#how to detect black magic in house

[long-live-aelin]

Unrequited Love

Quick background summary.

Reader is new to inner circle and is secretly in love with Azriel. Azriel is courting Elain and reader is jealous.

This is just something I couldn't get out of my head. It's not a fully fleshed out idea but thought I would post anyway. Enjoy!

----

I was leaning against one of the uppermost railings in the house of wind breathing the crisp air. The laughter and chatter of the people below echoed up to me and it reminded me of this time last year. My first Starfall would be a memory I would never forget.

I had spent the start of the night in exhilaration and excitement to the build-up to the stars falling, hoping that the view looked as stunning as everyone described. My breath left me when I saw those beautiful souls in the sky and it was unlike anything I had ever seen. I remember thinking that I was born to see those skies lit up in the most magical way.

I remember dancing with my friends who were steadfast becoming a new family. I had never had friends that I could call such a thing. I spent the night dancing upbeat songs with Mor and Feyre, songs that’s wild beat felt like it was echoing in my heart. Laughing at Cassian’s dancing, his booming laugh making me laugh. Slow dancing with Azriel at the end of the night my heart beating so loud in my chest I thought he could hear it. Ending the night with my feet so sore I thought I would never walk again, a wild smile on my face. Brightness bubbling in my chest how lucky I was to find Velaris, these people around me.

Tonight felt very different than that. The wild opposite. My chest felt hollow, longing haunting my every step. I didn’t know how long I could live with that hollowness in my chest reaching for something I would never get, it was madness. The moment I had arrived here I had avoided Azriel at any cost. I knew tonight would be tricky, so I convinced myself I wouldn’t have to see him. See him looking at Elain with his own longing showing on his face, so similar to how I knew mine would look looking at him. And I knew I couldn’t bear it, so I escaped up here after saying enough pleasantries to my friends that they wouldn’t suspect a thing. Mor had given me a brief sad look when she saw me, but I quickly looked away looking for the next person to say hello to so I could get away from the pity in her face. I was starting to regret telling her I was secretly in love with Azriel.

The longer I had stayed up here the more my worries seemed distant. The breeze singing its sweet song to me, the cold wind calming my frayed nerves and soothing my aching heart.

“I had a feeling I would find you here.” I started out of my thoughts, twisting around to the sound of Azriel’s voice at the door to the balcony, only a few steps from me. This balcony felt far too small for the distance I had been trying to keep from him the past few weeks. The closest I had been to him in a while. And god did he look good I could hardly stand it. He was wearing his usual black, but it was more tight fitting and smoother than the Illyrian leathers or the thick armored fighting clothes he wore so often. His shadows swirled haphazardly at his shoulders which I knew meant he was unsure.

He studied me, a serious look on his face. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

I shook my head not knowing what to say. I leaned against the railing subtly as much as I could trying to get distance.

His sharp eyes detected it. He looked back up at me his eyes narrowing even more.

He took a step toward me, a pleading look on his face.  “Y/N I just want to talk. If there’s something I have done tell me because I can’t take this anymore. We’ve been close for so long and every time I try to talk to you or even get close you, you back away like you can’t stand me.” He took another tentative step forward like I was a scared cat he was afraid would bolt at any second and he wasn’t wrong.

I shook my head once more. “You didn’t do anything.” I forced a smile onto my face and even its feeling felt too forceful for me. “Everything’s fine Az.”

He arched a brow smoothly. “I’m sorry but I find that hard to believe with how much you have been avoiding me the past few weeks. And then I find you up here hiding.”

“It’s just-“ my words failing me again. What could I say? I found it so hard to lie to him. How could I say the truth? Ever since you and Elain have been spending time together these past few weeks I can't stand to be around you because of my angry hateful jealousy?

“It’s just me Az, you didn’t do anything.”

“What’s just you?”

I made a frustrated noise, looking away from him toward's Velaris below. I was afraid the emotions on my face would reveal all. He was always so good at reading me.

“Please Azriel I can’t. Just not know.” I whispered.

“Than when y/n.” he said softly but sternly, “Because I know how good you are at keeping things bottled up and I’m not going to let it go on for any longer.”

“Oh what and your any better?”

He took an annoyed breath in, his chest expanding before letting it out in a rush. “No I’m not, we’re both great at holding things in. But I can’t walk away without knowing a reason why. Did I do something to hurt you? Say something I shouldn’t have? It’s been driving me mad the past few weeks and I can’t let it go. And don’t say it’s nothing, because I know you and somethings happened between us that I can’t understand. Somethings changed the way you look at me and all I can’t chalk it up too, is that you loathe me.”

My heart broke at his words knowing that I had hurt him. I couldn’t stand to know it. Even though it’s what I had preferred in the beginning when I was avoiding him. I had wanted him to think I was angry at him to hide my feelings. Had been happy to hide behind it. But now the shame of that, the cowardice and shame of everything washed over me. All the emotions I had kept bottled up started to raise to the surface and a cry broke from me. I looked away trying to stop it because I couldn’t stand to look at that pleading look on his face.

“I can’t tell you Az because I don’t want to loose you.”

He crossed the distance between us and turned my chin with one hand so I was looking at him again. And didn't let go so I couldn’t look away from those piercing eyes.

“You could never loose me." And I knew he meant it by the stern look on his face. He truly thought there was nothing that could ruin our friendship, but I wasn’t so sure. Even if he did mean it, things would change when I told him and never go back to the way they were. And I knew he meant what he said but I couldn’t hold it to him. Even when you don’t want it to feelings change and I knew that better than anyone.

“Why do you choose Elain?” I blurted.

His brows furrowed, confusion dancing on his features. “What?” 

“Why do you want to be with someone who doesn’t know what she wants?”

He leaned against the railing letting go of my face in shock.

“Love is tricky sometimes, it’s not always perfect.”

“No Az, love is when someone chooses you completely and doesn’t have thoughts of someone else in their head.  You know she is interested in Lucien. Why do that too yourself when there’s someone out there who will choose you? Want you.”

Az’s face turns angry like I’ve never seen before at least not directed at me. His amber eyes near glowing, his jaw set tight.

 “Oh and I suppose you know this from your experience? You have never experienced what it’s like to be in a real relationship how complicated it can be.”

I laugh hatefully. “I never want to experience love if that’s what it is. Pining after someone who doesn’t even respect you to let you go. Driving you mad to the point that you run to your friend every time she hurts you.”

He stood upright again off the railing and took a step toward me until he was looking down at me with those beautiful eyes so close I had to look up. His chest was rising up and down in angry puffs and as he got so close to me I could see the amber hues in his eyes near glowing. His anger was near radiating from him.

His sharp eyes studied me intently, too intently I wanted to look away.  “Where is this coming from, why are you so concerned by Elain’s intentions toward me?”

“I think I have a right as a friend to be concerned.”

“Answer the question.” He growled.   

"I'm in love with you!" I pushed him and he took a step back. I wasn't sure if it was from the shock or the force of my push. "And your in love with Elain and I can't stand it Az. I can't stand to see you two together because I've been in love with you since we met."

I took a big breath in realizing what I was saying. But I couldn't stop the words that I so desperately needed to get out. "and I know you'll never feel the same. And that's ok." My voice broke at the honestly in those last words, but it was like a weight off my shoulders saying it.

The shock on his face was all I saw before I turned away from him heading to the balcony door. I couldn't bare to hear the rejection from him so I ran away like the coward I was.

[pinkthrone445]

-My wife-

Pairing: Agatha Harkness x Reader

Gender:SMUT, hurt.

Warnings: Witchy SMUT! Strap on use, magic, insults. Spoilers from the series.

Summary: after loosing your wife, you beg the witch to take you to the road to find her.

An: Thank you @neverfindmegone for the icon babyyyy ❤️ I love it so much

-"Agnnes... Love... Wake up baby..."-a soft voice sounded on the ears of the woman, that voice was sweet, inviting, peaceful-"Please wake up Aggy" - The soft pet name made her smile in her dreams, soft hands caressed her arms-"I'm begging you, wake up, I need you..." - The voice distorted, making her frown on her peaceful dream-"YOU ARE FREAKING ME OUT, COME BACK! WAKE UP AGATHA!!" - a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her, a high pitch scream made her wake up, sitting straight on the bed, her heart beating like a drum. She looked around the room scared, everything was empty, quiet, dark. Her chest raised along with her scared breathing. She tried to remember the sweet face that pronounced those soft words in her dream, but she couldn't quite place it. She looked at herself and she was completely naked and confused, she felt like she where slepping for 3 years straight.

She remembered something about a case, founding a dead body... Then a girl slipping into her house and interrogating her, getting her arrested. Also another detective talking to her... Something about a morgue and she reliving all the stages that Wanda made the hex live through... Fuck! How long she had been trapped there?

She got up from bed and ran outside still naked, talking to her neighbors she found out that she had been trapped on that fake  reality inside the hex for 3 years and she didn't remember anything from it.

She went back to the house and tried to use her powers but nothing happened, her house was a normal home and the only thing she recognized there was her rabbit.

From the basement she heard noises inside the house, grabbing a spoon, she went to investigate. She pinpointed the surce of the noise from a closet, ready to strike, she open the door, only to find you there, a girl she didn't knew but that she remembered from the night before when she "arrested" you. You were on your knees tied up and with tape on your mouth, your eyes showed a little fear and something else behind them

-"Ah, so that arrest was less like an arrest and more like a kidnapping" - she said looking at you-"But if you are real and not an invention of my prisoned mind, that means..."-at that moment the door bursted open, a girl in black that you have seen at the house the night before, attacked Agatha using a knife and her powers, she was clearly winning, but Agatha was incredible persuasive with her words and she managed to convince Rio to wait for her to get her powers back so they could have a fair fight. The scene was brutal but sexy at the same time, full of passion and sexual tension that made you feel sick on your stomach.

When the lady in black went away, Agatha payed attention to you again

-"Oh right..."-she left you there and went to change muttering a few nonsenses and worries. You started jumping trying to follow her- "The house is yours random girl, make sure to tell the revenge seekers that I said hi"-she said without any intentions to untie you before leaving. With your tongue you manage to unstick the tape on your mouth

-"Take me to the road"-You yelled at her and she stoped on her tracks walking to where you were

-"Come again?" - she told you getting closer, taking the tape from your mouth

-"Take me to the witches road" - You repeated-"Please?" - You smiled at her

-"The witches road doesn't exists..."-she spoked with a anoying face

-"You are lying" - You knew she was

-"Am I?" - she played dumb

-"That's just what real witches say to keep the amateurs out"-she seemed surprised to hear that-"The road will give you what you desire most if you make it to the end... And I can. I will" - You said surely and she looked you up and down, but after a few seconds, she left you behind again

-"The road is no place for a teen" - she told you without looking at you

-"I'm in my latest 20!"-You screamed but she didn't seemed to care

-"I don't know where you heard from the road..." - she began to explain

-"Books, the balad, legends, lore, my wife..."-you tried to explain but she continued talking

-"But it will kill you" - she assured

-"It didn't kill you" - You replied

-"I'm exceptional" - she said arrogantly

-"That's my point... I know a lot about you and that's why I came here last night... To break that spell you where under..."-You confessed and she seemed impressed

-"Well, if you can break a spell made by the Scarlett witch, why do you need the road?" - she asked and you sat on her couch, jumping so much around made you tired

-"I don't seek power... I seek someone... The road promises that what you are missing, will wait you at its end... She is what I'm missing..."-You said honestly and she thought about it for a second, but then she stood and walked away

-"Nope, too risky, no time" - she left you behind again

-"This people that are seeking you are dangerous, do you think you can outrun them with no power at all?"-she turned around after hearing you. That seemed to convinced her, because she brought a par of scissors and told you that you were driving.

She explained that you needed a coven to get to the witches road and that you could find one practically close.

You ended up finding the first one on a pretty cheap store that could tell your future. After some very good tactics of Agatha, you found out that she truly was a witch and she ended up joining her coven, also she gave you the names of the next witches and you found them all, convincing them in different ways, mostly blackmailing them or making them feel shame, but at the end all of them appeared on the house ready to walk the road.

You had a near death experience but at the end you all finally found the road and used it to escape the Salem seven.

The road felt weird, the constant fog and the dark sky, felt like if someone was constantly following you or watching you and it made you act weird too. You decided to say close to the only person that you knew following Agatha every where, and that didn't went unnoticed by the others.

As soon as Sharon or Mrs Heart began to talk, everyone started bickering about each other, about being followed by creepy people, about what trials were about to happen and about how everyone was powerless

-"She is here and clearly she isn't even a witch" - One of the youngest members of the coven spoke pointing at Agatha's neighbor

-"You just need to be a witch to open the path, but no to walk the road..."-you murmured without stopping walking

-"Talking about no witches, who are you anyway?" - one of them asked, you weren't sure what they names were yet because you had only known them a few hours

-"I'm *blurred words*"-for you, what you just said was clear as water but they weren't able to hear you

-"My oh my, someone put a sigil on this girl" - Lilia, the older one said and you looked at her with confusion

-"A what?" - You asked confused and they all turned to look at Agatha.

-"Don't look at me, I didn't put that fancy glam on her, sigils are beneath me" - she said with a disgusting face

-"Is sigil a spell?" - You asked them

-"It's a redaction spell to hide something, in this case you from witch folk" - Now it made sense why when you told all your life to Agatha while you were on the car, there was no reaction at all from her part.  -"Looks like Agatha brought a little mystery with her, probably trying to get her all to herself" - The one with the punk vibe said and you suddenly felt threatened but Agatha covered your body with hers, protecting you from them

-"Look, we don't know why someone put that sigil on her, she could be something special or she could be a pest that a cranky witch tried to hide under a rock, we can crack her open later. The real value lies at the end of the road..."-she tried to get their attention away from you

-"What are you trying to find at the end of the road? "-one of them asked looking at you

-"My wife..."-you whispered

-"The road can't bring dead people back" - all of them said at the same time

-"She is not dead. She is just... Lost" - You confessed

-"Do you ever think to talk to the police about a missing person instead of risking your life here on the road?-the tallest spoke and you signed

-"Nobody believed me, her body was there, but someone else completely different was inside, she doesn't even recognizes me... I just want her back" - You talked looking at Agatha sideways and Lilia's noticed but she said nothing-"Wait, where is Mrs Heart?" - You asked at the same time a scream was heard, leaving you subject behind and running to find her.

When you found her, the road was almost swallowing her but you managed to help her and took her out to continue down the road.

When the first trial arrived, you found a gorgeous house but you couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching you. Everyone started to drink wine but you quickly refused

-"I can't drink, I... I was an alcoholic" - You lied, scared of them pushing you to drink

-"Who wasn't?" - Agatha jocked and walked away with her glass on her hand.

Soon you found out that they had been poisoned, but following the instructions of the potions witch, you could make the antidote, but it wasn't enough for your ex neighbor that sadly passed away.

Mrs Heart death didn't affected the purple witch, but you couldn't avoid feeling a deep pain on your chest, and rage because Agatha didn't even cared a little even though it was her fault that she got there.

The potions witch took you to a side after burring Mrs Heart to warn you about getting close to Agatha, but even though she was nice for doing that, you knew her a lot more than what they knew, even though she wasn't acting like the person you used to know.

As the time began to pass, you started to get a little mad at Agatha and her careless reaction to losses and pain. Also another thing that contributed more to your anger was the summon of Rio, when she appeared she started to hoard all the witch's attention. It made sense for them to feel attracted to each other, powerful witches, both had many years and they seem to have some kind of history together, but you couldn't avoid to wonder if Agatha really didn't remembered her past life at all. You didn't knew what would be worse, if she didn't remembered at all or if she remembered something and decided not to pay attention to it.

Your soul craved for her attention, for her touches, for her caresses, for just a love glance towards you, but you were getting none of that.

One particular night, after having a talk between you all around a fire, Agatha stood up and you thought it would be a good opportunity to talk to her alone, to see that even with that stupid sigil she could understand anything that you were trying to say. But the road was a tricky place and you got lost, and by the time you found her, Rio and her were about to kiss, thing you couldn't watch and decided to walk away with your clenching heart on your hands.

You were feeling so bad that you tried to stay alone for a bit to avoid crying in front of the others, but the loneliness didn't lasted long, because after a few minutes you heard something walking to were you were. You were supposed to be scared, but you didn't cared much about it at the moment.

After a few seconds Agatha sat beside you on the excluded part of the road, smiling like she always did

-"So... Why are you angry?" - she asked picking a little branch of the floor but you didn't answer to her or even look that way-"It's because you saw Río and I almost kissing?" - she asked and you looked at her surprised but still mad-"Yes, I saw you spying through the branches..." - she said in a mocking tone

-"And what?" - You asked trying to ignore the pain in your heart

-"Nothing, I just fund it funny... You know, you always get mad when I call you pet, but the moment that I turn my attention to someone else, you trow a tantrum like the little whiny pet you are" - she spoke with the same confidence that she always showed

-"I can't believe how disgusting you are" - You grumbled

-"You can't blame me, you are the one that got into my house looking for me. You always say that you are looking for your wife because you love her so much but I found it funny considering how obsessed you are with me. Pet" - she used that name again and your blood boiled, she was such a mean and awful person to you and all the people, that she deserved a punishment, she deserved to feel how painful it felt to be near her. You lifted your hand ready to slap her but she caught your hand mid air and pulled you closer, your face mare inches from hers-"See? You are not even trying to get away from me. You are obsessed with me and I bet that no matter how much you hate me, you can't stop thinking about me fucking you and making you mine" - she said in an arrogant and mocking way, pulling her lips out towards you. In your mind you kept repeating how she almost kissed Rio and how much you wished it were you, and before you could convince yourself how wrong this was, you connected your lips with hers. You always liked slow and full of emotions kisses, but with Agatha, that wasn't an option. Her lips were soft but her movements where rough, she sucked your lips, she bit them and when you opened your mouth, she easily slipped inside to declare dominance.

No matter how much you tried to convince yourself that this wasn't rigth and that you should stop, your body would react in the opposite way.

You wanted to run away, but your body keept releasing sinful low moans every time her teeth pulled your lip. You wanted to stop but your hands kept pulling at her coat trying to make her be close to you. You wanted for her to show you any little bit of affection before doing this but you could feel how ruined your panties were with how aroused you were thinking about she fucking you roughly.

Even though you were walking for a little while trying to get far away from the others, the road had a mind of its own and you knew you were close to the others no matter what you did and that in any moment they could walk where you were and find Agatha and you making out, but for some reason that only made it more exciting.

The witch lifted you from where you were sitting and placed you on her lap, making your legs fit around her waist. Even when she was powerless, her hands were still powerful. With incredible precision, in one pull, your entire blouse opened, leaving your breasts clenched by your bra in full view, your breathing was hectic and that only made the up and down of your chest just sexier. You could see how Agatha's mouth literally filled with saliva looking at you, she licked her lips and her hands squeezed your waist trying to control herself somehow. Her mouth opened and she started sucking your neck, biting it, marking you as her, your eyes closed and you let your head fall back just to give her more access.

Her nails scratched your torso, from the valley of your chest to the end of your abdomen where your pants made her stop, sending chills on your body. Her expert hand pulled your boobs out of your bra without having to unclasp it and started to squeeze them, making it a little painful but so good at the same time. Her mouth started to suck your other breast while murmuring something that you couldn't quite place, making a mess on your chest, letting her saliva drip down your body, making you feel sticky and more sinful that what you already were.

With great strength, she lifted you up a little from her lap and pulled your pants down, letting you only on your underwear. She seemed rushed but you didn't wanted her to stop so you didn't said nothing.

The air on the road made you have chills and your body shook with desire, thing that didn't went unseen from her and made her smile arrogantly again.

Still holding you up, with her other hand she opened her clothes and you were surprised to see a bulge on her panties

-"I still have a few tricks on my sleeve"-she moved her panties to one side and pulled out a big purple strapped dildo and you realized that while she sucked your boobs, she was conjuring a spell to get that toy. Still surprised and lost by that, she carefully touched your panties, she immediately could feel the pool that you had between your legs-"And you keep saying that you hate me?" - she asked and you rolled your eyes trying to not giving her the satisfaction even when she was right. She let you drop on her lap, making you feel preasure between your legs because of the big toy and a moan escaped your mouth, her hand quickly went to your throat grabbing it lightly-"Behave pet, don't roll your eyes or you will regret it" - she told you and you nodded, completely at her mercy. You thought about teasing her, but you were really neddy and you were scared that if you pushed her too much, she would leave you rigth there alone.

Her hand went from your neck to your jaw and she pulled you for another hungry kiss.

Your hips, with a mind of their own, started to move against the big toy that was between Agathas legs, making her groan this time too.

One of her fingers slipped inside your panties, between your pussy and the toy and began to expertly masagge your clit making you see stars. Her thumb manteined her pace on your clit but her longer finger found your entrance and began to tease it, testing how open you were and finding very little resistance when two of her fingers easily slipped inside your wet entrance, your body trembled in her arms, adjusting to the feeling. She made a few pumps inside you building that orgasm that you were so close to reach, but then she suddenly stoped, taking her hand out of your panties and sucking her fingers with the cockiest smile that you had ever seen and you whined for the lack of contact

-"You are fucking delicious, keep lying to yourself that you hate me, I've bet you had never been this wet for someone else" - she said and slipped her hand inside your panties again, moving them to the side so she could make the toy grind against your soaked pussy making it fully coated with your juices.

She easily lifted you a little and found your entrance again, slipping slowly inside you, grinning as the purple dildo desapeared inside you. It was surprising how big it was and how easy you were taking it inside.

As you completely sat on the purple dildo that now was inside you connecting you fully with her, you grabbed her face, making her look at you, looking for something deeper in her eyes than blind desire, for a few minutes you thought that her walls were coming down, but she shucked her head out of your grasp and hid her face in the crook of your neck close to your ear, slowly starting to move her hips

-"Will you be a good pet and make me hear your little whimpers that you were doing earlier and gets me this hard?" - she spoke in a deep voice, clearly aroused. You knew that toy inside you was part or of her spell, but apparently she made it possible for her to feel it too inside you.

You began to move your hips along with her following slowly every movement. You could clearly see the preasure of the big toy inside your lower on your stomach, making you moan lauder.

As the pace began to encrease, your movements became sloppier and you reached a point where you were completely riding her strap, with your boobs bouncing and your hands scratching her back hurting her but in a pleasure way.

Her arms find the depth of your waist and hold you, making your ridind easier.

While you climax was getting closer hers too, and you could swear that you could feel her pulsating inside you.

Her mouth went to kiss you again while you desperately ride her and in a few seconds you came, your pussy clenching so hard that it was difficult for her to keep moving any longer and she came with you too, with the toy inside you, feelings your every move, every clench.

You collapsed on her body and when you could feel your hips again, you lifted yourself from the toy and tried to put your clothes on sitting on the log that you were at the beginning.

-"F-Fuck Aggy, that was amazing" - You said trying to catch your breath beside her, but she frowned and stood up from where you were making the purple dildo desapear and closing her clothes again, looking at you confused and remembering that dream that she had before coming to the road, the one where someone called her name, "Please wake up Aggy"... She looked at you

-"What did you said?" - she asked a little mad and lost

-"I said that this was amazing... Are you okay Agatha, you seem pale"- You sat more straight watching her, not fully trusting your legs to stand up yet

-"Yes... I... I will see how the others are doing" - she left you there confused and alone.

After a few minutes you went with the other too.

As time began to pass (you weren't sure how time was inside the road but that perpetual night made you feel like if you were stuck on a loop) Agatha started to ignore you and put more distance than before and that hurt you, specially because you thought that after sex a spark of connection would revive, but nothing happened.

Trying not to let that affect you too much, you stayed near to Lilia because for some reason she made you feel safe, safer that what the purple witch made you feel.

-"So... How was your wife? Like was she a good woman?"- The older asked trying to make conversation and take you away from your sad place and you smiled

-"She is...was... The best. She always treated me with such care, she was always protective. Every morning she woke up earlier to make my favorite coffee before going to work. She always brought me flowers, the most gorgeous bouquets, always with some little purple flowers like lavender between the other bigger ones..."-when you mentioned the color, Lilia frowned, like trying to find something behind the original gesture-"... She held  my hand in the most soft ways and she always hugged me when we watched movies together or to sleep, she always complemented my food and she always brought the dessert when I cooked..."-your voice was full of nostalgia and sadness and your eyes kept wandering off to Agatha every time you spoke and Lilia couldn't avoid but noticed that. She was about to ask something else but she yelled instead

-"You are pregnant?!"- You looked at her confused and everyone turned to look at you. After a few seconds Lilia's mind came back and she smiled at you - "She sounds so lovely..."-everyone keept looking at her "What?" - she asked unaware of what she said before

-"You are pregnant?" - Rio asked and looked at your belly, instinctively your hands went there in a protective way and everyone realized it was true

-"You ARE pregnant?! I mean, I knew my dick was pretty magical but I didn't knew it had that much power" - Agatha made fun of the situation and you frown feeling vulnerable, you didn't wanted them to find out that

-"Please don't give yourself too much credit, this happened before coming here" - You said avoiding looking at her

-"You two had sex here?" - Lilia asked and you didn't even dared to look at her-"Oh honey... What about your wife?" - she seemed truly concerned- "I didn't imagine you as the cheating tipe..."-she seemed disappointed and you felt sick about talking with them about this

-"I didn't cheat... I would never" - You said looking at her eyes, for some reason you cared for her approval

-"Keep telling yourself that but we both know what happened..."-Agatha said in a mocking tone and you roled your eyes

-"I'm not a cheater! Why you don't fucking remember me Aggy?" - You looked into the witch's eyes

-"Oh god..."-Alice said with the pieces falling into place

-"... You didn't cheat, Agatha IS your wife..."-Lilia said and Agatha opened her in surprise-"The stolen glances, the love in your eyes, the constant search for her attention..."

-"That... It's not true... I don't even know you, the first time I saw you in all my life it's when you broke into my house..."-she said no sure about her own words, she didn't remember anything from her last 3 years after all. When Agatha understood why you were there and why you went after her, even if she didn't belive you, you finally felt how a weight was lifted from you, the sigil was broken

-"I didn't broke into your house, it is our house! We lived there for 3 years! But the last days you went crazy and didn't recognize me and kicked me out... And I came back for my clothes when you started chasing me down the road yelling that you were a police woman and that you were going to arrest me... You worked at the supermarket for God's sake! That's how we met... "-you said mad at her

-"That can't be... You are a liar" - she insisted

-"Who do you think that made you food all those years when you couldn't cook even to save your life?! Who do you think that made you company and kept you safe an loved? You truly don't remember my hand holding yours? Many nights spend slepping together? The way how our bodies fit perfectly together?! Nothing?! - You yelled and her eyes went everywhere trying to stop the memories that were appearing on her head

-"All that reality wasn't me, wasn't real! I was just a puppet, a prisoner of my own mind" - Her voice trembled looking at you

-"It was real to me!" - You snapped back and you felt pain in your stomach, you knew you had to calm down

-"I... I'm not that woman and I'm not your wife... And I don't know how that baby appeared, but it isn't mine..."-the witch said standing firmly in front of you and you signed

-"The baby is yours even if you don't want to accept it, I even bet it will look more like you than me, but you are right... You are not my wife anymore... She is not longer there, the only thing I can see in your eyes is your selfinesh for power and I know you will kill anyone in your path to get it, even if it's your baby or your friend, like you had Miss Sharon killed... There is no point for me to keep going down the road when who I'm looking for is dead"-You said with hurt in your voice and started walking on the opposite direction when you were going

-"Where are you going?!" - Lilia yelled

-"To find an exit to this stupid place" - You yelled back and all the witches turned back to look at Agatha

-"She won't last a day alone..."-Jennifer said with consern

-"That is not my problem..."-she flipped her cape and walked on the opposite direction to were you went.

[my-castles-crumbling]

anticipation - @wolfstarmicrofic - word count: 570

Up until this moment, Remus had been doing spectacularly well at avoiding embarrassment, if he did say so himself. At least in this particular way. He'd been slowly peeking around corners, casting detecting spells, never walking very close to Sirius...all to avoid the predicament the was in now.

"Looks like mistletoe," Sirius sang teasingly, pointing up at the magical plant over the door that had forced both of them to take a pause in their entry to their dorm room.

What arsehole had hung some there? Surely not a House Elf. Was this James's idea of a joke? Either way, Remus frowned, because now he had a decision to make.

Mistletoe didn't permanently freeze you underneath it. It didn't magically force you to kiss the other person. It just caused you to freeze for a few moments, so there was no way you could deny knowing you'd been underneath it with someone else.

So now was it better for him to refuse kissing his friend? How would that make him look? Surely, if he didn't have feelings, he would have been able to withstand a quick peck with a chuckle and a shrug. But laughing off a kiss from Sirius seemed as terrible as refusing one.

His decision was made for him when Sirius took a bold step closer to him and wrapped two arms around the back of his neck, pressing their chests together. For some reason, all of his earlier amusement seemed to have been wiped from his eyes, replaced by something akin to nervousness. Except Sirius Black didn't get nervous, so Remus didn't understand. "We don't have to..." Remus mumbled, both trying to give himself and Sirius an out.

But the shorter boy just tilted his head to the side. "I never said I didn't want to, Moons," he mumbled, bringing his head closer. "I mean...do you? Want to?"

And Sirius was so close. Gray eyes gazing into Remus's soul, lips so close Remus could feel his warm breath as he thought about the way he could count each of Sirius's perfect, long eyelashes when they were close like this.

Hands quivering with anticipation, Remus brought them to Sirius's waist, body erupting with heat as his thumb brushed against a small sliver of exposed skin by the seam of Sirius's t-shirt.

"I..." What should he answer? It was hot, the air so think he could've cut it with a severing charm, and his entire being was begging him to lurch forward and claim Sirius's lips in his own.

Sirius, eyes flickering up and down between Remus's mouth and eyes, licked his lip for just a moment.

And something occurred to Remus as his mind swirled in a haze. "Did you put that up there?" he demanded, hoping desperately that he was right. That Sirius had wanted this as much as he wanted Sirius.

But before the shorter boy could answer, thundering footsteps caused both of them to turn, pulling back from each other.

"Oh, no! Mistletoe!" James screeched as he entered, placing a sloppy kiss on Sirius's cheek and winking at Remus. "Just trying to find reasons to kiss me, Pads?"

"Of course," Sirius replied a bit weakly, pressing a kiss to James's forehead and walking away, looking put out.

But as Remus stared after him, all he could think about was that Sirius's hadn't just kissed him on the head and been done with it. Why?

[shy-sapphic-ace]

List of queer books I read, loved & recommend!

(There isn't any particular order, I wrote these as I remembered them)

Master Of One - Jaida Jones & Dani Bennett (mlm, fantasy, very cool worldbuilding and magic system, funny, cool characters)

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree (wlw, fantasy, very soft & chill vibes)

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon (wlw, high fantasy, cool worldbuilding, kinda reminds me of LOTR but with more dragons and feminism and lesbians)

Even Though I Knew The End - C.L. Polk (wlw, supernatural noir, cool 1930s detective story with angels & demons, I loved this one!)

The Love Interest - Cale Dietrich (mlm, science fiction, very cool concept)

The Darkest Part Of The Forest - Holly Black (side mlm, fantasy, cool fae lore)

The Weight Of The Stars - K. Ancrum (wlw, not quite science fiction but space stuff is involved, lovely and complex characters)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz (mlm, fiction, very nice in general, there is also a sequel)

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee (mlm, historical and vaguely fantasy, nice story but I preferred the sequel honestly)

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy - Mackenzi Lee (wlw, the sequel to the one before, more fantasy elements than the first, asexual main character!!)

Gallant - V.E. Schwab (no romance, but in the background one of the characters(?) uses they/them pronouns, very cool dark fantasy vibe)

Stranger Than Fanfiction - Chris Colfer (gay main character, trans main character, coming-of-age, nice book)

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (yes it's the Love, Simon book, mlm, fiction, pretty nice)

They Both Die At The End - Adam Silvera (mlm, sci-fi ish but mostly fiction, cool ideas, but the ending is sad! Very amazing book though, I haven't read the prequel yet)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (wlw, bi main character, historical fiction, cool story, just a neat book in general)

This Is How You Lose The Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone (wlw, sci-fi, very cool time travel stuff!! and very beautiful, it felt like reading poetry most of the time)

One Last Stop - Casey McQuinston (wlw, background trans & pan & queer characters, sci-fi or fantasy idk, but time travel, I loooved this book, great)

The House In The Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune (mlm, fantasy, THIS BOOK oh my gosh you should read it!!, just cute and lovely and good)

Under The Whispering Door - TJ Klune (mlm, fantasy, this book is also sooo amazing, great character development and awesome relationships and stuff, it's been a while since I read it but it was so good)

In the Lives of Puppets - TJ Klune (mlm, ace main character!!, sci-fi, now THIS is found family, oughh feelings. argh, tj klune you’ve done it again, a human and his family of funky robots… I love them)

And They Lived... - Steven Salvatore (nblm, fiction, about gender identity and learning to love yourself, read it a while ago but it was very nice)

I Wish You All The Best - Mason Deaver (nblm, fiction, about finding your identity and people who care about you, very cute and sweet)

The Song Of Achilles - Madeleine Miller (mlm, historical, very good in general)

Carry On - Rainbow Rowell (mlm, background wlw in the third book, fantasy, it's a trilogy, basically Harry Potter if it was gay and also better)

Silver In The Wood - Emily Tesh (mlm, fantasy, very pretty, lots of fae stuff and lovely descriptions, it has a really good sequel too)

Pretty much anything by Alice Oseman (all cute and lovely and great, though I've only read Radio Silence so far I hear only good things, Solitaire is on my to-read list)

I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuinston (wlw, fiction, it's been a while but I liked this book)

The Falling In Love Montage - Ciara Smyth (wlw, fiction, this book was so cute and funny and deeply emotional it made me Feel way too many things, I'd definitely recommend it)

What Big Teeth - Rose Szabo (a bit of queerness all around, fantasy, werewolves and monsters, this one was pretty cool!, lots of original ideas for the world/character building)

His Quiet Agent - Ada Maria Soto (mlm, asexual, fiction, about like spies but this book was so gentle and sweet I wanted to cry in the best way possible)

Some By Virtue Fall - Alexandra Rowland (wlw, historical fiction(?), theatre drama!! rival romance!! duels!!, a very good read in general)

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend - Emma R. Alban (wlw, historical fiction, I’m not usually one for regency romances, but I really liked this!!, very cute and lots of drama, and there’s a sequel coming out soon!)

[threecatsinacoat]

I'm suffering because I was reading a snirius fanfic in a post second war scenario where neither he or Sirius dies. So, Harry asks Severus for some help since he is busy planning his wedding with Ginny and needs someone who can cheer up his godfather (or rather, a nanny tbh). Sirius is so damn pathetic in this one tbh, he is depressed, an alcoholic and kind of a porn addict (specifically from milfs) and wants no help. So when the intervention inevitably fails, Harry offers Severus that he can take any magic artifact that he wants from the house, this ends up with both of them going to Regulus room, finding a ring that Harry tries to detect any curse but doesn't seem to have any and when Severus tries it he can't take it off.

The ring is cursed with a very nasty and horrible curse in which some Black ancestor wanted to force his romantic interest to wed him and give him a heir, so that ring forces the one using it to marry and give any Black currently existing a child or die in 2 months if there is no conception. Problem is? Obviously, the only Blacks alive are Narcissa, Draco (technically), Andromeda and Sirius. So you guess who ends up being the only viable candidate?

This drives to Snape having to research for a gender swapping potion that is quite dangerous because he has resolved that, after all he has done, he wants to live, out of spite or for any other reason, he wants to fucking live and won't let Black being the reason he finally dies. So Severus starts concocting this plan on how to seduce Sirius and absolutely goes for the "he must have some mommy issues with all the milf porn he collects, I will have to bring some walburga traits on me"

Worst thing? It works, it fucking works. Kinda, Sirius absolutely has a weird Freudian thing.

And I'm not making justice to this fic honestly, it's so insanely good written and I'm so sad that it hasnt updated in a year

[lnbeep-art]

"A favor for a favor."

It is the Year of the Snake, which means Cam gets some love and attention before the month of MerMay for once... In this house we love an enemies to lovers dynamic, even if only Ari sees him as an enemy. Cam's just the trickster who likes the attention, negative or positive. Doesn't matter when he thinks he's in control of a situation.

Bonus little short story in the "Read More" below! Lots of lore building for the world, size stuff in the halfway mark. Consider it a companion piece to this.

TLDR: Ari finds a way to wound primordials and gods, but at the cost of it cursing him. Cameron offers to help alleviate it at no expense, just because he likes him.

Ari’s arm had morphed into a black and stinging limb, spreading farther and farther toward his chest. How much longer before the curse would claim his heart? 

Time and time again he’d tried to rid the curse, but not even his half-divine blood empowered his magic enough to extract it. He considered himself a relatively competent healer, and he had lifted quite a number of curses from others before during his wandering through the mortal realm. Was this curse simply out of his depth? A wall he’d slammed into in his current ability level?

Ari clicked his tongue, dropped his unmarred hand, and let the pink magic in his palm fade. 

No, he thought and grimaced. The curse just didn’t want to leave. Just like that other presence that haunted the recesses of his mind, waiting to make due on the mark bitten in his skin. 

Pulling his sleeve down, Ari sighed, then mussed up his bangs in frustration. When he glimpsed his reflection in the mirror, he saw it again; the golden twin snake tattoo on his shoulder. Surprisingly, it was not the same shoulder which bore his curse, although he would have been remiss to ignore he had two arms where marks miraculously tainted them. When he’d first received the snake tattoo, his skin had been raised and irritated. Now, it blended in like any of the other golden decals he’d paint on his body. At times, however, the mark would glitter as if brimming with the sun god’s light itself. 

A few robes and overcoats were all Ari required to hide the blight. The challenge came instead when he’d returned to the Summer Court. Like bloodhounds, the High Order of Summer Elves’  long-lived lives could detect primordial stench on him. “It was just a product of seeing the Luck Devourer face to face,” Ari had reassured them at the time. He was a being born from the gods themselves, the first of their kind. Of course his comparative power and essence would linger on Ari, especially when he’d had his claws on him. A split moment was all it took. 

That explanation allayed their suspicions, and he’d had no further questions since. This time? They might unearth the secret faster unless he vanquished Cameron himself. Until then, Ari would not allow the order to relieve him of this duty.

“You’re welcome to try smiting me as many times as you like,” Cameron’s words echoed. “I’m sure you’re itching to cover up this blunder of yours, aren’t you? Same time next week then?”

Ari growled under his breath and clenched his good hand. Arrogant bastard. Why couldn’t he have just stayed smote? 

Several sunrises had passed since Ari’s visit to Zahn and the Solona Ocean depths, pushing ahead on the rumors of Cameron’s whereabouts. The primordial had spoken as if he knew Ari’s return was immediate, but Ari refused the serpent that satisfaction. Why? Let him stew. Exchanging words was no greeting Ari wanted to partake in, but his twin sabers would be the best “hello” he could give. One for the primordial’s tongue, the other to carve off his shoulder’s mark with his own blade. 

It had likely vexed Cameron—the fact of how long Ari had waited to cross his shores again—and the thought delighted him at least a bit. However, that was not his sole motive; some of the mortal realm’s regions had the best libraries known across the realms, holding ancient wisdom from the war. Accounts of those who had managed to slay lesser monsters, and stories of champions who had felled ones even greater than Cameron. Knowledge like that was often difficult to come by, if only not to disrupt the current balance of their post-war world.   

Yet if he read between the lines long enough, a method would reveal itself to him. He had to find it. How many centuries had elapsed of Cameron spiriting away interesting finds, transforming them into nymphs to belong to his underwater dominion? The Order of Elves had failed to wrangle him in, and they were eager to repay the torment he’d enacted over time. It had been the gods’ mistake to leave Cameron surfing through mortal waters, unbidden and uninhibited. More would see injury in the reign of his whims.

Their greatest question had always been Cameron’s aim. In their lengthy diatribes, the oldest elves on the order stated primordial beings’ actions were devoid of reason; they took because they wanted, and they intended to keep whatever they possessed. Cameron’s kinship to dragons meant, of all the discorded primordial beings left to walk among the realms, coveting and hoarding burned stronger within him. Maybe he felt he deserved what he took because the pantheon had given his kind the shorter stick. It was why the Order found his greed insatiable. 

Eldritch horrors, primordial beings—they went beyond mortal reason. Cameron’s true form should have been incomprehensible, yet the Luck Devourer’s features were instead easy on the eyes. “Beautiful,” as many stories depicted him. And it was that beauty that Cameron lured in to surround himself with. He had created sirens from his desires to roam the seas. That was one interest most recorded of Cameron; what other reasons he had to act with the freedom he pleased was lost on Ari. Truly as mysterious and deep as the Solona Ocean itself.

When he’d laid on the shore of Zahn’s capital, Rimerock—spit out by Cameron’s promise and left to catch his breath—he’d been struck with the wonder: what side did he fall on? Was he of interest to Cameron because he was beautiful, or because he amused him? The curiosity had vanished just as quickly. After all, it wouldn’t change the mark Cameron etched on him. And with how vibrant the color was against his skin, pulsing intermittently, he certainly hadn’t forgotten Ari either. Unfortunately. 

He had no intention of becoming another item on the Luck Devourer’s lengthy menu, and he would not allow a mark he could not remove, nor a curse that refused to lift, to best him. There must have been a detail they’d yet learned, Ari told himself. A clue from the unturned stones. 

That was when he’d found it. A spell which enhanced the sword, cutting not bone and marrow, but what mattered to any divine being. Their essence. To kill a god, you killed not the god itself but the many threads of belief tethering them to the realms. And since Cameron thought himself one, the same method would work just as well.

What felt like molten fire surged through his arm and Ari winced, clutching it. Was this his punishment because he’d ignored Cameron’s call? Times like these, Ari almost wished he had not vowed to be his own battery. Mother Nature’s blood was his own, which allowed Ari to use his own power to supplicate his cleric needs. A half breed, Cameron had called him. 

I’ll show you ‘half breed,’ you snake. 

The ratta-tatt of knuckles wrapping against his personal chamber’s door distracted him. Ari’s long ears twitched, and after adjusting the billowing sleeves a second time, he answered, “Come in.” 

The sound of nails clicked against the tile floor, and Ari caught a flash of pink and white wings in the mirror. Varys? he thought. What was the messenger of love visiting him for? It wasn’t that the two were unfriendly—hard to dislike Varys when he was his sister’s confidant. But love did not stop, so Ari and Varys rarely spent leisure time together. 

“I thought you might still be here,” Varys said, and as he spoke, his gaze snagged on Ari’s arm. Instinctively, Ari tensed, which only made Varys sigh. “I wasn’t going to say anything since your business isn’t my business, but I can smell the stench of that as far as the palace gates. It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

“How long have you known?”

A tired expression darkened Varys’ features. He snorted. “I know that it’s newer than the other trinket you have on you.” Varys tapped his own shoulder, the one that mirrored Ari’s primordial eyesore. “But you probably didn’t think I knew about that either.”

The archangel rank Varys held slipped Ari’s mind at times. The man often took the form of a werefox human instead of that of an angel, wielding digitigrade paws; furred, clawed hands; pink paw pads the color of blush; and the ears and tail of a fox, always alert. With the many tales mortals spread about Ivory and her herald of love, Varys had always said he’d play into the role of vixen. It seemed he quietly enjoyed it too. Ari thought it suited him. 

However, Varys was less keen to display his angelic lineage. Sometimes he brandished his wings in full view, and other times he hid them. Yet whether they were visible to the eye or not did not erase the angel in him. If anyone could sense evil on another, it would have been a holier being like Varys. And it had been Ari’s mistake in thinking he would stay completely under the radar. Had Ivory not noticed either? Unless she’d specifically asked Varys to pay Ari a visit, as was always the case for his equally busy sister. 

Ah, Ari thought. Varys’ visit made sense now. 

Ari turned to his work desk, clearing off the notebooks with their half-turned pages. He’d already demolished four of them in the past week, all filled with scrawls and his condensed versions of raving madmen, who believed they held the key to erasing divine creatures’ existence entirely. He scowled down at the notebook—how the light red cover became more stark under his pitch black hand. “I’m handling it,” he said. 

Varys crossed his arms. “Are you?”

“I will be. It’s his work, isn’t it?” As Ari spun to look at Varys, he paused at the way Varys’ brows furrowed. “...can you not tell?” 

Varys hesitated. “It’s old—I know that much. But it doesn’t exactly work like that, Ari. I’d have to know the caster well to know that it’s their magic.” He pointed a claw at Ari’s arm. “And both are relatively the same age, so the nature of your curse is foreign to me. …Have you thought of asking Cordelia about it?”

Ari’s mouth ticked downward. No matter if he was a son to Mother Nature or not, he would not burden the goddess with trivial problems he could solve on his own. It was the same reason he hadn’t sought out Ivory. “No need,” Ari said, his hand clasping the notebook and then the satchel hanging off the desk’s corner edge. He slung the strap across his shoulders and tucked the notebook inside. “I’ll be taking a short trip to Zahn. Ask the nymphs to prepare the Gate for me.”

Although Varys’ gaze needled his back, he didn’t bother blocking Ari’s exit at least. Slid away from it, in fact. “And what will you tell your court?”

Ari glared at the twin snakes on his left shoulder. “I have nothing to say to them until I’ve finished what I started.” Once he reached the Gate, he would ferry himself across the realms. If that monster wanted his visit, then he would have it. 

… 

… 

…

…

The midday sun captivated Zahn in its amber hue and sparkled like fairy lights across the horizon, the capital of Rimerock especially. Saltwater and ocean spray left a refreshing sea flavor in the air. As both a mineral city and vast trading port hub, Zahn’s nation thrived beside the great Solona Ocean. It was one of the most prosperous nations the mortal realm had to offer.

Yet neither trading ports nor the mountain peaks interested Ari. Instead, he stayed the course until he reached Zahn’s coastal edges, where the gap of water between Solona Ocean and the Blue Tides was tightest. Here, ships and creatures and scores of people had been aptly devoured, either to reappear in another region, or plane, entirely—or to never be heard from again. No mortal dared test the waters during a thunderstorm. 

Maybe this space of water had another name once. Now, it was known only as The Swallows.

Below the rocks, the rapids swirled and swirled to form a vicious, hungry whirlpool, one whose radius spanned as wide as a small village. The last time Ari visited, he’d been armed with a boat and first-timer’s bravado. He almost missed that naivety. Now he had a broken promise on one arm, and a time limit on the other. 

Light caught his periphery; the snake mark, brighter now as he stood at the water’s precipice, vibrated against Ari’s skin. When he retreated a few steps, the glow dimmed. Ari scowled at it before turning his gaze toward Rimerock again. Like newborn infants, the waves beside the docks cradled the boat’s tiny shapes. People were lucky to return intact at all, much less with their boat accompanying them. Surely no one could complain about a lost boat when they knew the risk they lived beside.

Ari took a single step toward the docks when a voice, coming distinctly from his left side, whispered at him. “Jump,” it said.

He froze. In spite of the region’s warm air, a chill accosted him from the top of his neck all the way down, tracing his spine. It was how he would have imagined Cameron’s claws raking his back if given the opportunity. 

More voices compounded upon the first, coupled with a mounting pressure in his cursed arm. Ari grit his teeth against the pain.

“Jump jump jump jump!” 

“Blessed child of the Fey.”

“Champion!” 

“Trust the process. Give yourself to the ocean, and it will guide you.” 

“Surrender!”

“Down down down!”

Hissing, Ari covered his ears. Had he finally lost it? The path he’d chosen specifically avoided any sirens’ games, but perhaps he had made a mistake. Sirens did not stray far from Cameron, because he loved them so, but not a single tail or melody carried over the waters. Now that the voices had quietened, only Ari in his silence remained, and the roaring whirlpool in front. That vortex could have easily wasted twenty ships alone. 

The water rolled closer, lapping the shoreline.

This was insane—he shouldn’t consider this. Not when it was undoubtedly another of Cameron’s tricks coaxing him to his demise. While the primordial released him initially, nowhere did that suggest he’d be as kind the next. So was this what Cameron wanted? For Ari to drown? Willingly? 

Ari squeezed his hands into fists, head inclined as he scorned The Swallows. His magic begged for release—spiked through him as a reminder not to forget what he possessed. Finally, Ari touched his throat and closed his eyes. 

Expand. 

His lungs ballooned with a thin layer of magical film, and three slices of the same pink glow cut across the sides of his neck. The first encounter with Cameron happened so hastily that Ari hadn’t enchanted an aquatic blessing unto himself before. Now, if circumstances necessitated he return home, the risk of drowning when he spoke was minimized. 

“Fine,” Ari said, the word a hiss between his teeth. “But I’ll make this your mistake.”

He plunged. 

When he resurfaced, arms akimbo and keeping him afloat, the current drew him toward the whirlpool. It was slow at first—taunting—until it yanked him. Ari’s heartbeat jumped like the waves. Why were the currents not taking him on a spin cycle? Rather, his body cut straight through, the single path available being the beeline toward The Swallows’ epicenter. And only a void greeted him at the end of that long, twisting cyclone. 

The voice returned in his right ear, deeper in its inflection this time—and steadier. Almost a tiger’s growl in his ear. “Closer.” 

It didn’t sound like how he remembered Cameron’s voice. What in the world was that? 

Once Ari reached the center, his body plummeted no differently than a ship torn apart by the waves. His yells became trapped in the bubbles flying from his mouth. The magical slits along his neck opened, extracting oxygen from the ocean and circulating it into his body. It was what allowed him to open his eyes sooner.  

Underwater, Mother Nature had dropped her bucket of paint to smear color that the surface’s sunlight could still capture. Except the color came not from an artisan’s tools, but scales. Fish—fish as far as the eye could see; eels, tuna, bass, mackerel, blue sharks. Yet none dared approach the cyclone containing him. He swore he saw a green light glint off of their scales too, but it could have been caused by his shoulder. The snake tattoo’s light had become so intense the farther he fell that it was the only light possible to see the fish. No natural sunlight could penetrate the depths of The Swallows. 

Had seconds passed? Minutes? Hours? His descent some several hundreds of feet below sea level pressed on, and eventually, the tendrils of light on Ari’s shoulder lost the fight against the ocean’s darkness. Even when he knew he’d thrust his hand outward, his fingers remained invisible to his eyes. It was only a matter of time before every bit of his senses faded.

However, Ari caught a sight in the distance: two green spots, electrified by the flecks of yellow in them. Split by those slit pupils. Watching, and waiting. Sharp white fangs hung underneath those eyes in a curved shape.

“Found you,” the familiar voice sang in his head just before his consciousness cut short. 

Ari had actually jumped. The audacious elven prince had actually done it. 

If a naga could be on the edge of their seat, Cameron had mastered the balancing act while his attentions were otherwise trained on Ari. He needed no mind-reading tricks to know Ari hated every bit of the decision—the prince’s frame had been riddled with tension and barely restrained frustration as he stood over Rimerock’s coast. In that state, he appeared so easy to ruffle—how could Cameron resist poking him? After all, what better game was there to play than the game of chicken? 

Yet life could still give Cameron surprises, apparently, as he’d watched the elven prince dive feet first into the waters. Cracking that stubborn self-respect Ari held impressed him enough to greet the elf personally. Not many held the honor. 

His uncoiled tail stretched on for miles as he moved through the scattered sands, making treasure ship bottles and coinstacks rattle. Trinkets he had collected over the centuries, dating every age of progress the cycles underwent. It was no palace like the pantheon, but it was his home—this little demiplane tucked in the corner of the mortal realm’s bounds. 

And now, as he bore down on Ari, the delight of finally putting eyes on him again simmered. Cameron tilted his head. “That’s a shame,” he murmured, eyeing Ari’s right arm. “Seems someone else got to you before I could, hmm?” 

Their time apart had created idle hands out of Ari, and during the absence, the elven prince had poked his nose where it did not belong. Old magic encased him, centralized in that blackened arm of his, and steadily tore through his essence. Cameron could taste it on the tip of his tongue—an acrid flavor, but all too familiar. Perhaps the prince assumed his half-divine blood would protect him, yet he failed to understand it only hastened the process.

Cameron had been so bored waiting for him, and when he finally returned, it was with a time limit on his life? Truly a travesty. At least the blessing he’d stamped onto Ari remained. He eyed it with a pleased hum.

Blessing of the trickster; that was what mortals called his snake tattoo when bound to him temporarily. The mark itself was fairly harmless, a way of saying Cameron had his eye on someone he liked well enough and had piqued his curiosity. It wouldn’t pain the wearer, and once Cameron stayed a permanent thought on their mind, he removed the mark and let nature take its course. If he wanted to become a god as well, belief in what he could give and accomplish was tantamount to his influence. He didn’t want to remain confined to Zahn alone. He wanted to travel the lands like the old days.

However, his blessing did come with a caveat. It was how Ari had found this new magic, but also where he had picked up his curse.

As his fingers encroached on the small figure, Ari immediately sprung to his feet like a jack-in-the-box. A bladed sickle appeared in the fey’s grasp and lanced forward. Cameron tutted, withdrawing and staring at fresh laceration where Ari had struck his fingers. 

“Straight to business as always, I see,” Cameron said. He pouted. “Really—after all this time, and not even a hello?” 

“What do you mean ‘someone else’ found me?” Ari demanded, keeping the blade level with Cameron. He backpedaled a few paces, glanced at the serpentine tail surrounding him, then slanted Cameron with an unamused glare. It must have been Ari’s default expression. “You won’t keep me here like the rest of your nymphs, Luck Devourer.” 

Cameron sighed and shook his head. The first words to come out of Ari’s mouth, and they were so vitriolic. Regardless, a smile curled on the corners of his lips. Ari had been silent as stone the first time they’d met, aside from when he’d cast his spell. He would take goading him to speak as an achievement. “You’ll come around.” 

Ari scoffed and jutted the scepter forward. “Talk. Or the next won’t let you staunch the bleeding.” 

Yes, Cameron thought; thanks to the time Ari had kept busy, he’d discovered some nasty tricks. Bleeding from a cut a mortal had inflicted had always been part of Cameron’s theatrics. It wouldn’t take long for him to wave his hand and dispel the wound with no blemish to find on his skin. That was the consequence of primordials, the gods had said—they made their first creations a little too powerful. 

Honestly? Cameron didn’t see the problem with it. What was the harm in having regenerative capabilities? They were a piece of the gods and titans that helped create them. Of course they should be entitled to that influence. And mortal beings only sought to attain the same power. Ironic, wasn’t it? If nothing else connected primordials and mortals, the color of their blood did—dark, red and vivid. 

This magic wasn’t nearly as humorous as Ari smiting him, but no matter. 

He turned his hand and fingers over, letting the trickle caress his arm too. Once enough time had passed, Cameron reversed the blood, sucking it back into the wound and closing the cut on his finger. When he turned back to Ari, his pupils thinned. Sweat had accumulated on Ari’s face, and though he tried to conceal it, his shoulders bobbed. He was panting. 

Cameron dropped his elbows on either side of the man and balanced his chin on his interlaced fingertips. “I can ease the burden you bear, you know. All you have to do is ask.”

“You mean the burden you put on me?” Ari rolled his shoulder, the one containing Cameron’s snakes, to better face him. “Don’t bother. I’ll do that myself when I cut out your lying tongue.” 

Cameron laughed. “I thought you were supposed to be the expert, love? All that research and you don’t know the difference between my mark and another’s?”

“Please. Spare me your lies, Luck Devourer. You leave this on my arm—” Ari tossed his hand toward his left shoulder “—and suddenly I’m magically cursed three and a half weeks later. I’m just supposed to believe that’s all a coincidence?” 

The elven man had wit, he would concede that. Most wouldn’t have drawn that conclusion. But he wasn’t wrong so much as he wasn’t right either. 

Cameron’s lips curled. Dropping one of his hands from his chin, he crept his fingers toward Ari. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed, however, as Ari sidestepped his hand, blade trained and poised to inflict another bite. 

“Do you think finding that research was coincidence too?” Cameron asked. “Equivalent exchange, my friend. Fate needs balance at some point, because the worst life can change for the better, while the opposite is true. The same applies for luck. Eventually you’ll run out of good luck, and all that’s left is the worst of it. Do you know that that is?” His voice fell to a whisper. “Karma.” 

Ari’s eyes widened and Cameron regarded him impassively. Karma was under Cameron’s eldest brother’s control, and no one wanted to gain Rayne’s ire—not even Cameron himself. A bitter reminder of how many leagues apart they were now that Rayne had ascended to control the storms and left behind his own kin, changing from primordial to the god of retribution. Cameron hated him for the loneliness it had brought. 

But perhaps the one memento Rayne had left had been the magical stopgap, preventing any divine beings from destroying primordials. Few gods wanted to reignite the Divisionary War—none such who hadn’t already been exiled, stripped of power, or banished to the outer realms.

Cameron had never been much invested in the war, finding it more fun to collect warriors, clerics, and warlocks who wished for something, or someone, to grant them powers. To take matters into their own hands and change. Was it really his fault if change meant both good and bad deeds? 

So, all of the gods had banded together to create a failsafe, one that would come at a cost. That was the exchange to end the war, and what led to Rayne’s ascension to begin with. The knowledge to kill a god’s essence was out there, but it was a race to the goalpost to reach it in time. 

And now Ari was cursed by that knowledge. All this because he couldn’t bother to visit sooner. If he’d stuck to simply smiting him, his good luck wouldn’t have soured nearly as quickly. 

Again, Cameron’s hand neared Ari, undeterred by the elf’s retreating footsteps. It wasn’t like he had very far to move—not with Cameron’s tail looped around the space. “It’s not my magic that’s eating away at you, little wanderer. As long as you carry that curse, you can’t even begin to make good on your promise,” Cameron said and smiled. “Unless you’ve given up trying to keep me out of the mortal planes? I surely hope not. You were just getting somewhere!” 

Ari clutched his head. “Stop talking.” 

Yet Cameron saw the thoughts churning behind Ari’s eyes in the way he stared at the ground. Risk. Each mortal, and demimortal, Cameron had crossed underwent the same weighing process. Were all of his words a lie? Or was there truth in them? Underestimating either side by even a hair could dramatically tip the scale. It made the tip of Cameron’s tail wiggle.

“My offer still stands,” Cameron added patiently. “Do so, and the curse won’t trouble you any longer.”

“And make it that much easier for you to put another one of your things on me like the last time?” Ari spat. “I’m not your fool to toy with, Cameron, and I’m not giving you another opportunity.” His hand glowed pink. “I’ll—”

All at once, Ari’s body seized up. The man dropped onto his knees, but despite his collapse, his black fist remained clutched on the handle of his scepter. Humming, Cameron leaned forward, close enough where his breath could tease strands of Ari’s brown hair. The sleeve covered a significant portion of Ari’s arm, but he noticed the nerves beneath the silk convulsed. It gave off the smell of soot and tar, markedly divine and twisted. 

For good measure, Ari took a swipe at Cameron, yet the blade did not connect. The one thing Cameron would not allow him to touch was his face. 

“You may have found the secret to wound me, but you’ll cut your own life short before you cut me,” Cameron said. “Why do you think you’ve been cursed? You could kill me, but you’re discovering it’s not so easy, aren’t you?”

“I’d rather die than accept your so-called ‘help.’”

“And yet you came to me, willingly, and chose this path for yourself! Make no mistake—I’m flattered, truly. But you didn’t have better things to do than put me on trial? That really hurts my feelings, you know. I’ve been minding my business.”

Ari growled quietly, and the sound of it made Cameron chuckle. The longer this went on, the greater his intrigue. Some of Ari’s peers were equally mouthy, but they’d crumbled faster under his ministrations. Ari, however, was stubborn. He might actually have let himself perish instead if it meant taking Cameron down with him.

Placing a claw-tipped finger against Ari’s blade, Cameron restricted him from lifting it a third time. He felt the blade twitch and wiggle under his nail from Ari’s effort to free it, then heard the slow-building sizzle the longer his nail touched. 

“Is your pride worth more than your life, Fey champion?” he asked softly, enough so that it made Ari’s ears twitch. He upturned his other hand’s palm to Ari and leaned over him. “Do you want it to end here and now when you’ve been the closest one of your circle?” Ari stared at him, and although he glared, shock belied those fiery pink eyes of his. Cameron tilted his head. “Did you think I didn’t know who you were, prince? I study all of my guests. The interesting ones anyway,” he added.

“Your tricks—”

“I speak only the truth this time.” The space around them shrunk bit by bit as Cameron added more coils to wrap around them. The shhff of sand carried across his entrance room. “I know my brother’s magic, well enough to know how to undo it too. Do you really wish to die with failure in your heart? That doesn’t seem befitting of the summer elves’ prince, wouldn’t you say?”

Those rose quartz eyes of Ari’s stayed locked on Cameron’s hand, distrustful and scathing. The only sound permeating the room then became that of sliding glass. Cameron’s zoetrope had shifted to display yet another realm of the fey. That didn’t matter now—he had the fey he’d been watching here with him now. No need to see Ari through a glass any longer. 

The tip of Cameron’s tail wiggled again when Ari reached his hand out, hesitated, then connected with one of the large fingers before him. His expression spoke nothing short of frustrated. Giving no room for second thoughts, Cameron slid his fingers underneath Ari’s body and into his palm, where he held him to his eyes. 

“A wise choice, love. Now let’s get this curse off, shall we? You’ll be untouched…mostly.”

“Don’t call me that,” Ari snapped. His gaze was transfixed by the dark wisps rising from out of his sleeve and into the air, coated in a green layer of mist that matched Cameron’s eyes. His heavy breaths slowed. “What do you mean ‘mostly’?”

“There’s more than just Rayne’s magic in this, I’m afraid! Such a thing happens when the whole of the pantheon wants to show off their skills.” Cameron hummed. “You’ll have to figure out the rest on your own. But at least you won’t die, so what’s there to sulk about?” He gingerly traced his nail against Ari’s head, stopping at his chin and tilting it to meet his gaze. “And I get to see more of this pretty face.” 

Although Ari shoved his finger away, the faintest hint of red stained his cheeks. “This doesn’t change anything else—know that.” 

Maybe not now, Cameron thought. But luck and fortune's favor were his specialties. 

[lovesim09]

Invisibility and Teleportation

The book has a soft magic system, there is a description of what magic, mana and dead mana are but it is not that detailed. Why did I decide to write about magic? I remember rereading the book and in the comments there were comments about invisibility and teleportation and why the enemies don't use them the same way Cale and his group do.

Why can Cale use invisibility and sneak into enemy hideouts with such ease? Why he can teleport to other places, to other countries without consequences?

The answer to these questions is incredibly simple. Cale has a dragon from the beginning of the book and later another dragon joins him. If we compare it to the game, Cale as a new player got a mythic item on his first roll, an item that has a 0.001% chance of dropping. The dragon is literally a cheat item.

No one expects to meet a dragon, let alone a dragon traveling with a human. Most devices are built to detect middle grade mages or high grade mages. People above these ranks are often geniuses and have ways to bypass devices that detect the use of magic. Raon could teleport and use invisibility in the palace. He could teleport them right to the crown prince's bedroom. Later of course, they tightened the palace's defenses and Alberu allowed his allies to be exceptions.

Few people can notice Raon when he uses invisibility on himself, Bud had his ancient power, dragons are sensitive to magic. White Star is a magician, he has ancient powers and years of experience. Fredo is a powerful vampire, even White Star admitted that he would have trouble fighting him. Rosalyn noticed him because Raon sent his mana her way. Half Blood sensed him but thought Cale was a dragon or half dragon like him. Alberu sensed something, but he didn't know about Raon. At the beginning of the book, he wondered if Cale was human. The Elementals and elves who have never met a dragon thought Cale was under the dragon's protection. Not that the dragon is with Cale. Cale has been mistaken for a dragon many times due to invisibility and how close Raon always is.

When it comes to teleportation, it's pretty simple. It's a complex spell that only stronger mages can use, and even they can have problems. You need coordinates, sometimes you can't find them safely or something is disrupting your mana and preventing you from teleporting to that location. When they were looking for Blood drenched rock, they couldn't teleport to the mountain. The whale house is constantly moving so it's also an impossible place to teleport. Raon never teleported the group directly to the elf village where The World Tree is. Raon couldn't teleport them to dubori territory because of the disturabnce mana tool. Also in the illusion, Rosalyn had the strength she had two years ago, before she began learning from the dragons, and had trouble teleporting 3 people a greater distance. The distance was Harris Village and the mountain where Raon was trapped. When Cale teleported to other kingdoms with Raon multiple times without any problem. You can see the difference between a dragon and a human in using magic. In most cases, people use magic circle to teleport over longer distances. The only time dragons used magic circles was when they were using really complicated or difficult spells. Like teleporting to another continent, setting a permanent magic circle to a dragon's lair. Teleporting a huge castle that was also a dragon's lair.

So the answer is simple why White Star never used these spells in the same way as Cale's group. Cale has the upper hand when it comes to magic. On the other hand, White Star had 3 talented people and lost all of them. The Lich sacrificed his life, Half Blood was captured, and Becrock was also defeated. Half Blood was literally responsible for the teleportation magic scrolls that ARM, Redrika and the bears used. Lich was the strongest and oldest black mage. Becrock was a genius, the dragons themselves admitted that he had talent. And he lost them all, left only with the weaker black mages.

And when it comes to the law, I'm sure Cale broke more than one law with teleportation and invisibility. I'm sure there's a law against teleporting between kingdoms.

[scary-lasagna]

oh oh oh!! Yandere proxies with a darling who, in the escape attempt, damages the proxy marking thing?

If a marking is damaged, it still relays a weak signal. Lesser creatures won't be able to detect it, but higher beings will. But damn, is it painful. It's a direct link to Slender, and then it's severed, it's disobedience. Disobedience is punished.

Masky

It was a knife, the very weapon used against you to subdue your 5th escape attempt.

You were a fighter, and that's why he wanted you.

That's why he adored you.

But damn. You could really pack a smart faced punch when you needed to.

He was on top of you, with the handle of his knife between his teeth, struggling to fist both of your wrists at the same time. And in a quick motion, you snatched the knife, chipping his tooth in the process, and swiped down on the shoulder of his jacket.

He screamed, completely blacking out in pain and clutching his shoulder. You managed to quickly scamper away as Masky starts heaving and collapsing on the ground, spots clouding his vision from the pain alone.

You didn’t waste time pushing yourself off of the bloody grass, and almost slipped as you ran into the brush of the forest.

Time seemed to escape you as you pounded your way through the forest, not caring where you went as long as you were keeping distance from Masky, who was hopefully still writhing in the ground in pain and regret.

But then you came to the conclusion that you were lost. You didn’t know how long you’ve been in the woods, how many times you’ve passed the same tree (or at least you thought it was), and why it seemed like something was following behind you.

It might just be a squirrel, right? But no, foolish [Y/N] this is the Black Forest, there are no harmless squirrels. Any creature in here following a cute little human like you has no good intentions to your health.

You didn't even have time to react to your quick, painless death of a snapping neck.

Hoodie

Hoodie is usually a bit more smarter than this, he knows how to protect his weak spots, unlike Masky who tends to act on reckless anger.

It was only a simple scratch as you flailed under his grip, consistently dragging you by your ankles and eventually the rim of your pants, which you quickly learned was an easy handle that he enjoyed dragging you around with.

A game of cat and mouse can only go on so long before the mouse gets eaten. Freedom was only steps away into that dark forest, you didn't care if you could find your way out, because you'd have a better chance of survival against the elements and beasts rather than with this complete psychopath.

But a measly little scratch, just enough to draw blood was enough to drag him down.

He was more fortunate than the others, getting by with only a scratch that felt like a hot, molten nickel erupting from the wound.

Hoodie's grip released, and you quickly freed yourself, scrambling away while he hunched in pain, screaming through his gritted teeth.

Hoodie's body was entirely tense, focused on the sheer amount of pain wrecking his body in wave after wave.

You almost paused to stare at the sight, not quite sure if it was a trap or not. He tended to trick you with little tests.

But you tested fate that day, and sprinted into the forest, letting him watch helplessly as you faded into the brush.

Toby

tw: seizure

Toby doesn't feel pain, but magic will not let a bad deed go unpunished no matter the circumstance.

In Toby's eyes, you only needed a little coaxing to stay still while he attempted to shackle the handcuffs on your wrists.

He'd given you too much freedom to be comfortable with.

A knife stuck out of Toby's back, although it took a moment for him to realize the marking was split open from the blood running down his back.

He felt no pain, but the hallucinations started soon after.

He kept screaming your name, calling for help, it was too pathetic for you to feel sympathy for, even if you had stayed to help him.

His wretched voice echoed throughout the house as you rushed toward any door, any window you spotted. Your mind rushed faster than you could make sense of it, and even opened a pantry in the rush of adrenaline.

You had to try the back door, which was past Toby's body in the living room.

And it fell unusually quiet.

But upon tiptoeing into the living room, with eyes wide and full of primal panic and focus, you noticed Toby convulsing on the ground.

But you didn't have any sympathy for him, you reminded yourself. Every villain as their golden moments, and in his delusions he loved you. But people don't hurt someone that they love. And they certainly do not threaten to lock them in handcuffs, to shove them into a windowless basement.

Foaming at the mouth, Toby wasn't present anymore, and didn't pose a threat even if the seizure did stop before you left.

You grabbed the keychain from his pocket, and unlocked the multiple locks lining the back door, and you disappeared from his life, hopefully for good this time.

When Toby finally woke up, the back door was open, a stupid racoon was picking through his hair.

[marsneptunes]

Agatha All Along - Agathario leaks and theories

Last year they were some leaks about the show’s history, two of them has already happened, and it`s fun to notice how the leaks were right even on the details. So if you don’t want to be spoiled, this is a warning.

The leaks were about some major things on the show:

1. Rio breaking Wanda’s spell

2. Agatha, Rio and Nicholas backstory

3. Teen being Billy Maximoff on William Kaplan body

4. Rio Vidal not being part of the coven (the Black heart thing)

The only part that still needs to be show is Agathario’s storyline, so I will focus on it.

RIO BREAKING WANDA’S SPELL

“She (Agatha) has been trapped by Wanda in a trance like state where she believes she lives in a TV show version of Westview, but in reality, it`s all in her head. In the latest episode of that show, she plays Detective Agnes who is investigating the death of a young woman who is later revealed through a magical toe tag to be Wanda herself. Helping with the investigation is an FBI agent played by Aubrey Plaza, but Agatha soon realises that this agent is her ex-wife, Rio Vidal, who has entered Agatha`s mind and is trying to break her out of Wands’s spell. When she succeds, Agatha wakes up in her bedroom, now completely powerless, with Rio in the room with her and Billy, who had snuck into Agatha’s houss and is hiding in her closet, listening in to the 2 exes bickering”

In the leaks, it is Rio who breaks the spell, not Billy, and I think this will be revealed in the next episode or in the 8th. In the last episode we had Billy’s point of view, I think they didn’t show Rio in the couch because Billy didn’t saw her there, just Agatha.

And that could be becuse she was trying break Wand’s spell trough Agatha’s mind. The scene when Agatha is interrogating Billy, Rio isn’t in the same room, and from his point of view, she shows up after the spell was already broke

Other two things I feel gave some clues is that Agatha’s neighbour said it has been days that she is strange, so Wanda’s death maked it easy to Rio find her and trying to break the spell. And Rio shows up in the begining of the episode, Teen shows later. I think it was Rio trying to use Wanda’s death to get Agatha free from the spell.

And Billy being kind of lost trying to do the spell, like he didn’t know what he was doing, in a way Rio wouldn’t, being Death and The Green witch.

One last thing on this part, when asked about Rio as FBI agent on Agatha’s house, Jac answered:

“That POV shot is obscured, there’s not an empty chair there. So I think she was, but it wasn’t - the story of episode 6 is Billy’s path and and what he’s focused on”.

So in this moment, Billy believes he is the one that broke Wanda’s spell on Agatha, leading us to believe in this too.

AGATHARIO AND NICHOLAS BACKSTORY

“Through flashbacks we learn that Agatha and Rio were married all the way back in the 1600s, before Agatha had got her hands on the Darkhold, and they even had a son, Niholas Scratch. But divorced when Agatha, freshly under the influence of the Darkhold, became obsessed with it, she slowly started losing herself and getting corrupted by its evil power, resulting in her sacrificing their son to Mephisto (is referenced by name but does not show up). Once Rio found out about this, she and Agatha broke up and Rio has been trying to get revenge on Agatha ever since. Rio will be a villain in the series, who appears crazy and obssessive at first, but is justifiably very hurt and angry.” I see a lot of people asking why would Agatha hates Rio so much if it was Agatha who sacrificed their son.

I think she really believed that Rio would spare Nicholas, being her mother too. And all this hate could be a way to deal with the selfhate and guilt for giving her son in exchange to be more powerful, even if she didn’t believe she would really lose him. She lost Rio and Nicholas, all her family, with that choice, the people she loved the most and were more vulnerable with, it makes sense that she went all power greed and closed off emotionally after that, because it’s all that she had left.

And Rio, on the other side, wants revenge because Agatha not just made a deal using their son but put Rio in a position that she couldn’t make any choice. She is Death, she maybe can heal someone, but can not bringe back who is already dead. So she was left alone, without her son and wife, for something that was beyond her control. And with the knowledge that Agatha trade their son to have more power, a quality that maybe made her falling in love with Agatha in their first place.

That would make it bittersweet, what made then falling in love with each other (Agatha as a power hungry and Rio as Death herself) were the same thing that destroyed their family and broke them apart.

RIO VIDAL NOT BEING PART OF THE COVEN

“The only 2 witches wich can enter the dimension without a coven are the Scarlet Witch, and Rio Vidal, who is powerfull Green Witch, she is supposed to be one of the oldest and more powerfull witches in the MCU. Rio uses the powers of Earth and nature and is said to be even stronger than the Scarlet Witch”

That’s go on with Agatha saying Rio was just a “tourist”. Maybe Rio didn’t even need to be summoned on the Road to appear, she was just waiting for the perfect moment, and Sharon’s death was it. And in the leaks it was already confirmed that Billy was part of the coven, not Rio.

HOW IT ENDS?

One thing I notice from the leaks it’s that none of them talks about the final battle/scene. I think the show is promoting it with few scenes, like a Rio’s betrayal against Agatha, but from the leaks of their backstory I believe will be more emotional, with both of then trying to trown at the other all the hate and pain for what happened, but having to accept and deal with Nichola’s death. Agatha trying to make a different choice, not sacrificing Billy and Rio leting him go alive, in a way she couldn’t do with Nicky.

But that’s it’s me theorizing, didn’t find any leaks about their final fight, if it’s really between them, the vibe or how it ends.

I don’t think they will die because Aubrey and Kathryn will be back on Marvel. But Marvel likes to kill characters and bring then back later, so who knows.

[hannahwatcheshorror]

Season One Recap

SEASON TWO RECAP

e1- In My Time Of Dying - Dean has an out of body experience when he nearly dies (again (see s1e12)) but this time he befriends the reaper instead of being angry with it (though he does sort of hunt her for a bit). John makes a deal with the Yellow-Eyed Demon and trades his life for Deans! Sad! They also lose the Colt.

e2- Everybody Loves a Clown - The boys meet Ellen, Jo, and Ash, some hunters with some serious know-how. While they wait for info from Ash they hunt a Rakshasa (ancient Hindu creature) dressed as a clown at a carnival! Sam has a lot of feelings about dead dad and Dean lets out his emotions on his car.

e3- Bloodlust - Meet Gordon, a vampire hunter who only sees in black and white, while the dean learns to see in shades of grey. The boys save a nest of vampires who only drink animal blood! But then wonder about all the other creatures they might have killed in cold blood. (Sad.)

e4- Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things - While Sam visits their moms grave, Dean detects some zombie action at the grave next door. Dean really opens up in this one! Sad boys are sad!

e5- Simon Said - Sam is seeing people dying so the brothers gotta go meet some gifted brothers who didn't even know they were brothers! They can make you do what they want just by telling you what to do which is a scary power and the good twin (Andy) has to shoot the bad twin which is sad.

e6- No Exit - Jo tracks one H. H. Holmes to the location of the Philly prison where he was executed but is now haunting and kidnapping young blondes (like Jo). We find out John and Jo's dad hunted together when Jo's dad died. Rough!

e7- The Usual Suspects - Linda Blair guest stars in this episode as a cop who see's a scary but helpful ghost! The brothers almost get locked away but Linda Blair saves the day!

e8- Crossroad Blues - Hellhounds! People making deals with demons are being ate up by big, black hellhounds. Sam and Dean try to break things up by tricking a demon and saving a nice fellow who only ever wanted to save his wife.

e9- Croatoan - The brothers experience their own Roanoke when a mysterious demon virus makes a town go crazy and attack each other. No blood pacts here! The episode ends on a cliffhanger about Sam!

e10- Hunted - Sam splits off from Dean and meets Ava (guest star Katharine Isabelle) another psychic sibling of his who foresees Sam's death (oh no!). Gordon is also back (s2e3) and he is now hunting Sam (oh no!). Ava is able to save Sam but when the boys go to check on Ava at the end her husband is murdered and she is MIA.

e11- Playthings - A hotel haunted with a little girl's spirit but who is kept away but her sister's Hoodoo comes into focus when the living sister has a stroke and cannot continue her magic. Sam makes Dean promise to kill him if he ever goes dark side (sad!).

e12- Nightshifter - The brothers deal with the law because there is yet another shapeshifter, this one can shift fast too and it is robbing banks! Our fellas are in deep trouble by the end of this episode.

e13- Houses of the Holy - A dead priest is playing angel and he tells folks to kill the naughty around town so it is up to Dean to suss out the truth because Sam is on the angel train. By the end Sam is disillusioned and Dean is starting to believe.

e14- Born Under a Bad Sign - Sam is possessed by Meg in this hangover type episode where they must retrace Sam's steps. Jo almost gets hurt and Bobby helps them make Sam Sam again.

e15- Tall Tales - The boys recount to Bobby both sides of what happened to them during a weird case. A Trickster has them all turned around and he escapes in the end!

e16- Roadkill - The boys investigate yet another haunted highway (see s1e13). They get help from a friendly ghost who doesn't know she is a ghost (sad!). Then they help her let go!

e17- Heart - We have an unaware-wolf as in a werewolf that doesn't know she's a werewolf. They think they cure her and then Sammy gets laid! But there is no cure for being a werewolf so she goes out noble in the end.

e18- Hollywood Babylon - A Hollywood studio uses real invocations and summons actual spirits for its horror movie, who knew? The writer knew! And he didn't like what they did with his script so he sicked the spirits on those who opposed him. 

e19- Folsom Prison Blues - The boys get caught on purpose so they can investigate a ghost killing folks in a jail for a friend of their dads. Turns out an old nurse was killing people she thought were bad but the Winchesters put an end to her.

e20- What Is and What Should Never Be - A djinn puts Dean in a fantasy world where he was never a hunter. While there are parts that are great like Mama Mary being alive, he and Sammy don't have a relationship. In the end he makes the hard choice to go back to the real world of hunting with Sam.

e21- All Hell Breaks Loose (Part One) - Sam and all the other demon siblings are brought to a ghost town (literally) to battle royale for who gets to be the best demon child! We meet back with Ava (s2e10), Andy (s2e5), and Ash (s2e2) who all die but Sam also totally dies at the end!

e22- All Hell Breaks Loose (Part Two) - Dean makes a deal to bring Sam back. The devil's gate is opened which is a portal to Hell and it unleashes an army of demons on the world! John crawls out of Hell to save Dean from the Yellow-Eyed Demon who Dean then shoots with the colt! They finally kill the son-of-a-bitch, avenging Mary's death! Sam finds out he died and says he will save Dean from his deal because Sam is also a good brother.

----------------------HANNAH WATCHES HORROR---------------------

[wishcamper]

@unhealthyfanobsession... Agent U.F.O. ... this is Command.. we have.. we...

Oh, agent.

It's cute, really, how you thought yourself the one in charge. Providing such juicy intel, awaiting my instructions so dutifully. For the real target all along has been YOU.

You have handed yourself over without question, your desires, your weaknesses. And I have woven my web with them, and now you are CAUGHT.

So go ahead, agent, struggle if you must. But the only path that lies ahead is one of suffering. You immortal hope is an illusion, and despair is the only reality. And I, the mistress of this darkness, will ensure there is no salvation, no redemption waiting for you, only the exquisite taste of defeat. Allow me to be the last flicker of a dying flame, the reminder that in this world, heroes are not born.

They are made.

And broken.

Prepare to suffer.

read here or on ao3.

the choiceless hope in grief

chapter 1

“I don’t blame her,” Cassian said, shrugging despite his words. “She was—violated. Her body stopped belonging wholly to her.” 

-ACOWAR, Sarah J. Maas

The flight to the House still left him panting all these weeks later, pain echoing across the newly-healed membrane of his wings. He’d lost sensation in large patches, and Madja wasn’t sure if he’ll ever get it back, but Cassian remained eternally optimistic. 

Even if he couldn’t fly as he used to, he could still fly. And even if one day he couldn’t fly, he was still alive, still able to look himself in the eye.

Still had time to make it right.

Recovery was now more annoying than it was painful, anyway. It took twice as long to dress, twice as long to fly to Windhaven on a day with good tailwinds. His wings felt clunky and frustrating, and he’d barreled to the ground in those first weeks out of bed more often than he let on, more often than he wanted to admit to himself.

Because he’d noticed the furtive glances Azriel and Rhys shot each other at dinner when he wiggled in his chair, unable to find a comfortable position. Read the guilt on both their faces and wished they would just get over it, wished he didn’t have to make them feel better about what he’d given freely.

It was the reason he kept feeling drawn to the House of Wind, just to get a break from his brothers’ pitying stares and Amren’s silent evaluations, Mor’s incessant worrying about Hybern. And, okay, maybe it was not the only reason, but it was a good enough one for him to justify the flight every other morning.

So far Nesta had refused to see him beyond his initial visit, preferring to hiss at him from behind the closed door of her room in the suite she shared with Elain. The only time he’d physically seen her since blacking out in Hybern had been the first day he was strong enough to fly up, when she’d looked him up and down for several long moments before giving a brief hm! and shutting the door in his face.

Guilt still burned in him. He wondered if she blamed him, if she even thought of him enough to cast her scorn over his memory. Doubted it even though her blue-gray eyes had flashed with concern at the stitches on his wings, the sheen of sweat that must've coated his brow.

Which was why it surprised Cassian to find the door cracked open now.

“Nesta?”

He heard a lone someone breathing in the darkness beyond, didn’t detect anyone else present in the dim room. Only inhaled in the jasmine-scented air that followed her everywhere, so much stronger now, drawn toward the magic swirling beneath her skin.

“Nesta, are you in here?”

“Mmph.”

A noise completely devoid of emotion, but he could tell it was her by the way it made the bond in his chest tug forward, hooked beneath his ribs. As his eyes adjusted, Cassian saw her stir under the bedclothes, as if curling tighter.

“Why are the curtains closed?”

Her reply came out muffled once more, and he drew closer, the lump of her body shifting under a sea of blankets.

The room was stifling, spring a brief flash before oozing into summer in Velaris, as if the seasons too were fatigued by all the year had brought. Cassian loosened the neck of his leathers, trying to get some air.

“Aren’t you hot in there?”

“Go away, Cassian.”

He'd seen this kind of thing before, when Rhys came back from Under the Mountain, when Azriel was in one of his deeper broods. Even Mor wasn't immune to it, and he suspected it was usually love troubles though she never told him outright.

It didn't matter. Cassian knew nothing was solved by hiding from it, and his friends always thanked him in the end.

Pushing down the curl of disdain at his own hypocrisy, he ignored the pain in his wings and gripped the covers at the foot of Nesta's bed, made to pull them off her.

“Come on, you can’t lay around in the dark all day.”

“Don’t do that.”

A tendril of silver fire whipped out and lashed at his hand. It sent a thrill along his bones, the glow staining his vision even after it dissipated.

“Then come out and let me see you.”

“No.”

Fine. Then he’d just have to go in and get her.

Peeling back the corner of the top two blankets, the crown of Nesta’s golden head emerged, hair matted and tangled. Cassian wondered when she’d last bathed.

“Tell me what’s happening.”

“What’s happening is that you’re in my room when I didn’t invite you in.”

“You left the door open.”

She didn’t respond, and he saw a ripple across the sheets like water breaking around a dropped stone.

Maybe this was more serious than he'd assumed.

Maybe she did blame him.

Heart in his throat, Cassian perched as gently as he could on the edge of the bed, so as not to jostle her. “Nes, talk to me.”

She turned to face him then, blue-gray eyes heavy, overcast. He could just see the point of her ear jutting from her disheveled braid. “I broke the sink.”

Cassian glanced back into the bathing chamber where a huge chunk of the stone sink now sat on the floor, the mangled faucet handle jutting up at an odd angle.

“I’m impressed.”

“I didn’t mean to.” Nesta’s eyes further deadened, dull as unpolished silver. “I was trying to wash and I turned the handle..”

He watched as her words crumbled into ash. As her face followed, skin going gray.

“You’re still adjusting, it’s just a kink to work out.”

“I can’t change my clothes. I keep ripping them when I do up the buttons.”

“I’ll get you some without buttons.”

“It’s all so bright. And loud.” She rubbed at her eyes, tugged at her earlobe like a child. “I hear the harbor bell as if it’s right next to me. As if it’s inside my head.”

“We can put some wards on your rooms, dampen the noise,” he offered, but it’s like she doesn’t hear him, burying her face back into the pillow.

“I can smell things from floors away. I can smell Elain’s tears in the night, taste salt in the air. It’s- I can’t take it.”

Her anguish washed over him, and for the first time since the blast in Hybern, Cassian felt true fear.

For Nesta’s voice was so small, her life force so weak, nothing like the iron pillar of a woman who’d stared down the human queens. It killed Cassian to see her debilitated, and the bond yanked in his chest again, a deep knowing that something was violently wrong with his mate.

His mate.

Nesta was his mate.

They hadn’t spoken of it. She hadn’t given him the chance.

“Can I help you?”

The instinct rose involuntarily, impervious to her frown of annoyance.

“No.”

“Can I try?”

She huffed, annoyed at his deliberate misconstruing of her wishes. “If it will get you to go away.”

“Glad to see you haven’t been robbed of your charm, sweetheart,” he joked, wanting to break the tension. To get her to relax enough to be receptive even though his own thoughts ricocheted wildly, his wings near trembling with nerves and fatigue. “Breathe.”

“I am breathing, you dolt.”

“Then do only that. Just focus on one thing at a time,” he murmured, undeterred.

Nesta was a hellcat through and through, and a few swipes of her claws were to be expected, especially when wounded. So when he picked up the hand that lay limply beside her on the pillow, Cassian was shocked that she allowed it. Her skin was so soft against his, and she didn’t flinch when he ran his thumb over her knuckles. 

“It’s too much,” she said after a moment, making to squirm away from him. He continued to hold her hand gently, tracing the bones.

“Breathe. Take it slow.” 

Nesta’s face twisted in anger then, molten silver flashing in her eyes. It was unearthly, and he could see how others might find it terrifying. Amren’s warnings in Rhysand’s ear about her power had put them all on edge, but Cassian didn’t care.

She was his mate. She was hurting. He’d do whatever it took.

"It’s overwhelming, I know."

“What would you know? What would you know?” Nesta spat at him. “Has everything you once were been ripped away from you? Has the very sanctity of your body been stolen?”

Some chaotic feeling he couldn't place rose in his chest, wings rustling where he tried to settle them behind him. “As a matter of fact I do. In case you forgot, my wings were shredded to ribbons not long ago. I wasn’t able to fly for weeks. I still can’t feel—”

The words choked off, strangled by his own surprise at the tears pricking in the corners of his eyes. The resentment, the grief seared beneath his skin, along his wingbones. Nesta’s stormy eyes flashed as she gripped his hand back, knowing.

“Are you in pain?”

“All the time.”

Her suspiciousness lightened, just the tiniest bit. Cassian took the opening, threading their fingers together as he used his other hand to peel away the remaining blankets, revealing her freckled shoulder.

“So I’m not going to let you hide in here for the rest of your life. It’s not worth it, Nes. You don’t get to disappear just because you’re hurting.”

She sighed, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter."

He could see she wanted to retreat again, a hermit crab curling back into her shell. Could see the same skepticism that haunted his slumber, the failure his dreams paraded before him night after night. The image of her going into the Cauldron, over and over, the freezing shock of her terror.

Nesta took in a sharp little breath. He tried to soften his face, his body. Ignored the screaming in his wing when he lifted it to drape over them, blocking out some of the light and sound.

“Feel it. Just feel.”

Cocooned in dusky shadow, she looked at her trembling fingers where he held them. Cassian read the shock on her face, at her vision still so clear in the dark. “Nothing feels like mine. I’m trapped in here. I can’t get out.”

“You’re right here, Nes. You’re right here.”

She shuddered, fingers turning icy in his grip.

He rose then, crossed to ease open the curtains and one of the high windows so that the early summer breeze swept through, light and temperate. Saw Nesta tip her head up when it kissed her cheeks, the furrow on her brow becoming shallower.

Progress.

Settling back on the bed, Cassian took her hands gently once more, daring to brush his lips over her fingertips.

Mother, she was beautiful. Even wrecked like this, unwashed and . The hope the lived inside her, that by rights should've been killed just as he should've in that wretched dungeon, that will that refused to die. It wasn't delicate and soft like Elain's, nor cheerful and forward like Feyre's. It was a gritty, ragged hope that clung to her bones, one that couldn't be ripped away no matter how the world tried to steal it, how she wanted to excise it herself.

A hope he recognized, for it matched his own.

“These are yours, sweetheart, see? Can you feel that?” Cassian kissed the tips of her fingers, thumbs drawing slow circles on her palms. “They’re the same hands you’ve always had. They just look different, like they did when you were a child.”

Nesta nodded mutely, too exhausted to fight him anymore it seemed, though her breathing became more deep and even.

They lay there for a while, Cassian so aware of that vibrating space between them. He wondered if she could feel the bond humming, drawing them closer. Wondered if she felt that phantom pull too, telling her that he was here.

But maybe not. And even if she did, maybe it didn’t provide the comfort it did to him, the relaxing along the joint at his back, the crick in his neck finally easing.

Her human face still burned in his mind, as if he could see it overlaid on the one before him. The ears were different, perhaps some of the angles sharper, but it was still her. Still Nesta.

Cassian knew it was true without all of that, anyway. He’d felt her across their bond even in half-consciousness, felt the Cauldron melt away her flesh while her thrumming heart was still alive, felt it suspend her between life and death before smashing all her parts back together. Felt her rage, the tear of her teeth through the world around her. The mighty rip when she tore off a piece of that power, the pull of it dredging him back up from the dark death waiting to swallow him.

“Sorry about your wings,” she breathed, pink lips soft around each syllable as she studied his face.

Cassian felt so naked that his first impulse was to apologize until her words settled like silt at the bottom of his mind. It occurred to him that it was the first time since Hybern he didn’t feel the need to mask the pain, let himself wiggle as much as he needed to get comfortable.

He pulled her in before deciding to, drawing her unraveled head to his chest. Nesta settled quickly to his surprise, as if her body responded to his the same way his did to hers. He stroked her ruined braid, the fuzzy hairs at her hairline brushing his chin, little friends reaching up to soothe him, too.

After a time, Nesta’s breaths became slower, more even, and her eyelids grew heavy. When her body went limp against his, Cassian extracted himself carefully and crept to the door with the lightest footsteps he could manage.

Took in his deepest breath in months before he jumped from the living room balcony, wings groaning when they caught the wind.

“My scars are gone.”

Nesta was examining her hands where they rested in his again, as they had every other day for the past two weeks. She was sitting beside him on the sofa before the unlit hearth, far enough that he could feel the heat from her thigh without touching it.

Cassian still marveled at the fact she was giving him this trust, though maybe it was from sheer lack of anything else to do but watch Elain stare blankly out the window. He was grateful either way.

Most days they sat like this, simply acclimating. Some days it all became too much and she raged at him, storming about until she ran out of steam. On others still he almost had to lift her out of bed one limb at a time, a slow coaxing that usually culminated in brittle, hopeless words and a venomous dismissal.

But every other day she left the door cracked open regardless, a silent invitation, and he wasn’t about to turn her down. He'd leave a book on her nightstand and find it somewhere else on his next visit.

The wards helped. It seemed the House was listening because the sounds were muffled now, the fixtures repaired and reinforced. Cassian hadn’t touched trying to help her dress, only put in an order with Emerie for gowns with ties instead of buttons. Nesta was wearing one of them now, the pale green delicate and lovely against her skin.

They’d graduated from lying in bed to looking out the red rock windows, letting her eyes adjust to the light, the whirl of color. He’d taught her some old tricks from his novice days, feeling the three points of her footprint, naming things around her to stay grounded in the real world.

“Hm?”

“I used to have scars on my hands. There were some on my back, too.” Nesta swallowed, eyes narrowing. He tried not to stare at her lips. “Now it’s like it never happened.”

Cassian didn’t know what she was referencing, didn’t know what to say for fear of treading too heavily on tender ground. There were rare days she didn’t get up at all, dead-limbed and deaf to his requests. She had that look about her now, something swallowing her whole.

He ruffled his wings reflexively. “Lucky then, eh? You could’ve turned out looking like me.”

The joke landed, kind of. She huffed a small laugh, but Cassian saw Nesta’s eyes trace down the length of his wing closest to her, the stark white lines where Madja had stitched him back up.

“At least you have proof,” she retorted without real feeling. "No one expects you to be fine."

“I’ll trade with you if it means everyone stops treating me like an invalid.” It was too close, too sharp a pain when he remembered how Mor had insisted on winnowing his pack home the night before instead of letting him carry it. “Though if you offered to nurse me back to health, I might reconsider.” He grinned down into her scowling face. “What do you say, Nes? Will you kiss it better?”

Nesta wrinkled her perfect nose. “You’re a pig.”

“A pig whose hand you’re still holding.”

She dropped his hand as if scalded, a thundering rage building behind her steely eyes and Cassian couldn't help feeling a triumph in it, goading her away from the edge of darkness.

“As if you're not the last person I'd choose for company if I had any choice. Have you not gotten it through your fat head yet? Why do you keep coming back?”

Because you’re the only one who doesn’t treat me like I’m broken.

“Bored,” Cassian said breezily, tugging at the end of her braid before lounging backward, the sun warming his weary wings. “Besides, it’s much more fun to bother you than watch Rhys wear holes in the carpet. Tell me what you can see.”

Nesta opened her mouth as if to retort, but caught herself, seeing something in him he didn’t know he’d been showing.

“Roof tiles. Seagull. Curtains. Chimney smoke. I miss feeling like myself, even though I don’t know who that was. Even if no one liked her.”

She said it so matter-of-factly, like it was just another object on the horizon. He froze, taken aback.

“Why do you think no one liked you?”

Nesta gestured toward the empty room around them, and the bond jerked in his chest, pulling his body toward hers. A channel opened wide and he could sense her on the other end, lonely and sorrowful.

"I wasn't made to be liked," she said simply.

The sun was rising high to signal midday, and he was expected back at the river house for a briefing but Cassian felt rooted to the spot, greedy for these small pieces of herself she was offering. The edge of her Illyrian-cut gown ruffled in the breeze, the front tied with the neatest bow he’d seen so far.

“It's not you. There’s a lot going on right now,” he offered weakly. “We have a war to prepare for. People get caught up.”

“Is there no word of Feyre?”

Her eyes were hollow, and though he couldn’t see her worry he could feel it, vibrating just below his heart.

“No. But we’d know if anything happened to her.”

“How?”

“Rhys would be able to feel it. There is a.. bond, between some fae. The Caul—" He cleared his throat as if it could distract from the wild thrumming in his chest, from the feeling that confirmed what he’d known since that day in Hybern. "Fated magic links them as mates. That’s what Rhys and Feyre are. It’s sacred, a harmony between two souls. Mates can feel each other’s emotion, when they’re in danger. Bonds are very rare and blessed.”

An uneasy expression settled in the corners of her mouth, one long-fingered hand rising to cover over her stomach. “And fate chooses this person for you?”

“Well, bonds can be rejected, but the connection never goes away. So, yes.”

Fear, a white-hot meteor of it, flashed across her face as she clutched at her dress, snagging the fabric. Cassian saw her barb of her anger sharpen and braced himself for the sting.

“I cannot imagine a worse destiny.”

He knew she wouldn’t take this well, knew anything connected to their world would send her bolting.

It still fucking hurt.

“What, someone being devoted to you? Someone loving you?” he challenged, wings bristling. He ignored the pain that shot through the joint at the top, wanting desperately to stretch it long.

“Don’t be a child,” she sneered. “Love has nothing to do with it.”

“Couldn’t it?”

Heart in his mouth, Cassian held back with everything he could, wanting to fall to his knees, to confess everything. To tell her he could feel her hurt and confusion and helplessness, that he could take it all away.

Because even without the bond she was his, sharp and potent and Nesta. It was her name that called him on the wind, her hope that urged him to rise every morning and take to the sky. Not his stupid pride, not the pity of his family, but the idea that she was up here all alone, that he was supposed to take care of her. Supposed to protect her.

And he had failed.

Cassian reached out to brush the backs of his fingers down her cheek.

Nesta’s eyes widened.

“What is it you expect from me?” she hissed, recoiling backward. “I’m not your project, nor your ward. I’m not going to fall into your arms like a simpering damsel one day and beg you to save me.”

Rebuffed, the love ricocheted around inside him, a bird trapped in a dark room. Cassian didn’t stop to wonder if he was sending all these feelings down the bond. Wanted her to feel the thundering power of his devotion to her, his will to never again let go.

“No, you’ll be fucking stubborn and refuse what’s good for you because of your pride. When I’m genuinely trying to help you.”

And myself. Please help me help myself.

Nesta jolted to her feet and retreated to the bed, yanking back the covers. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

Cassian tried not to buckle under the intensity of her scorn, the way she eyed him up and down like a nobody, like a slug under her shoe. It was worse that the pitying looks, this disdain, even though a distant part of him could feel a tendril of golden light stretching toward him, a pull amidst the push.

But his anger was a kettle boiling over when he watched her climb in bed and she was giving up on herself, on him, on everything and his wings fucking hurt.

“No, but you clearly need it.”

Silver fire whipped out at him from beneath the blankets, searing through his leathers. When the smoke cleared he saw it had left an X-shaped burn right over his heart.

“Get out.”

Nesta didn’t leave the door cracked for a long time after that. Cassian still called on her every other day, and the books he left on the threshold piled up, bricks in the wall between them.

[rita-repulsa-ke]

Ritual of the Rose - Ch2

Agatha crossed her arms, but Rio could see her evaluating, calculating, deciding how she was going to get herself out of this one. She softened, ran her fingers through her hair in a way that, despite herself, caught Rio's attention, made her press her teeth into her bottom lip. "Come on," Agatha said, eyes downcast, pouting ever-so-slightly. "You don't really want to hurt me, do you?"

Fic Summary: Changes the events of the last episode. Instead, Agatha swears a vow and prepares to go on one final adventure with Death.

Part 3

I feel like I should say at this point that I know next to nothing about the mcu, so this fic will be taking only the events of Wandavision and Agatha All Along as canon and then just making things up.

Chapter 2 - Rio Bites

Death returned. She did not come on black wings or holding a scythe. She was neither robed nor skeletal. Between one breath and the next, she was simply there.

"Hi, baby," she said, sprawling in Agatha's yard, looking around with interest. "You know, I kind of like it? It's a little overgrown, little wild, clearly tended by someone who has no idea what they're doing, but that makes it feel so much more authentic. Like a real person lived here, though of course, that hasn't really been true for a while, has it, Detective?”

Agatha gave her a deeply unamused look, and she laughed, too sharp, too loud, not even particularly amused, and then twisted her head around at a wholly unnatural angle to meet Agatha's eyes with hers. "So what's the plan, Agatha? Where's the catch?" She reached out, started to prod Agatha's cheek and the other woman came to standing before she could make contact.

"No catch," Agatha said, not looking at her and that was so funny that all she could do was snicker.

"There's always a catch," she said, as she watched Agatha. She never stopped watching Agatha, except for a very unpleasant time when Agatha had used the Darkhold to hide from her. She had still looked, of course, looked and looked and looked. She would never give up on Agatha.

And eventually she had found her, in trouble as always, and freed her. Did she get any thanks for that?

Of course not. Agatha Harkness didn't know how to say thank you. It simply wasn't in her vocabulary. "Out of curiosity, how are you planning to wriggle your way out of this one?" Rio asked, coming to her feet without bothering with knees. She’d never quite gotten the hang of knees.

Agatha glanced back at her, head tilted slightly, a smile tugging at her lips like it wasn't sure whether it wanted to stay. "If you're so sure I'm going to wriggle out of it, why'd you agree?"

Rio closed the distance between them in less than a breath, her hand cupping Agatha's cheek. "Because I love you," she reminded the other woman. And then, because she did love Agatha, but there was only so much anyone could take, cruelty spanning centuries, she added, "I love you enough to gift you time."

The blast of purple magic that hit her in the chest was honestly nostalgic, and she skidded backwards without ever quite making contact with the ground. "I do like you more like this," she admitted. "I've missed your powers. It makes you feisty. So what did you tell the kid?"

"Oh you know," Agatha said, waving her hand through the air with lazy, dismissive contempt. "Sentimental stuff. Be good, don't do anything I wouldn't do, that sort of thing."

"Wow. That is not even a good lie. You aren't even trying," Rio said and she's surprised to find that she's a little annoyed about that, too, that Agatha didn’t feel the need to put in any effort in her lies.

"Why should I? You wouldn’t believe me regardless,” Agatha said, turning and strolling into the house. "Anyway, forget the kid. We've got a year to find and defeat one of the most powerful magic users alive so I can get my book back."

Rio followed, as she had for many years, Death always one step behind Agatha Harkness. "And then what? You run again?"

"The ritual doesn't work like that and you know it. It will kill me even if you can't. And then I'm all yours," Agatha said.

That was how it should work, on paper, in magical theory. There was no way Rio was trusting that. Agatha always lied. "So where's the catch?" she repeated, perching on the arm of Agatha's couch.

"Believe me or don't, but you agreed to it and your part is null and void if you don't help," Agatha snapped. "So can we get on with it, please?"

For a moment, nostalgia threatened to choke Rio. This was Agatha as she remembered her, impatient, demanding, moving from one objective to the other, always seeking power, always hungry for more. She found herself caught by it, leaning forward, and remembering one more of Agatha's endless series of manipulations, Agatha's bleeding fingers across her lip. "When I left you with the boy…"

"Hmm?" Agatha said, pretending innocence. Rio stared her down and she held up her fingers, trying and failing to look even slightly regretful. "Oh, the bleeding stopped. What a shame."

Rio's knife was instantly in her hand. "I could fix that."

Agatha's fingers crackled with power. "Try it," she crooned. "I'm not so vulnerable anymore."

Rio slipped to her feet, sauntered forward. "Do you really want to do this, Ags? Without the Darkhold, you know you can't beat me. We can play it out though, if you like. I owe you, after all. Maybe one cut for each year you disappeared on me?" She spun the knife in her hand, comfortable, familiar. She very much did want to hurt Agatha, to seek weregild in blood for all the suffering her beloved had inflicted on her over the centuries.

Agatha crossed her arms, but Rio could see her evaluating, calculating, deciding how she was going to get herself out of this one. She softened, ran her fingers through her hair in a way that, despite herself, caught Rio's attention, made her press her teeth into her bottom lip. "Come on," Agatha said, eyes downcast, pouting ever-so-slightly. "You don't really want to hurt me, do you?"

"No, Ags, I don't really want to hurt you. What I really want, you won't give me. Hurting you isn't a terrible consolation prize, though."

Agatha huffed, her arms going tighter around herself. She was afraid, a coward as always. She'd never liked anything that could touch her, get past her defenses.

And, more simply, she didn’t like pain.

Well, neither did Rio, but that hadn't stopped Agatha from wounding and scarring her for centuries.

"Can we maybe talk about it?" Agatha suggested, always her way out. Agatha's battlefield was words, endless words, all of them lies.

"What else is there to say, hmm? What different, exciting new ways of saying you hate me have you come up with this time?" she'd stopped in front of Agatha, and she could feel herself smiling, a big grin she noticed Agatha didn't seem to want to look at for too long.

Agatha hesitated, shrugged, then stepped forward, reached out and here was Agatha's most potent weapon, the way her fingers brushed through Rio's hair and her hand closed on the back of Rio's neck, tugging her closer. And of course, Rio could have used the knife here, with so little space between them, but Agatha's other arm had looped around her waist and she was so close, so alive, so warm, so much herself, that instead of stabbing the other woman, the sensible, sane decision, she found that she was nuzzling against Agatha's neck, trying to bury herself in this sensation before it went away again.

Agatha tilted her head back, moaned softly and that sound undid Death entirely, a soft whimper escaping from between teeth she seemed to be clenching. Agatha petted her soothingly—

And then yelped as Rio's teeth bit and twisted hard enough to draw blood. Rio ran her tongue over the wound, gathered her beloved's lifeblood, the familiar, intimate taste of Agatha in her mouth, copper and magic and relentless will, then pulled back to smile humorlessly up at Agatha. "There," she said. "Price paid."

Agatha glowered at her, hand clapped to her neck even though the wound had already healed. "Savage," she murmured and Rio burst into shrill hysterics.

"You. Should. Talk," she said, sprawling on Agatha's couch, tossing her knife from hand to hand. "So. The book."

Agatha nodded, pulling up a kitchen chair with magic, perhaps to remind herself that she could. "Wanda has it."

"The Scarlet Witch. Destroyer of worlds," Rio murmured. "So where is she?"

"I was hoping you would know," Agatha admitted.

"She's not actively destroying any worlds, I'm afraid. I don't keep track of most mortals, they generally come to me." She gave Agatha a smile. "Mostly just you."

Agatha faked gagging and that, too, was painfully familiar. "All right, so first step is we find her."

"Didn't she kick your ass last time?"

"Yes, but I didn't have Death on my side," Agatha said, favoring Rio with a smile of her own, a smile that hinted at a promise Rio knew she would never fulfill. "Still, even for both of us, she's going to be a lot to handle, especially with the Darkhold."

"So where's the kid figure in, Ags?"

Agatha didn't flinch, but it was there, a tightening of her jaw, a tug at the edge of her lips. "Insurance. If everything else fails, we can always trade the boy."

"Very you," Rio approved. "But you let him go. Why?"

Agatha considered, then got up and paced over to sit next to Rio. Rio felt herself go overly still, less certain how to handle Agatha in such close proximity, even more so as Agatha's hand settled on her knee, intimate and nostalgic. "Because, Rio, my darling, if you need someone to trust you at a critical juncture in the future, sometimes you have to pretend that you’re on their side."

Rio rolled her eyes, but it was a weak response, all of her attention fixed on that hand and that word, darling, rolling off Agatha’s lying tongue. She knew exactly what Agatha was doing. It still worked every time. "Nothing to do with the fact that you're attached?"

Agatha snorted loudly. "Me? To that boy? No. He's useful, though. The son of the Scarlet Witch."

"Still an abomination," Rio said, and thought, I bet you want me to forget that. I bet you want me to forget that there's another one. I haven't.

But I don't need to play my whole hand at once either.

"Sure, sure, but can we deal with what's more important here first?"

"Your plan?"

"That's right. My plan," Agatha said as she leaned too close, her smile wicked and crazed and so, so beautiful. Self-centered as always, Rio thought, unable to suppress the wave of affection that accompanied that thought.

With Agatha so close. Rio couldn't resist, she darted in to steal a kiss, then howled with humorless laughter as Agatha jerked away, her expression that of someone who'd turned the corner and made eye contact with a dead mouse. "You, you, you," Rio singsonged. "Who else would Agatha Harkness think of, other than herself?" She tossed her knife up, caught it too close to Agatha's face and wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad when it made the other woman scoot back, putting more space between them. "But you know, there isn't only one Darkhold."

"Of course I know that," Agatha said. "But the others are lost to—" she paused, realized where this must be going. "…Rio, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"Not about this," Rio said, amused at the implication she'd ever been the one who lied. "I agreed to help, didn't I? Aid given freely."

"…You never mentioned this before."

"I didn't know when we were together. After that, I had a vested interest in not giving you powerful artifacts filled with dark magic. …Also, it is rumored to drive people mad."

"Weak people," Agatha said instantly. "Sheep. Do I look mad to you?"

Rio didn't try to stop herself from laughing. "Nooo comment."

Agatha fixed her with a long-suffering look. "Yes, yes, you're very funny."

"You know you love it," she said and Agatha did the fake-gagging thing again, which only made her giggle. "You already used that one twice," she pointed out and Agatha—

It wasn't fair of Agatha to smile like she meant it, a reluctant tug of her lips into a very pretty shape. "Oooops. I'll have to vary it up. Wouldn't want you to get bored with my disgusted reactions."

For a moment, their eyes met and no time had passed at all.

I love you, Agatha Harkness, Rio thought. And I know you still love me.

Then Agatha's lip curled in a sneer and she looked away, settling with her head on her hand on the far end of the couch. "Another copy of the Darkhold? Really?"

"Really. If you don't want to tangle with the Scarlet Witch."

"I'm not scared, you know," Agatha clarified, suspiciously like someone who was scared. "But she's not going to be easy. So, if there's an easier way—"

"Of course. You're the bravest person I know," Rio said, sprawling across the couch toward Agatha, fully expecting Agatha to run, because Agatha always ran.

Then, somehow, her head was in Agatha's lap.

She stared up and Agatha glanced down, gave her a twisted grin and a shrug, then looked away again, still brooding. "Tell me about it. The other one."

Right. Words. Rio knew how to do words. "The usual. Cursed cave in a treacherous mountain protected by ancient guardian spirits from some long-dead order."

Agatha's glance at her this time was brimming with disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me," she said. "Come on, really?"

Rio shrugged. "I don't make the rules."

"Seems too easy."

"How'd you get it the first time?" she asked and was surprised when Agatha went too still. There was a story here, one she didn't know.

From the way the other woman’s pulse flicked in her throat, one Agatha didn't want to discuss. More and more interesting.

"Something very similar," Agatha said, a little too fast. "Ancient crypt, all these terrible magic traps…"

"Riiiight," Rio said, doubtful, but not inclined to push yet, because—

Well, because her head was in Agatha's lap.

"Anyway, doesn't matter now. You're sure it's there?"

"No," Rio admitted. "But several people told me it was, after they died trying to reach it. …This will be dangerous, you know."

Agatha's fingers carded through her hair and she couldn't stop herself from exhaling, eyes falling shut. "You'll help keep me safe, won't you?"

Manipulative monster, Rio thought, with something akin to pride. "Mm, I have to. But I can't say I'll be devastated if anything happens to you." Her eyes flicked open and she smiled humorlessly. "After all, I get my prize either way."

Agatha stared down at her, then tugged her hand out of Rio's hair and wiped it perfunctorily on the side of the couch before standing up, spilling Rio off her.

"Oooh, touchy," Rio said, giggling from her new spot on the floor.

“You wish,” Agatha snapped. “Fine, we have a year. We’ll try it your way first.”

“Our last big adventure.”

Agatha gave her a crooked, vicious smile that would have made anyone doubt the other woman’s sanity. “Don’t say it like that,” she said, pretending to sulk, but the tone too obviously mocking. “You might get what you want yet.”

Rio came to her feet, too close. “What I want, Agatha, is you dead.” Almost as much as she wanted Agatha's fingers back in her hair.

“And what happens after that?” Agatha asked, a question she'd asked a hundred times.

Rio answered the same way she'd always answered. "Come and see."

"Not yet," Agatha said, dismissive. "I'm not done yet. Now, tell me where this cave is."

If you'd like to read more stuff I've written for Agatha All Along, I'm just going to link to the tag on my blog, there's a bunch at this point.

[ultimateissuessimp]

Could you do Cat King x gn reader, they are a mage that came to port Townsend and tried to warn Edwin about using magic on cats. As they escort the dead boy detectives to the King they try to have Thomas go easy on Edwin. Cat King gets a little jealous as to why his partner wants to let Edwin off easy. (Edwin reminds the reader of their younger sibling they haven’t seen in while)

I love, love, LOVE this request SO MUCH! Thank you for giving me the honour of writing it! I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

For me? For you.

The Cat King x GN Reader

Word count: 3,041

Warnings: A dead body appearing, but only for a second and without gruesome description, some jealousy coming from the Cat King and a mention of having a dead younger sibling

Y/N had known about the Dead Boy Detectives Agency for quite some time now. They had been watching the two boys' adventures the moment they heard about them, taking care of bigger problems when they encounter them from the shadows, taking on a role of a guardian angel. Well, guardian mage, but the point stands. The reason why they took such interest in those boys was because one of them, Edwin Payne, reminded them of their little brother who died quite a long time ago due to an illness that even magic couldn't cure. They stayed with their brother until Death showed up to collect them.

So the moment they felt their presence in Port Townsend alognside a very skilled medium, they had to finally show themself to the trio. A small lesson in dos and don'ts when it came to this town, something that would not only keep them safe, but also inform them about what could be hiding in it.

Y/N teleported themself into the little apartment that Crystal was renting, scaring the three people inside it to death. Well, at least one of them since the other two were already dead. Immediately Charles got into an offensive stance, ready to fight if needed while Edwin remained cautious and Crystal stood behind both of them, still a bit in shock, a fight or flight mode ready to go in a case of an emergency.

-Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?! - Charles asked, hand at the ready to reach for his cricket bat. At the same time Edwin was thinking of different exits out of the possible danger.

-Calm down, calm down. I come here as a messenger - Y/N said, raising their hands up in defense before crossing them over their chest and looking the trio over. - You could say I've been observing from the shadows what you've been doing for quite some time now. The difference now is that you're in a new place you have no knowledge of. There are dangers here. Rules even. If you like your peace, keep to them. Most important would be to stay away from the cats. Don't even think about using magic on them, you don't want to find out what will happen if you do - they stated, uncurling their index finger as they started talking about the first rule. Then the second one when they mentioned watching out for a witch that lived in Port Townsend, a menace to deal with. Then another one and another one until they were out of fingers to show and rules to tell.

-Why the hell would we believe anything you just said? - Charles asked, suspicious look on his face as he carefully observed Y/N, not even for a second dropping his guard.

-Because I saved your ass so many times you could at least try to trust me. Remember that nasty poltergeist in 30 East Drive, Pontefract? How you got cornered because he smashed all the mirrors and quite literally trapped you inside that house? Yeah, that was me. So have some faith kids. Alright, that should be it. Remember what I said and don't get into any trouble. If you dive, head first, into deep shit, then I don't know how well my influence in town could help to save you. Again - they said before doing a little wave with their fingers and dissappearing in a swirl of black fog.

You'd think that after such a warning, people would listen. Yeah, not Edwin. As much as Charles is stubborn, he's somewhat not dumb enough to not listen to someone who clearly wants to help them, albeit reluctant. Crystal doesn't even know much what to do, so she wouldn't try anything either way, but Edwin... Oh Edwin. Mr. Edwin, Know-It-All, I-Know-Better-Than-You, Why-Should-I-Listen-To-You?, Payne. Of course he would be the one so intelligent, yet so stupidly stubborn, to pull shit like that.

Obviously he just HAD to cast a magic spell on a cat. Now not only does Y/N have to save his ass from a harsh punishment, they also have to deal with a certain moody Cat King that was currently throwing a hissy fit, pacing around and cursing out everything in bloody existence. Y/N rubbed their temples as they listened to their partner rant continously.

-The nerve! Magic! On my cats! They'll be lucky if they walk out of here alive! - Thomas said angrily, running a hand through his hair as he did another circle in front of his throne.

-My love, will you take a deep breath with me, please? I'm sure there's a logical explanation to this. I know you're mad, I understand where that's coming from, I really do, but let's not make rushed decisions okay? - Y/N proposed, walking over to Thomas and stopping him gently by placing their hands on top of his shoulders, before sliding them down his arms to his hands, catching them in theirs and holding tightly.

-Sugar, I don't think there's a logical enough explanation to using magic on my fucking cats - the Cat King hissed out, before finally closing his eyes for a second and taking a deep breath to slightly calm down, not wanting to lash out on his partner.

-I'm sure there is. Will you hear him out at least? - Y/N asked, rubbing soothing circles with their thumbs into the backs of Thomas' hands, wanting to calm him down a bit more.

-Him? Kitty cat, it sounds to me like you know who it was - Thomas said, slight accusation in his voice as he looked at Y/N with his head slightly shifted to the side, eyebrows furred as a scowl started appearing on his face making Y/N cup his cheeks in their hands.

-I think I know who it is for almost a hundred percent, but I've warned them that they would be wise to stay away from your cats - they said, pressing their forehead against Thomas', hoping that they convinced him at least just a bit to go easy on Edwin without particularly saying anything.

-Yet they didn't listen now did they? - The man asked, huffing out some air before wrapping his arms around their waist. - I'll think about being less harsh, but there still must be a punishment. No one gets away with hurting or damaging what belongs to me - he added before planting a kiss on Y/N's lips.

It was finally time for the trio to have a little talk with the Cat King. He had already sent the cat Edwin used the magic on to go and fetch them, but Y/N wanted to be there too before they actually get there to give them another small advice. They promised Thomas that they'll be back soon before they departed in a swirl of black fog like the one before.

-You've done fucked up. What did I tell you, huh? Stay away from the cat and what did you do? You went and used MAGIC on one. Are you out of your mind, Edwin Payne? - Y/N asked with a certain edge to their voice, clearly very annoyed with, mostly Edwin, the group, because there was no guarantee that Thomas would actually go easy on all of them. Especially with all of their smart mouths that only get them into even more trouble.

-I don't see what's all the fuss about. It's just a bit of magic - the ghost teenager said, rolling his eyes sassily before placing his hands on his hips to add even more sass to his statement.

-Don't give me that attitude, young man, you have no idea in what deep shit you are and I specifically told you not to dive head first into any shit. It already took me some time to try and get him to calm down and not send out a swarm of cats to rip you to shreds. Talk any more shit and I won't be able to get your ass out of this one - Y/N said, crossing their arms over their chest as they stared Edwin down before Charles chimed in.

-Him? Who's him? And why is he so important that you speak of him as if he was about to send Edwin back to the pits of Hell? - he asked with a look of confusion on his face as he looked simultaneously at Y/N and the cat that was now sitting a few feet behind them, patiently waiting to continue navigating the group to the warehouse.

-You'll see soon enough. Now come on. There's no time to waste - they said before finally turning sideways and gesturing to their right as an indicator for the teenagers to finally move.

When they got inside the warehouse, Y/N couldn't help, but smile softly and shake their head at their boyfriend's antics. Of course he would put on a show. He wouldn't be the diva cat that he was if he didn't. As they approached the throne and the cats dispersed from before it, leaving only a very massacred body behind alongside three disturbed teenagers with an unfazed mage in front of them, the said teenagers behind Y/N observed the orange cat with confusion and caution written on their faces.

-We were invited to see the Cat King - Edwin said, trying not to let the shakiness in his voice after seeing the dead guy before the be heard.

The trio flinched when the cat disappeared in purple fire, making space for the gorgeous man that is Y/N's boyfriend to appear. They smiled brightly at him and bowed down jokingly, making the Cat King chuckle with endearment, just to get that fire back into his eyes that spoke of danger and anger at not only the disrespect of his rules, but also endangerment of one of his subjects after he saw the group behind his partner.

-Hi - he said as he observed the trio, a faux friendly smile on his face.

-Can all cats do that? - Crystal asked the boys quietly, yet not quiet enough that the Cat King didn't hear which only made him chuckle in amusement.

-"Can all cats do that?" Of course not, I'm a Cat KING - He answered, putting an emphasis on the 'king' part, going full on sass as he usually did. - I can tell you're not the brains of the operation. Sorry, I'm already bored - Thomas added, making a rather mean comment, which he didn't really seem to care about, wanting to get to the center of the problem quickly.

-No need to be rude, darling - Y/N said with a gentle pout to their face before they walked over to where Thomas was sitting and stood right next to the throne, putting their hand on the man's shoulder, a little sign that he could tone it down a bit.

-Hmm - The Cat King only mused before letting out a soft sigh and turning his head towards the cats gathered in the back. - Which one of them used the magic on you? - he asked the cat that fell victim of Edwin's antics.

-The scrawny one that just had the nerve to talk to you - the cat answered, clearly showcasing where the it's personality came from.

That brought out a little 'oh' out of Thomas, before Edwin spoke up again, trying to explain what they were doing and who they were until the Cat King interrupted him.

-Oh I don't care. Using magic on my cats is a total car crash on your part - He said with a cynical smile before lazily pointing with his index towards Edwin. - We... Should discuss your offense. Privately- the man added while standing up from the throne.

Of course Charles didn't like that and tried to stop anything from happening, but Y/N shook their head as a signal not to do it. It would only make the matter worse and they already had a plan of action, so he could screw it up with his little outburst. Edwin talked it out with the other two while Y/N walked over to Thomas and slightly fixed his messy hair, sighing softly as they thought over what to do when they actually go and sort this out.

When the trio came back, Thomas departed himself, Y/N and Edwin to the bedroom they both shared. Weird choice of a place to sort this situation out, but Y/N didn't really question it. Out loud at least.

-So... What should your punishment be? - Thomas said with a large amused grin as he stepped closer towards Edwin.

-How about something that wouldn't involve dangerous things that would result in Edwin going to the afterlife? - Y/N proposed an idea with arms crossed over their chest and eyebrows slightly raised as they looked at their lover with a, just a smidge, pleading look.

-Why not? I don't think that would really be over the top. Seems quite fitting in my opinion - the Cat King said shrugging his shoulders with a smirk as he looked back towards Y/N.

-Please? He just made a mistake. A dumb one, I admit, but it was a mistake. He shouldn't have to lose his ghost life for that - they said, straightening their pose before slightly tilting their head to the side as they kept their gaze only on Thomas.

Clearly he didn't like that constant defending of the boy coming from his partner, so he decided to have a small talk with them off to the side, excusing them both for a moment before guiding Y/N to the one spot he knew Edwin wouldn't see or hear much.

-Why do you care about this ghostly twink so much? What, do you find him cute, is that what it is? I've got to admit, he's quite cute, but I'm literally right here, hello? - Thomas began asking a series of questions, an aura of jealousy surrounding him as he loosely caged Y/N against the wall, his cat personality clearly kicking in as the respect for personal space completely flew out of the window in a matter of seconds when he leaned in so their faces were centimeters away.

-What? No! Kitty cat, he just... He reminds me of Alexander... They both didn't get to grow up and they are similar so much personality wise... I can't help but see Alexander in him, even though I know that he had moved on to the afterlife. Somewhere where I can't follow. Not yet - Y/N explained, letting out a sigh before turning their head and looking off to the side at the clear as day memory of their younger brother filled their mind.

-Shit... I'm sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions... - He said with a look filled with guilt before he rested his head against their shoulder, wrapped his arms around their waist and closed his eyes. - I'll go easy on him for you. Give him something not too hard to do, looking at the fact that he seems like a clever fella. He will have to stay here for quite some time to do that though - Thomas added after pressing apologetic, small kiss against the skin of their neck and then pulling away a bit to look into their eyes.

-Really? You'll do that for me? - they asked quietly, looking back at Thomas with a soft smile.

-For you. Always for you - he said and leaned it to capture their lips with his own in a sweet, short kiss.

After that they went back to Edwin who was looking around, more than likely looking for a way out, but even if he wanted to run, he would get lost, so that would be unsuccessful.

-Alright. I've got just the right punishment for you - Thomas said, stretching out his arms to the sides slightly with a large grin on his face. - Show me your arm. Come on, I don't have the whole night - he told Edwin, doing a little 'Come on' motion with his hand at the same time he said it out loud.

-For what? - Edwin asked cautiously, clearly not trusting the Cat King. Obviously so. After all he was about to receive a punishment that he had no idea what it was.

-Edwin, just do it - Y/N said, encouraging the teenager with a small smile and a nod of their head.

Finally, the boy agreed, although reluctantly, and stretched out his arm towards the Cat King before pulling it quickly back when a gold bracelet showed up around it.

-What is this? - Edwin asked with suspicion, immediately trying to take it off yet finding himself unable to do so.

-A little piece of jewellery that will keep reminding you of your punishment. All you have to do is count all the cats that reside in Port Townsend. It will also keep you in the town for that time. Until you finish counting of course. Also only the one who put it on can take it off, so I'd recommend hurrying if you want to go back to wherever you came from - the Cat King said, a cheeky smirk on his face as he observed the boy's flabbergasted expression with amusement.

When Edwin started lamenting and protesting that the task was unfair and impossible to do, Thomas explained why he received such a punishment before sending him back to the other two teenagers while Y/N and him stayed back in the bedroom.

Y/N walked over to the Cat King, wrapping their arms around the man's neck and leaning in to press a sweet kiss, thanking him without words while he wrapped his arms around their middle and pulled them close.

-That went well. Next time he pulls something stupid, then you won't be able to save his ass from the harsher punishment though - he said before burying his face in their neck and simply resting there.

-Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that - they said, both of them knowing how different the reality will be if such a thing actually happens. Y/N having so much control over Thomad without trying too much. After all, the Cat King was such a romantic and he hated it.

[misc-obeyme]

Okay. I decided to do a little headcanon post for Flufftober, so here it is. Except that it turned out to be CRAZY LONG. I did not expect that. I was gonna post all the characters in one post, but that seems excessive. So instead, I'm gonna post them separately as usual and just link to the other part. I will be posting the rest of the characters shortly!

The theme here is a masquerade party... well don't worry, there's an explanation about what's going on. I dunno I just got the idea and thought it'd be fun to write and then got carried away as usual. I tried to keep them brief, but here we are.

FLUFFTOBER 2023

GN!MC x the demon brothers

Warnings: none that I can think of??

It was an October night in the Devildom and the House of Lamentation was hosting a Halloween masquerade ball. The main hall had been decorated splendidly in oranges, purples, and blacks. An entire feast was laid out, the table full of dishes contributed to the party by Barbatos and Simeon. The room was dark, lit mostly by orbs of orange light, enchanted to float through the air by Solomon. On a small stage there was a live band playing a mix of lively and slow creepy music. The dance floor was filled with demons, all of whom were unrecognizable…

Due to the masquerade theme, special masks had been made for each attendee. They were made by Satan and Asmodeus, working together to create magical masks that would completely obscure each party goer's appearance. Once they put on the mask, a glamor fell over them that transformed them and made them unrecognizable. Every glamor costume was black and incorporated a look involving fancy suits, flowing dresses, and probably too many sequins.

The party organizers all knew what each other's mask-generated costumes looked like. Everyone had been present when Asmo revealed his designs. Everyone… except you. You had insisted on creating your own glamor and thus hadn't been present to see everyone else's.

Now you stood in the middle of this masquerade party, unable to recognize a single person.

And yet you knew that the person you wanted to see most was in the room somewhere. And after a small amount of time, you were certain you had figured out who it was. You made a bold move and asked them to dance. While you were in their arms, they told you to meet them somewhere specific later, when the party was winding down. You agreed and spent the rest of the night exchanging looks with them, anticipating the moment when you would be alone with them.

Had you chosen the correct person? Did you know them well enough that you could determine their identity when their appearance was so altered? And more importantly… did they know who you were?

Lucifer

It was his bearing. The way Lucifer held himself was undeniable. There was nothing about the fancy suit that tipped you off - no bits of blue or red, no feathers, no indication at all that it was Lucifer. Even his eyes were turned pure black by the glamor. And yet, when he looked at you, it was like you could feel the ruby red that hid beneath.

When he asked you to meet him in the music room later, you were even more convinced. Of course that would be Lucifer's choice. When you arrived, the sound of the party music still playing softly in the distance, he smiled and took your hand. A little piece of you doubted, wondered if he could truly detect you behind your mask.

His fingers ran along the edge of the mask that covered your face. "Do you trust me, MC?"

Even his voice was altered by the magic. You shuddered. What if it wasn't him?

Though, would Lucifer really make such a mistake? Would Lucifer let someone else lead you astray?

You let out a breath. "Yes."

Lucifer put his arms around you, pulling you close, and pressing his lips to yours. The masks bumped slightly against each other as you gasped into his lips.

When Lucifer pulled away enough to remove his mask, a relief flooded through you at the familiar curves of his face.

"How did you know it was me?" you asked.

Lucifer smirked at you. "You couldn't help yourself, could you? You were by my side most of the night. And when you weren't, I could feel your eyes on me."

You blushed, but Lucifer only chuckled and kissed you again.

Mammon

He didn't know who you were at all, but the minute you got close enough, you could feel it. A sense of protection that you could only feel in the presence of your guardian demon. He may not know who you were, but you knew him. He was in full on party mode when you asked him to dance with you. He seemed uncertain, likely thinking about you, but he accepted.

Something in his demeanor changed while you danced. His uncertainty fell away and he asked you to meet him out by the front door. You thought this was kind of an odd choice, but you agreed. Later, you slipped out the front door as requested and everything fell into place.

He was leaning against his Demonio 666 Lexura, mask still on, smiling at you.

You laughed a little at how pleased he seemed. You walked down the stairs to the street, stopping right in front of him and reaching out to remove his mask.

There was the familiar face you knew so well - blue-gold eyes shining, white hair bright in the darkness.

"Ya wanna ditch this party and go for a ride?" he asked.

You put your arms around his neck. "You didn't know me at first. How did you figure it out?"

Mammon put his hands on your waist. "Like I wouldn't recognize your dance moves."

Your laugh was smothered as he kissed you. He opened your door for you and you got into his car. He kept a hand on your thigh as he drove into the Devildom night, the yellow moon high in the October sky.

Leviathan

He gave himself away by bringing a handheld video game console to the party. It stuck out of his pocket when he wasn't using it and when he was, he was hunched over in a corner somewhere, the little bleeps and bloops adding a humorous quality to the music in the room.

When you came over to him, Leviathan looked annoyed that someone was interrupting him. He frowned at you for a moment and then became nervous when you asked him to dance. He tried to get out of it, but you didn't listen, dragging him by the hand onto the dance floor. You proceeded to incorporate some dance moves from the latest music video of Sucre Frenzy and suddenly Levi's attitude changed. He wasn't trying to hide who he was and asked you to meet him in his room.

When you knocked on the door later, Levi opened it, mask already discarded. He looked at you, still in your glamor and said, "Th-that's you, isn't it, MC?"

You removed your mask and smiled at him.

Levi sagged against the door for a minute before opening it wide to let you in. "I was so nervous! I thought maybe you were someone else who happened to be intimately familiar with Sucre Frenzy's dance moves!"

You laughed and hugged him, patting his back reassuringly. "I'm pretty sure we're the only ones who know those moves that well. That music video only came out a couple days ago."

Levi pulled back to look at you, pride evident in his orange eyes. "You did them flawlessly."

You blushed a little and pulled on his clothes to bring him closer. "You weren't too bad yourself."

Levi kissed you to hide his own blush, but you still saw it quite clearly.

Satan

You were standing among a group of demons, listening to their idle chatter. You had no idea who any of them were, of course, but they seemed to be discussing the merits of various cafes in the Devildom. This was a fairly benign topic until one of them brought up cat cafes. You noticed the minute the demon beside you began to ramble at length about the benefits of cat cafes. It quickly devolved into what sounded like a dissertation on the positive qualities of cats in general. As the others quickly excused themselves, you laughed and asked Satan to dance with you.

Satan seemed reluctant at first because he wasn't sure who you were right away. But when he stopped rambling and really took you in - your demeanor, the soft smile of fondness on your face - he accepted your request. During the song, he seemed to feel certain of your identity and asked you to meet him in the library later.

You had expected Satan to be deep in a book when you arrived, but instead he was watching the door. He took several steps toward you when you came in.

"I thought you might not come, MC," he admitted.

Your heart squeezed and you removed your mask. "Why wouldn't I?"

Satan took off his own mask. "I thought your attention might have been drawn elsewhere."

You closed the distance between you and looked into his eyes, now their usual mixture of greens and blues. "You say that as though I've been able to think about anyone other than you."

Satan wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you in to kiss you.

Asmodeus

It was in the sensual way he moved, how he lightly teased everyone he came into contact with, the boldness he seemed to gain from the fact that nobody knew who he was. All of these things tipped you off, but when Asmodeus stopped to look at himself in a mirror, lingering a little too long than anyone else might have, your suspicion was confirmed.

To your surprise, Asmo already seemed to know who you were, too. You didn't even have the chance to ask him to dance because he asked you first. You thought maybe he was just asking anyone and everyone, that it wasn't because he knew you. But when he asked you to meet him in the garden later, you were suddenly uncertain. Did he know you or not?

When you arrived in the garden, Asmo was looking up at the yellow moon. He heard you approach and turned around, giving you a dazzling smile.

He spread his hands, the offer of a hug. "There you are, darling!"

You considered him. You still weren't sure if he knew who you were.

Asmo giggled. "Oh, do you think I don't know you? Silly thing."

Asmo walked up to you, placed his fingers on your mask, and leaned in close. "No amount of glamor could hide you from me, MC."

You shivered. Asmo took off your mask and removed his as well, tossing them aside. Then he opened his arms again.

You stepped into them easily, pressing yourself against his body, and meeting his lips with yours.

Beelzebub

The glamor obscured Beelzebub's size and height - the things that normally made him almost impossible to miss. And maybe it would have made it difficult for you to find him in different circumstances. But this was a party. And there was food. You watched the buffet table for some time, waiting to see who never left it or who ate most of it themselves.

When you asked Beel to dance, he accepted immediately, which surprised you. As the two of you danced, you tried to figure out if he knew you or not. He seemed comfortable with you, but it wasn't any different than how Beel was with most people. And then he asked you to meet him at the planetarium. Perhaps you had gotten it wrong? Was there another hungry demon at this party? Was it actually Belphie you were dancing with?

You arrived at the planetarium, feeling uncertain about just who it was you were meeting.

When he saw you, Beel took off his mask, completely eliminating your concern. He smiled at you, the same sweet smile that made your stomach flutter. "Hi, MC."

You shook your head slightly and took off your own mask. "Why did you ask me to come to the planetarium?"

Beel looked up at the planetarium and pointed at the moon. It had an unusual yellow cast to it. "Belphie likes the planetarium. And right now the moon looks like a big wheel of cheese."

You laughed. He wasn't wrong. You took Beel's hands and turned him toward you. "I should've known."

Beel smiled again and kissed you.

Belphegor

Belphegor was eluding you. You had already spent a significant amount of the party looking for a sleeping demon, but you couldn't find one. Everyone you saw was fully awake and nobody even seemed to be slightly nodding off. He must have found a small hiding place to fall asleep and that was why you didn't see him anywhere.

You nearly jumped when you felt a hand on your back. When you turned, a demon smiled at you and asked you to dance with him. There was something about this quiet demon's demeanor that made you suspect it was Belphie. Where had he even come from? And was it really him? You allowed him to lead you out onto the dance floor. He asked you to meet him in the garden later and you felt compelled to agree. If it wasn't Belphie, you could always just leave.

Once you were in the garden, you found him standing there, waiting quietly. He was looking up at the sky, which was full of the yellow moon and a dramatic scattering of stars.

"The stars are beautiful tonight aren't they, MC?" he asked.

All doubts fled your mind then. You stood beside him and looked up, resting your head on his shoulder. "They're lovely, Belphie."

Belphie turned to you, easily slipping an arm around your waist and removing your mask. He stayed still as you took his off, too.

"You weren't sure it was me," he said.

You shrugged. "You look wide awake, that's all."

Belphie smirked. "I was on edge waiting to do this," he said.

You were about to ask what that meant, but he cut you off with a kiss.

part 2 with the rest of the characters

flufftober | kinktober | masterlist | Thank you for reading!

taglist: @anxious-chick @t0tallycoolname @libidinous-weeb

[tiannasfanfic]

Auntie Ethel’s Cure

Astarion x Drow!Reader (Fluff)

| Astarion Masterlist | AO3 Link |

Summary: Another promised cure for your tadpoles ends up being just another dead end when a powerful Hag is unable to remove it.

Rating: General Audiences

Author Note: Gender neutral Tav/Reader, they/them pronouns used (if any). Spawn!Astarion x Drow!Reader, but no descriptions of Tav/Reader's appearance. Fluff with Mild Hurt/Comfort. Takes place during Act 1 before heading to the Goblin Village during the "Investigate Kahga" quest. The dialogue between Auntie Ethel and Tav/Reader is taken from BG3 based on the dialogue options chosen in my current play through.

CW: Mentions of eye removal (no details, just that it happened); mentions of Astarion drinking blood (no details, just that he does it).

Word Count: 1,734

The party had been quiet ever since you and Astarion returned from the Tea House.

Morale was now lower than ever. Yet another lead on removing the tadpole had proven to be a bust. Not only that, but you’d lost an eye in the process.

But, even with her failure, Auntie Ethel had done something that no one else had been able to do thus far. She was able to provide you with more information about it.

“You little shit, you didn’t tell me it was Netherese!” the Hag had growled as she released the magic that held you for the procedure, resulting in you collapsing in a heap on the floor. “I’m not touching that!”

“Netherese?” you asked, sounding dazed as Astarion helped you up.

Auntie Ethel nodded.

“Filthy shadow magic - brings nothing but chains and misery,” she said, then grimaced in pain as she gingerly rubbed her right hand, the tips of her claws now black after the failed extraction. “How could I have missed that stink? It’s like blood and piss congealing on my tongue. Bleh.”

As if to emphasize her point, the Hag turned and spat in the dirt.

“Someone’s tampered with your parasite,” she continued, turning back to gaze again at you and Astarion. “That’s likely why you’ve not turned yet.”

At this point, the shocked daze you were began to lift. You shook your head rapidly as if to clear it, grimaced, then refocused your gaze on the Ethel.

“What do you mean, ‘tampered’?” you asked.

The Hag chuckled, an expression coming to her face that was reminiscent of an old lady looking at a small child who just said something silly.

“Bless us, you’re as slow as a wet week,” she said, almost affectionately, then pointed one of her singed claws towards your forehead. “That thing has been touched by more than Mindflayers.”

Then came the dreaded words that no one wanted to hear, the words that now echoed through everyone’s heads as they silently sat around the campfire.

“You’re a dead soul walking, petal. I can’t help you.”

Ironically, despite her nature, Astarion detected a thread of sympathy in Ethel’s voice. Not much, mind you, not like when she was still trying to sell her harmless little old lady act. Just a thread. She seemed oblivious to it though, and that made him believe her.

You were quiet on the walk back to camp. Once at camp, you told everyone what the Hag had said, word for word, then disappeared into your tent.

That was three hours ago. You had yet to emerge, even after Gale called everyone to dinner.

Generally, it wasn’t like you to sit in your tent and brood. That was Astarion’s job, and sometimes even Shadowheart’s. But you? You were the one that always pulled them out of their dark thoughts. You had a knack for snapping them out of the dark recesses of their minds, even if it involved just barging into their tents and dragging them out by force.

Looking around at everyone, Astarion could see they were all bothered by the day’s events. No one was eating much, not even Karlach. They were poking at their bowls of stew, with occasional glances of worry towards your tent.

After a while, he couldn’t take it anymore. The silence, the lack of jokes and laughter, the gloom. Even Gale was silent and that never happens. Normally he’d be going on about what technique he used to sear the meat for the stew or waxing philosophic about his collection of spices back home. Granted, Astarion normally tuned him out, but at least there was something to tune out.

Getting to his feet, he approached your tent. The flaps of your tent were closed and there was no sound coming from inside. He began to wonder then if you’d fallen asleep, but then he listened more closely to single out the sound of your heartbeat and breathing. Both were steady, indicating you weren’t asleep.

He paused just outside and cleared his throat to announce his presence.

“Tav? May I come in?”

Only a moment passed before you answered.

“Of course.”

You sounded normal, your voice its usual tone and timber. That was a good sign, or so Astarion hoped.

As he brought his hand up to open the flap of your tent, the sudden feeling of being watched washed over him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw everyone at the campfire was watching him with hopeful expressions. Karlach and Wyll both gave him an encouraging thumbs up. Astarion rolled his eyes in response before ducking inside your tent.

Once inside, he could see that you hadn’t been idle for these past few hours. You had gotten yourself cleaned up from the marsh and changed into your camp clothes. The muck and grime had been cleaned off your armor as well. It sat in a neat pile near the tent flap, ready for tomorrow’s adventures.

Presently though, you were having an idle moment as you sat on your bedroll, mirror in hand.

You were gazing at your reflection thoughtfully, looking at yourself one way for a moment before tilting your head to see yourself at a different angle.

If you were bothered by the change to your appearance, it wasn’t apparent, but that didn’t mean anything. Drow were nothing if not vain and you were no exception to this.

After watching you for a few moments, Astarion cleared his throat again.

“What are we thinking, darling?” he asked.

You tilted your head to the side a bit, raising and lowering your brows at the same time, like you were shrugging with your face instead of your shoulders.

“It’s not bad, all things considered,” you finally said, setting the mirror aside and finally looking up at him. “Did she leave any scarring? It doesn’t look like she did, but my vision on that side isn’t that good anymore.”

Astarion’s eyebrows shot up at that statement.

“Really, darling?” he repeated, an incredulous tone to his voice as he crouched down in front you. “Just, ‘not that good anymore’?”

You chuckled softly.

“I guess there’s no point in lying, huh?” you asked, looking up at him.

Astarion shook his head and you sighed.

There was no hiding it. While your eye was still wholly intact, anyone could see that it was as dead as the deer Gale had used in tonight’s stew. It was completely whited out now, with no trace left of its original color, the gaze coming from it emotionless and blank.

Gently taking hold of your chin, he tilted your head up towards the light so he could see that side of your face better.

To his amazement, you were right. Auntie Ethel had done excellent work as far as damage went. She’d left behind no scarring, no tissue damage apart from the obvious. The only blemishes and scars were the ones you already had.

“It’s not bad,” he finally said, letting go of your chin before smirking. “If anything, you’re an even scarier Drow now.”

A bark of laughter came from you at his words.

“True,” you said, and a grin came to your face. “Who knows? Maybe this will make things easier for us now.”

Now it was Astarion’s turn to bark laughter, which he did as he got to his feet.

“As nice as that would be, darling, our luck isn’t that good,” he said, extending a hand out in an offer to help you up. “Now, let’s get some dinner in you. You’ve had a long day and tomorrow will be even longer still.”

You quirked a brow at him as you placed your hand in his.

“Now now, Astarion,” you said as he pulled you to your feet. “Keep saying things like that and I might actually start thinking you care about me.”

Astarion felt a slight pang in his chest at your words, but brushed it off like he always did. It was happening more often now since spending that night with you in the clearing. He just assumed it was due to your blood. Even though he’d fed in a few human bandits since then, none of them had tasted anything like you. No doubt it was a side effect of you being his first, and he was sure it would go away in time.

But, even still, you’d placed a lot of trust in him by letting him drink from you again after what happened the first time. Whether intentional or a decision made in the heat of the moment, he wasn’t sure, but he was still grateful for it all the same. It was a nice, unexpected treat before the act he had to perform.

Presently, Astarion realized he had gotten lost in his thoughts, and shook his head to clear it.

“Of course I care about you, darling,” he said in his most charming voice, as he turned and walked away. “You’re my backup food source.”

Upon reaching the front of your tent, he swept open the flap with one arm and looked back at you as he gestured outside with the other.

“Shall we?”

Despite your excellent composure, Astarion could read the telltale signs of amusement on your face. There was a slight crinkle at one corner of your mouth, a very slight but brief lowering of your eyelids.

“I suppose,” you said nonchalantly, then came over to join him at the door. “Just remember, no more midnight surprises.”

Astarion opened his mouth to make a witty retort, but the words died on his tongue when you patted his shoulder reassuringly as you headed out of your tent. This gesture indicated that, despite your words and stoic tone, you were just teasing him. But what really got his tongue was your touch itself. His arm felt pleasantly warm and almost tingly where your hand had been.

It felt…nice.

Not as nice as waking up with you in his arms, but still nice all the same.

Astarion blinked, then shook his head hard as he quickly followed you from the tent.

He had no idea where that thought had come from.

It was a little bit alarming, but now that camp was back to normal following your departure from the tent, he had the ambient sound of people talking to tune out while he sat at the campfire brooding over it.

[perseidlion]

How the Cat King Got His Groove Back (Ongoing, soft E)

The sky over Port Townsend was slate gray as it often was for weeks on end in the winter. The air was damp and heavy, with the ocean breeze cutting right through even the warmest jackets. Winter was usually free of snow in the Pacific Northwest, but the endless stretch of gray and drizzle was just as depressing as any deep blanket of snow. Perhaps moreso, because at least in snowy climes, the sun occasionally came out to play. 

The Cat King’s cannery was drafty and cold. Even his loyal subjects had abandoned him for spots beneath houses and under staircases where they huddled together for warmth.

It had been about a month since the Dead Boy Detectives had come to town and stirred up everything like a whirlwind. Cat had felt more energized than he had in decades, and not just because one of said detectives was curiously handsome and fascinating. 

But in their wake, they’d left an eerie calm. Their time in town had been short, but they had a reputation for a reason. They’d solved nearly a dozen cases, small and large in their short time. Some of the cases had been outstanding for decades. They’d also vanquished Esther Finch, the powerful and vain witch who had been causing trouble in town longer than the Cat King had ruled. 

Esther was a scourge who crossed lines even some of the darkest creatures would not. Plus, she’d beaten him to death with her cane, taking one of his precious lives in the process. Which was just…so rude.  Cat would be lying if he said he didn’t miss her a little - if only for the chaos she brought. She was a piece of shit, but she was a piece of shit who kept life interesting. 

And things were just so…quiet without her particular brand of chaos. 

And without him.

Cat stretched his toes out and off the edge of the stack of palettes that served as his throne. He was draped in a heavy black fur coat to try and hold back the chill. When he exhaled a deep-chested sigh, his breath condensed like cigarette smoke. 

He felt numb. He knew he should get up and at least use his magic to kindle a fire in an oil drum or envelop himself in a protective haze of magic. But the cold that pricked his skin and the draft that trickled between the fur of his coat at least let him feel something. He’d been considering the possibility of moving for a good long while, but couldn’t will his limbs to do more than shift a bit to make sure his body was covered by his coat. 

Cat would swear up and down that he was an independent creature, one who went where he pleased and made love to whoever he liked. But the truth was, he was a profoundly lonely creature who covered up that loneliness with tricks and flirtations. 

He wasn’t fully a cat. When he transformed into his feline form to join the feral colony of Port Townsend, they all knew it was him. They treated him with deference and respect, but they also othered him. He could be human whenever he wanted, which set him apart even more than his position.

Cat wasn’t fully human, either. To the residents of Port Townsend, he was known as the town’s slutty weirdo who was always followed by feral cats. They were used to him by now, but just because they didn’t hassle him didn’t mean he was one of them. His dual form meant he was trapped between two worlds, only really at home with other creatures who had a foot in both worlds. And most of them, he’d already alienated or had some sort of beef with - or were just not creatures whose company he found entertaining. The result was, he didn’t really have any friends in town to speak of, which only added to his loneliness. 

Finally, Cat got up the energy to drag himself to his feet. He took a series of lazy, heavy steps down off the platform, his fur coat dragging along the dirty ground. As he walked aimlessly through the warehouse, he chased echoes of memories. 

First, he passed the stain of blood on the ground where his previous body had been beaten to death by Esther. The reminder of that pain made him wince involuntarily. But then he saw echoes of Edwin when he caught the first hints of lust in his eyes, followed by the indignant British snark of him protesting his punishment. He closed his eyes and remembered what a pair of ghostly lips brushing his cheeks felt like when Edwin came to say goodbye. 

Cat turned and caught his reflection in an old, half-broken mirror propped against one wall and partially covered by a dropcloth. Slowly, he turned to face the mirror head-on. He lifted a hand to summon his magic, paused, rethinking it for half a moment, then he swirled his wrist.

The purple fog that accompanied his transformations with an affectation - a magician’s trick to make the whole thing seem more impressive. His magic in its natural state was subtle and quiet, as befitted a creature of stealth. The shift to his body happened in a blink. 

Edwin’s reflection stared back at him from the mirror, one hand still held delicately in the air, clad in a brown leather glove that matched his brown overcoat. He was a perfect copy, save golden, slitted eyes. He stepped up to the mirror and swept the gloved hand across the surface to clear it of some of the dust. Then he tugged off his glove and caressed his own cheek. He closed his eyes and let his fingertips creep over his lips. He nuzzled his own palm and exhaled warm breath against his fingertips.

When Cat opened his eyes, it was Edwin’s green eyes gazing back at him. Edwin’s face full of sadness and longing. Edwin’s face aching with loneliness. He pulled off the other glove and held his own hand, tracing knuckles and fingertips. He held his own hand and squeezed it. 

Keep reading on Ao3

(This fic was originally a short called Ennui that just consisted of the first chapter. Now it's an ongoing fic with shapeshifting shenanigans and some light Catcrow elements, though the shapeshifting/identity swap stuff is the focus over the ship.)