#i winged the shading in another way for me. like i just started adding colour to thibgs instead of using multiplication xD

[sentientstump]

two cakes from sickland! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 happy bdays

[rainforestakiie]

Hi!! I know you’re busy and please ignore this if you want. But I wanted to bring up the idea before I forgot. from Be Lonely With Me, we see how Adam enjoys the unique changes about Lucifer. Slowly bringing up his confidence in himself. I was wondering, only if you want too, but if there was a scene that Adam, ever the farmer, is helping Lucifer clean his little hooves. And is being so gentle about them. Lucifer’s a little shy about it and Adam tries distracting him with talk. And inevitably, they talk about Lucifer’s out changes, like the horns, his wings, but especially the tail. Adam is surprised Lucifer doesn’t have it too, but Lucifer assumes, like his wings, the tail was part of his powers. And Adam just goes. “Awww. That’s a shame. I wonder if it’s just as soft too” emphasis on Lucifer’s legs and hands, like an absent minded flirting and open admittance that Adam likes touching them.

hi!!!!

nooo, i'm never too busy for your requests! i hope you like this! a scene that should have been in Be Lonely with Me! with a little bonus added to the end!

Lucifer’s face bloomed into a radiant shade of crimson, so vibrant and intense that sweet, innocent Adam couldn’t help but compare it to the bright, sun-kissed tomatoes he had gathered earlier. He didn’t care much for the taste of tomatoes, but oh, how he adored that deep, fiery red!

Another exciting discovery! Adam had recently started naming things after colours, thrilled by his own blossoming sense of creativity. Still, with wide, curious eyes, he stared up at the Archangel, his face a perfect portrait of childlike innocence.

“Why?”

“Um...” Lucifer stammered, his usual composure unravelling. A delicate puff of steam seemed to rise from his golden curls as he hurriedly removed his top hat, lest the heat of his fluster leave embarrassing stains on it. “It... it’s just the way things are.”

“But why?” Adam pouted, his confusion only deepening as he scratched his head. “If it’s so important, why don’t I have them?”

Lucifer blinked in surprise, his sapphire eyes sweeping over Adam’s perfect form. His siblings had brought up the idea of dressing Adam a few times, offering him clothing like the angels wore, but Lucifer had always managed to steer the conversation away from it. In truth, he adored seeing Adam roam the paradise of Eden freely unburdened, unspoiled. Not that he’d ever confess that to his brothers and sisters! Michael would surely banish him from the garden for such thoughts.

But how could anyone not admire Adam’s beauty? His wild hair, a mix of earthy browns and sunlit reds, fell messily around his face. His pale skin, now kissed by Eden’s endless sunshine, was beginning to take on a golden glow. And his eyes—those eyes! Lucifer’s favourite feature of all. They were the colour of Eden itself, a blazing emerald green, unique and dazzling, unlike anything he or his siblings had ever seen.

“You don’t need them,” Lucifer finally murmured, though his voice trembled, his blush now spreading down his neck. “I... need them.”

Adam’s brow furrowed, his confusion growing. His emerald eyes drifted to the crisp, snowy-white robes that draped elegantly over Lucifer’s form. He crawled closer, his innocent fingers gently tugging at the soft blue edges, lifting them ever so slightly. A startled yelp escaped Lucifer’s lips as he quickly smoothed the fabric back down, his blush deepening to an almost impossible shade. Adam only giggled in response, finding the angel’s reaction amusing.

“What are these called?” Adam asked, his voice full of wonder as he continued to play with the hem of Lucifer’s robes. “And why do you wear so many?”

Lucifer swallowed nervously, offering a shy, trembling smile. “Um... they’re called robes. Heavenly clothing, made from divine light. And I wear layers because... b-because it’s sacred. As an angel, I’m not supposed to show my skin.”

“None of it?” Adam asked, his gaze shifting to Lucifer’s hands. Without thinking, his fingers lightly traced over the exposed skin there, curious and soft.

Lucifer’s breath hitched as he wrapped his slender fingers around Adam’s hand, his heart fluttering at the warmth of the touch.

“That’s... different,” he whispered bashfully.

Adam, always so curious, reached out with his other hand, his touch feather light as he trailed his fingers along Lucifer’s arm, up to his neck, and then to his flushed cheek. “Your neck... and face? Your skin is bare here too.”

Lucifer trembled under the gentle caress, his voice a mere squeak. “T-That’s different as well.”

Adam shifted even closer; his innocent eyes wide with curiosity. “But why is it different?”

“It just is!” Lucifer squeaked, his voice high-pitched as he quickly took hold of Adam’s wandering hand, gently guiding it down to his lap. His heart was racing, and he let out a soft, shaky breath. But as he gazed at Adam, he couldn’t help but smile. He adored how endlessly inquisitive the first human was.

Sighing, Adam slumped his shoulders in frustration. “Everything is ‘just the way it is.’ It’s so confusing.”

Lucifer chuckled softly, his voice tender. “It’ll get easier, Addie. You’re still learning. You’ll understand more as time goes on.”

Adam nodded slowly, trusting his guardian Archangel completely. He always believed what Lucifer said, for his angel never steered him wrong. But still, his gaze lingered on the shimmering robes that flowed around Lucifer like a celestial waterfall.

“Why don’t I have these... ‘clothes’?” he asked.

Lucifer clicked his tongue playfully. “You don’t need them.”

“Why not?” Adam pressed.

“You just don’t,” Lucifer grinned, his sapphire eyes twinkling as they met Adam’s vibrant green ones.

Shifting closer to Adam, his six wings fluttered softly behind him, creating a delicate breeze that ruffled the grass beneath them. Lucifer leaned in with a mischievous smile, his voice dropping to a secretive whisper.

“Can you keep a secret, Addie?”

Adam’s face lit up immediately, his emerald eyes sparkling with excitement. He straightened up like a curious little meerkat, his whole body buzzing with anticipation. “A secret? I can keep a secret! What’s a secret, Luci?”

Lucifer chuckled warmly, leaning in even closer until his nose brushed against Adam’s cheek. He grinned when he saw Adam blush, a rosy hue spreading across his face. “A secret is something shared between just the two of us. If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone else—not even the other angels.”

Adam gasped; his eyes wide in shock.

“Not even the animals?” he whispered, as if the birds and creatures of Eden were listening in on their private conversation.

“Not even the animals,” Lucifer nodded with a playful glint in his eye. “Do you think you can keep it, Addie? Can I trust you with my secret?”

Without hesitation, Adam eagerly nodded, his fingers tightening around Lucifer’s hands. “Yes! I promise! I’ll keep it safe!”

“You mustn’t tell my brothers or sisters~” Lucifer sang teasingly, letting go of Adam’s hands. He wiggled closer to the edge of the soft grassy hill they were sitting on, the pond below shimmering in the sunlight like a bed of diamonds. With a sly grin, Lucifer gently tugged at the bottom of his robes, lifting them just enough to reveal his bare feet.

Adam’s eyes grew wide with wonder, his breath catching in his throat. He watched in awe as Lucifer slipped off his pristine white shoes and raised his robes higher, allowing them to rest just above his knees. The sight of Lucifer’s feet, glistening like stardust under the warm light, left Adam speechless.

Lucifer, clearly enjoying Adam’s reaction, leaned over and planted a soft, teasing kiss on his cheek. Adam’s blush deepened, his whole face turning the same shade of red that had colored Lucifer’s earlier.

“Just this once, I’ll show you my feet,” Lucifer whispered with a playful wink before dipping them into the cool, crystal-clear waters of the pond. “Now, come sit with me, Addie~”

Adam, shy but eager, scooted closer and slipped his own feet into the water beside Lucifer’s. His heart fluttered as he watched the angel’s feet sparkle in the water, the cool sensation sending delightful tingles up his legs. He gasped when Lucifer’s foot brushed gently against his, the touch soft and teasing.

“Remember, Addie,” Lucifer murmured, his voice as soft as the breeze, “Uou mustn’t tell anyone about this.”

Adam’s breath hitched, and he nodded fervently, his gaze locked on the spot where their feet touched beneath the water.

“I-I won’t tell anyone, “He whispered, his voice barely audible.

Lucifer smiled sweetly, his sapphire eyes twinkling with affection.

“Good boy~” he purred, gently stroking his foot against Adam’s once more.

Adam’s heart raced, a warmth spreading through him that had nothing to do with the sun. He felt safe, cherished, and loved. With Lucifer by his side, everything in Eden seemed perfect—even if the world was full of confusing mysteries, if they had their little secrets, Adam knew he’d always have something special that was just for them.

~#~

Adam blinked hard, pulling himself out of a memory that felt both sweet and distant, like a faded photograph. He didn’t know why it resurfaced now, but the ache in his heart told him how deeply those moments had mattered. How close he and Lucifer once were—before Lilith entered their world. Before everything changed.

Lucifer had shown him his feet. Something so sacred and forbidden for angels to reveal. And yet, Lucifer had done it for him, swearing Adam to secrecy. It was such a tender gesture, and as Adam remembered, his own bare feet tingled, as if they could still feel Lucifer’s delicate touch. The way he had gently brushed their feet together, his expression always innocent, though Adam sensed something more behind those sparkling sapphire eyes. Lucifer’s feet had shimmered like the stars themselves, and Adam had often wondered if all of the Archangel’s skin sparkled in that celestial way, or if it was something uniquely Lucifer. Either way, the memory made Adam’s heart race all over again.

“Addie~” a familiar, joyful voice called from the bushes. Lucifer’s lean, graceful form emerged from the lush greenery, his body wrapped in a playful tangle of woven leaves, petals, and vines. His golden hair shimmered like spun sunlight, framing his cherry-red cheeks, making him look impossibly adorable. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Adam’s lips curled into a smile as he watched Lucifer approach, his fingers sinking into the soft golden sand along the riverbank. “Sorry, I guess I got lost in my thoughts.”

His eyes lingered on the fallen angel. Lucifer still looked breathtakingly beautiful, even after the fall. His once flawless white skin now carried a peppering of black along his arms, which had morphed into long, sharp claws. His legs were coated in soft midnight fur that ended in hooves. His face had become slightly more angular, his eyelashes long and dramatic, while his once sapphire eyes had melted into molten gold, flecked with crimson. The blue tint of his cheeks had deepened into a rich, blood-red hue, but Adam still saw the same beauty beneath it all.

“What’re you thinking about?” Lucifer cooed, dropping to his knees beside Adam and practically shoving himself into Adam’s space, preening for affection like a cat seeking warmth. "Anything nice about me?"

A small laugh escaped Adam, and with a burst of boldness, he leaned in to kiss the sensitive red markings on Lucifer’s cheeks, the Archangel's weak spot. A thrill of satisfaction ran through him as Lucifer shuddered and moaned softly, flushing even deeper.

“Of course,” Adam teased, his voice gentle. “I’m always thinking sweet things about you.”

Lucifer smirked at that; his eyes gleaming mischievously. “Damn right you are.” He stretched his legs out, his claws grazing over his thigh as he relaxed beside Adam.

Adam’s gaze flickered to the white scar that marred Lucifer’s thigh—a reminder of the time Lucifer had scaled the Tree of Knowledge and faced off with the fierce Cherubim guarding it. He’d gotten hurt because of Adam’s curiosity, because he couldn’t resist helping him, despite the risks.

“You can touch it, if you want,” Lucifer said softly, catching Adam’s gaze. “I’ve seen you looking.”

Adam flushed, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. “It’s just... you got hurt because of me, and—”

“I don’t regret it. Not for a second,” Lucifer interrupted, his tone firm and resolute. He reached out and took Adam’s hand, his claws curling gently around it, guiding Adam’s palm to his scarred leg. “You don’t think it’s ugly, do you?”

Adam’s heart clenched. He had noticed this more and more lately—Lucifer, despite all his power and beauty, constantly seeking reassurance. No matter how often Adam told him he was stunning, it never seemed to fully sink in. Lucifer, the radiant, fallen star, still didn’t believe he was worthy of love.

“Luci,” Adam whispered, his fingers tracing the scar as if to soothe it. “There’s nothing ugly about you. Nothing. You’re beautiful to me—always have been, always will be.”

Lucifer’s golden eyes softened, but Adam could see the flicker of doubt that still lingered behind them, a shadow that refused to let go. He leaned in closer, pressing his forehead against Lucifer’s.

"I mean it," Adam whispered against Lucifer's skin, his voice filled with warmth and sincerity. "To me, you're perfect—scars and all."

Lucifer’s lips curled into a small, tender smile. He didn’t say anything, but the way he leaned into Adam’s touch, the way his body relaxed just a little more, spoke volumes. Even if he couldn’t fully believe the words, in that moment, he wanted to.

Adam's fingers traced the jagged, yet oddly mesmerizing, scar on Lucifer's leg. It zigzagged across his thigh but had a faint star-like shape to it, just like all of Lucifer’s scars. Adam couldn’t help but wonder why every deep wound Lucifer bore healed into a star. Even the scar on his own chest had the same celestial pattern. His touch lingered on the soft, velvety fur that framed the scar, the gentle texture of Lucifer’s goat-like legs always surprising him. Despite their sharp appearance, they were tender, warm, and inviting beneath Adam’s fingers.

“That feels nice,” Lucifer murmured, his voice a mix of contentment and playfulness as he rested his head against Adam’s shoulder. His breath was soft against Adam’s skin, the moment intimate and peaceful. “I love it when you give me attention.”

A light laugh escaped Adam’s lips, his chest vibrating from the sound. “Of course you do.”

Lucifer chuckled, his voice taking on a teasing, sing-song tone. “Because I’m selfish~”

Before Adam could respond, Lucifer leaned up and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the curve of Adam’s throat. He felt the way Adam shivered beneath his lips, and it delighted him to no end. He pulled back just enough to see the flush creeping up Adam’s neck, his own grin widening with satisfaction.

“I also like to return the attention, Addie~” Lucifer whispered, his voice a seductive purr as his golden eyes glimmered with mischief. His fingers trailed gently along Adam’s arm, his touch as light as the breeze, drawing a shudder from the human beneath him.

Adam's heart fluttered, a mix of warmth and nerves coursing through him. He couldn't help but smile, despite the heat rising in his cheeks. "You’re incorrigible, you know that?"

Lucifer grinned wider, his eyes sparkling like molten gold. "And you love it."

Adam sighed, rolling his eyes playfully, but his smile never faded. He did love it—the attention, the way Lucifer knew exactly how to make him feel special. And in these quiet moments, with the gentle rhythm of the river in the background and Lucifer’s presence wrapped around him like a comforting blanket, Adam felt at peace.

He leaned down and pressed his forehead softly against Lucifer’s, their breath mingling in the small space between them.

“Maybe I do,” Adam whispered, his voice barely audible but filled with affection.

Lucifer’s grin softened into something more tender, his hands gently cupping Adam’s face as he nuzzled closer. “Good. Because I’m never letting you forget it, Addie.”

Adam’s emerald eyes wandered down the length of Lucifer’s legs, trailing over the soft, velvety fur and coming to rest on his hooves. His heart clenched when he saw them—sore, unkempt, and clearly neglected. A distressed sound escaped his throat before he could stop it, his brow furrowing with concern.

"Lucifer!" Adam scolded softly, his voice filled with a mixture of worry and affection.

"I thought we agreed you’d take better care of these." He gestured toward the poor state of Lucifer’s hooves, shaking his head in disappointment.

Lucifer blinked, caught off guard by Adam’s sudden shift in tone. For a moment, he tried to brush it off, shrugging with a playful smile.

"Oh, it’s nothing, Addie. I’ve just… gotten caught up in the freedom of not having to wear those pinching boots all the time. You have no idea how much those things hurt! They’ve been forcing me into them for so long, and now, being barefoot is such a luxury," he said, trying to make light of it.

Adam’s frown deepened, though his expression softened as he listened. He did feel for Lucifer—the thought of him being forced into uncomfortable boots, no doubt by Heaven’s expectations, made his heart ache. But still, he couldn’t ignore how sore Lucifer’s hooves looked.

"I get that, really," Adam murmured, his tone gentle as his fingers grazed the fur near Lucifer’s legs.

"But look at them, Luci… They look so sore." His voice dropped to a near whisper as he asked, "Are you still in pain?"

Lucifer hesitated, his bravado faltering. His cheeks flushed a soft pink, and for the first time in a long while, he seemed bashful, almost shy. He glanced away, his golden eyes flickering with embarrassment.

"I… I don’t really know how to take care of them properly," he admitted, his voice much quieter now. "It was easier when I could just wrap them up and give them a quick rinse in the shower. I guess I’ve never really given them much thought."

Adam hummed in response, his mind already shifting to a solution. Without another word, he patted his lap and gestured for Lucifer to rest his hooves there. "Come on, put them here. Let me help."

Lucifer’s heart skipped a beat at the offer. He stared at Adam for a moment, his breath catching in his throat. Something about the gesture—so simple, so kind—made his chest tighten with a feeling he didn’t quite know how to express. His love for Adam swelled in that instant, but instead of saying anything, he blushed a deeper shade of red and awkwardly shifted to lay his hooves across Adam’s lap.

The tenderness in Adam’s eyes as he carefully took Lucifer’s hooves into his hands was almost overwhelming. His touch was gentle, his fingers soft as they caressed the fur framing the hooves, brushing away any dirt or stray bits of Eden’s soil. Adam moved with such care, as if he was handling something precious, and Lucifer couldn’t help but blush harder, his heart racing with every delicate movement.

"You're always so gentle," Lucifer whispered, almost to himself, as Adam continued to attend to him.

Adam smiled softly, his focus never wavering as he carefully began cleaning the hooves, using the edge of his sleeve to wipe away the grime.

 "You deserve it," he said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I hate seeing you in pain."

Lucifer’s chest tightened again, a warmth spreading through him as he watched Adam work. The human’s fingers moved with such care, cradling each hoof as if they were something sacred. Adam’s thumb lightly grazed over the tender edges of Lucifer’s hoof, smoothing over the ridges with a touch that sent shivers up Lucifer’s spine.

He didn’t know what to say, his usual playful confidence slipping away in the face of Adam’s kindness. All he could do was watch, his golden eyes softening, his body relaxing into Adam’s touch.

"Does that hurt?" Adam asked, glancing up at him with concern as he gently brushed more dirt from the hoof.

Lucifer shook his head, feeling oddly shy again. "No… It feels nice, actually."

Adam’s smile deepened; his gaze warm as he returned his focus to cleaning. He worked slowly, methodically, making sure to tend to every detail. The way he handled Lucifer’s hooves was nothing short of reverent, like he was tending to something far more delicate than the fallen Archangel’s battered feet.

Lucifer’s heart swelled even more, and he swallowed hard, trying to keep his emotions in check. He wanted to say something—to tell Adam how much this meant to him, how much he loved him for this—but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he just watched in quiet admiration, feeling the love deepen in his chest as Adam’s fingers worked their magic.

For the first time in a long time, Lucifer felt vulnerable in a way that didn’t scare him. Adam’s touch made everything feel okay, made him feel cherished in a way he hadn’t realized he needed.

When Adam finished, he looked up at Lucifer, his eyes soft and filled with care.

"Better?" he asked, his voice quiet and soothing.

Lucifer smiled, his cheeks still a little pink as he nodded. "Much better, Addie… Thank you."

Adam leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Lucifer’s knee, right above the scar. "Anytime, Luci. You just have to ask."

Lucifer’s heart fluttered again, and though he didn’t say it, in that moment, he was sure of one thing—he was hopelessly, completely in love with Adam.

Adam’s fingers continued to glide gently over Lucifer’s hooves, the warmth of his touch soothing the fallen angel. After a few moments, Adam finally broke the comfortable silence, his voice soft but curious. “Why do you think your hooves are so ugly, Luci?”

Lucifer shrugged, his golden eyes flicking away in that familiar, dismissive way.

“Because they are ugly, Addie,” he muttered, as if it were an obvious fact.

Adam pouted, his heart aching at how casually Lucifer put himself down. Shaking his head, he caressed the arch of one hoof with deliberate care, his thumb brushing over the tender fur surrounding it.

“I don’t think they’re ugly at all,” Adam said quietly, his gaze unwavering. “They’re beautiful.”

Lucifer scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping him.

“Beautiful? You must be joking.” He frowned, his voice growing harsher as he insulted himself. “I mean, look at me. What kind of archangel has hooves for feet? I look like some cheap knock-off, a twisted version of what I used to be.”

Adam fell silent for a few seconds, his emerald eyes glancing down at Lucifer’s hooves as he absorbed the angel’s words. Then, quietly but firmly, he spoke. “Probably the kindest one.”

Lucifer blinked, caught off guard. His gaze snapped to Adam’s face, searching for any sign that he was teasing or being sarcastic.

“You… really think I’m kind?” he asked, his voice softening in disbelief.

Adam chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully before nodding. “Yeah, I do. I think you’re the kindest one, Luci. Sure, you’ve made mistakes—we all have—but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re kind.”

He paused, his cheeks flushing slightly as he continued, “And honestly… I think you’re even more beautiful now than when you were an Archangel.”

Lucifer stared at Adam as if he’d just heard something impossible, his eyebrows raising in shock.

“Are you serious?” he stammered. “You can’t mean that. I was the most beautiful when I was an Archangel of the Lord. Look at me now—I’m just a step down. A cheap imitation of what I once was.”

Adam felt his face heat up, shy and a little embarrassed to admit what he’d been thinking for so long. He glanced away for a moment, before finally looking back at Lucifer with sincerity in his eyes.

“I… actually prefer you like this,” he admitted, his voice almost a whisper. “I find you… very attractive. More so now than when you were an Archangel.”

Lucifer gaped at him, his mouth hanging open in shock.

“You—what?” He blinked several times, gawking at Adam as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “You’re not lying?”

Adam met Lucifer’s gaze head-on, his emerald eyes filled with honesty. “Why would I lie about that?”

Lucifer sucked in a sharp breath, his face flushing a brilliant shade of red as he struggled to process Adam’s words. Slowly, he nodded, his heart racing. He knew Adam wouldn’t lie to him about something like this.

But the compliment felt strange, foreign. Lucifer’s golden eyes grew distant, misted over as he allowed himself to be vulnerable.

“I… hate myself, you know,” he admitted quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I hate how I look now. When I fell, and I woke up like this…”

He gestured vaguely to his changed form, his claws, his hooves. “It was hard. Maybe I could’ve gotten used to the hooves if that was all, but it wasn’t. I woke up with claws, horns, and then there’s the fucking tail…”

At the mention of a tail, Adam perked up, his eyes dropping to Lucifer’s hips as if expecting to see it. “Wait… you really have a tail?”

Lucifer pouted, folding his arms across his chest in frustration. “That’s all you’ve got to say?” he grumbled. “Yeah, I have a tail. It’s just as ugly as the rest of me.”

Adam shook his head in disagreement, his expression softening as he thought back. “I always wondered about that… I remember thinking I saw it back in Hell, before my second death, but I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe I’d imagined it.”

He smiled, his gaze warm as he added, “I don’t believe for a second that it’s ugly, though.”

Lucifer snorted, rolling his eyes. “You’re only saying that because you haven’t seen it up close. Trust me, it’s not something you’d call cute.”

Adam tilted his head, his curiosity piqued.

“I wish I could see it up close,” he said, his voice soft and thoughtful. “Why don’t you have it here, in Eden?”

Lucifer blinked, surprised by the question. He looked down at his lap, then back up at Adam. “I assume, like my wings, the tail was part of my powers. It must be tied to them, so I don’t have it here. Same with my horns, I guess.”

Adam’s pout returned, his lips curling into a small frown.

“Aww, that’s a shame. I wonder if it’s just as soft, too,” he mused absentmindedly, his hands trailing over Lucifer’s legs and fingers, as if his touch alone could bring that softness back.

Lucifer’s heart raced at the subtle, almost flirtatious way Adam caressed him. His eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, all he could do was stare, his breath catching in his throat. Adam’s casual admittance—his gentle, open fondness for Lucifer’s body—was almost too much for him to handle. It sent a thrill through him, a mixture of surprise and something deeper, something more dangerous.

But for once, Lucifer didn’t mind. He leaned into Adam’s touch, his heart pounding in his chest, and wondered—maybe, just maybe, he could start believing Adam’s words.

“I wonder what kinds of things you could’ve done if you still had it,” Adam mused aloud, a light-hearted laugh slipping from his lips before he could stop himself.

Lucifer paused, blinking slowly at Adam as his smile turned sly, lips curling in a crooked, playful grin. A flicker of something dangerous and mischievous danced across his features. What kinds of things could he have done? The thought made his heart quicken, and suddenly, his mouth watered at the possibilities. His gaze darkened, molten gold swirling in his eyes as he reached out, fingertips—claws—skimming up Adam’s throat, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He leaned in close, his breath hot against Adam’s ear.

“Oh?” Lucifer’s voice was a low, sinful purr that sent shivers racing down Adam’s spine. “And what, exactly, were you imagining, my sweet Addie?”

Adam’s emerald eyes flew wide, the realization of what he might have suggested hitting him all at once. Heat flushed through him, turning his skin warm and prickly as his pulse hammered in his throat. His face darkened, every inch of him suddenly feeling much too warm under Lucifer’s intense, hungry gaze.

“L-Lucifer, whatever you’re thinking… that’s not what I meant,” Adam stammered, his voice shaky as he tried to backtrack, but it was too late. Lucifer's lips twisted into a wicked grin as he pounced, a blur of mischievous laughter and quick movement.

They tumbled together, rolling across Eden’s soft, golden soil in a whirl of laughter and heat, the earth warm beneath them. Before Adam could even catch his breath, Lucifer’s lips found his, pressing in with fervour and playfulness. The kiss was intoxicating, sweet and teasing all at once, and Adam felt himself melt into it, swept up in the rush of the moment.

Adam barely had time to register what was happening before Lucifer's body was pressing against his, the force of the fallen angel’s playful pounce knocking them both onto Eden’s warm, fragrant soil. The heat of the moment washed over Adam like a wave, his breath catching as their lips collided, unexpected yet electric.

Lucifer’s claws gently grazed Adam’s jawline, sending shivers down his spine as their lips brushed together in a teasing kiss. It wasn’t hurried, but deliberate—like Lucifer wanted to savour every second, every reaction from Adam. His breath was hot against Adam’s skin, the proximity overwhelming, his presence a mixture of danger and comfort all at once.

"Not what you meant, huh?" Lucifer teased, his voice low and sultry as he hovered just above Adam, their faces mere inches apart. His golden and red eyes glinted with a mischievous glimmer, darkened by desire.

"Then what did you mean, Addie?" His voice was a velvet purr, laced with temptation.

Adam’s heart raced in his chest, each beat loud and insistent, as if it wanted to escape the intensity of Lucifer’s gaze. His face was flushed, heat rising to his cheeks and neck, and suddenly every inch of him felt hypersensitive to the fallen angel’s touch. His emerald eyes darted away for a second, unable to withstand the fire in Lucifer’s gaze.

“I-I wasn’t thinking,” Adam stammered, trying to gather his thoughts, but Lucifer’s weight on top of him, the press of his body, made it nearly impossible to form a coherent sentence. His voice faltered, softer now, “Luci… I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Oh, but I think you did,” Lucifer breathed, leaning in closer, his lips brushing the shell of Adam’s ear. “Or at least… I’m hoping you did.”

There was a teasing lilt in his tone, but underneath it, a raw vulnerability that Adam recognized.

Adam’s breath hitched, and he felt a wild heat surge through him as Lucifer's words sank in. His body felt like it was on fire, caught between the pull of desire and the soft pang of affection for the angel above him.

 “Lucifer…” he whispered, his voice barely audible, as he tried to speak through the haze of emotions.

Lucifer's gaze softened for just a moment, his sharp grin faltering as he studied Adam's flushed face. There was a tenderness in his touch now, claws easing off, and he leaned down, pressing a much gentler kiss to Adam’s lips, softer this time, with the kind of care that only someone truly in love could give.

Adam kissed him back, slow and deliberate, his fingers tangling in Lucifer’s midnight fur as he pulled him closer. Despite the teasing and the heat of the moment, this was what it came down to—their connection, the way they fit together like pieces of the same whole. Adam felt the warmth of Lucifer’s body envelop him, the world around them falling away as they lay together in the heart of Eden.

When they finally pulled apart, both breathless and flushed, Adam couldn't help but laugh softly.

"You’re impossible, Luci."

Lucifer’s smirk returned, his eyes glittering with mischief. “Only for you, Addie.”

But as they settled into the quiet of the moment, the heat simmering down, Adam found himself tracing the edges of Lucifer’s hooves again, marvelling at how natural it all felt—like they had always been like this, tangled together in love, teasing words and soft touches. His heart swelled with affection, and despite the teasing, he knew one thing for sure: there was no one else he’d rather be with.

~#~

Hell was a mesmerizing blend of deep blues, purples, and reds, stitched together in a tapestry of shadows and infernal light. The sky was a dusky purple, shrouding the realm in a twilight gloom, with the distant glow of Heaven shimmering far above like an unreachable moon. Wisps of steam curled lazily through the darkened streets, mingling with the acrid scent of sin and chaos. Sinners hurried past, some rushing to their shadowy homes, while others clashed in fiery disputes under the ever-watchful eyes of the city.

In the Ring of Pride, everything pulsed with the raw energy of its sovereigns. Power hummed through the streets like a living heartbeat, the presence of the King and Princess tangible in every corner. Purple and crimson eyes, set deep within the cracked stone of the city, watched intently, surveying all that transpired within their domain. There was an undeniable majesty to the place, a sense of grandeur woven into the very fabric of Hell.

The Hazbin Hotel towered above Pentagram City, a structure of haunting elegance. Its height was dizzying, with countless windows glowing in hues of violet and scarlet, echoing the colors of the Pride Ring itself. Every light beckoned, drawing the gaze of anyone who dared look. The wrought iron gates shimmered like stars against the dark backdrop, while a pristine, dusty white stone pathway wound its way up to the towering golden statue of a goat-dragon—a symbol both curious and awe-inspiring, throbbing with otherworldly energy yet oddly inviting.

Two towers rose from the hotel like sentinels, their designs both strange and familiar. From afar, they might resemble a colossal golden apple and an old-fashioned radio, but up close, it was clear that they embodied the two powerful forces that ruled this domain—rivals in both strength and influence. Their presence crackled in the air, a constant reminder of the duality of Pride.

Adam couldn’t shake the growing sense of regret. The moment he had stepped foot into the Hazbin Hotel, his heart had raced with unease, knowing deep down that Lucifer’s sugary words and honeyed promises were merely a trap. He had spent fifteen long years with Lucifer, trapped in Eden's paradise, and he should’ve recognized the gleam in Lucifer’s eyes—the one that always meant mischief was at hand.

If only he had listened to his instincts, if only he had trusted his gut… he might not be in this precarious position now. Yet here he was, ensnared once more, wondering what fate awaited him in this unnervingly beautiful and treacherous place.

“Aw, come on Addie~” Lucifer purred, running his long tongue along Adam’s throat. “Don’t keep those cute sounds locked away~ I want to hear them~”

He should have known…

Adam flushed brightly from embarrassment. He was pinned upon a queen-sized bed, his wrists held down by Lucifer’s claws. A shudder of heat ran through his vein, tingling through his gut and making his hips arch.

“Don’t you remember what you said in Eden?” Lucifer cooed, leaning back to peer down Adam’s delicious face hungrily. “How you wished I still had it? You wondered what type of things I could have done if I did~”

“I-I didn’t mean this – ohhh~” Adam clenched his eyes shut, waves of pleasure running through him. He crushed his lips together, clanking his teeth together and trying to stifle his moans.

Lucifer whined, nipping at Adam’s lips again. His hips were arched upward, his backside stuck up with his long silk black tail buried between Adam’s thick thighs. The sound of wetness echoed through the room as he purposely moved his arrow-tipped tail against Adam’s wet cunt, rolling it with desire.

“Addie~” he sang, pressing his naked body down upon Adam’s. “Come on baby~”

“Let me hear your adorable song, it’s been so long since I’ve last heard it~”

Adam's eyes sprung open, growing wide with a cry erupting from his throat. Lucifer grinned widely, so wickedly and mean as he began to push the tip of his tail into Adam's dripping wet cunt.

"Is it good? Is it better then you thought it would have been?" Lucifer teased, running his sharp teeth up Adam's exposed throat. He dug them into the bite claim he had immeidately returned to the skin. "Is it everything you fantasied about in Eden?"

"S-So much better!"

Lucifer laughed with victory, beginning to fuck Adam with his tail.

[nyaluvey]

The Chicken - part I

There’s a murderous monster on the loose in Cambridge. Amidst the chaos, a lone girl notices something after coming face to face with the deadly beast.

Part II  |  Part III

Bloodied beak, large tail feathers of various colours that are easily as tall as a nine-year-old, bulging, feral eyes and a long neck that stretches its height to what is comparable to a small house - it was a puzzle to me why the monster before me was dubbed ‘The Chicken’ instead of something like ‘The Ostrich’. One could argue that those rabid eyes, almost red with bloodlust, are more similar to that of the small (and rather horrible) beasts known to keep moving even after decapitation. If you looked deeper into that savagery though, you might be able to see what I saw - unyielding rage, or rather despair…perhaps hopelessness would be a better word? Either way, it was something more human than what I would expect from the murderous monster that has already killed more than 20 people in Cambridge within the last month.

…and this is where I start regretting my choice of taking another look at The Chicken instead of running away like everyone else.

The beast towered over me, its enormous beak ready to fall on me anytime now, I could almost see myself adding a new patch of red onto the random splatters of dried blood that adorned its wings.

If not for my superb survival instincts, that is.

Before I knew it I managed to jump onto the back of the monster and was strangling its long neck from behind with all the strength in my body. It started screeching in the most ear-wrenching way possible - for one moment, I actually felt like I was having the upper hand. Yet just as I was revelling in my gymnastic skills that finally proved useful for once, the monster beneath me started glowing in an unnatural manner, transforming into a human right in front of me - it was a scene that came straight out of a magical girl anime.

I fell bottom-first onto the ground now that my large ride was lost. Looking up immediately to anticipate another deadly attack, I was instead faced with one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.

The Chicken has turned into a girl(?) with translucent skin and straight ebony hair that fell perfectly on her shoulders. Her eyes were an equally dark shade, contrary to the pure white sundress that she had on. If not for the sunlight hitting her at the most perfect, and might I just say, heavenly angle, she could easily be mistaken as a ghost. But I could see that same insanity reflecting in her eyes even in this form - not even the mesmerising rosiness revealed by the sun’s kiss on her cheeks could distract from the fact that she had a bloody cleaver in her hand.

One, two, three. Every step she takes in my way gave me more goosebumps than the last. Something about her human form felt even more dangerous than The Chicken. So I got up. I knew I had to run.

What happened next was a huge blur. I remember narrowly escaping her several times in exchange for a few slashes on my arms. Luckily for me, the game of tag was happening in my own college. Manoeuvring to the nearest hiding place would have been much harder if it wasn’t on my home turf.

Slamming the door behind me, I couldn’t help but slump onto it from fatigue. I was breathless and drowning in adrenaline, the only thing I could hear was my own heartbeat - until loud bangs on the door started reverberating through my body.

She’s here.

It took everything in me to prevent the door from bolting open just from her strong blows. I’ll have to run again, I thought to myself, but where? I took a quick scan of the room I was in. The only other viable exit would be the large window facing Third Court.

She might catch up right away though…no, the office next door always has its windows opened, so if I move quickly enough…

Taking a leap of faith, I bounced onto the tall window at the same time as the next bang and proceeded to push the windowsill up for an opening. Yet, to my horror, no matter how much strength I put into it, the window didn’t budge. That’s when I realised.

It was locked.

Sensing the murderous presence closing in from behind me, I knew I no longer had enough time to make my escape, so I decided to use my last resort: talk-no-jutsu.

“Why are you targeting me?” It took me every bit of courage I had to squeeze the words out of me. Now sitting on the floor, I was shaking with anticipation of imminent death as I watched her lift her cleaver up in preparation for the final blow. It must have been a pathetic sight to watch - a university student trying to hold back tears because of something other than academic work. “There are so many people in this college that you could kill, why do you have to kill me?” Letting out a final cry, I shut my eyes in fear. But the killing blow didn’t fall.

It was when she started laughing that I finally reopened my eyes. In any other situation, I would have loved to behold that ethereal sound almost like a rain of glitter, but I couldn’t feel much other than confusion at that moment.

“You know what, I should tell you,” she chanted, her low voice soothing and threatening at the same time, “you’ve been quite good fun after all.” She proceeded to pull out a few photos from her pocket - pictures of her with a particular man.

A man that I was much too familiar with.

“Your father really loved you - he loved you sooo much that he paid me to kill his only daughter,” A massive smirk was now plastered across her face, “Isn’t it great? Being so unwanted that-“

“Ah, ok. Fair,”

Her eyes widened at my response, though it only took a second for her to go back to laughing like a maniac.

“You know what? You really are quite fun. I’ll promote you from the 32nd person I kill to the 93rd,”

“Wait, what?”

“I said I’ll promote you to the 93rd person I-“

“You’re gonna kill 61 more people??”

“I have to get to 100 in total actually, so it’s… uhh…” she started fiddling with her fingers in an attempt to count the number of remaining victims she had to find.

“69 more including me?”

“Yes! Great mental maths. But anyway, I gotta go get more victims now. I look forward to more entertainment the next time we meet,”

The mesmerising smile and sudden praise made me forget for a second that this girl was a mass murderer. And by the time I realise, she’s already left - in search of more victims apparently.

I swear she had some sort of hypnotising powers on top of some rather strange transfiguration abilities.

[guardianofrivendell]

A Royal Tease

Thorin x fem!reader

Requested: kind of - this was a favor to a very special person! 

Warnings:  NSFW with an E rating, so please only read if you’re 18+! 

A/N: Wowee... that was a ride! Writing smut is definitely NOT the same as reading it :) Let me know how I did it and if I should write more smut in the future. I still feel like it jumps from here to there sometimes, but the longer I worked on it, the worse it got so I decided to stop editing and throw it on here 🙈

Before you start reading, another friendly reminder that English is NOT my first language, so if some sentences feel forced or the vocabulary feels too simple or not descriptive enough, that’s why! 

Thorin was lying on his back in the sand, eyes closed and panting heavily. 

“Another one!” he growled after a few seconds.  “Are you sure you can take another one? Married life sure is taking a toll on ya!” Dwalin teased, getting in his starting position again. He rolled his muscles and Thorin could hear his bones crack. Dwalin was enjoying this far too much. 

Thorin might be losing his touch, but Mahal be his witness, he would never admit defeat. He couldn’t give Dwalin the satisfaction. So he pushed himself back up while muttering a line of very colourful words, ready to smack that smirk of his best friend’s face.

These late night sparring sessions with Dwalin were a godsend to get rid of the tension and frustration in his body, but that didn’t mean he would let him off the hook so easily. 

Wiping the sweat of his brow with the back of his hand, he walked towards the opposite side of the training field.  His tunic clung to his body, dripping with sweat so Thorin decided to take it off. 

“What in Durin’s name are those?” Dwalin’s voice boomed across the field.

Thorin immediately held his tunic in front of him, as if he had been caught doing something that he shouldn’t. He completely forgot about them. 

“S’none of your business,” he muttered.

“As your personal guard it is my bloody business, Thorin,” Dwalin retorted, making his way towards his King. 

“Who gave ya those bruises?”

Thorin stared at his best friend and felt his cheeks flush. He could see Dwalin’s thoughts take a turn for the worst, blaming himself for his King’s injuries. But he couldn’t tell him the truth, could he?  

“You were not the one who caused them,” Thorin said in a tone that made it clear he wasn’t going to elaborate.

“Then who did?” he pressed on. 

“Leave it, Dwalin.”

But Dwalin was quicker and snatched the shirt out of his hands so the bruises were visible. 

“Thorin…”

Dwalin’s eyes traveled over the King’s bare chest. His pecs, abs and hips were covered in dark purple bruises, each one of them the size of a gold coin. His eyes landed on the waistband of Thorin’s breeches and it looked like the bruises didn’t stop there.

“I’m supposed to protect ya, Thorin. Who mistreated you like this?”

Thorin kept his eyes focused on Dwalin’s, as if he wanted to have a staring match. Dwalin could see the internal battle his King was fighting, before Thorin broke eye contact and turned around to put his tunic back on.

“They’re Y/N’s alright,” he hissed, without looking at him. 

Dwalin stood completely shocked for a few seconds, before he balled his fists and almost bristled in anger.

“Dam or not, she can’t treat ya that way, Thorin,” he said through clenched teeth. 

Thorin placed his hands on Dwalin’s shoulders to calm him down. 

“No, my friend. No, it’s not like that at all… They happened during…” Thorin took a deep breath and lowered his voice in case someone could overhear. “During our lovemaking.”

Dwalin’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide.  But he didn’t back off like Thorin had expected. If any, it peaked his interest. 

“She hurts ya for… Pleasure?”

Dwalin’s nose scrunched up, like the thought of someone hurting their One for pleasure was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard. Which, in his humble opinion, it most certainly was.

“In her world what happens at night is a lot more... interesting, to give it a name. We’ve been missing out, Dwalin. You can trust me on that.”

“But she hurts ya?” he repeated. 

Thorin chuckled. “Believe me, it doesn’t hurt one bit. On the contrary...”

They started walking out of the training halls, their sparring session long forgotten. 

Thorin knew it might not be appropriate to discuss his love life so openly with his friend, but he was almost certain Y/N wouldn’t mind and he felt relieved he could finally talk to someone about it.

“You don’t know half the things she’s capable of, Dwalin… The way her hands feel when she… Mahal!” Thorin groaned at the memories of your late night activities. 

“Easy there, lad,” Dwalin chuckled. “Ya don’t want to ruin those trousers too, aye?”

Thorin shoved him in a playful jest, but the seasoned warrior didn’t even budge.  He shook his head, tutting at the poor attempt of his King. “Pathetic.”

While they were walking towards the Royal wing of the mountain, Thorin told his friend about some of the things he learned the last few weeks. 

Dwarrows were a bit old fashioned in the bedchambers, or ‘rather prude’ as Y/N had called it, and she helped him discover a different side of himself.

By the time Thorin had told Dwalin about the different positions he definitely should try besides the classic one, they’d reached the heavy double doors of Thorin’s chambers and Dwalin’s cheeks had turned a few shades darker. 

Dwalin halted and nodded at the guards posted at each side of the door. 

Thorin opened the door and the right corner of his lips twitched. He was still a bit agitated that he couldn’t beat his friend on the grounds but there was always another way to get the upper hand...

“Oh and Dwalin… They use their mouth too.”

“Well I may hope so, it’s hard to kiss without yer lips,” he said, not understanding what Thorin meant. 

“Not for kissing, Dwalin. Not only for kissing.”

Thorin closed the door, leaving a speechless and heavily flustered Dwalin in the hallway.

*

When he turned around with the intention of entering his chambers and relaxing for the night, someone forcefully pressed his back against the door and pulled his face down in a heated kiss. 

It only took him a fraction of a second to wrap his arms around his wife and happily return the kiss, not wasting any time with deepening it by swiping her bottom lip with his tongue.  He felt her smile against his lips and she broke the kiss. 

“Eager, are we?”

“I do recall it was you who couldn’t resist me, ghivashel, you didn’t even let me come in properly,” Thorin chuckled, keeping his arms tightly wrapped around her while he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

In the meantime, her hands started traveling on their own, making their way over his broad shoulders and upper arms, before finally settling on his chest. His tunic was still damp from his earlier activities and left nothing to the imagination. Not that she needed to imagine it, she knew exactly what he was hiding underneath. What was hers…

Y/N smiled. “I can’t greet my husband after a day’s hard work?”

She reached up and caught his lips in another kiss. Thorin hummed softly.

“Aye,” he said, his hands lingering on her back, but he couldn’t resist slowly lowering them towards the delicious curve of her buttocks. He gave them a firm squeeze and pulled her flush against his body. 

Y/N could feel someone else greeting her.  “Well hello to you both,” she smirked. 

Even though she knew Thorin was that kind of dwarf who gets easily aroused - which was incredibly fun during meetings and official visits - he still caught her off guard with how fast his soldier could report for duty. 

“We’re at your service, little one,” he said, lowering his voice. 

Licking her lips in anticipation, Y/N grabbed the hem of his tunic and lifted it upwards.  Thorin raised his arms and helped her get the tunic off his body, carelessly tossing it aside. His breathing growing heavy already with the adrenaline still in his body from the earlier workout. 

His trousers and undergarments were next, she tugged at the laces and let the fabric pool around his ankles. 

She took a few steps back and took the time to admire the view before her.  His silver and black hair screaming at her to get her hands in, so she could tug it just the way he liked it. The dark hair dusted across his broad chest, trailing down towards his V line and circling around his member. The bruises her lips left the night before stood out on his skin, proof of her claim on him.  Thorin was absolutely stunning. A work of art.

“Like what you see?” he hummed, his voice still a deep rumble, hitting her right in her core. Mahal, bless that voice! 

“Always,” she whispered.

When she turned around and started walking away from him, Thorin grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. 

“You’re not going to leave me like this, are you,” he growled. 

He knew she was capable of it, she’d done it before. There was nothing his wife liked more than teasing him and leaving him hanging for a while. According to her it was fun, she liked getting him all riled up, but for Thorin it was absolute torture. He wasn’t used to not getting things when he wanted them. 

“Easy tiger, I was just going to draw you a bath.”

*

Thorin sighed deeply when he reclined in the tub, the warm water soothing his aching muscles. 

“Feels good?” Y/N smiled, getting a washcloth ready. 

He nodded and hummed softly, closing his eyes. His nose filled with the scent of the burning wood from the fire and lavender from the bathwater, and combined with the warm temperature of the water it made him finally relax.

She sat down behind the bathtub and took the bottle of oil for his hair. Y/N brought the opened bottle close to her face, smelling the herbal fragrance. She inhaled it deeply, loving the smell because it reminded her of Thorin. Her husband. Her King. 

“I’ll start with your hair.”

She poured a little oil on her hands and rubbed them together to spread it evenly.  Her fingers purposefully moved around his scalp, working in small circular motions. He moaned when she added just the right amount of pressure to massage the oil in his hair and again when she started delivering gentle strokes around his ears and neck.  With a cup she poured hot water over his hair to rinse it. Thorin kept his eyes closed when she was finished, his body completely relaxed and at peace.

Seeing how he turned into mush under her skilled hands, made washing Thorin’s hair something Y/N loved to do. It was not her favorite part… no, that part came up next. 

She leaned over and pressed a kiss below his ear, and took the washcloth from the side of the tub. Carefully pouring some oil on it, she kneaded the cloth until it was properly soaked, before she let it glide over his chest. 

A smile played around her lips when Thorin groaned as soon as she started massaging his muscles with the cloth, washing away the tension in them. 

Her hands let the washcloth glide over the muscles in his arms, shoulders and legs, adding enough pressure to work the knots out, leaving no skin untouched.

Except the part where he needed her touch the most. 

Every time she came close, Thorin bit his lip in anticipation but she always changed direction or directed her attention elsewhere. He grew more and more desperate, she noticed. So far so good.  

“What were you and Dwalin talking about?” she asked, curious about the subject of their conversation.  

Thorin opened his eyes, but couldn’t meet hers. 

“Ah… yes. Well, I may have taken off my tunic during our sparring session tonight.”

Oh. So Dwalin got curious, she thought.  She abandoned the washcloth, letting it float around the water.

“I bet he had some questions about these?”

Her finger started trailing the contours of the bruises. First in a faster circular motion, but as she got closer to his hips she slowed her pace down and adjusted the pressure to nothing more than a feather-light touch. 

Thorin closed his eyes again and let his head fall back against the sloping side of the tub. His breath came quicker and when her eyes wandered down his stomach, she was pleased to notice his member was back at full attention again. When she let her finger linger near the tip, she could hear him hold his breath in anticipation. 

“What did you tell him?”

But Thorin didn’t give her an answer, too focused on her movements and ministrations. She was so close, just a little more to the left...

But instead of doing what he wanted her to do - and she knew he was desperate for it, her teasing and lingering touches had made him wild with desire - she changed direction again and traced the inside of his thigh and pelvic bone, purposefully ignoring his hard on. 

“Tease!” he groaned, clutching the edge of the tub in frustration. 

Y/N raised an eyebrow in question. “A tease? Me?”

She stood up, clutching her chest like she was actually shocked by his accusation.

“I would never,” she smirked, and Thorin loved the way her eyes twinkled with mischief. “You’re the one who doesn’t want to tell me what you told Dwalin.”

“I merely gave him some advice based on our experiences, ghivashel. I believe master Dwalin will keep his flushed cheeks for the remainder of the week. Serves him right.”

Satisfied with his answer, she turned to grab a towel, dropping it on a nearby chair for him to use later. 

“I’ll leave you to it then.” 

Her eyes lingered on his pulsing cock for a few seconds before she winked at him. “Don’t enjoy yourself too much.”

Before she could leave him, he called out to her.

“The least you can do is give me another kiss.”

Y/N smiled and leaned down to peck his nose. 

“No, a kiss worthy of a king,” he groaned. 

But when she leaned further down to press her lips on his, she missed how his eyes held the same twinkle hers did a few moments ago…

Before she knew it, Thorin had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her on top of him. Their movements made the water splash everywhere and Y/N shrieked when her dress got soaked with the bathwater. 

“Oakenshield,” she growled, pushing her off his chest with her hands and settling in his lap.

She enjoyed the lustful clouding of his eyes when she moved just the slightest, giving him the friction he longed for. 

“Always trying to get what you want,” she reprimanded him. 

“Can you blame me?”

His hands drifted admiringly over her body, following the curves of her bossom and hips. 

“Yes!”

He was taking over control and she had to stop it before she gave in. With some difficulty she managed to climb out of the tub and wrung the water out of the dress of her skirt, turning the bathroom floor in a small pond.  Seeing as Thorin made no move to get out of his bath or apologize, Y/N decided to take the teasing to a higher level. 

Keeping her back to her husband, she slowly unhooked the fastings of her dress and let it drop to the floor with a slap.  She heard the sharp intake of Thorin’s breath and the slosh of the water when he sat up. 

Oh, that’s right… Did she forget to mention she wasn’t wearing anything underneath? Oops…

He wasted no time in getting out of the bath, not even bothering to take a towel to dry himself. The only thing on his mind was to get to his wife as fast as possible. 

She whimpered when their bodies clashed together, the evidence of his arousal poking between her butt cheeks. His lips attacked her neck, and she was almost certain the firm grip of his fingers on her waist would leave bruises the next day. Not that she minded.   

He guided them into their bedroom, and when the back of her knees touched the bed frame, her mind cleared and she tutted at him. 

“Since when are you in charge, yâsûn?”

He cupped her breasts, softly kneading them and letting his thumbs flick over her nipples. He lowered his head to take one in his mouth, not stopping his caresses on the other one. 

Y/N sighed and let her head fall on her shoulder, her hand finding its way in his hair. His damned mouth...

“I don’t hear you complain,” he smirked.

She certainly didn’t complain when he slid one of his thick, calloused fingers between her folds, and Thorin moaned when he felt how slick she already was. 

“You’ve been enjoying your teasing,” he accused her. “All this for me?”

She grabbed his length and he hissed at the sudden contact. She stroked a few times to spread the precum, and when her thumb flicked the head it took all his strength not to come all over her hand right that minute. 

“I couldn’t stay behind with all this for me...” she smirked. 

With a growl he connected their lips again. His wife knew exactly which buttons to press and    he both loved and hated it. Without breaking the kiss, he grabbed her thighs and squeezed them, urging her to jump up. Y/N did as asked - which surprised Thorin - and locked her ankles behind his back to keep her balance. 

Not bothering to clear the furs from the bed, he laid her down on top of them, her hair sprawled out on the pillows. 

She bit her lip when she noticed how his eyes had darkened even further, Thorin looked like he could devour her any minute. She didn’t realise how close to the truth she was. Maybe he needed another round of teasing...

Before she could follow through with her plan, Thorin took the lead.

He flipped her on her stomach, grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto him, all in one fluent move. It was a position they only did once before but he had already claimed it as his favorite. 

Knowing what he wanted, she placed her knees on either side of his hips and let her back rest against his front. The hairs on his chest rubbed deliciously against her soft skin and she had a hard time staying still. The muscles in his thighs and stomach were rock hard, just like her toy in between.  Y/N’s hand went up his hair and tugged it harshly when her clit came in contact with his cock.

“Are you ready for me, little one?”

His voice got even lower if that was possible, the words wrapping around her like a silky smooth blanket. If he kept talking like that, it would be over for her before they even began. 

“Thorin, please,” she begged.

“I thought you liked teasing?” he chuckled. 

She grabbed his member, guiding it to her entrance and lowered herself down in an attempt to shut him up, a desperate moan falling from her lips when their hips connected. Thorin tightened his grip on her. She felt absolutely divine. 

“Only when I’m the one doing it,” she gasped, enjoying the feeling of being stretched out. 

One of his arms slid around her stomach and settled between her legs, circling her clit with his thumb when he began to thrust upwards. 

They soon found a steady rhythm, and Y/N could feel her orgasm building quickly. 

No, too soon, she thought and she slowed down the pace, slapping his hand away from her clit.

She leaned forward, keeping her body up with her hands on the furs. The new angle made her feel every inch of him and a loud moan escaped her throat. 

This is what she had been craving the entire day. 

She raised her hips until only his tip was inside of her and then lowered herself down, agonizingly slow. 

“You’re such a good girl for me. Mahal, keep going, do not stop!”

She loved it when he got vocal, and with each curse and praise he murmured, she felt herself getting closer to her release. 

Thorin noticed her change in breathing and pitch of her moans and sped up the pace. 

This was all feeling too good and with the help of his encouragements she came undone, clutching the furs until her knuckles turned white.

He cursed heavily when she clamped down on him, but did his best to help her ride out her high. He kissed her neck and stilled his movements to give her a break, only resuming them when she nodded that she was okay. 

As he began to thrust even harder and faster, Thorin gathered her hair in one hand to keep her in place, his other hand firmly on her waist while he chased his own release. His moans became increasingly louder, less controlled with each thrust and a curse escaped his lips.

“You feel too good, ghivashel, m’not going to last,” he hissed through clenched teeth. 

He came with a shout and a cutoff curse but kept thrusting in and out of her until he felt himself soften. When he finally pulled out, he covered her back in kisses.

Y/N laid down on the bed and opened her arms for him to cuddle. Both their bodies were covered in a thin layer of sweat, and it took them a while to catch their breath. 

These were the moments when she felt the safest. In his arms, in the after bliss of their lovemaking, listening to the soft and even breathing of her husband. She kissed his head and trailed the muscles of his upper back with her finger, earning her a content sigh from Thorin. 

A chuckle escaped her throat and he looked up at her questioningly.

“Now you have something new to tell Dwalin,” she said with a wink. 

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[rosyfingereddawnn]

howlin’ for you (18+)

pairing: john paul jones x reader

warnings: nsfw, overstimulation 

words: 1.6k

summary: a night in with john turns into something much, much more.

author’s note: sorry folks i’ve been real inspired lately. this is... i’ll be honest this is pure depravity. don’t read if it’s not your cup of tea! hope you enjoy :)

You’re not sure exactly how it starts.

One minute his lips, slightly chapped, were on yours. Your hands slip under the crisp, ivory button-up he wore, roaming the soft skin of his back.

He deepens the kiss, hand buried deep in your hair, subtle control of the situation in his hands. Your hand slides lower, resting on his crotch as you stroke him through his jeans. He stutters out a breath that seems to echo in the silence that falls between the two of you, a short “fuck” tumbling past his perfect lips as he pulls away.

“You’re gonna have to work to touch me like that, beauty.”

“Whatever do you mean?” The innocent smile that graces your face only serves to make John smirk. He presses one final, frenzied kiss to your lips before he stands, turning his back to you. Your hands feel barren and… simply wrong, without him in your grasp.

“John, come back…” His chuckle meets your ears, and you pout at his back. He knows what he’s doing, and you know he enjoys it.

After what seems like hours of waiting, he finally turns back to you, a scarf the colour of the sea at midnight dangling from his hands.

“Do you trust me, Y/N?”

“Of course I do.” The man presses closer to you, and you can smell the faint hint of his cologne: a sharp, distinctive scent. One that always feels like an adrenaline high as it reaches your nose.

“Turn around.”

The silken fabric of the blindfold brushes against your cheeks, and your world fades to shades of obsidian. Cold fingertips feel like droplets of icy rain as they drift across the skin of your hips. A calloused hand settles in yours, lowering you until you’re sitting on the luxurious bed. Clenching your hands into the fabric of the sheets, you can’t help but let out a light whimper. You’ve never trusted anyone as implicitly as you trust him. The hand returns, resting at your cheek now, long digits icicles against your lust-warmed cheeks.

“Just relax, love. I’m here.”

Rigid fists uncurl as you smooth down the creases left in the fabric of the expensive bedding. The hand, still cradling your face, moves to stroke a trail down your jaw, leaving goosebumps in its wake. He knows exactly the effect he has on you. It exhilarates you; the not knowing, the adrenaline of what’s to come next. He knows exactly how to play you, as if you were a priceless instrument. One of the bass guitars he draws out deep, heavy sounds, that you can feel reverberate through your whole body. John presses a trail of kisses down your jaw, sucking a bruise into the unmarked skin of your neck. A gasp flutters haltingly past your lips, turning into a hiss as tendrils of welcome pain mingle with euphoria. The voice that drifts towards you now is soft but firm; controlling in a way you rarely ever hear it.

“Lay back, princess. I want you to enjoy this.”

You do as he says, reclining into the plush pillows behind you. The sound of shuffling feet floats over from your left, and you turn your head towards the sound. The blindfold impedes your view of the tawny-haired man. The image of his slate-gray eyes and devilish smirk flits through your mind, and you reach out towards him. You needed to touch him, feel his hands on you once more. Forever seeking the scratch of his rough hands across the planes of your body. You could feel it in your core, the wanting. You needed a release.

“Stretch out your arms, Y/N. You’re doing great, love.”

Once more, you do what he says. He’s in complete control over you. Just the way you like it. He takes your hand gently in his, turning it over and pinning it to the bed. Delicate, full lips press a featherlight kiss to the inside of your wrist, and you jolt as soft satin touches your skin.

“You’re okay with this, yes?”

“Of course, John. Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.” His laugh echoes through the silent room, and you want to bottle the sound. Replay it over and over again, as often as you wish. Rougher than usual, no doubt a reaction to the lip you gave him, he ties your wrist to the bedpost. Lips meet tender skin once more, and it sets you alight. You need him.

“John, please hurry up, I can’t—”

“You make the rules now, Y/N?”

“Please, just…” He relents finally, and ties the other wrist securely. You’re stuck, at his mercy, and there’s no place you’d rather be. A belt clinks, dropping to the floor somewhere to your left, and you squirm, feeling yourself grow wet. You feel a dip in the bed, as he settles himself in between your legs. His hand burns hot against your thigh, as he spreads your legs apart slowly, moving inch by insufferable inch.

“Lift up for me, darling.”

You arch your back, and he pushes into you, gripping your hips as he adjusts to a more comfortable position. Rocking his hips experimentally, you let out a soft whimper, the intoxicating feel of him inside you too much to bear. He bucks his hips harder, quickening his pace ever-so-slightly, and your head cranes back. Features frozen in a state of picture-perfect bliss, you can’t help the groan that slips out of your open mouth. He’s taking his sweet time. Toying with you. You could almost see the smirk painted on his lips through the blindfold. In an attempt to spur him on, you buck upwards, and the grunt you receive is music to your ears. Recovering, he laughs breathlessly, the warning note that accompanies it sending warning bells through your head.

“Ah, ah, ah. Sure you want to do that, princess?”

“You were going too slow…”

His laughter fills the room once more, and he leans down to press a tender kiss to your jaw, pressing wet kisses down the length of your chest. You gasp out as he takes a hard nipple into his mouth, biting down lightly on the rosy bud. You arch your back, crying out as he gives the same treatment to the other side. After what seems like an eternity to you, he pulls away. Save for the way he rolls his hips, eliciting shuddering breaths from the depths of your chest.

“You’re so good, Y/N. So fucking good.”

“Not… not so bad y-yourself…”

“What was that, love?”

His fingertips tickle as they trickle up your chest only to land softly across your throat, touching your sensitive nipples on the way. You let out a cry of pleasure at the contact, until the hand closes briefly around your windpipe. Not enough that you couldn’t breathe, just enough that you had to try harder to inhale.

“Did I say you could mouth off? I’m not sure that I did.” Your legs tremble, thrown over John’s shoulders, and you pull against your restraints. Every nerve was on fire, and you could feel your heartbeat pulse like a bass drum in every part of your body. Growing lightheaded, the adrenaline pumping through your veins almost added to the feeling. Finally, the fingers on your neck loosen, and another kiss is pressed to the underside of your jaw.

“You’re so beautiful, darling. You’re doing so well.”

Back arching as you pant for sweet air, the wetness from your core rushing over him as you groan. With a stuttered breath, John releases into you, short gasps leaving his lips. The guitarist pulls out, rolling off of you to lay at your side. He cards a hand through your hair, stroking your hip with a warm hand.

“Care to… untie me?” you pant out into the quiet room, only the soundtrack was the sound of John coming down from his high beside you. He presses his lips to your shoulder, and rises laboriously from the soiled bed. Taking a tender wrist, rubbed raw from the friction of the scarf against your skin, he unties the knot he’d made, moving on to the other hand. Both hands free, you allow him to lift your head, almost going limp in his grasp. He unties the blindfold, and you squint against the shallow light coming in through the window. It was evening, and only a sliver of sunlight remained.

“I’ll be right back, princess. You were so good. You’re perfect.”

As he slides off the bed, you grab at his hand anxiously. John looks back at you quizzically, and you whimper, pulling him slightly closer.

“Don’t go…”

“I’m just going to get a cloth, love,” His chuckle flutters like the wings of a butterfly as it reaches your ears, and he presses a kiss to your knuckles. Letting go, he saunters to the sink in the ensuite of the bedroom, grabbing a soft cloth from the drawer next to it. Dousing it with cold water, John waltzes back into the room, and lays the cloth across your forehead. Sliding back into bed with you, he cleans you off. Once you’re free of the sweat and slick, he replaces his deft fingers in your hair, and your eyes begin to shut. The last thing you feel is a pair of soft lips pressing a kiss into your unruly hair. Pulling back, John can taste the sweat on his lips, but it’s worth it. It always is, with you. Sidling up next to you, he pulls you into his chest protectively, and drifts off as well.  

There’s always time for a shower later, after all.

———

taglist: @jimmys-zeppelin @salixfragilis @timetraveller4 @earthfire-75 @thatiloveyouso @jonesyjonesyjonesy @jimmypages (let me know if you want to be added!)

[secondhand-trash]

Work of Art

A/N: Oh boy, here we go again with my tries at getting out of my comfort zone. The only reason why this is happening is because @lady-bakuhoe​ got me thirsting on main feeling things for Hawks after sending out something she wrote a while back and I was suddenly reminded of this idea that lurked behind my head.

Pairing: Takami Keigo x reader

Description: Your boyfriend had a beautiful body hiding beneath those layers, you could not be blamed that you wanted to trascript that sight into actual art.

Warning: nsfw below cut 

Word count: 2932

-

“Can I tie you up?”

“What?” Keigo tensed up from where he was standing, couldn’t quite believe his own ears.

“Can I tie you up?” You repeated with such a casual tone that sounded more like you were asking him what he wanted for dinner than you were with your actual request.

Seeing the stunned look on his face, you realised that perhaps you had worded it too vaguely and not given enough details as to what you actually wanted him to do. “It’s for my sketching class, I need to practice my anatomies. I want to tie you up for...” you thought of what ways you could possibly rephrased it to get your point across, “...aesthetic purpose.”

“A sketch, huh?” He smirked as he walked closer to you, his wings leaning forward to circle around your frame, “You know, normally people have to pay me to model for them.”

You lifted an eyebrow at him, twirling the pencil in your hand. “So you’re saying?”

“Are you planning to pay me back in some sort of way for my contribution to your aesthetic research?” The suggestive look on his face did not falter at all even as you snickered at his teasing.

“That’d depend on how you behave in the process.” You lifted your hand and traced a finger along the sharp line of his jaw, “So what do you say, pretty bird? Are you gonna help me or what?”

You knew you had the answer you wanted when the corner of his lips lifted up.

With the white shirt he was wearing discarded on the floor, he kneeled down in front of the chair as you instructed him to. As you gently twisted his arms to his back and held his wrist together, he chuckled and earned him a playful glare from you. “I’m starting to think that the whole ‘do it for the arts’ thing was an excuse.”

“If I want to have you half naked and kneeled down, all I have to do is ask, isn’t it?.” You retaliated with an amused twinkle in your eye, “Now shush and let me do my thing.”

Pulling out the velvet rope that he didn’t know you own, you carefully wrapped it around his wrist and tied it with a knot. With one hand smoothing the restraint, you tugged at it to make sure that it sat snuggly around his skin as you pulled it to the front of his torso. You were no expert at this but you had done enough reearch to know just where each knot should be in order to get the image you wanted. With the rope travelling around the side of his arms and down his upper body, you tightened each trail and knot with attention, carefully setting the loops right above and below the base of his wings.

Facing him as you leaned back, you admired your handiwork. No matter how many times you had seen that body of his, you would never fail to be amazed at how much beauty there could be to the human body and the position he was in only heightened your admiration. 

You were not lying when you said that this was intended for your venture into the arts, only now you were starting to have doubts on whether your skills could do justice to the view in front of you. 

The red rope was a huge contrast to his skin, the colour an odd resemblance to the feathers behind his back. The way his arms were folded to his back gave his toned arms even more definition, pulling at the muscles of his forearm with a barely visible vein adorning it all the way up. Each breath he took, everything pulsation made him flex unintentionally, only adding to the defined curves of each muscle. It was a shame that his torso was usually hidden from the rest of the world, if only they knew what they were missing out on. You had carefully positioned the rope to hug every dip and dent of his chest, the way it pulled against his skin with each exhale of breath could only be described as utterly tempting. You had to resist the urge to run your hand down his toned pecs and traced the v that dipped all the way down to a much more sensitive parts of his body.

What a sight to witness, really. It was like he was carved out of marble but only there was life to each, his flushed skin under the chilly air together with his beautiful form making every piece of artwork pale in comparison. If art could come to life, you were sure what you were blessed to see in front you right now would be it.

“Is the rope too tight?” You asked, reaching out to touch the edge of the red restraint and fixed the places that were moved.

“No, just alright.” Keigo tried to maintain his usual chirpy tone, ignoring the itch he had started to feel ever since you put one hand on his lower waist to arch his back just a little just when you were about to finish with tying him up. Even with his greatest effort, he could not stop the goose bumps from forming on his skin as your fingertips nearly brushed against his skin when you went to slide it across the rope, every hair on him standing up at the mere contact that only made him sense more alerted. He was pretty sure that he would only get more sensitive as time passed by. 

“How long do you think it’ll take you?” He asked tentatively as you got up to fetch your sketchbook from another room.

You tilted your head. “Not more than an hour, I assume.” You did not catch onto the faint groan your boyfriend let out when you turned around.

Staying still and pushing the discomfort he was feeling to the back of his head appeared to be more difficult than he had expected it to be. With each second passing by, Keigo was only feeling more and more tensed. The rope that was tied around him so snuggly did not help with his shiver as the cold air hit his skin, only tightening with even the slightest of movements. The rough material brushing against his already hardened nipples only made them more sensitive and feeling the friction of the rope to the fullest effect. It did not help that there was pleasure mixed into the pain he felt as nothing came in contact with him but each breeze of the ventilation of the room. 

The rubbing of the velvet against his skin he could stand. The ridiculously low temperature of the air conditioning he could try to ignore. But what truly got to him was the way you studied his figure with such intensity. Keigo had always been aware of the appeal of his own physique and he would never shy away from the appreciative stares you sent his way whenever he undress, but it was nothing compared to how you were looking at him right now. It was like no corner of his body could escape your gaze as you took into each and every feature of him. He felt exposed, like he was completely under your control and one look was enough to put him in his place.

Dear god, was that look doing things to him.

He had to physically restraint the feathers at his back from standing up as he recognized a familiar twitch at his crotch. The desperate attempt at self-control only made the rope rubbed against him even more, sending yet another rush of blood down south.

“Don’t move.” You pursed your brows in disapproval at his movements and bent down to fix his posture. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry when the warmth of your palms came in contact will his skin that almost went numb from the chilliness and sensitivity.

“Are you near finish?” He managed to hide the choked whine at the back of his throat and forced the words out of his mouth in the most decent voice he could pull off in his current state.

“Kinda?” You said. If you had bothered to look up, you would be able to see the clear discomfort that was showing on his face. The redness at the tip of his ears was starting to spread to the rest of his face, his jaw clenched as he tried to hold onto the remaining calmness that was there in his mind. “Only the shading left, so just stay still.”

Forcing out a hum in response, his knuckles already turned white from how hard he had been fisting his hands to get more grasp on his own sanity, the pain he felt from his nails digging in wasn’t even that much of a bother to him anymore. Right now, his main focus was to ignore that dull ache in his pants and the shiver on his skin.

“You have been oddly quiet today.” You asked as you glided the lead across the paper one last time, being utterly content with what you had managed to create as you put the finished drawing up to your face. 

It was when you put down your pen and was about to undo the tie on Keigo that you noticed just why your usually talkative lover had been in silence the whole time you were sketching him. You immediately picked up on how his breaths were heavier than usual with his lips pursed tightly together like he was trying to hold back whatever sounds were threatening to escape if he didn’t. His knees were trembling from kneeling for too long and as your eyes travelled upwards, there was no way you could pretend that you didn’t saw the bulge in between his legs.

So that’s what it was.

Keigo knew he was gone for the moment you sank down onto your knees to be eye-levelled with him and smirked. “I was going to untie you but now I’m having second thoughts.” You said, mockingly tilt your head as you pretended to ponder as you ran a finger along the rope, very barely touching the skin underneath.

He did not say anything but you could feel his breath getting more rigid at the contact. You leaned in closer and watched as his body shook once he could feel your warmth against his chest. He was holding back and you were determined to make him break.

“If I knew that you like being tied up so much I would have offered much sooner.” You whispered into his ear, your finger roaming dangerously close to his nipple and the spare hand holding onto his shoulder. The closer you traced to the sensitive, the more his was trying to squirm under your touch.

His back arched the moment you placed the first touch on his nipple and you immediately forced him back onto his previous position with your firm hold on his shoulder blade. Your lips lingered on his ear as you rolled the tip between your fingers, giving it a soft pinch. It only added to your amusement when you heard the heavy swallowing at his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as you did not slow down the movement at your hand for even the slightest.

Just your fingers, you were too cruel to even spare him the touch of your palm.

“You look so pretty all tied up like this, so pretty for me.” You cooed in his ear, sliding your palm down his chest to give some attention to the rest of his body that you had been aching to touch. Feeling each mound under your hand, you could feel your own arousal building up at just how his entire body was begging for you to give him more. But the tensing of his muscles were not enough, the quickening breath was not enough, the bite back whimpers you were only hearing because you had your face pressed to the side of his neck was not enough. 

You would like to think that as an artist, you were naturally attracted to beautiful things. There was nothing more appealing to you than the lovely reactions he was capable of giving and you could never be ashamed of being greedy towards such beautiful things.

Keigo hissed when your hand stopped at the top of the fabric that was covering his bulge, his entire body heated up as you traced circles just above where he craved your touch the most. Peppering kisses up his neck, you grinned as he very eager closed the gap you had painfully left between your lips and his as your face hovered above him. Nothing could compare to the stir at the pit of your stomach as you heard him moan into the kiss when you had slowly undid the fly of his pants. Only pulling the band of his boxers low enough to release his hardened cock from the strain of fabric, his length slapped against his lower stomach and the sensitive skin around the area rubbing against the material of his pants only added to his desire for a relieve.

Running a finger along the vein at the underside of his shaft, you gently yanked at his hair to expose his neck and placed many wet kisses along his chin down to the valley where his neck met his collar bone. While your other hand slowly ghosted over the slit at his tip, the one that just gripped onto his blonde locks now travelled down the back of his neck to where his wings grew out.

Keeping up with the teasing at his length, what you would only consider as whimpers grew louder when your hand smoothed over the red feathers but you were yet to be satisfied. Feeling his uneven breath at your neck, you searched for the one spot that you knew would had him crumbling in an instant.

Where was it, where was it?

Ah, found it.

Your hand found its way to the much softer feathers at the base of his wings and the moment you scratched down, the last but of self-restraint in him snapped as he let out a loud, delicious moan.

Beautiful, exactly what you were looking for.

No longer holding back, you were satisfied with the loud noises that escaped from his flushed lips. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as your thumb toyed at his tip, collecting the pre-cum that was oozing out. You collected the droplet at the tip of your tongue when it slide down his jaw, the saltiness that spread in your mouth only elicited your own desire even more.

Slowly pumping his cock with the help of the sticky liquid on your hand, you pressed yourself against his chest as you sped up the movement of your hand. His hip bucked against your hand and you clicked your tongue in disapproval as his cock twitched. A loud whine slipped past his mouth when you suddenly paused whatever you were doing all while pushing him down from moving against you himself.

“I should really just leave you here like this,” you said as you pulled back, you chuckled as you were now looking right at his very flushed face, “my pretty bird that is tied up for me and under my mercy. Perhaps I can even make you sing for me.”

The skin underneath the rope was now much paler comparing to the rest of his body, lines of redness starting to show from how much he was tensed up. The corner of his eyes were tearing up from the stimulation and your denial of his release, the feathers at his back pulsating and the tip of his length in nearly the same shade of red.

Again, what a sight. But no matter how much you liked when you were seeing, you could never be so cruel as to keep your birdie in pain.

“As much as that thought tempts me,” you said as you leaned in close to him once again, "I guess you deserve a reward for being so well-behaved.”

He yelped when your hand circled around his shaft and started jerking him off. The loud sound of skin slapping echoed off the walls and the whiny sounds he was making was erotic to hear. 

You knew he couldn’t last much longer when you felt the twitching in your hand. “Such a good little bird. Are you going to make a mess for me?” The way you licked the piercing at his ear lobe as you said such profanities was what gave him the final push as he reached his high. 

Strings of warmth spurted out, covering your hand and stomach as you pulled away. He was still trying to catch his breath as you looked down at your shirt that was now covered with cum and scrunched your eyebrows together.

“When I said ‘making a mess for me’, I definitely didn’t mean it as ‘on me’.”

“Yeah, yeah, my apologies.” To think that mere seconds ago he was like putty in your hands. As he came down from his high, Keigo’s composure was quick to return as a slight smirk now graced his features.

“Now get me out of this.” He said as your hands went to tug at the knots against his torso, “I feel like you still haven’t fully repay me for all that posing I did for you.”

[oneoftheextras]

Colour Changer

Hawks x Bartender!Reader

masterlist  | tip jar

prompt: Could I request a fem reader who is a bartender who has a color changing quirk, she gains Hawks’ attention. He annoys her enough to change his wing colour for the evening.

warnings: alcohol & smut

Same shift, different night.

Being a bartender wasn’t easy - well the job was easy, but the clientele on the other hand, that was another story.

The bar was called ‘Justice’ the name made you cringe, as did the amount of Pro Heroes that would often visit after a successful day of fighting crime. It only took them a few drinks to start bragging to you about their day in an attempt to swoon you - unfortunately, this was the territory that came with the job.

The way you’d gotten the job was rather unconventional but your colour changing quirk kept things entertaining, and you quickly became the favoured bartender amongst the staff.

Of course this made a lot of your quirkless colleagues very jealous and spiteful towards you, but the tips you would take home every time made it more than worth it.

And it was always fun to see Pro Heroes drunk off their ass and fighting to earn your affections.

There was always one in particular, he would never physically fight, but his cocky tone and arrogant attitude were his weapons against the other strongly built men. He was definitely muscular but he seemed to never need to resort to that, mainly because he would never get as drunk as the others.

Almost every night he would waltz in like he owned the place, sit himself down on the bar stool closest to you and shower you with compliments and cheesy pick up lines.

He’d even settled on calling you ‘Dove’, you were sure it was some reference to his own wings, they were bright red and hung gracefully from his broad shoulders.

Tonight was like any busy night, all the regulars had taken to their perch on the first bar stool they could find to watch your ‘performance’, it wasn’t much but they seemed to love it.

You threw the cocktail shaker high into the air and focused on the liquid’s colour, as soon as it landed back into your hands you watched it transform from the dull clear colour, that it had originally been, to a vibrant red.

Pouring a little bit of it out into a cocktail glass before smacking the lid back on again a rolling the shaker from your shoulder down to your hand, again as soon as you griped the cold metal the liquid turned from a red to an orange.

The small crowd of men around you ‘Ooohed’ and “Ahhhed” like the normally did, until you had gone through the colours of the rainbow and made a rather colourful looking drink. 

“Who wants it?” you held the full glass up in the air proudly, a sea of hands flew into the air as they all started to fight over it, “Now now gentlemen, settle down, let’s do this civilly” you smirked, you had come to love how they fought over you.

“I’ll give you 500 Yen!” someone shouted from the crowd, “No, I’ll give you a thousand Yen” another voice called out, this went on for a while as the price slowly crept its way up.

“Ten thousand Yen” a voice you recognised thundered over the rest, the sea of men parted as the Fire hero Endeavour made his way through the crowd, he was one of your regulars. He didn’t speak much but you enjoyed his company, he would often break up fights that got a bit too out of hand.

“I think we have a winner” you smiled, pocketing the cash he held out to you and popping a small orange umbrella and a cherry into the glass for him before handing it over. 

“Endeavour” you greeted him, “Y/L/N” he nodded back to you, taking a sip of the drink that was the polar opposite of his personality. If he was here then that meant... “Hey Dove” Hawks’ voice stood out to you, cockily he appeared from behind Endeavour and slipped himself on the stool next to him.

Your heart skipped a little at seeing him, but you refused to let that show, “Chicken wing” you greeted him back, you also had a nickname for him, regardless of whether or not he liked it.

“You got something for me?” he raised one of his eyebrows suggestively, you saw Endeavour roll his eyes - he was already halfway through his own drink. “Depends what you want?” you leaned an arm on the bar and propped your chin up on your hand so you were level with him.

“Just my usual, but make it double” he took off his glove and brushed a hand through his hair, “Anything for you” you winked at him and got on with making his drink.

You weren’t flirty with all of your customers, some you would play along with their flirtatious jokes but never add your own, and they were the people that tipped the highest.

With Hawks however, it was a different story. There was something about his golden eyes and cocky smile that made your insides flutter like a butterfly taking flight for the first time. 

You couldn’t help yourself, you not only liked him flirting with you, but you actively encouraged him.

You’d even started to use your tips to buy nicer outfits that complimented your figure, just in the hopes that he would like what you wore. Of course the rest of the customers did too, which resulted in even more tips, but it wasn’t their attention you craved.

“Your ass looks good today” he commented, these types of remarks weren’t unheard of from him, it had started off slow with him calling you ‘beautiful’ that type of thing. It started getting more lewd when you’d bravely instigated it, by asking him if he liked your new top and if it made your chest look good.

If anyone else made such comments you would have kicked them out, but from him it made you blush and even turned you on a bit to know that he enjoyed what he was looking at.

“Hawks...” Endeavour scolded him, it wasn’t very often that his partner would accompany him here, so you supposed it took him by surprise to hear him talk that way.

“It’s okay Todoroki, let the boy dream” you glanced over your shoulder at him as you reached for the spirit bottle on the high shelf and seductively side smiled at Hawks.

Seeing him bite his bottom lip and shake his head, you turned your attention back to the bottle - it surprised you for a second to see a small red feather holding it mid air for you.

Cautiously, you gripped the bottle around the neck and thanked the feather shyly. Before it returned to it’s owner; it slid down your forearm and bicep, across your chest and in between your breasts, down your stomach, around your waist, glided across your ass and then vanished from sight.

Even though the feather was no bigger than your index finger, it was strong enough for you to feel the pressure of it through your clothes. You hated how it made you feel and the thoughts that would cross your mind.

Trying to calm your heart rate, you poured his drink the way you normally would but doubling it up as he had asked. The whiskey was a boring dark colour, so when you placed the glass down in front of him you taped it gently and changed the colour to a vibrant green.

Hawks handed you more than enough money for the drink and then drank the liquid down like it was a shot, you had to say you were impressed at his ability to hold his alcohol.

“I’ll have another Dove, do you want another... uh” Hawks turned to his partner to gesture at the rainbow cocktail he was still holding, there was a little bit left in the glass but he was already shaking his head.

You bowed your head playfully and filled his glass up again, not bothering to properly measure it out, “Any particular colour this time?” you asked him, he thought for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders “Your favourite colour” he smiled at you, putting his head on his palm like you had earlier.

Tapping the glass you changed the colour again, grinning at the shade that made your heart happy. “When are you going to admit this thing between us and let me take you out on a date?” he boldly asked, he often made jokes about taking you out for a night on the town or spoiling you, but that’s all you ever took them as - playful jokes.

“Can I?” you ignored his question and gestured towards his wings, they seemed to perk up on their own at your attention to them. “Uhh” for the first time since you’d known him he seemed uncertain, “Sure” he finally said, bringing his wing forward to touch your outstretched hand.

In honesty, you’d always wondered what his wings felt like, they always looked so fluffy and soft even after a long day of work.

When they touched your finger tips, you pushed against them like you were running your fingers through long grass and in return they shivered under touch in a ripple like affect up to where they connected with his spine.

As soon as that happened he pulled them away, “Don’t do that” he barked quickly, his sudden authoritative tone made you jump for a second, but when he couldn’t meet your eye you gathered that they must be sensitive.

“Sorry, I wont” you apologised and waited for him to bring them back into reach again, this time you didn’t stroke them like you really wanted, but instead with a quick tap you changed them to a bright white colour.

Giggling and stepping back away from the bar so you were out of his reach, and so you could admire your work. Your quirk wasn’t too powerful and changing the colour of something as big as his wings was hard, so some of the feathers were a light pink colour which just added to the hilarity.

“Who’s the Dove now?” you teased him as he inspected what you’d done, at first he looked shocked but when he saw how entertained you were he laughed it off.

Some time went by and most of the patrons went home, Endeavour was long gone, bars weren’t really his scene. You couldn’t help but giggle every time Hawks’ new bright white wings illuminated the dark room, it made him stand out more than normal and you could tell he was hating every minute of it.

“Okay, that’s enough, change them back” he said with humour in his voice when you came over to refill his glass, but you were feeling particularly playful today, “Or what?” you stuck your tongue out at him and poured the whiskey into this glass again.

“Come on, change them back” he insisted, this time his voice sounded more commanding than before, you met his eye and saw that he was very serious, you couldn’t help but smirk, “Make me” you said slowly.

He was definitely taken back by your courage to challenge him so head on, but if there was anything you knew about this man, it was that he would never back down from a challenge.

“Oh, I will, don’t you worry” he teased, taking a sip of his fresh drink. Grabbing a rag, you started to wipe down the bar, it was coming up to 11pm, “So when do you get off?” he asked suggestively after he’d swallowed a gulp of his drink, “Of work that is” he clarified - this must have been his sixth or seventh but he seemed completely sober.

“In ten minutes” you said, glancing at the digital clock on the electronic register, he knew when your shift ended because he was here every night you were, there was no way that he didn’t know your shift pattern by now.

“If you can wait that long?” you added as you put some glasses back into their place on the shelf behind you, when he smirked and continued to sip his drink without taking his eyes off of you.

The ten minutes went by extremely slowly but the closer it got to the end of your shift the harder your heart started to pound, the two of you had been flirting for months but you’d never seen each other without a bar being a barrier between you.

You’d never been alone together and that made you nervous, what if he didn’t like you outside of work? Sure, he’d asked you on a date multiple times in the past but you always brushed it off as a joke.

“I’m clocking out” you called to your boss as you typed in your code on the register so you could sign yourself out and finish your shift. The entire time you felt Hawks’ eyes on you, you watched him out the corner of your eye as he tipped his head backwards and finished off the rest of his drink.

You couldn’t help but feel nervous as you saw him rise from his chair and walk to the end of the bar to wait for you, without checking to see if he was following you, you continued towards the exit and left the bar.

The cold air hit you like an old friend, it was refreshing after being behind a stuffy bar for 11 hours. You knew he was following behind you closely, you kinda liked the idea of him being desperate for you attention so why not play hard to get?

“Where are we going then?” you asked him without turning around to face him, “I know a place” he replied, he was now walking alongside you - not only was he notoriously fast at flying, he was also a pretty good speed walker.

“Lead the way” you gestured ahead of you both as though you were metaphorically passing the reigns of the night to him. “I normally do” he winked and turned 180 so he was walking backwards and could face you.

“So what made you want to be a bartender?” he asked you as though he was genuinely interested in your answer “Only job I could get in this city” you shrugged, you weren’t lying, having such a boring quirk shut a lot of doors. 

If you didn’t have something breathtakingly amazing or versatile then your job options were limited.

“Did you want to be a bartender?” he boldly asked, considering this was the first conversation you were having with him privately it was very brave - but weirdly you felt comfortable around him.

“Of course not” you laughed a bit too harshly, you were pretty sure that no one grew up wanting to be a bartender. “What did you want to do? You know, when you were little?” he continued, this was one way to get to know someone you guessed.

Shaking your head to the ground, you had to chuckle, “I wanted to be a Pro Hero believe it or not” you hated that you were telling him this, it felt so awkward. Every kid wanted to be a Pro Hero, but to say it to someone who was actually a registered Pro Hero was a bit different.

“Why didn’t you?” he put his hands behind his head and looked up at the stars as he walked backwards, “Colour changing isn’t really a quirk that can make you a hero” you said flatly, stuffing your hands into your jacket, “I figured out pretty quickly that the Pro Hero life wasn’t one that would accept me” you were getting serious now.

It was strange how it was him that you were telling this to, you barely knew him.

“Speaking of, you wanna give me my wings back?” he turned his attention to your face, you’d be lying if you said you’d forgotten he wanted them back to red, but you wanted to see how long you could get away with it.

“I told you, make me” you reiterated your words from earlier, giving him a sly smile and a side eye. “You wanna do it this way?” the corner of his mouth crept into a cheeky smile, a grin full of mischief that you wanted to see more of.

Instead of answering him, you turned your head the other way like you were ignoring him and continued walking.

“Okay, you asked for it” you heard him say, then all most immediately you felt his arms wrap around your waist and your feet depart from the ground. At the realisation you screamed and clung onto the closest stable thing which turned out to be his shoulders.

“Oh my God, okay, okay, this is fine” you talked to yourself, trying to calm down but the ground getting further and further away from you was daunting. The few cars that were on the streets at this time faded into small dots as you went higher and higher into the sky.

Deciding it was probably best not to look down, you reverted your gaze back to Hawks’ face, he was still donning that cheeky grin and a cocky expression. “Hey, I asked nicely” he looked down at your frightened face with amusement as his colossal white wings flapped furiously against the night air.

“Put me down Hawks” you tried to sound intimidating, but your legs had gone to jelly as did your voice. “Say please” he teased, taking one had away from supporting you and using it to brush a wild strand of hair out of your face.

Sighing, you had to give in, you felt like you were going to slip through his fingers any second “Please, please, please put me down” you begged him, you hated that you’d crumbled to quickly when you weren’t even afraid of heights.

You felt his chest rumble as he hovered over the roof of a rather tall building, he slowly lowered you down until your feet touched the weathered surface, you were trembling, half out of fear and half out of pure adrenaline. You’d just wished he’d given you some sort of warning.

“Wasn’t that fun?” he put his hands on his hips proudly as he glanced down at the city below, you must have been at least 500 foot into the air, “Yeah, if you call the risk of falling to your death fun” you joked sourly.

“Do you really think I would let you fall?” he cooed, bringing his attention back to your face, he curled his wings so they were either side of you - it gave you a sense of comfort. It blocked the wind from touching you, so you felt as though you were safe.

“We had a deal, didn’t we? Change them” he shook his head towards his right wing as a gesture for you to use your quirk on them. Looking up at him through your eyelashes, you brought your hand up to his delicate feathers, as soon as you touched them they started to twitch and you could feel his body tense up next to you.

Not quite done with him, you used your quirk like he asked but instead you changed them to an inky black colour, you watched him groan as he noted your playfulness. You decided to push your luck, pushing your fingers gently into the velvet of his feathers, not enough to hurt him but enough to put pressure on them.

You were rewarded with a breathy groan from Hawks, you looked up at his face, surprised to see his eyes closed and his brow furrowed. Taking in his features, you carried on, gently brushing your fingertips under some of the bigger feathers and caressing the root underneath. Every part of his wing you touched quivered shortly after, you could tell by his open mouth that he was enjoying this very much.

It wasn’t just his face you noticed, but also the hard on that was pressing against your leg. “So that’s why you don’t let people touch your wings” you smirked at him, the sound of your voice making his eyes snap out of whatever thoughts he was having.

A soft growl erupted in his throat and his wings grew bigger as they enclosed around you. You were surrounded by the huge mass of his wings and there was no way out, not that you wanted to be anywhere else. Months of teasing each other from across the bar had finally led to this, and you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.

“Change them back” he commanded you, his voice taking on a dominant tone, “Like this?” you teased, pushing your fingers deeper into his feathers, this must have taken him by surprise because he let a moan slip through his plush lips. It caused a momentary distraction from the fact that you had changed his wing colour to bright pink.

“One last chance Y/N” he warned you once he’d noticed, “Or what?” you raised an eyebrow cockily, “I’ll make you” he pulled you closer to him so your chest was touching his, his free hand roamed around your lower back.

Feeling extra brave you matched his arrogance “And how are you going to do that, Hawks?” you wet your bottom lip with your tongue and smiled at him, tongue still in between your teeth. “Keigo” he said, “What?” you asked him confused, “My name is Keigo, call me that, not Hawks” he started to fold his wings over themselves, making the gap between the two of you smaller and smaller.

“And how are you going to do that, Keigo?” you corrected yourself, making sure you said his name nice and slow so it rolled off your tongue. If felt good saying it, and by the look on his face it sounded good hearing it.

His face was getting dangerously close to yours, he was gradually leaning in, if it wasn’t for him being so much taller than you then you would be able to reach his lips yourself, but the power was all his.

“Say it again” he breathed, taking the hand that wasn’t on your back and placing it under your chin, “Keigo” you said as best you could with your jaw in this position, you felt the grip on your chin widen to your jaw and the warmth of his lips on yours.

The first kiss was gentle and slightly dry, as soon as he parted his lips from yours you darted your tongue out to wet it again, all this tension was making your mouth dry.

In the second it took you to stick your tongue out of your mouth you’d accidentally misjudged how far away his mouth was from yours and you licked his lip as well.

Almost immediately, he smooshed his lips onto yours, the kiss was deeper and with open mouths, the hand on your lower back was pulling you in closer and closer until you felt like he was going to snap you in half.

You let your hands wander, untucking his shirt and grazing your hands over the skin of his V line. Following your lead, he wiggled his fingers until they found their way under your own top and his palms were pressed against the bare skin of your back.

This was already heated but you wanted more, for hours a day he would sit across that bar taunting you with his words and caressing you with stray feathers, you had been waiting for exactly this for months.

Without thinking, you reached for the buckle of his belt, trying to undo it as best as you could while focusing on fighting his tongue for dominance. After a few second he broke the kiss and glanced down to your fumbling hands, they were still shaking from the adrenaline of the flight.

“Eager huh?” he smirked confidently at you, you hated how cocky he was and you hated how attractive it made him, “I want you, Keigo, I’ve wanted you for a long time” you admitted to him as his hands guided yours in taking his belt off and unbuckling his pants.

Now it was your turn, but instead of unbuttoning your jeans with both hands, he continued his journey along your back and up your spine while popping the button of your jeans open with his other hand, “I know” he said smugly.

Instead of pulling your jeans down, like you thought he was going to do, he slid his hand into your underwear and used the tip of his middle finger to rub slow and small circles around your clit.

“I’ve wanted you too” he breathed, your hips were bucking forward every other circle that he painted, your breathing became heavy as you panted into his mouth that laid open against your lips.

Seemingly not happy with the lack of noise you were making, he ran his middle finger along your soaked folds and then slowly pushed it inside of you, making you moan - slack jawed.

“I’ve wanted you for a very long time” he reiterated his previous statement, fucking you with his finger a little bit faster with every stroke, “I’ve watched so many people try and earn your attention and failed” he explained to you, adding another finger into you, making you moan even louder than before.

While he was talking into your ear, you were too busy enjoying the knot tightening inside your stomach to notice that the hand on the small of your back had been replaced with his wing and was now pushing his pants over his thighs so they would fall to his ankles.

“Do you want me to fuck you?” he asked bluntly, your stomach flipped at the wording he chose, you loved hearing the cuss words leave his mouth. You were so full of bliss you could only nod as an answer to his question.

“Say it” he said, using his thumb to rub your clit and stimulate you even more, you were so close to your orgasm that you could feel your walls clenching around his long fingers, “Fuck me, Keigo” you moaned into his mouth, placing your hands on either side of his face so you could pull him and deepen the kiss.

You were so close, you could feel it, just one second longer and you would orgasm around his fingers - but then the pulled them out of you, chuckling darkly against your mouth that had stopped kissing him.

“Change my wings back” he commanded you, but you refused to give in. Instead you entwined your fingers into his wings and tugged them lightly, changing the colour to green. He groaned loudly and threw his head backwards, he loved how feisty you were.

“Fine” he growled at you, pulling your jeans down until they were around your ankles as well, he grabbed one of your thighs and brought it upwards so he could unhook the bottom of your jeans and free one of your legs.

With little to no effort, he grabbed both of your thighs and lifted you up so you could wrap your legs around his waist, using his wings to support your back. Immediately you felt the head of his cock poking at your entrance, until it pushed your folds aside and he sunk into you.

With a groan, he rested his head on your forehead. Once you seemed like you were comfortable he started to lift you up slowly and then, just as slowly, lower you onto him. He thrust his hips upwards to force himself deeper inside of you.

Every movement had you moaning, you bit your bottom lip in an attempt to quieten yourself but it was hardly working.

“You don’t need to be quiet, no one will hear you up here” Keigo grunted as he started to pick up his pace, it was easy to forget that you were on the roof of an extremely tall building when his wings were wrapped around you so tenderly.

The knot in your stomach was building up again, you weren’t really surprised considering you were so close before. Your whines became higher in pitch and more frequent as his thrusts hit your g-spot every time, making your insides tingle and twist in the best way.

Gasping, you were so close, you were trying really hard to muffle your cries so he wouldn’t know but the clenching of your walls around him gave you away. Your arms were around his neck and your hands grasped the roots of his messy blonde hair.

Then he stopped again, just holding his dick inside of you, unmoving.

He was denying you your orgasm and it was driving you crazy, “Please” you begged him, desperate for your release, “Not until you change my wings back” he smirked down at you, rubbing his nose gently against your cheek.

Groaning in frustration, you untangled your fingers from his hair and reached for his wing, you had given up, he won. As soon as you touched his feathers they shivered again and out of instinct he bucked his hips upwards making you close your eyes and scream in pleasure.

“Sorry, they’re sensitive” he breathed, you really didn’t realise how much touching his feathers affected him. When you opened your eyes again, you watched him stretch his bright red wings out behind him and shake them like a wet dog shakes his fur after a bath.

“That’s better” he smiled down at you, “Now, where were we?” he continued, and almost instantly he started to pound you at a ferocious pace, his wings were no longer around you so you could see the city sky line as you bounced on him.

You were no longer scared, the pleasure of him inside you and the adrenaline of being so high up were mixing together like a perfect potion, it pulled tighter and tighter on the knot in your stomach.

Feeling all of you muscles tense around him and your hands pulling his hair so hard that his Adam's apple was on display for you.

Your orgasm kicked off exactly where it had stopped and you scrunched your eyes together as you came around him loudly. You could feel his chest vibrate as he chuckled at your expression, he wasn’t mocking you, it was more a laugh of pride and arrogance - he was happy he’d made you cum.

His own thrusts started to become rapid and erratic, indicating that he was close as well. Still coming down from your high, you focused on helping him reach his own orgasm, you bounced on him to the off beat rhythm that he had set as best as you could.

You heard a growl in his throat start to grow until a loud moan erupted from him and with a few hard thrusts you felt him spill himself inside you. If you were closer to a second orgasm you were sure it would have tipped you over the edge again.

His hot breath made little clouds in the cold night air around you, his forehead had tiny beads of sweat that had formed and his visor was slightly steamed up. He lifted you up so he could slip out of you and you could find your footing on the ground, pulling your undies and pants back on again was slightly awkward, you didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t normally, you know-” you started but he put his hand up to stop you, “It’s fine, that was as much of me as it was you, and trust me I wanted to” he grinned at you as he buckled his pants back up again.

Once you were fully dressed, you started to run your fingers through your hair in an attempt to brush it, “Anyway, I’d hardly call that a date” he brushed his pants down as the dirt from the roof flew off of them in large clouds.

“Shall we be off?” he extended his hand out for you to take, hesitantly you took it and he wrapped his arms around you, cuddling you for a moment, “You promise you’re not going to drop me?” you looked up at him, being serious for a second.

“I’d never drop you” he kissed your forehead gently and then pushed off of the roof, letting his wings flap proudly and lift you off the ground. You had no idea where he was taking you, but you didn’t care.

Tag List: @mylife-demonstrates-murphys-law @hereticpriest @enagmaticether @anxiousgoddest

[squishmallow36]

Keeper of the Lost Prepositions - Seventeen

Word count: 1.9k

Tw: none

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @ichor-on-my-hands @kamikothe1and0lny @nyxpixels @snowflakewolves @poppinspop @crystallinewalker @uni-seahorse-572 @tiergan-andrin-alenefar @books-over-boys @florida-llama-46 @when-wax-wings-melt @k00laidcrush @bowlcut-boyfriends @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizznee @jamesdeangf

On Ao3 or below the cut!

    About halfway through watching Up, I get hungry, and so I venture to the kitchen for sustenance.

    I grab two more slices of Mallowmelt, mildly tempted to get something that isn’t entirely sugar, and then I think about how much I want to eat the said Mallowmelt.

    When I get back to my room, I give Wonderboy the second piece of Mallowmelt because I’m feeling nice, and, in the movie, I missed the introduction of a talking dog.

    Just before the end of the movie, I think my infrared glasses on which I have been working are ready to be tested.

    Logically, I put them on, which has an implied prepositional phrase before you start arguing with me. 

    I look around, and it is, for the sake of time, weird.

    You know the thing that humans call the universe’s baby picture? I’m not one hundred percent sure of its name, but I think it’s the cosmic microwave background, or CMB. 

        Back to the glasses, they have shades of basically every visible colour, excluding violet, and, no, you can’t call it purple. They’re different. Violet is a colour on the visible electromagnetic spectrum, and purple is a mix of red and blue. 

    Okay, I think that getting distracted with this many different sciency things is a sign that I’ve spent way too much time working on techy things today.

    Anyway, the glasses look like they work. I can definitely tell that there’s a Fitz-shaped blob sitting on my bed next to me, watching a movie I should be also watching.

    Oh, that’s cool. The laptop lets off infrared heat too so I think I can watch the movie in super-saturated glowing colours.

    I take them off, assuming that if I spend too much time looking through them, they’ll give me a headache, because those are some vibrant colours.

    After the movie, I say, “I’m just going to have to test that these work on Biana, and then, well, we could have an anti-vanisher device!”

    Fitz claps at that, and asks, “Can I test them? Please?”

    I concede, “Sure. Two conditions though.” I wait for him to begrudgingly agree before continuing, “One. You will treat them with the utmost care. They will not be broken when you bring them back to me. Two. You will test them on Biana and/or your Mom, and only them, until tomorrow morning, when Biana inevitably makes you come back here. Don’t go hunting down your brother. I will find you.”

    “Okay, Mr. Scary Technopath” 

    “I mean it, Keefe.”

    “If I’m Keefe, then are you Foster?”

    “Perhaps.”

    “Did you just use ‘perhaps’ unironically in a sentence?”

    “I’m tempted to say it again, but that would ruin the point. But, yes.”

    “What are we watching next?” Fitz asks as the credits rolled on Up.

    We took too long to make a decision, so Netflix decided for us, playing another Disney movie, this time Beauty and the Beast. 

    I don’t really understand how it chose that next, but human algorithms are weird sometimes.

    I figure ‘Why not?’ and let it keep playing, actually paying attention for the first time.

    Okay, fine, you got me. I snuck a couple glances at Fitz.

    And by a couple glances, I mean watching him half the time.

    But I pay enough attention to understand the plot, so doesn’t that have to count for something?

    I think so. 

    Change my mind.

    And are you really going to blame me for watching Captain Perfectpants over there? 

     His hair’s so adorably messy today and everything.

     I mentally sigh, not wanting to alert Fitzy to anything, but needing a good sigh.

     After Beauty and the Beast ended, I, subconsciously, worried about how much time was being wasted, not working on anything of importance, but I’ve already done enough today. 

    The next movie is another Pixar one, called Wall-E, which I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t watch first.

    It’s all about two cute little robots. 

    And also fat people in space that have to float around in chairs because of the effects of artificial gravity after they destroyed the Earth with all of their trash.

    After all the Neverseen problems are solved, I am one hundred percent making a chair like the ones in the movie.

    ‘Cause I can.

    Does anyone ever need more of a reason than that?

    Answer: yes. Case in point: ability restrictor.

    Do I care? In this case, no. Not even a little.  

    While I’m studying Fitz again during this movie, I notice that he really wanted to yell at the characters, which is pretty dang cute.

    But that had nothing on how adorable he is when he laughs at the idea of a pizza tree at the very end. 

    Somehow he knows what pizza is. I mean, I know he visited human cities for like nine years when he was looking for Sophie, and a few times after that, but, like, I didn't know he actually paid enough attention to know what pizza is.

    Exile, I barely know what pizza is. Food isn’t exactly the first human thing that I’ve decided to study. 

    In an instance of absolutely perfect timing that will never happen again even if we tried, Mom calls me to dinner as soon as the credits start rolling on Wall-E. 

    I pause the movie, shut the laptop, and bolt for the dining room.

    Fitz walks into view after I have already settled into my seat, saying, “I didn’t know you were that hungry. I would have made more Mallowmelt if I’d known.”

    I laugh. “I’m not that hungry, and please don’t make any more Mallowmelt. Either you get here before the triplets, or you don’t bother going at all. There’s no telling what they could’ve snuck into your food.”

    “Well, he’s not wrong,” Dad states, appearing behind Fitz, who is standing in the doorway.

    “I should probably get going. Biana hasn’t hailed me that dinner is ready yet, but I’m sure it’ll be soon,” Fitz says, stepping out of the doorway to let Dad into the room. 

    “I didn’t realise you were here, Fitz, but there’s no need to leave. We’re more than willing to have you for dinner,” Mom says, bringing out glasses of Lushberry juice.

    It goes with everything if you try hard enough.

    “I wouldn’t want to impose,” Fitz replies, his accent somehow crisper when he’s being formal. 

    And there goes the blush. 

    “I insist,” Mom says. 

    Fitz is trying, and struggling, to find a reason to go home as the triplets barrel into him from behind. 

    He nearly falls on his face, but it makes him realise it’s not worth the fight and concedes to eating dinner with us. 

    When it’s put like that, it sounds like we eat poison on a daily basis.

    “I should hail Biana, to tell her that I’m having dinner here.” He starts walking outside, either to leap away or hail her without bothering us. 

    I don’t trust him not to run, so I hold out my hand, saying, “I can send her a message through that Imparter, no hail needed.”

    When he still didn’t give it, I add, “Trust the Technopath.”

    All Imparters have a built-in messaging system, even though everyone only uses the hailing function, which I think is sad. 

    Technopath problems. 

    I quickly send a message to Biana saying I’m going to stay at Rimeshire for dinner. Dex’s family convinced me to stay (the triplets are scary). Just thought I should let you know -Fitz. (BTW this is Dex, Fitz can’t Technopath even if the fate of the world depends on it)

    “Check this to see if you approve the message and then hit send,” I say, giving the Imparter back to Fitz.  

    “What does the ‘bee tee double-you’ mean?” he asks, with a small, confused crease between his eyebrows.

    “By the way,” I explain, “It’s a human texting abbreviation.”

    He sends the message, probably figuring Biana would find a way to know that already, somehow, and sits down in a chair that Mom had pulled from who knows where.

    Dinner didn’t devolve into a food fight as it so often does, especially since Bex and Lex manifested. 

    Rex--.

    After dinner, Fitz wants to go back home again, but it isn’t even seven yet, and the sun hasn’t set. 

    We’re so far north that the sun doesn’t even set sometimes in the middle of summer. And you wonder why my sleep schedule is so messed up.

    I manage to convince him to stay for one more human movie, which ends up being Cars, and apparently it’s set in a world where humans don’t have to drive around their giant death wagons.

    I Google it to find out more about it because I can, and it was the last Pixar film made before it was bought by Disney, so you can argue that it isn’t technically a Disney movie.

    And it’s the only Pixar movie that we’ve watched—today and whenever we watched Brave—that was made before Disney purchased Pixar. 

    Beauty and the Beast doesn’t count because it was made by Disney itself.

    I managed to watch Cars even more than Wall-E, only stealing a few glances at Wonderboy.

    Mostly when he shifts and somehow manages to keep getting closer. And cue my heart skipping a beat because that is a lot of perfection that keeps inching towards me. 

    By the end of the movie, I really want to yell at the screen to encourage the protagonist—I think his name was Lightning McQueen or something—but he didn’t even win the race at the end.

    He helped the other, older car to finish the race because he met the old guy in the town in which he got lost—I wanna say its name was Radiator Springs—that is somehow so much more satisfying to the story.

    I look at Fitz, who has completely buried himself in my pile of pillows, so much so that I’m not sure he can even see the screen.

    He lets out a soft, snuffly snore that would have been adorable if it didn’t immediately make me panic because there’s a really freaking cute guy that fell asleep in my bed.

    How does this go well?

    I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Relax. 

    Lovise is the only one who knows about this stupid crush. Honestly, at this point Grizel suspects, if she hasn’t gathered enough evidence to assume it’s true even without confirmation. 

    I stand up to get Mr. Snuggles from where Fitz left him this morning, and I give him to the Lord of the Snuggles.

    I find a couple blankets shoved into my closet, and use one to cover up Fitz instead of trying to wrestle one out from under him.

    I send Biana an Imparter message saying that Wonderboy fell asleep at Rimeshire, and I don’t think it’d be a good idea to wake him up.

    I grab a computer, and sit on a bean bag that I have in one of the corners of my room. Well, I have to push some parts off of it first, but that doesn’t matter. 

    It’s barely nine right now, so I figure I can play a little Portal before I go to bed. Which will be my bean bag. 

    I've always wanted to sleep here, so at least now I have a good reason to do exactly that.

    Silver linings. 

[penguinwithitsarseonfire]

It’s Nice to Have a Friend

Pairing: Tenth Doctor x Reader

Word Count: 1,839

Warnings: None

Summary: You and Rose apply makeup before The Doctors self proclaimed “theatre event” that he’s taking you to. When the Doctor comes in to complain about the amount of time you’ve taken, you and Rose pull a small prank on him. That’s it, that’s the plot.

A/N: This was completely self indulgent, I've wanted to be Rose’s best friend since I was 9, so that’s basically all this is.

You hummed along to the music playing softly in the background. It had been a fair while since you had listened to early 2000’s music; travelling on the TARDIS didn’t leave much time for nostalgia, what with the different planets, the aliens, and completely different time periods from when your existence wasn’t even a sparing thought.

Still though, it was nice to take a break every now and again.

“It’s not really nostalgia though, is it,” Rose said from beside you after you brought it up. “I mean, this song’s only a year or so old. We used to play it in the shop.”

“Before it blew up.”

“Ha yeah,” Rose grinned. “Before it blew up.”

“Although,” you raised an eyebrow at her and reiterated the year you were from. “It’s definitely nostalgia.”

Rose rolled her eyes good naturedly, then pointed to the vanity next to you. “Can you pass the eyeliner over?”

You hummed and reached over to the one she was pointing at; it was an eyeliner pencil, a black one with a little sharpener on the lid.

It sat on a vanity made of warm mahogany wood, among a myriad of makeup from foundations, eye shadow palettes, lipsticks, and rouge.

Beside it and in front of you and Rose was a large mirror that ran from the floor to the ceiling, on the only solid wall in the TARDIS’ wardrobe. You and Rose liked to think The TARDIS had made the area specially for you both, so you could do your makeup together.

You plopped back down onto the floor and passed the eyeliner to Rose, who was sitting cross legged and doing the finishing touched to her foundation.

You were poised to go to a theatre event - what it was exactly, the Doctor wouldn’t tell you. It didn’t matter if you often wore makeup often or not, right now, you were feeling it, and you figured a theatre event was a nice opportunity to change things up a bit.

You frowned at the eye shadow palette in front of you, trying to work out which colours would blend the best and how you could actually use it.

You jumped as one of your favourite songs from the early 2000’s began playing, turning to Rose with a grin. She was looking at you with an equally bright smile, her right eye only half painted with the eyeliner pencil left dangling in her hand. Almost instinctually you both broke out into song, singing along terribly.

Your voice cracked at one of the high notes, and Rose laughed, shaking you lightly as she continued. The make-up was forgotten as the pair of you danced, moving in a way that was particularly reminiscent of some sort of Tik Tok routine.

Not that you would tell Rose that particular tidbit, it was a bit early to explain Tik Tok to her.

At the end of the chorus Rose stumbled with her words over the lyrics. It was so surprising that it shocked you out of your exuberance, and the pair of you were left giggling on the floor. The song played in the background, a harmony to your laughter.

The Doctor cleared his throat, and you reached over in between your laughter to turn the music down. From this angle you could see him clearly, he was leaning against a poll behind you, sans coat, with only two of the buttons on his pinstripe suit done up.

You gazed at Rose, who raised her eyebrow at you and smirked playfully. “Did’ja need us Doctor?” She turned back to the mirror, applying her eyeliner and trying to stifle her laughter.

“Dunno,” he said. You looked up at his reflection in the mirror in front of you, locking eyes with you, and he winked, before heaving himself off the poll. “You two’ve been taking an awful long time.”

“What,” you said, and passed Rose her mascara wand, placing the eye shadow back onto the shelf. You’d keep things more natural and match Rose. “You’ve been bored?”

“What – me? Nah, I’m never bored.”

You let out a brief laugh. “Ah yep, that’s completely accurate.”

“Well, again,” The Doctor said. “You both have been gone for a while.”

Rose snorted and picked up your phone, glancing at the display. “We’ve only been about 20 minutes. You’re getting more impatient by the day.”

“Impatient, oh now that’s nonsense,” he drawled and crouched down behind you both. “Now, what are we doing here?”

You waved your eyeliner pen in front of him, and then began drawing on a wing. “You said theatre event so here we are,” you gestured at you and Rose with your free hand. “Getting ready for a theatre event.”

Rose said her thanks for the mascara and began applying her first coat, chewing on her lip as she did so.

You glanced at her out of the corner of your eye then back at your reflection as you filled your eyeliner in, before starting on your other eye. “How many coats of that do you do anyway?”

Rose hummed. “Dunno, however many I need until I think it looks good.”

You chuckled. It was just so early 2000’s of her. Sometimes, your eyelids looked heavy just looking at her eyelashes.  

Rose looked at you aghast. “What’s funny?”

“Nothing, nothing at all,” you poked your tongue to your teeth as you smiled at her reflection in the mirror. “I was just thinking of makeup trends, how things change.”

“Y’know sometimes, you can be as cryptic as him,” she gestured to The Doctor with her head for good measure, and set out a couple different shades of rouge as the next coat of mascara dried.

The Doctor gawped. “When am I ever cryptic?”

Both you and Rose paused what you were doing so you could stare down his reflection in the mirror.

“Alright fine,” he relented. “I guess sometimes I change the topic of a conversation.” The Doctor cocked his head to the side, watching you both thoughtfully as the pair of you continued on with your makeup. “Why do you both always need to do this, anyway?"

Rose was applying another coat of mascara when she replied. "Come off, you're not having a go at us for wearing makeup now, are you?"

"No, no, not at all, just curious really. I should start factoring this extra time in when I take you two places, because blimey you take a while.” He looked towards the vanity. "And that's a fair amount of it all too, do you really use all of that?"

You stuck your eyeliner pen out as if it were a rod. “Says the man with a collection of hair gel for his gravity defying hair – oh, and could you pass me those eyelashes over there?"

You gestured to the vanity and The Doctor’s gaze followed.

“Eyelashes,” he drawled, standing up and meandering over. You watched his reflection as his hands danced over the various products, until he landed on the pair of false lashes you’d been hoping to apply. He lifted it up, meeting your gaze through the mirror. “These ones?”

You hummed and made a grabbing motion with your hands. “Yeah, thanks.”

The Doctor resumed his crouched position behind you and Rose, and passed you the small box. Your fingers brushed over his lightly as you grabbed the small parcel. You felt a jolt run up through your fingers and up your arm and heard his breath hitch slightly. You took the box out of his grasp and swallowed, ignoring whatever that was.

“False eyelashes,” The doctor grinned, and ran his fingers over his cheek. You tried not think about why he was doing that, it was awfully distracting. “You humans I swear sometimes you do the strangest things. It’s bloody brilliant.”

Rose grinned, and locked eyes with you, holding up the her blush compact and a brush. She nodded her head to the Doctor and you returned her grin, giving her subtle thumbs up.

“It’s not that strange,” you said, distracting the Doctor so he wasn’t watching what Rose was doing. “It’s basically just experimentation, or just making yourself feel prettier.”

Rose swooped in, poking some of her chosen blush onto The Doctors nose.  “You could probably do with some pretty-ing up every now and again yourself.”

He scrunched his face up in protest.

You snorted, laughing at The Doctors reaction, and letting the magnetic eyelashes clip onto your eyes. You blinked a couple of times, letting your eyes adjust to the added weight.

Rose looked to you with a frown. “Wait, don’t you need glue with that?”

You winked at her. “They’re magnetic.”

“Could say the same about you,” The Doctor grinned that ever so charming smile at you, the one that would make you all flustered if you didn’t know any better.

You let a solitary bark of laughter. “That was a terrible pun. It’s a wonder anyone ever takes you seriously,” you grinned to match him. “You look sunburnt, by the way.”

Rose laughed and The Doctor’s hand flew to cover his nose. “Oi, that wasn’t necessary!”

He rubbed at his nose furiously and Rose fell into a pit of laughter. “I ‘spose I could have chosen a different colour.”

“Well Rose,” you eyed the palette, then turned back to her. “It looks great on you.”

The Doctor hummed, pulling his hand away. The rouge was gone. “Maybe I’m just not meant to be ‘pretty-ed up’ like the pair of you.”

“Oh,” you drawled. “So we’re meant to be ‘pretty-ed up’ then? Is that it?”

The Doctor spluttered, his eyes growing like saucers. “What? No, that’s – that’s not what I meant at all, you’ve always been pretty, still are of course, with or without the,” he gestured at your face. “Well, you know.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Are you alright, Doctor?”

Rose met your eyes and smirked playfully. “Looks like someone is a little bit flustered.”

The Doctor jumped up, suddenly, as if eager to get a move on. “Well come on you two, this is a time machine, we haven’t got all day!”

You frowned for a moment. “I think that’s the exact opposite of what the phrase ‘time machine’ suggests.”

Rose laughed, sticking out her hand for you to take. “Let’s humour him, shall we.”

“Oh I’m standing right here,” The Doctor said and turned around to take off. He spun back round just as fast, and met your gaze. “And flustered – me? Never,” he tapped against his temple. “I’ve always got a plan up in here.”

He gave you both a cheeky wave and shot off again, giving you no time at all to process what the hell he just said.

You clutched against Rose with one hand, fumbling as you placed the false lashes box back on the vanity. “What do you mean you’ve got a plan?” You called after him. “A plan for what?”

Rose just laughed beside you, and tugged you along. “Well come on, let’s find out then!”

A/N: This isn’t really what I wanted to post this week, but I haven’t had time to write anything new so here’s something from the drafts. I hope you enjoyed it!

[ninbayphua-moyan]

Where The Harvest Moon Is Brightest

Sweat trickled down my back as I lugged my suitcase behind me along the five-foot ways of Penang. A sense of Saturday afternoon languidness hangs in the balmy air like a soft, heavy blanket, lulling you to sleep. A gentle breeze fleets through the walkway, pleasantly cool against the slight stickiness of my skin. I paused and took a deep breath, head tilted back with eyes closed, listening to the faint rustling of palm leaves. The air was steeped with the fresh, earthy petrichor of a recent shower, and tinged with undertones of the alluringly sweet scent of frangipanis.

          Loud giggles. Shrieks of laughter. Opening my eyes, I turned towards the sound and saw a group of children playing a game of ‘The Eagle Catches The Chicks’ on the street. They dodged and ran with unabashedly childish grins plastered onto their mud smeared faces, eyes twinkling with youthful glee and carelessness. I smiled. It wasn’t that long ago when I too was a little rascal playing on these very streets without a care in the world. I remember the days when the neighbourhood kids and I would play in the streets until our mothers called us in for dinner. Oh, the adventures we had! Climbing up trees; playing in the rain; racing the roti man down the street as he rides by on his bicycle. Ah yes……the roti man……how we used to wait for him to make his rounds each evening after school……The tinkling sound of the metal cup-like object being struck with an iron rod signalling his arrival…our short legs running, shouting ‘roti!’ until he stopped by the side of the road…the chaos that ensues as we crowded around him like hungry chicks waiting to be fed, coins held tight in our sweaty little palms……

          Then, I heard it. The familiar ‘Ting! Ting! Ting!’ of the roti man echoing down the street, as if summoned by my reminiscence of it. The children had heard it too. They ran towards the roti man shouting ‘roti!’, their game abandoned without a second thought. Instinctively, I started running as well, fumbling around my pockets looking for loose change to pay for the bread. I joined the little gathering crowd just as the roti man was getting off his bicycle. A tantalising aroma of freshly baked breads and buns wafted out the minute he undid the catch on the little glass framed doors of the meat-safe seated behind his bike. I couldn’t help but groan internally at the heavenly sight and smell. I watched as he slathered the savoury margarine and rich kaya onto thick slices of roti benggali, mouth watering uncontrollably. After a few minutes, he handed me a big bag of the bread to me and I dropped the money into his outstretched palm. He flashed me a quick grin before returning his attention to the next customer.

          Making my way back to the five-foot way, I stuck my hand into the plastic bag and brought out a piece of warm roti banggali. Biting into the bread, I felt my tongue melting. The crispy, golden crust and soft white crumb of the bread served as a fragrant base, a sacred chapel where the buttery saltiness of the margarine and the rich, creamy sweetness of the kaya sang, each in their unique tune before harmonizing into a heavenly choir and melding into one savoury mouthful of bread. Before I knew it, I had already finished a third of what I’d bought. Realising that I wouldn’t have any left by the time I reached my destination if I continued eating, I quickly knotted up the bag and hurried along.

          Ten minutes later, I came to a stop in front of a shophouse at the end of the five-foot way. A large ebony plaque hung regally above the doorway, my family name engraved upon it in golden Chinese characters. U-shaped terracotta tiles covered the roof and three full length louvred windows lined the upper floor of the two-story building. The pillars were adorned with painted, three-dimensional decorative plaster of beautifully crafted flowers. Majestic peonies and tender lotuses blooming, their elaborate and delicate carved petals unfurling elegantly. Majolica tiles lined the dado façade on the lower quarter of the walls, adding yet another splash of colour to the otherwise, dull and plain exterior. The carved timber ventilated doors stood wide open, each of its panel depicting legendary creatures of ancient Chinese folklore. The exquisitely detailed carvings of phoenixes never ceased to amaze me, even after all this time. Perching nobly on golden branches, their wings were spread wide as if to take off at any second as I gazed, entranced. Then, as the late afternoon sun shines upon their gilded bodies, it was as if those carved mystical beauties were suddenly brought to life. Their once dull sheen now aglow in brilliant shades of scarlet, orange and gold, almost as if they would burst into flames at any moment, just like in the myths of old, and be reborn from the ashes.

          The sound of fluttering wings and clear melodic chirruping snapped me out of my daze. Looking up, I saw a family of swallows roosting in their nest at the corner of the roof. Ah…it was that time of the year again wasn’t it…the swallows always left the nest as the harvest moon approached. I remember how excited I used to get when they came to roost in the spring and how sad I would be when they’d left as autumn drew near. A-Poh[1] would always pick the nest once the swallows had flown, clean it and turn it into a bowl bird nest soup. She always told me it was good for the skin as well as health but I was never sure how true these claims were.

          Peeking my head through the door, I announced my arrival home out of sheer force of habit. There was a loud clanging and scuffling from the kitchen as I heard a delighted shout. I had barely stepped across the threshold into the house before I was pulled into a tight bear hug by A-Poh, immediately enveloped by the familiar scent of incense and rice powder. She was strong despite her age and sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder if all her stories about bird nest soup were true. Pulling out of the hug, she gave me a quick look over and pinched my cheeks, complaining that I’ve lost weight again even though I hadn’t. I tried protesting but she shushed me with a fond pat on the cheeks and shouted for A-Gong[2] who instantly came wobbling out of the ground floor bedroom, a large toothless grin on his wrinkled face. He wrapped me into a warm hug whilst A-Poh hurried off into the kitchen, determined to stuff me up with food before anyone could stop her. I shook my head in resignation whilst A-Gong just laughed and ruffled my hair, amused.

          Pouring some pu-erh tea into two clay teacups, A-Gong motioned for me to sit down, asking about my time abroad. As we sipped on the earthy fragrance of the pu-erh, I told him about my time in the UK; about its miserably wet weather; its tasteless food; its strange customs; and how much I had missed home whilst I was away. Upon hearing that comment, he chuckled heartily, a knowing look in his eyes. He too had left the comforts at home at a young age, sailing the seas to unknown lands to avoid the war. When I asked if he ever missed Hainan and his childhood home, he would always smile a little wistfully but would then shake his head saying home for him was where my A-Poh, a content look upon his wisen face. Even after all this time, they were still as in love with one another as they were back then, just like the butterfly lovers from Chinese folklore.

          Halfway through our conversation, he suddenly stood up as if he had just remembered something. Giving me a wink, he disappeared out the door. I grinned, knowing exactly where he was headed off to. As I sat by the round wooden table in the living room, I gaze absentmindedly at the sparrows fleeting about A-Gong’s potted plants. The afternoon sunlight was streaming in through the lightwell, brightening the otherwise dimly lit interior. I remember still how my siblings and I would play hide-and-seek in the interior courtyard amongst those potted plants. Ah, those really were the days……

          Shifting my gaze, my eyes were immediately drawn to the majolica tile floor. Its kaleidoscope of bright colours a stark contrast against the plain wooden and rattan furniture. Come to think about it, those mosaic pattered tiles were probably what triggered my interest in art in the first place…oh, the afternoons I’d spend on those cool, smooth floor drawing and trying to mimic their intricate patterns and colours…..

          I was brought out of my reminiscence when a bowl of steaming hot pork dumplings was placed before me. Ahh…A-Poh’s pork dumplings. How I’ve missed it while I was away! Eagerly, I picked up the chopsticks and took a bite, my mouth immediately exploding with flavour. The saltiness of the pork meat marinated with soy sauce and sesame oil, the refreshingly sweet spring onions contrasting the meat’s saltiness, the delicately wrapped flour encapsulating it all, the slight bitterness of the herbal broth…this was my definition of heaven. Seeing me happily wolfing down the dumplings, she smiled and returned to the kitchen.

          I was only halfway through my bowl of dumplings when the intense aroma of spices and chili came wafting out of the kitchen, making my mouth water. There wasn’t a need to look. I already knew what it was A-Poh was preparing. And sure enough, she came tottering out of the kitchen a few minutes later with two big bowls of hokkien-mee. Taking a seat next to me and we both dug in. I took a big slurp of soup and my tongue was instantly set on fire, the spices clashing as they performed a tango on my tongue. I had forgotten how potent the chili at home were. My lips were turning a numbing red within seconds but that didn’t stop me from downing down the entire bowl of noodles. After all, no self-respecting child of Penang would ever be caught dead bested by a bowl of spicy hokkien-mee. A-Poh chuckled as she watched me switching comically between fanning my tongue and slurping down the spicy soup.

          Just then, A-Gong came walking in through the front door and I squealed in delight. He grinned, handing me the little plastic bag in his hands before sitting down. Like a child who was just given her Christmas present early, I happily started munching on the packet of ais kacang. The frozen sweetness of the shaved ice instantly cooled my burning mouth and I quickly took a few more mouthful. Content, I glanced at my grandparents and started noticing things that had previously escaped my attention. A-Poh’s once salt-and-pepper hair was now silvery white and her hands seemed more worn and wrinkled than I last remembered. The wrinkles on A-Gong’s face seemed deeper now and his hands, especially the one with a missing finger, shook a little more than they used to whenever he held something. Since when had they aged so much?

          Realising that I had stopped eating, A-Gong pushed the plate of pandan cake closer to me, urging me to eat. Now, I was never much of a sweet tooth but I was particularly fond of this green coloured sponge cake that just melted in your mouth like a piece of cloud. The mild, aromatic sweetness of pandan and the light, fluffy texture of a chiffon cake, a beautiful fusion between European cake-making techniques and locally grown ingredients.

          As I continued munching on the cake, I couldn’t help but smile, having realized how beautifully diverse my hometown was. Just like the pandan cake, it was a place where cultures of the East and West collided and coexisted in harmony. Yes…this little culture cocktail of an island was what I called home and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

NOTES:

[1] ‘A-Poh’ means ‘grandmother’ in Hainanese

[2] ‘A-Gong’ means ‘grandfather’ in Hainanese

[3] ‘Where The Harvest Moon Shines Brightest’ is a play on  月到中秋分外明，每逢佳节倍思亲 meaning the moon is brightest in mid-autumn; homesickness multiplies during each festival

Author's Notes:

Back with Part 4 also known as the final part of the short story slash prose pieces from uni series (this was the earliest piece I wrote in first year lol). The story takes place a year and a half after Part 3. A-Yun has finally graduated uni and has now gone home. All is well ends well. Yes I am aware that there is a slight glitch and A-Gong shouldn’t exist at this point but I wrote it before I wrote everything else so we’re bringing him back to life OuO Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading Part 4~

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  

Since exams are over and graded and I've officially graduated, I can finally post my work online without having to worry about Turnitin picking it up as plagiarism because apparently you aren't allowed to plagiarise yourself according to university which is absolutely ridiculous but I'm not the one making the rules here so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Also, please don't reupload my works without permission.

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Chapter 6-7 Interlude

Complications

“Say Tails, didn't you upgrade the Tornado before we arrived in Viridonia?”

“...Oh yeah. I did, didn't I? Thanks for reminding me.”

Tails shuffled his hand from behind his back, and quickly pulled out a small device, to which everyone displayed varying levels of raised eyebrows in response to how exactly he managed to do that. With a simple press of a button, he patiently turned his attention to the sky, which still had not a single cloud to its visage.

Confused by this, Sonic slowly looked all around the arid landscape. “What are we waiting for? We gotta go get it, right? No point standing around if it's not-... ...oh, there it is.” The moment he looked back ahead, there was a look of wonder on his face, as the famous plane was right where it previously wasn’t mere seconds ago, floating in the air triumphantly. Its engines were roaring with life.

“That was... almost as fast as me. Almost.”

“That's awesome!” Amy cried out happily. She had an equally amazed Cream and Cheese tucked under her arms to prevent her friends’ small frames from being blown away by the sheer force generated by the Tornado.

“Not bad, indeed,” Rouge added, after using her own gift of flight to examine the plane from above. “Seems like quite a breakthrough, little guy.”

“Yep!” Tails beamed, his tails gliding up and down in sync with his visible excitement. “With a push of a button, I can summon it to wherever we are! So if we need it in short notice, it'll be no trouble at all.”

Sonic ruffled his young friend's head once again, grinning all the while. “That's my bro! No way this WON'T come in handy!” He paused, as he put a finger to his chin. “Could have been handy beforehand too, come to think of it...”

“Absolutely impeccable work, Tails,” Lutrudis applauded. “At least some of our greatest geniuses aren't foul in spirit.” She was evidently unperturbed by the force causing her ponytail to fly in her face more than once. She brushed it aside every time, and her smile didn’t falter.

“But will it have enough room for all of us? Though I suppose Miss Rouge will be unbothered...” She turned her head up at the flying bat, before her ponytail flew in her face yet again.

“Well, there's four seats now, so technically we'd be just one short. But...” The fox motioned towards the wing. “That hasn't stopped Sonic before... even when there are seats available.”

“True,” Sonic confirmed, with another trademark smirk. “Now let's get out of here, I'm sweating like an Eggman who's about to be foiled.”

“...Me too,” Lutrudis agreed as she fluttered a hand to fan herself, unable to come up with a clever comparison of her own. Amy was likewise quick to nod in agreement.

---

After returning to the castle, and after a couple of showers the moment they returned, Lutrudis directed the gang to the kitchen. But not before two members of the group were finally given their gifts, after Lutrudis made sure to clean those as well...

“~It’s so beautiful!~” Amy’s line of sight was hyper focused on her new silver necklace, its emerald jewel matching the girl’s eyes perfectly. Cream was likewise enticed by her own necklace, and its garnet jewel was a similar match for the bunny’s own eyes. The two of them couldn’t have been any more over the moon with their gifts, with Amy practically dancing in giddy ecstasy. “I can’t get over how it looks!”

“Thank you so much for this, Trudy!” Cream shimmered brightly.

“But wouldn’t they have cost a lot?” Amy wondered. “I wouldn’t want you to burn a hole in your wallet for our sake...”

“It’s cool,” Lutrudis waved a hand, her tail swishing happily in response to seeing her fellow companions’ joy. “I couldn’t resist seeing the looks on your faces. And honestly, the price was nothing compared to the real difficulty of washing away the stench of oil,” she joked.

Although the visitors (except Rouge) should have been long used to the shifts between the rooms in the castle by this point, they still found themselves caught off guard by the kitchen’s unique appearance. Far from the reds of the halls, the blues of the bathroom, or the whites of the greenhouse, the kitchen’s primary colours were brown and black, and yet it was not drab in the slightest. With its warm shades, and combined with the wooden floor and the brick walls, it almost gave the impression of a country aesthetic, even though no such aesthetic was truly present in any obvious form.

They remained impressed with how the castle was able to maintain an overarching sense of comfort and beauty, despite each room being different in its own way, sometimes vastly so. Rouge also couldn’t help but wonder to herself if any of those pretty crystals were nearby... for reasons, of course. But alas, they had more important things to attend to. Namely, Rouge’s reports about them.

“So then,” Sonic started. “What did you find out about them?”

“Well if you spare me just a little minute... ah, here they are.” Rouge pulled out a small handful of documents from behind her back, and casually tossed them onto the biggest table in the kitchen. “There you have them. Knock yourself out.”

“Are we... allowed to read these documents?” Lutrudis questioned, after showing hesitance to do so. “Since it is G.U.N. work and all, they might get ever so slightly incensed that you’re sharing such documents with little old us...”

Rouge placed her hands on her hips, unfazed as ever. “They don’t have to know. It’ll be our little secret.” A smirk planted itself on her lips. “Besides, since Sonic is the one who actually saves the world from all the things that threaten it, it’s more useful in your hands anyway, let’s be honest.”

Lutrudis looked at Sonic, who himself turned to Tails, who then turned to Amy, who likewise turned to Cream, and she looked at Cheese, to which he looked back at Lutrudis.

“Chao...?” Cheese asked.

After a pause, they all shrugged, unanimously finding no reason to debate with the bat. And with that, they got right down to business. Predictably, Sonic was quick to skim through them, and at first, he seemed somewhat unimpressed with what he was reading.

“These... aren’t telling me anything we don’t already know,” he complained. “Different abilities depending on the colour, grey crystals are less effective than colored ones, stronger reactions when more of the same colour are used together... We know all this...”

“Keep reading,” Rouge commanded firmly. “There’s bound to be something.”

“Fine, will do...”

“Actually Sonic... I don’t remember THIS part,” Amy noted, as she quickly brought the file she was reading over to Sonic. “It says here that with the right amount of Chao and crystals present, they can directly open the way to the Ethereal Zone...?”

“Really?” Tails asked. “I... guess that’s not a conclusion without merit, but for all of Eggman’s antics, I thought it’d be more complicated than that?”

“It is, in a sense,” Rouge answered. She walked over to a nearby chair to lean against. “The Chao and crystals can open the way, yes, but you need a lot of them to do it. A lot of them. And not just a lot of them, but in the case of crystals, a lot of every individual type.”

“So more crystals than I have, then?” Lutrudis pondered, with a stroke of her hair. “But... they aren’t finite, they can respawn. Does it not count if it’s a... erm, replacement crystal?”

“Since they’re no less effective, logic would dictate that they would count. But doing it that way would likely take forever, especially if you’re as impatient as Dr. Eggman. Not to mention he’s already hunting after the Chao as well anyway. So he’s probably just finding crystals anywhere and everywhere he can for the sake of it being faster.”

“How many exactly?” Sonic asked. For all his comments at Eggman’s expense, he knew the doctor having access to so many of them would be no joke.

“More than any of us have seen so far. You’d practically need a mountain of them.”

“Sheesh... But where would Eggman be able to find such an amount? We’ve seen multiple spots with plenty of them, like the cave under here, but not to the level of what you’re describing...”

“Hold up,” Tails said, as he pointed to a particular section of the file he was reading. “There are people who live in the Ethereal Zone...? Or lived, past tense?”

Sonic’s ears stood up. “Okay, fair play, I DEFINITELY don’t recall that part. How did you find that out? Have you been there or something?” he asked half-sarcastically.

“Do you really think all those fancy murals and paintings around here are just a coincidence?” Rouge pointed out, in a playful tone with a wagging finger.

“Murals? Paintings? What are you...” He stopped, as he slowly recalled a number of recent occurrences. “You mean... like the ones in the desert town...”

“Or those carvings in Zephyr Mountain...” Tails recalled.

“And the ones by the meadows...” Lutrudis added. “Every one of them includes people in their visuals...”

“And those aren’t the only ones,” Rouge confirmed. “The Ethereal Zone may be little more than a myth to most people on this island, but the legends have always had an influence in their lives and culture.”

“And their buildings, considering some of them are prone to glowing,” Sonic dryly quipped. “You’d think that would be enough to confirm it’s real.”

“So is that gross monster who works for Eggman one of the people... or things... that live in there?” Amy asked, understandably puzzled to say the least. “It wouldn’t be involved in Eggman’s schemes for nothing, right?”

“Oh, so we DO have another Chaos on our hands?” Sonic continued, hands on hips. “These beats are sounding more and more like Chaos to me... minus the whole mystery world dimension thingymajig part, I guess. Right down to involving the Chao...” As if on cue, his attention was focused on a lone playful Chao swinging from his arm, which he soon tried to prevent from falling off.

“At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wraith was a mutated Chao too,” he added, still focused on the thankfully unmutated Chao.

“I doubt that, but this is where it gets weird...”

“As opposed to everything else about this, which is perfectly normal...?”

Rouge rolled her eyes as she continued. “If it was someone or something that belonged inside the Ethereal Zone... then what’s it doing out of the Zone, if Eggman still hasn’t unlocked it for himself? Did it get out by itself, and if so, how did it do it? And furthermore, if this one managed to get out, how come we’ve seen no others like it?”

She sighed to herself, with a clenched fist. “Not even the A.R.K. reports were this complicated. At least with that one, the biggest hurdle was going to space.”

Everyone went silent. Though Rouge’s documents were definitely giving them more to work with, there were still some unsolved mysteries even now, and as far as they knew, Eggman was still in no rush to clue them in on the rest of the details. As they all quietly thought about where to go from here, Cream was the one who broke the silence.

“You’re really good at finding out things, Miss Rouge,” the rabbit said cheerfully, despite not fully understanding the documents to the same extent as her older friends. Rouge seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden compliment, but even she couldn’t help but smile at Cream’s innocence.

---

Since they still hadn’t decided on what their next course of action would be, everyone took the time to split up for a short while. Rouge offered to search around Lime Shores to see if she could uncover new info, and Amy demanded to go with her, possibly out of wariness as to whether the jewel hunter slash government agent was up to anything shady. Rouge didn’t even bother arguing with it, knowing full well that Amy’s stubbornness was comparable to that of the Blue Blur himself... or the Black Blur that she was even more familiar with. Must be a hedgehog thing.

Cream wasn’t sure if leaving Amy and Rouge to themselves was a good idea or not, considering she had some vague awareness of their past history with each other. But she decided to stick with Lutrudis despite that, confident that her older sister figure and the bat lady would be able to set any potential disagreements aside for now. The rest of the Chao were following them, as Lutrudis promised to take the diminutive creatures to somewhere special. As they were walking through the castle hallway however, with the rabbit holding the horse’s hand, something seemed to be troubling her...

“Trudy?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I confess to something?”

“Confess?” Lutrudis couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle. “As if you would ever need to confess to anything. But sure, you can tell me whatever you’re comfortable with telling.”

“I’m worried about what Dr. Eggman might do next...”

“Eggman?” The horse stopped in her tracks, and she made sure to kneel down to Cream’s height, albeit slowly so as to not put too much strain on her legs. “What’s he done to get you all concerned?”

“Well... all that stuff that happened in the desert. Those monsters that came to life...” Cream tugged on her left ear, looking to the side with minor anxiousness. “And the big ship that created the big hurricane...” She shuddered at the memory, holding tightly onto Cheese.

“Chao...!” Cheese muttered, slightly dismayed at temporarily being unable to breathe.

“Dr. Eggman does a lot of bad things, and I wish he would stop. But he’s doing really scary things now... What will happen next? And what does he want to do with all these Chao?” She was quick to turn her gaze to Lutrudis’ eyes, having once again seeked out the resemblance to that of her own mother’s.

Lutrudis glanced around at all the Chao floating above them. They exchanged various looks of concern, yet she simply smiled at every one of them, as if to ease their individual tensions. She turned that sympathetic smile to Cream, and gently stroked her cheek. “But we know what he’ll do next, sweetie... He’ll be ranting incoherently and screaming filthy words after we strike a blow to his overstuffed ego.” She followed it up with a wink, as Cream giggled at her comment. “Nothing Eggman has done has stopped you or your friends before, and that won’t change now.”

“I guess you’re right, heh,” Cream admitted, with a nervous smile. “I know it’s silly to be afraid, but...”

“Hey, don’t say that, there’s nothing silly about it at all.” She put both of her hands on the rabbit’s shoulders. “There’s no shame in feeling afraid, it happens to all of us. And heck, after everything you’ve been through, I’d dare say you’re brave where it truly counts.”

“Really?”

“Chao?”

“Would I lie to you?”

“...No, you wouldn’t,” Cream’s smile grew less nervous, as she nuzzled up against the horse’s chest to hug her. Lutrudis, still evidently not used to receiving them, took a moment or two to react, but slowly wrapped her arms around the bunny in turn, and rubbed the little one’s back. Her tail started swishing again.

“In fact... how about we do a little something to commemorate your previous, brave adventures?”

“Huh?” Cream gave her an inquisitive look. “What do you mean?”

“Well you see, you wouldn’t believe it coming from these hands, but I know a thing or two about knitting...”

---

“I’m still not used to Eggman being this hush hush...” Tails muttered, as he and Sonic took the time to have a calming walk outside. Though they were now accustomed to hanging around the castle, the size of its walls still amazed them greatly, and if they hadn’t been discussing Eggman affairs, the tranquility of the forest would have lowered their guards completely.

“Me neither,” Sonic agreed, as he took a swig of his fresh can of Chaos Cola. If he wasn’t already aware that Trudy was hospitable, he was very grateful for the contents in her fridge. “The doc would usually be the FIRST to tell us about his plan.”

“He even sent us a letter one time.”

“Well, that wasn’t actually him, but...” He brushed the correction aside, figuring it wasn’t important, since it’s still something he’d probably do. He made sure to cherish the therapuetic sunshine that was seeping through the greenery. “He’s never been shy about what he’s up to. Even when he’s tried to be more secretive, he could never resist giving it all away. But this time... even with his hints, we have incomplete info... Like that Wraith! We know it’s evil, works for Eggman, may or may not hail from the Ethereal Zone... MIGHT be another mutated Chao...?”

“He said all the stuff he’s been doing lately is connected,” Tails remembered, as he rubbed his chin intently. He took a moment to admire the pristine condition of the lake nearby. “But... how? So much of it feels so disconnected. He wants more Chao and crystals, that part’s easy to understand, but how does all the rest factor into it? And why has he made the Wraith part of it?”

“I bet he’s laughing it up right now,” Sonic grumbled out of irritation, with the frown to match. “Probably thinks we’re dummies for not knowing every last oh so brilliant detail of his convoluted spider web.”

“But we will get to the bottom of it, right?” Tails suggested with a hint of hope. “Don’t forget, we’re not on our own here. We don’t know where the Chaotix ended up, but we’ve still got detectives on our side. AND Rouge is a G.U.N. agent!”

“One of the only competent ones...” Sonic murmured to himself.

Tails was about to counter the hedgehog’s dismissive statement, but he stopped himself, with his body language indicating he actually agreed deep down, if reluctantly. “G.U.N. or no G.U.N, Rouge is still really smart, isn’t she? And... I know she’s been kinda sneaky a couple of times in the past, but I think we can trust her now.”

“Yeah, cause neither of us are Knuckles. We don’t guard a Master Emerald, so we have nothing to worry about.” Sonic chuckled out loud. “Just hope she and Amy stay out of each other’s hair for long enough, after what happened with Emerl...”

“Huh? Did something happen between them?”

“Eh, it was ages ago, maybe they made up since then.” He followed it up with another chuckle. “Maybe they were fighting over me,” he joked.

“.........”

Tails promptly went quiet, as if he were reminded of something from the back of his mind at that exact moment. He glanced smoothly in Sonic’s direction, attempting to maintain a relaxed disposition. Sonic didn’t seem to notice anything suspicious.

The silence continued. It seemed there was no reason for the peace to be interrupted, certainly not with the gorgeous view they were still fortunate to witness as they carried on walking together. But the moment Sonic took another sip of his Chaos Cola, the younger of the two decided to ask just one tiny, innocent question...

“So do you have a thing for Trudy?”

He almost felt guilty for causing Sonic to nearly choke on his drink, but not enough to hide the growing smirk on his face upon witnessing his friend’s abrupt change in behaviour. After taking a few seconds to cease the resulting coughing fit, and compose himself, Sonic calmly turned to Tails, an admirably constructed demeanour that was nonetheless betrayed instantly by his spines shooting up in defiance.

“Sorry, what?”

“I mean, y’know, I was just thinking that... maybe... from what I’ve observed... you might just be... possibly developing... a teensy weensy little... thiiiiiing...” The fox shuffled his eyebrows, complete with vague hand motions. “Foooorrrrrr...” He proceeded to subtly mimic a galloping horse.

Sonic blinked, and stayed silent for a couple of seconds, though it sure didn’t feel like just a couple of seconds. After an uneasy pause, another small chuckle eventually emerged from his mouth, and this time it was followed by a brief period of mocking laughter. Most people wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but Tails knew his buddy well, and he could spot the fakeness of his laugh from a mile away.

“Me? Seriously?” Sonic shook his head to dismiss the claim, though if one examined closer, it seemed to be more for his own sake than that of his friend. “You really think I’d be that kind of guy?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it...”

“Yeah, I know there isn’t, but... c’mon, it’s me we’re talking about! Can you imagine me in a situation like that? It’d be a laugh riot, wouldn’t it? Just wouldn’t work out.”

“Why not?”

“Too stuck in my ways, aren’t I?” Sonic shrugged casually, before he glanced at the inviting scenery once more. The desert may have looked nicer than most of its kind, but the fresh air was greatly preferable to him. He gazed at the leaves flowing freely through the calm breeze, and although he brought no attention to it, it was clear that he found it a convenient metaphor for the current subject.

“Settling down just isn’t me,” he continued. “And it never will be. I’d never give up my life, even in my old age.”

“Do you need to settle down, though?” Tails mused out loud. “No one ever said there’s only one way for these things to work out.”

The hedgehog almost seemed to ponder his friend’s words for a fleeting moment, and slowly appeared to be lost in thought. But, as if sensing he was lured into a false sense of security, he quickly shook his head again, freeing himself of the apparent curse that Tails had placed upon him... So he thought.

“Well anyway, the point is, that’s not what’s going on. You know I get chummy with people pretty quickly, even when they tried to kill me before the fact! And sure, Trudy may be cute, but-”

“~Oh, you think so?~”

Sonic’s eyes froze, and the barely concealed grin directed at him was not helping one bit.

“COMPLIMENTING A FRIEND ISN’T A CRIME!” He cried out defensively, and closed his eyes tightly. After taking a moment to breathe, he calmed himself down, and raised a pointed finger.

“...Nothing’s happening. Nothing’s happening. Just getting on with another friend is all.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all, yes.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Absolutely sure?”

“...Are you... wanting something to happen?”

“No no,” Tails raised his hands, though his grin hadn’t quite fully disappeared. “I believe you,” he claimed, in a tone that implied a complete and utter lack of authenticity to that claim. “Just wanted to know what was happening.”

“Well, nothing’s happening,” Sonic reaffirmed bluntly, though a smirk was beginning to form on his own face as well. Even he had to admit the banter was entertaining, and considering who Tails had lived with for most of his life, it’s not like this mischievous side of him developed from nowhere. “So there you have it. Straight from the horse’s mouth.”

Tails immediately burst out laughing, only refraining from laughing harder in order to not attract attention from anyone who could be hearing. Sonic’s initial confusion very quickly switched to annoyance with himself, as he smacked his forehead upon realising his choice of speech. He pointed another finger to prevent any further commentary, to which Tails simply raised his hands again, and mimicked the act of zipping his mouth.

His amusement still refused to actually vanish.

---

Back to Chapter 6...

[sandpumpkin]

Number 2 on the hair saga! 

Kami’s own bodyguard. Wyper!!! Another under rated character!!!

I wanna see TS Wyper animated please, thank you. 

Rapunzel Rapunzel

In a garden of roses

Ever since Enel had been evicted from Skypiea, your life had become plesentaly calmer, still busy there had been so much to rebuild after the destruction caused by the false kami. During the rebuild Wyper had become one of God’s guard and his temper had calmed down for the most part, still retaining his serious nature though that only served to take his new position very seriously. 

Which did mean less alone time with Wyper. So you tried to see him whenever you could even if it were just for a few moments during the day. On this particular day, you managed to time it as he was about to take a break anyway. “Wyper!” you called, waving as he turned sharply in your direction. His eyes fixed in that usual trademark stern stare. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, lighting a fresh cigarette. Holding up a basket of food offering him a gentle smile .

“I brought you lunch. Would you like to eat together?” you replied with a question of your own. Wyper closed his eyes and chuckled lightly, moving to rest a hand on your head guiding you to his chest. You felt him exhaled deeply as if having you near him eased so many aching muscles. 

“Come on,” he said, pulling away and walking off, waiting for you to catch up. You followed him to a little patch of vearth which was covered in an array of bright and colourful flowers. Sitting in the shade of a large tree you opened the basket and handed Wyper his food. He didn’t waste any time in devouring the delicious meal you had made him. One thing that had changed noticeably in the past two years was his hair, he used to have it with sides shaved and the rest was braided back but now his hair had grown out and he often wore it down. It’s beautiful red colour rivaled the sunset that stained the white clouds everyday. He looked up from the last morsel of his food and watched you staring “what?” you jumped and looked down at the flowers flustered. 

“Sorry.. Just admiring your hair..” you admitted laughing nervously. “Can I braid it like before?” you asked gingerly. Wyper seemed to roll his eyes but put his back to you, which let you know he was permitting it. Your eyes lit up excitedly. Rummaging in your satchel for your brush, you shuffled to kneel behind Wyper and gently brushed his thick hair. As you began braiding it you popped in a flower here and there. Humming merrily as you went, Wyper sat still and offered nothing in the way of idle chatter but you didn’t mind, being able to spend some time with him was more than enough. “All done.” you said tying the braid off with more flowers. “Sorry I added flowers.” you added planting a kiss to his exposed shoulder, slipping your arms around his waist. Resting your head on his strong form, accepting all the warmth he radiated, his wings twitched as you leant against them. He let you stay there a moment before pulling away, turning to face you kneeling higher than you and then carefully set a crown of flowers upon your head. A rare smile tugged at his lips as he planted a kiss to your forehead. 

“You’re too patient with me.” he mumbled, wrapping his arms around you before pulling you to the ground with him. You yelped at the sudden movement but he kept you held against him, his eyes finding yours. “I appreciate you coming to see me..” Wyper started, running his hand up and down your back lazily “indulge me a little longer..” he whispered, as he moved to capture your lips in a chaste kiss. Closing your eyes with a smile washing across your face. The scent of flowers along with the faint smell of cigarettes filled your nose and the warmth from Wyper’s body flowed through you like the sun's rays.

Twas he who were indulging you at this point.

He’ll always be the Kami of my heart. 

[aye-write]

Summary: Research student Isla Reid has been fascinated with the legend of the Kildonian Chessmen - a trio of mythical Pokemon rumoured to have lived centuries ago on the remote region of Kildo - for as long as she can remember. So, when a museum exhibit on the Chessmen is set to open in Kildo’s Hydrogate City, coinciding with her independent research project, she packs herself and her trusty partner Furret onto the long ferry journey bound for this new region. 

 However, when she arrives in Kildo, thoughts of her research, new friends, and an entire Pokedex’s worth of new Pokemon, are quickly dashed. Kildo is a troubled place, beset by natural disasters and fierce rivalries among its people. Isla suddenly finds herself at the centre of a centuries-old plot to invoke the wrath of the Chessmen, and is set on a race against time to stop them, before it spells destruction for the entire region.

Other Links: Read it on Ao3!

Tags: OC Pokemon journey, OC region, Fakemon region, bisexual main character, found family, ace main character.

If you are not interested in these posts, especially as I know Pokemon journeyfic is fairly niche, please blacklist the tag #Checkmate. Most of the story will be put under a Readmore anyway!

Author’s Note: Hi everyone! This is just a quick author's note today! Thanks to everyone who has read and commented! I hope you enjoy another chonk of a chapter and that the starters' introduction went okay! There were a LOT of Pokedex entries this week, so I won't be including them all in the author's note this time, but you can head over to our tumblr @kildo-pokedex​ to see them in full! See you in two weeks, everyone!

*****

Chapter Four

Things moved fast that night. Too fast. Morning dawned, dappling the sky with tangerine oranges and cotton candy pinks, and Isla soon found herself packed and standing on the doorstep of the cottage she’d almost come to think of as home.

Rhona fussed over Skye’s layers and blankets for so long that Isla thought they’d never get away. Even Blair started to look nervous, casting pointed glances first at his watch and then at his mother. It would be a long walk, he said loudly, at least five hours of walking, and they needed to get on. Finally Rhona got the hint and passed over a mammoth bag of sandwiches, juice, and crisps – enough to sustain an army for about a week – and both parents said their goodbyes. Rhona’s eyes were wet with tears when she broke her hug with her daughter.

Isla moved forward, meaning just to offer thanks, but before she could open her mouth, Rhona swept her into a rib-crunching hug.

“Now you be careful out there, chick,” Rhona said, her breath tickling the whorls of Isla’s ear. “You always have a home here with us, alright? Don’t you dare be a stranger. I expect to see you again here before you go back to Johto, you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Isla said, her voice thick.

Kenneth shook her hand next, his huge fingers easily engulfing hers. He had a firm grip, yet surprisingly soft hands, and when Isla drew back, she found he’d slipped her two crisp twenty pokedollar notes.

“Kenneth, thank you, but I can’t take—”

“You take care of yourself,” he said firmly.

Isla decided not to argue. Especially when it was the most the giant man had ever said to her in one go before.

Blair took his mother’s hug with an embarrassed grimace, nodding along to a laundry list of instructions she hurled his way. Make sure you take frequent breaks. Don’t let Skye go wandering on her own. Make sure you feed a Clatty if you see one, it’s good luck. Don’t dare go any further than Aberdrip. Eventually, Kenneth clamped his hand on Rhona’s shoulder, and she stopped.

“I suppose you best be going, eh?” she said, forcing a quivering smile. “Before it gets too late on. Have fun, darlings. Call me when you get there. Be safe.”

“Thanks for everything, Rhona,” Isla said, her voice catching. She had to turn around to shield her face from view.

Blair, who had been battling to fit Rhona’s supplies into their travelling bag, grunted with satisfaction as he finally got the zip up, leaving the bag bulging like an overripe balloon. He felt around at his waist, unhooked a Pokeball, and tossed it over the gate.

“Coastrot, come out!”

Isla let out a breath as the ball burst open and she came face to face with Blair’s Pokemon. Easily reaching Blair’s shoulders, it had a long, lithe body with a clipped coat the colour of the ocean under the morning sky. Even when it stayed still, its mane and tail rippled like plumes of gentle flowing water. It was a stunning Pokemon – right down to its dark, inquisitive eyes and glistening hooves – but there was something unusual about it that Isla couldn’t quite put her finger on. As she stared, Coastrot’s body seemed to blur, wavering in front of her like a picture on a TV with a dodgy signal.

Blair saw her staring. “Touch him,” he suggested.

Isla frowned, uncertain. Under Blair’s watchful eye, she reached out to touch this new Pokemon, only for her hand to slip straight through its body, as easily as if she had just put her hand through a hologram. She whipped her hand away like she’d just been shocked. The Pokemon’s body turned solid again the moment Blair touched it to string up one of the bags.

Isla consulted her Pokedex. “Coastrot, the Mirage Pokemon. Its translucent body refracts light, and it will often appear as though it is surrounded by rainbows. If it doesn’t trust someone, they will not be able to touch it. This is seen as an unlucky omen by some.”

“Amazing,” she said. “So it only lets people it trusts touch it?”

“That’s right,” Blair nodded.  “Coastrot is actually the evolved form of one of the Kildo starters. He was my starter, so he’s been in the family a long time, but it still wasn’t easy for him to trust all of us. He lets me touch him, of course, and Skye, and sometimes Dad, but Mum is still a tricky case. Since he’s only just met you, it may take him a while to warm up.”

“That’s okay,” Isla held her hand out for the Pokemon to sniff. Its nose passed straight through her hand, a sensation rather like she’d plunged her hand into a bucket of ice-cold water. “I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”

Blair clapped on Coastrot’s haunches, signalling everything was secured. He called for Skye and helped boost her up, Isla holding her breath as she entertained a vision of Skye sinking right through the Pokemon’s ethereal back. Luckily, Coastrot remained solid and strong, allowing Skye to settle herself.

“Hold onto his mane, there,” Blair fussed. “No, not there. That’s too tight. Just there, look.”

Skye made several wide-eyed glances over the Pokémon’s massive haunches as Blair made the final checks. Isla offered her a smile.

“I take it that you won’t be going for Coastrot’s evolution for your first Pokemon, then?” she whispered.

Skye shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “Definitely not.”

As she waited, a breath of wind lifted the hair from Isla’s forehead, already moist with sweat from the heat of the beating sun. She’d dressed light, in a loose, billowing top two sizes up from her normal, and a pair of comfortable jogging trousers, but she still worried about the journey. The bag slung on her shoulders didn’t feel heavy now, but walking would leaden it. She’d sprayed most of a bottle of antiperspirant on herself before setting out, but she still had doubts about its efficiency. She could only hope they would take it slow and she wouldn’t embarrass herself.

“That’s us,” Blair announced. “We’re ready to go.”

And with one final look back at the Whispering Pines Croft, they set off.

**

Having left the confines of the family croft, Blair switched into serious mode. He had done some travelling when he was younger, he explained as they walked, enough to know the basics, and he’d made the journey between Aberdrip and Port Glen enough times to pick out the best route to accommodate Coastrot. Their chosen path along Route 1 started out as a stretch of delightfully flat ground, buffeted by a strong, salt-smelling, easterly wind. After an hour, the flat paths became bumpy and wild, grass rising as high as their knees, the tips of trees bordering the horizon.

Blair told them stories as they walked, a welcome distraction for the pain needling through Isla’s legs. He brought them to a stop at the peak of a hill to point out Loch Culla in the distance, a shimmering body of water neatly fringed with trees. A place claimed to be the home of an entire family of shiny Kildonian Lapras.

Skye’s shriek of excitement at this news startled Coastrot, and Blair had to dart to her rescue in case she was catapulted off. She wasn’t fazed. She still insisted on making the detour so they could go hunting for one. Blair laughed. The loch was a protected area for that exact purpose, he explained, and catching Pokemon wasn’t allowed there.

“But we can manage a picnic nearby,” Blair added when Skye’s face fell. “Come on, let’s go.”

Back to walking it was. Isla forced herself back to her feet. To give Blair his dues, he factored in plenty of breaks, at every rest stop or every half an hour, whichever came first. He said he wanted Coastrot to get plenty of rest, as he wasn’t used to carrying weight over long distances. Isla wasn’t sure how true that was, but she was grateful all the same. If Blair and Skye saw her flushed face, sweat patches, and occasional gasps for breath, they were very kind and didn’t draw attention to it.

As promised, they unpacked a picnic at the bank of Loch Culla and shared out sandwiches, fruit, and flavoured waters. Sitting in the shade, listening to the water lapping against the bank, and sipping their drinks fresh from the cool bag, Isla felt totally at peace, despite the numbing aches sprouting in the back of her calves. Blair recalled Coastrot for a proper rest, but Isla released Soba and Wingull to stretch their legs and wings. To keep Wingull amused, but more to stop him stealing, she lobbed his food into the air, sending him swooping and diving over the loch and into the deep grass in pursuit.

Skye didn’t eat much, her eyes trained on the still loch water. When Blair nudged her back to reality, she folded her arms and said, “Blair, I’m looking for Lapras. Leave me alone.”

Isla saw him roll his eyes, but when he spoke to his sister, his tone was nothing but gentle and respectful. “You won’t see them, Skye. It’s massively rare to see a Kildonian Lapras out in the open. They live pretty much entirely underwater. Proper deep down.”

Isla looked up from her sandwich. “Do they? They don’t in Johto.”

“Yep. Kildonian ones are different types too. Ours are Ghost and Dragon.”

“Water and Ice for us.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty different, isn’t it? I think the mainland variant travel a lot, but you can pretty much trace all Kildonian Lapras to just one or two lochs here. They don’t move around a lot. Hence why the area is protected.”

“It doesn’t look protected?” Isla said, looking around. There wasn’t a stitch of modern technology to be seen. No buildings. No cameras. Heck, there didn’t even seem to be any other people around other than just them. “There’s nothing here.”  

“Doesn’t need to be. See that sign?” Blair pointed out a sign nailed to a nearby tree. A bold, crimson X was splayed across a black and white image of a Pokeball. “That sign lets us know that there’s Anti-Pokeball Interference here. API for short.” When he saw Isla’s blank face, he frowned. “I don’t know exactly how it works, but basically, Dad said that it transmits some sort of signal that humans and Pokemon can’t hear, but it scrambles the capture mechanism on all Pokeballs. Makes them nothing more than fancy paperweights.”

“We certainly don’t have that in Johto.”

“It’s pretty new. Just come into fashion over the last year. Lot of folks don’t like it, though. I think they had protests out in Tideburgh. They say it violates our rights to catch Pokemon and that it’s going to lead to overpopulation. If you ask me, it’s a load of Tauros shi— uh, nonsense,” he corrected himself when Skye turned her head.

They lapsed into silence, Isla pretending to be fascinated with her sandwich crusts. They’d gone dry and hard in the sun, and she nibbled at them ineffectively. Wingull, amazingly, had eaten its fill and had nestled with his head (mostly) under one stubby wing. Soba, who had been luxuriating in the sun, had fallen asleep curled around a bottle of lemonade. Blair lay back in the grass, his eyes shut, making occasional contented noises. Skye was scribbling something in a notebook patterned with Slugma.

“We’ll head off soon,” Blair yawned. “I just want to rest my eyes for a few minutes.”

The soft noise of snoring drifted over the wind moments later. Isla had to resist the urge to join him. Sitting down had been fatal. Now her eyes felt as heavy as her legs and the thought of getting up again made tiredness sink into the very pit of her. She could shut her eyes for a few minutes, she reasoned. Just a few minutes. Just a few—

“Isla!” a voice cut through her thoughts. “Isla! Isla, look!”

Isla had to force open her eyes, gummed together like chewy toffee. Skye was on her feet, pointing at the nearby undergrowth.

“What’s goin—”

“Shush!” Skye hissed. “Just look!”

In amongst the green, leafy fronds was a flash of something dull and brown. It emerged from the grass like a Furret in miniature. It had a long, snake-like body, the colour of dark chocolate, and a cream underbelly. Its sharp, inquisitive nose twitched, and its tail swished like an over-eager feather duster.

“What is that?” Isla gasped, pulling her Pokedex out.

“It’s a Mudstel!” Skye said, just as Isla’s Pokedex chirped “Mudstel, the Mud Ferret Pokemon. Curious, but shy, Mudstel rely on their stealth and environment when hunting. They blend in well among trees and bushes, but if spotted, will quickly burrow underground to escape.”

“Gosh, it must be hungry if it’s come right out in the open!” Skye breathed out. “Can we try feeding it?”

“Yeah, if you like. Try it with the crusts there.”

Skye offered the Mudstel some of the uneaten crusts. The Pokemon held back, its nose twitching, eyes unblinking. Skye stretched her hand out further.

“Wait, Skye. Stay as still as you can,” Isla advised, not even daring to breathe too loudly in case she startled it. Skye’s wavering arm came to a stop. “That’s it. Let it come to you.”

After a few moments, the Mudstel stretched out its long, ribbon-like body. Skye looked like she was about to burst from excitement, but somehow, managed to stay still. Isla caught a glimpse of sharp white teeth as Mudstel opened its mouth and snatched the crusts from Skye’s hand. It didn’t pause to eat them, just turned on its heels, and dove back into the undergrowth.

They waited, but Mudstel didn’t come back out.

Skye looked crestfallen as the grass went still. “Bread crusts aren’t all that nutritious,” she said mournfully. “I wish it had stayed and I could have given it some Pokemon food. I think we even have some Pokemon Rock. That would have been even better for it.”

Isla made a sympathetic noise. “Maybe we can leave some pellets for it when we pack up and leave?”

“Maybe. But I wish I could have caught it. I don’t want it to end up starving. Mudstel wouldn’t come out and take food from humans if it could help it.”

“Some Pokemon are just opportunistic, Skye. He probably has plenty of chances to get food and then saw us and thought “Oh yes, a free lunch!” Pokemon are clever. They can take care of themselves.”

“I suppose.”

Isla slung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Try not to worry,” she said. “We’ll be in Aberdrip soon and you’ll have your very own Pokemon before you know it.”

“I know,” Skye said. “I just… wish I could make friends with all of them. I don’t want any of them to suffer.”

“Then I think that means you’ll be a good trainer.”

Skye smiled. Isla’s heart skipped a little. Could this really be the first time that she had ever seen the younger girl smile?

A sudden kerfuffle sent them both looking over Blair, who snorted and pushed himself upright, making a strange gulping noise. “I wasn’t asleep! I wasn’t… sleeping?” He looked blearily across at Skye and Isla. “Was I sleeping?”

They didn’t answer. Instead, the noise of their laughter echoed across the loch like water tinkling from a waterfall.

**

They had stopped for another break on Route 3, a densely wooded path littered with fallen leaves and fresh with the smell of moss, when Blair got a text through on his phone.

Immediately, he was dialling a number, face twisted, and one hand covering his ear to block out the shrill shriek of the local Caperchick. A Caperchick, as Isla had found out was another of Kildo’s resident bird Pokemon. Pretty much helpless as babies, they were only able to eat, sleep, and call for help from others in their family group. Isla had hoped to see one, but Blair dissuaded her, explaining their later evolutions were territorial and aggressive. Most wouldn’t take kindly to humans on their turf.

It still didn’t stop her, or Skye, from hoping. Skye got up to wander four times while Blair stepped away to speak on the phone, poking at the bases of trees and among tall grasses. Or maybe she was just doing it to fill the time. Whatever conversation Blair was having, it was taking a lot of it.  

When Blair did eventually return, his face was pale. “That was Mum on the phone.”

Isla’s instant thought was Nana Morag. “Is everything okay?”

“Kind of. She’s just back from the hospital. Nana Morag is doing better, they think she’ll be alright to come home soon as long as she gets plenty of bed rest.”

“Did they find out what it was that made her ill?”

“They’re still waiting on some test results,” Blair said, worry creasing his eyebrows into one long caterpillar. “She said she’ll phone me as soon as they hear. Now, the other thing. Mum said she had a voicemail waiting for her when she got out of the hospital. It was one of Professor Spruce’s aides.”

Skye stopped what she was doing, pricking her head up.

“There was some problem with the breeders they use to supply the new trainers and they don’t have enough to supply everyone who wanted one.”

Skye looked ready to burst into tears. Blair saw this and quickly assured, “Don’t panic, Skye. They’ve just moved it to a booking system instead to try and get as many folks sorted as possible today. Mum gave me the number and I called the aide. You’re still getting your Pokemon – as long as we get there in time.”

Skye visibly relaxed but Isla felt like something had severed her at the chest. “When’s Skye’s slot?”

“2pm. It was the only one I could get. All the others were filled.  

Isla looked at the time on her phone. It was already ten to one.  

“Yeah,” Blair said, as Isla caught his eye. “We need to hurry.”

**

Isla hoped that adrenaline would see them through. That they could power on the remaining couple of miles without feeling the pain or the tiredness, subsisting only on the rush of purpose to get there. But it was hell. Pure hell. As they half walked, half jogged along unsteady ground, the air dense and muggy, the heat of the sun dripped down their backs.

I can’t let Skye down, Isla told herself as she dragged her aching limbs over the nobbled hump of yet another hillock. I’ll never forgive myself if I let her down.

Once, when the shooting pain of a stitch left her doubled over, she told Blair and Skye to go on without her. But she didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Blair cut in with “Absolutely not. We’re going together,” and that was the end of it.  

As it ticked closer and closer, the clouds receded, and the sun intensified. The air remained stubbornly heavy and humid. Finally, they were over another hill and Aberdrip loomed in the distance, a monochrome city with silver buildings reaching up like metallic petals. They didn’t stop to take in much else. Feet pounding the concrete, each step sending pinpricks of pain up Isla’s legs, Blair hailed a taxi. In one confusing bundle of recalled Pokemon, sorting of bags, and too many legs in one small space, they clambered in. Within minutes, they were speeding along the blurred roads, the streets like smears of running ink.

Professor Spruce’s lab sat right at the western outskirts of Aberdrip in a plot of land closed off by wrought iron gates. The taxi driver dropped them off at the bottom, and after buzzing through to the office, they were on their way up the vicious uphill path to Professor Spruce’s lab.

Stumbling through the front door, trembling with exertion, Isla checked her phone. Three minutes to two. They’d made it.

A concerned looking aide lead them through a maze of breezeblocked hallways. Skye stuck so close to Blair that they practically became one person. The aide opened a door at the end of a particularly long corridor, and they emerged into a room groaning with workbenches and strange equipment that wouldn’t have looked amiss in an old sci-fi film. The room was wonderfully chilled, the overhead fans pumping in swathes of cool air.

Blair and Skye gave the aide their names, Blair signed a proffered sheet, and then they were shepherded through into an adjoining room. As they stepped through, Isla felt the eyes of a dozen people land on her.

“Ah, Skye McLeod, is it?” came a voice from ahead of them. “Excellent. I was starting to worry you weren’t coming.”

Skye tensed next to Isla as the woman who had spoken – Isla assumed this was Professor Spruce – beckoned them forward. She was small, rounded, with greying hair slung into a messy bun. Her eyes were sharp, glinting like the sheen of ice over a frozen puddle. Easily a foot shorter than everyone else in the room, she still commanded everyone’s attention.

With a wave of her hand, Professor Spruce separated Skye and the two other young trainers – one girl and one boy – from their respective guardians. Isla collapsed gratefully into a nearby chair. Blair was rigid in his own seat as Professor Spruce took the new trainers through the standard “First Pokemon” spiel. It was a comforting lecture, so much so that mixed with the relief they had made it in time, Isla soon felt her eyelids drooping.

Then, voices surged.

“I want to go first!”

“No, I’m going first!”

“Enough!” Professor Spruce barked, her voice tight. “Being a Pokemon trainer isn’t about who goes first. It’s not even about getting exactly what you want. If you go into this life expecting to get what you want all the time, you are setting yourself up for failure Pokemon are as unique and individual as each one of you. A “weak” Pokemon can become strong from the right training and support. On your journey as trainers, I encourage you to open your hearts and minds. Embrace all that this region has to offer you. Take a chance on people – and Pokemon – you might not expect to. They might just surprise you. Now, young lady…” Professor Spruce’s eyes fixed on Skye, who had been sitting quietly the whole way through. “Why don’t you come up and pick your partner?”

Frozen under the expectant gaze, Skye didn’t move. The other two new trainers muttered as the silence grew. The faces of the parents clouded. Still Skye didn’t move. Or perhaps she couldn’t.

Isla pushed herself out of her chair. Despite the angry murmurings from the other guardians, she threaded herself in next to her. “Skye, do you want to go up first?” she asked.  

Skye nodded.

“Would you like me to go up with you? Or maybe Blair?”

She shook her head, but no words came out.

“Just take your time. I know it’s a bit scary, but you can do it.”

With the encouragement, Skye faced the three Pokeballs next to Professor Spruce. Each one was furnished with a plaque listing information about the Pokemon inside. Isla read them over, trying to absorb the information quickly, in case she was asked to sit back down. One Grass starter, one Fire, one Water. Exactly the same as Johto.

Coozy, Lv 5

Gender: Male

The Little Cow Pokemon

Good natured and docile, this Coozy is an excellent choice for those who enjoy a slow and steady pace in life. Be careful not to let him get lazy and complacent!

*

Bleater, Lv 5

Gender: Male

The Nightlight Pokemon

Aloof yet curious, this Bleater will be a loyal companion to any trainer willing to take the time to get to know him. Be warned, Bleater are prone to dependency on their trainers later in life.

*

Coltide, Lv5

Gender: Male

The Water Horse Pokemon

Spirited and independent, this Coltide can be a handful without firm guidance in the beginning. However, you will rarely find a more dedicated Pokemon out there!

*

Curiosity burned at the back of Isla’s head, but now wouldn’t be the right time to interrupt everything by checking. For now, she turned back to the chairs and waited as Skye made her final decision.

“This one.” Skye eventually said. “I would like this one, please.”

“Excellent choice,” Professor Spruce said kindly. “Why don’t you take your, uh… guardians towards the back and fill out the paperwork? The aide will have your license waiting for you.”

“You go,” Isla motioned to Blair. “I’ll wait here.”

While Skye was away dealing with her paperwork, Isla watched the two remaining trainers making their picks. Compared to Skye, there was no hesitation. The boy beelined immediately for Coltide, but the other girl seemed perfectly happy to be left with Coozy. Which, of course, meant that Skye had chosen Bleater.

One by one, the families left for the other room, and Isla had the chance to look closer at the three Kildo starters. She painstakingly punched the names – or her best memory of them – into the Pokedex and clicked Image Search.

Coozy, she decided, would have been her choice. It was almost painfully cute; small, and quadrupedal, covered in a thick coat of moss green fur, a pale pink nose, and dark inquisitive eyes. Her arms ached to hug it.

Now, Bleater was cute too, she thought. It reminded her of a favourite Johto Pokemon – a Mareep – just smaller. Its wool was coarse and tightly packed against the body, in a vivid orange, the colour of flame. Its short, stubby legs and the small nubs of horns were a much darker orange, a striking contrast to the rest of its body.

The final one, Isla could figure out on her own. An aqua blue body, a mane and tale reminiscent of flowing water, black hooves polished like obsidian, and dark, beguiling eyes. Coltide, the previous evolution of Blair’s Coastrot.

“You seem very interested in the starters, young lady,” Professor Spruce’s voice cut through Isla’s thoughts, making her jump. “Not local?”

“How could you tell?” Isla laughed nervously.

“I’ve been around the block too many times,” Professor Spruce said. “Kanto?”

“No, Johto. My accent is a bit softer though, so I get why people mix them up.”

“Johto, eh? That’s a long trip. What brings you here?”

“Visiting family. And some research into the Kildonian Chessmen.”

Professor Spruce’s eyes widened. “How interesting.”

A perfect opportunity had fallen right into her lap. She would be stupid not to take advantage of it now. “Professor, do you know anything about them?” she asked. “Or the Vitalities? Anything you could tell me?”

“Like what?”

“Like where they could be found?”

Professor Spruce’s eyebrow arched. “Well, no-one really knows where the Chessmen are now. Recent reports claim they settled in remote places – like islands far away from the mainland or underground. But that’s all just theories. There hasn’t been a confirmed sighting in over a century. But the Vitalities, on the other hand…”

Isla leant forward, closing the space between them.

Professor Spruce seemed to think better of what she was about to say and let out a sigh. “You have to understand something first. The Vitalities are a polarising bunch. Much of my generation, us old folks, even some of the more… naïve younger people believe the Vitalities are responsible for the natural disasters around Kildo.”

This wasn’t news to Isla, but still she pressed “Why?”

“The Vitalities brought many gifts to humans. Some were used wisely. Others weren’t. One of the most enduring theories is that the Chessmen banished and trapped the Vitalities to four remote corners of Kildo to prevent them intervening in humans’ natural progress. There’s an argument to be made that the natural disasters are the Vitalities fighting back, I suppose rebelling against their banishment.”

“So, no-one knows where they are? Or the Chessmen?”

Professor Spruce shook her head. “You may have noticed that Kildo is a region on a precipice. Pokemon journeys, gym circuits, the battling leagues, these are all very new to us. And they’ve become very popular very quickly. Up until about twenty years ago, most people in Kildo only used Pokemon to help them work the land, to till crops, things like that. It was like the whole region carried this collective memory, a shared fear of what happened when technology became too great a force.”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

“Yes. But that fear has diluted. It’s been lost among much of the new generation. Things have changed. We’ve made amazing technological advances since then, eclipsed even some of the other regions that have been doing this for much longer. I’m sure you’ve heard about our API technology and Ability Suppressors and Experience Boosters, all that sort of thing.” Isla hadn’t, but she didn’t want to stop her and ask. Lots of people think it’s amazing. Lots more people are scared. Scared that if the Chessmen were to wake again, and were to see the way we have advanced, they would do exactly what they did the last time they awoke.”

The phrase festering in Isla’s mouth felt ridiculous. Laughable. But something compelled her to say it anyway.

“That they would destroy the whole region?”

Professor Spruce’s piercing grey eyes met Isla’s.

“Exactly.”

[toastedbuckwheat]

Hello! May I ask how you draw? I'm currently learning how to myself and would be highly interested into a step to step process by you! Like from sketch to the done thing (no color necessary)

Hello there!

I dunno how I feel about showing how I work/giving advice to someone who’s learning (and I say it as a pro artist who went through years of traditional art education) because when I do the illustrations you see here on my tumblr I BREAK THE RULES you’d learn though life drawing routine, and give in to bad habits, and my methods are rather unplanned and chaotic which makes it difficult to pinpoint significant stages. But I used my portable potato to take some photos during working on my last piece, so I’ll throw it here with a bit of an explanation of what’s going on.

Before I begin - and because you’re about to look at a mess of a WIP - I’d like to give you some general advice that generally makes life easier when you draw (again, things that I learned in traditional arts education - another artist might advise you the complete opposite, dunno!)

Work holistically. Forget them satisfying-to-look-at clips on instagram showing someone produce a hyperrealistic portrait starting from an eye, with each and every element emerging being finished before they proceed to another part. It takes a lot of talent, yes, but these are ppl redrawing a photo in a kind of a mechanical manner. Most artists don’t work this way. Especially if you’re working without a reference, or if you’re doing a life drawing - your process will be layering and changing and finding what works best to give an impression of what you’re drawing rather than reproduce the exact image, and your artwork is likely to look messy most of the time.That said: don’t start with the details. Don’t spend too much time on a particular part while neglecting others. Your goal is to keep the whole piece at the same level of ‘finished’ (even though it’s unfinished - do I make sense?) before you’re confident that everything is where it should be and proceed to the details. So sketch out the composition first. See how things fit, what’s the dynamics. You’ll save yourself from limbs sticking out from the frame, odd proportions etc etc.

Because it’s a game of relationships between different parts of the picture/scene. I ask you not to worry about finishing a single element before laying out the rest because you’ll find that said element will look different once the other part appears! For instance - you might think that the colour you picked for a character’s hair is already very dark. But once you’re done with the night sky background, you’ll find that it’s in fact too light, and doesn’t work well with the cold palette. You’ll have to revisit different parts of the image as you go to balance these relationships and make the picture work as a whole.

Give an impression of something being there without actually drawing it ‘properly’- because details are hard, mate. You’ll see that my lineart usually has hardly any, and my colouring is large unrefined stains, but the finished thing looks convincing. Like, fuck, I can never focus on how Crowley’s eyes are really shaped. So I just turn them into large glowing yellow ellipses crossed by a line, and heard no protests so far.

Don’t panic if you messed up (you probably didn’t anyway). It might turn out to be a completely unnoticeable mistake - because, remember, things work together to balance each other, so another finished off prominent element will probably drown that badly placed line that looked so visible and out of place a second ago. 

It might not look good before it’s finished. I’m mostly immune to it after years of drawing, and my recent illustrations all follow a specific method (ykno, my sunset glow effects and all that) so I can kinda predict the next stage. But I do my linearts on a specially picked crap paper, I don’t bother erasing the smudged graphite, and it looks messy af until I make the background white in Photoshop. Conclusion: you might have a moment of doubt as you work through a piece, but try to break through it - I often suddenly start to like what I cursed a minute before! - and try to finish it even if it’s meant to be bad. This way, looking through your past pieces, you’ll see the progress. And trust me, I can’t even look at my art from literally three months ago. It’s normal.

Now, pics! The sketches are paler in real life, but I increased the contrast a little so you can see something.

1. Laying out the composition! 

I wanted to just show them kissing, but I got carried away due to some Art Nouveau inspiration. As you might have noticed, most of my illustrations are quite self-contained (ykno - they look like a sticker on a plain background). So I wanted a tight swirl bordered by Aziraphale’s wings creating a sort of rounded, yin-yang like bubble around them. Consequently I made the whole composition revolve around their heads. 

2. Adding more details to the sketch. It’s messy af. It will be messy until I’m done. It’s fine.

3. These are the fineliners I use for the linearts! They are made by Uni-ball and come in light and dark grey. I also sometimes use the guy on the left - ‘Touch’ sign pen by Pentel, when I want more brush-like, wider strokes. I work in grey because when I scan it and do my usual boring trick with sunlight highlights - which is an Overlay mode layer in Photoshop - the highlights ‘burn out’ the lines too and make them vanish a little, and the lighting effect gets more striking. I also like to use the light grey ones to make something look pencil-y without actually using pencil, because pencil fucking smudges.

4. It smudges! So because I am right handed, I start inking from the right hand side, no matter how tempted I am to do their faces first.

5. You can see the composition directions here. I made it intuitively, but ofc some ppl actually use grids etc to lay out their drawings.

6. See how pale ans thin the lineart was at first? I kept adjusting it as new inked parts were appearing. It starts to look nice and consistent now! 

7. Finished lineart? There are some mistakes which I later corrected in PS. Notice that Aziraphale’s face has hardly any details on it - I tried to make the drawing suggest his expression rather than risk overdoing it. 

8. Photoshop time!! You can totally do what I did here even if you don’t have a graphic tablet. I used Curves tool to enhance the lineart, then Quick Selection Tool to select the background around around my sticker-like piece and filled it white (on a new layer ofc). I keep this white layer on top of the layer order so it works as a mask as I colour. I decided I did not like the hatching shading underneath Aziraphale’s halo, so I erased it with a Stamp tool (because I wanna keep the textured grey fill my crap paper naturally gives me!). It’s done roughly but won’t be visible once the thing is coloured. 

9. And the reason why I keep the grey shade instead of easily getting rid of it by using Curves/Levels is because when I set this layer to Multiply mode and colour underneath, it gives me this nice desaturated look like from an old cheap paper comic page. It works as a natural filter! But of course I can’t do bright colours this way, so all my glowing highlights happen ABOVE the lineart layer - on a separate layer in Overlay mode! 

Finished thing here!

_____

Commission infoBuy Me a Coffee - help me with my transitioning expenses!Prints and stickers and things on my Redbubble!

[songofwizardry]

paint stains

part 2 of a motley crew, a series of nine (nein!) ficlets to celebrate the end of critical role campaign 2

(set between episodes 21 and 26) Molly borrows Jester's paints, and Jester gets a preview of Molly's newest cards.

Molly and Jester having tiefling art club together was so much fun to write! you can find the fic on ao3, or under the cut.

It was not a nice day outside. One of the best things about Nicodranas, in Jester’s opinion, was that it didn’t get weather like this. And sure, Jester didn’t really feel the cold, but these sorts of days – wind making horrible sounds and knocking over carts, cold rain hitting the windows at odd angles – were still miserable, on principle. She liked spending them indoors. Anyway—the point, Jester thought, turning away from the window (closed tight) and back to her sketchbook, was that Nicodranas was way better than the Empire in lots of ways. Weather was only one of them.

She turned the sketchbook around on her lap, twisting so she could get a better angle, and she was working on a particularly tricky fold on a robe, when she heard a knock on the door. She paused – couldn’t be Beau, they were sharing and she never knocked – maybe Fjord?

“Come in!” she called.

The door creaked open, and a purple head poked in.

“Molly, hi! I thought you’d gone shopping with the others.”

Mollymauk pulled a face. “Not in this weather, darling. I let Caleb and Fjord go on their own. I’m not made for these elements.”

Jester couldn’t help laughing. “Me neither.”

“Anyway, can I come in? I need your help.”

“Sure!” Jester swung her legs off the bed, and patted the space next to her. Molly shut the door behind him and dropped onto the bed, coat fanning out behind him, a bright splash of colour. “What do you need?”

Molly pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket with a flourish. “Your artistic input!” he declared, grinning. “Also, your paints? If you can spare them, please.”

“Ma-aybe,” Jester said, just to watch the way Molly’s brows knitted together. It was kind of adorable. She leaned over to poke him in the side. “No-o, I’m kidding, of course! Can I see what you’re painting?”

Molly’s face brightened, and he fanned the cards out on the bed, flipping them over, one by one. “Definitely.”

Jester wasn’t too impressed with her current paint levels. Another thing Nicodranas did really well – or at least, that her Mama always made sure she had – was art supplies, but it turned out that finding paints while adventuring and going between middle-of-nowhere Empire towns was really hard. She was running low on blue and yellow, and she’d lost her last nice paintbrush somewhere in the Labenda swamp, and she’d never had to ration her supplies so carefully, but she had no intention of telling Molly that.

Anyway, it was totally worth it for the smile on his face as she placed the little pots in a neat row before him.

She watched as he picked up one of his cards – it had a sketch of two dragons, locked in battle with each other, all teeth and wings – and started painting one of the dragons red. “You’re really good at this, Molly,” she said, after a few moments, seeing the dragon come to life under his purple fingers.

Molly glanced up, briefly, grinned, then looked back at his cards. “I haven’t been doing it for very long,” he admitted. Jester was pretty sure he hadn’t been doing anything for very long, what with the whole amnesia thing, but she wasn’t gonna bring that up. “But I like the cards,” Molly was saying, “And I like, you know, being able to tell stories with them? So…” He looked up at her, shrugged. “Making more of them felt natural. And it’s fun.”

“I get it,” Jester said, and she did. It was sort of what she did with her sketchbook, too. Part of it was talking to the Traveller, but part of it was talking to herself too. Telling herself the story. “What’s that card gonna mean then, Molly?”

Molly finished off the tail of the red dragon with a flourish. “It’s called The Tyrant.”

They passed a good hour like that, together. Jester turned back to her sketchbook, finishing off the tricky cloak, adding features to the face, shading in the scales. Mollymauk hummed as he worked, snatches of tunes she vaguely recognised from their one night at the circus, finishing one card and starting on another. Outside, the wind grew wilder, the sky got darker.

When her hand started aching from making dozens of little scales, Jester stopped to shake it out, and looked up to find Molly watching her.

“What?” she asked.

Molly smiled, and there was something smaller, and softer, about this smile. “Did you know you stick your tongue out while you draw?”

Jester was definitely not somebody who blushed, so she definitely did not blush. “Yes, actually. My Mama always told me that.”

“It’s very cute,” Molly said, without a trace of embarrassment. “Anyway, what are you working on?”

Jester turned her sketchbook round so it was facing him. “Can you tell who it is?”

Molly pulled the sketchbook closer, eyebrows shooting up. “Fuck, that’s really good, Jester. Calianna, yeah?”

In spite of herself, Jester felt a swell of pride in her chest. “Yes! I’m glad you like it. What about you?” She leaned over, trying to get a look at the card on his lap, but he immediately flipped it over.

“Nope, nuh uh. Some of these are a surprise.“

“What, for me?”

Molly laughed. “Not just for you, darling. For all of you. You’re not going to see them till they’re done.”

Jester attempted her best pout. “I’m excellent at keeping secrets, Molly! I wouldn’t even tell the others.”

“Nice try, but no.” Molly glared at her, but the effect was slightly ruined by the blue paint-stains that had somehow ended up across his cheek and chin. “You’ll have to be patient. You’ll see them eventually.”

“Ugh, fine. You better finish them soon.”

Molly rolled his eyes. “I’m a busy tiefling, but I’ll do my best.” He pushed the sketchbook back towards her. “Now come on, if you’re that desperate for me to finish, let me continue.”

He flipped the card back over, pulled out the charcoal stick that was stuck behind one ear, and continued sketching on the card. Jester picked up her own sketchbook and stretched her fingers once more (still aching, she was never drawing scales again). Molly started humming again, and this time she recognised the tune as a sea-shanty Fjord had sung when he’d had too much to drink. He seemed engrossed in his drawing.

Slowly – holding the sketchbook up as an excuse in case she needed it – Jester edged closer to him, leaning over, little by little, until she could see the card Molly was (poorly) trying to hide.

It was a man, with long hair and a scruffy beard, holding a book open. There were spheres – lights, Jester realised, noticing the rays stretching out from them – orbiting him, and Molly was currently drawing a cat, winding between the man’s feet. It was just a sketch, but Jester could already tell it was going to be beautiful.

She couldn’t help the smile, thinking of what Caleb’s face would look like when he saw it. He’d probably go completely red. As sneakily as possible, she scooted back to her end of the bed, took one last look at Molly (he hadn’t noticed her snooping, excellent) and went back to drawing the scales, still smiling.

[dansnaturepictures]

20th March 2021-House Sparrows on World Sparrow Day and Tawny Owl, Leaser Spotted Woodpecker and much more on a phenomenal walk of birds and mammals

On World Sparrow day today I enjoyed seeing some of our House Sparrows that visit the garden one of which is shown in the first picture in this photoset. This sparrow day is a brilliant initiative to raise awareness particularly for House Sparrows and their plight so I was happy to be part of it. It also gave me a great chance to reflect on the times I have had with these iconic and quintessentially British species which are so precious. I have always had sparrows in my life in my time as a birdwatcher and I love both house and Tree Sparrow because of their interesting colour shades and pleasant feather formations and patterns. They are also adorable and pretty birds of great personality and presence. As one of the country’s key garden birds, the perennial chart topper of the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, it’s so amazing to have them in the garden and especially for me very precious because we went around three years without having any come into the garden after getting some in the initial stages of living at this current house and I did miss them in those years. But in the last three years or so it has been fantastic to see them come back on mass coming in with the Starlings to feed and exist year round and also bring in chicks which I particularly enjoyed in the last year whilst working from home. I am now always so impressed and feel so lucky to be able to see these key urban birds at and around home.

We had our exercise walk this afternoon I took the second and ninth picture in this photoset on it and one bird I had started to have on my mind in recent days mostly due to the anniversary of when I last saw it three years ago on Thursday was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker one of my favourites and one of my original birds I dreamt of seeing alongside Tawny Owl, Black Guillemot and Little Auk it’s only the latter I have still not yet seen with another bird the Ptarmigan now on the dream list and Golden Eagle and Arctic Tern being added to it then seen by us. I just had a weird sense that there might be some magic in the woods of this walk to allow us to see a lesser today like I felt when I last saw one four years ago the other day, after seeing the bird three years after one of my most glorious ever birding moments seeing our first.

And like that memorable and personally historic day in April 2014 today’s walk started really well for seeing lots of high calibre wildlife. Firstly a Robin gently singing away in a tree, then amazingly two Woodlarks on the ground a second cracking view of more than one in a week which was stunning. Even more striking that I had only seen this bird twice prior to 2021 but I have now seen them on three occasions this year. Remarkable. As we walked on again just like on Tuesday’s walk we were happy to see some Fallow Deers as seven ran out in front of us which was a fantastic prolonged view. I took the third picture in this photoset of some of them bounding along. 

We then walked into a woodland area and would have some of our greatest ever few birdwatching moments. Firstly a brown bird darted right in front of us and time stood still as I tried to compute what it was. Firstly it looked Kestrel which would be unusual in woods but as it just flew into my sharp focus it was undoubtedly an owl! Then myself and my Mum almost exclaimed the species name at once, it was a Tawny Owl we could now very clearly see. This felt incredible to see, I could not believe my eyes and I was over the moon. We saw it fly into a tree and sit on a branch for a little as we were on cloud nine watching it through binoculars, before it flew deep into the woods. This is a candidate for bird of the year already, it was epic. A bird I had dreamed about seeing before, and I finally saw them in 2014 and 2015 one bird in the same spot. But since after amazingly seeing most of the other British owl species every year all coming back into my life a lot and I’ve taken them to my heart I have waited and longed to see a tawny again and I had done it. I still can’t believe it now almost. But this was something so special and a really collector’s item because it was not just a wild Tawny Owl out in the day time like my previous two sightings of one very snug in a tree, but one flying in the day time and that is such once in a blue moon stuff. This sighting really did feel like a goal re-achieved a little and made me very happy. 

As we walked on we saw the brilliant Stock Dove in the fourth picture in this photoset, a beautiful bird to see as always one of my B list favourite birds the Tawny is another of my favourites. I had thought having seen the tawny when I felt like we’d see the lesser I had gone for the wrong dream bird! But I said to my Mum in this area we still need to keep our eyes peeled because I knew having had it happen today and always that extraordinary moments can happen so we could see the lesser too something I said in euphoria and in a completely dream like and quite jocular way. There were also comments about what exactly could displace tawny as our bird of the day a thing we do a bit of a parody to man/woman of the match in football I do it for butterflies, mammals and others sometimes too. 

Dreams came true again as we walked on in the woods, when my Mum spotted a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker! We both saw this as well and got our most prolonged view and one of our greatest views ever of this stunning species. I really was in my element to see it dance between and climb the high branches. I really got to make out that distinctive black and white striped back which still makes me shudder when thinking of the bird and everything those first two sightings became for me as some of the best times in my life and in birdwatching as well as its face and other features. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker sightings like Tawny Owl don’t come around often for us so I just savoured this happy moment so much. I took the fifth and sixth pictures in this photoset, record shots of this unforgettable bird. 

We just could not believe we’d seen both Tawny Owl and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in one day, two more favourite bird year ticks in 2021 my best ever start for seeing favourite birds of mine with 16 of the 31 now seen this year. I think with these two being the more attainable two of my dream birds, especially once we saw them both for the first time just months apart in 2014 there has been a personal fable for me about seeing them both on the same day. I used to write every bird I saw on birdwatching trips in a note book in a very similar list format to my wildlife sightings summaries when young and on the last page I’d write the names of these two species together and Black Guillemot and Little Auk in a fanciful way of thinking I would have this utopian day where we’d see them all on a day. When we first saw Tawny Owl we were at a location known for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in the woods too and we heard drumming that day but didn’t investigate enough. So it became a joke that year that we were so focused on the owl in the tree that the woodpecker could have flown behind our heads without us noticing I even drew a (poor) picture of this scene on my Mum’s Mother’s Day card that year and then felt quite pleased with myself when we went on to see the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I guess today was to an extent that utopian day. It was interesting that a birdwatching/wildlife figure from my childhood who I do still see now occasionally who was influential in our birdwatching early on once said when we mentioned these were our goals that these were species that could be seen in the same day in Hampshire in a particular scenario and I was only thinking of him yesterday and earlier today when recalling a chance meeting with him on a work lunch break walk last year. So it just felt there was something meant to be about today’s lesser and tawny double. And wherever Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is concerned I have always seemed to be able to predict things! Its just a feeling, I seem to know when it may or may not happen. 

I took the seventh picture in this photoset of some nice fungi which we saw a lot of on trees as we walked on. It then beggared belief the sheer amount of additional also top quality birds or notable bird moments we went on to see and have! Firstly we saw two Treecreepers at once sliding delightfully up trees. Then we looked at the top of tree where there was a finch and saw it was the beautiful, bright and epic Hawfinch which I took the record shot in the eighth picture in this photoset of. Another member of my notable species seen again club this year which is amazing. We then heard a Raven bark loudly in the distance always a great sound. Then we also saw a fairly large group of Lapwings. We watched and listened to them for a few minutes as they went about a glorious display, I believe either a courtship or territorial one as they flew around and made their iconic “peewit” call. They flew in spectacular movements and as they did their wings made this most glorious of sounds adding to the amazing sounds I heard today, it was like a drum. It was so sensational and seeing and hearing a common species in a beautiful way perhaps different to anything I had ever really experienced with them before would have been a standout wildlife moment on any normal day itself but today it added so brilliantly to one of my best ever walks and times watching wildlife. 

Walking on I just thought there was a third year tick after Tawny Owl and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in it I hadn’t got three year ticks in a day since 6th January, and I thought maybe it would be something more regular. Stonechats excited me then further up doing good impressions of Skylarks for flight and sound in places a bird I need to see this year. Canada Goose and Mallard added variety to the day. Just before the end of the walk I got my third year tick, fittingly for sparrow day a bird my Mum proclaimed was a sparrow with a black head when confirming the sightings with a hide with a guide at Titchfield Haven way back in our early birdwatching days, my Mum spotted a pair of Reed Buntings which I saw. This is one that perhaps because of the lockdown and other factors alluded me up until this point so this was real icing on the cake and yet another aspect of the walk I predicted you could say. Great views of smartly marked birds. 

My bird year list continued its revival of late, with a quite staggering at this time but especially with what and where they were seven year ticks in the space of a week. My year list sits nicely as the sixth highest any of mine had ever been on this date on 115 ahead of how many I had seen at this stage in 2014 and 2015 by a decent way now 2014 did grow a little bit in days to come though. 

I also took the eight picture in this photoset of some differently coloured daffodils in the collection of them in the garden which I have loved watching. This brought to an end simply breathtaking, fun, monumental, joyous and special occasion on our walk today. Walks and days like these are once in a blue moon it feels like a moment I will be taking about for years to come. Today nature made me so happy again which I needed. I hope you all had a good day or as good as it can be.  Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first of two of my favourite birds the Tawny Owl and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker this year, my first Reed Bunting of the year, one of my favourite mammals the Fallow Deer, Treecreeper, Hawfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Goldcrest, Woodlark, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Lapwing, Mallard, Canada Goose, Grey Squirrel, midges and I heard a Raven, Wren, Great Tit and other woodpeckers.