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hannahbarberra162 · 7 months ago

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Not My Monkey, Ch 1.

(Reverse Trope Isekai Reader)

I thought it would be funny to have a reverse trope -- instead of having one Isekai Reader who knows everything, too many isekai readers have already messed up the OP timeline beyond recognition.

I'm still writing all my other works, I just needed to get this out of my system. I don't think this will float most people's boats, but that OK.

on Ao3

Platonic Strawhats | Reader / Jinbei

This chapter's plot heavy, I had to get some of the world building out of the way. The rest will be more fun and silly / some romance / angst later. Also, this is my first time writing most (all?) of the Straw hats. It’s been challenging, so please be kind <3. There’s 10 of them but only one of me.

~~~

“Robin! Another one’s here!” Some kid in a straw hat was yelling right next to you, causing you to wince. You had a massive headache, you hadn’t felt this hungover since…wait. You didn’t drink anymore. You opened your eyes to a sunny day on…a wood boat? You were definitely sailing on open water. Maybe the ocean since you smelled salt… What kind of dream was this? Sure, you had anxiety dreams of drowning but nothing so pleasant .

A disembodied hand grabbed your ankle and held on tightly. It startled you but since this was a dream there was no need to worry. You were kind of enjoying the sun and the water, so what was a hand (with beautiful nail beds, but dry cuticles) going to do? You turned your head to find a black haired boy staring at you inches from your face.

“Gah! Don’t do that!” you said to the boy. He grinned at you and laughed.

“Shishishishi, it’s me! Luffy! You made it!”

“Made it where?” Were you supposed to know who he was?

“To the Going Merry! You’re our twentieth reader -”

“Twenty third,” said another guy you hadn’t seen. This one was napping against the mast, talking with eyes still closed. He had luscious green hair that you’d want to check out later. You didn’t see any roots showing so either he had dyed it recently or…oh wait you were in a conversation.

“Sounds good, Loogie. I’m not quite following what’s happening.” This was the most complex dream you’d ever had. You’d never been able to interact like this before in a dream. It all felt like real life. You started to wonder if maybe something else was going on.

“Shishishi it’s LUFFY! But you know that! So what was the last thing you read?” The boy was still sitting incredibly close to you and practically vibrating with energy.

“Um, I read a biography of Catherine the Great. Why?” Luffy tilted his head at your words.

“Is she in Egghead or Wano?”

“Um, in Russia? I don’t think she’d be called an egghead though.” The green haired guy huffed and got up.

“Gonna be a difficult one. Robin can figure it out. Nappin’ on the other side of the deck,” he said to Luffy, walking away. He looked like he was flexing his back as you watched him retreat. His three swords clacked against each other, making you wonder how practical it was to have so many.

“No, she’s gonna be a great reader!” Luffy smiled at you again. You smiled back, but were very confused. The hand gripping your ankle was still there holding on tight. A breathtakingly beautiful woman with black hair, looking to be growing out some bangs, was walking towards you with her arms crossed in front of her. Even though she exuded radiance, her intense blue eyes pinned you with a stare. She sat down in front of you, keeping her arms crossed.

“Hello,” you said. Might as well be polite in dreamland.

“Hi,” the woman said smiling. “I’m Robin. What’s your name?”

Long ago, you were tired of baristas messing up your name (even though it wasn’t hard!). So when someone asked for your name, you supplied their own back to them. It usually worked out ok, and gave room for some awkward chit chat while you waited for your coffee.

“Isn’t that funny? My name is also Robin.” The woman quirked an eyebrow but kept her smile and nodded.

“Shishishishi two Robins! But what can we call you then? It’s too confusing having two Robins on board.” Luffy rubbed his chin in thought.

“Interesting thought, Captain. For now, I have a prepared document I’d like you to read. It should answer the most common questions we get asked by Readers.” The woman handed you a scroll. What in the medieval ages was this?

“Robin TWO!” Luffy said, snapping his fingers. You untied the scroll. Might as well see what it said.

“I don’t think Robin 2 is a flattering name,” Robin told Luffy. “Let’s think of other ideas. In the meantime, let Robin read.” The hand patted your ankle. “It’s best if I keep a hold of you until the shock wears off. Saves a lot of time chasing people down.” She kept a hold of you? Whatever. Looking at the scroll, you saw an elegantly handwritten list.

~~~

Frequently Asked Questions - for Readers

Where am I?

You are on board the Going Merry . Franky has modified it so it does not bear complete resemblance to the original ship but it is also not the 1,000 Sunny .

Is this real?

Quite real. This world is as real to us as yours was to you. This is not a dream, hallucination, or simulation.

Am I dead?

We are not sure. It seems to be likely based on the anecdotes of previous Readers. However, there is no way to know conclusively.

Why was I brought here?

We do not know the criteria under which Readers are brought to our world. We believe it has to do with your intense love of “One Piece.”

What happened to my belongings?

It seems whatever you had last in your world is what came here, with a few exceptions. Cell phones, laptops, and other electronics never make it to our world. We have your belongings on the ship, if you would like to have them.

What will happen to me? Can I stay on the ship?

Readers have stayed in our world for 21 days, after which they disappear. We do not know what happens afterward. During your 21 days, you will remain with us on the ship. You may stay in the men’s quarters.

Is there a way to get back to my world?

Not that we know of. We are unsure if you are transported there once again when you disappear.

Are there other readers?

There is only ever one Reader in our world at a time. The Strawhat Pirates have had the most Readers, though the Heart Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates have had a few as well.

What arc are we on?

The “timeline” that you know has been completely abandoned. With so much additional information and insight into future events, the events of this world have been drastically changed. We are not in recognizable “arcs” any longer.

What about Ace? Thatch? Whitebeard? Corazon? Sabo?

Thanks to the information supplied by Readers, Ace, Thatch and Whitebeard are all alive. Yamato has joined the Whitebeard crew with Ace. We had a time traveling Reader who saved Cora-san. Sabo has been made aware of Ace and Luffy and they have already reunited.

Can I fight? In our experience, Readers are quite weak and unable to fight. If you wish to try, you must first defeat Usopp in an arm wrestling contest.

Note: Please do not bring up our individual histories. We experienced them as real people and do not appreciate discussing them. Thank you.

~~~

You finished reading the scroll and re-rolled it. It addressed some of your concerns, but also had a lot of information you didn’t know what to do with. You handed the scroll back to Robin.

“You should call this the ‘Handbook for the Recently Deceased,” you told the raven haired beauty. You still had your sense of humor even when dead, it turned out. Er, maybe dead.

“That is quite an excellent suggestion, I think I shall,” Robin nodded solemnly and took the scroll with another arm sprouting from her own. You’d ask her about that later.

“What questions do you still have?” Robin asked kindly.

“Why do I have to stay in the men’s quarters?”

“Oh, that is not applicable to you. Nearly all of our Readers have been men, usually Torao has the female Readers. You can join Nami and myself in the women’s quarters.”

“I’m dead then, huh?” You couldn’t wrap your head around the idea, especially when you felt so alive.

“Robin B!” Luffy shouted from a few feet away. He still hadn’t given up on a nickname for you.

“No, Luffy, I don’t care for that,” Robin said calmly. “That would make me Robin A, which I am not. And yes, you are likely dead.”

“That’s a bummer.” You’d think about that and deal with your feelings later, this was all too weird to believe right now. You fiddled with the necklace you were wearing. None of this felt real at all. Besides, one of your best traits as a person was your ability to roll with things. You had always been pretty open to change, though this change was…drastic.

“Interesting - few readers express that emotion upon arriving in our world. Readers are usually thrilled to be here with us.” Robin looked like she wanted to study you in a lab.

“Um, so what’s a Reader? Or a One Piece?” You might as well learn while you were here for the next few weeks.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” Robin said, the hand patting your ankle. “We aren’t going to harm you for your information. We’ve probably heard it all already. We know that we’re a comic and a show in your world. You’re not in danger.” You hadn’t considered that you might be in danger, but you were thinking about it now.

“TWO Robin!” Luffy yelled from across the deck. He’d been pacing and trying to think of a good nickname this whole time.

“Luffy, that is the worst suggestion yet.” Robin frowned.

“Aw, you don’t like any of ‘em! This is frustrating. Maybe we can just call her Mystery Reader !”

“Not every reader is a Mystery Reader, Luffy. You can’t say that for -” Robin was chastising Luffy.

“Myst is fine. Short for Mystery.” You didn’t really care what they called you since, you know, you’d be going to the afterlife in about three weeks.

“ Shishishishishi I knew you’d be a good reader, Misty!” Luffy stretched his arms from where he stood to wrap them around you. Misty, sure. That was similar to what you said. What the…was this kid rubber? Add one more weird thing to the pile, why not?

“What other questions do you have?”

You were gonna put your cards on the table. “Listen Robin, I’ll be honest, I didn’t get a lot out of your handbook. I don’t know any of those people, or any of you, or what this show is. I don’t know why I’m here, I have no information to give you. I watch documentaries and sometimes HGTV. This is like a new employee orientation for a job I didn’t apply to. ” Robin nodded sagely.

“I quite like that phrase - new employee orientation. Perhaps more of a ‘new reader orientation.’ In any event, you’re here with us now, whether you know any information or not. I am going to release you, and you can get settled in.” The hand holding on to you vanished as you watched.

“Cool party trick.”

“Yes, they are very useful, though not always appreciated at parties.” Robin stood up and you did the same. You stretched your legs and back as you’d been sitting for a while. Robin was a tall drink of water, you thought. You were average height, nothing crazy. But she was statuesque and slim, making you think of your own body. Sure, you had some self confidence, but as you approached closer to middle age, things didn’t look quite the same as they once did. And Robin looked like a supermodel, graceful and elegant.

“Do I hear the sweet voice of a lovely Mellorine?” said a handsome waiter, holding a glass of water on a tray. He was practically swooning and you’d never met before. A little strange, but maybe he was just enthusiastic. Robin looked at the waiter, who was wearing a three piece suit.

“This is Sanji, our chef. He is also one of the Wings to the Captain.”

“Oh, sweet Mellorine -”

“Wait, who is the Captain?” You cut off Sanji, you realized you didn’t know who was running this show.

Sanji’s expression showed surprise. He looked at Robin for clarification, pausing in moving the tray your way to your dismay. You really wanted that water.

“Misty, as Captain calls her, does not know anything about our world. We will all have to introduce ourselves.”

“Wait, does that mean Luffy is -”

“The Captain,” answered Robin and Sanji simultaneously. That kid?! The one who suggested they call you “Two Robin”? You didn’t say anything so as not to insult their captain or whatever but the kid didn’t look like he could be older than 18. Not your circus, not your monkey. As long as the ship didn’t sink in the next three weeks, it didn’t really matter to you.

“Right, right. That seems…good. Um, Sanji, is that water for me? I’d really appreciate it.” Sanji looked like you’d asked him to senior prom.

“Oh, dear, sweet, beautiful Misty, it would be an honor to serve you this water.” He bowed to you with a flourish. Alright, time to nip this in the bud.

“Look kid, I’m old enough to be your mother. Cut it out. But thank you for the water.” He deflated a little but not for long.

“Like wine, most women only get better with age,” he said with a charming smile. “As Robin mentioned, I am Sanji, the chef on our crew. Do you have any dietary restrictions?”

“Oh, I’ll eat anything you make.”

“Is that so? Truly, no restrictions? Preferences? Allergies?” For all his attempted flirting before, he seemed serious right now.

“Well, truthfully, I’m vegetarian. So, no meat.” Sanji nodded, smiling once again.

“Not a problem. Do you eat fish?”

“Ah, no. No animals.” You saw a rubber arm going past you as Luffy rocketed himself to your side. Rubber had its uses it seemed.

“You don’t eat meat?!” Luffy yelled into your face, completely incredulous.

“Nope, haven’t in over 20 years.” You moved your head back away from his. Kid didn’t have much need for personal space.

“What do you eat then!?” It was like the kid couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of not eating meat. You shrugged. You’d had this conversation in various forms many, many times before.

“Vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes, things like that.” Luffy furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before it cleared into a bright smile.

“SANJI - can I have Misty’s portion of meat??”

“No! If she doesn’t eat it, I’m not going to make more than usual.”

“But she’s our reader, you have to make her a portion! Then I can have it.”

“But if she won’t eat it, I won’t make an extra portion,” Sanji already looked exasperated.

“But I want it!” Luffy was on the verge of a tantrum, you thought.

“No! You already eat all the food! Besides, if she doesn’t eat meat… ” The two of them seemed to be entering into an argument about meat rations, so you’d bow out of this conversation. It was only getting louder as they argued in circles.

You drank your water and took a look around you for the first time. The ship seemed pleasant, though not very modern. There weren’t any electrical outlets or lights, and not much metal either. It was powered by wind, as you saw the giant sails. Maybe there wasn’t electricity here? You’d ask Robin later. Your eyes wandered up and you saw a giant jolly roger flag, the skeleton wearing a hat.

“So this is a pirate ship, huh?” The fighting made a little more sense now. Not that you wanted to. You’d let them handle that part of the afterlife. It made you a little nervous and you fidgeted with your necklace. A handsome young man wearing overalls and goggles locked eyes with you while holding your hair dryer. The next thing you noticed was that he had the most beautiful, long, luscious natural coils you’d ever seen in your life. It took everything in you not to ask him his wash day routine before you exchanged names. “Hey! That’s mine!” you yelled at him. You were protective of your tools, they were like your babies. The man looked scared for a moment, then apologetic.

“Sorry, I just got excited. I’ve never seen a machine like this before. What does it do?” He was turning it over in his hands, looking at the barrel. He was holding it like a precious treasure, touching it with care. At least he could appreciate machinery.

“It’s a hairdryer.” Your guess that they didn’t have electricity seemed to have more merit now. Which meant he air dried all that hair every time? Coily King.

“Interesting! How does it work? Obviously the electricity feeds through the cord, other readers have had corded things before -”

“Usopp! Where’s the new reader? I wanna see if they have pens!” An unbelievably sexy young woman wearing a tiny string bikini came up from below deck, her bright orange hair blowing in the breeze. Was every person on this ship attractive? How did her boobs defy gravity like that? You looked down at your own, hopeful that whatever force was keeping hers up might be helping yours. No dice.

“Hi, I’m the new reader?” You extended your hand, which she shook. The woman smiled back at you.

“I’m Nami, Robin told me you don’t know anything about our world. So, the way it works here is that everyone pays a daily fee to stay on the boat. It’s 100 Beri a day. That’s how we afford to maintain the ship in tip top condition.” You could smell bullshit a mile away - you’d been working customer service jobs on and off for decades. You decided to play along to see what happened.

“Oh, of course. But how will I get money? I guess I’ll have to sell some of my belongings…” You pursed your lips for dramatic effect. “I know! I have some pens, I could sell those for…what was it you said? 1,000 Beri each?” Nami smiled even wider, a classic mistake.

“Well, what’s money among friends? And besides, it’s not like you can take anything back with you. We have a lot of reader stuff left on the ship.” You paused, pretending to consider for a moment.

“Hmm. You’re right. Maybe I’ll just drop them all in the sea. Y’know, like a, funeral. Since, I guess mine’s already happening. Maybe.” You didn’t want to think about your funeral, it had been a nightmare to figure everything out when your dad died. You felt bad for whoever was arranging it, probably your sister. You were zoned out thinking for a moment, and snapped back when Nami said something. “I’m sorry, I missed that. What did you ask me?”

“What kind of pens do you have?” Nami had taken the bait, hook line and sinker. You doubled down.

“I’d be willing to show them to you, for a price.” She raised an eyebrow, then broke it with a sincere smile.

“Welcome aboard! I’m the navigator for the crew, it’s nice to meet you. You’ll be staying with me and Robin, I hope you’ll have a fun time with us. Now about those pens…” You smiled at her introduction.

“Thank you, and I’d be glad to show you what I have. I’ve always got at least a couple on me. Where’s my stuff? We can see what’s there.”

“Follow me, it’s probably in the crows nest. That’s where reader stuff usually appears.” She started walking toward a ladder that led up to a platform high in the sky. High, high in the sky.

“Hell no!” you exclaimed. “I’m not going up there!” Usopp and Nami looked askance at each other.

“Why not?” asked Usopp, still holding the hair dryer like it was a puppy he was cuddling.

“I’m afraid of heights.” Not that unusual of a fear, you didn’t even like diving off the 3 meter diving board at the pool. They looked at each other again. You felt like you were in middle school again, asking to sit at the cool kids table.

“That’s OK, I’ll go get it for you.” Usopp handed you the hairdryer and climbed the ladder. Nice, you got to sit with them. Score one for you.

~~~

The last thing you remembered from your regular life was walking home from work, rolling your train case with you. You always took everything home with you, even though you trusted the salon you were working for. Force of habit after so many years. You didn’t remember anything after that, though it would be ironic if you got hit by a car.

Usopp kindly carried your things down from the crows nest. It was weird seeing your train case and purse on a wooden pirate ship, like when you saw a Timex in a historical movie. You heard a distant crash and looked over. The green haired guy was fighting Sanji, both of them looked pretty angry. The green haired guy was using his three swords against Sanji’s kicking? Must have strong legs. Maybe all the fighting was with each other. Nami and Usopp didn’t even look up.

“Ooh, what’s in here? Treasure? I’ve never seen something like this before. Most readers have backpacks or purses.” Nami was eyeing your train case greedily.

“No, it’s for my haircutting tools, makeup, manicure supplies, things like that.” You’d been an esthetician for a long time, though you’d done other jobs here and there. Nami threaded her fingers together in delight.

“You’re a hairdresser?! And you do nails?! Big sister, you’re the best reader yet! Most of our readers are in eye-tea. Would you cut my hair?” Oh, she meant IT. Information technology. Made sense, lots of people worked in IT. You’d never really gotten all that good at computers, so that wasn’t something you’d ever pursued.

“I mean, yeah, we can talk about that.” Even in the afterlife, everyone wanted a haircut when they found out you were a hairdresser. “Speaking of, Usopp, you have the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen.” Usopp looked flustered, like he wasn’t used to compliments. That surprised you, he was clearly smart, well muscled, helpful…if you were 20 years younger you’d have been all over him. Or maybe even 10. But he looked like he couldn’t be older than 20 and that really didn’t do it for you. You liked your men with their prefrontal cortex fully developed. Besides, you hadn’t dated for a long time. In fact, aside from Robin, everyone looked really young. You wondered if there were any other older people on board. Even Robin looked like she couldn’t have been older than 35 at the most.

“So, what do you do here?” It seemed like everyone had a specific job on board, might as well find out.

“Well, I’m the great Captain Usopp, and I am one of the bravest and most notorious pirates on the seas. I’ve defeated -”

“Wait, I thought Luffy was the Captain.” Usopp’s train of thought was paused.

“Oh, he’s the Captain of this crew because I felt bad for him after I single handedly defeated a pirate fleet of 5,000 men. It was easy too, let me tell you the story…” Usopp went off on a long tale about his (obviously fake) adventures on the seas. But he was funny and entertaining and a really good story teller. You touched his arm to pause his story as he was explaining how he defeated a giant with a flaming sword.

“Listen, Usopp, if you ever want, I’ll style your hair for you. Braid out, cornrows, twist out, whatever you want.” You wished you could take a before and after picture for your business Insta, but based on what Robin had told you, your phone hadn’t made it through the…portal? Er, however you got here. You didn’t offer a fade or anything that would have you cut it - it was too gorgeous to cut.

“Hmm, maybe I’ll take you up on that - I’ve been wanting a new look recently,” Usopp mused. Nami was pouting, you didn’t want to upset her. “Same for you, uh, little sister, I’d gladly style your beautiful orange hair. I’ve never seen a shade like it.” You hadn’t, it was like the shade of an actual orange. Nami was appeased.

“Thank you Big Sis, I’d love to do something with all this.” It looked like she was growing out a bob, and it was in that awkward transition stage. You could help style it a little better, whoever had been cutting it did a good job, just needed a few pointers.

~~~

A little while later and the sun was in its descent. You were still with Usopp, sitting on the deck. Nami had gone off to do some work, saying she’d see you later. He’d told you a few funny stories before he asked to see the electrical esthetician tools you had in your case. He was most interested in the nail drill, asking question after question. At some point, you didn’t have answers for him. You knew the basics of how it worked but your recollection of electron transfer was weak.

“Dinner’s ready!” Sanji called. Perfect timing, you were getting hungry. Usopp helped you up and you headed to the galley.

“How many people are on the ship?” you asked. You’d met five of them, not including the green haired man who didn’t introduce himself.

“There’s ten of us, eleven including you. We’re a small but strong crew.” Usopp flexed his arm.

“By the way, I’m not going to arm wrestle you. I know my strengths, and fighting isn’t one of them.” Usopp looked relieved. “Not that I’d win anyway,” you continued, “you look strong. But I’ll let you handle the fighting.” Usopp smiled at your last statement. You wanted to compliment Usopp when you could, he seemed like he needed it.

“Oh yeah, I’ve won every arm wrestling competition I’ve ever had. Let me tell you the time when I arm wrestled a giant octopus and won against every tentacle…” You smiled to yourself and walked to the galley together. Entering through the swinging door, you saw a large table filled with nine other people. Well, mostly people. There was also a skeleton, an android looking guy, and a gigantic blue man - merman? And speaking of the merman, holy shit.

You’d spent time babysitting your nieces and had seen every Disney princess movie that had ever been released in the last 60 years. Their favorites were “Frozen,” and “Moana,” which was the better of the two. You found the polynesian demi-god to be…appealing. At least more than the white bread Cristoff. And that merman looked like Maui had decided to grow a meter and get more muscled. And turn blue. He was huge - maybe 3 meters tall - and you wanted to climb him like a tree. Did that make you a pervert? Maybe, but it was a gut reaction. You weren’t going to act on it. Besides, you weren’t blind, you could appreciate a good looking person when you saw one. He looked like he was around your age, or at least older than the group of younguns you’d met. Maybe the afterlife had its perks after all.

#platonic relationships #platonic strawhats #one piece strawhats #op strawhats #isekai #reverse tropes #mugiwara no luffy #straw hat pirates #straw hat usopp #reader insert #straw hat crew #isekai reader

76 notes · View notes

zoeykallus · 1 year ago

Note

Hm? *gets hit in the face with a note* GAH- *opens the note* another request? But it’s with- *ahem* “I request Reader x Crosshair but make it with Pheromones please-” Oh no…

Aloha!

You are getting a lot of those notes, aren't you? 😁 Well, as it happens, I actually have an idea for a scenario like this, I'm telling you I gathered the wildest ideas in my fever dreams 😅

Crosshair x Fem!Reader One-shot -

______________

Warnings: 'Good old' Pollen Trope/ Smut/ 18+/ Bondage/ Dubious Consent/PiV Sex/ Dirty Talk/ Strong Language/ Oral/ Feral Crosshair/ Graphic Description Of Sexual Actions/Overstimulating

______________

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

______________

AC: I feel like I've not written anything like this in years. Which of course isn't true, but it still feels like it. But I think I like what came out of this.

Crosshair keeps sneezing as you make your way back from your little expedition. The rest of the group is on an errand with Rex and his shuttle. You and Crosshair have stayed behind. Curiosity has driven you into the surrounding landscape of the Marauders' landing site. Even though Crosshair has no interest in the surrounding flora and fauna, he reluctantly came along, saying, "I guess I can't let you go off on your own. If anything happens to you, I will never hear the end of it when the others come back" You take off your gear when you get back, at least the things you don't need at the moment, as he sneezes again. Crosshair sighs and rubs his temples. You frown critically and say, "You should have used an air filter, like me" "Nonsense," he grumbles. "Well, I don't have to sneeze," you reply, shrugging your shoulders. He rolls his eyes and waves you off. "Just some pollen, nothing more, it'll be over in a minute" You pick up your data pad and say, "Some pollen can be dangerous, Cross"

When you call him by the pet name you're the only one to use, he rolls his eyes again, but he doesn't complain. He doesn't want to admit it, but somehow he likes that you've given him a nickname. It shows that you like him, and he likes the idea, but he won't admit that either. You browse through some information about the planet, especially the fauna, and suddenly stop. Something you've discovered makes you nervous. "See," he says contentedly, "it's stopped already, I don't have to sneeze anymore, it's all half as bad" When you don't answer, he turns back to you after taking off his armor. "Since when are you so quiet?" Again, you don't answer, you're engrossed in the information about a particular plant you've found. "Hey, Kitten," he says impatiently, "are you even listening to me?" You look up and ask him critically, "Why did you take off your armor? It's the middle of the day" Crosshair shrugs and says, "It's warm in here, and it's more comfortable without it" You say critically, "I don't think it's warm in here" He grumbles, "Well, I do"

"Any other symptoms?" you ask, a little alarmed. Crosshair reaches for your holopad, takes it from your hand, and skims the article you've just read. Depending on the amount of pollen inhaled...Heat flushes, sneezing, headache, followed by extremely increased libido, sexual desire bordering on animalistic proportions, loss of control... High probability of becoming a danger to yourself and those around you. If left untreated, the condition ends in extremely high fever, which can lead to brain damage or even death. No medical treatment options. Only treatment option is sexual relief (sexual intercourse/sexual acts that lead to repeated orgasms) "What the hell are you reading? Is that a guide to one of those dirty little stories you sometimes write?" Startled, you stare at him. "What?" Crosshair smirks, shrugging his shoulders in a suggestive manner. "Well, you fell asleep writing the other day and your pad was still on, just lying there. I took a quick look over it. It was pretty clear quickly what you were writing" You feel hot and cold, you're not sure exactly how much he's read, and you wonder if he realizes that you're imagining him as you write. But another thought outweighs your shame, your worry.

You scroll back up a bit on the pad that's still in his hands, point to the picture of a flower and say, "No, that's an article about this plant. We walked through a field of these flowers earlier while you weren't using an air filter. You're already showing symptoms" Crosshair blinks, skims the text again. "Oh," he says quietly. He tosses the holopad onto your bunk, rubs his temples again and looks around. He can feel it now, slowly at first, gradually but steadily increasing. His body temperature is getting higher, his thoughts are getting mixed up, there is a penetrating buzzing behind his temples, and there is clearly a very physical desire. "I need you to cuff me, for your safety. Where are my handcuffs?" Crosshair hears a click, then feels cold metal. You've cuffed his own wrist and chained him to the weapon rack. "I'm ahead of you," you say softly. "Clever girl. But that won't be enough. You have to tie me up properly"

„Properly?“, you ask, frowning.

Crosshair nods and says, "Yeah, I can open handcuffs without a key if I have one hand free" You mumble with a grin, "Sneaky bastard" "Shut up, kitten," he says calmly, with a little smirk, pointing to the other bunks, "Better find something to tie me up before the symptoms get worse" Unsure, you go to the drawers and side compartments of the other bunks. You find some more handcuffs and chain his other wrist to the weapon rack on the wall. Crosshair groans softly, a bulge has already formed in his Black's pants. He is far too warm in his skin and his cock is as hard as a diamond.

For a second you just look at him, his slender, wiry but stealed figure chained to the weapons rack at the wall. His shoulders down to his hips forming an apetizing V-line. "Okay, so far so good," he says tensely, "But that's not enough" You frown, but finally get two more cable ties and tie his legs to the frame on the wall. Crosshair stands there, as if nailed to a cross or pilloried, except that it is a weapon rack that is firmly anchored to the wall. "Fuck," he moans softly. Automatically, he writhes in his restraints, his clothes, the pants of his Blacks rubbing over his hard cock, eliciting another soft moan. He is extremely sensitive at the moment.

"But what now?" you ask anxiously, straining not to look down between his legs. "I can't hurt anyone now," Crosshair says and swallows. He means you, he can't hurt you now, he can't do anything against your will, you realize. "But... We have to do something, you could die or suffer permanent damage from this condition," you say nervously. You can see that he can barely think straight, that he would love to tear himself away if he could. But he smiles at you and says, "You're not worried about me, are you?" "Of course I'm worried", you say, almost indignant he might question this. He licks his lips, his mind a jumble of images of nudity, physical contact, of him sinking his cock inside you, in pretty much any of your holes that would do. Crosshair blinks a few times, trying to collect himself. "Well, you can help me now, but on your terms. I can't force you to do anything, that was important to me. Hence, the shackles. It was clear to both of us long ago that I still need your help now. Unless you want me to die, or my mind to turn in to a vegetable" Heat rises in your cheeks. You've imagined being with him so many times, but not like this.

He laughs softly as a drop of sweat rolls off his forehead. "Now you can live out some of the fantasies you love to write about. Honestly, I always knew you had a naughty spirit in you" The thought, the question of how much he has really read of your stories and perhaps even diary entries that are on the same data pad, comes to mind. You swallow and look at him, chained there. Your gaze does wander down to the enormous bulge in his blacks. You hear him purr, "Okay kitten, your attention is already going in the right direction" He strains against his restraints, automatically wanting to reach for you, but to no avail. A small frustrated growl comes out of his throat as he realizes once again that he is not able to touch you right now. No matter what you do now, no matter what you're both about to do, this isn't going to be romantic, nothing loving, that much you both realize. But contrary to your expectations, the thought doesn't repel you, actually, there's something appealingly wicked about it. As you sink to your knees in front of him, a shiver runs through his body in aroused anticipation. He can barely move, only his pelvis has a little room to move forward, and he stretches out towards you in invitation. "Be a good girl, help me"

You look up at him uncertainly, in his gaze you not only find confirmation of what you are about to do, it is a feverishly hot gaze, full of expectation and challenge with which Crosshair looks down at you. You reach for the waistband of his Blacks' pants and slowly pull them down. As the fabric brushes over his skin, over his hard cock as you free it, he trembles excitedly. It stands right in front of your face, thick, veiny, with a slightly reddened, swollen tip. His testicles are bulging. His cock twitches with every breath you take, because he can feel every waft of air. "Do it," he demands in a smoky voice, his eyes glazed over with desire, "suck me good" You wonder how he would talk to you at a moment like this if he wasn't under the influence of the pollen, but only for a second. You've always been curious about a sexual encounter with Crosshair, and his cock looks gorgeous. Your hand reaches for it automatically, and you're almost shocked at how red-hot it feels. His temperature is rising, no time to hesitate. Your tongue twitches over his velvety, swollen tip, catching a salty drop of pre-cum. "Fuck," Crosshair growls, his pelvis twitching, "come on, kitten, it's getting unbearably hot under my skin"

You don't think about it for long. Your lips open, your tongue outstretched, pressed against the underside of his cock, you take him into your mouth. Your head moves back and forth, bobbing back and forth with his cock between your lips. At first, you're so far back that, despite his relative freedom of movement with his pelvis, he has no control over how deep he penetrates your mouth. But it feels surprisingly wonderful, the sounds he makes, moaning, growling, whimpering. You can feel your panties getting wet and a tingling sensation between your thighs. Your pearl swells, pulsating gently at first, but demanding, longing to be touched, stimulated. On impulse, you move closer, giving him more room to move. As soon as he realizes that he can penetrate deeper on his own, he greedily pushes his cock deeper into your mouth, down your throat, almost to the hilt. Your eyes immediately start to water, but you don't pull back, you let him have his way with your mouth. He pulls his pelvis back and forth, thrusting deep again and again until your face is wet with tears and saliva drips from your chin because you can't swallow everything around his thick cock. Crosshair stares down at you, his gaze full of fire, glassy and dark.

He gasps excitedly, "I knew there was a dirty thing somewhere inside you, look at you eagerly sucking my cock. I wish I could record this, so I could watch it over and over again, how perfect this image looks" You don't have the time or the opportunity to object, nor do you want to. Your hand automatically slips into your pants and under the fabric of your panties. You can feel the heat emanating from your pubic area on your fingertips even before you touch your clit. There it is, finally, the touch, a shiver runs through your body. The touch your pearl has been longing for. Your fingertips glide over the sensitive bundle of nerves, faster and faster, as Crosshair's cock pushes up to the gag reflex again and again. You keep sucking at him, almost hungrily, like there is no tomorrow. Crosshair fucks your mouth restlessly, his pelvis shaking with every thrust, his arms tugging at the handcuffs again and again. Then he sees your hand in your pants, something about the sight pulls him over the edge, with a low growl, he spurts his load down your throat. You swallow hastily as he leaves your mouth and take a deep breath.

"A good little dirty thing you are. Look at you, not only did you suck my cock like an addict, you touched yourself" His gaze is still glassy, feverish, full of heat, a dangerous, knowing grin on his face. "Untie me, kitten, and I'll give you what your little pussy needs," he coos. His words roll over your skin and down into your pussy, where they trigger a pulsing, demanding twitch. Contrary to any fear or uncertainty about his condition, you cut the cable ties on his ankles. Then you grab the key for the handcuffs, you hesitate only briefly, barely noticeably, but then you unlock the handcuffs. You don't even have time to be surprised. Crosshair immediately peels you out of your clothes, partially tearing them as he loses his patience. He pushes you towards the bunk in front of you until you automatically climb onto it on all fours to avoid falling over. "That's it, keep sticking your gorgeous ass up, show me your little pussy," he growls in a smoky voice.

With the flat of his hand, he gives you a gentle pat between your legs. "There it is," he coos contentedly, "soft, warm and wet" One of his fingers slides along your velvety folds to your heated opening and sinks greedily inside. You moan as he sinks a second finger between your slick walls. "You're hungry for my cock, aren't you?" You moan a yes as you thrust your buttocks towards him. All you hear from him in response is a growl. You feel him pull his fingers from you and as you look over your shoulder, you see him licking your juices from his knuckles. "Actually, I'd love to lick your little honey pot, but I just can't wait, I can't," Crosshair says a little breathlessly as he parts your wet folds with his tip and with a smooth thrust fills your pussy to the brim with his cock. The sensation is intense, his hard, thick length filling you up, stretching your wet hole.

His fingers claw into your hips, not exactly gently, as he begins to move, pulling his pelvis back only to thrust into you again. He moans and curses, the feel of your wet heat enveloping him so incredibly intense, his cock so incredibly, unusually sensitive. His grip, his nails, are sure to leave a mark, but you're far too horny to mind. His thrusts are short, he never pulls far out of you, but he thrusts into you quickly, panting, clutching at you. His pelvis slaps your backside again and again, the sound fills the room, accompanied by moans, growls, whimpers. Crosshair doesn't feel like his temperature is dropping, he's more in control than he expected, but his hunger hasn't abated one bit. He growls, gives you a slap on the ass and murmurs, "You like that, you've always wanted my cock inside you" You are so lost in your excitement that at first you don't even realize what he is saying. When you don't answer immediately, he grabs your neck and pulls you towards him so that the back of your head is against his shoulder.

"Say it!" he growls, his hand still on your neck. Crosshair doesn't really squeeze, just applies enough pressure to make it clear that he wants your attention. "What?" you ask hoarsely, the feeling of his cock thrusting into you again and again taking over your entire mind. "You've always wanted my cock inside you. Say it! I want to hear it," he moans urgently. You gasp. "Fuck. Yes, I've always wanted your cock inside me, deep inside me," you croak, moaning. You yelp as he gives you a particularly hard, deep thrust and pauses in this position for a few seconds. His thighs tremble for a moment, a half-suppressed moan comes from his throat, then you feel his semen shoot into you. You're both breathing heavily, Crosshair growls softly. "Still feverish, still hard, I guess I'll have to make your wet dreams come true a little longer"

He pushes you off him, onto the bunk you're kneeling on, and turns you around, gripping your hips. Crosshair grabs the back of your knees to hold your legs up and apart. The next second, he's thrusting his cock into you again, accompanied by the dirty, wet sound his hard length makes in your pussy filled with your juices and his seed. Each thrust makes that lewd, wet sound, you feel his seed and your juices partially dripping out of you, onto your buns and onto the sheet beneath you. After all, you're in your own bunk. But this fact startles you all the more as Crosshair reaches purposefully to his right and pulls open a small drawer. He pulls out a small object and grins with satisfaction. "I knew you had toys here, I heard them vibrating under your blanket the other night" He moves his cock slowly inside you as he looks at the toy, and the heat of shame rises in your face. "What exactly does that thing do?" he wants to know, his gaze fascinated but still feverish, glassy. You swallow and say meekly, "It sucks the clitoris into this little opening and vibrates as it does so"

He raises his eyebrows and looks past the toy at you. "Is that good?" "My favorite toy," you say, still meekly. He looks down, positions the toy so that it can suck your clit perfectly and turns it on, turning the power up quite high. The toy sucks in your clit and vibrates on the sensitive bundle of nerves, immediately sending a pulse through your whole body. You let out a startled squeak. In combination with his thick cock inside you, the additional stimulation from the toy is very intense. Your hands claw into the mattress and sheets as he starts to thrust into you again. "Fuuuuck," you moan out. Crosshair takes you again faster, harder and growls, "That's more like it"

Your mind dissolves into nothing, the thought of how he sees you right now, that he knows about the toy, that he knows you've been secretly masturbating here under the covers, all swept away in one swoop. The stimulation is too intense, your whole body vibrates, trembles, tenses with arousal. "You're close," he moans, realizing, "I can feel your sweet pussy contracting" The stimulation, his words, the sound of his voice, all at once your climax washes you over the edge, and you fall into a pulsating tangle of over-stimulation. Automatically, you want to reach for the toy to remove it, but Crosshair's hands shoot forward, grabbing your wrists and pinning them above your head. "Fuck! Crosshair, that's too much, the toy!" you gasp breathlessly, twitching and writhing, the sensation far too intense.

He pushes himself deeper into your lap, takes you faster, with shorter, firmer thrusts. He stares at you, something about the way you squirm and twitch, the thought that you are helplessly at the mercy of this over-stimulation turns him on. It doesn't take long, his thrusts become irregular, his lap trembles between your twitching thighs, and he cums inside you again. You're still whimpering and squirming, finally he lets go of you, and before you can remove it, Crosshair releases you from the toy. You breathe heavily, sighing with relief. You look up, his gaze no longer glassy and feverish, more scrutinizing, brooding, as you know him to be. "Sorry," he says, shrugging his shoulders, "but it was incredibly hot to have you under me while you were twitching under the over-stimulation, one hell of a turn on." You roll your eyes and sigh, "I'm glad you enjoyed it" "You had your fun too, didn't you?" he growls sarcastically, "Or did you just get me untied to see what would happen?"

You can almost feel an argument brewing, but you don't want to argue, especially not now. You try to distract him. "How are you feeling now? Headache, fever?" Crosshair senses that you're trying to avoid the discussion, but he answers you anyway, "I'm fine, I think, no fever, no headache, no other symptoms either." You nod, climb out of the bunk and say, "Good, I need to use the refresher for a while, I need to clean myself up" But Crosshair blocks your path to the refresher. You hastily grab your bathrobe and put it on as you realize you're both still naked. "You haven't answered me yet," he says stubbornly. "What?" "Whether you had fun"

You clear your throat and say, "I had an orgasm, if that's what you mean" Crosshair frowns. "No, that's not what I meant, at least not exclusively." You lick your lips and avoid his gaze, but he gently but firmly grabs your chin, yet your eyes continue to avoid his. "Kitten? Look at me." His voice sounds so unusually gentle that you automatically look at him. "I just want to be sure that I didn't overstep any boundaries and that you didn't come away unsatisfied, as you know I didn't really have complete control over what happened." You look at him wide-eyed, then feel heat rising in your cheeks as you say meekly, "I had more fun than I want to admit"

A smile creeps onto his face. "I knew that. Good girl. Come on now, let us go wash you" You raise your eyebrows questioningly. "Us?" Crosshair grabs your hand and pulls you into the refresher with him. He winks at you, "We made the mess together, so let's remove it together. Come on, don't act like you don't want to be sponge-washed by me"

@rintheemolion

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anyamaris · 1 year ago

Text

Once Upon a Crimson Moon

Word Count- 15825

Pairing- Fae!Yeosang x Fem!Reader

Summary- Leaving behind a tragic past, you've crossed into the realm of the fae in hopes of finding a better life. Yet, you find yourself thrust into an existence equally horrifying. Discarded by one court, traded like cattle to another, you make your escape but where will fate bring you?

A dark, mysterious creature that leads you to your inevitable demise might just be the one to save your soul.

Trope-Fantasy AU, Smut, Strangers to Lovers au

Warnings-Adult language, sexual language, heavy trigger warnings for alluded: abuse, torture, SA, death. Please be aware of these, they are alluded to, not explicitly spoken of. Both characters have a dark, tragic past. Some topics are depressing. Unprotected sex, sexually explicit scene outdoors, minors DNI 18+

Tags- @cultofdionysusnet @ksmutsociety @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @yoonguurt @shinestarhwaa @stardragongalaxy @kpop-stories-21 @starlitmark@millennial-fangirl @ericssmile @wooahaeproductions@changbinslovelylegs @yeosxxx @millennial-fangirl @starillusion13 @duchesskaren @minki-moo

@cafekitsune and @saradika Thank you for dividers! 🤍💜🤍

A/N- First- @1-800-shedevil, you've been here through the entirety of this process with me, encouraging me, cheering me on, soothing me when I doubted myself. There aren't words to describe how much I adore and appreciate you. I feel like you know these characters almost as well as I do at this point. Thank you. 🤍💜🤍@kwanisms for making my header as well as my Yeosang character picture for me! GAH YOURE SO AMAZING AND TALENTED! I love you. @sanjoongie and @stardragongalaxy for creating this collab from a simple picture and conversation, I've fallen deeply in love with writing and this story because of you two. Thank you so much for setting this all in motion and dealing with me through all my screaming and excitement. @mint-yooxgi for all the hype and my screaming and yelling as well, and for always encouraging me when I doubt myself.

This is a collab with CODN for Thrill of the Hunt and please go check out the other writer's submissions!

I have a lot more planned for this if people like it, a whole story lives in my mind so I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I loved writing it!

I've included my original mood board at the beginning for some visuals as well as a commissioned art piece She.drawssss was so amazing to do for me beneath the cut!

You awake in the cold damp cell yet again, your eyes dry from dehydration. Groaning as you pick your aching body off of the filthy cloth they called a bed, you do your best to stretch and look around.

No one has come for you yet, it appears, as you glance at the empty bowl they feed you in. Sighing, you pull the ragged material of your gown down over your legs, looking up at the small window that barely allows any light in. Luckily, the acrid smell of rust overpowers any sense of your own odors, you think, frowning at the metal bucket they’d given you for your personal toilet.

“Still not the Ritz Carlton.” You whisper with a twist of your lips.

Your life has come down to this; a damp, dirty cell in the midst of a world you know nothing about. The series of events leading you to this very moment are hazy, vague memories you struggle to remember.

Nothing of your old existence is present here.

Running away from everything seemed like such a great idea at the time. Following the silly legends about faery rings, dreams of starting over completely.

Well…you had.

You’d run.

But now you wonder if the abuse and hardships from before were preferable to this disgusting tiny cell.

Perhaps.

Perhaps not.

Somewhere between here and there you’d just given up hope.

As you feel a tear slip from your eye, cursing the loss of moisture, your ears pick up the melodic sound of a bird. Looking up, you spot the small blue bird perched on the small window above you. It hops a bit, then lets out a little chirp, tilting its head at you.

“You again?” You ask it, unable to stop the tiniest speck of happiness it always brings with it.

Another tiny chirp reaches your ears and you sigh.

“Smile? Why? What’s the point?” you ask it, shaking your head.

It hops then chirps once more, and you just let out a small laugh.

“Fine…for you…I’ll try.” Seeming to be placated at your words, the small bird flutters its wings, flying away with a song.

The clank of the doors unlocking behind you has you turning, expecting the daily meal of mush in a bowl, but instead a tall figure grunts a few words in a language you don’t understand.

Before you can stand, two others are entering the cell, throwing a bag over your head and dragging you from the room you’ve called home for over a year.

“Shh, don’t speak a word, it’s the damned one…”

“Don’t look him in the eye, lest he remembers your face….”

“Why do they suffer such an abomination?-”

“HUSH! One cry from his cursed throat will doom us all!”

“I hear he killed his-”

“QUIET! Don’t be foolish or-”

The whispers are nothing he hasn’t heard before, in fact he’d be shocked if he doesn’t hear the murmurs as he walks through the busy market area.

Bodies part before him as he strides forward, gathering in his wake to curse his very existence. His red eyes scan the beings in front of him, daring any brave enough to meet their steely glare.

Not one takes the opportunity, ducking their heads, pretending to be busy.

The smirk that tugs at his lips beneath the black mask holds no mirth.

Their disgust and revulsion only mirrors his own as he makes his way to the fae he reports to.

“Quit frowning at her, she’s not worth your pity.” One of the elves hisses out, spitting to the side as he chuckles.

“Barren, that one. Not even worth the effort of transporting her. Should just leave her out here to the wilds.”

You just blink at the sky as the cart trudges along, studying the darkening clouds, letting your mind wander. You only half listen to the two fae who are charged with taking you to trade. You’d heard them say it a few times as you traveled; Oidhche court.

After having spent the last year being subjected to numerous atrocities by a variety of creatures in what you’d heard called Ciaradh court, you can only let out a breath at finally being outside once more.

It has been a long while since you’ve seen the open sky and you smile a bit as you take in the sight.

“Pretty”, you whisper and the smaller elf cocks his head back to look at you.

“Eh?” he says, a look of disgust passing over his face as your eyes meet his. “Tch,” he wrinkles his nose at you, then turns away.

“Too bad, clean her up and-”

“Let those mongrels in Oidhche have their way with her, I want to wash my hands of her as quickly as possible. Not worth the coin paid, when they will just dispose of her…”

Your mind tunes them out, focussing instead on gazing back towards the vast sky above you.

Would it rain today?

You hope so, the idea of the sound of droplets hitting the leaves on the giant trees around you has you closing your eyes again, drifting off into your own imagination to escape the stark reality of your life.

What seems like days pass, trudging along in the shoddy cart you are forced to ride in. You’d originally started out walking with them, just your hands bound by a rope but you’d stumbled and fallen so many times, the elves had traded for the small transport.

They hadn’t bothered much beyond the bindings on your wrists and as you daydream while the sun sets, you unconsciously work at the small rope.

It’s deep into the night when you can hear both of the guards snoring loudly that the bindings fall from your aching limbs and you rub them absentmindedly.

Wondering if you should even bother trying to escape, you shrug and think, what does it matter? Might as well try at least. The absolute worst that could happen is that they hear you, or they hunt you down.

From the way they were talking, it wasn’t likely you were going to meet with anything pleasant once they handed you off, so you creep slowly from the small vehicle and summon the tiny bit of grace you may have buried deep down.

The noises coming from the two males remain steady as you skulk through the taller brush.

You don’t stop concentrating on your movements until the sun is creeping up over the horizon and you’re sure that you’ve made it far enough to be clear.

Not waiting any longer, you take off at a run on your cloth bandaged feet, not even worrying about injuring yourself as you let your adrenaline drive you away from your captors.

With no idea of where you’re going, you just know that anything is better than whatever awaits you.

You have no idea how long you’ve been wandering, only that you can hear the faint trickle of running water nearby. Having only had the small drops of dew in the morning time, your heart soars at the sound.

It feels like days since you’ve gotten free from your transporters and now you are thirsty and hungry. Following the noise, you make your way to an embankment, sighing in relief as you take in the clear, crisp water below.

With a small smile, you slowly clamber down the side, being especially careful. The last thing you needed was to injure yourself while you were out here alone, without food or shelter.

“At least I’d have you,” you whisper to the small stream as you crouch beside it.

Humming happily, you cup your hands to collect the water and drink greedily. It’s cool and refreshing, bringing a much needed ray of hope into your current situation, as well as your parched lips.

You spend a little time hydrating, then scanning the area to see if there is any way to carry water with you. Finding none, you decide the best way is to follow the water source.

Glancing behind, you try to acclimate where you’ve come from and determine the direction to head in.

“As if you have a plan…” you murmur to yourself, seriously wondering what your ultimate goal is.

From your experience so far, coming across any fae was likely detrimental to your survival. The time you’d spent in that dank cell, subject to unspeakable things, told you all you needed to know about how the fae treated the human race. You had heard some other humans come through speaking of different courts having contradicting ideas of how your race was treated, but you’d only ever come across the kind that despised you.

Your thoughts drift to the one who scared you the most.

The one who came in the deep night.

The one who slipped you herbs and forced you to drink vile concoctions.

The disgusting creature who promised to make you his, repeatedly describing the numerous tortures that awaited you.

You’d eventually stopped reacting to his goading, as it seemed to give him pleasure to watch you tremble in fear.

“It’s ok now, you’re alright. Look, the sunset is beautiful.” you hum, making your way to a small burrow you spot as you walk along the stream. “It’ll all be fine. Even if you die out here, it has a wonderful view…” you murmur, drifting off as the orange glow fades to red, then dusk settles in as your eyes close.

“Go retrieve the human those idiots lost, shade. She escaped during transport around a week ago. Idiots took their time finally coming to report her disappearance but I know you’ll be able to find her. Meet them near the gate for her scent. Under no condition is she to be killed, bring her back as she is.” the captain commands, dismissing the creature known only as nightshade.

The fae’s crimson eyes only register the command, then he is turning on his heel to carry out his superior’s orders without question. He ignores angry muttering behind him as he makes his way outside.

Nightshade, or just shade, was what the fae had dubbed him.

It was no secret that he was born and raised without a name.

Such was the fate of one such as him, cursed at birth as a half breed abomination; a moniker befitting one that is as deadly as he is.

The fact that they used the human term for the poisonous plant was not lost on him, but it mattered little.

Irritation at being sent on such a seemingly silly task to retrieve a run away human, he just frowns beneath the black mask as he spots his targets pacing outside the gate.

“How long are we-SHITE AND FAIRYDUST! Why you-” the taller fae stops immediately as he takes in shade’s form as it solidifies, an undercurrent of fear in the elves’ normally apathetic gaze. “Are you here for the human wretch?”

Shade merely nods once and the two fae step back, gesturing to the wagon that had been transporting you.

“Should just let her die out there, with the beasts. No way she’s getting’ far.” the shorter one says.

The taller snorts and nods, “Don’t even know why she bothered.” They both fall silent as shade turns his eyes on them and they look away quietly.

“I’ll bring her back.” The deep rumble of his voice is barely loud enough to be heard but the two fae shiver at the sound, shrinking back.

Nodding once, he turns and fades to wisps of smoke, hovering over the cart long enough to get a scent of the essence left behind before dissipating.

“Don’t envy her the end she has coming from THAT one’,” the short elf whispers after a moment, finally able to talk once more.

“Shite.” is the only response he gets as they head back towards Ciaradh court.

You awaken with a shiver and a cry, the heavy morning dew clinging to your exposed flesh.

The dirty white gown they’d given you before you’d been unceremoniously dragged from the cell you called home was caked at the hem with mud and who knows what from the first stretch of your flight.

You’d been running through puddles and burying yourself in leaves and whatever else you could find to hide in at every sudden noise that first day. Yet you didn’t want to wash your clothing in the only water source you’d found, so you decide to leave it for now.

Stretching and shaking off the horrible dreams, you make your way back over to the stream to drink deeply, then make your way downstream once more.

The sound of the water seems to be getting louder as the stream slowly turns into a river, the current picking up.

Eventually you stop, trying to decide which side of the water you want to be on, as crossing looks as if it might be impossible later on.

Finally deciding on the right bank to climb up, you scan the area around you. There seem to be more trees and the birdcalls are louder as you travel.

You’re not sure whether to be surprised or not, having come across no living being since you’d escaped the road you’d been traveling along with those two fae.

To be fair, once you’d crossed into the world of the fae through the faerie ring however long ago, you hadn’t had much time outside of confinement. So there was no way to tell what was ‘normal’ on this side.

Deciding that the stream nearby would give you a water source, and heading towards the more tree lined area might provide some vegetation to eat, you make your way onwards. You’re fairly sure you haven’t traveled very far since you have strips of cloth for foot protection and it has been rough on you.

Figuring that the current of the river is decent enough to wash at least your wounds on your lower body in, you make your way to the side of the flowing current.

Unwrapping the cloth around your filthy feet, you dip your toes hesitantly, then plunge your legs up to your knees, sighing blissfully.

Numerous scratches and cuts, as well as a few punctures from sharp rocks are all calmed by the cool water. You close your eyes and tip your head back, basking in the beautiful sunlight, the warmth shining down on you.

“Where are you even going?” you ask yourself softly, breathing in deeply.

Once you soothe your wounds, you rip some new cloth off of the rag you are wearing, rewrapping your feet with the much cleaner fabric. At least it would provide some protection against the random rocks and such.

The rest of the day's journey takes you into the copse of trees, keeping an eye out for any of the faery circles you’d gone through in your own world.

Chances were low that you’d come across one, but at least it gave you something to work towards.

As you come upon a small opening, you walk to the edge to look out over the land beyond.

Looking around, you decide this is as good a place as any to rest and possibly spend a little time while you figure out what to do next. There was a small waterfall you could see a little ways down, and a small area to possibly bathe.

There were also some berries that looked promising as a food source, and given that it was between trying your luck at those or starving….well…

You collect a handful for your meager dinner, then bunch some leaves together under a smaller tree, hoping if the berries do kill you, it won’t be painful. The thoughts are short lived as you give in to your exhaustion, passing out before the sun sets below the trees looking over you.

Awakening hours later, the dark surrounding you feels oppressive. The constant dreams haunting you seem to follow you from your sleep as you take in the silent evening.

Rubbing your stomach, you don’t notice any signs of pain, which is a good thing for the berries. But your thoughts are cut off as you realize just how silent it is.

Dead silent, no birds, no noises of creatures moving in the dark like you’ve come to expect.

Just…silent as a grave. A shiver of pure terror washes over you as you try to process if it’s still a dream or-

That’s when you notice the being, crouched down a few feet away, hooded with a black mask.

You can’t really even see much else, but you can feel him. The noise that threatens to escape your throat seems to be stuck as he stands and slowly walks to hover over you.

As he approaches, the light of the moon illuminates his eyes, dark and intense. A chill runs through you at the sight of his form standing over you, your body trembling in fear.

This is it, this is my end, you think, a tiny part of you relieved that it’s finally come.

You had a feeling something would come for you eventually.

As the figure studies you, you can only wait for the peace of death.

Despite your instinctive physical fear, your mind is oddly tranquil as you try to make out his features in the darkness.

Wrapping your arms around yourself, you do your best to meet your last moments with a smile.

“Please…will you make it quick?” your quivering voice squeaks out, wincing at the sound in the deep quiet of the night.

The figure tilts his head at you, almost curious.

“Quick?” he crouches down in front of you, mere inches away as his masked face looks you over.

Swallowing, fear almost has you paralyzed at the nearness of the fae man, a sixth sense telling you he could crush you with one hand.

“Please…I would like to die quickly.” you repeat, drawing your knees underneath you as you sit up to ready yourself.

You grit your teeth to keep them from rattling together at the way you’re trembling, refusing to close your eyes to your final living companion.

“Die?” he asks, and you watch him as you wait, finally noticing that his dark eyes are a deep crimson in the light of the moon.

So pretty, you think distractedly. Heaving a small sigh, you focus on their beauty, a tiny smile creeping over your face as you appreciate the only part of him you can see.

“Are you not afraid, mortal?” he asks you, and you let his deep timbre wash over you, relishing in the richness of his tone.

“Of course….. I am very afraid. I’m terrified.” you counter and he just blinks at you, reaching a gloved hand out to hover near your face.

Snatching it back, he squints at you.

“Why are you so eager to die?” he questions and it’s your turn to blink at him.

“I…I’m not eager to die…” you whisper and he shakes his head.

“Confusing.” he states and you just stare at him.

“Aren’t you here to kill me?” you ask him, wondering how you’ve found yourself here, debating your life or death with a terrifying masked fae man.

“I am not.” he responds simply, causing you to sigh sadly.

“Which means…” you say softly, glancing around the clearing you’d decided to make a temporary residence, finding yourself already back in the cells you’d been locked away in for so long.

You turn your eyes back to him, his gaze still on you.

“You’re here to take me back.” you state, not a question.

His silence tells you what you need to know, and your throat closes as your eyes fill with tears.

“Give me a moment, please.” you say, trying to collect yourself.

His eyes go through an array of expressions as you fan your face, trying to calm down. The trembling from his nearness wasn’t helping, but you weren’t going to ask him to back off. Something in you told you that it was unlikely he’d listen anyhow.

“Are you going to take me back to those horrible men? Men…fae…I don’t even know what to call them…my captors?” you ask.

He merely nods, watching you curiously as you shiver and hug yourself.

“I suppose there’s nothing to be done for it then.” you say, and give him a nod.

“Are you going to…woosh me back or…?” You flap your hands, not knowing the words you’re looking for, fear of what awaits you overpowering his presence momentarily.

His confused eyes have you sighing, waving your hands around erratically.

“You know like, um…fly me back or …magic things…?” you ask, shrugging. “I have only been confined since I came into the fae world…I’m really not sure how things work here.”

His searching eyes just blink at you, then he sighs, sitting down to cross his legs in front of you.

“I will not ‘magic’ you back, we will travel by foot. I do not wish to touch you.” he says and you just sigh, looking up at the light of the moon above you.

“Ah…I forget that we humans here are despised, of course you wouldn’t want to. May I…have a bit of time before we go?” you ask him, and he just nods once.

“As you will, mortal. Rest, then. I do not need you to be a hindrance.” His form dissipates into a cloud of darkness, drawing out a shocked gasp from you.

“So cool...” you whisper, even as your body trembles in his presence.

Your attempts to sleep once more aren’t met with any luck, so you find yourself getting up, looking around the clearing. You cannot see your ‘escort’ but you can sense that he’s around, watching.

“I am just going to the little waterfall nearby…I’m aware that… running would be pointless…” you throw out, and you’re met with only silence.

Taking that as a sign that it’s fine, you make your way down to the little waterfall, your heart feeling a semblance of relief for a moment as you realize you may not get to be free ever again.

“I’ll just treasure this while I can…” you whisper to yourself, shedding the horrible gown and walking into the cool water.

The sigh of relief that escapes your lips is so loud, you cover your mouth, then giggle. It’s not as if you’re going to scare anything nearby, and the thought gives you a sense of freedom for a moment.

Humming as you dip down under the water, you emerge with a happy laugh, swimming around for a bit, then floating on your back as you watch the stars above.

Suddenly you are filled with a strong sense of being watched, heavier than before.

Turning your head, you let out a scream, bobbing under the surface for a moment before you pop back up, looking over to see the dark fae man near the water's edge. Your heart seems to restart as you process his presence, watching you curiously.

Turning to swim towards him a bit, you let your breathing even out before giving him a small smile.

“I wanted to bathe before we left…” you tell him, feeling the need to break the eerie silence.

He tilts his head, blinking slowly at you before his deep tone washes over you in a question.

“Why do you laugh?”

“Excuse me?” you ask, flustered, his intense stare causing you to tremble once more.

He pauses, his gaze even as he watches you.

“You are laughing, yet there is no one else around. Why?” he asks again and you sigh, floating a bit as you think of how to answer him.

“I was simply enjoying the feeling of the water….it’s been quite some time since I was allowed to bathe…or see the night sky like this…” you trail off, as you stare up at the stars.

Turning to look at him once more, you just contemplate.

“Do fae not laugh?” you ask him and just blinks, then shakes his head.

“Some fae laugh.” he responds and you get the feeling that he is not one of them.

Frowning, you swim a little closer to where he is crouched.

“Have you never laughed?” you ask him and he almost winces at the question.

“I dare not laugh, nor would I have a reason to.” he says, his beautiful silky voice washing over you and you just shake your head.

The thought of his laughter with that low velvety tone…..you shiver at the mere idea of it.

“Well that’s sad.” you tell him, going back to your humming.

“Sad?” he asks and you look at him curiously.

Between the hood and the mask covering the lower half of his face, the dark clothing and the gloves….well he looks completely like some assassin or dark creature from the fictional novels you used to read. But he was sitting here, watching you bathe, asking you about laughter.

Your heart cries out empathetically without even understanding why. Instead of feeling the need to cower and run in fear you are…drawn to him. His gaze, his voice, his presence is giving you the urge to know him, understand him.

How confusing things were here.

“What is your name?” you ask him, and the wince from before is nothing compared to the dark pain that swirls in his eyes now. Even in the low light of the moon, you can sense it, the agony in that reaction.

“I have no name.” he finally responds quietly and your heart clenches.

“No name? Do fae not name-?”

“They call me shade. I am just a shade.” he cuts you off, standing abruptly.

“Shade? How…on the nose.” you mumble and swim over to the edge, hoisting yourself out of the water.

His eyes are on you once more as you slip into your dress, uncaring of his gaze.

Your fae captors had long since stripped you of your modesty, and this particular fae was one of the first you’d met that wasn’t oozing hatred or lust for you. His uncaring demeanor was a wonderful relief compared to the others you’d met.

How odd to trust him on a feeling.

“I found myself unable to sleep so…we can go.” you announce, turning once more to take in the beauty of your bathing area, the sound of the small waterfall, the stars and moon reflected in the dark waters.

At his look, you just shrug, gesturing to yourself as you rewrap your feet. “I have nothing. This is everything, just me.” you tell him, thinking he may think you have to retrieve things.

It’s met with silence and you just stand, taking him in as you give him a small smile.

“I’m ready.”

The journey is slow, as he just meets your clumsy pace with silence, not once rushing you.

The first day passes quickly, you having slowed to avoid any injuries. And well….you were in no rush to return to the hell of your captors.

All attempts at speaking to the dark being escorting you are met with mostly mundane answers, his disinterest obvious, but you could sense an underlying sense of curiosity to him.

Or maybe it was just your imagination, hopeful in this bleak existence of yours.

He mostly observes you as he quietly directs you, allowing you to stop to use the bushes occasionally, to pick berries to eat, or to drink from the waters of the river.

He even watches as you get excited over a field of flowers you’d not seen on your way, exclaiming over the myriad of colors you’ve never seen in nature before.

Unlike the other fae, your occasional stumbles did not earn you a curse or jests, he merely just waits as you recover to continue on.

That night, as you lay staring at the open night sky, your body finally allows you some broken sleep.

Your shadowy escort can only observe from the trees as your body thrashes in the small hollow you’ve carved out for yourself as the nightmare plagues your rest.

Awakening with a small cry, you can only sigh at the reality of your situation, resignedly readying yourself for another day of travel.

As the day passes you fill the silence with random thoughts spoken aloud, rambling at him about whatever comes to mind, never expecting much of a response.

Occasionally he would start to respond to questions, but never more than a sentence here or there. Still, you could sense that your endless prattling wasn’t unwelcome to him, and you could sense his gaze on you if you started to go quiet.

As another night draws in the darkness around you, you find yourself yawning as you walk along, playing with some of the pretty flowers you’d found on the ground, unwilling to pluck any of the living ones.

“I believe you should rest now,” his voice startles you, causing you to jump and clutch your chest.

“I think that’s the most you’ve spoken today, you scared me.” you exclaim, and he just nods as if used to it.

“It is my nature, to cause others to fear me.” he simply says and you tilt your head at him.

“Why? Even other fae fear you?” you ask him, recovering as you look around for a clearing to rest in.

“I am aberrant to even my kind.” he says simply as if it’s a normal thing.

“Why?” you ask, stopping to turn and look up at him abruptly.

It was the first time he’d seemed willing to talk about himself and you weren’t letting the opportunity pass by.

His shocked eyes blink at you, mere inches from him as you hold your flowers.

“Why?” he echoes and you shrug, turning to head towards a little bunch of trees with some leaves and a nice little log to sit on.

“You ask many questions.”

“Yes, you…well…I mean, when I got here, I was running from some pretty horrible things…I thought coming here would be a clean start, that life here would be better for me. I don’t really know much about this…world…realm?” You gasp as you see some berries and run to pick them, feeling his presence follow.

“I had barely crossed when I was captured, then I was put in a cell and ... .well it was unpleasant, to say the least. I’ve been treated as little more than cattle…tainted cattle at that. The fae I encountered were terrifying, even as they looked like they should be a prince in a fairy tale from my world.” you continue, more to talk for talking’s sake than thinking he cared at all. “I don’t put much stock in the way others appear at first glance, especially now.”

Thinking for a moment about the dark cell, the horrible tortures, the comments, promises of worse…you shake your head, coming back to the present. “I don’t even have anything but this tattered dress they gave me…” you whisper, looking down.

Taking a deep breath, you work a smile back onto your lips.

“I can honestly tell you that you’ve been the kindest creature I’ve met since I came here…and it’s been a long time. Even though initially I was fearful of you..I mean you kinda showed up suddenly and the mask doesn’t help.” you turn to see he’s only a few feet from you, watching you carefully.

You pop a berry into your mouth, then hold your hand out to offer him one. “Even so…thank you for that…I…. I know I am going back to something horrible… Thank you for this time and allowing me to be free for a bit.” you smile at him softly and his eyes go wide, almost in shock at your words.

Shock, confusion, a little bit of… warmth?

Perhaps it was your imagination.

He simply holds out his hand and you scold yourself at your thoughtlessness.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot about not wanting to touch me…” you tilt your hand to let a few berries fall into his palm and smile up at him.

“You…you’re confusing me.” he says and you shake your head at him.

“How so?” you ask, making your way to slip down into the crackle of leaves, sighing in relief after the long day of walking on nothing but scraps of fabric.

He sits down in front of you, studying you intently as you unwrap your feet to rub them, dabbing at the blood from the small cuts.

He just watches, seeming to contemplate something in the long silence until his rich voice breaks it once more.

“Would you…should I….” he starts, but pauses, shaking his head as he looks away, seeming to battle himself before he turns back.

His crimson eyes are intense, but you feel as if he’s finally looking at you instead of merely studying you as if you were some curiosity.

“My mother was a banshee,” he begins, and you gasp without thinking as you realize he is opening up to you.

“Does that make you afraid?” he asks at your reaction, but you just wave your hands frantically, shaking your head.

“No, no not at all! I am…shocked yet pleased that you are telling me about yourself, please ….go on. I … would like to know more about you..” you say and he seems taken aback, but it’s hard to tell with only his eyes.

Finally after a long moment, he nods and you let out the breath you were holding, eager to hear more.

His tone is low, an underlying hint of sorrow as he continues. “They say she wanted a child so much that a dokkaebi decided to grant her wish. But, instead of just bringing her a child, the goblin seduced her, and they say she fell deeply in love with him.”

He stares off seeming lost in his thoughts as he takes a moment.

You wait patiently, enthralled with his voice as his eyes meet yours once again.

“Once he had gotten her with child, he disappeared, and no fae has seen him since. Such is the way of our kind.” He shrugs, shaking his head.

“He had granted her wish, and she should be happy, grateful for the gift. Instead, she was so heartbroken from the loss of her lover, that she cursed the child for being conceived. When she finally birthed the child, they say the cries of the creature granted her final wish, to extinguish the pain from her profound loss.”

His pause is longer this time, a deep sense of despair settling over you, knowing what his next words will be before he even speaks them.

“I am that creature…that child.”

“When the humans found me, I was taken in for a time. But at my cries, if I went hungry or was upset, the many humans who cared for me would die. Finally, realizing I was not a mortal, they offered me to the fae, cursing my very existence for all the death I’d caused. My mother’s people took me in, knowing what I was, yet I am not considered one of them. I am an outcast, I was given no name as a punishment for my existence. I am merely a shade, my presence a curse. My banshee mother “gifted” me with this voice…the mere sound of it causing those around me to tremble as I am only able to bring death and devastation.”

Your throat is tight as he speaks, your fist clenched in the material over your chest as it aches for him, for the small child subjected to such a life, merely for being born.

“They gagged me before I was able to control my voice, and then taught me to never use my power unless it was of use to them. I speak now, but my voice holds a fatal danger within it. This mask is a reminder that I am aberrant, a monster…. a creature that should never have been. My only use is to carry out my orders, and obey.”

His dark eyes bore into you expectantly, but you can only manage your breathing through the tears that threaten to overwhelm you.

“When others see me, they cower and whisper in fear. They scurry from me, as I could kill them with a word, or even just a sound. They fear me for I am a threat, but also a blemish on my kind. So it has been for my entire life.”

He seems so stoic, so resigned that it hurts to even breathe.

As he finally stops speaking, you tear a piece of fabric from your dress to wipe at your eyes and he refocuses on you, his eyes conveying confusion.

“Are your feet so injured that you weep?” he asks, his brows drawing together.

Shaking your head, you stifle a sob, shaking as you try to hold back the flood of heartache his story had caused within you.

“How…how could….they…?” you finally give in and burst into tears, drawing your knees up and sobbing into your arms.

“I…do not know…how to ..what is wrong?” He asks, confused as he attempts to reach for you, then draws back.

“What’s wrong!? Everything about how they treat you is wrong! How horrible! How could they? A poor little innocent baby, what awful ... .you haven’t even done anything wrong!” you wail, and he looks at you in shock.

“Did you not hear what I said? What I am? I am-"

Frustration fills you, anger welling up.

"I did hear, I heard everything you said and they are terrible!” You look up into his eyes, confusion and panic causing him to fidget, the normally stoic male now unable to figure out what to do with his hands.

“Aren’t you angry? Hurt?” you ask him, reaching out to grasp his hands without thinking.

He lets out a startled grunt as he reels back at your touch, but instead of letting go, you hold onto him, and he ends up pulling you into him.

“DON’T!” he cries out in panic, but you shake your head, throwing your arms around his neck to hug him.

“What are you doing!?” his voice booms and you tremble as you freeze, but manage to whine through your gritted teeth.

The feeling of paralysis leaves you as he puts his hands on your waist but you only clutch him tighter.

“I’m hugging you, so just deal with it!” you yell back at him, your voice not coming anywhere near the power of his but you didn’t care right now.

“Are you..yelling at me?” he asks, astounded at the very thought, but he doesn’t force you away.

“You’ve never been hugged, have you?” you ask him in a whisper, his body tense against yours.

His gloved hands shake as he holds you, afraid to move in case he hurts you. “I .. have not.”

You just sob against his shoulder, grasping him tightly.

“Well…..now you have…so…just let me, okay?”

You feel him relax slightly as he sighs, his hands gently settling on your back, allowing you to calm gradually down into sniffles.

It was a surreal feeling, sitting in a fae’s lap as you embrace him, the very creature about to turn you over for more torture, possibly even death.

But the amount of torture you’ve endured seems so pale in comparison to what he’d been through since his birth.

It made you angry, outraged at the kind of beings who could hurt a small infant, raising him to believe he meant nothing.

“It’s not right.” you whisper, drawing back to look into his eyes, which were filled with shock, confusion…fear.

“I do not decide what is right and wro-” he says, but you glare at him, stopping his words.

Slowly pushing back the hood over his head, you can feel him begin to shake again as you raise your hands to his mask. Long dark strands of hair fall forward, soft and shimmering in the midday sun.

“Do not-” he growls out, grasping your wrist gently.

“Why not? Will it hurt me?” you ask, and he just shakes his head.

“Just-” he stops as you draw back, not wanting to push him.

“My only wish is to see you fully, but I will not force you for my own selfish wants.” You tell him softly, brushing your thumb over his exposed temple, admiring his dark crimson eyes, his beautiful sable hair.

“Why are you..I could kill you from a simple touch, with only a word..why…? I don’t understand…Aren’t you afraid?” he rasps out, his chest rising and falling erratically.

“Do you want to hurt me…to kill me?” you ask him in a whisper and his eyes darken, black and red swirling together, his arms tightening around you.

“No-never….” He whispers, shaking his head, studying your face as you search his eyes.

“My touch can wither your delicate flesh, my voice can halt your breathing eternally. You risk your very life to…hug me?” he asks, incredulous.

Your heart aches at his question, a being having never known love or care, more afraid of himself as he’s been taught nothing else, given nothing else.

“I trust you.” you whisper to him, stunning even yourself at the admission.

You barely knew him, yet…something deep within you was stirring, perhaps because you were so close to your demise…having been devoid of feeling connected to another for so long, locked away.

Whatever the reasoning, you could sense your heart stirring for this mysterious, tragic man holding you in his lap.

At your words, he stiffens, blinking rapidly as his eyes darken.

“Why?” His voice is even deeper, his words washing over you like a calm, cool breeze.

Just the one word has you catching your breath, and without hesitation or thought, you lean in to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

Your lips linger for a long moment as he trembles beneath you, a mixture of a gasp and a soft sigh barely heard through his mask as you pull away.

His eyes are full of intense emotion, and you can’t help but smile tenderly at his confusion.

“I…have no reason. It’s just how I feel.” You tell him quietly, allowing yourself to bask in the peace of this moment with him.

His hands splay out over your back, slipping up your spine and you can feel the tremor as he touches you.

“See…you’re not hurting me…” you tell him as you continue to brush his hair back, tracing the line of his eyebrow with the tip of your finger.

At your touch, he closes his eyes, as if memorizing the feeling.

You watch his throat work, but then suddenly his eyes are open, the pain within them slicing through your heart.

“You should stop.” He rasps out, but you merely shake your head, refusing. He lets out a strangled noise as he glares up at you.

“Don’t you know when you’re in danger?” he asks as he attempts to remove you from being wrapped around him.

“No.” you say simply, knowing he could toss you across the clearing easily, but unwilling to leave your spot without force.

“Why are you so stubborn?” he asks, and you just laugh softly, his eyes softening at the sound.

“It’s just my nature, I suppose. But…if you dislike my touch, I will stop. I apologize for upsetting you.”

Finally giving in, you slowly stand, removing yourself from his lap.

“I’m going to collect some more leaves…” you whisper, leaving the fae to himself for a moment, also needing to take some time for yourself.

You stop to look back at him, still looking down at his hands, his hood pushed back.

Feeling a pang of guilt for pushing him, you sigh before you continue on.

In the long months, possibly even years you’ve been here, you've been wasting away in a cell, poked and prodded at by beings who treated you horribly.

The few who had come along and shown any interest had ulterior motives, such as the tall elf who seemed to be in charge.

He’d fed you strange herbs that made you sick, promising they were to help you.

But in the end, he’d also wanted to use you, albeit in different ways than the ones who came before.

When they’d declared you barren, you’d thought it was a godsend but in reality, they had no more use for you.

As the guards who’d been transporting you had implied, you were marching right back to a certain death.

Death was the best thing that was waiting for you, you think sadly.

Yet here you were, going soft for this being they called shade, your heart opening even though you knew it would only end in tragedy for you.

“A little light in the darkness isn’t going to hurt…. It’s fine…it’s all fine..” you whisper to yourself.

The pain of his story still rages through you, the urgent need to show him care, comfort….love.

“How ironic to find such a thing, in the darkest days of my sad life.” you tell the wind, closing your eyes to the thought of his gentle touch upon you, no matter how brief.

Oddly, you feel as if you could sense his presence, and when you returned back to the little spot, you found yourself smiling at his dark form.

He was crouched near a small bush about ten feet from where you’d decided to make your little resting spot for the night.

You deposit your leaves as he stands to turn towards you, his hands cupped as he makes his way to you.

Settling yourself in the crunch of the foliage, he kneels next to you, his dark red eyes searching yours as he holds out his hands.

“What-?” you start then look down at what he is offering.

In his gloved palms, he was holding berries.

“For..me?” you ask timidly and he just nods.

“Th-thank you…” you smile at him, feeling heat creeping into your cheeks as his eyes never leave you.

You take them in your palm as if they are treasure, warmth spreading through you.

“Mm!” you exclaim as you chew on a few and he tilts his head at you in confusion.

“You act as if these aren’t the same berries you’ve been consuming this whole time.” he quips and you beam at him, munching happily.

“They taste better because you got them for me.” you tell him, your heart seeming to stutter as his eyes widen then blink quickly, and his breath catches audibly.

“I…get some rest…” he finally says, standing to turn and dissipate into that black shadowy cloud you’ve gotten used to now.

“Sweet dreams…if you sleep…” you whisper to him, grinning like a fool at the berries he’d given you as if it was the greatest gift you’ve ever received.

In your mind, his gesture means the world to you in this bleak existence you’ve found yourself in.

Shortly after your meal, you lay down in the softness of the leaves, gazing wistfully at the stars as you commit this feeling to memory.

Whatever fate has in store for you, be it death or worse, you’ve decided to save this day to a special place in your mind.

When the pain of reality becomes too much, you’ll withdraw back to this moment; this small bit of sunshine in your bleak existence.

In the trees above you, unseen, your dark fae watches over you as your eyes drift closed, a small smile playing over your lips as you drift into dreamless slumber.

The next day, you find he is watching you even more closely, actually answering your little questions a bit more openly than before. The sound of his voice makes you smile and more than once, he gives you strange, curious looks.

Neither of you speak of the prior days events, but there seems to be a simple companionship between you that wasn’t there before that makes you skip along, a little more carefree than you’ve felt in a long, long time.

You cannot see his full face but you’re convinced that at least once, you’ve made him conjure up some semblance of a smile.

Wishful thinking, perhaps.

“May I ask you something?”

The fae’s deep tone interrupts your thoughts, shocking you as you turn to look at him.

“Of course you can, anything you desire.” Smiling, you watch him as he takes his time to respond.

“How can you…smile?” he asks softly, his words barely audible.

You pause, turning to him as you think of how to answer.

“If this is too intrusive-” he starts but you just shake your head, titling it as you look off at the beautiful blue of the sky.

“I don’t mind…I’m just trying to think of how to put it into words.” You reassure him, watching as some small animals break from a brush to rush into another.

Your lips quirk at the sight and you turn your gaze back to his.

Your stomach does a little flip at his intense eyes, but you shake it off as you speak.

“I mentioned that I came across to escape from something horrible, from my world?” you finally say, your mind drifting to the day you’d run from your life.

“In my world, there is no magic, but there’s plenty of evil. Sometimes no matter how much you love or care for something, they can still hurt you. I ran away from something…someone who was hurting me.” You tell him, shrugging a shoulder as if to make light of it.

His eyes narrow, darkening and you continue before you can run from the question.

“When I crossed, I was captured. But in my mind, anything was better than what I left. I…was wrong. It was different, but just as bad as what I ran from. The fae who captured me placed me in a small dark cell and ... .I won’t go into details about the things that were done to me. I honestly don’t want to remember, let alone tell you.” your smile falters as you blink away tears, trying to recall where you were going.

You watch his head tilt downwards, his eyes hooding as he studies you, and you manage to swallow back the memories as you continue.

“I’m unsure how much you know about what they do…to humans like me.” you say and he just shakes his head.

“Well, it’s …..from what I heard from conversations I overheard and what was done to me…at least where I was. They are trying to ….breed us.” you whisper, looking down to wrap your arms around yourself.

You turn and slowly start walking as you recall to him some of your time imprisoned.

“After many …. attempts ... .I was declared ‘barren’, basically worthless.” You look over at him with a soft smile and he furrows his brow in confusion.

“The reason I was able to get myself free was because they were discarding me, as I have no use.” you tell him, shaking your head.

“I don’t even know why they sent you after me, I imagine I’m going to be ... .disposed of at my return.” you shrug, resigned.

“It sounds like I’m not answering your question, but I promise I am!” You tell him, trying to put some cheer into your voice.

You watch a vein in his neck pulse as he seems to swallow harshly, focused on you.

“You see, I spent so much time angry at myself, at everyone around me, making myself sick with all of the negative things. It really only made everything so much worse. One day, a small bird got into my little prison cell. A tiny little blue bird, and the sound of its song was like…the most beautiful, amazing thing I’d ever experienced in my life.”

You smile at the recollection, perking up. “The joy I felt from that simple little bird, the smile it put on my face made everything else ebb away. It didn’t change anything happening to me, but smiling…appreciating the smallest happiness…it made what was happening to me the smallest bit easier.”

You look down at the path you’re walking, smiling at the vivid green of the grass, the small puffs of white flowers drifting on the breeze.

“My whole life, I don’t think I spent much time smiling. But now…..now, I smile because otherwise, I’d drown in the misery of my negative thoughts. There’s so much negative, sometimes it’s too easy to be overwhelmed by it. I just decided to change my perspective and to appreciate the smallest gifts I am given.”

You hop and turn to him, reaching to grab his hand but at the last minute you remember yourself and stop.

His startled look makes you giggle as you tell him, “Like the berries! You picked them for me…you thought of my well being. Me…a silly human you are tasked with bringing back, you showed me kindness. You made me smile.” you admit, shrugging and his eyes widen, then soften as he shakes his head.

“I…do not think I’ve ever done so in my life.” he tells you and you just give him a big grin as you hop along beside him.

“You’ve made me smile many times so far. Your voice is soothing to me, beautiful like music. It makes me happy.” You say, and he stops abruptly, blinking rapidly.

“I cannot tell if you jest.” he glances over at you, wary as you beam at him.

“I would never jest about that, I truly mean it.” you say simply and he starts to walk with you once again, seeming lost in thought.

“Long after I’m gone, I hope you recall that you made at least one little creature smile in her last days.” You whisper and his head snaps over to you, seeming to process your words finally.

“You…are aware of your imminent demise yet you don’t even attempt to escape from me?” he puzzles and you laugh, a mixture of sadness and delight at the thought.

“You and I both know escaping from you isn’t possible. I may be a bit naive and extremely clumsy, but I am smart enough to know this.”

He only watches you, blinking as he nods finally.

“Yet you still could try, if you wanted to live.”

You stop at his words, turning to frown at him.

“I do want to live. I really do. But if I were to try to run, you would have to come after me, to recapture me. You’d have to use your powers….I can sense how strong you are, even as a human. I couldn’t do that to you.”

He flinches in shock, “To me?” he merely asks and you nod, closing the distance between you to look at him, to make sure he understands you.

“You’ve been used…treated like you’re only worth what only your powers can do for those who would exploit you. I would be forcing you to do the same, against your will. From what it sounds like, the fae who raised you to be a tool only treat you as an object. I….know all too well what that feels like, and I just…” your heart pounds from the memory of his story.

“I will not push you into having to do their bidding any more than you already have to. Despite being completely pointless- it’s not as if I can run and hide from you successfully…which means you would also have to do something that seems to cause you pain…or sadness.” he simply watches you, his eyes almost black as you speak.

“I prefer to speak with you, to hear your voice, to learn about you, to-” your throat clenches at the words that want to come forth and your breath hitches.

“I…accept the fate I’ve been given and want to make the time I have not memorable, not running from it. I’m always running from something; this time…I’ve decided to face things and enjoy beauty where I can find it. You’re my …companion at the end…I don’t wish to make you my enemy, nor do I want to abuse you like others do.”

You finally stop, giving another shrug as you put your hands behind your back, turning to continue your journey. “Sorry I didn’t have a short answer for you…” you purse your lips, wondering if you’ve annoyed him with your rambling.

There is a comforting silence following your long explanation, the soft sounds of nature around you soothing as you breathe in deeply.

You hear an odd creaking noise and turn to look at your companion oddly. You glance down at his leather clad hands where the sound emanates and frown, noticing him clenching his fists.

“Have I upset you? If I have-”

“No. Not you.” his deep growl sends a chill through your entire being at the rage you sense lurking.

“Oh…” is all you say, unconsciously walking a bit closer to him.

You notice his breathing is a bit rough under his mask and suddenly feel a wave of sadness for upsetting him, even if unintentional.

“I’m sorry for saying so much, I overshared a bit.”

His eyes meet yours and your heart stops as his eyebrows draw together, an expression of almost…sympathy in his eyes startling you.

“There is nothing to apologize for. You have nothing to be sorry about…” his emphasis has your breath catching in your throat and your heart swelling.

Was he…angry for you?

The thought has you dizzy with confusion and emotion.

“Thank you…for listening.” you breathe out, having to almost physically force your gaze from him, heat warming your cheeks.

“You’re…welcome.” He responds, and you continue on as the sun slowly dips beneath the treeline, before you make your resting place for yet another night.

Your pace was slow, but instead of rushing you, your fae companion was allowing you to set the speed. It was as if he was allowing you as much time as you needed before your end.

You couldn’t be more grateful, you think as your eyes close, sensing him nearby.

Your sleep is restless, drifting through memories of your time back in your cell. The sounds harsh breathing in your ear, whatever creature was holding you beneath them tearing your flesh as they-

You awake to your own sobbing, shaking violently as you struggle to breathe.

You’re curled onto your side, hot tears trailing from one eye to the other as you clutch the ragged material of your dress.

It takes you a few moments to register the figure of ‘shade’, not even two feet from you, his crimson eyes seemingly on fire in the dim orange light of the sunrise.

His hands were hovering near you, palms open, a look of concern on his brow.

He doesn’t speak a word as your breathing slowly returns to normal, his nearness almost calming, bringing you back to reality.

Sitting up, you finally unball your fist from your chest, your jaw aching from having been clenching it, probably all throughout your nightmare.

Rubbing your face, you take a deep breath as you wipe at your damp face.

“You were screaming.” His voice washes over you like a wave, instantly dispersing any lingering memory of your dream and you sigh in relief.

“Sorry I-”

His grunt stops you and you look at him in confusion.

“You say that word needlessly, far too often.” he says simply and you let out a small laugh, realizing he’s right.

“Habit, sor-” You put your hand over your mouth and let out a soft giggle.

The sides of his eyes crinkle a bit and you almost gasp as you realize he may be smiling.

Resisting the overwhelming urge to reach out and pull off his mask, you stand, brushing at the leaves clinging to your gown.

“I suppose we should-”

He turns before you can finish, pulling out a large leaf with berries on it.

“Eat first.” He says, standing as you finally take his offering, staring at him in awe.

“Thank you.” You whisper and he only nods as he walks a few feet away, seeming to look out at the path ahead.

It only takes you a few moments to consume the food, then you’re standing and joining him.

“Ready?” You ask and he just gazes at you for a moment before he gives you one nod, following as you set your slow, plodding pace for the day.

You are mostly silent, lost in thought as you travel, casting looks occasionally at your travel companion.

Almost every time, you catch his eyes on you and his gaze never fails to warm you, your stomach doing little flips.

As if subconsciously, you make almost double the amount of stops today as you normally have, knowing you must be getting close to wherever he’s taking you.

During a particularly quiet bit of time where you’ve stopped to admire the view from the side of a cliff face, you watch as birds fly free and sigh in envy.

There is water far below, and you can faintly hear the waves crash into the rocks lining the shoreline.

Smiling as you close your eyes, you tip your face to the sun, basking in the mildly salty scent of the ocean.

Upon opening, you can’t help but envy the winged creatures flying overhead.

“Oh to be a bird…” you whisper under your breath, taking a step forward without thinking.

There’s a sudden shift as the ground beneath your feet gives way, your small cry cut off as you plummet quickly towards the rocks below.

This is it, you conclude, your heart torn between sadness and elation as you fall to meet your death.

Yet, instead of the bone breaking impact of the terrain of the shore, a familiar black cloud surrounds you, then you’re being clutched tightly in a pair of strong arms.

Barely able to breathe, you just cling to him as he sets down onto the ground below, trembling as you try to recover your breath.

“Are you alright?” he asks, and you glance up at him, grateful.

“I-I think so…” you stutter out, grasping onto him as he looks around where you’ve both landed.

“I’m sorry…I … “ you try to explain, but the concern in his eyes has you catching your breath.

“You…voluntarily touched me…” you realize out loud and he grunts in response, finally spotting a clear area to set you down.

As he does, you let your arms linger around his neck, looking up at him affectionately.

“Thank you.” you say softly, and he just watches you closely for a long moment, searching your eyes.

Finally, he is the one to break the silence.

“Why do you look at me so intently?” he asks, his intense gaze never breaking from yours.

“I….I was wondering once more what you hide beneath the mask.” you tell him simply and he scoffs at you, removing your arms from around him, stepping back.

“Nothing worth seeing.” he tosses out, surveying the area around you.

“I’d like to have my own opinion on that.” you state, walking over to him to take his gloved hand.

He stiffens at your touch, but does not pull away.

“You confuse me.” he says, not for the first time.

“I confuse myself sometimes, so it’s okay.” you say, smiling tenderly up at him.

As he turns his eyes on you again, your heart trips over itself as you feel the overwhelming need to see him, see his face, to remove the mask keeping you from seeing him.

All of him.

You have nothing to lose, something inside of you states.

Giving in to the pulsing demand of your inner voice, you start moving before you even realize you are doing so.

Reaching up, you push back his hood, but he steps away in alarm, putting distance between you both, his long dark hair shining in the sunset.

“May I…” you extend your hand towards him, but his eyes register panic as your fingers brush his mask.

“No.” he says brusquely, turning away from you.

“Please…I…don’t know why but I -”

His voice is soft but heavy with emotion as he shakes his head, his long strands falling softly around his face.

“There is nothing you gain from seeing what lies beneath.”

“There is nothing I lose, either..” You whisper to him softly, reaching for him once more.

This time he remains still, allowing you to approach.

You watch the rise and fall of his chest as you brush back the softness of his hair, his eyelashes fluttering at your touch.

“You do not need to lay eyes on the pathetic creature that this hides. The monster that I am.”

“You’re not a pathetic creature nor are you a monster, not to me.” you say, grasping his hand.

“Not to me. You’re more than that.”

His ragged breathing is the only sound between you as you wait, his eyes searching yours.

“You have treated me kindly, you’ve saved my life-” His eyes look pained at your words as he shakes his head.

“I am only doing my duty, obeying my orders.” he bites out, but you see something deeper in the depths of his gaze.

“You know I am going back to almost certain death.” you whisper and you can see him wince, his hand trembling slightly in yours.

“I am not asking for you to free me. I accept my fate…I have nowhere to run.”

“Let me lay eyes on what you want to hide…let me see all of you. Take it as a dying woman’s wish.” his eyes flutter at your words, keeping them closed for a moment before he looks at you intensely.

“You speak of your death so easily, as if it doesn’t matter.” he responds softly.

You only smile up at him as the darkness closes in around you, the light of the moon illuminating his eyes.

“Death is inevitable, and you’ve given me this precious time with you before I meet my end. I’ll cherish every moment, every single second with you. In the time I have left…I want to see all of you.”

You beam up at him, giving him time to take in your words.

His eyes seem to filter through an array of emotions as you look at one another.

Pain, fear, agony…

Longing.

As you watch those beautiful eyes, they seem to settle as he lets out an almost resigned sigh.

“Why is it that to me, you shine brighter than the moon?” he asks suddenly, reaching out to cup your face.

Your breath hitches at his touch and you lean into the caress.

“How do you do this, light up everything around you?” he asks, and you just smile at him sadly, your hand cupping his as he brushes his thumb over the tear rolling down your cheek.

“I’m only bright because you’re so used to the dark.” You respond, but he shakes his head.

“You’re much more than a light in the darkness. You belong in an open field of beautiful flowers under the sun, not lighting up this oppressive night.”

You know he’s not only referring to the shadows surrounding you, his words causing your heart to tremble, yearning even more for him.

You can only press yourself into him, brushing back the long strands of dark hair as he swallows at your nearness.

You can feel your very soul quiver as he wraps a strong arm around you, holding you close.

“I much prefer the beauty of the things I can bring the light to.” you whisper softly.

He closes his eyes and you let your hand slip behind his head, trailing your finger along the strap holding his mask in place.

“Monsters lurk in the darkness.” he whispers in a low tone, his hand gently stopping you as he opens his eyes, the pained red bleeding into the black of his irises, almost begging you not to go any further.

Your heart pangs at the undercurrent of distress in their depths, but you know inherently that there’s nothing for him to fear, that you only need to prove it to him.

“I’m more afraid of the monsters that walk amongst the flowers than I ever will be of the creatures in the dark.”

You unhook the strap and let it fall, noting the sheer agony within his eyes.

He closes them tightly as the mask falls, revealing one of the most breathtakingly perfect faces you’ve ever seen.

Blinking back fresh tears at his need to hide himself, you can only bask in the sight of him; his beautiful lips quiver slightly at your sharp intake of breath.

“Perhaps the beings in the dark aren’t monsters at all,” you whisper softly, “Just lonely creatures too afraid to show themselves to the light.”

The tears clouding your vision finally begin to fall as you gaze in complete awe at his features, his body shuddering as your words seem to stun him.

You watch his adams apple bob as he swallows, choking back a sob at his unwillingness to look at you.

“You're stunning.” you whisper as you find your voice, letting your fingers trace his jawline, the tips of your fingers skimming along his lips.

“You should not hide yourself from others….from me. Your voice is beautiful, as is this face you mask.”

Your breath catches as he leans into your touch, cupping his cheek gently as you admire him.

“You should proudly stand above all those who would look down on you and proclaim your right as a living being, deserving of love and kindness.”

His eyes gradually open as you speak, warily studying your face for any signs of deception, confusion playing across his sculptured features.

His lips part as you bask in the brilliance of his beauty, the moon illuminating a single sparkling tear in the corner of his eye.

Trembling as you take in the sight of him, you are flooded by emotions long forgotten overwhelming your very soul.

“Yeosang.” you whisper, the name coming from deep within you.

“What-? What...does that mean?” He asks softly, his voice barely audible, his brows draw together in uncertainty.

Your fingers trace the graceful line of his nose, whispering across his flawless cheek; letting your fingertips brush the dark lashes as his eyes flutter at your touch.

“Yeosang…I cannot give you much in this world but…I can give you a name. In my world, “Yeosang” means ‘sound from a high point’ in one of the languages where I am from.”

Your hand drops down, running a palm along his throat, eyes flicking up to watch a tear trace a line down his cheek.

Your heart aches at the myriad of emotions in his eyes, and you long to have him understand what it is you see, visually and with your heart.

How deeply he moves you; what he has come to mean to you in such a short time together.

What you yearn for him to believe; that he is worth something.

“Use your voice for yourself. To me, you stand above them all, so I want you to see yourself as I do.”

You lean in to place a soft kiss to his brow, and his arms tighten around you as his breath hitches at your words.

“You’re no monster…you’re a radiant, magnificent being trapped and abused by those who fear you. You are only hiding yourself in the shadows.”

He lets out a choked gasp as you press another soft kiss to his cheek,

“Yeosang…it also means ‘everything’.” You tell him.

His eyes are hooded as they play over your features, head down as he looks at you through those dark lashes.

He pauses before he whispers, “Everything?”

Tilting his face up to yours, urging him to look deep within your eyes. A swell of emotion washes over you, and you give in to the words that seem to come from the very depth of your soul.

“Yes, Yeosang. Because you are everything….my everything.”

His lips part as your fingers entwine into his ebony tresses, guiding his mouth to yours.

He lets out a small whimper as your lips meet, pulling you flush against him.

His tongue traces the seam of your lips and you part for him, urging him to take whatever it is he wants.

Slowly, gently he cups your cheek, brushing his gloved thumb over your skin, tilting your head as he deepens the kiss.

On a small gasp, he draws back, a look of concern washing over his exposed features, his lips drawing down in a frown.

“Am I hurting you?” he questions, fear evident in his eyes.

You lean forward to press your lips to his once more, settling your forehead against his as you shake your head.

“Not at all. Your touch is everything I’ve ever wanted…needed…” you sigh, and his eyelashes flutter as you take his hand to place it on your chest, your heart thundering in the stillness.

“Listen…” you whisper, your eyes steady on his.

“For you.”

His breath hitches as you place your hand on his chest, sighing softly as you feel the increasing rhythm with every passing moment.

It seems as though your heart syncs to the tempo of his, yearning to merge, to fuse with his very soul.

Your eyes lock with his, the silence surrounding you seeming to fill with ever growing symphony of emotion overwhelming you for this man.

The words leave your lips, without thought, just pure and simple.

Right.

“I love you.”

Though said on the softest of whispers, his reaction is as if a thunderclap has broken him from his reverie, his eyes sharpening as he searches your face.

Swallowing heavily, you breathe out, “I…barely know you, and maybe I’m insane...but it’s as if I was destined to always make my way to you.”

Your words are barely audible, your cheeks burning at the confession.

His sudden movement catches you off guard, fear threatening to claw it’s way up your throat, worried he will push you away; that you’ve made a mistake in voicing your feelings.

Instead, his eyes remain locked onto your as he yanks at his gloved hands, shedding the leather quickly before he reaches for you once more.

You shudder as he tentatively traces his fingertips along your cheek, brushing away the fresh tears. “I fear that words can do no justice to how you move me…they can only pale at the vibrant way that you’ve set me ablaze. The words that spiral through my mind can never explain the profound strength of how I’ve come to cherish you.”

Your heart aches at his admission, closing your eyes to the flood of emotions that wash over you, the stream of tears flowing freely as he holds you.

Your mouths meet once more as he pulls you to him, seeming to pour every ounce of himself into the kiss he breathes into you.

Your hand covers his as he cups your cheek, marveling at how gentle he is, how delicately he touches you.

“Yeosang…” you murmur against his lips and his breath catches, his tongue rolling against yours as he lets out a soft moan.

“Say it again.” He demands and you smile against his mouth, letting your hand reach up to comb through his long silken strands.

“Yeosang. My Yeosang.” The emotions coiling in your chest, your stomach seem to coalesce into an urge so strong, so powerful that you can’t deny them.

“Make me yours, Yeosang,” you gasp out, as if the words are speaking from your very soul.

Your trembling is noticeable in your voice and he lets out a shaky moan as you press yourself against him. His arousal is unmistakable as he slips his hands down your back and you gasp at the way your body responds to him.

His eyes flare open, a deep scarlet filled with lust and concern as he shakes his head at you.

“I will not do such a thing after what you’ve been through. Not after-” his words are hushed with a touch from your fingers, even as his hands find purchase on your hips.

Brushing your thumb along his lower lip, you blink slowly at him, smiling gently.

“There is nothing here besides you and I, just the two of us. You need not concern yourself about harming me in such a way.. I am making the choice. I am choosing you.”

His eyes soften at your words, and he lets out a soft sigh, parting his lips to take your thumb into his mouth.

“I…want you more than I have words to describe….. yet…” his eyes shift and you furrow your brow at his hesitance.

“I will not force you into anything-” you tell him, suddenly worried that you’re the one crossing the line here.

“No-I want you. I truly, truly want you…” his hands tighten on your hips as he lets out a shaky breath, hips pressing forward as if to prove his point.

You swallow heavily at his words, heat rising up your neck as well as pooling between your legs.

“But?” you ask him, trying not to do anything to push your own needs, holding as still as you can, to not influence his decision.

“I-” his eyes are still averted, his throat working.

“I have never…been wanted…been with-”

His eyes dart back to yours and you can’t help a small curl of your lips at his admission, at the rosy tint to his beautiful cheeks.

“Is that your only concern?” You ask him softly and he blinks slowly, nodding as you run your hand over his shoulders.

“Yeosang…” you whisper, rocking your hips gently against him, gasping at his reaction to you.

His head tilts back, fingers digging into your hips, then your ass as he slips them down to pull you harder into him.

You lean down to press a kiss to the hollow of his neck, letting your tongue tease at his pulse as you roll your hips against him.

His deep, throaty moan just heightens your need for him and you dig your nails into his shoulders.

“If that is the only reason you hold back, then let me assure you. I want you, Yeosang. I will show you everything, if you want to make me yours, for I intend to make you mine if you’ll let me.”

His entire body shudders against you and his soft growl has your eyes rolling back.

“Let me show you how I love you. Let me show you what it means to be loved.” you whisper, kissing up his neck, nibbling at his earlobe.

“Please-” he whimpers and you press your cheek to his, eyes shuttering. He hands halt their exploration, holding you in place as he draws back to study your eyes.

“Do you trust me?” He asks softly and you nod without hesitation.

“Then hold tight to me.” he whispers suddenly and your arms tighten around him without question.

“Don’t be afraid…” his voice seems to come from everywhere as you’re surrounded by a black mist, suspended within.

Closing your eyes, you feel a sense of euphoria as weightlessness takes over, a low melodic hum seeming to come from all around.

Before long you’re released from the mist and you open your eyes to watch him solidify in front of you as he reaches out to steady you.

“What-?” you begin but your words are cut off at the intake of breath when you realize where he’s brought you.

The sound of the small waterfall you’d bathed in days ago draws your eye, the canopy of trees above letting in the brilliant light of the moon.

“I…wanted to bring you somewhere you seemed to enjoy…where you laughed…” he whispers and you turn to look at Yeosang full unmasked, standing before you.

Your heart feels as if it’s going to leap right out of your chest, and tears flood your eyes as you process where you are.

That he thought to bring you here.

His intense eyes study you, seeming almost nervous as he watches your reaction.

Closing the distance quickly, you reach out to cup his face in your hands, unable to contain your bright smile.

“Are you happy?” He asks softly, his fingers tentatively brushing away an errant tear that slips from your eye.

“Nothing could make me happier than being here with you, right at this very moment.” You respond, and his lips part as he watches you laugh in delight.

“Then I…am ….happy as well.” He says, his brows drawing together at the seemingly foreign emotion.

You can only blink away tears as he reclaims your mouth, wrapping your arms around his neck.

His lips are soft and gentle as he tilts his head to deepen the kiss, splaying his hand over your lower back.

Your tongue eagerly seeks his out, your fingers reaching up to comb through his soft, silky black hair. The low hum seeming to emanate from his chest spurs you on, pressing yourself ever closer to him.

The ache of desire for him shocks and captivates you, an almost forgotten feeling and it causes you to tremble uncontrollably.

Your entire body thrums with anticipation as his hands begin exploring the length of your back, his fingers tracing your spine as he rubs his thumbs up your sides. You bask in the sensation of being in his arms, at every single wanted touch he gifts you.

“Tell me…once more..” He whispers between kisses, his hands slowly bunching the threadbare gown you’ve washed far too many times.

“Tell me you want this…that you want…me…” he continues as you wrap a leg around his thigh, tilting your head back as his lips trail down your jaw.

“Yes…yes I want you, I want all of you…”

Your words seem to unlock whatever he was holding back and suddenly you’re beneath him, his arms on either side of you as he gazes down at you with those deep crimson eyes.

The blades of grass are soft, tickling your skin as you part your legs, as his hands slip beneath the hem of the fragile down, his fingertips tracing up your naked thigh.

A soft moan bubbles out of your throat at his touch, the longing ache for him causing you to tug at his shirt. “All of you-” you gasp out, yanking, pulling at his clothing, at the straps keeping him from you.

A frantic moment is spent as he helps you, removing his belts, then his shirt. His long hair surrounds his face as he looks down at you before he lunges to capture your lips with his once more.

The rush of the waterfall seems like nothing compared to the rage of need between the two of you, as he gently yet firmly presses against you; as you desperately urge him on.

“More-please- '' you gasp, and his fingers comply, pulling the material of your dress up over your hips, his hand splaying over the flesh of your stomach.

“Anything you want-anything-” He whispers, his teeth nipping your bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth before he trails kisses down your jaw.

“I need to feel you-” you murmur, your hands skimming down his back to yank angrily at his pants, and he quickly sheds them. You get a quick glimpse of his naked muscled form above you before he returns his mouth to your throat, sucking and licking the sensitive flesh as he pushes your flimsy gown higher up.

With a grunt, he pulls it up over your head, then tosses it to the side. His dark eyes scan your bare chest hungrily before he returns to exploring your mouth with his.

As his body settles against you, the welcome weight of him pressing into you, you let out a loud moan. His hips jerk as his rigid length rubs along your damp slit, a strangled cry escaping his throat as he presses his face into your neck.

Running your hand along his spine, you place soft kisses on the crown of his head, holding him as he shudders in your arms.

“So much…” he whispers, humming softly as you feel moisture against the skin of your neck.

“Take your time…I’m right here…” you reassure him gently, trailing your fingers through his hair.

The melody of the night surrounds you as he breathes into you, the moonlight illuminating your naked entwined bodies as he slowly raises his head, lips parted as he gazes down upon you.

“As am I, precious.” His voice echoes through your mind, his rich warm eyes engulfing you as he rocks his hips forward.

His words shake you to your core. Your back arches as the underside of his cock slips through your folds, your longing moan melding with his low gasp. As his arms slips beneath you, you wrap a leg around his hip, meeting his movements with your own.

Your eyelids flutter as he rocks his hips, his tip rubbing along your clit as he watches every reaction, eyes glued to your face.

“Soft…” he hums, voice deep and low as his cock pulses against you, “So warm and soft…” he looks down between you as he wets himself with your moisture.

“Your scent is making me dizzy…” he whispers, his hand delving between you to gather the pooling liquid seeping from you, from his touch, his words.

Crying out as his fingertips explore your cunt, he shudders as his eyes lock back onto your face. “This…?” He breathes out, his thumb flicking back over your clit, gasping along with you as you moan at his touch.

“Yes! Oh…god…” you whimper as he draws his hips back, the head of his cock pressing firmly against your eager entrance. You can feel his body tense as he feels your walls give slightly, halting with just the tip against you.

“You…asked me to..make you mine…” he shudders, eyes slowly closing, then opening to stare deeply into yours. “Do you truly wish to be mine?”

His question moves you; on the very verge of claiming you, he has enough concern for you to check once more.

To worry, to care.

You’ve never wanted anything more in your life.

“I long for nothing more…I want…no…” you whisper, your voice shaking as you reach up to cup his cheek “I need you more than I need breath.”

He licks his lips and seems to glow with radiance at your confession, the silvery light of the moon illuminating his glorious face.

“As you wish.” He hums softly as he pushes forward, causing you to cry out in bliss as he finally joins with you.

The sensation of him stretching you rips a moan from your throat, your pleasure only heightened by his gorgeous features contorting in pure ecstasy as he fills you slowly.

You watch him struggle to keep his eyes open, to watch your every reaction as he buries himself within you. Shuddering, his lashes flutter as your walls grip him tightly.

You lift your hips, rocking them gently beneath him as you bask in his every expression.

How his nose scrunches; how his lips part as his hips begin to move in time with yours.

“Mine…” his voice catches on the word, trailing off into a deep moan.

“Yours.” Your response seems to free him from any lingering hesitance as he brings his fingers up to his lips, his tongue flicking out to taste the moisture on them.

“FUCK-” His crimson eyes flash open as he thrusts forward, crashing his mouth against yours, letting you taste yourself on his eager tongue.

Wordlessly, he begins to set a steady pace as you wrap yourself around him, encouraging him with every touch, every breath.

His low moans grow louder as he draws yours out, the sound of your bodies meeting melding with the sound of the environment around you.

The rush of the waterfall, the hum of the chirping insects serving as an ode to your union, your cries intertwining with his to create a melody that is playing out between the two of you.

“Yeosang-!” you sing to him, his deep throaty cries lost in the flesh of your throat as he licks, then nips the skin.

“I-I love you-” he growls almost too low to hear but your soul resonates as if he screamed them to the heavens.

Your cries reach a crescendo as his sharp teeth nick your skin, the steadily building coil in your womb exploding at the heated sting of your skin being pierced.

Tightening your arms around him as he marks you, wave after wave of rapture shaking your body, he continues to pound into you.

“M-mine-” he stutters, licking the fresh mark, soothing it with kisses.

His words are cut short as you guide him into a roll, his eyes widening as his back is now on the plush grass beneath you.

“As you’re mine-” you gasp, still trembling from the powerful climax. His hands settle on your hips as you grip his shoulders, settling your thighs on either side of his.

Your eyes hold his as you rock your hips, reveling in how they roll back as your wet heat trickles between you, as your cunt grips him firmly as if to never let go.

“I love you-” you moan as you lift yourself, drawing out his deep moans as you slide back down.

“You’re my everything, Yeosang…” you murmur, arms wrapping around his neck as he sits up to claim your words with his mouth.

“Always.” He whispers as his hands slide down your back to cup your ass, lifting you, guiding you faster, harder down onto him.

Throwing your head back, your eyes flutter open to gaze at the brilliant moon, memorizing this sacred moment; joined with him, his melodic voice filling the empty reaches of your soul as his body fills yours completely.

His lips capture your nipple as your movements become desperate, his fingers digging into the flesh of your ass. The searing sensation as he sucks harshly at the sensitive nub has you crying out loudly, tears pricking your eyes.

“More-louder-for me-” He rasps out, and your eyes dart down to see his eyes locked on you above him.

Clenching ever tighter around him, you give in to him and release your voice into the night sky, crying out wordlessly as you ride him.

His own frantic cries mix with yours as your fingers wrap into the strands of his hair, pressing your forehead to his as you feel him begin to tremble violently underneath you.

“Come for me-” you beg him harshly, your breath hitching as you shake in his arms.

“With me-” you urge as his eyes hold yours, his moans becoming low whines; his crimson eyes darkening as he finally chokes out your name.

You’re both lost in each other’s gazes as his arms wrap around you; pulling you down onto him with inhuman strength as he loses himself in you, to you.

The explosion of his voice spirals you into your own orgasm as he bursts, the torrent of his climax mixing with yours in a raging flood.

His cries are frenzied as he empties himself deep inside of you, his cock throbbing as he clutches you tightly against him.

Your head spins at the power behind your joining, the sensation of floating, suspended beyond space and time.

Only this moment matters, this singular piece of your life, in his arms.

Together.

Connected.

Time seems to fall back into place as the noises around you slowly return, a low hum resonating through your body from Yeosang’s as he holds you against him.

Finally, after an eternity of silence, you allow yourself to speak.

“I love you.”

The warmth of his gaze says everything as his lips claim yours.

His hands and mouth speak louder than any words as you give in to him once more, again and again through the long, blissful night.

“I will not return you.”

Yeosang stands staring off into the distance as you rise, the morning sun appearing to form a halo around the beautiful fae man.

His words cause your heart to stutter, halting your movements as you go to pull your worn gown over your head.

“-w-what?” you say softly, as hope begins to bloom in your chest.

Facing away from you, his shoulders tense, he merely shakes his head, turning to gaze at you. His eyes are full of love, concern, weariness as gives you a gentle smile.

“I refuse to surrender you to -” he can’t seem to bring himself to say it, turning away from you to look off into the forest.

The bright sounds of birds echo through the clearing, the peaceful ambiance of the morning accentuated with the musical cascade of the waterfall.

You walk up behind him, tracing your fingers down his arm before entwining your fingers with his. He looks down at your hand in his, his profile a glorious sight now that he's abandoned his mask.

He turns to look at you, pain in his eyes mixed with a longing you understand all too well. You both know all too well that with hope, with dreams come obstacles.

Obstacles that threaten the very happiness you've both just discovered within one another, and your chest tightens with terror at what may threaten it.

Yet right now, your only with is to stay with him, for him to stay with you.

Forever.

“What...what about those you told me of? Will-will they come for you?” You ask him softly as he pulls you into his embrace, as his beautiful crimson eyes softening at your concern.

“That matters little, compared to what awaits you if we return.” He hums, pressing a kiss to your forehead. His deflection doesn't go unnoticed, though.

A frown tugs at your lips, a sudden pang of fear causing you to clutch him tightly.

“Will they hunt you down?” You ask breathlessly, hoping he will deny it, yet knowing the truth already.

He inhales slowly, looking away once more as he lets out a long sigh. “That is not something you need to worry about, precious. I will not let any harm come to you, not as long as I draw breath.”

“What about the harm that can come to you?” You shiver at the very thought, how he could be hurt...killed.... because of you.

His gaze rests on your worried features, those crimson eyes hardening in resolve, studying yours as he cups your face in his hands.

“Whatever harm may befall me, nothing will keep me from protecting you with my very life. I swear it upon my very soul.” His lips brush yours as his gaze darts down to the mark on your neck.

“We belong to one another, and nothing in this realm or the next will keep us apart. I won't lose you, nor will you lose me. This I promise you.”

“Where is he?!” the captain’s voice reverberates through the keep. “I sent him out to bring her back ages ago! How dare such a wretched creature not obey his master with haste?”

All within earshot cower from the rage oozing from the giant fae, and those within the room tremble at his wrath.

“How hard is it to find a simple human? A small, fragile female doesn't stand a chance. He should have been back within days. How long has it been?” He turns to a small boggart in the corner.

“Three weeks, my liege.” the creature's voice rasps out, eyes darting around in fear.

“Three weeks?” The captain’s hands clench tightly as his jaw tics. “Never before has he failed to complete his tasks immediately. Shade knows his place among us, he wouldn't fail to fulfill a mission."

"He knows the punishment that awaits a simple delay... there is only one answer." His momentary silence seems to cause more terror than his previous outburst.

The dry laugh that escapes the large fae is laden with venom, sharp enough to cut.

"It seems that our obedient hound is trying to break his leash."

The air is tense as the lesser fae wait on their captain's orders.

“It’s time to show him who he answers to. I’ve long been too lenient with that vile monster.”

He turns to rake his eyes over the fae gathered in the large room, black eyes oozing rage as he gives his command.

“Bring me that rabid mutt’s head. It’s time for the hunter to become the hunted.”

#cultofdionysusnet #ksmutsociety #Thrill of the Hunt #Yeosang smut #Yeosang au #Kang Yeosang smut #Kang Yeosang au #Ateez smut #Ateez au #Fantasy fan fic

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