#hels is here too i guess

[bork-pog]

Doodle dump :]

[axelsagewrites]

Aegon Targaryen*Daughter

Pairing: aegon x mum!reader

Word count: 1904

Warnings: unexpected pregnancy, aegon having a bad reaction, absent father, mentions of alcholism and drug abuse, mentions of birth/morning sickness, aegon coming back

Part one here or read alone

Masterlist Here

“Pregnant? You can’t be- you’re not- how?” you sat back as Aegon shot up from your bed, instantly pacing the bedroom as he tried to come to terms with it. you couldn’t blame him you suppose. After all you’d spent a whole week trying to convince yourself it was a lie and your roommate had to literally slap some sense into you. “But we were so safe?”

“Condoms aren’t perfect I guess,”

“But you were on the pill,”

“Its only like 90 something percent effective, look I don’t know,” you let out an exasperated sigh as Aegon looked at you with eyes bulging out his skull.

He walked over and picked up the test, “Maybe you did it wrong,”

“I didn’t do it wrong Aegon I did 20 of them!” you snapped, instantly regretting it as he sunk down on the bed next to you.

You went to speak but he finally broke the silence but broke your heart at the same time, “You’re getting rid of it right?” ‘it’. the words hit like a brick colliding with glass.

“I hadn’t decided yet,” you admitted in a quite voice but loud enough for Aegon to rub his hands over his eyes before dropping his head between his knees, “But we’ll figure it out Aegon. We’ll make it work,” you told him, trying to rub his back but he snapped back up.

“Maybe you can,” he said, his voice cracking, “Not me. I can’t be a dad. Look at me!” he said, standing up and pointing to himself like he was an exhibition, “I am a fucking mess I can’t raise a kid! Ill break it!” he said as he started to pace again.

“They’re not it!” you yelled back standing up too.

“Don’t yell at me!” he screamed as he turned around, his eyes instantly softening when he saw you stepping back, “I’m so- “

“Get out,” you managed to grit out through clenched teeth, “You don’t get to talk to me like that. Leave. Now,”

Aegon paused, his hand half reached out to try comfort you before he sighed and turned around. He headed to the door with his head hung low, “If you need me to go to the doctors- “he started to mumble as he reached for the door handle.

“I won’t need you. ever. You’ve made that clear enough,” you forced the words out your mouth even though they burned you to even saw them. You saw his heart shatter, but you didn’t care as you laid a hand on your stomach.

-

Telling your parents was defiantly not something you looked forward to. You told your best friend Heleana first who offered to fly out the next weekend to see you, but you insisted you were fine. She however insisted on being there to tell your parents to make sure you were okay. the whole time you refused to tell her who the father was.

“Who’s the dad?” your mother asked after a very long and teary-eyed conversation.

Your eyes wandered to Heleana. She reached for your hand and tried to say something, but you cut her off, “I’m so sorry Hel,” you whispered making her tilt her head. You cleared your throat and spoke up so they could all hear, “Its Aegon,”

Heleana’s grip on your hand loosened as her eyes fell to the floor. For a moment you thought you’d lost her too btu then you felt her hand squeeze yours again, “What did he say?” she asked but she could tell from the look on your face, “I will fucking kill him,”

-

It was the first time you’d heard her swear but not the last time it was brought up when discussing Aegon. You ended up telling her the full story later that night and she was ready to fly out and kill him. the only issue was no one knew where he was. Alicent was used to that by now though you could see it begin to weigh on her know he’d been gone for 3 months.

You however were now 4 months pregnant, postponing school, and unable to hide it any longer. “Alicent?” you asked as you awkwardly shuffled into the room with Aemond and Heleana behind you as backup. Aemond had sussed it out pretty quickly though was equally shocked by the father when you told him.

Alicent smiled at you from where she sat on the sofa reading her novel, “Is everything alright dear?”

“I need to tell you something,”

-

Alicent was silent as she processed it all before suddenly taking your hands with a teary smile but a happy one still, “Thank you for telling me sweetheart. Its going to be okay,” And for a while it was. Well, if you didn’t mind the morning sickness and ballooning to the size of a small house. That and still no one had heard from Aegon.

Heleana had helped pick out the decorations for the nursery in your new flat. Yes, a new flat paid for by Alicent. Well technically it was one of her rentals she had inherited when her father died but she decided to let you live there free of charge as well as telling you she’d help out when you decided to go back to school.

Aemond helped you get a job in the restaurant he’d been at for years and even though working as a waitress could be draining at the best of times you knew it would be worth it. especially now you were holding your daughter in your arms.

She was adorable with tuffs of blonde, white hair covering her perfect head. She was such a giggly baby, always gurgling away with a smile. Heleana had to go back to university, but Alicent made sure to adjust her schedule to have the baby when you were at work. Everything was finally feeling good again.

“Hush little baby doesn’t say a word,” you whisper sang to your baby as your nighttime routine with her, but she was already out from a long day at the park with her gran. As you laid her in her crib you heard the doorbell ring.

You froze, watching your daughter who initially stirred but luckily didn’t wake. You quickly padded to the front door, shutting the room to the nursery as you did. when you looked through the peep hole you felt your stomach tighten but still you reached for the door handle.

“Aegon?” you asked as he began to turn and walk away, probably assuming you weren’t in.

He spans back around, “Hey. I- “he began to stutter, “My brother said I could find you here,” you mentally cursed Aemond but stayed standing in the doorway, “I needed to talk to you,”

“Maybe I don’t want to talk to you,”

You saw the hurt in his eyes, but you didn’t care. well at least you tried not to. “I should go,” he muttered, turning to leave once more.

You sighed. Even if you hated him for what he said he was still your daughter’s father, “Wait!” you called out, wincing at the noise you made. Aegon turned back, “Come in,” you sighed.

He walked in in silence, sitting down on the couch you pointed him to as you sat in your armchair. You turned to the table beside you and flicked the baby monitor on. “How is she?” Aegon broke the silence with his head hanging low.

“She’s okay,” you paused but decided to go on, “She’s got your hair but my eyes and all she ever does is laugh,”

“Just like you then?” Aegon smiled softly, looking up as for the first time in a year you shared a smile with him, “I’m sorry. For what I said, for even thinking it,��� he began, the smile fading, “I fucked up. Nothing I can say will fix it and I don’t think ill ever make it up to you,” he took a deep breath before continuing, “But I won’t be my father. I don’t want to only see her at Christmas and sign some cheque to pretend I care. I want to be there for her, and you. if you’ll let me,”

He said it so sincerely, but you couldn’t help the pit in your stomach, “What if you leave again?” you whispered. “I didn’t even know where you went,”

“I won’t,” he said firmly, “I know I fucked up. That night I left, and I ended up back at square one. Maybe less than one. All I remember is me leaving then waking up in a field surrounded by broken bottles. I couldn’t face you after. Not after how hard you worked to help me,”

“I kept it up for a bit, the drinking. Bounced around some houses sleeping on couches. Drank myself to sleep every night,” he continued his ramble, all while his eyes stared at the empty ground, “Then one night I was drunk again at a party and some guy offered me something. I almost took it. but something just snapped,”

“I checked myself into rehab the next day. Aemond’s been helping me, but he refused to tell me anything about you or well her. I couldn’t blame him. I was there for about four months. Got sober. Got better. Got another therapist. Ended up getting some jobs here and there. I work down at the Carstark Warehouses. Pays not much but enough to get by,”

Aegon paused again and finally looked up, “I really am sorry. I don’t expect you to forgive me or feel bad, but I am sorry,” he said as he pulled an envelope out his pocket, “Take it,”

“I don’t need your money,”

Aegon sighed as he leaned forward and held it out to you. hesitantly you took it. inside was letters though. You pulled them out. At least thirteen of them, you weren’t too sure as your eyes began to well up. Some were to you, but most was to your daughter. “I brought this too,” he said making you look up.

He was holding a white plush bunny, your favourite animal, with a bow on its neck. “I got it when I saw my mums post on Facebook with the baby. I thought she should have it,” he said as he reached out to give it to you.

You shook your head this time, “No. you should give it to her. not me,” you said as you stood up, “You want to see her?”

Aegon shot out his seat, rubbing the sweat of his palms on his jeans, “Yeah course,”

You nodded as you led him to her nursery, “She’s asleep so you need to be quiet. I don’t want to wake her,” Aegon nodded as you creeped the door open.

Together you both walked in and for a moment before you turned around you thought he might run away again. However, when you turned and saw his awestricken face staring at your daughter you somehow knew he wouldn’t. he tenderly walked over to the crib, a tear trickling down his cheek as he held the crib by its rails. “I can’t believe I missed her being here,” he whispered so softly you barely heard him.

“You’re here now,” you whispered back, rubbing a hand on one of his shoulders while leaning on the others. “Just please don’t leave again,”

“I won’t. I’m never going anywhere again,”

General taglist: @strvngestark @headinfantasy @meg-ro @427120lxld @obx-josie18 @ravenmoore14 @tessakate @justtilly @jjkjbhj @clairacassidy @valeskafics @meg-ro

HOTD taglist @jmii722 @hypocritic-trash-baby @starkleila @jacesvelaryons @sashadevil766

Part One Tags: @heavenly1927 @aemonds-holy-milk

[petew21-blog]

Swap your face

I woke up to the sound of a masculine voice above me

"It's good to see you're awake, Mr. Robinson. I'm Dr. Brown. How are you feeling?"

I opened my eyes. Confused by the sudden abundance of bright light. Then I noticed a handsome man in a white doctor's coat.

"What happened?" I asked with a wheezy voice from the dry throat.

"You got into a car crash and have been in this hospital for a few days. All your vitals are stable. What do you remember?"

"I'm not sure to be honest. I remember walking through the school corridor with my friend Archie. Then he told me he would get me home. And then I remember waking up here. Nothing between that."

"Your friend got out of the car crash unharmed and has been visiting you every afternoon. Checking on you. He will be very glad to see you awake."

"Can you... water... please" my throat was hurting from all the sudden talking and now coughing and choking.

It seemed to surprise the doctor. He started nervously looking for something to drink and finally noticed a kettle with tea and a glass. I must have scared him pretty hard cause while he ran to give me the glass he spilled it all on himself. He murmured something and then got me a newly filled glass. He then took of his wet and stained coat.

"Sorry for that. Don't know what got into me. How is your throat? Feeling better?"

I calmed him by speaking up, but he still checked my throat and used his stethoscope. This was the closest to such a hot man touching me I have ever experienced. What a manly face. Such a beautiful beard.

"All looks good. Now, I am leaving for vacation tomorrow and my shift is about to end now. I'll hand over your care to some other doctor, but I promise you they'll take great care of you."

He then rushed out of the room. What I noticed after a while was his coat lying on the chair. Hmmm. Maybe I could try it on, just for fun.

I got out of bed. Took the coat and took it with me to the bathroom. I put it on while looking at myself in the mirror and imagined me looking like him. His wavy hair. Big manly nose. Scratchy beard.

And then. Something started happening. A tingling feeling, turned into a sudden pain and then warmth all over my body. I tried to understand what just happened. But in the blink of an eye my vision change from my reflection to something undistinguishable and then into Dr. Brown.

I stood there mesmerized. And the reflection of Dr. Brown was shocked just the same. My left hand waved and so did his. I opened my mouth and he did the same. I tried to say hello ending up with "Hel.." coming out as a manly sound of the voice of my doctor leaving just a few minutes ago.

Then I took in the dact that I shapeshifted into my doctor. "Holy shit. I'm a doctor now! No. I am a sexy doctor."

No tíme to spare. I turned on the water of the bath in my bathroom. As the water kept filling the bath, I took of the robe. Looked in the mirror again. Nothing changed. With a big smile on my face, I went into the bath. Forgetting that I was full clothed.

"This is so fucking gooood. I am a man. Not a teenager anymore. My new dick was so throbing hard. I held it over my boxers and kept touching and squeezing everything that got in the way of my hand. I just enjoyed the warmth of the water over my manly body.

"Are you ok doctor?" a nurse came in with a surprised look on her face

"What? Ah. Eh. Oh yeah. Everything is fine. I just had to... Do you need me for something right now?" I tried not to explain what I just did to not get myself and Dr. Brown in trouble. Too late I guess

"Ok... well, where the patient from this room is? And then I need you to hand over the paperwork to Dr. Manfeld before you leave for holiday. Also. Your pager, phone and wallet have been found in the intern locker room. "

"Yeah. The... uh... patient woke up and has a visit from his friend. I checked him and his vitals were fine so I told him to take a short walk. I'll give you everything needed you mentioned. And Thank you"

The nurse looked at me strangely and then left.

I got out of the bath. Dried myself a went straight to the locker room. Found clothes wuth the name tag Dr. Brown. Yeah, these clothes fit much nicer than before. I took the belongings and put them in my pants. I stood in front of the mirror a started making goofy faces at myself. "I'm the sexiest doctor with a big cock! I'm gonna cum so hard" I said to my reflection. What made this moment kinda unpleasant was the fact that I didn't notice a bunch pf interns changing behind me.

"Are you feeling ok Dr.?" asked me the hot, tall, shirtless one. Man I have to make them scared of me. I'm their boss after all.

"What are you looking at? Have you finished everything you were supposed to? Or is standing around here and watching me more beneficial?"

They just ran away in fear. Man this is fun. Maybe I could take some of the bigger guys clothes with me just to try if the power still works on other clothes. I put his shir from the locker in my bag and left.

While walking out of the hospital the phone rang. "Yeah, Da.... Brown speaking"

"Dr. You won't believe what happened. We found the patient and he was wandering around and claiming to be you. We got him sedated and in bed. Maybe there will be more neurological damage than you thought? Sorry for the assumption. I'll let the other doctor know. Enjoy your vacation"

"What. The. Fuck. So, not only I shifted into Dr. Brown. He shifted into me as well? So I can basically swap bodies by wearing a piece of clothing with someone? Man. That's brilliant"

I took off my shirt, enjyoing such the view of my chest and proceeded to walk through the alley heading to Archie. He's gonna be mind blown

1 hour later I was standing in Archie's room. Explaining everything. He didn't believe at first, but after saying some stuff only I knew, he believed. I let him touch my new chest, which helped a bit to calm him down.

"That's really cool, bro. So he has your body now in the hospital and you're here in his body. Wow. What do you think that caused it?"

"Don't know and don't really care as long as the power works."

"So you're gonna swap with other people now? How does it work then? Does Dr. Brown turn back into himself or does he change back and your own body will swap with the next person you swap with?"

"Well, how about we find out?"

I took off his shirt he was wearing, smiled and put it on.

A moment of waiting. Then the same feeling as before came and suddenly I was a bit shorter, paler and weaker. In front of me was sitting Dr. Brown with a huge smile on his face.

"Holy shit dude. We can swap bodies with anybody. But you just lost your dream body to me. Don't you want it back?"

"Nah. I wanna explore it from a different point of view now. Besides. I already got a body in mind I can get."

[profound-imagination]

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - Azriel Shadowinger

A/N: Guess who's back? It's me! Should I be packing up to move house right now? Yes, yes I should. Am I? No, no I'm not.

I hope you enjoy this, Azriel does not come off well.

W/C: 4.2K

Azriel hated himself on a good day. Today, today he absolutely loathed himself. He knew how much she cared for him, hel, how much she loved him, that had made his job easier in the beginning, when Rhys had first sent him here as a spy. “It’ll be easy, Az,” Rhys had said, “She's already smitten with you, you’ll be able to walk right into the palace under the guise of courting her and she’ll ensure you have a room and you’re treated as an honoured guest!” Azriel had to agree, it would be easy. She had made it so painfully obvious from the day they had met.  

They had grown closer over the months he’d spent on the Continent with her. She had even gone as far as to source creams for his scars. “I know they won’t be as fancy as the Fae ones you probably use, but the man at the apothecary said they were the best for burns!” She had told him bashfully with a blush crawling over her cheeks. His shadows immediately moving to soothe them without their master's permission. He smiled down at her gently, playing the part he had been assigned, “Thank you, my love, what a thoughtful gift.” He said as he lifted one of her perfect hands to his mouth. Her smile was dazzling. Little did she know he spent his nights at home, in Prythian, an arm wrapped around another woman as they slept or danced or ate with their family.  

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you!” She was breathless as she approached him in the garden. Azriel having just landed in the furthest part of it. “Here I am!” He smiled down at her, she linked their arms and continued to walk alongside him, “There’s to be a ball! For my 21st Birthday, Father has sent invites all over, even to your family in Prythian!” She beamed up at him, as if inviting his family was the best thing to ever happen. Did she really not know the depths of her father's depravity? “That’s wonderful, I’m sure they’d love to attend, Rhysand does love a party.” He told her, “I’m nervous to see them again,” she confessed, “It’s so different now than it was when I last met them.” He patted her hand gently, “You have no reason to be nervous my love, they’ll adore you as I do.” Her eyes sparkled at his comment, and she preened from the compliment. He was never going to forgive himself.  

Cassian and Rhys flanked him as he waited at the bottom of the stairs for her. “You’ve told her, you’ve told Elain?” Rhys nodded, “Yes, she knows the part you are playing here and knows what to expect to see tonight.” Azriel nodded stiffly at his brother once and focused back on the staircase. She looked like an angel floating down the stairs towards him. An angel and a demon he mused to himself. “I’ve never seen a human look so beautiful.” He said to his brothers quietly, “Feyre did.” Cassian snorted a laugh at the High Lord, “Feyre was covered in worm shit and the mating bond was there.” Rhys elbowed him in response, “Both of you stop it!” Azriel hissed at his brothers, “This is her night.” Both brothers held their hands up in surrender. He took a step forward as she approached the bottom of the stairs. His shadows raced to meet her & danced around her in a way he had never seen. “You look resplendent, my love.” He told her as she took his offered hand. “Thank you, you too,” she said, a blush across her cheeks again, two shadows broke off from their dance to soothe her cheeks. “I mean, handsome! You look very handsome tonight Azriel, not that you do not always look handsome- “Cassian’s laugh cut her off and she blushed even harder.  

“You remember my brothers, Rhysand and Cassian?” Azriel introduced. “Of course,” she smiled at the two males and dropped into a courtesy that Azriel quickly pulled her up from. “It is your night, you bow to no one tonight, my love.” He told her, “But Azriel,” she protested, “He’s a High Lord!” Azriel shook his head, “Not tonight, tonight, he’s just Rhysand, my brother.” Rhys met her eyes and nodded, “Okay,” she smiled at them both, “It’s lovely to see you both again, did you bring your wives? I would so love to see them again!” She rambled, “Nes and Feyre are here,” Cassian told her, “As is Mor and Lucien and Elain & I think Eris is here to somewhere.” Azriel tensed at the mention of Elain’s name, and she shot him a questioning look that he shrugged off. Rhysand sauntered forward before Cassian could continue to talk and offered her his arm, “Shall we?” He purred at her & with a reassuring nod from Azriel she took the High Lords arm and allowed him to escort her into her birthday ball. Azriel took a deep breath and followed, steeling himself for what he was about to do.  

Azriel watched as Rhys spun her round the dance floor, smiling at the sight of his brother and the woman that he was supposedly courting. “She looks happy.” Elain’s words pulled him from his thoughts, his shadows abandoning him completely, in favour of the human dancing with his brother. He hummed in agreement, “Will you be coming home tonight?” She asked, Azriel met her doe eyes, the expression in them begging him to go with her. “Not tonight,” he said quietly. Elain’s face faltered and then she spoke again. “Why do they do that? Your shadows I mean? They seem to adore her but yet completely disappear when I’m around, as if they hate me.” He faced her, “I don’t know, they talk to me yes, but they don’t tell me their own motives if they don’t want too.” She searched his eyes and upon finding nothing there, she said, “You should get back to her.” And with that she vanished into the crowd.  

Azriel forced a smile onto his face as he approached them and bowed to Rhysand, “Mind if I cut in?” He asked, Rhys smirked at him, enjoying Azriel’s display more than he should. Azriel took a note to give him shit for that later as Rhys passed her hand into Azriel’s ruined one. He pulled her into his chest as he began to dance to the song, he knew Feyre had ensured would play and she beamed up at him. “You’re a wonderful dancer.” She said quietly, “I just have a wonderful partner.” He replied without missing a beat as he spun her. “Azriel?” He hummed at her to continue, “Will you leave here soon?” She asked bashfully, “Why do you ask, my love?” He spun her again as the song was reaching its end, “I just, you must miss your family, and despite your smiles and efforts, this is not your home, is it? It never will feel like your home, will it?” Gods, she was setting him up perfectly for what was coming next, and she didn’t even know it. The song ended and Azriel could hear Rhysand in his head telling him it was time as he dropped to one knee in front of her. She gasped but he started talking, “My love, my wonderful little human, my home is wherever you are, I would be the luckiest male on any continent if you would do me the greatest honour of being my wife?” He asked as gently as he could, looking in her eyes the entire time and he hated himself as he watched them fill with tears. He knew all she had ever wanted was someone to sweep her off her feet and that is exactly what he had done. She sniffled, once, twice, then let out a watery laugh as she threw herself towards him. “Of course I will! Yes Azriel, I will marry you!” He stood, bringing her with him wrapped in his arms as he spun them in a circle & over her head, he watched Elain slip from the party.  

Feyre was fawning over the ring he had given her, despite it being one that came from Feyre’s own jewellery box. Azriel stood with his brothers, “She’s never going to forgive this.” He told them both. Rhysand raised an eyebrow at him, “Which beautiful lady are we talking about?” Azriel sighed, “Y/N.” He said, “Elain knew what was coming tonight, but we need to find her, I saw her leave.” Cassian put a hand on Azriel’s shoulder, “Go, we can keep Y/N busy while you find her.” Azriel smiled gratefully at his brother as Rhysand called Eris over. “Congratulations, Shadowsinger.” The newly crowned High Lord of Autumn crooned, “Not that you deserve her, I see right through this plan, Rhysand, so what do you need me for, I wonder?” Eris had always been too smart for his own good. Azriel was sure Eris was where Lucien got it from. “Right now,” Rhysand gritted out, “I need you to dance with her, keep her busy for a little while.” Eris nodded once, “I can do that, but for the record, I am against using a woman like this, especially one so young and clearly smitten, she's innocent and she doesn’t deserve to have her feelings played with like this.” Rhys nodded back, “Noted.”  

“I still find it hard to believe he wants me, boring human me!” You gushed to Feyre who beamed at you, “Why wouldn’t he?” She laughed. “Why wouldn’t he indeed?” A voice crooned from behind you, and you turned and then let out a squeak, dropping into a courtesy, “High Lord, how lovely to see you again!” He smiled and pulled a small, wrapped box out of his pocket, “Happy Birthday, Y/N.” He said, taking your hand and placing the box in it. “Thank you, High Lord, it is very kind of you to get me a gift when your presence here is honour enough.” He smiled gently, “It’s just Eris, and it is me who is honoured to be able to share in not only your birthday celebration, but it would seem your engagement as well, now open your present and honour me with a dance?” You giggled and opened the parcel and, in the box, sat a beautiful silver necklace with a teardrop pendant hanging from it, the size of your thumb nail. Contained in the pendant, a singular flame.  

“I do not know if you remember your father bringing you to visit Autumn when you were a child, but I remember your visit. You were captivated by the forests, the trees, and the wildlife, so much so you wondered off one evening and I, knowing my father would blame me for you being missing, frantically came after you. When I found you, you’d been cornered by one of our nastier creatures and in my panic I sent my flames straight towards it, well that was it, you weren’t phased by nearly being eaten by a monster, you just wanted to know more about my fire so I sat in that clearing with you and I showed you and I told you-,” you cut him off “Even the smallest flame can start a blaze.” Eris smiled and nodded, and then you gasped. “Is this? Is this one of your flames?” He nodded again, “To keep you safe and to guide your way if you’re ever lost in the darkness.” You grinned at him, “Thank you, Eris, this is the most thoughtful and wonderful gift I’ve ever been given!” He snorted a laugh, “Remind me to rub it in the Shadowsingers face that he proposed but my gift was still better. You rolled your eyes at him, “Would you like to dance?” he almost purred, “I would love to!” You grinned and allowed him to sweep you into a dance.  

Eris was the best dance partner you had ever had. He was graceful and accurate in his movements as he guided you around the floor. You couldn’t help the smile that was spread across your face as he span and dipped you. His gentle laughter filling your ears. “Do you all move so gracefully?” You asked as he span you back into his chest, he grinned, “I’m 538, I've had years to practice.” He said and your smile fell a little, “I, I don’t have that kind of lifespan, I’ll be lucky to see 100. Why would he put himself through that?” You asked quietly, thinking about how many of your lifetimes Azriel had already lived. Eris’s thumb came up and soothed the frown in your brow. “Because you’re the most captivating little human I’ve ever met, he is an incredibly lucky bastard to get to call you, his wife. If I was him, I’d be honoured to spend whatever time we had together.” Your face softened, “Really?” He smiled again, “I’m positively green with jealousy.” His words poured over you like honey, smooth and sweet and you snorted a laugh quietly. “I think I need a drink.” You told him and Eris nodded, leading you from the dance floor, “I’ll be right back with that drink.” He said and you nodded your thanks at him, looking around the room for your fiancé who was nowhere to be seen.  

You did however see Feyre and Rhysand having some kind of discussion in the corner, Rhys’ nod towards the door was enough to tell you where Azriel had gone. He had left the party and you moved across the room to go and check on him, you knew these events were loud and often overwhelming for not only him but his shadows as well. You slipped out of the room unseen. You wandered down hallways a love drunk smile on your face. You weren't sure how a plain human such as yourself had caught the eye of the elusive Shadowsinger but you had, and you wouldn’t ever take it for granted. A singular little shadow raced towards you, you smiled at it, raising your hand so it could dance between your fingers as you had learned they liked to do. It danced through your fingers happily for a moment or two before racing down the hallway again and waiting for you at the end. You laughed quietly to yourself, never understanding how anyone could ever fear the shadows that had never been anything but playful towards you. You caught up with it, allowing it to hide itself on your shoulder, tangled in your hair and you continued to walk, it seemed your little friend had been sent to bring you somewhere and you grinned at Azriel’s thoughtfulness.  

You turned a final corner, your grin making your cheeks ache and then your world imploded. Azriel had his back to you, his wings splayed out behind him, but you spotted the arms around his neck and the legs wrapped around his waist, feet locked at the base of his wings. The shoes that were discarded behind him you recognised, you had been gushing to their owner earlier about how beautiful they were, and they had promised to send you a pair as a birthday gift. “I love you.” He was murmering between kisses as you watched, frozen in place, his hips moving in lazy thrusts. “I love you so much, Elain.” She was clawing at his back; one had moving up and down the apex of his left wing as he shuddered. A majority of his shadows were nowhere to be seen, a handful had remained and were hissing at the one hidden in your hair, that lone little shadow had picked you to be loyal to rather than its master. Tears spilled out of your eyes just as a hand wrapped over your mouth and another around your stomach and pulled you backwards into a warm solid chest. Darkness filled the hallway, and those hands span you and pressed you into the wall, their chest pressing into your back.  

“Azriel!” Rhsyand growled and you watched as High Lord pulled his brother away from Elain. “Right yourself!” Nesta hissed at her sister. It was Eris who had you pressed against the wall, and he gently pulled you away from it but didn’t move more than a step away from you. Wildfire danced in his eyes as he stared at the Shadowsinger with contempt. You took a deep breath and turned to face what was behind you. “Y/N,” Azriel said quietly, taking a step towards you and you took a step backwards, as did Eris in turn. “No.” You said your voice not as strong as you wanted it to be. The pendant warmed on your clavicle. “I’m here. I’ve got you.” It seemed to say. “Why?” Was all you asked. Azriel looked to Rhysand, the two of them having a silent conversation. “Out loud.” Eris ground out. “The lady has been hurt enough don’t you think?” Rhysand levelled him with a look before he began to speak. “We received word, your father has a plot, one that endangers our people, not just those of the Night Court but all Courts, I know this is hard to believe for you, but your father, he’s-” You cut him off. “You think I don’t know what kind of man my father is?!” You hissed and Rhys continued talking, explaining your fathers plot. Your stomach turned and the tears continued to fall. You couldn't hear much over the thumping of your crumbling heart. “Was any of it true?” You asked Azriel, interrupting Rhys again. He shook his head, “I’m so sorry, I-” You didn’t hear the rest of his sentence as you turned and ran. “Why didn’t you stop her?!” Rhys snapped at who you assumed was Eris. “I told you; I don’t stand for using innocents like this.” He said coldly, absentmindedly pressing a hand to his chest to alleviate the tightness that had appeared there in the last few moments.  

You ran, and ran, and ran. You had headed straight for the lawns and the forest beyond. Your shoes had been lost long ago but you barely registered your bleeding feet or the forest floor that was cutting into them. Your head was spinning, none of it was real. Azriel had played you and played you well. You didn’t see it coming, just like you didn’t see the slope before you plunged down it. Branches and thorns scraped at your body and face as you tumbled. All air hit your lungs as you collided with an ancient oak tree, your teeth rattling as you came to a stop and your vision blurred. It was only then you realised how cold it was and how hurt you were, your ankle sitting at an awkward angle. Whimpering as you tried to stand you realised the gravity of the situation you were in but still, compared to going back to the Manor you were more than content to sit there and grieve your short-lived engagement. You weren’t sure how long you had sat against that tree, staring at the beautiful ring Azriel had given you, the ring that rightly belonged to Elain you supposed.  

You couldn’t pinpoint when you fell asleep, but you’d never forget waking up. Surrounded by men. Swallowing thickly you took them in, all much bigger than you and staring down at you like you were prey. “Ello darling, nice sleep?” The ringleader questioned. You didn’t answer him. “He asked you a question.” His second in command sneered. “I fell.” Was all you said. “You fell?” The third laughed, “Figured with your pretty dress you’d be at the party.” The leader spoke again. “Thank them for checking on you and leave.” You gasped at Eris’ voice filled your head. The three men studied you in turn. “I was, I should be getting back, thank you for checking on me.” You said, much stronger than you felt. “What’s the hurry?” The third asked. “Seems like a boring political party if you ask me.” The second added on. You tried to push to your feet and winced at the pain that shot through your ankle. “Hurt yourself?” The leader smirked. “Break the necklace.” Eris’ voice again, “I just twisted my ankle, I’m fine.” You said, “Y/N!” Eris was beginning to get louder in your head. The leader smirked at his companions, stepping towards you. “What are you holding there?” He asked, you hadn't realised that you were subconsciously holding the necklace Eris had given you. “Tell them it’s nothing, just a silly heirloom.” Eris sounded panicked now. “Just a silly little heirloom.” You rushed out. “Let me see?” He said, it wasn’t really a question. He knocked your hand out of the way and pulled the necklace from your neck. Eris growled in your head as you flinched. The leader observed the necklace with distain and launched it towards the trunk of a nearby tree where the pendant shattered, the small flame igniting from it. The men paid it no mind.  

The leader stepped towards you and you whimpered as you retreated a step. “I need you to fight.” Eris spoke clearly. “Scratch, bite, kick, just fight Y/N.” Eris told you, but you had already made a mistake, you were pinned. The leader's hands pawed at you. “Please, don’t.” You begged, he just laughed. Ripping the bodice of your dress as his companions closed in. “Such a pretty little thing, out here all alone.” The second crooned, “Lucky for us.” The third added. “What makes you think she’s alone?” Eris’ voice filled the tree, the leaves rustling around. “I suggest you back away and unhand the lady before I kill you where you stand.” He said, his voice full of authority. The leader shoved you backwards as he turned. “You’re just one man.” He sneered at Eris, who laughed. “I’m no man.” He said, you could see nothing but the wildfire in his eyes shining in the darkness as he stepped out of the trees. “I’m a male and you do not want to fight me. I’m trying to do you a favour, one that you do not deserve but I don’t want to frighten the lady.” The leader nodded to his companions, who drew their swords. “She was asking for someone to find her.” The leader scoffed. “Out here all alone, dressed like that.” Eris seemed to grow taller at his words. “No female ever asks for a male like you to touch her against her will.” He growled. “Where I’m from you’d lose a hand or worse for that. Leave or you will die.” The leader drew his sword and his companions advanced on Eris. “Death it is then.” Eris said with a humourless laugh. He wasted no time; he didn’t even engage them in sword play. He simply winnowed behind each one and slit their throats before wiping his dagger on the leader's trousers and sheathed it on this thigh. 

“Are you okay?” He asked coming towards you slowly as to not scare you. “My necklace.” You said sadly, “They broke my beautiful necklace.” He smiled at you soft, “Don’t worry about the necklace. I’ll get you another one.” He said, his tone gentle as he removed his jacket and wrapped it around you to cover where they had ripped your dress. You couldn’t find it in you to be embarrassed. “But the little flame-” He cut you off, “Will be more than happy to go back into a pendant around your throat.” He said, showing you the little flame dancing through his fingers. You smiled at it sadly. “I’m sorry you got thrown at a tree.” You told it quietly and without Eris commanding the little flame to or before he could even stop it, the flame had jumped from his fingers and was gently brushing against your cheek. It wasn’t hot, nor did it burn, it was warm, comforting even and it removed the sadness from your smile. “Can you walk?” He asked and you shook your head no. “Okay, I’m going to carry you, is that alright?” He asked “Yes,” you said quietly. “That’s okay.” He swept you up into his arms and began walking back to the Manor. “I don’t want to face him, I’m so embarrassed, I was such a fool.” You told Eris. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.” He told you. “If he says anything to you or even so much as approaches you, I’ll turn him to ash.” You giggled at his words. “I don’t want to stay here, not with my father.” You admitted, the first time you had said such words to anyone. “Then we’ll see about you coming to Autumn with me.” He said and you gasped quietly, “Really?” He nodded, “If it is where you want to go, then yes, I will take you back with me.” You curled further into his chest. “I would very much like to come with you.” You muttered, his natural heat making you sleepy. “Then it shall be done, but let's get your ankle looked at and healed first.”  

[sagencelestient]

Love in the Storm

⋆☆.⭒.~~Genre: Smut!

afab!virgin!reader x dom!Scaramouche (Not wanderer, but they're basically the same person)

⋆☆.⭒.~~Warnings: Fingering(?), Giving head, Intercourse, and some degradation

-⋆☆.⭒.~⋆☆.⭒.~⋆☆.⭒.~⋆☆.⭒.~⋆☆.⭒.~⋆☆.⭒.~-

You definitely didn’t think this was how you were going to spend the night. You listened to howling winds and the absolute pouring rain that was outside the small cave you and Scaramouche found. The storm didn’t show any signs of stopping, so you and him were definitely going to be stuck in here for some time.

The fact that you thought that everything was going to be fine too! You and Scaramouche were paired up for a mission before all this happened… Well, the only thing you can do is to wait it out.

You were very ill-prepared for this, as your bag had a limited amount of food, and the clothes you were currently wearing weren’t the best choice for the rapidly dropping temperatures of the cave. And with no means to light a fire, your only choice was to pace in circles to try and conserve as much heat as you can.

“My god, COULD YOU STOP WALKING AROUND?!” Scaramouche chided, “Your footsteps are getting annoying. Just sit still. Are you really that pathetic as to not even be able to stay still for a few minutes?”

“I’m just trying to keep warm, okay!?” You shot back at him. The cold was getting on your nerves, and he would soon be too.

You continued to walk around, ignoring what he said earlier.

“When’s this rain going to be over anyway? This is wasting my time. And you’re making the time pass by slower!” 

“So then? Help me find a way to warm up without moving! We can’t make a fire or anything, and I don’t have any spare blankets! So what do you expect me to do? Cuddle with you or something?!” You retorted.

“I wouldn’t touch you with a metre-long stick, you know,” Scaramouche spat out.

Suddenly, an idea popped into your head on how to warm up. Maybe you should try to get him to cuddle with you. You begin to walk toward him, before throwing yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his neck, and sitting on his lap.

“Hey- What are you-” Scaramouche spluttered, turning a bit red, “Get off of me!”

“Nah. Since you didn’t give me any more ideas, this is my solution.” You said while smirking. 

Though you did notice that he wasn’t any warmer than the cave you were in, but you weren’t gonna give him the satisfaction of getting off of him, so you stayed put.

Surprisingly, he didn’t make any attempts to shove you off of him, so that was a good sign. You two stayed like that for a few moments— you hugging him, and him being frozen in place, before you noticed something poking at you.

So you unwrapped your arms around his neck to look down and confirm your suspicions.

“You- you’re kidding me right?” You said in disbelief, “How can you have a- a that right now?!”

“...I told you to get off of me.”

An unbearable silence stretches out for a couple of moments. What could you even say in this situation? Well… you could hel- no. Who knows how Scaramouche will react to that? He may be disgusted and never interact with you again! You don’t want that!

But maybe it’s worth a shot..? Maybe? Might as well ask, right?

“So, um, do you… need help with that?” You asked, stumbling over your words a bit.

“What did you just say?” Scaramouche asked, sounding amused. While he was saying that, you noticed a smirk appearing on his face.

Oh shit. Oh shit. Was he mad? Was he into this? 

“Hm? What’s that look on your face for?” he whispered into your ear, “You were the one that asked that, you know?”  

You feel his breath against you and you start feeling warm. Very warm. You suppose your “method” of warming up worked after all.

“Hmm? Cat got your tongue?” He teased.

After a couple of seconds, you respond.

“W- would you like help or not?” You manage to get out. You could feel your face flushing up with embarrassment as you mutter out those words.

“Well,” he responded, “since it is your fault-”

“I guess I should then,” You interrupt, hopping off of his lap, and onto the ground.

“Desperate, aren’t you? Worried I’d change my mind?” 

You ignore his mockery as you move in front of him, staring at the bulge he had.

It was right there… right there…

You look up at him, waiting for him to give you any sign of permission.

“Go ahead, I’m waiting,” he responded, looking down at you.

You sheepishly begin to move your hand to the waistband of his pants, pulling it down, and freeing his dick from its confines.

You experimentally put your hand on it, and stroked. Scaramouche tensed slightly as you did that, and you scootched a bit closer to him to be able to do what you were about to do. 

You held it close to your mouth, giving it a kitten lick.

“Hurry up! We don’t have all day!”

You scoffed at that, “We most certainly do, considering outside has gone to shit right now,” 

You still decided to indulge him though, putting the tip in your mouth, and sucking. He inhaled sharply at that, thrusting his hips a bit. You’re only able to get in a few more inches before you start to gag a bit. Scaramouche didn’t disappoint in that aspect. You wrap your hands around the parts that weren’t encased in your mouth, and you start to slowly bob your head up and down on it.

He groaned at the sensation of you sucking him off, gripping your hair ever so slightly. You continued on, doing the best you can. Suddenly, he thrusted hard, his dick hitting the back of your throat, causing you to gag.

He continued to basically throat-fuck you, while you were trying your best to multi-task trying to breathe, and trying to suck Scaramouche off, and make him feel good.

“Breathe through your nose, dear,” he said.

You glared at him as if trying to say: “Thanks a lot, genius, didn’t know that.”

Scaramouche kept on thrusting in your mouth, and at some point, his thrusts got sloppier.

Oh shit, he was about to cum, wasn’t he?

And with a final snap of his hips, he did, filling your mouth with the warm sticky liquid. You removed your mouth from his dick, wiping the sticky fluid off of your lips with your tongue and swallowing it down.

“Satisfied now?” You asked.

“Well yes, but there is one more thing you could do…” Scaramouche said, his eyes glinting slyly, but you hear a tinge of hopefulness in his voice.

“Oh? Like what?”

He glanced down at his dick, before looking at your… area.

You burned at the realization of what he meant.

“I- W-What?!” You stammered, “You can’t be serious, right?”

He shrugged, “Well if you don’t wanna, we won’t.”

“Well, I do.”

A look of surprise materialized on Scaramouche’s face.

“What?” You said, “ I sucked you off a few minutes ago, why not go all the way?”

He smiled mischievously at you, “Well, I wasn’t expecting you to accept so fast. Were you waiting all this time for this opportunity, just to have sex with me?”

“Wh- what?! No!” you say, caught off-guard by the question, though you could already feel a wet patch forming.

“Really?” he hummed, reaching towards the hem of your pants. 

You put your hand on his, and pull it down, revealing your panties. He smiles, and notices the wet patch forming down there.

“Wet already? Are you sure you weren’t waiting for the opportunity?” he teased with a smirk, before sitting you on his lap and moving his hand closer to your pussy.

You felt him touch it, and it sent shivers down your spine. 

“Is it your first time?” He questioned.

“W- well…” you trail off, “it is. I- I haven’t really lost my virginity yet…”

Right as you said that, your breath hitched. You felt him slide his fingers onto your panties, massaging your pussy from the outside. It was slow at first, but he began gradually speeding up. He then moved up to your clit, and your breath hitched again. Was it… supposed to feel this good…? Not only that, but his other hand was busy fondling your breast. His touch was so light and soft, yet rough at the same time. It felt like heaven. His pace quickened on your pussy, as he sensed that you were about to release.

“S- Scara! I- I’m going to-” you start, but you quickly feel the sensation that you were just feeling leaving, as quick as it came.

You look down, and you notice that he had removed his hand from the surface of your panties. His fingers were covered in your slick, even though he hadn’t touched under. You look at him in a mix of disappointment and longing. 

“Why? Why’d you stop?” you ask, desperate for him to continue.

He smiles.

“If you want me to continue, dear, you better beg for it,” Scaramouche answered, whispering in your ear.

“B- beg?” you asked.

“Get on your knees, take off your panties, open your legs, and tell me how much you want me,” Scaramouche directed, “and tell me how long you’ve been waiting for this moment. And don’t lie. I know you’ve been waiting for a while, darling!”

“Wh- I- I can’t-” you stammered, noticing a bulge appearing in his pants once again.

“Your choice.”

You are unsure what to do. It’s so embarrassing, doing something like that. But at the same time, you could feel the heat building up down here. It was throbbing. You need some relief right now, and the answer to your troubles was right there, in front of you. 

You gulped, swallowing your pride, as you obeyed. Your panties drop to the floor, and you lay down, opening up your legs so Scaramouche could see how wet you were for him. 

“P- please… Scaramouche, I need you…” you beg, “I- I was waiting for this moment for so- so long, I’ve always wanted you, so- so please, put it in me…”

You were obviously desperate, and so he pulled down his pants and boxers, revealing his hard dick once again. You wondered if all of it would even be able to fit. It’s big, to say the least. He comes closer to you, placing his tip right at your entrance.

“What a whore!” he laughed, “But so cute too… since you’re being good, I’ll give you a gift.”

It hurt at first. Only at first. Your eyes widened as his length slowly penetrated your pussy, taking your virginity in the process. You needed a moment to catch your breath, trying to get used to the feeling of his cock inside you. After you adjusted to the feeling, slowly, you motioned to him to start moving. 

He started off slow, of course, allowing you to enjoy the feeling of his cock slipping in and out of you. He then leaned over, entangling his hand in your hair, and started kissing you. His lips were so soft, yet he was violent with it. Your tongues intertwined as your saliva mixed, and strung out when you pulled apart. As he thrusted into you, a hand of his was playing with one of your soft boobs and his mouth was sucking all over your neck, sure to leave marks the next day.

“You look so hot right now…” Scaramouche muttered under his breath, “I love you so much, y/n.”

You moaned as Scaramouche quickened his pace. You felt as if you were going to cum. Desperate to reach your high, you grinded onto him as well, getting a little bit of extra stimulation to send gooey white liquid out of you.

“C- cum inside…” you say, right as Scaramouche follows, releasing his warm seed into you. You could feel it filling you up, as your eyes roll back in pleasure. You were barely able to think, yet you were still longing for more.

“A- ah… It’s all inside,” you say, weakly, “I- I think you can… do it… harder this time, since I kinda k- know what to expect now,” you mouth, barely making a noise.

But Scaramouche heard you, and he was glad to give you what you wanted. After all, you were such a good girl today, just for him.

⋆☆.⭒.~La Fin!~⋆☆.⭒.

[inrockstarfashion]

Reader is dating Max Verstappen, she let’s slip a Dutch swear word making him (maybe other drivers) break down laughing

I’m Australian with Dutch/Greek roots, so I know swear words in both and have let them slip out 😅🙃 verdomde hel (fucking hell)

I loved this prompt! I relate to this so much, I spent three years in Germany when I was extremely young and I definitely use sheise (shit) at least once a day.

I’m so sorry this is so late. University has been absolutely insane. It’s shorter than I wanted it but it’s been sitting in my drafts for far too long.

The weekend went amazing. Obviously in your biased opinion, being that your very own Max Verstappen got P1 (again). Tonight you were celebrating with Max along with several other drivers and the other wags at a club, getting drunk and letting loose after the intense race weekend.

You sat at a table in the back corner of the club with Max, Lando, and Daniel

“I’m going to grab another drink. Do you want anything?” You asked Max, pinching his sleeve towards you.

Max nodded, “Gin tonic, please.” You nodded your head once and let go of his sleeve, placing your hand on his shoulder for leverage and standing up from the table. You made your way through the crowd of people, finally making it to the bar.

“Gin and tonic and a Negroni, please.” You spoke to the bartender. He turned and began mixing the drinks. You waited patiently and soon the bartender placed both glasses in front of you. You thanked him before picking up the glasses and cautiously made your way back to your table.

Successfully making it back, you passed the gin and tonic over to Max. “Thank you, liefje.” Max said, taking the glass from you. You set your drink on the table and sat back down beside him. Max moved his arm to rest behind your head, you listened in on the conversation currently happening between the three men, trying to catch up on what you’d missed. You picked up your glass, pinching the small, black straw and taking a sip of the smooth red liquid. You decided to get more comfortable and cross your legs but not before smacking your knee on the underside of the table, rattling everything sitting on top, and nearly choking on the Negroni. Pain blossomed through your knee at the impact.

“Verdomde hel.” You muttered, setting your glass down as you were rubbing your knee with your palm. Max immediately went into hysterics. Doubled over, howling with laughter. It scared me at first, Max does often laugh this loud (or hard). You watched him in confusion as you rubbed the top of your knee, trying to wipe away the throbbing sensation.

“Breathe, love.” You reminded him as he continued to wheeze into his hands which were currently covering his face. Tears were streaming down in cheeks as the other drivers at the table squealed and chuckled alongside Max.

“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever heard you say!” Max said, his voice still very shrill. He gathered himself and ran his fingers under his glassy eyes, wiping away the tears. “When did you learn Dutch like that?” He asked, turning to look at you and clearing his throat.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know. My parents spoke little phrases here and there. Guess I picked it up from them.” You shrugged, looking at Max and his rosy cheeks.

Max pursed his lips and nodded his head. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer to him, giving you a quick kiss to your temple. “You should start talking like that more often.” He said, completely serious with a smile on his face. You threw your head back and laughed.

Ciao!

[aquaquadrant]

I’m in LOVE with your Hels to pay au!! Thank you so much for writing it!!

Has anyone ever asked Tango about his cuffs? Has anyone offered/tried to help him get them off? I imagine it would either be a funny montage of increasingly wild attempts OR just absolutely heartbreaking.

(sooo funny story, i saved the first ask in january bc i wanted to write smth for it… but then the second one came in before i got around to it… then the third… so uh. yeah. here ya go.)

~*~

“i like your cuffs, by the way.”

tango freezes, and even though xisuma has only just met the guy, he can immediately tell something’s off.

hermitcraft’s newest member is far from ordinary; a blaze hybrid with sharp teeth and blackened claws, red eyes that dart around nervously and squint at the sun, like it’s too bright. he didn’t even seem to know what a golden carrot was, when xisuma gave one to him.

the shackles around his wrists are just the frosting on the cake. xisuma had assumed it was part of his, er… unconventional style. but tango’s reaction- and the small links of broken chain still dangling from the cuffs- make xisuma wonder.

“what… uh, what do you mean?” tango asks, his tone forcibly light. oh, he’s anxious- ears flat, shoulders hunched likes he’s expecting an attack.

xisuma shrugs. “your cuffs, they’re just really metal,” he says casually. “it’s a cool look, is all.”

“oh.” tango blinks. the relief is evident in his expression, but he only relaxes slightly. “oh, right! thanks.”

while xisuma hasn’t been the admin of hermitcraft for very long, he’s been around long enough to tell when a player is running from something. but that’s none of his business. that’s why they come here, isn’t it?

“anyway,” xisuma says, “that’s about the end of the tour.” he lifts a hand to put on tango’s shoulder, then thinks better of it, folding his arms instead. “you just lemme know if you need anythin’, alright? anythin’ at all.”

“right, yeah.” tango smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “thanks, i’ll- i’ll keep that in mind, yeah.”

~*~

“jeeze, you ever take those cuffs off?”

tango freezes, and even though impulse is still relatively new here on hermitcraft, he can immediately tell he’s crossed a line.

it’s only been a couple weeks since a random portal abruptly appeared in front of impulse, taking him to a world called hermitcraft. according to his fellow hermits, that amounted to an invitation from the universe- which is how they all join.

he’s spent most of his time working on a quadruple witch hut farm with some of the other redstoners, and tango’s been a bit of a puzzle. he’ll be standoffish or even outright defensive at times, but then seem inexplicably drawn towards impulse, asking strange and not-so-subtle probing questions. of course, whenever impulse tries to address this, tango brushes him off.

“oh, these old things?” tango says after a moment, his brief panic quickly swept under the rug as he flaunts his cuffs. “why, do you- am i not pulling them off? too much?”

“no, no, they’re cool!” impulse assures him. “it’s just, don’t they get in the way when you’re doing delicate redstone work? seems like a bother, that’s all.”

tango huffs a laugh, but he’s also eyeing the nearest exit. “nah, man, th- it’s part of my look! my uh, my brand, as some might say. can’t go without ‘em, you know how it is…”

that’s not the reason. impulse can tell. but whatever the real reason is, it’s not his place to push tango to talk about it. they’re still getting to know each other, so if it’s anything more than a simple fashion choice, impulse is sure he’ll find out sooner or later.

“ooh, okay, gotcha.” impulse nods sagely. “branding, very important. well, if you ever change your mind, i’d be happy to take them off your hands- uh, literally and figuratively, i guess,” he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “cuffs are pretty ‘in’ for demons, you know.”

tango laughs too, though he’s already turning away, back to his work. “right, yeah, i- i’ll keep that in mind.”

~*~

“can you actually not take these cuffs off?”

tango freezes, and even without the spike of panic through their soulbond, jimmy can immediately tell he’s said something wrong.

it’s been about a month since the double lifers voted to end the death game. one month since jimmy and tango made their relationship official. and as amazing and wonderful as it’s been living on the ranch, jimmy’s starting to get the sense there are a few things he doesn’t know about tango.

he hadn’t meant anything by the question- just genuine curiosity. they were kissing, tango’s hands cupping jimmy’s face, and when he’d reached up to cover tango’s hands with his own he’d felt the cool metal of the cuffs, and the question just blurted out from his mind. gosh, he really does ruin everything.

tango recovers quickly. “whaaat, you don’t like ‘em?” he grins, casually stretching his arms above his head so the cuffs jangle around his wrists.

jimmy hesitates. the panic he felt through their bond has faded, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still there “well, sure, it’s just- y’know, i realized i’ve never seen you take ‘em off.”

tango blinks. “you- what, don’t you think if i wanted to take them off, i would’ve?” he laughs, putting his hands on his hips. “i mean, it’s not- we have metal-cutting technology, you know.”

oh, duh. jimmy feels silly. tango is far from helpless- if those cuffs hadn’t been a conscious decision, he surely would’ve figured out how to take them off by now. or, jeeze, he could’ve asked anyone on his server full of technical geniuses to help out.

“right, right, of course,” he says sheepishly. “sorry, i wasn’t- i do like how they look, i- i was just wonderin’. but uh, you know, if you ever did wanna take ‘em off… i mean, i’d still like you plenty without them,” he jokes.

“you’re good, you’re good,” tango hums, draping his arms around jimmy’s shoulders. “i’ll keep that in mind.”

~*~

tango sits alone in his room, claws curled around the cuff of his other hand.

it’s just simple iron. it wouldn’t be hard. all he has to do is reach for his inner fire, concentrate, and let the metal soften in his grasp. even if he heats it too much- so that molten iron drips over his skin like water- he’s a bit more fire resistant than the average player, he’d be fine. it’d only take a couple seconds for each one, and then he’d be free of them. forever.

it’s been nearly ten years, for hel’s sake. he’s lost count of how many times he’s been in this exact situation before, wanting and willing so much but being unable to bring the flames to his fingertips. if he even thinks about it, it’s suddenly like he’s back in the farm, icy wither rose numbing his veins, a haunting voice ringing in his ears.

‘just the cuffs on his wrists there, and he stays put like the good creature he is.’

tango wants to be good. he’s been trying so hard to be good. but what if he can’t trust himself? what if the only thing stopping him from reverting back to his old ways is the illusion of control maintained by these shackles?

who is he without them? would he be someone that his friends still cared about? would jimmy?

he’s too afraid to find out.

tango lets go of the cuff, the familiar weight of metal dropping back onto his wrist. he can try again another time. so long as he has his fire, he still has the option. he’ll do it someday.

so for now, the thought retreats to its little shadowed corner in the back of his mind, safe for another day.

~*~

[woooyeahbaby]

aprilluc day 9: vampire

warnings: blood, blood drinking, established relationship, gender neutral reader, reader takes their shirt off (there are no sexual themes), if i’ve missed anything let me know

a/n: sooo another short one, sorry. i didn’t even remember i was supposed to do this until 8pm 😭 so i apologize if this feels rushed (cuz it kind of is…) the next day is cowboy, but idk if i’ll do it. i’ll surprise you with the next one i guess

admittedly, dating a vampire had it’s ups and downs.

nearly passing out from blood loss when allowing him to get his fix? not the best. but having been with you for a few years at this point, he knew just the right point to stop. not that it made it any easier, however you felt it was only fair to give something back in return for everything he has done for you.

now, it’d been a week or two since he last fed off of you. he’d always give you time to recover before his next meal from you. it helped him learn self control, but if he couldn’t help himself, he would have to go hunting. only small animals, such as rabbits or sometimes foxes.

it would be some time in the afternoon, giving your blood time to reach its regular flow rate. he’d always ‘initiate’ the same way.

“honey,” diluc says softly, his calloused yet gentle fingers brushing against your shoulder. “how are you feeling?”

“i’m okay. are you hungry?” you stand up from your seat at the dining table, turning your body to face him.

“yes, if you’re ready.” his hand remains in the same area on your shoulder, then slowly dragging his fingertips to the place on your neck with several scars from previous feedings. “here, or your wrist? whichever you’re feeling today.”

you ponder over it for a few seconds before deciding. “my neck is fine. here,” you reach for the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head and tilting your head to the side.

it was a simple routine now. diluc almost chuckled at how that had come about. the first few times he fed off of you it felt so awkward and unusual, and it was almost a beautiful thing how the strange became normal for you two.

“tell me when you need me to stop if i go too far, love.” he reminds you as he always does, as if you’d forgotten.

with that final warning, diluc places one hand on your bicep and the other on the side of your head before slowly sinking his teeth into your neck. you grunt at the initial pain, but having done this so many times, you learned how to deal with it. once diluc hears you take your usual few breaths to calm yourself, he begins to siphon the garnet coloured liquid from your veins and into his mouth.

as per usual, you felt the odd few droplets drip and leak down your shoulder, onto your back and chest, some even down your arm. diluc hated how messy he made you when he did this. not only did he have the guilt of literally draining the life from you, but also getting your beautiful body dirty. he would always take the time to clean you up after, though. but it wasn’t as if you would get angry with him for it anyway, you knew he needed sustenance, which was why you offered it in the first place when you first found out he was a vampire.

once you began to feel dizzy, you weakly tapped diluc’s arm with a gentle call of his name. he stops immediately, carefully pulling his fangs away from your neck as to not tear your skin any further. he cleans the remaining blood with his tongue, reaching into his chest pocket for a handkerchief that he’d use to apply pressure onto your still bleeding wound. he would always fix you up afterward, usually allowing you to eat something while he worked on your injury so you wouldn’t pass out on him.

“are you alright? i apologize, i think i dragged that one out a bit too long.” it was hard to take diluc seriously when his mouth and chin were covered in blood. it made him look like a child with a messy eating problem.

“it’s okay. i’ll be alright. just need to sit down.” your words are slightly slurred, nearly sounding as if you were drunk.

diluc helps you sit back down onto the chair you’d previously been in, still firmly holding his handkerchief to your bleeding neck.

“thank you, my love. i truly do appreciate that you do this for me so often.” there is pure love in his eyes as he says this to you. that look never changed whenever he would thank you for nourishing him. it was always the exact same look of pure adoration in his fiery eyes.

[st-eve-barnes]

You know that I'm no good (chapter 6)

(Modern Aegon x fem Reader, Modern Sihtric x fem Reader)

Summary: You want Sihtric. Aegon wants Skade. There's only one small problem: Sihtric and Skade are dating each other.

This chapter: things get messy with Aegon and Sihtric, alcohol isn't always a good idea, sometimes Helaena is a bad adviser and drunken confessions don't really count, do they?

Warning for the entire series: 18+ for explicit language and smut. Angst/comfort/fluff. Fake dating and so much mutual pining. Mentions of depression/drinking/self harm.

This is an Aegon x Reader fic with a bit of Sihtric x Reader on the side. I've wanted to write a modern AU that combines The Last Kingdom and House of the dragon for a while now so here it is!

Word count: +2900

Masterlist

***

All my fics are also on AO3

***

You didn’t find Aegon again that night. You weren’t sure whether he was avoiding you or just letting you enjoy your time with Sihtric but both options bothered you. And the fact that it bothered you so much bothered you even more.

You shouldn’t even care, Aegon wasn’t your boyfriend and it wasn’t like you were in love with him so why should you care?

You weren’t in love with him. Absolutely not. You couldn’t be, it was Aegon for god’s sake. It was just a stupid crush, nothing more. It would pass, soon. Hopefully.

It was Friday night and for the fifth time in ten minutes you stared at your phone. No messages and no missed calls.

You had the entire night to watch Netflix in peace, Stranger Things was staring back at you from the screen, all you had to do was click Next Episode. 

But you couldn’t care less. All you wanted was for Aegon to call or text you and mess up your plans.

You sighed and let yourself fall down onto the couch, annoyed with everything but mostly yourself.

“Fuck it,” you grabbed your phone and decided to text Helaena.

“What are you doing tonight?”

She answered in less than a minute,“Chilling at home, why? Wanna do something?”

“Yes, please, anything, I just need to get out of the house.”

“Wanna grab a drink at Alfies?” she suggested.

“Yes!”

“I’ll meet you there in an hour!”

Alfies was a small, quiet bar near the town’s square where you and Helaena spent a lot of nights out during your years at university. It had been a while since you were last here but walking into the place was like stepping back in time, it still looked exactly the same and you felt at ease right away. 

Helaena already found you a spot at a table near the bar and you quickly made your way over to her. Before you sat down you gave her a quick hug.

“Thank you,” you whispered,”I really needed this tonight, Hel, you have no idea.”

“No worries,” she smiled up at you,”You know I’m here for you if you need anything. And every excuse to go out is fine by me.”

You both ordered more drinks, the combination of the alcohol, the Friday night atmosphere in the bar and Helaena’s funny work stories had you feeling better in no time and soon you were laughing with her and forgetting all about her stupid brother.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Helaena said after a while, noticing you seemed a lot more relaxed than when you’d first sat down,”Want to tell me why you were feeling down?”

“Not really,” you tried to duck the question and took another sip from your drink.”Just work I guess,” you added.

“You love your work, quit lying.”

You sighed, both impressed and a little annoyed that she could always read you so well.

“Okay, fine, you want the truth?” 

You should have stopped yourself right there, but the beers had loosened up your tongue and there was this ever growing need to just vent and pour your heart out to your best friend.

“It’s Aegon,” you confessed with a heavy sigh,”I might…have developed a little crush on your brother.”

That was the understatement of the year.

Helaena didn’t react at first, she just took you in and then nodded her head calmly, almost too calmly which scared you a little.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” you asked.

“What can I say? You’re clearly not listening to anything I tell you about Aegon.”

“I’m sorry,” you hid your face into your hands,”I’m sorry, I’m being such a bad friend, I know, I just…can’t help it.”

“Yes, you can but you don’t want to,” Helaena pointed out.

You hated to admit she wasn’t entirely wrong.“Okay, fine, I don’t want to,” you admitted.

Helaena nodded and leaned back,”I won’t nag you about Aegon anymore if you promise to do one little thing for me. We’re friends so I can ask you, right?”

“What is it?” you asked hesitantly.

“We’re in a bar right now and looking around I can see quite a few good-looking, nice guys.”

“Hel,” you tried to stop her but she raised her hand to stop you.

“I want you to get drunk and go home with one of these guys, you get to pick, it just can’t be my brother.”

You shook your head.

“Unless it’s Aemond,” she added,”You can fuck Aemond if you want.”

You both turned to look at Aemond who was sitting in a corner booth, enjoying his drink while ignoring everyone else.

“I don’t want to fuck Aemond,” you quickly shut down that idea.

“Okay, anyone except my brothers then, I just…you need it, babe. Getting some will clear your head, like…a factory reset, turn you on and off so you can function properly again. Because the girl I’m seeing right now is not acting like my friend. My best friend would not be dumb enough to fall in love with Aegon of all people!”

Helaena never raised her voice, and she still didn't, but there was a hard determination to her tone right now you had never heard from her before.

Her words upset you but you couldn’t really blame her. Just last month you probably would have fully agreed with her.

“Can you do that for me?” she then asked, softer.

“I feel like you’re not the best influence right now,” you pointed out.

“Maybe so but neither are you.”

You nodded,”Okay…fine, but if I do this and it does nothing for me you have to stop bitching about Aegon.”

“I promise.” 

“Fine,” you caved,”Then I’ll do it, but only because you’re my best friend. And I need more alcohol first.”

Four more beers were enough to get you just tipsy enough to come out of your shell, and your seat, and mingle at the bar. You remembered guys often tried to pick you up here during your university years, it never resulted in anything though because you weren’t the type for one nigh stands back then. You still weren’t, but these past weeks you’d done a lot of things you hadn’t done before. What was one more, right?

The first guys you’d talked to bored you within minutes and you realized this was going to be harder than you initially thought, but you didn’t intend on giving up so soon. Maybe more alcohol would make them more fun. 

After two more beers you had finally found a guy who wasn’t too bad looking and actually pleasant to talk to. He’d lived in Winchester all his life and you both talked about your favorite spots in the city, the conversation flowed pretty easily and you ignored the fact that he was probably even more drunk than you were at this point. 

And the fact that you weren’t even sure you really wanted to do this, but if it would get Helaena off your back for a while then it might be worth it.

And she was right about one thing, it wouldn’t hurt to finally get some dick again. You had been unusually horny lately.

But just as you were about to ask the guy to get out of there another girl came up to him accusing him of cheating on her best friend. Needless to say that was the end of that conversation.

“Ugh, men suck,” you sighed to yourself and took another sip from your beer.

“I apologize, my lady.”

The familiar voice made you look up and you stared right into his beautiful eyes, one blue and one brown, and that sweet, flirty smile he seemed to reserve for you.

“Sihtric,” you sighed, relieved at seeing a familiar, not to mention gorgeous, face.

“Lady Y/N,” he moved closer to you and pointed towards your empty glass,”Can I buy you another one of those?”

“I think I’ve probably had enough,” you confessed, breaking eye contact for a moment”But thank you. That comment wasn’t meant for you, by the way.”

”Good to know,” he nodded,”So, um…Aegon not with you tonight?” 

You smiled bitterly,”No, Aegon is…I don’t know where Aegon is.”

“You guys break up?” he asked, a little too hopeful.

“No, I…actually I don’t know.”

He kept his eyes on you,”Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” you no longer tried to avoid looking at him but instead gave into his flirty stare and allowed yourself to drown into his  gaze. ”Actually, no,” you confessed,”I’m not.”

“Anything I can do?” he asked softly and then he leaned closer, placing his hand on your waist,”Do you need a lift home? Or someone to talk to? I'm a good listener."

You gave him a thankful smile."You're really sweet."

He blushed a little with your compliment and gently rubbed your back before meeting your eyes again,"Tell me what you need."

Your mouth opened to speak but the words remained stuck in your throat.

"Wanna get out of here?," he then asked,"Get some air?”

You nodded.

Sihtric kept his hand protectively on your lower back, allowing you to lean into him to stay steady on your feet, while he guided you out of the bar.

As soon as you reached the front door and were out into the fresh air you both let go of each other, but not for long.

It was the alcohol, combined with the lingering promise you had made to Helaena. And the fact that you’d been horny as hell for weeks now and that maybe she was right and you did just need to get dicked down. Preferably by a hot, sweet guy like Sihtric.

You grabbed his hand again and pulled him with you, trapping yourself between his body and the wall behind you, your eyes meeting his in a silent plea. He placed one hand on your waist and rested the other against the wall, right next to your face, as he leaned in.

“Want me to take your mind off him?” he whispered while gently nuzzling your cheek. You grabbed his shirt to pull him closer and nodded your head.

His lips met yours in a soft, needy kiss and you moaned into it right away. It was all the encouragement he needed, hand sliding down your hip while the other moved into your hair. He deepened the kiss while placing himself in between your legs, pressing into you and letting you feel his hardness. You rocked back against him, just as impatient, and you both moaned at the friction.

Sihtric’s mouth moved down to your neck, licking and sucking your skin and your eyes closed in a blissful sigh. His kisses were sloppy and needy and it made you throb in all the right places.

“Fuck,” you whined.

He smiled against your skin.“You want this, right?” he checked.

You nodded eagerly,”Yes, I want this.”

He pulled your leg up around his waist and started grinding against your center, letting you feel all of him this time and there was a lot of him.

“Sihtric,” you moaned quietly when he placed little love bites on your neck.

Your hips were moving along with his, his cock giving you that perfect friction and if he kept doing this any longer you were going to fall apart just from this. Your eyes closed and you bit your lip to keep yourself from moaning too loud. 

And then you made the mistake of opening them up again and looking over Sihtric’s shoulder.

Blond messy hair and gorgeous, very familiar, angry blue eyes were staring right back at you. With a surprised yelp you pushed Sihtric off of you.

“What the hell?” Sihtric’s shock was short-lived when he saw Aegon.”Oh shit…hey, I’m sorry, man, I didn’t mean to…I thought…she…”

Aegon wasn’t showing any emotion apart from the undeniable fire in his eyes, aimed right at Sihtric,”Can I please talk to my girlfriend?”

“Yeah, of course, I’m sorry,” Sihtric looked at you one last time, mouthing “sorry” again before he quickly fled the scene, leaving you alone with Aegon.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, calmly.

“Me?! What the hell do you think you’re doing??” you threw back, a lot less calm than him,”Are you stalking me or something?"

"I was just on my way home."

"Well, be on your way then! I was having a good time before you showed up.”

“Against the wall of the fucking bar? For the whole of Winchester to see?”

You looked around and only now noticed there were more people around than you had initially noticed and too many of them had their eyes on you. You wanted the ground to open up and swallow you. 

There is no way you would have done what you just did with Sihtric in a public place like this if you’d been sober.

“I didn’t…notice that,” you admitted quietly.

“No, I didn’t think so," Aegon answered, too smug for your liking," Whose stupid idea was this, huh, did he talk you into this?”

“Actually it was Helaena.”

Aegon’s eyes widened.”Why on earth would Hel tell you to fuck…”

“It doesn’t matter now,” you interrupted him, wanting desperately to get out of this conversation. You suddenly felt exposed in every way and you wrapped your arms around yourself and sighed deeply.

Aegon's irritation fell immediately upon seeing your obvious discomfort.

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, shaking off his frustration,”It's just…you looked pretty drunk and I didn't know if he was...I just wanted to make sure you didn’t do something you’ll regret later.”

You scoffed.“For your information I’m not that drunk, but thank you, oh my knight in shining armor for saving me from the insanely hot guy before he could make me cum. How will I ever repay you?”

Aegon’s gaze turned hard again and he avoided your eyes. You tried to walk past him, showing him just how annoyed you were with him, but your legs were wobbly and your head was light. You were struggling to keep your balance and you bumped into him, hard.

Aegon’s hands came to rest on your hips, keeping you steady and then his eyes were on yours, his gaze unexpectedly soft.“Not that drunk, huh?” he teased with a little smirk.

You wished so hard you could stay mad at him but when he looked at you like that all your anger faded. You hated how much you couldn't even hate him.

Maybe Aegon was right, maybe you would have regretted sleeping with Sihtric once all the alcohol had left your body and you were able to think straight again. Maybe it would have been the worst mistake of your life. 

Or maybe it wouldn’t have been. Maybe it would have been amazing and exactly what you needed to push Aegon out of your mind. You would never know now.

But one thing was undoubtedly true: deep down in your heart you knew Sihtric wasn’t your first choice. Not anymore.

Your first choice was staring at you with genuine concern in his big, beautiful eyes and your heart was breaking with how much you felt for him.

“Aegs,” your voice was nothing but a pleading whisper, hands grabbing at his shirt.

His hands were still resting on your hips and he pulled you a little closer to him, his voice nothing but softness now,”Want me to take you home, sweetheart?”

You nodded.

The walk wasn’t far but without Aegon to lean on you weren’t sure you would have made it there in one piece. He helped you up the stairs to your apartment and onto your couch, where you sank down with a dramatic sigh and let your head fall back into the cushions.

“God, I am never drinking again,” you stated, making him laugh.

“That’ll pass.”

He let himself sink down next to you on the couch,”Can I get you anything? Food? Water? A bucket?”

You laughed but firmly shook your head.”I’m good...can you stay for a while though?”

You turned your head to look at him, meeting his soft eyes again and Aegon nodded.

“Sure,” he whispered,”As long as you want.”

“Thank you."

“You’re welcome. And I’m sorry if I ruined your night,” he spoke softly, looking into your eyes, your faces right next to each other now,”I shouldn’t have interfered.”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” you reassured him,”The truth is…you were right, I was pretty drunk, still am, and I probably would have regretted that in the morning. So...it's fine, don't worry about it.”

Aegon smiled and then neither of you spoke for a while. The room felt too quiet and you bit your tongue, realizing you should swallow your next words and not make things more complicated. But the alcohol in your blood disagreed and thought this would be the perfect time for total honesty.

“Aegs...I didn’t really want to fuck Sihtric, you know,” you confessed,”I only did it because…”

You sighed deeply and Aegon leaned in to look into your eyes,“What is it, baby?”

“I only did it so I could forget about you,” you whispered, regretting the words as soon as they left your lips.

Aegon was staring at you, unable to speak or process your words for a moment. The room was suddenly spinning even though he hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol and the way you were looking up at him through your lashes, your gaze so sincere and innocent, it was too much for him to handle. It took everything in him not to pull you into his lap and kiss you right there but he didn’t.

Instead he just took your hand and squeezed it softly.

“It’s okay,” you smiled weakly,”I know you don’t feel that way about me and it’s fine. It'll pass.”

“Look at me,” he pleaded.

You did as he asked, immediately drowning into those pools of blue.

“You know that’s not true, right?” he then whispered.

“’What? No, it’s...its fine,” you were slurring over your words now,”You don’t need to say anything, I just…wanted you to know…you would have been my first choice.”

He bit his lip and then swallowed hard, shaking his head,“You’re drunk, baby, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I do, I do know what I’m saying,” you insisted but your words came out all wrong again.

Aegon just shook his head with a smile and then his eyes were on yours again,“I’m the last person you want to fall in love with, sweetheart, trust me on that.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m no good,” he simply answered, looking away while giving you the saddest smile you’d ever seen on him, which of course only made you want him more.

”But you are,” you disagreed, keeping your eyes on him even as he tried so hard to avoid yours,”You are good, Aegon, I know you are, I can see it in you.”

“You don’t know me at all, love,” he whispered and moved away from you on the couch”You should just go to bed now, sleep it off. You'll feel better in the morning.”

“Will you stay?” you asked him.

He shook his head,”I really shouldn’t.”

“Please, I don’t want to be alone, you have to watch over me as I sleep, I could get a concussion.”

Aegon couldn’t help it, his lips curled up into an amused smile,”That’s only when you bump your head not when you’re drunk.”

“Oh,” you smiled and then ended up in a laughing fit, making Aegon shake his head.

“God, you’re so stupid,” he smiled fondly, no longer able to not look at you,"And so drunk."

“You’re stupid,” you teased him.

“Fine, I’ll stay with you,” he caved,”Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself in your sleep.”

You smiled satisfied,”You can sleep in my bed with me.”

“Absolutely not, I’m taking the couch.”

You pouted at him, giving him your best sad puppy eyes.

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Look at me like that, it…makes it really hard for me to say no to you.”

“That’s the point,” you grinned and you reached for him again but Aegon just grabbed your arms to stop you.

“Go to bed, please, I’ll stay here in case you need anything but I am not sleeping with you.”

You pouted again and pulled away from him,”Pfff, you’re no fun, I thought you were the fun Targaryen but you're worse than Aemond.”

Aegon just smiled and shook his head at your attempt at insulting him,"Go to bed."

"Fine," you turned your back on him,"But it's your loss."

Aegon just watched you go and waited until you were in your bedroom before he let himself fall down onto your couch with a quiet grunt.”Yeah, I know.”

[forest-falcon]

The Butterfly Effect

Chptr 15

⚠️ Trigger Warning for angst/whump

❤️💚💜🩷 🚒🧑‍🚒

There was something unnerving about seeing the strongest person she knew, crumpled unconscious on the floor.

Tam found him cocooned around his Grandmother - sleeping soundly like a child who had sought out the comfort of a parent during a storm.

It all seemed so peaceful, but for the obvious devastation peppered over, and around them. And, of course, the glaring fact that Virgil was, indeed, unconscious, and not asleep.

Her heart panged hard, as she finally remembered to breathe, her chest shuddering with the deep inhalation.

The family didn't deserve this - well, most people didn't; but, it went double for the Tracys. It wasn't so much that they put their lives on the line on a daily basis; that debt of gratitude went without saying. It was perhaps the fact that she'd had the privilege of spending time with the family during her training; breaking bread with them in the evenings, sharing new stories she hadn't heard at the firehouse a gazillion-plus times. Somewhere during their training, Phoenix had shed their associate titles and had emerged as friends; which made this rescue so much harder than her average John or Jane Doe.

"Mrs. Tracy?"

"Told yer a thousand times kid; Sally suits me just fine. Mrs.Tracy is reserved for our shareholders, and Brains - who I've given up trying to change.

"Sally," she corrected herself, feeling a sudden warmth fill her face.

"How are you holding up?" Tam scrambled to unpack her medkit.

"I'll be a lot better once this brave idiot is off me. Can't breathe."

Tam paused a moment, and frowned. Virgil's weight was only partially resting on Sally; his body angled in such a manner as not to crush her. She wondered briefly if that had been at all planned on Virgil's part.

"Level with me kid, what are you thinking?"

Tam had a lot of time for Sally; she was brave, kind-hearted and wonderfully feisty - especially given her age, which she guessed was a taboo topic, here on Tracy Island. The woman was also far too sharp-witted to have the wool pulled over her eyes.

She sighed, continuing to work, as she analyzed the scene before her.

"I think the initial impact of your fall may be the real reason behind the pain you have breathing. Virgil's been careful to lie in a way that would not crush you."

"Sure sounds like him. So?"

"So...we need to check for injuries."

There was a confidence in her voice that she did not feel - or rather, she was confident about things; procedures, protocol, her job. But, inwardly, having not one, but numerous people she cared about (more than she perhaps should, given the amount of time she'd actually spent in their company) she'd admit it; this rescue had her shook. Tam buried the feeling deep, and ran the scan.

"How're they doing?"

Tam looked up from the scan to see the youngest Tracy approaching.

"Alan?" Sally's voice rasped out.

"Sally, you have three broken ribs; but as far as I can see, they've not caused any significant injuries to the surrounding area,"

She passed the med-scanner to Alan, who concurred.

"Well, Grandma; I'd say that's earned you a VIP stay in Tracy Island's very own infirmary. Don't worry, I've heard the doctors there are very good-looking!"

"I wasn't aware that Kip was a doctor too!"

"What? Eww! No!"

Grandma's chuckle was instantly switched for a grimace of pain.

Alan gently rescued a hand on her shoulder.

"Hel-p Vir-gil," she breathed.

"Tam's doing just that, Grandma. Penny and myself will look after you. It'll give Tam the space she needs to properly help Virg."

A hover stretcher, followed by a well-spoken lady appeared. And, before-long, Sally, Alan, and the woman - Penny vanished. Tam couldn't exactly say when. Her attention now firmly on the one member of International Rescue who had yet to regain consciousness.

[howlingday]

AU idea jaune the street fighter.

Combining elements from street fighter 6 as jaune becomes a well known fighter on the streets. He's no hero or villain. He just doesn't want to be bored.

Jaune: "well now...let's see if you care do something about my boredom..."

You have... NO IDEA how much I've wanted to do something like this. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to finally bring this AU I've had in mind to life. I just wasn't sure how to start it off, so... I'll go for a three-fer on this one. Three short bits to start off this story I've had in my brain for what feels like YEARS. And once again, thank you, for giving me the chance to create... My Bare Knuckle Arc.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Again!" Jaune came charging across the yard, sprinting as hard as he could, before leaping and kicking the strike pad in his father's hands. As he landed, the pad came back in kind. "Don't slow down!"

Jaune, however, was caught off guard by the sudden rush and fell to on his back. Knowing better than to be stuck to the ground, he clapped his hands against the dirt and rolled to his feet. The pad came swinging at him too fast for him to dodge, so he held his fist up to guard his face.

But it wasn't good enough and his fist crashed into his face, bringing a stinging pain to his eye and nose. Another pad came for the other side of his head, so he brought his fist up proper this time. Learning his lesson, the impact was much less than stunning than the one before.

"Block!"

The pads retreated and a leg curled in front of him. Jaune swung his arm down to block, but it was easily batted away before his chest was struck by the heel of his father's foot. He stumbled back, grunting through the pain, bringing his hands up to block any more blows.

"Jaune!"

In a blink, the match was over, and not just because Mom called his name. No, his father's massive foot close enough to his face that he could smell it, and it was only by the grace of his mother that it didn't bash his face in today. When the foot came down, he looked to her on the porch.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"It's from Beacon!"

-------------------------------------------------------------

Jaune still couldn't believe it. He was here in Vale, waiting for the bullhead to Beacon Academy, one of the four huntsmen academies, all of which were deemed the most prestigious schools in the four kingdoms, and he was so... so...

"Aaaaaah~!" He yawned.

Because he was so bored! I mean, he was excited, too, but there wasn't anything to do in between waiting for the bullhead and actually getting on the bullhead. The gym was closed, so he couldn't work out, and the comic book shop was closed, so he couldn't read anything other than his mom's "Special Little Guy" book in case he got homesick. Not in public, anyways.

Suddenly, he heard a crash coming from inside a dark building. Judging by the pulsing lights, the thrumming music, and the open door, it looked like a night club. Nobody was standing at the door, and his curiosity got the better of him. He peered inside and he couldn't believe what he saw.

There was a fight going on! A real-life bar brawl, just like in his dad's stories! Setting his bag down, he got closer to the scene.

Okay, what was it he was supposed to do? He wanted to get in on the action, but he'd only really done one on one at home. The girl in the center of the dance floor was taking on two other girls at once! Should he wait his turn, or should he help her out?

Well, time to try out the old tried and true.

"Hey, uh, you need any hel-"

Jaune's vision blurred as he was sent into the guard rails. He felt his body slump with an arm hanging over the metal bar. Heck of a sucker punch on the blonde girl, and those two other girls weren't anywhere to be found either. Guess he was supposed to wait for his turn, right? Well now it was his turn.

"What, you still want some?" She asked, snarling with red eyes. She must have hit him really hard because he was still tearing up. Why else was her hair glowing? "I've got enough in me to put you down, too!"

Jaune didn't say anything this time. He learned a long time ago that running your mouth was an invite to running the other person's hands. He put his fists up and approached in a boxer's stance. She put her fists, letting one loose to flip the "C'mere!" at him. He wasn't falling for it. Not this time

She tossed a jab at him, testing the waters. She tapped his knuckles. He flared his nostrils. Tap. Tap. Tap.

She swung with a hook, Jaune moved in and drove an uppercut into her ribs. She backed up a bit, grunting, before she came back with a yell and another hook. Jaune kept his guard up and stepped in again, this time driving a cross into her face. She stumbled a bit, blinking at the face-shot. He was doing pretty good. Not bad for his first-

Was she getting brighter?

-------------------------------------------------------------

Jaune was in hell. He died at that bar fight last night, and he was now in hell. How else would you explain his aching body, his stomach turning, and the mocking chatter around him? The only comfort he had was his bag/pillow under his head. That, and his memory of last night's fight.

Though that last bit was only made all the more awkward by the fact that same girl was standing across from him. His saving grace was her standing with a bunch of people standing between them. Well, that and the smaller girl in her arms. He heard the fighter calling the smaller girl "Sis" which made him a little happy that she had family on the bullhead with her. Kinda made him homesick.

He didn't pull out the book, though. Too many witnesses.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon." He looked up to see a woman speaking on the screen. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch." Suddenly, there was turbulence and whatever was said next didn't matter to Jaune. He needed a bathroom or a trashcan NOW! He bolted for the front of the bullhead, beating on the bathroom door.

No good, AND he was getting worse! He bolted for the back, the woman on the screen now gone and leaving only the beautiful view of the waters below. He didn't have time to admire the view because he was about to ruin everyone's day all over the floor of the bullhead.

How were both bullhead bathrooms occupied right now?! The statistics will show that Jaune didn't have to consider the odds. He was gonna hurl in three... two...

The bullhead door opened and Jaune bowled over everyone in his way as he rushed out. The nearest trashcan by the door, thank god, was his target. He spilled his guts into the can, making people groan and retch as they passed. So much for good first day.

Wiping his chin, he walked back into the bullhead, hell itself, and grabbed his bag. Thankfully, nobody took it while he left to... relieve himself. Which was good. Stepping out to Beacon, empty belly and sure of himself, he took in the sight of what must have been straight from a fairy tale! Tall, towering, er, towers... towered over- There were towers, okay?

Oh, and students were already walking around with weapons, too! Guess they started handing them out now. Okay, he just had to find out where the armory or the forge or whatever was making their weapons was and he could get started on building his weapons!

Oh wow, they really got some pretty neat weapons, huh? I mean, that kid has a collapsible staff, and she has a fire sword, too! Then he saw one girl whip out her scythe in the middle of the street! And nobody is batting an eye! Okay, time to ask somebody.

"Uh, excuse me?"

"Uh, yeah?" A bald guy replied, a bow strapped to his back.

"Where did you get your weapon?"

"I, uh, built it myself back at Sanctum." He replied. He then looked Jaune up and down and around, then pointing at Jaune's bag. "Is your weapon in your bag?"

"Huh?" He looked down. "Uh, no, that's just my bag. Wait, hang on, where do I get my weapon?"

"You should have had it since you got here." He then checks his watch. "Oh, shish-kabob! I gotta go, but, uh, I'd ask a professor whenever you can!"

He then ran off, leaving Jaune alone. In the street. With his bag. And nothing else. It was at this moment that Jaune knew... he done goofed.

"Fu-"

[kcscribbler]

Seven Sentence Sunday

Tagged by the ever-early @elodiah.

I'm still fiddling with a few WIPs right now and won't be online a lot of the week, so instead have the scene I cut from a recent chapter. I posted bits of it here before and eventually decided to cut it completely. Hope that's okay. 😅

--SOME HOURS LATER--

A warm hand on his brow is what wakes him however long it is later, startling him out of what feels like a remarkably painless sleep, all things considered.

He is not destined for godly or mortal paradise, and this surely cannot be Hel?

Mobius makes a vaguely surprised noise when he realizes Loki’s eyes are open. “Hey, there you are.”

His own eyes are dark-shadowed, pinched at the corners as they always are when he has a headache, but he seems much calmer than Loki remembers last seeing him. And looks utterly exhausted. His hair is sticking up everywhere, as if he’s been dragging his hands through it repeatedly.

“Are you really awake this time?”

Loki blinks for a few seconds, trying to sort through the confused muddle of his last recollection, before nodding somewhat uncertainly.

Mobius chuckles, and reaches somewhere beyond Loki’s vision, bringing back a plastic bottle of water and uncapping it. “Go slow,” he warns, slipping a hand behind Loki’s neck to assist with a better angle.

Cool and refreshing, the water is most welcome. It serves to slowly wash back what Loki now realizes must have been a very near-death experience, if his memories are accurate. The acrid bite of the cursed dagger seems to have vanished, as it should have within these walls and the cast Runes they hold; and while the wound is no longer radiating such agony as he last remembers, it is very much still in existence, that much is clear.

Even the small effort of drinking seems to sap the rest of his energy, however, and it is with great struggle that he forces his eyes open again, not willing to fall back into that darkness without first ascertaining their safety. He appears to be lying semi-sprawled on the ground, like a marionette with its strings cut. A downy pillow rests under his head, and he is covered with what feels like half a dozen coverings – but that is definitely the hard, chilled stone floor under him.

Oh. Yes, good. Mobius had understood Loki’s basically non-existent directions, and had opened a Door directly beneath them to drop them into relative safety in the Citadel. It would have been a bit of a tumble, but certainly better than remaining where they were. Loki spares a brief moment to be impressed that Mobius had figured it out quickly enough to keep him from exsanguination, but that full story will likely need to wait.

Mobius puts a hand on his shoulder, as if reading his confusion on his face. “I assume we’re safe, for now,” he reassures, calm and soothing. “And do I have a load of questions for you about this place! When you’re feeling better, anyway.”

“…Questions?”

“They can wait. You need rest.”

Loki shifts a bit against the cold floor, and immediately is informed by his own physiology of just how not healed he is. Mobius’ face twists in sympathy. “You’re doing a lot better than you were yesterday, but it’s not gonna be a fun recovery, I'm guessing. ‘Specially without magic."

“If this is a lot better,” Loki rasps, breathing heavily, “then I shudder to think of the previous state.”

Mobius worries at a little string fraying on one of the blankets. “You’re not the only one,” he finally says. “I was sure Valhalla was putting another place setting on that long table.”

Loki reaches up to place an unsteady hand on his, noting the absence of the ring which had done its job perhaps a little too well. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“You should be,” Mobius retorts, but he turns his hand to lace their fingers tightly. “Oldest trick in the book, and you fell right for it. Damn it, Loki.”

“Forgive me if I find it rather difficult to focus on myself when there is a lesser variant of me with a blade at your throat.” Mobius snorts, amused despite himself at the designation. Loki exhales in a pained grunt. “Might we adjourn to something softer than the floor?”

“I think so, yeah. If you can make it upright for a few seconds, I can use the momentum to get you settled. I’ll get you something to drink with sugar in it, too. Even if your magic kicks back in, it isn’t gonna fix blood loss. You really need a doctor.”

“I would like to try to heal myself first, if you’d be so kind as to assist.”

Mobius nods and gets to one knee beside what Loki now realizes is a makeshift pallet on the floor; and no wonder, since Mobius could never have gotten him up alone. The runes hidden in the walls were just enough to cancel out the curse from the blade, though it does not feel as if his magic is even close to returning. Perhaps assisting a bit with healing, but nothing more.

Brows drawn with worry, Mobius locks one hand around Loki’s and firmly grasps a bony elbow with the other hand. “Ready?” he asks.

Loki nods, braces himself with opposite hand against the floor, and clenches his jaw to prevent a shout of pain when he pushes off, hauled to his feet and kept there with remarkable strength given that it takes a moment for him to find his footing. It is only a few meters to the bed, but it might well have been light-years, for as much as he is exhausted again, limp and breathing heavily, when they finally reach it.

Mobius fusses for a few minutes with the pillows, carefully arranging them so Loki can sleep on his uninjured side instead of his back, facing the middle of the bed. A glass of some sweet-smelling fruit juice is held to Loki’s lips, and then set on the table after he drinks from it. Mobius then retrieves the blankets from the floor, arranging and rearranging them until Loki, already half-asleep again, finally drags his eyes open and catches his wrist mid-action.

“What is it? What do you need?”

“You,” Loki whispers. “I need you safe, and I need you to rest. Please.”

It is telling that he gets no argument against the latter. Mobius just nods, and then after a moment of hesitation slips off his shoes and settles somewhat awkwardly on the other half of the not-exactly-oversized bed. Loki watches through half-closed lids as he fidgets with the unfamiliar sleeves of the pajamas. Discovered prowling around, no doubt, while Loki slept. He turns up the cuffs of the simple brown top, and then unrolls them again. And again. And again.

His hands are shaking.

“Are you all right?” Loki asks.

Mobius immediately stops and then squirrels under the sheet and quilt, offering what Loki can immediately tell is a forced smile as he settles in, hands folded neatly over his chest. “Don’t you worry about me,” he says quietly.

Loki’s lips curve in a faint smile. “I have done nothing but that, these last months,” he admits. It is, perhaps, a little too honest, a little too fraught with pain, for right now. “With good reason, it would seem. I told you that you were too trusting.”

A faint snort, but Mobius seems to then relax and fall back into old bantering habits, exhaling in a gusty sigh. “Yeah, yeah. Rub it in.” He side-eyes Loki briefly, and despite the weight of these last months seems to silently agree that, and all its unspoken consequences, is a discussion for the morrow. Instead, he simply turns on his side to face Loki, watchful and silent.

Loki manages a shallow, measured exhale and inhale. Another, and then another, until the pain is bearable.

“Please tell me we’re not going to talk about things right now,” he then rasps.

A brief chuckle, even if it’s tinged with sadness. “Not unless you want to.”

“Actually, I do. But not – not until I can think clearly,” he says, a little more candid than he meant. He blinks a few times and allows the pain to settle, to become a Thing of the body, not the mind. He has had far worse, after all.

Mobius huffs what seems to be a sigh of relief. “Sounds like a plan.” He pats Loki’s shoulder and then turns to shut off the light.

Loki’s eyelids droop against his will, but he reaches out across the space, careful not to stretch too far, and settles for leaving his hand there as he loses the fight against sleep.

Tagging @lokimobius @doomed-spectacles @insert-witty-user-name-here @mirilyawrites @loki-is-my-kink-awakening

@in-my-loki-feels @andthekitchensinkao3 @mythical-magik @scifikimmi and @thosegayoldmen

Whatcha workin' on this week?

[ssj2hindudude]

Multicultural death kid slumber party

Mini: So, wait. We're ALL children of death?

Hazel: Well, technically Hades is the god OF the dead while Thanatos is actual death. But yeah.

Nico: Plus, as my sister here shows, he's also got control over underground including gemstones

Mini: Ok, noted. My godly parent's also got some range too as the god of justice.

Hazel: Neat! Sounds like Athena. Annabeth should hear about this.

Nico: Eh, more like Themis, really.

Waltnubis: Do I even count if I'm just fused with a god and not the son of one?

Hazel: Annabeth says she owes Sadie a favor, but we would've invited you anyway.

Nico: I'm surprised we didn't invite Magnus and his friends. They're all dead, after all.

Mini: Yeah, but they're not in control of it. If any of them were, say, a child of Hel-

*Hazel screams*

*Nico brandishes his sword*

*Mini pulls out DeeDee*

Waltnubis: What's wrong?!?

Hazel: THERE'S A SNAKE IN MY SLEEPING BAG!

Mini: A sna- 😡 RUDRA OF NAGA-LOKA!

Rudy, popping out: Hello, my queen. Nice night, isn't it?

Mini: What are you doing here?!?

Rudy: We were lonely and wanted to check up on you guys!

Mini: We?

Rudy: OW! MY ANKLE!

Nico: Is that a weasel?!?

Frank, turning human: That was for picking my girlfriend's bag instead of yours.

Hazel: Frank Zhang, what in the-

*Someone falls out of the closet*

Waltnubis, arms crossed: Sadie Kane

Sadie: Hey, this isn't my locker! That silly Duat! And for the record, Annie was NOT doing me a favor!

Nico: Great. All that's left is-

*Will falls through the ceiling and into Nico's lap*

Will: ...I guess I should tell Chiron that Hades Cabin needs renovations.

Mini: So what do we do now?

*Rudy reaches in his bag and throws a rock*

*The rock starts playing Die Young by Kesha*

*Everyone shrugs their shoulders and starts dancing*

@strawblob @queenofapeacefuldawn

[moa-broke-me]

Little 6 year old Jason finding a weird hole in the wolf house that wasn't there before.

Crawling down it and finding himself in the labyrinth.

He's afraid. He's separated from his pack, and he doesn't know how to get back.

He wanders the maze endlessly, subsisting off of whatever poor animals that find themselves down there. He's lonely. He's so, so, so lonely, and scared.

Juno helps him on occasion, even sending him a small cake once a year on his birthday, but he grows up without hardly anyone for company.

Until, after six cakes, he crosses paths with another human boy. Looks about his age, too. His older sister taught him a few words, but he rarely had to use them until now. His voice is scratchy and unaccustomed to them, his tongue awkward in his mouth, but he's so excited that he tries anyway. "Hel... lo...?" He asks, not sure if he's doing it right. He doesn't understand why there's a whole word for that.

His eyes widen. "Um... Hi."

He crawls around him, sniffing at his feet, trying to get to know him.

Alarmed, the new boy steps back. "What are you doing!? Stop!"

Jason doesn't understand 'what are you doing', but he does understand 'stop'. He remembers, flashes of his old life, before the wolves.

Mama.

He winces, tears pricking at his face as he sits back, awaiting the hit that would surely come. He was bad. Bad boys got hit. They got bit, they got clawed, they got swatted away from the kill and left to curl up in the dirt with an aching belly.

"... What are you doing?"

That question again, that he doesn't understand, but said softer this time. Jason looks up at him and mimes hitting himself in the head, unable to find the words to explain.

The boy's eyes widen. "You... Thought I was gonna hit you?"

Jason didn't understand everything, but he caught 'you' and 'I' and 'hit' and another 'you' at the very end. It seemed to be a question... 'I hit you?' like 'is that what I need to do?'

Jason blinked away his tears, hoping the stranger would forgive him for his pathetic display, and nodded. Yes, he's been bad. He needs to be punished.

He got on his knees, hands up in surrender. "I'm not gonna hit you. I don't want you to sniff me again, but I'm not gonna hurt you."

Jason looked up at him, tilting his head. "... No... Hit?"

He shook his head. "No. No hit. But no sniff either, ok?"

Jason whined. "No sniff?"

"No, it's weird."

Jason was getting frustrated with how many words he doesn't know. He lets out a low growl.

The boy sighs. "I don't even know why I'm doing this. I don't even know your name... What is your name?"

The only important word he understood was 'name'. He remembered glimpses of Juno, holding him, carrying him to the wolf house, and calling him... Something. J... Jay...

"... Ja... son..." He guesses.

"Jason? Your name is Jason?"

He nodded, smiling. A purely human trait, wolves don't smile. "Jason." He repeated, with more confidence now.

The boy smiled back, just the tiniest bit. "My name is Nico. Are you alone?"

"Ni... Co..." He repeated thoughtfully. "... Alone?" He asked. He didn't know what that meant.

Nico paused. "... Like... You don't have any people with you."

"No... People..." Jason thought, and then nodded. He knew what people were, and he didn't see any. He hasn't seen any in years, not really. Sometimes the rooms had paintings of people, but that didn't count. "... No. No people. And no pack. Alone."

"Pack? Like a wolf pack?"

"M-hm. No pack in... Six."

"Six what?"

He reaches into the pockets of his pants, which were caked with dirt and tight against the growth of his body, and pulled out the candles he collected from Juno's cakes, which he used to keep track of how much time had passed.

Nico sucked in a little gasp. "Is that... Years, are you trying to tell me?"

Jason wasn't sure how much time a year was, but he nodded.

"Oh, poverino..." He breathed. "Is that how long you've been down here?"

Jason nodded again.

Nico whined. "That's a long time."

Jason nodded. "... Are you alone?" He asked, mimicking Nico.

Nico sighed. "Yes. Not as long as you, but yes."

Jason whined and laid his head on Nico's thigh. "Not alone now."

Nico bristled at the contact, but didn't jerk away. "... Yeah. Me either."

[jumpywhumpywriter]

Betrayal for the Greater Good

Warnings: betrayal, tranquilizer, counter-betrayal

Summary: Shadow is a morally gray anti-hero with wings who has a dark past. The villain her team is fighting is incredibly powerful, and she knows that average humans don't stand a chance. So she decides to set out alone to track down and go head-to-head with the enemy without her teammates to keep them safe, acting selflessly for once... little does she know, her human friend had other plans.

"I can't let you do this! I did the calculations myself, there's a good chance you won't make it back alive," Thomas argued, seeing that Shadow was about to leave. He'd caught her in the middle of packing up to go fight Villain alone. Caught red-handed before she could escape and head off to battle.

"That means there's still a small chance I do. I'll take it." Shadow huffed in annoyance, heading for the door, when she heard a quiet click behind her, and froze stiff, eyes widening.

"I'm sorry, but I won't let you do this to yourself. I know you're trying to be selfless and heroic for once out of some messed up attempt at redemption, but this isn't the way."

Shadow slowly turned around, eyes widening further with surprise to see Thomas holding a modified gun in his hand, leveled at her chest. "What do you think you're doing?" She growled, voice dropping low and dangerous.

"Saving you from yourself," Thomas answered, mouth set in a grim line. "This weapon fires tranquilizer darts strong enough to down horses. It should be more than enough to take out a bird-woman."

"...You really think I won't survive if I walk into this fight?" Shadow asked, biting her lip apprehensively and not meeting his eyes. He nodded, face full of tension and concern, but also determined resolve. She tilted her head thoughtfully, as though second-guessing her choice, before letting out a heavy sigh of defeat.

"The tranquilizer won't be necessary, I... I see your point. And I trust your judgement. If you think it's not a good idea... then it isn't. I'll stay here." She let her wings sag convincingly. She saw Thomas visibly relax with relief, and a heartbeat later he hesitantly lowered the tranq gun.

"Thank you for talking some sense into me," Shadow added, offering a small smirk.

"Thank you for listening." Thomas groaned inwardly with anxiety, running a shaky hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for threatening you like that, I just... didn't see any other way to talk you out of it. I know how stubborn you are."

Shadow slowly walked over to him and put a light, reassuring hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head to meet her gaze, and was startled by the icy darkness in her expression, tinged with guilt and regret. She leaned closer to him, smiling sadly.

"I'm still stubborn. Sorry, kid... You're too gullible for your own good. You'll forgive me eventually," she whispered into his ear.

"What are you--" That was as far as he got, when there was a flash of movement next to him, and Shadow jabbed her fingers right above his collarbone.

He let out a gasp of surprise, the tranquilizer gun falling out of his hand as a terrible, aching pain overtook him all at once, radiated through his entire body. He instantly went limp, and she caught him, lowering him to the floor so he wouldn't hurt himself by falling.

"Ow... what did you...?"

"There's a vulnerable nerve cluster right above your collarbone," Shadow explained slowly. "Hit it right, and it essentially shocks the entire nervous system at once with agonizing pain, temporarily paralyzing you. Don't try to move, or it'll hurt worse." She picked up the fallen tranq gun and threw it to the other side of the room, well out of reach. "You'll regain your mobility within the next two hours."

"Why...?" Thomas tried to turn his head to catch her gaze, but sparks of pain immediately erupted behind his eyes, and he realized that she was right: even the smallest movement was practically unbearable. He couldn't help the sharp cry of pain that tore loose from him, and he didn't miss the small guilty wince she tried to suppress.

"I apologize for this, but trust me, it's in your best interest." Shadow rose to her feet and stepped away from him, turning toward the door.

"W-Wait! You can't be serious! Come back! Please!" Thomas bit back a scream as he rolled over to his stomach, desperately trying to get to his feet, every small twitch of his body followed by a white-hot wave of agony. If he could only reach the tranquilizer... he could stop her from making the biggest mistake of fighting Villain alone. But everything hurt so much.

Shadow paused to look back at him as he clumsily attempted to get his feet beneath him, even as his legs kept sprawling to the sides, refusing to cooperate with his will.

"D-Don't go!" He panted, chest heaving. His voice was strained with the effort of trying not to slur his words as small tremors wracked his whole body.

Shadow shook her head regretfully. "Don't fight me on this, kid. We both know you already lost. You're only making it harder for yourself." Then she left through the door, blocking out Thomas's protesting shouts of anger and hurt mixed with pain. There wasn't time for that anymore.

I have to focus now. Thomas will be fine in a few hours. He might hate me, but at least he'll be alive.

Masterlist

@lumpofsand

@scoundrelwithboba

@isikedmyself878

[re-re-redline]

-General Headcanons: Yamanami Keisuke-

-No Spoilers for GudaGuda 7-

Foreword: Freed from the clutches of NPC Jail is none other than the Shinsengumi’s softest man! To celebrate his arrival, here’s his General Headcanons! Oh and I’ll be releasing his sprites throughout the event week too as I work on my To-do List and other things.

But that’s enough from me right now! Here you go!

Do not let this man’s soft, kind and affable demeanor fool you. He can absolutely take you and everyone else for that matter in an argument. Be it screaming match or friendly debate, it doesn’t make a difference, he will meet your energy and you will regret going low on him if you decide to take it that far. He isn’t one to fold unless you can actually prove he’s wrong, to which he’ll concede and actually admit he’s mistaken. That’s not to say he’s completely obstinate or anything of the sort, he only really locks in like that when things get heated, much to his own disappointment. If you ask Sannan, it’s one of his worst qualities. Something he doesn’t like to see in others and something he really doesn’t like in himself. Though the people around him more or less call it ‘strong conviction’ rather than bullheadedness, which he still doesn’t agree with. In not heated arguments, he’s much better and more often than not the dispute will be resolved peacefully. It’s just…some people Hijikata really set him off, y’know?

Note: If you don’t believe me then look at his angry sprites. That man WILL throw down.

The second he found out that Chaldea had both a book club and a poetry club was the same second he joined. In life he wrote poetry, so I’d imagine that he’d keep up the hobby in his second one too. He does get a bit embarrassed reading his own stuff aloud but gets over it relatively quickly when he gets to know the other members. On the book side of things, he’s pretty hyped to have so much literature in one place that he can just…walk to, in a reasonable amount of time.

This man will not, under any circumstances, leave his room—or wherever he’s sleeping at—until he does his hair in the morning. This is the first thing he does when he gets out of bed and nothing will stop him from completing this task. Neither god nor man can stop Yamanami from tying his hair up before he leaves and he won’t be caught dead with it untied. The exit to a time loop could be Sannan not doing his hair and—well, shit! I guess he’s stuck there forever! …Just kidding. I think he’d stomach one day with his hair down to escape a time loop, it’s not that deep. Though it is enough to where he can confidently say that he can count on two hands the number of people who have seen him with his hair down. It’s always tied up in some fashion and the day will come where you think you got him and he’ll just smile and point at the singular bobby pin holding back a section of his bangs. Boom, he’s got you on a technicality. If you—for some reason—decide to make it your life’s mission to see this beautiful man with his hair completely down then you will find yourself embroiled in the world’s longest running game with Okita and Saito snickering in the back. Those two have seen him with his hair down and they aren’t telling you shit! They will play it up like it’s the eighth wonder of the world to add salt on the wound when you fail.

Note: His fastest time is thirty seconds and he occasionally attempts to beat his record.

He’s great with kids and you’ll often see him and Okita playing games with Jack, Nursery Rhyme, Bunyan, and Janta. While he can’t play too hard due to the arm injury that he sustained, he does play a mean game of hide and seek. If Yamanami is one of the people hiding, when he’s one of the last people left then he’ll throw by sneaking up behind you and grabbing your shoulders to scare the shit out of you. While this may seem like a mean spirited play on his part, the laughter from the other hiders at your screaming will give them away, so it’s really just his subtle way of helping you end the game. If he’s the one seeking then I hope you have a really good spot because you’re dealing with the Shinsengumi’s best seeker and he’s not one to be slacking. And yes, puppy eyes do work against him but its success rate is 42% so don’t expect to be saved very often.

Note: It should be noted that him and Okita don’t play tag together. Ever. If you ask Sannan about it, then he’ll simply say that Okita never asked. If you ask Okita about it then she’ll simply say that she’s not feeling it at the moment, which is what she says every time you ask. If you ask Saito about it, then he’ll put a hand on your shoulder and offer you the sage wisdom that some things are best left alone.

Yamanami takes really good care of his glasses. He has two cloths on hand and even has the spray too so as to keep the lenses clear when he’s out and about. Our guy knows all the alternative ways to keep the lenses and frames clean, so he will educate you if you’re doing something unholy like using fucking Windex on your glasses. On another note, he did get his prescription soon after he materialized and does have a spare in case his original ones break. He’ll be mourning their loss for a while. He tried contacts but found the feeling to be weird and mainly keeps them somewhere as the ‘I have no glasses but I must read’ emergency pair when both his original and spare break. Oh yeah, and I believe him to be farsighted. His two other ascensions have no glasses, and those are the ascensions where he’s very clearly dressed to kill (haha) so it would stand to reason that his eyesight without his glasses must not be that bad or he’s farsighted. As someone who can’t see shit 3 inches in front of her face without her glasses, I can’t imagine fighting someone who I can barely see. Life or death situation, I’m still with the coke bottle glasses! So I headcanon Sannan to be farsighted since it’d be the less debilitating thing to have in battle and it makes more sense when he takes it off for his 2nd and 3rd ascensions since he can see just fine far away without them.

Sannan, as implied by the bags under his eyes, doesn’t get that good of a sleep most days. It’s not having nightmares or anything dramatic like that, it’s just that he can’t relax enough for sleep to actually get a grip on him. Being submerged in darkness with the silence ringing in his ears sets the stage for a certain three words to take the floor. Coulda, woulda, and shoulda. This man has a lot of regrets and he can’t help but ruminate on how things would’ve turned out for him and his friends if he had just done better. If he was more wise, more assertive, more strong, more…everything—maybe if he wasn’t himself, then maybe that life would have ended more sweetly. Maybe, maybe, maybe. The myriad of possibilities of how things coulda been if he woulda done what he shoulda from the start, they plague him. That’s why this man has bags under his eyes, because he’s torturing himself for hours on end every night for shit he knows he can’t change. It’s awful.

Please, please, for the love of all that is cool beans, PLEASE make sure he sorties occasionally. Once a week, or once every two weeks—doesn’t matter. Just make sure you bring him out onto the battlefield. Do not regulate him to just filing papers. His mental health will tank and you will have a front row seat to watching a flower wither before your eyes. He’ll get depressed being all cooped up inside while everyone else is out there fighting and bringing you victory. He’ll start wondering if the reason you don’t send him out is because of his injury and it only gets worse from there as time goes on. Is it because he ran away? Is it because of the things he took part in? How about the things he let happen? Did someone tell you something about him? Do you think he’s too weak? So on and so forth until the end of time. He’ll try being nice about it and subtly ask you to have him on your comp next time but then he’ll follow it up by saying that, of course, it’s up to you and you’re the boss so…yeah. Get him outside on the field, doesn’t matter for what—proofs farming or bone farming, doesn’t matter—just get him out there and make him useful. And don’t you dare look at him with that pitiful look in your eyes either. He knows it well and it hurts him more than any physical wound ever could.

When he was alive, he earned—under the Hokushin Itto discipline—a license that basically told everyone that he knew all that there was to know about Hokushin Itto-ryu and is permitted, legally, to teach it. Which means that you absolutely can ask Sannan to teach you swordplay if you so choose. He, at first, would be astonished that you’d ask him of all people to teach you when you already have legends like Sasaki Kojirou, Tomoe Gozen, and Yagyu Munenori to teach you much more than what he learned. I mean, he’s just some dude. Why choose him? If you are persistent then he will relent and you’ll obtain Sannan as your teacher. He takes his new position very seriously and is committed to teaching you how to handle yourself well in battle, it could be the difference between life or death, after all. That’s not to say his gentle demeanor has vanished in favor of something more stern, no, if anything he seems kinda happy to be doing this. Though, it should be noted that, on rare occasions where you’re practicing on your own while supervised, you could turn around and catch a glimpse of Yamanami’s wistful expression looking through you. He’s quick to correct himself and give you a wave, but a tint of pain can be seen in those plum colored eyes.

Note: It’s not possible, but do try to keep the fact that Yamanami’s training you under wraps for as long as you can. The inevitable consequence is Okita randomly popping up sometimes mid training session to ‘quiz’ you on what you’ve learned so far. And by ‘quiz’ I mean ‘spar’ and by ‘spar’ I mean ‘knock you on your ass in under 5 seconds.’ Thankfully it doesn’t occur too often and Oki isn’t just going to beat you up and leave either, she’ll pitch in with your education too and tell you stories about the old days at the Shieikan. Saito and Hijikata will leave you be and’ll only participate in your training if you ask, with latter being harder to convince.

No one is quite sure how this happened, but through some means Sannan has gotten a bit into metal music, which is a stark contrast to his more easy listening and ambient music taste. Quite a few people think that Nobu is the one responsible when it was actually Tomoe. But not just any metal music, folk metal and symphonic metal. It can’t be TOO metal-y, it has to be diluted. To best show you what I mean, I’m going to list an example. 夜ごとの闇の奥底でfeat.LIQU@ by Undead Corporation. (aka. Yogoto no Yami no Okusoko de) For that matter, quite a few of UC’s works fit the bill too like 天涯 (Tengai) or 常世想兼神 (Tokoyo Omohikane no Kami) hit the spot as well. And while the mix of traditional instruments with metal is pretty great for him already, what Yamanami appreciates the most about these songs are the lyrics. Oh my gosh the lyrics are amazing. You can look up the translated lyrics here, here and here but they have that level of poeticism and wordplay that I just know that Sannan would appreciate.

You may recall that I earlier stated that Sannan has an arm injury. While I won’t quite get into how it happened for fear of spoiling the new event, I will tell you how he lives with it in Chaldea. It hurts from time to time and while it’s not that bad, it can flare up to an almost unbearable degree if Yamanami pushes himself too hard. And the thing is… As much as our megane friend here is the voice of reason in the Shinsengumi, the fact of the matter is that he’s just as liable to fall into the same traps everyone else fell into. Just look at him argue with Hijikata! He’s no better and he knows it. That in mind he can and will push himself past his limits and he will pay for it dearly on the pain scale, it might even cause him to pass out if the situation’s that bad. Though I wouldn’t worry about it too much since those are extreme circumstances. Still, you should keep an eye on him because the only complaints he’s going to give about his arm are the ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ type of complaints that don’t really stand out among what’s going on in the field. Thankfully, Yamanami does have painkillers to help but he often forgets them in his room, so make sure to have some Tylenol and snacks on hand for when that happens, ‘kay?

Endnote: And that’s that! You can’t see me right now, but I’m oscillating into a different plane of existence from the sheer excitement! I can’t wait to have him buff my Hajime-chan for solo comps in the future! Once I grind those godforsaken spirit roots, I’ll have him fully ascended! Ugh, and I’ll also have to grind proofs for his skills too… Man, I hate being in mat hell…

But that’s enough of The Misery of Re-Re-Redline, I’ll be seeing you all very soon and good luck on your rolls!

Bye for now!

—Redline, over and out!