#like it’s not just a ‘we wash our hands of him’ or ‘aw he’s gone! so sad! anyway’ situation

[goldensunset]

‘my lord n is a kind and excellent person who understands the hearts of pokémon. but conversely, perhaps his ability to understand the hearts and feelings of people is not developed enough. but… even that was part of the perfection of ghetsis’ plan.’ SHUT UUUUP I SWEAR!!!!

[indigoflorals]

pls do a JJ fic that involves sexy tapes and possibly sex toys??

buzz (18+)

JJ Maybank x Reader

Sum: Your boyfriend gets you a remote control vibrator and takes lots of pleasure recording your reactions before a date.

Warnings: Vibrator, female orgasm, teasing, overstimulation, photos

“JJ, I cannot go out like this.”

You were, to put it simply, a sweaty frustrated mess. While you had opted to get your boyfriend his favorite chocolates for valentine’s day, he had something a bit more interesting in store.

JJ smirked after your obvious desperation. “Awe but you look so sexy today. You really want to bail on our double date?”

You groaned, throwing yourself back onto the pillows. Tonight was the double date with John B and Sarah, and you had planned it over a week in advance. You had picked out the perfect outfit, makeup, and had even gotten your hair done for this date.

“J—“ Your pleas were cut off by a high pitched whine as the vibrations increased from inside you. “Please…I can’t go out like this.”

Your boyfriend leaned to plant an innocent kiss to your temple, pulling out his phone to snap a photo of the two of you. Your tried and failed to make as normal a face as possible.

JJ stood abruptly, smirking at the whine you let out at the loss of contant. “I’m gonna snap John B and tell him we’re heading out. You should get your shoes on.”

You stood with shaky legs, walking toward the closet where the heels you had meticulously picked out were stored. You bent to reach them, but before you could, a strong vibration ripped through your core.

“JJ!” You half moaned half scolded as you turned to face him, his phone camera already out.

“What?” He smiled, leaning back on his elbow. “You just looked so sexy bent over in that little skirt. Had to.”

You grumbled at his response, leaning to strap your heel across your ankle. Strong arms came to wrap around your waist. One slid upwards, a hand groping at your tit.

You swatted him away, standing straight and walking to grab your handbag. “Are you even trying to be on time?”

He hummed. “Not if it means I get to spend more time like this.”

“We we have to—“ You were once again cut off by the vibrator inside you pulsing, and this time it pressed directly against your g-spot.

You slid back against the wall, your words and ideas now long gone. Your boyfriend watched you now with a smile wide across his face.

The vibrations didn’t ease, and you watched as JJ began to record your reactions again. “JJ—“ You cried out, feeling your orgasm approaching, “Don’t record me.”

Your hands came to cover your face in embarrassment as your orgasm washed over you. Your legs shook as you moaned your boyfriends name, feeling your panties dampen underneath your skirt.

The sound of your boyfriends phone stopping recording brought you back to your thoughts.

“You looked so hot. I wanna keep that forever.” He flipped the phone to show you the video and you screeched at the sight of yourself flushed and cumming.

You grabbed for his phone but he raised it above his head, teasing you. “JJ Maybank you are deleting that now!”

“Orrrr,” He smirked, pressing the vibrator app again, “We can be even later and record some more fun.”

You could never resist him.

“Fine but next time I’m recording you!” You retorted.

“Yeah whatever you say sweet cheeks.”

[jinnie-ret]

atlantis

han jisung x reader | end of the world au

genre: angst, humour(?), fluff

content warnings: swearing, suggestive jokes, natural disaster, death

word count: 5.8k

summary: their fate lies in the hands of a prophecy that could save their lives.

HAN JISUNG MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Welcome back to the 1 o'clock news. We wish we had a more hopeful message today today but the waters are rising, electricity is compromised and people are already dying. We ask you to remain vigilant, take care of yourselves and stay close to your loved ones. The record high tidal waves are en route to South Korea and our beautiful city Seoul and people are saying we could be living in what will be the new Atlantis. It is estimated we have 10 hours left but-"

"Too depressing," Y/N sighed as she flicked through channels. She already knew they didn't have much time left, so waiting and hoping for a news report to tell them the opposite was only hurting her soul even more. There was no time to say goodbye to loved ones, having to prioritise using their remaining electricity towards kitchen appliances to make sure they could eat, their mobiles having already run out of charge and they didn't have a landline.

Oh yeah, they.

Y/N lived with her best friend Jisung in an apartment for the last couple of years, and those years held some of her favourite moments and memories and to think those could all be washed away in the events of the end of the world... it wasn't a nice feeling, not at all. She constantly felt sick to her stomach knowing the impending doom they'd have to face.

"There is a prophecy! It could be one or two of you out there that could save the world!" a whimsical looking man with thick lens glasses perched upon his nose spoke into the camera.

"Oh they're talking nonsense!" Y/N exclaimed, sitting up to grab the TV control again and switch the channel just as Jisung ran in with a bowl of cereal.

"No, no, no, leave it on!" he spoke through a mouthful of cornflakes as he jumped onto the sofa next to her, some milk spilling over but neither of them cared. Trivial issues like that didn't matter anymore.

"Ji, there's no point now anyways, the picture is staticy and the audio is all-" Y/N rolled her eyes before Jisung muffled her mouth with his hand to shut her up, and they both listened to the crazy man on the TV.

"One thing will unlock survival. The key is in a place where many people have come and gone. It lies in a enclosed area that only the bravest can enter. Only those who are worthy can wield it's power and open the gate that knows all, that all know."

"A key?! What could that mean?" Jisung sat forwards intrigued, finally removing his hand from Y/N's mouth who shoved him away from her.

"The prophecy didn't say that we specifically had to find it..." Y/N stood up, taking Jisung's finished bowl of cereal into the kitchen and placing it in the sink.

"Come on, if we can really do something to help, we've got to try," Jisung followed her into the kitchen, tugging her away from the sink to make sure her attention was on him. He bent ever so slightly to make sure she was looking right at him.

"Ji, I don't know about this..." Y/N's seemingly bored and nonchalant manner had quickly reverted to her nervous side.

"And if I'm gonna do this with anyone I'd want it to be you!" Jisung grabbed her arms now, hoping she'd brush away her worries for just once and do this with him, for him, for them.

"Aw Jisung... I can already feel my heart melting," Y/N in fact did brush away her worries, at face value at least, and grinned sarcastically at her best friend. She skipped away from him, gliding gracefully with her hand on her heart before jumping and flopping onto the sofa.

"Gosh, I've melted the Ice Caps! That's the last thing we need with the world flooding..." Jisung dramatically gasped, grabbing a piece of paper with a pen and whacking it on Y/N's head as he sat next to her. She of course, did retaliate with slap on the leg.

"Jisung, shut up."

It almost felt like an endless cycle. Hope, worry, denial, repeat. Y/N hated broadcasts like the one they had just listened to. Anyone would be a fool to actually listen to the words of a so called prophecy and even think of attempting to save the world.

"Right we need to think... enclosed area, only the bravest can enter?" Jisung hummed, tapping the pen against his chin before scribbling down the jist of what had been said on TV.

And that was her fool right there. She loved him for it though.

"Jisung, come on," Y/N sighed, going to grab the notebook away from him but he held it tightly to his chest, wiggling in his seat to face her and sit closer.

"No you come on, work with me here, think, please," Jisung stood his ground firmly, brows furrowed in what could only be described as a pleading, Puss-in-Boots-like expression.

"Fine, fine... It's probably that club down town, what's it called? HooBAEs? No one would dare enter there, awful place, wouldn't mind if it got completely flooded," Y/N thought out loud stretching out and resting her legs on Jisung's lap, who didn't react apart from resting his notes on her calves without batting an eyelid.

"Yeah yeah! That place is horrible, probably is at least halfway ruined by now," he nodded in thought, scribbling down the name of the club.

"Halfway? It was dreadful from the start, remember that time someone pissed onto the floor in the middle of the night," Y/N reminded Jisung of the unfortunate time thet decided to go out on a Saturday night. Never again. They both felt like they much preferred a night in anyways watching crappy movies and making fun of the storylines.

"Oh yeah that was grim..." Jisung nodded, wrinkling his nose just thinking of it.

"Yeah horrible..." Y/N trailed off.

"Y/Nnie you've driven us off topic again."

"No I haven't!"

"What, you think we should try HooBAEs? We'll probably get a disease I don't wanna even think about if we go there..." Jisung shuddered, wishing his best friend never suggested the idea. The end of the world couldn't rely on a key being hidden in such a dodgy establishment, could it?

"Remember the prophecy, Ji, only brave people would go there. As much as I hate to say it, we should go there. We've ventured there before, why not now?" Y/N lifted herself up from the sofa and grabbed the keys to her apartment, stuffing it into the pocket of her hoodie.

"Not the worst idea... might need to put our wellies on though, the water is filling up," Jisung waved her over to stand beside him and observe the outside. She didn't even notice him move towards the tall glass windows of the apartment, but it was the smart thing to do, considering how high the water had already risen.

"Actually, we might need a boat," Y/N breathed out in sudden realisation as she joined his side. The water had risen to around half the height of your average door, from what she tell by squinting at the buildings across the road.

"Shit, you're right," Jisung groaned, hitting his head against her shoulder. Y/N patted his head sympathetically as they both prepared themselves, physically and mentally, to try and save the world.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The pair of courageous best friends were quite the sight to see. As luck would have it, there was a leisure equipment shop across the road, having all sorts of things they could steal because no one was going to work their job when the building was half flooded and when they knew it would soon be the end for everyone. Fortunately, the canoes were quite near the front of the shop, and they, well, Y/N, hauled it off of the rack that was still standing somehow. Jisung was too distracted by the idea of getting an inflatable pool.

"Jisung we don't need a pool! Just jump out this canoe if you want to swim!" you had huffed as you dragged the canoe towards the door as you waded through the water.

"I didn't wanna swim! I wanted to just float around," Jisung moped, doing a weird awkward jog through the murky water trying to catch up to you. The one where the force of the water weighs your legs down so you have to almost jump out slightly each time you take a step.

Once you both made it out of the shop you both clambered into the boat, Jisung taking the back and you sitting at the front. There were of course a few failed attempts of rowing down the road, neither of them having used an oar before. Did it tip over? Yes, it did. But that was because they both started rowing on the same side.

Eventually they did arrive along the top of the street of the notoriously grim club, HooBAEs.

"How do we park a canoe, shit," Y/N wobbled as she stood up, confronted with an odd dilemma she never thought she would be.

"Girl... never mind," Jisung side eyed her in pure disbelief before grabbing her to sit down, it was like she was trying to be a gondolier.

Jisung achieved their goal of not losing their transport, and helped Y/N out after he caught his own balance. He couldn't control the blood from rushing to his cheeks when she didn't let go of his hand, and she even readjusted the grip she held on his hand as they walked inside the club venue.

"Why would there even be a key here? A special key in a prophecy here? Plus it's not exactly an enclosed area..." Jisung gagged at the stench of the place. Bar stools were floating around, turned onto their backs like many people were the last time they both went on a night out here. Guess the pros are of the world ending is that the slippery floor means nothing now that the water is up to just underneath their waists. Wood from the pillars and bar had rotted, splinters of the material floating around in what now looked like a grotty swamp of cheap furniture. And that wasn't the only thing that was floating around.

"Is that a condom?" Y/N shrieked at the plastic floating towards them both, tugging Jisung back, her feet colliding with old music equipment that had long ago blown it's fuse.

"Focus on the issue at hand, Y/N!" Jisung chastised her, yet still allowing her to pull him back with her, not wanting to let go of her hand. Oh, he was so whipped. It was something about the way she matched his energy perfectly, his twin flame, you could say. She never failed to put a smile on his face, those plump lips that he wish he could just-

"Ew it's a used one! Quick, go! Move, Ji!" Y/N squealed in disgust and tugged his hand harder, essentially breaking him out of his thoughts. And with that they left the decrepid place, relieved at the same time.

Being the gentleman he was, Jisung helped her back into the canoe first, and as they rowed away, he gasped in excitement and suddenly started rocking the boat.

"Dude stop this isn't the time for messing around! I don't wanna fall in again," Y/N exclaimed, letting out small murmurs of discomfort and annoyance as she tried to stay sat down.

"Y/Nnie I know it! I know where it could be!" Jisung shouted feeling elated, having his lightbulb moment.

"Enlighten me, oof-" Y/N's voice wobbled as her body did too, before she ended up falling backwards into his lap, the boy automatically latching onto her shoulders to try and stabilise her but they were both already red as tomatoes.

"Umm sorry I-" Jisung stuttered, not knowing whether to let go of Y/N because realistically he wished that such an interaction would never be awkward between them and that he had confessed how he truly felt a long time ago.

"It's fine just umm tell me where you're thinking so we can steer this ship!" Y/N cringed as she spoke through a strained smile, taking her original spot once again. She tried to forget that just happened, because she never thought it would. She never imagined that her heart would race at the sight of his smile, blush from his teasing words or that her nights would be filled with thoughts of what would happen if they ever were a 'thing'. But here they were.

"Please don't say that again."

"Yeah you're right, it was ummm... yeah."

"I mean, I saw where you were going with it but it just didn't really hit-"

"Ok fine! Just tell me where you think the key is! I'm very embarrassed now!" Y/N stammered, staring straight ahead as her hands gripped the sides of the 'ship' as she wished she could rewind and never say what she did. If her thoughts were gonna take her down the route of a 'thing' ever blossoming between them, she could watch that sapling die right in front of her very eyes.

"That big house, on the outskirts of town..." Jisung trailed off, not quite remembering the name of the mansion he was imagining.

"Oddinary House?" Y/N offered weakly, now feeling composed enough to turn back around. As she did so she made sure the oars were resting in place.

"Yes that's the place! All you hear about that place are horror stories!" Jisung nodded enthusiastically when Y/N's words sparked his memory.

"And you think you're brave enough to go there?" she laughed, looking off to the side.

"Hey, this is for the prophecy! We could save this place! This city! Our friends!" Jisung insisted, desperation apparent as he shifted to look right into Y/N's eyes, the jostling causing water to ripple around them.

"Ji... Is it worth it for the prophecy?" Y/N sighed, her minds going off in all different directions, wondering if it was worth it.

"Yes! A chance at life! We need to do this, Y/Nnie," Jisung did his best to convince her, feeling her turmoil and lessening hope as the moments went by, especially when she turned back around to avoid him from seeing the tears that blurred her vision.

"Isn't it all pointless anyways..." she mumbled.

"It's not when I'm with you," Jisung hugged her from behind for a moment, and oddly it felt natural, far less awkward than before. "Now, come on, let's go, or shall I say-"

"If you say let's row then I am tipping over this boat," Y/N chuckled as she sniffed, wiping away her tears.

"Noted. I will not speak in fear of drowning," Jisung spoke robotically, the two of them laughing once more afterwards as they grabbed the oars once more.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It was a treacherous journey you could say, venturing to the outskirts of the city, but it wasn't hard to see the old worn-down mansion which practically had a storm cloud hovering above it. Oddinary House, in all it's glory.

"What a glorious shithole," Jisung whistled out, eyes trialing across the rotting wood that was barely keeping the place together. It was a surprise his voice was even normal, considering the volumes that the impromptu karaoke session reached between the two of them.

"I know right," Y/N nodded along, squinting when she thought she saw someone floating in the water. They both rowed closer to the entrance of the house, gaining a closer look at the body. "Oh my god!" she gasped, "they're dead!"

"Damn, this place is fucked," Jisung's jaw hung open, even further when the body spoke back to him.

"Isn't it just?"

Jisung and Y/N both yelled out in shock at the person/creature that they thought was dead, suddenly speaking to them with an enticing melodic voice. They should have realised sooner than the swishing back and forth as they floated in the water couldn't have been achieved by a dead person.

"Wait... Oh my... it's the sexy scary siren! The stories were right!" Y/N put two and two together, remembering all the stories she had been told about who lived at the abandoned mansion and she figured out that this was the siren that many had spoken about. His alluring puppy dog eyes and gorgeous smile were just added bonuses to his hypnotising voice.

"Sexy?"

"Sexy..."

Jisung and the siren met eyes as they both spoke aloud at the same time, one of them sounding jealous and the other quite smug.

"Umm, right... Do you have a key?" Jisung abruptly asked, not wanting to waste any time.

"Don't just ask him!" Y/N turned away from the siren and whacked Jisung on the arm, scolding him.

"Well what am I supposed to do?!"

"I don't know introduce ourselves?!"

The siren chuckled as he watched the two humans in the canoe bicker. The back and forth instantly made him think of an old married couple playfully arguing yet they also had this radiant aura around them that could only be seen when they're together.

"Ummm, I'm Y/N and this is my best friend Jisung, please don't kill us, haha," Y/N falsely grinned feeling nervous even though her brain felt comfortable enough to blurt out earlier that she thought the siren in front of her was sexy.

"I'm Seungmin," the siren purred out, pausing in his floating to swim up to the canoe and rest his head against the edge of it. "Now, what's this about a key?" he inquired curiously.

"Did you not see the news?" Jisung huffed, not wanting to go through the prophecy anymore times than Y/N had already made him repeat it, just so that she could 'engrave it into her brain'.

"You really think we get signal out here? And in this climate? Bless your heart," Seungmin patronised Jisung, flicking water up in his face and making the boy squeeze his nose as some droplets has arrived up his nostrils. Incredibly salty water. That made it sting more.

Just then, a beautiful voice broke out, but no, it did not belong to the siren that was right in front of them, no. This voice, was female, and it was coming from above. Looking up at the stained windows of the second floor, and not in a pretty vibrant and colourful way, a figure almost glided down the corridor. They moved slowly, almost allowing for their voice to break out, becoming louder especially when they saw Jisung and Y/N.

"Oh gosh, you really had to set her off... We just got her to keep quiet!" Seungmin exclaims annoyed, a frown taking over his face as he pushes away from the canoe.

"Oh shit is that a banshee?" Y/N gasped, thinking about the newer rumours that had recently come of Oddinary House.

"No she must be the sexy siren you were saying about bestie," Jisung tried craning his neck to get a better look at who was catching his eye.

"No we already established that was me, obviously," Seungmin shouts back at them, before heading round to the other side of the mansion, swimming his way gracefully to the back garden.

"Ugh, Ji, you're getting distracted again," Y/N huffs as she whacks him.

"Hey that was you before!" Jisung folds his arms.

"Blah blah blah, come in, let's head inside," Y/N directs him as they row their boat inside the front doors, arriving into what looked like a reception room. Haggard, is what this place was.

"Hey! Umm, we're looking for a key!" Han dumbly called out.

"Dude ssshh, they could eat us or something," Y/N said feeling paranoid, wrapping her arms around one of Jisung's.

"Nothing will eat us," Jisung rolled his eyes fondly, letting her cling onto him still.

"I could eat you."

Shit. How accurate were these stories? How accurate were they to know that there was also a werewolf living at this mansion?! In fact, said werewolf was currently sat on the staircase, distastefully flicking water out of his fur.

"Please don't," Y/N gasped.

"Please do," Jisung gasped.

Everyone froze, looking back and forth between each other with confusion. You couldn't make this up, what was happening, it was just that bizarre.

"Ji, that's literally a werewolf," Y/N reminded him, pulling away from him as she stared up the creature who was smirking right back at them, one leg folded over the other, a certain smugness about him with his sharp features illuminated by a yellow light.

"Yeah but he's kindaaaa..." Jisung trailed off, scanning the figure.

"Hmm, yeah, I can see it to be fair," Y/N agreed after a few moments.

The werewolf cleared his throat after a few more starry eyes gazes were directed towards him, "if you're looking for a key, you need to find a gate to open."

"Duh! That's why we're looking for a key? Why is bro so cryptic," Han sighed in disappointment, could have been the perfect companion if it wasn't for his obvious remarks.

"Shut up he's helping us," Y/N reprimanded her best friend before trying to read the true thoughts and emotions behind the eyes of the being sat before them. "A gate... hold on, hold on, you know where this key is, don't you! You're gonna send us on a wild goose chase when we could be saving the world?!"

"Oh, haha, aw, how sweet, you think you can save the world? Well in that case... Head upstairs, might wanna avoid the banshee she's been a bit umm, stressed recently you could say... And then find the cyborg, his name is CB97. We used to have him downstairs but you know, water and electrics don't really-"

"Right thanks!" Han rushes past Minho and cuts him off, wading through the water and going up the other set of stairs. "Come on Y/N!"

Y/N really wished she taught him some manners. She had heard from some of his friends that he was a bit of a dick during his younger teen years but when she first met him he was sweet as pie. Well, until they got comfortable with each other and with roasting each other.

"Sorry about him, he's a bit... excitable," Y/N sheepishly walks past the werewolf, doing a weird wave and not turning her back in fear he'd suddenly turn and eat her up.

The pair were wary as they walked the floors upstairs, flinching at every sound until a door opening on its own terrified them.

"Ahhhh!!!"

"Ahhhh!"

"Stop screaming!!!"

"You stop screaming!!"

"Ji, shut up, look he's there, the cyborg," Y/N points to the hunched figure in the corner of the dimly lit room. He was hooked up to some generators, but more importantly, there was a clear box as part of his make, where a human's abs would normally be. And what was inside of that clear box? A golden, shiny key.

"Yes! We found it!!! Oh my gosh we're gonna save the world!" Y/N cheered as she and Jisung jumped up and down in each others arms, hugging tightly and pulling away to stare into each others eyes for a moment.

Jisung was the first to pull away

"Hey umm, Mr Cyborg, Mr CB... my 97 bro... Umm, where do we need to unlock this key?" Jisung waves his hand in front of the barely glowing blue eyes of the machine. After composing herself, Y/N stepped up next to him, also trying to get the cyborg to respond to them.

But it was no luck. The generators sparked as drops of water fell from the ceiling and caused a fuse, making CB97 the cyborg fully shut down, head hanging forwards.

"No, no, shit!" Y/N swore, tapping on the back of the cyborg with such vigor it was like someone was trying to fix an old television.

"Great that was real helpful... Now what are we going to do?!" Jisung stomped his foot, pacing back and forth with his hands on his head.

"Wait, give me a sec," Y/N rolled up her sleeves, ready to bust open the small door on the cyborg's body to retrieve the key. She slowly grabbed it, focusing all her strength on it til it opened all too easy and she went flying backwards and hit the floor with a loud groan.

"Shit, you ok Y/Nnie?" Jisung helped her up, rubbing her head gently and she responded with a nod.

"I'm fine, more than fine actually, I'm great. Look, the key, it's there Jisung!" Y/N dragged him back over to the shut down robot and grabbed the key, sliding it into her pocket and zipping it securely.

"We're actually going to do this... we're going to save the world!" Jisung gasped in disbelief.

They headed back down the corridors, walking down one flight of stairs and passing by a man with fangs peeking out from underneath his upper lip.

"Oh, by the way, your robot man friend went all sleepy mode on us," Y/N casually said, continuing to walk down the stairs alongside he best friend.

"What?!" the man yelled incredulously before morphing into a bat and zooming off upstairs, not before bumping into an old bear statue.

"Eh, not our problem," Jisung rested his hand on Y/N's back as he steered them outside, back to where their canoe was.

Oh how both of them wished that they'd be successful in saving the world, so they could tell the stories of entering the mansion to future generations, to their own kids- wait scrap that last idea, it's not like they'd ever end up together anyways.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Now it was time to trek back into the city. The sun was setting, casting a peachy glow across the faces of the pair. It seemed so scenic, only for it to smell horrendous. Jisung has convinced them to take a 'detour' because he 'knew a shortcut'. He didn't know a shortcut. And because of the route change they were both now forced to deal with the stench of the contents of the city's sewers flooding into the water around them. The putrid eggy smell consumed their lungs, and Y/N was sure she'd never breathe again.

"Smells like you after taco night-" Y/N plugged her nose with one hand as she laughed.

"Oi, Trouble, shut it!" Jisung kicked her bum lightly, trying not to laugh too.

Y/N loved being able to push his buttons, thus gaining her the nickname 'Trouble'. Jisung didn't use it all the time, but on the occasions he did it made her heart swoon. She knew she was getting under his skin and there was something so gratifying about him recognising that when he did use the nickname.

"You shouldn't have made them so spicy," Han pouted after a moment, mind still stuck there whilst Y/N had drifted to her nightly routine, despite it being closer to 6pm.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"I just can't think of where this gate is meant to be," Y/N groaned, looking up at the sky. Her arms were beginning to ache from rowing so Jisung insisted he'd take over to let her rest a bit.

"What did it say again?" Jisung stopped rowing, letting the canoe float.

"Oh come on! You told me I was silly for wanting to remember it off by heart!" Y/N knocked her head against Jisung's leg in protest, causing him to hold her head still as he looked down at her form laying down in the canoe.

"Y/Nnie, just tell me, yeah?" Jisung smiled through gritted teeth.

"Ugh fine, remember, it said a gate that knows all, that all know," Y/N reminded him.

"I just don't get how we're meant to figure that out, out of all the gates in the city how-"

"Jisung we're idiots," Y/N cut him off.

"Speak for yourself!" he huffed. The light in the day would soon be gone and there would be less chance of them completing their goal.

"Nope we're in this together. We're idiots. The city hall? That literally has a big gate and plus no one would really dare to enter there!! The place that knows all, that we all know! It's got to be that right?! All the official governing bodies go there, us common people could never just waltz in." Y/N scrambles up, rambling excitedly as her guess made more and more sense. Jisung had to help her to adjust her balance, and not just because of clumsy self trying to stand in the boat, but because of the waves seemed to be getting harder to handle. Only this morning it had been calmer and as the day went on the ripples turned to smaller waves that would rock the boat. And now they were straight up aggressive.

"But now we can," Jisung dangled the key in his hands.

"Hell yeah!" Y/N cheered with a newfound energy and she grabbed her set of oars.

It wasn't long until they made their way round to the city hall, going round the back of the historic building and finding the tall golden gates guarding an endless flight of stairs. It was said to have led down to an old pipe system that ran underneath the hall and the whole city.

"I wish I thought of this earlier, should have paid more attention in geography," Jisung shook his head regretfully.

"Right, who's going to swim down? Because I'll do this Jisung, I don't mind," Y/N turned to her best friend, gripping his hands tightly with promises exchanged between. The water had now risen further on their journey and if it rose anymore their boat would simply tip over the gates.

"No, I can't just let you do that!" Jisung exclaimed, frowning at the thought of the girl he loved going to do this on her own. It wouldn't feel fair.

"We need someone up here to keep watch of things!" Y/N tried to grab her hands out of Jisung's hold, who was now holding on tighter than ever not wanting to spend a moment without her.

"Watch what? Our city drown even more?!" Jisung cried out exasperatedly.

"No way," Y/N's heart dropped.

"Umm yes way, it's been like that forever!" Jisung grumbled, searching through Y/N's gaze to try and figure out what had really made her feel taken aback.

"No, look!" Y/N's eyes welled up in fear, pure utter fear.

There was a colossal tidal wave heading towards the city, already plummeting through several buildings in the distance and driving them down into the ground, destruction it's friend. Flocks of birds flew high in the sky, squawking as they retreated in fear. If only they were birds who could leave so easily. There only chance was this prophecy, it had to work.

"Oh shit," Y/N was frozen as she shouted loudly.

"Look, we've not got time, we do this together ok, I don't care what happens," Jisung grabbed Y/N's face between his hands, thumbs stroking over the tops.of her cheekbones as he tried to get her to focus.

"What if it doesn't work? This stupid prophecy?! We've got a key but what do we even-" Y/N trembled in Jisung's arms.

"No, no, no, sshh it's ok, Y/N. I got you, yeah? Come on, we need to do this now, ok?" Jisung stood up shakily on the canoe, pulling Y/N up with him.

"Together?" Y/N's voice cracked.

"Yes, we go down, now, at least we've tried," Jisung rested his forehead against hers, before they both jump into the murky waters with an all mighty splash.

It was lucky Jisung had a tight grip on the key as the pair of them rose above the water, took in a deep breath, and with one look to each other they nodded and swam down to the keyhole of the gate together. With all luck, this prophecy would be right. Maybe they'd be able to unlock the gates, allowed the water to flood down into the city's old pipes system and drain it all, so that they'd have at least one chance of survival.

Y/N helped Jisung stay down in the water to try and unlock the gate, as there was nothing to cling onto. He lodged the key into the hole and twisted it to the left, once, twice, thrice. He pushed the gates forwards and they shared a look of success, before it soon turned to dread.

They were expecting an empty staircase, for the water to flood down, but to their horror the pipes system itself has already been overwhelmed with flooding.

In that moment the huge tidal wave that had been hurtling towards the city hit where they were, and they were sucked down into the pipes system from the sheer force of the wave hitting on impact. The current hit them ferociously, dragging the two of them further and further down. There was nowhere to turn to, nowhere to run.

Jisung and Y/N we're freaking out, flailing in the water and trying to swim upwards for air but it was no use. The place was filled to the brim with water and by the time they tried swimming back up the endless amount of stairs, water would start to enter their lungs.

In fact, it already was.

The two heroes gripped onto each other as bubbles appeared in the water in front of them and the oxygen left their body. They were running out of time, something that seemed so precious until their world was doomed. Doomed from the very start. The prophecy lied.

Jisung grabbed Y/N's hands startling her out of her freak out and he rested both of them against his heart. She cried, adding her salty tears to the water they were submerged in, wishing this wasn't how it had to end. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't they have more time to confess? Why couldn't they have had more time to tell each other how they truly felt?!

He moved his hands to her face, holding her so delicately once more, and she, him. More bubbles were appearing but if they were going to share their last breath, they knew how they'd want to lose it. Jisung pressed his lips against Y/N's, something he should have done a long time ago. Their eyes closed when their lips met, and when they pulled away, they held onto each other tightly, love and despair in both of their longing stares saying 'we tried'.

And they did try. They tried so hard to save a world that was dying, leading to their own fated departures from the Earth. The world was destined to end but they were destined to be together, no matter what was thrown at them.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

tagged: @skz-streamer @kiraisastay @hannahhbahng @kpopmenace143 @sakufilms @kai-lee08 @arloo00 @dunno-wut-to-do @splat00z @cheesemonky @his-angell @turtledove824 @2minstan @royal-shinigami @yangbbokari @skzoologist

[beesspacedotorg]

thinking about tinky winky (purple lino) and begging cute boyfriend minho to dye his hair purple again and because bunny loves loves loves compliments it turns into a “so you think i’m pretty huh☺️” fest of him fishing for praise from his partner -🌸

cherry blossom anon, I may have accidentally forgot to put in compliments and instead it turned into a 750 word fic about dyeing his hair. I hope that's okay. Mayhap I'll revisit this featuring the compliments and ... other thing.

You aren’t above begging. You aren’t above a lot of things, actually, as proven by the way you’re currently on your knees in front of your boyfriend, hands clasped together like you’re praying.

“Minho, please. I’ll do anything. Literally anything. I’ll unclog the tub drain myself next time, I’ll give you earth-shattering head, pleasepleaseplease.” He looks at you, mildly confused from where you’ve ambushed him at your front door before the realization dawns and his eyes narrow.

“You’re kidding me right now.” He toes his shoes off.

“I’m not. Please, you looked so hot I don’t see why you won’t let me.” He’s walking towards the kitchen and you follow after him, still on your knees.

“Are you saying that I don’t look hot now?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth. You just looked so good with the hair, please. Stay will literally thank me.”

“They’ll think it was skzigi.”

“I’ll roleplay as JYP Entertainment staff if that’s what it takes, Lee Minho.” He sighs, throwing his head back towards the ceiling while mumbling. Your boyfriend isn’t religious, he’s one of the few members of his group who has never had any particular faith, but you think he might be praying for something right now.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I’m mostly just doing all of this for the bit.” You’re standing now, hand on his shoulder as you peer at him, worried that you might have taken it a step too far.

“Shh. I’m trying to think of how I’ll explain this to our manager and Chan without getting my head lobbed off.” You smile, wide and beaming as you clap your hands excitedly, rushing off to the bathroom and reappearing next to him with a bag in your hands.

“Great! When you come up with a good excuse meet me in the bathroom.”

“How did you- Why- You didn’t even know I was going to say yes!”

“You’re right, I didn’t. I was going to save it for a rainy day, or use it on myself.” And with that, you’re gone, leaving Minho alone in the kitchen as he imagines how hot you would look with purple hair.

“Wait,” he calls after you, setting his half-opened ramen packet on the counter and turning, “did you buy enough for two people?”

-

“Are you sure you don’t want me to shower?” He asks, sitting backwards on the toilet lid as you mix the bleach.

“I didn’t go to hair school, so I’m not an expert, but I did dye my friends’ hair all throughout highschool and we had better results with less damage when their hair was gross so, yes. I’m sure.”

“That smells awful.”

“It’s almost like its chemicals.”

“I’ll leave.”

“There’s already bleach in your hair, if you leave now you’ll have awful streaks that even the most diehard LeeKnower wouldn’t be able to justify.” He huffs at that, mumbling something about how Stays aren’t that shallow and you reply with a comment about Hyunjin’s Maxident hair that shuts him up.

“He looked good,” he starts and you sigh, head dropping forward. “I don’t see what they were so upset about.”

“I know, dear.”

“He suits short hair!”

“He does.”

“It fit the concept!”

“It did.”

“Yah!” He turns, hitting your arm lightly and almost knocking the bleach bowl out of your hands. “You aren’t listening.”

“My apologies for not wanting to hear my boyfriend wax poetic about another man’s hair.”

-

“How long does this have to sit for?”

“Ask me that again and I’ll leave it in until you go bald.”

-

The bleach is washed out and his head’s half purple before he looks at his phone and his eyes go wide.

“What’s up?” You’re busy drawing shapes on his head with the dye.

“Hannie is calling.”

“So answer it.”

“It’s video.”

“Say that you’re naked.”

“Like that’s stopped me before.”

“Say that I’m naked.” The call promptly drops.

-

“How long does this have to sit for?”

“Do you give the hairstylists at the company this much trouble?”

“No.”

“I’m shaving you bald.”

-

His hair has been rinsed and blow dried and you’ve been making eyes at him for the past ten minutes while he shoves ramen noodles in his mouth.

“Can you stop staring so hard? My head’s about to catch fire.” His mouth is full.

“No. No I cannot.” His eyes roll and he sets his now empty bowl down.

“So… about that ‘earth-shattering head’ you mentioned?”

[lucy90712]

reader x pedri where pedri gets taken care of/sleepy and tired

Today has been a long day my boyfriend Pedri had to leave the house quite early this morning as he had an away game this evening so I had to wake up and say goodbye and wish him good luck. The team played really well and they got a good win which I wish I could've been there to see but I can never really go to away games as I have other things to do at home. The one thing I try and always do is stay up to greet Pedri when he comes home even if it's late I like to see him to either congratulate or console him based on the result. Every time he tells me not to stay up but I know he likes it when I'm there to greet him at the door. 

Tonight's game was a champions league game so the team have a bit of a longer flight but I got a text around 20 minutes ago from Pedri telling me he's on his way home. That means he should be home any minute now at nearly 3am and hopefully we can both go to bed because I'm exhausted so I can't imagine how tired Pedri is. I heard a car pulling into the driveway and our security cameras confirmed that it was Pedri which I knew it would be but I always have to check. It took a few minutes but eventually I heard the front door opening so I got myself up to greet Pedri, as soon as I saw him I could tell he was exhausted and a lot more than usual. His eyes looked really tired and he didn't seem to have any energy left as he dropped his bag on the floor and nearly fell over taking his shoes off. 

"Hey love congratulations you did so well out there" I said 

"Thanks it was good to play again" Pedri said coming over and putting his arms around my waist and his head in the crook of my neck 

"You should've gone to bed it's late and you have work in the morning" Pedri said still attached to me

"You know I like to wait for you to come home plus I can't sleep knowing you are on your way home how about we go to bed now though I can tell you are really tired" I said 

Instead of letting go of me so we could go to bed he only held onto me tighter. Pedri can be clingy sometimes but I've never seen him this clingy usually he just wants my attention for a bit so we will cuddle but right now it seems as though he won't survive if he's isn't attached to me. I know it's because he's tried and in the morning since he's had some sleep he won't be this clingy but I kind of love it. We don't often get much time together sometimes so it's moments like this that I love to just soak up but we can't stand here all night because Pedri's right I do have work in the morning and he clearly needs sleep too. 

I felt awful trying to escape his arms but I knew he understood because he didn't put up a fight instead he just grabbed my hand and we walked upstairs together. I got ready for bed hours ago but Pedri still needed to brush his teeth and get changed so I left him to do that while I sorted his stuff out for him. Usually when he gets home after an away game he leaves his bag by the door and deals with it in the morning but tonight I decided I'd just do it for him. All I had to do was put some things in the wash and put away everything else which didn't take me too long. While putting things away I noticed that Pedri had one of the matching bracelets we got when we first started dating from a tourist shop as a joke. Of course I still have mine too but I didn't realise that he took his with him to games and that just melted my heart as he's secretly such a sentimental person and no one else gets to really see that side of him. 

By the time I had sorted everything out and went back to the bedroom Pedri was already in bed but he had sorted out the pillows on my side of the bed and had the covers prepared for me to just get in. I crawled in and straight away Pedri put his arms around my waist and cuddled into my side moving around until he was comfortable. Most nights he likes me to sleep nearly on top of him but sometimes he's a bit more cuddly like tonight and I love that. Pedri is always taking care of me just in general but especially when I've had a long day and I'm tired so getting to do the same for him feels really good and I feel like I'm finally getting to give back a fraction of what he does for me. 

As much as he’s tired he won’t go to sleep until he knows I’m settled and ok so to get him to go to sleep I started running my hands through his hair. He loves when I play with his hair and scratch his scalp it nearly always sends him to sleep. As soon as my hands touched his hair he tucked his head further into my neck and I could hear his breathing slow down as he finally let himself relax. Pedri was right on the verge of falling asleep but I still felt him gently kiss my neck as he realised he hadn’t kissed me goodnight which he does every night. 

“Goodnight love you” Pedri whispered 

“Love you too now get some sleep” I whispered back kissing his head 

Within minutes he was lightly snoring but I stayed up for a bit longer making sure he was sleep before I too went to sleep to get a few hours sleep before I have to get up for work. 

[avenging-fandoms]

imagine if you lost your wedding ring? husband!pedro would be ON IT and he’d give you a new one in the cutest way

**fem pronouns

-

You were just rinsing off the plates before the dishwasher, doesn’t everyone do that? All the moving of plates, pans, utensils, everything. Washing your hands you realized you weren’t hitting your ring.

Your stomach drops, checking every surrounding area, the sink and even the dishwasher with soaking wet soapy hands, cursing to yourself and falling onto the floor.

“Princesa, what’s going on?” Pedro grabbed a towel and wiped your hands, and he knew. “Oh no.. did you lose it?”

“Pedrito I’m sorry, I forgot to take it off. That was our wedding bands from Chilé, Pedro! What if they’re shut down?!” You sobbed and he shushed you, holding your head to his chest.

“Honey it’s okay, we can try and find it, okay?” You sniffle and nod, wiping your nose. Pedro pulls out his phone and calls the only person he knows how to fix this.

Oscar came over with his box of tools and it made you giggle. “I owe you 10 bucks Pedrito.”

“For what?” Oscar lightly punched your arm and kissed your head.

“If you looked like a dad when you walked in.” Pedro laughed and Oscar rolled his eyes. “So my lovely wife over there was rinsing the dishes and her ring fell in the drain, so she claims.”

“So I’m going to take apart your pipe not knowing if it’s in there?” Oscar asks and opens the cabinets.

“It’s our house. If you can’t find it then we’ll figure something out.” Pedro nudged you and you pout, trying not to cry again.

After two hours of taking apart the sink and getting excited for nothing a few times, you came to realize your ring was gone. Oscar apologized and hugged you while rubbing your arm, Pedro on his phone while leaning over the island.

“I think he’s mad at me.” You whisper and Pedro looks up at you through the top of his glasses. Oscar nods, saying his goodbyes quickly and leaving your house.

Pedro stood up and locked his phone on the counter, stuffing his hands in his pockets. You look at him with a pout and walk over to him, hugging around his arms. “I’m really really sorry Pedro. I feel sick, I feel awful. I can wear one of those silicone rings-”

Pedro backed away from you and your eyes scan his face for an emotion. His eyes were soft, his puppy dog look. Your eyebrows pushed together slowly and he dropped to one knee.

“I kept this a secret from you for almost 5 years. When I ordered our rings, I ordered 2 of each, just in case something like this happened.” Pedro pulled out the box he used to propose and you cover your smile as you look at him. “Yn Pascal, would you do me the absolute honor of marrying me? ..Again?”

You laugh and drop to your knees, kissing him over and over again. “Yes, yes. Pedro I love you so much.” You cry and he smiles, sliding the ring on your finger. “I will super glue this to my finger now.” You joke and Pedro laughs, standing up with you as he kissed you.

“I love you, honey.”

[samaraannhan20]

Austin Butler: College AU! Hostage Situation

Warnings: age gap, college! reader, I think that's all

inspired by this tik tok

“Are you sure you have to leave tomorrow night?” I ask Austin as I walk back into our bedroom. 

“Yes,” he says with a light chuckle, and I groan, throwing my head back and staring at the ceiling as I walk towards the bed. 

“Really? Can’t you stay just another day?” I say, climbing onto the bed and promptly onto Austin’s lap. 

“I wish. Press starts the afternoon after I get in though. I have to leave on time,” he responds, leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine. 

“Have I ever told you how little I enjoy the press season?” I ask him, and he laughs. 

“Yes, all the time,” he says with a laugh, and then leans forward pressing another peck onto my lips. “However, after this press tour you’ll almost be done with school, and will be able to come with me on the Bikeriders press tour, since it got pushed.”

“That’s true. I know that the strike was awful and it sucked that you couldn’t promote your stuff, but selfishly I was glad to have that extra time with you, especially since it was right around when we started planning our wedding.”

“Yeah we were lucky and we got too used to it. But I’ll only be gone for a month this time, and then I’ll be here and we can keep working on wedding stuff, and you can graduate, and then we can go on vacation and the next press tour together,” he says, squeezing my waist where his hands are resting. 

“I don’t want to go thirty days without you though. That’s forever,” I say, and lay my head down on his chest. 

“It’s not the longest we’ve been apart though,” he responds, and I roll off of him and onto my back on my side of the bed, laying on my back.

“I know. But it’s going to feel like forever. Especially since we’re missingValentines Day, and our anniversary a week later,” I say, rolling onto my side to look at him. He shifts down and lays down on his side as well, reaching a hand out and gently stroking my cheek. 

“It’ll be okay. It won’t be the first holiday we miss, and it probably won’t be the last.” I sigh and lean into his hand, and we fall asleep in exactly that position. 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“Good morning honey,” I say as I turn over when I wake up in the morning. Austin just grumbles in response.

Oh, I think to myself. I didn’t think he’d want to sleep in today since he has to leave this evening and he hasn’t even packed. Oh well. I guess I could go wash my face and brush my teeth while I wait. I get out of bed and head to the bathroom. 

When I come back into the room a few minutes later Austin still hasn’t moved, so I decide to walk over to his side of the bed. I squat down on the floor and look at him, trying to decide whether or not I want to wake  him up. I ultimately decide against it, and stand up to leave, before noticing his phone on the bedside table. I quietly grab what I need and head into the closet to get dressed for the day.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“Hey darlin?” Austin asks a couple hours later when he walks into the living room, where I’ve been watching tv while he packs.

“What’s up?” I ask, pausing the television and turning to look at him over the back of the couch. “How’s packing going?”

“I’m almost done, but do you know where my phone charger is?” he asks.

“I think I saw it in the kitchen while I was making breakfast,” I respond, turning back to the television and hoping he doesn’t notice the flush on my cheeks. 

“Really? Did you move it there? Because my phone was fully charged on the nightstand when I woke up this morning,” he responds, and I slide down a bit on the couch, focusing all my attention on the tv.

“That’s weird. I didn’t move it. It was just there when I made breakfast. You must have left it there after dinner last night.”

“But I know I plugged it in last night, in the bedroom. So how was it 100% charged when I woke up if I left the charger in the kitchen last night?” he asks, rounding the couch to stand in front of the tv, making me focus on him.

“Um… I plead the fifth?” I say quietly, sliding even further down the couch. 

“Darlin, are you trying to hold me hostage with a phone charger?” he asks, coming towards me and squatting down to look me in the eyes from where I am now laying on the couch. 

“... yes.”

“You do know I’ll be back in about a month, right?” he says, reaching out and taking my hands in his. 

“Yeah, but what if I can’t make it that long? I’m kinda impatient when it comes to spending time with you,” I respond, sitting up a little in order to talk to him easier. 

“Kinda like how you begged me to come back from Ashley’s earlier than I had planned on so we could cuddle the other night?” he asks with a teasing lilt in his voice. 

“Yes. Except now I can’t just ask you to come home early because you can’t. Plus… I have to wait an entire 30 days til I see you again?! That’s like… 720 HOURS!”

“That was… extremely accurate,” he says, trying not to laugh.

“It’s not funny. I did the math when I woke up this morning and you weren’t awake yet. I was bored and lonely,” I say, slinking away from him and back into the couch. 

“You could have woken me up,” he says, reaching out and squeezing my thigh as he places his hand on it. 

“That’s a lot of hours that I’m going to spend missing you.”

“You’re cute when you’re being dramatic, you know that right?” he asks, and I playfully stick my tongue out at him.  “You do know, distance makes the heart grow fonder.”

“I think it just means I don’t get kisses.”

“I don’t either,” he responds, reaching out and placing his hand on my cheek, rubbing it softly. I melt a little, leaning even closer to him, while consciously trying not to knock him over as I lean in. “I know that leaving isn’t ideal. I know I won’t get to give you back rubs. I won’t be able to make you tea in the morning or do your homework with you. But, you know that’ll change at some point, right?”

“Yes…”

“And you know,” he kisses my forehead, “that I’ll message and video call you as much as possible right?”

“Mhm. But that’s 2d. It’s not the same.”

“You’re right. It’s not. That just means I gotta appreciate the little things. Like right now.”

“Seee, you don’t wanna leave either.”

“Lovely, if I wanted to leave already, I would have grabbed the charger from the closet. Where I saw you put it while I was laying down,” he says, and I pull away, standing up and knocking him over in the process.

“YOU FAKED BEING ASLEEP?!”

“YOU HID MY CHARGER?!” he responds, laughing from his spot, sprawled out on the floor. 

“Touche,” I say, holding out a hand to help him off the floor. He takes it, and instead of standing up, yanks me down to the floor. I land on top of him with a groan escaping my lips as he wraps his arms tightly around me. “ I would have given it to you eventually. Like after lunch,” I say when I catch my breath.  He laughs, and shakes his head.

“No you wouldn’t.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Compromise,” he says, reaching up and tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I won’t get it out of the closet until after lunch, and until then we can spend some time together watching Dance Moms reruns.”

“JOJO! HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING!” I scream in his face, quickly standing up and running away. He cracks up as he stands up and chases after me. He catches me and pulls me into him, smothering my face and neck in kisses. 

“I take that as a yes?” he says as he peppers kisses up and down my neck. 

“Duh.”

“Touche,” he says, and then turns around and pats my thighs. I laugh and jump onto his back, and he carries me over to the couch, dropping me down on it, and then sitting down next to me and pulling my legs onto his lap. 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“So, what do you want for lunch?” I ask a few episodes of Dance Moms later.

“I’m not sure. But what’s the rush in choosing? We can take our time.” I sigh and curl into his side more than I already was, and press a kiss to his shoulder. 

“I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” he says, and takes my chin in his hand, leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine. When he pulls away he smiles. “One last couch Chipotle date before I leave?”

“When have I ever said no to that? But also I hope you don’t expect me to not have Chipotle the entire time you’re gone. I could never do that,” I say, and he laughs, pulling me back into him for another kiss.

[bonefall]

Ooh, another based "Shellheart gets too much hype in canon" truther? Is it because he actually does shockingly little to stop or protest Rainflower's treatment of Crookedstar as a kit, or something else?

It's a few things honestly, all of them bug me just enough to make me pretty steadfast in feeling like Shellheart is overrated;

Crooked's renaming feels so preventable. Really, Dad Shellheart? You have no say in this? You can't protest this??

You too Hailstar, what the fuck. Leaders are theocratic dictators 90% of the time but TODAY you feel like just letting this woman involve your entire Clan in her emotional abuse?

So it feels like lip service, "Omg Rainflower's being so awful! Don't worry though us powerful men can still be likeable because we don't like this :( too bad our all-powerful hands are tied."

Shellheart wasn't very involved with his children BEFORE denouncing Rainflower, so he does this whole big show of it and theeeeen..... nothing changes.

I'm reminded of how deadbeat fathers will sometimes blow into town with a whirlwind of big talk about doing something big for their neglected family, only to be gone again before Christmas.

Or, worse, the idea that Shellheart ONLY stopped being official mates with Rainflower because he's deputy, and it would look awful if he did nothing at all in the face of such an unpopular situation. Washing his hands of it.

And listen. I know people will staunchly refuse to acknowledge that these aren't real people, they are WRITING CHOICES. But please. I'm begging everyone to stick with me for a goddamn second

Ask yourself these critical thinking questions:

Why have the writers chosen for the mother to be solely responsible for Crookedstar's childhood abuse, whilst portraying Shellheart's solitary big public denouncement as the pinnacle of fatherhood? As he's barely involved in his children's lives?

Do they functionally portray Shellheart as a father who helps his son through maternal neglect? Or are the scenes quite rare? If yes, then what did the author spend their time on instead?

Consider the narrative of Crookedstar's other main antagonist, Mapleshade. Does Mapleshade's backstory have any similarities to Rainflower? Consider the choice to give Crookedstar two cruel maternal figures who act on malice towards him as paternal figure Shellheart goes unexamined.

Is this a pattern that we have seen before? Are fathers typically held to a different standard in Warrior Cats?

I feel strongly that the answer is an obvious yes. So Shellheart, and all the praise and cooing he gets, bothers me immensely.

[ticklygiggles]

Lovelynim's tickletober Day 3: Cleaning

Patrochilles

A/N: Cleaning = bathing? Of course it does! Written in first person bc I can't resist writing Patroclus like in the original *ugly sobbing in the distance* my boys

My heart sank at the sight of him as it always did. Achilles' armour was dripping with blood and I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose in disgust at the awful metallic smell filling my nostrils.

Achilles smiled widely at me as soon as our eyes met and tried to smile back, but I couldn't shake the sickening feeling mixed with relief at seeing him back.

"You smell terrible." On another occasion, my heart would have danced with joy at hearing Achilles's chuckle, but this time I couldn't help but frown. "Are you hurt?"

"You know I'm not."

I knew he wasn't.

"I'm gonna clean up. I'll see you in a moment."

"I'll help you out."

We headed to the forest stream, where we usually cleaned ourselves, far from the Trojan rivers and the eyes of the Myrmidons. Achilles entered the water in his armor, and the clarity of the stream turned dark red, the water carrying away the Trojan blood and a little of Achilles' humanity. I sighed and took off my clothes, going in as well when the armor was almost clean, I helped him take it off and he shivered a little as he felt the cool water touch his bare skin.

"Is it too cold?" I asked as I watched Achilles cast off his helmet, his beautiful golden hair disheveled and dirty.

He shook his head and I nodded, rummaging through my clothes, looking for the olive soap I sneaked a life ago. I didn't use it on myself very often, but on Achilles. He had grown up like a dear prince, his feet always soft because of the oils he used, but now... I sighed again, rubbing the soap between my hands before turning to look at Achilles. My heart skipped a beat as I saw that he already had his eyes on me, smiling sweetly.

"What?" I asked, my voice a bit shaky.

"You've been sighing a lot."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm. It's something the matter?"

"No." I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think about anything other than Achilles. He nodded and I placed my soapy hands in his hair, gently rubbing his scalp with my nails.

"I can do this myself, you know?" There was a bit of laughter in his voice and I couldn't help but smile slightly. "I'm not a child."

"Hmm, and yet you're still a picky eater sometimes." Achilles laughed softly, but ultimately let me continue. I thoroughly washed his head, getting rid of blood, sweat and dirt. The soap on my hands was gone rather quickly, so I wet the bar of soap again and rubbed it in my hands, creating more lather. I cleaned his ears, his neck, and my cheeks and ears became red when my fingers caressed his collarbone, his chest and the curve of his waist.

Achilles flinched a little and he suddenly laughed and I blushed even more, thinking he was making fun of me, but when I was about to tell him to stop, I felt his strong hands grabbing my wrists and pulling them away from his body.

I looked up and my heart swelled at the sight of his huge smile. His cheeks were rosy, as if he had spent a lot of time under the sun. I was breathless. It had been a long time since I had seen that huge smile and shy look.

I knew perfectly well what was happening and I couldn't help but smile widely, my worries immediately disappearing.

"Are you still ticklish?"

Achilles shook his head, clearing his throat and letting go of my wrists. "I'm not. You just touched me too lightly a-and gahaha!"

"Okay, let's just continue then," I said, my soapy hands quickly moving under his arms, my fingers wiggling and lightly digging into his warm skin.

Achilles laughed brightly, my heart dancing at the beautiful sound. I laughed too, following his every move with my tickly fingers, wanting to force out more of that sweet laughter so the memories of our time with Chiron could keep clouding my mind.

"Ahahaha! Not thehere!" He said, desperately trying to pull my hands away from under his arms.

I chuckled. "What do you mean not there? You need to wash thoroughly."

Achilles would take his revenge on me, and would surely reduce me to a laughing, squealing mess, but I didn't care. He could do whatever he wanted with me, and, for now at least, I could do whatever I wanted with him, too. In this little part of the forest, away from everyone's eyes and in our little world.

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

HIII I want to say i love your OCs and your writing that i binge reading them everytime 🥰, especially i love your Yandere Jock story cause I weak for sweet himbo man but actually scary, lol.

If you don't mind , can i ask for a scenario where Damon is playing for tournament, but his team losing by a lot now cause Damon not feeling great at that time, so his coach have to use their ultimate card, bring Y/n here to cheer. Therefore, in middle break, the coach had to snatch Y/n from library, using their authority as PE teacher that Y/n has to follow. Damon shock at seeing Y/N in the tournament , even sitting at the team seat. He asked why is she here,

Y/n grumpy said "I got brought here because you stupid playing today, why are you suddenly so bad?? I thought you were the best player in this school!!!. Fine!! If you don't even win this tournament, then no point in giving you a kiss" . Damon heart stopped at that sentence. Y/n promise him a kiss if he win this??? Afterward, he went back to the tournament feeling full energy and totally annihilated the rival team. After tournament end, with everyone gone wash up and went to party to celebrate the win, only Damon and Y/n in the shower room, hungrily kissing Y/n and make out 🫣

Unbeknownst to everyone, the reason Damon was not in the mood to play was because Y/n rejected his invite to his tournament to focus on her exam lmao

Yandere! Jock x Honor student! fem! reader everyday tidbits: encouragement

"What the hell, Damon?!" One of Damon's teammates screamed at him, exasperated by this usually amazing jock turn into this... Dunce.

"Come on, Damon. What's happening with ya?" One teammate also whispered, patting him on his shoulder. "We need your head in the game here, man. You're our MVP, please, don't be like this."

Damon only frowned, annoyed and sluggish. He really wants to lash out, but he knows he can't due to being this nice guy, so he gave a sheepish smile.

"Sorry..." He whispered, trying to get into the zone, but nothing.

The coach noticed this and frowned.

"What's happening to the guy?" The coach asked the member who got benched earlier.

"Dunno. He seems distracted coach." The guy muttered, looking around the bleachers. "Huh... Maybe the reason is that y/n is not here?"

The coach looked at the usual spot you would sit on. And he's right, you weren't there at all.

"... Are you thinking what i'm thinking?" The coach whispered, and the other members nodded.

"You, you watch the game. I gotta go fetch someone." The coach pointed at his assistant before running towards the library, hoping you're there.

He bursted open, earning quite a handful of jumps and yelps, and earning the ire of the librarian and staff.

"The basketball coach? What are you--" The librarian was about to nag when he waved him off.

"No time, I gotta find a student."

Then, he found you, just reading a book that you were too busy with to notice him.

"You, come with me." He said, getting up to your face and frightening you to nodding.

You got dragged to the court and paused when you saw the scores.

"What the hell..?" You whispered under your breath, before narrowing your eyes when you saw Damon looking so off his game.

Pursing your lips, you got to your usual seat and leaned on the railing.

"Oi! You damn dingus!" You yelled, making the whole stadium look at you. The referee was about to charge but the coach made him stop. "What's with this pathetic display? What happened to your skills? Gone? Fine! If you don't do good... No kisses!"

The whole stadium bursts in awe, squeals and blushes of bashfulness.

But Damon was the only one you're looking at, and you watched his face go from bewildered to horror.

"No! I want my kisses!" He yelled, suddenly getting energized and making a mad dash towards the hoop and dunking, earning a three points.

The stadium cheered, making you calm down as his a-game rose.

"Finally..." You grumbled, annoyed but felt good that he got energized when you got here.

Sure, you were also the reason why he's distracted. You did say you won't be attending the game since you're busy with studying...

But come on, he's been thriving before you...

You watched him suddenly getting shot after shot, and hiding from the University journalists trying to cop a pic from you.

After the whole thing, Damon completely annihilated the whole rival team. Looking scary as steam emitted from his body due to his body temperature and the stadium temperature difference.

You sighed in relief before finally going down and back to the library.

Surely, he would go celebrate his victory with his teammate right?

You walked moderately, and when you passed by their locker room, you suddenly got pulled in.

The door locked.

"So, where's my reward?" Damon, freshly showered, caged you between his arms before capturing your lips in a hungry kiss.

Yeah, he's hungry. But not for food, that's for sure.

[adiraargent]

Slytherin Boys (Taylors Version)

This is part 2 - the other boys are on part 1 summary: Slytherin boys (Taylor's Version) x Reader warnings: swearing, smoking includes: Regulus Black, Blaise Zabini, Lorenzo Berkshire wc: 1532

Part 1

seven - Regulus Black

The air in the Black family manor was heavy with tension, a suffocating weight that seemed to press down on Regulus Black's shoulders with every passing moment. "Don't you dare walk away from me Regulus Black! Get your ass back down here right now before I'm forced to do something I won't like."

His fathers voice echoed through the halls around him, Regulus flinching slightly at the tone, memories of endless nights where his father had used the cruciatus curse on him.

He moved through the grand halls with a sense of unease, his steps hesitant as he navigated the labyrinth of memories that haunted the very walls of his home. Part of him hoped that Sirius would come out, maybe comfort him or something... but then he was harshly reminded that his brother was gone. He had left, found a new family and left him behind to deal with their awful parents by himself.

As he entered his room, Regulus couldn't shake the feeling of dread that clung to him like a second skin. He knew what awaited him beyond the closed door, the looming presence of his father casting a shadow over everything he did. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to face the inevitable confrontation that awaited him.

It was then that he heard your voice, a beacon of light in the darkness that threatened to consume him. You were sitting on his bed, your eyes filled with concern as you took in the sight of him standing there, a mere shell of the man you knew him to be.

I've been meaning to tell you

You bit your tongue, trying to think of the best thing to say to him as you pushed yourself off the bed, walking over to your boyfriend.

"Reggie..." your voice soft with empathy. "I think your house is haunted. Your dad is always mad, and that must be why."

Regulus's heart clenched at your words, the truth of them hitting him like a blow to the chest. His father's anger was a constant presence in their home, a dark cloud that hung over them like a curse. And yet, he had never dared to voice his fears, never allowed himself to admit just how much his father's rage had shaped his life.

But you saw through the facade, saw the pain and the fear that lay hidden beneath the surface. And in that moment, Regulus felt a flicker of hope ignite within him, a glimmer of light in the darkness that threatened to consume him.

"I think you should come live with me," you continued, your voice filled with determination.

And we can be pirates. Then you won't have to cry or hide in the closet.

You stand in front of him, your hand reaching up to swipe a tear off his cheek. Regulus's heart swelled with gratitude at your offer, the warmth of your love washing over him like a wave. To leave his home, to escape the clutches of his father's tyranny and forge a new life with you by his side – it was a dream he had scarcely allowed himself to entertain.

But as he looked into your eyes, he knew that it was a dream worth fighting for, worth risking everything he had ever known. F

And just like a folk song Our love will be passed on

"I love you," Regulus whispered softly, leaning forward to kiss you softly on the head before resting his forehead against yours, "I'm so grateful to have you in my life."

false god - Blaise Zabini

The air crackled with tension as you stood face to face with Blaise, your heart heavy with the weight of unspoken words and unresolved emotions.

We were crazy to think Crazy to think that this could work

"I really thought that this was going to work," you whispered, your voice barely audible, the memories of happier times flooding your mind. "Fuck, I really was crazy to think that this could work."

Blaise's eyes flickered with pain as he took in your words, the echoes of your past mistakes hanging heavy in the air between you. He felt guilty, he knew it was his fault. He knew he shouldn't have joined the death eaters, but his parents had raised him to do it from the moment he was born.

He reached out, his fingers trembling as they brushed against your cheek, a silent plea for forgiveness that left your heart aching with longing.

"Remember how I said I'd die for you?" he asked, his voice trembling with emotion. "I really did mean it darling, I still do. I'd die for you."

We were stupid to jump, to believe that our love could conquer everything.

"Really?"

Blaise's expression softened at your words, a flicker of hope igniting in his eyes as he dared to believe in the possibility of redemption. "I still do it for you, babe," he whispered, his voice filled with a mixture of love and regret, "this is killing me, please just trust me. We can get through this, I promise."

But you couldn't shake the feeling of doubt that lingered in the depths of your soul, the fear of repeating past mistakes casting a shadow over your heart. "They all warned us about times like this," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "They say the road gets hard, that we get lost when we're led by blind faith."

Blaise's hand tightened around yours, a silent promise to stand by your side through whatever trials may lie ahead. "But we might just get away with it," he murmured, his voice a gentle reassurance. "Even if it's a false god, we'd still worship this love. We'd still worship us."

I know heaven's a thing I go there when you touch me

You reached up to his cheek, he leant into your palm, his eyes shutting lightly at the touch, savouring the feeling he got from your skin incase this was the last time he would get to experience it.

Make confessions and we're begging for forgiveness

"I'm so fucking sorry," Blaise choked out, looking into your eyes, begging you for forgiveness. "Please please please, im sorry."

Still worship this love Even if it's a false god Even if it's a false god Still worship this love

midnight rain - Enzo Berkshire

The rain fell softly against the windowpane, a gentle rhythm that echoed the tumultuous emotions swirling within your heart. You watched the droplets cascade down the glass, each one a poignant reminder of the choices you had made, the paths you had chosen to walk.

Lorenzo Berkshire stood beside you, his presence a comforting warmth in the cold, lonely night. But despite the solace he offered, you couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at your soul, the ache of regret that lingered in the depths of your being.

Rain, he wanted it comfortable I wanted that pain

"You always loved the rain," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper, the word heavy with meaning.

Lorenzo's brow furrowed in concern as he listened to your words, the lines of worry etched into his features. He reached out, his hand coming to rest on yours, a silent gesture of understanding that spoke volumes more than words ever could.

He wanted a bride I was making my own name Chasing that fame He stayed the same All of me changed like midnight

"I should have said yes," you continued, your voice tinged with bitterness. "But I was too busy trying to get stronger, just for some fucking fame. And in the process, I lost sight of what truly mattered."

"You know you never did it for fame my love," he whispered, "you did it to get stronger and protect the people you cared about most."

He was sunshine, I was midnight rain He wanted it comfortable I wanted that pain

You fought back a sob, eyes staring out the window, the coldness od the room beginning to make you shake. "You always saw the best in me, even if there really was nothing good to see." Lorenzo's grip tightened around you. But despite his unwavering support, you couldn't help but feel the weight of your decisions pressing down on you like a burden too heavy to bear.

"All of me changed like midnight," you whispered, the words a lament for the person you had once been, the dreams you had once held dear. "And now, I'm left wondering if it was all worth it."

The silence stretched between you, heavy with the weight of unspoken truths and shattered illusions. And as you stood together in the dim light of the room, you couldn't help but feel a pang of longing for the simplicity of the past, for the love you had left behind in pursuit of something more.

So I peered through a window A deep portal, time travel All the love we unravel And the life I gave away

You look up at the window, glaring at your reflection... the only reflection shown on the glass. You were alone. He wasn't here, you hadnt seen him for years.

You thought about him every now and then, drinking to try and numb the pain, to try and convince yourself that you had made the right decision... or maybe that one day things would go back to how they had been.

But deep down, you knew that there was no going back, no undoing the choices you had made. And as you watched the rain continue to fall outside, you couldn't help but wonder if, somewhere out there in the darkness, he was thinking of you too.

I guess sometimes we all get Some kind of haunted, some kind of haunted And I never think of him Except on midnights like this (midnights like this)

written by @adiraargent

Requests and tips open :)

[hayakawalove]

Sugar and Spice

Description: Time has passed since your last encounter with Suguru, and all seems to be back to normal, much to your dismay. What will happen when Satoru finally brings Suguru back to his house? (PART TWO OF MY “Sugar” SERIES)

TW: Reader is referred to as a girl, reader accidentally cuts her finger, daddy kink, alcohol intoxication

A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH TO @icepopbucky23 for uttering the words sugar daddy gojo to me and @juicyT on Archive of Our Own for helping brainstorm ideas for this fic. And I can't say thank you enough to @zeninsama for coauthoring this fic with me. They went through and did so much editing and helped fix it up, this fic wouldn't be CLOSE to how good it is now without their help. Please go check them out!

Part One

Part Three

Banner credit to: @benkeibear

The heat scorches your skin as you lay by the poolside, sipping lemonade from a little pink straw.

You'll be at Satoru's house all weekend, so you want to make good use of the amenities. It wasn't that your house was awful, Satoru made sure of that. You couldn't complain about a luxury apartment in the best part of town, but you much prefer his place. Not only did it have things like a pool and hot tub – it also included him. Well, for the most part.

He came home from his business trip extremely exhausted, so the two of you took it easy this past week. Each time you had sex was lazy, intimate. The only thing was, Satoru never mentioned what happened with Suguru while he was gone. It was getting to the point where you thought it must've all been a dream.

Did he forget? No, there's no way.

You thought about it each time you were home, the spicy scent of Suguru's cologne greeting you as you crawled into bed. You'd breathe in deeply and let it overwhelm your senses when you touched yourself, wishing your fingers could stretch you in the way you craved. Satoru was busy, leaving you to tend to your own needs. How cruel. Admittedly, you haven't washed your bed sheets since that night. You told yourself it was because you were lazy, but in reality, you were addicted to his scent.

Images of Suguru flashed through your mind as you touched yourself. You couldn't stop thinking about what Satoru said – about letting the two men take you. It made your mouth water and your head swirl.

The sound of the back door opening snaps you from your daydream. You perk up at the flash of bright white hair.

"Bunny?" Satoru calls out.

His gaze lands upon you sitting in the pool chair, wearing the cute pink bikini he bought you as a birthday gift. It leaves little to the imagination. He makes a mental note in the back of his mind to buy you more of those.

A squeal escapes your mouth as you hop up from the pool chair.

"Daddy!" You rush towards Satoru, pushing onto your toes to wrap your arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I missed you so much!"

As you rest your chin on his shoulder, you catch a glimpse of dark hair behind him that makes your stomach drop.

Suguru.

"We have a visitor, darling." Satoru says.

Your breath hitches, but you put on a brave face.

There's a moment of silence between the three of you. You're not certain how you should greet him after everything that happened. So you keep it simple and sweet.

"Hi, Suguru!"

You reach out and pull the other man into a hug, chest pressing flush into his. For a second, you swear you hear his breath catch in his throat at the proximity. No, you chide yourself, I'm probably just imagining it.

After hugging Suguru, you return to your rightful place beside Satoru. You wrap your arms around his arm, holding it close to your body.

"And to what do we owe this pleasure?" You bat your eyelashes up at the two men.

Suguru's eyes slowly make their way down to your chest, taking in every inch of exposed skin, his attention making your cheeks heat. It wasn't long ago that his hands wandered across your body, making you scream out.

You shake the images from your brain and redirect your attention to Satoru.

"We were just on our way to a meeting but I wanted to stop by and say hi to my favorite girl." Satoru says, leading the two of you inside.

You nod along and let go of Satoru, keeping your eyes on the men as you make your way to the kitchen to fix yourself a drink. The two start discussing work again and the words fly over your head. Sometimes you wish you could understand Satoru's work jargon, but that idea was quickly squashed. That's not what you're paid to do. No, you're paid for something else entirely.

Your eyes slowly wander over to Suguru as you slice up strawberries for your drink. He smiles and nods along with Satoru, occasionally laughing each time a joke was made. In your daze, your hand slips, the sharp blade of the knife slicing open your finger.

You yelp in pain as blood bubbles to the tip, eyes brimmed with tears. Both men immediately stop their conversation and look over to you.

"Y/N! Are you okay?" Satoru rushes to your side.

You look at him with teary eyes, your bottom lip trembling.

"Oh, sweetpea, let's get you bandaged up." Satoru guides you towards the bathroom by the small of your back, barely glancing over his shoulder as he tells-not-asks Suguru, "you don't mind cutting those up, right?"

You look over your shoulder as you walk, watching Suguru get up from the couch before you round the corner.

Water rushes over your finger, you hiss at the sting.

"What happened, bunny? Something distract you?" Satoru coos.

"No..." You trail off.

Satoru's eyes flick up to yours. You aren't quite looking at him, your eyes are glazed over and your mind still clearly swept up in whatever you've got floating around in there. The corner of his mouth quirks up.

Oh, I see.

He wraps a bandage around your finger and kisses your forehead.

"There. All better!" Satoru cheers.

You hold your injured finger close to your chest as Satoru leads you back to the kitchen. Your eyes met with Suguru's, a dull ache beginning to spread between your thighs. He finishes cutting the fruit and scoops the little pieces into your glass.

He steps back and looks at you while popping a strawberry into his mouth. He licks the fruit juice from his thumb as he passes you, your knees weak at the sight.

"Thank you, Sugu." You mumble.

The men resume their discussion as you continue fixing your drink, pouring the rest of the ingredients into your glass. You follow shortly after, sipping on your fruity little drink.

Satoru spreads his legs and opens his arms to accommodate you, still deep in conversation with Suguru. You settle onto his lap, resting your head on his shoulder and nuzzling into his neck. The sound of their voices, low and soft, begin to lull you, along with the way Satoru absently rubs your back.

A warm rush flushes through your body as the alcohol takes effect.

"Sweetheart?" Satoru pulls you from your thoughts.

You perk your head up obediently.

There's something about the look on his face, eyelids heavy and lips drawn in a lazy smirk.

"Why don't you give Suguru some love too? We don't want our guest feeling left out."

"Yes, daddy."

You sip the rest of your drink before scooting off Satoru's lap and ditching the glass on the coffee table.

Suguru's dark eyes watch as you clumsily make your way across the room and sit on his lap, warm and solid under your bare legs. The only thing separating the two of you is your thin bikini and his business attire. Your body tingles as Suguru places his warm hand on your bare thigh.

You rest your head against his shoulder, breathing deeply. You begin to feel sleepy against him, your head spinning. Maybe you put too much liquid courage in your drink.

Well, you were feeling sleepy.

Suguru adjusts his posture, causing his lap to shift. You feel something hard against your bottom. You whimper in response, once again interrupting their conversation.

"Is something wrong, bunny?" Satoru asks, eyebrow raised.

The words seemed to float over you. You hum in response and clutch Suguru's shirt, closing your eyes.

"I think she's feeling good." Satoru laughs.

You feel a rumble underneath you as Suguru laughs along.

"I think we should make Suguru feel good too, baby."

Curiously, you raise your head and look at Satoru. He held no animosity in his eyes. You look back at Suguru, eyes flitting towards his lips. Without another thought, you wrap your arms around his neck and pull him close for a kiss.

His lips are warm and plush against yours. It's like you're starving for his touch, hungry for his kiss. The warmth spreads quickly over your body as you feel his tongue slide against your bottom lip.

You moan out as your lips part, grinding your ass against his groin. Satoru's gaze is sharp against your back. Your lips part for a breath and you look into Suguru's hazy eyes.

Satoru crosses one leg over the other, watching the two of you. To say he looked amused would be an understatement.

Your lips press against Suguru's once more, high on the feeling he gives you. Your ass grinds down harder against him, not caring about the show you were putting on for Satoru.

Satoru gets off the couch and waltzes over to you two. You pull back and look up at him, at the hunger filling his eyes. The pad of his thumb presses down on your swollen lower lip, baring your teeth.

"Will you stand up for me, baby?" Satoru asks, his eyes scanning your face.

You nod quickly, lifting off of Suguru's lap. He stands up after you, his hands finding purchase on your hips. You couldn't stop yourself from pulling Suguru's face down to you, immediately placing your lips to his once more.

You stand between the two men, their bodies warm and solid through the layers of clothing. Satoru presses against your back, his hands sliding down your body.

"Come on, bunny, let's get Suguru more comfortable," Satoru eggs on. His voice washes over your head, almost dreamlike, barely hearing his words through the soft smacking of your lips.

You pull away and lower your hands to the bottom of Suguru's shirt. Undoing each button takes a small eternity, but eventually you're met with his bare chest. You look up at him beneath your lashes.

Satoru's breath caresses the shell of your ear. He grabs your hand and guides it lower, pressing your palm against the growing tent in Suguru's slacks.

"Why don't you help Suguru with this, baby?"

You unfasten Suguru's pants with a shaky breath and watch as he steps out of them, his cock bobbing against his pelvis. A whimper escapes your throat. You forgot just how well-endowed he is.

The situation sobers you with each passing second. It's like the alcohol in your body slowly fizzles out, replaced by something new instead.

Satoru snaps you out of your thoughts, his warm fingers tickling your sides.

"Oh, bunny, you're burning up. Why don't we help you cool down?" Satoru whispers, fingers dragging around to your back.

One swift tug on the strings unties your bikini top, the back straps falling against your sides. He helps pull the top part over your head, leaving your chest entirely exposed.

He said it would help cool you down, but you were only getting hotter.

Suguru drops on his knees, face inches from your core. He looks up at you, lust gracing his features. His fingers dip into the waist of your bikini bottoms, helping you step out of them, now face-to-face with your dripping pussy.

Suguru let out a satisfied hum before easing one of your legs over his shoulder. You gasp at the feeling of his mouth latching onto you, and melt against Satoru's chest. He kisses and nips at your neck, leaving your skin aching for more.

"Is Suguru good with his mouth, bunny?" Satoru questions, his hands trailing up the plane of your stomach.

"G-good daddy. So good." You stutter out.

Suguru's tongue pokes and prods at your lower lips, teasing you. Your hips buck, desperately chasing his mouth. Satoru pinches and pulls at your nipple, only adding to the sparks of ecstasy. You moan out, riding Suguru's face and pulling his hair when you feel something touch your lips.

Satoru's fingers push against your lips, his pointer and middle finger requesting access. You part your mouth and run your tongue along the sides of his fingers, groaning at the taste of him.

"Pretty baby likes keeping her mouth full, isn't that right?" Satoru coos.

You whine around his fingers and nod your head. Sucking on them was a good distraction to keep you from cumming so quick. Suguru's hands rest on your thighs, then smooth around to your hips, helping grind you against his tongue.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Your senses were overwhelmed, feeling Suguru's tongue and breath against you, and Satoru's fingers shoved so far down your throat your eyes began to water.

Suguru's tongue danced lower until he slipped it inside your hole, making you arch your back. You gripped onto Satoru's arms so tight you knew you would leave marks.

You weren't sure how Suguru was able to breathe with the way his face was buried between your thighs, but you couldn't find it in yourself to care. You were going to cum any second now, your high imminent.

Your leg tightens around his back as he works his tongue in and around you. Your legs go weak as you cum, moans muffled by Satoru's fingers. Drool drips past your lips and down your chin, coating Satoru's hand.

It feels like you're going to collapse any second. Suguru laps up your cum, making you squirm away from him. Satoru holds onto you tight, forcing you to take it.

Once Suguru is satisfied, he pulls away and licks his lips, a grin spreading across his face as he watches you come down from your high. His eyes meet Satoru's as he rises to his feet, like they're communicating with their minds. Shivers run down your spine as you wonder what they might be thinking about.

"Come on, bunny." Satoru's voice echoes.

You grab onto both men's hands as they lead you to Satoru's bedroom.

The dim light sets an erotic atmosphere for the three of you. The room feels more intimate when you know what's about to happen on the bed in front of you.

Satoru lets go of your hand and walks over to the chair on the other side of the bed, sitting down and spreading out comfortably without another word.

Your gaze darts between him and Suguru.

"Don't look at me, sweet face. Why don't the two of you get started?" Satoru beams.

Embarrassment floods your body at the prospect of Satoru watching you fuck Suguru. You knew it was coming, but now that it's actually happening, your resolve starts to crumble.

Suguru's breath fans warm across your ear before he whispers. "Don't worry about him. Just focus on me, okay?"

You nod and watch as Suguru settles on the bed, allowing his strong hands to guide you onto his lap. His cock lays heavy and warm between your folds, relishing in the pleasant weight of your body on top of his. Your pussy leaks with need, arousal glistening on his shaft.

Satoru licks his lips in anticipation, eager to see what's about to unfold.

"What're ya waiting for, bunny?" Satoru hums impatiently.

You drag your pussy against the underside of Suguru's cock, a chill immediately coursing through your body when the head catches on your clit. A loud moan escapes your mouth. You ache to be full of him once more.

You can't handle waiting anymore. You sit up and reach down to guide Suguru's dick inside of you, but Satoru tuts in disapproval before you get the chance.

"Ah, not so fast, bunny. Don't you think Suguru needs to be warmed up a little more?"

You knew that was bullshit. Suguru was as hard as a rock beneath you, throbbing with each slow rock of your hips. Satoru just wanted to enjoy the show a little longer.

Pouting, you do as you're told. You grind against Suguru's cock once more, gliding back and forth with ease, coating his cock in your arousal. The head catches your clit and you sigh in pleasure. You might be able to cum this way, if Satoru lets you.

Suguru doesn't look like he's faring much better than you. His arm rests over his forehead, jaw clenched to stave off his need. His eyes are fixated on your cunt swallowing around his cock, his precum smearing and mixing with your wetness.

You move at an agonizingly slow pace. You didn't want to go too fast in fear of cumming too soon, but Suguru couldn't take anymore. He bites his bottom lip and grabs onto your hips, pressing more of your weight against his aching dick and dragging you back and forth. He moves you much faster than your initial pace. The increase in stimulation makes you squeal out.

Satoru continues watching from the side as you hump his best friend. He swallows hard and dips his hand in his pants, adjusting his cock which sat uncomfortably hard against his leg, seeping precum into his boxers. Aching for some relief, he unfastens his pants and pulls his cock free, squeezing it tight in his fist and hissing at the friction.

"P-Please, daddy, can I put it in? It hurts." You sniffle, the desperation for Suguru to fuck you becoming unbearable.

Satoru hums as he slowly jerks himself off. As much as he could watch this little display go on forever, he was ready to get this show on the road.

"What do you think, Suguru?" Satoru questions. 

Suguru observes your desperate face, your eyes pleading him for more.

Suguru wanted you. He wanted to keep you all for himself. It felt like a far-off fantasy, but he was content having you in whatever way Satoru would let him. 

"I think she's ready, Satoru." Suguru spoke, trying to keep his voice steady.

Satoru grins, only a little sadistic.

"Well I don't want my little bunny in pain, now. Give it to her, Suguru."

Suguru keeps one hand on your waist and uses the other to guide his cock into your pussy. The stretch brings tears to your eyes. Your breath catches in your throat at the sensation. You've been craving this ever since you last saw him.

"Breathe, bunny." Satoru encourages, smearing his precum around his cock.

Suguru he sheathes himself completely inside you, his brows furrowing up. His cock pulses against your walls, your pussy weeping from the pleasure.

"Daddy-" You moan as Suguru begins to thrust into you.

Satoru rises from the chair and kneels beside you, still stroking his dick at a languid pace. 

"I'm right here baby, daddy's got you." He says, tilting your head back to face him.

Suguru's fingers dig into your sides, pulling you into his thrusts.

"Come on bunny, be good to Suguru. Don't let our guest do all the work." Satoru hums.

You bite your lip and nod, steadying yourself with both hands sprawling over Suguru's chest. His movements still as you push yourself up and down on his cock, picking up your slack. You groan at how deep he reaches inside you. His hands rest on your thighs, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he watches you. So beautiful, and so sweet to him.

How did Satoru get so lucky?

Suguru knew he could treat you better if he had the chance. If you were his.

If he never fucked anyone else for the rest of his life he decided that would be fine.

Your thighs burn in protest as you continue fucking yourself on Suguru's dick. You whine out and look up at Satoru, silently pleading for permission to stop.

"Too much work, princess?" Satoru teases.

You nod. Thankfully, Satoru takes mercy on you and pulls you off of Suguru. You gasp as his cock slides out of you, your hole unbearably empty and needy. Satoru pulls you back against his chest and Suguru repositions himself between your thighs once more, his dick nudging at your entrance again before sliding in with no resistance. Satoru reaches around and grabs behind your knees, prying your legs apart for easy access as Suguru resumes thrusting into you. Moans echo off the walls, mostly yours.

"Does it feel good baby?" Satoru questions, voice low.

You nod your head frantically and watch, lip pinched between your teeth as Suguru fucks you. His brows furrow in concentration, sweat beading on his temple.

Satoru lets go of your legs, letting Suguru hold them in place instead. With his hands free, Satoru goes to work on your body. One hand dips between your thighs to rub your clit, the other pinching a sensitive nipple between his thumb and finger. You cry out at the stimulation, eyes rolling to the back of your head. Four rough hands grope at your body, pushing you closer to your high.

"Daddy, I don't think I can- fuck, I don't think I can't hold it anymore." You whimper, feeling Suguru's cock drag so deliciously against your sensitive walls.

Satoru coos at you as he continues groping at your body, mean and possessive.

"No? You can't?" He teases, pinching harder at your nipple, gradually increasing the pressure on your aching clit. His gaze returns to your adorable face, meeting your pleading eyes.

You whimper and shake your head, fingers digging into Satoru's arms, biting your bottom lip hard enough to hurt.

Suguru thrusts into you harder, his eyes flitting between your bouncing chest and flushed face.

"Okay." Satoru watches lovingly as your features pinch in pleasure. "Look at me baby, look at daddy."

You try your best to maintain eye contact. It takes everything in your being to keep your heavy eyelids open to focus on him. You look into Satoru's eyes as you cum on Suguru's cock, body trembling, mouth dropping open in a gasp.

"Feeling better, baby?" Satoru asks softly, massaging your clit through your high.

You nuzzle your head against Satoru's chest and exhale heavily, mind suspended in the warm, fuzzy pleasure of your orgasm.

"Good, baby. Now keep being good to our friend Suguru, okay?"

You nod obediently.

"You're doing such a good job, bunny. So proud of you."

Satoru's fingers withdraw from your pussy and he watches with a grin as your arousal stretches between his fingers in clear threads. He reaches out and holds his fingers in front of his best friend's face. Suguru can't resist the temptation, he surges forward and takes Satoru's fingers into his mouth, tongue licking eagerly at your cum. The sight was so unbelievably hot.

"Isn't she so sweet?" Satoru asks him.

Suguru hums in affirmation, the sound muffled by the slender fingers weighing on his tongue. You taste sweeter than honey. He quickly found himself addicted. 

"I wanna try something else. Think you can fuck her from behind, Sugu?" Satoru questions, head tilted.

Suguru wants to keep watching your sweet face. Something inside him wants to say no, to take control of the situation and have you the way he wants you, but he finds himself obeying anyways. You're not his – you're Satoru's, and he should be lucky his best friend is even letting him have you like this.

You're repositioned on all fours, Suguru's large hands grasping your hips and pulling you back onto his dick. His cock stretches you out from behind, making your mouth hang open. Your eyes flutter, looking up at Satoru through your lashes, your face completely fucked out. He groans in pleasure, squeezing his cock in his fist as he watches his best friend take you from behind. He fantasized about this for more nights than he could count.

He loved it.

"That's right, baby, keep your eyes on me." Satoru moans. "Keep watching your daddy."

Selfishly, Suguru sneaks a hand around your waist, fingers staking claim on your puffy clit. Competing for your attention.

You whimper at the stimulation and grip the bedsheets tight.

"It's so good, s'good." You babble, the pleasure turning your brain to mush.

Suguru rubs tight, fast circles against your nub, while fucking you full. You felt like you were losing your mind, all forms of your sanity slowly slipping. Suguru fucked into you hard from behind and Satoru pumped his cock slowly in front of you, tempting you with the needy pink flush and precum beading at the tip. You desperately wanted to wrap your lips around it, let his taste cover your tongue.

Suguru thrusts into you particularly hard, your body lurching forward.

"Suguru! Oh god, fuck!" You cry out, your eyes clamping shut.

He continued his cruel focus on your g-spot, feeling your walls clamp around him like a vice. You're so close, he can tell.

Satoru moans at the sound of you crying out his best friend's name.

"Please, Sugu, please," you beg shamelessly, tears pricking the corners of your eyes.

"Don't forget who you belong to, bunny." Satoru warns, squeezing the tip of his cock.

Suguru winces. He knew how he felt for you was selfish, but it felt so good. His body drapes over yours, lips grazing your ear. "I'm the one making you feel good, baby. Focus on me."

Your head spins, overwhelmed by the pleasure. 

The men lock eyes. Satoru knew his best friend was attracted to you. Why wouldn't he be? But he needed to know his place. After all, he was being so generous, sharing his toys with Suguru.

"Oh god, daddy!" You whine.

Satoru repositions himself to kneel in front of you, still fisting his cock to the sight of your fucked-out face. So sweet and hopelessly pathetic.

Suguru's cock twitches, shooting his cum deep inside you and you whine once more. His pace doesn't falter. He keeps fucking you through his high, fingers still rubbing your clit, intent on making you cum again. Warmth bubbles up from your stomach as your pussy tightens, keeping a vice grip on Suguru as you release a second time.

Satoru follows close behind, painting your pretty face with his cum.

The three of you pause to catch your breath, the room filling with the sound of your heavy sighs. Tension lingers beneath that.

Suguru pulls his cock slowly from your entrance, watching as his cum seeps from you. Satoru leans down and tilts your head upwards, kissing you softly before slipping on his shorts and leaving to grab a cloth for your face.

You're alone with Suguru.

He crawls off the bed as well and gathers his clothes. The business meeting is in 20 minutes, so he haphazardly dresses himself. He wishes he could take you with him. He spares a glance at you, eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Thank you," Suguru tells you, voice gentle. "I can send you money if you want, since-"

"Why would you do that?" You giggle. It's the sweetest thing he's ever heard.

Suguru's face flushes.

Satoru walks back into the room with a damp towel in hand, joining you on the bed to coddle you and wipe up his mess.

"I should probably head out," Suguru mumbles. "Satoru, I'll meet you there."

"Thanks, man. I'll be on my way out soon." Satoru responds without as much as a glance over his shoulder.

With that, Suguru leaves.

You lay on your back, Satoru kneeling over you and admiring your cute face.

"How are you feeling?"

Your eyes flutter shut as you hum. "M'good."

"We should probably clean you up, don't you think?" Satoru questions, a teasing lilt to his voice.

He coaxes your thighs apart, eyes dropping to your swollen pussy and the cum trickling out of it. His eyes flick up to your face, watching your reactions as his fingers dip down and caress your folds, gathering his best friend's cum. You shudder, goosebumps covering your skin. Satoru lifts his fingers and reaches up to slip them into your mouth.

You look at him through heavy lids, face heating in embarrassment. Maintaining eye contact, you wrap your lips around his fingers and suck them clean.

Satoru smiles in response. He truly is smitten with you.

"It looks like there's still some left. Will you give me a second, bunny?"

Satoru kisses his way down and spreads your legs wider, mouth immediately latching onto your pussy.

You moan at the feeling of his tongue sliding inside. His fingers dig into your thighs as he slowly laps up all of Suguru's cum. You're shaking in his grasp. You didn't know it was possible to feel this much pleasure in one day. Your fingers clutch the bedding, whimpers falling from your open mouth.

"Can't just leave you full of another man's cum, can I? You gotta remember who you belong to." Satoru grins.

You nod shakily, head clouded with pleasure. Satoru's lips move upwards and suck on your overstimulated nub.

"T-too much, too much daddy!" You fuss, hands flying down in an attempt to push his head away. 

"Aw, come on. You were so good for Suguru," Satoru pouts before stroking you with his tongue. "You can be good for me too, can't you baby?"

You let out a groan, squeezing your eyes shut. "O-okay."

"Come on baby, say it for me. Say you'll be good for daddy."

Your core tightens and your bottom lip quivers as you say, "I'll be good for you daddy."

"That's my girl."

Hearing those words and feeling his mouth sent you over the edge once again. You cum for the third and final time on Satoru's tongue, coating it with a warm rush of both your and Suguru's release.

You breathe hard, feeling your body melt into the bed. Satoru rises up and smiles, running his tongue over his lips to lick up the rest of your wetness. His eyes gaze over your body before reaching over to the nightstand, grabbing his phone to send you the funds. You reach out and grab your phone as well.

Two notifications.

$7000 deposited into your bank account.

And a message from an unknown number.

Had fun tonight.

Now this could get interesting.

[i-cast-bardic-inspiration]

Halsin with a Tav who had a toddler? Like they get back to Baldurs gate or theyve been nursing an egg(for the Gith and Dragonborn Tavs) that’s now hatching.

Pls let him be the dad he’s always wanted to be 🥹

Okay, first off thanks for sending in your request! I hope it’s alright to do this in a mix of headcanons and narrative blurbs because I have too many ideas for this wholesome content. Also, if I interpreted your Ask wrong please let me know and I’ll amend! 

But alright, here we go—let’s give our Big Bear some love and let him be Daddy Halsin because he deserves all the best things. 

*TW: Pregnancy talk, mentions of past trauma, wholesomeness so wholesome it hurts

Halsin will be in shock for a brief moment before going into Daddy Halsin mode. This man has just gone through the most traumatic hundreds of years; in pure survival mode after losing his family, being held prisoner in the Underdark, dealing with the Shadow Curse and all that it has brought upon him—he never once during that time was afforded the opportunity to simply…live. He always focused on doing what was necessary to survive. So now that he finally can let some of his walls down? Now that his lover just told him they have a child? 

He looks at you frozen in disbelief…he never thought he would be able to have his own family. And now you’ve given him one of life’s greatest joys in the mere blink of an eye. His whole world has turned on its axis in the best of ways and he needs a moment to find his feet on the ground again. 

Whether it’s biologically yours or you’ve adopted, it doesn’t matter—he views it all the same. He is in awe, deep gratitude bursting forth for this bounty of nature you’ve provided him with; that you’ve invited him to share.

“My heart…you,” Halsin’s voice breaks, “Why did you not tell me before?” the question falls past his lips with a tremble, but there is no trace of anger or hurt in his tone. Only awe, tinged with a soft skepticism as though this moment will slip through his fingers and he will wake to find it was all a dream. 

You tell him why. Maybe it’s because you were scared he wouldn’t want anything to do with you or your child…maybe you didn’t want to distract him from all that still needed to be accomplished…maybe you didn’t want to add another burden to his already heavily-weighed-down shoulders—whatever it is…

He understands your fears but tells you to put them to rest because nothing—absolutely nothing—could ever deter him from loving and caring for you and your child. He is more than willing to step into the role of a father…if that is what you should wish of course, to share this part of your life with him…

As soon as you give him the affirmative, he is all over you. Wrapping you up in his strong embrace, placing kisses wherever his lips can reach before settling his face against your neck and inhaling deeply. Your scent calms him, and he needs it to ground himself after the revelation that he finally—finally—has the one thing he thought he’d never have again…a family. He is a dad. 

He’s a dad! 

His deep laughter echoes through the air. He’s overjoyed, a little scared maybe too, but his unbridled joy is contagious and you find yourself tearfully laughing along with him. 

With your invitation, he quickly stepped into full dad mode, and wants to unleash all the doting upon you and your child that he possibly can. 

If the baby has not been born/hatched yet; he’s all about using his skilled hands to melt the tension from your feet and calves and anywhere else you might be tense from carrying the weight of another; letting his healing magic wash over you when your head is pounding and stomach is churning from the extra hormones; making sure you have proper nutritional meals to keep your stamina up…his healer capabilities really kick into high gear here.

If your little one is already in the world, they immediately take to Halsin like a moth to light. And he takes to fatherhood just as easily. It is a precious and priceless thing to watch the two of them bond so quickly. You knew he would take to it naturally, having all the qualities of a loving and supportive father. He was always a wonderful listener, he was just as good of a teacher, and he still held so much wonder and love for the world even after all his years. His zest for life was contagious and played right into the natural curiosities of a child. 

Beneath all of the stoic wisdom is a man who loves to play. Loves to experience everything life has to offer. And it shows when they decide to have storytime before bed…or any other time your little one asks for stories. Which is a lot of the time because Halsin is rather good at it. He could be a bard if he wanted. But all he wants is to see the expressions of wonder on your child’s face, the shrieks of laughter and gasps of surprise filling his ears as he twists and turns the stories, acting them out with grand gestures and motions. 

Sometimes storytelling evolves into playing “Adventurers”—or so that’s what the two of them call this game anyway…you call it pure chaos, but you don’t mind one bit. Not as your little one rides on the back of a giant wildshaped bear through the forest, roars and laughter tickling your ears. You join in at times, and it usually ends in one big giant cuddle pile as morning turns into afternoon and sleepy little eyes close for a short nap. It’s at times like these his heart threatens to burst, and you can see it in his eyes—feel it in the way his fingers trace your jawline and move softly, reverently into your hair…soon you’re drifting off in the peacefulness of it all too. Halsin just lays there holding the two of you in his arms, listening to your soft inhales and exhales. In the slow moments is when he really feels it hit him. How contented he is. 

They’ll go on walks around the forest together, sometimes stop to examine a plant or a flower, your child asking Halsin 123812378 questions about everything they come across, and he answers every one of those questions with the utmost of patience. He genuinely loves to share his knowledge with young and curious minds. You can tell by the way his eyes light up, and how his voice excitedly carries across the meadow as he explains things like how flowers grow from the ground with the help of the sun and water and air. 

He even asks some questions of his own to get your child thinking and talking, and also just to be silly and play: “what kind of animal would you be?” ~ “what is your favorite thing to eat?” ~ “do you think cats can have fins?” ~ “what is your favorite thing to do with mommy and daddy?” 

When your child is sad or upset, he is there guiding them through their big feelings. Oak Father knows, Halsin has had his fair share of coping with tough emotions through his years. Even with all the practice he’s had though he still gets overwhelmed at times. Children need help getting through these sorts of big feelings, not to be admonished or chastised for feeling something natural. Of course while he usually spends time wildshaped when he needs to think, he knows that might not work for a child, and there are certainly other solutions. Like physical connection—hugs, and holding a safe space for your little one to feel. Maybe they need help labeling what they’re feeling, and Halsin is right there ever-observant and gentle with his words, “I see that you fell, does it hurt anywhere? Were you scared when you fell from the tree?” Your child responds tearfully, “it was scary,” so then after a quick scan Halsin knows he doesn’t need to mend any broken bones. He just needs to hold them and tell them it’s okay to be scared and to cry, and that they are very brave for doing so. 

It’s moments like this that you find your heart swell with fondness so vast it nearly hurts. Because you know how capable of ferocity he is, how much strength and fortitude he has shown in battles past…that seeing him like this, so patient and supportive, so loving and gentle…you know he has finally been able to take the armor off both literally and figuratively.

He walks lighter, laughs louder, plays harder. His love knows no bounds, and he makes sure the two of you know it with every breath he takes. With every scratch he mends. With every toy he whittles. With every blanket he tucks in and every kiss he lays atop a sleepy little head. With every word and kiss and hug…he embraces this simpler but no less meaningful side of life with arms opened wide.  

One day, after a very important and engaging conversation about “daddy, where do babies come from?” your little one asks him another question. “Daddy, can you and mommy make a baby?” His eyes lift to find yours, a heat there so smoldering you swear you could feel it sweep over your skin in a dizzying rush. “Little One,” he starts, tearing his gaze from you to look down softly at your child, “would you like that—a brother or sister to play with?” Their little eyes light up and they shout “yesyesyes!” 

Halsin’s smile lines deepen as he laughs loudly. “You will just have to wait and see my little heart, all will be as nature intends.” He knows that is a conversation to have with you in a more private setting. Though he’s pretty sure he can tell by the speed of your breathing, the flush of your face, and the warmth in your gaze that you are no doubt feeling the same sentiment he is in that moment.

Adding to your little family might happen sooner rather than later…and he definitely would not say no to having more little ones running around.

[ryhmus]

MARIQUEST 1

MARI hosts a DnD session...

[MARI is busily setting up a board game on the living room table of the Kel and Hero's house, the others are sat around writing on character sheets.]

HERO; "Hey MARI? Uh, what's up with the wizard hat?"

MARI; "It's for our Spires and Seekers session tonight! Gotta look the part if I'm gonna be a good SM."

HERO; "SM? what's that mean?"

"MARI; "Spire master. It's the person who guides everyone through the game and tells the story. I've been spending weeks with other Hero setting up the narrative so we can play!"

[She proudly shows him a small portion of the script and who was playing]

HERO; "So we got, AUBREY, KEL, OMORI, you, me and..."

STRANGER; "Hello..."

[They turn around to see the shadow standing there in the doorway]

MARI; "Ah STRANGER! you're here...how long have you been standing there?"

STRANGER; "I've just arrived, I apologize for my lateness, Basil and his other counterpart required my assistance in the garden."

AUBREY; "At night?"

STRANGER; "It was a very long day, none of us are built for strength like you or the others are."

MARI; "I see...Well then since you took my invitation, take a seat in the living room and we'll get started soon."

...

One set up later

...

[the dream friends are all sat around the table]

MARI; "Did everyone fill out their character sheets?"

KEL; "Yep! here ya go! I'm gonna be the strongest wizard ever! With my laser beams and missiles this is gonna be a blast!"

AUBREY; "You can't do that! there were no missiles or laser beams back then!"

KEL; "Shows what you know AUBREY! They're magic. You're just jealous your character isn't as cool as mine!"

HERO; "Guys! please don't fight, we haven't even started yet..."

MARI; "STRANGER...this is blank, are you sure you don't want to make a character?"

STRANGER; "I see no reason to pretend to be someone I'm not."

[everyone just stares at him in awkward silence until MARI audibly clears her throat.]

MARI; "We...we can work with this. Okay everybody, are you all ready for a night of adventure?"

KEL; "Aw yeah! let's go!"

AUBREY; "I'm so excited about this! What about you OMORI?"

OMORI; "Mhmm..."

{}{}{}{}{}{}[(START!)]{}{}{}{{}{{{}{

OUR TALE BEGINS IN A SMALL VILLAGE CALLED NOWHERE LAND, FIVE BRAVE ADVENTURERS SET OUT TO DEFEAT AN EVIL SORCERESS WHO THREATENS TO ENSLAVE THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD WITH HER VILE MAGICS...THE FATE OF THE WORLD RESTS ON THESE BRAVE SOULS...

AUBREY, THE FEARLESS BARBARIAN WARRIOR OF THE NORTHERN BUNNY FOLK!

HERO, THE VALIANT KNIGHT-PALADIN OF A FAR AWAY KINGDOM.

STRANGER...THE MYSTERIOUS FAMILIAR OF AN UNKNOWN REALM...

KEL THE WIZARD...A MASTER WIZARD...OF BASKETBALL? OKAY WE'LL JUST GO WITH THAT FOR NOW...

AND OMORI, THE SHADE, SHADOWY AND SILENT ROUGE, QUIET AS THE NIGHT...

THEIR JOURNEY WILL BE LONG AND PERILOUS BUT TOGETHER THEY WILL-

KEL; "Hey hey! er, Sorry to interrupt this early but I really gotta use the bathroom, be right back!"

[KEL sits up and bolts off towards the upstairs.]

AUBREY; "Dang it KEL! couldn't you have gone before we started? Did you have to chug two gallons of soda beforehand?!"

MARI; "Calm down AUBREY it's alright, no need to get worked up over a game. Besides, we just started, so we can wait until he gets back and then continue."

HERO; "In that case, I'll go check on the snacks in the kitchen..."

MARI; "You too HERO? that's fine."

MARI; "So I guess that leaves just us, what do you think little brother?"

OMORI; "Hmm..."

MARI; "Cliff faced as usual, huh? That's okay, I'm just happy that you're here with us tonight instead of sticking to your room."

(One minute of waiting followed by another spent of marching KEL back upstairs to wash his hands)

HERO; "I'm back, the cookies should take a hour or two to bake in the oven. I forgot to ask earlier, how do we play this game again?"

[MARI looked uncertain for a moment]

MARI; "Well...first we've already made characters. You follow the story and when you want to do something in game, all you need to do is roll a dice. You can look at your sheets to see what your skills are if you need to."

...

Now let's begin...

Our adventure begins in the little town of Nowhere where our brave adventurers are resting at the local bar, the bar-maiden comes over and asks-

AUBREY; "I punch KEL in the face."

HERO; "AUBREY..."

MARI; "Are you sure you want to do that?"

AUBREY; "I wanna punch him in his dumb face."

MARI; "...Roll for initiative then."

KEL; "Good luck, you'd have to be really lucky to roll a-

AUBREY "Ooh! a 20...~"

MARI; "AUBREY socks KEL in the face for no reason and sends him flying through a wall. The other taverngoers are visibly upset that their night has just been interrupted."

KEL; "What?! no fair! Well then I hit her back with one of my magic missiles!"

HERO; "Roll the dice bro..."

KEL; "I got a...a 3!? WHAT!?"

MARI; "KEL'S magic missile attack misses completely and blows a hole in the wall, the owner is furious and demands payment for his the property damage.

HERO; "I offer to pay the man the appropriate amount of money to fix his tavern and for our drinks."

MARI; "Roll the dice HERO."

HERO; "Wait, I have to roll the dice to pay for the damages? How is that luck based?"

[MARI scratches her head and looks through the Spires and Seekers guide]

MARI; "According to the playbook, that's the rules...Your luck determines how well it will go."

HERO; "Uh...an 8?"

MARI; "HERO pays the owner of the bar for all the damages but at the cost of all the money you had saved up from your previous adventure.

KEL; "Nice going HERO, you blew all our money!"

AUBREY; "No thanks to you KEL, you're the one who blew a hole in the wall with your dumb missiles!"

KEL; "Y-You hit me first!!"

OMORI; "..."

STRANGER;"That is a very unfortunate start...i hope this gets better soon."

...

Without money the adventurers set out west to seek treasure and fortune elsewhere...Eventually, they come across a warband of orcs escorting a wagon full of plundered treasures but also have several hostages with them as well, what will everyone do?"

KEL; "Shoot a magic missile at them!"

AUBREY; "For once I agree with you, let's fight them!"

HERO; "Why can't we just try and negotiate with the orcs and see if we can talk it with them or lure them away? What if the hostages get hurt?"

STRANGER; "Roll the dice."

KEL; "A 1?...aw nuts."

MARI; "The missile plonks off of the orcs armor and makes them angry, they charge!"

HERO; "I-I uh, er...charm them with my good looks?"

AUBREY; "Roll it."

HERO; "4...Just my luck, of course...Why would I have thought it would work differently this time?"

MARI; The orcs become even more enraged and set their sights on HERO...

STRANGER; "I unleash the shadows to protect my allies!"

[STRANGER rolls the dice, it spins in place before landing]

MARI; "You got a 17..."

MARI; "STRANGER casts a shadow ward around the party and blocks the assault, but it cannot hold for long. What will you do before the ward breaks?"

[OMORI tugs on his sister's sleeve to get her attention]

MARI; "OMORI? you want to tell me something?"

OMORI; (Whispers something into MARI'S ear)

MARI; "Uh, I'm not sure that's even allowed...but okay, just roll the dice little brother, see what you get."

[The monochrome boy picks up the die and drops it on the table. Everyone's eyes going wide as lollipops.]

MARI; "A natural 20...OMORI...slashes through the orcs and utterly and completely decimates them...okay...so, there's a bunch of treasure and the hostages are free, what will you do now?"

KEL; "Magic miss-"

OMORI; "No..."

KEL; "Er...we, take the loot, move on to a safe distance...then I magic missile them."

Everyone; "NO."

KEL; "You're no fun..."

The session goes on through the night with brave adventurers travel through swamps brimming with bandits, to mountain caves filled with ravenous spiders and a haunted castle with a dark curse, The adventurers cleared each encounter with ease and claimed treasures to be shared with all. With KEL the wizard using magic missile every time they came across even the smallest threat, AUBREY picking to fight everything, STRANGER having no clue how anything worked and HERO never being able to do anything in game because of his poor rolls. OMORI always seemed to get perfect twenties every turn by dropping the dice on the table but if something was amiss, no one paid much attention to it for the sake of the game. But soon it came time to bring the game to a temporary close...

MARI; "Oh my goodness! look at the time! it's past midnight! we should really get some sleep for tomorrow!"

KEL; "But...But I just got a cool new sword...Can we keep going just a little longer?"

AUBREY; " Please? I was just about to get my barbarian a new skill too!"

MARI; "Sorry guys, I know you all are really enjoying this, but we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow...Don't want to miss out on the fourth of July celebrations would we?

HERO; "MARI'S right we should all go to bed for the big day."

AUBREY; "Okay MARI good night. KEL, I'm going home."

KEL; "Race you to see who gets to my house first!~"

AUBREY; "You already live here, idiot."

MARI; "Well that was super fun wasn't it? I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did."

HERO; "Heh, even though I never got lucky enough to do anything other than distract things and soak up damage, I had a blast and I'd like to play again sometime."

MARI; "Well I thought you made a pretty good distraction, who could resist such a handsome knight in shining armor?~"

[She winks at him, causing HERO to blush deeply]

HERO; {Blushes deeply} "M-MARI!"

MARI;"Haha! I'm joking! I'm joking! well, how did you like it, STRANGER? OMORI?"

OMORI; (Thumbs up)

STRANGER; "A fulfilling experience...when will we have another one of these 'D and D' sessions?"

MARI; "Maybe next week same time?"

[A burning smell fills the air and a smoke alarm goes off in the kitchen. Upstairs, the sounds of Kel and Hero stirring and a baby crying could be heard]

HERO; "Wait a minute...past midnight?! (*gasp*) Oh no! MY COOKIES ARE BURNING!"

[HERO immediately rushes into the kitchen]

MARI; "Uh oh...Little brother? Why don't you and STRANGER head on back home. HERO and I have to check on the kitchen real quick before it burns down."

HERO; "THE COOKIES ARE ON FIRE!"

MARI; "See you tomorrow!~"

I've never played DnD before don't hurt me...

[inq-tav]

Mother Superior’s Final Attempt (One-Shot)

Oneshot Description: Mother Superior is desperate to get “god’s favorite princess” back into Shar’s clutches

authors note: This is my first attempt of a oneshot, please be kind if your going to comment any feedback, I am a human just like you. Im just looking to improve my writing skills and have fun!

-This is a long one, let me know if you want me to keep writing other one shots of my Paladin Artemis and Shadowheart. Here you go @iomlangealai

Shadowheart’s POV

May our mother bathe us in her light. For I am a child of the Moon, ever glistening and ever in awe of her glory. Moonmaiden, I ask that you watch over us all, watch over my lover Artemis and may-

My prayer is interrupted by a cold, insistent nose poking my arm. I look up and I see Scratch holding his ball, hoping that I will play with him. Smiling, I take it from him mouth and I throw it across the camp, happily he goes and retrieves it. On his way back a whistle interrupts the air, it sounds like my love’s whistle. “Scratch, she’s praying, leave the pretty woman be,” Artemis chides gently as she makes her way over to me, she has replaced her usual armour for her camp clothing, she looks positively light and carefree, even if it is only momentary. I smile up at her as I move to stand, she helps me up, ever the gentleman, “Why help lover,” I greet, smiling, I give her a peck. “Hello yourself my darling. I have our bedrolls all ready for bed, the camp chores are done, and the dishes are washed, all that's left is for me to steal you away from this ladykiller.” She says teasingly to Scratch who just gives a gentle bark. I laugh, “Well perhaps you should just whisk me away before someone else does,” I tease and she just gives me a fake gasp of shock, I circle around her and I hug her from behind, resting my face on her warm back. I feel her relax, “C’mon love, lets get some rest, we need all the rest we can get before we infiltrate the Cloister.” I whisper, gently taking her hand and guiding us to out bedrolls. Once we climb inside our shared bed, I wriggle into Artemis’s strong arms, and fall into a quick easy sleep.

————————————-

Loud noises cloud my hearing; it wakes my brain up but my eyelids are as heavy as metal and I smell the uncanny stench of smoke and sulphur. Metal clashing on metal makes my ears ring, I cannot move. I cannot feel the warmth of my lover. Any control if my limbs is out of reach; distant. I feel like a thought, light and afloat; a mere breeze could whisk me away. But there’s nothing light about this, and for this I am sure. An agonized scream of a woman rips through the air as the sound of metal clashes against something; it sounds like Artemis, and panic sets in, but here I am still, trapped in my own dark space of thoughts, without sight and without body. I feel the breeze on my face and the rhythmic feel of a gallop, I must be leaving camp. But these thoughts are almost gone for good, for the sounds around me blur into a flatline of nothing.

—————————————

The jolt of cold water splashing on me is what wakes me up; the dim light of candles invades my pupils as they struggle to adjust, my mind racing as the water sends every nerve to awaken because of its frigidity. I cannot move again, but slowly I realize that I am starfished on a wooden table that’s slanted upwards so I can see the whole room, my arms being held down by leather straps. In a flash I recognize this room, I used to use this very method. A sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach, I was taken. I was taken just like when I was a child. The memory of the sounds I heard before.. they invade my memories. Instantly, a face comes into view, a masked face I used to love and look up to, but now I look upon Her with resentment: Mother Superior. “God’s favorite princess awakens,” She says, voice low and scarily calm. “You, you took me!” I say angrily, struggling against my bonds. She makes her way to the table I am strapped to, taking her time as her eyes rake over me. She takes an extra second to look at my white hair. She tsks, “My my child, I must admit I am a little in awe. It is rare to see gods fight over a mere mortal, but here we are. A mortal who Shar and Selûne bicker and play tug of war with, a mortal who betrayed a god just to go to the sister. I wonder what makes you so special.” She says a hint of jealousy in her voice, circling the table like a predator toying with its prey. I writhe against my shackles, to no avail. “I know who you are, Viconia DeVir. You don’t hold any power over me anymore.” I say as I watch her freeze, she takes off her mask and I see her face for the first time in a long time. “You remember, no doubt the Moonmaiden’s daughter told you my true identity.” She says with disgust, I just shake my head, “Noblestalk. And I am starting to piece together my past. The Moonmaiden has helped me, loves me, better than Shar ever did,” I say angrily, “You stole forty years of my life, but no more. I am no longer craving your acceptance, you can keep your Dark Lady, your secrets, but this life is mine!” I continue, watching her look uninterested in my words, it makes me angry, livid even. “They’ll kill you; the entire camp knows you’ve taken me. Artemis especially, she’s killed two of the Chosen of the Dead

Three, she’s killed a devil in his own home. And now you’ve taken me, you must really want to die,” I threaten, narrowing my eyes at her, she just simply smiles, “My child, don’t you know who I am? I can manipulate memories in my own accord; I can make you forget her. Fear her. Hate her.” That makes my face drop and my skin crawl, “With a simple chant of 5 words I can change all of that in an instant, I already did it once with your fear of wolves, I made you fear your own father. What makes you think I won’t do it again here? It’d be most fun watching them struggle to get you, only for you to not know who they are, to hate them, maybe I’ll make you love someone else. Then how would your dear little Artemis feel?” She taunts, the sinking feeling in my stomach rises to my throat, “After all, how do you know if she’s still alive?” She says, getting dangerously close to my face and I think back to that scream I heard in my brain fog, I struggle against my binding again. “What did you do to her!” I scream, enraged as I watch her lean back and laugh.

I am about to speak again, but shouting is heard distantly and the door slams open, one of Viconia’s Lieutenant’s barges in “Mother Superior, pardon the intrusion.. They’re here.” He says before running back out, and instantly I know who he is talking about. A loud sound, similar to thunder crashes down and roars in the main chamber, its a little ways away so I am shocked that it was still so loud even in here. “I told you, I was not bluffing. You are about to feel the wrath of everyone you had attacked in my camp,” I say smugly, watching her face grow red with anger. “You insolent child! I have had enough, you could’ve been perfect. Shar said you were the one to surpass even me! But you have turned your back on us,” She says, slapping me in the face so hard it leaves me dazed, I groan. “You had one job! It was to retrieve the artefact,” Another slap, it makes my eyes water and nose bleed, “And you don’t even have it!” She yells, looming over me with a dagger, “I do have it, I’ve hidden it. I hide it every night, you’ll never find it!” I yell in protest as she drags the knife tauntingly down my arms, lightly piercing the skin, I wince. That’s a lie, I don’t hide it as well as I should, but doesn’t need to know that Scratch sleeps curled around it. “Prepare to get your memories wiped again, and this time, you’re going to forget that annoyance of a woman you seem to love so much, your going to forget everything,” She says, chanting the words and her eyes glow, I writhe against my restraints and as she is about to touch my head to wipe my memories away once again, she’s hit in the back with a glaive I’ve spent the past few months cleaning and polishing; its Artemis. Well, its everyone. Everyone is here to save me. Through the chaos I see my shining paladin of vengeance, smiting Viconia with a fiendish and enraged look in her eyes I’ve never seen before. The others stand guard and watch, some in horror and some enthralled to see Artemis wreak havoc upon Viconia. Scarily, Artemis’ glaive glows with a moonbean and she is seconds away from smiting Viconia one final time, but its Aylin that holds her back from killing Viconia completely, “The Moonmaiden will claim her, and have her to rot for centuries on end. Go to your beloved,” She says in her usual ‘Aylin’ way, tears start to fall, the adrenaline of not knowing if I was going to live or die wearing off, and in an instant I am surrounded by Artemis, she hurriedly unshackles me and pulls me right into her embrace. “Oh my darling, are you alright? Are you hurt? Your lover is here, your safe with me again,” She says, holding me tight and scanning my body for serious injuries. I look at her, look at everyone, their faces scared for me, even Lae’zel. I sniffle, overwhelmed by it all, I cover my face and try to calm down. Artemis just hold me, but one by one my companions.. my family, move to comfort me. “You are safe once more my cub, you will now not be allowed out of my sights for long,” Jaheira says as she passes by, squeezing my shoulder, I look up and smile, “Jaheira is right, Boo and I will continue to grab evil by the buttocks for you!” Minsc says, earning a squeak from Boo, I give a watery laugh and wipe my tears away, “You are my fellow soldier, my friend, I would search Avernus for you,” Karlach adds, earning a hum of approval from Astarion, “These wretches have taken enough from you and I. You helped me kill Cazador, my demons, its about time I help you kill yours.” He smirks, licking his lips from (probably) feasting on their blood. “Astarion is right Shadowheart, you are a formidable ally, we would be foolish to let you get gutted.” Lae’zel speaks, earning a genuine smile from me. She just raises an eyebrow and dismisses me with her hand but I see a hint of a smile. Wyll and Gale nod, both casting healing spells on me, after they say their own words the whole group mentions that they'll meet us at camp.

All who’s left is Artemis and I, she looks at me anxiously, “I thought..” She begins, tears welling up in her eyes, “I thought I lost you, Shadowheart. I woke up to Viconia and her cultists holding a knife to my throat, my arms down and she drugs you with a paralytic poison. I watched her take you from me. And she almost did, permanently.” She says crying, I hold her face and bring her lips to mine, they taste salty from her tears but I dont care, “I thought I lost you, my brave Artemis, I heard your screams.. I, she said she killed you.” I say softly, tears falling down my own face now, she takes her leather gloved hands and wipes them away, “I almost did, it took 4 men to hold me down as she took you away on horseback. Aylin helped me get free. But one guy really got me good, it left a nasty scar on my chest” She says, shuddering at the memory. I just hug her again, pressing my ear to her beating heart, “She almost made me forget you..” I whisper, closing my eyes and relishing in her embrace. She just tightens her grip on me, “The Moonmaiden would restore your memories, I am sure of it. Aylin and I would never allow that to happen. I would go to the Moon herself and beg her for all eternity.” She says with finality, oh my sweet little paladin. For a little we just stay like this, in each others embrace, silently processing and remembering that the other is okay. Artemis is the first to break the silence, “Come, lets go back to our makeshift home, where we belong.” She says softly, smiling, taking my hand. I beam at her and follow, walking hand in hand in the streets of the lower city. I know that these days ahead will be hard for Artemis and I, after all we have endured. But We will be okay, we have each other to rely one. Once we make it back I am joyously greeted by my friends, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I am home.

[everybodyknows-everybodydies]

the hound - Hallie

the hound: loyalty, chains, promises

“—thus brought low, the warrior stumbled from one house to the next, crying out for anything that was familiar, but he recognized nothing, and nothing, in turn, recognized him. The sudden storm had left puddles all down the streets. He looked in each one, and in each one he saw a different face, but none of them were his.

“It was not until he fell to his knees outside the temple that someone saw through the curse, and the Lady Almalexia came forth from her shrine to see the warrior who had once been so brave, now weeping into his own strange reflection.

“‘You have forgotten your name,’ said Lady Almalexia, ‘but by name do I know you; by name do I love you.’” Llaalam’s eyes are all ember-glow with story, his whole body leaned forward and half off his cushions. “She touched the warrior’s head as he knelt there before her, and his mind was cleared of darkness, and he knew himself once more.”

Haldryn finds herself nearly scooted off the cushion saved for her too. She wriggles back onto it, remembering too late her handmade tail when the end of it bonks the wall behind her. “So—so what was his name?”

“He doesn’t know.” Amil leans over his husband’s shoulder with a wry twitch of his thin mouth. He drapes a blanket over Llaalam’s lap for him.

Llaalam reaches up to pat Amil’s bald head fondly. “That’s between the warrior and the Sacred Lady, I think.”

“But she knows it,” Haldryn presses, because it’s important. “Because—because he prayed, before Sheogorath got him?”

“She knows it,” says Llaalam, lifting a finger, “as Lord Sotha Sil does, and as Lord Vivec does. If you forgot yourself—”

“I wouldn’t!”

“—your ma would still know you, wouldn’t she?”

She opens her mouth, then closes it again, bewildered. She hikes her belt up to make her tail sit higher, the squished end of it dragging on the floor. There is no world she can think of where Ma wouldn’t know her. “She’s my ma,” she says. It’s the only answer there is.

“And you’re her Haldryn.” Llaalam makes a grand sweeping motion that she suspects is mostly to make his sleeves swish. “The Three are ours; we are theirs. If a Daedra knows your name, it means they’ve deigned to take special interest in you. The Three are gods because they love you. They are for us and we for them.”

“Or,” says Amil from where he’s gone back to the other room, sounding faintly amused, “you don’t worry about all that, Haldryn; just do your best. That’s all we can really do, any of us, even them.”

She recognizes the tone that means they’re about to start talking the boring bits that they disagree about, policies and stuff, so she scrambles to her feet and tugs at her belt again, tail swinging behind her. “Thank you mu—sera?” she corrects herself when Llaalam starts to huff a laugh. “I have to be home to help with dinner, but I’ll come back tomorrow, and on Fredas!”

“Tell your ma we said thank you for that soup.” Amil reemerges with a familiar jar held with both hands. “Washed it, don’t worry.”

The gold man joins her again right outside, with the jar tucked under her arm and a nice straight stick she’d left by the door dragging patterns in the dirt beside her. “You don’t have to like storytime,” she says, and kicks a stray little stone ahead of herself out of the way of her stick. “But it’s rude when you don’t even say goodbye or anything. You should pay attention to manners next time Ma explains them.”

He doesn’t say anything, staying alongside her with his head bowed to watch her stick squiggle through the dirt.

Haldryn stops to squint up at him. “Do you know anything about gods?”

His face does something awful, then, like he’s got a bad stomachache maybe. No, he says. Or at least: I know that I don’t know anything.

“Oh.” She uses the flat of her heel to smooth out some of the dirt, draws very carefully. “Well, this is supposed to stand for—”

Ayem.

The jar almost slides out from under her arm. The crook of her elbow is getting sweaty. “So you know your letters but not anything about gods?”

He’s crouched in front of where she’s drawn the letter. The tail shouldn’t be so long.

“I did it right,” she insists, insulted. “Anyway—” She scratches out another letter next to it. “That one means the Sacred Lady, and sometimes people call her after it too. She’s got a sword that’s on fire, and she’s tall as a mountain and stronger than ten bears—”

Is that what they tell you, at your storytime?

“I mean—not all of it, no, but she chopped up Mehrunes Dagon, so. But she’s really nice too, she helps people. And her hair’s red, and it curls like mine, except lots longer.” She points to the second letter. “This one’s for me, it’s a hekem. Nobody calls me that though, because it’s not my name, it’s just a letter. But it looks neat, right?”

His face isn’t doing anything now. She doesn’t know what that means. But he nods, slowly, and says, You’ll be late for dinner.

“Won’t either!” But she drops the stick and hugs the jar to her chest to start back for her own front door again, trotting a little faster. “Llaalam says they know everybody without even having to be introduced. But it’s sort of rude not to introduce yourself,” Haldryn says, pointedly. The gold man does a very good job not reacting to that. Maybe he didn’t get it. She continues, “I don’t want to be rude. Ma says the Hist recognizes its own, too, but if I met one I would—when I meet one I’ll still say hi, and tell it my name. And so I think when I pray I should say it’s me, too, so they know, and then when I meet them and they know me maybe they’ll remember easier what I’ve told them. Do you think if—”

But when she pushes open the front door and looks up, he’s gone off somewhere again. She huffs out a breath—maybe his ma just didn’t know manners as good as Ma does.

---

The eyes of the goddess are golden, as vivid-bright as the lava under Red Mountain, burning right through her and on out to the other side. The perfect serenity of the Lady Almalexia’s face ripples, a pebble of recognition tossed into an endless fathomless lake.

Do you really know me, Haldryn wants to ask, but her throat is closing up and she’s blinking very fast and the goddess is only looking at her as at an open window. Do you know me, can you see me, did you hear every time I prayed—

Neht is very still, behind her. She can’t look, can’t turn away, but she doesn’t need to, to know. He says nothing, nothing at all. The cold patterned floor judders all her bones when her knees hit.

The sound of the Mercymother’s voice is the top of a waterfall, great heights on the edge of thunderous force, lingering at the precipice, and the name she speaks is:

“My Nerevar.”