#fluffy bat in the trees

[eats-the-stars]

upside to a workplace w/shop cats: free kitty time! take a short break to pet one of these little fur-balls

neutral side to a workplace w/shop cats: i have heard each of my coworkers meow at least once, which is odd but neither good nor bad

downside to workplace w/shop cats: one is obsessed with knocking over cups, making water placement a delicate act. also he once knocked a glass bottle of hot-sauce onto one of the machines and i had to clean it all up while he just sat there and took in the free entertainment

[agathasbaby]

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ 𝓒𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓂𝒶𝓈 𝓣𝓇𝑒𝑒 ..

paring: fbi agent!rio vidal x librarian!reader

word count: 1142

summary: a walk through times square with your girlfriend, a small interruption happens that’s quickly forgotten. or is it?

warnings: lots of fluff. mentions of past agathario, agatha as mean!detective!agatha, rio's soft spot is for you and only you.

A/N: lowkey wanna make this a series. for now this one’s just a fluffy one shot because im a sucker for rio.

The starry night was beautiful, filling the sky with soft light and tiny specks scattered throughout. Rio walked down the street with you, her possessive hand resting on your lower back, guiding you through the crowd of people. Earlier, you had begged her to take you to the town square, pleading with your best puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh, please! Pretty, pretty please?" you said, batting your eyelashes at her. "There will be such pretty lights!"

"No. I don’t care for this… holiday of yours," she replied.

A pout formed on your lips at her response, and she hated to see it turn into a frown. With a frustrated sigh, she gently patted your cheek, offering you a faint smile before finally giving in to your pleading

Which is how you ended up in this situation: led through crowds until, finally, the beautiful Christmas tree in the town square was visible to your eyes, which sparkled as brightly as the lights shining off the tree’s branches. Rio's arms were wrapped around your waist, her chin resting on your shoulder. Typically, she wasn't one to engage in public displays of affection, but tonight, with how stunning you looked, she couldn't help but feel a bit possessive of you. "Alright, you saw the stupid tree, can we go now?" she grumbles.

You were about to respond, lips parted, when a voice cut through. "Rio? Oh, how lovely it is to see you!" the voice chuckled, a sudden hand on Rio’s shoulder. You turned your head just enough to see who was talking to your girlfriend.

"Agatha?" Rio muttered, almost baffled to see the other woman. "Yes, dear! How are you?" Agatha’s voice was sickeningly sweet, you wanted nothing more for her to disappear. This is your little date with Rio after all. "I’m alright. And you?" Rio’s tone was deflated. Just as it is with anyone who simply isn’t you. "I’m amazing." the woman with slightly curly hair replied, an undercurrent of… well you couldn't quite place the intent in her tone. Her eyes fell upon you, you were just a few inches shorter than Rio, doe eyes big and curious, mixed with a bit of jealousy too.

She reached out to tilt your chin up, you expected Rio to immediately smack the hand away but all she did was tense up. Not daring to stand up to Agatha. That made you question who this woman was to Rio and what kind of past they had lingering. "Who’s this pretty thing?" her voice darkened, and you shuffled away, bringing your body closer to Rio’s. "None of your business." your girlfriend grumbled, which had Agatha pouting.

"Oh come on, dear! Don’t be like that. What’s your name?" Agatha turned to address you.

"Umm… who are you?"

"A friend of Rio’s, hon. No need to feel afraid." she dropped her voice to a whisper, reveling in the way you seemed to dislike her intimidating appearance. "Oh… okay," you whispered back, turning to gaze up at Rio. Her eyes filled with conflicting emotions. “She’s my girlfriend, Harkness.” Rio had finally spoken up, tugging you away from Agatha. "Ooh, she speaks." the brunette—who is standing tall—chuckles.

The Christmas tree no longer seemed interesting. Not when this random woman appeared, Making your already grumpy girlfriend feel even more sour. “Can we go home?” your voice was small, only Rio had picked up on it. She shook her head. "No, darling. Let’s enjoy the tree for a bit longer, yeah?" her voice had gentled, trying to coax you back into that adoring excitement you wore just minutes before. "If you don't mind, I’d like for you to leave us be, thank you." Rio’s voice was clipped with Agatha, who simply huffed, sending your girlfriend a glare before disappearing. There was obvious tension between the two. They clearly had some sort of relationship that crumbled into a million pieces.

You chose not to dwell on the questions swirling inside you. A soft kiss pressed against your cheek caught your attention. You glanced back up at Rio. There was a fire behind her eyes; however, she still looked as in love with you as ever. You smiled adoringly at her.

Time passed, and you walked around the town square, gawking at the pretty lights surrounding buildings. It was obvious the residents of West View, New Jersey adored Christmas just as much as you did. Rio found it incredibly ridiculous. It was only the middle of November, Thanksgiving hadn't even gone by!

Not that she even liked Thanksgiving.

You were hand in hand with her, swaying your arms. Truthfully you were just happy that Rio, for once, allowed you to show her so much affection in a public setting. She much preferred to be soft with you at home, not where a bunch of people could watch, their lingering eyes felt uncomfortable. As you passed by yet another store, you stopped abruptly, causing Rio to stumble back. Beautiful jewelry shined bright within the window. You couldn't help but admire them. Especially the necklaces. You were a sucker for shiny things that can rest on your collarbone, Rio couldn't care less. Though; she found joy in buying you jewelry. “Like something you see, my love?” her lips brushed against your ear, a shiver running down your spine at the contact. "The one with a pretty emerald! It’s your color." you smiled warmly.

Oh, you knew how to make Rio’s heart melt. A woman who is usually so dense and tough, she often only softens when it comes to you. You loved how she could go from rude to loving so quickly.

It didn't take long for Rio to grow exhausted with people. You felt the same way. Your home was looking mighty cozy now, and as you arrived, you rushed to the bedroom to change into warm pajamas. She wasn't too far behind. Rio decided she wanted to shower, you denied her offer to join.

Instead, you opted to make yourself and your girlfriend some hot chocolate. A little tray of snacks set on the coffee table, you on the couch, steamy mugs sitting by the snack try. And a remote in your hand as you scroll through Netflix. Debating what to put on to end your lovely night, despite the small interruption… as your girlfriend rounded the corner, you smiled brightly at her. "Baby! I made us hot cocoa." The tone in your voice was soft, full of that excitement Rio adored so much.

"How sweet of you. My sweet girl." she hummed, tapping your thigh til your legs instinctively fell open, allowing her to lay between them. Her head immediately rests on your stomach. You pressed play on the movie, willing the night to quiet down as you and Rio unwind. The rest of the night was filled with cuddles, kisses, and sweet treats.

[kisses4reid]

date night | ·˚ ༘ aaron hotchner ,,

summary - you’re late for date night after your own kindness distracts you, but aaron doesn’t care as long as you’re with him.

genre - fem!reader x aaron, reader has a job not at the bau (you can decide), fluffy fluff, date night, selfless reader, angst if you squint really close??

warnings - light swearing, r being rained on, blabbering and near crying, haley doesn’t exist neither does jack

w/c - it’s short. trust me.

a/n - pov: pia asks for requests, starts writing those requests, and instead uploads an original fic. enjoy!!! (this is from a year ago so beware the writing. i just need to upload something before the engagement goes down 😭)

It got dark quicker this evening. A storm was approaching, you could tell by the drizzle outside of your office window. Your colleagues were already packed up, waiting for you, and you shot them a small smile and scurried to pull on your jacket.

In the elevator there was a rumble, a girl you had begun to get close with gripped your arm obviously scared and you looked at her concerned. Her eyes batted at you and all you could do was squeeze her arm in reassurance - you weren’t going to point out her fear in an elevator of office men. She looked great, a nice dress shirt, hair done nicely. You recalled her giddy whispers from that morning, I have a date tonight!

The excitement felt weirdly familiar, you couldn’t put your finger on it.

And although the restaurant she was going to was close by, you still worried about the rain.

See, you often opted for the outdoor afternoon stroll, but now the dark clouds had rolled over and it felt more like walking home at night with no moon as your guide.

You waved your friend goodbye and stepped out from the covers of your office building, into the rainy street with a thin pink umbrella overhead. Your small heels clicked against the roads, your jacket barely saving you from the chill, and you set off to your fiancé’s apartment. Your apartment now, you reminded yourself.

The trees lining the avenues and backroads swayed in the rain that was starting to pound harder, and the puddles you avoided started to get, well, unavoidable. You had always loved rain. Spending the weekend snuggled against the large window of your apartments living room with a good book and a warm drink was one of your favourite things to do, but right now you slightly cursed the storm and wondered why you didn’t check the weather app this morning like you always do.

Your sole focus was seeing your fiancé, and yet when your attention catches on a struggling older lady, you can’t help but step through mud to help.

“Shit.” A shorter lady, maybe in her late 50’s, was pull a wagon of flowers and plants along the sidewalk, and each step she took, the back left wheel would spin uncontrollably or not spin at all.

You scurried over and approached the woman, talking from across the wagon, “Can I help you with this?”

The woman’s face crinkled with relief and she nodded furiously causing you to smile back.

Helping people was your way of paying back the world for how well it treated you (most of the time). Your parents were constantly helping others and you had no choice but to follow suit. And at times your friends had to tell you to calm it down, saying you were being selfless and sometimes even a pushover.

That didn’t stop you.

“Thank you so much! My legs are getting too old for this.” You pulled the wagon up by its back legs and moved with the woman to pull it under cover, closer to what you assumed to be her flower shop. She locked up the store promptly and thanked you again but you stopped her.

She was dressed in a lovely floral dress, a thick cotton apron and small ballet flats and you just couldn’t stand to see that outfit go to waste. You held out the handle of the pink umbrella, rain immediately dampening your hair.

The lady held a wrinkled hand to her heart and placed a red-lipsticked kiss on your cheek. Your heart sank slightly, realising you would not be coming home in the state you wanted to. It wasn’t like Aaron would care, it was your own worries about ruining the apartment’s carpet and probably the elevator too.

You started down the street, not attempting to avoid puddles or mud anymore, just attempting to hide under bus stop covers when you could. The rain was truly heavy now, but luckily you were only a block away from your apartment.

“Hi Aaron Hotchner.”

“Hi Y/n Hotchner.” His hair was combed nicely and he was still in his work suit, he looked stoic and so manly - you placed a chaste kiss on his lips. His large hands took your jacket off and a cheeky smile slipped on his face. “Why are you drenched?” He asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He definitely remembered you taking your umbrella before you left for work.

“Oh I,” you sighed, knowing you would get a small scold for your actions, “I walked in the rain.”

Aaron sighed, knowing you were lying for your and his own good. “Why didn’t you call me?”

You pouted, “I didn’t know if you’d be home.” You moved yourself further down the hall, Aaron trying but failing to keep you back. He clenched his fists as you stopped at the end of the hall in shock, you were supposed to close your eyes.

You held a hand over your mouth and let your eyes wander the room. Your dining table was decorating with candles and petals, there was an amazing smell coming from the kitchen and suddenly you felt the whole world crash onto you. How could you forget about date night?

“Oh my god, Aaron. Aaron, I am so sorry I completely forgot, oh my god.”

Aaron moved in front if you, a small smile adorning his handsome face, “Hey it’s okay, I understand it was raining and your umbrella magically disappeared. I only got here 10 minutes ago, I wasn’t waiting or anything.”

“Aaron I ruined it I mean- Look at me!” You looked down and extended your arms to motion at your whole being. Drenched dress, stuck hair, a shivering disaster.

“What do you mean-“

“My makeup is trashed, and- and my hair. There’s leaves in my hair! I’m wet and now your suit’s wet and- oh Aaron I’m so sorry, I don’t look like a good date at all.” Shoulders slumped, eyes tearing up, you looked down at your feet and felt your heart attacking your ribs.

“You don’t have to be sorry honey. I should be the one sorry, I didn’t think to come find you so you wouldn’t have to walk home in the rain.” He placed two fingers under your chin to lift your gaze back to his, and moved his other hand to pluck out a leaf from your hair.

“I ruined our date.”

“No you didn’t.” Aaron talked smoothly and low, as if you coming home looking like you’d been to hell and back wasn’t concerning him at all.

“Aaron I look horrible.”

“You look…”

“Awful? Hideous? Like Poseidon put me on a hit list?” You brought a hand up to wipe your eyes of slightly smudged mascara before Aaron’s larger hand caught it.

“You look beautiful. You look gorgeous, like always.” His eyes stared deep into yours, his hand squeezing around yours.

“… Thank you.” You sniffled, “You should just break up with me now.”

“Eh, that engagement ring was too much to let you go that fast.” He twisted your hand slightly to smile at the dazzling ring on your left hand. His hand moved from your face down to your waist and leaned in to place a loving kiss on your trembling lips before he caught a glance of something and paused. “How’d you get that red mark on your cheek?”

“Oh- I helped a lady out with her flower cart because it was stuck in the rain. And then I gave her my umbrella, and she kissed me on the cheek.”

He pulled back, sighing, “Y/n…”

“Her dress was very pretty, and I could tell her hair was freshly permed, okay. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same.” You crossed your arms over your chest and smiled cheekily.

“You’re unbelievable.” He couldn’t help but smile, he knew his girl was unforgivably selfless. Aaron took your hand and lead you to your bedroom so you could change for your date.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

He leant against the doorframe, “I meant it as a good thing. Let’s eat, and then we can shower, and you can tell me about your day was.”

You opened your closet and sighed, “I’m really sor-“

“Don’t say sorry. You can apologies but wearing something nice and complimenting my subpar cooking.” He shot you a charming smile that warmed your heart and exited to set up the food, all you could think of is how lucky you were to have him.

taglist (open!!) - @jeffswh0re @reap3erslov3 @candyd1es @0108s22m @aurorsworld @theoraekenslover

[jasmines-library]

Could you maybe write a platonic Damian x sibling reader (younger but not hy like a lot). And they had a nightmare and go to Damian in the middle of the night. And they're scared that he's gonna get mad that they woke him up, but they didn't know who else to go to

No pressure, of course!! I hope you have a wonderful day/night/afternoon or whatev!!! 🫶🫶🫶

Hold Me Like A Grudge

Summary: Ever since you joined your father at his home, Damian Wayne had despised you. He tries to spend his time as far away from you as possible, until one night you seek comfort in him after a nightmare and everything changes. (gn reader :))

Note: Thanks for requesting lovely! this was so cute to write and a much needed break from the angst for you all (kinda...)

Warnings: Being ignored by Dami, nightmares, none really it's a fluffy fic!

Word count: 1.4k

⛤ BATFAM MASTERLIST ⛤

Damian had never been one for comforting tendencies. He often chose to seclude himself away in a corner, brooding in his own self pity or grumbling about his early-teenage misery. Apparently it had gotten worse since you arrived; having another sibling to pester him didn’t sit well on his behalf, so each time the sound of your small feet pattered into the room, he would turn his gaze away or collect his belongings that he had strewn across the room and left. You weren’t entirely sure what you had done to receive the silent treatment from Damian. Dick, the eldest of the bunch, had tried to reassure you that it was nothing personal. That he had acted that way towards him when he first arrived sending his cold glares from across the room or barging past him in the hallways, but something about the way his face contorted and his lip twitched revealed something else. 

Damian Wayne was jealous. Despite the fact he would rather die than admit it, he couldn’t stand having someone else in his way. You were his biological half sister. The only other person related to the one and only Bruce Wayne. And he hated you for it. He hated Bruce for it. He hated himself for hating it, but that didn’t stop his grudge from lingering. It didn’t help that your charm meant you got along with the rest of the boys better than he did; you had shown them kindness where he had shown them coldness. 

When Bruce told him that he was responsible for you whilst the others were out on patrol he did very little to hide his disdain; rolling his eyes and stomping off to his room but not before snarling at you as he pushed past. 

The manor was eerily quiet that night. It was dark and without the obnoxiously loud antics of your older brothers the place felt empty. Damian was off sulking somewhere and Alfred was monitoring the computers so you were left alone to navigate the endless rooms and high ceilings. You hadn’t been at the manor long so you were still a bit unsteady when it came to navigating the maze of walls but without anyone to help you when you turned a wrong corner, it took you much longer than it should have to find your room. There were a few lights on in the halls, but all of the rooms were dark and vast and the condensation building up on the cold glass didn’t help your feeling of unease. A shiver crawled down your back and you tugged the hem of your hoodie over your hands. You breathed a heavy sigh of relief when you pushed open the door and collapsed onto your bed, burying yourself under the sheets and squeezing your eyes tightly.

Sleep didn’t come easy, much to your dismay. There were too many odd sounds drifting through the house; something clicking, the wind whipping around outside, tree branches tapping on the glass, a dripping tap in your bathroom that stopped for a few blissful minutes before starting up again with a monotonous tempo. Tucking your knees and head to your chest you tried to bury yourself deeper into the bed and drown out the sounds that to someone who had lived there a while wouldn’t even bat an eye at. 

When your tired body finally dragged sleep into it’s clutches it was restless. You tossed and turned with a furrowed brow. The images were dark and disturbing; twisted figures of your new family being captured, of strange figure looming over you in the dark reaching out a cold, bony hand that could have easily been mistaken for a claw until it was only inches away from, reaching and reaching until the icy digits brushed the surface of your skin.

You shot up, kicking off the sheets and clutching your skin where the hand had touched you; you could have sworn you could still feel it there so cold that it felt as though it were going to burn a hole into your delicate skin. Tears rolled fat and ugly down your cheek and your forced yourself out of bed with trembling legs. Your feet carried you down the hall and before you knew it had planted you outside of Damian’s room. Like the others it was dark and silent, but you knew it was his. You had walked past it too many times, itching to just catch a chance of talking to him. Despite your state, your hand hovered above the frame unable to bring yourself to knock. What if he yelled at you or turned you away like he usually does? You supposed you could go and find Alfred instead- no. He was busy. The idea was gone from your head almost as soon as it had appeared and with a shaky sob you rapped your knuckles against his door. 

“What do you want-”

He opened the door much quicker than you thought he would. His jostled hair and cantankerous stare loomed over you, but he changed very unexpectedly when he noticed your sobbing and dewy eyes. Without thinking twice you wrapped your arms around him bawling into his chest. His body relaxed slightly as he frowned sympathetically, wrapping an arm around you and bringing you closer to him. It was odd even to him that there was something special about the moment. Damian wrapped you and led you over to his messy bed, settling you on the edge. The dampness that has seeped into the middle of his shirt didn’t bother him as he crouched down on his toes in front of you. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, uncharacteristically tenderly. 

“I…i-” You stuttered trying to force the story out but only failing which just ended up causing a fresh bout of tears to fall. 

The boy cupped your hands in his, getting your attention. Tilting your head up, you saw his softened gaze. 

“Calm down, kiddo. You’re okay.” He gave you a gentle nod of reassurance. 

It took a few moments but soon your blubbering slowed into something of a calm, only interrupted by the occasional hiccup that pushed it way past your lips. 

“That’s it kid.” He rubbed your back “You’re okay.”

“I’m so-rry.” You hiccupped. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

This made Damian pause as a feeling of being humbled washed over him. 

“Tt. Why would I be mad?”

“Because I woke you up.” You pushed yourself up to stand, wiping away tears and making your way to the door. “I’m sorry. I’m being stupid.”

“Oh..y/n…”

Everything seemed to hit Damian all at once. He had been so caught up in his own jealousy that he had completely refused to think about how you felt and it occurred to him that you had so much more in common. You were a scared kid who had just been thrown amongst the most complicated family in Gotham. You were in need of love and guidance and he had failed to do that. The dark haired boy began to feel very guilty. It was his responsibility as your older brother to show you the ropes and he had point blank refused. 

He pushed himself up and settled down on the bed gesturing for you to follow. For a moment he thought that he had completely ruined everything; that you were going to leave and just suffer in silence albeit you walked over to the bed and perched on the end enjoying the way that the memory foam sank down slowly around you.

“I’m so sorry that I haven’t been there for you. It was selfish of me, I understand now that-”

“It’s okay.” You cut him off with a smile.

He nodded contently and pulled you into a hug. 

After a while you meekly broke the silence. “Dami?”

“Mmh?”

“Can I stay here tonight? Please?”

Damian grinned down as his little sibling proudly for the first time since you had arrived. He then shuffled across the bed and opened up the duvet for you to clamber in next to him. He slung an arm over you protectively. 

“You can stay whenever you need, Little Bat.” 

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

A Moment

SxSG Aftermath One-Shot

Shadow was quiet for the rest of the party, but that was to be expected. He wasn't completely out of it, though, which was a pleasant surprise. He talked with the others, had a long conversation with Blaze about something or other, sat with the chao for a while, and smiled at a joke Sonic made– when he wasn't looking, of course. If the blue hedgehog ever realized Shadow thought he was funny, then they'd never hear the end of it.

But once Tails and Cream fell asleep under the tree, the two bushy fox tails wrapped around them both, everyone started to separate. Sonic picked up his brother and carried him on his shoulders, Blaze and Silver disappeared into wherever it was they came from, and Team Dark went back to Rouge's place.

Rouge had an apartment above her club. It wasn't big, definitely not big enough for three lifeforms, but Rouge stubbornly refused to move, and Shadow never thought to ask her to, and Omega used to live in a closet, so anything was an upgrade, really. Rouge swore under her breath as she kept missing the lock on the door, her numerous keychains bouncing around and reflecting starlight. Omega offered to shoot the door apart, but Rouge reminded him about their insurance rates, and Shadow let out a noise that might've been a laugh. Rouge took that as a win.

Once they were inside, they went up the stairs, and Rouge immediately flopped onto her fluffy sofa, stretching out her wings and letting out a yawn as loud as she could make. "Good Gaia, that was a long day."

"Hmmph. Tell me about it." Shadow amiably rolled his eyes, sitting at the edge of the sofa, barely finding room with the bat all spread out.

"TECHNICALLY, YOU ARE CORRECT." Omega informed her. "AS THE TIME DISTORTION MADE THE DAY LONGER THAN–"

"Yes, big guy, I know. Maybe I shoulda taken a nap in White Space. Whoo! The paperwork on this is gonna be insane."

"IF YOU SO WISH, I CAN BURN THE PAPERS."

"Tempting. We'll see." Rouge sat up, rolling her shoulders and sighing. "Might actually crash here for the night. I know I'm usually upside-down, but everything just aches, you know?"

Shadow nodded, staring at the floor.

Rouge waited a moment, watching him carefully. She glanced at Omega, who wisely figured out that something involving those pesky "emotions" was happening, and that was not his area of expertise, so he simply let Rouge take the lead.

"So," Rouge said quietly, scooting a bit closer to Shadow. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Shadow shook his head.

"You wanna ignore it?"

He shook his head again.

"Okay. You want advice, comfort, distractions? Weighted blanket? Coffee beans?"

"Just..." Shadow closed his eyes, trying to figure out what he did want.

Rouge let him take all the time he needed. After all, Shadow wasn't used to being in touch with his emotions, especially not after such a wreck of a day.

Finally, after a long pause, Shadow said, in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, "I just need a moment. Just one. To let it out."

Rouge shrugged. "Knock yourself out. You earned it. Just try not to break the floor agai–"

Shadow let out an ear-splitting scream, gripping onto his knees so tight she was surprised the thread on his gloves didn't snap. Omega immediately leapt forwards, prepared for an attack, only to realize this was, once again, part of the "feelings" department. Both of them stared at Shadow, Rouge with wide eyes, until Shadow stopped screaming and then, even more shockingly, started loudly sobbing.

For a while, nobody moved. Omega glanced towards the door, but then decided to stay, watching Shadow carefully as he continued to cry. Then Rouge spread a wing over him, wrapping it over his shaking arms. She knew Shadow wasn't a touchy guy, so that was all she planned to do, until he practically threw himself at her in a hug, clinging to her and burying his face in her shoulder. She stiffened, and then hugged him back, running her fingers through his quills in a way that reminded him of someone else.

"Alright, bud." she said softly. "Let it out. We'll be here."

[kiame-sama]

Humans Are Extinct (Yandere!TWST x Fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 15

(Painting done by @Sugar-sprinkles Thank you again for the fan art, I love it!)

Warnings; nightmares, comfort after nightmares, communal grooming, blood for the blood gods attitude, grudges, breakfast, let him cook, new technology, Dragon, Vampire Bat, Raiju, Cervitaur, Hellcat, Shinigami, Gnoll,

~~~~~~~~

The pleasant electric purple sky swirled above you, rolling with fluffy clouds of shadows bathed in pastels. Green fireflies surrounding you as you lay back on a vast blanket in some forgotten field that faced the setting sun at a wonderful angle to view. Delicate glass flowers swayed, the surface of the glass moving organically as if they were fluid.

Around you countless colors gleamed in the gentle light and warm rays of the red sun set. A soft warm breeze skated across your skin despite the fading light and lowering temperature heralding the arrival of night. Stars dotted in the darkening sky and you noticed the various colors they all seemed to have. Beautiful poisonous purples, handsome prideful golds, rosey blood reds, pearly selfish whites, royal electric greens, intelligent underworld blues, cunning clueless maroons. They danced and moved above you the same way the fireflies leaped around and hummed.

You know better than to be alone.

What?

Where's Malleus?

He didn't seem to be lying with you, or any of the hoard for that matter. Actually, where was everyone? You were well and truly alone in a field. This isn't your home. None of this is familiar.

The stars faded away suddenly, one by one flickering out of sight as the light of the sun faded to darkness. The woods on the edge of the field seemed so much closer now, whispering and moving shadows among the trees with glowing eyes that stared.

Only the light of the fireflies remained, eyes glowing a reflective green in the dark. A snarling growl splits the air followed by a howl from behind you. All around there is barks and flashes of teeth in the dark.

They drew closer as the fireflies dimmed. Your heart seizing as the light seemed to keep them at bay.

'Wait!'

Your voice was soundless as you tried to call to the fireflies to stay, trying to scream but unable to.

'Come back!'

The lights dimmed further as the Wolves circled round and gnashed their teeth. The largest and more scar covered one lunged as the fireflies went out.

All you heard was Grim crying out your name.

~•§•~

Eyes snapped open as you startled awake, a familiar pair of green eyes observing as you awoke. Malleus was watching you with a worried gaze in the dark room, his thin brows drawn together in concern as you somewhat struggled upon waking. You had been sharing a blanket with the Dragon when you fell asleep, so naturally it was the Dragon who woke you.

"You're safe, my Child of Man. It was just a dream."

You didn't realize you were crying until he used his thumb to wipe away your tears. In your chest, your heart beat frantically as you tried to understand where you were and what happened. Slowly you realized that you were safe in the nest with Malleus by your side. Lilia sat awake and watched you with a concerned gaze, his eyes fixed on how disoriented you were.

"Just a dream."

As you calmed somewhat from your fear, you were still disoriented from your nightmare and another almost irrational concern overcame you.

"Why do you never call me by my name?"

"What?"

"My name. You never say my name. Why do you hate it?"

"I don't-"

"Then why?"

Malleus seemed caught off guard by your sudden sensitivity to his usual way of addressing you, trying to calm you once more. When you didn't calm down and only teared up again he worriedly pulled you close to him, laying his wing over you and holding you against his chest. His tail curled over your side and held you close to the Dragon.

"I apologize, my- (Y/n). I didn't know it upset you."

His dark lips pressed against your forehead and the Dragon held you in place against his chest, "I won't call you 'Child of Man' again. I will only call you by your name."

"So you don't hate my name?"

"No. I don't hate your name."

Though Malleus was vaguely concerned how upset you were over what- to him- was an irrational worry of yours, he was content to soothe you. Whatever you had been dreaming about clearly upset you to your core and it fueled your almost hazed perception from interrupted rest. The Dragon was a decent enough source of comfort to you and it helped pull you back into the realm of sleep.

As you lay in his arms and slowly calmed, your eyes started to close again as your heart soothed to a soft lull in your chest. Malleus used his own magic to pull you faster into the arms of pleasant dreams, but you still mumbled out your concerns to the bemused Dragon.

"You don't hate me, right?"

"I don't think I could ever hate you, (Y/n)."

"And you won't leave me to those Wolves?"

"What Wolves?"

"The ones in my sleep... The ones that chase me when the fireflies go out."

Malleus paused, vaguely upset that you had clearly been having nightmares. It hurt him to know the Poachers that attacked you stalked you in your sleep. He could remove them from life, but to remove them from your dreams would be harder. Luckily for you, Malleus was adept at manipulating dreams.

"I won't let them get you. I promise."

You hummed, mostly back into that in-between state of awareness, your mind slowly slipping off into slumber. A faint green light met your eyelids as you fully succumbed back into rest, dreams now of a far more peaceful nature. The great Dragon remained by your side, in your dreams and out of them as he marveled at the soft feel of your figure laying in his embrace.

His greatest treasure.

"Malleus."

"Yes, Lilia?"

"You asked why I wasn't displeased you chose a short lived creature as your desired mate. That is because she doesn't have to live such a short life if you are willing to extend it. So long as you protect her, she can live as long as you do, and never succumb to age."

"How?"

"Let me teach you a valuable lesson, as it had been taught to me by your grandmother. Only a dragon can truly perfect it, but it means neither of us have to live in worry of her age taking her away."

~•§•~

You woke again with the usual hoard among you, Malleus still holding his position next to you and your nightmare long forgotten. It seemed to you that he was being more protective than usual and you worried for your own peace. The Dragon's behavior towards you was much more stringent due to your injury and your repeated exacerbation of that injury. He was now ensuring you healed, going as far as insisting on accompanying you, Silver, and Ortho for the day to make certain you didn't stand without help.

Luckily, you weren't going to classes today because it was the day the various representatives and scientists arrived to evaluate your wellbeing. The threat of being taken from your established norm in this world of madness unsettled you. Honestly, you had worked hard to create a sense of normalcy quite quickly given the circumstances and still you had very little time to relax without threat. Maybe today would be a good test of the bonds you had made.

Truth was, you were angry and upset and just trying to survive in a world built against you. Cater was a damned idiot for revealing you were at NRC and you paid the price for his lack of awareness and discretion. Leona threatened you and you knew even then that you didn't stand a genuine chance if you lashed out. You held your anger in well but you wanted to yell and snap at the tactless men around you that invited themselves into your space.

Even with all that rage, the brush with the Poachers taught you something important. As it was right now, you didn't stand a chance on your own in this world of beasts. In the beginning it felt like the Dragon took you in far too quickly, the rest in the Hoard following suit. The more time you spend among them the more you began to realize everyone in this world acted this way. This was normal to them. The strongest chose who they wanted and the others just had to accept it.

If there was a chance you could escape this world, it would be where you fell into it in the first place. You couldn't tell any of the monster men, however. Knowing what could await the Humans back in your world if the monsters ever knew how to get to them, it was better to try and slip away without any of them knowing. You figured your way home was probably linked to the Hall of Mirrors. The Hall of Mirrors was only in Night Raven College, however. If you got taken away, you would never have the chance to return home.

Malleus swore to help you relax before you were to meet the monsters that no doubt wanted to study you like a lab-rat. If Idia was right, one of them wanted to kill you as well. Your only chance in this world was to ensure the monsters that were fond of you stayed fond of you. That didn't seem too difficult a task, but that meant you needed to ensure you kept your temper contained so that safety net did not abandon you. On top of your health and safety, there was the health and safety of Grim. He needed your protection and you needed the protection of the monster men.

At least you made considerably strong allies. Two of the strongest in the world were enamored by you- one seeming more parental in his affections than the other- their associated allies would follow suit. You could bargain for more personal space later, for now you simply needed to cement yourself in place and keep those representatives from trying to take you. By all means, you were fighting for your chance to return to your true home and the simple chance to live where you could mostly trust those around you.

As the sun rose, the warm scent of breakfast foods caught your attention. No doubt the only other one capable of cooking- Papa Hades- was already up and making a meal to feed the many who seemed to now permanently live in your dorm with you. It was a relief to not have to be the one cooking and you were fairly content with allowing the Shinigami to cook for you.

Grim had moved from his usual spot atop Silver's back and had managed to squeeze into your arms, cuddled close to you. Maybe he also had a bad dream and sought out comfort from the one he saw as a parent. It was odd to you to have more information about the Hellcat, yet no actual answers to the questions you still held onto. If anything, at least you knew what Grim was and you were willing to bring him with you if you ever found a way back to your home. There was no way you would leave the kit alone in such a dangerous world.

Lilia was next to rouse as he stretched his wings, limbs extended as he yawned and his pink tongue flashed across his bat-nose. When he saw you were awake as well, he smiled and crawled through the nest to your side. He was quick to flop down next to you and gently lay a wing over your body. There was something comforting about the loose affectionate hold as the Vampire Bat hummed contently.

"Morning, (Y/n)."

The Bat almost purred his greeting, clearly happy to have any interaction with you. You absently reached up a hand, petting the soft hair of the Bat as he smiled and cuddled closer. He leaned into your touch as if your petting was akin to a massage.

"Aww, grooming me back? That's so sweet of you, (Y/n)."

"What?"

"Keeheehee, nothing, (Y/n). Be careful who you pet, some may take it as grooming, some may take it as flirting."

You almost wanted to stop petting the Bat when he said this, wondering which way he took the gentle affection. Given the fact he told you and gave warning, you figured he was in the grooming category. Especially when you recalled that he was always keen to participate in communal grooming with the other Hoard members.

"Is petting a part of grooming to you?"

"Yes, most take petting as grooming, which is a very social behavior. It's a good way you can show others you care about them. Be careful though, Harpies can take preening as a sign of romantic intentions. Both Silver and Sebek are quite fond of it, as is Malleus. I, clearly, like it a lot."

"So, you're saying I should pet the others in the Hoard to show them I'm thankful for them?"

"It certainly wouldn't be amiss. I'm sure Malleus would appreciate it quite a bit, he is fond of you, after all."

You turned from Lilia to Malleus who was still in deep sleep next to you. It seems unwise to startle the Dragon, but a very persistent part of you encouraged and pushed you to reach your hand up to rest atop the Dragon's head. When he didn't immediately wake at your touch you slowly began to pet his silky black hair, a soft almost purring noise slowly coming from Malleus as he began to rouse. One green eye opened to observe you gently petting his hair and the slightest of smiles pulled at the corner of his lips.

"Good morning, my (Y/n). Hopefully your sleep was more pleasant this time around?"

"No more nightmares, at least."

"Good. Were you waiting long for me to wake?"

"No, I woke up a bit ago. I think Silver and Sebek are still asleep though."

Malleus glanced to the other side of the nest, where Silver slept atop a pile of pillows, Sebek leaning his back up against the Cervitaur. Grim woke to your soft voices, yawning and stretching out his little paws and wings with a light purr. Almost as soon as he opened his eyes, you could hear his stomach growling.

"Hooman, is it breakfast time yet?"

"Yes, I think it is. Smells like it is, at least."

This made the little Hellcat stand up quickly, his tail lashing in excitement as he pulled at your fingers to try and get you up as well. Your laugh in response to his behavior woke the other occupants of the nest. Silver seemed somewhat groggy, but got up quickly as did Sebek.

"Do you want to dress first, or eat breakfast first, (Y/n)?"

"I want to get dressed first, maybe I can wear some of those clothes Vil, Rook, and professor Divus made for me."

"Alright."

The Reindeer Cervitaur dismounted from the nest, standing with his back in line with the edge of the nest so you could crawl onto him. Before you could move and potentially stress your injury, a black tail wrapped around you and lifted you from the bed. Lilia had already hopped off and dug through the now full dressers for an outfit for you. You somewhat didn't know if you could trust what the Vampire Bat chose for you, but the simple pants and flowy shirt seemed decent enough.

The solitude of your bathroom was a nice change from the herd of monster men, but once you had taken care of your morning routine and dressed, Silver carried you downstairs. Naturally, the rest of the Hoard followed suit as you all went to the waiting kitchen.

You were somewhat surprised to see the kitchen had been upgraded as well, noticing a few new electronics you had asked Idia to put together for you. Where there had once been a shabby industrial kitchen, you now saw upgraded ovens, stove-tops, fridges and even a self revolving pantry. What interested you the most was what looked like a large deep-fryer that seemed to be able to clean itself and remove the thick unheated oil without needing to be touched. The things you could now make with that fryer called to you and you resolved to spend a day cooking fried comfort food when your leg healed.

Provided you could stay in Night Raven College.

"Good morning, Little One."

The large and old Shinigami greeted you with a gentle smile, setting the- clearly new- table with plates, bowls, cups, and silverware. He had already placed the large bowls of food in the center of the table. At the head was a large chair- suitable to his own large form- and one large chair at the right hand side where Idia already sat. To the left of the large chair was a chair much more suited to you. Attached to it with its own small table, seemed to be a high-chair for Grim.

Ruggie was already present and whooping excitedly, cackling as he hopped in place to see past Ortho who was trying to stop the Gnoll from immediately digging in. You smiled and Silver helped you dismount, pulling the chair out for you to settle down at the taller than normal table before putting Grim in the high-chair next to you. Idia noticed the way you examined the table and smiled almost shyly at you.

"Don't worry, the table can be automatically adjusted for height. Just press the side buttons at the head of the table to make it shorter or taller. Figured you should have an actual place to sit and eat instead of that little scrub table you had before. I got a few of those things you wanted made and all hooked up. They should work properly, but tell me if they don't so I can tweak them."

"Thank you, Idia. Honestly, I'm amazed you got them done so quickly."

"Why? My main spec is technomancy, after all."

"Just impressed, is all."

A faint pink seemed to take over Idia's flame hair as the gems on his cheeks also burned a light magenta. His smile became an almost drunk grin as he showed off those sharp teeth of his, clearly pleased by your light praise.

"Well, if that's impressive, just wait till you see the heated blanket I've been working on for you. That'll really knock your socks off."

"I'm looking forward to it!"

Ortho sighed and let Ruggie rush forward to the food as he took his seat next to Idia at the table, serving his own plate. The Hoard and Papa Hades also sat down at the table, Malleus making a clear show of sitting next to you and Grim. Everyone seemed content to eat and lightly chat together, you switching between eating your food and getting more food for Grim.

"He will likely need a lot of food to grow properly," Papa Hades started, observing you and Grim with a gentle smile, "he is still very young. I am happy to lend aid where it is needed, if you would allow it. Seeing as you have many who eat among you at any time, it would be best to keep the cupboards well stocked."

"Careful," you warned with a happy smile, "I might take you up on that offer and you'll wind up feeding all of Night Raven College. I mean, you'll certainly be feeding me, Grim, and Ruggie, but I know a few others who would happily dig in if offered."

"I wouldn't offer if I didn't expect several more mouths to feed. Worry not, my kin and I hold a good portion of the wealth of Twisted Wonderland. It is not too burdensome to feed the many young that live here."

You smiled at this and Ruggie barked his agreement, still shoveling food into his mouth. Grim was purring and pulled your hand to him so you could continue feeding him, effectively ending the conversation as you let the small beast feast.

When everyone had finished eating, Ortho and Idia started clearing the table, leaving you and the others present to talk about the events that would take place. It was stressful, but you knew the conversation needed to be had, especially if you were going to catch the representative who hired the poachers.

"You will meet them in a panel type setting around lunchtime, your guards, the professors, and Headmage Crowley will be there. I will keep my presence concealed until I am needed should there be any threats from the representatives or scientists. Young Idia suggests you pushback against any representative who attempts to pressure you into speaking to them alone or accepting their judgement. If this traitor is as temperamental as we believe, they will reveal themselves quickly with any aggression or denial from you. Are you comfortable handling this?"

"So I just have to be a petulant brat to anyone who tries to speak for me instead of to me?"

"That is the idea."

"I can do that, I think."

The large Shinigami nodded, but it was Malleus who spoke next. His voice a deep rumble in his chest as he turned to you with an almost worried gaze.

"(Y/n), I know you likely don't want to hear this, but you need to know. The representative in question will likely be killed once others learn what they have done to threaten you. Depending on where they live, they may be in violation of laws previously put in place to protect Humans."

Your frowned at this, but not for the reason they believed. If anything, you wanted something awful to happen to whoever it was that hired the poachers to kill you. The poachers stabbed you, attacked you and Grim, on top of threatening to kill the both of you. There was no love lost in your heart for the orchestrator of this violence against you and your kit.

"You seem to think I'm going to just forgive them after everything they've done?"

"Well, given how you forgave Cater-"

"I haven't forgiven Cater in the slightest. Just because I didn't want him to be thrown into the forest does not mean I forgave his short sighted actions. The circumstances with Cater are different. I fully believe Cater genuinely didn't know and is just stupid, not thinking about lasting consequences despite general logic speaking to the contrary. He is not forgiven, I just didn't want to see him hurt on my behalf. This poacher wannabe, however, is not someone I care to protect. No, I want this fucker's blood to stain the floor."

Malleus seemed surprised at your anger towards this mystery monster, but he didn't really blame you for your anger. If anything, the only two out of your tablemates who did not seem particularly shocked at your aggression and rage were Lilia and Papa Hades.

"This... seems out of character for you, (Y/n), are you sure you're feeling well?"

"I personally feel just fine. What I don't feel fine with is the fact that this butt-hurt waste of space knowingly dared to put Grim- My Boy- in direct danger to line their own pockets. That I can't forgive or forget. I'll even do it myself if you all refuse to. I don't care what their social standing is or how hard I have to try to kill them, target my boy and forfeit your life. I feel the same for any poachers who are looking to kill or otherwise use me for their own gain. Neither Grim nor I are pets, trophies, or playthings. Anyone who thinks we are needs a reality check."

It was then Lilia spoke up, setting down his flute of tomato-juice next to his plate. His voice was almost giddy in comparison to your own less than amused tone.

"Don't be so surprised, Malleus. I've told you and others before how Humans are about their young. Even the nicest Humans would be out for blood if you dare harm their young. Little Grimmy is (Y/n)'s boy, her kit, and I would expect her to hate anyone that threatens him."

The Bat almost seemed to exchange words silently with the Dragon after his statement, Malleus conceeding with a nod.

"Alright. But let one of us handle them, okay? I understand you are angry, but you have no weapons to your name and I am unsure you have any weapon training. If we need to kill them due to violence towards you, I would rather it be done quickly and without harm to you. Is that amenable?"

"Fine, but after this, one of you is teaching me how to wield a sword or a dagger."

[blackmarketfruitrollups]

Bad For Business (Howl Pendragon X Fem!Reader)

Warnings: None really, just a fluffy little drabble

Knock knock

"Who could that be?" Y/n muttered, setting aside the bread dough she'd been kneading and wiping her flour covered hands on her apron. She started making her way through her cottage towards the front door, dodging the drying herbs hanging from the ceiling and speaking quietly to herself. "I'm sure the sign out there says closed."

You see, Y/n worked at an apothecary, or more accurately lived in an apothecary. She lived in a small little cottage toward the edge of town, her property surrounded by a fence covered in rosebushes. Behind her home was the garden in which she grew the herbs and other medicinal plants for her customers, often being occupied by her grouchy cat Snips.

Speaking of which, here he came now, the old black cat hobbling towards the front door on his three remaining legs to see what the commotion was about.

Knock Knock

Once they both had arrived at the door Y/n unlocked and opened it to reveal two children, a boy and girl who looked to be around ten. They both seemed nervous, the girl hiding behind the boy as he shifted on his feet looking rather skittish.

Snips poked his head around Y/n's legs and yowled at the sight of unfamiliar guests, making both the children jump and look at him frightened.

"Can I help you two?" Y/n smiled, gently pushing Snips back into the house and out of view with her foot.

"Uh, well-" the girl started before the boy cut her off.

"We've come to see the Wizard-" he paused, looking her up and down before continuing. "Uh Witch Howl. I'm assuming that's you?"

Y/n rolled her eyes and smiled softly, shaking her head with a chuckle. "I'm afraid I'm not."

Both the children looked dreadfully confused, tilting their heads at her.

"We were told to come down this street, they said it would be obvious were the wizard lived." The boy stated.

"We came here because we assumed the wizard would live in a scary looking cottage." The girl piped up.

"A scary looking cottage?" Y/n laughed again. "Well what's so scary about it?"

"You have gargoyles out front." The boy deadpanned.

"I saw bats in those trees." The girl pointed towards one of the trees in her front yard.

"Oh that's just Frank and his family." The woman said, waving it off.

"You have a black cat roaming around screaming." The boy stared pointedly behind her legs at Snips.

"Your shutters are painted black-" the girl started again.

"Alright, alright I get your point." Y/n stopped them. "Would you believe this is the eighth time this has happened this week?" She sighed, then smiled softly.

"The Wizard Howl lives across the street."

"You mean in that place covered in lights and flowers and pinwheels an-" the boy started listing.

"Yes that would be the one." Y/n laughed. "There you will find the great Wizard Howl. And please, tell him he needs to put up a sign. I run an apothecary, people already assume I'm a witch and this isn't really helping."

She waved to the children as the walked back down her front path and out the gate. Shutting and locking the door she turned and looked to Snips who was laying lazily in a windowsill with one eye half open.

"I tell you that man is bad for business. Well, I suppose incase those kids forget I'll tell him to put up a sign myself over supper. Well c'mon Snippy, I've got food to finish."

[delulustateofmind]

Married to Fire (One Shot!)

Summary: You married Eris a decade ago! Sweet moments with your mate :)

A/n: ALRIGHT! Who ordered the Eris fluff, oh wait that's me because there's like NONE out there. Okay there's a couple. Anyways, I wrote this puppy up before some drinks, so it is unedited. I'm currently on summer break in case you were like how are you writing so fast. It's because I am bored out of my delulu mind.

WC: 1.7k

Warnings: SUPER FLUFFY, mentions of keir *vomit*, drinking, mentions of gambling.

****

Eris, who was now a High Lord after the death of Beron, was somehow your mate. You, the daughter of a poor parsnip farmer, had found yourself bound to the High Lord who did not judge your upbringing. The balance, however, was difficult—getting used to living in a massive castle and all. With your mate constantly busy with his duties, he still made time for you the best that he could.

Even with your petty arguments...

"No, my flame," Eris drawled as he lay in bed reading budget reports. The velvet comforter rested below his hips, exposing his muscular chest. You, however, stood in the doorway with a huff, your twelve hunting dogs leashed up and tails wagging aimlessly.

"Please, it's cold out there, and imagine how warm they would be in our sheets," you pouted, batting your lashes and giving him your best doe-eyed look.

"They're dirty, and I don't think twelve dogs could even fit in our bed," Eris replied, raising his gaze to you. His reading glasses rested on the bridge of his nose as he continued, "Don't even think about it during my business trip to Hewn City next week either," his tone scolding as if you were a child.

You sighed dramatically, slumping against the doorframe, fake exaggerated tears pooling out. "But they're so lonely without us," you whined, giving the dogs' leashes a small tug as they all stared at Eris. Their eyes were not so pleading, as they probably did not understand the situation, but it was still an effort.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes, running a hand through his amber hair. "My flame, my love, oh how I adore you and your...enthusiasm. But twelve hunting dogs in our bed is simply not practical." Eris drawled out, setting his reports to the side, completely understanding that he would not be getting work done this evening.

"I could wash their paws?" you offered in a small voice, the pout remaining on your face as you looked at him.

Eris chuckled before replying in a teasing tone, "And their asses too?" You grimaced as you looked away, your cheeks heating up. That was something you would rather not partake in.

You looked away for a moment before relenting with a sigh. "Fine...but I ordered them all dog beds with their initials," you said, looking back at him with a challenging look.

Eris's lips twitched into a small smile. "If that's what you want to spend your allowance on instead of fancy dresses and jewels, then by all means, go ahead," he teased as he patted the space beside him on the bed, a silent invitation for you to join him.

A maid ushered the dogs away, perhaps thankful that they were all so well-trained, as she shut the door behind her. You smiled as you began to crawl into bed next to Eris, nestling into his warmth and feeling his arm wrap around you.

"Please don't cause too much chaos while I'm gone, alright?" he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

You grinned as you nuzzled closer to him. "No promises, I have to keep you on your toes, High Lord."

*****

Eris was not cut out for manual labor; could he sword fight? Of course! Could he help your family harvest parsnips? Hell no.

Eris grunted as he lifted the basket full of parsnips into the wooden trailer. You were helping your mother harvest from the fruit trees, yet your gaze constantly shifted to him. The way his muscles flexed under the autumn sun, drenched in sweat, and those leather pants so tight around his thick thighs—Mother above, save you. Your mother gave you a look that said, "Stop gawking and get back to work," causing you to roll your eyes as you picked an apple from the tree.

Eris walked over to you after loading the last basket. Using his tunic to wipe off the sweat, his amber gaze fixed on you.

"My sweet little flame, you know I could hire people to do this for your family, right?" he grunted as he pulled you into an embrace and planted a kiss on the top of your head. You pretended to be grossed out by the sweat, pulling away from him. He gave you a mocking smile and a deep laugh. "Seriously though, love, your family could move into the palace. I mean, we have more than enough space," he continued, furrowing his brows.

You shrugged in response. "This is how they like to live; it's honest work after all. My father likes to brag at the market that the High Lord loves our produce," you flashed him a cheeky smile as he rolled his eyes. "Plus, they wouldn't know what to do with themselves. They wouldn't feel like they belonged. I mean, hell, sometimes I don't—"

Eris stopped you by flicking your nose. "You do belong in the palace," his look was stern as he gazed down at you, the heat in his eyes resembling a flame. "If anyone ever dares to make you feel like you don't belong at court, I will...do unspeakable things to them," he breathed those last few words. You just nodded and pressed against his chest. Eris still had some trauma to work through, but he was better now after the years you two had been married.

Later that evening, when Eris had to go to Hewn City...

With a plop of a turnip onto Keir's lap, Eris entered the room. "Sorry I'm late," he said, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. He still had to maintain relations; without Keir, he wouldn't have been able to execute his father.

"Bath or something, you smell like a farm," Keir grimaced.

Eris smirked, taking a long sip of his drink. "It's called honest work, Keir. Something you might want to try sometime."

Keir rolled his eyes. "I've heard of it, thanks. But really, what were you doing?"

"Helping my mate's family with their harvest," Eris replied, leaning back in his chair. "They're good people. And it was...refreshing, in a way."

Keir raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "High Lord of Autumn Court, sweating it out in the fields. Never thought I'd see the day."

Eris took a long sip of his whiskey, feeling the burn slide down his throat. He glanced at the glass as he learned back into the armchair. “I’ll take that bath, Keir. But don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten why I’m here. Let’s get down to business.” 

******

Obviously, Eris could handle a drunken mate.

When you drank, you drank like a sailor. Eris would just blame it on your upbringing—how you were so used to drinking at taverns with rogues and mercenaries.

With a tug of his embroidered vest, Eris walked into the loud tavern. Dancers swirled on the stage, their scarves dancing in rhythm with the beat of the drums. In his younger days, he might have enjoyed this scene, but now, with you, well, that was all he could ask for. His eyes traveled the room until they rested upon you, chugging a pint of beer on top of a table.

By the Cauldron, you were a handful.

The crowd was cheering, "Chug, chug, chug!" as you finished and set down the glass next to fifteen others. You cheered triumphantly with the crowd.

Dear heavens, this was his mate. With a scowl, he walked over to you. You cheekily smiled at him, but some members of the crowd backed away, sensing the tension.

"Eris!" you exclaimed, your voice slurred but filled with joy. "Come join us! The fun's just getting started!"

Eris sighed, reaching up to steady you as you wobbled on the table. "My flame," he began, his tone a mix of exasperation and amusement, "you know how much I adore you, but this is not exactly the best place for you to be showcasing your drinking talents."

You pouted, hopping down from the table with his assistance. "But they love me here! I'm like a legend!"

Eris couldn't help but chuckle, wrapping an arm around your waist to keep you steady. "A legend, indeed. But perhaps it's time to head home?"

You gave him a pout as he continued, “You do know gambling is outlawed, correct? You wouldn’t have been betting right, on perhaps who could drink the most?” 

Your eyes widened innocently, but the mischievous glint remained. “Who me? I wouldn’t dream of it,” you said, attempting to sound so sincere yet clearly failing at the task. 

Eris cocked a brow, clearly unconvinced. “Really? Because I swore I saw a few coins being exchanged after you finished that glass.” 

You bit your lips, unable to suppress your nervous giggle, “Alright! A little, teeny-tiny bet.” Showing him your fingers how small the bet was. 

Eris sighed with a groan, shaking his head, “my flame, you really keep me busy, you know that?” 

You grinned as you leaned against him, “That’s why you love me.” 

With a hum he nodded, ���Let’s avoid anymore gambling tonight, alright? I wouldn’t want to banish my own mate.” He smiled as you laughed, so bright and carefree, “Let’s get you home before you decide to challenge a mercenary to a duel alright?” 

The crowd murmured in disappointment, but no one dared challenge the High Lord as he guided you through the tavern. You leaned heavily against him, your steps unsteady.

"Eris," you mumbled, looking up at him with bleary eyes, "I love you, you know that?"

He smiled, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "I know, my flame. I love you too. Now let's get you to bed."

You giggled, your head resting against his chest as he led you outside. "You always take such good care of me."

"And you," he replied softly, "always keep me on my toes."

As the cool night air hit your face, you shivered slightly, and Eris pulled you closer, his warmth comforting against the chill. Despite the chaos you often brought into his life, he wouldn't have it any other way. You were his mate, his love, his flame, and he was more than willing to handle every drunken escapade, every wild adventure, just to see you smile.

Reaching the palace, Eris helped you into bed, pulling the covers up to your chin. As you drifted off to sleep, he sat beside you, watching your peaceful face. The tavern escapade is already a fond memory.

"Sweet dreams, my flame," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from your face. "I'll always be here to catch you when you fall."

[mapis-putellas]

Taken

Chapter: 1

Words: 3077

Warnings: kidnapping, dark Natasha, diapers and a brief mention of throwing up. Let know if I need to add anymore!

Summary: Deep deep down, Natasha knew this was wrong. Taking someone against their own free will was borderline psychotic, let alone very much illegal. But she couldn't help it. After months upon months of watching your every move, she'd become convinced that you were only person perfect enough to become her daughter. She would do whatever it takes to have you, no matter the consequence.

Natasha stares into the fire. It crackles and glows with a radiant gold flame, the smell of burning wood filling her senses. In her hand was a glass of her favourite red wine, the rich liquid velvety on her tongue.

The outside was piercing in contrast to the heat before her. The empty skies were a dull white, and freshly fallen snow was covering all the eye could see. Everything was quiet, muffled, the atmosphere holding a sense of serenity the summer months did not have. It was peaceful and calming, a cherished few moments Natasha allows herself to have in the evenings after a hot bath full of bubbles and her favourite music.

The dancing flames of the fire could be seen in Natasha's eyes as she finishes her wine, setting the class down onto the coffee table with a soft, barely audible thump. She sits back against the couch and tightens the grey, fluffy blanket around her shoulders, eyes drifting to the clock in the corner of the room.

11:35

It was nearly time.

*

The busy street was quietened by a large blanket of snow, a carpet of cotton batting falling everywhere you looked. As you walk your usual journey to work, it crunches loudly beneath your feet. Your fingers and toes feel numb and are beginning to ache, and you could see the misty fog escaping your lips with each exhale. The trees were rocking back and forth, creaking and groaning just like the sound of an old rocking chair.

One positive about rising this early in the morning was being able to hear the birds on the street. They fill your ears with soft chirps, and you find it almost impossible not to smile at the sound.

Behind you, you hear the sound of a vehicle approaching. Your senses were almost immediately on red alert. The road you were on was almost always deserted. It was narrow and only one way, and you knew there was no reason for anyone to be coming this way this early, especially in a car when the snow plow hadn't even been through.

Your breathing accelerates, and you feel yourself begin to sweat despite the freezing temperature. You try your best not to outwardly react and continue on your way, but the car behind you slows the closer it gets, and you feel yourself become almost paralysed with fear.

You close your eyes for a second and practically force a deep breath into your lungs. You then speed up your pace, knowing that even if the person in the car means no harm, it was better to be safe than sorry.

When you hear the car door open and shut, the fear becomes a tangible, living force that creeps over you like some hungry beast, and it immobilises you, raising the fine hairs on the back of your neck. Your legs pick up on their own accord, but it was no use.

Someone grabs you, and the scream of pure terror that escapes your lips was muffled by a large, cold hand. You flail your body; you kick, you scratch, but your attacker was stronger, larger, and it was evident you stood no chance.

The hand was soon replaced by a cloth, and your senses almost immediately become a blur. Your eyes become heavy, your body becomes a deadweight, and despite the last ditch effort to escape, everything fades into nothing.

*

When you come to, your disoriented brain takes a few moments to catch up with the events that had just concurred.

You notice you were no longer outside. You were on a bed, and the mattress beneath you was soft and comfortable. The jeans and coat you had on were no longer, replaced by a pair of pyjamas much like a toddler would wear.

Your eyes flicker almost subconsciously around the room. The only light came from a slit between the curtains at the window, the feeble brightness barely enough for you to make out anything.

You did, however, note that the room was of medium size, adorned with white furniture. You couldn't make out any sort of decorations, but the door held a single lock with a touch screen pad.

You stare at it for a moment, and something in your brain seems to click bringing your subconscious to the realisation of what had happened. You'd been kidnapped, someone had taken you.

An immediate feeling of dread creeps up from the pit of your stomach, and your pulse beats in your ears blocking out all other sound.

You could feel your fight or flight responses kick in, increasing your heart rate and flooding you with added adrenaline. You try to sit up, but something was pinning your wrists down. It tugs at your skin uncomfortably, and when you look up, you see that you'd been handcuffed, each metal circle attached to the wooden headboard of the bed.

At the sight, your fear only grows more. You try to scream, but when you open your mouth, you come to find that even words had deserted you. It leaves you to release a choked sob, and you feel hot wet fluid begin to dribble down your legs, a bastion of warm comfort in a moment of primal terror.

The door opposite beeps in warning before it opens, and you feel your stomach grip in protest as a women comes into view. She was tall, and her pose screamed power. Her broad shoulders were held high, but her eyes, a soft green in colour, were gentle, and full of warmth.

The stark difference would have confused you if it wasn't for the sense of overwhelming dread.

"Hi little one. I'm glad to see you're finally awake," The woman speaks in greeting as she locks the door behind her, "I was beginning to grow a little worried." She adds as she flickers on the small night light that was plugged in near the bed before easing herself down next to you.

It bathes the room in a soft glow finally allowing you to finally take in your surroundings.

You couldn't help but tremble in complete and utter terror as your eyes burn with the familiar sensation of tears.

"It's okay," the woman soothes in a soft coo as she reaches for something to your left. "I know you must be scared, and I'm sorry about that." Her hand returns into view holding a tissue, and you flinch almost violently as the woman makes gentle work of drying your cheeks.

She doesn't outwardly react to it, but her features soften and her touch gentles further. You still shift uncomfortably, and it prompts the woman's eyes to flicker down towards the lower half of your body.

When they take in the large wet spot beneath you, your skin prickles with the fear of the unknown. But the woman simply shakes her head, a playful, yet gentle glint in her eyes.

"We'll fix that," was all she says as she disposes of the soiled tissue, grabbing a small bottle of hand sanitizer from seemingly nowhere and squeezing a small amount out onto her hands, "my names Natasha, but you may only call me mama. I'm going to be looking after you from now on."

You simply stare, trying to mask your emotions and pretend like you weren't mere seconds away from emptying your stomach in complete disgust.

"And you're Y/n, right?" Natasha continues, staring at you with a look that tells you she was expecting an answer.

You manage a mere nod, not wanting to upset the woman by defying her. Right now, you had no idea what Natasha was capable of, and you didn't want to provoke her in any kind of way by disobeying.

Natasha smiles in satisfaction as she rises from the bed and heads over to the white dresser placed in the corner of the room, "You were out for a while, so I suspect you must be pretty hungry. I have dinner made, and you may have it once we have you nice and clean." When she turns, you see she was holding a familiar rectangle of padded cotton.

Your cheeks burn, but you soon come to the daunting realisation that the woman must have already seen you naked due to the unfamiliar pair of pyjamas you were currently adorned in.

The bile in your throat worsens when you realise that Natasha could have done absolutely anything to you, and you feel yourself begin to gag in both fear and absolute dread.

Your vision becomes blurry, and as you try your best to keep your last meal down, you distinctly feel one of your hands become free if it's confines. Your body was then turned sideways just in time for you to vomit up absolutely everything in your stomach.

"There there, I've got you. You're okay." A muffled voice fills your ears as a hand gently grazes up and down your back, and having those hands on you only furthers your disgust and you find yourself puking once again.

You want to tell Natasha to get the hell off of you. That how dare she touch you after what she'd done, but there were no more words left in you. You could barely find it in within you to remain conscious, and you deem that more important right now. You had to stay awake. You had to try and protect yourself.

"Are you done?" The voice questions, and you nod ever so slightly. You feel a soft hand grasp your own and raise it once again to rest above your head, the cold cuffs once again circling your wrist.

Through your blurry vision, you see Natasha leave the room, and you allow yourself a moment to close your eyes and get yourself together.

When the women returns, you note she was wearing different clothes. You internally smile in victory when you realise you must have puked on her.

Serves her right.

"Okay, let's get you changed." Natasha sits herself down at the end of the bed, and it was only then do you notice that your feet were tied up too.

"I'm going to untie your feet, but if you even so think about kicking me or harming my furniture, I'm going to leave you in your wet clothes for the rest of the night, do you understand?" Natasha's hand rests on the rope tied securely around your ankle, and though the eyes staring at you were still the same soft ones as before, this time, they held a look of warning.

A warning you did not want to test. Not right now when you were still in such a vulnerable position where this woman could so absolutely anything to you and you'd be powerless to stop it.

And so you nod, despite everything in you telling you to fight with all you could.

Your heart races as Natasha unties your feet, legs subconsciously moving of their own accord and rising to a bent position where your thighs were pressed against your stomach.

The woman allows this, and when her hands reach for the waistband of your pyjama pants, your fight or flight instincts break.

You begin to flail your body as much as you could, the woman's prior warnings dissipating into the back of your mind. You had to get out. You couldn't let Natasha do this to you.

Despite your attempts, the woman gets your pants off anyway.

"No!" You finally find your voice, and it comes out hoarse, trembling with fear, "no! Let me go. Let me go!" You cry out as your stomach heaves with sobs.

"Hush now," the woman lightly scolds as she successfully manages to slide the diaper beneath your squirming figure, "There is no need for you to get so upset. I am not hurting you, so I suggest you calm down before I keep my promise and put you right back into your wet pants."

You still at the threat, but you continue to sob. Tears flow down your cheeks, blurring your vision and soaking your hair. Gut-wrenching sobs that tear through your chest fill the otherwise quiet room, and you want nothing more than for all of this to just stop.

You want to go home. You want to be curled up on the couch with your mom watching your favourite movie.

Not here. Not here where you're being emotionally tormented with all the things you no longer have; where you no longer have your independence and would be subjected to the unknown.

"There, all done." You hear, and you once again feel your legs being secured into their former positions. The sheet beneath you was pulled off next, replaced by a dry one with quick and efficient ease despite your presence on the mattress.

Natasha then shifts up the bed slightly, her weight tipping the mattress as her hand comes up to cup your cheek and wipe away the tears.

You flinch, but allow it to happen. The woman obviously knows what she wants, and it was becoming evident nothing you did would stop her.

"No more tears now," another soft coo as a gentle thumb continues to trail over your skin, "you're okay little one. Deep breaths."

You shake your head, "I want...I want to...go home. Please...let me...go home!" You cry as you extraneously squirm to get out of your confines.

Through your blurred vision, you see Natasha shake her head, and your body was wracked with another onslaught of sobs, complete hopelessness converted into tears that pour down your face at lightning speed.

"I know that must be upsetting for you to hear, but you'll get used to it. I'm going to get your dinner. I expect you to be fully calm by time I get back." Natasha once again wipes off your cheeks, the material of the tissue rough against your skin.

You try your best to comply with the woman's wishes, your throat tightening in dismay when you force back the sob that so desperately wants to escape.

Natasha smiles as she gives your leg a soft pat before rising to her feet, "Good girl."

You say nothing, but Natasha doesn't seem to mind. She disappears from the room and returns a short while later carrying a tray that held a glass full of water and a bowl of what appears to be soup.

"You haven't earned the right to feed yourself just yet, so I'm going to do it for you." The woman explains as she sets the tray down onto the nightstand, picking up the bowl along with a plastic spoon.

Soon, said spoon was being held to your mouth, the plastic warm against your lips. 

You stare at the woman for only a short moment before reluctantly allowing your lips to part, and Natasha smiles as she places the spoon into your mouth. It was soup, but due to your blocked nose, you couldn't tell which kind it was.

You don't particularly care however, because you weren't in the slightest bit hungry after throwing your guts up just a few moments ago.

"Good girl. Is that yummy?" Natasha coos as she refills the spoon and once again holds it to your lips.

It wasn't, but you nod anyway as you open your mouth and allow yourself to be fed. You were scared if you told the woman any different, you'd be punished and tied up for longer. If you couldn't get away from Natasha, you at least wanted out of these stupid cuffs.

Natasha smiles happily, "I'm glad. Mama worked hard and there's lots more if you're still hungry."

Your stomach churns in disgust at the woman calling herself that, but you nod along, fear constricting you from acting upon your thoughts.

Soon, the bowl was empty, and you watch as Natasha sets it down and picks up the glass of water. You go rigid when Natasha places her hand on the back of your neck to elevate your head, hating the feeling of her touching you.

"Drink." Natasha prompts, and you quickly down over half of the water in the glass.

The woman sets the glass back next to the bowl and reaches for the blanket that was folded and placed over the footboard of the bed, "It's late. Time for bed." She shakes it out and lays it over your body.

"There's a baby monitor placed on the shelf up there, and it can see and hear you. If you need anything, I want you to call for me. I can't help you if I don't know anything is wrong." She brushes the hair saturated with tears out of your face before tucking it behind your ear.

You force yourself to nod.

Natasha smiles and gives your cheek one last gentle touch before rising to her feet, picking up the tray before heading towards the door, "Goodnight little one." She calls softly before leaving the room.

You don't reply.

*

Sleep does not come easy.

Fear prickles at the base of your spine each time you feels yourself beginning to drift off, a terrible sense of anxiety creeping over you at every little sound you hear.

The light thud of footsteps, the branches of the trees outside hitting the glass windows. Even the sounds of the house settling were unnerving, and no matter what you did, the subconscious of dreamland just didn't want to come.

A part of you wonders if anyone had realised you were missing. You keep to yourself mostly. Didn't have many friends or acquaintances. The only person you did have was your mom, and it had been nearly six months since the effort had been made for a visit. You decide that no, no one would have noticed, and because of your tendency to stay locked up in your apartment for weeks on end, no one would for a while leaving you to Natasha's mercy.

A part of you wants to call out for her. You want to beg her to be un-cuffed so you could at least try and get comfortable. But fear prevents you from doing so. It prevents you from even opening her mouth, so all you could do was lay here until morning comes.

A brand new day would greet you, and your nightmare would continue.

**

Your thoughts would be appreciated! ♥️

[mushm00nsblog]

“A flower for you, my dear!”

Featuring: venti x reader, lyney x reader, ayaka x reader and lisa x reader (separate)

Synopsis: you’re on a date with them, when they suddenly give you a flower! how cute <3

Warnings: fluffy! Readers are already dating the character, reader is an implied female but there isn’t any pronouns used! Pet names ‘cutie’ and ‘dear’ are used! (Edited and refined)

Mush’s two cents: hello! this was just a cute lil idea for all these flirty genshin romancers that came to me as a shower thought. I originally thought of only the lyney one, but then I was like “erm I just wrote for lyney?? I need more characters!” and thought long and hard (it took me a few seconds) to come up with these. I wanted to make them all have different stories but make them off of the same concept, so I’m sorry if the repetition of the flower quote as you’ve seen before gets old... alas! I hope things appeal to your expectations. enjoy!

venti

You swung your legs back and forth slowly to the melody venti plays beautifully for your ears only on a branch of the Windrise tree.

His eyes were closed as his experienced fingers plucked the strings, you watched him closely, sighing an admiral sigh as you take in his painting-like appearance.

A sudden breeze flows up through the open air, and you watch as the god of anemo’s braids flow along with it— allowing the wind to guide your hair in the same direction as well.

The breeze doesn’t last long, but by the end of it, you eye a flower flying towards your direction, not batting an eye at it as all that mattered right now was your rhythmic lover..

Suddenly, right as the flower flies past both of you in the current, venti sticks an arm out to catch it swiftly, ending his lyre playing abruptly and pulling you out of your trance.

“Oh look! Here’s a flower!” He exclaims when he grabs it out from the gushing winds grasps.

Venti holds the flower up to you, chuckling softly as your expression changes to widened eyes, clearly not expecting that. “For you, my dear.”

The wind had stopped and all that you’re met with is ventis eyes, his hand extending a lovely Dandelion up to you.

Your cheeks warm up as you take the flower from his hands, smiling sweetly before looking back up into your lovers eyes.

“Thank you, venti..” you speak, softly, watching your lovers eyes flutter closed once more as he picks up a different melody on his instrument.

Afterwards: “venti! how’d you grab that flower so quickly?” “ehehe.. who’s to say I wasn’t the one that sent it this way?”

Lyney

Having not had seen your boyfriend, lyney for a while, you both opted to make time for each other at your place, setting up a comfortable space on your sofa for some quality time.

You were both on separate cushions, a card game of Genius Invocation TCG plastered out on the center cushion in the middle of you guys.

As far as it seemed, you were winning the card game so far, having all 3 of your cards still playing as only two of lyneys were left.

He let out a playful gasp when you took down his first card, having him looking up at you with a little pout before he resets his facial expression to his usual smile.

“I admire your handiwork!” *he says with a playful glint in his eyes, before he suddenly looks as if he’d noticed something.

“Hey.. what’s that behind your ear?” he questions, making you take your eyes off the card game and focus on what exactly is behind your ear.

He leans forward, moving his hand behind your ear, reaching for something before pulling his hand back into your view, holding a rainbow rose!

Your eyes beamed as you gasped. “Oh look at that! It’s a flower!” he exclaims, putting on an act as if he wasn’t the one that made it appear. “For you, my dear”

You take the rainbow rose into your hands excitedly, your eyes shining as your admire the rose, blushing softly when your eyes meet his as you remember the meaning behind gifting rainbow roses.

“Thank you lyney!” You thank him, excitedly leaning in close to him and hovering over the cards to place a quick kiss to his cheek. “Let me go put this somewhere safe now..”

With that, lyney nods and watches you walk not too far away, placing your lovely new rainbow rose in a vase and setting it down on your coffee table in front of the sofa.

“There!” As you set down the flower, you admire it proudly, taking your seat a few seconds later.

“hey! what happened to my cards??” “now you see it now you don’t! looks like I win!”

Ayaka

You watched mesmerizingly as Ayaka finishes her Sakura Bloom Dance in Chinju forest, applauding once she finishes and watching her bow with a sweet smile on her face.

“Wow, Ayaka… I’ve seen this dance so many times.. but each time I see it I’m always amazed.” You say, sighing out when you finish speaking, and she lets out a little giggle at your compliment.

“Thank you, I do appreciate your admiring.” She replies sweetly. “There is something different about this dance in particular though..”

When she mentions that something was different about the dance she performed this time, you were lost. You hadn’t noticed anything but to be honest, you also felt like nothing changed about it.

You tilt your head, straightening out a bit as you wonder what she’s referring to, inevitably drawing a blank and asking her what it was.

She chuckled softly, looking off to the side and opening her fan to block her face before walking towards you, hiding something behind her back.

When she reaches you, she pulled out a bouquet of Sakura Blooms, handing them to you with her face hidden behind her fan.

“These flowers are for you.. my dear.”

Once you take the flowers: “ayaka? are you blushing?” “ah.. perhaps— maybe a little bit.”

Lisa

You often find yourself in the Favonius Library, reading countless of books all afternoon alongside your girlfriend, Lisa when she voices her complaints about nobody coming into the library as of late.

It had turned into a regular occurrence, and now the two of you find yourself here for dates as well.

That brings you to where you are now, sharing some tea with your lover whilst reading separate books at one of the library tables.

You had your head down in a book when she closed hers, letting out a yawn before she begins to play with some electricity in her hands.

Noticing her immediately once she closes her book, you pick up your head and look at what she’s doing, noticing that she’s forming something out of electro!

“Oooh what’s that, Lisa?” You ask, leaning forward a bit.

She looks at you once she notices you’ve seen what she was doing, her usual smile appearing on her face as she forms the object she was making quicker and placing it on the book you were reading.

“Hm..? See for yourself.” She says, pointing towards the object on your book before leaning her hands on the table, watching you look down to see… a purple rose!

“Wowww..! It’s so pretty!” You say, reaching your hand out for it before feeling a sudden zap against your fingers- making you pull back with a gasp and look at your hand.

Lisa only chuckled when she watched this, making you blush a bit out of embarrassment.

“Did you feel the spark, cutie~?”

Afterwards: “lisa! thats not funny!” “awh.. well what did you expect cutie~?” “..staaaaaaahhhp…”

aaaaaaah it’s currently 1:50 AM 😭😭I’m so sorry if this is out of character or doesn’t make sense, I was a little out of it while making it tonight since I’m a bit tired.

Reblogs are deeply appreciated!

[jobean12-blog]

Wood You Be Mine?

Pairing: Lumberjack!Joel Miller x reader

Word Count: 2,667

Summary: Your work and Grandmother bring you away from the city and into the mountains and you find more than just some peace and quiet.

Author's Note: I'm really enjoying these AU's with Joel! Been fun to explore and he wears enough flannels LOL Thank you all so much for reading! Much love always! ❤️❤️❤️Divider by the lovely @firefly-graphics thank you Daisy! 🥰

Warnings: it's fun and flirty and reader is sassy and Joel is grumpy and it's fluffy and soft too!

Joel Miller Masterlist

After several miles of driving along a bumpy dirt road, the cabin appears. A puffing chimney tops a two-story log house, and red checkerboard curtains line the windows. You park your car in front of the porch. The only other vehicle you see on the property is an old blue pickup truck.

When you step out of the car, a rhythmic pounding echoes from the backyard, somehow in tune with the abundance of sounds from the surrounding woods.

You sneak around the side of the porch hoping to catch a glimpse of your newest client. He’d reluctantly agreed to have his cabin featured in your magazine but only because the story was about eco friendly homes built by their owners.

You round the corner of the house and stop dead in your tracks. You had no idea what the man looked like from the front, but from the back…well you liked what you saw.

His strong arms raise an axe high above his head, then crush it down on a log propped on another stump. The corded muscles of his forearms flex with every movement and his biceps are barely contained by the rolled-up sleeves of his flannel.

Faded and worn blue jeans hug his ass and thick thighs and a pair of scuffed up work boots complete the ensemble. A real-life lumberjack.

He stops momentarily, leaning over to grab a rag, and wipes the handle of the axe. He swings the axe again, splitting the log in front of him, and the two half pieces tumble to the ground.

Whatever noise of appreciation comes out of your mouth was not meant for his ears but suddenly, his head whips around and he levels you with an aggravated glare.

He drops the axe to the ground and stalks over to where you stand, his dark brown eyes narrowed and his soft lips tight with his gritted teeth.

“Can I help you with somethin’? Since you’re trespassin’?” he rumbles.

His eyes rake over you and he glances toward the sky.

“From the city?”

You bristle. “Yeah, and what’s it to ya?”

He snorts. “Those boots look real practical darlin.’ I’m sure they’ll come in handy for the next snow storm.”

You look down at your heeled feet. “We plow snow in the city. Super convenient. You know since people like to get a life. Do things. Instead of hiding away in the mountains.”

He raises a bushy eyebrow. “Uh huh. Well, good for you. Any reason why you’re interrupting me.”

“Just here to take the pictures for Mountain Living magazine.”

You rummage through your bag and pull out some papers, passing them his way. You can’t help but notice how his hands dwarf them.

“So you’re the photographer.”

“Yep,” you answer, popping the p and giving him your name.

“Joel Miller,” he grunts and stands to his full height, crossing his thick arms over his broad chest.

You smile brightly and bat your lashes.

He scowls.

“Let’s go inside so you can take your pictures. And then you can get back to your fancy city life.”

You follow him inside, careful to avoid the mud puddles. A loud, keening screech shatters the silence and you yelp in surprise. You slide in your boots and bump into Joel, grabbing his thick bicep for safety.

A huge bird swoops by and lands on a nearby tree branch, ruffling it’s feathers and eyeballing you. Your fingers flex on his muscle and you gasp.

“What is that? It looks like a dinosaur! Is it going to eat us?”

“It’s just a hawk darlin’,” he answers with a shake of his head. “Shit, don’t they have any birds in the city?”

“I mean sure,” you begin, “but they are small and hop around a lot.”

He stares at you, unmoving. “Well, you’re not in any danger. Unless it decides to take a shit on your head.”

He says it without cracking a smile.

“Aren’t you hilarious,” you scoff with a roll of your eyes.

“Why exactly are you up here in the wilderness?” he asks. “You don’t seem too excited about it.”

“Other than work…I’m visiting my grandmother. She lives up here and I’m staying with her for the next month. Getting some fresh air and all that.”

“Just as you step up onto the porch you hear a whining noise. A fluffy yellow lab ambles over and sits on your boot, wagging it’s tail and looking up at you with big brown eyes.

“Who’s this?” you ask as you lean down to pet the dog.

“That’s Winston.”

“He’s a lab right?”

“Yep.”

You cough to hide your laugh. “He’s very cute but I thought it was mandatory for all people living here to have some huge breed like a Pyrenees or Saint Bernard.”

“Does your grandmother have some giant dog?” he asks.

“Two Swiss Mountain dogs actually. Bert and Ernie.”

He surprises you with a huge smile. His whole face lit up, his eyes even crinkling at the corners.

“Nice names. I like your grandmother.”

“She’s the best. Even if she worries too much about me. She wants me to move out of the city and come up here for the cleaner air!”

He opens the front door and ushers you inside. “She has a point. It’s much healthier here.”

“And boring-er.”

The door bangs shut behind him.

“That’s not a word.”

“It should be. At least up here.”

He doesn’t look amused and instead walks over to small desk in the corner and shuffles some papers.

You take a look around and blink in surprise. It’s gorgeous. The granite fireplace is surrounded by hand-made wooden furniture and the high ceilings and large windows create a rustic and beautiful scene.

“You look shocked,” he chuckles from behind you.

“Oh,” you startle. “It’s just…it’s so beautiful. How did you do all this?”

He smiles again. “It took a lot of time and sawdust.”

You walk around, running your fingertips over the curves of the furniture and firing off the names of all the different woods it’s made of.

“How do you know so much about that?”

“I’ve taken enough pictures of furniture and asked enough questions to know most types of wood,” you explain.

“Well, now, isn’t that funny. City girls knows all about timber but is scared of the outdoors.”

“I never said that!” you grumble.

“I could see it all over your face when the hawk flew by! You look around like somethin’s gonna jump out and eat ya!”

You narrow your eyes and step closer to him. “That’s just not true. I’m not scared of the woods…I’m simply afraid of…of…certain large mammals that might enjoy life in the woods…you know rubbing up against trees, eating berries and honey and maybe an occasional human!”

“What in the world…?” Joel smirks.

“I’m afraid of bears!” you say as you sit on his couch and slump back.

He tries to stifle a laugh. “I’m guessin’ there’s a story hiding somewhere darlin’.”

“I’m guessing my grandmother is expecting me for dinner. I better get started on the pictures so I’m not late.”

You shuffle with your camera equipment until you’re satisfied then start snapping shots. You’re in the zone and hardly feel Joel’s eyes on you as you work. When you’re done you pack up and hold out your hand to him.

“It was nice to meet you Joel.”

Your hand is engulfed by warm, rough skin and so much strength. You peer up into his face and expect a snarky smile but instead you gasp softly at the winded look you find. He blinks slowly and he tightens his grip before tugging on your hand.

Your boots slide across the hard wood floor until your inches away from him and his gaze drops to your mouth.

Your knees buckle when Winston slams against your legs and wiggles his body between the two of you.

Joel sighs. “Damn dog.” But he leans down and affectionately rubs behind his ears.

Winston sits on your feet and presses his body weight against you, relishing the ear rubs.

“Winston,” you coo as you join in.

“Sorry about him. He’s a big fan of affection.”

You clear your throat. “Isn’t everyone?”

His eyes level with yours and you get caught in his gaze, a warmth spreading along your skin.

“I better get going. I’ll be sure to e-mail you the proofs of the pictures so you can be part of the selecting process.”

You fly out of the house and into the car, tearing down the dirt road then peeking in your rear-view mirror to see Joel standing out on his porch.

“I need a drink,” you mumble before turning toward the small town.

Joel runs a hand through his already disheveled hair after he pulls into the parking lot of the general store in town.

He knows a hot cup of coffee will help and one of those muffins that the owner’s wife bakes.

The general store has it all…coffee, muffins, dog biscuits, a new axe…and you.

There you are, smack dab in the middle of the aisle stocked with wine. You grab a bottle and round the corner toward the register.

The owner, Mark, chats you up as you check out.

“Celebrating something tonight miss?” Mark asks.

“Actually no, just visiting with my grandma but I needed a drink,” you explain to Mark.

“Not sure that’s somethin’ your grandma should be drinkin’.”

At the sound of that familiar deep voice you grit your teeth and turn to face him.

The look of indignation on your face almost makes Joel laugh, the corners of his mouth twitching with his suppression.

“Grandma loves her wine Mr. Miller. And she’s old enough to enjoy it!”

Joel can’t hold back any longer and lets out a bark of laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

He steps closer and gives you a once-over before taking a sip of his coffee and raising an eyebrow.

You want to stomp your feet. “I’m surprised you even have wine in this town!”

“It’s not the middle of nowhere. We have electricity, indoor plumbing and the internet! It’s all very modern.”

“Oh yeah sure it is,” you tease. “That explains the jars of penny candy then! And if that’s what you call coffee…well…”

You look to Mark standing at the cash register, “no offense Mark.”

“None taken,” the old man says kindly, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Thank you Mark. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go enjoy this with my grandmother!”

You grab your bag of wine and march out the door, this time feeling the heat of Joel’s stare at your back.

“Is there anywhere else you want to go before we head back Grandma?”

She smiles and asks you to take her to the general store to visit Mark and get some coffee, telling you it’s been ages since she’s been in to see him.

“Sure Grandma. I’d get coffee too but I think I’ll pass…”

Your Grandma chuckles and pats your knee, still smiling.

As you walk around the store and listen to your Grandma talking with Mark you can’t help it as your thoughts wander back to Joel and the undeniable heat you feel whenever you’re near him. When you make it to the register your Grandma and Mark are talking in hushed voices, glancing your way and looking suspicious as you get closer.

“What’s going on?”

Your Grandma looks at you knowingly. “Mark here was just telling me that you took the pictures of Joel’s cabin for your magazine.”

Your eyebrows come together. “But how did he know that?”

“Joel told me,” Mark explains. “Said you took fantastic pictures. Really captured the heart and soul of his place.”

You smile at that and your Grandma’s face brightens.

“He’s a good man. A bit gruff, but good. Better than most actually.”

You look at your Grandma, letting her words sink in as you become more confused. “You know Joel?”

“Everyone knows everyone ‘round here baby,” your Grandma says. “And when I tell you Joel’s one of the good ones you best believe it.”

“Why should it matter to me?” you ask as realization dawns on you.

Your Grandma and Mark share an entertained expression.

“OH NO!” you say, far too loudly. “No way! There is no way in hell I’m getting involved with a big, cranky, grumpy, Lab-owning, house building, bearded lumberjack who lives in the middle of nowhere!”

Both your Grandma and Mark smirk and glance over your shoulder.

“Hi Joel,” Mark says. Good to see you again.”

You narrow your eyes at Mark. “Funny. You expect me to believe that he’s standing behind me?” Just how naïve do you think I am!”

A low rumble in your ear raises every hair on your body.

You turn until Joel’s face comes into view, his beard, complete with patches of gray, only inches from your lips.

“For the record, I’m only grumpy when people trespass on my property.”

He smiles and places some dog biscuits down on the counter before walking off down another aisle.

Your Grandma cackles. “Oh he definitely likes you.”

Mark nods enthusiastically in agreement before you look between them both and stomp off in a different direction.

Unfortunately that direction takes you smack into the hard chest of your grumpy lumberjack.

“Oof,” you mutter, closing your eyes when his strong hands close around your waist.

“You ok darlin’? You were comin’ round that corner so fast I didn’t have time to move. Sorry.”

“I’m fine,” you whisper, slowly opening your eyes until your vision is filled with the soft brown color of his.

“And by the way,” he continues. “I might be slightly grumpy, a lab-owner and a builder but I ain’t no lumberjack.”

“Really,” you muse, still standing close enough that you can feel his chest brush yours with his inhale. “Let’s see,” you point at his flannel shirt. “Plaid shirt. Check! Axe? Saw you use one of those! Check! Beard,” and you glance at his chin, your fingers slowly lifting until your brush them over his cheek.

“Check.” The last one comes out breathy and light.

Joel chuckles, dipping his head until his warm breath fans your cheek and his lips brush the shell of your ear.

“What do you say to lettin’ me take ya out for a bite to eat? There’s a local dive that makes decent food and I think they even have wine.”

You pause, trying to steady your shallow breathing.

“Well, I guess that might be okay. Considering there’s wine…and Grandma says the college boys are really cute here in town.”

Joel frowns. “College boys? I don’t think college boys would know how to satisfy a sophisticated city woman like you.”

He strokes his callused fingers over your soft jaw. “I think you might need a real man for the job.”

You still beneath his touch, then let out a slow breath.

“What makes you think I’m looking for a real man? Maybe I’ve sworn off all men for a while.”

“I don’t think you have any idea what a real man can do for you darlin’.”

Your eyes linger on his mouth and he clears his throat, but his voice still comes out gravelly and strained.

“Lumberjack men don’t fool around. What you see is what you get. And when we see what we want…”

He stares at your lips, pouting and inviting. “We take it.”

Your lips part on a breathy gasp before you recover and sass him with, “but you said it yourself, you’re no lumberjack.”

He just smiles and waits, softly tracing the outline of your jaw.

You run your tongue over your lips and stare at him.

“Okay. You can take me out.”

He grabs your hand and turns on his heel, pulling you right past the register and out the door.

(Don’t worry, Grandma got a ride home and is safe and sound- neither Joel nor our reader would never leave her hanging).

@pedritosdarling @lorilane33 @hiddles-rose @blackwidownat2814 @justkinsey @littleseasiren @laineyreads @beccablogsthings @kmc1989 @hallecarey1

[adventuresofalgy]

Fed up with the prospect of endless Scotch mist and rain under perpetually dismal skies, and the thought of even shorter, darker days to come, Algy had listened to the warbling of the robin and resolved to set out on a brave new adventure, in search of the light and warmth and jollity which he had once heard could be found somewhere deep in the heart of the darkness, even in the dreariest northern winter…

However, there was just one wee technical problem… Algy hadn't the slightest idea where to look, or which direction to take.

But as a fluffy bird is not easily discouraged once he has set his mind on a definite course of action, Algy didn't pause to worry about that; he simply spun himself round and round and round again, recalling his eerie encounter with the bat on the night of Halloween, and then set off in the direction he faced once the spinning in his head and body had finally stopped.

At first he made good distance, flying at some speed low over the ground, but despite keeping an eye open for any kind of clue which might help him in his quest, Algy saw nothing unusual at all, and when the night started closing in around him, Algy paused to rest in the crook of a battered old multi-trunk tree, having collided rather painfully with the branches in the encroaching darkness and bumped his forehead, as even the bravest will at times:

We grow accustomed to the Dark - When light is put away - As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp To witness her Goodbye - A Moment - We uncertain step For newness of the night - Then - fit our Vision to the Dark - And meet the Road - erect - And so of larger - Darknesses - Those Evenings of the Brain - When not a Moon disclose a sign - Or Star - come out - within - The Bravest - grope a little - And sometimes hit a Tree Directly in the Forehead - But as they learn to see - Either the Darkness alters - Or something in the sight Adjusts itself to Midnight - And Life steps almost straight.

[Algy is thinking of the poem We grow accustomed to the Dark by the 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson.]

[rememberwren]

can i ask for some fluffy fall activities with Kyle :c

maybe munching on toffee apples around a bonfire?

-🍮

From the "Practice 'Verse", found here. TW: spiders.

-

The two of you are the last ones left around the fire. 

Johnny and Simon had disappeared nearly an hour ago, slipping away like two ghouls in the dark, their hands shoved deep into their pockets to keep from touching each other. John had lingered, finishing off his cigar, the scent of its smoke lost among the scent of the bonfire that crackles warmly between the two of you. But even he had retired eventually, til it was you and Kyle sitting close enough to brush shoulders on one of the logs which is turning your ass numb. 

You shiver a little, the fire dying out into embers. 

“Cold?” Kyle asks. He stands and adds another log to the fire, committing to spending a little longer with you. He slips out of his jacket and wraps it around your shoulders, enfolding you in his scent. God, it isn’t fair, you think, subtly dipping your head to breathe him in. How can someone smell so good all the fucking time? 

He’s been different tonight, and you can’t help but connect the dots. Things have changed since the two of you hooked up—since he was your first. Is it regret? you wonder, staring into the growing flames. Sex can do that. It changes people, apparently. A small part—very small, though very scary—had wondered if Kyle wouldn’t pull away now. Like maybe he’d gotten what he wanted from you at last and now had no use for you. 

It isn’t Kyle’s style, but. Sex changes people. Right?

His foot nudges your own. “Penny for your thoughts.” 

“I’m worth more than that.” 

He sighs like this is nearly too much to bear and goes for his wallet. You can’t help the smile that breaks out over your face. You nudge his foot back. 

“I’m fine,” you assure him. Then, aware of your risky move but unable to help it, you ask: “Are you alright?” 

“My ass is a little numb,” Kyle admits. 

“Thank God, I thought it was just me.” 

He stands again and this time holds out his hand for you. You take it, slipping your fingers comfortably through his own as he helps you up off the log and turns you  toward the fire, crowding against you with your back to his chest, wrapping his arms around you. The wind swells, knocking more leaves from the trees and causing the fire to flicker violently. You shiver against him, but this time it has nothing to do with the cold. 

“Ass feels better already,” he murmurs. 

“Glad to hear it.” A moment of silence passes. You should leave it alone—he’s said he’s fine, but there’s a vibe in the air, an unexpected one. One of change. Against your will, you ask again: “You’re sure you’re okay?” 

He turns you in his arms, eyes unfathomably dark in the dim lighting as he searches your face. “What am I doing,” he wonders, “that has you so scared?”

“Nothing,” you assure him. You look away, his gaze a little too intense. “I’m not scared.” 

“No?” 

“No.” 

“You should be. There’s a spider in your hair.” 

“I don’t believe you. You would have brushed it off.” 

“I hate spiders actually. I’m scared to touch it,” he says, forehead coming to rest against your own.

“You would have done it anyway, because—“ 

“Because?” His arms loop around your waist, pulling you closer. The fire at your back, leaves crunching under your feet, Kyle’s warmth at

“Because you’re that kind of guy.” 

His mouth, so full and soft, twitched upwards at the corners. He leans in and kisses you, doesn’t need to ask. Not when you want it so bad and it must be so obvious. He tastes like the caramel apple he’d eaten earlier, sweet and a little tart. It’s the first time you’ve ever kissed outside of practice. 

What does it mean? Does it—? 

He flinches, pulling back and batting at your hair. His voice is a little panicked when he says: “Real spider—real spider—“

Your combined shrieks can be heard all the way back up to the house. 

[melsimps]

I saw someone do this with another actor, but decided to do an evan version bc I have had visions all night abt this.

Au where everythings the same, only Evan's characters are cats in a cat cafe. (Also please note: I have never watched AHS, simply bc I cannot handle the content so if anything is wrong, feel free to correct me/add anything/anyone in the comments/reblogs).

Okay, so right off the bat, Tate? Cream-coloured american shorthair. A bit more anti-social and tends to hide to himself up in a tall cat tree. If he chooses to sit on your lap, consider yourself lucky.

So is Kyle, only he's longhaired and very fluffy and cuddly. He is also by far the friendliest cat and will go out of his way to play with the other kitties.

Kit is a brown domestic short-haired tabby. Always makin' biscuits in blankets. Purrs very loudly, and meows loud too.

Mr. March is a Tuxedo cat and he has a collar with a little bell on it. He is the kind of cat that will sit with the customers and "talk" with them. A total chatterbox cat.

Kai is a blue domestic longhaired cat and he is almost fucking feral. Hisses and swipes and huffs and growls with everyone except for like one or two staff members.

Austin is a Lykoi. Simply bc he's pretentious like that (also they're called "Werewolf cats", and I think it's funny to give that cat to a vampire lol).

Jimmy Darling is a cornish rex, and he's also a polydactyl cat (so many beans,,,,). He meows about as loudly as Kit and also he will like, only cuddle with women.

Peter is a longhaired silver tabby, and he gets the zoomies on a regular basis. He also tries to steal cakes and stuff from customers. Resident thief and menace, yet his crimes are excused because see, him face?

Rory is an orange tabby and he sadly does not have the brain cell most of the time.

...Jeff Pfister is a bingus.

Colin zabel is a solid black British shorthair and the biggest cuddlebug of the lot.

Warren is a longhaired brown tabby, and he loves catnip.

[unicreamuwu]

The Little Batgirl (Yandere Platonic Batfam x Child Reader)

Chapter 1 - Welcome to the Wayne Manor

Warning: Yandere Themes and minor bullying from Damian

(Anything that reader says in a bolded text means she's in "thought of mind.")

The car stops in front of some metal gates.

Bruce helps Y/N out of the car, and she looks up at the giant mansion that is in front of her.

(Do NOT steal my art!)

Y/N looks up at awe as the mansion was right in front of her.

"So, this guy's rich! Can't believe this is going to be my new life," she thinks to herself as she stares.

Then, a butler comes out and bows in a respected manner towards the little girl.

"Greetings, Miss Y/N. Welcome to your new home, I hope you'll be happy here," he said in a kind manner.

"The butler knows my name, too!" She thinks to herself with wide eyes.

When Y/N goes inside, the first thing she sees is a young boy who looks a little older than her. Maybe about a couple of years.

For some reason, she felt an uneasy vibe from him.

Bruce basically pushed the young girl towards him and told him to help her look around.

The boy stares down at Y/N before he lends out her hand.

"I'm Damian Wayne, the only biological son of Bruce Wayne," he introduces himself in a cool tone.

"Um... hi? I'm Y/N..." She said in an awkward tone as she accepted his hand to shake.

Damian then walks around Y/N as he eyes her appearance up and down before his face was an inch from her's.

"Your hair is messy. I would brush it if I were you," he tells her in a cold tone before he turns his heels and walks off to lead her for the tour.

Y/N could only stare at him with a blank stare.

"Wow, what a rude boy..." she thoughts before she follows him.

~~~~~

While Y/N was walking around for the tour, she stopped to see Damian showing her a portrait of a strange looking family tree.

"This is the main batfamily line," he said as he showed the family portrait.

She examines it as she turns her gaze to Damian.

"What's the batfamily?" She asks.

"It's what we call ourselves," he tells her before he leads the way again.

"Also, that bat plush looks old and dirty. Get a new one or something," he tells her as he walks.

When he said that, Y/N stops to think about what he was talking about.

Then, she realized that he was talking about Batsie, her favorite and only plush doll.

"Hey! Don't call my best friend that!" She yells out to him as she jogs after him.

~~~~~

As Y/N followed Damian, she gets to see so many rooms around the mansion.

Then, he takes her to the batcave.

There, Y/N's eyes brighten with amusement as she looks around the enormous batcave.

There were so many cool artifacts, such as the world's giant penny.

"Where did you get that dinosaur?" She asks Damian as she points at a huge dinosaur model.

"Father built a time machine to travel back in time to get this," he tells her.

"Really?"

"No."

Damian walks out of the batcave, leaving Y/N all alone I her thoughts filled uup.

"So, does he have a time machine or not?" She asks.

~~~~~

After the tour and Damian basically calling rude names towards Y/N, she was trying to find her room.

When she finally finds a pink door that looks freshly painted, she goes inside.

In her room, there was a massive pink princess bed with pink and white covers and some fluffy pillows, and the shelves in that room had various kinds of books and basically almost all of the stuffed animals in the world.

Although the room looks beautiful and adorable at the same time, Y/N felt an odd feeling when she was inside.

However, it was all shrugged off before she flung herself onto her new bed.

~~~~~

As Y/N was technically jumping up and down on her bed, a pair of eyes were watching her.

Damian then moves away from the door and walks up to his father.

"Did you make sure that you put in everything she liked?" Bruce asks him in his usual cold tone.

Damian nods in response.

"How do you know that those were the dolls she liked?" He asks him which made Bruce chuckle.

Something about Bruce's chuckle sounded a bit darker than his usual laugh.

"I have my ways. Now, get everyone here. We're going to throw our new member a welcome party," he tells him before he walks off.

[savs-sims98]

Astarion Gets His Wings

Premise: Sylvannah wakes up in the morning and cannot seem to find her vampire partner. Until she spots a pair of white fuzzy ears🦇

Astarion X OC

| 18+, Batstarion, fluff, Astarion, Vampire lover, light smut |

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Sylvannah and Astarion had fallen asleep in her tent the past evening. She woke up to the sound of birds chirping and water rushing nearby. As she rolled over her bright red hair fell in front of her face, and moving it revealed that her love had exited the tent.

She made her way out seeing Shadowheart and Gale working on breakfast together. Sylvannah could see everyone performing their morning routines, but Astarion was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Shadowheart have you seen Astarion? He's not in my tent and I don't believe he is in his either." Sylvannah asked in a worried tone.

"He is probably out hunting, I don't think bacon is his style." Shadowheart joked. She could tell her friend was concerned.

Sylvannah decided to go back to her tent and take a moment to think. Slowly opening her tent door she saw an odd sight. Two little ears were poking out behind a pillow. They were white and fluffy; white like Astarion's hair she thought to herself.

Carefully she reached out to grab the pillow and move it over. She could see a bat! A white bat with a cute button nose. As the bat peered at her his red eyes softened and his ears fluttered.

"Astarion, is that you?" she picked him up and lifted him into eye view.

He squeaked at her and shook his head up and down. She slowly reached out to examine his wings and his ears. Then she moved to his little paws. He continued to look up at her as she checked him for any injuries.

“Well, you’re in good shape! I am concerned though as to why now, of all times in your life, you decided to change into a bat?” She chuckled waving her hand around dramatically.

He lifted his white wings and shrugged his little shoulders. Sylvannah took him out of her tent and out to the rest of the group.

Everyone was just as puzzled as her but was not entirely surprised because Astarion was a vampire. For the rest of the day, he stayed perched on her shoulder. He would sometimes nuzzle his nose against his love's neck and nibble at her.

"Are you hungry, my love?" Sylvannah asked grabbing his small body in her hands to face him.

Astarion shook his head eagerly. His fangs bared as he jumped up a little in her palm. She giggled and ruffled the soft fur on his head.

"Alright, let's get you something to sink those teeth into."

__________________

Sylvannah excused herself from the group. She let Karlach, Shadowheart, and Gale know Astarion was hungry and couldn't hunt alone. When she had decided they were deep enough into the woods she set him down on a fallen log.

Astarion spread his wings wide and twirled around stretching. He plopped down on the log. Sylvannah could see him smile happily showing his fangs.

She turned to him grabbing her bow and some arrows from her pack. "Stay right there, I'll be back with some lunch."

He waited patiently. He knew his love was an excellent hunter, so he wouldn't need to wait long. As he sat, he took a moment to examine this new frame. His body was quite small in this form, which could benefit the rogues when needing to get into tight spaces. Then he looked at his wings.

Sylvannah had expressed that he stayed seated, but he had to give these wings a test. He stood and started to flap them lightly. He jumped, and as he did, he worked to glide himself upward. Astarion was soaring around the trees. This was incredible! The wind felt amazing and he could see far into the woods.

As Sylvannah approached with a few dead rabbits she could see him flying. He spotted her quickly and landed back on the tree trunk. He shook his ears playfully and posed. She set down the rabbits in front of her vampire. Sylvannah clapped her hands and shouted.

"Bravo! You're a natural Astarion." as she stated this he did a little curtsey showing off.

Astarion got down off the log and grabbed hold of one of the rabbits with his claws. He sank his teeth into the neck of the animal. She watched as he got his fill. It made her giggle to see the blood on his face. He would need to be cleaned off once they got back to camp.

__________________

The two arrived back to camp a little later than the other three. Sylvannah wanted to give Astarion proper time to get used to his little body. She couldn't tell how long he would be stuck like this.

Now they were settled in her tent. She had a washcloth and she gingerly cleaned the blood from his face. He squeaked lightly and smiled at her. He looked up at her with big eyes. Once she was finished she laid down on her bedroll. She motioned for Astarion to come lay on her.

He jumped down from a pillow and made his way over to her left leg. Astarion grabbed hold carefully and started to crawl up her leg. She laughed at the tickle of his claws on her skin.

However, something odd was beginning to happen. There was a black bubbly mist around his body. As it started to take hold he glowed red and transformed back into the form everyone knew.

He landed on his love grabbing hold of her hips. His head had conveniently landed right between her breasts. Astarion looked up at Sylvannah; fangs bared. He had the most coy look on his face. Sylvannah blushed hard noticing he was completely naked. She looked over at the pillow she had found him on that morning. His white shirt and brown pants sat next to it on the ground.

"Well, hello beautiful!" he purred grabbing her frame tighter and lifting his mouth to her neck.

Astarion hovered his lips over her neck and breathed heavily. Then he worked to her ear and whispered.

"I appreciate you hunting for me darling, but I would much rather taste you."

Sylvannah shook her head and he plunged his fangs into her smooth skin. Oh, he loved it, the way his partner squirmed beneath him. As he drank the sound of her beating heart became clear. It was all Astarion could hear. Steady compared to his heavy beating heart. He was becoming hard and he could feel his cock press up against her thigh.

As her blood made its way into his mouth he moaned into her neck. Gulping down her essence. She was sweeter than any other blood he could dine on. Feeling Sylvannah's frame become hot with pleasure he used his tongue to lap up the blood and lick her neck. His cool hand stroked her warm cheek. Then it slinked its way into her shirt. Astarion worked to cup her tits.

Then he worked down her emerald frame to her thigh. He had been grinding into her thigh, but he wanted to taste it.

"Sylvannah you are exquisite. Each part of you is a different experience on my pallet." he breathed out.

Now he was on his knees. He lifted her thigh up against his body and reached down to cup her face in his hand. He wanted to take in the sight of his beloved.

Sylvannah breathed heavily looking at him with hooded eyes. Her braids had become a mess. Astarion trailed his eyes down to her hips. As her skirt fell to reveal her heat, he could see her drenched panties.

Moving at a rogue's pace he let go of her face still holding eye contact. Slowly he got her thigh in position to feed. It amazed Sylvannah to see him this way. Feeding with one hand; the other found solace in her wet folds. Astarion pushed her panties to the side and worked fast circles on her clit.

Astarion unlatched gasping and giggling in delight. He was more than just hard now. Astarion had noticed that his shaft had become slick with come. He turned to face her body and grabbed her skirt yanking it past her ass.

Once she was completely naked he got on top. The head of his hard cock pressed against her clit begging for entrance.

"Astarion, my gods put it in! I need to feel you come in me." Sylvannah whimpered grabbing his white curls and kissing him passionately.

"Look at us both darling, a hot mess. I want nothing more to come in you." He groaned as he made his way back to her neck. Blood trickled down his chin.

As he lined up and started to enter his love. He gingerly licked the spot on her neck where he had just fed; placing kisses. Somehow she knew he was saying thank you. Astarion moaned as he was deep inside. He held her close and made tender slow love.

His fangs re-entered that soft spot on her neck. Gliding in effortlessly now that the skin had been broken. Pumping faster he could feel Sylvannah start to come. She was panting as her walls went slack. Her come flowed out coating Astarion's cock.

So close. He was so close. Astarion's bucking became erratic as he drank deep for the final time. He was coming filling his love with hot ropes.

Sylvannah grabbed his head in her hands as he continued to thrust. She placed soft kisses all over his face and he moaned loudly. There was something behind his tone that sent her over the edge again.

"I love you, dear gods I love you so much. Please hold me." she cried out as he watched her come.

Shocks of pleasure and happiness overtook his body. Her allowing him to be intimate with her in this way made his heart sore. The fact she trusted him not to feed too deep. He watched Sylvannah as her mouth hung open, her chin almost touching her chest. He kissed her forehead and rode out her orgasm with her. She could see his ears flutter in happiness. The usually white tips had turned pink; blushed from pleasure.

When he could tell it was all over he helped Sylvannah onto her side and moved to spoon her. He lifted his hand up and licked his thumb. Astarion used his thumb to clean up the dried blood on her neck. The movement reminded Sylvannah of a mother cleaning dirt off her child's face. It was a gentle feeling that made her smile. Astarion really was such a sweetheart.

"Thank you Sylvannah. This is a gift and I treasure the time we spend together. I know I say it often, but I cannot thank you enough for the love and kindness you show me each day." Astarion said as he wrapped his arms around her freckled body.

He pulled her as close as he could get and placed his chin in the crook of her neck.

"Mine" he breathed out in content nuzzling his face against hers.

"Astarion you are so sweet. You deserve to be treated with kindness. No matter what your mind ever tries to tell you. Know that my heart sings out to you; no matter what."

They continued to lay together the rest of the evening. Sylvannah listened to him talk. Astarion held her and told her about a few spots he had staked out. There could be some high-quality wine hidden around.

Art credit: Wee babby bay by Gawki @ DeviantArt

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