but was unable to escape.

Erin watched her struggle for a few long moments, her expression blank.

“But that would be too boring.” With her whispered words the water evaporated, leaving Belanna soaked, bedraggled and gasping for air. Her skin was bruised and torn, her armor destroyed and hanging off her body. She knelt on the ground, trying to catch her breath, when a metallic clatter caught the older woman’s attention.

It was the magical artifact she had brought… the sword.

“You have Physical reinforcement as well, correct?” Erin smiled. “As expected of one of the strongest knights in the country.” Her tone was mocking as she stared down at her opponent. She spread her arms wide, grinning. 

“Take your best shot.”

Her eyes red with rage and fear, Belanna grabbed her sword and pushed herself torwards Erin, utilizing the full extent of her wind and physical reinforcement magic.

“JUST DIE!!!!”

Her movement was perfect, crossing the distance faster than a blink, her attack movement with her weapon timed exactly right to strike Erin’s chest. It was clear, concise, practiced. At the level of what one would expect from a knight with years of battle experience.

But it was nowhere near enough.

As fast as Belanna was, Erin moved faster. She dodged the other woman’s attack, tripping her to the ground. Before she could react further, the girl had broken the wrist holding the weapon, and lifted her up into the air, her hand on her throat.

Belanna struggled, even defeated her gaze held only hatred and arrogance. “You can’t kill me.” She gasped. “Your father…”

Erin smiled. “He’ll be meeting you in Hell soon enough.”

She tightened her hand, and the life left her opponents eyes. Dropping the body to the ground, she looked around at the wide area of destruction that surrounded her. The winds that had been circling the area, howling with fury calmed and soon there was only stillness and silence.

Gerald struggled to his feet, his eyes worried. “Erin are you alright…?”

A scream of absolute agony ripped through the night air. Erin fell to the ground, clutching her head. Her head was being torn apart, her vision dark.

The backlash from breaking the restriction spell.

Erin wanted to cry, to say goodbye to her friends, but all she could do was scream out her pain. Finally even that was impossible. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe….

There was only darkness.

“ERIN!”

[doux-ciel]

44, 100, and 101

Prompt: 44.

The windows of the building have a stained glass design on them, it made Dustin think of an old Victorian church. One light is present in the whole building, feeling the blood on his forehead rolling down his cheek, Dustin is not the type to let his nerves run haywire; but right now he is letting his anxiety get to his head. Dustin’s vision isn’t as sharp as he would like to be and his head feels heavy, his neck is having a hard time holding his head up. He is trying to control his neck movements; but nothing is working. His head finally rolls to the left and drops down to his chest, after a few minutes of him trying to control his breathing. He opens his eyes once more, his vision is starting to get clearer as time passes.

Looking around the building he spots a black cat on a ledge of one of the windows, he sees little specks of dust fill the air when the cat turns towards him. The cats yellow irises stare back at him, A soft and short meow comes from the mammal as it jumps down from the ledge. He then examines his body, his short and thin frame is tied to a steel metal chair. Seeing zip ties on his wrists he starts to try and break them but with no luck he feels defeated. Remembering his training he looks at the zip ties again and starts to put both of his hands straight out in front of him, touching his wrists together. Turning his right hand quarter-turn clockwise and his left quarter-turn counterclockwise rotating them slowly until the back of both of his wrists touch together. Defeating the zip ties and standing up stretching his arms he runs to the door that was locked. Banging on the door he screams for somebody to get him out here.

Out of nowhere he hears a television turn on, he hears a familiar voice say his name.

His mother.

“Dustin If your watching this that then that means I’ve been taken”

His eyes start to water as he watches the tv screen that his mounted to the wall. Dustin then hears as she explains why she being kidnapped and what he has to do to save her. He then knows why he was in this building

The Order of the Ethereal Key.

He told the wrong person the wrong thing and now he is paying for it.

With his mother’s life.

As he is standing there he sees a shadow come from the dark corner on his right, Dustin is ready to fight to find his mother with every being in his body.

Closing his eyes he keeps repeating to himself.

“This is a dream”

“This is a dream”

“This is a dream”  

When he opens them he finds himself in his bedroom under the covers and Dustin hears a knock at his door.

“Dustin hurry up your late….I made breakfast so come down, so it won’t get cold.”

His mother’s voice is on the other side.

It really was a dream.

But he knows that his dreams always come true, and now he has to figure out how to stop his dream from happening.

Prompt: 100 & 101

“Mr. Kinson I’m telling you everything will be fine after this surgery.” Dr. Olivia spoke to her 46 year old patient who was undergoing an appendectomy early in the morning the next day.

The older gentleman’s wife and two kids were sitting in the chairs next him trying to calm him down, placing their hands on his shoulders. They observe how her honeyed voice turns high the minute she spoke those words to their Father/Husband.

“Are you sure-” The mother voiced to Olivia.

Olivia interrupted her mid sentence, “I’m positive, this is one of the easiest surgeries ever….plus he is in great care.”

One of the nurses, Riley who is working the floor comes into the room and checks his IV drip. Turning towards the family and repeats, “He really is in great care” Pointing to Olivia; Riley presents a smile on her face. “She is one of the best surgeons in the hospital.”

As she was leaving his daughter peers over to Riley and sees her fingers crossed behind her.

Tugging on her mom’s shirt the 25 year old expressed to her mom how she wasn’t sure she wanted Dr. Olivia to perform this surgery on her father.

“I’m sorry I forgot what you all’s names were?” Olivia quizzes as she goes through her tablet looking over Mr. Kinson’s charts.

The mother replies while looking at both of her children, her blue eyes widen as she has told Olivia two times what their names were but she repeats them for the third time. “Well I’m Erin and this is my son Ocean and my daughter Poet.”

“Well Ocean…Poet I promise your father will be in good hands”

Olivia was lying.

The nurses knew she was lying.

Poet knew she was lying.

Nobody spoke up to stop her.

Nobody reported her to the authorities.

Nobody knew what she was doing in the operating theater but they knew a lot more people where coming out dead than they were living.

The next morning came and keeping up with her track record Mr. Kinson died.

The next couple of months were hard for the Kinson family; Erin couldn’t keep up with the bills, her kids were having trouble pay attention in their college classes and the house was on the verge of a foreclosure.

After the death of their father, Poet tried to tell the higher ups of the hospital that Dr. Olivia was to blame but of course they didn’t believe the young woman and went in favor of their senior resident. She then saw the evil side of modern day medicine, looking up Dr. Olivia’s different cases. Seeing where she worked before and calling those different hospitals up, asking them about the 52 year old surgeon’s past patients and their deaths.

Poet now has an idea of who she is dealing with and she is mad at herself for not pushing her father to a different hospital. She also knows that she is dealing with a manipulator who gets her way, all the time.

But not this time.

Poet vowed to never let Dr. Olivia hurt another Man, Woman, or Child ever again.

Poet was taking the law into her own hands.

Olivia had just gotten back from her PTO in Jamaica, driving her car up the driveway she parks the car in front of her garage. The sky is filled with stars and a half crescent moon, Olivia started to get her suitcases from the back seat of her car. She sees her porch lights are on which is odd because she knows she didn’t leave them on when she left for her vacation just 2 weeks ago. Remembering she told one her good friends to house sit for her she is relieved to know that she is still here.

Turning her key into her front door she immediately notices her formal living room is a mess and there is blood everywhere. Now Panicking Olivia’s eyes spot the kitchen where a pot is boiling, calling out to her friend she slowly steps over a broken vase. “Hailey!!”

Not hearing a sound Olivia hears someone come down the stairs, their footsteps are heavy with each step they take. She quickly backs up near the front of her door, turning the knob she feels the door handle lock.

She can’t get out.

Running to kitchen she quickly goes to her knife block, seeing all the knives are gone she starts to look in her drawers. Tears are flowing from her eyes as she is trying to retrieve just one knife from kitchen. Finally finding one she turns around and is faced with Poet who has blood all over her shirt.

Poet steps towards her with bat in her hand.

“Poet please your scaring me….what is all of this?”

Poet smiles at the older woman “Olivia, Please put the knife down…I’m not going to hurt you.”

Gripping the knife tighter Olivia doesn’t believe her, “You put the bat down!!” Swinging the knife in front of her.

Poet dodges her swings and lets go of the bat “I told you I’m not going to hurt you”

A menacing smile overtakes her face, one that reminds Olivia of the Cheshire cat in Alice in wonderland.

“I won’t hurt you…” Olivia then sees Poet point behind her and she slowly turns around to see 4 pairs of eyes looking back at her.

“But they are”

Feeling something cover her face Olivia’s eyes start to get blurry and her head is foggy, she lets darkness consume her.

[slothgiirl]

Gold Dust Woman part 1

pjo x mcu fusion: annabeth is iron man

crossposted on a03

It’s been twenty eight day since she was kidnapped. Annabeth would know this even if she wasn’t scratching a line into the wooden boards she called a bed every day. In situations like this, it was important to keep track of time. It keeps her from becoming disoriented, it keeps things in perspective.

Like how tomorrow the car battery that she has hooked up to her heart, that’s powering her heart, will give out, spent, and she’ll die.

Unless her miniature arc reactor works.

It has to.

Annabeth has spent countless nights awake, pouring over the math and plans. she flips through the pages and pages of sketches. Carefully combs through the numbers for any mistake, any miscalculation, until her eyes swim. In some ways its not all that different from home, where she’d spent days shut up in her lab, dreaming up new technology only to turn around and sell it to the military.

The arc reactor had been written off as a publicity stunt. An inefficient source of clean energy. A pipe dream no one had bothered chasing. Not even her when the math hadn’t worked on to make it feasible, she’d just shrugged, downed her scotch, and moved on to the next big contract.

She’d been so caught up in research and development, in making weapons, that she had lost track of things. Or maybe she didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to think about the people she’d killed. The blood on her hands.

If she’d bothered to keep track, maybe no one in her company would’ve sold things to the enemy.

If If If. She was going to drive herself crazy thinking about all the things she shouldn’ve done.

Annabeth didn’t have time for that.

Not here. She won’t die here in this godforsaken cave, not before she can put things right. Not before she can start to make amends.

She refuses to let death be her legacy.

“I’m here if you need steadier hands,” Armeen Hephaestus utters over to her from his own spot, carefully stripping down the weapons and tools they’ve been given according to her own schematics.

Every moment they waste not working on her plan is another second in which the 10 Rings might turn around and decide to kill them.

“It’s alright,” she answers, not bothering to look up. Annabeth hates relying on others, hates that she won’t be able to insert the arc reactor herself, might die unable to do anything to save herself if it fails. “Just stick to the plan.”

The words tumble out harshly in the soft light of the cave, lightbulbs flickering. The  electric grid thats been rigged up is horribly inefficient, but Annabeth isn’t about to tell her captors that.

Her hands don’t shake as she places the last pieces in and waits for the flicker. For the arc reactor to power on if she’s rights about the math and she always is, this should generate more power than it consumes. It won’t be perfect.

But it’ll keep her alive and that’s good enough for now.

Annabeth sighs in relief as it flickers softly, before a steady white light comes on light. She can’t wait to see the look on Arachne’s face when Annabeth shows her what she did with their publicity stunt.

If she makes it out alive.

No. She puts the arc reactor down, turning to call over Hephaestus, she can’t think like that.

“Come on Armeen,” she tells him, “I can’t wait to stop lugging around this battery.”

It’s been twenty eight days and Annabeth wonders where Thalia is, leading the search over the vast deserts of Afghanistan.

It doesn’t really matter.

The 10 Rings was right, they’ll never find her here. There’s just to much ground to cover.

That’s fine. Annabeth’s only ever been able to rely on herself and she’ll get herself out of here and Hephaestus too.

Then she’ll make sure Chase Industries never manufactures another weapon again.

*

Six shots in, a glass of champagne in hand for the occasion and Annabeth is bubbly. Is open and friendly in the addictive way she can never manage sober. Her smile feels foreign but the man who’s wrapped his arms about her, his hand covering hers before they throw the dice and watch it hit the roulette before landing on one of their winning numbers, he’s fun and hot and she likes one night stands. They’re easy.

“Yay,” she giggles, turning to him, giving up on his name when her thoughts feel so disconnected.

“You must be my good luck charm,” he grins, looking boyishly charming as he does.

It’s such a cliche, fitting in perfectly in Vegas.

Grover rolls his eyes, clearing finding the line beyond cheesy, from his spot on her right, the rest of her bodyguards spread out around.

“Yeah,” she replies airily, downing her champagne and distantly wondering if its to late to upgrade the targeting systems on the Medusa Missiles. Her mother never acknowledged anything less then perfection. It was a trait she’d passed on to her, along with her grey eyes and height.

No, both her parents had been tall.

He kisses her, lips saturated with beer, and Annabeth mindlessly goes along, wishing men weren’t so into beer. It never tastes good. And cocktails were so much better at getting people drunk faster.

“Lets go again,” he suggests.

“I’m game,” she answers, signaling for another drink.

Annabeth doesn’t really have time for this, she’s leaving Vegas in an hour back to San Francisco. But maybe he’d like a free ride to SF?

“Annabeth,” Thalia calls out, meeting Jack’s? drunk and carefree gaze with her own steely one, the same look she gave Annabeth overtime she found her less them sober, falling over and refusing Grover’s assistance, “you missed the ceremony.”

It’s the chastising of someone who’s already given up hope of getting through, hand wrapped around a glass award.

The reason she’d come to Vegas.

“Vegas is so fun,” she replies, dismissing the man and falling into step besides Thalia, away from the gambling tables, “and yet you want me to spend my time here in a room full of corporate assholes?”

It does the trick, Thalia laughs, “so long as you make it to the plane for-,”

“I know,” she cuts off, “gosh mom there’s a reason I have a nanny!” She takes the trophy from Thalia before she can think to try and smash her head in with it, “I’m sure Katie’ll find a great place to put this were it’s not ostentatious.” Next tool the other awards.

“Pretty sure you gave up any hope of that when you built a hose overlooking the bay,” Thalia replies, her uniform looking nice and starched. She was at home in uniform more than Annabeth could hope to be in a dress, but it was Vegas and it felt right when she’d decided on the Cushnie. Now she was missing her comfortable suits. “do you have any clue how much real-estate is going for in San Fransisco these days?”

“It’s on the cliffs,” Annabeth adds with a grin at her old friend. They’d been at MIT together, back when Thalia had over-dyed black hair and  ripped band t shirts, perpetually wearing sandals even in winter.

“Let me know when you want to settle down,” Thalia teases, “I’d love to be a trophy wife.”

“I thought they’d reinstated don’t ask don’t tell now with the new administration,” Annabeth wonders out loud.

Thalia nudges her side lightly, “don’t even get me started. I risk my life serving this country and this is the thanks I get back home! This is who the country votes for?”

The limo pulls up and Grover opens the door up for her, forever the gentleman.

Annabeth laughs at Thalia, “You know what they say, there’s no rest for the wicked. See you in a few.”

Tahlia shakes her head as she walks aways.

Annabeth grins and steps towards the open car door.

Before she can slide into the car and head home, a voice calls out behind her, “Ms. Chase do you have anything to say on the situation in Afghanistan.”

She looks at Glover, who helplessly shrugs, “I guess he’s hot. I don’t know. I’m only Juniper-sexual.”

Annabeth turns around, facing a rather handsome man, tall, broad shoulders and chiseled chin. It just reminds her of everything she’s not. This is the person that the military would love to deal with, not her. Not another Chase woman.

“Go for it,” she says with a grin, forcing herself no to pull down on her dress, it’s supposed to be this short. Maybe she needed a new tailor?

“Annabeth Chase, you’ve been called the Da Vinci of our times,” he starts, making her beam despite herself, she’s always a fool for flattery, “what do you have to say to that?”

“I do what I can to contribute to society, to making a better world.” It’s one of those vague statements her PR handlers had drilled into her. Harmless regardless of any context.

“What about your other nickname? The Merchant of Death? What do you have to say to that,” there’s teeth to his smile this time, a crusader then. Another reporter out to change the world.

“Let me guess, Berkeley ,” she says in lieu of an answer, the school was infamous for their many protests.

“Boston U actually.”

Annabeth nods. “Well, it’s an imperfect world we live in. I guarantee the day weapons are no longer needed to defend this country and it’s peoples freedoms I’ll start making bricks and solar panels.” She pauses, crossing her arms in front of her. This was the thing about dresses, where was she supposed to stuff her hands into? “My mother used to say that peace was having a bigger stick than the other side,” Annabeth says with a shrug. Athena had never spoken those words to her, but she’d parroted them often enough to the press. “And isn’t peace what we all want?”

He grins like he’s in on the joke, only highlighting how handsome he is, dark skin and even darker eyes, “interesting words coming from the woman selling the sticks.”

Even she grins at this, genuine for the first time all night. “What’s you name?”

“Isaiah, Isaiah Levey from Vanity Fair magazine.”

“Well Isaiah,” Annabeth replies, liking the way his name sounds on her lips, liking the look of him even more, “My mother helped defeat the nazis, she worked on the Manhattan project, she developed technology that propelled us into space and is now used in computers and phones. A lot of people, including your professors at Boston, would call that being a hero.”

Isaiah fires back, “A lot of people would also call that war profiteering.”

Annabeth’s lips draw thin, as the alcohol that’s kept her buzzed for the last hour wears off, “Tell me, do you plan on including the countless lives we’ve save through advancements in medical care and agricrops? All those breakthroughs,” she says pointedly, “military funding.”

“Wow,” he says shaking his head, “you ever lose an hour of sleep your whole life?”

And just like the fuckboys Katie always complains about, like she didn't somehow incorporate flannel into all of her outfits, she utters, “I’m prepared to lose a few with you.”

She might be off-putting at the best of times, and not half as beautiful as the wives of her fellow billionaires, but confidence could more than make of for those shortcomings.

Isaiah shrugs helplessly, grin on his lips, and he slides into the limo with her.

*

It’s been seventy nine days since she’d watched a humvee blow up. It was a lot nastier up close then in testing facilities out in Nevada, where distance made the explosion look beautiful.

Before she could register that they were under attack, before she could react and put her drink down or maybe finish it off and hope it was just a nightmare, the solider in the front. . .R-something. . .Reyes?. . .maybe it was Ramirez? Was telling her to get down, the words barely leaving her mouth before a gunshot splattered her brains reminiscent of a Pollock, body falling over like a puppet that had its strings cut.

Annabeth had looked around stupidly. She didn’t know what to do. More gunshots. More blood.

There had been smoke and dust and she couldn’t see anything, couldn’t even see her enemy until she heard the gunshots, seconds before they made contact, ripping through the Humvee like it was made of cardboard.

She crawls out, dodging behind the nearest rock, in too much shock. Her hand goes reflexively to her necklace, thumbing over the beads. More gunshots. There’s no way to know where to go. Who’s her enemy and where she should run too so she just stays hurled behind the rocks.

Annabeth wants to slap herself, throat choked on a scream. Everyone likes to believe they’d react the right way in a fight or flight situation but theres no right way and oh my god she’s going to die.

Then there was the missile, landing just close enough for her to make out the logo, the same logo she’d learned to recognize when she was still learning to write, Chase Industries and then the explosion and then nothing.

It’s night.

And the 10 rings members are suddenly filing in, guns locked and loaded.

Annabeth knows its night because the shifts changed. Even with their rotating shifts and change in partners, she’d quickly memorized their faces. Besides, at night, they yawn more.

They yell in their various languages, strutting around and throwing their weight before a bald man clicks his fingers, his face hard, with a glee in his eyes that speaks to a sadistic nature.

They grab for Armeen, dragging him before the bald man, knocking him to his knees.

The bald man must be the leader. Head held high, back straight as though he’s looking down at everyone. He can’t be much taller than her.

Annabeth might be tall for a woman, but she’s only average in comparison to most men and Hephaestus is taller than most. He’s also lanky, hands rough from hard labour. Not a handsome man with his large nose and small chin, eyes lost behind thick glasses.

He’s her friend and when they bring a hot iron rod to his mouth she finds herself yelling, “NO,” moving forward against her better judgement.

All the guns in the room point at her.

She blinks, realizing that no matter how valuable she is, how rich she is, how smart she is, they won’t hesitate to shoot. Their patience has worn through.

“I need him,” she utters, her protest sounding weak to her own ears, “he’s a good assistant.” She won’t have anymore blood on her hands. He has a wife and kids back home.

Annabeth only has Thalia. People she pays probably don’t count. Grover and Katie’ve no doubt found a new job.

She would’ve.

Then again, there’s a reason everyone’s always found her cold.

“You have twenty four hours to give me a Medusa Missile  or I’ll shoot you both,” the bald man spits, “I don’t care who you are you bitch!”

She doesn’t wince anymore. The words cold bitch have long trailed after her.

The man kicks Hephaestus aside, before turning to leave.

Then their gone.

A look at him and they both know they’re in for a long night if her plan’s going to work, if they’re going to escape.

*

Annabeth wakes up at six in the morning on the dot the same way she has every day since boarding school.

Isaiah is still sleeping when she slips out of her room and down her lab.

Katie’ll take care of him later.

Katie’ll also let her know when it’s time to go, the only person aside from herself who knows the password down to her lab, her heels click on the glass steps.

“You are supposed to be halfway around the world,” she utters already scrolling through her ChasePad, a prototype of the latest version that was still in development, her tone leaving no room for argument.

“How’d she take it,” Annabeth says, pivoting while she looks over her latest engine, finding that the Lamborgini, no matter how nice it looked, handled like shit.

“Like a champ,” Katie replies.

“Why’re you trying to kick me out of my own house,” Annabeth asks, shifting her weight onto her other leg before it can fall asleep, the last few screws falling into places. At first it was just a matter of replacing the wheels and suspension, but once she looked under the hood, Annabeth knew she could do better.

“Your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago,” Katie says curtly. Grover must have told her how much she drank last night.

“You know, I do know my limit,” she responds, “and it’s my plane so shouldn’t it take off whenever I want it to?” She’s being ridiculous, Annabeth knows this, but. . .she doesn’t know.

She won’t see Katie for a three days. It’s not long in the grand scheme of things. . .

Katie ignores her, barreling on, “Social drinking is a stepping stone to alcoholism and I need to speak to you about a couple things, before I send you on your way.”

“I mean whats the point of a private plane if I’m still subjected to boarding times.” Grover had told her once about commercial flights and Annabeth had felt something inside her wither and die. It probably came with never having to deal with anything money couldn’t fix.

Maybe she should get out more, talk to people other than her employees and those with a vested interest in her company.

“Xiao called, she has another Jackson Pollock lined up for the auction, do you want it? Yes or no.” Annabeth couldn’t see any point to splatter paint, there was no technique or point really. She much preferred the carefully rated indian and egyptian art pieces. There was the greek technical prowess in sculpture and paintings, coming the closest to lifelike. But her dad had lover abstract art and modern art.

So, “yes,” she answers, turning around and gladly downing the last of her cup of water. Her head was still pounding even after the two pills she’d taken this morning. Hangovers were the thing that would knock down any impending alcoholism Katie kept nagging her about.

“It’s overpriced,” Katie informs her, “and not a great representation of his later renowned work.”

“I said yes Katie,” she sighs, hearing the snap in her own voice, scrambling to add, “it’ll be like those parents who hang up all their kids drawing from preschool.” Her mother had never done that, waving annabeth away until she’d come back with her first circuit board, lines deep around her mouth as she’d frowned and told her the how inefficient it was.

Katie smiles, “Okay. The MIT commencement-,”

“Is in June,” annabeth says walking up to the main floor, “nice try.”

“Well if I have to hear it then you have to hear it,” Katie teases, easily, the clack of heels on concrete a tell tale sign that she’s following close behind.

“Didn’t I hire you to hear it so I don’t have to,” Annabeth snipes back, knowing Katie won’t take it the wrong way. They’ve been working together for to long.

“I’ll take that as a yes and I need you to sign this,” she says offering up a long and complicated paper with fine print as they reach the main living room, her duffle bag and carry on already prepared for her.

“Wow you’re really trying to get rid of me. Why?” It’s blunt, the way Annabeth has learned to be in the corporate world and military world where old men will look down on her and call her girl.

“I have plans.”

Annabeth makes a face, “I don’t like it when you have plans.”

Katie rolls her eyes, “first of all that’s why we have unions and workers rights and secondly I’m allowed to have plans on my birthday.”

Annabeth winces. She’d forgotten. She relied so much on Katie to remind her of all her appointments and meeting, and she could hardly tell Katie to reminder of her birthday. “Is it? This weekend?” It must be November then.

That explained all the christmas decorations that had been up in Vegas.

“Yes,” Katie responds, smothering a laugh, “isn’t that strange? It’s the same day as last year.”

“Well, buy yourself something nice from me.” Annabeth never knew what people wanted and it just didn’t seem practical to guess. That’s how people ended up with something useless, that they didn’t want, and then had to figure out what to do with; regift it, throw it aways, or have ti sit in the back of your closet.  

“I already did.”

“Is it a new and exotic species of plant,” She asks knowingly. Katie had a way with plants, managing to keep even orchids alive.

“Thank you,” Katie says with a soft smile, before thrusting Annabeth’s luggage at her and pushing her out the door where Grover awaits with the ferrari, one designed by the great Nikki Lauda, the splashiest thing her father ever owned. It had only needed minor adjustments.

Annabeth laughs and helps Grover throw her luggage in.

*

The suit works, she flies for a full fifteen seconds before crashing, just long enough to escape the fireball of explosions she leaves behind.

Along with Hephaestus.

Dead.

Another death on her hands.

Even in February, the deserts of Afghanistan are scorching hot, dry, her eyes are strained after spending almost three months in darkness, only broken by weak lighting.

In comparison the sun a entirely too bright, too much.

Her throat arched, a strip of fabric wrapped around her head as a makeshift hat, keeping some of the sun off her.

The sun keeps her going, orients her because the sun always east and sets in the west, no matter what part of the world she’s in, ignoring how everywhere she looks out to looks the same. Sand, and more fucking sand.

It’s been eighty days since she was kidnapped.

they must still be searching for her. Thalia wouldn’t abandon her. Besides she’d Annabeth Chase, billionaire wonderkid, child of the late great Athena Chase.

But the fear of wondering forever, until she collapses and dies nags at her.

There’s just so much sand.

Vast planes spreading out beyond her as she leaves the mountains at her back.

What are the chances of-Thalia. . .

. . .Thalia finding her. . .

She hears the sounds first, the beautiful roaring of army craft, too steady too be of any make other than the united states government.

It’s the most wonderful sound she’s ever heard.

Her hands spread out, waving over. . .

Holy shit! Holy fucking shit!

It worked!

Something in her chest loosens, a weight, the panic that’s been kept at bay by adrenalin, by need and focus, hummingbird panic that makes her arc reactor flicker in the bright daylight of the desert, worlds away from the gloomy rain of San Fransisco in the winter.

She can breath now.

She’s alive.

Alive.

A live.

It feels like something that belongs to someone else. The drinks and parties and work and billions in the bank.

That can’t be. . .her.

The image of her own missile landing right in front of her forever seared into the backs of her eyelids.

Thalia walks down and out of the aircraft, soldiers fanning out with heavy automatic arms pointed out into the desert plains.

Annabeth can breath now. She smiles, falling into Thalia’s arms, into her embrace. She’s never been more glad to see Thalia’s dark blue eyes, almost black in some light.

“How was the fun-vee?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Annabeth hears herself say and then she’s gone. Exhausted down to her bones. The weight of running for months on adrenalin finally catching up to her and she blacks out, sliding into R.E.M. sleep for the first time since SF.

Later Thalia’ll tell her she was debriefed and gave coherent answers before downing some crackers and a coke, getting a quick medical checkup, before they let her sleep.

She doesn’t remember a thing after she see’s Thalia. Her very own godly apparition.

[bastionkeeper]

Plus One

A birthday gift for the wonderful @mykindofcontent who asked for a fake dating Taakitz fic, I had fun throwing some secret twin angst and future Taakitz fluff into here I hope it’s worthy of one of the most amazing people in the universe! Happy birthday!

Taako took a step back, admiring his handiwork. He dusted off his hands and grabbed the umbrastaff, lowering it to face the circle of raven's feathers.

The sun had set long ago, and there was a chill in the air but nothing the shawl draped across his shoulders couldn't handle. He was standing in the courtyard of a large party hall, just out of reach of the golden light pouring out of the windows.

A few slanted words from Taako's lips whispered into the night, stirring the wind, somehow leaving the feathers untouched.

A black and red energy surged within the circle, and a screaming form lurched out of another plane to fix Taako with furious red eyes.

“Who has dared summon me?” the reaper roared in a cockney accent.

“'Sup, love the enthusiasm, but shut up for a minute,” Taako said, grabbing Kravitz and pulling him out of the summoning circle.

“Wai- what?” Kravitz stumbled along behind the elf. “You again? From the crystal lab!”

“Nice to see you again,” Taako said with a wave. “Now be quiet.”

Taako looked Kravitz over with a critical eye and then pointed the umbrastaff at him. Kravitz summoned his scythe defensively, but it turned out to be unnecessary as the only thing Taako did was cast minor illusion on his clothes. Kravitz was now in a tuxedo, fit for a black tie event.

“What is this?” Kravitz asked.

“Okay so,” Taako began. “I need some help crashing this wedding.”

“Why are you...?” Kravitz trailed off with a sigh, rubbing his temples. “Why couldn't you just get one of those other death dodgers to help?”

“Because a job like this requires finesse, and those dingdongs couldn't finesse a jar of pickles.”

Kravitz took a moment to look at Taako, noticing that he too was well dressed. He was in a gold dress, his face was freckled with gold glitter, and he wore an impressive pair of heels.

“See, there's uh...there's a relic in this shindig, and I need some help getting in to grab it,” Taako said. He watched Kravitz's face, and his theory that the voidfish didn't affect the dead was proven right by the look of recognition on Kravitz's face.

“Something like that transformation magic the necromancer was using?” Kravitz asked.

“Precisely!” Taako clapped his hands together. “But just lil ol' Taako on his own is suspicious. Taako plus one though? No one wants to kick out the nice couple!”

“I'm your date?” Kravitz realized he was blushing. He'd be lying if he said he'd never noticed how attractive the elf was. Even for a bounty.

“My husband to be precise,” Taako said. “You in, bone daddy?”

Kravitz considered the possibilities. He could just refuse and go back to the astral plane to his room where a half-re-read book and a mug of tea were waiting, waste some time in between bounties...or he could accompany the gorgeous and volatile elf on a dangerous mission.

Kravitz sighed, wishing he had more sense than this.

As the double doors to the hall opened, Taako took Kravitz's arm, and the reaper tried hard to keep his composure. The pair entered, and Kravitz blinked in the sudden brightness.

It was hard to tell who was the bride and groom in this room, as everyone was dressed not just to the nines but maybe to the twelves. Some even went so far as to wear masquerade masks, or elaborate headdresses decked out in feathers. Suddenly Taako's dramatic makeup made sense.

“Hello! Welcome! Mother of the bride,” an aged half elf woman greeted them at the door with a smile. “Who might you be?”

“Magnus Highchurch, remember that name in case I do something to make you angry later,” Taako winked and kissed the woman's hand. Despite Taako's strange introduction the woman appeared quite charmed and tittered at the gestured. “This is my husband.”

“Lucas Highchurch, pleasure to be here, we go way back with the groom, and we think your daughter is going to make him very happy.” Kravitz shook the woman's hand, meanwhile Taako was gaping at Kravitz, shocked at how easily and willingly he was going along with the performance.

“Oh well, I do hope I see you fine gentleman around when I'm done greeting guests,” the woman said, her smile widening. “Please, enjoy yourselves! Tessa and Marc are sitting in the back with the rest of the family if you want to say hello!”

“Thank you, I hope we'll talk again later.” It was Kravitz who took Taako's arm this time, leading them away from the woman and striding with confidence into the party.

“Dude that was so dope.” Taako seemed to have pulled a fan out of nowhere, and was using it to cover his pleased giggling.

“I'm just trying to blend in,” Kravitz said.

“You won't do that easy looking like that,” Taako said, looking Kravitz up and down. The reaper stiffened.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“That you're a fine skeleton,” Taako winked. “Also you look super nervous.”

“I do not!” Kravitz huffed indignantly. “If anything my performance was more convincing than yours.”

“Wanna bet?” Taako pulled away from Kravitz and looked him in the eyes, smiling dangerously. “I remember your little gambling problem. What say we make this interesting?”

Kravitz felt that familiar itch he could never seem to scratch when it came to gambling, and tilted his head curiously. “What did you have in mind?”

“I say we lie outrageously, and the first one to get found out loses,” Taako suggested.

“Wouldn't that make it hard to find this magical item you're looking for?” Kravitz asked.

“I can just cast disguise self no worries, Taako's still got some spell slots left.” Taako closed his fan and used it to tap the umbrastaff that was hanging from his arm. “You in or not?”

“What does the winner get?” Kravitz asked, the red in his dark eyes surging. “Do I get to drag you back to the astral plane when I win?”

“I was thinking when I win, you give me your shoes.”

“What?” Kravitz laughed. “Why?”

“Nothing funnier than a sore loser with sore feet,” Taako said. “Now shake on it, bone-man.”

“Fine,” Kravitz sighed and shook Taako's hand. “Let's begin, Taako.”

They made the rounds, chatting with friends and family and gathering information about the party as they went. Kravitz told stories about how he was a conductor for the Goldcliff Symphony Orchestra, and how Taako was in the front row one night during their best performance and that was the night they fell in love.

Taako spun a tale about a paparazzi swarm that had been chasing him, until his bodyguard made them scram in a way so sexy he couldn't help but marry him.

The stories got more wild from there, but somehow no one doubted them. Everyone in the room wanted to talk to the most interesting couple of the night, and that certainly wasn't the newlyweds anymore.

Kravitz finished another story and excused himself to meet Taako by the bar. The elf offered him a paper plate with a couple finger foods on it.

“Try this one.”

Kravitz popped the food in his mouth and grimaced. “That's terrible.”

“I know right?” Taako shook his head, tutting. “What were they thinking. They got the texture all wrong, and the whole thing is basically salt.”

“I can still taste it,” Kravitz complained, sticking his tongue out.

“I have something that'll fix that.” Taako pulled a hand out from behind his back, revealing a rather expensive bottle of wine.

“Did you steal that?” Kravitz hissed, checking to see if the bartender was watching.

“He said we each get one free drink. I just like my drinks a bit bigger than others.” Taako winked. “Come on!”

Taako grabbed Kravitz's hand and pulled him away from the bar and towards a secluded table in the corner. He popped open the wine and took a swig straight from the bottle before handing it to Kravitz.

“Can't believe no one's called your bullshit yet.”

“Is it that hard to believe Mr. “The King of Neverwinter asked me to visit and I declined”?” Kravitz shot back.

“That part actually isn't a lie.” Taako winked.

“Come off it,” Kravitz snorted, taking a sip of wine. They sat in silence for a moment, watching the dancers sway drunkenly to upbeat music. Then Kravitz turned back to Taako.

“Why did you really bring me here?”

“I told you, needed backup.”

“Taako, there's no relic here.”

Taako's ears drooped slightly and he shrugged, not even ashamed to be caught in a lie. “I don't like crashing parties alone. It's more fun with another person.”

“You do this a lot then?” Kravitz asked.

“Only when I'm feeling lonely or want good booze or food,” Taako said. “Haven't done it much since....since...uh...I can't really remember, but not for a long time.”

Kravitz chuckled and Taako gave him a confused look.

“Your shoes, sir.” Kravitz held out a hand.

“What?”

“First one caught in a lie loses their shoes, remember?” Kravitz smirked. The realization dawned on Taako's face, and he smiled, then he started laughing. He clapped a hand to his forehead, and was laughing so hard he was crying a little.

“Oh shit!” he squealed. “You're fucking right, damn I really liked these ones.”

Taako put a leg up on Kravitz's lap and started the arduous process of removing the intricate heels. Kravitz tried very hard not to move.

“Here you go, asshole,” Taako snickered, handing over the shoes. “But you better give a homie a portal home so I don't have to walk with bare feet.”

“I wouldn't be that cruel,” Kravitz smirked, taking the heels.

When the portal opened up into Taako's room, Kravitz felt sad that the party was over. Some part of him had actually enjoyed being lied to and kidnapped for some strange wedding crashing. Some part of him had really enjoyed spending time with Taako.

“Well, this is me,” Taako said, stepping through the portal. “Thanks for the lift and...for...humoring me I guess.”

Kravitz was stunned to see that it was Taako blushing now, looking down at his feet sheepishly. The reaper smiled and gave Taako a deep bow.

“Well, anytime you want to win back your honor and your shoes...” Kravitz dangled the heels in front of Taako's face. “...give me a call.”

Then the portal was gone, and Taako and Kravitz were both left standing in their darkened rooms, hoping secretly that the reaper would get a chance to return the shoes.