#hellhound!javi g

[chaoticgeminate]

Evening Events

Part of the Iridescence Fictional Universe Sparkling Embers Series Part Two

Pairing: Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader Series Rating: M Warnings: Toxic and abusive family, implied past bloodshed

Word Count: 2.9K

When no issues with the shipment of goods were made known you had decided it was safe to head off for your holiday, not really wanting to but knowing it was something you couldn’t miss. Not when the Queen of the Diminutive Fey so kindly offered a direct invitation, at least, and as you finished packing up you heard a low hum from the doorway as Javi took in your attire. One thing you detested about going back was the very rapidly changing dress requirements depending on your grandmother’s whim. Right now she was in a traditionalist phase, women in skirts or dresses and men in trousers sort of phase, you hated it.

You had thrown on a dress, the top half was a black turtle neck bodice while the skirt was a brown tartan pattern and a tea length, your opaque black tights and brown ankle boots completed the look and Javi tipped his head slightly.

“Traditional attire is sort of the thing with El’Anasaar right now, this is the kind of thing I’m expected to wear since it’s what the Court has made all the rage.” Your explanation earned a sympathy-laden nod, the sarcasm dripping from your voice at the end of the sentence coupled with an eye roll and shake of your head.

“You look beautiful, though you always do, but I do think I prefer your usual clothing to this. I’ll drive you to the Embassy building, Libélula, you are taking a portal there?”

With a snap of your fingers the luggage you packed began to levitate behind you as the pair of you left the bedroom to head for the front door.

“Yep, it’s the direct portal to El’Anasaar and the less traveling I have to do the better. If I were to take the Seagate Portal it would take me to the coastal city Remoria, which is a few days travel in Uhica with flying. The added hour of driving here is more than worth it.” Javi opened the passenger door for you, his rather sporty car had the convertible hood up since the weather was now in the cold season with December here at last, and your luggage fit nicely into the trunk before Javi slipped into the driver’s seat.

It was a serene drive, really, the two of you listening to music as Javi talked about his own holiday plans since it was Ellemire’s first time experiencing anything close to the mix of holidays this time of the year. You had left the gifts you’d made for everyone with Iggy and Kirial, the two bat shifters promising that none of the nosy demons would get into them early, and you wondered how the insane mix of holidays would even work.

The lesser demons and Gabriela celebrated a modernized Christmas, Iggy and Kirial celebrated Sol Invictus, you celebrated Yule, and Maggie always came by but she celebrated Saturnalia. All while Dahlia celebrated Hanukkah, her girlfriend Evaline celebrated Kwanzaa, and that made for one hell of a holiday set up at the villa that you couldn’t even begin to explain to anyone. A Christmas tree, a menorah, and a kinara all found a place of honor in the family space and the villa was decorated with amazing Christmas lights but also arrangements of lights to celebrate every holiday under its roof.

“Kirial and Iggy are going to be overwhelmed with gifts this year, I already know you went overboard without Gabriela and I there to stop you.” Javi was so generous despite his demonic heritage, he just gave and gave no matter how much or little someone needed it, and you watched his cheeks color under your suspicious stare. He tried to lie, stumbling over his words, but lying -at least to you- never worked out for him.

“You are right, I have, but it is her first SolYuChrisHanuKwaNalia!” The ridiculous holiday mash-up name had grown on you and Javi’s desire to include everyone had been the primary cause, phrases like ‘happy holidays’ always felt impersonal and at least around the Villa you had a way to include everyone with a more… heartfelt sentiment.

“Javi she’s still an infant, she won’t remember it, and by the time she’s old enough to I bet she won’t want to look at baby photos.” His pout made you hum and reach out to play with his curls, scratching gently just behind his ear, the soft huff as his lips curled into a smile made you smile too. He truly was sweet, nothing at all like what you’d been told about a lesser demon, and you knew he had his fangs in there but Javi wasn’t the type to resort to violence first.

“Libélula, you will be happy seeing your family, yes?” His genuine concern was touching and you felt your throat tighten just a little bit because of it, you’d always avoided the conversation of family with people on this side of the veil because you wanted them to be your friend because they liked you as a person and not because they wanted to gain clout or something. You supposed that must have come across as a negative thing, even though Javi disliked his own pack he didn’t avoid talking about them, and guilt shimmered through your heart.

“Probably, they’re my family. I know I don’t… really talk about it much but while our relationship is complicated it’s not completely bad.” Without telling him the entire truth you really couldn’t reassure him as well as you wanted to, and while you knew Javi probably wouldn’t think different of you if he did know it was still terrifying to face the thought of him knowing who you really were.

Silence fell between the two of you and you could tell that he wanted to ask but didn’t know how, it was probably the worst type of tension that you’d ever faced around him before.

“If you need to come back early just let me know, even if I have to come find you.” It wasn’t a vow, it wasn’t an oath, but you knew it was a promise and that he would give it to you was enough to make your heart race and your cheeks warm.

“Of course.”

Ambassador Clewyn had greeted you as calmly as they could, not a soul in the Embassy knew your status save for the Sprite across from you as you finished filling out your travel paperwork. Once the documentation for this side of the portal was done you were allowed to pass through the barrier spell around the large world tree. While there were many portals that were regulated and protected by the Consortium and the FBMI in other areas of the city this was the most central point of travel, the portals connected directly to the capitol city of each major government in the other realms.

The World Tree had been created and grown after the Sundering, the last act of the Immortals before they retreated to their own realms to allow for the wilding magic of the world -and the world itself- to heal, the twisting branches and shining green-gold leaves were hidden away within the walls of the Embassy building. Behind layers and layers of protection and masking spells, hidden from anyone that wasn’t a Se’Kvia native, and an entity of magic you were both in awe of and terrified of.

People nowadays liked to ignore the fact that wilding magic was alive, that it had a conscious and will of its own, so a large entity that was meant to house the portals between realms made of it? All it would take was the wrong comment made where those boughs could hear, where the roots could eavesdrop, and maybe that massive being would decide to send you somewhere else. At least that was your fear, your family all were convinced it was unfounded but nobody could know for sure, just because there hadn’t been tales of winding up somewhere else didn’t mean it hadn’t happened.

The Ambassador waited until you were alone to bow, their brow furrowed and lips in a tight line of clear discomfort at not addressing you by your court title, and honestly you wanted to just go back to the villa now before you even got to El’Anasaar where everyone would be doing this.

“Princess, pray forgive my rudeness in the delayed court greeting.”

“Ambassador please, there’s no need for formalities on this side of the portal I assure you. Now, I have to hurry along, keeping her Majesty waiting is something even I am not allowed to do.” You paused to rest a hand on the twisting bark of the world tree, thanking the sentient ancient for allowing you passage, and then you were floating through the portal. You felt like you were floating, your golden markings shimmering as your wings manifested behind you, and as the ever swirling images around you stabilized you took in the sight of the portal room.

In El’Anasaar the world tree was out in the open, the city as a whole blanketed in illusions and protective runes, if someone was trying to find the city and they weren’t personally invited the chance of them getting through the wards was basically slim to none. As soon as the guards turned to look they dropped into a bow and you had to bite the inside of your cheek as you nodded, chin up and expression wiped clean of anything but cool indifference.

“Princess, you look lovely.” Captain Aelle Solarian of the Dragonfly Guard -the palace guards assigned to you specifically- bowed deeply and you had to bite back the instinct to hug her. You had two whole friends on this side of the portal, Aelle and Iphigén, and the last thing you wanted to do was get either one of them into shit with your family.

“Thank you Captain.” You fell into step in front of her, your luggage floating behind the two of you, and like you’d suspected the people out on the glittering streets stopped to bow when they saw you. You’d forgotten just how shiny the city was, the light gray kyberine stone making up the walkways between the packed dirt roads shimmering like starlight because of the orbs of light atop every garland wrapped lamp post.

Since El’Anasaar was in the Summer Realms there would never be snow here, instead of falling snow there were white petals from the towering silversage trees that were scattered all around the city. The dark trunks contrasting the nearly white green leaves and the glowing white flowers, casting a summer snow across the city as you stepped up into the carriage waiting for you. Iphigén’s excited smile was hidden behind the mess of brown curls they sported, thick rim spectacles not remotely on their face, but you didn’t care at all.

Aelle slipped into the seat beside you, her twin short swords set within easy reach, and the carriage driver clicked his tongue so the tamed field blurrgs began their walk back to the palace. With the doors closed and the privacy spells in place you allowed that expression of indifference to fall away, launching yourself into Iphigén’s arms with a delighted cry, and your best friend let out a shrill cry of their own as they returned the hug.

Only after you’d spent at least five minutes clinging to Iphigén did you release them enough to breathe so you could cling to Aelle too, just happy to be with your two closest friends again after so long. You wanted to be greedy and have them join you in Se’Kvia but that would mean exposing just who you were to everyone, since there was no real justification for you to have another pixie and a fire attuned sprite tattooed with the markings of the Diminutive Fey royal guard come with you.

“So, how goes wooing the hellhound?” Iphigén wiggled their brows playfully and you felt your face warming up as you began to deny it, not wanting to even get into that discussion just yet. Aelle snorted behind her hand and nudged you, making you pout at her for not letting the subject drop.

“There is no wooing.” Your reply was mumbled, you wanted there to be wooing but it just wouldn’t work until Javi knew the truth and after that you doubted that your crush would be allowed to flourish at all. Sure you weren’t the only Princess in the Court but that didn’t mean you were free to marry and love whoever you wanted to.

“I wish they would just let you be, this is kind of bullshit. Even if the wilding magic of the Aestori Grove Barrow Den chose you to succeed the Queen your naming wouldn’t go uncontested and, unfortunately, we all know what your history of duels has been like. I don’t want to have to stop you from bleeding out again.” Iphigén’s eyes were a little hazed over as she talked, no doubt thinking of the countless times you’d been hauled to your bed chambers after the very cursory once-over by the palace healers, you detested how much your friends suffered mentally for the sheer misfortune of being in your life.

“I mean, I’ve literally been trying to abdicate my position as a potential crown Princess since I became an adult, you know that I’m doing all I can here. Can’t exactly exile myself if the Queen decides that I’m not allowed to, and hiding in Se’Kvia isn’t an option since she’d just hire the Mandalorian Hunters to bring me back if I tried to ignore her summons.” You’d been hauled back by a Mandalorian before, after trying to flee deeper into Aestoran’s continent and hide among the razormist swamp lands with the elementals and the sprites that called the lands home.

It was an embarrassment you didn’t want to face again.

By the time you reached the palace entrance, which was more like a large rounded hill covered in flowers, it was nearly dark and you had poured your whole heart out to Iphigén and Aelle about the fact that you knew Javi wanted you too and how hard it was to hold back. The blurrgs were still plenty energetic despite the trip, stamping their feet impatiently as you stepped out and bid farewell to the driver. Kuiil tipped his head and departed, leaving you forced to hold an impassive face and act like you were someone you weren’t as the wooden door swung open.

The illusions to hide the palace in case of any danger were so strong that it was almost like looking into another realm when that door opened, instead of the inside of a dirt mound you could see the glittery butter yellow marble with its vibrant green carpets woven with patterns in bright floral tones; you walked through the door and all at once the grand entryway seemed to light up as the glittering white orbs lighting the space flickered to announce your arrival.

“The wayward Princess returns home.” Your eyes lifted to the top of the stairwell where one of your numerous cousins stood, though nobody would be able to tell based on appearances with just how different all of you looked, and you bit your tongue as she looked you over with a sneer of derision that was pretty standard by this point.

“There you are, my little flutterbug.” Your mother hurried over, pulling you into a hug that made your skin crawl at the display of false affection, hiding behind her too-wide smile was the hatred she had for you and had always had for you. Flutterbug was her way of calling you a dragonfly without using the word, to mock you for the sign of your weakness and mixed blood, you hated how they kept calling you back when you just wanted to be left alone.

All you were to them was the ass of a joke.

“Hello mother.” Just like that she released you and stepped back, now that you’d greeted her, and that fake smile was still very present on her face.

“We should really hurry to the throne room, please handle my daughter’s bags.” The head butler nodded and bowed, walking away with your bags to take them to your room, and you were very suspicious of the cheery behavior. Not that she’d ever actually tell you why she was so happy but it was concerning, especially with your cousin’s smirk growing wider as she fell into step beside you.

The throne room was as large and opulent as ever, filled with people, and you felt the weight of everyone’s stare as you were announced; your grandmother rose as your walked across the room and you almost didn’t notice the man waiting at the base of the short flight of steps. But you ignored his presence, dropping into a curtsy, and masking your voice from the anger and irritation that threatened to fill it.

“My Queen, it is an honor to have received a personal invitation for this year’s Yule festivities.” A slender hand lifted your chin, making you stand straight, and your grandmother looked you over with that indifference you knew her for and the same indifference you’d taught yourself to utilize.

“There are more than just Yule festivities, child. A suitor has asked for your hand, and after considering I have approved. I would like you to meet your fiancé, Lord Thaddeus Clement ne’Rahne.” The man you had ignored offered a smile, his eyes taking in the sight of you, and your heart dropped to the floor.

“No. I refuse.”

Your words caused a hush to fill the room and you could hear the scandalized whispers starting.

All Fics Taglist: @haylzcyon @wordsnwhiskey @pagannightwitch @radiowallet @tauralmie @amneris21 @trickstersp8 @practicalghost @rominaszh @alwaysdjarin @alexxavicry @all-the-way-down-here

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[littlemisspascal]

first time reading a hell hound au and “getting lost is being found” was so good wth 😭😭 I need more I’m obsessed

Aw thank you for giving my fic a chance, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Most hellhound fics I've read have been for other fandoms but @chaoticgeminate comes to mind having a hellhound Javi G so I highly recommend her!

[chaoticgeminate]

Morning Secrets

Part of the Iridescence Fictional Universe Sparkling Embers Series Part One

Pairing: Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader Series Rating: M Word Count: 2.3K

[AO3]

Mornings in the Gutierrez Villa were never as silent as you wanted them to be, unfortunately, and yet every day you could only hope that maybe -just maybe- you’d be able to get a bit of time to sleep in and enjoy the room that was yours without some sort of problem popping up. Today it was the SIEA -no real surprise there- and you stared at the open window to your balcony where you could hear Javi on the phone scheduling for another inspection on the most recent shipment of spell ingredients from Ezra.

“Por favor, that is not a good time. It is too early, afternoon would be best.” The hellhound knew you cherished your mornings, the ability to wake up slow and luxuriate in bed before dragging yourself downstairs and getting your drink of choice and breakfast. It was why he was always stuck arguing with Peña or Murphy about the time they tried to come by, almost without fail they would try to gun for eight in the damn morning. You grunted and slipped out of bed, flicking your wrist to open the curtains of fully and loud enough that he’d notice.

After finishing up your morning routine you were headed for the kitchen, thanking Dahlia as she slipped a plate of breakfast onto the breakfast bar for you, and the sound of near frantic footsteps was your only warning before Javi entered the kitchen; his curls bouncing lightly as his head whipped right to where you were sitting.

“Libélula, I tried to negotiate a later hour but they weren’t going to budge. Lo siento, truly-“ You held a hand up to stop him before Javi could go into an apology spiral, one of the things you’d come to notice about the lesser demon you’d been employed by was that he abhorred interrupting anyone’s routines. Work shifts were one thing, you technically didn’t have a shift at all but in return Javi was generous with how much freedom he granted during the day for any of you to just goof off. So your morning time was as sacred to him as it was to you, which was absolutely the most darling -and unexpected- thing about Javi you’d come to learn.

“Javi, seriously, it’s alright. We aren’t due for another shipment for another five days so I’ll just take a little extra time until then. You did manage to get the Iocrethran Blaze Powder out of the shipment and over to Maggie’s, right?” At first it had been strange to find that your boss was technically smuggling illegal spell ingredients until you’d learned the importance of said ingredients, learning that those substances could be used for more than just explosives and poisons hadn’t really surprised you but it had changed your perspective enough and you genuinely enjoyed Javi as a person so it had been easy enough to trust his word.

He was nodding rapidly before you even managed to finish talking, his eyes jewel bright as he grinned, and you finished up your food before handing the plate off to Dahlia. Most of the building had been brought up to the modern era of technology -dishwashers, gas stove, good wiring, central heat and air- but as the resident house fey you still had plenty of enchantments active to handle the rest. It was one of the things Javi had appreciated the most, so he’d said, about your employment.

That and he didn’t have to beg you nearly as much as the others to sit and watch movies with him.

“Good, that way the agents can do the check and be on their way. Do you want me to meet them or-“

“No, I would like if you could check in with Maggie and ensure that the the medicines have been delivered.” Offering a salute you went back up to your room to get dressed, waving to Cage as the changeling resealed the crates of spell ingredients, that way the SIEA wouldn’t be able to tell they’d already taken some of the goods out. You greeted Iggy and the bat shifter offered a charming grin as he opened the door of the car for you, it was Javi’s insistence that you let his personal driver chauffeur you around if you had to go anywhere, and after some arguing in the beginning you’d finally relented.

Iggy passed the SIEA squad car on the way down the drive and you bit back a groan when you noticed it was Murphy and the werejaguar in the car, it was not going to be a fun time at the villa and now you knew why Javi sent you to Maggie’s instead.

“Boss man knows you don’t do good around the yelling, figured he’d save you from it today.” Iggy’s voice broke your anxiety ridden thoughts and you found yourself nodding as the bat turned off the looping road and onto the intercity highway, Maggie’s was in the heart of the shopping district so it was going to be a little bit of a ride.

“He’s sweet, I’m just glad that Ezra was able to get everything through customs. How is your wife doing with the baby?” Iggy’s face softened instantly, his oversized eyes bright as he fumbled for the small picture album in the cup holder, and you accepted it with a smile as you looked at the different images. The little one was already shifting, plenty of shots of the baby flying fox hanging from the different roosts build into the man’s home, and you couldn’t help but squeal at the little video capture of the baby bat chomping down on a banana.

“I know isn’t she just the cutest? I’ve been doting on Kirial since the delivery was so hard on her but we have Maggie to thank for how well it went, and boss man has been really lenient on making me take him places.” That was definitely a Javi move, the man had built Iggy and his family a house on the property the second he found out the bat shifter even had a wife and had been just as eager about the new baby as everyone else. Seeing all these hard ass lesser demons melt over Ellemire really truly did throw all the learned prejudices you’d once had back in your face, it was enlightening and humbling to see these scary magic-born just fall to pieces over the baby.

Goddess above, it was already a problem keeping Javi from ordering an abundance of blankets, toys, and clothes. You were a little nervous about the day he had a little one of his own to spoil. That thought was shoved immediately aside, the idea of Javi dating wasn’t one you wanted to even consider, he wasn’t even remotely close to that prospect just yet; if anything he’d likely adopt before there was a mini-Javi in the works.

Maggie greeted you like always, her body practically enveloping yours in the biggest of hugs, and the succubus made sure to kiss both your cheeks before even thinking of letting you go. The greeting Iggy got was much tamer in comparison, elbows bumping gently without too much prolonged contact, and you had to resist the urge to sigh; Iggy genuinely liked Maggie but after a mix up between a healing potion and a lust potion he was terrified to touch her for too long, Kirial hadn’t even been upset but Iggy had beat himself up over it.

“Good afternoon lovely, I was just thinking about you. I’m pleased Javi sent you to me, I have something I need to ask. Lady to lady.” Iggy glanced at you and then went out to the car, he knew about the truth of Javi’s operation but he didn’t have details and that was how he wanted to keep it, the safety of his family was priority and everyone understood that. The less he knew meant the better chances he had in the event that the SIEA did somehow find out before the legislation could get changed.

“Ask away, Maggie.”

“I’ve delivered the medicines but I think Peña was hanging around, I thought I saw him outside at the café when I left.” You bit the inside of your cheek at the news, that would certainly make sense as to why it had been Murphy and the feline in the squad car rather than Peña. One thing you’d learned was that Javier Peña hated being sidelined and if he wasn’t on sight it meant he had a lead to follow.

You closed your eyes and focused, it wasn’t nearly as easy for you being only half-pixie but illusion spells were the specialty of your mother’s people. To anyone looking in you had disappeared into the back room and Maggie chuckled as you instead ducked behind the counter, like you expected the door opened just as Maggie began sorting along the shelves and in the reflection of the re-purposed steel kitchen cabinets you saw Agent Peña lean against the glass case of quartz crystals.

“Morning Maggie.”

“Morning Javier, what can I do for you today?”

“I’ve gotta ask a couple questions, that girl your new employee?”

“Oh- no she’s a friend, she comes by from time to time and helps organize the back room for me.”

With magic you did, but he didn’t need to know that. Javier asked about where she’d gone that morning, what sort of ingredients she would have to deliver privately, and clicked his tongue when she informed him that part of her services included home deliveries of goods if paid for it. After being shown the log and registration list of people who had signed up for home deliveries, many of them older spell slingers that just couldn’t get around like they used to, the agent relented and left.

After waiting a good ten minutes you decided plenty of time passed, the illusion still going as you said your goodbyes and exited the store, and you had to resist the urge to laugh as you spotted Peña watching for you. He knew damn well who you were but trying to play innocent with Maggie was honestly kind of funny. Striding down the block and turning into a parking lot, where you spotted Iggy after he moved places, you slipped into the vehicle and offered a thumbs up.

By the time you got back to the Villa you could see Murphy and the pussycat were already gone, allowing Cage to begin packing up the rest of the goods to be sent off to Maggie, and Javi greeted you with a wide grin. Before you could tell him about Peña the hellhound ushered you toward the garden, nearly bouncing with delight, and you froze in place when you turned the corner. Framed by the sunlight, the clear sky, and the blue of the ocean was a sun-pearl tree. The leaves were a deep golden orange shade with the shimmery pearl flowers in full bloom, the bark of the tree was a deep brown with ochre swirls that looked like they could have been carved into the trunk.

“Javi this is-“

“I hired a Green Witch to plant the tree and raise it, she helped relocate it here. I hope that you can find the same comfort-“

Your arms found their way around his waist as you held back a sob, your father had planted and grown a sun-pearl tree that had been the place you two would sit and talk or spend time together every day, the tree and your father had both been lost to the fire that ravaged the garden district when Paelore went rogue and opened a portal directly to Iocrethran and several Imps had taken the chance to come through.

Javi’s arms came up to hug you very slowly, as if giving you a chance to pull away, but you hardly had a reason to. This was not at all what you’d expected when you’d told Javi about how hard the loss of your father had struck you, he’d felt somewhat responsible since it was other lesser demons to cause that loss, but you’d promised him time and time again that you didn’t blame him at all. To go this far and not only buy, but to also grow, one of the rarest trees on the Ostrean continent? For you?

“I wanted to give you a place to go when you wanted to be alone, I’ve told everyone this is your tree and went so far as to have several protection spells woven around it. You have done much to make my life easier, and accepted quite a lot of things I do that could get you in trouble. It was no big peel.”

“Big deal.” Reflexively you corrected him, the man wasn’t a native speaker of the Ostra language so he had a tendency to mix up words that sounded similar. You pulled back and looked over at the tree, it wasn’t even lunch yet and already you wanted to sit at the base of the trunk and relax with a book. Javi set something in your hands, making your eyes soften further as you held the worn copy of The Bear by Andrew Krivak that he’d definitely pinched from your bed table.

“Would you- would you like me to read to you?” Javi’s eyes widened a little and he nodded eagerly, body practically exploding into thick black smoke that reformed into his canine self, and his tail wagged as the hellhound laid at the base of the tree like an oversized pillow. You grinned and wiped the stray tear from the corner of your eye, eventually you’d have to deal with Peña’s almost catch today but you knew that there weren’t any risky ingredients coming through for another three weeks and would have plenty of time to figure something out.

[chaoticgeminate]

Afternoon Calls

Part of the Iridescence Fictional Universe Sparkling Embers Series Part Two

Pairing: Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader Series Rating: M Warnings: Mentions of delivery complications

Word Count: 2.8K

[AO3]

You couldn’t help but smile as you sat nestled in the branches of your sun-pearl tree with Ellemire laying against your chest, today Kirial had a healer’s appointment and Iggy had asked for you to watch over the infant, you knew that Cage and the others would’ve been fine to watch her but the baby had been in a cranky mood recently so nobody wanted to take any chances. One hand on her back kept her close and secure, rubbing casually as you had a book levitating in front of you, and your other hand was mostly behind your head to prevent the bark from digging into your hair and scalp.

There was one week to go before the next shipment would come up from Ezra but you knew Javi had been in touch with the dark elf about making sure there were no problems with the shipment getting flagged at customs, in just a month the council would be meeting with several ambassadors of the lesser demons that lived in Se’Kvia to hear them out about needing access to the outlawed ingredients for medicinal purposes.

Even if the amounts were regulated it would prevent so much pain and suffering, the lesser demons moving out of Iocrethran to Yeonnran were susceptible to a strange variety of illnesses that they had no working vaccines for and those spell ingredients were necessary until the healers and apothecarians were able to come up with a more permanent solution.

Someone said your name and you glanced down to see Gabriela smiling up at you, the personal assistant to Javi was a sweet woman and one of the first friends you had made here at the villa, she had a prepared bottle and a tray of fruit skewers with your favorite yogurt dip.

“Oh, you didn’t have to bring this out Gabriela.” The tray levitated with a twitch of your fingers and Ellemire’s little nose twitched before she stirred from sleep at the scent of warm milk and fruit, a few pieces of banana were set aside for her specifically.

“You looked comfortable so I figured I’d save you the trouble, I have to get back inside but Javier asked me to remind you about tonight’s film night.” Weekly the villa would all get together in the yard, the projector set up to play against one of the smooth white walls after the sun went down, and everyone would just sit together outside if the weather was good and watch some movie together. Recently it had been children’s films, due to Ellemire’s presence, but you hardly minded the way everyone was quick to accept and welcome the infant into the fold.

It was kind of cute and just another quirky thing about the people you worked with.

“Thanks Brie, you’d think he wouldn’t feel the need to remind me every week.” The two of you shared a soft laugh.

“Señor Gutierrez just wants to make sure you’re there, he favors your company most.” A rush of heat flooded your face and Ellemire let out a needy squeal as she woke from her nap fully, your lips twisting slightly at the wording of that statement, and Gabriela disappeared before you could try to ask her what she meant by it or accuse her of teasing you.

As you fed Ellemire her bottle you enchanted the skewers so that you could eat too, the baby eagerly drinking down her milk, so you made sure a cloth was handy even with her fancy bib on. Today Kirial had put the baby into the one of many onesies that Javi had purchased for the little one, it made you smile knowing he’d been that quick to help Iggy and his wife, and you adjusted the fancy bib as a bit of formula dribbled down the baby’s face. The red and white striped pattern had little corn kernels on the front and one single piece of popcorn and said ‘the one that popped’ in some cutesy script.

“I can’t believe he got this for you, Elle.” The baby didn’t know, or care, but Iggy had gone redder than a chili pepper while Kirial howled with laughter when she’d seen it; just another reminder that for all his smiles, cheer, and genuinely polite nature Javi wasn’t some naive person with a tame sense of humor. It made your face warm again but you shook that away before any thoughts could really take root.

You weren't ashamed of the budding crush you had on the hellhound at all, if anything Javi had proven to be a good man with each passing day, but that didn't mean you were going to make a move on him either. He was stubborn and until the council made it legal for him to transport specific materials he wasn't ever going to put you, or anyone else, at risk of being locked up for nearly as long as his exile.

Right now you knew that asking him for anything would result in a gentle refusal and you wanted to make sure that you were entirely sure he’d accept before putting your heart out there for him. But looking down at Ellemire with her button nose, wiry dark hair tipped in rusty red, you did let your mind run free with daydreams.

A cry of yours and the baby’s name had you smiling some time later, Kirial's eyes were bright as she took the baby from you with Iggy close by her side, and you smiled at the pair as they fawned over Ellemire and coddled their little one with apologies for being gone.

"Good news at the healer, I hope?" Kirial nodded and you relaxed more as you smiled with relief flooding your heart, the prognosis had been hovering too long in between good and bad for her recovery but having access to the best healers in the city and on Ostrea in general certainly helped matters. Javi had thrown his money around the second he found out that Kirial wasn’t doing well following the birth.

"Stitches are out and the internal tears are not scar tissue like we feared, but they did insist on a C-Section if I choose to have another baby.” You nodded and watched her adjust her hold on the baby as Iggy smiled at the pair of them so softly, it was sweet and you truly hoped that eventually they wouldn’t have to worry at all about the risks involved with Javi’s work.

“I think tonight Javier wants to watch Paddington 2.” Iggy’s remark made you giggle behind your hand, it was a favorite and had become very frequently played since Ellemire’s birth, the man truly just wanted everyone to be able to spend time together as often as possible without it being for work or something business related. Choosing quieter and calmer movies had been an unexpected move, things that were gentler with less bloodshed and gore or implied sex, but now that you knew Javi better it just made sense.

As you watched them go, so that Kirial could nap with the baby and Iggy could finish up the house work before movie time, it was the chime of your phone that made you pause and glance at the device. The very specific ring tone selected sending a shiver down the length of your spine as you unlocked the device, feeling like your blood turned to ice at the name of the text sender. Your teeth sank into your lip nervously before you were tucking your phone away, a wave of your hand had the trash and dishes levitating to the kitchen on their own, and you felt bad for ignoring Cage’s greeting as you rushed to your room.

Once the door was closed behind you the phone was back out, translating the Uhi language that it had been sent in, your heart hammering in your chest as you sat on the end of your bed and swallowed the sudden tightness in your throat. You couldn’t tell Javi anything, he’d probably fire you faster than you could even remotely try to explain yourself, but finding a valid reason to just disappear off to Aestoran for a month around the holiday was… it was going to need some finessing.

Citing a family emergency would only make him worry and ask for daily updates, if you opted the route of a vacation he would definitely try to weasel his way into joining you for at least a week and then reduce your already light workload because he would assume you requesting a month of time away meant you were feeling overworked -and he was a darling for it but you already felt guilty since being the villa house fey was one of the easiest things you’d done in your life- so those options were out.

But coming clean? He would understand your need to make a name and life of your own without any shadow of a doubt, inheriting his father’s entire operation and transforming it had been no easy effort on his part after all, but you were just scared. You loved being casual and friendly and close with everyone here, the nicknames and rough housing and teasing, so having it all change was something you wanted to avoid.

“Libélula? Are you alright? Cage said you looked upset.” Javi’s voice rang through the door and your eyes jerked up as you stared at the ornate barrier, tongue rubbing against the back of your teeth before turning your phone over and opening the door for him with your magic as you leaned back on your hands.

“Ah, I’m okay, just got news that my family wants to have a reunion at the Yule Festival on Uhica. My- I’ve got a grandmother in El’Anasaar, they want to spend the month together and I was trying to psych myself up to ask for that long away without you trying to reduce my workload.” Half-truths, you decided, would be the best way to go about it. He was getting almost everything so the guilt wasn’t nearly as bad. It was still there but you were trying to buy yourself time.

Javi’s eyes practically began to glow with excitement as he nodded rapidly, while it was true he and his family had a complex relationship the hellhound hardly tried to stand in the way of you or the other staff members when it came to your families, but his open care was what made him so quick to become invested so quickly.

“You never have to fear me refusing you, Libélula, if you wish to spend the holiday with your family I would move the sky to make sure you could. You are certain we do not ask too much of you?” It was easy to understand his hesitance since you’d never really planned to get involved in the smuggling, you’d found out on accident, but by that point you were so happy here that you were willing to ignore the immediate instinct to go to the SIEA and instead listen.

Javi’s eyes were bright with nerves and you could only nod before patting the bed beside you, the man hesitating still but choosing to sit instead of stare down at you, and Javi chuckled when you reached up to brush a loose curl from his forehead. His crooked smile softened a little as he nudged you gently, a tease.

“I’m your boss, Libélula, but I am also your friend. I will always have your pack.” When you snorted softly and shook your head, quietly correcting him with a soft “back” whispered in the space between you both, the hellhound shrugged and you couldn’t help but nudge him back. It was comfortable the way you and him could just be, this was the thing you didn’t want to lose.

“I’m going to go talk movie snacks with Dahlia, I think I want popcorn drizzled with hot honey and cinnamon.” You got up and Javi was quick to follow, the demon was always quick to respect the space of everyone here and you being out of your room meant he wasn’t going to be there when you got back.

After a five minute chat with Dahlia you tucked yourself away into the theater room since everything was being set up for an outdoor movie tonight, the large seats and dim lighting made it easier to stay hidden away from prying eyes as you typed out the reply to the message that had basically ripped the rug out from under your feet.

By the time you managed to shake your funk it was almost time to meet outside, you managed to hide your turmoil fairly well if the fact that neither Kirial or Dahlia picked up on it was an indicator, and as you sat down on the outdoor couch you found yourself laughing when Cage raced out with bags upon bags of licorice and Javi stormed after him growling. No doubt he’d sent Cage for toffees and caramels, it was no secret that the man was weak for a rich soft caramel candy, and Javi took his place beside you as Dahlia handed you the honey and cinnamon coated popcorn you asked for.

Javi turned on the film, Paddington 2 was a villa favorite since Ellemire didn’t immediately start screaming and crying from noise or flashy lights, and the baby gurgled as Iggy held her against his chest while Kirial leaned against her husband. It was so domestic you were almost jealous, they were a good pair and apparently childhood sweethearts, but they were another reason you tried so hard to protect Javi from the SIEA at all costs.

Losing Javi would be devastating enough, the idea of him being banished back to Iocrethran and forced to earn his way back to Yeonnran made your heart wrench, but everyone here would be heavily questioned and likely slapped with a punishment since the Se’Kvia governing bodies were still heavily prejudiced toward lesser demons and dark elves and necromancers.

“Libélula, may I?” Javi gestured to your popcorn and you tilted the bucket, grinning as his eyes began to glow from the hint of heat and sweet and warm cinnamon and you nodded when he looked back at you. Sharing popcorn or snacks with him wasn’t uncommon but when he took a few kernels and held them in front of your mouth you felt the warmth creep up your face before parting your lips and making sure avoid your tongue touching his fingers at all.

But he pulled his hand back slow, your lips catching around the tips of his fingers, and you felt him shiver beside you. The two of you locked gazes briefly but the slow heat in your veins was becoming a simmer at the way his eyes held yours, only looking away when Ellemire squealed and your heart raced in your chest. But you couldn’t let your heart win here, you had to make sure the next shipment went through customs with no problems and that the SIEA didn’t try to raid the contents before you or Cage could get the illegal stuff out of the boxes.

After the movie ended you retreated to your room, before they could notice you were not okay, and you stared at your phone with as it lit up to indicate an incoming call. You checked your door carefully and locked it after a moment’s hesitation before answering the incoming call.

“Plenaire, is there something the matter?”

“We have your paperwork completed and an escort will be waiting at the portal for your arrival.”

“Why must I have an escort if I’m portaling directly to Uhica?”

“You know better than to ask that, Princess. The Queen wishes me to extend her gratitude for accepting the invitation to this year’s Yule celebrations.”

“Oh yes, my great-grandmother was so very kind to do so.”

“You have been missed among the Court, Princess, many Lords and Ladies look forward to your return.”

“My visit will last the month and then I’m coming back to Ostrea, Plenaire, I am not returning to live in Uhica.”

“We are- I do not understand why you’d choose to live amidst that world but that is not my choice to make for you Princess. I shall inform the Ambassador to be waiting at the portal for your return to Se’Kvia when the celebrations have concluded.”

You exhaled and relented, the call ending very shortly after, and your eyes took in the dark shadows around your room.

They wouldn’t ever understand that you fell in love with a lesser demon, that you were happy away from the court and family that had always treated you as less, and all you could do was try to make sure that you didn’t cause a political scandal in El’Anasaar that would prevent you from coming home.

But first you had to survive the next shipment of goods and you didn’t hesitate to activate your mirror link to talk with Ezra, all parties would need to be prepared for the SIEA’s possible interference.

Taglist: @littlemisspascal @imtryingmybeskar @fan-of-encouragement @writeforfandoms @grogusmum @sizzlingcloudmentality @toomanystoriessolittletime @deadhumourist @prostitute-robot-from-the-future

[chaoticgeminate]

Take a Break

Part of the Iridescence Fictional Universe

Sparkling Embers Series

Pairing: Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader

Rating: G (All Fluffy)

Word Count: 2K

Series Summary: Reader is hired to be a house fey for the Gutierrez shelter for lesser demons, quickly becoming the designated Javi wrangler, and it's up to her to prove to the consortium that Javi and the other lesser demons shouldn't be deported to the Under Realms.

Chapter Summary: Javi wants a beach trip and you could never say no to a day away from work.

[AO3]

The beach trip was all Javi’s idea after a very long week of dealing with the Consortium and the SEIA, luckily Ezra had managed to come through with an activity report on the status of the Demon Generals to keep the former off your backs but the latter had already held up two shipments of goods and delayed a delivery for several spell slingers. Javi had begrudgingly met with Peña, Murphy, and their were-kin field partner to clear up the confusion while you handled the Consortium; even if you had to go rescue him in the end, since the hellhound always ended up getting cagey around the jaguar.

There was a joke about cats and dogs in there somewhere but you knew better than to say it.

Sliding into your most comfortable beach attire and grabbing your usual accessories, knowing full well that Javi already had towels delivered down to the private beach for the pair of you, the foot-tapping as he waited by the main door was more than a little entertaining. He often did this, especially if he had shifted forms and was lounging around in his canine body, and it was cute as he looked up when he heard your steps on the carpeted floor of the hallway; Javi practically scampered across the main entrance to offer you his hand as you reached the last step down.

“This will be so much fun, Libélula, I’ve even had a picnic made up so we can spend more time down on the shore.”

“That’s sweet of you, Javi, thank you.”

He absolutely preened as the two of you headed out of the villa where Cage stood with the picnic basket in hand and a beach umbrella on his shoulder, the changeling looked torn between amusement and annoyance as Javi rushed you over toward where he was waiting. The hellhound set a fast pace down the walkway, his long legs helping to carry him meters ahead before he would stop to wait for you and Cage to catch up, and you ignored the low threats the man beside you was muttering as Javi bounced in place ahead of you both.

Cage snorted and nudged you with his elbow. “Just go, you and I know you’re nearly as fast as he is if you fly. I’ll catch up.” Not one to rush anything it didn’t surprise you that the changeling was urging you to go ahead of him, he also preferred his solitude where he could get it from the constant in and out of staff and guests for the villa, so you jogged ahead as the golden markings on your arms and calves began to glow. Javi’s eyes were masked by his sunglasses but you knew they were watching the glittery golden dragonfly wings that appeared on your back, your feet lifting off the ground, and he broke into a sprint to catch up to you as your body passed his.

The hellhound wasn’t slow, his long-leg stride and natural speed allowing him to catch up to you with ease, but the story changed when you both hit sand; your body sailed over to the gazebo with speed and grace, since you didn’t have to deal with the sinking and shifting of the terrain. Javi on the other hand kicked up sprays of sand, stepping out of his sandals the moment he reached the shade, and you set your canvas bag down before yelping when he thrust a bottle of sunscreen at you and wiggled it.

While it was true that neither of you were as susceptible to sunburn the hellhound refused to compromise where safety was concerned, he always applied the lotion because he expected you to and wanted it to be fair, so you took the bottle and sprayed a healthy amount into your hands as he tugged off his vibrant purple floral button-down so all he had on was his lighter purple shorts. “Turn.” Your order made him grin, your hands gliding along his skin to rub the lotion in, and you couldn’t help but sink your teeth into your lip at the feeling of his muscles under your palms; you’d never planned to develop a crush on him but he was just too sweet and had broken down all your defenses and shattered any expectations you had.

He didn’t even react when you tugged his shorts down a little to get under the band, instead he just let you finish up before taking the sunscreen from the small table and finishing the application, you tried not to watch but you did keep glancing at him while you set your phone and a book down in your preferred spot on the padded bench. “Libélula, it is your turn.” Javi wiggled his sunscreen covered fingers at you and your startled laugh turned into a snort, which sent Javi into his own bubble of laughter too, and after managing to calm down you acquiesced to his fussing.

Large hands began gliding along your skin, moving under and around the fabric to ensure the most optimal coverage, and you had to choke down a sound when he did the back of your neck with his thumbs while the rest of his fingers slid over your shoulders and brushed over your collar bones. His body behind yours was radiating heat and his breath tickled your ear as he leaned closer, the sensation making you shiver as he drew his hands back, the bottle of sunscreen set into your hands gently. “Hurry, I will give you a minute, last one in the water is a rotted egg.” He strode away like he hadn’t just short-circuited your brain and your voice was shaking as you called back to him.

But you were putting on the sunscreen.

“It’s rotten egg, Javi.”

“Forty-seconds!”

Being from the Under Realms meant he wasn’t the most updated on modern sayings, constantly getting them wrong, but it was just another cute thing he did that you really liked. Cage set down the basket and took the sunscreen from you as you handed the bottle off, knowing Javi would lose his shit if the changeling didn’t apply it, but you were already hurrying to the surf where Javi was standing just outside the reach of the tide. Javi laughed as you reached his side and you had approximately two seconds of warning before he hoisted you clean over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes, and darted into the surf as you beat the sides of your fists against his back with a shriek.

The sharp chill of the water compared to the hot sun felt good, without a doubt, but the crash of a wave hit Javi’s chest hard and he toppled; which meant you went down too. Floundering for a moment as you tried to get your bearings, and swim beyond the crash zone, you coughed slightly as you emerged from the water and looked around. “Javi?” Even with the crystal clear water you couldn’t see him, turning sharply just in case he was behind you, and he was grinning as his hair sat limp and drenched on his head.

“Sí, Libélula?”

“How did a wave overpower you?”

You had to bite back the urge to tell him he scared you, not quite ready to open that door yet, and Javi growled playfully as he flicked water at you. “I wasn’t prepared is all, but it was still fun.” He dragged his hair back out of his eyes and you kicked away to float freely, you’d have to be really meticulous about your hair later to make sure the salt water and sun didn’t cause too much damage but that was worth a vacation day in your mind. Javi’s sharp laugh as Cage made his way down broke the quiet splashing, the pair moving away from you to dunk each other and roughhouse, and you were more than prepared in case they decided to try and drag you into their game.

Neither of them did, you ended up swimming around on your own and just enjoying the water, heading to the shore and making your way over to the gazebo to catch up on your book, and you were sure an hour or two had passed when you looked up to see Javi emerge from the surf and used your book to hide the way your jaw dropped. He turned around to walk backward as Cage said something to him, bending over and shaking his head rapidly to get the water out of his hair, and you nearly bit through your lip at the sight of his ass in those wet shorts on display along with his back muscles.

Hurrying to look like you hadn’t just been ogling him when you watched him straighten up, face warm despite the cool shade of the gazebo, it was the call of your name that made you look up again as Javi hurried across the sand and stepped over to the basket so he could unpack lunch. “Don’t forget to drink some water.” He practically shoved a cool bottle in your hand, even as he pulled out the pitcher with what you knew was blackberry margarita, and you rolled your eyes at his mothering as he loaded up a plate for you.

All your favorites, though the presentation wasn’t as meticulous as Dahlia’s usual, and something about it tasted different. A good different for sure, and when you noticed Javi watching you eat the stray thought breezed through you like a sudden hurricane. Dahlia wasn’t even at the villa today, which meant she hadn’t made any of this, and you felt that heat return to your face knowing Javi had made everything. “You- you did a good job on this, everything tastes wonderful.” His smile was so bright and your heart felt like a hummingbird in your chest, the hellhound now digging into his meal.

Knowing he went this far just for you was making it hard not to just kiss the man silly.

Cage snorted and mentioned he was going back up to the villa, taking his umbrella with him and leaving you with Javi to enjoy your lunch. “I hope you know I appreciate you, the Consortium is not so… willing to listen whenever I need to directly contact them, having you here has made it much better. In everything, not just the work aspect, you bring a certain… shine to this place that I never knew it was missing.” He brushed crumbs off your lip from the sweets he’d packed when you looked up, your lashes fluttering almost instinctively, but he didn’t move to kiss you like you hoped.

Instead he chose to take you down toward the area of shallows where you could always count on finding little shells or sea glass, just pretty little things that got caught up in the rocks, and began mentioning that Azos had found an old school projector and film reel in some antique shop he wanted to try and get working since it was some sort of silent film in black and white and proposed the villa staff watch it together on a movie night.

“When we get back remind me and I’ll make a note to put it on the schedule.”

“Libélula, you always have work on the mind. I will wait until we know the projector works before I set something in brick.”

“Stone. Set in stone.”

“I knew that.”

Javi feigned offense at your laughter and ended up chasing you down the shoreline instead, only stopping when you asked if he’d build a sandcastle with you, so the two of you ended up using the food containers since he didn’t have any good buckets or molds in order to shape your castle; which he decorated using the pink mini-umbrella from the pack he’d slipped into the picnic basket in place of a flag.

After a picture of the two of you beside the castle Javi shifted forms, body practically erupting into thick black smoke that reshaped itself into his canine body, and you absently scratched behind a furry ear as you stood up. But the hellhound barked and dropped his upper body as his tail wagged, a play stance, and the pair of you ended up racing and chasing each other along the beach; you flew of course, because there was no way you could keep up with him otherwise, but it was still a lot of fun.

The sun was setting on the horizon when Javi called the day to a close, recognizing your flagging energy and drooping eyes, and he was quick to pack up the utensils and containers into the basket while telling you to begin heading up to the villa. You flew just a few centimeters above the ground and Javi was holding your hand after catching up to you, pulling you along as you yawned since days at the beach always made you tired. He said something and your reply was a low hum, earning a low chuckle, and you wanted to kiss him when he nudged you gently and reminded you to at least handle your hair before bed.

He even pulled you up the stairs to your room, stepping inside and smiling softly as your feet touched down on the carpet, and Javi squeezed your wrist gently before letting go and wishing you a good night. You showered as quickly as you could, though you didn’t rush through your hair routine, and after putting on your lotion and sleep clothes you were more than ready to fall face-first into your mattress.

A single flower vase was sitting on your nightstand, the glittery pink ribbon around it had a card, and you sniffed the peony before looking at the card.

Dinner and a movie next weekend?

You laughed gently and got up, grabbing one of your little stationary cards and writing out your positive answer along with your movie request, and you made sure to fly so he wouldn’t hear your footsteps as you drew near his door. He must have been waiting, the door shooting open, and you handed him your reply and watched his cheeks brighten. “This can be arranged, easy squeezy.” You chuckled softly.

“Easy peasy.”

“That’s what I said.”

You opened your mouth to protest and were cut off with a kiss, it was quick and chaste and sudden with him pulling away as fast as he initiated it, and Javi’s eyes searched your face. Big, round, puppy eyes that never failed to make you melt and you reached up to kiss him again. “No chaperones next weekend.” Your order made him chuckle.

“Libélula, there’s no way I’m allowing Cage anywhere near the theater room next weekend now that you’ve kissed me.”

Javi kissed your nose, peppering sweet kisses against your cheeks, and he hugged you close before drawing back. “I think it is best you get off to bed before our early morning conference.” Once again reminded that there was work to be done you could only nod, heading back to your room with a smile, and as you closed the door behind you nothing stopped you from doing a victory dance and crawling into bed with the added knowledge that Javi was yours.

You weren’t at all surprised to wake up with his canine form sleeping across your feet the following morning.

[chaoticgeminate]

Since @littlemisspascal has given this a rec twice already I figure now is a good time for a reblog 💕

This is part of a full fantasy universe but you can absolutely read it standalone, the stores are connected but none of them will be entirely reliant on the others 💕

Sparkling Embers Masterlist

Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader

Reader is hired to be a house fey for the Gutierrez shelter for lesser demons, quickly becoming the designated Javi wrangler, and it's up to her to prove to the consortium that Javi and the other lesser demons shouldn't be deported to the Under Realms.

Main Series

Part One (504 AS) | Part Two (504 AS) | Part Three (504 AS)

Side Stories

Take a Break (504 AS)

Series Art

My Commission by @lellowberry

[chaoticgeminate]

State of the WIP address

I'm holding myself accountable here, feel free to ignore :3

All are part of Iridescence (it owns my souuul)

Hunter's Gambit Part 3 (Werewolf Frankie x Selkie fem!Reader)

Sparkling Embers Part 2 (Hellhound Javi G x Half-Pixie fem!Reader)

Blood Price Part 1 (Regent Lord Max P x Light Elf fem!Reader)

Whiskey Serenades Part 2 (Coyote Shifter Jack x Foxwoman fem!Reader)

[chaoticgeminate]

Sparkling Embers Masterlist

Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader

Reader is hired to be a house fey for the Gutierrez shelter for lesser demons, quickly becoming the designated Javi wrangler, and it's up to her to prove to the consortium that Javi and the other lesser demons shouldn't be deported to the Under Realms.

Main Series

Part One (504 AS) | Part Two (504 AS) | Part Three (504 AS)

Side Stories

Take a Break (504 AS)

Series Art

My Commission by @lellowberry

[littlemisspascal]

Good lord this is such an unbelievably sweet comment ❤️ top 5 Joel fic?! Omg that's huge praise I can't even 😵

I love studio ghibli! Maybe somehow I got some subconscious vibes from those films while writing 🤔 My brain's a messy place, definitely possible! Anyways, I'm just thrilled you liked the time skip format, it was easier for me to focus on these little segments than plotting a giant needlessly complex big fic lol

Hellhound AUs I've mostly found in other fandoms but one writer I know and love is @chaoticgeminate who writes hellhound Javi G ❤️ Definitely recommend checking into that!

Getting Lost is Being Found

pairing: joel x female reader

rating: M. 18+ only.

word count: 5.4k

summary:

When you finally brought yourself to open your mouth, it wasn’t a question that came out. It was a fact, simple and blunt. “You’re one of them.”

“I am,” he replied, the sun still emblazoning him in radiant light. Almost made it hurt to look at him. “But I never wanted to be a human again until I saw you.”

warnings: black dog/hellhound au with hints of a bigger plot that I'm too tired to dive into. reader is referenced as smaller + younger than Joel. alpha/omega dynamics. slices of life. time jumps. non-descriptive smut. fast burn/love at first sight. biting. blood. rough handling. language. non-major character death(s). thunderstorms. reference of reader's parents. nudity. sneaking in a CoD reference cuz why not

note: Trying to remember how to write for the fun of it. This is the result *awkwardly throws out into the universe*

i.

You stand on your bedroom’s balcony, concrete tiles cold beneath your bare feet. Your eyes look towards the horizon, fingers tightening around the wrought iron railing.

A storm brews. The sun is swiftly retreating behind the distant hills, leaving the city dark and cold in its wake. Electricity taints the air, the hair on the back of your neck prickling -

And then you hear it, harmonizing with the thunder’s rumblings, the ghastly howls of the Black Dogs chasing down the scent of their prey.

ii.

Nightspyre, for all its blackouts and seediness, isn’t the worst place to call home. Not when you’re collared and marked by an Alpha, not when your Alpha has stared Death in the eye and made Her flinch. Not when retaliation for every spilt drop of innocent blood emerges each sundown in the guise of hulking shadows and gleaming red eyes.

The collar had been your request. An old-fashioned tradition dating back centuries, replaced in recent years by sharper, more permanent means of securing a mate. Your mother, rest her soul, had treated her collar as her most prized possession every moment of her short life. Red velvet with a gold tag inscribed with your father’s name. Gone are the days Omegas gathered and gossiped over the patterns and colors adorning their necks. Bitemarks are the present trend, judged and compared by the size, placement, and number of teeth.

They’re advertised as the ultimate display of devotion. A lifelong promise between an Alpha and their chosen mate. A claim warning off others from sniffing too closely. Simply put: a marked Omega is a loved Omega. 

But you learned the hard way when people saw your mark, they didn't see love. They saw something cruel. Something monstrous.

Only when you began wearing a collar you'd fallen in love with after seeing it in the window of a thrift store, adorned with faint golden moons and stars, did the concerned looks and judgmental whispers gradually stop. Convinced them maybe your Alpha wasn't so heartless as they initially believed.

After all, everyone knows monsters don't know how to be gentle. It goes against their very nature. Everything they touch dies an agonizing death.

iii.

“Do you think it’s possible? To know someone your whole life and also know nothing about them at all?” you ask, fingertips tracing the jagged edges of the bite beneath the curve of your collarbone. It’s a hideous thing made in a frenzied moment of raw need, consequentially stained your favorite sheets irredeemably scarlet. 

Your Alpha looks up from where he’d been dragging his tongue over the knob of your hip bone, replying, “Of course.” He moves to hover over you, bracketing your head with his arms, fogging your senses with his distinct scent of petrichor and woodsmoke. “As long as lies exist, no one’s ever truly known. Just pieces of ‘em.”

“Pieces, huh?” You touch his face now, thumb lifting his upper lip in the semblance of a snarl, revealing a glimpse of too-sharp teeth. “I wouldn’t mind collecting more of yours, Jo–”

A warning nip to your hand, blood hot under the surface. “Careful what you wish for.”

iv.

Lightning bathes the living room in a flash of white. Outside the city is wet and dismal, but here, inside, it’s flickering candlelight, and your Alpha is pressing a kiss to the crown of your head, body more shadow than flesh, and you close your eyes, allowing yourself a moment to pretend the hand on your cheek has fingers instead of claws.

v.

Three years ago you first saw Joel during one of the worst storms in Nightspyre’s long history. You’d been new to the city after finishing your degree and securing a job there, still a rookie navigator of its maze of cobblestone streets and alleyways. The weather was a fickle tormentor, you quickly learned, swapping between dry heat and violent downpour seemingly at whim. You’d entered a restaurant for a late supper in cloudless twilight, and exited an hour later to bone-chilling rain hurtling down from a pitch black sky. And it had been a miserable discovery for you to make whilst shivering beneath the front entry of an abandoned church, paint-chipped with boarded up windows, that absolutely nothing looked familiar in the rain. For all you knew, you’d tripped and stumbled into a completely different world.

A lightning bolt streaked across the sky, your eyes following its descent from the heavens, and that was when you first saw it. A black dog prowling amongst the faded and cracked tombstones, tail unnaturally stiff, seeming completely indifferent to the pouring rain—and ‘dog’ seemed like an insulting descriptive at the time, too small and domestic for the behemoth canine, but calling it a wolf didn’t settle right with you either. It was…it was…

It was staring right at you now, crimson eyes cutting across the distance and the darkness like searchlights. You froze, heart lodged in your throat, and it was such a bizarre thing, to be in the presence of something as simultaneously terrifying as it was so eerily beautiful. And the longer you stared, the more convinced you became that this was no ordinary creature. There was a dreamlike quality to its appearance, blurry around the edges, like it could change shapes at any second. 

Fuck, maybe you had tripped into a completely different world.

Another bolt of lightning bathed the cemetery yard in white light, the dog’s figure caught in the flash. Its black fur was thick around its neck, adding further bulk to its already broad body, and completely dry all over despite the puddle forming at its paws. You heard the uptick of your rampant heartbeat. Instinct screamed at you to run, but something else made you stay. A conviction you both were meant to share this moment together.

And it scared you how much that belief didn’t scare you.

Darkness swallowed the light again, taking the red eyes with it. You remember how you’d stood there until the clouds changed from black to gray, rain losing some of its vicious sting upon striking your skin, and you’d returned home in a numbed state of exhaustion and confusion. In the days that followed, you didn’t get sick from the incident, not even so much as a sniffle, adding another layer of oddness to the whole ordeal. And that dog…you couldn’t shake it from your mind. 

You wanted to know more about it. Any and every last scrap of detail you could find.

vi.

Welcome back! Your recent internet searches:

black dog breeds

massive black dogs with red eyes

black dog folklore

hellhounds

People also searched for:

fairy hounds

perro negro

okuri-inu

the hound of the baskervilles

dogs in folklore, religion and mythology

vii.

“You realize how ridiculous you sound, right?” Abe told you, wiping at his glasses with a cloth, a nervous twitch in his fingers. “The Black Dogs are a silly legend to scare children. Anyone who says they’re real is selling something.”

“I’ll tell Professor Ratna you said that,” you replied with a smirk.

Your quest for answers revealed everyone had an opinion one way or the other on the topic of massive red-eyed, dark-furred canines. Most thought they were myths limited to the boundaries of their pages in books or the online web. A few though, spoke in hushed murmurs, casting around wary glances, as if afraid of accidentally summoning one from the depths of the earth. Others talked with booming voices and gesticulating hands, telling you everything you wanted to hear like they’d been waiting for this conversation their whole lives. 

One homeless drunkard who dwelled in the alleyway next to 57th Street Tavern explained through slurred words, “I’ve seen ‘em, twice I have. They’re big brutes, shaking the ground when they walk. But–but they leave nothing behind. No tracks. Scary fuckers, they are. And they know it–they feast off fear, then they feast on flesh.”

You asked him how he’d lived through the close encounters unscathed and he shrugged off the question. “I ain’t never hurt nobody. The folks they hunt down, they’re already going to hell. The Dogs just bring ‘em there faster.”

You’d visited Professor Ratna next, catching the older woman in-between classes during her lunch break. She’d politely entertained your inquiry rather than outright scoff at it as the rest of the university faculty had done. “My specialty is mycology, not folklore, so I am no expert on the subject,” she said, taking a sip of tea. “That being said, I’d urge you to be cautious if you’re going to continue going around asking these questions. Few things happen in this city the Dogs don’t know about.”

“Makes it sound like they’re keeping the city hostage.”

She set down her teacup and looked you straight in the eye. “No, my dear. They are what keeps the city safe.”

You had left her office even more unsure of your own convictions than you’d felt when you arrived.

“Well, if you’re ever unlucky enough to come across one, run the other way as fast as you can,” Abe said, hesitantly looking up to meet your gaze. “Don’t even think about trying to pet it.”

The thought honestly hadn’t crossed your mind until then. It sounded like the quickest surefire way to lose a hand, perhaps even the whole limb. But if you had taken the chance at the church, you couldn’t help but what would the pelt have felt like –

Thick, dense fur like other canines? Or deceptively smooth and oily like a serpent’s scales?

(The answer, as it turns out, is a curious mix of both.)

viii.

The next day, a man knocked on your front door. He was tall, body thick with muscle and marked with smatterings of freckles and–oh. Your gaze stopped on his abdomen, refusing to dip any lower as realization turned your brain to mush. 

He wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing. Nude as the day he was born.

He wasn’t saying anything either, brown eyes sweeping over your face like he was trying to memorize every detail. In another setting, preferably one without nakedness, perhaps over a candlelit dinner, you would have been flattered by the attention but as it was –

Pressing closer against the safety of the door, you took a tentative sniff of the air. His Alpha scent knocked into you like a tidal wave, barely stifling a reflexive whine in your throat. He smelled like thunderstorms, electric and pungent, like wet grass and ozone all blended together. And something else beneath the surface, something distinctly fiery. Smoky. God, you wanted to drown in that scent.

But first things first –

“What the hell are you doing here?”

The Alpha’s nostrils flared, followed by a low rumble from the depths of his chest that had your grip on the door tightening to keep you from doing something embarrassing  (shamelessly flinging yourself at him came to mind). “I followed your scent. Mint and vanilla.” Another inhale, deeper this time, eyes darkening. “Sassafras.”

His voice was hoarse, grating. Sounded like he hadn’t used it in months, maybe even years.

Your thoughts deserted you again, leaving you to dumbly stare at him for a moment. “Um.”

You’d dated a couple Alphas in the past, nothing that ever developed seriously and that was mostly due to the fact they all didn’t like your scent. Scent-compatibility was an essential factor when it came to bonding–after all, you’d be smelling that scent for the rest of your lives together so it was better to be a pleasing one. One described it as boring, another said it was too clean. Whatever that meant.

But this Alpha—this strange, heavenly-smelling, unfairly attractive man liked your scent enough he followed it all the way to your front door. 

“I–uh,” you blinked once, twice, slowly rebooting your brain, “what was your name again?”

The question had a curious effect on the man, emotions rippling across his face, one after the other, looking lost, but only for an instant, before he swallowed thickly, throat bobbing in a distracting manner.

“It’s Joel.” The corner of his mouth dipped. “I think.”

“You think?” you echoed, eyebrows raising. Who didn’t know their own name?

He lapsed back into silence, but there was a defensive edge to it that wasn’t there before. 

You exhaled a quiet breath and gave him a scrutinizing look, gaze dragging all the way from his head to his dirty bare feet and back up again without pausing on any…intimate areas. You wished you could peel back his layers, cut straight through the weird aura and iron defenses and find out what was there at his center that he’d hidden away.

It must be something incredibly precious, you thought. 

Or something shockingly hideous.

“Tell me, Joel,” you crossed your arms to hide your trembling hands, “have we met before?”

The Alpha tilted his head, midafternoon sunlight turning the dark of his eyes into liquid gold. He swallowed again, then quietly admitted, “Once. A couple nights ago…”

You found yourself leaning closer. He didn’t move away. You could almost taste the rain, the howling wind, the thunderclaps, the lightning, everything wild clinging to his skin. 

“Are you–” You cut yourself off, glancing away. You worried your bottom lip for a moment, hesitant to release the words burning on your tongue, scared of their potentially devastating influence. 

“You’ve been asking an awful lot of questions around town, Sass,” Joel said, soft as a caress. “Haven’t you figured it out by now?”

And that – well, that just about confirmed every last suspicion you had.

When you finally brought yourself to open your mouth, it wasn’t a question that came out. It was a fact, simple and blunt. “You’re one of them.”

“I am,” he replied, the sun still emblazoning him in radiant light. Almost made it hurt to look at him. “But I never wanted to be a human again until I saw you.”

ix.

“Any regrets, Sass?” Joel asks in the midnight hours.

“Hmm?” You curl closer, ear pressed against the steady thrum of his heartbeat.

“If you’d known it’d be like this,” he whispers into your hair. “Would you have run away if you had the chance?”

“Maybe,” you say, and you feel more than see the sudden tension roll through his body, shielding himself from the hurt. “But I would’ve found my way back sooner or later. I’d miss you too much.”

Joel says nothing, doesn’t have to. The way he presses you into the mattress, moves inside you, against you, with roaming hands and searing kisses, becoming one — speaks volumes more than words could ever convey.  

x.

The south side of Nightspyre is a haven for smugglers and thugs, consisting of multiple rows of derelict warehouses and an understaffed police presence, half concealed in the smog produced by the factory district. The streets are sticky with unknown substances beneath your shoes, each breath burning the inside of your nose.

“Gets prettier every time I visit,” Tess says wryly, standing next to you and looking at a spray-painted dick on the side of a dumpster.

You shoot your friend an amused look. Her brown hair’s half-up in a bun, she’s tough as nails, and carries at least four concealed weapons on her person at any given point. Female Alphas aren’t a common sight in the city, but Tess’ intimidating presence fends off the inappropriate comments, striking fear into the hearts of even the biggest Alphas with one icy glare. She’s the perfect ally to have by your side.

“Let’s just grab Joel and get out of here.” You pick up the pace. Your eyes note the different colored ribbons hanging from the overhead telephone wires. Each represents an illegal activity, whether it be gambling or drugs. If one knows their code, these ribbons act as a map of the district.  

Tess holds a hand up, stopping at a crossroads. You watch as she looks to the left, center, and right, then up at the ribbons–red, orange, and black respectively. The code regularly changes depending on the month or weather or local events, memorized by those who frequently visit the area, but there is one warning that will never be made different.

“Beware the path marked by the ribbon dyed black,” you recite quietly. “For if you follow it, you’ll surely become the next meal of the pack.”

“Sure you don’t wanna grab a drink instead?” Tess asks, jerking a thumb in the direction of the orange ribbon. 

You say nothing, adjusting the shoulder strap of your bag, and turn right – trusting that your friend will follow close behind, watching your back as she always has since you first met.

xi.

It's a wonder that there's enough of the body left to investigate, you think, crouching behind a car that smells overwhelming of weed and watching a group of men in police uniforms toss around ideas about who or what killed the dismembered and burnt corpse.

Deaths like this, they're how the myth of the Black Dogs continues to circulate and gain credence amongst the locals. The police, on the other hand, refuse to acknowledge them or the black ribbons pointing the way. They'll claim any other excuse under the sun - rabid wildlife, homicidal rage fueled by drugs or alcohol, deranged serial killers, hell even lightning strikes - but to openly admit beasts of folklore are responsible for the high fatality rate? Not a fucking chance.

They've tried setting traps a few times, reassuring folks they'll catch whatever savage thing is responsible for making the streets run red with blood. "Don't worry," they always say. "We have everything under control."

It’s you who should be worried, you want to retort, images flickering through your mind of sharpened teeth and paws the size of tires. Only a fool attempts to catch a hurricane in a glass jar. 

xii.

It’s another forty-five minutes before you find him.

You slide down a steep slope of dead grass, fresh mud from last night’s storm painting the sides of your pants, seeping into your shoes, almost dragging you face-first into the brown sludge of Pickett’s River if not for Tess’ fast reflexes. Eyes on the culvert pipe, you grit your teeth, remind yourself why you’re here, and step forward into the mess of sewage and soil and rainwater. Disgust is immediate, soaked above your knees, but you force yourself to take another step and another and another until you reach the large, ebony mass lying at the culvert’s gaping mouth, black mist emanating from his heaving flank.

“There you are,” you murmur, dropping to your knees near the muzzy outline of his head. Triangular ears twitch before they are concealed in a haze of shadow again. Your heart sinks, forcing a bit of levity into your tone. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this, yeah? Our backyard is a helluva lot nicer than this shithole.”

“I’ll build a doghouse for him myself if it’ll save me from getting dragged outta bed at this ungodly hour,” Tess offers from somewhere behind you.

She’s smart enough to stay back, especially when the sound of her voice has eyes snapping open in a blaze of red, immediately narrowing into smoldering slits, lips curling back from bloodstained teeth, snarling in challenge. 

“None of that,” you scold, followed by a bop against his nose with your finger. He stills, some of the feral luster clearing from his eyes. His body remains primed to fight, muscles coiled, lingering side effects from last night’s hunt. “It’s over. It’s a new day.” A hot breath of air wafts over your face, flooding your nostrils with a concoction of coppery blood, damp earth, and sulfur. “Fucking hell, that’s awful. You, Alpha mine, need a toothbrush. No, scratch that, you need to gargle bleach to get that nastiness out of your mouth. Ugh.”

Joel shoves his head forward, rumbling a deep, guttural note as his wet nose pressed against the vulnerable tendon of your throat, a hint of teeth grazing your pulse. If not for the bitemark under your shirt and the history of early mornings identical to this one spanning across the course of your relationship, perhaps you might have screamed or fainted in fright. Given the circumstances though, you merely tilt your head back further, allowing him to drink his fill of your scent until he remembers.

He had explained once, his human memories were like sand in this form, his mind an hourglass torn between two lives. Your scent triggers the reset, tipping everything right side up again, memories falling back into place until the next hunt steals them back again.

You know when it clicks because Joel’s breath hitches, a violent shudder rippling along his spine. It’s always agonizing, watching him transform, listening to the grinding and splintering of bones and sinew realigning themselves. The cloud of obsidian mist begins to lighten, the once ambiguous outline of a colossal beast slowly, so painstakingly slowly merging into a man – naked, trembling from the aftershocks, clinging to consciousness by his own stubborn will. 

Brown eyes meet yours, blood smeared across his mouth and beard. “Sass,” he says, a dry rasp sending a wave of warmth all the way down to your frozen and wet toes. “Aren’t you getting tired of coming after me yet?”

“Nah,” you shake your head, smiling. “I think it’s good for our relationship. Keeps things interesting.”

He snorts. “Interesting. Sure, that’s a word for it. How many times’ it been this week? Two, three?”

“Four,” Tess chimes in, punctuated by a pair of jeans striking Joel square in the face.

“Mornin’ Tess,” is the low, sheepish response from your Alpha. He pulls the pants off his head, hair ruffled every which way. “Didn’t see you there. Is that a new haircut? It’s nice. Suits you.”

Your friend hums, unimpressed. She used to think you were cute together, that the twang of his accent was amusing, but after eight months of accompanying you in retrieving his naked ass from various sordid and revolting sites around Nightspyre she’s become immune to his charms.

You pull out a shirt and shoes from your own bag. “We’ve gotta get a move on. Police already think you’re strange. Don’t need to give ‘em another reason to dislike you.”

“Four hunts in one week,” Joel mutters under his breath as he begins dressing, a disturbed look in his eye, and you hear what he isn’t saying, unspoken words weighing heavily upon your chest like individual stones.

Four more damned souls.

xiii.

Sometimes you can’t find him the morning after a hunt, losing him amongst the creeping shadows, and you’re forced to wait, anxious and helpless, until there’s another storm, another hunt, another death to reunite with him. 

Those times, the house feels too empty and your bitemark aches something fierce, a brand seared against your skin. Nightmares plague your sleep until your sheets are a tangle of sweat and tears. The cloudless blue skies and starry nights are further personal insults, mocking your heartache.

xiv.

It’s a tricky concept to wrap your head around, the idea that Joel had once been a human decades, perhaps centuries ago. Time isn’t something Black Dogs keep track of and Nightspyre’s historical archives are in the city hall’s basement which floods every other rainfall. He’s older than you, that’s something you can confidently say. Less confidently you can guesstimate he was probably in his late thirties when he was turned.

Your first year together you tried to piece together his story, pestering him with whatever question crossed your mind. Were you born here? What were your parents like? Any siblings? Hobbies? Your attempts proved mostly unrewarding though - his memories of that life are few and flimsy, giving him a headache if he thinks about them too long - and by now you’ve learned he prefers to make new memories than dwell in the past.

The day he knocked on your door becomes his birthday. He turns forty and who gives a fuck if it’s accurate or not, certainly not either of you. You celebrate with cake and ice cream topped with hot fudge.

“My mother used to make cake like this,” Joel says after swallowing a bite. You look at him, your own spoon hovering in front of your mouth, ice cream threatening to melt, but his eyes are glossed over, lost in a memory, and you can’t bring yourself to move, scared of disrupting the moment. “She added chocolate chips in it. Made it sweeter. She’d let me lick the batter from the spoon.”

An image of a young Joel forms unbiddenly in your mind. You can imagine him hovering at his mother’s side, waiting patiently as she scoops and pours and mixes the ingredients, how wide he’d grin when he finally got his prize, smearing chocolatey goodness across his mouth.

“Your ice cream’s melting,” Joel’s voice yanks you back to the present.

You blink a few times, reconciling the child in your head with the Alpha in front of you, then look down at your spoon where, sure enough, the ice cream’s more of a liquid than a solid, blending with the cake and fudge in a gooey swirl. You stick it in your mouth, not really tasting, not really thinking except -

Next year you’ll remember to buy chocolate chips.

xv.

A horde of ominously gray clouds accumulates on the horizon, blotting out the sun. Standing together on the balcony, Joel drapes himself over your backside, chin on your shoulder, both your gazes locked ahead.

“Death is becoming greedy,” you say, mouth coated in bitter venom. You don’t care if She overhears, so long as you carry his mark you’re untouchable. Not even Her powers can disentwine your souls. Where one goes, the other will follow - and she needs Joel too much at the moment to let him go just yet.

“It’s not Her. There’s something else poisoning the city, rotting it from the inside out…” Joel trails off, interrupted by the first drizzling drops of rain, the distant clap of thunder summoning his alternate form to the surface. His fingers flex against your waist, forcibly swallowing down the growl building in his chest with an audible gulp.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

You don’t say tomorrow morning. Not anymore. It’s too specific, too painful when it doesn’t come true.

“See you in the morning,” he echoes, and gently turns your head, sealing the vow with a kiss. It’s chaste, sweet, foreheads coming to rest against each other, savoring the moment even as the rain pelts your skin and clothes. “Go on, get inside and get warmed up. And no matter what you hear—”

“Don’t go outdoors,” you finish, pressing one last kiss against his jaw. 

xvi.

Joel starts to age again. It’s a slow, gradual process for his body to remember what it means to be human. He still heals unnaturally fast, still answers Death’s call whenever there’s a soul to collect, but - 

There are flecks of gray peppered in his beard. Along his temples. They turn silver when the light hits them just right. Never once does he make an effort to shave them off or dye them. 

He needs glasses when he reads. It shouldn’t be possible yet somehow the dark frames make him look even hotter, especially late at night when they’re perched on the brim of his nose as those perfect lips silently mouth along with the words of whatever genre-of-the-week has snagged his attention.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” you ask abruptly one morning. Joel’s in the middle of peeling oranges, making an attempt at adding more fruit to both your diets, and the kitchen air is oversaturated with citrus. “Dying?”

His hands pause, pensive lines creasing his forehead. It’s a sign he’s thinking hard about his answer, giving it the necessary time to form and develop. You wait, perched on the kitchen stool, pushing your toes against the floor to keep your leg from bouncing anxiously.

“I already died once, remember? This,” he says, gesturing towards his gray hairs and then at the house as a whole. “This isn’t dying, Sass. Not for me.”

You lean forward with your arms upon the counter. “What is it for you then?”

He looks at you for a long second, soft and fond, and smiles. “This is me finally living.”

xvii.

Loving Joel is easy, you learn. As natural as waking up with the morning sun, as necessary as drawing breath into the depths of your lungs. You don’t believe much in fate or destiny, but there are moments where he looks at you, like he can’t believe you’re the one who's real, and it feels like it’s always supposed to have been you and him. 

“Of all the churches in all the world,” you quietly laugh under your breath one night, head resting on his stomach. 

His hand stills in the middle of stroking a warm line down your spine. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” you shift just enough to press a kiss against his sternum, smiling to yourself at the hitch of his breath. “Just thinking how lucky I am.”

Joel’s hand continues its movements again, but this time when it goes back up it carries on past your shoulder, pads of his fingers dipping into the teeth indentation marks there. 

And you know he’s thinking the same.

xviii.

Joel’s sliding home inside of you, all scorching heat and possessive growls, face buried against your neck. You wrap your arms tighter around his shoulders, nails cutting scratches deep into his skin, drawing blood. They’ll be gone before he’s done with you. Damn healing factor, a blessing and a curse.

“I want to be like you,” you murmur carelessly against the hinge of his jaw, mouthing a kiss that’s more tongue than lips.

“No,” Joel grunts, and then he’s moving back, pulling out of you. You whine, a pathetic and desperate high-pitched plea of an Omega trying to appease her Alpha, to call him back to fill the emptiness threatening to devour you alive. He ignores it, grabbing at your face with a large hand, forcing you to look at him, really look and fuck, you’ve never seen him like this before.

That emotion in his eyes, dark and gleaming and intense – it’s fear.

“You don’t want to be like me, Sass. You can never be like me,” Joel says, and he doesn’t even try to mask the tremble in his voice. “I won’t allow it.”

You reach a hand up, purposefully slow and obvious in its approach, and curl your fingers around his wrist. He loosens his hold instantly, exhaling a ragged, shuddering breath like you’ve stabbed him.

“Okay,” you say, and that’s all.

His face is wet when it buries against your neck again.

xix.

There’s a secluded house on the city outskirts, an unextraordinary two-story dwelling with a yellow front door and a stepping stone pathway, known to its pair of inhabitants simply as home. 

Most mornings you can be found in the front yard, humming a song from your youth while painting your next masterpiece. Joel will sit in the shade on the porch steps, coffee in hand, watching you watching the world. There are plans to build a greenhouse in the back, another hideaway to retreat to when the world feels just a bit too large. A bit too bloody.

xx.

“It’s going to hurt,” Joel warned you, six months after you’d first met, peppering kisses against your shoulder.

For as many strides as Nightspyre’s made keeping up with modern law changes and customs, out here amongst the untamable hills and freak electrical storms people remained convinced the best and safest life for an Omega was at an Alpha’s side.

Unclaimed Omegas didn’t last long in Nightspyre. If an Omega didn’t find a mate themselves, then one was found for them. Didn't matter if they didn't like each other, if their scents didn't match. Having an Alpha mate was an Omega's golden ticket to a better life - or, at the very least, a larger cage where the bars weren’t so easily seen.

“Not from you,” you panted, tilting your head to grant him more access. He was still an enigma to you, so many layers left to unwrap, but you knew there was no one else in the world you wanted more as your mate than him. No one else made you feel the way he did. “It won’t hurt if it’s from you.”

His hands pinned your arms down, making you gasp, and then - then there were sharp teeth slicing through skin, biting, claiming, intertwining your lives together irreversibly.

You were his. And he was yours.

[imtryingmybeskar]

The treeeeeee! I adore it! Such a beautiful and vivid description. And generous, thoughtful Javi is wonderful! Another gorgeous strand to this immense and frankly delightful tapestry of this world you are weaving 💖

Morning Secrets

Part of the Iridescence Fictional Universe

Sparkling Embers Series

Pairing: Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader

Series Rating: M

Word Count: 2.3K

Series Summary: Reader is hired to be a house fey for the Gutierrez shelter for lesser demons, quickly becoming the designated Javi wrangler, and it's up to her to prove to the consortium that Javi and the other lesser demons shouldn't be deported to the Under Realms.

Chapter Summary: Just another day in the life of avoiding the SIEA and their restrictive laws.

[AO3]

Mornings in the Gutierrez Villa were never as silent as you wanted them to be, unfortunately, and yet every day you could only hope that maybe -just maybe- you’d be able to get a bit of time to sleep in and enjoy the room that was yours without some sort of problem popping up. Today it was the SIEA -no real surprise there- and you stared at the open window to your balcony where you could hear Javi on the phone scheduling for another inspection on the most recent shipment of spell ingredients from Ezra.

“Por favor, that is not a good time. It is too early, afternoon would be best.” The hellhound knew you cherished your mornings, the ability to wake up slow and luxuriate in bed before dragging yourself downstairs and getting your drink of choice and breakfast. It was why he was always stuck arguing with Peña or Murphy about the time they tried to come by, almost without fail they would try to gun for eight in the damn morning. You grunted and slipped out of bed, flicking your wrist to open the curtains of fully and loud enough that he’d notice.

After finishing up your morning routine you were headed for the kitchen, thanking Dahlia as she slipped a plate of breakfast onto the breakfast bar for you, and the sound of near frantic footsteps was your only warning before Javi entered the kitchen; his curls bouncing lightly as his head whipped right to where you were sitting.

“Libélula, I tried to negotiate a later hour but they weren’t going to budge. Lo siento, truly-“ You held a hand up to stop him before Javi could go into an apology spiral, one of the things you’d come to notice about the lesser demon you’d been employed by was that he abhorred interrupting anyone’s routines. Work shifts were one thing, you technically didn’t have a shift at all but in return Javi was generous with how much freedom he granted during the day for any of you to just goof off. So your morning time was as sacred to him as it was to you, which was absolutely the most darling -and unexpected- thing about Javi you’d come to learn.

“Javi, seriously, it’s alright. We aren’t due for another shipment for another five days so I’ll just take a little extra time until then. You did manage to get the Iocrethran Blaze Powder out of the shipment and over to Maggie’s, right?” At first it had been strange to find that your boss was technically smuggling illegal spell ingredients until you’d learned the importance of said ingredients, learning that those substances could be used for more than just explosives and poisons hadn’t really surprised you but it had changed your perspective enough and you genuinely enjoyed Javi as a person so it had been easy enough to trust his word.

He was nodding rapidly before you even managed to finish talking, his eyes jewel bright as he grinned, and you finished up your food before handing the plate off to Dahlia. Most of the building had been brought up to the modern era of technology -dishwashers, gas stove, good wiring, central heat and air- but as the resident house fey you still had plenty of enchantments active to handle the rest. It was one of the things Javi had appreciated the most, so he’d said, about your employment.

That and he didn’t have to beg you nearly as much as the others to sit and watch movies with him.

“Good, that way the agents can do the check and be on their way. Do you want me to meet them or-“

“No, I would like if you could check in with Maggie and ensure that the the medicines have been delivered.” Offering a salute you went back up to your room to get dressed, waving to Cage as the changeling resealed the crates of spell ingredients, that way the SIEA wouldn’t be able to tell they’d already taken some of the goods out. You greeted Iggy and the bat shifter offered a charming grin as he opened the door of the car for you, it was Javi’s insistence that you let his personal driver chauffeur you around if you had to go anywhere, and after some arguing in the beginning you’d finally relented.

Iggy passed the SIEA squad car on the way down the drive and you bit back a groan when you noticed it was Murphy and the werejaguar in the car, it was not going to be a fun time at the villa and now you knew why Javi sent you to Maggie’s instead.

“Boss man knows you don’t do good around the yelling, figured he’d save you from it today.” Iggy’s voice broke your anxiety ridden thoughts and you found yourself nodding as the bat turned off the looping road and onto the intercity highway, Maggie’s was in the heart of the shopping district so it was going to be a little bit of a ride.

“He’s sweet, I’m just glad that Ezra was able to get everything through customs. How is your wife doing with the baby?” Iggy’s face softened instantly, his oversized eyes bright as he fumbled for the small picture album in the cup holder, and you accepted it with a smile as you looked at the different images. The little one was already shifting, plenty of shots of the baby flying fox hanging from the different roosts build into the man’s home, and you couldn’t help but squeal at the little video capture of the baby bat chomping down on a banana.

“I know isn’t she just the cutest? I’ve been doting on Kirial since the delivery was so hard on her but we have Maggie to thank for how well it went, and boss man has been really lenient on making me take him places.” That was definitely a Javi move, the man had built Iggy and his family a house on the property the second he found out the bat shifter even had a wife and had been just as eager about the new baby as everyone else. Seeing all these hard ass lesser demons melt over Ellemire really truly did throw all the learned prejudices you’d once had back in your face, it was enlightening and humbling to see these scary magic-born just fall to pieces over the baby.

Goddess above, it was already a problem keeping Javi from ordering an abundance of blankets, toys, and clothes. You were a little nervous about the day he had a little one of his own to spoil. That thought was shoved immediately aside, the idea of Javi dating wasn’t one you wanted to even consider, he wasn’t even remotely close to that prospect just yet; if anything he’d likely adopt before there was a mini-Javi in the works.

Maggie greeted you like always, her body practically enveloping yours in the biggest of hugs, and the succubus made sure to kiss both your cheeks before even thinking of letting you go. The greeting Iggy got was much tamer in comparison, elbows bumping gently without too much prolonged contact, and you had to resist the urge to sigh; Iggy genuinely liked Maggie but after a mix up between a healing potion and a lust potion he was terrified to touch her for too long, Kirial hadn’t even been upset but Iggy had beat himself up over it.

“Good afternoon lovely, I was just thinking about you. I’m pleased Javi sent you to me, I have something I need to ask. Lady to lady.” Iggy glanced at you and then went out to the car, he knew about the truth of Javi’s operation but he didn’t have details and that was how he wanted to keep it, the safety of his family was priority and everyone understood that. The less he knew meant the better chances he had in the event that the SIEA did somehow find out before the legislation could get changed.

“Ask away, Maggie.”

“I’ve delivered the medicines but I think Peña was hanging around, I thought I saw him outside at the café when I left.” You bit the inside of your cheek at the news, that would certainly make sense as to why it had been Murphy and the feline in the squad car rather than Peña. One thing you’d learned was that Javier Peña hated being sidelined and if he wasn’t on sight it meant he had a lead to follow.

You closed your eyes and focused, it wasn’t nearly as easy for you being only half-pixie but illusion spells were the specialty of your mother’s people. To anyone looking in you had disappeared into the back room and Maggie chuckled as you instead ducked behind the counter, like you expected the door opened just as Maggie began sorting along the shelves and in the reflection of the re-purposed steel kitchen cabinets you saw Agent Peña lean against the glass case of quartz crystals.

“Morning Maggie.”

“Morning Javier, what can I do for you today?”

“I’ve gotta ask a couple questions, that girl your new employee?”

“Oh- no she’s a friend, she comes by from time to time and helps organize the back room for me.”

With magic you did, but he didn’t need to know that. Javier asked about where she’d gone that morning, what sort of ingredients she would have to deliver privately, and clicked his tongue when she informed him that part of her services included home deliveries of goods if paid for it. After being shown the log and registration list of people who had signed up for home deliveries, many of them older spell slingers that just couldn’t get around like they used to, the agent relented and left.

After waiting a good ten minutes you decided plenty of time passed, the illusion still going as you said your goodbyes and exited the store, and you had to resist the urge to laugh as you spotted Peña watching for you. He knew damn well who you were but trying to play innocent with Maggie was honestly kind of funny. Striding down the block and turning into a parking lot, where you spotted Iggy after he moved places, you slipped into the vehicle and offered a thumbs up.

By the time you got back to the Villa you could see Murphy and the pussycat were already gone, allowing Cage to begin packing up the rest of the goods to be sent off to Maggie, and Javi greeted you with a wide grin. Before you could tell him about Peña the hellhound ushered you toward the garden, nearly bouncing with delight, and you froze in place when you turned the corner. Framed by the sunlight, the clear sky, and the blue of the ocean was a sun-pearl tree. The leaves were a deep golden orange shade with the shimmery pearl flowers in full bloom, the bark of the tree was a deep brown with ochre swirls that looked like they could have been carved into the trunk.

“Javi this is-“

“I hired a Green Witch to plant the tree and raise it, she helped relocate it here. I hope that you can find the same comfort-“

Your arms found their way around his waist as you held back a sob, your father had planted and grown a sun-pearl tree that had been the place you two would sit and talk or spend time together every day, the tree and your father had both been lost to the fire that ravaged the garden district when Paelore went rogue and opened a portal directly to Iocrethran and several Imps had taken the chance to come through.

Javi’s arms came up to hug you very slowly, as if giving you a chance to pull away, but you hardly had a reason to. This was not at all what you’d expected when you’d told Javi about how hard the loss of your father had struck you, he’d felt somewhat responsible since it was other lesser demons to cause that loss, but you’d promised him time and time again that you didn’t blame him at all. To go this far and not only buy, but to also grow, one of the rarest trees on the Ostrean continent? For you?

“I wanted to give you a place to go when you wanted to be alone, I’ve told everyone this is your tree and went so far as to have several protection spells woven around it. You have done much to make my life easier, and accepted quite a lot of things I do that could get you in trouble. It was no big peel.”

“Big deal.” Reflexively you corrected him, the man wasn’t a native speaker of the Ostra language so he had a tendency to mix up words that sounded similar. You pulled back and looked over at the tree, it wasn’t even lunch yet and already you wanted to sit at the base of the trunk and relax with a book. Javi set something in your hands, making your eyes soften further as you held the worn copy of The Bear by Andrew Krivak that he’d definitely pinched from your bed table.

“Would you- would you like me to read to you?” Javi’s eyes widened a little and he nodded eagerly, body practically exploding into thick black smoke that reformed into his canine self, and his tail wagged as the hellhound laid at the base of the tree like an oversized pillow. You grinned and wiped the stray tear from the corner of your eye, eventually you’d have to deal with Peña’s almost catch today but you knew that there weren’t any risky ingredients coming through for another three weeks and would have plenty of time to figure something out.

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[chaoticgeminate]

Reblogging this for all the Iridescence peeps because there's ART of my amazing Hellhound Javi and ME and now I am in full Javi G simp mode again.

Sparkling Embers Masterlist

Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader

Reader is hired to be a house fey for the Gutierrez shelter for lesser demons, quickly becoming the designated Javi wrangler, and it's up to her to prove to the consortium that Javi and the other lesser demons shouldn't be deported to the Under Realms.

Main Series

Part One (504 AS) | Part Two (504AS)

Side Stories

Take a Break (504 AS)

Series Art

My Commission by @lellowberry

[imtryingmybeskar]

I am sooooo soft for this, oh my goodness!!! This is absolutely adorable and sweet and I want to go to the beach and lounge with hellhound Javi. Especially if I get to see that perfect form wet and in trunks 👀

Plus blackberry margaritas sound incredible!

Take a Break

Part of the Iridescence Fictional Universe

Sparkling Embers Series

Pairing: Hellhound!Javi G x Half-Pixie f!Reader

Rating: G (All Fluffy)

Word Count: 2K

Series Summary: Reader is hired to be a house fey for the Gutierrez shelter for lesser demons, quickly becoming the designated Javi wrangler, and it's up to her to prove to the consortium that Javi and the other lesser demons shouldn't be deported to the Under Realms.

Chapter Summary: Javi wants a beach trip and you could never say no to a day away from work.

[AO3]

The beach trip was all Javi’s idea after a very long week of dealing with the Consortium and the SEIA, luckily Ezra had managed to come through with an activity report on the status of the Demon Generals to keep the former off your backs but the latter had already held up two shipments of goods and delayed a delivery for several spell slingers. Javi had begrudgingly met with Peña, Murphy, and their were-kin field partner to clear up the confusion while you handled the Consortium; even if you had to go rescue him in the end, since the hellhound always ended up getting cagey around the jaguar.

There was a joke about cats and dogs in there somewhere but you knew better than to say it.

Sliding into your most comfortable beach attire and grabbing your usual accessories, knowing full well that Javi already had towels delivered down to the private beach for the pair of you, the foot-tapping as he waited by the main door was more than a little entertaining. He often did this, especially if he had shifted forms and was lounging around in his canine body, and it was cute as he looked up when he heard your steps on the carpeted floor of the hallway; Javi practically scampered across the main entrance to offer you his hand as you reached the last step down.

“This will be so much fun, Libélula, I’ve even had a picnic made up so we can spend more time down on the shore.”

“That’s sweet of you, Javi, thank you.”

He absolutely preened as the two of you headed out of the villa where Cage stood with the picnic basket in hand and a beach umbrella on his shoulder, the changeling looked torn between amusement and annoyance as Javi rushed you over toward where he was waiting. The hellhound set a fast pace down the walkway, his long legs helping to carry him meters ahead before he would stop to wait for you and Cage to catch up, and you ignored the low threats the man beside you was muttering as Javi bounced in place ahead of you both.

Cage snorted and nudged you with his elbow. “Just go, you and I know you’re nearly as fast as he is if you fly. I’ll catch up.” Not one to rush anything it didn’t surprise you that the changeling was urging you to go ahead of him, he also preferred his solitude where he could get it from the constant in and out of staff and guests for the villa, so you jogged ahead as the golden markings on your arms and calves began to glow. Javi’s eyes were masked by his sunglasses but you knew they were watching the glittery golden dragonfly wings that appeared on your back, your feet lifting off the ground, and he broke into a sprint to catch up to you as your body passed his.

The hellhound wasn’t slow, his long-leg stride and natural speed allowing him to catch up to you with ease, but the story changed when you both hit sand; your body sailed over to the gazebo with speed and grace, since you didn’t have to deal with the sinking and shifting of the terrain. Javi on the other hand kicked up sprays of sand, stepping out of his sandals the moment he reached the shade, and you set your canvas bag down before yelping when he thrust a bottle of sunscreen at you and wiggled it.

While it was true that neither of you were as susceptible to sunburn the hellhound refused to compromise where safety was concerned, he always applied the lotion because he expected you to and wanted it to be fair, so you took the bottle and sprayed a healthy amount into your hands as he tugged off his vibrant purple floral button-down so all he had on was his lighter purple shorts. “Turn.” Your order made him grin, your hands gliding along his skin to rub the lotion in, and you couldn’t help but sink your teeth into your lip at the feeling of his muscles under your palms; you’d never planned to develop a crush on him but he was just too sweet and had broken down all your defenses and shattered any expectations you had.

He didn’t even react when you tugged his shorts down a little to get under the band, instead he just let you finish up before taking the sunscreen from the small table and finishing the application, you tried not to watch but you did keep glancing at him while you set your phone and a book down in your preferred spot on the padded bench. “Libélula, it is your turn.” Javi wiggled his sunscreen covered fingers at you and your startled laugh turned into a snort, which sent Javi into his own bubble of laughter too, and after managing to calm down you acquiesced to his fussing.

Large hands began gliding along your skin, moving under and around the fabric to ensure the most optimal coverage, and you had to choke down a sound when he did the back of your neck with his thumbs while the rest of his fingers slid over your shoulders and brushed over your collar bones. His body behind yours was radiating heat and his breath tickled your ear as he leaned closer, the sensation making you shiver as he drew his hands back, the bottle of sunscreen set into your hands gently. “Hurry, I will give you a minute, last one in the water is a rotted egg.” He strode away like he hadn’t just short-circuited your brain and your voice was shaking as you called back to him.

But you were putting on the sunscreen.

“It’s rotten egg, Javi.”

“Forty-seconds!”

Being from the Under Realms meant he wasn’t the most updated on modern sayings, constantly getting them wrong, but it was just another cute thing he did that you really liked. Cage set down the basket and took the sunscreen from you as you handed the bottle off, knowing Javi would lose his shit if the changeling didn’t apply it, but you were already hurrying to the surf where Javi was standing just outside the reach of the tide. Javi laughed as you reached his side and you had approximately two seconds of warning before he hoisted you clean over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes, and darted into the surf as you beat the sides of your fists against his back with a shriek.

The sharp chill of the water compared to the hot sun felt good, without a doubt, but the crash of a wave hit Javi’s chest hard and he toppled; which meant you went down too. Floundering for a moment as you tried to get your bearings, and swim beyond the crash zone, you coughed slightly as you emerged from the water and looked around. “Javi?” Even with the crystal clear water you couldn’t see him, turning sharply just in case he was behind you, and he was grinning as his hair sat limp and drenched on his head.

“Sí, Libélula?”

“How did a wave overpower you?”

You had to bite back the urge to tell him he scared you, not quite ready to open that door yet, and Javi growled playfully as he flicked water at you. “I wasn’t prepared is all, but it was still fun.” He dragged his hair back out of his eyes and you kicked away to float freely, you’d have to be really meticulous about your hair later to make sure the salt water and sun didn’t cause too much damage but that was worth a vacation day in your mind. Javi’s sharp laugh as Cage made his way down broke the quiet splashing, the pair moving away from you to dunk each other and roughhouse, and you were more than prepared in case they decided to try and drag you into their game.

Neither of them did, you ended up swimming around on your own and just enjoying the water, heading to the shore and making your way over to the gazebo to catch up on your book, and you were sure an hour or two had passed when you looked up to see Javi emerge from the surf and used your book to hide the way your jaw dropped. He turned around to walk backward as Cage said something to him, bending over and shaking his head rapidly to get the water out of his hair, and you nearly bit through your lip at the sight of his ass in those wet shorts on display along with his back muscles.

Hurrying to look like you hadn’t just been ogling him when you watched him straighten up, face warm despite the cool shade of the gazebo, it was the call of your name that made you look up again as Javi hurried across the sand and stepped over to the basket so he could unpack lunch. “Don’t forget to drink some water.” He practically shoved a cool bottle in your hand, even as he pulled out the pitcher with what you knew was blackberry margarita, and you rolled your eyes at his mothering as he loaded up a plate for you.

All your favorites, though the presentation wasn’t as meticulous as Dahlia’s usual, and something about it tasted different. A good different for sure, and when you noticed Javi watching you eat the stray thought breezed through you like a sudden hurricane. Dahlia wasn’t even at the villa today, which meant she hadn’t made any of this, and you felt that heat return to your face knowing Javi had made everything. “You- you did a good job on this, everything tastes wonderful.” His smile was so bright and your heart felt like a hummingbird in your chest, the hellhound now digging into his meal.

Knowing he went this far just for you was making it hard not to just kiss the man silly.

Cage snorted and mentioned he was going back up to the villa, taking his umbrella with him and leaving you with Javi to enjoy your lunch. “I hope you know I appreciate you, the Consortium is not so… willing to listen whenever I need to directly contact them, having you here has made it much better. In everything, not just the work aspect, you bring a certain… shine to this place that I never knew it was missing.” He brushed crumbs off your lip from the sweets he’d packed when you looked up, your lashes fluttering almost instinctively, but he didn’t move to kiss you like you hoped.

Instead he chose to take you down toward the area of shallows where you could always count on finding little shells or sea glass, just pretty little things that got caught up in the rocks, and began mentioning that Azos had found an old school projector and film reel in some antique shop he wanted to try and get working since it was some sort of silent film in black and white and proposed the villa staff watch it together on a movie night.

“When we get back remind me and I’ll make a note to put it on the schedule.”

“Libélula, you always have work on the mind. I will wait until we know the projector works before I set something in brick.”

“Stone. Set in stone.”

“I knew that.”

Javi feigned offense at your laughter and ended up chasing you down the shoreline instead, only stopping when you asked if he’d build a sandcastle with you, so the two of you ended up using the food containers since he didn’t have any good buckets or molds in order to shape your castle; which he decorated using the pink mini-umbrella from the pack he’d slipped into the picnic basket in place of a flag.

After a picture of the two of you beside the castle Javi shifted forms, body practically erupting into thick black smoke that reshaped itself into his canine body, and you absently scratched behind a furry ear as you stood up. But the hellhound barked and dropped his upper body as his tail wagged, a play stance, and the pair of you ended up racing and chasing each other along the beach; you flew of course, because there was no way you could keep up with him otherwise, but it was still a lot of fun.

The sun was setting on the horizon when Javi called the day to a close, recognizing your flagging energy and drooping eyes, and he was quick to pack up the utensils and containers into the basket while telling you to begin heading up to the villa. You flew just a few centimeters above the ground and Javi was holding your hand after catching up to you, pulling you along as you yawned since days at the beach always made you tired. He said something and your reply was a low hum, earning a low chuckle, and you wanted to kiss him when he nudged you gently and reminded you to at least handle your hair before bed.

He even pulled you up the stairs to your room, stepping inside and smiling softly as your feet touched down on the carpet, and Javi squeezed your wrist gently before letting go and wishing you a good night. You showered as quickly as you could, though you didn’t rush through your hair routine, and after putting on your lotion and sleep clothes you were more than ready to fall face-first into your mattress.

A single flower vase was sitting on your nightstand, the glittery pink ribbon around it had a card, and you sniffed the peony before looking at the card.

Dinner and a movie next weekend?

You laughed gently and got up, grabbing one of your little stationary cards and writing out your positive answer along with your movie request, and you made sure to fly so he wouldn’t hear your footsteps as you drew near his door. He must have been waiting, the door shooting open, and you handed him your reply and watched his cheeks brighten. “This can be arranged, easy squeezy.” You chuckled softly.

“Easy peasy.”

“That’s what I said.”

You opened your mouth to protest and were cut off with a kiss, it was quick and chaste and sudden with him pulling away as fast as he initiated it, and Javi’s eyes searched your face. Big, round, puppy eyes that never failed to make you melt and you reached up to kiss him again. “No chaperones next weekend.” Your order made him chuckle.

“Libélula, there’s no way I’m allowing Cage anywhere near the theater room next weekend now that you’ve kissed me.”

Javi kissed your nose, peppering sweet kisses against your cheeks, and he hugged you close before drawing back. “I think it is best you get off to bed before our early morning conference.” Once again reminded that there was work to be done you could only nod, heading back to your room with a smile, and as you closed the door behind you nothing stopped you from doing a victory dance and crawling into bed with the added knowledge that Javi was yours.

You weren’t at all surprised to wake up with his canine form sleeping across your feet the following morning.

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