#i want to throw large boulders at him

[satoruoo]

mfer looks like he preys on kids for a living i hope he burns

[miabebe]

Camp Seventeen: Prologue

Seventeen as Greek Demigods Series

Pairing - Reader x ot13 (Yes, you read that right, I am insane and you are allowed to scream at me)

Word count - 2.7k

Genre - Greek Demigod AU! We’ve mainly got crack cause all of them are idiots, and obviously smut because they are thirteen lonely, horny men afterall (aka reverse harem) also throwing in some fluff and angst as well because I gotta let emotions run high for plot sake :)

A/n - Hello hello, this is a new seventeen series I am starting and boy oh boy is it gonna be a wild ride! A special thanks to @okiedokrie @whipped-for-kpop-fics @ourdawnishotterthanourday @multi-kpop-fanfics for all their amazing help and bearing with me through the discussions for this, I’m so grateful to you guys :)

I will have a taglist for this so please comment/ send an ask on this post to be added!

“Over here!”

Wincing, you looked up from the disgusting heap of mud your foot had neatly landed in, ignoring the way your little piglet was ecstatically rolling in the same filth.

The man before you looked equally disturbed as he walked over, pulling out a bottle of water apparently from up his ass because you didn’t remember him holding it a second ago.

Sighing a thank you, you took it, emptying it onto your boots before grabbing your gremlin of a pet from its happy place, resulting in a series of loud, incessant whining.

In all that noise, you heard your shoe savior take your name with a voice that was as pretty as him.

“I’m Jisoo.” He put out his hand. “You can call me Joshua.”

You nodded, unable to shake his hand thanks to the problem trashing in your arms earning Joshua’s amusement.

“And who is this?”

“Natalie.” You muttered as he raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Natalie Porkman.”

Joshua burst out laughing, looking away as he covered up a snort, shoulders shaking. You smiled, truly taking in his beautiful features for the first time. Cute.

“This way.” He pointed at absolutely nothing yet you followed this complete stranger, survival skills be damned. “We’ve got a half mile trek ahead of us but it gets a little confusing from here so I thought I’d come pick you up.”

Cute and kind.

You filed it away under ‘to-learn-more-about-when-I-fiigure-out-what-the-fuck-is-going-on-in-my-life.’

The two of you walked side by side, footfall softly echoing in the lush green forest around. Though silence was all you had been craving after the last few days you’ve had, that did not seem like an option since one, Natalie hadn’t stopped whimpering in fifteen minutes and two, Joshua kept glancing at you like you were some sort of ancient artifact.

Not the good kinds.

“What is it?” You said finally, starting a conversation you didn’t want to have. “Never seen a mess of a human before?”

“Never such an old one.” Well, at least you got ancient right. Joshua quickly corrected himself. “I mean I’ve never heard of a demigod surviving undetected in the mortal world for this long.”

Oh but you got ‘human’ wrong. You forgot. Normalcy was never your defining factor but at least now you knew exactly what kind of freak you were.

Almost.

“I wouldn’t call it surviving, more like ‘barely made it’.”

“But you made it.”

“At the cost of what?” You sighed. “Everything is much more complicated now.”

“Don’t worry.” He stopped at a large boulder at the base of an abnormally large tree in the middle of seemingly nowhere. “We’ll all help you.”

“All?”

He nodded, looking at you over his shoulder. “All.”

Your eyes followed his hand as he placed it in the middle of the rock, and after all that you’ve learnt in the last few days, you’re not sure why you were so shocked when it rolled away at his touch. You expected it to lead you to a dark, suspicious cave but a bright light poured out, making you momentarily lose both your vision and your pet who jumped out of your arms and ran into the illuminance, squealing in delight.

“Welcome to Camp Seventeen.”

Joshua grinned, pointing at the scene before him and your jaw dropped in awe.

It was a large opening in the middle of a forest that looked very different from the one you were just trudging through. There were hills on one side, a large lake shimmering far away, fire torches lit everywhere, little cottages scattered here and there, strange symbols topping them all off. Looking at everything curiously, you walked down the cobbled path, only just noticing the two men who were standing at the end of it, both incredibly beautiful. The blonde one was playing with Natalie and the redhead was staring at you with his arms crossed, expression smug.

“Would you look at that, the prodigal babygirl is here at last.”

You frowned, taking an almost immediate dislike despite his pretty, pretty face.

“Jeonghan, play nice.” Joshua muttered, walking over to him.

“Don't patronise me Aphrodite's son, she was supposed to be here at 4-”

“It’s 4:10.”

“-yesterday.” He turned back to you. “You’re a day and 10 minutes late.”

“Well you’re not the one who’s relocating your whole life.” You spat back at him. “I had things to take care of - my dorms, my bills-”

“So much that you missed the meeting with your lawyer.”

“I did ask to reschedule. It’s not my fault he’s an unsympathetic prick.”

“Careful sweetheart.” Jeonghan cocked his head at you. “I’m unforgiving too.”

You stared at him for a whole maddening minute, realizing why his voice seemed so familiar. You had heard him on the phone over the last few days.

“You’re my lawyer.”

“And the best in the city.” Joshua interjected, sensing the rising tension. “Children of Athena tend to be big brained.”

“And hot headed apparently.”

“Natalie says ‘not more than you’.”

All three of you turned to the only other presence there, the man who was carrying your pig, silent as a statue all this while.

“Jun, son of demeter.” Joshua introduced, pulling him ahead. “He’s a natural with anything, well... natural? Mostly plants but he also happens to talk to animals.”

“Domestic ones.” Jun mumbled. “Hansol is better with the wild.”

You greeted him awkwardly, half smiling to be polite and half frowning at the way Natalie was looking up at him with literal heart eyes.

“How did you come across a fledgling?”

“A what now?”

Jun picked your pig up by the arms like a little baby. “She says she’s 10 years old, yet is the size of a toddler. Have you never wondered why your pig never grew?”

“I uh….assumed it was just the kind of breed that didn’t?”

“What an intellectual.” Jeonghan looked at you with faux amazement making you roll your eyes.

Jun, however, still hadn’t met your eye. “Fledglings are creatures of Olympus. Time moves differently there so they don’t really grow like the others in the human world. In that sense, technically, she’s still only a few months old-”

“So you’re telling me this thing, which has lived with me for 10 odd years, is….magical?”

Jun shook his head as Joshua spoke up, clarifying.

“Not magical, that’s a whole different branch of powers and abilities. Your pig is just….not a part of the human world.”

“You betrayer.” You narrowed your eyes at what you thought was your loyal companion. “We were friends. How could I not know?”

Natalie whined sadly in response earning a smile from Jun and of course, yet another snarky comment from Jeonghan. “I don’t speak pig and even I know she said you’re not very bright.”

“Understanding your native language is not particularly intelligent, you swine.” You glared at him, receiving a smirk in response.

“Ten minutes in camp and you’ve already made Jun’s ears red and picked a fight with Han.” You turned to see three men walk up to you, the one in the middle with an amused look and a powerful aura. “You’re gonna fit in quite well Newbie.”

“Seungcheol, son of Zeus and leader of the camp.” Joshua whispered as everyone bowed to him. You imitated them quickly.

“This is Seokmin, Son of Poseidon and Minghao, Son of Ares.” Seungcheol added, pulling out his armor as one of them shot you a cheery smile and the other continued to look at you cynically. “They are our training specialists. Seokmin should help you with your overall fitness and Minghao will train you for combat.”

“C-combat?” You stuttered looking around. “You mean like war?”

“The world of demigods is new to you, don’t try to understand everything in one day.” The Son of Ares sheathed his twin blades behind his back. “Take a few days to adjust to the camp first. You can start training next week.”

You nodded, a little thankful that despite his cold exterior, he seemed to be surprisingly sympathetic of your situation.

“He’s right.” Seokmin chimed. “You should settle here first, not to forget, deal with that lawsuit before you focus on everything else.”

You turned to Jeonghan expecting yet another snarky remark but he looked worried, lost in thought.

When you turned back to Seokmin though, you bit back a scream, your face inches away from a man who appeared soundlessly and seemingly from thin air.

He gave you a cheeky grin with a tilt of the head, “I’m Chan aka Dino, Son of Hermes, Camp cutie, camp hottie and camp leader- ow!”

He rubbed the back of his head vigorously when a small rock hit him with a dull thud. You looked over his shoulder to see Seungcheol aim another one with just a flick of the wrist.

This one Dino skillfully dodged, stepping away from you as Joshua laughed, “Chan is the camp messenger. He’s in charge of all sorts of delivery and transportation.”

“You were the one who picked up my things.” The realisation hit you at last as Dino nodded, pointing at a pile of your stacked bags and trunks beside the entrance.

“Guilty as charged.”

“You were supposed to arrive over an hour ago.” Seokmin narrowed his eyes at the younger man.

“I got held up with some uh distractions.” Chan laughed nervously, scratching the back of his ear. “I didn’t know where to keep her things though, considering you know, she doesn’t have a place yet.”

Seungcheol turned to you to clear your confusion. “Everyone on camp has their own residence but you came on too short a notice so we’re yet to build one of you. We could have housed you in the guest cabin except it was recently damaged in a fight,” He glared at all the boys around him. “So that would not be feasible. Until your own place is not ready you can stay at mine - it is the biggest so you should be comfortable.”

You pursed your lips unsure about his offer. Did you think you would be unsafe in his presence? No absolutely not, the opposite in fact.

You wondered how long you could hold yourself back before unsuspectingly jumping this man and his huge biceps and beefy thighs and manly voice-

“She’s thirsty.”

Taken aback you looked around, searching for the owner of the voice who unnecessarily accurately voiced your thoughts. Instead, you heard the snap of a twig and a low growling sound from the area the forest got more dense. You narrowed your eyes, trying to peer through the overgrown wilderness only to meet a pair of menacing red orbs.

Your adrenaline response barely had the time to kick in before ten, no fifteen, wild hounds ran out of their hiding place towards you, making you scream and hide behind Joshua.

The boys laughed as the dogs circled around you and you gripped onto Joshua’s shoulders terrified.

“Stand back lads.” A silver haired man walked over with a golden haired one beside him, both with a bow and quiver strung over their shoulders. The dogs immediately ran over, aligning themselves in an obedient, straight line behind them.

“Hansol, Son of Artemis and Jihoon, Son of Apollo.” Joshua looked at you over his shoulder. “They are in charge of daytime border patrol. There are all sorts of wild animals out here, hence the hounds, for protection.” As you shuddered, Joshua looked around curiously. “The Son of Hades, is in charge of nighttime patrol. He should be somewhere around here…”

Your eyes widened as the water canteen hanging on Jihoon’s belt flew towards you on its own, making you almost claw Joshua’s arm.

“Wonwoo don’t scare her.” Joshua chastised laughing as you literally see a tall, lean man materialize out of thin air, the canteen in his hand and a smirk on his face. “How long have you been here?”

“The whole time.” He mumbled, handing you the water. “Jihoon said you were thirsty.”

“Not for water.” The blonde man whispered in a way only you could hear, looking entertained at how flushed you were. Did he actually read your mind?

Coming out of Joshua’s shadow, you grabbed the canteen before anyone else noticed, thanking Wonwoo with a hard smile. Tilting your head back you drank up, not noticing how all 10 eyes were intently fixed on you and your throat moving with each gulp. They all took a gulp of their own.

As you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, slowly looking around and noticing everyone’s gaze, the ground below began to shake, fazing no one but you.

Jeonghan pulled you out of the way of what seemed like a large mechanical bull charging towards you with an equally large man perched on top of it. A smaller man arrived right behind, riding a….. A leopard???

“You said you would win.” The muscled man slid off the mechanical creature, patting it. “My baby is faster.”

“I said a cheetah would win. My baby is a tiger.”

“It's a leopard.” You corrected, earning everyone's snickers and the not so threatening stare of its owner.

“It’s a big cat with an identity crisis.” Taking your hand in his, placing a soft kiss at the back of it, the muscle man gave you a fanged smile. “I’m Mingyu, Son of Hephaestus.”

The other man raised his hand. “Soonyoung, Son of Dionysis and that-” He turned to yet another one who was running over, looking frazzled.

“Seungkwan, Son of Hera, owner of a peacock that has yet again disappeared.” He bent over, grabbing his waist, panting and out of breath. “I don’t get why she keeps running away.”

“Maybe because you keep calling him a she.” Minghao nonchalantly glanced at his neatly filed nails.

“I can’t-” Seungkwan ran his fingers through his head, annoyed. “It’s confusing okay, who the fuck named him Patricia then?”

Behind you Jeonghan giggled.

“You coagulation of human evil,” Seungkwan threw his shoe, missing the target. “Now she- He won’t respond to any other name!”

The boys roared with laughter as Seungkwan unsuccessfully chased Jeonghan around, hands flailing everywhere.

Seungcheol walked over to you amidst all the mess, shooting you an understanding smile. “Your life has just undergone a major change, I get that it is intimidating but don’t worry. All thirteen of us are here to help you get through this.”

You nodded slowly, looking around at the boys, doing a quick, confirmatory headcount. “So there’s only thirteen of you?”

And why were all of them so gorgeous??

“Yeah, only.” Seungcheol chuckled, “Trust me thirteen is more than enough, I’ve got to run a very tight ship here.”

“I just assumed there would be seventeen people since, you know, Camp Seventeen.”

“The Oracle apparently told Woozi to name us Camp Seventeen.” He shrugged. “Not sure why.”

You hummed, as all of them gradually stopped behaving like toddlers and turned their attention to you.

“Wait,” The realization slowly dawned upon you. Actually, it hit you like a brick. “You’re all men.”

Seungcheol nodded carefully, like he didn’t know where you were going with this.

“Am I….Am I the only girl in the camp?”

Soft mutters went around as Seungcheol cleared his throat. “Yes and I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable but unfortunately, it was not a choice.”

“It’s not common for a girl to be assigned to an all boys camp,” Joshua stepped up. “But I believe since Jeonghan and Wonwoo are working on the lawsuit that landed you here, the authorities of Olympus must have thought it is better for you to be here.”

“But it’s not permanent.” Seungcheol added. “You can choose to change camps after Quest Season if you wish-”

“What is Quest season?”

Jeonghan let out a loud sigh. “You’ve been here for what, ten minutes? Don't overwork your brain. The world of demigods is complex, you’ll learn everything with time.”

“He’s right.” Seokmin leaned against the tree near him. “Why don’t we first move your things to Seungcheol’s cabin? We’ll let you get settled, then Joshua can show you around camp, walk you through the rules and assign a duty-”

“Except.” Soonyoung looked at you from bottom to top, like he was assessing you. “What kind of duty?”

“Exactly.” Mingyu threw his arm around his friend, his expression matching. “Daughter of Hestia, Goddess of Hearth and Home, what would you be good for in this camp?”

Minghao hummed, walking up to you, bending to meet your eyelevel. “Well, what can a woman be good for in a camp of thirteen men?”

A/n - next will be a detailed post about each member, their background and powers so it's less confusing for those who aren't so familiar with Greek mythology and the series will start after that so stay tuned!

[unoriginal-and-dumb]

I am doing things I AM DOING THINGS I AM!

Explanations for designs and some head canons below here :3

Infected - Asian-American Autistic ADHD aroace (😈) trans. Yknow Wybie from Coraline? Yea like that but like incredibly annoying. His voice sounds like it’s coming from a shitty mic all the time

Lampert (design by @lucid-daydreaming-art )- Autistic 🇸🇪 ja aroace (😈) funny lamp guy Robots-esque probably kinda talks like baymax honestly, I mean a bit different but yknow, the general idea

(I talk about these 2 enough it’s the others turns)

Poob - I think they are a dumb little critter. They run around and their arms flail in the wind like paper. When they try to clap is makes dog toy squeaking sounds. I don’t think they abide by the rules of physics which is why they are stupid looking ❤️ they have hammer space but it is only for weed related items. The curator of the forever weed brownie, if you will. I think they sound like X from bfb. Aroace (😈)

Pest - literally hates poob because they are small and annoying. Uhhh funky legs because I think he would have funky legs. I stole his eyes because well no real reason, but I think if he was like extra pissed you would see his eyes. Since he is like thief maxxing I do not think he would be wearing anything beyond a hoodie and sweatpants, something trying to be non-assuming I guess. He has hair I think but it is very short no way would he want to deal with that. I don’t have a voice hc for him yet. Aroace (😈)

Bive - she a freakkkkk ehhh. I think she is like freakishly tall, has funny bird legs, raggedy ass scrawny tail, and is constantly covered in hair. Her teeth are kinda just floating on her hair head, so if you punched her hard enough they would just go flying out and she would have to put them back into her head silly girl. I think she is also trans hahaahhahahahaha!!! I think she kinda sounds like ENA from dream bbq, the uhh angry side I believe. Ace (😈)

Split - I gave her dog ears because I think they are cute :) she’s probably like normal ish height Bive is just weirdly tall. She looks very nice and friendly but could probably throw a boulder at you and you will die sowyyyy. Gods most chillaxxed soldier. She gives me kind older lady feelings, even if she weren’t older. I dunno she would be like one of those people who have a comically large purse full of hard candy except it would all be banana flavored. I think she has a slower voice, HAVENT gotten an exact idea for her voice yet but she seems very calm. Ace (😈)

Pilby - I didn’t really add or change their design because I already liked it a lot. I think they are very sweet and kind looking, would make a great plush too but I guess we are not ready to talk about that (YES I am still bitter about it) I think being around them is akin to looking outside a window at an apple orchard while it’s raining a bit. I think they sound a bit like raggedy Anne, based on the creators response too. Aroace (😈)

Spud! - I honestly did not have much come to me for his design, they are just a bit of a funky feller and im not sure how I would add to it honestly. Oh but I do think that they run like an ostrich and it is very scary. Also while drawing I was debating why he had a bow and decided that Gnarpy was like CONGRATZ IN ZURVIVING THE TEZTZ and now Spud! Just has a stupid little yuor did it ribbon. Honestly no clue for voice hc… aroace (😈)

Gnarpy - had a lot of fun with xis design honestly. The redesign reminded me a lot of Stitch so I kinda just shoved that into xim. I think they act a lot like Zim. Like a lot. Probably equally as stupid. I think xis second arms are retractable, like stitch, and xe uses that as a very very shitty disguise that everyone can see right through but just don’t mention because xe seems to be having a good time. I think xe sounds like Four from BFB (the earlier episodes mostly) aroace (😈)

DRRETRO - I think that her head that we see in the game is like a projection of herself, Wagstaff Don’t Starve style. Her body would be like excruciatingly normal besides her head, too. Like go to the hospital and see a nurse, that’s just what she looks like. Very normal, it’s a bit unnerving since her head is that. She’s like those overly friendly posters in a very uncomfortable place type of feeling. She doesn’t have fur either, she’s just a weird cat doctor thing. She acts exactly like Doctor Barber from Flapjack. No voice hc, but she speaks in meows so probably just meowing. Aroace (😈)

Mark - I started thinking about tf2 and Anton blast. Anyway, he is completely made from wood other than the clothes. Beard is carved in, not sure if I got that across in the drawing though. Uh yea I don’t have much I just really like engineer. He wears flannel and a construction vest just like any good law avoiding construction worker. Definitely does not so legal things on his construction sites but does not give two shits about that and also probably would try to employ Lampert when he was younger for free workers (no im not projecting what are you talking about). How on the nose would it be to say he sounds like engineer because I just drew wooden engineer with a beard. Ace (😈)

Wallter - sorry wallter fans I had no ideas while drawing him. I dunno he’s big and he’s cement, so I kept him blocky. Urrrrr he has a can of grey stuff jingle jingle. He is the cement embodiment of that one tweet that’s like “nothing better than a glass of wine, except for maybe #men. #yep #imgay! He kinda seems like one of those lowkey scary bald gay guys who are nice but are also scary and still bald. He’s bald. No idea on voice maybe concrete sliding on asphalt for 10 hours. Ace (😈)

[p3sephone]

Controlling (Dark! Steve Rogers)

Summary: Steve Rogers is your man and he doesn't like his girl's dress.

Warnings: toxic relationship, manipulation, coercion, misoginy, no dressing freedom. Please if you do not feel comfortable with dark themes, do not read. This character does not belong to me. Minors do NOT read. This character or any character at all doesn not belong to me, but to its own owner and creator.

"Where… where do you think you're going?" You looked at his confused and frowning look, and you on the other hand simply thought that he had forgotten about your outing with your friends. You hadn't seen them in too long. "Don't you remember? I told you that I'm going out to see my friends for a while, love, it's been a long time since I've been with them." a sweet smile and a few words like reminder were more than enough for you, but certainly not for the super soldier in front of you. His frown deepened. "I don't think it's appropriate for you to go out like this, I mean… the dress goes to mid-thigh and the neckline is too exaggerated too. I don't think it's a good idea." your bright smile started to fall slightly, but then you remembered who was in front of you. Steve was an angel compared to the men of your era, but sometimes he had certain ways… certain words to dedicate to you, which truly disgusted you.

But you didn't lose heart, you just believed that after all these years maybe it was normal to still have certain thoughts, in short, maybe he was simply trying to protect you. So you approached him, delaying your exit a little longer, only to stand on your tiptoes and plant a chaste kiss on his lips. "It's a normal dress and it's so hot, plus I'll be careful and if anything happens, which I doubt, you'll be the first to be notified." you were way too confident in believing it would work.

Her frown remained, except his tone became more stoic. His large hands wrapped around your shoulders and brought you back to your seat, inches away from your face. "No, it's not normal, it's too low-cut and revealing. I don't like this dress, nor the idea that someone could watch you for all those hours while you don't even realize how easily your skirt can be hiked up." Now your smile had completely decayed and you tried to walk away, intending to make him boil off in the same anger as him, and then you would return when he calmed down. However, his hands remained firm on your shoulders and his eyes never left yours. You were starting to feel an uneasy reaction and your heart rate increase, and from that little smile of his you thought he had noticed.

“You have two options: stay here and that dress will be taken off you anyway, or you change and you can go out with the safety rules we have established.” You wanted to open your mouth and finally give him a piece of your mind, but like every time you fell back on the second choice with a boulder on your chest. Better than having yet another torn dress to throw away.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Oh my goodness, welcome back! I just recently dives into Tumblr and find one of your posts of RoR and One Piece. Instantly, I got hooked! Can I request? A Sakura Haruno! Reader in joined the Ragnarok as a Human Fighter and shocked everyone with her strength and abilities. If you don't watched Naruto or Boruto, Sakura have superhuman strength by building chakra (or mana) in her fists or feet, she have vast knowledge on medical matters, 100 Healing Mark, a diamond shaped like mark on reader's forehead-which allows herto force a jutsu/technique/skills/spells into a state that can't be broken, as with regeneration, she able to summons slugs which able to heals others and herself... Just that because I think reader might get too overpower if I continues 😂

Anyway, how will the Gods Fighters(all romantic expect Zeus); Thor, Poseidon, Zeus, Odin, Beelzebub and Hades and the Human Fighters (romantic except for Adam); Lu Bu, Sasaki, Adam, Nikola, Raiden, Qin Shi Huang, and Jack, react to a reader so powerful that she can shatters the ground with one punch and have the ability to regenerate?

Hello my darling, I don’t know Naruto, that wasn’t one of the series I grew up with, but I can do this request based on your description of this character. I will do my best to write this for you. I hope you enjoy!

-Unlike the previous fighters for humanity who walked out, you didn’t look like a warrior, you were soft and delicate looking, pretty as well, which gained you quite a bit of attention.

-Brunnhilde didn’t look worried, which was concerning for the human fighters, many who were bandaged and recovering from their own fights (as it wasn’t a fight to the death- no death allowed!) while the gods looked amused, many nursing their own wounds.

-You didn’t look bothered as your opponent, a massive god of earth, came out, looking annoyed that his opponent was a little girl, in his eyes.

-You cracked your knuckles, realizing you were being underestimated again, something you hated, but seeing the shock on the faces of others was something you did enjoy as the god kneeled down, tapping his cheek, “Go ahead sweetheart- I’ll give you the first hit.”

-Brunnhilde sighed almost sadly, holding her cheek, “Oh my- this will be over quickly.” Her words stunned everyone as they all looked back out to the arena as you pulled back and instantly rocked him, sending him flying into the arena wall, causing it to crumple easily.

-Wide eyes and gaping mouths all turned to you as you were brushing your hands off like they were dusty before they went to your hips, a smile on your face.

-HOW WERE YOU SO STRONG?!?!

-The crowd was instantly in an uproar, demanding to know who you were, as many had never heard of you before, while others were laughing, seeing this ‘little girl’ handling business so easily!!

-When your opponent managed to drag himself out, he was furious as you had embarrassed him, holding large boulders from the crumpled wall.

-You moved so gracefully, dodging the thrown boulders, almost like you were dancing with him, but for a big guy, he moves pretty fast, as he managed to get behind you as you dodged and threw his own punch down at you.

-Your arms lifted in an X shape to block, the ground beneath you shattering but you stunned everyone again by remaining on your feet, your calves shaking lightly from the strain before you managed to throw him back.

-The match was very one-sided, with you easily picking up the win, but not before he managed to get a couple of good shots in, however you never looked phased.

-Jaws dropped as you lifted your left hand to your right arm, that he managed to grab and break, and began to heal it with ease- how were you doing this?!

-You emerged the victor and you only had to spend a few minutes in the infirmary, walking out completely fine before you heard running footsteps coming towards you.

-Wanted to know how you did everything in your match, how you were so strong, how you were able to heal yourself, your fighting techniques, and that strange energy that was surrounding you as you fought- he wanted to know everything! When he realized that he came on pretty strong, when you took a step back, he was quick to apologize to you. You could see his curiosity, and you offered him a warm smile, which surprised him before asking him to join you for tea, so the two of you could discuss everything, as you needed a bit of a break.

            -Nikola, Beelzebub, Qin Shi Huang, and Kojiro

-You could tell by his stance that he was looking for a fight, wanting to test himself against you. He had never seen someone so strong before and he wanted to fight you. You greeted him with a warm smile, showing him that you were a nice person, radiating warmth, which didn’t match your earlier actions in your showcase of strength. You confused him a little, as his earlier drive was calming down, seeing that you weren’t a warrior like he was. You could see his disappointment which did make you giggle, as you knew what he wanted before you smiled again, “I need a snack before I fight again. You’re welcome to join me if you want to.” His eyes immediately lit up and was quick to come after you, wanting to know more about that strange healing skill you had, wanting to know how it worked, which you were happy to give.

            -Lu Bu, Thor, Raiden, and Zeus

-Was glad that he caught you, as he wanted to make sure that you were alright, as you were a lady, despite being a warrior and easily winning your match, which you did find heartwarming. He was very kind to you, asking you questions as the two of you walked down the hallway to your own waiting room, where tea and snacks were prepared, as you needed to replenish your energy. He found you to be not only powerful, but very smart as well, as you were able to tell him the answers to his questions in great detail on how your healing skill worked, in a way that he was able to understand it.

            -Adam and Jack

-Was stunned that a mortal was so powerful! When he was watching the fight he felt like he couldn’t believe it, from the first powerful hit to you using your healing abilities, they had no idea something like this existed in humanity! He approached you, wanting to know about the magic you had within you, as humans shouldn’t have magic or skills like you, as you were unnaturally strong. They were stunned to learn your strength came from years of training, honing your skills and your body, turning it into a weapon. When it came to the topic of your magic, you explained what it actually was, the flow of energy within all living creatures, and you harnessed it to speed up your cell regeneration (I tried my best describing this). He was curious, wanting to know more and asked you out for tea, which you smiled warmly at, agreeing. It was only then did he realize he basically asked you out on a date.

-Poseidon, Odin, and Hades

[whatwooshkai]

20 please!!

The weight of the world seems to have settled on the other rescue bot's shoulders.

Something's bothering Heatwave, it's been bothering him every since all four of them met, and now it's bothering everyone, especially Chase. After the Incident, the police bot can't seem to get his mind off whatever it is Heatwave's got eating at him.

And Blades. He's always had this kind of heaviness, but after the Incident, he's just gotten heavier. He's got this far away look in his optics, like he's watching bots that aren't them, and always reliving memories instead of staying in the present moment.

In short, it's depressing. They have their moments, yeah, but the vibe around here is so bad even the humans have started to pick up on it.

What the rescue bots need, Boulder decides, is an intervention.

So they whip up several of everyone's favorite flavor of high grade and gets them all blackout drunk.

Boulder had graciously decided to stay sober to keep an optic on everyone, and that is proving to be a better and better decision by the moment as this is not going well in the slightest.

Well, it's not going badly. This is pretty much the usual for a night like this, actually. But the Burns are reacting badly.

They'd started out playing poker, and now Boulder isn't even sure what the game is, just that they, Chase and Heatwave are absolutely losing.

"Boulder," the Chief hisses through gritted teeth, "it is midnight. What is going on?"

"'M GOIN' ALL IN!" Chase slurs, shoving his meager pile of chips forward. One of his arms is wrapped tight around Heatwave, who started uncontrollably sobbing two bottles in and hasn't stopped since.

Blades has almost every single chip in their set, stacked in high, neat piles that cover a large swatch of table in front of him. He gives Chase an unimpressed glare, then pushes one of the smaller piles forward.

Boulder's basically done playing anyways, so they push their chips towards Chase, who absorbs them into his pile without hesitation.

Blades rolls his optics exaggeratedly. "Don't extend their suffering."

Ignoring him, Boulder leans down to the Chief. "I thought it might help them relax," they admit, tapping his hands against their thighs. "We used to do it in the academy."

The Chief raises an eyebrow. "Is it helping?"

"Tomorrow will tell," Boulder says, patting their thighs again. "Now I'm not so sure."

"What, Heatwave usually doesn't cry this much?"

"No, that's uh, pretty par for the course, actually." Boulder chews on their lip. "They're just not talking like I thought they would."

Both Boulder and the Chief look to the other Burns kids, still on the lift, watching the scene with a mix of abject horror and fascination.

"What, lots of deep and in depth conversations going on usually?" Kade pipes up. "'Oh, guys,'" he poorly imitates Heatwave, "'even though I'm a total jackass and insufferable to be around, I love you guys, I really do-"

"Not so much like that," Boulder mutters, tuning him out. "It's less of a tangible thing, for lack of a better work. Field talk, kind of. Everything's so muddled right now it's like they're speaking in a different- oh."

Boulder blinks as realization hits them. Of course they can't understand any of the talking that's happening, they're not drunk.

Reaching for a bottle, some of the tension leaves their frame. "I'm just not drunk enough to listen," they hum, about to throw it back, when the Chief places his hands on their calf.

"Stay sober, please?" he asks. "I'd rather at least one of my rescue bots not be inebriated if something happens."

An uncharacteristic beat of anger flashes through Boulder, and it's enough to cause the other three to look over in surprise. Your rescue bots? they want to demand. They're my rescue bots, as I am theirs. These are things I may never hear if I don't hear them now. I can't stay in the dark forever. If they need me I need to be able to know what to do-

They put down the bottle. "You're right," Boulder says, offering a smile that doesn't quite reach their optics. "Someone has to be responsible here."

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

Even that night, with the other three pressed so close Boulder can feel their fields in their frame, Boulder can't understand it.

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

The next morning, Blades is looking at Heatwave strangely, and Chase is brimming with frustration. And Boulder doesn't understand.

Somehow, they think they've made it all worse.

[jellybear455]

Tsu'tey x reader

So this is part 2 of this request. Let me know if you guys want a part 3 xx

Warnings: angst ig

Word count: 2800

Italics is Na'vi

--

The cliffside cracks and crumbles underneath my foot, and I nearly follow it down. Tsu’tey throws an arm across my chest, pushing me back against the rocky wall. My face burns, partly in embarrassment, partly because his chest was pressed firmly into my shoulder.

“Keep walking.” He grumbles, withdrawing himself quickly.

Tsu’tey had been my mentor for the last half a year, training and teaching me. Today was my first step in becoming one of the Na’vi- claiming an ikran. I inched further across the small ledge, keeping my eyes on Jake in front of me and willing for the heat in my face to subside.

Tsu’tey never once showed any emotion other than annoyance to me, and yet I had fallen for him. Hard. Are Na’vi even supposed to fall in love? Do they love? Or do they feel other things instead? I did not know, and there was no body I could ask without giving away my little crush.

And besides, Tsu’tey was promised to Neytiri, I told myself. He could not be with me even if he wanted to. But I saw the little looks that the Na’vi princess sent Jake when he wasn’t looking. And I saw how Jake was killing his human body just to spend a few extra hours with her. Not unlike me.

Neytiri would just break Tsu’tey’s heart eventually.

Finally, I stepped off the tiny ledge and onto a bigger slab of rock. I breathed a sigh of relief, only to seize up again at the sight of dozens and dozens of ikran. Tsu’tey’s hand pressed into my back gently, strong and familiar, guiding me away from the entrance so the others could follow.

“Who wants to go first?” Neytiri asked, settling down on a large boulder to watch, eyes gleaming in interest.

Jake hesitated, eyes darting back and forth between Neytiri and the banshee, before opening his mouth to speak.

“I will go,” I blurted before he could say anything. Jake’s shoulders slacked in annoyance and Tsu’tey squinted slightly in surprise. Did he think I was brave? Or just stupid?

I turned my back to him before I could second guess myself and stepped shakily toward the ikran. A few glared at me curiously, making my heart leap, but they mostly ignored me. I had nearly made a complete loop of the nest, and back to Tsu’tey despairingly, hoping he could offer some kind of advice, but his eyes were not on me. Turning around, I searched for what had taken his attention, only to come face to face with an ikran.

It was a purple that was so dark it was nearly black, and red lines traced the muscles of its back and wings. It was the smallest of the group, but the intimidating look in it’s eyes made up for it. It opened its jaws, letting out a piercing hiss. Rocking back on my heels, I steeled myself, before lowering my body into the fighting position Tsu’tey had taught me. I swallowed quietly, before hissing back in a way I hoped was frightening. The noise came out of my throat easily, which, surprised me.

The surprise was quickly drowned in the relief that came with the next realisation. This ikran wanted to kill me, and I was ridiculously happy about it.

The ikran launching itself at me, and I ducked quickly, detaching the rope from my make-shift belt. I threw the loop upward as I slid beneath the belly of the beast, snagging the tip of it’s nose. It reared its head, roaring, and dragging me out from underneath it. I flew into the air, followed by the rope, which I still gripped in my hand tightly.

I landed hard at Tsu’tey’s feet. Pushing myself up, I met his eyes for a moment. I could see something in them, a kind of fear that I had never seen him wear before. Before I could figure out what it meant, the ikran roared again, and I ran back into action.

Throwing myself up into Neytiri’s rock, I flew through the air and onto the neck of the ikran. It thrashed wildly, but I held on. It reared it’s head, and I flung myself around, slipping the rope around its neck and holding on tightly. I reached out, feeling it’s queue just slip out of my reach. With a final screech, the ikran rolled right off the edge of the cliff.

We were free falling. I screamed with fear and determination.

My fingers finally grasped it’s queue, and I gasped in relief. The ground was becoming dangerously close. Panic began to set in. I would have to let go of the rope to grab my own queue.

Hooking my feet together underneath it’s neck, I squeezed tightly, bracing myself. I sucked in a breath and let go.

When our queues finally connected, we didn’t stop falling. My hands gripped at the rope tightly and frantically.

STOP! I thought, squeezing my eyes shut. Surprisingly, the ikran jolted to a halt. I opened one eye slowly.

The ikran’s wings beat gently, and we rose a little with each flap. “Well, damn…” I whispered.

Cautiously, I let go of the rope with one hand and stroked her neck. Her? As soon as it appeared it my head, it felt right. We landed on the forest floor, and I dismounted.

Without disconnecting our queues, I walked around to stand in front of her. “What’s your name, gorgeous?”

I ran my fingers under her chin, and her tail flicked madly. I grinned. She reminded me of a puppy. A name barged to the front of my mind.

“Hey, Lady,” Her tail thumped the ground harder. “You like that, my Lady?”

A shout rang out from the top of the mountain, reminding me what I was here for. Quickly, I pulled the rope off Lady’s neck and putt it back on my belt. Leaving a last pat on her nose, I swung my leg back over her neck and we took off into the sky.

We flew almost vertically up the cliff face, soaring past the others, then circling down the land in front of them. I couldn’t help the massive grin that had planted itself on my lips.

Jake was smiling too and shaking his head slightly in disbelief. Neytiri watched with her usual air of uninterest, but I could see the glint of relief in her eyes.

Tsu’tey’s eyes were bright with pride, and he called his own ikran. “Come, first flight seals the bond.”

Lady took off again, Tsu’tey following behind on his Ikran. I laughed as we rushed through the air. We flew loops and flips and circles. Tsu’tey watched from above, but I did not miss how his lips curled up in a small smile.

--

It is done. I am one of the people. The ceremony finished hours ago, and yet I am alone, sulking deep in the forest. Cupping my hands, I dip them in the river, splashing water onto my face. The paint that Tsu’tey spent so long decorating me with is ruined.

He sat with me all morning, his fingers running cross my skin. The paint was ceremonial, I know, but the way Tsu’tey touched me felt so intimate and personal. And now he wouldn’t even look at me.

The reminder felt like a stone had been dropped in my stomach. My eyes burned with tears. Were all the months we spent together for nothing? Was I a chore to him? I stared at my reflection in the water. The paint was gone.

Lady huffed from behind me and nudged my back gently.

“I know, I’m being stupid.” I sighed, wiping my face, and rising from the stream. “Why would I even think he felt anything for me? I’m not even a real Na’vi.”

A grumble sounded from a clump of bush. I sighed, running my hand down my Ikran’s nose. “Go, my Lady. I will see you later.” She took off and disappeared into the sky. “I know you’re there, Tsu’tey.”

The bane of my existence stepped out from a clump of bushes, hissing in annoyance. “What are you doing out here?”

“What am I doing? What are you doing Tsu’tey? You haven’t said a word to me since the ceremony and now you’re stalking me.” I growled back, folding my arms tightly across my chest.

Tsu’tey stepped closer, his eyes scanning my face. “You have washed off the paint.”

“Answer the question, godammit.”

“You looked beautiful.”

“Answer me- what?” My brain came to a hard stop. “What did you just say?”

Tsu’tey shrugs nonchalantly. “You heard me.”

“I- Are you serious?” I cry out, turning my back and taking a breath. “You ignore me, avoid me, then compliment me? Make up your mind.”

“I was not avoiding you…” Tsu’tey begins. I send him a dirty look over my shoulder. “I swear I was not. It is just… You are one of the people. I am simply giving you space to adjust.”

“Tsu’tey, I don’t need to ‘adjust’. I’ve spent the last six months with you. You have taught me everything I know. I don’t want that to just stop like that was nothing. I guess a little part of my believed you felt something for me, but even if this is just a job to you, it is everything to me. If there is one thing I need it’s you.”

The silence was deafening. I pressed a hand to my mouth as though it would take back what I had said. My only hope what that the sudden switch back to English would be enough. Tsu’tey stepped closer, but I kept my eyes glued to the ground. I would not look at him. I would not.

“I promise that I am not avoiding you, yawne.” Tsu’tey gently places his fingers under my chin, guiding me to look at him. He uses the same tenderness that he had that morning, and I forgot to resist. “But… you are eligible to choose a mate. I do not want to hinder your decision. It is better this way, because when it comes time, you will not need me anymore.”

The English was foreign on his lips, but the message was clear. He understood. My neck ached from tension as I tried to look away, but Tsu’tey held my face in both hands now.

“You must understand.”

“No,” I want to go home, back to Earth, anywhere that is not here, but the words spill from my tongue. “No, you do not get to decide that I cannot see you. It is not better this way. And besides, I have already chosen my mate.”

“Oh,” Tsu’tey visibly droops, hand his hands leave my face. I catch them before he can walk away.

“I chose him because he is brave and strong and he was the best teacher I could ever have been given.” We are impossibly close. I can feel his breath tickle against my lips. “I chose him a long time ago. I’m just waiting for him to choose me.”

Tsu’tey exhaled slowly, and his hand touches my face again. “You are certain it is him you want?”

“So certain. I see you, Tsu’tey. It is you I need. I do not want anyone else.”

“I see you, yawne.” Tsu’tey whispers back. His eyes bore into mine for a moment more, before he presses his lips to mine. “I am yours.”

--

The pod whirrs around me as it opens. I keep my eyes closes tight, but I know Grace is standing there, staring at me.

“Put me back in.” I tell her.

“No. You need to eat.”

I open one eye to see Grace holding out a bag of dehydrated fruit. “I want to go back.”

“Eat.”

I grab the bag, making for to let out a noise of annoyance. The desperation to return to my Na’vi body burns in me as I shove food in my mouth, hands shaking. My skin is pale and dry, and I can feel the grease in my hair. Somehow, I do not care. I want to go back. Back to my Tsu’tey. My mate. Warmth tickles my stomach. I eat faster.

“Can I go now?” I ask, mouth full.

An empty laugh echoes from the pod beside me. I look around for the first time. Jake is awake, too. In his hands is a bag similar to mine. He looks horrible. But then, so do I. “Congratulations, by the way. I didn’t see you after the ceremony.”

“Thanks. You too.” I reply. He smiles, and I see Tom.

“Look what you are doing to yourselves.” Grace says. Her eyes are sad and her voice shakes. “If you keep going this way, you’ll die.”

The realisation should stir something in me, but it does not. I will die if I am not with Tsu’tey. That is worse. “Put me back.”

Grace sighs. I lie down and the pod closes on me.

--

Tsu’tey’s steady breathing is calming. I can feel his heartbeat from where my head lies on his chest. His hand is threaded through the hair at the base of my head. I could stay like this forever.

An ear-splitting screech shatters the peace. Lady drops from the sky, and Tsu’tey jolts awake. His own ikran is close behind. We exchange a look, before separating to mount our ikrans. I connect my queue to Lady’s, and I am reminded of how Tsu’tey joined his queue with mine. The lack of connection is almost weakening. I am missing something I did not know I should have.

We soar over the forest towards the hometree. I keep one eye glued to Tsu’tey beside me. He gasps, and I follow his line of sight. Dread creeps over me. Huge, yellow machines, flanked by armed humans, are destroying the forest. Tsu’tey groans in pain.

Quickly, I drop from the sky and down into the trees. I yell for Tsu’tey to follow. He is furious. I can feel the angry radiating from his skin like hot coals in a fire.

Soon, we have landed, and Tsu’tey grabs his weapon in one hand, and my arm in the other. He pulls me through the crowd of shouting Na’vi. The Olo'eyktan spots him, gesturing him forward.

Tsu’tey lets go of my arm. His eyes are stony. “Stay here.”

“Tsu’tey-“

“Yawne. Stay.”

I watch as my mate rushes to the front of the crowd. The Olo'eyktan shouts over the noise. “Tsu’tey will lead the war party!”

No. There cannot be a war. If there is a war, the Na’vi will lose. They will all die. Tsu’tey raises his weapon, and the crowd cheers. I can see Grace desperately trying to make herself heard. I raise my voice.

“Stop! You must be calm.” The cheers turn to confusion. Tsu’tey sends me a look of surprise.

“This will make it worse.” Grace pleads to the Olo'eyktan.

“You do not speak here.” Tsu’tey snaps, tearing his eyes from me. My shoulders drop in disappointment. “We will strike them in the heart.”

A hand lands on my shoulder, and I spin around to see Jake. His hand is intwined with Neytiri’s. My jaw drops.

“Tsu’tey! Don’t do this.” He calls.

Olo'eyktan storms forward and points his weapon at Jake’s chest. Neytiri cries out in protest. “You have mated with my daughter.”

“Is this true?” Mo’at hissed.

Neytiri stood tall. She is brave, and I am grateful that Tsu’tey has not broken her heart by being with me. “We are mated before Eywa. It is done.”

A sigh of relief, then Tsu’tey’s hand on my waist.

“You are promised to Tsu’tey. How could you do this?” Mo’at growled. I could see Neytiri’s lips twitch slightly as she glanced over at us. The Na’vi gasp. Grace swears.

“We have welcomed you into our home,” The Olo'eyktan’s voice is dangerously low, and he stalks towards Jake. “Taught you our ways, and this is how you repay our kindness? Not only have you taken my daughter, but you have brought the enemy to us!”

“No! I am not your enemy. The enemy is out there, and they are very powerful.” Jake shouts over the noise, tossing his weapon down.

“Tsu’tey,” I plead, “You have to believe me, I had nothing to do with this, I didn’t know-”

“Calm, yawne. I know.” His voice is soothing, and his eyes meet mine. My stomach flutters a little.

“Thank you.”

He nods, before pulling me behind him and turning his attention back to the furious Olo'eyktan. I tear my eyes off him just in time to see Jake’s eyes roll back in his head. He drops to the floor. Tsu’tey isn’t quick enough to catch me before I follow.

--

@qu33n0fth3n3rds @thesheelfsworld @misscaller06 @bee814

[dullgecko]

Also to go with your fic I’m just picturing the surrounding goblins going about their business, when all off a sudden the sweet half orc launches Tiktik 30 feet up a cliff.

Like what would be going through their minds, before just shrugging and carrying on with the days task cause, yeah, that’s definitely weird but Tiktik seemed to be ok with it and is already scaling the cliff…. Wait how does she plan on getting down, do they need to have a rope and net ready or something? ha ha xx

The hunters needed to ask the group of tall-men a question. Hunting in the area had been hard lately due to the wyverns scaring away most of their prey. Apparently this strange little horde had been out killing them, which was appreciated, but had left the carcass behind while searching for somewhere to recover. The hunters wanted permission to recover it. It would be a waste of meat to just leave it to rot but they weren't about to /steal/ their guests kill. The only problem was, the only goblin among this group of tall-men had hidden himself half-way up the cavern wall HOURS ago and hadn't come down yet.

Tiktik had been the one to volunteer to try and get to him, but the solution to getting up the wall would have to be a novel one. They didnt climb all that much and the height Riz had scrambled to like it was nothing was ridiculous. Sure they could climb a bit, and slowing their decent down cliff faces was easy enough, but going UP forty feet would be exhausting and dangerous. This was how she found herself standing among the group of just-waking tall-men, trying to get the attention of their strongest looking male.

The half-orc had crouched down to her level when Tiktik touched his leg to get his attention. He still had a whole head on her but the gesture was at least appreciated, it was surprising how /nice/ these tall-men were but she supposed Riz had taught them manners by force. He was even tilting his head to the side in what she supposed was his estimation of a questioning pose, it was hard to tell without ears, but he certainly managed to elaborate with a surprisingly well pronounced if not heavily accented /What?/ in goblin. That was probably a word this group heard constantly from Riz, if the cliffside horde twang to the word was anything to go by.

//Greetings// Tiktik gave a small wave, having to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing when Gorgug tried to repeat the word back to her and butchered the pronounciation into a swear word. Okay, he definitly didnt understand a WORD she was saying. How was this going to work. She thought for a moment, tail flicking from side to side behind her, before she settled on an idea.

//I need you.// She gestured slowly, pointing at herself then at the half orc, then at herself again before miming a throwing action towards the wall //To throw me. Up there. Please.//

The half-orc gave her a very confused look, eyes darting backwards and forwards as he looked like he was trying to process something before he stood back up to his full height. Taking a few steps away, he bent down and hefted a boulder that was nearly as large as she was while giving her a quizical look.

//Nono not the rock. ME. Throw ME.// She gestured again, looking over when one of the tallmen females laughed at the spectacle and said something to the half-orc in common. He at least put the rock down, saying something back to the female as he head over to their things and started lifting bags slowly. "asterk tewala non *Riz* tel aplak" She heard him say to the female, the teifling laughing and biting her knuckle to stop herself from saying something.

Tiktik hadnt understood most of what Gorgug said, but she'd caught the word Riz in there so he was probably looking for their translator. The only problem was their translator was who she was TRYING to get to and the little shit had fled to a ledge forty feet up the wall hours ago. She was honestly wondering if he was still up there or not.

Tiktik settled for pointing emphatically at the half-hidden ledge, tail flicking behind her in amusement. //Riz. Up there. You THROW me up there?//

The tall-man female said something again, the half-orc making a noise of understanding finally as he put down their bags. Heading back over to Tiktik as he crouched down and offered his hand to her.

Good, okay, he seemed to get it. Tiktik clambered onto his palm and crouched, holding his shoulder to keep her balance as he stood up again and wandered over closer to the wall. The half-orc pantomiming throwing her at the ledge in the wall with another quizical look which she nodded at enthusiastically.

Gorgug just shrugged, rearing his arm back with its goblin passenger before suddenly LAUNCHING her at the wall. Tiktik cackling with glee as she thumped against the rock and dug her claws in to stay put. His aim had been good, this was close enough to climb the rest of the way and Riz was still up there. She could see his gold eyes, wide and confused, peeking at her over the edge.

[fruitsoxs]

Soxs, your writing rocks. May I have just some good ol’ fashion fluff with Vash. Just want the boy to know he’s worth it.

is this fluff??

5 Times you Kiss Him, and One Time he Kisses You

pairing; vash x (GN) reader warning; dressing wounds, pure fluff I think, church at the end notes; i needed some fluff aha

1) Kissing his wound

“Stop moving.” You chastise as you wrap a bandage around his arm slowly. He lets out a small whine and tries his best to freeze, but within moments he is wiggling again. You sigh and lean back looking up at him. “I can’t do this if you keep wiggling around like that Vash.” You tell him, pressing a firm hand on his shoulder to still the anxious man.

He had gotten a bit hurt during the latest shoot out, and of course had tried to hide it. You’re not sure you would have ever found out if you hadn’t walked in on him trying to clean his own wound. At first, your eyes were drawn to the scars that lined his bare abdomen. You had never seen him without his shirt on before, so this was a new sight. But, your gaze narrowed on the wound dripping blood down his arm.  When he noticed you there he froze, a guilty smile on his face. 

You of course had to sit down and help.

He pouts and nods. “It just…it’s not a big deal. I can do this myself, you know!” He tells you for the third time that night. You roll your eyes and shake your head. “Vash I saw you struggling to clean it on your own- I’m not gonna let you do a bad job and get infected.” You shush him, getting back to work. Your hands wrap the bandage around his upper arm, careful not to hurt him.

He watches you with a small frown. “I’m okay.” he says after a moment of silence. “Really.” He tries to assure you. You huff and tilt your head to look up at him. “How many times have you gotten hurt and hid it like this?” You ask, ignoring his reassurance. He looks down at you with that same guilty look, then away as if he can’t handle what he’s about to say. “A few times.”

You push down the anger that bubbles up inside of you and finish wrapping up his arm. He goes to pull away, but you stop him. You gently pull him closer and place a small peck right above the place you wrapped. His eyes widen, and his face flushed red. 

“Stop doing that. Okay? I know you’re okay, but I want to help. You matter to me Vash.”. 

2) On his hand

Your fingers trail down the cool metal of his arm, circling the robotic limb as you sit there next to the fire. Vash hums happily and flexes his fingers. His arm rests so comfortably on your lap as you use it to soothe yourself. 

It had been a weirdly stressful day. You had been run out of one town, then the next as you two searched for a place to stay. Finding no luck, you were forced to set up camp behind a random large boulder. Vash is pretty use to sleeping under the stars, but he wanted to get you somewhere nice to sleep for once. It seems luck wasn’t on his side though.

You were stressed after being chased around all day. Running from one spot to the next,  worries that Vash may end up getting captured again. It felt like the bounty hunters were specifically ruthless that day, throwing everything they had at the two of you. Somehow, both of you made it out just fine.

Once the two of you were settled, you had grabbed his arm without a word and started tracing the patterns in it. He allowed you, not even tensing up at the touch. He has gotten use to you needing small things like this to calm your nerves. You often take a hold of his hands, metal and non-metal- to just hold when things get rough. He’s okay with it. He enjoys it. It calms him down too.

You trace your finger down to his own, and lift his hand up. Curiously, you press the metal against your lips and kiss it softly. He looks over at you, and tilts his head. “What are you doing?” he asks, but makes no movement to pull away. You shrug and drop his hand back into your lap. “Just…looking.”

You’re not sure if he felt it  or not, but you figure he won’t bring up the kiss unless you do. 

3) The top of his head

He’s upset.

You know he’s upset, but he won’t cry. He never cries

After stopping for a second in a random small town, Vash once again was spotted by the wrong sorts of people. They started shooting right away, bullets hitting the wall behind you two. It was a tiresome battle, one that was only won thanks to Vash’s insane skill at diffusing situations non-violently. Sadly… there were a few casualties of innocent by-standers. 

He left the village as a woman screamed at him for causing her husband’s death. You have never seen him look so down before, with his usual bright eyes so dim the light looked gone completely. When you tried to talk to him, he just shook you off saying that you must continue going. 

Now, at a random inn, you can see him still up. Staring out the window into the night sky. His silhouette against the stars. You sit up and call out his name, but he doesn’t move. He doesn’t even turn to look at you. You get up out of the bed and slink over to him, putting a hand on his back. He pulls away from your touch silently.

“It’s not your fault.” you whisper watching his shoulders shake. He lets out a choked “Yes it was.” You frown and pull him into your chest, hugging him tightly. He tenses up, but soon lets himself relax into the hug. He wraps his arms around your waist from his sitting position, and shoves his face into you. You comb your hand through his messy hair and whisper comforting words down at him. 

“It’s not your fault.” you repeat over and over again until he’s forced to believe you. You don’t explain your reasoning, you just comfort him with those four words. He finally lets himself cry a bit, clutching onto you. 

When his body stops shaking, you lean down and press your lips to his head.  

4) His scars

Your lips trail down his jaw, ghosting down to his bare chest. He sucks in a breath and tries to pull you back up to face him. He doesn’t like when you go too far down, uncomfortable with how close you are to the bits of his body that he has deemed “ugly.” You stay firm though, glancing up at him softly.

“Vash. I think you’re beautiful.” you whisper, causing him to turn red. He doesn’t try to pull you away , but you can see that he’s uncomfortable. You don’t want to push him, but you also know it’s time for you to show him what you mean. “All of you is beautiful. Every inch.” You keep going.

You lean forward and press your lips against the scar on his  right shoulder softly.”This part of you.” you mumble before trailing down to the one on his chest that’s p[articularly bad. You wonder how he got it every time you see it. He stifles a breath. “And this part.” you murmur. Your lips ghost over every inch of his body, kissing every scar you can.

Each one you kiss you make sure to say “this part.” after, letting him know that you think every inch of him is perfect. You think his scars are what make him, well, him. Ans you truly do love him, even if you haven’t said it out loud yet. 

In the end he pulls you face up so you’re face to face. He smiles as he runs a hand through your hair, leaning forward so your forehead rests against his. He doesn’t say anything, but you know he appreciates you, and you hope he’s more comfortable with you in the future. 

5) His lips

With His forehead resting against yours you can’t help but say it. Suddenly. “I love you.” you mumble. His eyes go wide and he leans back to look at you. His hand slides down to your cheek and his mouth hangs open. “You…love me?” He asks. He looks shocked, but you can see in his eyes that he feels the same way. There's just something about him that makes his emotions so easy for you to read. 

You giggle and nod. You just kissed almost every inch of his body to show that you think he’s beautiful, and he’s asking you if you’re telling the truth? You lean forward and press your lips against his before pulling away with a nod. “I love you more than anything, Vash. More than the stars even.” You tell him before kissing him again. 

This time the kiss lasts much longer, as your lips move against each other’s with a new passion. You’ve kissed many times before, but never like this. Never so…lovingly. He rolls the two of you over, and lays above you as the kiss continues. His hand somehow makes it to the back of your head as he holds you in place. Once the kiss breaks, and you’re both panting, he smiles down at you.

“I love you too.”

Bonus, he kisses you

Your hands rest in his as he mumbles a vow in your ear. It’s just the two of you in some run down church, abandoned in the middle of an empty town. The place has been eroded away by time,  but it somehow still stands. The pews line up, leading to the two of you in front of the altar. Nobody else is there to witness the words you exchange, but it’s all right because nobody else matters.

The wind howls against the shattered windows as he speaks. His words travel down to your heart, and make your chest tighten. 

“I love you. Forever and always. I promise I will never leave your side.” he whispers to you, pulling you closer and closer. You smile at him through your tears and nod as he looks down at you with all the love he can muster. You repeat the words back, and suddenly he’s leaning down, pressing his lips against yours. Your tears mix with his as the two of you kiss. It’s not traditional in any sense, but you’re happy with it. He’s happy with it.

And in the next town you get to, he makes sure to buy you both gold bands.

[porchlightfairy]

Meet Me at Skull Rock

Pairing: Steddie x reader

Word count: 2k+

Summary: You and Steve are out of weed so you meet with Eddie to get some. However, he’s running late and Steve is horny.

Content: blowjobs, smut, eddie bribing for a blowjob (I am really bad at this)

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

It was the weekend and Steve’s parents were out of town. Which meant you could smoke at his house without the worry of getting caught. By the time they would return the smell would be gone and they would not be suspicious about it at all.

However, Steve was out of weed. This meant that you needed to buy some and the only person you knew to buy from was Eddie Munson from high school. Steve usually got his weed from out of town but with both of you low on cash combined Eddie was the way to go.

You knew he had a little crush on you and would sell it to you cheap. So you worked your charm and asked him to meet you at Skull Rock to make the exchange. Steve didn’t like the idea of you going alone so he drove there and held your hand the entire way. You two got there first.

“You would think somebody desperate for business would be a little courteous of his customers,” Steve mutters.

You elbow him in the side, “Maybe he’s getting the stuff now. You don’t know what he’s doing.”

“Oh right, it is a weekday, he must be just getting out of school,” He says with a sarcastic tone.

“Knock it off, Steve.” You roll your eyes and lean your shoulder against the large boulder.

Steve looks around for a moment, “Remember when I took you here for the first time.” He leans against you and whispers in your ear. 

You giggle, his breath tickles your ear, “Yeah, you wanted to show me something cool. Come to find out that thing was your tongue.” 

Steve laughs and turns you around by your waist, “Well you liked it enough to stay around, didn’t you?”

You try to suppress your smile but Steve looks down at you with a smirk on his face. You kiss him gingerly and hold the sides of his face. He moans into the kiss and grabs your belt loops holding you close to him. You almost get lost in the steamy make-out before you realize where you are. “Mm, Steve, we shouldn’t be doing this right now.” You separate from the kiss.

Steve whines and kisses down your neck. “He’s not here yet. It’ll take him a few minutes to get here.”

“And a few minutes is enough time?” You cock an eyebrow.

Steve pauses and looks to the side, “Enough until after we score?”

“Sure.” You slip out of his grasp and walk around the rock, “He’ll be here soon. You think you can keep it together until then?”

He comes up behind you and nuzzles against your shoulder, “I’ll try my best but I don’t know.” He kisses your cheek, “You might need to take care of me.” You feel him press against your backside. The bulge in his pants rests against your butt. You roll your eyes playfully as you rock side to side waiting for Eddie.

A few more minutes passed and Steve was getting restless. You sit underneath the rock as Steve stands against it checking his watch. “Fucking bastard,” He mumbles. 

You swat his leg, “Stop it. He’s coming.”

“Oh yeah, how do we know that? He could be halfway to Timbuktu.” Steve kicks up some dirt.

“You know what I think?” You stand up, pull Steve under the boulder, and pin him against the wall, “I think you’re just pent up. Is that it?” You slide down on your knees and look up at him, “Is that what you want?”

He licks his lips, “Mhm.” You unbuckle his belt, then unbutton his pants. He hisses as the cool air tickles his thighs when you pull down his pants. You trace your hand over his dick print, “C’mon babe~ I can’t wait any longer.”

“Always so impatient.” You proceed to pull out his cock and slide your tongue on the underside to the slit in the head. Steve moans out and juts his hips. You proceed to press the head of his cock against your lips before pushing it further past. He throws his head back as he feels your wet mouth. He grips the rock behind him to hold himself steady. He moans and whimpers as he thrusts into your mouth gently.

He doesn’t force his cock down your throat. Steve was gentle, he just couldn’t help that he was feeling so good. He licks his lips, “Fuck babe, god~” You look up at him and hum around his cock. With what you couldn’t fit in your mouth your hand moved up and down, collecting your saliva and spreading it up and down his shaft.

He groans and rests his hands on the top of his head. You pick up your speed as you taste the precum on your tongue. Steve’s breath hitches, “Shit~ I’m gonna cum.” He puts his hands on the back of your head as he thrusts into you. Your jaw goes slack and you look up at him. His eyes are squeezed tight and his face contorts as he grows closer to his orgasm. You wait for a moment before you catch something moving in your peripheral.

Your eyes shift and you catch Eddie standing in the open, staring at you. You choke and pull off of Steve, coughing. He whimpers at the loss and then looks at you. He follows your line of sight and finally notices Eddie as well. “Jesus Christ man!” He faces away from him and quickly puts himself away, pulling up his pants, “What were you doing just standing there, pervert.” 

“I just got here! Sorry, you couldn’t keep it in your pants, literally.” Eddie straightens out his jacket.

You stand up and wipe your mouth. Your face feels like it's on fire. “Sorry, you had to see that…” You clear your throat, “You have the stuff?” Steve stands next to you, his face red with embarrassment.

“That I do.” He bites his lip, “However, I’ve got a new deal for you.”

Your eyes widen at the statement, “Oh? And what is that?”

“First, was it good?” He asks, looking directly at Steve.

“What?!” Steve looks at him offended, “Why the hell are you asking that?”

“I just want to know. You did look like you were enjoying yourself.”

“You are such a fucking freak, you know that.” Steve sneers, “Yeah it was. Happy now? Now, what’s the new deal?”

Eddie licks his lips and looks over at you, “I could give it to you for free if you give me what you gave him.”

“What?! No way! Absolutely not! We’re done here.” Steve grabs your hand but you don’t move.

“That’s it?” You ask.

“That’s it?!” Steve stares at you in shock, “Is that really what you want to say right now?”

“That’s all I want.” Eddie says, “Steve’s face really sold it. Especially when you stopped.” 

Steve’s face got red again. You squeeze his hand and turn him to face you, “Hey, listen, this sounds like a good deal to me. I should do it, right?”

“Are you being serious right now? Or are you so horny you can’t think straight?” He frowns, “I can’t believe you're thinking about doing this.”

“Steve, it’s just a blowjob. I do it, we get to smoke, and you can fuck me later. Unless you think Eddie will have tainted me and I am no good anymore.” You let go of his hand.

He snatches it back quickly, “You wouldn’t be… I wouldn’t think that.” He leans down and kisses you, pressing his lips hard against yours, “Do what you want.” He steps away, “Go fucking crazy, I guess.”

Eddie claps his hands together, “Fantastic.” He steps under the rock and leans against the wall.

You proceed to unbuckle his pants and pull them down with his underwear. You spit into your hand before grabbing hold of his cock. He moans as you move your hand up and down. You twirl your tongue around the head and over the slit. “Oh, shit~” His cock jumps at the sensation. 

Slowly, you put the head in your mouth and sink lower and lower. Eddie’s dick was girthier than Steve’s. With your mouth full, there were still some inches left. Eddie doesn’t seem to mind, he gently thrusts into your mouth. You pull off taking in a breath before hollowing your cheeks and letting him face fuck you.

He grabs the back of your head and thrusts deeper into your mouth. You feel the tip hit the back of your throat once and you place your hand on his stomach to slow him down. “Try not to kill her, jeez.” Steve folds his arms. 

“Don’t need a backseat blowjob right now.” Eddie chimes back. He then looks down at you, “Sorry about that. You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting this.”

You could think about how long it’s been. He was a sophomore when you were a freshman. You shared a class together and he would not leave you alone. He would shamelessly flirt with you and ask you out. However, you would decline as Steve was the boy you had your sights on. Eddie backed off after you got together but it didn’t deter him from being the way he was around you.

You pull off his cock but stop at the tip, sucking gently. He cries out and thrusts with the rhythm of your sucking. “No wonder you looked like you were in bliss, Steve. She’s taking me to heaven.”

You look over at Steve to see him tapping his finger on his crossed arm. He was starting to get into his head. You pull off of Eddie’s cock, “Steve, let me finish you off.” He snaps out of his thoughts and looks at you. You beckon him over, “C’mere.”

He obeys and approaches you and Eddie under the rock. You yank him by the belt and undress his lower half. You put his cock in your mouth and with a free hand, you pump Eddie’s cock. 

“Didn’t think you’d be in a situation like this, hm?” Eddie moans, “Getting fucked with the freak.” 

Steve’s not listening. You are sucking him off and bringing him back to the edge where he was minutes ago. He moans out and you feel Eddie’s cock jump at the sound. You hum around Steve before pulling off and switching to Eddie’s cock.

Eddie’s knees buckled, “Oh shit~ mmph~!” He grabs Steve’s shoulder to keep himself upright. Steve doesn’t object feeling himself getting closer and closer. You remove Eddie’s cock from your mouth, “Move.”

They obeyed and moved so they were on either side of you. You spit in your left hand and begin to jerk them both off. You open your mouth nice and wide then stick out your tongue. With such a lewd face they couldn’t resist. They cum at the same time, pouring their cum into your mouth. You swallow and stand up dusting the dirt off your jeans. 

After the boys pull up their pants, you walk over to Steve and kiss him gently. He holds the sides of your face until you pull apart. You then look at Eddie, “C’mere.” He looks taken aback before stepping forward, “It’s aftercare, for what we can get right now.” You grab his face and kiss him gently.

When you separate he leans in for more but stops himself, “Sorry.” He clears his throat and goes through his jacket and holds out a bag. “The weed. A deal’s a deal.”

You take the bag from him, “Thank you. Guess we’ll see you around.” Steve slings his arm over your shoulder, “Bye Eddie.”

“Bye.” Eddie waves as you leave. That was the hottest thing he ever experienced. He’s upset he didn’t take more advantage of it. Maybe next time, he could slide into your pussy, and as he fucks you, your sucking Steve’s cock. He licks his lips at the thought then wanders off to his van to head home.

[endlich-allein]

One thing I like about Till is that whilst remaining a charming, even enigmatic man, there is something so awkward about him. I can't describe it - maybe it's the way he holds himself or even how he looks at people and things - nonetheless it charms me even more.

I could call him powerful, wild, or even gentle, but I could never call him "smooth" and I like that!

Till is a very complex person, even physically he is ambiguous. On the one hand, he is physically powerful, strong, built like a refrigerator, capable of great agility and skillful with his hands. And on the other hand, he is clumsy, awkward, uncomfortable, capable of making blunders and he even seems fragile at times. A journalist described him this way : "His body emanates its own unique text, regardless of what is said, and it is enough to make one intimidated by the 50-year old Till Lindemann, who gives the impression of having a very strong, powerfully large appearance. He looks like a rock star capable of throwing boulders. Bleached-blond hair, eyebrow piercings. But at second glance, you notice that his body radiates a confident, Baloo-the-Bear-kind of friendliness." I like this description, I think it fits him quite well !

When I see Till, I just want to give him a big hug, and he gives me one in return 😄

[papaver-decervicatus]

Cat/Mouse/Den EXTRA! Getaway Fever

AN: This is the quick story a personal friend wrote based on Cat/Mouse/Den! I actually vastly prefer his writing to my own because I feel like it fits König's POV much better. Everyone tell him how good it is in the comments to fluster him <3

He walks along the base of a gradually sloping desert-esque hill, with trees and high rising scrub against the base of the hill, up it, and maybe even over it. The occasional tree, large stone, or elsewise normal scenery slowly passes him as he patrols. Then the wind catches him. 

 He sucks in a breath, and takes in the scene in, in a different way. The smell of acacia, a light rain from this morning, and something else. It's different, not new. Out of place. The smell lingers in the back of his throat. Makes his arm hair stand. ‘Ich geisteskrank’  he thinks, (I’m insane)

 He closes his eyes, for a few seconds, as another whipping wind rolls down the hills, breaks around his form. 

 And this time he closes his eyes, and breathes in deeper. And he catches it again. 

 “No closer.” A cool, flat tone, from the radio at his hip. There's almost an edge of excitement or thrill on the end of the words that come over the radio. It's her. Of course

 So all he does is lean back on a small boulder, just less than a yard behind him. It's funny how no matter where the line is drawn, it seems to always be in a comfortable place. Maybe it’s that he could make himself comfortable in her presence, anywhere. Maybe that she makes sure he’s comfortable wherever he may be. But he does stop, and he takes up post. And she watches closely as the tension seems to leave him. 

 His shoulders drop, half a foot, from where he holds them. He slouches a little. He even rolls his neck, to stretch. And as he does, he stops, about halfway up his right shoulder. 

 She can't see it perfectly from over 70 yards. But he's making eyes at her. The crisp desert air, or maybe a lucky delusion, brought her right to him. 

 “Hallo, Maus.” His voice is high. It means “I missed you so”

 “König.” Her voice hides her eagerness. It means “You made me wait.” But she continues “Don’t move a muscle.” It means 

 “I missed what you look like.”

  He draws his favorite knife, and rolls it around in his hand, idly. He cant think of what to say, but and it's eating at him instantly. Like hes running out of time. Like she’ll shoot him for his lack of etiquette, or for worse- boring her. In an antsy fervor, he wracks his brain for something clever. Impressive? Entertaining? His hands move on their own accord, and start passing the blade back and forth. It snaps from hand to hand, almost moving so fast it can only be seen on departure and reentry from one palm to another. 

“Das es not my first place to pick on vacation. Yet we’re both here?”

Her eyes roll back into her skull, and after a second of him wanting to cut out his own tongue, she throws him a rope. “Just enjoying the pool, maybe the view too. It's not half bad.”

Her smirk is audible. ‘I am going to explode’  He thinks. But it comes out as “Have you tried the uhh… mini bar? Or the breakfast?”

“No, I haven't, I've been sleeping in.”

 She’s maybe slept half an hour in the past 24, not wanting to chance missing him. “Is it any good..?” She entertains the idea. In her mind, she doesn't imagine it being a bad place for such amenities, or at least how much better it would make things.

It goes on, and they play pretend for a little.

 It's hushed, and quiet, and statements usually finish with “It would be nice.” But it makes a good pass time, as they draw up and design the perfect little vacation together. And, eventually the sun sets, and two shadows head to camp, and report nothing. No imaginary hotel, or imaginary margaritas, or even imaginary golden orange sunlight that creeps through imaginary curtains as the twilight spreads across the arid landscape. 

[ampresandian]

My (unofficial) PJO season 2 episode 5 script part 4/4 (part 1 | part 2 | part 3)

The last part! Thank you for reading I just couldn't get the vision for this episode out of my mind and had to write it down.

Images of script and copied text (bc I'm lazy and don't want to write out alt text) under the cut, just in case I didn't tag enough spoiler warning or people aren't interested <3

Annabeth Tries to Swim Home

CUT TO: INT. DARK VICTORIAN HOUSE – NIGHT. 

Continuation of first scene/flashback. CYCLOPS is grinning at YOUNG ANNABETH menacingly. Behind him, the fire rages, and LUKE, THALIA, and GROVER are tied up in the corner. Annabeth’s attention is taken up by the large monster speaking to her. 

CYCLOPS: (in her father’s voice) Annabeth. How nice of you to join us. Now, Annie, don’t you worry. 

Annabeth draws her knife. As he speaks, the Cyclops approaches her. 

CYCLOPS (CONT): I love you, Annabeth. You can stay here with me. Don’t worry. You can stay forever. 

He reaches out for her. Annabeth stabs him in the foot, keeping hold of her knife as he reaches forward and grabs the door in shock. She runs around him towards her friends. 

The Cyclops rips the door of its hinges and throws it across the room with a roar. 

Annabeth reaches the older kids. 

THALIA: Annabeth! Thank the gods you’re okay.

YOUNG ANNABETH: (determined) Hold still.

Annabeth cuts the ropes around Thalia’s arms and legs. Thalia takes up her sword and stands defensively in front of the others. 

THALIA: Cut them free, Annabeth. I’ll hold him off. 

Annabeth turns to Luke and Grover as the Cyclops roars behind her. She saws at their ropes as Thalia goads and fights the monster. 

THALIA (CONT): Come on, ugly! Can’t you take me?

She slices at him with her sword. Now free, Luke can barely stand, Grover supporting him. They all turn to watch Thalia defending them against the monster. 

Suddenly, the Cyclops roars, and Thalia’s sword can be seen buried in his eye. As he rears back, she pulls it out, turning to her friends. 

THALIA (CONT): Come on. We have to go.

Annabeth leads the way through the house, back the way she came through the servants kitchen into the orangery. They escape through a side door, standing in the storm. 

Sirens and howls can be heard, the sounds of the monsters they have been running from closer than before. 

THUNDER rumbles as they look around desperately in the dark. Grover sniffs. 

GROVER: Come on. This way.

They walk away from the house. The Cyclops roars again from within. 

CUT TO:  EXT. POLYPHEMUS’ ISLAND – DAY.

SHEEP hooves/underbellies walk across the screen as POLYPHEMUS calls them. Under one of them hangs PERCY. 

ANNABETH: (invisible) Just don’t let go! 

Polyphemus drags aside the boulder sealing the cave. He addresses each sheep as they pass. 

POLYPHEMUS: (patting each sheep) Hasenpfeffer! Einstein! Widget! Widget? Heavier, huh? 

WIDGET stops in front of him, Percy clinging to her wool. 

POLYPHEMUS (CONT): Soon you will be big enough to eat! Go on, Widget!

WIDGET enters the cave, followed by the rest of the flock. 

ANNABETH: (invisible, from outside) Hey, ugly!

POLYPHEMUS: (looking around wildly) Who said that?

ANNABETH: Nobody! 

POLYPHEMUS: Nobody! I remember you!

ANNABETH: You’re too stupid to remember. But Nobody remembers you!

Polyphemus throws a boulder, aiming for the invisible Annabeth. 

ANNABETH (CONT): Your aim hasn’t improved!

POLYPHEMUS: Come here! Let me kill you!

ANNABETH: You can’t kill Nobody! And you’ll have to come find me!

Polyphemus yells, running down the hill to find Annabeth. Percy drops off Widget, glancing back outside at the island and the Cyclops before moving further into the cave. 

CONT: INT. POLYPHEMUS’ CAVE – DAY.

Percy moves through cavernous hallways, turning a corner into a dead-end room of sheep memorabilia. He backs out, going back the other way and turning right instead of left. 

He turns corners through a set of “rooms,” something that might be a bedroom, a room full of bones, and another room full of sheep memorabilia. He turns a corner and trips, catching himself against the cave walls with his hands. 

Righting himself, Percy looks around, breathing heavily. He looks back and forth, choosing a hallway and running into another room, full of wool and smelling of sheep. He covers his nose as he looks around the room, faced with three separate doorways. 

Percy makes a choice, going through the left opening. Down the hallway, he finds a room with a spinning wheel and loom. GROVER and CLARISSE are inside, trying to undo Clarisse’s ropes. 

CLARISSE: It’s no good. You’ve been working at it for hours!

They spot Percy. 

CLARISSE (CONT): You’re supposed to be blown up!

PERCY: Yeah, good to see you too--

GROVER: (hugging Percy) You came!

PERCY: Yeah, of course, dude. Now, Clarisse, hold still. 

Percy takes Riptide out of his pocket and cuts Clarisse’s ropes. 

CLARISSE: (rubbing her wrist) Where’s Annabeth?

PERCY: You’re welcome. She’s outside. 

CLARISSE: Great, come on.

PERCY: Wait. Was... It was just you in your lifeboat?

CLARISSE: Yeah. Everybody else... I didn’t even know you guys made it.

Percy looks down at his sword. 

PERCY: Okay. 

GROVER: Come on, guys. We need to go help Annabeth. 

They move back through the cave, Grover guiding them. As they come back into the first room Percy ran through, they hear a loud crash.

Annabeth screams. 

POLYPHEMUS: I got Nobody!

Percy, Grover, and Clarisse move to the doorway, peeking through to the main room. Polyphemus is standing at the doorway, holding his arm up. He shakes his fist, and ANNABETH’S CAP flutters to the ground, revealing Annabeth, hanging upside down from his hand. 

FADE OUT. THE END

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

"Cut!" | "Encore!"

a second part of "Cut" where it's the Others helping Roman figure out what's real and what isn't? Like a look into what continued support for Roman would look like. Maybe some creativitwins moments? – oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: self-doubt, not being able to tell what's real

Pairings: none? platonic dlampr? romantic dlampr? literally who knows not me

Word Count: 4839

After finding out that Roman's been having such a rough time, the others rally around him for Act 2.

 

After learning that Roman had, apparently, invented one of the most sophisticated psychological torture methods Remus has ever seen without even consulting him, and using it on himself, Remus decides that no, Roman doesn’t get to pretend he’s okay for a little bit.

And if that means he has to politely bully Roman into taking care of himself, then that’s what he’s gonna do.

“Come on,” he coaxes, throwing Roman’s favorite red rain jacket at him, “let’s go pick some mushrooms.”

“Re, it’s fine, I don’t have to—“

“A-bup-bup!” Remus holds up a finger. “No protesting, or else I’ll sic Ollie on you and tell him you’re worried.”

Which would lead to the Kraken cuddling Roman for the next week or so. All in all, not a bad thing, but judging by how much the thought of it is making Roman cringe, a good enough threat to make him shrug on the jacket and pull on his boots.

Remus pushes the door to the Imagination open to reveal part of their shared forest, a mossy path twisting into the foggy depths of the trees. The door shuts and vanishes with a slight hum as they start to walk, the soft crunch-crunch of their footsteps accompanied by noises that might be echoes of their own movement, might not. Every so often a shadow will pass through the mist, some large and hulking, others too quick to name. Large moss-covered boulders periodically loom out of the shadows, marking their path.

Roman’s red coat dulls and grows more vibrant in equal measure, almost looking like a bloodstain in the midst of the dark green forest. He shifts to walk a little closer to Remus, their shoulders brushing. It makes the grotesque little spark in the base of Remus’s chest burn just a little brighter; Roman’s still that brave boy that needs to know his brother is right next to him after all.

Maybe it makes Remus reach out and take Roman’s hand. Maybe.

As they move deeper and deeper into the mist, a shadow covers their path, almost swallowing them. They turn as a hulking wolf melts from the mist, a soft growl greeting them as two puffs of air leave its nostrils. Roman smiles softly, reaching up with his free hand. The wolf rumbles again, leaning down to touch its nose delicately to his fingertips.

“He missed you,” Remus says quietly, “and all your fairytale shit.”

“I’ve missed him too.”

The wolf huffs, sounding almost like a laugh, as he nudges the both of them onwards. Up ahead, in between the trees, lies a small clearing. As they pass underneath the wooden ceiling, sets of mushrooms greet them with an almost unnaturally blue bioluminescence. These are the ones Remus uses to feed the baby implings, and Roman to make some of the more complicated healing stuff. The wolf sits on his haunches as Roman produces two baskets, handing one to Remus as he starts harvesting some of the larger mushrooms.

“Hey, Ro?”

“Yeah?”

Remus toys with a leaf between his fingernails. “Why’d you start doing that?”

There’s a rustle as Roman pauses, sitting back on his heels. A quick glance over shows that he’s fiddling with a small purple flower. Behind them, the wolf sighs, putting his head on his front paws.

“It was easier,” he says eventually, “than trying to figure out what to do in the moment. I could try it as many times as I wanted to figure out what was right.”

“But that’s not what we would do.”

He scoffs. “Yeah, it kind of was. Not you, necessarily, but the others? I had them down perfectly for a while.”

“…Ro…”

The wolf stretches his neck out to take the very edge of Roman’s hood delicately between his teeth. Roman lets him tug him to standing, then over to his side. Remus gets up too, coming to sit between the wolf’s paws as he scents Roman’s hair.

“You smell sad, apparently.”

Roman pats the wolf’s cheek. “It’s fine, really. I just pushed myself too hard.”

”You were torturing yourself.”

“That’s exaggerating it, Remus—“

“You were subjecting yourself to horrible experiences for no reason,” Remus says bluntly, “aside from being fucking stupid, that’s torturing yourself.”

The wolf snuffles in agreement, all but making Roman sit down in the cradle of its front legs. Roman goes and Remus has the oddly entertaining thought of Little Red Riding Hood where the wolf and the grandmother are one and the same.

”It just worked,” Roman says eventually, still holding the flower, “it worked, okay?”

“Until it didn’t.”

Roman sighs and the flower falls to the ground. “Until it didn’t.”

The wolf noses at Roman’s hair. There’s a quiet rumble as he makes himself comfortable, curling more closely around the two of them. Remus takes the hint and shuffles close enough to pull his brother into his arms.

“Don’t do it anymore,” he mumbles, “come here, or something?”

“…I’ll try.”

The wolf growls at the mists until they part, the grove of mushrooms glowing faintly in the heart of the forest.

***

2.

Patton finds Roman curled up in the living room, nursing a cup of tea.

He’s been thinking a lot about what’s been going on recently, and at how much Roman had been bracing to get hurt every time something went wrong. With this in mind, he goes into the kitchen and takes out Roman’s favorite candy before walking over.

”Roman?”

Roman’s head jerks around. “Patton?”

Patton holds out the candy. Roman’s eyes widen for a moment and he sees his fingers twitch, before he looks back up.

“Is something wrong?”

A pang ripples through Patton’s chest but he forces himself not to wince. “No, kiddo, nothing’s wrong. I just thought you might want some candy.”

“O-oh.” Roman reaches out slowly, as if he’s waiting for the catch. When nothing comes, he takes it and tucks it safely into his lap. “Thanks.”

“Can I sit with you?”

“…sure.”

He half expects Janus to pop up. When he doesn’t, he takes a deep breath and sits on the other edge of the couch, looking at Roman out of the corner of his eye. Roman shifts a few times, clearly aware of his scrutiny, but he doesn’t say anything.

The clock ticks.

“Patton?”

“Yeah?”

“When…when we baked together last, what did we make?”

Patton frowns. “Last time…I believe the last time was chocolate chip cookies. For movie night.”

“Movie night, right.” Roman nods to himself a few times. “Thank you.”

“Would…would that be helpful?” He can’t help but push. “If I told you what else I remembered?”

“Not—maybe not right now, but if I need to ask you?”

“I can do that.”

They lapse into silence again. Patton tries not to stare too obviously at him. After a few long seconds, however, the words well up on the tip of his tongue and he can’t help it.

“Roman?”

“Yeah?”

“Can…I have a question for you.”

Roman shifts, turning to face him, the cup and candy balanced in his lap, almost out of sight. “What is it?”

“You seem…you seem like you’re afraid of me.”

Roman’s eyes widen. His mouth opens, probably to instinctively deny it, but he seems to remember that Janus can and will use that as an excuse to appear and smother him, so he closes it after a moment. Patton’s hands bunch and unbunch in the fabric of his pants. Roman looks away, his jaw working. His hand twitches on his cup again.

“It’s not that I’m scared of you,” he says finally, still not looking at him, “it’s…it’s more like I’m just…bracing.”

“For what?”

He winces again. “I’m—you know.”

“I don’t. Sorry,” he says when Roman flinches again, “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be short with you, I just want to know.”

“You’re always short,” Roman mumbles, sighing a moment later. “It just hurts sometimes when I’m talking to you and I don’t want it to hurt. But I know that’s not your fault and I’m not saying it is, I know that’s something I need to work on, I’m not blaming you—“

“Sweetheart, it’s okay,” Patton interrupts with a hand on his shoulder, “shh, it’s okay.”

Roman hesitates for a long moment before leaning into it. His chest flutters.

“I’m sorry it hurts,” he says instead, “is there…is there anything I can do to make it hurt less?”

”Not really. I just have to unlearn the whole…” He waves his hand in a way that’s probably supposed to indicate the Imagination. “That thing first. The, um, the reality checks are helpful though.”

“I’m glad.”

They go back to silence again, but Roman breaks it first this time. “Can—is that why you came down here?”

“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you.”

“How did you know I was here?”

Oh. Well, that’s an easy one. “It’s sunny outside and you finished your project yesterday. I knew you’d want to be down here to enjoy the warmth.”

Surprise and relief flicker across his face and a small smile forms. “You…really remember all that?”

“Roman, you’re one of my special little kiddos, of course I remember. Aww,” he coos when Roman’s face starts to turn pink, “you don’t have to be embarrassed, it’s okay!”

“Don’t do that, Padre.”

“Don’t do what?”

“No, no, no, that’s a trap, I know a trap when I see one. No, thank you.”

Patton giggles, shifting a little closer on the couch to lean against Roman’s side. The sunlight really does feel nice, not too hot, not too bright. His eyes drift closed, just enjoying the warmth of it.

After a moment, he hears the crinkle of candy wrappers and smiles.

***

3.

Virgil finds Roman in his room, sitting on his bed and looking too sad, and decides nope, it’s cuddle time.

Roman barely puts up a fight, which means it’s really cuddle time if Princey can’t even muster up a half-hearted protest, and soon they’re wrapped up in blankets with just the top of their heads poking out. Virgil hauls him up until he’s tucked under his chin, running his hands up and down his back as Roman stares off into nothingness. Every so often, a tremor will run through him, and he has to soothe it away before that little friendly face comes back.

“Hey,” he mumbles when Roman starts to glare at his desk instead of just looking at it, “hey, hey, Princey. You stay with me, okay? Don’t chase the mean thought rabbits.”

Roman hums something back, rubbing his cheek absent-mindedly against Virgil’s chest.

“You wanna talk about it?”

As soon as it comes out of his mouth, he knows it’s the wrong thing to have said. Roman tenses up and almost pulls away, growing somehow bigger and smaller at the same time. Virgil has to warp his arms tightly around him a squeeze to even get him to relax.

“We don’t have to talk,” he says as quickly as possible, “that’s fine. We can just lie here. I’m not gonna leave, you’re okay, you’re okay, Princey, calm down.”

It takes way, way too long to get Roman back from whatever brink that question pushed him to, to the point where Virgil’s rolling them over so he can squish Roman into the mattress. Only then does he finally lose that wide-eyed thing, sagging into the plush mound of blankets and leaning into Virgil’s touch.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Princey, it’s my fault for asking that in the first place.” He leans down to rest their foreheads against each other. “I won’t make you talk about it, I promise.”

“‘S stupid.”

“What’s stupid?”

Roman jerks his head. “That. That whole thing.”

“Why was it stupid?”

“You didn’t even do anything.”

Virgil sighs, shifting to prop himself up so they can talk properly. “As the Mindscape’s resident expert on freaking out about nothing—“

Roman snorts.

“—you’re fine, Princey. You…you’ve been having a bad time recently, so it’s all good.”

”..thanks.”

“Can I—and you can say no, you can tell me to fuck off, you have blanket permission to react however you want to this, not that you need it—can I ask why that question freaked you out?”

He braces himself for Roman to do anything from have a panic attack to hit him in the face—fair, honestly—but Roman just sighs, curling up in the lea of him. It’s…well, it’s kind of devastating.

“That’s the loneliest time.”

He frowns. “What’s the loneliest time?”

”Right before you tell someone what you did wrong.” Roman looks up at him. “Because they’re all concerned you’re upset, and then they hear why you’re upset, and then they don’t want to comfort you anymore.”

Maybe it’s because Princey’s unfairly good at describing things, or maybe it’s because Virgil’s paying attention to his emotional state right now, but he can feel the thing that Roman’s talking about. That cold swoop deep in his gut, the awful anticipation where you just know that they’re going to be mad or disappointed. The switch from having someone speak to you softly, that it’s alright, they’re here to help, it’s okay, to the cold as they pull away, as their voice hardens and their words grow sharper. How they’re going to tell you that you shouldn’t be upset, or that you deserve to feel bad, but you should focus on fixing your mistakes instead of letting you be hurt because you need to be.

Before he loses himself in the spiral of nasty brain feelings, he gives himself a small shake and hugs Roman tighter.

“You don’t need to be lonely right now,” he mumbles, “I’m right here. I’m right here, see? I’m not asking you what’s wrong, I’m not gonna be mad or disappointed, I don’t care. I care that you’re upset and you’re hurting and I want to help.”

Roman’s cold nose presses into the crook of his neck. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, Princey. If you gotta just sit with the hurt, I’ll sit with you.”

It takes a moment of shifting, but eventually Roman’s arms wind their way around Virigl’s waist and back. He squeezes. Virgil squeezes back. Some of the tension finally seems to bleed out of him, his eyes breaking from their stare to flutter closed.

“Oh, Princey,” he mumbles, half to himself, “you’re so tired.”

He makes sure the covers are pulled up around them and tucks Roman’s head against his. They’re probably not gonna be moving for a while.

***

4.

Logan holds out a hand before Roman can pull out his usual notebook. “I thought we could try something a little different today.”

“Okay, what did you have in mind?”

Logan reaches into his binder and pulls out a thin sheaf of paper, annotated with red pen. “I’ve been looking at some of the comments recently, and I realized that I’m out of practice with performing close-readings of texts. So I thought that I could talk about my analysis of one of the works that you’ve done, and you could tell me how I did?”

Roman’s mouth falls open. He drops his pen. “You—you want to what?”

“I’ve fallen out of the habit of that sort of analysis, and I’d like to not lose it entirely, so—“

“Why mine?”

Logan blinks. “Well, aside from the fact that you are one of the only writers with whom I can directly communicate and receive feedback, you are adept at crafting well-written pieces that would serve as excellent examples on which to practice.”

“I—uh—um—“ Roman splutters for another moment. “I-if you want to?”

“Thank you. I’ve picked one of the shorter pieces from the collection you updated recently.”

”Oh. Uh, okay.”

”Would it be helpful for you to have a copy as well?” Roman nods and he passes over another copy. “That does have my notes on it if you’d like to read along.”

There’s a flicker of something in Roman’s expression as he takes in the sheer amount of red ink on the pages, but he steels himself and nods. “Okay. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Excellent. Well, to begin with, I have to commend you on the efficacy of your opening line. It sets up the themes without being overt and it foreshadows the turning point that comes about two-thirds of the way through.” He moves down the page. “And the symbolism you’ve chosen really is masterful—taking the connotations of such well-known motifs and turning them on their heads, really incredible.”

“Uh—“

“I do have to ask: did you intend for the reading to be done multiple times? It’s habit for me; I find I develop greater appreciation for the writer’s craft upon a second read-through, but this one in particular, with the amount of parallels you’ve drawn begin the beginning and the end, it really does seem like—“

“Cut.”

Logan pauses, glancing up. Roman is staring at him, wide-eyed, his knuckles white on the edge of the table. The poor thing looks like he’s about to run away and Logan can’t stop himself from reaching for him.

“Cut,” Roman repeats, leaning away, “cut, cut!”

“Roman,” Logan says gently, “Roman, it’s me. It’s really me, I’m real.”

“But—but you’re being nice.”

Oh, Roman…

“N-not that you aren’t ever nice to me! You are nice,” Roman babbles, “you are, I just—I just meant that we’ve never done something like this before, and—and I just—I didn’t know—“

“Shh, shh,” Logan murmurs, trying to get his attention back, “can you look at me?”

Roman looks. Slowly, telegraphing his movements, he reaches over and takes Roman’s hands in his.

“Squeeze,” he bids lightly, “I’m here.”

Roman squeezes, an embarrassed flush coming to his face. Before he can apologize, Logan squeezes again.

“It’s okay. That was my error; I should have anticipated that you might react poorly to such a deviation from the norm. I didn’t mean to upset you, truly.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s alright if it’s not.”

Roman swallows heavily. His gaze hasn’t left their hands. As Logan watches, his eyes start to grow damp.

“Oh, little one…”

“It’s fine,” Roman insists, freeing one of his hands to scrub roughly at his face, ”I’m just being dramatic.”

"You're dramatic a lot, I daresay we're used to it." His gentle tone undoes most of the bite in his words, but clearly not enough from the way the hand in his twitches. "You're real, I'm real, we're here at this table, that's all real."

There's a tremble to Roman's lower lip as he tries to take a deep breath and steady himself. Logan opens his hand again, waiting, until Roman slowly places it back in his. After another moment, he looks back up. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault."

"Isn't it?"

"No," Logan says, firmer this time, "you are upset and rightfully so. You don't have to apologize for something upsetting you when you have no control over what will and will not trigger you."

"…okay."

"Are you alright to keep going? We can always stop if you'd rather do something else. I hear Remus has been working on his side of the castle, we could go walk around there instead."

"Is that okay?"

"Of course," he says, smoothly packing everything away, only for Roman to hold onto his copy of his story.

"Can I…keep this?" he asks, almost shyly. Logan smiles, ruffling his hair.

"Of course, little one. I'll be happy to talk about it whenever you like."

***

5.

Janus opens the door, softening when he sees Roman standing there. "Hello, sweetie, what can I do for you?"

"I'm making a bad choice and I want you to know about it."

He blinks. Right to the point, then. "Do you want to come in?"

Roman nods sharply, stepping inside as Janus shuts the door carefully behind them. He doesn't move any further inside, lingering by the door, until Janus prompts him again. "I'm trying not to…do that thing again."

"That's good, I'm proud of you for that."

A quiet flinch. "In order to do that, I'm…writing it. Instead. Not it directly, but something—a vent thing to help deal with it."

"Alright, I think I understand."

"In order to do that, I have to…sit with it."

Janus frowns. "'It?'"

"The…bad stuff."

Ah. "I see. Are there other alternatives for—"

"I'm not here to help stop it," Roman interrupts, even as he braces for what he thinks will be a consequence for talking over him, "I'm here because—"

He cuts himself.

Something terribly sad strikes Janus then, as he looks at the little prince trying to summon his courage again: when was the last time they saw Roman chase what he wanted? Without fear, with reckless abandon, with the passion that they all came to associate with him?

Had it been before the wedding?

Before the callback?

When had Roman gotten to want?

"I'm writing to get it out of me," comes the mumble and Janus shakes himself out of his musing, "and when…when it's out of me…"

Oh.

Oh.

"Come here when you're finished," Janus promises softly, "I'll look after you. We've been talking about doing makeup for a while now, I've got some stuff we can try."

Roman nods. His mouth twitches. And Janus can't help himself; he walks closer, reaching out to take Roman's hand in his. His gloves brush the familiar calluses, worn smooth from years and years of training, and he fits his fingers to the ones that feel the coldest. Roman's breath catches in his throat as he does, instinctively turning a little more.

"We can watch something too," he continues, still as though he's luring some skittish animal, "or just cuddle, if you want. I've missed one of my space heaters recently, you know Remus is much too squirmy."

Roman chokes out a laugh that's almost a sob. Janus squeezes his hand, daring to pull him closer. He wraps his other arm around Roman's shoulders, a sympathetic noise leaving him at the way Roman screws his eyes shut.

"We could go to the greenhouse too," he offers, and he sees Roman physically hold himself back from reaching out, "just sit there? The flowers are just starting to bloom, the cat that's found its way in there would be happy to have some cuddles."

"Stop," Roman croaks out, "I have to…I have to do it first."

"You don't have to be hurt to deserve comfort, sweetie."

"I think we both know that's not true."

Janus doesn't get a chance to address how devastating that sentence was before Roman's pulling away from his hold, mumbling a thanks, and walking into the hallway like a knight to a doomed battle. Janus watches him go for another second before he turns to the mirror over his dresser. He runs his finger carefully along the edge. Some of the gold flakes off onto his thumb and he turns it this way and that. Few of the bits retain any luster at all, let alone their original sheen.

Not for the first time, he feels a pang of regret for how he handled…everything. Especially with Roman. Remus accused him of using Roman's face as a launchpad to get himself in better standings with Thomas, and he didn't need to be Lord of the Lies to know that Remus was being as honest as they come. How much of Roman's disbelief of things was due to him? How badly did he shatter Roman's perception of reality that he felt the need to worsen it on his own? How could he have done things differently, what could he have done to avoid whatever this tenuous existence is they find themselves in now?

He gives himself a shake, dislodging the golden specks. There's no use dwelling on what's already been done. Roman has come to him to ask for help. That's more than he ever could have hoped for after all the two of them have been through. It's not up to him to determine what he could have done then, he has to focus on what he has to do now.

***

+1.

It's done.

It's done.

It's done and it's out of him and he never has to think about any of it ever again and he closes his laptop and stuffs his phone into his pocket and stumbles out of his room in an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants and he doesn't have to deal with the awful thoughts ricocheting around his head anymore and he's not going to the Imagination, he's not, he's not, he's not—

He almost doesn't realize he's made it to Janus's door until he's staring at it dumbly. He sees a hand lift up to knock on it—oh, that's his hand, he's knocking—and then the door's opening and there's Janus.

"Oh, sweetie," he hears faintly, "are you all done?

He nods and then he's being ushered into the soft dark room and there are gloved hands on his shoulders, guiding him gently over to the big overstuffed chair thing and Janus is tilting his chin up.

"Hey," he murmurs, and Roman blinks, "hi, sweetie. You look like you're in quite desperate need of a cuddle, is that true?"

He nods again, reaching up, only to let out a bewildered noise when Janus fully picks him up and carries him over to a bed of—oh, this must be where Janus keeps his heat lamp because all the pillows and blankets are soft and warm and it's like being put in the dryer in the best way possible. Janus chuckles when he mumbles something to that effect, lying down and wrapping all of his arms around him.

"Is that right, little prince? Are we putting you in the dryer so you can come out all clean?" He wipes a tear with his thumb, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Or are you going to be like Remus and fall asleep in the freshly clean laundry before I put it all away?"

"I heard lies and slander," Remus announces, appearing out of nowhere, only to coo at the sight of Roman reaching out for him. "Oh, hey, Roro, is it cuddle time?"

"Mhm."

"Remus," he hears Janus say, a little firmer, "I seem to recall a conversation about asking before we do things."

"I summoned him," Roman mumbles, "on accident, but he—I—"

"That's alright, then." Janus says, relaxing back into the pillows and scratching his fingers across Roman's scalp, "just wanted to make sure you were alright with it."

"Roro knows I'm the best at squishing people back into their meat sacks." There's a weight that he knows is Remus pressing carefully on his chest and legs, making him mumble sleepily. "You wanna take a nap?"

"…mm."

"You can fall asleep," Janus says softly, moving to lightly scratch his back, "I don't mind. You look like you could use it."

"That's rude, Janny, you saying he looks tired?"

"I'm saying that he's not been able to open his eyes since I picked him up."

Oh. That's true. Janus didn't turn the lights off, his eyes are just closed. But opening them sounds like work and everything is so soft and warm right now…

Wait.

Trying not to alert the others that he's awake, or that he's waking himself up, he rouses just enough to whisper cut.

Nothing happens. They don't fade, it doesn't get cold, nothing—nothing changes.

Then Janus lets out a quiet oh, sweetie, and Remus wraps his arms around his legs.

"We're real," Remus promises, "we're real and we're right here. Snakey has you, you're all good, we're all real."

"I'm right here," Janus murmurs, kissing his forehead—he wouldn't dare imagine that— "you're here with me, we're just having a nap, alright?"

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"Of course, sweetie."

"Right here, Roro. We're not going anywhere."

There is such a strange feeling, Roman decides, about actually having the thing you dream about. You don't want to touch it, you don't want to ruin it by bringing into the reality you know. What if it decides it doesn't like it? What if it decides it doesn't like you? What do you do with a dream that wants nothing to do with you? Or worse, what if you do finally get your hands on it only to reveal that it was never worth dreaming about in the first place?

A hand gently tugs on his hair.

"You're thinking too much, sweetie." Lips brush his forehead. "Just close your eyes and rest. Let us take care of you."

"This is real," he can't help but mumble as Janus reaches out to turn off the lamp, "right?"

"Yes, sweetie, this is real."

From near the base of his ribs, he feels Remus nuzzle him. "Real as can be, Ro-bro. Now make with the shushy."

Roman dozes off in the warm pile of pillows and all he can think is encore.

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[bitter-panacea]

Goultard's backstory, comparing the Dofus manga and the special episode Part 2 - Falling in love

Part 1

The special ep and the manga are the most different when it comes to Goultard falling in love.

The most notable difference is that Goultard falls in love with one witch instead of three. Certainly because they thought Gou having three girlfriends/wives at the same time wouldn't be politically correct enough for a short film meant to be showed to french tv channels as a way to prove Ankama had what it takes to make a tv show (Wakfu).

In the manga, Goultard goes after a trio of witches, the dark sisters, who keep stealing food from their village and causing chaos. He's not really interested in stopping them, really he's just charmed and intrigued... (maybe he's kinda fascinated... and wishes he could be free like they are idk idk maybe who knows)

Kiki : Alright girls, I've got everything we need... Let's go!

Guy : Well, Goultard? What the hell were you doing? These three witches ransacked the whole village! And you didn't even lift a finger!

Goultard : I... I don't know, I wasn't myself, they must have cast a spell on me... / Guy : A spell? My ass. You're losing it! Talk about a hero... You're a pervert, that's what you are!

The way this guy talks to him like he's a completely useless imbecile really proves Goultard's only respected as long as he does what people expect him to do...

So he throws a large boulder the size of a small boulder at them, making them drop the bag of stolen food.

Kiki : Listen little peasant, we don't want to hurt you. Give us that bag and you'll leave safe and sound. / Elvie : Pretty cute for a little peasant.

Goultard : Shush... A small demonstration is better than a long speech...

Kiki : You think we're impressed, you pretentious macho? (Still... A tree with only one finger!) Let's see what you can do againsnt our magic powers!

Dark sisters : Take this! / Goultard : I wonder which one is the cutest...

They insult him, make fun of him, threaten and eventually attack him... and I guess that totally does it for Goultard. This is also exactly what Algathe did before he fell in love with her, so I'm pretty sure that's just his type.

Goultard : Now, you've really gone too far... You've burnt all my clothes off! (Gou like "teehee oops i'm naked lol ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ " )

Kiki : It's impossible... No man can resist our magic! / Elvie : Seems like he can.

Goultard : Now, may I give you some advice? / Kiki : Keep your advice and take this!

Goultard : Please, don't make me hurt you! / Kiki : Ow, my arm. Where does this strength come from?

Goultard : No idea, I've always been pretty sturdy... Now, if you'll excuse me... I believe this bag of provisions must be returned to its real owner. See you later, girls! (omg nobody look! he's ass)

Ah yes... No creature could resist Goultard, whether monstrous or feminine... / Kiki : What a guy... / Elvie : I'd like casting a love spell on him.

They dont ever say it, but you cant make me believe that these three "single" witches, who people call "sisters", (who lived together secluded from "respectable society"?) and did petty crimes together, weren't all dating one another. Goultard was just the latest addition to their cute little polycule. Thanks to his idiot rizz. And supposedly huge dick (If Elvie says so I believe her)

Elvie : Oh! Now that's what I call a magic wand!

His dick pictured here, here and here (pictures kindly provided by @dj-m0th thank you lmao)

( ＾◡＾)っ✂╰⋃╯No!! you leave that thang alone!!

In the special episode, the unnamed witch initiates the flirting with Goultard.

She IS very cute even if she doesn't seem mean like Goultard usually likes.

They dont waste any time getting to know each other. As shown here by this VERY subtle broom riding illustration.

In the manga, the relationship takes a little more time to develop.

Thus, after a few months, the relationship between goultard and the dark sisters grew friendlier. They first began by repairing the damage they had caused and helped Goultard to fend off the most aggressive monsters.

Over time, the three sisters and goultard became more intimate / Kiki : Take your finger out of there, naughty boy...

Looks like they're having fun. Good for them, good for them....

His wedding was magnificent and thousands of warriors came to pay homage. They were even surprised to see some former enemies arrive during the ceremony.

(Cabotine isn't there, is she dead?)

Life went on and Goultard was the happiest hero in the world. / Monster : Goultard, you little worm, come taste my balls... / Goultard : Stay in bed, girls, I'll be back in five minutes... (He'll be back right after tasting this dude's balls I guess)

They had many children and lived happily ever after

They have four children, three boys and a girl. Riri, Fifi, Loulou, what the fuck is the daughter's name oh my god (Fun fact : Riri, Fifi and Loulou are the names of Donald Duck's nephews in french)

Goultard's family is what he cherishes the most in the entire world. He truly loves that simple domestic lifestyle....

And this is it! Happy ending! No looming threat in the dark and certainly no part 3 to this post.

Part 3 Part 4

[moramaisis]

Characters: Ascended Astarion x tav tiefling Pairing: M/F Status: Happily evil together. In a stable relationship. Warnings: Heavy smut, murder, villain couple, dark romance, dark humor, unhinged horniness. Long story! Keywords: Mutual masturbation, hand job, rim job, oral sex, threesome, biting, vaginal sex, light dom/sub, light degrading, femdom, teasing. Notes: This is a third story....yeah.....it's sad. The brainrot is thriving. It's smut with a plot and i tried to world-build, though it might stray away from canon...a little. Ao3 Summary: After defeating the Elder Brain ascended Astarion and his tiefling bride decide to travel the world. The first place they visit is a town in the north with interesting pagan traditions. The couple gets bored after a while and Arsenia proposes they convert their first spawn. A certain elf of high class has caught her eye and the couple decides to seduce him.

After everything was over, it was time to move on. I said i didn't want to settle down and Astarion has been stuck for 200 years. Stuck in those 200 years. He wanted to see the world. I was used to travelling and could travel some more.

I said we could hang a map on the wall and throw daggers at it, see where fate takes us. He said i was too dramatic.

„I excelled in geography and i'm very good with daggers, my love. I couldn't make a random throw even if i was blindfolded.“

I said i will throw him at the map if he doesn't make a choice. So, we did the next best thing. We were staying at an inn, so, i went downstairs, snatched the most disheveled drunk and threw him at the map. He survived the encounter, but the mark left by his bloody nose was enough to start our quest. The location happened to be lovely as well. We were quite lucky, as it appeared.

Before leaving we had to make a one last trip to the Cazador's palace. Astarion gathered his mortal minions and gave them instructions to clean out the castle. There were a lot of gore leftovers in the dungeons. The castle had to be maintained while we were gone. A few days later we rented a carriage and left Baldur's Gate. I wore a suit topped with a long coat. I considered a dress, but decided against it. Astarion made sure that my suit was made from the best fabrics and finely tailored. I had never felt so fancy in my life. Our destination was a large town in the North, it was a place i have never been to.

As we approached our destination the landscape began to change dramatically. Dense forests encircled boulder fields, eroding cliff edges broke the surface of meadows coated in dead grasses. The closer we got, the whiter the earth became. One morning we opened the carriage curtains to witness falling snow. Air became colder, snow thickened. Soon we exchanged our carriage for a horse-drawn sleigh.

We entered the town coated in furs and blankets, with frosty eyelashes and visible breath. It was very different to the views we were used to, however, it was breathtaking. The streets were decorated with lanterns, evergreen branches hanging from doors and windows. Colorful ribbons and ornaments - woven from twigs, hay and carved from wood - adorned the greenery. We rented a small house near the wall and sat by the fireplace. The nights were long and short days heavily clouded. Every morning workers shovelled snow on the streets. Strange creatures of all sorts pulled sleighs around town, horses, furry horned beasts, odd deer-looking things. Even a couple pulled by dogs!

Daily walks became our routine, my hand in the crook of my lover's arm, both of us dressed in furs.

„I can't believe i killed 7000 spawn just to move to a place without the sun,“ Astarion groaned as we were walking between shops.

„What is your obsession with the sun? Do you want a fucking tan?“

„I'd look great with a tan, you must admit,“ Astarion smiled amusedly.

„You look good in anything, beloved,“ i teased him. „I like it here. It's beautiful, peaceful, the air smells fresh…“

„That's because the sewers are frozen, my love.“

“That certainly helps,“ i smirked, gazing up at the sky as flashes of color snaked across the darkness. „Look up. You can't see that in Baldur's Gate.“

Astarion turned his eyes to the sky and we both watched the Northern Lights in silence.

“I have seen these before. Back when i used to travel and work as a blade for hire. I always wanted to see them again.“ I fought back distant memories, now that time has passed a dusting of bittersweetness coated them. Astarion caught on to that.

“Is that longing in your voice that i hear ?“

“Maybe“, i sighed.

Astarion turned to face me and took my hands. „Sounds like you're missing your former life filled with danger and adventure. We don't have to carry on like this, you know. Pretending to be an honorable married couple. We're on vacation, after all. We can do whatever we want.“

I squeezed his hand, bringing it close to my heart. „You're so sweet that you're making my teeth rot. I don't want to spoil our fun. I love travelling with you and i need a vacation. It's just…i liked my job. New day, new person to find, a new skull to smash. There were ups and downs, for sure, and i don't miss working for assholes…but….i feel like an impostor. We don't quite fit in, do we, love?“

He liked my train of thought, it was safe to say he felt the same.

“I always knew you're a thrill-seeker, it's one of the many things i love about you. So, tell me, what twisted little ideas are festering in that demented brain of yours?“

My smirk grew wider, menacing and flirty. „Too early to say. The city needs exploring. But, lover, you'll be the first to know.“ I reached out and twirled a curl of Astarion's hair, then ran my hand down the front of his coat possessively. I have always been very…tactile. „Lets pay less glamorous parts of this city a visit, shall we?“

“Excellent choice, my treasure. Lets remember the good old times.“

We walked to the poor section of the town. Buildings were smaller here, still in good condition, but visibly older. It was like going back in time. People walking past us were also dressed simply, mainly wearing goat or sheep skin coats. Astarion spotted a lively pub and we entered the rustic, dimly lit building. We took a seat near the back and gave a lovely maiden, who approached our table, the order. Coins were exchanged and our drinks arrived soon. Astarion got himself a cup of wine, while i took some ale. Both locally brewed, with unusual spicy additives, and pretty good!

The buzz hit me quickly and i relaxed on the bench. We were eavesdropping and the conversations were exactly what you'd expect to hear in a pub. Although, one peaked my interest. It was held by a two men behind a corner table. The taller man was chewing on some dried meat, while the stouter one was downing his ale.

“The solstice is coming, i promised my daughter a new skirt. She will be taking part in the celebrations, doing the ritual. It's not proper to show up in a patched dress. She wants to impress someone, she said,“ spoke the taller man.

The other nodded in a daze. „I will be at home. Marena will be working.“

“Working during celebrations?“

The stout man sighed, „She's working at the house of Anvegg now. She's in the kitchen and the fancy folk are having a ball. All the big noses will be there.“

“Right, right. It's not posh enough to celebrate amongst the commoners.“

I scraped my claw on the table, it was our sign that i was interested. Astarion looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Felt an urge to mingle with high society? Although, crashing a ball would be an act of rebellion in itself. These kind of things are usually invitation only.“

“I think the house of Anvegg is one of the oldest elf families ruling this town.“ This town had more elves and half-elves than any other race. It was quite diverse otherwise, except for humans. It would be curious to see the forces behind this place. Especially as old as these.

Astarion's eyes unfocused, he was somewhere else for a second. „Hmm, Cazador had spawn for these kinds of activities. Prowling around crowded places, hiding in dark alleyways, sharpening fangs on unwilling necks…“

“…and look where it got him. Tigers who don't hunt become lazy. And overconfident.“ I filled the pause, spitting venom at that lost name.

Astarion smirked, he seemed to experience a special kind of joy each time i bad-mouthed his former master. I liked to indulge him, but he knew i was right. I wasn't going to let my lover become stagnant, he was mine and i will look after him.

“It does feel nice being back in the trenches,“ he admitted. „Watching the events unfold, being in control.“

I touched his hand, my face hidden by shadow. My touch was passionate as i played with his fingers. I wanted to reassure him, bring him some peace of mind. Every time he mentioned his former master i felt a violent impulse to cuss out Cazador. However, his reminiscing was becoming more frequent. After the ritual his confidence was soaring, just mentioning his former master's name could send him into rage. Time passed and he started to change. He began mentioning his spawn life again. Something about that filled me with sadness and a carnal desire to comfort him.

“Control is everything, my darkest desire,“ i lulled a song of seduction.

His response was fiery, his hand caressed mine as he leaned over the table.

“You are right, my little dragon,“ his tone carried a similar amount of allure.

“We need more information about the upper echelon, if we proceed.“ I tilted my head, a plan already brewing.

“I love seeing you scheme. The wickedest ideas rise from the depths of that deviant little mind of yours, especially when you look at me like that.“

“Call my mind little one more time and i'll fuck you right on the spot.“ There was a threat hidden in my lustful whisper. My tease carried the intensity of the sun.

“You're making it very hard to stop, my little love.“

His eyes burned me and i felt an urge to make him scream. It sent shivers down my spine. I would never say that to him – it would be simply too cruel - but Cazasor was right when he said his screams sounded sweet. Besides, i didn't want to give him the wrong impression. His suffering did bring me pleasure, but only if it led to delight. And bringing him delight was equally arousing to me. I adored messing with his head. My love has always been toothy and bloodstained. It was understandably too much for the majority, that's why my list of lovers was so short. I think he was attracted to my duality.

“Go on, try me.“ My voice challenged him.

Astarion snatched my jaw and pulled me closer. Our eyes met, holding a staring contest. A tingle danced between my legs. His thumb brushed over my lips, repeating the motion after reaching the corner of my mouth. I parted my lips and bit his thumb. His eyebrows furrowed as he gasped from pain.

“You're fucking feral…mmm, i'm glad i made you mine.“ He leaned to kiss me and the crowded room melted away, there was nobody else but us. The spot between my legs moistened and throbbed in yearning. I grabbed the back of his head and sat up in my seat. Astarion broke our kiss.

“We should find a more private place,“ he said.

I took his hand and pulled him up, we swivelled the tables and escaped into the snowy streets. He led me down a narrow street, snow crunching under out boots, and we stopped in a passage between two buildings. Conveniently, there were no windows. Astarion pushed me against the worn stone wall and unbuttoned my coat. I lifted my leg and he pressed it to his waist. Our kiss was raw. His hand made its way down my pants, i throbbed and let him play with myself. His hand was stroking my folds, drawing circles around my bud. It was wonderful, i could do anything when i felt like this.

I began opening his coat, then his pants. My hand clenched his member, toying with it like it was my treat. His breath quickened as his hips thrust into my hand. I started kneading his length, finishing each motion with a tight squeeze at the base of his shaft. He was my plaything and couldn't keep my hands off him. It was driving him crazy and he repaid me by pushing his fingers inside me. My silky walls clenched around him and he thrust his fingers into me. It was blissful!

My hand clamped around my lover's member, kneading it upwards. Once i reached the tip i pulled aside his skin and circled the head. Astarion shuddered and dug into the crook of my neck, his fangs meeting my skin. I arched my back, welcoming the bite. It turned me on like nothing else, electrified the tips of my nerves. Asatrion knew it well. He released my neck and dragged his tongue down my skin, only to suddenly bite me again. I undulated against him, moaning from delight. My fingers were swirling delicate patterns into the tender head of his member. He thrust his hips, looking for some kind of friction to end my tease.

I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. I removed my hand from his length and slipped it under, caressing his balls, then moved deeper down to stroke the tender skin around his rear entrance. Astarion exhaled with pleasure, his hot breath wafting over my neck. His fingers were moving at a steady pace inside me, my wetness dripping down my thigh. It was wonderful and i didn't want it to end, not yet.

My fingers stroked him, giving him a delicate rim job. I could feel him clenching under my touch, his breath quickened and his teeth sunk into my shoulder. The pleasure was building inside me, i would finish soon if he let me.

„Slow down your fingers, just a little,“ i mumbled in his ear.

Astarion was kissing and nipping my neck, his hand complied with my request. Meantime, i was caressing his back entrance, pushing a finger into his tight bundle of muscle, then easing down. He was heaving his hips in unison with my fingers, his fully hard member brushing against my arm, smearing precum on my skin.

We spent a while like rutting animals, grunting against the cold wall. Then i removed my hand and he pulled down my pants. It didn't take any effort to slide inside me. I exhaled in ecstasy, grasping at his clothing, awaiting him to speed up his hips. He did exactly that, unwilling to wait any longer. He fucked me right there, in the snow, my hands clenching is ass. The orgasm was delicious and my vampire lord finished soon after, my clenching silkiness driving him over the edge.

Next day we had to go out during the working hours. The sky was heavily clouded by gray, wide snowflakes were falling from the sky. I took us to a bookshop, it was a beautiful room filled with dark wood. I introduced us as traveling merchants who are looking into expanding our business. The shopkeeper was a sweet woman, who took kindly to my conversation. Of course, our fancy clothing and furs helped to sell the illusion. I bought a book about local poetry and asked about the city. The woman told us everything we wanted to know. It appears there were three major houses who ruled the city. Three big elven families who had formed a council.

I also asked about the celebrations. She told me about the winter solstice and the goddess of death and cold. They held huge celebrations each winter, when the night was the longest. It was a local deity, whose familiars haunted the barren winter lands. We were lucky, the solstice was happening very soon.

We enjoyed the town until that day. Explored streets, buildings. I rented a sleigh and we drove around like royalty. Locals were skiing in the hills and ice skating on frozen lakes. I bought some skates and tried it out. It was a lot harder than it looked, but my vampiric reflexes helped. I wanted to experience as much as i could. Surprisingly, i managed to get Astarion to try out ice skating too. It was amusing to no end seeing a vampire lord on ice. I was so proud of him, although it took some convincing. In the end we managed to explore the frozen lake together, holding hands like the cheesiest old couple.

Two young girls passed us. I heard one say that were were adorable and she hopes to be just like us when she grows old. I almost turned around and ripped their heads off but Astarion stopped me.

The day of the solstice citizens lit candles on their windows. The day itself was incredibly short, the night, however, lit by golden lights. We heard the commotion from our house. People were wearing masks and clothing in bright colors, chanting and singing. Many masks depicted skulls, decorated with ribbons and runes. It was the night to execute our plan. I wore a dress with a tight bodice – that gave be excellent cleavage – and a huge skirt. Astarion dressed in an elaborately decorated suit. We had no chance entering through the main doors without unwanted attention, so we had to sneak in. While inside we had to look the part, so we fluffed our feathers like a pair of peacocks.

We put on our fur coats and hired a sleigh to take us to the upper city. My jewelry felt cold and heavy against my chest and neck. It was a freezing cold. We sneaked as close to the Anvegg palace as we could, but the streets were crowded by sleighs. People were waiting in a queue to pass through huge metal gates. The palace itself was magnificent, resembling a castle. Its architecture was elegant and detailed. We spotted guards everywhere and had to sneak along the palace wall. After careful inspection we decided to climb over the wall behind the palace gardens. The guards were pacing along the wall, but since it was so long they were fairly spaced out.

Astarion shapeshifted into mist and flew up the wall, there he snapped the neck of the nearest guard and threw him into the garden's evergreen bushes. I – being a sorcerer after all – conjured a spell that allowed me to fly. From there we jumped down and hid behind the bushes. Astarion called forth a fog and it blanketed the palace like a tender curtain. We snuck in through the palace backdoor, but not before casting a spell of invisibility upon us both.

We made our way to the ballroom and stood at the back. The scene was a sight to behold. Elves and races of different kind were dressed to impress. The room was adorned by evergreen branches, lanterns, candles and decorations made of crystal. The latter reflected light in different colors, creating prismatic speckles on the walls. Drinks flowed freely, a table with light foods and desserts was under arched columns. Musicians were playing a fast-paced, but oddly melancholic, tune. Nobody was dancing yet, people were exchanging pleasantries, still entering.

“Looks like we got here too early,“ Astarion noted.

“Bollocks, i'll fetch us some drinks.“ I dodged people masterfully to get us two glasses. The drinks were spicy, but very good.

“So, this is how the upper crust parties in this piece of the world? Is this what you expected?“

I glanced around and sipped from my glass. „Yes and no. With the masks and sad music there better be a sacrifice coming.“

I found it odd that although all the townsfolk was masked, no one in the ballroom was wearing one.

“The nobles have too much money and status to hide their face. Just showing up here is a sign of success. Why hide that?“ Astarion spoke, tasting his drink. I think he noticed me glaring at people.

The ballroom was filling up and the song changed, still melancholic. Soon a chime of bells echoed in the hall. People's murmur quieted down and a figure appeared on a balcony above the crowd. It was a handsome finely-dressed elf.

“Dear guests, beloved neighbors, and those who had to make a long journey to get here, i welcome you in the house of Anvegg. I'm lord Ronegard Anvegg and this palace has been the heart of our family for more than 500 years. Ever since it was built, it has been welcoming to guests and hosting a winter solstice ceremony to ward off dark spirits of the cold and thank the winter goddess Lendera. This year we have something special prepared. But, until then, let us dance and drink like the sun will never rise! We shall honor the eternal night!“

The crowd cheered. Lord Ronegard smiled and raised his glass, then continued.

“To those who are new, i'd like to present my family. My beautiful wife Ereida. „

A stunning woman walked forth, taking her husband's hand. She wore a gown with a long train, jewelry and a headdress. The crowd sheered again.

“Be warmed by the light of Anvegg's palace. Friends will always find a refuge here,“ she said, her voice like a song. By the whispers it became clear she was greatly loved and admired.

Lord Ronegard spoke again, holding his wife's gentle hand, “this is my oldest son, Obreon!“

An elf nodded at the back of the balcony, while making a step forward, surrounded by his siblings who were waiting to be presented. My eyes snapped onto him and never left. I don't think i have seen such a face in a long time, the noble modesty and elegant movements crowned him in excellence. He was stunning, long white hair that glimmered in light blue, dark gray eyes, sensual lips. The handsome elf was wearing a suit in gray and blue colors, silver rings and an elegant silver headdress.

“….Obreon is a skilled dancer, sorcerer and talented musician.“

The named son kept an impassive face, but his mask cracked as a glimmer of annoyance sparked in his eyes. He stepped back into the row and his father proceeded to present his other children, two sons and three daughters – all equally gorgeous. My eyes were glued to Obreon. I recalled what the bookshop keeper told me. Anvegg family were powerful sorcerers, who wielded old magic, kept magical artifacts and had fought battles for this city.

There was something about him that i couldn't comprehend, something magnetic, something familiar. I wanted to possess him. Add him to my collection. Break him, make him kneel. Desire and violence mixed in my twisted head.

I turned to Astarion and whispered in his ear, “you wanted an army of spawn. Have you though about turning somebody?“

“Who do you have in mind?“ He lowered his head curiously.

“How about the oldest son of the Anvegg family?“

Astarion looked up at the balcony, eyes narrowing. He noted the white hair, his overall visage and raised an eyebrow, snickering loudly. „You clearly have a type. Taking the son of a powerful family will blow our cover, not to mention put a target on our backs, my treasure. Maybe you should make another choice?“

My tongue thrashed, rubbing against the back of my teeth, an animal trying desperately to escape its cage. Astarion was right, it was a huge risk, but i couldn't stop thinking about it. The more i entertained the idea, the more i liked it. My hand slid up his chest, stopping on his shoulder.

“It will be dangerous, but if we play our cards right this might become our secret weapon,“ i whispered in his ear.

“You love this city, if we make ourselves the public enemy we'll have to leave.“

I glanced at the balcony, the noble family were slowly disappearing, probably going down the stairs to join the ballroom. I knew this, i didn't feel like leaving, not yet. The danger of this idea, however, had a hold on me, it made me tingle.

My lips were almost touching Astarion's ear as they formed a breathy purr, “imagine, the beloved son of this city as your spawn…listening for you, being your eyes…the most powerful house would stand at your feet. There won't be a better way to infiltrate.“ My siren song tickled his neck, wafted curls of hair across his skin.

“You'd have to use your master's restraint on him…maybe spice it with some spells. As long as he doesn't talk, who will rat us out? We're the heroes of Baldur's Gate, remember.“

He turned to look at me, our faces almost touching. “You know how to be convincing, but be honest with me, why did you pick him?“

“He would make a great plaything, in more ways than one. Can't give you a solid reason, my darkest desire. It's just instincts.“

Astarion chuckled victoriously, his voice sweet and sedative. „So that's how it is then? My treasure has finally started shopping for some bedroom furniture? You started quite late, i expected someone with your appetites to begin a lot sooner.“

“Maybe he won't be any good at all. For his own sake, he better be. Do you like him? If the sands of time ran backwards, and you were standing in a dark alleyway, would you have taken someone like him?“

He paused, looking out into the crowd. The noble family had entered the room, scattering to greet their guests, old and new.

“I had low standards in my former life. He's the sort you'd rarely find in one. Had i met him back then…well…“ he drawled, voice cracking, eyes locked to something in the distance, „he would have certainly caught my eye.“

I smiled, it was all i wanted to hear.

“He looks like he could be your son….or a long lost relative. Maybe fathered in the bushes of some lost elven kingdom,“ i teased.

Astarion snorted with amusement, „Not all elves look the same, you know. It's flattering, but don't ascribe me any children, i assure you, i have none. I'm one of a kind.“

“We'll have to wait until he's alone. This greeting ceremony will go on for a long time.“

So we waited, crawling around the ballroom like shadows, waiting and watching. Guests started making merry, cups were filled and couples danced. I pulled Astarion to an empty hallway and took his waist.

“Excuse me, noble sir, will you spare me a dance?“ I was feeling playful and the night was simply too good waste. The fast-paced melancholic music echoed in the hallways, bouncing off high ceilings and candelabras. Astarion held my hand, whilst enchanting me with an elegant bow.

“It would be a pleasure, my lady.“ He placed a hand on my waist and i took the long train of my skirt into my hand, we started swirling around in a light-footed dance. We were ghosts haunting this castle, invisible yet present.

The night went on and soon another chime of bells wafted through air. It was Ronegard Anvegg standing on the steps of an elaborate staircase.

“Dear guests, it's time to witness the ritual and fulfil the hunger of winter's ghosts. Please, proceed to the inner garden, our servants will lead your way.“

Servants in fancy clothing and holding lanterns stood near the main doors. A flow of guests began moving outside, where more servants lit their way. The night was cold, a light sprinkling of snow descending from the sky. The winter moon hung low, enormous like a bulging eye. The passage of guests, who had put on their coats and gloves, was travelling to the garden located in the inner circle of the castle. We followed, still cloaked by the invisibility spell. It was a joyful trip, full of murmur and excited conversation. I had a strange anticipation in my chest, the thrill of something great and menacing igniting my nerves.

The crowd gathered in an open area with a frozen fountain at the back and evergreen trees surrounding the space. There was a tall stack of dry wood and hay in the center of the arena, decorated with red ribbons. Two dead hares were placed on each side, adorned with fresh flowers. Lord Anvegg walked in front of it, his family kept to the side of the funeral pyre.

“Some of you know these lands well, while some have not yet had the time to become acquainted. These lands are bountiful in summer, yet deadly in winter. For centuries locals held rituals to make wintertide a safer time. Before, the hungry ghosts of Lendera's familiars roamed the lands, hunting people down, spilling blood. Venturing outside was not safe, going into the woods was deadly. Only by appeasing the winter soul have we gained safety and freedom.“

Ronegard gestured to his servants and they carried something to the arena. It was a tall bundle, tightly bound by colorful ribbons. The servants carried it to the stack of kindling and rested it against the wood. It stood up, now vaguely human shaped.

“Each winter solstice we give the winter's kiss a sacrifice, usually we choose someone from the town's prison. Someone worthy of death. This year, however…“ He raised his hand elegantly and a servant lifted a flap of fabric from the top of the bundle. A pale face emerged, eyes wide open, cheeks glistening with tears. A gasp travelled through the crowd, some were snickering.

“Tonight we are giving away one of our own. Some of you know him as Florian Denere, an elf who worked for the council. It was discovered he had been selling our information and filling his pockets with our gold. A betrayal is an act worthy of death in these parts, we keep close to survive and there simply isn't any room for those who put themselves above everyone else. Today, we shall give him to the winter hounds!“

His last words turned into an ecstatic yell, making the crowd cheer and clap. The sacrifice stared at the crowd, sweat running down his face, unable to speak as his lips were sewn shut. A servant brought Ronegard a torch and he placed in onto the kindling. The fire catched on and started to spread, a yellow glow reflecting in the terrified eyes of the sacrifice. He seemed paralysed by some potion, the only part animated being his eyes, those were nearly bulging out of his head, staring at the fire that was creeping closer to his feet.

Ronegard lifted a cup and yelled out into the night, „goddess of winter, ruler of death, take thy offering and stay benignant to our people. This soul is yours!“

The crowd screamed out in bloodlust, though some were averting their eyes in horror. I was spellbound by this sudden act of violence, my eyes taking in every movement, every scent and sound. The hair on my neck stood up, the energy of this ritual was unmatched. The sacrifice's eyes reflected a golden orange as the flames swept over him, he was engulfed in seconds, the fabric soaked in something flammable. My hand reached out for Astarion, grabbing his hand into mine. He squeezed me in return. Coming here was worth it after all.

“What an unexpected turn! The noble family is a lot more unhinged than i imagined! Bloody human sacrifices for old forgotten gods, how quaint! I have to admit, Ronegard knows how to throw an unforgettable party. I think some guests will be revisiting the highlight of this event in their nightmares,“ Astarion laughed, enjoying the performance as much as i did. The stench of burning human hair and flesh washed over the guests. It was so revolting that many covered their noses, some retched.

Ronegard was standing motionlessly and gazing into the flames, captivated by the sparks rising up into the night sky. Or maybe there was something else he saw in the fire? His eyes were oddly absent. He woke from his stupor and turned to guests with a wide smile.

“Dear guests, i'm asking you to go back inside. The ritual is over and it's getting rather unpleasant.“

He left the scene surrounded by servants who began guiding the crowd inside. The Anvegg family was last to move, they exchanged a few glances and haste words, then dispersed into the darkness. All but one – Obreon, he stared into the fire for a few more minutes, then began slowly sauntering to the castle. I nudged Astarion, it was our chance! I removed the invisibility spell. We had found a secluded spot away from the crowd, near the evergreen trees, where we could remain undisturbed.

“I want you to approach him first,“ i whispered. „Get a feeling for him, then introduce me.“ „Keen on watching, are you?“ He was joyous, eyes glinting from the anticipation of a challenge. „You always liked to see me at work. Don't forget to blink, darling.“

He was teasing me, but not too far from the truth. My eyes were fixated on our target, predatory, merciless.

Obreon didn't see him coming. Astarion just popped out from the dark void, that was this night, making the elf wince.

„What a powerful performance! It's going to be the talk for days to come. Not to mention a masterfully crafted exposition of a warning.“

The surprise on Obreon's face dissipated, replaced by formal coldness. „Excuse me, i don't think we've been introduced?“

„That is entirely our fault. We had to undertake a very long journey to get here and exprienced a few delays. We were late, but lucky enough to see the main event.“

„Oh, i'm sorry to hear that. It explains why i didn't see you at the dance.“ Obreon's demeanor seemed to soften up a little.

„You have an extraordinary memory, Lord Anvegg. How many people were there? A few hundred?“

„It's more of a curse, really,“ Obreon sighed. „I wanted to take a little walk, you may join me, if you don't mind the cold.“ The two began slowly encircling the gardens, snow crunching under their feet.

“I couldn't help but notice your disapproval during the ceremony. Were you close with the burning man?“ Astarion's question was blunt, yet not carrying any kind of accusations.

Obreon looked up in to the sky, the snowfall was becoming denser.

“I dearly hope it wasn't that obvious. Yes, i knew him. At one point i may have called him a friend, but it was a long time ago. In the council everybody knows each other. It was a shock to find out what he had been doing.“

Astarion sensed that the elf had nobody to talk to about the loss. It was an open door.

“It's always the ones who we least expect that tend to surprise us. My condolences for the loss of your friend.“

Obreon thanked him with a tired, yet grateful smile. “I will be fine. He knew what he was risking. The council has always been ruthless to traitors.“

“So you're telling me, private executions are widely practiced in these parts?“

“Private – only on special occasions. Public – not anymore. I'm guessing you outsiders think it's barbaric.“

“Not really, if the sacrifice is a criminal, then does it truly matter what kind of a punishment they receive? At least they're spending their last moments doing something useful. Or do you think otherwise?“

Obreon moistened his lips while admiring the castle. Snow was building on his head and coat.

“I would be a hypocrite to say that i care about the sacrificed. The dangers my father spoke about are very real. Townsfolk used go missing during wintertide, then be found ripped apart. The messengers of the goddess howled and scratched behind closed doors. People were scared to go into the forests, to go outside at night. Although, attacks happened during daytime, too. These are a necessary measure. A life has to be given, a thinking feeling being, such is the law.“

“Ah, gods love exercising their unyielding power, often as a detriment to their own worshippers. Are there any more human sacrifices planned in your yearly calendar? I can free up a spot in my schedule.“ Astarion's voice dropped flirtatiously. It worked as Obreon smiled.

“Not this kind. We celebrate summer solstice, but only sacrifice animals and wine during the ceremony. Some may sacrifice their virginity, but that's up to the gods of luck to decide.“ Obreon stopped and turned to look at Astarion. „You didn't say your name. It's not fair since you know mine.“

“I'm lord Astarion Ancunin and there's someone i'd like you to meet.“

“It's a pleasure, though, i haven't heard your name before.“ Obreon followed Astarion, who was leading them towards the row of evergreen trees.

“It's to be expected, i've led a rather secluded lifestyle and made my debut recently.“

I was watching from the bushes in silent awe, the plan had worked out perfectly. Astarion was enchanting to observe, his performance truly noteworthy. I could never get tired of this. He was good at what he did best – seducing. Cazador, you bastard, you made the perfect monster.

Astarion's hand reached out for me, parting the snow coated branches, and i gave him mine. He guided me out of the shadows, where i could see Obreon up close for the first time. He didn't disappoint, still as magnetic as when i first saw him, only now he wore a cautiously furrowed brow.

“This is my consort, my love and my partner in crime – Arsenia.“

I smiled, trying to not scare the elf with my intense staring. I stretched out my hand, as was customary. He took it gently and brought it to his lips. It was a gentle kiss, i barely felt any warmth. I caught his gaze and smiled. Obreon's eyes stayed on mine for longer than was decent.

“I apologize for stalking you in the bushes, but i was dying to meet you.“

Obreon was amused, „it seems i walked into an ambush. You must be freezing, you had to wait a long time for me.“

“I don't mind the cold, especially on a night like this. The gardens are beautiful, i went on a stroll.“

It was so difficult not to stare, i tried my best to soften my expression, but the hunter in me was enthralled by the chase. I was hyper-aware of myself, the air and the falling snow. I felt alive! There has always been a predatory aspect to my being, which was amplified by me becoming a vampire spawn. No, a vampire bride. I had tasted my lover in more ways than one. He had given me his blood. I was truly free to unleash my horrors into the world.

Obreon sensed the energy, there was no way for it to be unnoticed, it crackled through the air like distant lightening, filling the air with the scent of ozone. I doubt he understood what it meant, yet he was enticed. The elf's gray eyes darted from Astarion's smug smirk to my alluring little smile. My eyes were full of unspoken promises. Calling to him, inviting him to take part of unfathomable pleasures. Astarion's act was unmatched, he was spellbinding and gentlemanly.

“The gardens are one my favorite places, too. It's even more beautiful during the summer when everything is in bloom,“ Obreon said.

“It's also very private, i noticed. A lot of alcoves to hide in.“ My voice was silky smooth, brimming with temptation.

Obreon looked down shyly, a playful smile lingering on his lips. “It's by design. Many unions have been formed in this greenery.“

“I imagine many confessions of love, as well. This maze of green is built for the lecherous whispers of lovers and their hastened breaths,“ Astarion noted, his voice becoming deep and seductive.

We started moving, walking slowly between the snow-capped trees and bushes, many of which still held on to their berries. White pearlescent drops peeked out from the snow. As we were ambling the gardens Astarion drifted to Obreon's left side, while i kept to his right. He was cornered, the poor thing didn't even have a clue. Or did he? Perhaps he was waiting for a special kind of treat?

Obreon nodded with amusement. „If it was warmer these paths would be filled with guests. I'm ashamed to say that i have seen lifted skirts and bare thighs on more occasions than i dare to admit. My family turns a blind eye, as long as the guests are content.“

Astarion leaned closer. „Have you ever thought about joining one of them?“ His tone was controlled, yet flirtatious.

Obreon was impressed and entertained by his bluntness. “I have received a few invitations over the years, but none of them enticed me.“ The elf glanced at Astarion playfully.

I wrapped my arm around his bicep, caressing the silky fabric with my fingers. “It was brave to admit that, but it would be even braver to explain why.“

Obreon turned to look at me, our eyes met and his gaze travelled down to my lips, then to my cleavage, before bouncing back up. I let him know i caught him staring, he could look if he wanted to. I certainly didn't hide my wandering stare. My glowing tiefling eyes ran down his delicious frame, stopping briefly at his crotch.

Obreon gulped, „i'm very selective when it comes to that. There wasn't any chemistry between the us, or there wasn't enough of it.“

Astarion looked at him intensely. „Having high standards is paramount in these times, but especially to a person of your importance. Do entertain us, how do we measure up to your desires?“

Obreon's cheeks flushed, he gathered himself and looked in Astarion's eyes. „Are you going to make a proposal?“ The question was soft and quiet, more of a whisper.

“Would you like to get one?“ I squeezed his bicep, coming to a kissing distance of his lips.

Obreon smiled anxiously, his breath quickened. He stopped the walk. Large flakes of snow were gliding from the sky. It was so still and peaceful outside. The elf was firmly pressed between us, cornered like a deer by a pack of wolves. Yet, he didn't seem to want to run.

“Maybe,“ Obreon whispered lustfully.

I brushed his long hair out of the way and kissed his neck. Obreon closed his eyes, inhaling slowly, blissfully. Astarion touched Obreon's jaw to turn his face and kissed him on the lips. Obreon accepted the kiss eagerly, melting into position. He moved his hand to Astarion's neck, holding him gently.

I wrapped my arms around the elf, allowing them to wander shamelessly. My kisses on his neck were demanding, my tongue made an appearance and licked his soft skin. He tasted of nothing, maybe with a barely noticeable flavor of salt. His hair was silky soft, a lot of care went into it's upkeep for sure. I played with it, letting it slide between the tender flesh of my fingers.

Having him in our arms was victorious, the aloof prince at our mercy. The pretty man in a lion's den. I watched him kiss my beloved one, the scene made my heart beat faster. It was unusually satisfying to see my lover in action from a bystander's point of view. I could fully appreciate his beauty only when observing him from afar. Well, not afar in this case. I was still up close.

Astarion's lips moved in a hypnotizing way. They were soft, skilled and deadly. Those very lips that brought me pleasure were now making someone else sigh lustfully. I heard Obreon, i couldn't be fooled. I watched, tilting my head to catch every minute detail. The place between my legs tingled, becoming tender and responsive to every movement and friction. I needed to see Obreon flinching, his body was a plaything i wanted to engage.

I pressed my hand against Obreon's crotch and felt him through the fabric. He winced, gasping from the pleasant surprise. I rubbed him through the clothing and he thrust into my hand. This sent waves of pleasure up my body. I cupped his face and snatched him from Astarion, then kissed him passionately. Obreon let me inside his mouth, let me play with his tongue, while his hand touched my breasts that were mischievously bulging out from by bodice.

Suddenly, i felt a brush of wind on my neck. It was Astarion, he stood behind me, kissing my neck and nipping my skin. My pussy throbbed, eager to be touched. He caressed my shoulders, his fingers were running down my back, squeezing my waist. It was fantastic and i channeled that into the body in front of me – Obreon.

My hand was stroking him harder and faster, making the elf squirm underneath me, his kisses became more savage. I unbuttoned Obreon's trousers and slipped my hand into his undergarments, his erect cock fitting perfectlty into my fist, burning it with heat. Obreon moaned out loud, his hips bucking into my hand, begging to get off. I began stroking him, pausing to play with him like i saw fit, teasing him, edging him.

Meantime, Astarion was decorating my shoulder blades with toothy kisses, finally lifting up my skirts to touch me. His hand fluttered to my crotch and slipped a finger into my wetness, gently rubbing my swollen bud. I never wanted him to stop. His finger glided over my bud so delightfully, every stroke sending flickers of pleasure up my nerves. I uttered a blissful growl, the wetness dripping down my thigh. Then his hand started rubbing me in circles and i felt ecstatic! My hips started moving on their own, helping the orgasm build. My swollen bud was overly sensitive and the epicentre of my current state. I broke Obreon's kiss, my head tilted back in ecstasy.

All this time i made sure my hand in Obreon's pants never stopped for a second. The noble elf was watching us now, eyes darkened by deviant, perverted lust. He was breathing heavily, lips parted, tongue slithering behind the white cages of his teeth. He lunged forward and kissed Astarion over my shoulder. There i was, squeezed between two warm bodies, flushed and dripping wet.

Obreon took my leg and pulled it up to his waist, holding me, clinging to me like i was a wuthering wave and he a drowning sailor. The tingling delightfulness in my groin started to expand and my walls flexed, welcoming an intense orgasm. My eyebrows furrowed and mouth gaped as it shot up inside me, the wonderful spark-filled sensation. My eyes drifted out of focus, my head falling back, i was enjoying the aftertaste. My hand was still working on Obreon, now speeding up with the intent to make him groan.

Obreon tightened his hold on my thigh, his hips moving along with my hand. The cheeky bastard was basically jerking off into my hand. There was a viciousness to his movements, a desperate kind of lust.

Astarion parted their kiss and grazed his lips down the nobleman's neck, sucking on him, teasing his flesh. Obreon whimpered in bliss, allowing himself to be devoured. He was in a state, cheeks adorned with a heavy blush, clothes and hair disheveled. His voice formed a hoarse moan, whilst his hips continued to hump my hand. I was holding him firmly, moving quickly along his shaft. My thumb made sure to brush the tip of his member as it pulled out.

Obreon's voice cracked in the middle of a moan, his body shuddered and slowed down. I felt his seed in my fist, but i kept on stroking him. Obreon embraced me tightly, his thumb caressing my thigh. He was breathless as he humped me jerkingly throughout his orgasm. I pulled out my sticky, semen coated hand and shoved it into Obreon's mouth. He sucked on it obediently, cleaning my fingers with his tongue.

„Mm, what a good boy,“ i exhaled sweetly. Astarion glanced at me, he was still toying with the nobleman's neck. We understood each other well. His jaw flung open, sharp fangs glistening with saliva, and latched onto Obreon's flesh. Obreon gasped, but was still licking my fingers in his mouth. I smiled watching my lover drain him. My fingers dug deeper into Obreon's mouth, caressing his tongue possessively. His eyes drifted shut, long eyelashes fluttering as if he was dreaming. I could feel him sucking my finger, a heavy lustful gasp flowing from his lips.

„You were such a delight, my lovely elf,“ i whispered in his ear.

Obreon's body began to weaken, his hand released my leg and it dropped to the ground. Astarion embraced him and held him up, while the nobleman drifted silently into a dreamless sleep. Obreon's body fell limp, his beautiful face peaceful and dignified. Astarion placed his body into the snow. He stood back up and stared at the lifeless shape.

„It was beautiful, my love,“ i said serenely and reached out to wipe away the blood on Astarion's chin.

He turned to look at me, smug and pleased with himself. A hint of dark passion glinted in his red eyes.

„It's been a long time since i've seen someone welcome death so willingly. I expected him to put up a fight. Well, i guess this is what happens if you let yourself starve.“ „Or his parents never taught him to be wary of strangers.“

Astarion touched my cheek lovingly. „We must bury him, my darling. We have to find a place where we can meet him tomorrow, without prying eyes. He will be confused and in need of soothing words. Potentially dangerous.“

„We'll bury him in the forest. The ground is frozen, but i will melt it with fire. And i'll need you to call upon a mist even bigger than envelops this castle.“

„Aren't i lucky to snag a sorcerer. Consider it done, my dear,“ he smiled.

I kissed him and it tasted of dark lust. I couldn't stop, my hand drifted to his loins and squeezed his cock. It was hard and begging to be played with.

Astarion groaned into our kiss and mumbled, „behave now, my insatiable lover, there's a dead body that's in need of a burial. After it's taken care of i'm all yours.“ I gave his member a possessive squeeze before letting it go.

„As you want, my desire,“ i growled.

The fog that came over the town was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. I heaved Obreon's body over my shoulder and cast a flying spell. Astarion turned into a swarm of bats and we departed our hunting grounds. Roof tiles clanked under my heels as i soared from building to building. The swarm of bats was faithfully by my side, sometimes surrounding me like a halo. Below us echoed the cheers and chanting of the partygoers, some exclamations of surprise, some curses at the mist. Street lanterns gave the mist a golden glow, so defused and distant that it seemed unreal. Like the light that's seeping between the eyelids when they're barely open.

We jumped off the town wall and wandered into the dark forest. It was pitch-black but the snow made it seem lighter. It was still snowing, the moon was our only witness. We travelled deep into the woods, so deep that nobody should wander there by accident. I placed Obreon's body into the snow and looked around. The trees here were ancient and contorted, branches and nubs covered in fluffy snowcaps. Near me the flock of bats undulated between trunks, descended and took the shape of a man.

„There's a clearing worthy of a grave,“ Astarion said and trekked through deep snow to a place below a rocky hill.

The ground there was flat, no big trees around. The hill with boulders provided cover.

„Мove aside, dear,“ i said as i started moving my hands in circular patterns, channeling my fire.

A huge blazing sphere materialized above the clearing. I danced my fingers in the air and it lowered closer to the ground, melting the snow. When green grasses appeared i pushed the sphere even lower and it touched the ground. The smell of burning wafted up and i clenched my fists. The fire snuffed out. This wasn't enough, still. I cast a spell that allowed me to move objects around, then focused on the dirt and scooped a human-sized hole into the earth. Astarion carried Obreon to his grave and laid him to rest. I commanded the giant clump of soil to move back into its place and the body was finally covered.

I stared at the fresh grave. The deed was done, there was no way back. Tomorrow we will have to welcome whatever crawls out of that grave, be it doom or blessing. I could have summoned a snowstorm to cover the naked dirt, but we were too far into the woods to have a need for it.

„I hope it's not doubt in your eyes that i'm seeing,“ Astarion whispered with amusement, while embracing me from behind. „It was your idea, after all. His family will slaughter us with a concerto, if they find out what we did.“ His voice lowered in tone, becoming a breathy, sultry whisper.

He was pent-up ever since our debauchery in the gardens. His hands encircled my waist.

„I'm deeply impressed by your sixth sense for masochists. Perhaps i should leave finding all future spawn to you…that, and i love indulging your whims, my darkest dream.“ As he was talking his lips were leaving a trail of kisses down my neck. I sighed with delight, letting him seduce me.

„Кeep talking….and kissing me, my love. I was hoping you would want to fuck on his grave.“

Astarion laughed alluringly and spun me around as if we were on a dance floor. My hands landed on his shoulders and snapped to his neck.

„We were in the middle of something. Well, you were, at least.“

„Want me to continue?“ I laughed smugly.

„Mmm,“ he drawled lustfully, „a certain part of me has been waiting very eagerly to meet you again.“ Astarion pulled my hand from his neck, pressed it against his face and traced his lips with my fingers.

My eyes were burning holes into him. Astarion opened his soft mouth and stuck his tongue out, running my manicured fingers across its moist surface. A sting of pleasure shot up my loins and i snapped my other hand from his neck and cupped his crotch. Astarion's heavily-lidded eyes were glued to mine, desire written on his parted lips.

My walls throbbed, i simply could not resist him. My hand clenched his member through his pants, traced its prominent outline, then kneaded it possessively. Astarion's mouth gaped further open, it was inviting me to do horrible things. I pushed my lips against his, but didn't kiss him just yet. My lips rubbed against his, teasing, soothing. My hand on his crotch began rubbing him off. Astarion shivered from delight, his hands grabbing my waist and starting to lift my skirts.

I smiled and took his lower lip between my teeth, sucking it, then clamping down at full force. Astarion moaned from the sudden pain, his brow frowning, but he didn't stop me. I sucked on his lip while my hand was hard at work on his cock. The opposing sensations were driving him mad, conflicting in his brain, enhancing one another. I released his lip and grasped the front of his jacket, beginning to lead him backwards towards the fresh grave. He complied, staring at me with vengeful lust. I shoved him onto the ground. It turned me on that our 'third wheel' was underneath us, even in death. You shall serve, Obreon, serve in every possible way.

Once my lord was down i crawled on top of him, my hands reaching for the clasps of his pants. I opened them and set his hard, aching member free. Just looking at it made me wet, it was mine, only mine, i will do whatever i damn please. I stooped and stuck my tongue out, licking up his shaft. I made a dramatic pause at the tip and began teasing it with my tongue. A pair of shaky moans from below let me know just how appreciative my lover was. His moans echoed with tingles in my crotch. I reached down and stroked my bud, making sure that Astarion sees it. He stared, moistening his lips with his tongue. I lowered myself to suck his tip again, prodding it with my tongue, all this time rubbing myself. It was heavenly.

Astarion closed his eyes in delight, his hips thrusting upwards, asking for more. I gave his shaft a few strokes, while my mouth was working on him with wicked devotion.

„Just fuck me already, my love,“ he groaned out grimly, while in desperate need of release.

I gazed up at him with evil self-satisfaction, as my tongue was swirling around his tip. I was pleasuring myself shamelessly, putting on a performance.

„Is this begging worthy of a vampire lord? Don't think so,“ i teased him cruelly, returning back to slurping his length. I sucked his tip like a lollipop.

Astarion shuddered and moaned out loud. „Damn you, do you want me to beg?! You evil, wicked, wretched little…“ His cursing got cut off by a needy groan, since i sucked him in and gave his member a few rough, fast-paced bounces. I spat him out shortly and began kneading him.

„Shit,“ he swore crudely.

I chuckled and heaved my hips, my hand still between my legs.

Astarion gulped and gathered himself, it wasn't easy since his mind was foggy. „Alright…“ he panted. His voice became low and seductive, the kind that drove me feral. „I need you to fuck me…i beg of you, my darkest desire.“

I listened intently, of course that voice got to me. I took great pleasure in stroking myself faster as he spoke. I nearly gave in, but decided to torture him further.

I smiled looking at him, then shook my head cruelly.

Astarion huffed annoyingly and frowned at me. His mask was quickly broken.

„Fuck, what do you want now? A poem of 50 paragraphs?!“

His frustration was deeply amusing to me. Watching him squirm made my bud grow bigger and more sensitive.

„You wouldn't be able to make one, you're a shitty poet,“ i said with a hoarse chuckle.

Astarion glared at me without blinking, eyes narrow. My evil foreplay was starting to dawn on him.

„I could command you…“ He started, but i cut him off.

„Command me to what? Sit on your cock? No you fucking can't….“ I laughed loudly, getting a deep satisfaction from his blight. I moved down and ran my tongue across his length, leaving a kiss on the tip. Then sat up and added, „or you would have already done so. You're powerless, vampire ascendant.“

Astarion trembled as i teased his member, something in his presence shifting. His face turned emotionless while his upper lip curled, exposing his fangs. He lunged forward and grabbed my neck. He pulled me close until our faces almost touched.

„I'm powerless…and yet here you are grinding yourself against me. Look at yourself, you're absolutely dripping feral, you'd do anything for me. What is this if not power?“

I looked at him silently. This was a fun turn of events, i loved it when he grabbed me like that. I grasped his member and smirked widely.

„Not bad, but i'm not afraid of you,“ i said and shoved him back onto the ground.

He wasn't expecting that and growled at me.

„You witch!“

I waved my finger, scolding him alluringly. „No, no, be nice now, my beloved.“

Astarion stared at me with a deep frown. „You're enjoying this, aren't you? Does my suffering satiate your sadistic little heart?“

I licked my lips, my hands moving to undo the lacing of my bodice. I moved up on his body so that my hips were right above his. I sat down, my wet folds pressing onto his length. As i was untying my bodice i rotated my hips, grinding myself against his hardness. Astarion inhaled sharply and arched his back, enjoying the delightful friction. I opened my bodice and freed my breasts, my hips now grinding more intentionally. A groan escaped him and his hands snapped onto my hips, making sure i never stop.

„You have no idea, my beloved,“ i purred, carried away by the sweet sensation between my legs.

I humped him further, my movements becoming more rough and desperate. My vampire was grunting underneath me, jerking my hips faster and faster. I needed him inside me. I reached down, grabbed his cock and guided it inside me. It slid in effortlessly for my wetness had stained even the front of his pants. Entering me made Astarion gasp out in ecstasy, his chest heaving with each heavy breath. I started riding him, angling myself in a way that i could grind my bud against his stomach. Astarion's hands dug deeper into my hips, pushing me down harder. I was panting, moans of pleasure flying from my lips each time his cock brushed against my walls. We spent a while like this. Astarion's frown softened, his visage revealing a desperation for pleasure.

Suddenly he sat up and pushed me to the ground, nudging my thighs up and entered me again. It was fantastic! He held my legs and thrust into me with speed and vigour. Each friction of his delicious cock against my throbbing walls sending waves of bliss up my body. I sunk my claws into his shoulders and let him have me however he wanted. The ecstasy in his eyes was unlike anything i've seen so far – bliss, impatience, adoration. I felt the orgasm build and screamed as it expanded, my head flying back, eyes fluttering shut.

Astarion fucked me through my contractions, groaning from the intensity of the sensation. There was an absence in his eyes that told me, he was coming soon. His hips kept moving, unable to stop even if he tried, aching for the sweet kiss of release. Finally, he moaned loudly and grabbed me into a tight embrace. His hips were still moving, riding out his prolonged frustration. I stroked his hair and held him lovingly. Once he stopped we just lay there in each other's arms. Gasping and covered in dirt.

We returned to the city and enjoyed the luxuries of our rented cottage. We filled the wooden tub and had a bath, drank wine, rested on soft fresh sheets. I asked Astarion to wash my hair and he fulfilled my request. Then i washed his. I have become used to his presence, even during the most intimate moments, and i demanded the same from him. He didn't seem to mind it either. Astarion said he was always watching, but so was i. I watched him unbashfully as he bathed, changed or slept. He was a feast for my eyes, something worthy of admiration.

„You always stare so eagerly,“ he noted.

„You can return the favor, i don't mind feeling your eyes on me,“ i smirked alluringly, or…have you become bored of this?“ I ran my hand down my leg to make a point.

„How could i possibly get bored of you, darling? I chose you as my consort for a reason,“ he flirted back.

„I hope you chose me for my personality, because you'll never get rid of me.“ My flirtation had a dark aftertaste, a playful warning just under top layers. „The only acceptable divorce i'll take is decapitation.“

„Are you threatening me or flirting? It sounds the same coming from your lips, my love.“ Astarion leaned closer to brush my neck, whispering, „Do not fear, my love, i know about the hidden recesses of your mind, ah, the horrors that lurk in that darkness are abundant. I met you when you were a merciless assassin and was captivated by your steady hand, by your stoic character. Though, i know now that your stoicism was simply a facade, there's hardly anyone in Faerun more passionate in nature than you. We're a good match, don't you think ?“

His seduction worked well on me. I put my hand on his chest, my claws dragging on his skin.

„Say it!“ i hissed, my eyes burning with fire.

His lips formed a devious smirk, but his eyes were clouded by lust.

„I love you and i will burn the world down for you.“

I laughed victoriously, drunk on desire.

„I will slaughter anyone who dares to lay a finger on you.“

Astarion lowered himself slowly onto my lips, his voice a hoarse whisper.

„It's a promise.“

Next night we made our leave, i used a flight spell again. It was still snowing and the forest was even more difficult to travel. Large snowdrifts were leaning against trees, the wind was knocking the buildup of snow from tree crowns. The grave site was coated in a blanket of snow, but still lightly dented. The hill made finding the spot a lot easier. We stood at the foot of the grave, dressed in our furs and waiting.

„It's quite romantic,“ i said playfully. „Еven while waiting something to chew its way out of the dirt.“

„The noble family has probably noticed the absence of their oldest son by now, but there's no commotion, no search patrols on the streets.“

„You think they're keeping it quiet on purpose? The palace is being searched, i'm sure of it.“

„The Anvegg family wants to save face, we must use it against them.“

An eerie scream echoed in the distance, bouncing off trees and stone. I grabbed Astarion's hand out of instinct. He comforted me.

„It must be one of those hungry winter ghosts Ronegard was speaking about. It's a good thing they have been appeased.“

I looked into the darkness of the forest, something was watching us, something ancient and incorporeal. This land was truly haunted, haunted by monsters scarier than us. Suddenly the snow on the grave started moving, a hollow formed on its surface, and a pale hand reached out into the sky.

„He is coming,“ i noted calmly. We watched as the snow got shovelled aside, mixed with the darkness of dirt, and a figure crawled out. Obreon was hard to recognize, his clothes were filthy, hair tangled and stained by soil. His gorgeous eyes we now red, wide from fear and confusion. Obreon clawed at the snow, pulling himself further into the moonlight. His head was whipping around, looking for something in the trees. Then he finally noticed us and froze.

„Where am i? W-what have you done to me?“ The nobleman growled.

„You have been reborn, sweet prince,“ Astarion spoke to him smugly.

„With term and conditions, dear. Now you belong to us.“ I stepped closer and squatted down in front of him, gently touching his hair.

„What are you saying? What did you do? Did you curse me?“ Obreon stared into my soul. He was so confused, so dazed.

„You're a vampire spawn now. He is your master.“ I stroked his hair, cleaning it from dirt, nodding towards Astarion.

Obreon frowned and shook his head in disbelief.

„No, no….no! This can't be true!“

I took a small mirror from the pocket of my trousers and held it up in front of Obreon's face. His eyes locked on it, widening with horror. He crawled closer, staring into the glossy surface that showed no reflection. Something inside him broke, his head dropped, long hair dragging on the snow.

„Мy family will kill you for this,“ he mumbled.

„I'm afraid you won't be able to tell them. I don't want to exert total control over you, so i need you to behave. Being a spawn doesn't have to mean endless suffering, however, if you to put us in any danger…“ Astarion was menacing, confident and powerful.

He was going to be an excellent master and i was so proud of him. He was all mine.

„..Astarion will command you to walk into the sun,“ i finished the sentence for him.

Obreon clenched his teeth and made a loud whimper - as if about to cry or burst out laughing, a grotesque gag of a sound. He raised his head, eyes glistening with tears, mouth contorted.

„Whatever you planned is destined to fail. My family….the council… will never let themselves to be influenced and if they find out that i'm a…“ he struggled to utter the word, „they will burn me as a traitor.“

„Вurn their own son?“ i chuckled, my hand caressing his head. „That's too heartless for a man who introduced his family so lovingly. Come on now, it's not all doom and gloom. We will take care of you, i promise.“

I knelt and pulled the elf into my lap. Obreon didn't resist and laid his head on my thigh, i started gently stroking his head. It was an odd scene, but he seemed to calm down.

Astarion was satisfied with the outcome, he stood and watched us quietly.

„What happens next?“ Obreon asked.

„We will take you home, but first, you have to make yourself presentable,“ Astarion replied. „Your family should remain blissfully unaware of your nightly escapades.“

„You can take a bath at our place and we will clean up your clothes,“ i chimed in, brushing dirty hair off his cheekbone.

„And you will tell your family a story with a very happy ending: you succumbed to a night of wild debauchery with two of your guests, who lured you out of the castle. You got drunk and passed out somewhere, only to stagger back home the next day. You can add whatever details you desire to make it more convincing. Lying shouldn't be too difficult, since it's basically the truth.“

Obreon listened quietly, eyes distant. Confusion and shock was written all over his face. He was scared, too. I tried my best to calm him, we didn't need him to panic.

„And…what do you want to be called? Should i call you master now?“ The nobleman barked bitterly.

Astarion rolled his eyes. „Мaster is such an old-fashioned, formal title, i prefer something more…casual. You may call me by my name.“

„You must stay out of the sun and be ready for the hunger, sweetheart. Astarion, will you read him the rules?“ I averted my eyes to my beloved.

The vampire hummed and replied with a delay, „Things will be different from when i was a spawn and it's no secret i feel aversion towards my former master's rules. Mine will be a lot easier to follow. Keep your nature a secret, i recommend drinking from criminals, it's about time they'd be useful for something. Animals are another good source to keep in mind. Secondly, obey my every command. You won't mention us to anyone. And you will come when called.“

„Think of us as your extended family,“ i added tenderly.

„It's time, my love,“ Astarion gestured.

I cast the flight spell on myself and Obreon, whilst Astarion shapeshifted into a swarm of bats. The mist was still veiling the town, so there was no chance of being seen. I held Obreon's hand as we jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

„So, you're a sorcerer,“ he mentioned midair. „He isn't building an army of sorcerers and wizards, is he?

That made me laugh. „Оf course not, it was i who chose you.“

Obreon stared at me with a frown, worry and confusion plastered all over his face.

We landed on the balcony and entered our humble abode. I filled him a lovely hot bath. The noble elf seemed to enter another stage of apathy, he just stood in the middle of the room stolidly, eyes vacant. I had to undress him and he behaved like a doll, allowing to be manipulated without any resistance. I guided him into the bath, where he sat in silence. I washed his body, then his hair, led him out of the bathtub and wrapped him in a blanket. Astarion stood next to a wall, sipping a glass of wine. He offered it to me, as i passed by, and i took it gladly. I downed the whole thing and pressed the empty glass back into his hand.

The next thing that needed to be done were Obreon's clothes. I washed them, then used a fireball to heat up the room and speed dry the garments. When i entered the room with fresh laundry in my hands, i stumbled upon a charming scene. Astarion was drying Obreon's hair with a towel. He did it so gently, so methodically. Then he picked something from the table and proceeded to comb his hair.

I placed the folded clothes on the table and sat down, enjoying the view.

„Has he said anything?“

„No, he's been ruminating.“

„Can we really send him back in such a state?“

„He will be fine in a minute. I was in a similar state myself. Though, a lot more self-aware,“ Astarion snickered.

„Poor thing, he must be blaming himself,“ i said mockingly, tilting my head.

„This is just the first stage, rage will come next.“ Astarion knew what he was talking about.

In a way, Obreon was at fault. He did follow two strangers into the night and succumbed to their seduction. At the same time, his decisions didn't have much gravity in the outcome. We would have turned him even if he resisted. In that case, he would have been at a greater risk of death. I wasn't sure i wanted a spawn that fought against us. There was no use for a biting dog. Astarion would trust my opinion, i'm sure, he knew i was good at picking people apart.

I walked up to Obreon and cupped his face with both hands. „Don't blame yourself. If you want to hate someone, hate me. Your hate shall be the wind under my wings. I can promise you one thing, if you accept us, we will keep you out of harm's way. You shall taste all the pleasures of eternity,“ i said to him in the most charming way.

I needed Obreon to be strong and cast aside his doubts. He was going back into the lion's den and had to be mentally sound. Astarion, who was still combing his hair, sent me an amused glance.

„I'm giving him something to focus on,“ i whispered to my beloved. „It's better if his aversion is aimed at me, not at his master.“

Astarion shook his head in charming disbelief. „You're positively diabolical, my darling. Not to mention impishly clever.“

His praise tickled me like nothing else. „Мove aside, i'll dry his hair.“ My smile was sly and flirty.

I brought my hands in front of me and summoned a fireball. The brightly colored flame filled the room with elongated shadows. I blew onto the fire ever so gently and a wave of hot air wafted over Obreon's hair. I repeated this a few times before extinguishing the flame.

Astarion began combing his hair again as if nothing happened.

„I wish someone took care of me, instead of feeding me dead rats and carving my skin off. My spawn should be grateful to have me as their master.“

„I wish i met you sooner, i would have draped his intestines on palace windows. You will be a better master than him, it will be your advantage. Your gift to those ingrates.“

„You're as lovely as ever,“ he stated.

Astarion put the comb down and walked out of the room.

„I'll fetch us some more wine.“

I followed him with my loving eyes, but i got interrupted by the pressure around my arm. I looked at Obreon and confirmed that he was indeed holding me. His red eyes were glued to mine, bottomless and glistening.

„You never answered me.“

„What was the question, my dear?“

„Why did you choose me?“

I lingered with my answer, letting Obreon's eyes melt into mine, his expectations to churn and tangle.

„Because i liked you.“ My answer was blunt, yet alluring. „Weren't you attracted to us, too?“

„You seduced me.“ Obreon was feverish.

„And you enjoyed it.“ My voice was sweet as honey, dark charm in full bloom. „In fact, it seemed you were waiting for it your whole life, judging by the way you were humping my hand.“

I could swear i saw the shadow of hesitation sliding across Obreon's face. He was doubting himself, questioning everything, ashamed.

„I will neve forgive you,“ he said, „but i can't hate you either.“

Simply admitting that made him feel small and guilty. It made me happy to see that we had made such a memorable impression on him, that we were messing with his pretty little head.

„There's no need to sulk. Eternal life is a gift not offered to many. You shall prosper under a reasonable master. You ought to be grateful to have Astarion,“ i cooed and leaned in to leave him tender kiss on the lips. „Get ready now.“

Obreon stood up, wrapped in his towel like a protective shell. I turned my back out of politeness and heard his towel drop to the floor. He started dressing himself. After some time i turned around and he was in his evening outfit. I ran my hand up his chest and smiled.

„So handsome. You'll need a spell to hide those eyes.“

Obreon nodded silently. He closed his eyes and began chanting. I felt a burst of magic and when he opened his eyes, they were his former color.

Astarion was back, holding two glasses of wine. He seemed pleased to see that things were going well. He walked up to us and splashed wine all over Obreon's outfit. The latter stared at him in shock, but the vampire lord simply smirked.

„You're far too clean for someone who spent the night hugging the bottle,“ Astarion said. „This will help you with your mission.“

I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and dried his face.

„Just remember this, your new abilities brought you a lot of advantages, not just weaknesses. We will meet again soon.“ I kissed him sensually and he succumbed to the charm once more. My hands moved on their own, slithering down his chest and grasping at his sides. A heavy sigh fluttered from Obreon's throat. I kissed him for a second longer and pulled away.

„You have to go now,“ i said. „I'll take you.“

Obreon shook his head, still recovering from the kiss.

„There's no need. I'll go alone. It won't be hard with a dense fog outside.“

„Have a safe journey.“

Obreon dashed past us and down the stairs. I heard the door open and slam shut. Once we were alone Astarion burst out laughing.

„That poor boy! You messed up his head and his loins! I wouldn't be surprised if he is infatuated with you, anyway, he will be eating from your hand.“

I huffed flirtatiously, „Me? You were there too, if i remember it correctly, messing with his head just as keenly as i was. He's in love with us both. He just doesn't understand it yet.“ My hand slid down the trim of his jacket.

Astarion's hand took my waist and pulled me closer. „We woke his hunger and he will be coming back until it's satiated,“ he spoke in a soft, tempting voice.

„I hope he does. Lust is more powerful than fear,“ my eyes had a sinister glow. I took the glass of wine Astarion was holding and sipped.