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gravitywonagain · 1 year ago

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Inquiring Minds

holy shit, i finished a thing. well, a draft of a thing, but still counts!

based on this post about wwx being just dead enough be susceptible to the compulsion of inquiry

It was, in retrospect, the stupidest possible way to be found out. Wei Wuxian will readily admit that. Unfortunately, the level of stupidity was not a determining factor for the level of reality — as was the case for so much of Wei Wuxian’s life.

It all happened because one of the two dozen Jin disciples who bothered to show up to the war got a little drunk and a lot prideful and ended up starting a fight he couldn’t finish. Or, that was the going theory, anyway. The Jin leadership — such as it was — wanted an investigation done. As if they had nothing better to do. As if there weren’t reasons to be conserving spiritual power and not wasting it playing Inquiry for a guy who had decided to pick a fight — hopefully, hopefully it was a fight — with a Nie disciple who, granted, did not have the startling musculature of some of her shixiongs, but was still a fucking Nie disciple!

This guy was not worth their time. This guy was not worth Lan Zhan’s time. Or his attention, or his spiritual power, or the stress it would put on his guqin strings— okay, maybe Wei Wuxian should have taken a moment to purge some of his resentment before walking into the tent.

But he didn’t. This is important.

Because then Lan Zhan began to play.

And there was this strange… tugging sensation in the pit of Wei Wuxian’s gut, right where his golden core was supposed to be, pulling him toward Lan Zhan, or toward the empty space in front of Lan Zhan.

Wei Wuxian shouldn’t have ignored it. He gets that now. He does. But he always wanted to be near Lan Zhan, and his body had been doing all kinds of weird shit since he’d had his core cut out, and who was to say this wasn’t just another weird side effect.

Well. It was. A weird side effect. After a fashion.

But that’s not the point!

He should have noticed then. He should have left then. But he didn’t.

The melody changed and the tugging sensation stopped. Which was great!

Until something else started. It felt like a kind of drunkenness, light and hazy in his head, loose around his tongue. Three or four bowls in.

He shook himself to dislodge it, but the motion only drew a sharp glare from Jiang Cheng.

The tent was full of spectators. At least two representatives from each major clan were present, plus several “close friends” of the victim -- like four of the fifteen total Jin disciples -- who probably just wanted something else to do outside of eat, sleep, and fight. Wei Wuxian couldn’t blame them, exactly, war was remarkably boring most of the time, but it was getting awfully stuffy in there.

Lan Zhan changed the melody again, something almost lexical about it. Wei Wuxian could almost hear the question being asked, even before Zewu Jun’s voice chimed in, translating for anyone who didn’t know the qin language — which was pretty much everyone else in the tent besides the Twin Jades — “What is your name?”

Wei Wuxian caught his own response between his lips, pressing them together tightly, as the guqin sounded three distinct notes which Zewu Jun reported as Jin Zixin.

So, good. It was the right guy. That was great. Nothing weird at all.

He should have left then. He didn’t.

Lan Zhan played again, and again Wei Wuxian thought he understood the phrase, the question, even before Zewu Jun said for the tent, “How did you die?”

Wei Wuxian felt the answer fly to the tip of his tongue and bit his teeth around it, through it. His cheek bled with the force of keeping quiet.

It was weird. So weird. But maybe, Wei Wuxian justified to himself, maybe it was just an effect of holding a secret inside for so long and having someone actually ask the question out loud. Maybe, it was just the same automatic reaction of answering with your name when someone asked for it. Maybe he was just too fucking tired, and the resentment under his skin just wanted something to laugh at, something to entertain itself with. Like the five of ten Jins standing in the back of the tent. War was boring, okay?

The notes from Lan Zhan’s guqin hung in the air, resonant and waiting. The moment seemed to stretch out too long. It dragged and Wei Wuxian gradually felt the words stop fighting him to escape.

But the Jin ghost didn’t answer either.

When Lan Zhan played the same phrase over — “How did you die?” echoed on Zewu Jun’s tongue — the compulsion was much stronger. This time it was like Wei Wuxian could feel Lan Zhan’s spiritual power pouring through him; the strongest of wines, several jars of it.

He couldn’t fight it.

His mouth opened.

I fell. I fell. I fell.

“I fell.”

All eyes in the tent turned to him.

Jiang Cheng’s elbow caught him in the ribs. He didn’t even bother to glare. He said, “Not you, Idiot.”

The qin sounded and everybody looked back to Lan Zhan and Zewu Jun, waiting to hear the Jin disciple’s answer.

Zewu Jun hesitated for the barest of moments, stuttering into the start of his translation before finding the confidence of his voice once more, recounting whatever it was that the ghost had strummed out.

Wei Wuxian didn’t hear a word he said. He was, instead, pierced on two sides.

On one: Jiang Cheng muttered to himself, “Wait,” and then his eyes went wide as he looked back at Wei Wuxian.

On the other: Lan Zhan’s fingers froze above the strings of his guqin and he turned to stare over his shoulder at Wei Wuxian with something like horrified understanding dawning within his gaze.

Wei Wuxian finally realized he should fucking leave. Immediately.

He wanted to run. He knew better. Knew what that would look like.

Instead, he was going to simply walk out of this tent as he had walked out of so many already during this campaign. Gravel crunched under his heel as he turned.

But his brother knew him too well. Jiang Cheng’s hand clamped tight around Wei Wuxian’s bicep, his grip unyielding. With his golden core, Wei Wuxian might have been able to break it. But the real bitch of it was that it was his golden core that was holding him in place.

Jiang Cheng tensed as if readying for a fight, but Wei Wuxian already knew how that fight would end. So he let himself be restrained.

He turned back to face the Inquiry.

Lan Zhan was still staring at him when Zewu Jun finished speaking. He was still so stuck in place that his brother had to prompt him into finishing the ritual. Which he did, with all the grace and skill expected of him. He really was just so beautiful to watch.

All the while, Wei Wuxian listened to the music and bit through his tongue to keep it silent. The questions continued to drag at him -- “Do you know who killed you?” Wen Chao. “Do you have any last requests?” To leave this fucking tent. -- though the pressure to answer eased significantly as the Jin ghost became less stubborn about it. Wei Wuxian settled for reciting the answers to them in his head until they no longer felt pressed against the thin seam of his mouth.

It took approximately sixteen-hundred years.

All seven Jin disciples supporting the war effort left the tent after the ghost had recounted his final moments. The attempted sexual assault was not unexpected, judging by their faces, but still disappointing to hear about. Clearly not the entertainment they were hoping for. Luckily for Wei Wuxian, they were apparently too wrapped up in their Jin nonsense to realize new entertainment was fidgeting in the corner and trying not to sever the tip of his tongue completely.

The Nie, represented by Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang, left shortly after the ritual concluded. If Nie Mingjue had to tug his brother away, Wei Wuxian was too busy keeping his mouth shut to comment on it.

And then there were just the four of them. Plus the corpse. But they were like six months into a war, so the corpse didn’t actually seem to bother any of them. It hadn’t even started to smell yet. It was still pretty intact, too, and now that it was verifiably a criminal, Wei Wuxian wondered idly if the Jin would let him use it in their next battle. Probably not.

His idle wondering ceased abruptly as his brother’s fingers bit deeper into the meat of his arm.

“Wei Wuxian,” he said, all of his surely filial worry for his gege boiling over into a spitting, incandescent fury. He never had to say he loved his brother, Wei Wuxian could always tell. It was the teeth gnashing that gave him away. “What the fuck do you mean you fell?”

Right.

Wei Wuxian played it as cool as he could with a definitely-not-bleeding tongue. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jiang Cheng.” He shrugged, but his arm didn’t move very far.

“You answered Inquiry,” said Lan Zhan. Succinct as ever.

“No!” Wei Wuxian said, maybe a little too loud, but not at all childishly.

Zewu Jun narrowed his eyes and pulled out his xiao. Wei Wuxian tried not to flinch about it, he did. But Zewu Jun only played a short, non-Inquiry melody, and a shimmering, blue barrier manifested around the interior of the tent.

“No,” Wei Wuxian said again, this time at a totally normal volume. “I was just… messing around. You know how I do that, Lan Zhan. Always a rule breaker.” He grinned, desperately trying to play it all off. Realizing faster and faster how very badly this was going for him.

Lan Zhan surprised him, then, saying, “Not when it matters.”

“What?”

“Wei Ying doesn’t break rules when they matter.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t know where the fuck that was coming from. But he couldn’t say he hated it.

Except that he did, because it was going to be a problem for this whole I’m just a silly rascal defense he was setting up.

Jiang Cheng still hadn’t let go of his arm. His fingernails were starting to split the fabric of his sleeve. And worse, his eyebrows were scrunched together in the way they do when he’s thinking through all the angles of a problem.

Zewu Jun still had his xiao in hand, and he was looking at Wei Wuxian like he was deciding whether to perform an exorcism or an execution.

But Lan Zhan… Lan Zhan hadn’t moved from his seat on the mat. He had turned his body so that he was facing Wei Wuxian, giving him his full attention, and was looking up at him with… pain in his eyes. Shining, wet pain.

“You died?” he asked. “Are you dead?”

“I don’t…” Wei Wuxian trailed off. He couldn’t find the words.

He didn’t know. Which was, possibly, not the best sign.

“I can’t be dead,” he said, looking over at Zewu Jun, Jiang Cheng, then back to Lan Zhan. “Can I?”

Zewu Jun, still wary, said, “You responded to the compulsion in Inquiry. Inquiry is a song that speaks to and compels answers from the dead. It does not generally work on the living.”

“Well--” Wei Wuxian started, defensive and scared. But again, he didn’t really know where to go with that.

“Where were you, Wei Wuxian?” Jiang Cheng asked him. “Why didn’t you meet me at the bottom of the hill?”

Lan Zhan and Zewu Jun shared a look. They didn’t seem to know what Jiang Cheng was talking about. But Wei Wuxian really, really, didn’t want to get into that whole mess. If anyone was going to see right through him and his flimsy tale about suddenly remembering the location of Baoshan Sanren’s mountain, it would be Lan Zhan. Actually, Zewu Jun would probably figure it out, too. And then maybe even Jiang Cheng. Now that he wasn’t all broken and desperate and gullible.

Fuck. With the way Jiang Cheng was looking at Wei Wuxian, the way his hand released some of the pressure around his arm, he might already have.

Wei Wuxian laughed, hoping it came off more smoothly than it felt in his chest. “Ah, Jiang Cheng.” He brought his own hand up to lay over his brother’s. “What if I told you--”

“No,” Jiang Cheng cut him off. “No more bullshit. Where were you?”

The mirth, false as it was, drained out of Wei Wuxian as he saw the pain building behind his brother’s eyes.

There was movement in his periphery and then Lan Zhan was standing on his other side. His fingers wrapped around Wei Wuxian’s other arm with a much gentler grip than Jiang Cheng’s. Something imploring about the touch. Like he was seeking confirmation to a theory, or maybe proving to himself that Wei Wuxian was actually there.

“I…” Wei Wuxian trailed off.

Zewu Jun’s gaze was hard as steel, but aimed, it seemed, at Lan Zhan’s hand, rather than at Wei Wuxian in general.

“There was a rumor,” he said in slow, even words, “that Wen Chao had thrown you into the Burial Mounds.” He waited a moment after he finished speaking, as if trying to reconcile the words himself, before he looked up to meet Wei Wuxian’s eyes.

Of course, Wei Wuxian didn’t want to meet Zewu Jun’s eyes. He didn’t want to meet any of their eyes. He wanted very much to be out of this tent and away from knowing gazes altogether.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t quite figured out how to teleport using resentful energy yet. So in the tent he remained.

He looked down at his feet. His boots were crusted with dirt and blood and other bodily fluids. War really was super gross, in addition to being largely boring.

“That’s ridiculous,” he said, still looking down. “Everyone knows that nothing leaves the Burial Mounds.”

Lan Zhan’s hand tightened around Wei Wuxian’s arm. Jiang Cheng’s loosened, but didn’t let go.

“Yeah,” said Jiang Cheng, like an accusation, “it would be impossible.”

Wei Wuxian still didn’t look up from his feet which meant that he missed whatever silent conversation happened between Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan that had both of them tightening their grips on his arms just before fingers were pressed to the pulse points of his wrists. He struggled, flailing as much as he could, but against Lan Zhan’s golden core and his own, he stood no chance. He could barely budge them.

He screamed but the sound only reverberated inside the tent.

The only thing he could think to do was to call up the dead. The dead man still lying in front of them. The Jin. Rapist. Criminal. He could use that wicked corpse to fight off the people holding him down, taking his secrets. Smoke curled out of his sleeves and he--

He stopped himself.

It was over anyway.

Even if they couldn’t read his spiritual energy, or lack thereof, his fighting them was confirmation enough.

He went limp in their grasp. His knees buckled.

It really was the stupidest possible way to be found out.

“Where is it?” asked Jiang Cheng. But it was clear from his voice that he already knew the answer.

Lan Zhan was silent.

Zewu Jun looked to his brother for an answer, not understanding what they had just discovered.

“His golden core,” said Lan Zhan. “It’s gone.”

“Wen Zhuliu?” Zewu Jun asked.

But Jiang Cheng made a sound that was somehow both a laugh and a sob.

Wei Wuxian regained control of his arms. He sprawled himself out on the tent floor, exhausted from his struggle. He laughed, too. “After a fashion.”

Jiang Cheng fell to the ground next to him, hands cradling the place where Wei Wuxian’s core now spun. “What the fuck?” he said, quietly, to no one in particular. Then, loudly, to Wei Wuxian in particular, “What the fuck!”

His cheeks were wet. Jiang Cheng’s, his own. He looked over to confirm, and yeah, Lan Zhan’s too. Zewu Jun had nothing to cry over, except maybe confusion, but he was too cool for that, so he just stood in the middle of the tent, shocked, presumably, as his brother, another sect leader, and a demonic cultivator broke down around him.

Wei Wuxian stared up at the tented canvas ceiling and cursed himself for not leaving the tent when he first noticed something wrong.

“Jiang Cheng,” he started, but Jiang Cheng cut him off with a wet yell.

“Why would you do that, you fucking idiot?! What the fuck were you even thinking?! How did you-- How--”

He seemed to lose steam trying to figure out what happened on “Baoshen Sanren’s mountain” and potentially also why Baoshen Sanren’s voice sounded so familiar.

Zewu Jun’s voice was remarkably calm for a man witnessing-- whatever he made of what he was currently witnessing. He said, “Wei Wuxian, I believe your Sect Leader would like to know how you lost your golden core.”

Wei Wuxian laughed at that. Because yes and no.

“No, Zewu Jun,” he said, still laughing. He tried to stop, but it was just too funny. “No,” he said again, slightly more sober, “he wants to know why and how he now has my golden core.”

He didn’t really mean to say it. He felt drunk again, like he did when Lan Zhan was playing Inquiry. Ready to spill all his secrets at only the slightest provocation. Zewu Jun could probably ask him just about anything right now -- Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng too, for that matter -- and he would answer it. It wasn’t exactly a safe mindset to be in. But he couldn’t really do anything about that now.

At least there was some kind of privacy barrier over the tent.

Zewu Jun stood. Speechless.

Lan Zhan’s tears fell silently.

Jiang Cheng glared, hands clutched tight against his lower dantian -- whether to hold something inside or to tear it out, Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure.

Wei Wuxian felt light as a feather. Drunk and dizzy with it. A weight had been lifted, he supposed, but one he was never supposed to let go. His laughter died down to the occasional press of his lungs. Tears collected in his eyelashes until everything was blurry.

Emptiness yawned inside him, but it was gentler somehow. As if the secret itself had been clawing away at his slowly healing wounds.

“Fuck,” he said with a hiccup of a laugh. And again, quieter, “Fuck.”

He really should have left the fucking tent.

Also, wait. Was he dead?!

(7/18/24: now on ao3)

#wei wuxian #lan wangji #jiang cheng #lan xichen #inquiry.mp3 #mdzs #the untamed #cql #fanfiction #my writing #inquiring minds #hey look i wrote a thing!#i actually finished a draft of something!#now if only i can aim this energy toward projects that other people actually care about...........

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writtenonreceipts · 3 months ago

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Rowaelin Month Day Twenty-Four: Family @rowaelinscourt

Month Masterlist // Hey Neighbor Masterlist // Ao3 Link

Three years later and she's done. Thanks for sticking with me on this one! Thanks for all the comments and reblogs. All your love and appreciation have meant so much over the years <3<3<3

Hey, Lover

Five Months Later

The late spring sun was bright and vibrant in the sky. Even though it was nearly June, Rowan was still surprised over the blue sky and warm heat already encroaching on the day. Not that he minded, really. He had missed being out in these mountains. The same mountains that had nearly done him in a few months ago.

Tilting his head up, Rowan took another deep breath of air. It felt good being outside like this. He’d missed the scent of pine and fresh dirt. The feel of a surprising cool breeze coming down the mountain. Most of his workouts and exercise had been conducted on a treadmill or with a physical therapist. Even with doctors clearing him for more heavy-duty work, his family and friends had encouraged him to take it easy. He’d broken his leg in an avalanche after all. His bone had been snapped and reassembled with titanium screws; it was alright to make sure he was ready to come back.

Five months was too long if you asked him.

But he had promised to take this first hike easy. Even if it was one of his favorite trails. And one he had spent hours on over the years.

He adjusted the strap of his backpack and kept moving up the incline.

Given how rough and late winter had been, there were parts of this trail that were still muddy and wet. Some places of the trail had washed out with spring rain and rapidly melting snow once may hit. But the feel of the forest was still the same.

Sometimes when he moved, Rowan still felt a phantom pain in his chest from the broken ribs. Turned out, they’d broken in the worst possible places and had taken a little extra monitoring to make sure nothing happened with said breaks. His wrist and concussion had been a breeze to work through and he’d tried to levy that into an early return to work. Gavriel laughed at him and assigned him administrative work. A glorified duty to scan documents and catch up on paperwork the captain himself had been putting off for ages.

Once summer hit, however, Rowan had been cleared three times over to return to duty. Good. He’d had enough of Fenrys’s prickish attitude.

Though, not that he’d admit to it, he was already feeling a little tired. He’d only gone on a shorter hike that day, a quick four-mile loop around the lower lake. It irked him to no end. He’d never taken so much time off from training. Not even when he was first starting out as an athlete. He could feel that five months of recovery running through his body and vowed he’d get back into decent shape as soon as possible.

He paused at a bend in the trail and snagged his water bottle from the lightweight backpack he usually brought with him on trips. The parking lot was only a few yards off and then he’d head back in the city. Most certainly to stop at the ice cream parlor because—

A loud, long howl echoed through the trees. Rowan cursed and turned to face the trail he’d just walked down. Shaking his head he rested his hands on his hips and waited.

One minute later there came another howl and the desperate scatter of paws on earth. Coming down the mountain was a dog utterly covered in mud. There wasn’t an inch of fur free from the pup as it came barreling towards him; pink tongue flopping, tail wagging.

“What did you do?” he demanded.

The dog flew past him before circling back, barking again. She was far too pleased with herself. For finding him, for being covered in mud. She sat, tail still wagging through the dirt. Her bright brown eyes looked up at him happily.

“Did your mother fall down another cliff?”

“It was a ravine!” A voice called out.

Rowan only shook his head and watched as Aelin rounded the trail. Her blonde hair swung in a ponytail, her (his) long sleeved flannel tied around her waist.

“And!” she added as she drew closer. “I didn’t break anything.”

“Avalanche,” he reminded her, frowning.

“Whatever you say old man,” she replied. She looked back to Fleetfoot. “C’mon baby! Let’s go find the truck.”

“Is there a reason she is covered in mud?” Rowan asked, following as Aelin and the dog set the pace.

“Well, when she ran off it was to find the lake, which of course meant mud puddle, which of course meant impromptu bath time…mud time,” Aelin explained. Fleetfoot bounded on oblivious to anything other than her successful romp in the trees. “Really, that dogs got a nose for it.”

“I just gave her a bath.”

“I know, maybe you just did such a good job she wanted another,” Aelin shrugged.

Rowan rolled his eyes. “Sure. But she’s a mess. I’m not letting her in my truck, I just got it cleaned.”

“Well what’s she supposed to do, sit in the bed?” Aelin asked. They reached the parking lot, which was blissfully empty. Fleetfoot still kept close, her good training coming into play.

“Yes,” Rowan said.

They reached the truck and Aelin sidestepped, cutting him off from opening the bed door.

“It’s too dangerous back there.”

“She’ll be fine,” he insisted.

“Rowan she’s your daughter you can’t treat her like this.”

“She’s acting out because you kept her up ‘til two o’clock reading.”

“Reading is good for her.”

Rowan sighed heavily and reached out to pull Aelin close against him. “Are we really having this discussion right now?”

“It’s just mud, I know for a fact you don’t mind things a little dirty.”

He dipped his head for a kiss, long and deep. That at least left her lost for words. For once.

“Demon,” he said, swatting her rear.

“You like it.” Aelin grinned up at him, utterly pleased with herself.

The best response he could come up with was another kiss. He only pulled away when Fleetfoot whined loudly and knocked her muddy head against his leg.

Sighing, Rowan looked down at the dog. “Alright, traitor, let’s go.”

He opened open the back door of the truck and Fleetfoot, flinging mud and twigs, scrambled up. Rowan then opened the passenger door for Aelin.

“That dog is an angel,” she told him as she jumped up into her seat.

“Monster,” he corrected.

Aelin only rolled her eyes. “When we get home, can you please fix the garbage disposal in the kitchen? I’m not sticking my hand down there and Final Destination-ing it.”

Home.

Aelin’s lease had ended two months ago and in a spur of the moment, random, potentially stupid decision—he’d invited her to move in. She was already over at his place more than hers, truth be told. She helped him through the worst of his physical therapy and Fleetfoot decided she liked him quite a bit as well. It seemed right. And it had been.

Rowan pulled out onto the main road. “Yeah, I’ll look at it. After we stop for ice cream.”

Aelin gasped. “You do love me.”

In the backseat, Fleetfoot let out a little whine. Rowan rolled down one of the windows and the dog immediately stuck her head out. In the side mirror he could see the dog’s happy grin and flopping ears.

Aelin hummed happily and checked her phone. Her content smile flattened a little.

“My parents want to have another dinner party and invited yours,” she told him. “Mom says it’s a nice event. You need a new tie.”

“Too bad,” he said, glancing over at her. “I think we’ll be in Peru.”

Grinning, Aelin reached across the center console and took his hand in hers.

.end.

#rowaelin #rowan x aelin #rowaelin month #hey neighbor #look at that i actually finished something

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technicalknockout · 4 months ago

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guess what day it is🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

#IM LIKE 24 HOURS LATE TO TKO DAY 2024 BUT STILL HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST GUY EVER #IT'S 1 AM AND I CANT TELL PURPLE FROM YELLOW. I JUST USED ANYTHING I COULD FIND ON THE COLOR WHEEL. DO THESE COLORS LOOK NORMAL TO YOU #i didnt draw anything for his birthday last year which is a SIN so this year i made something :)#pretty sad bc i wanted more time to work on this but hey at least i finished it (vaguely) on time!#anyways. bestest guy who deserves the world and lots of birthday cake #here's to 7 years of being not normal abt him. here's to 7 years more #ok ko #ok ko let's be heroes #ok ko fanart #ok ko tko #my art

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heksen-sabbat · 9 months ago

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I ❤ Teratoma

#hey i MADE something CAN you believe it. CAN YOU #idk how to make him look more finished/not flat. i'm releasing him into the wild anyway #my art #malignant #gabriel may #tw body horror #slasher

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anotherstudtouse · 2 months ago

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Closer Than Ever

Nia x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your best friend invites you out to look at the stars.

Warnings: SMUT. SPOILERS FOR MAIN STORYLINE, SORT OF. I think that's it?

The desert really is beautiful at night. Before you moved out here, you'd viewed the desert as a place you never really wanted to go to. You almost didn't take the builder's contract specifically because of that, but something in your gut told you you could really make a difference here. More so than in Highwind, anyway.

As you sit on the edge of a giant Old World ship, your legs hanging off the edge, you can just make out a herd of thorny jumpers making their way across the sand in the far distance. They expertly avoid getting too close to the trio of tripions seemingly patrolling their territory near a pile of large rocks. You wonder what they eat. Bugs? Probably bugs.

You're torn from your riveting train of consciousness by the sound of a soft grunt, then clang after clang of shoes on metal. You already know who it is without looking, but you peer over your shoulder anyway. As soon as your eyes land on your best friend since childhood, Nia, you smile. She returns it instantly, her face brightening considerably.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," she begins as she carefully lowers herself to sit beside you, her legs slowly swinging over the edge beside yours. "I did that thing where I couldn't remember if I'd left the lights on at the Moisture Farm or watered the new saplings; I kept running back and forth, and -- Well, you know how spacey I can get sometimes. I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

"Just a few hours," you joke, the playful smile spreading across your face immediately revealing the lie.

"What? But I said to meet me at ten, and it's only ten-fifteen! Why--" She finally seems to register the smile that's quickly grown into a full grin, cutting herself off to scoff before lightly smacking your shoulder. You'd think she was seriously upset if she weren't smiling, too. "Don't do that to me. I felt bad!"

You fake offense, a task you'd be doing better at pulling off if you weren't laughing. "First you're late, then you hit me? Some best friend you are."

"Says the girl who abandoned me for the desert," she immediately shoots back, resting her hand on the cold metal of the ship between you. Your hand is already there, right beside hers. If your hands were any closer at all, your pinkies would be touching.

Not that you're thinking about that or anything.

"I knew you'd follow me here eventually. You just can't seem to stay away from me." You punctuate your words with a dramatic sigh, staring off into the distance. The herd of thorny jumpers have surrounded a boxing jack. Who would win that fight? Seven thorny jumpers or one boxing jack? For a second, you're all in, completely focused on this battle of the ages -- until Nia's voice, as it always does, pulls your attention back to her.

"Puh-lease, I couldn't just let you keep living without me. Pretty sure that counts as cruel and unusual punishment."

The laugh you let out is full of nothing but pure delight. Despite the joking tone, there's a seed of truth in both her words and your own. The fact of the matter is that you two have missed each other desperately, and even since the blonde moved here, you've been so busy working to greenify Sandrock that this is the first opportunity you've had to simply relax in each other's company. The sky is littered with shining stars, the sand far below, the air cool, and a warmth that seems to always eminate from Nia's body soothing you even though she isn't touching you. It's nice. It's beyond nice; it's perfect.

"This is perfect," Nia echoes your thoughts, leaning into your side. Her voice is soft, and though you're seeking eye contact, she just keeps looking out into the distance. "You know, when you moved here, I was afraid you'd be too busy having fun with your new life that you'd forget your old one... that you'd... forget me. That's why I'm always bringing up old memories. I know it's childish, and probably a little unhealthy. I just... I was afraid you'd left me behind." It's only now that she finally turns her gaze toward you, her vibrant green eyes softened by a vulnerability that's rare for Nia to actually show, even with you.

Without thinking too much about it, your hand resting between you moves to cover Nia's. For a second, you think you feel Nia tense against your side, but in a split second she melts into you and you wonder if maybe you imagined it.

"Nia..." You trail off, trying to think of the right way to word your thoughts -- and also trying to keep in mind what you should definitely leave out, like the part where you've been unable to fully settle into your new life specifically because of her. Not just her absence, but simply her existence in your life. Just knowing her like you've been lucky enough to get to over the years has held you back from exploring any kind of romantic connection with anyone else. Not that the connection you have with Nia is romantic; it's decidedly not. It's just... you want it to be. You wish it could be, and as long as you feel this way, you believe it wouldn't be fair to try to start something with anyone else.

Yeah, you think you'll leave out the part where you're hopelessly in love with your best friend.

You give Nia's hand a reassuring squeeze as you begin to speak. "I was so homesick when I first came here. I started to think that maybe it was a mistake to take this contract, that I should've just taken something local. I didn't start feeling better until I got your first letter. It was your words that made me feel like I could keep going, and I even started checking my mailbox just to check for another letter from you."

"Sooo what you're saying is that it's my fault you never came back to me," Nia giggles.

'To me'. Despite your heart skipping a beat at her choice of words, you laugh. "Precisely." Your smile softens. "But seriously, Nia... You've been the first thought I have each day and the last I have at night every day since I moved."

For a moment, you allow yourself to look at Nia with every ounce of adoration you've been aware you felt for her for years now. You don't know if it's what you said or how you're looking at her that has her so surprised and seemingly at a loss for words.

"I... You... Really?" She stammers. Even through the darkness of night, you can see the warmth crawling up her neck and across her cheeks, darkening her pale skin. She swallows; your eyes dart down to closely follow the bob of her throat before just as quickly returning to her eyes. "But what about that mysterious person you're into?"

�� Your brows furrow. "What?" It takes you a second to remember the first conversation you'd had with Nia when she showed up alongside her professor to help Sandrock with its greenification efforts. She'd asked if you were seeing someone, and while you knew you couldn't tell her you were too hung up on her, you also didn't want to lie to her. You'd already done so once during her first visit, telling her that you're too busy with work to think about that kind of thing. To this day it still makes you feel guilty every time you remember it. Instead, you'd told her there was someone you were interested in, and she'd teased you about your insistence on not saying who. "Oh. I -- Well -- What does that have to do with anything?"

Your visible nervousness seems to set her at ease -- which, rude. She giggles again. "I mean, you can't be that into them if you're thinking about me so much instead." She sounds strangely pleased about the idea. Her foot closest to yours hooks around your ankle. You're having trouble focusing with all the points of contact between the two of you right now.

You're not sure where your courage comes from in this moment. Maybe it's the way Nia leans further into you, her smile and eyes as bright as her personality. Maybe it's overcoming everything you've been through this past year and a half. Maybe it's the clarity the desert night brings to you, the clarity that this girl is your past, your present, your future. The two of you have made sure of this, and even if doing what you're thinking of doing ruins this perfect night, you know your bond is strong enough to survive it.

So you kiss her.

You hear the smallest squeak of surprise as your lips connect. For a second that feels more like an eternity, she doesn't respond. You're about to pull back and make some stupid excuse about how everyone in Sandrock kisses their friends or something (and then promptly sprint around town to get everyone else on the same page), but just as you begin your retreat, Nia's hand on the back of your head stops you. As if moved to action by your attempt to stop, she finally responds, her lips moving against yours, slow and sensual. It's somehow familiar and exhileratingly new at the same time. It feels like coming home, but it's the home you've always dreamed of living in even before you were conscious of it and you're walking across the threshold for the first time. You never want to stop; with the way her hand is applying gentle pressure to the back of your head in order to keep you there, you get the feeling she doesn't either.

"Mnh..." You moan softly against Nia's lips, and the botanist's hand on the back of your head presses harder. Your grip on her hand between your bodies tightens, your head tilting a little in order to deepen the kiss, this kiss that's better than you ever imagined a kiss could be.

When Nia finally pulls away, it's just enough to look you in the eye. You can still feel her shaky breath against your lips as she watches you uncertainly.

"You... kissed me," she almost whispers.

You laugh softly, trying to mask your anxiety with humor. "You catch on fast."

"Okay, well if you're gonna be mean about it, I'm not gonna let you do it again."

That knocks the grin off your face. "Sorry."

She looks simultaneously surprised that that worked and entirely too smug about it. It would frustrate you if you didn't find it so attractive instead.

"So... this mysterious person you're interested in, the one you refuse to tell me the name of..." She trails off expectantly.

"... is you," you finish. You've never been good at not giving Nia what she wants, and clearly she wants to hear you say it.

Even though you just kissed her, she still looks at you in wonder as if it's just now hitting her. Before she can say anything, you continue. "To be fully transparent, I'm not just interested in you; I'm in love with you. I think I always have been, but I didn't realize it until I moved away. Until you were gone, until all I could think about every time something happened here was how much I wish it were happening with you by my side like you always have been." Carefully, you shift until you're facing her more. "Well, I guess not the whole 'Duvos invasion' thing. I'm glad you weren't here for that."

"I'm not," Nia interjects. Her free hand, the one not currently in your grasp, rests on your thigh now, squeezing gently. Your breath hitches. "I was so scared for you. I've been so scared for you so many times lately, and the only thing I could think about besides that I wish it weren't happening was that I wish I'd been there with you when it was. You almost died, Y/N... I would've moved here eventually anyway because I love you, too, but being forced to sit on the sidelines while you're in danger definitely fast-tracked it. Good or bad, I just want to be here with you. When I wasn't, it felt like a piece of me was missing. It took all my self-control not to abandon my studies just to move here sooner."

You're... stunned. The best friend you've been pining for for ages feels exactly the same way for you that you do for her. It feels like a tremendous weight has been lifted from your shoulders. Slowly, you grin. "You're the best, you know that?"

There's that smug expression on her face again. "Well, duh."

The smile you give her is one of pure unadulterated happiness. "Can I kiss you again?"

"I'd be mad if you didn't."

_______________________________________________

The past few weeks have shown you that not only being with Nia but also Nia just being here in Sandrock was the last piece of the puzzle needed for your life and hers to make sense. You've worked so hard to help rebuild this town, to fix what was broken, but Nia is what Sandrock needed to grow. Even before that night on the ship, you two have been the heads of Sandrock's 'dream team' (Mayor Trudy's words, not yours). Now, though, you're even more in sync than ever before, something Nia's already joked that she didn't think was possible.

With so much work to be done in preparation for the Alliance Summit, though, you've hardly had any time to relax. Nia's been by every day to examine and help with a hybrid seed she'd given you to grow, calling it a representation of the two of you, and you've been to the opening day of her new floral shop with Mi-an as well as the celebration dinner that evening, but you two haven't been able to be alone together for longer than thirty minutes at a time since that night.

Tonight's the night before the Summit begins. You've already finished building the air ship, which has definitely been the biggest project of your builder career so far, but there are still some smaller commissions of the board in the Commerce Guild that you want to finish, so that's what you're doing now.

As you stand at the cooking station in your kitchen and try to prepare enough servings of meat-stuffed mushrooms to satisfy Ernest's (and, you're assuming, his sister that's coming to perform for the Summit tomorrow) needs, you faintly hear the sounds of the front door opening and shutting. You already know who it is. You'd given Nia a key before you'd even entered a relationship with her, before she'd even moved to Sandrock permanently, back when she'd only come for a three-day visit.

"I'm in the kitchen!" You call out.

"Not cooking anything, I hope!" She responds. You hear approaching footsteps cross the threshold of the doorway behind you. "For everyone's sake."

You scoff in indignation, but it's hard to keep up the act when you feel gentle arms wrap around your waist from behind. Nia's hands flatten against your abdomen, her front pressed to your back as she rests her chin on your shoulder. "I'll have you know I'm a pretty damn good cook these days," you defend as you melt back into her embrace. She's warm, and her touch somehow brings a sense of calm to you while also lighting your skin on fire at the same time. After a second, you add, "... Or maybe everyone here's so used to Grace's cooking that their opinions are skewed... Either way, the point is that they like it."

You can both feel and hear Nia's amused giggle. "Okay, fine, I'll bite. Literally -- Give me a bite."

You open a nearby drawer and pull out a fork. As you go to get your girlfriend a sizeable bite, you falter a little at the feeling of her hand playing with the hem of your shirt. Her fingertips brush against your skin just above the waistband of your pants; your breathing grows a little shakier in response.

"Something wrong...?" comes her sweet voice in your ear, her hot breath cascading down your neck. It would sound as innocent as you're certain it's meant to if it weren't followed by soft lips pressing against the spot just below your ear that Nia's come to learn is very sensitive.

"I thought-- I thought you wanted a bite of this."

"Of the food? Oh, that too, I suppose." Her lips brush against your pulse point as she speaks. "After I'm done with you."

Your breath hitches at the feeling of Nia's teeth nipping at your skin. Slowly, she traces the edge of your waistband with her fingertip. "Nia, I -- This needs to be done tonight."

"You're overworking yourself, as usual," she points out between soft kisses. "I'll help you make the rest later, but you need a break, and I need you."

Heart hammering in your chest, you put the fork down before turning around in Nia's arms. She leans back enough to give you room to do so, and you're greeted with the smile of someone who knew she was going to get her way from the moment she stepped into this house.

"You need me, hm?" You tease softly. She nods, pupils dilated as her gaze flicks down to your mouth. Her hands, warm on your hips, slowly slides up your sides, your shirt riding up with them. "Well, I need you..." Reaching behind you, you swipe your thumb across the sauce on the dish you just finished before holding it up to Nia's lips. "... to taste this."

This effectively stops Nia in her tracks for a moment before she realizes what exactly it is that you want. You watch her eyes darken. One hand leaves your side to grab your wrist, holding it in place while the blonde takes your thumb into her mouth. Without breaking eye contact, her tongue swirls around the tip of your thumb as she licks and sucks it clean. "Mmm..."

You wouldn't be able to look away if you tried. You cup her cheek with the rest of your hand as she takes more of your thumb into her mouth, and the shock of arousal that that sends down your spine settles directly between your thighs. You press the pad of your thumb against Nia's tongue and feel the vibration of a groan against it.

Ernest can wait for his damned mushrooms.

Pulling your thumb out of her mouth with a pop, Nia sounds just as lost in desire as you feel when she says, "That's actually really good." She licks her lips, one finger hooking through your belt loop before beginning to tug you toward her. "Why don't you have a taste, too?"

As soon as her lips meet your own, you trace her bottom lip with your tongue. She opens up for you immediately, and as you slip your tongue in, she meets it with her own. Her hands, previously slow and teasing in their movements, grow a little more impatient; one hand tangles itself in the hair on the back of your head while the other begins to travel up your abdomen.

Slowly and subtly, you begin to step forward again and again and again, until suddenly Nia's being pressed up against the wall of the kitchen. With your tongue down her throat and your body pressing into her, she whimpers into your mouth. It's a sound you've never heard her make before in all the years you've known her, and it's a sound you're desperate to coax out of her again.

You're the first the break the kiss, breathless. Your hands reach down to hook underneath Nia's thighs and lift; she immediately understands what you want from her, and as soon as she wraps her legs around your waist, your hips begin to roll into her, eliciting a shaky gasp from the blonde.

"More," she breathes. She's meeting every roll of your hips with one of her own now. The needy sounds she's making as you remain close enough to share the same breath urge you on further, your hands moving up from Nia's thighs to instead hold her up by her ass. "Ah-- Please--"

"Tell me what you need, baby." Your voice comes out rough with lust. You can tell the pet name has had the desired effect the second she hears it, her nails digging into your skin in response. She only lets up to wrap her arms around your shoulders instead, desperately trying to pull you as close to her as possible. After so many months being unbearably far apart from each other, you understand the need.

"I need-- I need this off of you, for one thing." She tugs at your shirt and you nod, immediately pulling your shirt off and tossing it to the floor. She pushes you just far enough away to take in all the newly exposed skin. It's nothing she hasn't seen before; after all, you've gone swimming together. Still, she takes her time drinking you in as if seeing you for the first time. "My beautiful girl," she says softly, almost in reverence. When her eyes meet yours, she speaks again. "Come here."

You oblige, eagerly meeting her waiting lips in another kiss, but it doesn't last long before you're breaking it in favor of kissing your way down the column of her throat as she tilts her head back to give you easier access to it.

"Yours," you mutter against her neck. "I'm all yours." One hand leaves Nia's ass to rest on top of her thigh, slowly inching its way up, her skirt riding up with it. "And you're all mine." Your hand has finished its journey up Nia's thigh by the time you finish speaking, your fingertips brushing lightly against panties soaked through with her arousal.

Nia sucks in a breath, pushing into your teasing touch. "Yes," she moans. Her hands take you by the sides of your face and pull you back just enough to meet her eyes. "I always have been." Before you can respond, she's kissing you again, her fingers threading through your hair.

"Mmmh," you groan, nipping at her bottom lip. Your tongue slides against hers once more as you pull her panties to the side enough for your fingers to finally, finally make contact with your girlfriend's wet, needy cunt. You pull back enough to speak. "So wet for me already, huh? You really do need me." Her eyes flutter shut as she rests her forehead against yours and whines in response. Your fingers slide between her folds, teasing her entrance and gathering every ounce of her slick arousal on them.

"Did you touch yourself before, pretending it was me?" Your voice is low, rough, filled with want as one finger dips inside Nia's cunt. Her hips buck into you, trying to force you in deeper. "I did -- so many times. That letter you sent me before you visited for the first time? The one you sent a photo of yourself with? I remember the first night after I framed it and put it up on the wall in my bedroom, I couldn't stop thinking of it. I tried not to, I tried to keep my eyes closed while I fucked myself, but the image in my head wasn't enough." A second finger joins the first, curling inside Nia as they pump in and out, in and out, faster, harder, deeper. The sounds she makes for you, high-pitched and breathy, tell a clear story -- She likes knowing you touched yourself to that photo. "I came so hard making eye contact with you in the photo, Nia."

Nia's thighs tremble around your waist, her hands desperately grasping at your shoulders. "Y/N," she gasps. She's riding your hand at this point, skirt bunched up around your arm as her hips roll into you over and over. "You'll have to show me sometime. Just -- Ah -- Just so I can get a more ac-- accurate image in my head."

You laugh. "I think that can be arranged." Pinning Nia's body to the wall with your own, your hand that had been holding her up leaves to slide between you two in order to grope her breast through her shirt. She arches into the touch and you thrust a third finger inside her, stretching her out to fit all of you. "Take it, baby. This is what you needed, right?"

"Light, yes," she whimpers. The way her walls tighten around your fingers as they pound into her tell you she's getting close. "Yes, yes, don't stop, I need it-- I need you."

You groan, a low and desperate sound. Nia's hot and wet and so fucking tight around you; the needy sounds she's making in response to what you're doing to her are driving you wild. You need more, more, more. You shove your knee up against your hand, your palm now firmly pressed against Nia's swollen clit as she rocks into you. The friction of your hand along with the way you're fucking her into the wall and groping her breast are finally enough to push her over the edge.

"Y/N -- I'm cumming, please don't stop, please--" Urgent hands pull you into a kiss that you immediately reciprocate with a moan. Nia's shaky thighs tighten almost painfully around your waist as her walls constrict and spasm around fingers that are still thrusting inside her. Eventually, your pace slows until eventually coming to a stop once Nia's fully ridden her orgasm out on your hand.

Breaking the kiss, you rest your forehead against hers as you both take a moment to catch your breath. Her legs slowly, shakily lower to the ground with your help, and as you bury your face in her neck, she reaches up to rest her hand on your head. "That was... perfect. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're so good with your hands," she breathes a laugh, resting her cheek on top of your head.

You smile, pressing your lips to her neck as you slowly, gently pull your fingers out. Her shuddering breath fans out across your neck. "You were perfect. I love you."

You can feel Nia playing with your hair as she responds softly. "I love you, too, my darling."

You take one more brief moment to rest in Nia's embrace before stepping back.

Nia's hands immediately shoot out to grab you by the hips. "Where are you going?"

"To finish this commission," you answer, grasping her hands in your own and beginning to walk backward, pulling her with you. "With your help, as promised."

"Ugh, fine. But this isn't over."

"Oh, no, I doubt we'll be getting much sleep tonight."

#mtas x reader #my time at sandrock x reader #my time at sandrock nia x reader #mtas nia x reader #hey look i finished something #hopefully soon i can finish the heidi and grace fics ive got in the works as well

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