#i drew a bird ONCE and i didn't love how it turned out | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

strawbabysimp · 1 year ago

Text

Locked In || Dom!Murasakibara x Reader

Genre: Smut, Dark Content

Category: Dom!Murasakibara x GN!Sub!Reader

Warning(s): Fingering, Non-Con, Manipulation Tactics, Unhealthy Attachment, Penetration

Request(s): "hello! I love your knb stuff and was wondering if you could write a noncon, rough and I mean ROUGH murasakibara x reader smut, taking place in a locker room, right after practice? Some propts i'd like to see are, dirty talk, humiliation and degradation. If you are uncomfortable or want to scratch out any part of this request, feel free to do so! Hope you are interested in writing this <3 Happy new year!"

"Please can you make a heavy smut with Murasakibara"

A/N: I had to repost because Tumblr posted it half-done but shout-out to @twilight-blu3 for one of my all-time favorite requests. I'm really thankful for all those in my inbox there to inspire me and the way you wrote your request SPOKE TO ME, I ADORE YOU

You always thought he looked so graceful, his arms like the wingspan of a bird, soaring across the court in grandeur. He drew you in. You found yourself going to games outside of home, cheering him on from the sidelines as he blocked the other team's plays effortlessly, then smiling as you watched him snack innocently between playing time.

This was the night. You were finally going to confess. Another win for your team at their home game was a sign of good fortune, you thought to yourself.

You approached the locker room with anxious fervor - it was now or never.

All the other members had left but Murasakibara had been rushed with cameras and fellow fans before he had the chance to get to the locker room. You ignored the slightly stale smell of the space and sat down on one of the benches. You weren't supposed to be in here but you figured if you caught him before he was changing then there was no harm in the location (it would be a little weird to confess to him while he was half-naked, no matter how welcome the sight would be).

Think of the Devil. Murasakibara walked through the swinging doors, his steps heavy and echoing in the near-empty room. You fiddled with your hands as you slowly turned toward the direction you figured he'd come through.

You spotted purple strands high above your own head before you took note of the rest of him. He spotted you quickly. When your eyes reached his face he was already meeting your gaze.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned apathetically.

"I wanted to give you this."

Your hands held out a box of chocolates neatly wrapped with a bow, a traditional way of confessing. He hesitated in accepting but decided to fairly quick.

Murasakibara didn't eat the treats yet, opting to hold them between his large fingers instead as he peered at you waiting for more.

"Why?"

"I like you Murasakibara."

His eyes remained the same but you thought you saw his lips twinge upwards for a moment.

He approached you slowly, stopping once he was directly in front of you. The man didn't say anything, studying you for a moment. Murasakibara broke your gaze, unraveling the box's ribbon gracefully before plopping one onto his tongue faster than your anxious mind could process.

"I accept," the object of your affections stated simply. You couldn't believe the words. His emotionless expression made it even harder to trust the sincerity of his acceptance.

As your mind raced, he reached out for you, encompassing your body in his arms, tucking you against him.

"What?" You breathed.

"Isn't this what couples do?"

You smiled away from his gaze, enjoying the security of his chest when suddenly he turned you around to face the lockers.

"Murasaki-"

He cut you off. "Isn't this what couples do as well?" The purple-haired giant goaded.

You felt the bulge of his balls make contact with the top of your ass cheeks as he forced himself against you.

Your eyes widened in shock. You hadn't been expecting such an act by him, and weren't welcoming to his sudden change in demeanor. It was unfamiliar and frightening.

"Wait, can we just talk for a second?" You pleaded with the locker that pressed against your cheek.

“I thought you wanted to be with me? Was I wrong?” The towering man asked innocently.

Red flags flashed in your mind but you had wanted him for so long, you should feel grateful for his touch.

“I do,” you mumbled, your nerves restricting your throat, making it hard to move in general. Your body felt hot in all the wrong ways. It shouldn't be like this, you found yourself thinking.

"Good," he whispered against your ear, lips grazing the flesh in a taunting manner. You felt him grind deeper against the cusp of your ass and gasped.

His fingers made quick work of your pants, pulling them down along with your underwear. Murasakibara pulled your ass cheeks apart to gaze at you unabashedly. You felt your face heat up beyond what you thought was possible and a deep shame formed in your belly.

You felt him move back from you, shuffling his own clothes. You were still too immobile to glance behind you, face no-doubt marked by the locker's cruel edges.

"How long have you wanted to me with me," he asked, the ego clear in his voice.

"I've always been a fan of yours, since your middle school days. I always thought you were beautiful," you told the truth, no point in secrets as his cock tip graced your entrance.

You shuddered at the thought of the sudden intrusion before a sudden giggle caught you off guard.

"I'm not that cruel Y/N."

Your eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

"You think I wouldn't notice the same person at every one of my games, arriving early and leaving late. I got curious and asked around."

You blushed at his words, ashamed of your own desperation now.

"No matter, I found your loyalty cute - in a pathetic sort of way."

Wettened fingers were inside you before you had time to process, the sting of the two large digits stretching your hole out painfully and fast.

"Ahhhhh!"

You screamed against the metal, your arm reaching back in an attempt to grasp his wrist. He didn't allow you to, his quick limbs halting your attempts and holding you in place with ease.

You felt him twist the digits inside of you, presumably his spit easing the way despite your body's resistance. You groaned as tears sprung to your eyes.

"It's okay to be loud," you heard the smile in his words, "I blocked the doors before we started."

You felt hope you didn't know you had leave your body. This was it. You were going to be raped by the man you had nothing but love for.

You had been so stupid.

"You're so tight. Never done it before? Or am I just that big?"

Your hole clenched down on his hand and you heard a sinister laugh from the man behind you.

"So needy," Murasakibara mumbled apprehensively, "I guess I'll have to do something about that."

You felt his fingers leave you and this time you heard the wet sound of him lubing up his dick. You gathered your last bit of will to meet his eyes, but he wasn't looking at you - only at your parts.

He intended to use you to your fullest extent and you knew it.

"Please don't," you whispered.

"Don't? You wanted me so bad before and now you're changing your mind? Don't be selfish, it's too late for that."

He grasped the back of your skull with ease, turning you back to face the locker. You squeezed your eyes shut but they burst open when you felt the first inch of his cock enter you.

"You're so tight," he moaned, "you're gonna tear it off at this rate."

His humorous comment gave you no amusement and you felt your body tighten further as he sunk deeper into you.

"Almost there," he said in a comforting tone. With one final push, he was balls deep in you, his fingers digging into your hips as he pulled your ass up in the air to accommodate his height.

Never giving you much time to adjust, Atsushi began a steady pace of harsh slaps against your flesh as he pulled you apart on his dick.

It wasn't long before he fell apart himself, heavy breathes parting the hair on the back of your scalp as he huffed into the strands. You felt your wetness grow, his cum spilling out into you adding to the lubrication.

He pulled out with a wet noise, the emptiness only increasing as his seed soon began to spill down your thighs.

"I guess accepting your confession has its perks, right?"

Tears stained your cheeks, face still hidden against the locker.

"See you at the next game."

#Smut #Murasakibara #Murasakibara Smut #Murasakibara x Reader #Dom!Murasakibara #Dom Murasakibara #Korokos Basketball #KnB #Anime #Murasakibara Atsushi #Dark Content

190 notes · View notes

undreaming-fanfiction · 25 days ago

Text

Home for Christmas

Written for @thefreakandthehair's Spicy Six -Ber Month Fanworks Challenge, thank you so much for organizing this, Lex! Prompt: Haunted House.

Also on Ao3.

"How is the turkey?"

Eddie peeked inside the oven and frowned at what was soon to be come their dinner. "I'm sure it's not feeling great," he said slowly, and then dodged a kitchen towel thrown at him. "Hey, I don't know what you want me to say. You can't ask me things like that! You know I don't cook!"

Steve rolled his eyes. He had that expression he'd perfected over the years, the one saying I'm suffering from all the stupidity in the world. Eddie loved it. "I thought you knew colors. We all learned them in the kindergarten, right? Is the turkey less pale now? More golden?"

Squatting in front of the oven again, Eddie did his best to assess the state of the unfortunate bird. It didn't have feathers anymore, which counted as good enough in the Munson household. "Look, Steve, I'm really trying, and I can tell you the thing is darker than before. Looks crunchier. But gold...how are you even able to tell? The light in the oven is yellow."

In a few quick steps, Steve was next to him and nudged him away from the oven. Of course, the turkey was still pale. "Out of all people in the world, I had to fall for a clown," he sighed.

Sneaking behind him, Eddie wrapped his arms around Steve's middle, smooth, perfect. "You love me," he whispered in his ear.

Steve didn't need to answer that, but he decided to do so anyways.

"Do we have potatoes?"

"Not sure. Things keep moving around here. Who knows where she put them."

One desparate and thorough search later, Eddie and Steve were standing in the kitchen, empty handed. "OK, unless she buried them in the backyard, I'm pretty sure we're potato-less," said Eddie, rubbing his eyes. "Do you want me to start digging?"

Steve shook his head. "Nah. I think...let me try. Sometimes it feels like she knows we want to contact her, so...uh. Hey, El?" He involuntarily looked upwards, as if she resided somewhere in heaven. Even if he knew it wasn't true. "Could you...uh. I know this is a really bad time and all, but we really need some potatoes. Would you by any chance-"

He didn't even need to finish speaking. The cupboard doors flung themselves open, and in the place that they'd checked at least twice, there was a bag of potatoes. On it was a bright sticky note with a wobbly handwriting that said Sorry, forgot. Merry Xmas!! and the world's most crooked smiley face.

"Thank you, the same to you!" smiled Steve. "Do I...uh. Can I ask how is everything? I know you don't-"

He was interrupted again. Another set of cupboard doors moved, but this time it just swung from side to side, as if it was a head, shaking in a silent "no".

"I thought so. Thanks, El."

They pinned the sticky notes next to the other ones, on the fridge. Steve absentmindedly stroked his fingers over the tiny drawing, lost in thought, or maybe a memory. But then he remembered Eddie, the Christmas dinner they were making, and he turned away from the fridge. What was it that Robin once said? What I can't change, I have to let go. Or something like that.

The turkey was taking forever, but neither of them minded. There was no rush, everything else was ready, and so Steve decided to whip some egg whites to prepare Eddie's favorite meringues for when the oven would eventually be free. From time to time, a small amount of sugar would get dropped into the bowl, even before he could tell Eddie he needed his help. "I appreciate it," he muttered, "but don't you have better things to do?"

In the flour spilled from their earlier baking, an invisible finger drew a sly smiley face, and then - NO.

"That's okay then."

The tree was ready. Well, almost. Eddie was running around the house, looking for the last, most vital piece. He was one hundred percent sure he had seen it somewhere. Maybe in their room? No? What about the storage room? In the washing machine? His short term memory wasn't great, but this was a bit too much even for him.

There were still sounds of whisking coming from the kitchen, but that had to stop eventually. And Eddie didn't want to put more on Steve's plate.

He glanced at the familiar looking electrical tablet thingy that they used what seemed ages ago to communicate from the Upside Down. Had that always been there? He decided not to worry about it. Steve worried enough for the both of them. "Uh...hey, El?" he asked, glancing around the room. "Wasn't there a star for the top of the tree somewhere? Did you...did you maybe hide it?"

A moment of hesitation, and then - YES.

Eddie curled a strand of his hair around his finger. "Okay...but, why? Can we have it back?"

Another moment, then another message. NOT YET.

Eddie wanted to repeat himself, ask why, because El wasn't malicious, so there was obviously something else. But before he could speak up, the lights revealed another word. VISITOR.

Normally, Eddie would leap down the stairs, superhero landing style, but now he was walking down slowly, lost in thought. "Hey, Steve. Please don't freak out, but. Uh. Apparetly we're gonna have a visitor. Or something."

Steve's face grew pale. "Do we know who?"

Eddie shook his head. He didn't want to think about it too much, and he didn't like putting another worried frown on Steve's pretty face. "Nope, but hey, now we know what we need to do, right? A third plate! I bet they're hungry. And the turney smells so good. You'd better guard it, Steve, or I'll bite into it right as it comes out of the oven!"

Just like magic, Steve's frown disappeared. He grabbed a kitchen towel and slapped Eddie's outstretched hand. "No, you absolute goblin! It's for the Christmas table. And you'll burn your mouth!"

Eddie fake gasped, hand clasped over his mouth. "He knows goblins! I have spoiled the pure, formerly incorruptible paragon of jockery, Steve Harrington! He's a Dungeons and Dragons nerd now, oh what a joyful days, what an achievement-"

"I'll give you a nerd-"

This time, the kitchen towel slapped Eddie's ass, and he lunged to the side, cackling. "There's no changing that now, Steve! I have ruined you for everyone else!"

And wasn't that the truth?

They had just finished preparing the third plate when their doorbell rang. Hearts wildly beating in their chests, they opened it. And there she was, with the same scowl, same snark, in her light blue jacket and jeans.

Max was wringing her fingers, looking anywhere but at them. "I think..." she said in a unusually quiet voice, "I think I got lost for a while. It's that stupid fog. Sorry it took me so long to get here."

As she got pulled into a tight and "absolutely non-consensual hug, Steven, what are you doing?!", and Steve just muttered "I don't see you letting go of me either, Mayfield!", Eddie closed the door behind them, just as he too got pulled into the same hug.

When they finally let go of each other and looked towards the table, the star was there, gleaming in the light.

Max kept walking around, exploring, touching the table, the plates, even the turkey with awe. "How the hell did this happen? I have so many questions-"

The cabinet doors did their usual no-no routine.

Eddie laughed. "It seems our hostess thinks that Christmas should come before your questions. Let's finish the tree, and then-food! And then maybe we can fit some of your questions into our inevitable food coma. Did you know that Steve cooks? I mean, really cooks. Deliciously. Stylishly. And he's hot when he's doing it."

She gave him a deer-in-headlights look. "He's what?"

Steve clicked his tongue and ushered them into the living room, grabbing the star on his way. "I knew you two together would be insufferable."

The star was placed on top of the tree. The dinner was delicious and question-free, except for one - "how the hell did this," Max said, pointing her fork at the two of them, "happen? When did this happen?"

Steve squeezed Eddie's hand. "It happened...after. And how...do you really, really want the details, Mayfield?"

She immediately dropped her gaze to her turkey. "Ew. No. Thanks, no." But even over Eddie's cackling, Steve could make out her next words: "But good for you two, I guess."

After the dinner, Max wished them good night and retreated into her new room. Eddie wanted to note that he was pretty sure the door wasn't there before, that he'd never seen it, but Steve shook his head. "Gift horses and all that," he smiled at Eddie and pulled him into their own bedroom. He hoped, for Max's sake, that the magical walls were soundproof too.

They unwrapped the presents together, with hot cocoa and quiet carols playing in the background. There was one for Max too, because Christmas miracles were a thing now, even if Steve and Eddie knew it hadn't been there before.

When Max tore the wrapping paper off and saw the Wonder Woman comics inside, she may have cried a bit. But Steve and Eddie won't confirm nor deny that, because they value their lives.

Clutching it to her chest as if it was the holiest of books, Max turned her eyes upwards, just as Steve had done, and mouthed a quiet "thank you."

The cabinet door waved at her. "It was nothing", it seemed to say.

They talked afterwards. Not too much, not about everything, but enough to understand.

"It started with me," said Steve, clutching his mug. "I...well. You know what happened. I mean, not the details, but...it was two demogorgons for me. And I mean, it was fine, I figured it would end that way eventually, but...then I heard her. El. She told me-"

"You're not going," whispered Max. "She told me the same. After the Creel House."

Steve nodded. "Yeah. And then I found myself here. It was beautiful, but...I was alone. And I think she knew I couldn't handle that, because the next thing I knew, Eddie was at the door."

The other man scratched his head, wincing. "It was wild. One minute I'm demobat feast, it's going dark and all that. I can't remember much, but then I see a light, which, wow. Great, I think, I made it to heaven. But then I see the light is coming from an open door and it's none other than Steve Harrington greeting me. I thought the pearly gates were supposed to be different, but hey, I'm not complaining. And that's it. We've been here for a while. Nowhere to go. No one to fight."

"I mean, we tried, at first," laughed Steve. "Broke a window. Tried to climb up through the chimney. Couldn't get anywhere past the backyard. We thought it was all a trick. But then El started leaving us notes. This is her work. Her way of saving her world, that's what she said. She must have been trying to guide you here ever since."

Max's fingers were restless on her mug. She was tapping it, almost spilling the hot liquid. "So you're telling me that when there's other people-"

"Yes."

"And we can't do anything. Anything to prevent it."

Eddie shook his head. "Nope. We can't prevent it. We were talking about it a lot, you know. We wanted to help, but in the end, the best we can do is give El what she wants us to have. A future. I don't know what she did, if she just," he wiggled his long fingers, "did some magic and created a piece of reality for us, if we're in another dimension, if this is our personal afterlife or something, but I won't waste my second chance wondering."

"The one thing we can do," continued Steve and, despite her glare, put his hand on Max's shoulder, "is to be here for the others when they arrive. With a warm bed and a good meal."

Max dropped her head and blinked. There were more ripples in her cocoa mug, even if her hands were still. "Then you'd better teach me how to cook, Steve," she muttered.

There would be more, of course. Some older, some younger. Some beaming like the sun itself, some crying. A lot of them would do both.

One day in the future, Eddie would barely be able to speak through his sobbing when Wayne appeared on the doorstep. Moments after that, a small collection of very strange mugs would find their way into their kitchen.Another day, Steve would greet Hopper, with his beard now fully grey. They wouldn't talk much, but Steve would see the pride in his eyes when Hopper learned what his daughter did for all of them. "I knew she couldn't just let you guys go," he'd mutter and pour himself another cup of coffee.

The house would remain warm and loving, with the number of rooms still growing. Everyone would have a place there.

Finally, the hostess would come home one day, her hair long again and hopefully grey, with crow feet from a fulfilled and happy life. She would knock on the door, unsure what she'd find, but she wouldn't need to wonder for long, because there would be many voices saying the same thing: "Welcome home, El."

And then...who knows?

#steddie #steddie fanfiction #spicysixbermonthchallenge #steve harrington #eddie munson #haunted house so implied character death #el hopper #max mayfield #bittersweet I guess?#keeping up with the Christmas angst or hurt and comfort tradition

46 notes · View notes

owlwithanapple · 21 days ago

Text

Bird & Fox

Chapter 17

Late at night, the cold wind blows through every corner of your body. The noisy and destroyed city, criminals are restless everywhere, the vigilantes maintaining justice. Any crisis in Gotham City is a daily cycle known to heaven and earth. Looking at the distant and fearless night from the top of Wayne Tower, the beautiful scenery is like a picture, but there is no ominous omen with a foul smell.

In Gotham City, you are called Gotham Runner, and you have helped GCPD and Batman's revisionism. In Japan, you were an important chess piece in the SHINOBI organization, but you were exiled because of different beliefs. You are a person who coexists with justice and evil, you are also a contradictory person.

You are an exiled chess piece, drifting in a strange city. There is no mission to speak of, no orders from elders, no guidance from mentors. The hands were once stained with blood no longer have any, only traces and memories. Ninjas are all alone, without these, you are what you are now.

A community where justice and evil coexist, the marks on your body are like confusing on the edge of confusion. You used to be a villain, drew your sword and killed. But after meeting Jason, you seem to have changed your mentality a little. For a moment, you will arouse the desire to protect and defend the people.

You sat silently on the edge, expression hidden in the fox mask, every bit of skin was covered by the equipment. You were used to the life of a ninja. Every side of ninja just like your own shadow, but in fact you can't tell your true face.

A strong killing intent surged in heart, the movement of drawing the blade was undisguised, the sound of sharp blade was stretched out from the scabbard. A familiar feeling emerged in your mind, under the illumination of the night light, you saw his shadow covering you. The breathing rate was normal, the person behind you was too calm and powerful to make you feel scared.

"The fox symbolizes a happy love, sandwiched between hypocrisy, treachery and cunning. What an unlucky existence. Kitsune."

A line spoken only to you, that familiar low but steady voice. Someone you know, once competed with him, the result not ideal because you were on the losing side, an experienced person in the fighting. You tilted head back saw it was Deathstroke, whose real name was Slade Wilson. "It's been a long time since we last met, how have you been recently?"

"I thought they would kill you without mercy, but they just banished you to this city." His blade pointed at your back, you could feel a cold and dangerous smell coming.

You stood on the edge with ease, back facing the distant dark city, your eyes hidden under the mask staring at Deathstroke's face, the sharp blade turned to point at your chest. "I’m sorry for disappoint you so much. But you, Deathstroke, I’m so scared, especially your murderous intent increased more than before."

He laughed hoarsely, the blade approaching you. "You say scary, who knows what's behind that mask. The Kitsune I know is a woman who has the guts to fight me head-on. Not the idiot you are now."

You chuckled and tapped his blade with your fingertips. "People always change, even me. I am an ordinary woman now."

He used the tips of blade to slightly lift your mask, just to see your lips. The moment that made him laugh was your smug smile, he sheathed the blade. "A fox in sheep's clothing, cunning as always. Long time no see, Kitsune."

"I think it's been 2 years since we last met. Did you threaten some ninjas to get information about me?" You adjusted your mask to cover face.

"I didn't see you last year in Japan. That dead fox wasn't running on the roof. I thought you were dead or alive somewhere else."

"Hahaha. There is indeed a suspicion. However, Kitsune is dead. The one who survived now is a contradiction." You pointed at your mask.

"If Kitsune were dead, you wouldn't wear this equipment and mask, you would discarded them long ago." His cold and vicious murderous intent rushed into your heart, like a knife piercing your skin.

You sighed helplessly turned away. The cold wind blew your hood away, your long white wig fluttered in the wind. You used ninjutsu light a flame on your index finger. "Maybe it's an occupational disease. Or maybe I still have Kitsune's will.”

He put on your hood to cover your wig. When he turned around prepared to leave, he took out a kunai and threw it at your back. You turned around quickly and kicked it into the air. You caught it before it fell. It was one of the weapons you used before, and he still kept it on him.

"A good weapon should return to the hands of its owner." His figure was about to leave.

You spun it in hands, recalling the past and the skillful use of the weapon in your hand. You pointed the sharp weapon at him. "Indeed, I almost forgot that this was one of the weapons I used to stab you."

"Kitsune, a piece of advice. Be careful of the people around you. They are just like you. Don't let them bite off your fox tail." He left you with this creepy sentence.

You clenched the kunai to stop your trembling hands. Just this sentence, like a piece of advice or a warning, instantly ignited your inner vigilance. Just now, you vaguely saw a sinister and dangerous expression on the corner of his mouth and disappeared into the dark city.

"Fox tail... I want to see who will bite me..." You raised index finger and middle finger together to perform ninjutsu, turning into a black mist and disappearing somewhere else.

When you landed somewhere, still lost in thought, thinking about Deathstroke's advice. A loud roar of the engine brought you back to reality. In the darkness, Batman drove the Batmobile on the road, chasing his prey at lightning speed.

You kneel down to hide, your right fist on the ground, look in that direction, raise your eyebrows and whistle excitedly. You are really shocked to witness the speed of the Batmobile. The screams continue to come, Batman mercilessly bringing the bad guys to justice and continue to move in another direction.

"How cool." You murmured.

Then you raised your hand to fire the wrist hook, at this time someone on the roof next door took out a grapple gun. The two of you moved in the same direction, ended up bumping into each other falling to the ground. Fortunately, your equipment has the effect of reducing damage, otherwise several bones would be hurt to death.

"Hey, hey, hey, how are you going to compensate me for bumping into me—ah." You were surprised. The person in front of you was Nightwing, the man who had disturbed your thoughts. Since his last confession, you still didn't know how to face him. You rejected him once, but he kept moving forward to you.

"Ouch—ah—Kitsune." He stiffened and was a little frustrated. He reached out want to touch you but stopped. He turned away from your sight. He still cared about your rejection of his affection, but didn't know how to express it.

You felt overwhelmed, but fortunately you had a mask to cover up expression. You stretched fingers and pinched your palms to brew what you wanted to say, mumbling "Thank you for saving me last time. I had a cold at the time, and I didn't want to infect you so I didn't let you take me back."

He was a little hesitant but secretly happy. He stole a glance at your mask. When you avoided his sight, he took your hand and intertwined it. When you turned around in surprise and wanted to shake him off, he put his arm around your waist and pulled into his embrace. "Hahaha, you're welcome. I caught a cold too. We were lucky not to be frozen to death that day. But...Kitsune..."

"You're an idiot. It's not winter and the sea water won't freeze us. But Knight, what's wrong with you?" You were confused, complaining about him while carefully asking.

He leaned in and buried his face in your shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief. The muscles on his body were no longer tense. The hand that stayed on your waist couldn't help but gently caress it. "I'm so glad you're safe."

His words made you feel awkward but a little happy that he cared about you. You gently squeezed the intertwined hands and said, "I'm not easy to getting into trouble. Don't worry about it."

He chuckled softly and held you close. He didn't flirt with you, but instead calmed down. You could still feel his breathing even through your equipment, he smiled, "I'm worried even though you said no. Maybe you've already smiled under the mask."

His words seemed to be a declaration to you, his face moved away from your shoulder and his lips showed a smug smile as if expressing his inner excitement. He disturbed your heartstrings. You have never been exposed to such a rich emotional world, and for a moment you were speechless.

The mentors said emotion is one of the fatal weaknesses of ninjas, don't touch that boundary or it will disrupt your pace. However, you are no longer the same person as before, no longer a pawn in the ninja world, and you feel the warmth of the human world for the first time. It makes you timid but you can't help but want to break through that layer of shackles.

"Hey. Are you okay? Why aren't you moving?" Nightwing gently shook you to try to wake you up.

You struggled to break free from his intertwined hands and turned away. You lowered your head slightly and murmured calmly, "Kitsune is an ominous existence, a cunning and hypocritical animal. Don't be fooled by me, Nightwing."

A pair of hands hugged you from behind, and he leaned his chin on your hood, with a smile on his face. "Thank you for your advice, but foxes also represent happy love. I don't know which one you will be. The only thing I can do is to take it one step at a time."

"You will suffer. Trust people like me."

"Hahaha, bring it on."

When you wanted to retort and criticize his stubborn and confident appearance, he lifted your hood to reveal your white wig. You were wary of him removing all your disguises, you pulled out a kunai from your sleeve prepared to fight back. Unexpectedly, he gently kissed the back of your head and let you go. If it weren't for the mask covering your expression, he would have seen your confused look.

He pointed at you and smirked confidently, "Listen to me, Kitsune. You continue to lose yourself, I will continue to chase your fox tail. Until you fall into my abyss and fall with me, be prepared."

After this, you were speechless, didn't understand what he was hiding. You could only stand there stupidly waiting for yourself to react. But his communicator rang, he answered it and left without looking back.

"Huh? What did he mean just now?" At this time, you finally uttered a word.

Nightwing Pov

When I lifted her hood, I could already feel her murderous intent bursting out without any disguise. Even though she had already drawn weapon, I was not afraid. I bet that she was emotionally disturbed not really want to kill me. I left a kiss on the back of her head because I wanted to feel her presence. She could disappear at any time and I didn't want to miss this beautiful moment.

After receiving the signal to gather at the assembly point, I left her immediately. I was flying high with the grapple gun, there were many confusing thoughts in my mind. But I felt that it was enough, this was enough. It didn't matter if she didn't understand what I meant, just let her be confused by my words. Because I could feel that she had some different feelings because of some of my words.

"Why don't you just tell her you want to court her? Aren't you tired of beating around the bush?" Tim's voice came from the communicator.

"I think that's enough. I feel she has no idea about emotions. I guess her past have made her emotionless. Even I confess, she won't understand." While talking to Tim, I swiftly climbed over the edge of the roof.

"Haha. When did you learn to observe women's hearts like Bruce? Be careful that Kitsune will ignore you in the next life." Tim teased jokingly.

I stopped and looked up, clenched my fists and chuckled softly, "Maybe I'm confused too, whether I should like her or not. But... I'd be heartbroken if she disappeared and rejected me."

"You're so fucking annoying! Just grab her shoulders and shake her hard and say. Hey, you dead fox, listen to me, I, Nightwing, like you. Be my woman. Isn't that all?" Suddenly Red Hood interrupted the communication conversation.

"What about you, Babybird? Why don't you wake Y/N up and tell her? You still have the nerve to say that to me? Great Lord Red Hood." I teased him with thorny tone.

"I said pure friendship! Y/N and I are satisfied with the pure friendship boundary! You know my situation!" I turned down the volume because Red Hood's voice hurt my ears.

"Every contact is as strong as an electric shock. Humans are very selfish. You will want more." I stared at my palms, clenched fists and pressed them on my lips, missing every moment of touching her. The smell of her body, every move she made, and wanting to see the panic expression hidden under the mask.

"Fuck you..." Red Hood's voice seemed to be gentle.

"TT. Can you guys hurry up? Stop pretending to be a romantic." Robin suddenly intervened in the communication conversation and complained impatiently.

"By the way, doesn't this mean that Nightwing's rival in love is Robin? Because he likes and hates Kitsune." Red Hood's complaints made me unable to hold back my laughter, I hurried to the point.

"Asshole! I didn't! I wanted to tear that fox into pieces!" Robin felt humiliated and began to quibble, and he might have blushed.

"Everyone, pay attention. Now on patrol." Batman listened to everyone's conversation on the communicator the whole time, but he just kept silent.

Red Hood and Robin stopped talking back as soon as they heard Batman intervene in the conversation. Thanks to him, my ears were much quieter. Red Robin must have been working hard on the computer with a large screen, the keyboard was ticking. I was not used to the silence, I laughed loudly.

"Hahahaha, sorry. Just a little distance away. Bye." I cut off the communicator and continued to the meeting point.

Unconsciously I looked back and saw a black fog spreading in the night sky from the direction of Kitsune. I murmured, "My lovable little fox."

The End

Ao3: owlwithanapple / Previous chapter

Like and repost it to motivate me!

40 notes · View notes

bedoballoons · 1 year ago

Note

Hello I suddenly had a idea since it's October

And thought of the anemo boys finding out that

Reader is a werewolf because of a full moon

Ahhh apologies you didn't get this in october! I hope you still enjoy the idea though because I loved writing it! Thank you for your request! <3

─⊰⁠⊹ฺ🍂𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤⊰⁠⊹ฺ🍂

{༻~Awoooo~༺}

CW: Slight fear in the characters, reader is a werewolf, fluffy in most but angst in Wanderers!! Xiao has a bird form!!

(Includes: Venti, Kazuha, Heizou, Wanderer, and Xiao!)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

𑁍༄Venti:

"Are...are you okay?" Venti reached a hand out to you, his face pale and body shaking with the cold of the spooky night. He could barely make out your shadow in the light of the full moon, you were groaning in pain...body shifting before his eyes in ways his brain didn't know how to handle. "H-hello?"

Your head turned, no longer that of a humans, but of a ravage beast with almost glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth. He was petrified in place, unable to move even a inch as you drew closer... you could never hurt him...you wanted him to know it was okay. "I'm...not dangerous...I swear."

He fell to the ground, back against the tree as you closed the distance, gently tapping your nose to his knee and hoping with all your heart.. he'd still accept you after finding out your big bad secret. He closed his eyes tightly, reaching out a shaky hand to touch your soft fur. Once he did he seemed to ease up...still finding the whole situation jarring, but no longer scary and definitely not enough to end what you shared.

𑁍༄Kazuha:

Kazuha was trying his best to stay calm, but seeing you in the bright moonlight with fur that ruffled in the wind and hearing your howl when you caught the look in his eyes...it was alot for him. "W-what's going on? What h-happened to you?" He had goosebumps all over his skin and his heart was pounding so loud that your sensitive ears heard it like a beating drum, but he still kneeled down in front of you...wanting not to run away...but make sure you that you were alright, even though he was scared he still cared about you.

"I'm okay...I promise. I just...don't want you to think I'm going to hurt you, just because I'm like this doesn't make me a monster..."

"I know you won't, I guess my mind got the better of me...no matter if you have claws and sharp teeth or soft hands and sweet smiles, I will always love you."

𑁍༄Heizou:

𑁍༄Wanderer:

"I knew it..."

Those words were anything but what you were expecting...had he really found out your secret before the moon had even been full. "H-how could you possibly have known? I know you're a-a detective but-"

"But I know you and I love you, so obviously I tend to notice things about you more often than you do. I wasn't entirely sure if my hypothesis could be true...I just had a inkling."

"And...do you hate me for it..?"

"Not in the slightest, you're the love of my life and if anything it just makes me all the more curious about you. I want to learn everything."

"W-what are you? Why do you look like that?" Wanderer looked at you...something almost like betrayal painted on his features while you stared back at him with wide yellow eyes,..unable to ease his feelings. "I'm...a werewolf...and I look like this because of the full moon, but I promise it's not bad. I don't want to hurt anyone or be a monster, I didn't even want you to find out..."

"I wish I hadn't."

𑁍༄Xiao:

Xiao kneeled down in front of you, his eyes meeting yours as he watched you intensely...you were shocked to see him unfazed by your change from the moon. "Xiao...you're not... surprised?" He shook his head, slowly reaching out to touch your fur as he whispered quietly under his breath, "I wouldn't say not surprised... it's more like...I understand."

"What.."

He sighed, pulling away so you could watch in awe as he changed too, his body shrinking into that of a birds and dark teal feathers now taking place of his normal skin...he was more like you than you ever could have known.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚~Have a nice day~*⁠.⁠✧

120 notes · View notes

emperor-palpaminty · 8 months ago

Text

Peace, For Now

In which you (GN) and Echo discuss next steps. Takes place at the end of TBB. Sweet and fluff and a love confession on a beach??? Whaaaaat???

(also lemme know how you like the "you" vs third person reader inserts. I'm currently writing Cat and Mouse pt 4, so I'm trying to decide how I do that! I personally don't like "you" when i read, but if yall do I am flexible!)

The beach was a ways away from the middle of town, but you could still hear the sounds of celebration. Your toes dug into the sand, the gentle waves filling the holes they left behind. It was surreal. Your body felt empty and light, but also... tired.

You were done. For now.

Unanswered questions looped around your mind again. Sacrifices were made, and they could not be undone after the war. It was always hard to come to terms with, but somehow coming to terms with the end was harder, in ways. If your largest battle was finished, was it a gulp of fresh air or the finale of an aria?

What did you even know outside of war at this point? The breeze that tugged at your face promised a vague hint of hope, but...

"There you are."

You didn't bother turning all the way- you knew Echo's voice anywhere, even across a ship full of his brothers. You smiled, softer than you felt. "I needed a breather."

"I could tell." There was a soft scuff, shoe against a rock, and a soft thump that followed as Echo landed softly in the sand. "It's quieter over here, anyway." He padded over gently, moving meticulously. That was Echo as everyone knew him. Quiet and thoughtful, but brave, honorable, independent. Sassy when someone needed it, and he had a sense of humor that could appeal to everyone. Echo was loyal to a fault- dying once and then being willing to die again for the brothers that took him in.

He was legendary among clones. But he was just... Echo.

You finally cast him a glance, smiling when he met your gaze readily. After a shared moment, a pause, you chuckled and shook your head softly. "What are we, Echo?"

"What do you mean?"

You closed your eyes and tried to stead yourself. The waves were moving, lapping closer, but not quite reaching the two of you in the close moment. It was a welcome guest, but you were fine that it hadn't invaded the intimate space yet. You steeled yourself, blinking quietly as you fought off a prickle of tears at the corner of your eye. "All I've ever known- and all you've ever known, I would think- has been war. Fighting. Being soldiers." The shrug you gave was helpless.

The words hung in midair. They stayed for a while, the silence of them almost louder than the incoming tide or birds flying by. You blinked, a hand reaching up and touching your cheek to pull away with a wet tear. "Oh," You said, not quite realizing you had been crying.

Echo reached out quickly. He touched your back, the human hand landing on you. "Hey." He said. "There's no rush."

"I know, but-"

"Fighting will always exist. You'll find something to fight for." He licked his lips, brows narrowing in determination. "Tomorrow."

Your lips drew into a smile. You nodded, faith falling into place. "Yeah," You muttered, as sound returned to the world. "Tomorrow."

#the bad batch #tbb #tbb reader insert #bad batch reader insert #the bad batch reader insert #reader x echo #echo x reader #clones #bad batch #echo #echo x you #you x echo #tbb echo x reader #tbb echo x you #tbb echo

25 notes · View notes

waterdeep-weavemoss · 1 month ago

Text

Leaving

Self indulgent silliness. I quit my PhD this year and wondered if professor Dekarios would hate that or not. Here's my answer.

Doe felt her heart sink lower with every step. It was a beautiful spring day, crisp and blue, the sunlight falling like water onto the cobblestones of Blackstaff Academy. She had just turned from its imposing front doors and walked away; the lightness of the time of year, its cheerful birds and easy laughter from Waterdhavians on the street, could not match the tangle in her chest.

It was but a short walk along the seafront back home. The Dekarios tower loomed, at once imposing and also somehow feeling held together by a wish.

And perhaps it was. The wish that rose into her throat, a point of light. She opened the door with trepidation, though the strike of her cane on the floor would announce her arrival even if she tried to be stealthy.

It didn't take long to reach Gale's office; he'd moved it to the ground floor for her sake, installed magical means to traverse the floors to save her from stairs. But this was where he was most often- he insisted on her comfort, and so he was just at the end of the entrance hall, sequestered away.

'Gale?' Doe knocked, cautiously opening the door. 'I have something to tell you.'

He was buried in a book as usual, fine gold glasses perched on his nose. 'One moment please, love. I'm reading about a very tricky potion involving hollyphant feathers and soul coins...'

'I... don't think I want to know,' she said lightly, though his face fell slightly as he looked up at her. 'I was only joking- I mean, what in the hells could require ingredients like that?'

'You're upset.'

'Not at all, I just meant that-'

'No, I mean,' he said, closing the book gently and rising to his feet. 'Something's happened. Tell me.'

'That obvious?' she sighed.

'I make it a point of utmost importance to understand when you are out of sorts, my love.' His warm brown eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled softly, extending a hand. 'Tell me.'

She took it and he drew her in, warm hands wrapping around her, cocooning her in safety. He smelled of sandalwood and incense, sweet and clean.

'You're going to hate me.'

'Nothing in all the realms could make me hate you,' he said, drawing back to frown at her. 'I love you.'

Doe bit her tongue, tears welling. 'I quit. Blackstaff, I left, I walked away. I'm a failure. It was never a good fit for me, I should've realised at the time but I- I thought I could do it. I thought I could be as brilliant as you, and change the world, but-' She dissolved into tears, crying into his robes.

'Shhh,' he soothed quietly. 'You silly little rabbit. I've been hoping you'd leave for months now.'

'Wh- huh?'

'It's not everything you know. And changing the world... well. Some can do that from a classroom. But some people, like your beautiful self...' Gale took her face in his hands, brushed away her tears with his thumbs. 'You're meant to be free. Out in the world, running headlong into any scrap of danger you can find. How can you think you're a failure when you're the most determined creature I've ever known? If anyone can carve out a space in this life out of pure tenacity and spite, it's you. And to be truthful,' he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 'I've been thinking of resigning, too. Maybe this is just the push I need. So. What I want you to do, is choose anywhere on the map. Pack a bag.'

'Seriously?'

'Seriously. I'd go anywhere with you. Let's go on an adventure.'

Tags:

@bluerosetarot @further-than-forever

@forget-me-maybe @poetryvampire @sasha199 @wandawillow

@boufsy @owlseeyoulaterpal @lanafofana @amorgansgal

@aryancunin @miradelletarot @marlowethebard

@crimson-and-lavender @reeseykins @medra-gonbites

@roguishcat @weaverofnetheril @galedekarioswifey @hyperfixationstation128

@astarryvamp @feedthepheasants @dabigstinky @dreamingofthewild @ladyofcrowsandcoffee

@dr-demi-bee @spooky-lil-bee @12thhouse-sun

#doekarios #mine

17 notes · View notes

ltleflrt · 1 year ago

Text

Ltleflrt's Writing Year In Review

Not a lot of writing got done this year, but considering the level of burnout I've been experiencing in the last 3-5 years, I'm very happy with what I've gotten done :)

Total 2023 Wordcount: 67,799

Total 2023 Kudos: 247

Total 2023 Hits: 2,734

My 2023 Fics:

Peace: 18,643 (WIP)

Fenris didn't have much reason to smile and laugh in his life, until he came to Kirkwall and Hawke gives him a reason to. Fenris doesn't want to disrupt the fragile sense of peace he's found by putting his heart in the hands of another mage, but Hawke's flirting and kindness are difficult to resist.

This is a rewrite of my very first fic Peace Begins With A Smile, and technically most of the wordcount is from there. But I've got many more chapters written than posted, and I know for a fact that I added AT LEAST 10k words to the original story, so I'm keeping that posted wordcount for this year's stats :D

Peace began as a writing exercise, just to keep my creative muscles from atrophying. I had replayed DA2 early in the year, and fell down the Fenhawke rabbit hole again, and it made me want to re-read my own story. I hadn't read it in like 10 years, so it was very eye opening to see just how much I've improved and how much my writing style has developed in that time. I wanted to rewrite it with my new skills, and wow it's a BIG difference.

Reaching Out: 22,825 (WIP)

Everyone knew Malcolm Hawke was a good man. A hero in the eyes of his wife and children, and a respected pillar of the community. At least until rumors of magic started to circulate, and he had to move his family in order to protect them. He'd do anything to keep his family safe, a responsibility he passes on to his eldest son when illness takes him away. Mal Hawke not only bears his father's name, but also the weight of his father's legacy. Everyone, including himself, expects him to step into his father's role, to pick up those responsibilities and carry them with the same steadfast strength. An expectation that is tested when the Blight hits Lothering, and is strained to a breaking point by the lawless and chaotic City of Kirkwall.

This is my biggest 2023 project, all original words. Once again, DA2 infested my brain, and I got an idea for a new version of Hawke that has me really excited. Plus, I have always wanted to write a Fenhanders fic, so this is going to be it! I got stuck, and have been distracted by BG3, but I still have big plans for this fic. (SO big, omg this story is going to be so long lol)

Something to Hold: 14,733

He did not hear the telltale clank of Templar armor behind him. It was probably a local. All Anders needed to do was act as if he were a simple traveler passing through. Nothing remarkable. Nothing worth mentioning to any searching Templars who might follow. Don’t run, act natural, don’t run, act natural, he thought firmly as he forced himself to keep an even pace. The only sign he gave that he recognized he was no longer alone on the road was to move to the edge to give the approaching stranger space to pass him. His heart beat like bird wings against the cage of his ribs as the sound of horse hooves and cart wheels grew closer. His fingers began to tingle with magic, and he curled them inward to hide any wayward sparks. Anders tried to keep his shoulders loose instead of tucked up tense around his ears. When the wagon drew up alongside him, Anders kept his eyes forward and prayed to the Maker that the stranger would ignore him. As was the case with most of his prayers, the Maker didn’t listen. On one of his many escape attempts Anders meets the Hawke family. And forms a special connection with the eldest son.

This was an excuse to write porn lol

I love "what if they met before canon" fics, and I decided to write one of my own. It turned out longer than I thought it would (shock!), and planted the seed for Reaching Out. It can stand alone, but I'm treating it as a prequel :D

Bathed in Starlight: 3,336

“You should have brought a torch,” Gethin scolds lightly as he comes to a stop next to Astarion’s discarded armor and clothing. It’s folded neatly, the armor stacked methodically. Astarion affects an air of carelessness, but he keeps his few belongings tidy and organized. Gethin suspects it’s his way of exerting a modicum of control over his life. “Or stayed closer to camp.” Astarion flashes a fanged smile at Gethin over his shoulder, seemingly unsurprised at his presence. “You know how much I enjoy a nip of danger, darling.” When Gethin’s lips tighten with disapproval, Astarion’s smile droops into a pout and he sighs dramatically. “There was nothing to worry about, was there? Here you are, with enough light for both of us.”

OMG a new fandom! *excited bounce*

I picked up Baldur's Gate 3 on launch day because the bear sex scene in the trailer hooked my interest (yes, I'm a closet furry), and the game has taken over my life. I did not expect to fall in love so hard, with the characters, the story, the gameplay, with my OCs, and one particular elf. But here we are, and I'm gonna fic about it.

This is just a canon conversation that I needed to write from the POV of my Dark Urge OC. Nothing special about it. And of course it had to include bathing. If I never wrote anything else for BG3, I needed to make sure I added my signature to the fandom :D

The Sun, The Moon, and The Night: 8,262 (WIP)

Caelnir and Kestrel are half brothers who were swept up by the mindflayer nautiloid at the same time. When they crash back to Faerun, they meet a pale elf who manages to snare both of them with his charms.

This is the bastard that has distracted me from my other WIPs. Yeah, yeah, I'm mad about it too, but I'm also gonna keep writing it lol

I don't normally create OCs. Like, there's Gabe Hawke and JM Shepard, but they've got more of a canon framework than most RPG playable characters. I have no emotional connections to any of my Dragon Age wardens, and the one inquisitor I care about has just the baaaarest hint of backstory. I can't even think of OCs I've created for other RPGs, because I don't care.

But oh boy, I care about Kestrel and Caelnir. A lot. Mostly because I created them with the same face shape, and I thought it would be funny if I somehow made them brothers even though one is a high elf, and the other is a drow. But they're half elves. What if their mom was just a slutty slutty human who traveled a lot? BOOM. The boys came to life, and now I'm writing fic. And since they both romanced the same character in the game, it's a poly fic. I love the challenge of poly fics, and I also hate the challenge, WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF??

Oh yeah, because Astarion is my blorbo, my boys are precious and special, and I'm the self insert slutty slutty human mom ;D

My writing in 2023 has been nothing like previous years. The fics I've written have gotten very little attention compared to what I'm used to, even going back to my very early days of posting, but I'm having fun and I've got a few friends who are intensely interested in the stuff I'm creating. I'm just happy to be writing!

My plans for 2024 are to keep plunking away at the WIPs in this post. I don't see myself going back to any of my Destiel WIPs, posted or otherwise, any time soon. I think my brain needs a break from the Winchesters for now.

(Of course, there's a shitload of Winchester Inspiration in some of my new OCs, but like...they don't have American accents, so they're TOTALLY DIFFERENT PEOPLE LOL)

Anyway, Happy New Year! Here's to many more fics, both written and read, in our future! 🍾🎆🥂

Previous Years

#ltleramblings #year in review #2023 year in review #oops i ficced #long post

11 notes · View notes

naushtheaspiringauthor · 1 year ago

Text

~Child Of The Storm~

Nikolai Lantsov x OC

Image by - @brokendreamtale2

Warnings- none

A/N- FIRST CONVERSATION RAHHHH also i love my girl so much shes such an icon. Anddd let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist!

Taglist- @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @sirisuorionblack @nadeleine123n

Ch-23 ~Estranged soul~

That night, they’d been invited to dine with Sturmhond in his quarters. The meal was served by the steward, a servant of impeccable manners, who was several years older than anyone else on the ship. No matter the presentation, the food was better than Anaya had in weeks, fresh bread, roasted haddock, pickled radishes, and a sweet iced wine, which she drank more than she'd anticipated.

Sturmhond mentioned the shipment of arms he was bringing back to Ravka. Then he seemed to perk up and they spent the rest of the meal talking about guns, grenades, and exciting ways to make things explode. A kind of conversation Anaya had no intention of joining. Thankfully, none of the crew members seemed to pay much attention to her, except for the captain, the boy seemed to keep his eye on everyone.

She decided to inspect her surroundings. Everything was gleaming wood and polished brass. The desk was littered with charts, the pieces of a dismembered sextant, and strange drawings of the hinged wing of a mechanical bird, just what was this boy planning to do? The table glittered with Kerch porcelain and crystal. The wines bore labels in a strange language.

After what felt like an eternity, they all bid their farewells and retired for the day.

..............................................................

Anaya spent half of the night tossing and turning in the hammock, she didn't seem to have any hint of sleep despite the exhaustion. She noticed Alina and Tamar silently creeping out of the quarters, but she chose to ignore it. At least for a while. After a while, she could feel the ship rocking much violently than it had been. She quickly pulled her kefta on and went outside.

A massive burst of light erupted from somewhere on the ship. Anaya rushed to see that it had been Alina. The girl had worn the sea whip's fetter. The power grew more violent, but the she didn't seem to stop. People began to shout and bellow, but it had no effect on her.

"Alina" Mal called out, but she did not respond

"Alina!" he suddenly wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her back with a hard grip. She finally released the light, revealing the night sky once again.

She drew the last scraps of light together and wove them into a soft sheen that pulsed over the deck of the ship.

Sturmhond and the others were crouched by the railing, their mouths open in awe. Anaya was surprised to find herself having a similar reaction.

Mal still had the girl wrapped in his arms.

Mal,” she said quietly. “Mal, I can’t breathe.”

Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. She finally dropped her hands, the light disappearing entirely. He then eased his grip on her. Tolya lit a lamp, and the others got to their feet.

Sturmhond dusted off the gaudy folds of his teal coat. A girl that might have been a Fabrikator, looked sickly, she might've been the one to secure the amplifier.

“Well, Summoner,” said Sturmhond, a slight wobble to his voice, “you certainly know how to put on a show.”

Mal bracketed Alina's face with his hands. He seemed to kiss her wherever he could reach, then drew her tight against him once again.

“You’re all right?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

Without saying a word to anyone, Anaya went back to Tamar's quarters

.....................................................................

Anaya shuffled in her hammock. She usually had trouble sleeping, but it seemed to be worse tonight. Se silently crept out of Tamar's quarters in just her shirt and pants of the same colour. She went near one of the railings and leaned, placing her arms on it. This part of the ship was almost empty apart from the few of the crew members who'd been on watch.

The cold salty air brushed on her skin as she closed her eyes. The sea had a different sense of calmness and peace that was nowhere else to be found.

She was still baffled by the fact that she was alive, still. She herself couldn't believe what she'd done back at the whaler. Something she never knew she was capable of.

Her trail of thoughts was disrupted when she sensed silent footsteps behind her. She quickly readied herself to form an icicle, but stopped herself remembering she couldn't possibly be attacked on the ship. She turned around to see Sturmhond making his way to her.

She turned to look at the sea once again as the boy approached her. He leaned against the railing alongside her, and finally spoke. "I've been meaning to talk to you"

She looked at him raising an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I wanted to thank you, for helping us back on the whaler. What you did was really unexpected" He smiled, his features gleaming in the moonlight

"I didn't even expect that myself"

The boy let out a small chuckle

There was a short pause before he spoke again, "Why did the Darkling made you his tracker?" He asked, "How did you know about the creature's whereabouts?"

"There's much you don't know about me"

"I think we can change tha-"

"And I would very much prefer to keep it that way" she cut him off

"I respect that" he pursed his lips

After a long moment of silence, Anaya spoke "There's a lot I don't know about you either. I mean, how do I know that you won't take us to the fold and throw us offboard then feed us to the volcra whom you might be taming the whole time?" She shrugged

"Don't worry darling, I promise I won't do that. Besides, you're too beautiful to be fed off to Volcra" he winked at her, making her roll her eyes

"Do pirates not sleep at night?"

"A- Privateer" the boy threw his arms in exasperation. "And we do, but usually not when there are guests around"

"Alright" Anaya responded, a corner of her mouth slightly turning up. She left the deck, leaving the privateer all by himself

#grishaverse #shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov fanfiction #nikolai lanstov #nikolai lanstov x reader #nikolai lantsov x oc

7 notes · View notes

umbralsound-xiv · 10 months ago

Text

Gift.

It had been longer than she would've liked when she last wandered this path, even if the reason had been a pleasant one. Sayuri's ears flickered to the occasional birdcall that echoed between the trees, uncertain whether it was the Karahli, or actual birds - it could be either, really.

A small smile settled on her lips as the Willows came into view, her steps drawing ever closer. Once she reached the door, a hand extended for the handle and she began to push it open, making her way inside the home.

Bexy's ears flick at the sound of distant footfalls, slowly turning and raising as they drew closer, nearer. No sooner has Sayuri entered the Whispering Willows, Bexy has already abandoned her slice of rolanberry tart and made it to the doorway to throw her arms around Sayuri. "---I thought you were never going to come home!" Bexy laughs, half-serious, as she regarded her sister and friend. "Welcome home, Sayuri!" She beams, almost too-wide. "I hope you're here with plenty of good tales to tell?"

Gods, it feels like forever since i saw her last... Since before the change of cycle, i... ...I missed her, of course. Even though i knew she was well, likely having the time of her life in some far flung land.

Sayuri's own arms coiled around Bexy in return, a soft laughter leaving her in return to the comment. "I promised I would, didn't I?" She beamed. "Thank you. I'm glad to be home. And I have a few, at least!"

"Well, i will be glad to hear them!" Eventually slipping away from her, Bexy moves to the stovetop, then. "Tea? Something to eat? Tell me of the adventures of the new Mrs Fellfrost!" Excitement hung on her every word, tail dancing at her heels. "You have been missed. In case that wasn't quite apparent."

"Some tea would be nice." Sayuri smiles. "Well, we explored Radz-at-Han a bit, considering I had never been there before and it had been quite some time since he last was. Went shopping and.. actually met people who had known him before, even if both had been.. quite young, at the time. We had a picnic, visited a meyhane, watched some dancing.." She pauses, as a tiny pout settles on her lips before she continues. ".. Picked flowers and put them in each others hair.." The sentence is more mumbled shyly than spoken aloud, as she's certainly not the first person who openly speaks about adorable things she gets up to.

"So he spoiled you rotten, then?" Bexy asks, head turned over her shoulder. "He'd best have. What was it like? Just as colourful as i've heard?" Quickly returning her attention, she begins to prepare a pot of tea; rolanberry as always. "I'm glad you had fun. Gladder still that you're home, and you get to tell me about it. Take a seat, hm? I'll be with you in a moment."

"I'm the one with the mountain of coin, Bexy. If anything, I spoiled him." She grinned, letting her feet steer towards the table, settling herself upon the bench by it. "It was! It was a very lovely city, pleasant people.. Even if.. one Raen was a touch too.. excited about my.. predicament. Even so, we had a great time."

"Mountain of coin or not, you can still spoil someone. He'd better be a good husband." Bexy half-teases, bringing over two mugs and the teapot. "Raen? Excited how? Was she one of those who knew him before?" Bexy asks, head tilted, joining Sayuri at the other side of the table.

"He is, believe me." She smiles, one ear drooping down a touch. ".. The night before my nameday, I.. had a nightmare, one that brought out a rather violent reaction from my aether.." A brief pause, as Sayuri's hands intertwine with eachother. ".. Eir took me to their alchemists, to see if.. anything could be done for me. The woman we spoke to was.. quite excited about the uniqueness of my condition, I think."

Pouring out the tea, Bexy listens intently, offering a short nod every so often to indicate that she was listening, gently sliding Sayuri's tea towards her. "…Suppose from a purely educational perspective, it's interesting enough." Peering over the rim of her teacup, Bexy takes a sip. "…And? Could they do anything…?"

Not that i have abandoned my search for answers here, but... In case Q'kura isn't quite as smart as he thinks he is, it doesn't hurt to have a backup.

Sayuri's hands unlinked and reached for the cup, head nodding in thanks. ".. She.. managed to make some kind of potion that helped, but.. by no means cured me. I could use some aether without pain, exist without this constant dull ache. I had almost forgotten how it felt like." She shook her head faintly, raising her cup to take a sip. "I have some vials left of it, but.. Once I've run out, that's it. She used some of Eir's aether for it and.. he already has so little, I don't want to ask him to go through that again, even if I have no doubt he would if I did."

"…He would, you know this. Wouldn't you do the same for him?" Bexy arches a brow, considering. "…Though i understand the want to protect him, especially if he has so little to give. Still…" Bexy seems to contemplate something quietly, hanging in a short pause before she continues to talk. "I cannot exactly say i have been sitting idle in your absence… I too, have been looking into ways to address your condition…"

".. Of course I would, but I have an abundance of it, he doesn't." She mumbles, tapping at the cup with a claw before lofting her brow. ".. Have you.. found anything..?"

"I…" Bexy flicks her gaze up, and back to the cup for a moment. "…Something like that?" There's a hesitant pause, briefly thinning her lips to a line, fighting the tugging smirk. "Think of it something of a late namesday gift." She takes a small sip, then. "I'll show you after your tea."

If i told her, she would storm down those stairs, i am certain. Better to hold off for a few moments, surely...?

Sayuri blinks twice, eyes narrowing into a squint at Bexy. She nonetheless raises her cup to drink from it. "..Can you tell me about it, at least..?"

"I don't want to spoil the surprise." Bexy states more plainly, taking another drink. "Just that… It's promising. And i went through a great deal of effort to get it for you. Information brokers… Bloodshed. There is nothing i wouldn't do for my little sister."

There's another pause, ears slowly drooping as she takes in the given information. "You.. hunted, while I was away..?"

"I'm fine, don't worry. I didn't kill anyone important." A dismissive gloved hand is slowly waved. "I wasn't going to just let you suffer, Sayuri. I know what your aether means to you. I… Can't guarantee anything. And if it doesn't work, i'll keep looking."

Sayuri shook her head slightly. "I care for your well-being, not whoever you would've killed." A faint exhale leaves her. ".. I hope you were not alone. The thought of being unable to be at your side in battle, to leave you to fight my battles for me.." Her features draw into a small frown. ".. It drives me mad."

"…I know. I know…" A warm, gentle smile is given in Sayuri's direction. "I wasn't alone, don't worry. But that doesn't mean i don't want you back fighting by my side. Even in your condition, i know you're not defenseless. I just know it isn't… The same. It's instinct to use our aether." A small sigh, as Bexy drains most of her tea, and raises to her feet. "…Come on. I was never very good at holding back surprises, anyway."

..But in the end i suppose it is only a cup of tea. And i am terrible at surprises, especially in this manner.

".. I may as well be defenseless, the way pain can cripple me if I get emotional enough." She huffs. The cup is lift to her lips while she stands, dutifully draining her cup and setting it down.

"…I know you'd still push through if it came to it. Hopefully though, that won't be necessary." A small sweep of her hand encourages Sayuri to join her as Bexy descended the stairs.

".. I would. I also have. And it crippled me badly enough that I needed support to walk, and then got carried." She mumbles a touch bitterly, steps following Bexy's as they descend the stairs together.

Bexy descends the stairs, wordlessly. Approaching her room with the same pace, she suddenly turns on her heels, bringing an index up to her painted lips in a shushing motion. "Sayuri." Bexy whispers. "…Promise me something?"

A wordless Q'kura lifts his ears. One set of footsteps he'd learned to expect. The one that followed… Had he heard voices above…?

Sayuri pauses, slowly raising a brow at Bexy. Her head tilts, being offered as a mute question.

Vex, in her usual spot next to the cell, sits and juggles a little ball of fire between her hands to entertain herself, now capturing the flame in one hand and letting her ears perk up.

"You can't kill him. Not until you're cured. It's the best chance we have." A small, sincere pat was given to Sayuri's shoulder, before she leads into her bedroom. Unusually, the bookcase was already open, catching the dimming light of Vex's flames. "Greetings, Vex."

I was sure she wouldn't She might hurt him, sure enough. She'd be entitled to, after all he's put her through. But he was useful, still. I was certain enough that she most likely wouldn't kill him...

Q'kura takes a sharp breath in. He knew Bexy wasn't alone… And had his assumptions as to who the company might be…

She remains quiet, her thoughts visibly beginning to run as she tries to figure out just exactly who she should expect. She follows, gaze moving to the bookcase to catch a glimpse of Vex, not quite yet visible to Q'kura.

Vex flashes and immediate grin upon seeing the two, raising one hand in an overly enthusiastic wave. "Hey!" She greets, in an incredibly jovial tone.

Bexy plucks a candle from a nearby book as she rounds the corner, settling it on holder and dutifully holding it out for Vex. "She returns. Finally." The word was met with some faint laughter, then.

Q'kura slowly begins to shuffle into the far corner of the cell, ears low and flat on his head. He knew this would happen, sooner of later. Already, his breath hitches in his throat.

Vex flicks the flame already in her hand the candle's way, letting it settle there.

Then, Sayuri finally steps in, greeting Vex with a small smile. A smile that disappears into nothingness, the moment her mismatched gaze falls to Q'kura. The previously, relatively happy look in them turning into sheer hatred in a the matter of seconds.

Holding the candle, Bexy simply offers Sayuri the key. "Just remember what i said."

Q'kura's eyes are wide, dragging a shrill, terrified sound out of the back of his throat. "S-Sayuri! I--- I---" He began to stutter already, unable to speak any further for the moment.

Vex shoves herself up to stand, just in case.

Sayuri reaches to grasp onto the key. ".. I will." Her tone is kept quiet, hand soon enough reaching over to unlock the cell door, and nigh tear it open in order to step inside. ".. Q'kura." His name leaves her akin to a curse word, dripping with spite.

Bexy remains at Vex's side, then. Watching. Waiting.

"S-Sayuri! It-- I-it… I…" He couldn't shuffle any further against the wall if he tried. "I'm sorry! I---- I didn't know--! I swear, i'm sorry for what happened!" He'd thought of what he might say, of course, in the intervening moments between his capture and this moment. But all turned to ash now, confronted with the reality of the situation.

Cold clings to the air in Sayuri's immediate vicinity, increasing in intensity the longer she stares at Q'kura. ".. And what.. exactly.." Mid snarled speech, Sayuri swipes a hand down, seeking to snatch onto the collar of Q'kura's robe to yank him up to her own height. ".. did you NOT know?"

Q'kura yelps as he's dragged up, failing to find purchase on the ground with his bad leg. "I-- I d-didn't know i-it would turn out like this! I w-would have never… I-i…" Struggling to swallow, he gasps. "I a-am… S-sorry…"

"Oh, well.. if you're sorry.." She begins, almost sounding calmer.. Almost. She suddenly bares her teeth to the point her fangs are on display. A shard of ice forms in her free hand which she promptly lunges forwards, slamming into the wall just next to Q'kura's head.

A shrill sound escapes him, flinching as the ice narrowly - and purposely - missed him. "I'M SORRY!" Q'kura screams, writhing in her grasp. "Y-your aether! I--- I can help! I can fix it! I-- I can try to fix it, i know what they did, please, please, don't kill me!"

Despite trying to choke down her own pain of using her aether to not let it show, a twitch in her eye is the biggest telling sign, as well as the grip of his collar tightening. "Your shit excuse of an apology does not undo what you fuckers did to my -HUSBAND-." She snarls.

"I--- I didn't do a-anything!" Q'kura pleaded. He was wrong. "I--- I healed him! R-remember? You were in the cell, you were close! I fixed his legs! Vex! Vex, you heard me too! Please!"

Only a long, slow sigh makes it out of Bexy's nose. She was confident enough Sayuri wouldn't kill him, of course. At least, so she liked to think.

This is warranted. It would be somewhat unforgivable to dismiss her anger, deny her of what she wanted. She is my sister, of course.

"-YOU- lead his bloody capture. None of this would've happened if it weren't for -YOU-." The dagger tore out of the wall, moving to instead point directly at Q'kura's throat. "-You-, Keely, and that bastard of an Elezen that was boasting about it." She snarled. "The only goddamn reason I have not torn your goddamn throat out yet is because you -will- fix me."

Vex's lips draw into a thin line. She doesn't back up Q'kura, and merely shuffles on the spot.

"I will! I will!" Q'kura does his best to jerk his head away from the dagger, strangled, terrified sounds spilling from his lips. "I s-swear, i'll fix you, i will! She promised! Your sister promised i'd be free if i did!"

Bexy's icy gaze says nothing. No denial. No affirmation. Just cold silence.

Sayuri silences herself for a moment, merely staring at Q'kura while her anger seethes. She leans herself just a slight bit closer, keeping her head close to Q'kura's. The next words that leave her carry an almost empty tone, devoid of the rage that still burned in her icy glare. "My sister would not promise you your life, when it's not hers to promise." She tilts her head. "She wouldn't promise you anything, if she wasn't completely certain she could keep it."

"B-b-but she--- S-she…" Q'kura casts a helpless gaze in Bexy's direction; anything to flee from those peering, mismatched eyes of Sayuri. Not that Bexy's were any better.

Bexy's gaze narrows, and a long sigh is given from her nose. "I said might, Q'kura." Though her words are certainly not unkind, there's some edge to them. "Why don't you elaborate on what we spoke about, hm?"

"E-elaborate? I--- I d-don't know--- Oh!" Q'kura wrestles his expression into a smile, looking back in roughly Sayuri's direction but not at her eyes. "Th-the others! Inside! I---I can help. I c-can get back in. C-can help get the others out…"

Sayuri arches a brow, icy stare burrowing into Q'kura's own if he dared to look. "Is that so?"

Q'kura half dares a look, immediately filled with regret; the very sight of her so close brings a short cry of alarm from his throat. "Y-yes! Th-there are others, V-vex can't get back in, th-they don't trust her, but me, i… I can, i…" His words stutter into half-sentences, unintelligible and terrified. "P-please, S-Sayuri…" He puts some emphasis on her name, daring to meet her eyes again. "I w-will f-fix you… I s-swear…"

"I can get in if I want. Getting out again is the problem." Vex corrects, pouting. Missing the point there, lady.

".. I know of one other." Sayuri spoke quietly. "A Seeker I was about to kill during our escape."

"D'khoreh." Vex chimes in.

Sayuri's gaze briefly left Q'kura in favour of giving Vex a stare, slowly creeping back to the Seeker still held at knife-point. "You phrase it as if you have a choice in the matter, Q'kura." Her voice was disturbingly calm, now. Eyes narrowed into a cold glare that showed little emotion other than annoyance. "I do find it curious that you'd be willing to stab Grym in the back, considering his reputation.. And that he certainly doesn't lack the will to kill you if you wrong him."

Vex's words earn a look from Bexy, somewhat accusatory but not unkind. And then, a small nod to Sayuri. "You're right, of course. But Q'kura doesn't know where we are, and knows nothing of us. He either tries to free them and succeeds, tries and fails, and Grym kills him, or decides to try and turn on us, and we kill him. He doesn't have a whole lot of options… But certainly one that is less terrible than the others."

Q'kura still hangs from Sayuri's grasp. Despite his struggling, he'd not attempted to harm her in any way, even going as far to hold up a hand. "P-please…" Teary eyed, he looks up to her. "A-at least g-give me a chance…" He pleads, in a whispered, airy breath. "I d-did with your Husband. I-in the arena. I c-could have just lied, a-and let him die…" Another anxious swallow, then. "B-but i didn't."

Vex's ears swivel, and she returns a look Bexy's way; offering another pout but keeping her silence.

Sayuri's eyes narrow further, ears pinning back. "You could have. And you can thank whichever God you believe in that you saw enough sense not to, or I would not let you have breathed a single word."

"I-it was y-you…" Q'kura babbles out between breaths, looking to the ice that was ilms from kissing this throat. "Y-your i-ice. He s-should have been dead. N-no one could h-have survived th-that, b-but… Your i-ice…" Q'kura swallows again, unsteady. "It s-stemmed the blood. N-not only with sealing the wound, b-but… His pulse was s-so… Slow. S-stilled, b-by your ice." Q'kura's terrified features slowly knit into something a little more steely, if only for a moment. "V-Vairg was wrong. You d-did s-save him."

Sayuri's expression softens, eyes widening just a touch as she processed what Q'kura said. ".. I.. saved him..?" She half whispers, eyes sinking down to her dagger, which lowers slightly as to not be an immediate threat. ".. My-.. My ice.. saved him..?"

Bexy stares at the revelation. Confusion and… Joy? She doesn't say a word, though the look on her face was enough to know she had much in her thoughts.

That is... I... I don't know what happened there, in that moment. But to know that it did something more than destroy... That it helped. I can't imagine how Sayuri feels, but i know it's probably some kind of relief. Those words... Probably saved Q'kura a lot of hurt, too.

Q'kura doesn't nod, suppressed though he was, and now willing to put his head any closer to the dagger, lowered though it might have been. "Y-yes. I-it… C-could not have been a-anything else. H-he had lost… S-so much blood. W-what little he h-had left was kept within him, k-kept slow. I-it was a… M-miracle he survived. A-as much as i… Healed him. S-several times, m-might i add… It was you… Y-your ice, that saved his l-life."

Vex idly scratches at her cheek with a lofted brow, clearly not having been aware of such details.

Sayuri remains almost eerily still, a deep, half-shaky breath being drawn before she bites back the rising emotion, not wishing for her vulnerability to show in front of what she considered an enemy. She seems to be at a loss for words.

Half held, half standing, Q'kura stares. He hadn't known the woman well enough to determine whether her reaction was a good one or not, and merely keeps still, half holding his breath. "I-it is as your sister says. I… I don't have a lot of options. B-but…" Blinking, Q'kura does what Sayuri didn't; tears slowly spill down his cheeks, then. "P-please, at least g-give me a chance."

Sayuri kept a steady stare upon Q'kura, ears pinned back. There's a long moment of silence before her head turns, a much kinder gaze seeking out Bexy and Vex, as if requesting their general thoughts about it.

"We have plenty to gain, and nothing to lose." Bexy's remark is plain, offered with a small incline of her head. "He heals you. Then, we let him go. From there, he has a few options. He can go running back to Grym's side. If they decide to kill him, it's no loss to us."

The way Bexy spoke sees Q'kura wilt again. A sob, though he fights to stifle it for what good it will do.

"If he lives, he has two more options. Side with Grym, do… Whatever it is he's been doing, and we'll kill him with the rest. Or, help us. Free the others, get us information… That sort of thing. If he fails, they'll kill him and he'll no longer be a problem. And if he succeeds… Well." A small, indifferent roll of her shoulder. "It's your decision, Sayuri. And i stand by whatever you choose. He will heal you regardless. Anything less than perfection, i will have him begging for death long before i give it to him."

".. He does have a talent to talk himself both in and out of shit." Vex muses. ".. And allies tend to pop up in real weird fucking places, apparently."

Sayuri listened, to both Bexy and Vex, nodding along briefly to the woman considered her sister, before her brow arched at the younger Seeker. ".. Your deal with us, and his deal, is vastly different, Vex." Sayuri spoke quietly.

"Oh I'm not talking about Q'kura. 'S one that sure as fuck didn't have a single deal with either of us. And still helped."

A moment of silence, then, as the piece of the puzzle fell into place, Sayuri's ears pinning back. She knew who Vex meant, and was still uncertain how to truly take the scenario that had happened. Her head then turns to Q'kura, eyes narrowing. "The people. They are of.. what Vex called Distrusted, yes?"

"Y-yes." Q'kura manages the faintest nod he could muster. "…D'khoreh. He…" A small sigh from the man, then. "D-does not deserve his fate. He h-helped heal the Viera after Vairg…" The sentence trails. Even Q'kura didn't enjoy talking about it. "Th-there are others, too."

Bexy slowly pulls her lips into a line, glancing to Vex with a nod, and then back to Sayuri. "…There's something else you should know that he told me. We have no reason to believe he's lying. At least, not about this." Bexy's gaze flicks to Q'kura, who offers a deep, almost lamenting sigh.

"…I have not tried r-run. N-not escape. I h-have been a good… C-captive." The word seems to wound him to speak, eyes closing. "…S-should you wonder why, you need only look to what i'd be going back to." An anxious swallow, then. "…Vairg. He's the new l-left hand. N-no one is h-happy about this. Perhaps s-save Grym."

"I met D'khoreh. He was collared, same as Vex. And I am aware of the fact he aided my husband, and that Vairg tried to force him into harming him for it." The Viera's name leaves her dripping with spite, the anger she held and tried to contain bubbling to the surface before being choked down again. "You. You are the exact opposite of their ranks. Why would they believe that you were trying to help them, and not simply guide them into a trap?" Sayuri's gaze wandered back to Bexy, head tilting ever so slightly, until Q'kura speaks again and regains her attention. ".. Vairg.. was promoted..?" She lofted a brow. ".. That sadistic asshole is only happy when he's inflicting pain and suffering, but I suppose.. promoting that bastard counts..."

"It's been awful. A-at least here, i can eat my meals in p-peace…" Q'kura blinks trying to still the tears in his eyes, leaning further away from Sayuri's grasp. Balancing on one leg had begin to creep beyond discomfort for the mage. "I… I d-don't know w-why they would believe me. I h-have to think of something, b-but…" Q'kura takes an unsteady breath. "O-one thing a-at a time. I need to heal you f-first."

Vex hums thoughtfully to herself, tapping a finger against her own chin as she does. ".. I'd say convince D'khoreh first, but.. he aint the one you gotta convince. That's D'nhehli."

Sayuri dissipates her dagger and simply lets go of Q'kura, having no intentions to set him down gently. "I despise the thought of letting you do anything to me, but I know my sister would kill you if you even dared to consider causing me more harm."

He would beg me to kill him. He would be so lucky if he would be stupid enough to hurt her.

Q'kura drops with a yelp, slumping against the wall, and slowly easing himself down to sitting with a wince. "I w-won't hurt you. W-we both know Grym will l-look for you. I h-have no intention of t-telling him a-anything. B-but… I-in the event he or V-Vairg or… Someone finds you again. I would m-much rather it be when you can d-defend yourself." Taking a simpering little breath, he slowly rubs his hand over his broken limb. "…I h-have… I-ideas for h-how to fix you. Only theories, b-but… Good ones…"

Sayuri's eyes narrow with clear suspicion, tail thrashing to the side with her frustration. "..Theories." She repeats, seemingly not all too happy about the fact there isn't an immediate known cure.

"G-good theories! I-it isn't as though i've had chance to test them! But they will w-work, they h-have to work…" Q'kura seems to half convince himself, taking a deep breath. "I w-will need s-samples. A-and… Things to work with. O-or an alchemist that can follow instruction, o-or my grimoire. But i promise you, i a-am the best chance you have." A pause then, as Q'kura's gaze falls on Bexy. "A-and i'll need things from you too. Y-you are sisters, yes?"

Bexy pulls her lips into a line. "…As good as. But not by birth. We share no blood nor parentage, for a blessing."

Q'kura shakes his head. "T-that… Makes it a little more difficult. But your aether is… Similar? Are there differences?" Seemingly, talking about anything other than his possible demise or his immediate captivity seemed to bring some sort of… Calm to the Seeker.

A small frown settles on Sayuri's features, ears remaining pinned back. One hand reaches for the wrist of the other, idly rubbing along the inside of it to quell the mild discomfort her own mind and memories caused. ".. There are differences, yes."

"Th-then, sometime soon… I-i… I would like to hear those. As much as you can tell me. It… It does not have to be now. J-just know that… I will try to fix you, S-sayuri." A small note of pride is barely flickered across his face. "I w-was a doctor before i was a…" Quick to replace it, a frown lingers on his features. "…Whatever i am n-now."

".. You will do more than try, Q'kura." Her tone was low, tail swatting to the side while her gaze remained locked upon him. "A slaver? A person who has fucked up so royally that he finds himself almost in the very situation he has brought others into?"

Q'kura wilts at the scathing words, eyes cast away, ashamed. He had no reply for that, and knew she was right, besides. "I w-will do my best…" Came a meek voice. Content that she'd no longer kill him; or at least, not right now, he seems to calm just a little. "…W-whenever you give me the information i need, i'll formulate a course of a-action."

Content with that, Bexy sinks her head into a nod. "I'll give you mine in writing, at least. Sayuri?" Bexy asks, head tilted. "…If you've anything more to ask him, now is the time."

She spent a moment in silence, contemplating.. Slowly shaking her head before turning on her heels to walk over to the wide open cell door. ".. The longer I'm near him, the more I want to hurt him." She muttered quietly, yet she clearly didn't care if Q'kura actually heard her or not. She then draws a deeper breath and sneers over her shoulder. "Do not think you're off the hook for the suffering inflicted on my husband, caused by your actions."

"I…" Q'kura nods. He's partway through curling in on himself, regardless. "Hah, i… I don't think… Y-you'd let me. Or your sister." Taking a deep breath, he gives a long, shaky exhale. Whatever words he has, he keeps to himself.

"We need him in some workable shape if he's to heal you, hm? Save the anger for later. Or for someone else." A comforting pat on her shoulder was offered, as Bexy locks the door behind Sayuri. "I'm rather glad you didn't kill him. He took some getting into this little box, i'll have you know."

"I helped!" Vex announces, proudly.

Sayuri huffed, grumbling beneath her breath. "I have enough anger for the entirety of the compound, but I will leave him be.. For now." She casts a glance Vex's way, then to Q'kura once more, to slowly drag back to Bexy. ".. So he can fix the damage caused, and aid those Vex deem in need of rescue." A sharp exhale leaves her, head shaking. ".. Trust me, it was tempting. He's the last one alive of the trio who took Eir that sun."

"You did!" Bexy beams proudly to Vex, before she offers a small dip of her head to Sayuri. "…And i wouldn't have begrudged you if you'd have just ran him through and let him die. Perhaps a little stuck for how to help your aether, but not angry." She moves back from the door; Sayuri could leave the cell area on her own terms if she wished, or remained.

Regardless, Q'kura keeps his head low, brows knit; clearly deep in thought.

"As much as I want to kill him.." She glared over her shoulder at Q'kura, before looking back at Bexy with a much kinder gaze. "..I want my aether fixed. And the only other person I'd consider getting would be the asshole herself who did it to me, but I already know she wouldn't cooperate, and would offer a fight." She extended her right hand to her left arm, idly dragging her fingers along the cloth which covered the lightning scar beneath. Sayuri briefly glances to Vex and offers a dip of her head before moving to step out of the cell area.

Vex raises a hand and waves, a big grin on her lips as she does.

Bexy offers a wave to Vex in turn, moving in stride with Sayuri, then. "…I thought you would. I thought about putting a bow on his head and telling you happy late Namesday, Starlight, and congratulations on your wedding all in one, but i thought that might be a little indecent." Still, a small smirk tugs at her lips. "…He will fix you. You know this. I will make him fix you. I wasn't going to stop at getting your back. I plan to take back everything they ever took from you."

I'm somewhat surprised no blood was spilled, but suppose it does hurt her to use her ice. He will fix her. I will make him fix her.

An audible snort of amusement leaves her, head shaking. ".. I would've had a laugh from it, and I'm sure Vex would too." She passes a glance in the direction of the cell area. ".. I'm glad to see she's still around." Her gaze slips back to Bexy, head sinking into a slight nod. ".. To know you will be watching over me is the only reason I'm letting him do anything to me. I know you'd never let him harm me, if that was something he considered. But judging how frightened he is.. even I am doubting it."

"…It's been so… Strange. He's never even tried to break out. Hasn't even pleaded to be released, only for us not to kill him." Bexy ascends the stairs, voice quietened as to not let their captive overhear. "…If anything he's been the model prisoner. Something tells me he isn't well liked. Or at least, has some kind of difficulty, there. No wonder he jumped at the chance to some kind of glory. Though it's all but backfired on him now… I can't imagine what he'd contend with if he goes back."

".. Vairg." The name was snarled, her ears pinning back anew after having just returned to a more perked position. ".. I remember him being called to heal Eir, by Vairg. I.. don't remember word by word what Q'kura said to him, but I remember that Vairg threatened for Q'kura to join him.." She briefly shut her eyes at the memory's intrusion, shaking her head. ".. Not to mention that Grym certainly has no trouble killing his own, but.. I do not know if that was because that man was trying to kill me or for going against his orders.. Maybe even both." Sayuri's brows furrowed, a small frown settling on her features. "..And being a healer, he responds to Eanwin's orders.." She glanced downwards to her left arm, letting her hand grasp onto the sleeve to slowly roll it up, putting the lightning scar on display. ".. And she did this to me."

"…Some healer. Gods…" Something about the lightning scar makes Bexy purse her lips in discomfort, gently settling her hand on Sayuri's shoulder after she'd finished ascending the stairs. "…If he's killed when he returns… If he returns, suppose it's no great loss to us. But he won't be leaving that cell until you're healed. I know that. He knows that. As for Vairg, we'll deal with him when the time comes. As left hand, i imagine he has his hands full, which means… We likely shouldn't be seeing him around. Hopefully."

She manages a weak smile Bexy's way in response to the hand settling on her shoulder, her sleeve being released and rolling back down to cover it all. ".. I don't trust him, but I would like to be able to help those who are in the same situation Vex was.. And the only other person from there I'd imagine might do something to help is.. one I do not want to see ever again.. Despite the fact that he helped us during the escape. Still, part of me doubt it was out of the goodness of his supposed heart." She exhales a slow sigh, nodding faintly. ".. My aether restored, and some training.. Then I will happily face off against that bastard on a more even ground.."

"Gods, some training. We're long overdue a sun or two in Coerthas. Or Garlemald, if it comes to it." An encouraging smile offered to Sayuri, Bexy seems all the more full of confidence. "There's much we don't know. Why Ketenblaet helped you, for one. What i do know is that we have the upper hand, and i much intend to keep it that way. We will get you everything you can back, and for the things we cannot, we will make them pay in blood."

"Well, my honeymoon was just a slight bit extended.. Sorry about that." A faint chuckle left her, head sinking into a nod. ".. It's almost disturbing that he did help us, considering my history with him.. And I just can't understand why." She raised her head a touch, offering another nod. ".. They will pay. One way or another."

"…Guilt, perhaps? Or an ulterior motive, as you said." A small shrug of her shoulders… Before Bexy's expression warms into a grin. "Oh, please don't. After everything you two have been through, you deserve it. I did get you something for your namesday, mind. Nothing too fancy. But i know you'll like it."

"At least you weren't too lonely in my absence." Sayuri smiled, tilting her head curiously. ".. You did?"

"Lonely? No. Not lonely. But you were missed terribly, and i'm glad to have you home." Moving to a small stack of boxes beneath a set of stairs, Bexy pulls out a box. It's flat, light, and gift-wrapped with a dark red and gold bow. "And of course i did." Bexy muses, offering it to Sayuri. "Better opened with Eir, i think." A pause, then. "---And it's nothing like that, in case you're wondering."

Pyjamas. She so often wears his, i thought it would be nice to get them another pair to match. Same size and everything. Whether she takes these for herself, or they end up wearing whichever ones that come to them, i do not know. So long as she's happy and it gets a chuckle from her at the gesture.

"I missed you too. And as lovely as our trip was, I am glad to be home." A curious gaze follows Bexy as she retrieves the box, hands slowly reaching out to accept it. ".. I figured you'd warn me if it was." She laughs.

"Precisely." Bexy grins, humming. "What did he get you, for your namesday?" A pause, then. "He did get you something, yes?"

"Well.. He sang to me, when I awoke from my nightmare and I was in such a large amount of pain." Her fingers idly tap against the box, a small smile settled on her lips. "We spent the entire sun on a date, creating memories together. So while it was no material gift, it's one I will hold incredibly dear."

"It's… Thoughtful." Bexy considers, quietly. "What to get the woman who could buy most anything she wants? Something money cannot buy. He's smarter than i give him credit for." Bexy teases, humming. "…I'm glad you had a good time. I was starting to get worried that you weren't coming home…"

"I promised I would! And I am sure you'd come all the way to Thavnair to make it so if I didn't let you know we were extending our stay." She laughs, smiling. "I just.. had to make sure we could get some things with us… That Eir doesn't know about yet."

"I would." Bexy wasn't joking, and Sayuri would be able to tell. "Oh? His namesday is… Soon, yes? What better things to get him than the things from home, mm?"

"In about a couple of sennights." She smiles, pausing. "..A home?"

"Hah, i suppose you could! You have enough coin for one, certainly!" Bexy half laughs, smirking. "What did you actually get him?"

Sayuri's smile only increases in size, offering no other words.

"…Sayuri." Bexy begins. Her eyes widen, brow knitting. "---You're serious?"

".. I may have bought a house."

"A house?" It takes all of Bexy's willpower not to raise her voice. "B-but--- Where are you going? Are you moving to Thavnair?" Her voice turns pleading, lips curled into a frown, hand settled on her shoulder. "You're moving away from the company…?"

She... She is moving away? But i... Not far, i hope? I don't.. I don't want her to be too far away...!

"A house, in the Lavender Beds. If anything, I'm moving closer to you!" Sayuri laughs, raising a hand to settle it atop of Bexy's.

There's no small sigh of relief from her nose as Sayuri gives her answer. "I'm happy for you, obviously! Just-- I can visit, yes? I'll call ahead of course!" A small wrinkle of her nose. "…We'll still go out training? You'll still come to contracts?"

"You're my sister, of course you can visit. And yes, everything will remain the same. We'll train, I'll come to contracts, and continue our daily meets if that is what you wish. And I will make sure to stock up on rolanberries for your inevitable visit." Sayuri grins.

Bexy's expression slowly curls into a grin, then. "Good. You had me worried, then. My little sister, getting married and having her own home…" A pleased sigh, as Bexy's tail danced at her heels. "…I'm happy for you. Truly. You deserve this, though i know the present is mostly for him. Does he know?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Bexy. This is where I belong, and it.. has been a long time since I felt like that about any place." Sayuri smiles, tilting her head. "He.. does not. I am hoping to have it set up by his Nameday. But he'll likely whine at me for spoiling him." She laughs.

"Oh, let him whine. He can whine in his cosy new home with you. I look forward to seeing it, hm? Do let me know if you need any help?" Head tilted in much the same was as Sayuri's, Bexy gives a pleased hum.

"And he will. Just like he did when I paid for a very expensive room for our stay in Thavnair." Lips curled into a grin, she offers a nod. "I will be sure to let you know."

"Coin is simply a tool. The best things can't be bought with it, so we might as well use it on something more… Frivolous." Chuckling, Bexy shakes her head. "…Spoil him. His happiness is yours. Remind him of that next time he's pouting."

"Oh, I intend to.. He can't stop me." Sayuri muses, ears wiggling faintly. ".. I will tell him that when he inevitably whines."

"Good." Bexy chirps, tilting her head. "…I have missed you, sister. But i won't keep you here all morning. We can catch up proper tomorrow, hm? You can tell me all about your honeymoon."

"I missed you too. And we will. For now, I.." A brief pause, Sayuri's gaze lowers to the box on her arms. ".. I'd like to go hug Eir, I think."

"I'm certainly not going to stop you. Go to him. You might start suffering withdrawals, it's been a bell or two." Bexy teases, offering a warmer smile a moment later. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sayuri. Until then, yes?"

"Oh, -hah-!" Sayuri pouts, only to immediately smile afterwards. "I'll see you tomorrow, sister." With that, she heads for the door.

She is happy, and that is what matters to me. With her new husband, with her new home. And, Gods willing, her aether too, when we manage to repair it.

#Muse: [Bexy]#Chapter: [A Taste Of Their Own Medicine]#FFXIV #IC #Writing #Textlog

3 notes · View notes