#he (and baby orbs in general) are just That small

[galactaknightyaoi]

Silly rabbit??

Happy spooky month! Here's my obligatory Halloween profile picture. I'm a few days late, as usual. But I'll have the actual Halloween drawing(s) done in time... I hope.

Extra doodles and sketches of an alternative costume under the cut.

Originally I wanted to draw Galacta Knight as a witch, with little eensy Meta here as his familiar. However I wasn't able to work out a witch design I was happy with, and that wasn't agonizing to draw with his horns. Still a fun little concept!! Maybe for a future Halloween...

I still wanted to do something magic related, and from that I got magician. It doesn't match the spooky vibe, but I think it's Halloween-ey enough!! It's the shitty costume bought the day before the Halloween party, how does it get more Halloween than that? And it still allowed me to have Meta as a stupid little creature, so really, I think I still won.

As a bonus, concept doodles of the magician ft. the inexplicably skimpily dressed assistant!

[chuluoyi]

✎ mission: baby steps !

- gojo satoru x reader

the three times gojo tried to make his baby love him (and how he miserably fails)

genre: full crack, dad!gojo being a sore loser, your baby being mean (he only wants peace, really), and obviously, fluff !!

note: a little thing for father's day ehe <3 i know i said i'll work on smut in the polls next but uhhh, this comes first ok?! :') i just love the idea of gojo vs baby don't mind me *sobs* and all the scenario here come from the tiktok/reels you've sent me!

a part of gojo's love entries

general masterlist

There are many things that come with being a jujutsu sorcerer, and when you are Gojo Satoru, those things seem to be multiplying like bunnies.

This essentially means less time with his wife and baby. Look, he could finish missions fast, but when sent to other cities, even he couldn't abuse his teleportation powers all the time to return to Tokyo.

And so, as much as he hated it, he couldn't fault his baby boy for forgetting him.

"Look, it's papa," you rocked your son with a smile, consoling him as he wailed right after Satoru held him. "Don't cry, don't cry! Papa just got back from a long mission, he's not scary!"

"Is he scared of me?" Ouch. The thought prickled him. It somehow felt sourer than seeing Principal Gakuganji's face.

You hummed, seemingly (or comically?) deep in thought. "Hmm, in baby's point of view: a big, bad man suddenly picks him up, of course he's scared."

"I'm not a bad man!"

Okay, he wasn't having this. Satoru adored his baby to bits and he would want him to at least know it. It's settled then—he would be taking paid leave just to spend some time with his baby.

This would be his mission for the next three days!

DAY ONE

The day started off great. Baby Gojo was relatively calm, a bit fussy here and there but Satoru could definitely handle him.

"Look, a plane is coming!" he said playfully, moving the spoon in the air to attract his baby's attention. "Open your mouth wide!"

Baby blinked at him with the straightest face ever. His two blue orbs were the very same as his father, and yet they held disinterest so great that it was a wonder Satoru didn't notice.

He then playfully smooched baby's face, but he scrunched up, cringing in response.

And later, another achievement unlocked: Satoru successfully got his son to sleep for his afternoon nap!

"You're so cute, sigh." Satoru poked his baby's cheek lightly. "You look like me, but when you sleep, you totally look like your mama..."

He might not say it out loud, but one of his favorite sights lately was seeing you sleep next to your son. Both of you looked so precious and vulnerable, so alike, and it made him warm.

And whenever he looked at this little creation between you and him, he also got the urge to poke him so bad.

So he did. Only this time, he poked him a little too hard.

And how wrong that move was.

His son immediately cracked his eyes open, his lips quivered, and then his whole face scrunched up, followed by—

"WAAA!"

"Oof! Wait— I'm sorry!"

Long story short, he refused to be held in Satoru's arms, so you took over and your husband could only watch you with dissatisfaction.

"Won't you let me hold you?" he asked despondently, pulling up a pitiful face and batting his eyelashes. "I have the warmest hugs! Mama can vouch for that!"

"Satoru, he doesn't want you."

DAY ONE RESULT : FAILED

DAY TWO

Okay, his baby would love him today. Satoru was sure of it.

He had ordered this baby ride-on toy via home shopping and not only that, he would play with him!

"Here we goo~! Honk! Honk!" Satoru steered the little vehicle with his son at the backseat, hyping him up and even made a weird sound that was supposed to resemble a... train?

You watched them both, giggling. Your husband looked positively ridiculous as he was too big for the small vehicle, but still persisted in entertaining your clueless baby behind him. "Oh my, Satoru, you're trying way too hard."

"I have to!" he retorted, sending pout and a glare at the same time. "You can't hog him all the time, he's my son too!"

"Well, good luck~ as it happens, your spawn isn't easy to impress."

"Just so you wait—!" Satoru begrudgingly shot you a look, eaten up by your taunts, not noticing the wall in front of him. "By the end of today, he'll— whoaaa!"

He was about to crash into the said wall, and you were prepared to jump to save your baby first. But then, Satoru did the next best thing to stop it—jumping out of the ride-on, rolling onto the floor... and crashing into the bookshelf that some of the things fell. "Ow!"

"Are you okay!?" you immediately picked up your baby before checking him over. However, Satoru's eyes were transfixed on your shared munchkin.

"Meh heh~"

And you too when you heard it— your baby was wiggling, all smiles, seemingly amused by the sight of his papa lying there pitifully. Satoru was aghast.

"Y-you have no filial piety!"

DAY TWO RESULT : FAILED

DAY THREE

Today, Satoru had gotten inside the playpen and brought a bunch of toys, planning to entertain his son with all of them.

"C'mon, don't throw that!" he pursed his lips when his kid flung the lego away. "Don't you want to play together with me?"

No. As if saying that, the baby crawled away from him. He seemed to have a target in mind though.

"Oi, what are you doing?" Satoru was puzzled, but he was in for a surprise when the child rose slowly.

"Oh, you're pushing yourself up..." he stated, observing how the baby, still wobbly, clutched on the edge of his playpen for support.

A huge grin spread across his face then. "Aww, look at you!" he gushed with pride. "You can stand already! Ooh!"

And suddenly, the sight tugged at his heartstrings. This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a milestone. He wasn't here when he first started teething or crawling, and now that he was here when his son was standing... he wanted to see more of this.

"Now, can you take a step?" Satoru moved closer to him, and the kid turned to him with those clear blue eyes and a little frown, seemingly unsure. "Go! Go! Come to me!"

He didn't think he would actually try to walk. But he did as baby let go of the support, alas suddenly he slipped—

And fell flat on his face.

"—! Are you hurt?!" Satoru immediately plucked him off the floor, horrified, and pulled him close when the baby started to sniffle. Soon, he began to wail inconsolably.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—!" he didn't even know why he was apologizing, but seeing his baby so frightened made his chest tighten. "Stop crying, oh wait—let's find mama!"

You were engrossed in your evening TV series when Satoru came barging to the living room with your poor son while being hysterical. "Help him!"

"What happened?!"

"He fell! He fell!"

Of course, your main concern was to comfort your baby, and so you reached out to take him from your husband's arms, only that...

"Huh...?" even Satoru was stunned when his son clutched onto his shirt, continuing to cry but refusing to let go, burying his little face into him.

Suddenly, he felt warm, he felt needed, and most of all, his desire to protect him was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but squeeze him closer.

You looked between the father and son, feeling giddy at the sight.

"He wants you," you finally smiled, patting baby's back. Satoru glanced between you and his precious pumpkin, seemingly taken aback as he blinked several times. When the fact sank in, he felt like a mush and pressed a kiss on his head.

The clown was convinced that his kid hates him and you are the savior. So, the fact that this little innocent being wanted him to comfort him... it made his heart flutter.

"Sorry, kid," he sighed into him, smushing his face to his little one's. "Don't cry, yeah? You're making me sad too."

"Satoru... are you getting glassy-eyed?"

"...am not!"

DAY THREE RESULT : DUBIOUS OUTCOME

"He's asleep..." you placed your baby between you and Satoru on the bed later that night, he was now so peaceful, out like a light.

Satoru turned to face you and the baby, looking at both of you with a yawn, but a soft smile lit his face when he saw how you pecked his son's cheek lightly.

These three days made him almost forget that curses still existed out there. Spending time with his son blurred that fine line between reality and a perfect daydream.

"He is still so little, but he screams so loud," he mused, poking the baby's cheek gently. You swatted his hand away, worried he might poke too hard again.

"You keep teasing him, that's why."

"—? He keeps playing me, is why!"

You two burst into quiet giggles then, and you couldn't help but reminiscing about the journey from when you first found out you were expecting, through the first ultrasound, and all the way to delivering your son.

And it seemed like Satoru had an inkling of what you were thinking when he suddenly blurted:

"Thank you, for everything you do," he whispered then, his eyes crinkled so softly at you.

You playfully huffed to hide your misty eyes, and in that moment, Satoru knew, that you too were glad for this life you two shared.

. . .

And that, in and of itself, was enough for him to thank all the stars for bringing him to meet you in that most beautiful spring of 2006.

Epilogue

It was morning, and baby was awoken by... sounds.

He looked to the side to find his mama there— your hand on his tummy to prevent him from rolling.

And then he turned to the other side to find his papa... who is perfectly still, but emanating this low sounds with each breath he took.

The longer he heard it, the more irritated your munchkin felt. So he rose, put his fists together, and came down on him—

Whack!

"—?!" Satoru groaned when something hit his face, and he opened his eyes only to see his son readying his punch again—

"W-why are you hitting me!" he was mortified. "H-help! Sweets, wake up! He’ll murder me!”

OVERALL MISSION RESULT : FAILED

[usedtobecooler]

eddie ‘monstercock’ munson, who is painfully unaware of the sheer size of his dick.

tw: sexual content 18+ minors dni, size kink, oral m receiving, piv sex, praise kink, dirty talk, general debauchery. for my love @raccoonboywrites

and, listen, you’re not a size queen at all. don’t care much for how big or small a cock is so long as whoever it’s attached to knows how to use it. but you gasp out loud once you get your fingers dig under eddie’s waistband, pulling the offending material down to let his length spring out.

it’s enough to shock you back into the room, watching as the thick weight of it slaps against eddie’s tummy, the way it curves into his navel. he’s wet, leaking at the head and matting down the pretty swirls of black hair that lead a trail down, down, down.

he’s rumpled against your bed frame, slumped down with his shirt rucked up his tummy. the prettiest pink flush spreading across his cheeks, tinging his ears and dipping as low as his collar. you’re willing to bet his chest is blotched with the lovely rosy colour, too. he grips aimlessly at your comforter, wide eyes watching your every move; tracing every hitch of your breath.

you wrap your hand around the base — purposely ignoring the pathetic little whine eddie makes, because jesus now isn’t the time to think too much about that — and you moan despite yourself when your hand doesn’t even wrap fully around the girth of it, dwarfing your fingers and palm.

“you— you’re so big, oh my god,” your voice catches at the end, desperate and dampened by your own desire for it. you lean forward, hot breath ghosting over him, tugging his foreskin back just enough for the head to pop out, shiny and reddening with need, “you could’ve at least warned me you were packing a python down there, fuck.”

“oh shit, really? i thought it was aver— holy fuck, you don’t have to—“ he’s bug eyed, eyebrows shooting under his fringe as you mouth at the head, determined and eager to get a taste of him. uncut, heavy on your tongue, the heady splash of precum blurting out to coat your tastebuds.

eddie’s knees kick up a little as you mouth greedily at his tip, pointing your tongue to run in circles around the glans on the underside. you smirk despite yourself, getting a kick out of it when eddie goes a little cross eyed, burying a ringed hand into your hair.

you indulge yourself, feeling the weight of him in your mouth as you sink lower, just far back enough as to not trigger your gag reflex. your lips wrapping around his hot flesh, suckling softly, reveling in each blurt of pearlescent release that drips onto your tongue.

“baby, sweetheart — fuck,” eddie gasps, breath shuddery, lightly pulling at your tresses to test the water. his mouth falling open into a quiet moan when your eyes flutter at the feeling, “y’can- y’can take more, right? s’not… s’not that big.”

your jaw cracks under what of him you’ve fit in, which truthfully isn’t much. despite your efforts, there’s still a good three inches of eddie’s cock left untouched by hand or mouth, and you really have to wonder if he’s that clueless of his size. you pull off with a wet pop, strings of saliva keeping you connected to him as you stare up with wet orbs.

“eddie, you’re huge.” your voice is wrecked, butterflies swirling in your tummy as you make eye contact with him once again. you flush under his debauched gaze, "i— shit. nobody's ever told you before?"

eddie shrugs, considers for a moment. you don't think he's aware of the fact he's holding you in place with his hand, gripping your hair just enough to keep you still, hovering over his dick just close enough that if he wanted to, he could push you back down, get your mouth back on him.

though, that’s clearly not what he wants. because, he’s slipping the hand from your hair, doing this kind of awkward dance as he lays you out where he wants you.

you end up on your back, thighs spread wide as eddie slots between them, mouthing hotly at your neck. his fingers graze along your flushed skin, dance on your hipbone, across your pelvis. dips those godforsaken fingers into your panties, carelessly fumbling over your sopping wet pussy.

“this is okay, right?”

“it’s all okay, eddie. anything you want.”

"not— not even touched you yet and you're already this wet?" eddie's voice is a low timbre against your skin, has you arching up into his touch with a soft little moan. he sounds shocked, no heat or teasing in his words.

"can't help it," you gasp, exhaling shakily when eddie swipes two fingers over your clit deftly, unable to hide his smile at how receptive you are, "feeling the size of you in my hand — my mouth, god. would've let you choke me with it, would've thanked you."

eddie buries his face into your cleavage, poorly concealing a choked whine. he's skillful with his fingers, working you over fast despite how much your words are clearly affecting him.

your hips rock in short little circles, fingers sinking into eddie's hair, tugging lightly at the nape of his neck. you whine, body set alight with the feeling of calloused fingers grazing the small bundle of nerves.

he's biting you, brandishing you with little blooming bruises, and with the noise he makes against your damp skin you'd think it was him getting touched like this, him hurtling towards the edge.

you're so wet that the slick noises of eddie's fingers on your pussy are deafening in your ears, causing your back to prickle with heat, tummy winding tight.

the hot, heavy flesh of his cock presses against your inner thigh, shocking loud moans from you both at the same time. you arch up into his touch, ears ringing as pleasure takes over your body.

"i— you're making me cum," you gasp breathily, a static feeling warming your body, eyes rolling into the back of your head. you grapple for eddie's hair once more, tugging with a ferocity as your release washes over you.

it's. something. you feel like you're fucking floating, and eddie keeps swirling his fingers perfectly, whispering little shocked praises and keening into your rough pulling as he wrings you out.

once eddie's sure you're done with the aftershocks of your orgasm, he hazards pushing two fingers into your soaked cunt, and you're practically shooting away with overstimulation. crying out, somehow swivelling your hips and pushing down onto his fingers further once the shock wears off.

"you're a shit," you gasp, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes, "god, might've known your dick was gonna be big, fuckin' size of your fingers."

"was— was that good for you? can i, shit can i?" eddie's desperate, rutting the thick outline of his cock against your thigh. he's never stopped fucking leaking, soaking your leg in milky precum and allowing the slip and slide to feel good.

you nod, shaky hands tilting his head up so you can finally, finally, get your mouth on his. eddie's whole body presses flush against yours, his hand coming out to stabilise himself so he doesn't crush you, and fuck.

it's so charged, like he can't stilt his emotions as he snakes his tongue into your mouth, lapping at your own wetly. it's probably disgusting, doesn't feel like it though — you'd swallow his spit happily, whenever he wanted, if it meant he kept making you feel like this.

eddie's shaky hand fumbles for the base of his cock as you continue kissing, positioning himself so that he's nestled prettily between your legs. the kisses turn languid, and he almost sounds pained when he next speaks, "s-sorry. if it, if it hurts."

"let it hurt, i want it to," your demeanor falters a little, turning doe eyed and pleading as eddie slides the ruddy head of his cock up and down the seam of your cunt, flirts with the idea of pushing the tip in just to watch you gasp and keen.

"would never," eddie promises, finally — fucking, finally — pushing the first few inches into the sopping wet heat of your pussy. he cries out when you clench around him unwittingly, and you mumble out a small sorry as you adjust.

it's. not good. it's not bad, either, but fuck. you feel like you're being split from the inside, the thick tip pushing you wider than you anticipated. your fingers grapple for eddie's biceps, nails digging in tightly, "so fucking big, oh my god, you're gonna split me in half."

you're breathless and eddie catches on, panics a little, "you're okay? you're okay, right? i can sto—"

"if you stop, i swear to god," you seethe, looking at eddie with a fierce spark in your eyes, "keep going. fuck. keep going."

before long and with a little bit of resistance, eddie's buried deep inside of you. your bodies roll against one anothers, shallow, slow breaths

it starts slow, the catch and drag of eddie's cock shocking you both into silence. but, before long, your pussy catches up with the programme, gushing wet and allowing eddie to push in further with each thrust.

it's intimate, erotic.

"you're so tight," eddie all-out whimpers, head falling and shoulders shaking as he fucks you at a lazy pace, clearly trying his best to hold out for as long as he can.

"fuck, you’re so gentle,” you try, knees squeezing eddie’s narrow waist, thighs encapsulating him, “you can go quicker. not gonna break me.”

eddie shakes his head, almost like he’s bewildered. looks at you all fucking soft, clearly can’t help the rut of his hips as he buries in deep, biting his inner lips to muffle his noises.

you grasp a hold of eddie's hand with nimble fingers, guide his hand over the softness of your tummy, let him push down where his cock is buried deep inside of you. his whole body shudders, and you can feel where he kicks up.

"practically in my guts," you wheeze, unable to shake the full feeling despite how your pussy gushes for him, so full you swear you feel him in your throat with every deep thrust he can muster, "you're s-so big, eddie."

"oh— jesus, can't do shit like that. can't say shit like that," eddie grunts desperately, rutting into you and gripping for your waist tightly, other hand still pushed down on the pudge of your belly, "gonna make me cum so, so quick."

"can feel every ridge of you, you're splitting me apart," you keen, "i can't— god, you've ruined me f-for anyone else. yours, yours, m'yours."

eddie's forehead slumps against your own, and you're panting into each others mouths more than anything else, lips barely brushing, "mine, you're mine." he agrees, though he sounds pained and submissive as he says it.

your hand snakes around eddie's neck, holding him in place as he fucks you so desperately, so rough you're rattling the stupid bedframe, and you don't think you've ever felt anything like this before. it's all-consuming, the tug between sore and soul-crushingly sensual.

your second orgasm hits you like a freight train, the constant press against your spot causing a quicker build up than you could've anticipated. you both make eye contact as you come with a muted gasp, nails scraping harshly at the soft skin on eddie's neck as you rock it out.

"didn't think you could get any tighter, god," eddie whimpers, eyes squeezing shut, finger-shaped bruises sure to be left on your hips as he fucks you in some sort of reckless abandon, "fuck, i'm so close. i'm so sorry, fuck, fuck."

you nod, understanding, the wet clap of skin on skin deafening as your release allows an even smoother glide. he's fucking ethereal above you, covered in a light sheen of sweat, mouth open in a constant stream of steady moans.

you reach between where both of your bodies meet, where the final few inches don't quite fit, spreading your fingers either side of his cock to allow friction as he fucks in and out rapidly, chasing his high.

eddie looks at you with a wild expression, eyebrows shooting up into his fringe. he grunts like a fucking animal, eyes drifting down to where your hand is, "you— you— i'm cumming, holy fuck—!"

he's loud when he comes, full body wracked with it. you feel his cock pulse and kick inside of you, painting your insides deep. the moan you let out at the feeling is hardly voluntary, so pathetic you flush hot when you realise just how loud you are.

"thank you, thank you," eddie's mumbling against your skin, kissing the side of your neck softly as he comes down, "god, you're perfect. so perfect."

you shudder, overcome with this sappy fucking fond feeling, allowing eddie to collapse on top of you once he's done. it's soft, domestic, even.

you both end up in some sort of gross, body fluid covered cuddle as you calm down. blissed out in the post-orgasmic haze, and fuck.

maybe you're in love with him.

[whoskimii]

I WANNA GET FREAKY ON CAMERA . . .

his favorite camgirl ft. toji !

it was ridiculous.

he was a grown man. he was supposed to be a responsible adult. but toji couldn't care less as he logged into his not-so secret account every night.

you were younger than him, maybe in your early twenties. he knew he had to save money but even with how broke he was, he managed to send you some leftovers, only to see your cute little smile when the donation popped up on the screen.

he always competes with the other viewers. you have to notice him, after all. and you do.

whenever someone else sent you money, he did the same right after. and he sent more. he had to send more. sometimes, he even cringed when he checked his bank account but the feeling was swiftly followed by a shrug.

he watched with tired but keen eyes, staring as you waved at the screen with a sweet little grin. his phone was lazily propped up on the coffee table in front of him while he held a beer on his thigh. he got comfy and spread his legs before placing his free hand behind his head.

"hi, everyone !" your voice flew from the device. "how are you ? good, i hope !" you smiled. "as for me, i'm doing fine, as always." comments began to flood in, covering half of the screen. toji, getting annoyed, groaned inaudibly. he didn't give a flying fuck about what other people said, he just wanted you. he wanted to observe his pretty baby without any unwanted distraction.

nonetheless, his emerald green orbs settled on the comment section. he read instinctively, although with a disinterested expression.

idontevenexist : is that a new shirt?? x

sexxwithken : love that shirt baby

huh ? his gaze went from the comments to your outfit. he was so focused on something that he usually didn't care about that he hadn't even noticed the new top you were wearing.

it was cute.

it fell off one of your creamy shoulders. the pink of the shirt brought out your pretty eyes and of course, he couldn't miss the painfully obvious way it exposed your generous cleavage. no one could. they were here for that, anyway. "aw, yes ! it's a new shirt i bought especially for you, guys. thank you for noticing !" you sent a flying kiss towards the camera.

you haven't even started to do anything yet and toji already sent a small amount of money. for starters.

he subconsciously chuckled when you smiled. you approached your face to the camera and waved again. his eyes drifted down and settled on your cleavage shamelessly. "oh, look, guys ! my favorite viewer is here ! hi, toj' !" you beamed happily.

he quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

favorite viewer ?

that was definitely a first. sure, he was a fervent follower and he watched you almost every evening but you never mentioned him being your favorite before. well, he figured that being your favorite wasn't so bad. he acted like he never wanted this in the first place.

comments of curious followers appeared.

akitousui07 : you have a favorite viewer?

fairyylady : favorite viewer ?

idontevenexist : i thought i was :(

hotstuffff : didn't know you had a fav viewerrrr

as toji's eyes lazily trailed over the comments, he scoffed. he was proud to be your favorite viewer. who wouldn't want to be @yourlovelycamgirl's favorite ? you were quite known on the platform.

you giggled. "oh, don't worry, i love all of my followers ! but toj' is definitely my best viewer !" he couldn't help but feel a pang of delight stir at his chest.

it was ridiculous.

he knew it was. but you were so sweet, he couldn't help it, really. you were a pretty girl. everyone wants to be loved by a pretty girl.

he also knew that for a certain price, you sent private videos. private videos with requests, private videos with a precise outfit, you name it. but of course, the price was maybe a bit too high for what it represented. it was a simple video.

but all of his rational thoughts went out the window as he clicked on your username and began to type a message.

toj1231 : you up for a private vid doll?

:3 you wanna see more ?

[bradshawssugarbaby]

Hurricane - Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

summary: Bradley's regretted breaking off his relationship with you for months, but when he sees you walking into the country club after his round of golf, he knows he has to fix things.

a/n: I haven't written much angst before but I'm really trying to branch out a little bit. Inspired by Hurricane by Luke Combs, and also this weird recurring dream I keep having.

pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x reader

warnings/content: buckle up bc there's a lot? angst (happy ending), parental death, depression, hurt, cancer, goose's accident + carole's reaction, carole literally never getting over losing goose, bradley being a commitmentphobe, pregnancy (i think that's it?), also entirely unrealistic bc you know what? I can't keep roo sad for long.

word count: 3.6k

taglist: @avengersfan25, @nouis-bum, @floydsmuse, @mamachasesmayhem, @jessicab1991, @atarmychick007, @b-bradshaw, @djs8891

Then you rolled in with your hair in the wind Baby, without warning I was doin' alright but just your sight Had my heart stormin'

Bradley narrowed his eyes beneath his sunglasses, the glare of the hot mid-morning sun harsh on his chocolate brown eyes. He grabbed his nine-iron from his golf bag, taking a practice swing before teeing up for his next shot. Bob, Jake, Reuben and Javy stood to the side behind him, watching as he lined up to take his shot. He hadn’t golfed in years, in fact, he’d only ever golfed a handful of times in his life, all of them back when he lived in Virginia. His uncle had taught him when he was 15, a welcome distraction when his mom became sick, and he’d gone out a few times when he was in college after a roommate of his on the school’s golf team had invited him out. He held his breath as he heard the club make contact with the small, white orb, watching as it soared through the air, disappearing somewhere onto the course. Jake let out an impressive whistle as he looked on, placing his hands on his hips as he shook his head in disbelief.

“You’ve never golfed before, Bradshaw? You sure?” He drawled, raising one of his manicured (though he’d deny it if asked) blonde eyebrows suspiciously.

“I told you, a handful of times. Not never.”

“You did say less than five,” Bob shrugged as he cleaned his glasses before replacing them on his nose. “Less than five suggests you haven’t really hit a course.”

“Not to mention you said in years. That was the swing of a man who’s at least hit a driving range a few times,” Reuben pointed out to the course in the general direction of where Bradley’s ball had landed as Javy, Bob and Jake nodded in agreement. 

“I wish Nat had tagged along, she wouldn’t ride my ass this hard,” Bradley huffed, shaking his head. 

“Nat doesn’t golf. You know that. She acted disgusted that I even asked,” Jake shrugged.

“Maybe it was how you asked,” Bob suggested as he disguised his jab at Jake as a helpful criticism.

 “Just take your turn, Robert,” Jake hissed, rolling his eyes dramatically as Bob smirked.

Bradley normally would have joined in with a quip of his own directed at Jake, but his heart just wasn’t in it. His heart wasn’t even in the game. The only reason why he’d agreed to go golfing with the guys for their usual monthly game was because you left him. He needed to get over you and move on - it’d been six months and with no deployments coming up, he had nothing to focus 100% of his attention onto. Reuben had noticed it first - Bradley was withdrawn on nights out, his usually chatterbox self now quiet, calm and keeping to himself, barely breaking eye contact with his beer bottle. Then came Natasha’s barrage of questions - he knew she meant well, but God, it was hard to listen to. 

He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he knew why you left. And it was entirely his fault. You’d gotten upset because he’d stopped spending as much time with you, kept getting cold feet about committing to your relationship. He’d never tell you why he couldn’t commit - it was too hard for him to explain to anyone, really. In fact, he was fairly confident that Reuben was the only other person aware of it. 

Bradley wanted to be the partner you needed - he really did. He wanted to be the doting, affectionate boyfriend who’d whisk you off somewhere beautiful, propose to you, start a family with 2.2 kids and a dog, cart the kids around to sports practices on weekends - the American dream. He knew you deserved that much. And yet, no matter how badly he wanted to give that to you - he couldn’t. He’d told you he didn’t want it - he didn’t want to get married, he didn’t want to have kids, he never wanted it. He watched you fall apart the minute the words left his mouth, and it killed him inside. He wanted to hold you close and tell you he was making a mistake, tell you it wasn’t true and he didn’t mean it, but he couldn’t. 

He couldn’t, because he was terrified. 

Growing up without his dad was one of the hardest things he could have experienced, he was sure of it. He was too young to truly remember how his mom reacted when she learned her husband had been killed in a training exercise, but he remembered her crying a lot, feeling paralyzed by loss and guilt, angry with the world for taking the man she loved away from her. He remembered as he grew up, she never remarried, never went on a date, never even as much as looked at another man. His dad was her everything, and losing him crushed her. 

When she got sick, Bradley was a teenager - old enough to understand what it meant for her, what her odds of recovery were, and old enough to be realistic about the future. When they found out she wasn’t going to get better, he’d half expected her to react the way she did when his dad died, but instead, she seemed almost at peace with the idea. She’d spent 14 years of her life missing his dad, and she knew that, even though she was horrified by the thought of leaving Bradley on his own, she wouldn’t have to spend another minute missing her husband.

Bradley decided then that he’d never want to put someone through that. He’d never be able to hurt someone he loved like this - leave them widowed before they turned 30, alone with a toddler at home to raise on the opposite side of the country from their family and friends, with nothing but a military pension and an apology over his death. 

It was at 16 years old that Bradley decided, if he wanted to become a pilot, he was going to have to spend life alone, and for the most part, he was ok with that. 

That was, until he met you.

He tried to deny his feelings, pretending you were just a casual fling, some fun sex here and there between deployments and missions and nothing more. That was, until three months in, he accidentally told you he loved you. It wasn’t a lie, he did love you, but it caught him off guard when he said it - he didn’t mean to blow his cover and let his guard down like that. And when you said it back? He knew it was game over. 

He tried his hardest to push his fears aside, he tried SO hard. He was getting older and beginning to realize he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life alone, especially as he neared the mandatory 20 years of service cutoff for aviators. He’d grown almost fond of the idea of settling down with you, seeing you with a ring on your finger, picturing you with a baby in you, his baby. He wanted it. He wanted all of it. But, the fears and anxiety he had reared its ugly head, and he couldn’t bring himself to get past it. 

It was on their last mission, when he had to eject and landed in the middle of a snowy mountain, unsure if he’d make it back home to you. His mind raced with thoughts of how you’d react if he didn’t make it home - how you’d crumple to the floor when you saw the two uniformed officers on your doorstep, the blood-curdling scream you’d let out in pain when you heard them say it, tears staining your pretty little face as you were handed that folded American flag - he couldn’t bear it. He couldn’t stand the idea of putting you through everything his mom had gone through. Not when you were so young and had everything ahead of you. When you could find a man who wasn’t putting his life in danger nearly every damn day, risking himself and risking a chance he might not come home to you. 

This golf trip was meant to take his mind off you. Reuben had mentioned it in passing to Jake and Bob, who exchanged worried looks with one another. Javy had overheard Nat’s line of questioning when he and Mickey returned to the table with a fresh round of beers, both of them offering Bradley silent looks of sympathy as they nodded in agreement to Nat’s advice. Bradley was struggling, in over his head with emotions and regret and sadness, but he knew he’d fucked it all up. And he knew that even if he tried, you wouldn’t want him back, and who could blame you? 

Bob had suggested he reach out to you and apologize, and for a while, Bradley considered it. He strongly considered calling you, going to your house, begging for forgiveness and begging you to take him back, but after how you reacted when he broke things off with you, he wouldn’t even take him back. He’d been a dick in every sense of the word, and now, he had to try and move on, adjusting to life without you in it. 

The next nine holes passed by with little conversation from Bradley and worried glances exchanged between his friends. He wasn’t in the mood for talking, he’d explain, shrugging the concern off before focusing back on the game. Bradley was thankful for his friends’ efforts, but it was beginning to feel like nothing would help him move on. 

He slumped down into a chair at a table in the country club after their round of golf, sipping back the beer Jake bought him. He caught himself downing the liquid quicker than he should have, but at this point, being drunk would at least provide him with that much needed numbness he craved. He could hear Bob bickering with Jake over golf scores and who truly won, prompting an eye roll from Javy as he pulled the crumpled scoresheets from his pocket and placed them on the table. Reuben noticed the glazed over look in Bradley’s eye and clapped a sympathetic hand down on his shoulder. 

Bradley was about to thank Reuben for being there for him when he saw your face. You were walking into the country club with a couple of your friends, laughing and smiling as you spoke. 

God, he loved that smile. 

He gulped back the rest of his drink before placing the glass back down on the table, the sound of Bradley slamming the glass down a little harder than he intended prompting Jake to spin his head around as he saw you.

“Oh..shit,” he murmured as Bob and Javy both turned to look discreetly towards you.

Bradley’s eyes widened as you walked past the bar, revealing a very unexpected new figure. He blinked his eyes a few times to ensure they weren’t playing tricks on him - positive that this had to be some kind of optical illusion or something. It was impossible. You couldn’t be.

“Pregnant.” Jake whispered as he leaned into the table, “She’s pregnant,”

“Did you know, Bradley?” Bob inquired as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

“N-no.” Bradley choked out, feeling the walls closing in around him as the room started to spin.

Without hesitation, Bradley rose from his seat and made his way over to you, despite the protests from Bob and Reuben, the two voices of reason to Javy and Jake’s voices of impulse. Bradley approached you cautiously, clearing his throat for a moment to garner your attention. You spun your head around, your cheeks rosy and your skin glowing with that pregnancy glow everyone always talked about. Bradley had never really believed in that kind of stuff, but you were proving him wrong. 

“Bradley?” you asked, your face paleing to a shade of ghostly white. 

“Can…can we talk, please? I need to talk to you,” Bradley rambled with desperation written on his face.

You huffed a sigh, nodding your head slowly as you excused yourself from your friends, who were now whispering and exchanging uncomfortable glances with one another. Bradley followed closely behind you as you stepped out into the fresh air, finding a discreet corner of the parking lot to discuss everything from the last six months. 

“I…Is it mine?” Bradley whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer as his eyes wandered to the bump that was evident under your sundress.

You sighed again, following Bradley’s gaze down to your abdomen, a protective hand resting on your bump as you nodded slowly, humming in confirmation.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He frowned, shaking his head quickly, “I-I, I would have helped you.”

“Bradley,” you said, narrowing your eyes and shaking your head quickly, “You told me you didn’t want this. You dumped me and told me you never wanted to settle down or have a family, you didn’t want to be with me anymore, and being in a long-term relationship wasn’t what you ever wanted. You told me you didn’t love me. So please, tell me why I should have told you?”

“Because,” he said softly, his heart aching as he heard your side of things, “I didn’t mean any of that. I was wrong.”

“Oh, you were wrong? Tell me, were you always wrong, or are you only wrong now that you’ve seen me six months later, heavily pregnant?” 

Bradley was speechless. He gazed down at his feet, kicking at the pavement in his golf cleats. He sighed as he thought for a moment, taking a second of quiet reflection to compose his thoughts before speaking. He wanted to get this right. He couldn’t afford to fuck it up again.

“I was always wrong. I was wrong when I said it, and I knew I was wrong,” he shook his head vigorously before looking up to meet your gaze, “Did I ever tell you about my mom?”

“You told me she died when you were a teenager, and you didn’t really mention anything else about her. Or anyone in your family, for that matter.”

“Right,” he nodded his head slowly, taking a deep breath before beginning to explain. “My dad died when I was 2. He was an RIO, a Radar Intercept Officer. You know Maverick, right?”

“Mhmm,” you nodded slowly, a look of annoyance flashing across your face as you listened to Bradley, you were used to his excuses, and you were really hoping this wasn’t another one. 

“So, Maverick was my dad’s pilot. Best friends. Did everything together. He was flying when my dad died, their plane lost control, had to eject, my dad hit the canopy. Died instantly.” Bradley paused, taking another deep breath as he felt himself getting choked up, “My mom, she, uh, she was really young. My dad was 25, my mom was 23. He was her high school sweetheart. She was devastated. I was too young to remember a lot, but I remember her hurting, and being sad all the time, unable to function some days because she just missed him so much,” he explained as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

“Bradley, I’m sorry,” you sighed, shaking your head as you sympathetically rubbed his bicep to comfort him.

“I just…when she died, she was…peaceful, I guess, because she knew she wouldn’t have to miss him anymore. She wouldn’t be lonely. She never remarried or dated after him, she couldn’t bring herself to. She’s buried with her wedding ring still on her finger. I couldn’t bring myself to take it off her,” he took another deep breath, exhaling sharply before looking up at you. 

“I couldn’t do that to you,” he finally said, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over again, “I couldn’t leave you like my mom. Heartbroken and alone your whole life. She never moved on, and I didn’t want that for you if we got married. God, I would have given anything to marry you. I would have taken you to the courthouse and married you on the spot if you would have agreed to it. But, I couldn’t risk breaking your heart. Not like that.”

“Bradley, you’ve always come home in one piece,” you said softly, fingers still stroking his upper arm soothingly.

“But I almost didn’t. I had to eject and all I could think about was you getting that knock at the door and going through what she went through, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do that to you, or…or to a baby.”

You shook your head, processing everything that Bradley had just said as he poured his heart out to you. He’d never opened up like this to you before, but you could tell each and every word was genuine. As much as you hated him for leaving you, you couldn’t deny that you still loved him with all of your heart. 

You missed him. 

You missed waking up to him after the two of you had fallen asleep watching a movie together. You missed the way he yelled at the tv when watching baseball, how passionate he got over football games, how he’d pick the olives out of his nachos like a toddler and put them on your plate. You missed how he couldn’t eat apples unless they were baked in a pie, how he’d scarf down an entire red velvet cake if you didn’t gently stop him, then regret it hours later. You missed the way his big brown eyes would stare at you, a look of pure adoration on his face like a lovesick puppy whenever you spoke to someone else, as if he was hanging on every single word that fell from your lips.

You burst into tears, throwing your arms tightly around Bradley as you shook your head. “God, you’re an idiot, you know that?” you murmured, laughing softly as you hugged him.

“I know, I’m the biggest idiot. I still would marry you if you let me. I wanted to have kids with you, I want to be around for this one,” he nodded, gesturing his hands at your bump. 

“Really?”

“Cross my heart,” Bradley said with an expression of complete seriousness on his face, “I wanna know everything about them. Everything. I wanna know what you’re having, what name you’ve picked out, what your cravings are, how you’ve been feeling, when they move, what does it feel like? I want to know how far along you are, and how they’re doing, if they have my nose or your nose, or if they’re gonna be tall like I am, I want to know what helps you sleep at night when you’re pregnant, and what their favourite song is. I want all of it, honey.”

“Ok, ok, slow down, breathe, Bradley,” you chuckled, shaking your head. “Take a walk with me?”

As you and Bradley walked around the pedestrian pathway on the golf course, smiling as you spoke fondly about the baby, answering all of Bradley’s questions. 

“Well, baby’s a girl, I don’t have a name in mind for her yet, I’ve been craving oranges and Sprite, anything sweet and citrusy. I’ve been ok, better now the morning sickness finally dissipated. It feels like bubbles or something when she kicks, it’s like a fluttering, almost? I’m 28 weeks along, so I have about three months left. She looked like she has your nose on the ultrasound, there’s a 50/50 chance on her height, I sleep pretty much sitting upright because I get bad heartburn otherwise, and I play her music all the time. She likes Elvis and The Beach Boys, just like her dad.” 

Bradley’s smile spread wide across his face, a small laugh of disbelief escaping his mouth as he nodded along with your words.

“That’s great. A girl? Really? You’re gonna have a daughter running around,” he said softly, almost as if he was daydreaming about what the little girl would look like.

“We are going to have a daughter.”

“You’re gonna let me be there? After everything?”

“Bradley, as much as I hated you for what you did and how you ended things - I never truly hated you. I loved you, more than anything. I still do.”

He held you tightly, burying his face into your hair as he kissed the top of your head, murmuring softly against your hair. 

“God, I love you so much, honey. I promise, I’m never going to do something stupid like that again.”

“I know you won’t,” you laughed, shaking your head as he looked down at you, “I know you’d never leave Carly and I again.”

Bradley froze in place for a moment as he stared at you, his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke. 

“What did you call her?”

“Carly. I thought, I don’t know, after you told me about your mom just now, I thought maybe you’d like to name the baby after her? Carole’s nice too, I just figured Carly gives her a name that’s her own too, they share the same root.”

“Carly,” he nodded slowly as he repeated it, “I love it.”

Bradley took your hand in his, his large fingers enveloping your hand as he held it tightly, as if he was terrified of letting go. He made that mistake once before, he wasn’t about to do it again. 

[waynes-multiverse]

Video Games

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Female!Reader

Summary: It's been a long time, and Ben direly misses his wife. Only a video chat truly reveals how much. Accompanying one shot to Rehab

Warnings: 18+/NSFW, language & insults, human!Ben, long distance relationship, smut (masturbation f & m, dirty talk), angst

Word Count: 2.0k

A/N: I know you guys begged me for a happy ending, and I promise it's coming (maybe in form of a three parter? 👀), but yeah, this is clearly not it. Somehow, my fingers always go rogue on the keyboard when it comes to these two, no matter my good intentions.

Transfixed green eyes are glued to the TV screen as Victoria Neuman gives yet another speech on another stage in another state on V-SPAN, yapping about some fucking policies Ben doesn’t give two shits about. He also could give less fucks about the president in general, his gaze focused on a young, beautiful woman standing by Neuman’s right side.

Yeah, he’s only enduring that shit show for her.

Y/N’s tight black pencil skirt makes his cock ache. It ends a few too many inches above the knees, too short for a Chief of Staff. Ben knows she’s only wearing it for him. It’s part of the sick game they’ve been playing.

That little piece of clothing could ride up any second and reveal her glistening pussy underneath to a whole audience, flashing conservatives and liberals alike. Ben has told her not to wear panties, and because she’s a good fucking girl, she has obliged his wishes. Y/N’s the best fucking wife, after all.

His eyes then flicker to the door down the hallway as he sits comfortably on the couch with a beer bottle in hand. It’s still shut tightly, the kid fast asleep. With the air clear, Ben’s hand slips into his sweatpants and palms his semi, jerking his fist up and down his hardening length.

He shuts his eyes for a heartbeat, imagining what her tight and soaked cunt feels like wrapped around him. Fuck, he misses her so goddamn much. He hates being alone, even though he’s not. He’s still got the kid, so it all trickles down to him fucking hating being without her.

There’s no cure for Y/N, and there’s no replacement for her, either.

Ben sets the beer down on the coffee table and frees his dick fully, shuffling the gray sweats down to his ankles. When Neuman finishes the last leg of her speech, he watches as Y/N eagerly begins to chew on her bottom lip, almost gnawing the goddamn thing bloody. She’s as fucking giddy as he is.

As soon as the president and her entourage leave the stage, Ben grabs his phone and opens her contact. His thumb brushes the little blue button with the camera symbol, his ears waiting to hear her sweet and sultry voice again as it dials.

Her bright smile is the first thing he sees. His heart beats so fast the friction causes a fire and melts the broken thing into a puddle. He can feel the heat in his cheeks as they involuntarily rise with a smile he can’t muzzle.

“Fuck, I’m so hard, baby girl,” he says and squeezes the throbbing cock in his fist.

Y/N laughs, shaking her head. “Hello, husband. I’m good, thank you for asking. How are you?”

“Like I said, fucking hard,” he reiterates, his deep voice raspy, impatient, and hungry. He rolls his green eyes. “C’mon, you really wanna chitchat about small talk? I know you’re fucking dripping for my cock under that tight little skirt.”

Y/N’s eyes widen scoldingly, but the flush of red in her cheeks makes him chuckle. “Ben! I’m still in the elevator. At least let me get to my hotel room first.”

“Perfect.” Ben smirks broadly, a mischievous glint in his forest green orbs. “Just push the red ‘Stop’ button and lemme rail that cunt there.”

“Charming as always,” another voice chimes.

“I’m not alone, you idiot,” Y/N informs him, giggling, and swings the camera till Victoria’s bitchy grin of amusement comes into view.

Ben rolls his eyes in open and shameless annoyance, scoffing. “Ugh, of course, that bull dyke’s with you…”

Victoria only smirks at his insult with crossed arms. “Unlike you, that never gets old, coot. How are those adult diapers suiting you?”

“You fucking hippie cuntzilla,” Ben grits angrily, his brow scrunching so much he’s close to a rage headache. “You couldn’t fucking handle all of me.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to,” Victoria huffs mockingly. “You know what they say – once the body goes, the mind follows, you dried-up dinosaur.”

“You fucking–”

“Okay, alright! Stop it you two. Enough with the insults,” Y/N steps in and pans the camera away from Neuman’s winning smirk and back to her. She sighs. “That’s my floor. We’re almost there.”

Ben still boils with fury, especially when he hears the two women exchange a few bullet points about a staff meeting before bidding their goodbyes. But by the time Y/N unlocks the door to her room, he’s simmered down enough and stroked his cock back to its full glory.

Y/N sets up her phone on her dresser, the lens focused on her as she takes a step back. A naughty smile curves her lips as she licks them and plays with the buttons on her blouse.

“Ready?” she asks and waits for him to switch the camera around.

Ben chuckles and aims the lens on his dick, standing proud and tall. “Look for yourself, baby girl.”

Y/N bites her lip at the sight of his cock – so fucking thick, long, and swollen. “Fuck, I’d kill to have you inside of me right now,” she coos and pops open the buttons of her blouse, one by one. Soon, the white silk material slips off her shoulders and leaves her standing in an all too-innocent white bra, her tits perfectly framed by delicate lace. Her hands then wander behind her back and unhook it, freeing two full breasts. She massages and gropes them, rolling her pert nipples between her fingers as she moans.

“Shit, you know that fucking turns me on when you talk like that,” Ben grunts, pumping his cock harder as it swells in his hand. “Show me that tight pussy of yours. Need to see it before I fucking come. Bet it’s real wet, huh?”

“Fucking drenched,” Y/N croons and opens the back zipper of her skirt. “Can feel it fucking run down my thighs. Thought all day about you. I didn’t wear any panties like I promised you.”

“Such a fucking good girl,” Ben praises her with a smirk on his lips. “Where’s that fucking feminism of yours now, huh?” he teases, chuckling. “Fuck, I wanna feel that slick on my fingers and lick it clean off.”

“This one, asshole?” Y/N giggles as her hand delves into her skirt and runs through her soaked folds. She pulls out her glistening fingers and sucks them into her mouth, tasting her own sweet arousal.

“Fucking shit…” Ben hisses, his cock twitching needily in his hand. All he wants is to eat her out and sink into her. “Pull that fucking thing off right now and get on the bed. Ass first,” he orders.

Y/N does as he says, the skirt falling down her smooth legs and revealing her bare pussy to him. She spins around and climbs on the mattress on all fours, wiggling her ass high in the air. She smirks over her shoulder at the camera when she hears his wanton growl before she lays down on her back and spreads her legs wide, her pink and wet cunt in full view.

“Fuck, look at you, baby. So fucking perfect. I’d love to fuck you stupid till you’re a drooling mess, you little cockslut,” Ben says and can feel himself riding closer to the edge. “Touch yourself for me. Flick that little clit till you tremble and scream for me to fill you.”

Y/N’s hand dives between her thighs, two fingers rubbing circles on her sensitive flesh. She mewls and whimpers with every touch. “Fuck, can I put a finger inside me?”

“Shit, yeah,” Ben groans enthusiastically. “Try three. Stuff ‘em in there. Real deep. Come for me, baby. Wanna see that pretty face you make.”

“Fuck, Ben! I need you… I want you… So bad… Want your cock to fuck me… Please… I miss you…” Y/N moans and cries as she works herself into a frenzy. The familiar tug in her belly threatens to implode with each stroke.

Ben’s already a goner when those last words reach him, fisting his cock so hard he’s glad he doesn’t have superpowers anymore. He might’ve broken it for good otherwise. Precum leaks from his red and swollen tip, slicking his aching dick with each jerk of his hand. He’d give anything to feel her mouth and ample lips around his length, but the memory of it suffices to make him explode for now.

Swiftly, he grabs a few tissues from the box next to him and blows his load inside of them while Y/N’s blissful screams fill his ears as her climax tears through her. A few more slow and lazy strokes milk the rest of his dick before his shoulders deflate, and Ben relaxes back into the comfort of the soft couch cushions.

Pantingly, they lie in silence for a minute and let their speeding hearts find calm again. Y/N then props up from the bed and saunters to the dresser to grab her phone before she plops back down on the mattress. She frames the camera on her face and smiles at him, her cheeks flushed with an afterglow.

Ben smiles, too, although there’s a twinge in his stomach and a pinch in his heart. He’s grown to love the perks of technology and the twenty-first century. If he couldn’t see her on that little screen in his hand every night, he would’ve gone mad a while ago.

But everything else still sucks. The fact he can’t touch her, hold her, and love her the way he wants to fucking sucks.

“You okay there, stud?” Y/N checks, even though the truth is written clear as day on his freckle-dusted face. She feels it, too – that sickening, torturous, and undeniable pull towards him. All she wants is to rest her head on his broad chest and beating heart with his strong arms wrapped around her, holding her so tight she can barely fill her lungs with air.

Ben’s tongue swipes over his chapped lips for a moment. He’s not someone who shares his emotions easily, and it’s only gotten harder for him without her near. But it’s too fucking much, and there’s no end in sight.

“No,” he admits with a tormented swallow. “It’s not fucking okay. I fucking miss you. You’re my goddamn wife. You’re supposed to be here, Y/N.”

“I know.” Y/N exhales a sympathetic sigh and tries her best to be there for him, even though she’s exhausted after an 80-hour work week. “I miss you, too. And the kid. So much. It’s not always gonna be this way. You know I can’t come home. I don’t wanna hurt anyone, least of all you.”

“I don’t fucking care anymore. It’s been six months. We’ll figure it out. Just come home, my love,” he all but begs in the four walls of his quiet house. For Y/N, he’d even go down on his knees. He just wants her here. He doesn’t care what it costs him, virility included.

“Ben…” Y/N bites her lip, her eyes pleading. “I’m making a difference here. I’m actually doing something good.”

“Fuck that! Fuck all of that shit, Y/N!” Ben yells and strains himself to lower his voice, not wanting to wake the boy. “I fucking love you. I’m sick and tired of those games. How many fucking times do I have to tell you that I miss you, huh? I don’t wanna do this anymore. I don’t wanna call you and hope you have time to pick up. I don’t wanna text you and wait hours for a fucking answer. I don’t wanna fuck you through a dumbass screen. I miss you. I miss my wife. I miss actual goddamn sex, for fuck’s sake!”

Y/N holds back the brimming tears in her eyes, her longing heart agreeing with his words. “I know. I miss all of that, too. Maybe it’s time. Maybe we should finally talk about it.”

Ben’s brow furrows. He doesn’t like the tone in her voice and the look on her face that’s full of heartbreak. “Talk about what?”

“Divorce.”

I know, I know... "Wayne, why are you being so cruel, mean, and evil to us?" But I promise you those two will figure their shit out eventually. They've been through too much to let go now 💚

But man, do I love writing some Neuman/Ben banter. I wish they had actual screen time on the show. I feel like it would've been fucking hilarious 😂

This is not the end. Those two idiots will be back 😘

TAGS:

Jensen: @alwaystiredandconfused @xlynnbbyx @lyarr24 @deans-spinster-witch @blackcherrywhiskey @deansbbyx @foxyjwls007 @ladysparkles78 @roseblue373 @zepskies @agalliasi @yvonneeeee @hobby27 @iamsapphine @globetrotter28 @mxltifxnd0m @lacilou @feyresqueen @suckitands33 @onlyangel-444 @syrma-sensei @perpetualabsurdity

Rehab Series: @nancymcl @fics-pics-andotherthings-i-like @sparkydonugh

[mochinomnoms]

*comes back after surviving cleaning my depression room* WHO SAID SHIRMPS

Shirmps have translucent tummies!!!! So it is very noticeable when a shirmp is pregnant (shirmp owners now label the pregnant shirmps as "Berried" because the lil eggs look like small berries)

Definitely did not thought about a yuu asking for berries and the twins completely misunderstanding that maybe it is their brain melting due to the mating season

But if yuu did become a Merfolk in this case shirmp they wouldn't need to make an announcement about pregnancy when everyone can see the eggs in your stomach just:

Mershirmp! Yuu:"Morning.."

Mama leech:"Oh morning yuu-" *drops plate*

LeechGrandparents "MY GOD WE ARE GOING TO BE GRANDPARENTS" *happy squeals*

What a nice way to start a day

-Vaquita

the urge….the urge to right tweel smut where they can see their dick through their shrimpmer Yuu's transparent tummy….they're so small and it fills them up so well…they don't even have to ask if it does they can see it with their own eyes….but I must have restraint

That's so cute wtf? I looked it up and from what I can tell, most shrimp do have transparent tummies, but the reason you can see the eggs is because they stick them to their abdomens to keep safe! Like this one:

It does kind make them look pregnant tho hehe. But for funsies sake, let's say that either mershimp keep their eggs in their tummy or that out of human instinct Yuu keeps them in.

Oh the Leech parents are so, so excited! It was a slow dawning, as it took some time for the eggs to develop into something visible through their translucent tummy. But after about two weeks, the twins and their parents are noticing a bunch of orbs showing in various shades of teal, red, and pink. It does look like Yuu's holding berries!

It takes only a second for them to realize that Yuu's carrying the next generation of Leech kids, and everyone's ecstatic! Mama Leech is squeezing them as she starts going off about preparing a separate home for Yuu and the twins as they start their own family. Papa Leech is sobbing, babbling about being a grandpa and being so happy that he's gonna have new babies to spoil.

Jade and Floyd subtle low-five each other, smug as hell about finally knocking Yuu up.

(also welcome back dear!)

[loresona]

My Love Mine All Mine

Inspired by that one Mitski song, obviously. Just under 1k words of mushy loveliness, silly pirate doctor has me in a chokehold.

law x fem reader, somewhat smutty

His skin sticks to yours like warm sugar, entirely too much of a feeling as his thrusts grow deeper and then still all at once. His breath is hot and heavy against the shell of your ear, whimpers and groans dancing across the baby hairs on the edge of your hairline, a shaky hand smoothing all the way up from your thigh to your breasts, an affectionate squeeze where he deems necessary. There’s a distinct ache between your thighs but it’s not the worst feeling in the world, you think to yourself, feeling warm and full even after he’s slipped himself out of you, hands tenderly manipulating your legs off his shoulders.

You sink, boneless, into the mattress, like a stone through water as you feel the springs and sheets shift around you as he gets up and slinks off somewhere for something. You don’t pay it much mind, not until a small draft dances across your bare stomach and you mumble for him needily, childishly. He somehow hears you from the bathroom and saunters back in with an amused but soothing “I’m coming don’t worry, I’m here” and then the mattress shifts again, and your view of the ceiling is interrupted by shaggy black hair, pale sharp eyes, a crooked grin. Gold earrings catch the light of the lampshade and twinkle just at the crook of his jawline like orb-like fairies, dancing in and out of your vision as he moves until he’s leaning over you on one arm, the other holding a warm cloth.

Said fabric finds its way between your legs and you hiss at the contact, grumbles that turn into almost-purrs when a free hand strokes through your hair softly, a pair of lips kissing and mumbling against your temple. He’s unusually amusable after sex, almost silly. “You come here often?” paired with a flash of teeth and dimples as his hands clean you up, whipping a storm of red onto your cheeks as you push at his chest with a hand half-heartedly. He giggles, giggles, but relents, tossing the cloth over his shoulder and replacing it with a cool glass of water, forever the caretaker. “At least half please, then I’m all yours”.

You do as he says, because how could you not, with his imperfect-perfect skin and his tattoos and his smile that’s as rare as rubies, and he rewards you with a gentle peck on the lips as he sets the glass on the side and nestles amongst the covers, dragging you down willingly with him. You start off with your back against his chest, arms looped around your middle as small, lingering kisses are planted along your shoulder, your arm, your neck. The praise, God. “You doing okay?” “You did so good” “So perfect” “All mine”. You could get off from his voice alone. The thought enters your mind, and you press your behind against him, feeling him tense and huff a laugh / groan against your neck. “There’s no way either of us are making it through round two” his voice is scratchy, deep and it only eggs you on, but before he can be convinced, he cuts the temptation off at the source and flips you so you’re chest to chest, an amused frown on his face as he kisses you all over before shoving your face against his collarbone. “Sleep, before you kill me off”.

No one would’ve believed it if they saw it: the Surgeon of Death, ex-warlord and member of the worst generation, cradling a woman in his arms so gently it was as if she was made of glass. Murmuring ludicrously romantic things against and into crevices of skin, a smile on his face so content you’d think him the luckiest man alive.

-loresona

update: I posted this on my ao3 as well, under the same username loresona! and added a little bit of extra ending to it for funsies <3

[shiviwrites07]

Ocean Eyes

As sunlight filtered through the drawn curtains, Gojo Satoru shuffled lazily in his bed, reaching out to the other side to grab a hold of you but his hand was met with emptiness. Surprised to see the space beside him empty, he is suddenly hit by the smell of freshly baked croissants and a muffled laughter. Suddenly, Satoru feels a weight pressing on his chest and when he opens his cerulean irises, he melts at the sight. A pair of blue orbs staring back at him with a small grin and a croissant in one hand, he mutters “Happy birthday Papa!”. Satoru grabs ahold of the kid and starts peppering his face with kisses as he asks the little boy, ‘Where’s your mama?” “Right here baby boy” Replies a voice as Satoru looks ahead to see you, still as beautiful as the day he first saw you, clad in his shirt and a tray of assorted sweets in your hand. He sits up to give you a kiss, all the while the little boy happily munches the croissant on his lap. “Happy 35th birthday to the most handsome, charming and strongest guy in the whole world” You say as you replace the baby with the tray in your hand. He looks down and his eyes widen to see a plate of pancakes, drizzled generously with his favourite syrup, a glass of his favourite milkshake and in the middle of it all was a small cake lined with blue frosting and a messily decorated cookie on the side. “Papa! Do you like the cookie? I coloured it on my own!” Declares Haru with a triumphant grin and Satoru can’t help but smile gratefully at you, his eyes softening with love and adoration at the realisation that he finally has a family that loves him for being him, not just the Strongest. 

💙 Just a little drabble for the king of hearts on his special day 💙

 Life’s hectic but he’ll always be here to be my anchor 

-Shivi ♑️

[jazzyvalentine]

WELCOME ALL!! (This will be my first fic on here so I’m sorry if it’s stupid😔 and it’s also my first time writing smut so please tell me what I need to improve on)❤️ and it’s also a bit long…… that’s what she said

Warnings⚠️: shower sex, p in v, spanking, choking, cursing, breeding (I think that’s it frfr)

Inspo: Lenny Kravitz’s ‘Heaven Help’ original version music video on YouTube🫶🏼

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a long day at the office today. A fourteen hour shift because Randy, my boss requested I work two extra hours today because Lafayette had called out to go see his "hot date." Whatever the hell the reason, I don't care. None of my business. All I know is I would like to lay down now and take a shower later, my feet hurt after wearing those damn Mary Jane's all day long at work. Hands clammed up from so much typing I have to go run them under the sink tap in the bathroom in some hot water at work before I clocked out earlier.

      I walked into the flat and sighed, kicking the devil shoes off my achy feet and took a look around. The entire space was spotless. My brow bounced up as I curiously took in the clean smell of fresh air. Slash should be home by now, his car is even in the apartment's garage so I know he's here. I glanced at the clock on our wall shelf. 8:26 PM "Baby?" I called making my way down the hallway to our small bedroom. Silence. I figured he must be sleeping. But the closer I got, I could hear faint music playing from behind the bedroom door. I furrowed my brow with a confused pout on my lips as I slowly pushed the door open, having been already a little cracked.

I smiled at the sight of my wonderful boyfriend sitting on the bed with his back turned to me. I walked over, gently placing my laptop bag on the dresser and crossing the room to sit on our floor level bed, wrapping my arms his neck loosely as I kissed his shoulder lovingly. His arm stretched behind me to wrap around the small of my back, pulling me to sit over his plush thigh. "Hey, babygirl," he smiled at me, eyes trailing my face, "how was work?" He spoke gently as he leaned in to kiss my cheek sweetly, free hand rubbing my knee.

I grumbled rolling my eyes at that question, "the same bullshit as always... how was the studio" I scowled, but it turned to a grin at him as I asked the last part, my head tilted to the side just a little, swinging my legs over his hips to straddle his lap. I leaned in and quickly pecked his lips. He let out an airy chuckle as his hands found my hips, resting just above my waist on his forearms. "Same here. But hanging with Lenny and his guys was fun, and I definitely enjoyed recording with an excuse to play... so, nothing really to complain about." He grabbed my hand in his and brought it to his lips, tenderly kissing my knuckles as his black orbs bored into my eyes with such an intensity.

Lenny Kravitz had called Slash up about a week ago to see if he wanted to feature on his new song, 'Always On The Run," and Slash was ecstatic about Lenny's generous offer. They went to school together back in the day, but hardly spoke during that period just because they ran in different groups. But they've rekindled and I am personally overjoyed for them. "That's amazing baby!" I exclaimed excitedly, grabbing his face in my hands and smushing my lips against his. No matter what, I will always be proud of him. And I plan on telling him that at every chance I get.

His big hands smoothed over the loose strands of hair that flew from the bun at the back of my head. He swiftly pulled out the bobby pins and hair ties holding my hair in place loosely. Locks of hair flowing down my mid-back. His face was stone cold as he leaned down to kiss my neck, lifting me up and my legs immediately locked around his waist. Turning around, he laid me down on the bed, looming over me like a dark shadow. My hands snaked to the back of his neck pulling him down to meet my lips. I sighed into the kiss as his tongue darted out and licked my heavy bottom lip, begging for entry. And I immediately complied. My lips parted as his muscle slithered against mine like a snake.

The tips of his fingers gently toyed with the end of my black blouse, silently asking for permission. I barely nodded my head before he began unbuttoning my shirt. Normally he rips the shirts off of me. I guess he's feeling generous tonight considering I have very few work shirts left because of his feral ass. I smirked to myself but that smirk was quickly wiped from my face as he bit down on my lip, tugging at it gently. My breath hitched and a shuddery moan fell from my bruised lips.

My back arched into him from the duvet. He smiled down at me innocently as he pulled the shirts off the rest of the way off of me, leaving me in my pants and lacy black bra. His hands immediately reaching for my breasts, kneading them and kissing the flesh above the cups pooling out from the tops. "Ohhh... baby, just look at you. You're so beautiful." He had a goofy, adoring smile on his face as he sat up looking down at me. His hands toying with the waistband of my slacks as he leaned down to press his lips to my forehead and moving down to my lips. He held the kiss for a few seconds. It was sweet. Not filled with lust like it usually would be, but sweet love. Showing just how much he loves me by praising every inch of my body with his lips.

He pulled back, breathing heavily with a sheen of saliva connecting our lips as his eyes raked over every feature of me. The intensity of his stare making me feel meek, a pink flush rising over my skin. The music changed on the radio that was echoing from the walk-in bathroom, 'Heaven Help' by Lenny Kravitz began playing. Slash chuckled at the ironic song that started playing. "Fuck, I missed you so much today." He muttered against my skin as he nudged his nose to the valley of my breasts, inhaling the sweet aroma of my perfume and skin.

A single hand reached around behind me and I lifted from the bed ever so slightly to assist him in removing my bra. I sat up as he pulled the straps down my arms, my breasts bounced into my place as he tossed the bra on the head of the bed. His plump lips wrapped around my nipple, sucking lightly making me moan lowly, hand threading through his curls as the tip of his tongue flicked my sensitive bud. One of his hands pinched and squeezed at my other nipple making me grind my hips into his. My head fell back against the satin white sheets as I gasped into the crisp air of our bedroom, the open window blowing in cool air of the night.

My eyes flew open as I hastily unbuttoned the few buttons on his flannel at the bottom and making quick work of taking it off of him. He smirked and sat up pulling it off, tossing it to our hardwood flooring. I sat up with him, my hands smoothing over his broad tan chest, watching closely how it heaved with uneven breaths and smiled softly at him. "I love you, my moon. You are the only thing on my mind." His voice was soft, low and a bit raspy with desire. I paused before giving him the biggest lovesick grin I've ever mustered. He leaned down and bit the side of my neck making me whimper as my nails dug into his sides, tracing the patterns of the tattoos littering his muscular frame.

"Mmm.. you taste so good, baby," he hummed, I panted as my toes curled, feeling him pressing against my clothed thigh. He moved away and took one of my hands, pressing it to his heart and taking one of his own hands and placing it at the top of my breast. A shock of electricity shot up my spine. I could practically hear and feel our hearts beating in sync. The unmistakable smell of him filled my senses. Cigarettes, aftershave, and the sweet smell of coconuts in his hair.

My head lulled back ever so gently. Slash held the back of my head as he kissed my shoulder and down my arm, moving to the tips of my fingers, taking them into his mouth and swirling his tongue around them, moaning at the slightly sweet and bitter taste of my skin. I looked down at him through hooded eyes, biting my lower lip. "You're beautiful..." I mumbled softly.

Slash paused his ministrations of affection for a few seconds to speak up sweetly. "You're even more beautiful." His voice low with need, but gentle as a baby's love. His fingers brushed my cheek, smiling softly. "I love you," I muttered pressing my lips to his jaw, my hands roaming over every inch of skin that I could reach. Feeling his veins and muscles flexing with every touch under my palms, moving together in sync.

We stood from the bed and shuffled across the room. The remaining articles of clothing that littered our bodies being thrown around the bedroom and the doorway to our walk-in bathroom as we stepped through the door. Our lips connected all the while, the only guides we need being our bodies and a candle Slash had previously lit before I had gotten home to turn on the shower tap, sliding open the shower door as the room began to fill with steam. The music grew louder as we entered the bathroom.

Slash pushed me against the wall of the shower, the cold tiles against my hot back making me gasp softly. Our bodies being caressed by the water as he kissed my neck, large hands gripping my thighs. He effortlessly lifted me up and held me against him, he moved his kisses down to my shoulder. "You are... my world..." He groaned against me, hiding his face in the crook of my neck.

He bit down on my shoulder as he rubbed the head of his hard cock along my slit before pushing into me slowly. I cried out and gripped onto his back, my nails scratching down his skin, breaking it. He hissed through his teeth and lowered his head to take my tit into his mouth. My cushiony thighs tightened around his hips, jaw going slack as he set a deep and slow pace. "Fuuuck... oh my g.." I moaned, cutting myself off as my words got caught in my throat. He bottomed out without warning and slammed back inside of me, thrusting in and out of my slick hole as he moaned looking down at where we connected, throwing his head back. He slowly started to pick up his pace, feeling me squeezing his cock that was buried deep inside of cunt.

———————————-

3rd person pov

Slash held back a guttural groan just to hear her small whimpers and whines. Slash's mind fogged up with nothing but her, his love for his beautiful girl and showing it to her so she won't ever forget who loves her this way... who fucks her this way. Who fucks her this damn good that she can't speak. "Such a good girl." He cooed against her lips, lips latching onto hers and sucking her tongue.

End of 3rd person pov

————————————-

I cried out as I felt his tip prodding at that sweet, spongy spot in me. My walls squeezed around him as he shifted. Slash pushed me further into the wall, pulling my legs over his shoulders to pound into me deeper. My grip on him tightened, eyes rolling back and crossing as he raised his hand and it landed down on my ass. I jumped at the sting on my supple skin, whimpering as his thrusts grew deeper, quicker and harder. A pornographic moan came from me, feeling like I was in the clouds. My hands holding the sides of his neck as he whimpered, his mouth falling open as he panted against my skin.

I shakily craned my neck to suck and kiss his Adam's apple, feeling it bob under my lips. I left a big hickey in my wake and his grip on me tightened in a bruising hold, no doubt leaving marks on my hips for me to blush looking at in the mirror in the morning. I began to feel the band in my gut tightening and it was only a matter of time before it snapped. The steam in the bathroom making my head spin as my legs locked around the sides of his head.

"Baby... I-i" I cut off with a whine as he moves a hand thrown to my slick, thumb ferociously rubbing my clit. My back arched into him and I felt him hit that spot perfectly. I screamed, barely remembering to breathe as his thick, long cock pulverized my insides. No doubt even rearranging my guts. No coherent thought in my head as I babbled and cried away. His name falling from my wet lips like a prayer.

Slash smirked as his breathing grew more ragged, feeling the way my body tensed and spasmed. He groaned, panting loudly as his hand wrapped around my throat. Not squeezing tight enough to suffocate me, but just enough to mix pain with my pleasure. "Mmm... you close baby?" He teased, nipping my earlobe. His teeth clenched together as his hips jerked and he growled lowly as he quickened his pace, if that was even possible. My head fell back against the wall of the shower, nodding wildly. No words coming out of my mouth, too brain dead fucked to talk.

"Fuck! Come on... y-yes, yes!" He moaned loudly, free hand coming down to smack the side of my outer thigh, again a second time, and then once more. His eyes rolled back in his head as my body slid up and down the tiled wall with the force of his powerful thrusts. My legs shook violently along with the rest of my body as my hands gripped his curls tightly, tugging on his hair. He was close too and he knew it just as much as I did. "Please, baby!" I cried, tears pooling from my eyes and running down my puffy cheeks.

His arms locked me into place, thrusts becoming sloppy and unrhythmic. His face rested on the crook of my neck as he whined, lips pressing hot, open mouthed kisses along my shoulder. "I'm here... I-I'm right here, baby. I'm here, cum for me beautiful." He encouraged, voice a sweet whisper. His hands moving to hold the back of my head and press against my lower back making me arch against his abdomen.

His mind filled with the thoughts of his love for her. His sweet angel...

Slash's eyes screwed shut, mouth opening and tongue darting out from between his lips to lick at the sweet spot on my neck right by my pulse point. The sound of him letting go filled the bathroom, my name falling from his full and bruised lips like a mantra over and over again. Cries fell from his mouth as drool dribbled at the corners of his lips. And with a few more deep, quick thrusts, my mind clouded in euphoria as the band finally snapped.

One last scream before a calm washed over me like a wave upon the sand after an unforgivable storm in the ocean. My hands holding onto him for dear life as I felt his load spill, shooting deep inside of me. I gasped for air but he sucked it all right back out of me. I felt as if I died and was reborn in his being, and I could have sworn my heart stopped for a minute there. "Fuck, I-I love you," I whimpered as he pressed his forehead against mine and kissed my lips lovingly. He lowered us to the floor of the shower, both of us far too sensitive to be standing right now.

Pulling me into his lap and kissing my temple lovingly as his hands rubbed the bruises on my hips. His face filled with pleasure but his movements slow and gentle, arms wrapping tightly around me. He held me up to his chest, hands stroking my back.

He laid his head against hers, eyes closed as his lips ghosted her cheek, a breathless whisper coming from his lips. One hand brushed through her damn locks. "I love you... my precious angel." He said smoothly, voice so full of love.

My eyes shut out of exhaustion. I felt him press one more kiss to my forehead before standing with me in his arms, "let's get you to bed." He whispered kissing my cheek lovingly as he smiled down at me with hearts on his eyes. I reached up to turn off the shower, turning the faucet. Slash stepped out with me in his arms and grabbed our towels.

I nodded sleepily and nuzzled into his chest. The candle was blown out, radio turned down and we made our way back to the bedroom. He set me down at the edge of the end and helped me dry off before dying himself off with his own towel and climbing into the bed beside me.

He reached his arms out to her, wanting for her to come and lay on his chest. "C'mere baby." He cooed softly, gently tugging her hand to pull her closer to him. His other hand patting his chest as he spoke to his beautiful lady. He was so in love with her, absolutely completely head over heels in love with her.

He smiled gently as his girl as she laid to rest on his torso, her chest pressed against his side. His arms wrapping around her shoulders, holding the smaller girl close to him. He felt how she quivered against him and frowned a little, hoping he hadn't hurt her. "You okay, my love?" He murmured, kissing the lobe of her ear. She nodded and hummed quietly.

"I love you, Slash." She whispered making him smile, feeling her lips on his caramel skin until she pulled back and laid back down on his chest. "And thank you, for tonight." Slash held her face in one hand as his eyes scanned her sleepy, fucked out face. "I love you more. And anything for you, babygirl. Sleep well." She nodded gently and did just as told, immediately passing out on the spot in his arms.

Slash laid awake for a few minutes longer. Thinking of just how lucky he is, and how he couldn't wait until tomorrow when he'd go pick up the ring while she visited with her mother for a little while. And with that; small snores came from him as his chest rose and fell with even breaths, falling into dreamland with his amazing girlfriend, soon to be fiancé. There is nothing he wouldn't do for her. Light snores fell from his lips as he fell into a peaceful state of slumber with his best girl in his arms. He couldn’t ask for anything more or better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[sleepyrainart]

Bath time Interruption.

Description: You're just lazing in a bath with a mug of wine. Before Akamaru interrupts you and then Kiba, at least he has food. A cute domestic fluff to start the new year.

No mention of reader's gender. Though you kinda have to have a love for baths, wine, and dogs. Liking Kiba is also a plus.

Pairing: Kiba Inuzuka x Reader.

Rating: General.

Warnings: None.

The shimmering purple orb bubbles and fizzes in the water. Lavender steam curling up from the bath. Lilac water parting as you step in. Hot water lapping up the porcelain sides as you settle. Your back resting against the warm tub. Closing your eyes to enjoy the relaxing scent of lavender and sweet vanilla. The stresses of the day just melting away. Lazy eyes opening just enough to pluck up your mug. The fruity wine with a tart apple finishing delicately on your taste buds.

Time flows like a shiftless stream, slow and merry. Before hearing the door opening and closing. Claws clacking on the wooden floor. Slippered feet shuffling. The sound of the curtains being drawn, one by one. The clicking claws closer now. Before, Akamaru's big head is pushing the door open with a surprising amount of gentleness. Slinking in as he sits on the shower mat. Looking at you with wet, glimmering eyes. Big fluffy tail thumping against the mat. Pleading for pats and treats. And how can you deny him?

“Aw, baby, I don't have any treats.” His wagging tail slows. Though, he's still looking at you expectantly. Paws tip tapping as he begs. A little whimpering plea. Your heart shuttering into a million pieces. Almost brought to tears by the pitiful sound.

“Uh uh uh, you heard her bud, no treats. You're on a diet anyway.” Akamaru barks at the bad word. Making you laugh. While Kiba sneezes. His sense of smell overdramatic as ever. Sensitive to any perfume.

“Are you okay?” You ask as he looks like he's about to sneeze again. His warm brown eyes watering slightly as he suppresses it. He nods his head, looking better.

“Yep, and I brought food.” He closes the door carelessly with his foot. Holding two cartons up in front of his happy face. Akamaru dancing around his feet. “Not for you, buddy.” He sighs, lifting the cartons higher as the white cloud rises. Engulfing Kiba's form entirely once he's at full height. Your boyfriend was probably using his foot to keep the pup at bay.

Only taking pity on him when he's backing into the door. “Puppy, come here, baby.” Akamaru abandons his pursuit for food, dancing over. Tail wagging, paws trotting as he brushes up against the tub. Dark eyes looking at you expectantly. Tail thwacking the bath. Your eyes shift to Kiba who's busy brushing himself off with his free hand. “Is lavender okay for dogs?”

“Hm, I'm sure it'll be fine. Bath bombs usually only have a small amount of essential oils. Plus, it's diluted by the water. And he doesn't seem to be acting strange.” You nod, reaching outside the tub to grab the small hand towel you had there. Drying your hand. While Akamaru sniffs at your arm. You pat at his giant head, soft as a cloud.

His big head pushing against your palm for more affection. Happy little whines as you scratch his floppy ear. So adorable. “Okay, okay, enough greasing.” Kiba said plopping himself down. Back resting against the wall. Handing you the towel. You abandoned Akamaru to wipe your hands. Tummy growling for food. Scaring the floof away, a few steps.

Before he comes right back as Kiba opens your carton and hands it to you. Handing you chopsticks only when you have a sturdy grip on the carton. Resting it on the edge of the bath. Eagerly slurping up the fried noodles, sweet and savoury, chewy under your teeth. You happily stab a piece of meat, tender protein battered and fried. Coated in a sticky sauce, sweet and tangy. Looking up to see Kiba looking at you, goofy smile on his face, prominent canines on display.

“What?” You ask after swallowing your mouthful.

“Oh, nothing.” He says, going back to his food. You shake your head. Before taking a sip from your mug. His hand reaching out expectantly after you take a swig. Placing the mug in his awaiting hand. He takes a small sip, nose crinkling. He wasn't a fan of the bubbles. But he took a few more small sips. Letting the bubbles pop to savour the flavour. Sweet and tart, a perfect balance. “It’s nice,” he compliments. Before returning the mug to the bath's edge.

“Oh, I'm glad you like it.” You say, stabbing a piece of meat to offer him. He clasps it delicately between his teeth. Sliding it off your chopsticks. His tongue flicking at the drop of sauce that had landed on the corner of his lip. You take a sip from your mug. Choosing to drink from where his lips had been. An indirect kiss that has you blushing.

He offers you a piece of meat from his chopsticks. Licking at the spicy sauce before biting into the chewy meat. Ginger, warm and mellow. Garlic, sweet and tangy. While the chilli was just pleasantly spicy. A delightful departure from your meal.

Akamaru looking between you two. Before, harrumphing when he was ignored. Whining as neither of you pay attention to him. He's so offended. Stomping his little paws as he whines louder. Which finally gets your attention. As soon as your eyes lock on the puppy, Kiba speaks, “no.”

“But…” you start to argue.

“No, he's on a diet.” He interrupts. Your shoulders dropping as you look at the heart broken Akamaru.

“Are you sure?” You pout. Puppy dog eyes turning to him. He's unimpressed by both of you. His expression says it all, mouth pushed to one side and eyes slightly narrowed. “So mean.” You whine. But finish your meal nonetheless. Just avoiding looking in the area which Akamaru mopes. Loudly whimpering, pathetic noises that break your heart. You're sure his big eyes are watery with tears. But you don't have the heart to check.

Finishing the last dregs of your wine. Before pulling the plug. Akamaru flees as the water gargles down the drain. Sounding akin to a monster growling rather than water going down a pipe. Kiba hands you a towel, big and fluffy. Swallowing most of your form in fleece. “Wanna watch a movie?” You ask before a yawn erupts from you.

Kiba shrugs, “sounds like your going to be snoring before the title.” He says before handing you your toothbrush. Toothpaste already spread on, bristles wet. You brush your teeth side by side. Going through your bedtime routines.

Entering your bedroom. Akamaru sprawling out. Fluffy tummy in the air. Tongue lolling from his mouth, drooling and snoring. You settle on your side and Kiba on his. Akamaru wedged between you, warmth radiating from his big fluffy body. Kiba turns on the TV, finding a movie to watch. While you get comfy, snuggling against the fluffy canine. Head on Kiba's shoulder. He was right, you didn't make it past the title.

Thanks for reading.😊

[blackcherryvelvet0909]

History Repeats Itself (Diasomnia Centric; Lilia & Sebek)

Pairings: Lilia & Baul, Lilia & Sebek, Sebek & Epel, Sebek & Deuce, Deuce & Epel, Sebek & Jack, Epel & Jack, Deuce & Jack, Sebek/Reader (MC/Yuu) implied

Content Warning: Mild spoilers for Chapter 7 (Diasomnia chapter), romantic implications, physical attraction

Note: This is a slight interjection to the Beach Episode series and others. I've been experiencing burnout due to current life circumstances and I'm trying to get back in the groove. Listing the pairings separately cause there's not exactly a main one here. Thank you to those who are currently supporting me, and to those who reblogged my emergency commissions post. It's very much appreciated. I wish I could hug you all. I hope you enjoy the fic in celebration of Chapter 7 beginning in the EN server <3

The townsfolk parted as the soldiers made their way through the town square and out of the capital. The castle loomed not too far behind them; if one looked closely, they could almost spy a feminine horned figure briefly watching them go before disappearing from one of the grand windows. At the head of the small battalion was the Phantom General, Lilia Vanrogue: arguably the army’s most fearsome warrior. One either eyed the man with fear, respect, longing, or some combination of those. Those gazes were cast to his other comrades as well, though not as noticeable. Lilia had grown quite used to the ogling now. He couldn’t tell you whether or not he liked such attention, however. 

The man that walked beside him, Baul Zigvolt, was another fae that commanded respect - unspoken and spoken. Though the times he demanded that respect were often to rowdy new recruits. Despite his booming voice and towering figure, the man was all bark and some bite. Baul put on quite the show, but he was a bit softer than the general nearly two heads shorter than him. You could never say that to his face unless you were honorable Vanrouge, however. Commander Zigvolt would surely bite your head off otherwise - figuratively. 

There were other sides to the man and his loud mouth, ones only known by those who fought alongside him. Like the fact that it seemed his hunger knew no bounds. Some days he could eat his entire body weight in food - maybe a bit more if he’d gone a day or so with minimal sustenance. When you spent days upon days, weeks upon weeks, sometimes even months, with the fae, you got to learn much about him. There were little things only the most keen could pick up on, though. One of those quirks made itself known to the observant Lilia as he noticed Baul step away from him and slow his pace. Lilia raised a brow as he glanced back to see just where the commander had wandered off to - the question was quickly answered. 

It appeared Baul didn’t even notice he’d lagged behind. He was oblivious to the puzzled looks from his fellow men-in-arms. His eyes were solely focused on a fair maid a small several steps away. She busied herself sweeping the stoop of a small shop, one Lilia knew to sell food and other goods one needed to live. Either the fae lady worked at the establishment or owned it; Lilia doubted she was sweeping the stoop just in good nature. Her hair was tied back in a braided bun, a few baby hairs wisping about her forehead and behind her pointed ears as she worked. The dark green of her dress complemented her pale skin, that dress and black apron framing her figure perfectly - her curvaceous figure. 

It looked like Baul had the good sense and decency to try and keep his gaze away from her curves, the way her body moved, but he just couldn’t. Paired with the way his pale green orbs seemed to almost sparkle when he beheld the rest of her visage, the soldier was absolutely mesmerized. So much so he didn’t notice that he was heading straight for a wooden beam that held up a little trinket stand in the center of town. Lilia said not a word. An almost wicked smile tugged at his lips as he simply watched the fae slowly but surely come up to the beam, then smack right into it with a loud ‘WHAM!’ The look on Baul’s face when he realized his blunder - the thought of holding back his booming laughter nary crossed the general’s mind. 

The bellowed cackle startled more than one individual. Nearly all eyes were on the general and his commander: the former who was almost keeled over in hilarity, and the latter whose pale skin was now glowing red. Some were frightened by the spine chilling laughter, while others began to laugh and giggle along with him - but a lot quieter. Whoever would have the courage to try and outmatch Lilia Vanrouge in anything was a fool. No one knew that better than the soldiers who’d come to a brief halt to witness the little spectacle. Once frozen on the spot, Baul quickly, yet mildly clumsily, regained his composure. He ignored the pain that radiated through his face and forehead in favor of trying to save his image. 

At the same time, Lilia and Baul spared a glance back at the little maid. She, too, stared at Baul, yellow eyes wide with a mix of confusion and surprise. It looked as though she’d stopped mid-sweep, as she held the broom mid motion. Baul quickly turned away from her, clearing his throat more times than needed be. Lilia held his smirk, crimson eyes cut to Baul like daggers, though this time they held no ill intent - only mischief. Commander Zigvolt ignored him as he continued marching on, a bit faster than before. Lilia matched his speed, and so did the other soldiers as they followed after him. 

When they finally passed the gates of the city and trudged out into the vast forest surrounding it, Lilia began his relentless teasing. “Pretty little thing, wasn’t she?” he asked Baul, rhetorically. “Very soft-looking, too. A stark contrast to your figure, to be sure.” Baul silently nodded. Lilia persisted. 

“Her biceps were particularly plump, from what I could make out. Very endearing.” Though Lilia was nowhere near close enough to whisper in the man’s ear, Baul heard the suggestion loud and clear. “Were you thinking about grabbing a nibble before we headed out?~” 

“NO!” While every other soldier jumped in surprise at the outburst, Lilia didn’t flinch. His smile only widened into a grin as his eyes narrowed deviously. “It is far inappropriate to even suggest that! Of all the indecency-!” Baul seemed to catch himself yelling. He took a deep breath in, held it for a few seconds, then exhaled. 

“Lil- General Vanrouge, please refrain from making such suggestions again.” His next words - a plea - came out as a hiss. “I beg you.” 

Lilia feigned ignorance and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure what you’re on about. The lady runs a grocery, or at least works in it, doesn’t she? I simply thought you wanted to grab a spare ration before we departed.” 

Lilia could see the gears turning in Baul’s head. For a moment, it looked as though he actually believed him, almost ready to apologize. And then the next he saw through Lilia’s rouse and glared down at him. “It is uncouth of a man in your position to lie.” 

The general huffed in amusement as he glanced to the side and scanned the area to his right. “Again, no idea what you mean.” 

“You’re impossible,” Baul grumbled. 

“And you’re thinking about that woman being in your arms right now,” Lilia retaliated. 

Only a fool would challenge the general to a duel.

Fool, thy name is Baul Zigvolt. 

***

“HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUCH AN ACCUSATION!” Sebek’s voice boomed, bouncing off the high ceilings of the hallway. “YOU THINK ME SO UNCOUTH, SO CRUDE, AS TO ACT IN SUCH A WAY?!”

“‘M jus’ callin’ it like ah see it,” Epel replied, a thoroughly amused lint to his words. “Fer someone so high ‘n mighty, ah didn’t think you’d ogle the prefect like that.” 

“I WAS NOT OGLING THEM!” Sebek protested, louder than before. “I…I simply was distracted by how audacious you humans are! To see the prefect address our upperclassmen so casually - no respect whatsoever!”

“I think they’ve come to respect each other equally, due to [Name] helping them out with their overblots.” Deuce adjusted his hold on his textbooks, which were now tucked under his arm. “I mean, they don’t refer to them by name yet, aside from Kalim, but I’ve seen a change in their interactions.” Deuce smiled at the thought. “Either way, I’m just happy they’re all doing better.” 

“Yer tellin’ me,” Epel agreed. “Vil’s been on my ass less since he got over his overblot. Think that’s in part thanks to the pre- [Name].” He scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry, still tryin’ ta remember it’s fine to call them by name, not the stupid title.” 

“Hmph.” Sebek smirked. “Quite a thing to believe; I can’t say I’m surprised. You humans are the species with the least respect for others. You could not even begin to comprehend what such titles command.” 

“Oh, shove it up yer ass, Sebek!” Epel groaned. “Gon’ punch ya in the face one of these days, ah swear!” A devious grin then spread across Epel’s face as he thought of something. “Oooor ah could just tell them you got a crush on ‘em~” 

“A WHAT?!” Sebek balked. 

“Y’know, a crush,” Deuce offered. “It’s when-”

“I KNOW WHAT IT IS! WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, A HUMAN?!” Ironic, since the prince the freshman so worshiped was one of the most oblivious boys on campus. Sebek shook his head in denial of Epel’s accusation. “You would be telling the prefect falsehoods, human. I hold no such feelings for them.” 

“Uh huh, surrrre ya don’t~” Epel drawled. “Definitely not - not when ya stare at ‘em all the time every chance ya get.” Red began to flood Sebek’s cheeks; Epel noticed, grin widening as he continued. “Not when ya carry the books and bags and whatever other shit they got whenever ya walk with them. You especially don’t like ‘em when ah catch you smilin’ whenever they thank-”

“I WILL LISTEN TO THIS SLANDER NO LONGER!” Sebek interjected, again loudly. His face was as red as Deuce's magestone, however. The one who watched them knew it wasn’t just out of embarrassment and anger. “IS THERE NO END TO YOUR HUMAN-?” 

“Oi!” The freshman stopped in their tracks, and Sebek stopped his scolding, as they all turned to look at the beastman suddenly before them. “Keep it down! You’re going to give me and every beastman in the building a headache!” 

Sebek was more embarrassed now than he was before. He huffed as he closed his eyes and turned his head away from Jack. “Apologies.” 

Jack rubbed the back of his ear as he winced. “Almost had to run to the infirmary,” he grumbled. 

“C’mon, let’s go.” Deuce cut in. “We’ll be late for class if we don’t get moving.” 

“Least this time we’re all in the same period,” Epel mumbled as the little group turned the corner and headed down the adjacent hall. 

The unnoticed eavesdropper behind them smiled to himself as he watched them go. He shook his head as he let out a small chuckle at the boy’s, Sebek’s, antics. “Just like your grandfather,” Lilia regaled to himself. The fae finally let his footsteps be heard as he walked down the hall, then rounded the corner into the one going in the opposite direction of the freshmen. “At least you haven’t slammed into an obstacle - yet.” Emphasis on ‘yet’ as the boy was still young and had plenty of time for such fumbles. One often found themselves in them in the throes of love, especially at the early stages. 

Sebek’s grandmother would no doubt agree.

[fictionthorn]

SFW Alphabet: Gale

CW/TW: None Word Count: 1.1k

Activities - What are their favorite things to do with you? How do you spend your free time?

One of Gale’s favorite things to do with you is practice magic. Whether that be teaching you different spells if you’re not a magic user or just general practice if you are.

He also likes to read with you and talk about what the two of you are reading.

Boo! - How do they feel about surprises, giving and receiving?

He likes surprises as long as they’re not too often. That goes for both giving and receiving.

Comfort - How do they comfort you when you’re upset? When the tables turn, do they come to you, or do they try to handle it themselves?

It makes Gale’s heart ache when he sees you upset. He’ll do whatever you need him to do to feel better. If you just need to talk it out and vent then he’s there to listen. If you need someone to hold you while you cry then his arms are always open.

When he’s upset he’ll try to handle it himself so he doesn’t make you worry. The only problem with that is you can read him like a book. All it takes is one hug from you for him to open up and accept your comfort.

Dance - Do they like to dance with you? How good of a dancer are they?

He’s always happy to dance with you even if he isn’t the best at it.

Excitement - How do they act when they’re excited? What excites them?

Gale is the type of person where when he gets excited about something he starts talking fast.

There’s a lot that excites him but mostly things having to do with magic or whatever topic he’s hyper fixated on at the moment.

Future - What are their plans for the future? Do they see themselves getting married, having kids?

He knows he wants to marry you and spend the rest of his life with you at his side.

Kids are something that he’s very unsure about. He doesn’t think he has what it takes to be a good father, but he also knows he has the potential to change his mind.

Gifts - What do they give you as presents? How often do they get you gifts?

He tries not to give you gifts too often because he wants them to always be special.

He likes to give you magical artifacts as gifts. Mostly because he knows you like them and that they can be useful, but it’s also his way of trying to repay you for all the artifacts you gave to him when he was dealing with the Netherese Orb.

Hold - How do they hold you? Cuddling, sleeping, holding hands…

He likes to hold your hand as much as you’ll let him. He also likes when you lean against him or rest your head on his shoulder.

Ideal - What’s their ideal date like?

His ideal date is going for an evening walk around Waterdeep and possibly going shopping for some books.

Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they handle it?

He does his best not to get jealous, but there are a few times where his insecurities get the best of him. Even though he knows you love him there’s a small part of him that still worries you’ll find someone better.

Kisses - How do they like to kiss you? How frequently do you kiss?

When Gale kisses you he always wants to make sure you know you have his full attention and that you feel his love in the kiss.

He will kiss you often.

Love - How do they show you that they love you?

Gale shows his love by being attentive. When you talk to him you have his full attention and he pays attention to your body language to make sure you’re okay.

Melt - What do you do that absolutely makes them melt?

You play with his hair when the two of you are relaxing together.

Nicknames - What do they call you, and what are their favorite things to be called?

Gale likes to call you baby most of the time but there are times when he’ll opt for calling you my angel.

He likes when you call him sweetheart.

Obvious - How obvious do they make it that they like you?

He is extremely obvious about his feelings for you from the start.

Pets - Do they have pets? Do they want them?

He has Tara and the two of you adopt Scratch.

Quiet - How are the calm, quiet moments with them?

Calm, quiet moments are some of Gale’s favorite moments with you. They usually happen in the evenings while the two of you are reading together by the fire with Tara laying in between you.

Romance - How romantic are they? What are their go-to ways of being romantic?

He has always thought of himself as a romantic and he’s a fan of big, romantic gestures.

Safe - What makes them feel safe and comfortable around you?

Your kindness and willingness to help him, even when he was a literal ticking time bomb.

Tend - How do they act when you’re hurt or sick, and vice versa?

He’s a wizard. If you are hurt or sick he’ll find a spell to make it better.

He can also do the same for himself but he does like it when you offer to take care of him.

Unique - What’s an unusual thing about them that’s oddly charming?

The markings left behind from the Netherese Orb. You always thought it made him look unique.

Variety - Do they prefer to keep things the same, or spice it up?

He is all for spicing things up and trying new things with you.

Wash - What’s it like taking a bath with them, or helping them wash up after a fight?

He always appreciates when you offer to help him wash up after a fight. It gives him an excuse to be close to you and spend more time with you.

XO - How do they show you affection? How much PDA are they willing to show?

He doesn’t mind a bit of PDA. Usually it’s hand holding or having an arm around you.

Yearn - What do they do when they miss you?

When Gale misses you he likes to read your favorite book since it reminds him of you.

Zzz - How do they act when they get sleepy? How is it sleeping in the same bed?

Gale is the type of person that won’t go to bed without you. If you’re still up he’ll end up falling asleep on the sofa until you wake him up to actually go to bed.

When in bed Gale always sleeps with an arm around you, holding you close to him.

[secret-fiction]

YEAR OF THE DRAGON ENDS - A Spyro Fanfiction

“You did it, Spyro! You found enough of the dragon eggs for me to unlock the portal. Once I’ve opened it, you can confront the Sorceress whenever you’re ready…” Bianca put her paws together and glanced over her shoulder, before speaking in a serious tone.. “...but be careful, she’ll be expecting you.” 

Something about the way Bianca talked at this moment was different in a way that drew Spyro’s focus. All of her efforts to terrify him up until now had been amusing and unsuccessful. Now that she’d dropped that ‘magician’s voice’ and spoke to him in a seemingly genuine voice, he did not feel like mocking her warning. Of course he wasn’t worried, nor did he really trust her. Yet… he now believed that this Sorceress he’s heard so much about genuinely held power beyond what Bianca had ever mustered. 

“Don’t worry, I'll be so careful…” Spyro paused to make eye contact and grin in a way genuine to the fire in his breath, “that the Sorceress will regret living so long.” 

Bianca made a face, it wasn’t a smile or a frown. Then she nodded, so it must’ve been an expression of approval. Apparently confident in Spyro’s care, she warped away in a colourful flash. Now it was just Spyro, Sparx, and the ominous black portal. 

General Audiences, contains Cartoon Violence.

“Finally, we get to see how terrified that Sorceress is of me,” said Spyro.

Sparx buzzed and scattered some sparks that formed the shape of spellcrafted monsters.

“That’d actually be pretty annoying.” Spyro trotted past the fading sparkling imagery and into the dark blue foyer of the portal. “After all I just wanna corner her and see how she’ll spin the whole ‘stealing over a hundred babies’ thing.”

After hovering up between Spyro and the portal, Sparx mocked big pathetic eyes as he shivered and cowered. This made Spyro chuckle, until Sparx put a twist on his performance by quick-drawing his magic wielding legs and dramatically casting out a glowing orb. It popped like a firework in Spyro's face, actually making him recoil and blink. He hadn’t realized Sparx could do that now.

Responding to this magic sucker punch, Spyro spit enough flame to disperse the glittering sparks and say, “you’ll regret that ‘Sorceress,’ such magic only draws out my true wrath!”

This prompted Sparx to scream like a kazoo and flee as Spyro chased him about the foyer for a moment. In a small space like this Spyro managed to predict Sparx’s movement and cut him off, catching the dragonfly in his wings. It usually took much longer for Spyro to catch Sparx, so this drew a prideful laugh from him.

“Alright, wait,” said Spyro as he mercifully released Sparx, who looked at him with surprise and pride. “Let’s stop making the poor Sorceress wait, the tension might kill her before we do.”

______

Bianca hadn’t warped too far away, having landed near the Rocket landing pad on Midnight Mountain. It was all now in Spyro’s paws, or hands… claws. Regardless of that fact, the sense of tension to her nerves didn’t subside. That Dragon had already survived the full force of the Sorceress’ wrath, so what was there to worry about? Other than what might happen if somehow the Sorceress defeated him now. What would she do to him? What would she do to her?

“Hey Bianca!” said the familiar and charmingly inelegant voice of Hunter the Cheetah. He strolled up to her with a pair of flippers under his arm and said, “you shoulda seen how my new pet manta ray took down all those shark riders!”

“Oh hi-wait, new pet Manta ray?” said Bianca. 

“I mean, Spyro did the piloting, but man can a Manta ray swim!” said Hunter.

“Wow! I didn’t know one could outswim a shark,” said Bianca.

“What’s that about a shark?” said a brown kangaroo, Sheila, as she hopped out of the launch bay gateway. “Oh hey Hunter, and…” Sheila squinted at Bianca, her pause clearly not due to a lack of familiarity.

A few more familiar faces leaned out of the gateway. The imposing white haired yeti, the militant penguin, and that spartan monkey Bianca had only seen from a distance.

“Why, it’s the intrepid Acinonyx jubatus!” said the Yeti, Bentley, standing up and dropping the other two off of his back. “And the Terrible Apprentice Sorceress!” 

“Uh…” mumbled Bianca, before Hunter interrupted in her defense. 

“Hey! She’s not that bad at magic!” 

“I harbor little skepticism to that point. Such is where the terror in terrible comes from,” said Bentley. 

“Good timing, turncoat!” The penguin, Sgt. Byrd, flew over Bentley's head and perched on his large crystal club. “You have inside intelligence vital to our discussion.”

“Oh yeah,” said Sheila, putting a paw to her chin. “I suppose she would know which of us has annoyed The Sorceress the most.”

“Ohohohohoh!” The Monkey stepped over to Sheila, clicking his tongue. “It’s no contest. I’ve blasted every rhynoc I’ve seen so far!”

“Naw mate,” Sheila shook her head, “like I said, I’ve never heard of you before. You couldn’ta been that bad.”

“I confess, that remark may harbor a recency bias,” commented Bentley.

“You’re also underestimating my Kill-&-Death-Rate!” said the monkey, Agent 9.

“However, I must attest that the Sorceress’ expressions of frustration are presumably bound to how intimidated she is,” said Bentley. “Auxiliary to Spyro, I suspect she may have fretted most about what ruination I could inflict upon her person directly.” 

“I for one feel compelled to chastise Agent 9’s improper use of the jargon ‘KDR’,” said Sgt. Byrd. 

“Ganging up on me!” Agent 9 barred his sharp fangs and leaned away from the others.

“I also feel compelled to argue on behalf of my whole battalion, of which I organized,” said Sgt. Byrd. 

“Well, she kept me in a larger cage, so…” said Hunter.

“No!” the other terrorists… wait, allies, said in unison.

Well now they were all looking at Bianca, who did at one point have a front row seat to the Sorceress’ bitter rants in private. However she doubted that if she worked out a conclusion from those memories and told them it’d actually end the argument. Really, it would probably just annoy three out of four of them. Of course, the cheap answer would be…

“...Are you all counting Spyro in this?” asked Bianca.

“Course we did, first round,” said Sheila. “Forgot to convey that context, did we?” 

“I still contest that outcome,” said Agent 9 “He's not the first alien to arrive!” 

“Dragon’s aren’t aliens, they’re from the other side of the- wait, you’re an alien?!” said Sheila. 

“Oh yeah, he’s from Avalar, I think,” said Hunter. “Is Avalar a different world?”

“Our topic of discussion will perish if we traverse that route of query,” said Bentley. 

“Back on topic, you’re right to assume she’s most upset about him,” said Bianca, grabbing one of her ears. “Probably morso now that he’s made it into her lair.”

“Her lair?” asked Sheila.

“Yeah. I warned him the Sorceress will be expecting him, but he seemed ready to face her now.”

“The Sorceress’ lair?” said Sheila.

“The ‘one worldly custodian of magic,’ ‘patron of all realms,’ ‘arbiter of all matters’? That Sorceress?” said Bentley.

“The Mountain Lair looming over Midnight Mountain?” said Sgt. Byrd. “The one proven to be impervious to siege? He went there alone??”

“...Sparks was with him,” said Bianca.

Sgt. Byrd proceeded to put his flippers on the bridge of his beak and hum. Wait, that’s internal screaming, evident as Byrd’s frustration became audible to Bianca’s ears. Glancing at the others, Sheila had a panicked look on her face, while Bentley instead appeared unperturbed, albeit curious. 

“I propose we pause our previous topic of discussion,” said Bentley.

“Hunter, didn’t I ask you to tell Spyro we’re planning a cooperative front assault?” said Sgt. Byrd.

“Did you?” Hunter tapped his chin and folded his arms, dropping the flippers he was carrying. “Oh yeah, you did. I got a bit distracted.”

“Alright, we can still execute the tactics according to plan with the rest of us here,” said Sgt. Byrd.

“WOOohaaah!” shouted the suddenly distant voice of Agent 9 as he charged for the portal to the Sorceress’ lair.

“...there’s that ‘Jenkin’s Effect’ I was worried about,” said Sgt. Byrd.

“Should we…?” asked Sheila, gesturing to the portal.

“YES! Go!” Sgt. Byrd flew into the air toward the portal room.

“Forthwith! You’re welcome to accompany our party to the party Hunter!” said Bentely as he tapped his club on his hand. “You as well miss Apprentice Sorceress, I’d hazard that magic of yours may be of use.”

“An’ don’t go thinkin’ it’d be enough to stop us,” said Sheila with a wink. She jumped over Bianca and Hunter, before turning around and adding, “if you were so inclined.”

“Perhaps the disorganization of our intrusion will make us less vulnerable to any duplicitous ploys as well.” Bentely hurried at his heavy pace past Bianca and Hunter. “Speaking hypothetically, of course!” 

While Bianca was pretty sure she was reading what they were putting down, Hunter quickly made her doubt their doubts.

“Well, wanna go see the Sorceress get her butt kicked?”

Bianca folded her arms and huffed. She’d like to want to, but the mere thought made her fur bristle. Now for more than one reason. “I dunno.”

“Oh man, is she that scary?” asked Hunter

“In most ways, yes.”

“Wow, and you had the guts to have her as your teacher? I woulda been too terrified to learn any spells.” 

“Admittedly, I was more scared of what she could do before Spyro took out her worst monster yet and didn’t seem to think much of it.”

“Oh yeah, that kid’s pretty tough. Acts scarier than he is though. Which is pretty silly for a ‘Dragon’ who’s barely knee high.”

A small fit of laughter burst from Bianca. As she carefully wiped a tear from her eye, only mildly smudging her mascara, she saw Hunter head for the portal. He turned back and gave a smile, then a shaky thumbs up. It dawned on her that he was scared. Yet he was still going to try to help. 

“Are you scared?” asked Bianca?

“Uh, yeah, well, I’m used to Elora or someone yelling at me to go help anyway.”

“No one’s making you go now.”

“...Yeah, I guess. But still…”

Bianca started to see Hunter’s point, though he never really said it. 

______

From within the well lit throne room, the Sorceress herself observed a scattering of red hot air balloons rise to the towers of her lair. Her rhynocs could suffer the inconvenience of a closed off portal. Especially after she’d gone through the work of equipping her forces with this alternate means of travel upon discovering the finite nature of magic. Frankly they were lucky she hadn’t already recycled all of the homeworld portals. 

“Where is the rest of my rhynoc army?” The Sorceress leaned forward in the throne, tightening her grip on the golden sceptre in her hands. The magic aura it siphoned from the Dragon egg adorning it darkened to a purple hue, circling like glowing ribbons. “They’re scared. Aren’t they?” 

The two gold armored rhynocs before her shook and groveled, one shaking its head while the other mumbled and shrugged. Even this display did little to help her mood.

“Have I gotten that much scarier with my new power?” The room darkened to match the skyline outside, all light absorbing into her sceptre. “Or… are they scared of The Dragon?”

One rhynoc simply whined and looked down, while the other nodded slowly.

“Both, is it?”

The Sorceress chuckled, then belted out a full laugh. She then shouted with her sceptre raised, for all in her lair to hear. “If it is merely one Dragon you fear, then imagine how terrible I once was to face them ALL! Soon, you won’t need to imagine how terrible I will be, after facing but one.” 

______ 

The Lair’s heartbeat was slow but deep, its percussion matching a foreboding aura that excited Spyro. The portal had dropped him into a small courtyard where everything was cast in darkness. This obscured several old statues of Dragons, each blanketed by tapestries and banners. Less hidden were the piles of dusty decor strewn across the grass with little care. The source of this mess appeared to be the consistent flow of short statured rhynocs filing out of an open gate ahead. They were dumping banners, paintings, and other such doodads in this dead end courtyard. 

“This really is the back door, huh,” said Spyro as he gazed up the wall of the stone tower directly across from the dark portal. “She better not have moved out.”

While Spyro took a short walk around to inspect the garbage piles, ignoring the rhynoc’s who didn’t seem to notice him, Sparx searched for anything of value. Most of what they found were dusty old fabric artworks, all depicting the Sorceress. In some she was vanquishing Dragons, in others she was vanquishing unarmed locals. Each smelled old and flammable. The only thing of great interest were the stone dragon statues which did not depict the Sorceress at all. They did not budge when touched. 

There clearly wasn’t anything worth taking here. Although apparently Sparx felt the need to show Spyro a metal picture frame that was missing its painting. Upon closer inspection it did appear to be silver, but he was ambivalent toward precious metals.  

“Hmm, not fancy enough for my precious hoard,” said Spyro, brushing his crest pompously as he sat up on his hind legs. 

Sparx started buzzing in non-serious disdain, until he was interrupted by the grunt-speak of an approaching rhynoc. It was armed, so Spyro tilted his head and stared it down. Somehow, this did not instill terror in the short horn-nosed creature. Instead it raised an eyebrow, then picked up the picture frame. After examining Spyro through the lens of empty space between the frame, it nodded in some sort of approval and called over another rhynoc.

Either in some form of grand ignorance or brave yet foolhardy defiance, these two rynoc’s started carefully walking the painting frame inside the small tower. While he could burn them now, Spyro felt compelled to prove that these creatures should fear him before torching them. So he followed at their pace. 

The interior was well lit with branching paths from the foyer. Inclining stairs on either side lead to a balcony overlooking the ground floor, which was dead ahead. A large golden armored rhynoc saw Spyro and those two foolish ones, but it did not raise its club and cry in terror. Instead it grunted at the two rhynocs holding the frame and pointed down the hall. Now this was getting ridiculous to an amusing degree. As Spyro followed them further in, the exhibition of the ground floor hall revealed what all this odd behavior was about.

Along the walls new tapestries were being strung by short rhynocs on ladders as tall rhynocs supervised. As expected, several banners depicted the Sorceress. Unexpectedly, they also depicted Spyro in a variety of renaissance art styles. One showed Spyro casting a dark shadow upon some land from a high ridge. Another portrayed him lurking under a table out of sight as if he were some sort of mouse. A third graciously gave his fictional renaissance self a whole mountain of treasure, upon which he perched. In each, the Sorceress loomed stoically in some corner. 

“Sparx, I’m fine art.” Spyro could feel the giddy smile on his face. 

Sparx pointed with his antenna at a painting being framed, depicting himself as a vicious magic insect devouring a whole crawdad farm. 

“We’re fine art…”

One particularly epic tapestry hung from the ceiling of the second storey, draping past a busy loft. On it Spyro had crosses for eyes and a limp forked tongue. Above him was the familiar shape of a massive winged beast, Scorch. It seemed to be doing a theatrical bow as it stomped down onto Spyro. In the sky above this action was the Sorceress, fading in among the clouds and raising a sceptre triumphantly. 

“Wonder how that went for her,” said Spyro.

As if to answer him, the tapestry was cast down to the ground where it slumped miserably. A replacement quickly unfurled from the second storey, though it was only half painted. The Sorceress herself was casting a bolt of lightning upon a ravenous Spyro. It appeared the result of this spell would yet be painted near the bottom of the tapestry. That task was left to an exhausted looking painter who was lowered down by a rope so she could paint more of the scene. Soon a large group of rhynocs picked up the old one and carried it toward the hidden courtyard. 

The rhynocs carrying Spyro’s frame turned to give the others room, making Spyro backpedal. From there they moved to an empty wall and shimmied back and forth. All the while Spyro paced with them as to maintain the illusion. Sparx was getting sick of this though, as he fluttered out of the frame and gave the rhynoc’s direction. Soon they’d hung the frame up in the perfect spot. This gave Spyro, who’d perched on the bottom of it, a good view of a window across the room and the taller tower outside.

“Great spot guys. Thanks!” said Spyro with a wide toothy grin. 

“Uhum!” grunted the rhynocs in a proud tone, before the both looked at each other, then at Spyro, then back at each other.

“What? Never seen a real Dragon before?” asked Spyro.

The rhynoc’s were silent, but their wide eyes betrayed a force of logic forming in their minds that soon instilled terror. So one picked up a nearby sheet and slowly covered up Spyro and his picture frame. This however, was not enough to make him disappear. It just gave him an opportunity to light something aflame, which he relished. 

A burning sheet getting thrown on top of two screaming rhynocs began to draw the attention of the others. Kicking off the wall and gliding at the nearest one, Spyro gave it a moment of eye contact before slamming his horns into its head. His claws met the tile floor as the rhynoc did, allowing him to charge right into the ankle of a tall golden armored rhynoc. Though he bounced back with a clang, he successfully knocked off its balance, allowing him to circle it and jump to its unprotected face with an open fiery maw.

It made Spyro giddy, thinking of how terrifying he must be. Taking only short breaths he raced to take down every rhynoc in the room. Luckily it was large and circular enough to make his attack flow with ease. Only one rhynoc tried to counter attack, slamming down a club. But he saw this coming and dodged, landing atop the club. In its panic the rhynoc threw up the club again, sending Spyro to the loft where he knocked down the large tapestry and the poor tired artist. This line of action concluded spectacularly with him leaping off the loft and head bashing the last rhynoc on the head. 

“You all shoulda headed these artistic warnings! HAH!” Spyro let himself trail into a fast giggle at his own comment. “Now, where’s the Sorceress?”

It was lucky for Spyro that Sparx was present, who pointed toward a door on the loft. He hadn’t thought to keep any rhynocs around for directions. Though he did think to glance out the window at the taller tower where he now saw an increasingly bright light. 

“There she is,” said Spyro.

Sparx buzzed in surprise as a magic projectile smashed through the window. It didn’t arch toward Spyro. Instead as both he and Sparx craned their heads to follow it, it hit a chandelier right above him. Metal and glass turned red hot and warped, before snapping into a whole new shape with a flash. This newly transmuted bird cage trap fell toward where Spyro had been standing, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. 

From a balcony up on the high tower stood the Sorceress, glaring at him. So Spyro winked before he and Sparx took off for the stairs. They could hear her shouting at some other minions as they rushed up to the loft and to the door. From there two bridges lay before them. One angled up toward the tall tower that the Sorceress stood upon, while the other moved onto another shorter tower. There seemed to be several other short towers with bridges between them, forming a semi-circle around the tallest one. 

The obvious route was to take the bridge to the Sorceress, which is why it was infuriating that she magically transformed it into a destroyed bridge before he could. Spyro hissed at the bright flash of magic, then glared up at the Sorceress who had an intense look in her eyes and a regal smile on her face. 

While Sparx hovered in place staring at the destruction with wide eyes, Spyro yelled up at her. “I was told you’d be expecting me. D’you need more time to cower?”

“I’m granting you a moment of mercy, small Dragon,” said the Sorceress.

A Cacophony of heavy footfalls drew Spyro’s attention. Behind him a large group of Gold Armored rhynocs rushed over the other bridge. This was a surprisingly moderate amount of danger. Infact, they were quite a bit less dangerous than the sudden and startling hail of laser blasts pelting the area. Several heavy rhynocs were sent over the ledge of the bridge as Spyro too almost leapt down before catching himself in the air with a flutter.

“Oh I KNEW There’d Be Rhynocs!!!” Shouted Agent 9. The tone of his voice was like a roller coaster as always. ��

“Oh, you’re here too?” said Spyro as he landed, corrected his posture, and tried to act as though he didn’t just almost fall down onto the mountain cliff. 

“Oh yeah, and I’m ready to Blind A SORCERESS!” 

Agent 9 drew his laser gun up at the Sorceress and fired several times. Each bolt hit the ribbons of magic around her staff, brightening their glow. With a wave, she cast this energy back down.

“uh oh.”

The blast of magic overshot both Agent 9 and Spyro, instead impacting an unsuspecting rhynoc behind them. It shuttered, then transformed into a familiar type of tall bipedal monster, sans the gun. Spyro couldn’t help but sigh at the inconvenience. Agent 9 however seemed compelled to shoot it in the eyes, annoying it to the point of glowing red in the face. As this Spike-like monster raised its fist and Spyro backed up, he heard another shout. 

“Watch out!” shouted Sheila the Kangaroo as she jumped over and kicked the monster in its face. 

“I was,” said Spyro. 

“Oh Yeah?” Sheila landed on her feet and took a heavy breath. “Then good job mate.”

The monster stumbled backwards, almost falling off of the bridge as it waved its arms. Spyro considered trying to knock it the rest of the way over until two rockets struck it, accomplishing the task for him. With a deep yell it tumbled down the side of the mountain, slamming into several rocks. Flying over and landing where it once stood was Sgt. Byrd, his rocket launchers still smoldering.

“Despite our chaotic deployment, our strike force is almost fully assembled and under your command Spyro!” said Sgt. Byrd with a salute.

“Uh, cool, sounds good,” said Spyro. 

“Yes, very good!” said the Sorceress from above, her tone calm but her voice supernaturally loud. 

“Isn’t it?” said Spyro, staring back up at her again. There was clearly some angle behind her comment and he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of acting surprised about it.

The Sorceress smiled wide as her eyes glared ferociously. She raised her sceptre high, the ribbons of magic brighted to a glow that rivalled the sun as a fireball formed out of this magic. Both Sgt Byrd and Agent 9 shot at her, but with a wave of the sceptre the attacks disappeared within the fiery aura. Spyro took a guess that he didn’t need to dodge, so stood still and held eye contact despite Sparx’s protests. Even when the Sorceres launched this massive fireball over her tower and into the top of the mountain above them. 

“Oh, I get it,” said Spyro.

“Ya know, I think I do too,” said Sheila.

“It appears to be a destructive strategy,” said Sgt. Byrd.

“Well I say She MISSED!” shouted Agent 9, giggling to himself. “You MISSED! YA MISSER! Hehehe-HAHAHAH!” 

The whole mountain lair shuttered as the spotty clouds above began to glow orange. A wave of wind crashed down from the mountain top, bringing with it much warmer air. Spyro smiled at this. The air hadn’t been uncomfortably cold before, but this was definitely an improvement. The Sorceress smiled back as a plume of smoke rose into the air, followed by rivers of lava flowing over the peak’s edges. 

“Like I said, she missed,” said Agent 9.

“How dya figure?” asked Sheila. 

“Should’ve killed us while she had the chance, heheheh…” 

“Right…”

“Shall I take you up to confront her directly?” said Sgt. Byrd.

“Oh! If you can, sure!” said Spyro.

“If I can?! That doesn’t matter, I must!” 

Sgt. Byrd flew into the air and grabbed Spyro by the horns with his webbed feet. The flight was awkward but they rose rather quickly. Up until Sparx poked Spyro and pointed to the other low towers, where rhynocs were standing on the ring balconies and aiming cannons. 

“Uh, Sarge?” said Spyro. 

“Hm?” 

Several cannons fired projectiles at them, so Spyro pushed out of Sgt. Byrd’s grip and said “DUCK!” 

As Spyro fell, Sgt. Byrd only replied with a pained squawk and he was struck by a firework-like explosion. He slammed into the wall of the tower and bounced off, nosediving toward the cliffs below. All Spyro could do right now was a controlled fall, so he glided down on top of one of the rhynoc manned cannons. 

Once the cannon was disarmed, Spyro glanced back up to see Sheila had caught Sgt. Byrd midair and managed to bounce off the mountainside to land back on the other balcony. That’d be good, if not for the fact a volcanic rock was also about to land there. Spyro felt his breath hitch, before he screamed “HEY!!” 

Luckily Bentley finally arrived, just in time to deflect the rock away with his club. “The rate of your gaits is quite expeditious compared to what I am capable of.” 

“I’ve noticed!” shouted Spyro. 

Luckily Zoe the Fairy arrived as well out of a dim sparkle and zapped Sgt. Byrd back to consciousness. 

“I’m still fit for duty!” said Sgt. Byrd as he scrambled to his feet. 

“Funny,” said the Sorceress as she took a wine glass of some blue drink from a rhynoc behind her, swirling it in her hand. “It appears typical imprisonment has proven ineffective.” The whole lair rumbled again as more lava bubbled over the peak of the mountain, casting its fiery glow over the Sorceress upon her balcony. Her eyes shifted from disdain to ferocious in this light, as did her tone. “So I’m going to Boil you, Burn you, Roast you and Melt you!! By flame you Will ALL be Reduced to Ashes, Soot, Embers and CINDERS!! What’s left will become ONE With The Stone of MY LAIR!!!” 

“Hey! >:(“ shouted Spyro, “I wanted to threaten you with that! Just with fewer, uh…” 

“Synonyms!” shouted Bentley.

“Synonyms,” confirmed Spyro.

“Then you have good taste for a wyrmling, like a proper Dragon should!” said the Sorceress. 

Something about the sincerity of that compliment made Spyro shudder. It wasn’t fear, he was pretty sure, as it compelled him to bar his teeth and lunge at her despite the distance. 

“I have a place in history for you.” The Sorceress glanced back at the others as they rushed for the remaining bridge, then blasted it to pieces. “Now let’s enjoy watching the lesser malcontents lose their infamy in history!” 

A roaring lavafall roared toward the tower all of Spyro’s new allies were still on. They all moved quickly, even Bentley. So Spyro charged for the next bridge to the Sorceress’ tall tower, avoiding several rhynocs in his urgency. Despite his effort, one managed to block him with its gold shield. It then had the audacity to laugh. So Spyro spit flame on it repeatedly, having no effect at first. But after just a few moments the gold started glowing and the rhynoc stopped laughing. Still, this was enough of a delay for the lavafall to reach his friends. 

Except it did not.

In a white flash which fractured into colourful prismatic beams, the stone of the mountain changed shape to redirect the lavaflow between the towers. From there it rushed safely down the cliffside, sending a tolerable amount of heat into the air. Spyro and the others, spread out as they were, looked toward the hidden courtyard where atop an old statue stood Bianca. Her hands stayed extended for a few moments before she unfroze and made eye contact with Spyro. 

“Foolish Girl.”

Bianca startled and looked up, but not for long before she looked down, eyes full of terror greater than Spyro ever instilled. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t a bit upset about that. 

“I’ve been considering what should be done with you. The only appropriate fate would be something that reflects your failure to attack my enemies with the ferocity they deserve, AND your failure to delegate that task to a proper Monster.” 

“H-Hey!” said Hunter the Cheetah, poking his face just a bit into the open. “You’re terrible! And Bianca is- She’s… Uh…”

The Sorceress leaned forward and widened her eyes at Hunter, causing him to falter in his dialogue. She then took an ear trumpet from an assistant and leaned over her balcony aiming it at Hunter. “Perhaps I’ll have a use for repurposing your ears girl! I seem to have trouble hearing the cat’s whimpers.”

Before the Sorceress even raised her sceptre, Bianca pulled up her hood and jumped out of view. It wasn’t totally out of character, Spyro figured. Still, it felt disappointing. 

Seeing that Sheila and Sgt. Byrd were helping Bentely and Agent 9 scale across the destroyed bridge, Spyro turned his attention to the closed gate of the Sorceress’ tower. It remained closed, even when he slammed his head into it. 

“Some ‘portal directly to the Sorceress’ this is,” said Spyro.

Sparx buzzed in a low tone and chirped as if to convey Spyro didn’t have the quote exactly right.

The sounds of an opening door excited Spyro, until he realized it was a window three storeys up. A cauldron tipped out, pouring some painful looking pink liquid toward him. 

“Those are the Siege defenses I wanted to prepare for!” said Sgt. Byrd as he tried to fly over. More cannonfire forced him to duck before he could reach Spyro. 

Spyro jumped into the air to avoid the liquid, gliding back to the bridge where a few rhynocs remained. “I can handle-” He was cut off by a magic blast as another rhynoc was upgraded to monster status and punted him away. He might’ve tumbled down the mountain if not for Sheila jumping far enough to shove him with a headbut, sending him onto the circular ledge of the third short tower. 

“This is becoming a right mess, everyone’s split up!” said Sheila as she stood upright from the rough landing.

“Thanks, but I don’t need…” Spyro paused for a moment as Sparx buzzed at him, “Zoe usually helps me with falls. D’you think you can get me up to her?”

“Naw, not until those cannons are all busted and she’s tired out,” said Sheila as the Sorceress laughed maniacally in the distance. “Never expected her to be this much of a yob.”

_____

“She. Is. Terrifying!” said Hunter in a whisper loud enough for anyone in the room to hear. 

Bianca had fled from the back courtyard through hidden passages she had memorized, keeping a tight grip on Hunter as she brought him along. They’d arrived at the primary courtyard farthest from the Sorceress where the Lair’s logistics network of hot air balloons operated from. Many red balloons were tied off on cliff-facing docks, apparently ready to move a lot of rhynocs at once. There weren’t many of those rhynocs here at least, they’d probably scattered to find Spyro.

“I used to think she was just stern,” said Bianca.

“Man, and I wanted to tell her that you’re a much nicer sorceress than she is.”

“Aw, thanks…” Bianca’s appreciation was cut off by the sounds of explosions and spells. “I don’t think being nice is enough to help. She’s just too powerful, there’s no way my magic can help.”

“Didn’t it already help?”

Bianca sighed and put a paw to her chin. One successful spell before having to retreat was hardly enough. From what she understood, that fairy Zoe could give Spyro plenty of magic assistance anyway, saving him from the worst attacks for a bit at least. Now that they all were here though, she was doubting it’d be enough against the Sorceress directly. This was the first time she saw her taking on a battle herself and it was everything she worried it’d be. 

“Hey, what’s with the Balloons?” asked Hunter.

“They’re so the rhynocs can move things to and from the lair without using a portal,” said Bianca. 

“And what’s this big door?” asked Hunter again.

It turned out they had been standing near the armory, which was full of confiscated weaponry. It wasn’t locked, and she could hear a bit of movement inside.

“It’s the armory.”

“Oh sick! Anything we could use to blast the Sorceress?”

“It’s mostly cannons and such, not easy to move on such short-” Bianca stopped as her eyes drifted to the hot air balloons. “Hunter, we’re geniuses.”

“Heh, I knew it… why?”

Bianca gave a quick chant and cast a spell onto Hunter that she’s well practiced since her early apprenticeship days. “You should be weighed down now. Grab some balloons!”

“Oooooh, Okay!”

With Hunter on that task Bianca coughed and prepared her voice, before opening the door. The Armory was only partially occupied with rhynocs who all jumped at the sight of her.

“MUAHAHAHAH! Leave this chamber! I am claiming it for important sorceress business!”

This amount of projected self confidence worked, as the rhynocs seemed to completely forget that she’d left her job. They scattered out of the room, leaving her and Hunter alone with a lot of heavy artillery. 

________

The heartbeat of the Lair had become fast paced and chaotic, spiking with sudden increases in tempo. Dodging fireballs wasn’t new to Spyro. But having no access to his quarry had already become frustrating. The Sorceress had her attention divided now, allowing him to move around the towers more freely so long he and Sparx kept an eye on her. However she had an annoying habit of transforming rhynocs into monsters that formed actual obstacles, slowing him down. 

Further efforts to attack or reach the Sorceress continued to fail as she destroyed every cannon Spyro reached before he could take them from their rhynoc operators. Sheila had suggested waiting for the Sorceress to tire out, but it seemed like she wasn’t going to slow down her rate of spellcasting anytime soon. 

“A strategy of attrition is proving to be difficult!” said Sgt. Byrd as he waddled around a corner, firing rockets to cover his own path.

“I know, doesn’t look like she’s running out of magic,” said Spyro. Infact, as he glanced around a corner to check, he thought he saw a bead of sweat on her. However it was quickly wiped away by one of her rhynoc assistants while another served her a cool beverage. There was no way she’d tire out at this rate.

“Heheheh…” Agent 9 leaned over the domed top of the tower above Spyro and Byrd with a grin. “I always have more luck on the offensive anyway! Besides, the faster you win a fight, the less collateral damage there is!”

“That makes sense,” said Spyro. 

“Perhaps we ought to undertake a psychological gambit,” said Bentley as he poked his head out of a second storey door. “I shall attempt to criticize her arcane pronunciations, captivating her attention!”

“She’s way too smug for that to work. Although…” Spyro glanced back into the nearest tower. Like the first, it was full of artistic depictions of the Sorceress in many different scenarios. A grin formed on his face. 

Sgt. Byrd quickly took to Spyro’s ‘orders’ and began gathering the most prized looking paintings and banners. While Agent 9 and Sheila drew the Sorceress’ ire for a few moments, Spyro took Bentley with him up to the balconies. Everyone seemed to quickly figure out what he was planning, which was useful because the Sorceress didn’t let herself be distracted for long without looking for him. 

“Here I am!” said Spyro.

He might’ve sounded a bit too eager, as the Sorceress hesitated when she saw him. 

“Gotta say you have the most impressive evil lair I’ve been in yet! Beats Gnasty’s old junkyard by a mile.”

“Your elders needed you to save them more than once?” said the Sorceress.

“Point is! I appreciate how much flammable stuff you’ve left out!” 

Sparx flew out from behind Spyro carrying a framed painting of the Sorceress turning wine into water. 

“Put. That. Back.”

“Sorry, you’d have to tell him to in dragonfly speech!” said Spyro.

The Sorceress proceeded to mumble, then belted out a buzzing speech that startled both Spyro and Sparx.

“Woah, you can speak Sparx?!” said Spyro.

Sparx looked at Spyro, then shrugged with his legs before dropping the painting into the lava rivers flowing down the cliffs. This prompted the Sorceress to launch a fireball at both of them immediately. Ready for the timing, Spyro side-stepped and let Bentley jump out. With a shake of his wrist the Yeti spun his crystal club, creating a whirring sound in the air. The fireball struck the spinning club, then reflected directly back at the Sorceress who narrowly deflected it.

“I see through your game Dragon!” said the Sorceress.

“Ah! Perhaps you’ll allow us to scrutinize the remaining assortment of your indoor adornments,” said Bentley as he lifted a tapestry that depicted the Sorceress siphoning the magic from portals into a goblet. 

“I think this one sucks,” said Spyro.

“Indeed, it promotes an impression upon your guests that you’re responsible for some of their very woes!” said Bentley.

Spyro breathed fire on the tapestry, turning into a puff of smoke in Bentley’s grip. Again the Sorceress reflexively attacked. This time though she followed up with a second fireball that arched wide, as if to hit Spyro behind Bentley. The first was reflected again, while Sparx threw a carved bust of the Sorceress into the second, exploding it prematurely. 

Even though the Sorceress remained unharmed her eye was twitching and her breathing was heavy. The rhynoc assistants alongside her backed away in fear, no longer providing her mid-battle refreshments. She stomped loudly and said, “stop hiding behind that Yeti!!!”

“Stop hiding in your tower!” replied Spyro.

The Sorceress growled as Sparx searched for another artwork worthy of degradation. She did not give them the time though, instead charging up an apparently powerful spell with a long incantation. Bentley widened his footing and readied his club, but then Spyro noticed him tilt his head. He muttered something to himself, pacing with the Sorceress’ chant.

“She intends to produce yet another monster!!!” shouted Bentley.

“I already shot all the brave rhynocs!” said Agent 9 as he popped out of a hiding place, “it’s just the cowardly hidden ones left!”

“Strewth! Can she turn us into monsters?!” shouted Sheila as she dropped several more looted artworks and looked up in terror.

“Negative! Her ancient strategy was-!” 

Sgt Byrd was cut off as the Sorceress lobbed the spell high into the air, where it fell down and landed on the roof of the tower Spyro and Bentley were on. Immediately the structure shuttered, before becoming spikier. The walls and floors shifted as the tower transformed into some kind of living golem. Around Bentlety and Spyro the archway to the ledge barred iron spikes like they were teeth, then chomped down on them. Before Spyro could get his footing, Bentley grabbed him by the horns and threw him away.

A loud metallic clang echoed and shook Spyro’s spine, though he didn’t know why. He scrambled midair to narrowly land on a none-lava covered ledge, then looked back up at Bentley. With his crystal club lodged in this unnatural maw, Bentley managed to avoid being chewed up. Though he did appear to be stuck in place.

“I’ll get him!” said Sheila as she bounded toward Bentley, “find that crooked rabbit and get her to unmagic this thing!” 

“Uh-right.” Spyro didn’t know why he was hesitating and he didn’t like it. 

While Sgt. Byrd struck the living tower with rockets, Sheila landed next to Bentley and pulled him away from its maw.

“Heck-! Let go of the club! She’ll be right!” said Sheila.

“I doubt that assertion. However, I shall comply,” said Bentley, “Goodbye, my most trustworthy bludgeon.”

Pulling his attention away from all that, Spyro looked around but had no idea where Bianca was. Sparx was no help either in this task. Though as they ran around and looked both up and down, they overheard the Sorceress’ attempting and failing to direct the new monstrosity.

“Get the flying one!!” Shouted the Sorceress, only to get a hot volcanic rock thrown at her by the tower. “You Insolent Object! I commissioned your construction!!!”

Gazing up at the scene again, Spyro saw that Sheila managed to get Bentley to fall off onto stable ground. From there, the tower thrashed around wildly. It was almost as if it was ungrateful to be animated. Regardless of if that was true, it clearly wasn’t listening to the Sorceress. Instead, it grew distracted by Sgt. Byrd’s harrying attacks, following him off of its own foundation before tumbling down the mountainside.

“Oh, we didn’t need Bianca after all,” said Spyro. 

Oddly enough, a wave of red balloons rose into the air after the monstrous tower fell. All of them seemed to be headed for the volcanic peak of the mountain. Several had cannons tied to them. One had Hunter hanging from its rope, who waved at Spyro.

“Don’t mind me! Spell wore off!” Shouted Hunter.

“Where’d you get the cannons?!” asked Spyro.

“The Cannon room!” answered Hunter.

“Oh, duh,” Spyro rolled his eyes but Sparx nodded genuinely. 

Hunter looked up and saw the Sorceress looking at him. He then let go of his balloon and rolled to the ground next to Spyro. A moment later a fireball hit the balloon he’d been hanging from, casting scorched leather down onto them.

“Aw, I was hoping we could catch a ride,” said Spyro.

“WHO STOPPED GUARDING THE ARMORY?!” Screamed the Sorceress.

Hunter ducked, then leaned over to Spyro and whispered, “Bianca tricked the rhynocs into leaving so we could steal these cannons. But there’s even more awesome stuff on the way.”

The sound of the Sorceress charging another spell made Hunter flinch and run away, as he supposedly needed to tie up more balloons. Spyro turned around to dodge this next attack, but instead saw her aiming toward a short red rhynoc who had poked its head out from behind a small rock. This monster making pattern was getting old fast, so Spyro charged fast himself to meet it first. Caught between a Dragon and a frightening curse, the rhynoc just whimpered with wide pleading eyes. The Sorceress launched her spell and it looked like it might beat him, so Spyro closed his eyes and pounced.

Spyro realized he’d overshot the rhynoc, then also realized he’d taken the spell in its stead. Like a powerful but harmless wind, the spell pushed him through the air before scattering with a thunderous crash. He gasped upon hitting the ground, feeling a jolt of energy enter his lungs. Upon opening his eyes and jumping to his feet though, everything seemed normal. Aside from the red rhynoc looking at him in shock.

“Ugh, sorry, I meant to knock you into the lava,” said Spyro, stepping toward it. Then he saw that the scales of his leg weren’t purple. Instead his whole body glowed, shifting between several light prismatic colours. “Oh!”

“Spyro!” shouted Sheila as she jumped toward him, clearly exhausted and out of breath. “Are ya alright?! I thought that nasty magic mighta done something much worse!”

“Yeah, one sec.” Spyro looked up at the balloons, and saw one carrying a sheep. Perfect test subject, his favorite too. He spit fire in its direction, which formed into a rainbow beam that cut through the air and hit the sheep. In a flash, the sheep turned into some sort of large and angry looking ram with wild wool. “Neat!”

“Oh naw…, that’s horrifying,” said Sheila.

“How?” asked Spyro, turning to see that she indeed looked quite disturbed.

Sheila pushed Spyro’s snout away then backed up. 

The Sorceress decided to also join this conversation by launching a plain ole’ fireball at them. The ensuing blast startled Spyro, who tried to quickly turn around and return fire. His coordination failed to catch up how he’d wanted though, as he instead struck the cowardly rhynoc with his transmutation breath. It turned into something similar to Buzz, the green sawblade spined toad. So he spit at it again, turning it back into a rhynoc.

“Oh heck! This is so cool!!” Spyro started looking around for things to test this breath on, until Sparx bumped into his face and pointed at the closed door to the Sorceress’ tower. “YES!”

The transmutation breath brought the doors to life, sort of. They flung open and closed frantically, seemingly animated into some kind of panic. Before Spyro could even run over, Agent 9 dashed up one of the surviving bridges and dove inside, shouting the whole way. This apparently reminded the Sorceress to destroy that bridge, which made gliding over quite difficult at this angle… Unless…

Spyro ran over and spat transmutation breath onto one end of the bridge ruins, resulting in the rubble animating to life for a moment, before collapsing entirely. He then looked up and spat onto a balloon, turning it into a boulder that destroyed even more of the bridge.

“That did not work,” said Spyro.

“Spyro, sir!” Sgt. Byrd waddled over, “I can carry you that far at least!”

“Good idea, one moment!” 

Spyro turned and spat a ray of transmutation magic directly at the Sorceress. Then as she screamed and ducked, Sgt. Byrd carried him over to the animated door. Without waiting to time it, he charged through the slamming doors and up a spiraling staircase. He passed several floors that echoed the sounds of rhynoc screams and laser blasts. Luckily since Agent 9 was evidently keeping any rhynocs busy, it was a clear shot to the door of the Sorceress’ throne room.

The door burst open by the force of his horns, revealing two wide eyed rhynoc guards and the back of the Sorceress as she stood on her balcony. Spyro took a breath, then started trotting over to her. There were technically two large rhynocs in his way, but they backed up at his pace. Eventually they both just parted and stood at his sides as the Sorceress turned just enough to glare at him with one eye. 

“And so it’s finally up to me alone to deal with the troublesome young Dragon.”

“I saw the story you were setting up here and it helped me realize how this is going to go,” said Spyro, draping his wings low around his sides in a way that hopefully looked like a cool cape. Sparx bobbed back and forth behind him and watched both the rhynocs closely. “I’m going to take back all of the eggs, even the one you stuck to that sceptre. You’ll refuse, confident in some final scheme to trip me up. All because you need at least one dragon to charge your magic and you don’t want to deal with our opinions.”

The Sorceress chuckled and turned to face him with a smile, barely a hint of rage behind it. “You’re far more intelligent than my apprentice led me to believe, despite her efforts.”

“You better be prepared to actually play a role in your own plot,” Spyro pointed his wings at the rhynoc guards, “you’re almost out of extras.”

“Oh I certainly shall, though you misjudge your own role,” the Sorceress slowly raised her sceptre to dim the lights of the throne room. “I learned this structure over a thousand years ago. I am far too important to simply age and perish. And you’re just important enough to not only be vanquished, but serve as the catalyst for my greatest achievement yet!”

Spyro watched the magic of the Sorceress’ sceptre closely, his pupils shrinking to ovular slits from its glow. “Oh, you’re going to make me the main ingredient to that spell of yours?”

“You’re exactly what I need to destroy all previous generations of Dragons! Then perhaps, I shall raise this newest one myself!”

“...That’s a bit different from what a certain rabbit told me.”

The ribbons of magic around the Sorceress’ sceptre turned a familiar shade of white, so Spyro charged into her. She didn’t budge at all on impact and Spyro was sent rolling backwards. He jumped to his feet as Sparx buzzed in alarm for him to dodge. He didn’t heed that warning, he wasn’t the logical target of her next spell. Instead he spat a transmutation ray at the Sorceress as she simultaneously transformed the rhynoc guards into much larger and scarier versions of themselves. The ray impacted her, but had no effect as she chanted, her voice turning to an unnatural tone. Instead the ray’s energy was drawn up to the egg on her sceptre. 

Spyro gritted his teeth, then turned to spit another ray at one of the rhynoc monsters. Before he could, the Sorceress hit him with a surprisingly fast spell that knocked the breath out of him, literally. The prismatic glow scattered off of his scales as they returned to normal none-glowing purple. One glance at Sparx confirmed he wasn’t actually hurt, but it did get rid of some options he thought he’d have. Now he was there facing two tall monsters and the Sorceress herself, fully aware he wasn’t able to hurt them easily. 

“Crush the dragon until it has no breath left,” the Sorceress’ smile turned vicious as her eyes narrowed on him. “Then you’ll be properly vulnerable to my Best spells!”

Somehow, it excited Spyro that the Sorceress had put so much thought into what to do about him specifically. Clearly she’d actually spent hours worrying about him. The only issue is that now he only had seconds to worry about her. Good thing Sparx was good at doing all the worrying for him.

A sudden explosion struck the Sorceress in the back of the head, sending her face first to the floor with a scream. Oh yeah, this whole time she had been standing on the balcony with her back facing everyone outside. Honestly, it was a wonder it took this long for someone to shoot her with one of those flying cannons. 

As the Sorceress started pushing herself up, a familiar magic rainbow warped its way into the throne room. In a flash of rainbow light, Bianca appeared and raised her hands as she muttered an incantation. Seeing this, the Sorceress’ pupils shrunk and she jumped to her feet with surprising speed, lifting her sceptre at Bianca and starting her own incantation. Spyro would not sit out this intense magic quickdraw. So he indulged the first thoughts that came to his head, which all told him to pounce on the Sorceress and start biting her until she stopped moving. 

“AUGH!!!” Screamed the Sorceress as Spyro bit down on her sceptre holding hand. She grabbed his face and tried to pull him off, but he wrapped his claws around her arm and dug in. Then like a high speed dart Sparx lunged into one of her eyes and started biting as well, leaving her grabbing at her face as she smacked Spyro against a wall. Once Sparx was pulled away, it didn’t take long for the Sorceress to resort to punching Spyro on the snout, eventually landing one that shocked Spyro’s nerves so severely he couldn’t help but let go. 

Scrambling back to his feet despite his shaky nerves, Spyro looked up to see Sparx, now blue, checking him over with worry. It was as if the Dragonfly hadn’t also just joined into the brawl. A yellow flash drew both of their attentions toward one of the monsters who’d now be turned back into a regular sized, though mostly naked, rhynoc. It looked around, then ran for the stairs. 

“You’re terrible, and I mean that!” said Bianca, her eyes visibly shaking as she stared at the Sorceress’ own bloodshot eyes. “I’ll be a much nicer sorceress then you ever were, Hunter helped me realize that.”

“Pfft, BwahAHAHAH! THAT’S Your Rebuttal To My Reign?! You’ll be nicer?!” The Sorceress turned to the remaining monster and said, “BREAK HER!”

Spyro reared up to intervene, but Bianca glanced at him and nodded. She had this, and he believed her. With a roar, the monster ran at her with a raised fist while she raised both hands and charged another spell. Right as it swung its arm down she jumped onto it and cast her spell with a flash. Both were absorbed into a warping rainbow that rapidly bounced around the room before flying out of the balcony window toward the lair’s lower towers. 

“Such a foolish girl,” said the Sorceress as she turned to face Spyro, “she’s made no change to your fate.”

Spyro opened his mouth to give a clever retort, but was distracted by a rhynoc flying out of the stairwell and onto its back with several laser wounds. Alongside it rolled a strange round metal object that stopped at the Sorceress’ feet. Sparx screamed in a buzzing alarm, he recognized the object. Spyro quickly realized who probably threw it and ran for the farthest wall. The Sorceress was also quick to react to Sparx’s panic, magically warping herself into a ribbon of green light that flew out of the throne room toward the volcanic crater at the mountain’s peak.

Following a big explosion from the bomb, Agent 9 jumped into the room waving his laser gun. “Stick em up Sorcere-Hey! She LEFT?!”

“Sorry, Sparx forgot she can speak dragonfly,” said Spyro.

Sparx replied by poking Spyro on the snout, which was still a bit sore. He then patted in with remorse.

Spyro, Sparx, and Agent 9 went to the shattered window and saw the Sorceress land in the middle of a convenient arena in the volcanic crater. She stared up at them with a devious smile, but then frowned as she glanced up to see several red balloons coalescing over the area. Still, she readied her sceptre as if everything was going to plan. At this point, Spyro was pretty sure she was just good at pretending things were fine when they really weren’t. 

“Oooohohohoh! Let’s do this,” said Agent 9. He jumped through the windowsill and grabbed onto one of the balloons with a cheer. 

“I’ll admit, he’s probably even more eager than I am,” said Spyro. 

Spyro proceeded to glide down with his wings, letting the rising heat of the lava hold him aloft far enough to reach the arena. He landed at about the same time as Agent 9, who skidded to a stop alongside Spyro while shouting.

“WOOOOO-HAAH!!! Time to kick some Sorceress butt!”

Spyro couldn’t help but smile. The Sorceress glared with malicious intent, but despite this front she was clearly cornered. Now that he’d returned to full confidence he realized that for a moment his full assurance of victory may have faltered to wild ferocity. The only real challenge now was beating her before anyone else had to show up to give him more help.

A battle ensued as expected and Spyro only got greater advantages over the Sorceress as better weapons were sent to the arena. It surprised him a bit she didn’t pull out any new tricks to counter this, especially once he was doing attack runs at her from the air with a UFO. She just kept running and fighting with the same confidence, up to the point a blast knocked her into the lava. Its fires completely absorbed her and destroyed her sceptre, freeing the resilient dragon egg.

Only later would Spyro find out she did actually have another trick, just not one she was willing to show him yet as she waited just long enough for him to leave before pulling herself out of the molten lava.

[obsidiancreates]

This Is Much More Beautiful Than The Dumpster

Twig found a baby bugbear alone in the swamp about seven years ago.

Roughly seven years, at least, in Feywild Time. In Material Plane time, it’s hard to tell how old he’d be now. He might be much older, might be much younger. It doesn’t matter much, because he’s not there and his life is not what it would’ve been. Instead Twig had scooped up the abandoned baby bugbear, brought him into her Inn, and raised him as her little brother.

To say he was raised lovingly is undeniable. To say he was raised responsibly…

Well, Torbek had stumbled into patches of wild Witchlight fungi over a dozen times by the time he was six, and had licked enough frogs to lose count by the same age. He’d begun showing signs of uncontrollable magic just a couple of weeks before his 5th birthday (well, Twig thinks it’s his birthday. She was once paid in a single-use orb that told her anything she wanted to know, and she had had very little reason to doubt the customer who’d given it to her). By the time he was six they had both gotten a general handle on things, and by the time he turned seven Twig figured he’d either grow out of it’s wild and unpredictable nature or they’d just have to find a more affordable way to repair the inn.

Especially after those episodes started up. Sometimes his magic did silly things, giving Torbek Twig’s hair and Twig Torbek’s, or turning them both bright purple, or summoning a thousand small tap-dancing ants who thought of Torbek’s head as their stage- all of these delighted both siblings!

And then there were the… incidents. The days when his bright magenta magic seemed to get caught in his veins, clogged in his blood, his entire being just… shifting. When it first happened Twig thought it was an overstimulation meltdown- until Torbek tried to slice her open from hairline to belly button, and growled at her in a way he’d never growled before, and spoken in a voice not his own. She’d run into the swamp and hid in the mud, and heard the exact moment the change ended. When Torbek had come back to himself, alone and digging in the muck of the swamp with a shred of Twig’s apron stuck to his fingers, he’d cried loud enough for all of Hither to hear, and it took Twig two weeks to convince him it wasn’t his fault and it was safe to hug her.

But those incidents are, thankfully, very rare. In the two years since his magic manifested, he’d gone ‘Gorebek’ only twice. But twice was too often, and it made Torbek… shrink. He enjoyed making friends, being loved, but he feared. He began to shrink into himself, curl up in small spaces, struggle with hygiene and social interaction and self-confidence. Twig did as much as she could to help him, listened to him talk about his nightmares and the unpleasant itch in his mind that sometimes came with his magic and the looming feeling of Being Observed. She truly tried to be the best big sister she could be to him, but it was difficult. Especially with the Inn being so empty, the realm being so broken…

And then, they came along.

An alligatorfolk in a smart purple suit, a genasi with a laugh as explosive and passionate as an erupting volcano, a tabaxi with a calm demeanor yet plenty of his own chaos, a goblin with the air of Pure Silly Patrenhood, and a baby owlbear so adorable and sweet she could give your eyeballs cavities.

They came knocking at the door, and it swung open on its own in the middle of Twig and Torbek playing a game of ‘Toss The Petunia’. Both of their heads had snapped to look at the door, and poor Pigtunia went right over Torbek’s head. She quickly turned to avoid slamming into the wall, and the rest of the momentum sent her right into the genasi’s arms.

“Whoa! Hey there, lil’ piggy.” He’d held Pigtunia with care, and well- that was enough. 

“My name’s Twig Toadspring, aaand I’m a brownie! Aaand, I run the Inn, at the End of the Road with my brother Torbek!” She gestures down at Torbek, herself standing on top of the bar and Torbek getting cups down behind it. The whole crew peers over the counter to get a look, and Gricko gasps.

“Ooooh, a little bugbear! Gosh, I ‘aven’t seen one of you fellas so little since I left home!” Gricko gushes. “Do’ya know any goblin, little guy?”

Torbek looks up at Twig hesitantly, and Twig gives a grin and a thumbs-up. He sets down the cups and begins to speak in stilted, broken goblin. “We have book on it.”

“Not bad, little guy- what was his name again? Turbwreck?”

“Torbek!”

“Torbek! Sorry, sorry, I’m a little lightheaded from various activities and curses.” Gricko climbs up over the counter, Hootsie following, both of them kicking Gideon and Kremy and Frost in the faces by accident as they go. Ignoring the shouts of their friends, the father and daughter plop down next to Torbek as Twig keeps talking to the first guests at the Inn in ages.

“How’d you end up here, little fella?” Gricko sits next to Torbek, who shrinks away a bit. “I know bugbears usually have ancestors from the feywild, but I didn’ know they lived here!”

“Torbek came from the swamp.” He points a long, spindly finger at the window. “Twig found me in a traaash heap.”

“Ooooh.” Gricko winces. “That’s… nice, that she found you.”

Torbek nods. “Twig the greatest.”

“Oh, she seems great.” Gricko hears her trying to convince Kremy to let her and Torbek have a slumber party with the party in one big room, and Kremy very politely trying to decline while Gideon doesn’t think it’s the worst idea. “This is my daughter, Hootsie!”

Torbek looks at Hootsie and waves. Hootsie tilts her head at him, making her judgment…

And then nuzzles her face into his hand.

Torbek is shocked for a moment, and then giggles. “Torbek has neeeeever felt anything so soooft!”

“Yes, she has very good personal hygiene habits.” Gricko beams with pride. “She’s probably the best at it in our group! Don’t tell Kremy I said that.”

“Torbek doesn’t know who Kremy iiiiis. So he won’t. … Do you like making pillow forts?”

“I love making pillow forts! Hootsie and I are expert fort makers, if I do say so myself.”

Torbek lights up! “Twig and Torbek make pillow forts allllll the timeeeeee  because Twig loves to crochet! We can make the best pillow fort eeeeeeeeeverrrrrrrrr!”

And then they did. Because no monsters struck that night. No twisted, agonized shells of former and future friends, no painful admittance of guilt, no realizations of just how real this adventure is getting.

They build a pillow fort. They get everyone in on it. And when the party wake up after a strange nightmare-like dream of a man in tight pants who’s searching for someone ‘with Witchlight fused into their very blood’, they have no clue who that might be.

Not for now, anyway.

[neonhairspray]

Soothe My Soul

Author's note: This takes place exactly where my last story "Down On My Knees To Pray" have ended. Just needed to write it down, I guess.

Warnings: Oral (f receiving), a bit of smut with feels in general. Bad punctuation/grammar (possibly)

*******

... And here she was, laying on the covers of twin-sized bed, only his old tshirt and panties covering her shivering body. She wasn't sure if that was because of soft spring wind, refreshing her sweaty skin or the man's eyes, sliding down from the outline of her perky nipples to goosebumps around her bare navel, illuminated by the streetlight just outside the window. Small bedside table lamp that looked just like any others you could buy at any supermarket was the only other source of light in the room.

Spread your legs. Please. he said, voice firm yet gentle. Eyes on her, saying more than these few words that just came out of his mouth. The one that soon will have her moaning, crying even. And obeying him, because he knew how to do it. To do it right.

She did as she was told, legs sliding further and inviting him to do as he pleases. A wet patch was clearly visible on green fabric which made her a bit shy, even if it wasn't the first time nor the last one. He gulped, clearly enjoying the view, knowing that it was because of him.

Could you... I mean.... Your shirt-.. she whispered knowing that is not her who is in control now. Still, she decided to try.

The man chuckled, flexing his long fingers.I think we both know who's giving orders now, don't we, baby? But... since you've been a good girl today I'll make an exception.

He got rid of his red flannel shirt throwing it somewhere in the room, probably on top of the contents of his suitcase. Only black jeans now covering his lean, but strong body. She looked at him, slowly taking off the tshirt. His tshirt . Like her, at this moment, fully his. Offering herself, her bare body and most importantly, her trust.

Taste me, satisfy yourself. Tell me what to do and I will obey. Heaven or hell knows, I may be insane for this. Naive even. But I trust you. Right now I strip myself to the bone. This is my offering. That's what she thought, waiting for his next move and watching a kaleidoscope of emotions playing in his muddy green orbs.

He took it, the vulnerability she laid in front of him, and kneeled at the end of the bed. Taking her both legs and throwing them on his shoulders he got her closer, merely a few centimeters between his lips and her clothed pussy.

This will have to go and you will have to behave. he said, voice a little bit raspy. He quickly removed the only thing that was still covering her body. Look at you, all wet. Soaking even. And this is all for me?

Yes. That was the only word she was able to say. Even after all these months, more like a year, she was still fascinated by how dominant he could be. Maybe in the world outside these walls he was more diplomatic, sometimes not wanting to fully take the charge. But here and whenever they were all alone, indulging in each other, he would show the side that would make her question her morals and opinions. To follow his lead, open herself to what's to come. Normally she loathed it, being told what to do. Even if she was in a position where it was needed. But she knew herself, all the limits and characteristics. That's probably why she let him be the one in charge: he knew how to lead and do it gently. A perfect mixture.

He began to kiss her inner thighs, avoiding that one place where she needed him the most now. Facial hair tickling her sensitive skin thus adding to the sensation. He looked at her, trying so hard to keep her eyes open.

Look at me, darling. Keep your eyes on me. Do as I say, are we clear? he asked and without waiting for her answer he put his lips just a bit lower from her navel. There was a birthmark there, an unusual place or that's what she thought. But once he discovered this delicate mark, back in the early months of their relationship, he said:

You know, people say that where you birthmark is indicates where your lover in your past life liked to kiss you? That made her think that if such thing existed her lover must have been similar to the man who said those words since he also loved spending his time eating her out.

When he finally licked her drenched folds it was slow and careful. Yet a high pitched moan reached his ears which was a sign that he must continue so he did. Licks turned into kisses, evidence of her arousal spreading on his lips, nose, even cheeks. He was so into it, holding her squirming body with unexpected strength, trying to keep her grounded and dive his tongue into her tightness. Moans became louder, she was finding it hard to stay still because of how overwhelming the pleasure was. This was the only time her sensitivity gave something positive to her, all of her senses heightened, the movements of his tongue even more torturous than it could be. In a good way, though.

You are doing so good, baby. Stay still, okay? Let me devour you 'till you cannot take it anymore. he murmured, lifting his head for a second to take a breath. It was suffocating, but in the best way possible. To be trapped between her thighs, sucking, licking & lightly biting thus making her mind go blank.

She could feel that the peak was near, pleasure making her moans louder & her thoughts blurry. There was only a blank space and his hum, reverberating through her whole body. He let go of her hips, fingers finding one of her beasts and slowly massaging it while other hand went a bit lower, near his face. One slender finger slid into her with his mouth still on her lower lips. This felt too much, too strong, but she welcomed it.

A loud noise flew out of her mouth, probably echoing through the whole backyard. Mind blank, back arching, sweaty skin leaving now dirty bedsheets. She was catching her breath, feeling actual tears rolling down her cheeks. Eyes finding the man who caused all of this.

I gave you all, my flesh and my soul. And you gave me all of this and more...

She thought she said it to herself only. But he heard it. At this point she was so spent that it didn't even matter, her words might have sounded cheesy as heck, embarrassing even. It was true, however.

He did not say anything, licking his lips covered in her juices. Instead, he stripped himself of all the remaining clothes, took out his hair tie and climbed up on the bed. His curls fell around their faces like a curtain that hid their rosy cheeks and lips, still hungry for one another.

Darling. My beloved...Mano* he was repeating these words, enveloping her in his embrace, legs intertwined and bodies keeping each other warm. He spoke, saying a few words in her native tongue & revealing that he was secretly learning the language of her people.

Yes, yours. Aš esu tavo**. she said back.

[*Mano = Mine

**Aš esu tavo = I am yours]

*******