#now i am going to lay down to rest. i spent lovely quality time with my dear friends and so today is a win

[algolstare]

the power of soup to make you feel like everything is going to be okay somehow... wonderful. today i had meat+cheese+bread, an apple, and now soup. i am so content

[silver-hwaberry]

FOURTEEN: insomnia

Warnings: oral (f receiving), fingering, protected sex, slight soft dom, feelings of being overwhelmed during sex.

Word count: 9.8K

Taglist: @kiwibaekie @fudgeflyssworld @kodzukein @elk-1998 @khjcoo @pepperony-7 @ateez-babygirl @starillusion13 

I lay in bed, staring at the window. I can hear the occasional car passing down below. A week has passed since the meeting and work was busy. I was also struggling to sleep. The guys have their final promotion schedule the following day and then thankfully have a few days off before rehearsals for the tour and upcoming kcons begin. Despite seeing each other every day at home and at work, we had all been busy that we had barely spent any quality time together. Seonghwa, Yunho, Hongjoong, San and Wooyoung were going to see their families for a couple of days while Yeosang, Mingi and Jongho were staying in Seoul. My parents and sisters were also arriving in a couple of days, too, and I was looking forward to seeing them. 

I sigh and give in. I accept that sleep is not coming anytime soon so I throw my cover off me and get out of bed. I open my bedroom door and make my way to the kitchen. The entire apartment is quiet. Everyone is asleep. Oh, how I envy them. I bitterly envy everyone who is in the land of nod right now while I am wide awake but absolutely exhausted at the same time!

I get some milk from the fridge and pour it into a saucepan. I am hoping some warm milk might help me get sleepy. As I wait for it to heat, I check my phone. There is a message from Soojin. I smile as I open it. It is a simple ‘I love you’, but it melts my heart. I quickly reply that I love her too and that I can’t wait to see her. 

I settle onto the sofa with my mug of warm milk and switch the tv on, turning the volume down. I pull the throw over the back of the sofa over myself. I scroll aimlessly through Netflix trying to find something that would lull me to sleep. I don’t even know what I’ve put on, as I am more focused on scrolling through my phone.

“Can’t sleep?” I hear Yeosangs deep voice ask softly from the doorway, giving me a fright as I hadn’t heard him come down the stairs.

“Nope.” I answer, sitting upright and switching the tv off with the remote. “I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

“of course not. I didn’t know you were even awake until I got into the hallway and saw the light on.” He says, coming into the lounge. He is wearing a black tank top and loose red and black plaid pj bottoms.

“You can’t sleep either?” I ask as he shakes his head and runs a hand through his dark hair. I can see how tired he is in his face. Yeosang is naturally pale, but I can’t help notice how much paler he looks than normal. It worries me, as I know how hard they are all working right now, both physically and mentally. “Want to cuddle?”

I open the side of my blanket and pat the space beside me. He smiles and comes over. I can feel how tense his body is as he lays down beside me. He tucks me into his side, my head resting on his chest as his arms wrap around me. Usually our cuddles are fleeting as there is always someone around and normally in the kitchen or hallway. It feels nice to be actually lying down to hug him, no fear of interruptions or someone walking in. I feel him place a kiss on the crown of my head, causing me to look up at him. 

“I’ve missed you.” he sighs

“Me too.” I reply. “About you, I mean. Obviously, I don’t miss myself!” This causes him to chuckle and I can feel his deep laugh vibrate in his chest. I cautiously rest my leg on top of his and immediately he pulls me closer, his right hand holds onto my left. His other hand resting on my lower back, his fingers making soft circles through my shirt. I feel the tension in his body lessen.

“Anything in particular keeping you awake?” He asks as his fingers play with mine.

“Just a little bout of insomnia.” I answer, resting my head back on his chest and looking down at our hands as my fingers playback with his. “What about you?”

“Wooyoung is talking in his sleep.” He answers.

“Woo is a sleep talker?” I laugh. The fact he talks in his sleep when the man talks a lot when he is awake is funny to me.

“He does sometimes.” He laughs. “I can still go to sleep and sleep through it when he does it, but not tonight, for some reason.” 

“Can you make out what he says when he does it, or is it like mumbling?” I ask trying to picture Wooyoung talking in his sleep. The night I had slept in his bed I had heard nothing, but then I can sleep through anything so he could have been having a full-blown concert in his sleep and I wouldn’t have known!

“Oh yeah, he speaks very coherently!” he replies. “Tonight it is something about pandas and pineapples chasing him to steal a wooden spoon.” He answers, his fingers pretending to catch mine now.

“Sounds like an interesting dream.” I giggle.

“Yeah.” He chuckles as he continues to play with my hand, it turning into a gentle game of thumb wrestling, making us both laugh quietly. It feels comfortable laying with him like this, like we do it all the time. The reality is we have only had a couple of kisses and hugs when we have had moments alone, which have never lasted long, as there is always someone around. So this feels nice. Yeosang is completely at ease right now because everyone is asleep. We know there will be no interruptions and it’s nice to see this touchy and playful side to him I’ve never got to see before. After a few minutes, he asks softly, “Do you get insomnia often?”

“I used to struggle from time to time when I was a teenager, but the last time I had it was over a year ago.” I say. 

“How long has this one been going on for?” he asks.

“I am on day 3 so far.” I answer.

“You haven’t slept in 3 days?!” he asks. “Sorry, I am asking you a lot of questions.”

“I don’t mind answering your questions. I got around 2 hours last night, but it was broken up.” I reply, yawning. I can feel myself beginning to relax into Yeosang.

“Does this help? Cuddling into someone?” he asks. I nod and smile gently at his questions, but also at what he is asking. “Anytime you can’t sleep, you know you can come to one of us.”

“Can I come to you for cuddles in the middle of the night?” I ask, my fingers intertwine with his now.

“If-if you feel it would help you, then of course you can.” he says quietly. I can hear his heart beating a little faster now. 

“This is helping me.” I say sleepily.

“I am always here for you.” His voice is soft as I let out another yawn. “Close your eyes and get some sleep.” He whispers and I feel his hand that was on my back move up to my head, stroking it gently.

“What about you?” I ask, moving my head slightly to look up at him. “You need to sleep too.” 

“I’ll be going to sleep soon.” He replies, kissing my forehead. “This is helping me too.”

“That’s good.” I move further up his body, pressing my lips on his. He kisses me back softly and smiles at me when our lips part, before I place a kiss on his bare shoulder. I cuddle into him once again, my knee bending over his legs to get even closer to him. 

“Sweet dreams.” I hear him whisper as he delicately caresses my back.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As I feel myself begin to wake I can feel a warmth behind me. There is a distant clattering noise coming from the kitchen and someone making a shushing noise. I open my eyes and can make out through my blurred vision that I am on the sofa. I am lying on my left side, facing the backing of it and there is a heavy weight over my right hip and a hand on my stomach. I look behind me and squint my eyes to see Yeosang asleep. His left arm is under my head while his right is over my waist. His leg is draped over my hips as he is flush against my back. The top half of the blanket has fell off and lying on the floor while the bottom half is covering our feet.

The early morning light is coming in from the large window behind the sofa. My alarm hasn’t gone off so I know it isn’t 6am yet. Another noise comes from the kitchen and I hear a deep yet hushed voice say “Could you make anymore noise?!” I recognise it as Seonghwa, the reply of “Sorry!” belongs to Mingi and a “You’ll wake up Luna and Yeosang making such a racket!” from Seonghwa.

I put my head back down onto Yeosangs outstretched arm I had been sleeping on before I woke up and close my eyes. I feel Yeosang move slightly behind me, his arm over my stomach pulling me into him. I move my hand to his and hold on to his fingers as I doze in and out of sleep, but I can hear Seonghwa and Mingi quietly walking around. I hear one of them come in to the lounge and pull the fallen blanket over us both before a kiss is placed on my temple. I can tell from the scent as they leaned over me it was Seonghwa, and then hear them leave the apartment. I knew they both had an early schedule, and the others were joining them at the music show later on.

I begin to feel Yeosang waking up behind me. The hand that has been on my stomach moves to my hip as he partially sits up and leans over me. I turn my head and open my eyes to look at him. “Good morning.” I smile at him, rolling onto my back.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks, his morning voice much deeper than normal as I nod. 

“I did. Did you get to sleep soon after?” I ask him.

“I fell asleep straight after you did.” he replies.

“I am glad.” I reply, gently pulling his head down so I can kiss him.

It starts slowly, our lips softly moving against one another. Just at our usual easy pace. That is, until his top half lowers onto me and my hands move to his long hair. Before I know it, his entire body is on top of mine and our kisses are turning needy. I feel him getting hard as his hips subtly move against me. 

“We should stop.” He mumbles against my mouth, panting heavily.

“Ye-yeah.” I reply as he moves off me but keeps his hand on my waist. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry. I don’t want to stop but…. I know if we keep kissing like this I will want to do more and I don’t want to rush you.” he says

I can’t help but smile at this and it also makes me want to kiss him again at how sweet he is being, but I am respecting what he is saying. “You wouldn’t be rushing me, but I understand where you are coming from.” I reach for his hand and play with it like we did in the early hours of this morning when we both couldn’t sleep. “I don’t want to rush you either.”

“Since we have some alone time, which is rare in this house, I want to use this time to ask you if I can take you on a date tomorrow afternoon?” he smiles at me.

I feel like a million butterflies have been let loose inside my stomach as I look at him. “You want to take me on a date?” I ask, knowing I am smiling like a lunatic right now.

“I do.” He nods, chuckling, and I can see through my slightly blurry vision that his cheeks and ears have turned red as he looks away. “If you want to, that is.”

“Yeo, of course I do!” I cuddle into him, and he lets out what sounds like a sigh of relief. “Where are we going?”

“Ah, I want to keep it a secret. However, I remember the debacle you had over what to wear when you went on a date with Seonghwa….” He says. 

“Hey! There was no debacle!” I laugh, playfully tapping his stomach with the palm of my hand 

“Oh, you were 100% flapping. We all saw it!” He laughs back.

“Ok, so I might have flapped a little, I guess!” I reply as it was true, I did!

“So to stop any flapping over this i will tell you it involves food and is somewhere really casual but cute. Well, I think it is cute. I haven’t actually gone to it. I’ve only seen photos of it and walked past it too, but it is somewhere I’ve always wanted to take someone special, so this is perfect.”

“I am someone special?” I ask him.

“You are very special. To all of us.” he says, tilting my head to kiss me.

“I thought you didn’t want to kiss me anymore.” I playfully tease him, poking his shoulder 

“Oh, I want to kiss you and so much more!” He laughs deeply. “But I don’t want our first time together to be a quickie before the others wake up. I intend to take my time with you when the time comes.” He grins, kissing me once more. I feel my tummy flip at the thought of it and I can’t help but squeeze my thighs together as heat pools in my core. 

I know he is teasing me now as the hand that was on my waist moves lower and squeezes my ass over my pyjama bottoms. His teeth lightly nip at my lower lip. He pulls my left leg over his hip before moving his hand back to my ass. I can feel us getting carried away again as he suddenly pulls my hips into his and I can feel the outline of his hard on through our pyjama bottoms. He moans lightly against my mouth before my alarm suddenly blares from my phone, causing us both to jump in fright. Yeosang quickly turns over and picks it up from the floor and hands it to me as we both laugh.

“Your loud ass alarm always makes me laugh.” he says as we sit upright.

“Sorry!” I giggle, nudging his shoulder with my head

“Do you want to come down to the gym with me?” he asks, moving my long bangs off my face and cupping my cheek

“I think that would be dangerous.” I playfully grin at him.

“Worried you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off me?” he smirks back, his hand moves down to my neck. “I saw you watching me in the mirror last time we went to the gym.” It spins my head how he can go from being so shy to so cocky.

“Can you blame me? Look at you!” I laugh, feeling my face blush. “I think I’ll stick with my usual run around the park this morning. It is less distracting.”

“Probably safer too.” He nods as he leans forward as if to kiss me, but just before his lips touch mine, he pulls back and stands up with a smirk on that innocent face of his. He is teasing me once again, but I cannot lie and say that I am not liking this new side to him I am seeing. He holds out his hand for me to take and he helps me up. “I shall see you later on.” He simply says before leaving the room. I run my fingers through my hair and shake my head as I laugh lightly to myself. I did not expect this amount of teasing from him, but I am not complaining either.

─── ･ ☆: *.☽.* :☆ ･ ───

The final performance is at Inkigayo. There is a series of fancalls scheduled for after the stage performance, so I was there to help with any translations, but overall the guys handle each call really well. In previous fancalls I have barely been needed by any of them. As soon as we arrived at the studio, they went straight into hair and makeup and then to wardrobe, so I was waiting alone in the room where everyone had left their things.

“Hey Luna!!” Hyunshik says as he comes into the room.

“Hiya!” I smile, putting my phone down

Since the meeting a few days ago, we had been talking more. Hyunshik was one of the junior assistant managers. He joined the company a year before I did and had been training ever since. He was a really funny guy and easy to talk to as well. I could see how much he loved his job and wanted to be promoted to full manager status and not assistant manager, which was basically doing whatever the managers told him to do from what I could see.

“What a manic week it has been!” he sighs, sitting across from me. “I cannot wait for a few days to do absolutely nothing!”

“Are the promotions always like this?” I ask him

“Generally yeah. This one has felt so much busier, though. With all the music shows, interviews, the group and individual schedules, online fan calls, in person fan signs. I think because this is the first comeback with full audiences, it has felt more hectic than other comebacks.” He replies, opening his laptop. “And things are only going to get busier too, with the kcons and tour dates coming up! I honestly don’t know where the guys get their energy from. I go home exhausted every single day and I am not on stage performing multiple times a day every day.”

I can only nod silently. I don’t know where they get it from either. I am seeing them come home every night on the brink of exhaustion, but still practicing in their bedrooms. Hongjoong normally going from the apartment to his studio until the early hours doing even more work. Honestly, it has worried me, but Yunho had told me to trust them to know their own limits when I voiced my concerns about their wellbeing the previous week. So I was trying not to worry, but that was easier said than done. So I have been doing a lot of tongue biting recently.

“Do you have any plans for your time off?” he asks, pulling me from my thoughts

“My parents and sisters are coming to Korea for a couple of weeks on Tuesday, so I’ll spend some time with them.” I answer.

“Do they not live in Korea?” he asks

“They live in London. I moved here in 2017 for college, but I was born in New York.” I answer. It is always an automatic answer that comes out of my mouth whenever I am asked where my family lives.

“Wow!” he gasps, looking up at me. I never tire of that reaction either. It is always been entertaining to me. The next question is always “Are both your parents Korean?”

“They are. Both were born in America too, but all 4 of my grandparents were born here and moved to America.”

“I didn’t think you could get any cooler Luna, but you surprise me! It explains your American accent when you speak English.” he smiles. Everyone says that too about my accent when I tell them. “So, what are your plans with your family?”

I go to answer, but the door opens, causing us both to look over. Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Jongho come in. They are ready for the stage and I have to stop myself from gasping at how hot they look for their final promotions stage outfits. Seonghwa is wearing a sleeveless top and honestly, seeing his bare arms is a weakness for me. I hope to god he never finds out about it! Wooyoung is wearing a white shirt that is unbuttoned dangerously low, a slim black tie around his neck with a black baseball style jacket and ripped jeans. Jongho is in all black. Black jeans, black shirt, black jacket with a white rose pinned near the pocket. Honestly, he looks amazing and I know I am staring. I am dreading seeing what the others are wearing as I may start drooling! I’ve never felt this way over boyfriends in the past. Wooyoung smiles as he sees me and goes to come over, but stops when he sees Hyunshik. 

“Oh, hey Hyun!” he says to him

“You guys nearly ready for the stage?” he asks, looking back at his laptop

“Most of us are. San is still getting his hair done, and the stylist is making a small change to Yunhos shirt.” Seonghwa answers.

“Myeonjin said the stage is almost ready, too.” He replies. “Ah shit, I’ve left the paperwork for the fan calls in the office. Ilsung will kill me if he finds out I don’t have them! I’ll be back in an hour! Don’t tell him!” He adds, grabbing his mobile and bag.

“Your secret is safe with us!” Wooyoung laughs

“We can finish our conversation later on too, Luna!” He smiles at me before running towards the door. 

“We sure will!” I laugh as I watch him run out of the room and then feel Seonghwa kiss my cheek from behind. I tilt my head up to look at him from my seated position as he puts his hands on my shoulders. I place my hands over his as he bends down and kisses me on the lips. “Hi.” I whisper to him in English.

“Conversation?” I hear Wooyoung say.

I look over at him to see him actually pouting. “Are you jealous?” I ask 

“No!!” He replies immediately and rather loudly, causing Seonghwa to laugh. “I was just wondering what kind of conversation you guys had that needs to be continued at a later time is all!” But I can see he is a little jealous. Wooyoung does not have a good poker face.

“You are jealous!” Jongho teases him as I stand up, moving towards Wooyoung, and he huffs slightly as I cuddle him, taking care not to ruin his hair or makeup.

“Give me a proper hug!” He whines, pulling me closer.

“We were talking about our plans during the break.” I say to him softly, my hands stroking his lower back as I relax into his body. “That is all. Nothing to be jealous of.”

“I am not jealous.” He says quietly to me.

“I know.” I whisper back. “But just so you know, if you were…” I look up at him “…it would be really really hot!” I raise my eyebrows as he breaks into a cheeky grin.

“Noted.” He replies before kissing me.

“Your make up!!” I giggle, pulling my head back 

“I don’t care!” He says, leaning down to capture my lips once more. I am now used to how open around the others he is with his affection and kisses. I kiss him back as I feel his hands move down my sides and rest on my ass. I can also feel his breathing change, becoming a little faster, his hands pulling my body even closer to his than it already was. This kiss feels so much more different from our usual kisses. It is getting heated and I know he is forgetting his surroundings, and to be honest, so am I. 

Seonghwa and Jongho are still in the room and the others would come any minute, not to mention a staff member could arrive too. I need to put my sensible head on and stop the kiss now. Reluctantly, I pull my lips away. His eyes are dark as he looks down at me, trying to catch his breath. “Sorry, got a little carried away there.” he says quietly

“It is ok.” I smile at him, pecking his lips.

“I.. erm, should go to the toilet before we get called on stage.” He says as his cheeks suddenly flush pink. I nod and let go of him. He walks rather awkwardly towards the bathroom, his hands covering his lower part, and I realise he has a boner. Instantly I feel my own cheeks heat at this and look towards Seonghwa and Jongho who are sitting on the sofa, scrolling on their phones. Either they are so occupied with what they are doing on their phones they weren’t aware of what was going on or they are trying to look like they were busy. Either way, I am thankful there is no teasing.

One by one, each of the other guys comes into the room. All their performance outfits for this comeback have been amazing, however, this last set is definitely my favourite and I feel like the stylists have left the best ones for last. Each outfit suits them so well, and I can see how comfortable they feel in them too. Not to mention how hot they look too! My horny teenager side coming out once more. I try my best to calm myself down and stop thinking dirty thoughts. Especially when a sleeveless San sits next to me and rests his hand on my thigh as we all talk.

“Time to go to the stage now.” Myeonjin says as he comes into the room.

“Good luck!” I smile as they all get ready.

“Come with us.” Yunho says taking my hand into his. “You can watch from the side of the stage.” His smile shining brightly as he looks down at me.

“Am I even allowed to?” I ask.

“Of course.”

“We want you there.” Hongjoong says

“All of us.” I hear Jongho say from beside me, causing me to look at him. He is looking at me in a way I’ve never seen him do before, and it makes my tummy flip. “So please come.” I look around at them all, smiling at me, and I nod. Of course I want to be with them, there isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The apartment is quiet tonight. San, Wooyoung and Jongho are having a night out with some of their idol friends they haven’t seen for a while. Yunho had left to go home straight from the studio after the final round of fancalls finished while Seonghwa, Hongjoong, San and Wooyoung were leaving tomorrow. I was pleased for them because they deserve it and I know how it is to miss your family, but I also knew I would miss them, too. 

Saying goodbye to Yunho was difficult, and I wasn’t expecting to feel the emotions that I did when he was leaving. It made me realise that my feelings for not just him, but the others, were slowly growing. He hugged me for as long as he could until Hongjoong had to come into the room and tell him it was time to leave. Before he left, he kissed me and whispered that he would miss me, promised to text and send photos while he was away, too. I told him “Don’t! Just enjoy the break and spending time with your family!” The kiss he gave me before he finally left was long and lingering. It wasn’t heated but I could definitely feel his emotions through it and I felt like his lips were still on mine the entire car ride home as I sat looking out the window. I wasn’t certain, but it felt like he was finding it difficult, too. Or maybe it was all just in my head.

When we got home, I went straight to my bedroom to take out my contact lenses and get changed into my pyjamas. I also just wanted a moment of being alone, too. I was adjusting well to going from living completely alone to with 8 men, especially men who are very attentive to me, but there were times I just needed a bit of solitude. Thankfully, the guys appeared to know when I needed to be alone and didn’t question it. 

When I told Hongjoong about the bipolar, he asked if there were things I ever needed and I told him space was one of them, especially when I would feel overwhelmed. Rarely, but from time to time I just need to be by myself for a little bit. So I wasn’t sure if he’d told them to give me time alone or if they just intuitively knew when I needed it. They left me be, gave me the time I needed, then didn’t make a fuss when I came back to them either, and I appreciated it. 

As I walk into the lounge, it feels weird having the apartment so quiet. I don’t quite know what to do with myself, but there is only one person I need to see right now. I go upstairs and knock on Seonghwa and Hongjoongs bedroom door. I hear Seonghwa say to come in.

“Hey Luna.” he smiles at me

I can see a pile of clean washing on his bed that he is putting away. His already packed suitcase for tomorrow is sitting beside the bedroom door. It makes me smile lightly at how organised he is and I hope that some of it will rub off on me as I am the most disorganised, ‘wait until the last minute then freak out’ person ever! 

I walk over to the window and look out at the skyline. I honestly love the view from their apartment, especially at night time. You can see Han River in the distance. It is honestly a beautiful view. I feel Seonghwa wrap his arms around my waist from behind.

“You okay?” I hear him ask.

“Yeah, I am.” I turn around and smile at him.

“You sure? You were quiet on the drive home and then went straight to your bedroom.” he says.

“I haven’t been sleeping well recently but I am honestly ok.” I reply as he kisses the top of my head. “So don’t worry!”

“Hopefully, with the break from work we all have and your family coming to visit, you can relax and we can get you back into a good sleep pattern again.” he says

“‘we’?” I ask, smiling as I look up at him

“Yes, ‘we’!” he smiles back at me as he pecks my lips. “I know most of us are going away for a couple of days, but whatever we can do to help you, we will.”

“I’ll be fine in a day or two.” I sigh happily.

We spend a few more minutes cuddling before I pull away from him. He goes back over to his side of the bedroom and picks up a shirt from his bed, placing it on a hanger. I go over to the display cabinet with his Lego Star Wars creations and look at them. It brings back happy memories of my dad and I spending an entire day just building, just the two of us. My eyes fall onto Hongjoongs bed. An open suitcase is sitting on it, some clothes haphazardly thrown inside it. 

“Where’s Hongjoong?” I ask Seonghwa

“Where do you think?” He replies, laughing.

“Is he seriously at his studio tonight?” I ask in shock, turning to look at him. “He is going home tomorrow morning!”

“Thought you would have known by now the man pretty much lives there.” He says. “He got changed and left straight away.”

“Of course I knew that, but you guys have finished work for a few days. I didn’t expect him to be at the studio tonight.” I reply.

“Did you come to see Hongjoong then?” he asks me as he is hanging up a clean sweater and I feel nervous.

“Not really.” I say, my fingers fiddling with the bottom of my t-shirt.

“So you wanted me?” he teases, turning around to face me as I nod, feeling the heat rush to my face. I hate how shy I get around them sometimes, as I am not a shy person. I feel his hand cup my face, causing me to jump lightly as I hadn’t realised he had crossed the room to me. “You know Hongjoong won’t be back until like 3am. So we have this room to ourselves for a few hours.” His hands gently tilt my head to look up at him. He has that devilish look on his face, the same one he has had on his face for the past 3 weeks on stage. The one that has caused me to need to stop watching him and the others because of the effect they’ve all been having on me. “And there is also no one else in the apartment, either.”

“Hwa!” I blush as he pushes my hair behind my ear and puts his head beside it.

“I saw how you watched us earlier.” His voice is low and I can feel his breath on my ear. “When we were on stage.” His hands move lower. “The way you slightly bit your lower lip, your thighs rubbing together subtly.” His hand slides into my pyjama bottoms. “And now here you are, in my bedroom....” his fingertips slip past the waistband of my underwear and I cannot help the small moan that escapes my mouth as his fingers glide through my wet folds. “…and ready for me.” There is no denying how extremely turned on I am now. “So, my darling, just tell me what you want and I’ll give you it.”

“You.” I whimper as I feel his fingertip slide in and circle my clit lightly

“I didn’t quite hear that.” He teases, pulling his finger out.

“You.” I say louder. “I want you, Hwa.”

“I love it when you call me Hwa.” He says, his voice low before he captures my lips.

He catches me off guard, causing me to step backwards, but I recover quickly, kiss him back hard and wrap my arms around his shoulders as he removes his hand out of my pyjamas and tugging down on the waistband. He pulls them off along with my underwear and lifts me up. Instinctively, my legs wrap around his waist as he moves over to the desk in the room’s corner. He places me on it and continues to kiss me, his tongue massaging against mine.

My hands move from his shoulders to the bottom of his t-shirt, tugging at it, and our lips separate as I quickly pull it over his head and throw it on the floor beside us. “Tell me again who you want.” he presses his forehead against mine as I feel his fingers slide into my folds once more.

“I want you.” I moan lightly. My hands hold on to his shoulders to steady myself.

“I can’t hear you.” His voice is laced with desire.

“You Hwa! I want you! Please!” I beg loudly 

“I am all yours.” he smirks before dropping to his knees. He swiftly throws my legs over his shoulders and kisses my inner thighs. My fingers thread through his hair as he opens my legs further. His kisses stop and he places his hands softly on my thighs. 

I look down to see why he’s stopped and I see him looking at the bruises from my night with Mingi. Although they were in the early stages of fading, it was still clear imprints of the fingerprints he had left on me from holding onto my thighs and hips so hard. Seonghwas hands touch over them delicately, examining them closely with his eyes. I open my mouth to say that I am ok but stop when he smirks up at me. “This is really sexy!” I can’t help but smile back at him.

He continues to kiss my thighs, his hands moving under my knees to push my legs back, opening me more. My eyes close as his mouth moves higher.

“Oh, fuck…” I moan as his tongue flicks against my clit, my fingers tighten in his hair.

From the start, he is relentless. His tongue moves quickly, licking and sucking at my clit. Instantly, my back arches from the pleasure and I nearly fall backwards. One of my hands falls from his head and I place it surface behind me to keep my balance. Within minutes I can feel myself becoming undone, my fingers tighten in his hair as his mouth ravishes me. I bite my lip to muffle the noises coming from me, but he stops what he is doing. 

“You better not be holding back!” He says. “We are home alone.”

“Someone might come home, though.” I whine in a little annoyance that he has stopped when I was so close.

“They won’t.” He smirks, coming back up to kiss me and I feel him put a finger inside me. “Let’s take advantage of this rare moment where we don’t need to be quiet.” His lips capture mine once more as he slides another one in. He continues to kiss me deeply as he curls them to hit my spot with each thrust, causing me to moan into the kiss and my body to jerk against him. “Now let me get back to making you feel even better than you are already feeling.” 

He goes back down to his knees again and wastes no time in putting his tongue on me as his fingers continue to thrust inside of me. This time, I don’t hold back, allowing whatever weird noises want to come out of me and just let myself feel good. The feeling of both his fingers inside me and his tongue against my clit has me on the edge again.

“Hwa…. I am going to come!” I moan.

“That is my intention, darling.” he says, his voice laced with smugness

His movements increase. He sucks harshly on my clit, and within seconds, I am coming. As my legs try to close instinctively, he pulls his fingers out of me and holds my legs open further as he continues to eat me out at a fast pace.

“S-seonghwa!” I moan loudly, my fingers tugging on his hair harshly

He groans into me as his hands grip onto my thighs tighter, pushing my legs further apart. I am struggling to keep myself upright as the arm supporting my weight gives out. I am thankful the space behind me is clear as I fall backwards, the back of my head resting on the wall now. Seonghwa is not letting up either, his tongue pushing inside of me now as he continues to groan loudly, making a second orgasm hit harder than the first.

“T-too much!” I pant as his mouth moves faster against me, which I didn’t think was humanly possible.

“And yet you are still grinding against my face like you want more!” He says, pulling his mouth off me. He is right. It is as if my body craves more of him despite it being over sensitive. “Give me one more orgasm and then I’ll let you rest.”

“I need you inside me now.” I whine lightly. “Please, Hwa! I want your dick inside me!” I have never in my life begged so shamefully like this! He suddenly stands up, putting his hands on either side of my neck, his lips so close to mine that I can feel his hot breath.

“You want my dick?” he asks, his lips ghost over mine. “Want me to fuck you?” I nod desperately. “Such a needy girl!” I lean forward to kiss him, but he pulls his head back. 

“Seonghwa!” I pout as he laughs. I lean forward again, but he pulls back, laughing even more. “Stop it!!” I laugh too. 

“You are so fucking cute when you get annoyed!” he grins at me before kissing me and lifting me up once more. He carries me over to his bed and puts me on it. I watch as he shoves his clean washing on the floor and pulls his sweats down.

“Wow, has THE Park Seonghwa just made a mess?” I giggle as he takes a condom from his bedside drawer. “Throwing his clean clothes on the floor?”

“I washed the floor this morning and used the roller on it then hoovered when I got home so I know for a fact that floor is not dirty.” he laughs in reply

“I didn’t say your floor is dirty!” I say, smirking at him. “I simply said that you made a mess of the very tidy floor.”

“Luna, do you want me to fuck you or do you want me to start cleaning?” he asks, getting on the bed and pulling my legs harshly towards him so I slide down the bed. “Because you know I will do it! And once I start, I won’t stop!”

“Fucking or cleaning?” I ask back as I watch him put the condom on.

“You are being a bit of a brat tonight!” he states, leaning down on top of me, his face close to mine. His facial expression is unreadable to me. I can’t see what he is thinking and for a second, I think I have actually pissed him off with my banter until his mouth curls into a smirk. “Now, are you going to be a good girl and let me fuck you?” I nod as he kisses me before leaning back.

His hands push my t-shirt up and over my head, throwing it onto the floor with the rest of the clothes. We are both naked now and he is looking down at my body with dark, lust-filled eyes. “So pretty.” he says as his hands run down my body and move under my knees. He pushes them together and up towards my chest, leaning forward, trapping my legs between our bodies. I feel him push himself inside of me in one swift movement and immediately thrusts in and out. He gives me no time to adjust to him being inside, but it feels good from the start. The noises coming from him are deep and almost feral. It is turning me on even more. “You feel so fucking good.”

With each thrust, he is going harder and faster. My head is becoming clouded and my toes are going numb as my body shakes with the pleasure he is giving me. His eyes are closed and I can see he is completely lost in the moment. I try to hold on to his arms, but it is like my body has no strength and my hands just keep falling down. My entire body feels weak as he thrusts sharply into me. Every movement is hitting my g-spot with perfect precision and with the combination of how fast he is thrusting into me and the way my legs are folded between our bodies, unable to move I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed too and I try to speak, but nothing is coming out. Everything feels too intense. 

“Are you still with me?” he asks softly, slowing his movements down

“My… head… feels fuzzy.” I mumble in reply as he gently puts my legs down onto the bed on either side of his hips and leans down on top of me, his elbows supporting his weight.

“Do you want me to stop?” His hips stilling.

“No! Please don’t stop!” I attempt to grasp onto him as I feel him move back from me. “Don’t leave!”

“Hey, it is ok! I have you, my darling. I won’t leave you.” he whispers soothingly, kissing my lips. “I won’t stop, but I am going to slow down, though.” I feel his hips move again, but slower than before. “Is this ok?” I nod my head. “Am I being too rough?” He asks.

“No.” I shake my head. “You aren’t being rough.” My voice is slightly shaky and I am praying he doesn’t notice it.

“I never want to hurt you.” He says. “Or get carried away, and it causes you any pain or discomfort.”

“You never could.” I can hold on to his face now that my body is relaxing again. “You were actually making me feel really good. It was just intense and I… I am still not used to feeling this… good during actual sex.” I can feel my entire face heat up in slight embarrassment at this. 

“I understand.” He says so soothingly it is almost a whisper. I look up at him and see him looking down at me with the softest look. “While I am glad that I can make you feel good during it, I don’t want to you to feel overwhelmed like that.” I pull his lips towards mine and kiss him again. He is still slowly and gently thrusting into me. I can feel my orgasm building again, so I move my hips to match his movements as our kisses become needy. I pull my legs higher around his waist, causing a slight change in the angle of his thrusts. My walls clench around him, causing him to groan loudly into my mouth. “Fuck Luna!”

“Feels good.” I whimper as his forehead touches mine. “G-go faster please, baby!”

“Are you sure?” He asks, staring deeply into my eyes as I nod in reply. “If it gets too intense again, let me know.”

I move my left hand to his waist and hold on to him, as his hips increases in speed, but I can feel him holding back. My right hand is still on his cheek. I tilt his head so his lips meet mine. He starts to move faster, grunts and groans being passed from his mouth to mine as he lets himself go once more.

“Hwa, you are making me feel good!” I moan, my body moving with him. 

“I’m so close, baby.” he mumbles as I clench around him again. I muster up all the strength I can get to push him to roll over. Thankfully, he takes the hint, holding onto me as he rolls onto his back, and I am lying on top of him now. My knees are on the bedding, on either side of his hips as I start to move against him. One of his hands holds onto my ass tightly as the other gathers my hair into a ponytail, and he pulls my head down to his. His kisses are frantic from the start, and I can feel how close he is. With every back-and-forth movement, I am getting closer to my own release. I can feel it just there but I can’t reach it. 

Seonghwas groans are becoming louder as his hand in my hair tightens and his hips move, matching my pace. I pull my lips away from his and look into his eyes. 

“What can I do to help you come darling?” he asks

“I.. need to sit up.” I reply, pushing myself upright. His hands instantly move to my hips to help steady me as I settle down on him. I let out an unstable breathe as my body shakes a little at how much deeper he is inside of me.

“Are you ok?” he asks me

“I am… the angle is deeper. It is good, though.” I place my hands on top of his that are still holding my hips as I begin to move again. The new angle is hitting me perfectly and I can feel my release approaching again. “Shit, Hwa that’s it!” 

“Oh.. fuck!” he groans, his head falling back onto the bed. His hands suddenly move underneath mine, flipping over so our fingers intertwine. “You are taking me so well! I am gonna come!” 

I can use the leverage of his hands holding mine to steady myself better and I get into a good rhythm. The noises Seonghwa is making are so deep and loud. We are both being loud now.

As I feel myself start to come, my fingers tighten in his hands and I lean down, pushing our hands so they are flat against the bed above his head. I press my lips against his as I keep moving on top of him. Lewd noises spilling from us both as he comes at the same time as my high finally hits hard. My head falls into his neck as I try to regain my breath. We are both panting so hard as our bodies come down from our joint highs. I let go of his hands and run my fingertips through his sweat soaked hair.

“You are amazing!” He sighs, his hand caressing my lower back. 

“So are you, baby.” I reply, kissing lightly at his neck. I can taste the sweetness of the sweat on his skin on my lips as I continue to kiss him and he makes contented sighs.

The room is silent, as I stay laying on top of him, my face buried happily into his neck. We stay like this for a while, just enjoying the comfortable silence and being close to one another.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” he finally says, sitting upright while holding onto my waist. He lifts me out of the bed so easily and takes me into his bathroom. It is my first time seeing it and it’s massive. 2 sinks, a walk-in shower and a separate bathtub.

“You guys have a bath in here?!” I ask when I see it

“Well, I was going to put you into the shower but seeing how big your eyes just got, I am definitely making you a bubble bath!” he chuckles, sitting me on one of the worktops. He pulls off the used condom, tying it and throwing it in the little bin before lifting his black bath robe from the hanger on the wall and wraps it around me “Don’t want you getting cold.” he smiles, tying it around my waist before kissing me. “You look so tiny wearing this.” He chuckles, he affectionately rubs his nose against mine and pecks my lips again.

I watch as he starts the bath. He opens a box that has a lot of different bath bombs in it, asking me to pick one. I pick up a pink one and smell it. It smells of cherries and I instantly like it. “That one is my favourite.” He smiles 

“I’ll pick another one then.” I say, but he takes it from my hand and drops it into the running water before I can say anything. “Seonghwa! Why did you do that? It’s your favourite!”

“Because I could see you liked it.” He replies, his hands cup my cheeks. He places a series of kisses on my lips as I smile widely. “I’ll let you use the toilet. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He kisses the top of my head. He leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind himself and I stand up. I am thankful he’s given me the privacy to use the toilet, as I was desperate for a pee! 

After I’ve used it, I wash my hands before leaning over the bathtub to smell the amazing scent coming from the water. The water has turned a beautiful shade of pink and it makes me smile as I dip my hand into it, checking the temperature. It is perfectly hot. It is has been so long since I had an actual bath as my old apartment only had a small basic shower and I am looking forward to this. I hear a knock at the door and see him peek his head in before he walks in. He has put on a pair of boxers but is still topless and as he comes over to turn off the water; I notice a small red mark on his neck, near his collarbone.

“What is it?” He asks as he sees me staring 

“Don’t freak out but I.. I think I may have… given you a love bite.” I say nervously, motioning to his neck. He turns around to look in the mirror and touches the mark. “Sorry, I didn’t even notice I did that!” It must have been when I was kissing his neck after we had finished and still in that post sex haze.

“Do not apologise, I love it!” He grins, turning back to hug me. “My little vampire!”

“You aren’t mad?” I ask, looking at him as he shakes his head. 

“Absolutely not!” He replies, kissing me. “Now get into the bath before it gets cold!”

Seonghwa helps to take the robe off me and I feel cold, as it was so warm and comfortable. He holds my hand as I step into the bath. As soon as I sit down in the hot water, I feel my body instantly relax. “You aren’t going to join me?” I ask him as he sits on the floor beside the tub.

“Do you want me to?” he asks back, a faint hint of a smirk on his face

“You have made me the most perfect bubble bath, and I want to enjoy it with you, my boyfriend.” I say, reaching out to hold his hand. The little smirk instantly drops, and he smiles so softly at me. “So please, join me!” He presses the back of my hand against his lips and nuzzles his cheek into it.

“You know I cannot say no to you ever.” He whispers, standing up. I lean forward to make room for him behind me as he takes off his boxers and climbs in. He settles in behind me and I lay back against him. His hands wrap around my body. I feel instantly serene in his arms. The smell of the bubble bath, the warmth of his skin and his hands on me. 

“These look fresh.” He says, his fingers tracing the bruises on my thighs. “I am not prying, just wanting to check you are ok.”

“I am absolutely fine. Mingi didn’t hurt me at all. He didn’t even know, to be honest, and I didn’t let him see them the following morning in case he thought he had.” I suddenly realise I’ve said Mingis name. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have told you that!” I add quickly, my heart suddenly racing. “Please don’t tell him!!” I sit upright.

“It is ok!” He says quickly pulling me back into his arms. “It’s ok.” He soothes kissing my temple

“You said one rule was not talking about what we did, though.” I say.

“That is mainly between the guys, so you don’t think we are talking about you behind your back. You are free to talk about whatever you want to with us, though. Only if you feel comfortable enough. The guys and I agreed in advance it was ok if you wanted to talk about anything with us. We are all in this relationship together.” He says, one of his hands rubbing comforting circles on my stomach, the other resting under my breasts. “You don’t need to worry about that or feel you can’t talk to us either.”

“Makes sense.” I nod slightly. “Mingi wasn’t being rough with me or hurting me. I bruise really easily, so I usually have one somewhere on my body, anyway.” I turn my head to look at him again. “Plus, I kinda like sex bruises, too. So I don’t mind them.”

“You are definitely a kinky little thing, aren’t you?” He laughs, kissing me. 

“You know, I will definitely have more tomorrow from you.” I say to him. “You were holding onto my legs pretty hard earlier on.”

“As long as you aren’t hurting from them.” he replies

“Only in a good way.” I smirk at him before letting out a small laugh.

“You really are kinky.” he laughs again. “You are going to keep us all on our toes.” He adds softly into my ear.

I rest my hands on his knees as we continue to relax in the warm water. The scent of the bath bomb is comforting for us both. The closeness and intimacy of having a bath together is making me feel happy.

“Are you looking forward to going home tomorrow?” I ask him.

“I am. It’s been a while since I saw my family.” he replies.

“What do you normally do when you go back home?” His hand under my breast soothingly cups one of my breasts. There is nothing sexual behind it at all.

“Our house is in the country, middle of nowhere. There isn’t a lot to do like here in Seoul. It is quiet and peaceful. We go on walks. My dad usually fires up the fire pit at night time and we just sit around, toasting marshmallows and talking. I love it.” he answers, kissing my temple as I smile at the thought of it. He deserves this break so much to rest and be happy. “You must be looking forward to your family arriving on Tuesday.”

“I cannot wait to see them!” I smile as my fingers rub the skin on his knees on either side of me. “The girls are going to be so big! Are you nervous about meeting my parents?”

“A little. I know you told me your dad will put on his scary army face, but that he isn’t scary. However, I am still nervous. I’ve never met a girlfriend’s parents before.” he says.

“You don’t have to be nervous. My dad has already told me he likes you, so there is a chance of no scary army face. If he does, my mom will reign him in! She wears the pants in that relationship. He does whatever she says.” I laugh. “So don’t be nervous. The plan is on Thursday to have a nice, quiet, relaxed, home cooked meal at the apartment they’ve rented. No pressure.”

“Will the twins be there too?” he asks, his head resting against mine as I lean back further into him

“No, they’ll be staying the night with my Uncle Jihoon and Aunt Soomin. So it will just be the 4 of us. Like I said, no pressure.” I answer.

Truth be told, I am feeling rather nervous myself. With my mom knowing me inside and out, I am worried she’ll know there is something more to my relationship with Seonghwa. I can only pray that on Thursday night we look like any other normal, regular boyfriend and girlfriend, and that my mom suspects nothing. I feel Seonghwa place a kiss on the side of my head, pulling me from my worried thoughts, and I smile. I don’t want to worry anymore, I just want to enjoy this precious alone time with Seonghwa.

[glitterandmoondustofficial]

And Onto Further Stillness

Chapter 8

Notes:

Characters: Gale, Tara, Yrelia Rating:Mature Warnings: Nakedness, lots of kissing Notes: Yeah, I changed up the weave scene to fit Yrelia more lol

“Lia, are you certain?” Gale asked as he followed her around their tower. “Darling, I assure you that there’s no need for you to do this.”

“Gale, you’re being so dramatic. I’m just going to start hunting again,” she laughed. “You have started a wonderful job and you’re bringing in good money while I lay around in our tower by myself, reading books and snacking. It’s time for me to contribute to our household.”

“You are!” He argued. “I must point out that you prepare lunch for me every day and you cook a wonderful dinner quite often. Our tower is practically spotless due to your efforts and that includes cleaning up after me. I couldn’t possibly forget that you repair my teaching robes every time there’s a stray cantrip that my students think they have already mastered. Which, I must say, is daily.”

“And as I must point out, you also cook. More often than me, in fact.”

“Well how can I not want to cook for you? You deserve lavish and rich meals as often as possible.”

“And you’re also cleaning almost as often as I am.”

“A clean environment leads to healthy and clear thinking. I’m more organized than I've ever been thanks to your filing system.”

“And you’re picking up clothing repairs very quickly.”

“I can’t always expect you to repair my singed clothing. That’s preposterous and would be all you ever do.”

“Didn’t you come to me during our adventure whenever you needed your robes repaired? You didn’t seem to have an issue with it then.”

“That’s completely different. You were a brilliant star that I could only hope would be willing to fall out of the sky and grace me with your glow.”

“And now?”

“You willingly do so.”

Yrelia snorted loudly. “At least let me do something that only I can do for us. Between teaching, researching, and household chores, you do so much and I feel like I’m not contributing as much as I should. You should allow yourself to come home, not pick up a quill, broom, or wooden spoon, and just relax.”

“But, my love,” he said and took her shoulders in his hands. “You have spent your entire life overworking yourself for a family who didn’t properly care for or appreciate you. You deserve to rest and relax without being expected to do one singular thing. Let me take care of you, Lia, that’s all I want for you, for us.”

She blinked and cocked her head. “Beloved, hunting and processing meat is hardly working.”

“Ah, see, you say that, but I’ve had the honor of observing you do both of those things and it’s an all day event for you, especially if it’s more than one animal.”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed and nodded with a smile. “But think of all the high quality meat I can bring home to you. You won’t find a butcher that can produce better than what I can.”

“That is…true.”

“And I can get back into tanning hides and start to really learn how to make things from it other than just rugs. You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t appreciate some deerskin gloves in the winter. They are incredibly warm and versatile. We can’t let your skilled hands get too cold.” She kissed his hand for emphasis. “Also when I hunt geese, ducks, and turkeys I can make things with the down and feathers or I can use them as fertilizer for our garden. So, there’s another way my hobby would improve our lives.”

“You’re not…incorrect.”

“This will also keep me busy and happy and in case of another apocalypse, my skills will remain sharp. Unless you planned on being the only one to defend our home.”

“No, of course not. Tara is quite capable at defense.”

Yrelia snorted. She kissed him. “I’m going to head out or I’ll be late. It’s important to look good for these people. From what Lily said anyone and everyone applies for these licenses, even if they don’t have the right skills for it.”

“Mostly everyone,” Gale said. 

“Well, of course not those with magical skill and talent, my beloved.” She kissed him again. “I still owe you a lesson, now that I think about it,” she said with a soft look in her eyes.

Gale felt himself smile, thinking of his lesson with her. How he had so badly wanted to share the Weave with her. He had seen her affection towards him for the first time that night. He could still picture the image so clearly. His head in her lap as he read a book, her fingers combing through his hair softly. 

He remembered wanting to embrace not only that moment but also her. That he hadn’t wanted to taste someone’s lips so desperately in such a long time. However, the moment had been cut short and even though his heart hadn’t felt so light before, he was left cold without her.

That shared moment, the idea of being so close to Yrelia, had changed the course of his life so intimately that he could hardly believe that he was here seven months later. 

He now could hold onto her whenever he felt the need, he could gently brush his lips across every inch of skin she allowed, he could spend long nights tangled up in her arms, listening to his name on her lips as she gasped in pleasure. 

Or he could lay his head in her lap while he read a book as her fingers combed through his hair. 

“You do,” he confirmed. “And I am looking forward to it. You know that I am quick to learn new and exciting things. I promise I will be a better student than I was in my years at Blackstaff.”

She giggled and kissed him one last time before leaving their tower with her bow. 

And that was an hour ago. Yrelia had gone to retrieve her Waterdeep hunting license. When she found out that it involved testing she was fairly shocked. She hadn’t been expecting to jump through hoops as she had just signed up in Baldur’s Gate. When Gale told her that she would have to do the same for fishing she asked if he was teasing her.

“Not at all, dearest. Waterdeep takes such things quite seriously. You don’t want overfishing or over-hunting. It’s best to require a test of skill to thin the herd, so to speak.”

Now he was faced with a problem he never thought he would ever come to face.

He had lived alone in his tower for many years, so sure he would live out his days doing research and creating new spells within the bliss of being a Chosen. Rich cheese, fine wine, long nights within the Weave. 

Well, he hadn’t been totally alone. Tara had been his companion the entire time. 

However he was now confronted not only with the fact that while he did still love his research and creating new spells and he did still have a taste for cheese and fine wine, he very much was lonely while alone in his tower. He wanted to do these things with Yrelia around. 

She had started to come into his study while he worked, curling up on the couch as his quill scratched on the paper. If she felt like she needed attention she would close her book and walk over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a kiss on the top of his head. A simple “come sit with me” would have him leaving whatever he was doing behind without a second thought.

They’d drink wine together, make dinner together, lay on the couch together. She would teach him gardening skills and he would bounce lectures and ideas for new spells off of her. They’d kiss and kiss and kiss; his lips on her skin, her fingers in his hair, their bodies pressed against each other. 

Yrelia had also started to drag him out of their tower, intent on learning more about Waterdeep. She wanted to enjoy her new city and she wanted to do it with him. To say he now saw his beloved Waterdeep in a new light would be an understatement.

He had begun teaching only a fortnight ago and he loved it. Truly loved it. He hadn’t realized it would be so fulfilling and he was grateful that Yrelia had supported and encouraged him every step of the way. The only downside was that he missed her now. To go from being around her almost every moment of the day for months to being away for most of the day multiple days a week was almost jarring.

One night he had admitted that he missed her and she laughed, saying she missed him as well, but perhaps not being attached to the hip would be a good thing, and missing each other was a feeling they should experience. She was right, of course, as she usually was. 

Besides, he did feel a not minute amount of pride and ego when he opened the lunches Yrelia had made for him. When his colleagues questioned him about his lunches he enthusiastically explained they were made by his wonderful fiancée. He didn’t even get offended by the shocked stares, too busy being ecstatic over Yrelia. 

However, now, in that current moment, he was alone in his tower, left to his own devices without his love to cuddle, kiss, or bury his face between her thighs.

This would be a perfect opportunity to conduct uninterrupted spell research, tweak his lesson plans, grade his student’s homework that he had been avoiding for two days in favor of kisses. He could also make a slow cooked meal for Yrelia to come home to. She had really enjoyed that slow roasted leg of lamb that she couldn’t stop praising him over. That was probably an unneeded ego boost but he definitely didn’t mind. 

He should probably also deal with the laundry and begin to order firewood for autumn and winter. Waterdeep became quite cold in those months and he knew that his love didn’t run hot. No, in fact, while on the road she had curled into him every night, even when it had been warm out, stating that she was cold and needed to be close to him.

“Mister Dekarios,” he heard Tara say. He looked at her sitting on the arm of the couch with a somewhat flat and definitely unamused expression. “Do you plan on sulking all day?”

“I am not sulking,” he said with a huff. 

“I have known you for many years so I can say that without a doubt you are sulking. Can you no longer function without your fiancée around?”

“I most certainly can.” He crossed his arms. “I was simply deciding on which of my many tasks I should start with.”

“Good. I will say one thing about Miss Rosewood, she has certainly changed you to be more reliably organized. She’s even managed to convince you to stay on task! I will have to thank her. Perhaps a nice pigeon would do.”

“I’m certain she will appreciate it,” Gale said and started to walk towards the study. “I’ll start grading the students' work,” he mumbled. “And then I’ll sort through the laundry. Then I will…”

Gale stood on his balcony with a second mug of coffee, staring out into the sea. His and Yrelia’s clothes hung to dry and blew in the breeze. A slow roast was in the oven. He knew Yrelia would insist on making the side dishes so he would let her do whatever she wanted. Of course he loved her cooking and was so very happy she loved his kitchen. 

And he was not at all biased about her using the kitchen because she gave him plenty of kisses while she cooked. 

He stared at the horizon and narrowed his eyes. There was a storm in the distance. 

It was starting to begin the turn of the seasons. Eleint was fast approaching which meant there was going to be frequent rain and snow soon. He would need to speak with his tailor about creating Yrelia a warm coat that would suit Waterdeep. 

She had a coat, of course, but Baldur’s Gate was warmer than Waterdeep so she needed something more temperature appropriate and a bit more fashionable. He was thinking something along the lines of a nice black wool coat and gold buttons. With matching gloves and hat as well. Oh, he was certain she would look quite adorable with some rabbit fur earmuffs. 

He watched lightning flash in the distance and sighed contentedly. A nice end of summer storm to cuddle under the covers with. Preferably naked!

He felt himself smiling as he brought his mug to his lips. To think he would be so happy with his life. That he would find someone to spend that life with. Not only did he find someone who he very deeply loved, but…she loved him back. 

“I’m going to be obnoxious,” Yrelia croaked with a yawn. 

Gale looked up from his book. He laid in his tent by the dim candlelight. The love of his life stood at the entrance looking exhausted. Her hair was a mess, there were dark circles under her eyes, and the shirt she slept in was off on one shoulder. 

“I highly doubt that,” he said with a smile. “What can I do for you, my love?”

“Move over,” she said and then didn’t give him time to move over. 

“Yrelia,” he cleared his throat. He felt himself blush, which was embarrassing. They were adults in their thirties in an established relationship, how was his partner climbing into his tent so frightfully vexing? “Darling, were you wanting to talk?” He shuffled to the side so that Yrelia would be more comfortable. 

“No.” She said and laid her head on the pillow. She let out a long breath. “Carry on.”

Carry on? As if he would be able to focus on anything other than the warm body next to him. 

He closed his book and set it aside, no longer willing to entertain the idea of reading it. He snuffed out the candlelight, making his tent dark. 

He laid down and his heart sped up when she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. “My lady,” he said softly. “What brings you to my tent?” He wrapped his arms around her, breathing her in. 

“I can’t sleep,” she said. “I’d rather lay with you, if that’s alright.”

“It’s more than alright,” he said. He pressed a kiss into her hair. “It’s something I enthusiastically welcome.”

She sighed. “Good,” she said softly. “Because you won’t be able to get rid of me easily.”

“Getting rid of you is the furthest thing from my mind,” he said. “I’d love nothing more than for this to happen every night.”

“Okay.”

Gale blinked, really processing their conversation. “That is…truly what you want?”

“Yes.” She said surely. “I love you and I don’t think I should miss out on simple things like this.”

Gale blinked. His lips twitched into a small frown before kissing her head again. He sighed. “I love you, too,” he whispered. “Whatever you want to do, I will most enthusiastically do for you.”

Gale was folding the dry laundry when the storm hit. The rain hit his bedroom balcony doors and he sighed. It was relaxing. He saw the lightning in the distance and smiled. 

The first of the autumn rains! Perhaps he would light a fire with the last of the wood he already had? He was sure Yrelia would appreciate one after she came home. A nice evening to curl up under the blankets with a warm hearth. With plenty of kisses, of course. 

He paused. He stared at the shirt he was holding in his hands before dropping it and rushing out of his room. 

“Mister Dekarios!” Tara exclaimed. “Where in the world are you rushing off to?”

Gale grabbed the umbrella and started to put on shoes. “Yrelia doesn’t have an umbrella,” he said, slightly annoyed with himself for not realizing such a thing earlier. “Which means she’ll either walk home in this weather or she will wait it out.”

“She’s a smart woman, she’ll wait it out.” 

Gale opened the door and opened the umbrella. “I’m going to walk her home.”

“Mister Dekarios!” He heard Tara yell before he closed the front door and started to run.

The streets of Waterdeep had been emptied and were dark. Merchant stalls had been cleaned of their products. It was grey and dreary and wet. 

And windy, how could he possibly forget windy?

The cold, wet wind tousled his hair, soaked his clothes, made it difficult to see with his worsening eyesight, and completely destroyed his umbrella. The damn thing nearly snapped in half. In his time both in seclusion and his time away from Waterdeep it had slipped his mind how the storms were at this time of year. 

His joy of Waterdeep storms dissolved as his socks became soaked. 

If had been two years ago, if he was still who he once was, he was certain he would have been able to keep himself from being completely drenched. Not only that but he would easily get to his beloved in mere seconds and whisk her away to his tower where they would be warm, dry, and eating a wonderful meal. 

Gale knew, he knew that Yrelia didn’t need Gale of Waterdeep and that she didn’t want dragons made of fire or impressive teleportation spells, but there was a part of him that still wanted to show her what he had been capable of. Surely she would have understood what he was, what he could have been. 

But she always smiled and kissed him. 

“I love Gale Dekarios,” she would say. “He’s all I want.”

Gale approached the large building where Yrelia’s tests were held with rain pouring down on him. His broken umbrella in his hand and a frown on his face. He watched as Yrelia stood under the awning sticking her hand out in the rain. 

He recognized his love immediately. Her black curls in a ponytail, her bow strapped to her back, comfortable clothing that safely covered her chest. 

A man was talking to her. No, based on the body language he was flirting with her. Definitely something he had seen before. He should be used to it. It shouldn’t bother him, and yet it did. Deep in his stomach low embers of insecurity and jealousy burned. 

Yrelia responded to the man with one word answers but looked otherwise distracted. She sighed and retracted her hand from the rain, adjusting her bow on her back. She looked over in Gale’s direction and she froze. 

She stared at him in shock for a moment before opening her mouth. “Gale?!” She called in an incredibly worried tone. She held out her hand, inviting him over to her.

He rushed over, placing his cold, wet hand in her warm and dry one. “Lia.”

“What on Toril are you doing out in this weather?” She asked, taking his face in her hands. “You’re completely soaked. Where’s your umbrella?”

He brought it to their eye level and she blinked. “I thought I could come to you and walk you home so that you wouldn’t have to walk in this terrible weather. Unfortunately it seems the wind has other plans for us.”

Her eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth and closed it before smiling softly. She pulled him in and kissed him. Her wonderful warm lips against his. “I love you,” she said and kissed him again. “I love you, I love you.” She pressed her lips against his for a third time. She pulled away and he stared at her soft expression. She took his hands in hers and kissed them. “My beloved, you didn’t need to come for me.”

He nuzzled her nose, taking his hands from hers and pressing them into her hips. “I would hardly be your dashing and romantic fiancé if I left you to walk home alone in this storm.”

She huffed a laugh. “I could have waited for the storm to end.”

“My lady, Waterdeep storms can be quite long and unruly, you could have been waiting until tomorrow before you were able to come home to our warm tower.” She chuckled, a knowing smile prompting him on. “I missed you,” he admitted. “And I wanted you to come home.”

A warm and so soft expression spread across her face. She kissed his lips slowly, wrapping her arms around his back. She pulled him against her and deepened the kiss. Gale was lost in the feeling of her warm body under his fingertips, of her soft lips against his. She pulled away and he breathed on her lips, his heart racing enough that it distracted him from his cold and wet skin. “I love you,” she said and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. “Let’s go home.”

He blinked. “Dearest…” he said and she pulled away from him. “Yrelia,” he tried again as she stepped back towards in the rain. She grabbed his wrists and started to pull him with her. “You’re going to get soaked and-” 

She cut him off with a warm and wet kiss. She chuckled against his lips as they kissed in the rain. She pulled away but not before nipping at his bottom lip. “Too late,” she laughed. 

Gale sighed, as he watched her walking backwards in the cold, pouring rain. He dutifully followed her, not breaking eye contact. The rain hit him, his hair sticking to his face. He watched as rain soaked her clothes, clinging to her skin and highlighting her body in a way that made his blood rush. “What about your friend?” He asked slowly. 

She made a face that told him she had no idea who he was talking about. “What? Friend? They’ve all left. Are you talking about the guy who wouldn’t stop talking to me out here? He’s hardly what I’d call a friend. More of an annoyance, actually.” 

He blinked and she kissed him again. “Not to open the proverbial can of worms, but, my darling, I also don’t stop talking at times.”

“I like it when you do it.” She smiled. “Come on, let’s go home. There’s a hot bath waiting for us.” She pulled him along. “And don’t think you’re getting away with coming to get me in the downpour. I have my plans for you once we are warm and dry.”

He stopped walking and grabbed her hands. She smiled curiously at him. He watched a wide grin grow on her face when he pulled her in. He kissed her hard, tangling his fingers in her hair, earning him a soft moan from her throat. If he wasn’t a gentleman and also in public he’d paw at her body, feeling her skin under her wet clothes. He would bury his face in her neck, biting her throat in the way that made her breathless. 

“Mmm,” she hummed. “Do you think this can wait until we’re home? I’ve discovered that Waterdeep rain is incredibly cold.”

“Yes,” he whispered to her lips before pressing his lips against them again. “Yes, of course.”

She kissed him chastely before grabbing his hand. “Come, my love, our home awaits.”

His heart leaped out of his chest as soon as the words left her mouth. He followed after her, letting her lead him along. The grey of stormy Waterdeep seemed to brighten into colors he thought had been lost to him as he followed her every step. The color of tavern lights reflected in puddles, stained glass shining through the droplets, her black hair that almost shined a deep purple sticking to her skin.  

It was like when he was in Baldur’s Gate, following after an incredible woman who he couldn’t respect more. 

He always made sure to match her steps, never falling too far behind. A wizard close at hand was always something that would be beneficial. Someone to time the perfect counterspell when needed. Someone to cook her stew when it’s too cold out for her bones. Someone to talk to for long hours, hoping that the soft look she had in her eyes was something meant just for him. Someone to hold her hand, embrace her body, kiss her brow, and whisper how much he loved her in her ear. 

He let out a breath when he saw the joyous light in her eyes. 

“I love you” wasn’t nearly enough. 

Yrelia laughed as she opened the door into their home. She pulled him in with a grin that made him forget every one of his troubles, every single worry he had disappeared. 

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his palm. He immediately cupped her cheek and stepped close to her. She grinned, her face lighting up as lightning struck in the distance. He breathed on her lips. He could feel the heat radiating off of her body and he heard his heartbeat pound in his ears. 

A mischievous glint shone in her eyes. She grabbed his biceps with her strong hands and leaned into him. His heartbeat grew louder as she licked his bottom lip. 

“Mister Dekarios! Miss Rosewood! You’re absolutely soaked!” Tara said from her spot on the chair. 

Yrelia snorted. “Yes, we’re actually about to take a bath.” She grabbed Gale’s hand and started to pull him along, Gale too mesmerized to say or do anything else. “I didn’t realize how cold the rain gets here!”

“Oh, indeed,” Tara said. “Be sure to take care and not become ill. That’s the last thing any of us need!”

Gale stood naked in his bathroom, watching Yrelia choose between which scents she wanted to use for their bath. Usually he would have some sort of opinion but all he could think about was her smile, her touch, her kiss. He stared at her naked body, gooseflesh forming on her skin, her nipples growing hard, her wet hair sticking to her back, and a multitude of very heated thoughts played in his mind.

“Yrelia,” he called. 

She looked up from her soap bottles and smiled at him. “Yes?”

“I love you.” 

Her smile grew. She set the bottles on the counter and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. He palmed her ribs, squeezing gently. His hands slid down her body slowly, feeling the curve of her waist to her hips. 

“I love you, too,” she said and kissed him again chastely. She rubbed her nose against his and had a gentle smile on her face. 

He sighed and kissed her forehead. “My Lia,” he started. “I love you in a way I never thought myself capable of. You brought me back to life, back from the abyss. If not for you I’d be in a much darker place. I’d be dead, in fact. But you…you saved me from such a fate. I can never fully repay you for what you’ve done for me.”

“Well,” she sang. “If you’re looking for a way to repay me, more kisses would be a good start,” she said with a grin. 

He kissed her. “Is that truly all you desire? I could do so much more for you. You deserve much, much more than kisses.”

“Well they’re your kisses so I think it’s the perfect exchange,” she said with an amused grin. “But if you’re so determined to give me more, perhaps I could have your hand in marriage, full access to your home, shared income, home cooked meals, a warm, comfortable bed, and sex at least twice a week. No, at least three times a week.” She kissed him. “Oh, wait, you’ve already given me all of that.”

“My lady-”

She kissed him, cutting him off. “Gale, I’ve told you this before but you’re all I want. All of your affections, simple or otherwise, are what I want.” 

“Yrelia, the impact that your presence has graced me with is insurmountable. My entire life would be in ruin if not for you. If not for your love then everything I’ve ever done would have been for naught.”

She smiled softly. She brought her hand up and cupped his face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. “I didn’t convince you to live just because I love you. I did it because your life is worth living.” A worried smile spread across her face. “You deserve better than to die for a mistake. Your family deserves better than your death. Your friends and colleagues deserve better than your death. I deserve better than your death.” She sighed. “There are many people who would grieve your absence, including me, I just convinced you that you’re worth your relationships. You don’t need to thank me for convincing you to live, it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.” Her smile relaxed. “Now, let’s get into the bath before I freeze. I’m quite cold.”

He wrapped his arms around her and held onto her tightly. “You’re wonderful,” he breathed. “The lonely vacancy in my heart is now filled with you. I hope you understand your worth to this old wizard.”

“Darling, you’re thirty five, you’re hardly old. We have many years ahead of us.” She took his face in her hands and placed a loud kiss on his lips. “And I know how much I mean to you. Do you think I would agree to marry you if I didn’t mean that much to you?” She kissed him again. “Now I’m going to get in the bath with or without you because I’m freezing.”

Gale sighed as he sank into the hot water. He relaxed as Yrelia leaned against him, immediately wrapping his arms around her. She giggled softly, her fingertips tracing his knuckles gently. 

He placed kisses on her neck and shoulders, refusing to leave her unkissed, untouched, or unsatisfied. He murmured over and over that he loved her to her wet skin. 

She sighed with a smile and he felt her relax against him. “I cried today,” she said softly. 

Gale stopped kissing her and sat up straight. “Lia, why? What happened?”

“It’s the strangest feeling,” she said after some silence. “I had accepted that I was unwanted by almost everyone years ago. After my parents and my older siblings, after that last relationship, it was just something I had to come to terms with. I had accepted that I was going to die alone but now…” she trailed off. 

Gale palmed her stomach. “But now?” He prompted, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

“But now I’m not alone,” she said “Before I met you, I was in a hopeless situation. Now, seven months later, I’m in a new city, I’m engaged, I’ve started making friends and I get along with my fiancé’s family. I never thought this would happen to me.”

“You never thought that you would have this life?”

“I never thought I would be happy.” Gale let out a breath. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off. “And today it really dawned on me that everything is different now, I’m not in some hopeless situation. I’m happy, and when I realized that I cried.” She snorted. “All this happened because I went to get my hunting license.”

Gale leaned in and kissed her cheek. “It fills me with joy that you’re happy here with me,” he said to her skin. 

“Well, it’s not everyday that someone finds me as interesting as you do,” she said with a chuckle. 

“You are incredibly interesting,” he said. “Intriguing, as well, and, I would know this best, spellbinding.”

She laughed. “You’re also one of the few people who find me attractive.”

“Darling, you are undoubtedly beautiful. Sometimes I look at you and can barely comprehend why you’ve decided to grace me with your alluring and winsome smile.”

“You miss me when I’m gone.”

“If there’s one thing that being separated during the day has taught me, it’s that you deserve far more kisses than I’ve given you. You deserve kisses every hour, minute, second of the day.”

She laughed again. “This is what I mean! You’re so sweet, Gale, how could I possibly ever expect to find someone who would run out into a cold downpour just so I wouldn’t get wet? All I had to do was be abducted? Easy enough.”

“Darling,” he chuckled. “That’s certainly one way of accepting our unfortunate meeting.”

She snorted. “We met under very unfortunate circumstances but it wasn’t all bad.”

“It was fairly terrible, Lia, we nearly lost our lives many times.”

“But, you know, despite all that, you got plenty of kisses.”

“That is true. I could never discount your kisses,” he said and kissed her cheek, grinning as she giggled.

Gale reclined in his bed, reading one of Yrelia’s books. She had laughed and said they weren’t anything special, just cheesy romances, but he insisted on reading them. He wanted to know all of his love’s interests, even if they were simple romance novels. 

“Beloved, that dinner was delicious,” Yrelia said as she stood in front of the fireplace. She threw some of the previous year’s logs into it with a hum. 

“Thank you, my love. I’m happy you find my humble food acceptable.”

She snorted. “We’ve had this conversation about our different definitions of humble.” He grinned but didn’t look away from the book. “Are you sure you want to light a fire tonight? It’s not autumn just yet.”

“I’m sure,” he said. “The weather will start to become colder with every day that passes,” he reasoned. “This was only the first night of the oncoming autumn rains. In any case, don’t think I’ve forgotten about how cold you tend to be.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Gale raised his brow but still did not look away from his book. “On the road you were always cold. I remember because even on the warmer days you insisted on curling up to me.”

She didn’t respond. Gale thought it strange so he finally looked up from the book. He peered at her extremely amused expression. “Gale, you are socute.”

He blinked. “Why?”

She snorted. “Let me light the fire and then I’ll come to bed.”

“Dearest, don’t evade my question.”

Her grin grew as she lit the fire. She walked over to his side of the bed and kissed his forehead. She took the book from his hands and set it aside before climbing into bed and on top of him. 

She leaned in and kissed him slowly. She untied her robe and sat naked atop him. He no longer cared about the answer to his question. 

He caught her lips when she kissed him deeply. “I do believe I said that I have plans for you.” She kissed him again before he could respond. 

His hands gently glided up her back and he pressed his fingers into her skin, easily giving in to her lips, to her tongue, to her teeth. He willingly accepted her gentle touch. He enthusiastically responded to her heated affections with his shaking fingers tangled in her hair, gasping and pleading with her for release as she teased him. 

Of course he wouldn’t let her end the night like that. He laid her down, his heart leaping out of his chest and into her arms as she giggled into his kisses. Her giggles turned into satisfied sighs by the time he was done with her. 

He brushed his lips against a bite mark left on her collarbone as she ran her fingers through his hair. “My love, how do you feel about accompanying me out tomorrow evening?” He kissed another mark. 

“Hmmm,” she hummed lazily with her eyes closed. “Where?”

“Excellent question,” he said and kissed her throat. “I don’t believe I’ve shown you the Heroes’ Garden yet,” he said and kissed her chin.

“You haven’t.” She tilted her head to his lips but he kissed her cheekbone instead. 

“Ah, so then we will spend an evening there followed by a most wonderful meal at a fine establishment.” He kissed her nose. 

She hummed again. He kissed her forehead. She blinked open her eyes and looked up at him. “And what will I wear?”

“I’m glad you asked!” She snorted in response. She wrapped her arms around his neck and had an amused smile on her face. “You see, my dear lady, I was planning on stopping by my tailor tomorrow after my lectures have been completed. There’s a wonderful dress I had commissioned that will look lovely on you.” He grabbed her wrist and kissed it. 

“Ah! The real reason you’ve decided to take me out, I see.”

He scoffed playfully. “As if I need any reason to take my darling fiancée out for an intimate evening.” She giggled in response. He kissed her wrist again. “I love you. I don’t say that nearly enough.”

Yrelia smiled tenderly. She pulled him in. “You say it quite a bit, my love. In fact, you say it more than you realize.” She kissed his chin. “Last night you said it at least five times. The night before three times.”

He sighed. “Perhaps you should wear earplugs while you sleep?”

“And miss out on you reciting your lesson plan word for word?” She laughed. She kissed his lips. “It doesn’t bother me, Gale. It’s comforting, in fact. On the nights I can’t sleep, I have your voice.”

“That’s…definitely something that I had never expected to hear. Most people want me to stop talking.”

“Beloved, if I didn’t want to hear your voice I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you.” 

Gale wondered if in time she would grow to find his voice annoying. All these little quirks could one day grate on her. He knew it could happen as relationships age. Something someone once found endearing was now irritating. And while he couldn’t think of anything of Yrelia’s he would ever find exhausting, so much of him was. 

He accepted her kiss when she leaned in. “I love you,” she said, “and I always will.” She kissed him again. “Now, do your duty and cuddle me until I fall asleep.”

He chuckled and kissed her. “Is that what you desire?”

“I do.” She grinned when he kissed her again. “If you happened to continue to do that I wouldn’t complain.”

He grinned when she laughed when he started to kiss her all over her face, giving in to her earlier demands of more kisses. 

[celestairoses]

awakened

"You are a witch, you are a witch, you are a witch." The soft male voice crooned in the darkness of the tallest tower in the Castle as he leaned down to the other's ear as if repeating a spell.

ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

"I am a witch, i am a witch, i am a witch." The woman whispered in return, her dark hair fanned around her pillow as she answered the bell-like voice with her own siren sounding vocals.And before she knew it, her eyes were open again.˚ ༘

♡ ⋆｡˚

"I wanted to be put under, i needed time to rest." Yeonnie gazed at the male with exhaustion on her features, vampires weren't always steely made for immortality, sometimes they yearned to be put under a slumber for numerous amount of years and preferred it, especially during hard times.

"That's stupid, why avoid the problem? I've never rested, not in thousands of years." Her old friend chimed in as he poured them both a stiff drink, not her type but she was thirsty.

Chunji's hair was different, something he took an abnormal amount of pride in, he was no longer the blond haired boy she knew from the supposed roaring 20's in New York so very long ago.

Now it was longer, auburn toned, and he could tuck it behind his ear which had an elf-like shape to it.

But she knew he was no elf, he was a dragon. much more than even that, he was sort of seraphim that was older than most of the countries or even mountains in the world.

To this day she didn't quite understand what he was, but she knew he was powerful.

"My heart aches." She took the drink, sipped and as she lay down on the bed that her master kindly prepared as she let out a brief choked sob. "Don't you realize now that i'll have to stay awake ?"

Chunji gave a dismissive wave as if it didn't matter. "Aren't all the things worth fighting for worth staying awake for, staying alive ? If its love then stay for it." His eyes soaked in the woman from head to toe, beautiful as always. It wasn't a surprise to him that Yeonnie would make an eternal rest an opportunity to wear her best, if not scantly clad, outfit that revealed quite a bit of her busty chest and draped out over the bed like some sort of medieval queen, even the jewels to match. It almost made him laugh.

"It must have taken Ken some convincing. I know shes obsessed with you, letting go wouldn't be easy, but that girl loves you enough to help you semi-die just for your peace, it took me nearly all my strength to break in here."

He clicked his tongue in disapproval, turning to take a seat and take down his own whiskey in one swig.

"My heart is empty. I am waiting, I'm waiting on someone who's been brainwashed by something far more disturbing than anything i have seen before." Yeonnie continued to sip, drying her eyes and resting her hands in her lap.

"How can i fight ? How can i fight someone who's been changed by someone's influence, degrading words and harsh pushes... All because i was too weak and insecure to save him when he needed me most. I tried, i worked with the love i have and i continued on and on." She murmured. "I just wish it was like before...before those dark forces whispered in his ear and he actually believed in himself, in us."

Her mind was spinning with memories of warm hands caressing her body just as she did her beloved's, those familiar passionate desperate lips on each other saying sweet words that echoed in her thoughts. those hours spent on rainy days or even sunny days cuddled up and enjoying the intimacy and the company of each other.

"I tried to convince someone i love they were good enough they way they were despite what someone may have said to them, and now it feels like I've lost them. He also tried to show me that i was important and he did succeed, i know we mattered to each other..out inability to realize we have both been good enough was what caused this..we both showed love in beautiful devoted ways."

Chunji sat in silence as she spoke, his eyes were golden like Yeonnie's but hers at least resembled a human, his had a bird-like quality to them that made him look otherworldly - beyond his boyish face.

"Yeonnie, you've always been a fighter, ever since i met you. you've fought with love and tenderness even when you have magical strength that people sell their soul for."

He answered. "Fought all these centuries and you're about to give up now ? Stay for them if you love them enough. Love is worth it, stay awake, call upon them" He gave a nod to her form that half-lay there on the bed as he rose from his spot."I mean, who wouldn't come running for you."

Her eyes closed, squeezing shut as she often did to see if this was a nightmare, she wanted to say goodnight and hold those familiar arms close to her chest. to feel that laughter shake through her body as they stayed entwined together, becoming one.Instead she felt a hand pat her head followed by that reassuring voice, brotherly Chunji comforting her instead.

"its not that easy .. I know it can change for the better, even more than before. I just miss that, i know its there." She said.

"Stay awake, it'll all be okay. You'll see." When Yeonnie opened her eyes she was confronted by a warm smile above her.

There was a line about such a smile in The Great Gatsby and the man before her always reminded her of that.

' He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. '

And here she was, because of that smile, determined to make things beautiful again.

[honeycombstrawberry]

everything you got

pairing: adrian chase x reader (gn pronouns, has a vagina)

rating: e+ (pwp)

word count: 3,730

one-sentence synopsis: after adrian's been hard at work all day repairing his armor, you offer to take the edge off-- even if your motives aren't entirely selfless.

author's note: okay TAKE TWO!!!!! i'm sorry i fucked up posting this the first time!!!!!!! also i'm so very VERY sleepy but man WHEW a demon or something SOMETHING very lustful possessed me. there's just something about thinking about adrian completely falling apart....... WHEW!!!!!! TAKE ME AWAY!!!!!!

>>> read on ao3! <<<

“Am I doing this right?” Adrian asks, holding up his mask for you to inspect.

You take it from him, needles and thread and fabric and all, to examine his handiwork. When the two of you had first gotten together, you have to admit, you hadn’t known a tremendous amount about stitching armor for a superhero. Now, though, you’d consider yourself a self-trained expert at it.

“Looks good,” you tell him. There’s a couple of gaps in the stitches, and you rework them for him. You move quickly, hand threading in and out with grace born from experience.

Adrian sighs, scooting down on the sofa so he can lay his head in your lap. Despite the fact that he’s maybe about twice your size, he loves curling up into you, and around you, and under you. You don’t know if it makes him feel small so much as he feels loved, and held, and cared for. You’re happy to give that, anytime you can; he always makes you feel that way, after all.

“You’re so good at this,” Adrian comments, watching from below as you expertly stitch the fabric back together.

“You’re better at it than you think,” you remind him. Fixing the last stitch, you pass it back to him. “There you go.”

Adrian sighs again, taking the mask and returning to his work. He’s spent the entire day plugging away at fixing his suit while you lounged around and offered encouragement, as well as the occasional fix to his stitches.

Once Adrian gets a task in mind, it’s difficult to break him from it. If you don’t stop him, he can easily spend an entire day doing the same activity, determined to finish it in one sitting. As it is, he’s spent the last several hours working on rebuilding his armor. The entire time, you’ve listened to him rambling, and leaned against his shoulder, and handed him different needles and various threads when asked.

You could get used to this. Even more— You are getting used to this.

It seems like you’re starting to spend more and more days at Adrian’s side. The two of you are hardly ever apart, and you don’t see that changing anytime soon. In fact, you’re fairly certain it’ll be that way for the rest of your lives.

Glancing over at the mask in Adrian’s hands, you tell him honestly, “That looks great, Adrian. Like, expert quality.”

“Ah, c’mon,” Adrian replies. You can hear the smile in his voice all the same.

“I mean it,” you tell him. You shift to kiss his forehead, then nudge him upwards. “You can’t stitch like that, you can’t see it right.”

“But I’m tired,” he complains, “and you’re comfortable.”

You can’t help smiling, yourself. You reach to take the mask and needle and thread from his hands; as you set them aside on the coffee table in front of your sofa, you ask him, “Ready to do something else for a little while?”

He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, there’s a beat where he considers you, head still in your lap as you bend forward. When you pull back, he reaches up, catching your head with his hand at the nape of your neck, guiding you downward into a kiss.

His lips part yours, and at this upside-down angle, he leads you into an open-mouthed kiss, licking slowly into your mouth. His tongue glides along yours, lazy, searching. There’s a touch more hunger when he draws back and comes in again, his heat starting to rise as he begins paying more attention to this, waking up a bit.

Adrian is smiling when you break the kiss, pulling in air. He shifts to sit up, falling back against the couch cushions and dragging you into his lap. You changed your clothes a while ago to be comfortable, which left you only in your underwear and one of Adrian’s soft, worn t-shirts, something he’s owned since high school. The broader his shoulders have gotten, and the more muscular he’s become, he’s stretched the cotton out completely. As a result, it hangs off of you, too big to fit properly, slipping off your shoulder as he drags you into his lap.

It’s easy for him to maneuver you, his big hands fitting over your hips. He practically lifts you, his strong muscles working, pulling visibly in his bare arms as he brings you up and over. He’s barely got anything on, himself, and you can feel the half-hard line of his cock already through his sweatpants.

Your breath catching in the back of your throat, heat starting to pool low, you dip your head down to kiss at the hinge of Adrian’s sharp jaw, his soft cheek, the corner of his mouth. He huffs a breathless laugh, twisting to catch you in a kiss.

You can’t help the instinctive roll of your hips, grinding down into him over his cock. He breaks off a soft noise, and you swallow it before responding in kind, murmuring, “Fuck, Adrian—” as he grabs your hips again and rolls you in.

“Sorry,” he says, not sorry at all as he thrusts up again, a purposefully, slow, measured scrape of his body against yours. Your core tightens; you feel impossibly empty, starting to get soaked already. You can feel yourself leaking, soaking into your underwear, just beginning to slick the soft insides of your thighs.

Adrian tilts his head up, biting into another kiss with you as you lift yourself up over him, perched in his lap. When your mouths meet again, he draws you down into a rougher kiss. He doesn’t break it as he lowers his hands with a measured drag to grip the meat of your thighs, rolling his body up into yours again, letting the line of his cock through his sweatpants push against your damp underwear, into your slit.

You whimper without meaning to, the sound tearing up out of the back of your throat. You feel so fucking— empty, and you plead with him, “Can I—” before you’re moving back, shifting to get yourself between his legs, not even finishing your question in your hungry urgency.

“What do you want?” Adrian asks, desperate. “I’ll do anything, I’ll—”

It seems like he understands what you’re asking for once you’re actually on your knees between his thighs, pushing his knees apart so you can reach to hook your fingers into his waistband. You untie the loose knot he has there, pulling at the soft material of his sweatpants, feeling the dramatic contrast of his sharp bone and strong skin pulled over hard muscle beneath those comfortable clothes.

“I want you inside me,” you tell him. “I want you in my mouth, and then you can fuck me.” You tug his sweatpants down about an inch, he whines, and you add, “If you can last that long.”

“I can,” he pants, chest heaving as he stares up at the ceiling. There’s sweat starting to bead up at his temples, hair curling a bit more with the humidity he’s bringing to himself. His glasses slip a little bit down his nose. “I can, I swear, I will, I can—”

You pull his sweatpants the rest of the way down, revealing his bare cock. He wasn’t wearing any underwear, you realize with a jolt, which is why he’d felt so fucking close to your entrance. Your face flushes with heat, cheeks feeling like they’re on fire as you lean in to drag your tongue along the inside of his thigh, enjoying the salt taste of him.

He makes a broken sound above you, his hands slamming down into the sofa. You smile against his flesh.

“You can touch me,” you tell him, lips brushing his sensitive skin as you speak. His muscles are impossible strong, corded and defined here, and still his skin is soft when you press another kiss to it. “If you want to. You can pull my hair, or—”

His fingers fly to your hair, and you laugh, a huff of warm breath against him. You drag your tongue up, hands gliding to follow. At the juncture of his abdomen and his leg, where his hip creases in and he has a strong jut of muscle, you bite in, sucking a mark there until it’s dark beneath your lips and teeth.

He writhes beneath you, unable to stop moving for even a second. He twitches, attempting to keep his body in place, trying not to displace you, but he can’t help it. He’s always moving, desperate for more, hungry to touch, starving for you. His hips shift in aborted, tiny movements; his hands tighten in your hair, then relax, then tighten again, hard; your name keeps falling from his mouth, between broken, harsh sounds and pleas.

His cock is like the rest of him: big, and much bigger than you. You can’t take the whole thing in your mouth; you can barely take it in your cunt, and he always fucking fills you, huge and satisfying and deep, like he reaches the back of your throat.

To accommodate what you know you can’t take on, you wrap your hand around the base of his cock before you do anything else. You take an evaluating moment to glide upwards, stroking up the rock-hard, white-hot line of his cock to the head, thumbing at the beaded moisture gathering there.

You spread his slick down, dragging to wet your grip as you fuck him with your fist once, twice. Your heart throbs in your chest in time with his pulse in his cock; you’re already hungry for this, starving, wanting him in your fucking mouth already.

You’re the only one holding you back, so you nose in closer, letting your cheek rest for a moment against his thigh, like you’re laying down against a pillow in bed. There, pillowed on his lap, you briefly let your eyes flick up to meet his. He’s already looking back at you, pupils blown, chest heaving, glasses at the end of his nose, flushed red everywhere you can see. You can’t help the smile that spreads on your face; you adore him, it just happens.

“Love you,” you tell him, and let the flat of your tongue press to the underside of his cock.

The hand Adrian doesn’t have fisted in your hair slams down into the couch cushions beside him, a heavy whump before his nails dig in the fabric with a scratch.

“Fuck— Fuck,” he gasps out. “Ah— Fuck, you feel so fucking good— Fuck, fuck, fuck—”

He breaks off on a sharp whine as you let your eyes drift shut, letting him settle in your mouth, for a moment, your tongue curling up briefly. This is what you’ve been aching for, and you take a second to just breathe through it, to enjoy it as it happens, to relish the glide of him filling your mouth like you’re taking a deep breath, satisfying in the natural, atavistic way it fills you, all the way down to your core.

You take as much of his cock into your mouth, and then into your throat, as you can. You’ve had practice, with him, but he’s still huge compared to you; loosening your throat can only do so much. What you can’t take, you keep your hand wrapped around.

Between his thighs, you shift yourself, getting into a comfortable position on your knees so you can rise to suck his fucking soul out through his cock in earnest. You want him to feel how he makes you feel, this devouring sort of hunger he instills in you. Even though you want to touch yourself, to put your fingers on yourself or slip them inside and work yourself until you’re collapsing, you hold off, for now.

Instead, you use both hands to work the rest of Adrian’s cock. His back bows when you wrap your fingers around him, stretching to take his girth.

The satisfaction that gives you, of watching Adrian fall apart like this, because you’re sucking his cock, has your cunt pulsing, throbbing, clenching around nothing. You smile without meaning to, hungry, happy, overwhelmed, overjoyed—

Adrian must feel the stretch of your smile, because he huffs, then looks down at you. You blink upwards, meet his eyes through your lashes, and he groans, the sound punching up and out of his chest.

“Fuck,” he curses. You feel the corresponding pulse in his cock, against the flat of your tongue.

You tilt your head, put your back into it, let him fuck your mouth and give as good as you get in return. He collapses forward over you, cradling your head between his hands, trying not to choke you. You take it, swallow around him, grab at him and pull him closer and moan, the vibration in your throat making him cry out your name.

He’s trying so, so fucking valiantly not to cum yet. His grip on your head is tight, fingers bruising where they stretch over your face and your throat, and he clings to himself, trying to keep it together like he promised you.

When you hollow your cheeks, though, and twist, and pull back so he can fuck back in in earnest, he makes a sound that’s barely a sound, more air than anything else.

“Fuck, I need— I need to fuck you now,” he tells you, urgent, desperate, an edge in his words that has you wanting to reach between your legs, needing any kind of friction. You nod slightly, just a tiny movement, and still Adrian moans, a broken sound that tears up and out. “Fuck, oh, God, I need— Fuck, I wish I could take a fucking picture of you like this, oh my fucking God, you just— You just—”

He makes a keening sound, reaching down as far as he can, trying to haul you up. You’re the one with the presence of mind to get off his cock first, pulling out of your swollen lips with a wet, slick drag of a noise before he’s sealing his mouth with yours.

“Let me— Let me,” he’s begging you, hungry, eager, tearing your underwear down your thighs. He rips them apart, throws the torn fabric aside so he can shove your shirt up— his shirt up, his shirt on your body.

His large hand glides up purposefully over your belly, to your chest. Your nipple fits in the center of his palm, and his fingers dig into you, your heart racing just beneath his touch. A burst of sensation joins the touch, rocketing through your body, down your spine from your chest. His thumb drags over your nipple, and you gasp again, jolting.

Adrian hauls you up, throwing you back on the sofa until you’re laying down flat, your legs bent up, Adrian sucking a hungry bruise into the inside of your knee, teeth biting up your thigh.

He gives as good as he got, teases you up to your slick entrance, but he doesn’t have the time to waste that you did. When he realizes how wet you are, how ready you already are for him just from sucking his cock, his breath impossibly quickens, eyes flickering up to meet yours again.

“You’re so fucking— wet, for me,” he says, words soaring out of him.

You shift your hips, wanting more of his touch. You promise him, “Yes, for y—”

He surges up, pulls you into another searching kiss as his other hand guides his cock to your entrance. You’re soaked, and he’s still slick from your mouth; it’s an easy glide, the way he pushes into you. He knows that he has to take his time, to go slowly, to let your body open up around the enormity of him inside you, and he does, as best as he’s able.

There’s still a burn, just as hard as you love it, when he goes fast and keeps moving. When his hips meet yours, you swear he’s fucking you deeper than anyone else has ever been capable of, tearing you apart under his hands and his mouth and his cock because he can’t satiate his own hunger for you without it.

Adrian can’t stop kissing you, his hand threaded up through the hair at the nape of your neck, wound in tight. His other hand holds firm to your thigh, your ass, your hip, spread across your body, holding you in place so he can fuck into you as hard as he wants, as fast as he wants, keeping as much of a rhythm as he can. You’re falling apart under him, a pleasant heat coiling and building and choking you off.

It swells to fill you, and Adrian can’t stop begging you, even though he’s the one fucking you. He begs you, “Please,” and “Fuck,” and “Yes,” and “More,” and “God,” and your name, and nonsense, just— mumbled, garbled nothings, praising you and telling you he loves and insisting he’s dying all in equal measure.

You can feel him drawing closer to his climax, can feel the coiling tension of his body, the stiffening of his muscles. He draws nearer, his kisses growing sloppy; he kisses in a wet drag to your ear, buries in your throat as he fucks you, so close to the edge.

“Mm—” he starts, then bites off, “Ah— Ahh, motherfucker, please, please, please—”

You can’t help the sharp sound you make, this time, tearing up from your belly up to the back of your throat and out. You’re so close, so close, and you grind up into him, trying to get that last bit of friction.

He comes back around for another kiss, digging you back into the cushions. His hand threads down between your bodies instead, getting his fingertips against your core, and you roll your hips, pushing into him, chasing your edge.

Your mouth has gone dry, your climax just within arm’s reach. You grapple for Adrian, and he does the same for you, pulling you into a kiss as he breaks off a soft cry into your mouth and cums.

His hips work, twitching into you, his mouth going slack, jaw falling as he tips his forehead into yours. His glasses are at the end of his nose, pressing into your cheeks as you tilt to kiss him. He keeps fucking you through his orgasm, even as he fills you, floods you, chest heaving as he surrounds you from above. He pins you down into the sofa and just keeps moving, doesn’t stop until you’re cumming, too, crying on a broken breath as you cling to him and let sensation take over you, mind, body, and soul, or whatever the fuck fills the place your soul should be. You think that might have Adrian in it right now, too.

Your own chest is heaving as you come back to yourself, your hazy mind unable to think of anything except the pounding pleasure coursing through your body is relaxing waves as your brain circles the thought, Adrian, Adrian, Adrian, and nothing more.

Adrian, for his part, collapses into you, nuzzling down, burying himself in you.

“You were right,” he says. He kisses your cheek, shifting to turn the both of you, arms wrapped around you. “I definitely needed a change of pace.” You laugh as he continues, “Like— I really do love my job, I do, but sewing my stupid costume is nowhere near as cool as getting my dick sucked my an Olympic pro cock-swallower—”

“Adrian,” you laugh, throat still a little rough. “Jesus—”

Adrian tips his head up, kissing the column of your throat. He lifts his head up, propping himself up over you. His cock’s still inside you, impossibly filling you even as he’s softening. You don’t want him to go, so you tighten your thighs around him.

He makes a soft, broken little noise. His eyes flick up to meet yours, and there’s patchy color on his cheeks.

“Don’t go,” you say. He laughs.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promises you. “Not until dinnertime, anyway.”

You glance backwards, then sigh. “We should’ve eaten, like— Two hours ago. I didn’t even notice, I’m sorry—”

“Hey, don’t worry,” he replies. He reaches up, strokes his hand through your sweaty hair before he smacks a kiss down on the line of your jaw. “You had something to eat, at least.”

You take a beat. Then, you laugh. “There is no nutritional value—”

“Says you!” Adrian exclaims. “You don’t know! You—”

You tip him up into another kiss. He smiles into it, lets you devour him. The kiss turns lazy, just slowly searching each other’s mouths, a sweet exploration before you pull apart again.

His heart is racing; you can feel it against your own chest. He pushes up your shirt again, lets his hand come up to rest just beneath your chest, holding you close. When he tucks in close to you again, he shifts you just enough that you can rest your head on his chest.

“Here, hold on—” he says, and shuffles around.

The sensation is— sending shockwaves up your spine, but Adrian does actually manage to use his strength to maneuver the two of you until he’s on his back and you’re pillowed on top of him, your cheek pressing into his chest, his cock still buried inside you.

He kisses the top of your head, then says, “There, okay. Now we can rest.”

“Before dinner,” you remind him. He groans. “I’ll make you something, if you want.”

He perks up a bit. Even your worst meals, he’s declared on more than one occasion, are better than him at his best. Everyone else in the 11th Street Kids disagrees, but you think it’s more evidence of how much Adrian loves you than any genuine culinary talent here.

“Well,” he says, as your hand comes up to cup his cheek, your fingers starting to thread through his hair, pulling through the drying waves. “If you insist.”

You laugh, tucking down into him. You bury your face in his throat, kissing the strong line of it where he’s closest to your lips. His pulse rabbits beneath your lips, slowing into a calmer, sweeter pace as you both relax together again.

“I do,” you tell him, “actually,” and kiss his cheek again before tucking back in, burrowing, holding on tight.

-

requests used:

"Caution: nsfw content please don't read if you are uncomfy: Everyone talks about how Adrian loves to eat pussy and gets off on it. But he'd be oh so responsive to getting head. I'd love to just have him fall apart as u take care of him. And then make him some food and the sweetest of aftercares" (anonymous)

"Can I send a request too? 😁 Reader asking to Adrian to be their pillow (rest their head on his arm and lap an even sleep on his chest... And hump him like a pillow 👀) Tell me if I don't follow any rule, I tried to send it right" (anonymous)

"i have a THOUGHT i conjured up from looking at the hospital adrian gifs u reblogged: they still have his suit and everything right???? Like he’s gonna have to make a new one since the fandoms collectively decided he makes his own (tbh he’d have to anyways after what it looked like after ep 8 but I digress) so like imagine trying 2 help him with it but ur ass at sewing so u just kinda sit there handing him stuff and swooning over his weirdly good sewing skills instead while he talks and talks and talks to u abt the most random shit cause he’s so happy to have company this time that isn’t just himself and u just both act so lovingly domestic towards each other <3 mmm he makes my brain good" (anonymous)

"hey!! i love your writing with adrian :)) i don’t have a specific request in mind, but i would love more with the size difference trope! the one fic you wrote about it was so adorable!" (anonymous)

-

adrian chase taglist:

@deputyrook @bb-skyrunner @himboelover @pieriinova @gcldtom @violetrainbow412-blog @amysuemc @saturnngal @neptuneswritingwork @jewishdelis @myguiltypleasures21 @pinkygunslingy @chaseadrian @breathing-in-waves @rishlurh @goblynnrockz @theowritesstuff @themartiansdaughter @dallasvakarian @missscarlettangel @samantha24015 @hillaryroadheadcllinton @ohmybubbletea @buckys-estrella @witchywcmans @ladyrebel25 @eviejune @vigilantesluvr @qjuiq-odakyu @xothatnerdykid @awkwardfangirl2014 @thevalkyrior @mattsmanpain @sunflowerfive @deirdre-belle @anthonyedwinstark @sexysquatch @jelliebeanss @zofps @crimscnrains @trans-librarian @nellethiel-aranel @probablyasatanworshipper @phoenixhalliwell @perseajohnson @eeveeangelcakes @freyafriggafrey @psychadelictoadie @middimidoris @gaygonegirl @herbsschmerbs @satansrighthandmanchild @seeking-a-great--perhaps @ev-june @bvcksmurdock @staticspouse @acupnoodle

[ticklygiggles]

Tired little mage apprentice | Chise & Ruth

A/N: Part 2/6 of Max's (@wertzunge) commissions! Again, thank you for your kind support ☕! I hope you enjoy this!

I wish we had a second season already dkdkd I don't follow the manga, so I'm just making a vague mention of the academy thingy because I know nothing about it huhu

Summary: Ruth's owner is a hardworker that doesn't know limits, so now he's being ignored and neglected!

Words: 1557

Chise was exhausted. Between schoolwork and Elias' lessons, she barely had a moment to even breathe. As soon as her head touched something comfortable, (usually Ruth's shoulder), she'd fall asleep in a second; soft, tired snores filling the room as she rested for just a few minutes before waking up with a start to continue her studies. 

Ruth could feel how tired she was and he had let Elias know about it, but not even the mage could stop Chise from being… Chise. The hard worker robin that she always was. A Chise who always tried to do her best so as not to disappoint anyone... So why was she disappointing Ruth? 

They're supposed to have a deep connection; Ruth knew what was best for her and she, of course, knew what was best for him, but Chise just liked to ignore everything he had to say about her well-being. What was the point of being her familiar if she didn't listen to him?

Ah, he did feel a bit guilty thinking that Chise actually enjoyed ignoring him, deep inside he knew that wasn't true, this was simply the way Chise was and Ruth loved her just like that… but he still couldn't help but feel helpless because he couldn't do anything to help her and, no matter how hard he tried, Chise just wouldn't stop overworking herself. 

Besides, she just wasn't paying attention to Ruth anymore. As much as he tried to understand the way Chise was, he still felt a little upset about the lack of quality time they had spent in the last few days, weeks, even. Ruth really enjoyed spending time with Chise. He liked to listen to her talk and help her with her housework, (those that did not require a great effort on her part), go for a walk together and help her look for ingredients for her spells, but now Chise didn't even speak to Ruth because she was so busy all the time and he was starting to feel... frustrated. 

Lonely.

"You've been in a bad mood, Ruth," Chise said one morning as she scribbled in one of her many notebooks. 

She was sitting by her desk, looking carefully at a bunch of sweet-smelling, dry flowers as she made notes after notes. Her voice caught him a bit off guard and for a moment, he thought that she was talking to herself, but after understanding her words, Ruth couldn't help but feel even more upset. 

"That's Chise's fault," he answered and Chise couldn't see him from where she was, but he was pouting. "She always ignores what I say."

Chise chuckled softly and Ruth frowned deeply. 

"I am sorry, Ruth," she said, finally closing the notebook after weeks of having her nose buried in it and getting up from her chair. She walked over to her bed where Ruth was laying down on his back. "I know I've been neglecting you and I have been ignoring all those times you told me to take a break."

Ruth watched her carefully while Chise sat on the edge of the bed, right next to him. He watched her delicate hand move until he felt it on top of his head, Chise's fingers carding through his black hair, gently scratching his scalp. 

Ruth hummed, closing his eyes and melting under the touch as goosebumps raised in his skin. Ah, he'd missed this, Chise was always so gentle and kind to him, it was hard to stay mad at her for too long, but Ruth tried. 

"I don't believe you," he mumbled, his eyes still closed and his body relaxing under Chise's affection. "Chise always does what she wants, never listens to me and she makes me get worried," he said, pouting and frowning all over again. 

Chise giggled lightly, "I really am sorry," she mumbled back, "I really don't know what I would do without you, Ruth. Even if I ignore it, in my mind I always think that Ruth is always right and I'm glad to see that you are always taking care of me. You are the best, Ruth."

Ruth didn't know if it was Chise's words or the cuddles in his head that made him forget why he was so upset with her, but he continued with his act, crossing his arms over his chest, even as Chise's other hand stroked the other side of his scalp.

"Please?" Ruth could hear the smile in her voice and he fought the urge to smile back at her. "Forgive me just this once? Please?"

He shook his head, pretty sure that if he opened his mouth, he'd say he forgave her and what if Chise stopped paying attention to him one more time to go wear herself out again? 

"Please?" 

Ruth shook his head again, feeling himself drifting to sleep until Chise's fingers scratched behind his ears. He scrunched up his shoulders and his hands moved up to gently wrap around Chise's wrists. 

"Nnngh, thahahat's tihihicklish!" He giggled, feeling his cheeks warming up.

"Oh, is Ruth ticklish?" Chise asked and Ruth opened his eyes when he felt a sudden wave of adrenaline rushing through him, sensing Chise's playfulness. She was smiling softly as ever, but Ruth could see a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Maybe I'll have to tickle you until you accept my apology?"

Ruth shook his head for the third time, giggling brightly as Chise's wiggly fingers moved to the back of his neck. 

"Nohohoho! Y-You cahahan't fohorce mehehe!" He said between giggles, still holding onto Chise's wrists. Neither of them mentioning the fact that he wasn't even trying to pull her hands off him. 

"I am not forcing you, Ruth," Chise said over his giggles. "I'm just giving you a little motivation." 

An embarrassing squeal, (at least to Ruth), left his mouth when Chise tickled the sides of his neck, his chin glued to his chest and his giggling turning a bit more high pitched and desperate. He was not really trying to stop Chise, but his body was acting on its own, he kicked his legs and somehow managed to roll himself over his stomach, making the neck tickling stop only to feel his sides under the same playful treatment. 

"Ahahaha! Chihihise!" Ruth laughed, squirming and arching his back slightly. "W-Wahahahait! It tihihickles!" 

"Does it? I wonder why," Chise teased and Ruth could only squeak at her words. "Do you forgive me, Ruth?"

"Nohohoho! Chihihise! Y-You dohohon't- AHAHAHA! Nohohot thehehere!" Ruth cackled, clamping his arms to his sides when he felt Chise squeezing at his ribs. "Plehehehase!"

"Are you very ticklish here, Ruth? In your ribs?" Ruth nodded, throwing his head back with loud laughter as Chise's fingers gently massaged at each rib individually. 

"CHIHIHISE! I'm seheherious! Plehehease!" Ruth was nearly howling with laughter, his body twisted and jolted and flinched with every touch to his ribs, making him want to crawl out of his skin. 

"I am serious too, Ruth," Chise said back, her voice calm yet teasing as she used one hand to run her fingers up and down Ruth's back, making him arch and break into squeaky laughter as one side of his ribcage was still being tickled mercilessly. 

Ah, what to do? He was having so much fun. Chise was finally able to relax with him and, even though Ruth could barely do anything else than laugh his head off, he was happy that Chise was also enjoying their little time together. 

Ruth even wanted to tickle Chise back, but he was already so uncoordinated, overwhelmed by the tickling over his ribs and then his back and then his nape, but he could still take it… or at least that was what he thought because, as soon as he felt her fingers lingering on his lower ribs, he just couldn't take it anymore, his human body suddenly transforming. 

Chise's fingers finally stilled, but her playful smile was still curving her lips as Ruth tried to catch his breath, curled in his black dog form. 

"Will you accept my apology?" Chise asked and Ruth's chuckle rumbled in the room. 

"I guess I could try to forgive you, Chise," he answered and Chise giggled softly, reaching out to gently pet him, kind fingers scratching behind his ear and under his chin. 

Ruth was no cat, but the affection made him want to purr, his long tail wagging from side to side as he hummed happily.

Chise let out some air through her nose in a little chuckle. "Ruth, thank you for everything," she said, leaning in to kiss Ruth's forehead. 

Ruth sensed tiredness and he immediately moved to the side, giving room to Chise to lay down beside him. 

"Come, Chise," he said gently. "Let's take a nap together." 

Chise smiled and she nodded, laying on her side, her hands still delivering kind, light tickles under his neck. Ruth moved closer to her, head up to keep enjoying the affection until her hands stopped, Chise had fallen asleep.  

Relief rushed through Ruth's body and he also started to feel sleepy, infected by Chise's tiredness, But even if he felt tired, he was also happy to be able to share these moments with his new owner and he knew perfectly well that Chise also enjoyed them as much as he did.

Ah yes, their connection was still just as strong and he would make sure it was that way for a long time to come. 

[saintshigaraki]

the sun has not yet fallen

pairing: bakugou katsuki x gn!reader

word count: 2.2k 

excerpt: You look back towards the setting sun just once. You don’t really know why. Perhaps to find some bravery in the beauty of it, to steal yourself a few extra seconds of this limbo you’ve found yourself in. Where everything is hazy and beautiful and hurts so bad you can hardly breathe.

a/n: me: i hate angst

       also me: writes this fic

tags: angst, hurt/comfort, sometimes love requires work 

in case you want to read it on ao3!

Katsuki is in a bad mood. He was uncharacteristically quiet when he walked through the door which is more often than not a sign he was trying his damndest to hold back saying something just a bit too cruel. And you appreciate the effort, truly you do. 

On any other day, you would’ve let him be to work through his shit alone. He usually does that by cooking up something far too elaborate for a weekday night, and then after decompressing for a bit, he tends to slink back into whichever room you’re in and lay his head on your lap so you can work your fingers through his hair. 

You’ve found over the last two years that that is what tends to work best. Giving him space and letting him come to you.  

But today you’re feeling just as raw as he does. You can’t remember the last time you spent quality time together. You can’t remember the last time he didn’t go to bed so exhausted he was out before his head hit the pillow. You can’t remember the last time you didn’t feel this heavy cloud hanging over your head. You can’t remember a moment where there wasn't a timer counting down and down and down while you do nothing but wait for it to hit zero. You’re not quite sure what will happen when your time is up.

It’s selfish, probably, to want to be with him right now when you know he’s so weary, but you won’t even bother him, is what you tell yourself. You just want to be around him for an hour (or two) you want to stand so close to him you can smell the ever clinging scent of caramel and help him with dinner and think of brighter days. Better days. 

(You want things to go back to the way they were before. You want to cling to him, just for a short while, stuff your face into the crook of his neck while he tells you everything’s okay. That you guys are okay.

But that’s for another day. It has to be.

How many times have you told yourself that?)

You follow him as he stomps towards the kitchen. 

He aggressively grabs the ingredients for whatever he’s making and slams them on the counter, grumbling under his breath the whole time. You stand in the doorway worrying your hands, feeling awkward, and hating that you feel awkward in your own kitchen with your own boyfriend. 

It makes that awful nagging voice in your head grow just a bit louder. 

You approach him slowly while he sets up a pot filled with water and turns on the stove. He’s still grumbling to himself by the time you place your hand softly on his forearm. 

He jerks away immediately and narrows his eyes. You viciously stamp down exactly how awful that makes you feel. How small and unloved. 

“What do you want?” he says bluntly (and a little cruelly but a part of you says just ignore it, maybe if you close your eyes and cover your ears you can pretend that everything is fine, that you guys are fine) . 

That was part of his charm when you two first started dating. You loved that he was blunt, that he got to the point, there was really no guessing what Katsuki was thinking because he’d simply tell you and if it were any other day perhaps his words wouldn’t have bothered you as much as they did now. 

And it’s partly your fault, or maybe even mostly. Because you let it get this bad. You could have told him something was bothering you, that lately, you’ve been feeling a little insecure in this relationship. Katsuki was blunt but very rarely if ever cruel with you or your feelings. He would’ve understood, probably. 

But anytime you thought about broaching the subject with him, he always looked so, so tired. Bone tired. And you thought maybe it was selfish, to want him to comfort you over something this dumb. Over something as frivolous as this. He just needs time. 

(How much time, you wonder. How much more can you take? you ask yourself.)

“Are you fucking braindead or something,” he snaps, dragging you out of your spiraling. 

“I was just wondering if I could help. It’d be nice to cook dinner together.” We use to do it all the time, you almost say. Now you can’t even remember the last time you did. 

“You’re a shit cook,” he says. 

It’s true, and on another day, a brighter day maybe, you would’ve laughed. Or at least smiled. Because it was true. You are an awful cook, a shit one, as he so eloquently put it, especially compared to him. But that never mattered to Katsuki before. 

He always let you cook with him, always wanted you to cook with him, even if the majority of the time you ended up sitting on the counter swinging your legs and watching him do all the work. 

To be fair, afterward, you always cleaned the dishes. It was a lovely, simplistic give and take, one you wish you had again so, so dearly. 

“Yeah, I am,” you agree. You try to smile, but it feels forced. You’re tired, you realize, bone tired. 

You don’t say anything else and he turns away. You know that’s technically a dismissal but you elect to ignore and start unwrapping the vegetables. 

Just as you reach for a knife he grabs your wrist. 

“What the fuck is up with you right now?” he grounds out. 

“I just want to spend some time with you.” 

Your voice sounds frail, even to your own ears. 

And before he even opens his mouth you know what he’s about to say is going to bring all this to a head. And from the look on his face and the awful, gnawing in your gut, you know you’re not going to like it. You know that more likely than not, it’s going to break your heart. 

(A part of you can’t help but wonder if maybe your heart has already been broken. That it’s made up of haphazardly glued together pieces. Perhaps that’s why you feel so fragile. Perhaps the damage is done and you’ve just been waiting for Katsu to bring down the axe. To scatter the pieces. To finish the fucking job.)

“God,” he spits out. And it’s like a dam has been broken and every hateful thing he’s ever thought about you can’t help but come pouring out.  

“You’re so fucking needy, you can’t do a fucking thing by yourself. It’s like all you ever do is breathe down my fucking neck and tell me everything I’m not doing for you.” Distantly, you wonder if that’s true. It might be. Maybe it’s that ugly selfishness you’ve never really been able to hide. You thought you’d done a better job of tucking it away. You were wrong, it seems. 

“So I can’t spend every single fucking second of every single day with you, sue me. I’ve got my own shit to deal with, my own problems, or have you forgotten that I have a life outside of you?”

No, you think. I haven’t. Or maybe you have. You’re not really focusing so hard on his words. You tune them out as much as you can. You’re staring at his face, taking in all the details. The deep red of his eyes, the pale blond of his hair, the sharpness of his cheekbones, the slope of his neck, the little scars peppering his face. You used to sit on his lap and kiss each and every one, no matter how faint. 

You’re so weird, he’d say as you did it, but the tightness of his arms around you always spoke a different story. 

You’re going to miss that, you think. Holding him. Loving him. 

It takes you a while to realize he’s still yelling. It’s all hateful and cruel and so sharp. Like he’s taken a knife to your skin to flay you open, exposing every crack, every vein, every shattered piece of heart that makes you. You let it wash over you, like a particularly violent ocean wave.  

“Sometimes,” he says, his voice finally quieting to a bearable level, “I wonder why I’m still with you.” 

The breath you let out is shaky. No matter how ready you thought you were, there’s simply no amount of time that prepares you to hear those words from him. From the person you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with. From the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. 

The silence between you two is deafening. And heavy. So heavy it feels as though your chest will cave in from the pressure. 

“Yeah,” you say at last, though you have to force the words around the burning iron poker in your throat. And then you laugh, you can’t help it. It’s all so fucked. You hate that it’s come to this bitter monstrous ugliness. 

When had this all started to fester, to rot? you wonder. Is this really all that’s left?

“I can’t help but wonder the same thing.” It comes out more bitter than you'd like. A small jab to try to even out the gaping wound he’s torn open in you. 

But it’s also true. 

You can’t see his reaction through the tears clouding your vision. You don’t really want to anyway. What’s done is done. What’s said is said. 

You grab your phone and keys and walk through the front door, closing it softly behind you. 

He doesn’t say a word.

You think if there was any part of your heart left unbroken, his silence has shattered it to oblivion. 

+

You walk for an hour or two. Until the sun has dipped almost completely below the horizon and it’s surrounded by hazy blood-red waves. 

It’s a good place to think. To set your jumbled thoughts in order. 

It takes a special kind of selflessness to love a hero, you realize. A type you don’t possess, not even nearly. You’ve always been just a little selfish when it came to love. But there’s no room for that when with people like Bakugou Katsuki. 

And that’s okay, you tell yourself. 

It’s a lie. It’s not okay. And the hollow aching in your chest that beats in time with your heart agrees. 

You look down at your phone. 

33 missed calls from Katsu 

You look back towards the setting sun just once. You don’t really know why. Perhaps to find some bravery in the beauty of it, to steal yourself a few extra seconds of this limbo you’ve found yourself in. Where everything is hazy and beautiful and hurts so bad you can hardly breathe. 

It’s not long before you’re biting the inside of your cheek, turning on your heels, and heading home. 

+

You don’t even have your keys fully out of your pocket before the door swings open, with Katuski on the other side looking a bit worse for wear, though you doubt you’re one to talk. 

His eyes are bloodshot and his nose is a bit pink. He’s been crying. You can’t remember the last time you saw him cry. 

(That’s a lie, you realize. You had gotten in the crosshairs of a particularly brutal villain versus hero showdown. The resulting injuries you suffered were severe. You’d apparently been a bit touch and go for a while. When you opened your eyes for the first time after everything, Katsu was right there, looking like hadn’t slept, showered, or eaten for days. Later you found out it’s because he hadn’t left your bedside since you returned from surgery. 

Katsu, you’d croaked out weakly, stretching out a shaking hand toward his face. 

He broke down into sobs so violent they wracked his whole body. It took him over an hour to calm down.)

You got about half a foot through the door before he threw himself at you. Wrapping his arms around you so tight it bordered on painful. He sinks down to the floor. You sink with him. 

He’s sobbing into your shoulder repeating a mantra of, I’m so sorry and I didn’t mean it. Please, please. I didn’t mean it. 

You think about that old saying. What a person says in anger is how they really feel. You don’t necessarily believe that. You yourself have said things out of anger that you in no way meant, that were purely thrown to hurt the person on the other end. 

You want to believe he didn’t mean it, more than anything you do. Because you love him. Because you really do think that Katsu is it for you. That he’s always been it for you. 

You pull away about as far as he’ll let you. 

“Do you love me, Katsuki?” 

The words hang in the air. You feel raw. Like you’re the one who has taken a knife to your own skin and flayed it all open for him. 

You don’t quite know vulnerability until you ask someone if they love you. It’s a different sort of weakness. 

“Yes,” he responds. His voice rough from his tears. “More than anything.”

You watch one last tear fall from his eye.

You hold his face in your hands and wipe it away. Softly. Gently. Lovingly. 

+

You guys are not okay and now that you’ve accepted that you think there’s a chance that one day, you will be. 

[soyouthinkucanwrite]

The money thing (part 1/2) - Daniel Ricciardo

It's always the little things, isn't it? The smallest stupidest things make almost no difference and then make all the difference in the world. They make everything special, but they also have the power to tear everything appart.

You and Daniel fight about money for the thousand time and he's had enough of it.

Warnings: super angst, but with a happy ending :)

Guys, this turned out WAY BIGGER than I expected, so I'm just gonna do a part 2, okay? Okay, thanks for understanding!

Song that inspired me: A list by HVOB

You and Daniel had been dating for a couple months now, having met through a common friend and hitting off almost instantly. You lived in Amsterdam and he, well he lived all over the world really, but his "time off" (meaning not racing) was spent between Monaco and London (for work), and Amsterdam now too, of course.

The changes were small and subtle at the beginning, like your weekends being spent traveling to meet him wherever in the world he was and consequently spending almost all your savings on plane tickets. You never complained to him (you planned on spending the money traveling anyway, so you didn't see the point), but didn't accept when he offered to buy your tickets, either. There's been some awkwardness around the subject but it usually died on its own.

*beginning of flashback*

"You’d have gotten here in time if you'd gotten the early flight like I told you" you remembered him saying that time you got in the paddock after the qualifying session had begun and couldn’t kiss him good luck.

"Baby, I told you. It was crazy expensive! Absurd even!"

"(y/n) for god's sake! What are we saving money for? I told you, you have my credit card number, I've offered to get you one, this is ridiculous, I can't believe I literally earn millions and my girlfriend wasn't there with me because the ticket was too expensive! I'll fucking fly you private if I have to!" he was almost yelling in his driver's room. You could only stare from the corner.

He took a deep breath running his hands through his hair. "Sorry. It's just... it was crap out there. I needed you" you grimaced at his words.

"Sorry. I really am..." you tried to approach him. "I'm here now?" you touched his arm. "It can't have been that bad, you're still on the top 10 and we both know what you can do from the 8th car..." you smiled at him.

*end of flashback*

He started to spend much more of his time off with you at your place, so you decided to get a place by yourself (having a roommate was great for company and splitting the rent, but having a roommate there while you guys just wanted some much-needed privacy was not working). Then there were more traveling to meet him, furniture for the new place, clothing for all the events (GPs or not), uber rides here and there... all of that without mentioning that you weren't being able to get the freelance jobs you used to get to make some extra money, so yeah, to say things were tight was an understatement. You tried to do all your shopping alone, so he wouldn't offer and you wouldn't refuse or be awkward about it, but Daniel seem to be glued to you whenever you were in the same city (not that you’re complaining).

He started to spend much more of his time off with you at your place, so you decided to get a place by yourself (having a roommate was great for company and splitting the rent, but having a roommate there while you guys just wanted some much-needed privacy was not working). Then there were more traveling to meet him, furniture for the new place, clothing for all the events (GPs or not), uber rides here and there... all of that without mentioning that you weren't being able to get the freelance jobs you used to get to make some extra money, so yeah, to say things were tight was an understatement. You tried to do all your shopping alone, so he wouldn't offer and you wouldn't refuse or be awkward about it, but Daniel seem to be glued to you whenever you were in the same city (not that you’re complaining).

The thing is, you always had trouble dealing with money. Sure, you liked to pay for your own stuff so as to not owe anything to anyone (especially boys), but it was so much deeper than that. Ever since a kid, you hated asking for money from your parents, and sometimes even the thought of buying stuff that was a bit more expensive made you sick. You couldn't explain why, you just felt guilty having so much and knowing that most people have never even seen that amount. It's not that you didn't want to spend it and save for the sake of it, you just didn't handle the idea of money very well. Needless to say, dating a millionnaire was bound to cause trouble in the relationship for you.

You were currently at his place in Monaco. It was the summer break and you had decided to spend some days just chilling at home, just the two of you - which you were glad since going out means hair, makeup, clothes, accessories, shoes... and, let's be honest, the kind of places he usually took you is not the kind of places you just throw something together last minute (the Instagram models and other driver's girlfriends looking you up and down were enough to make you think about spending money you did not have to hire a stylist or something like that). The whole situation was really stressing you out and you knew you would have to be honest with him eventually, instead of only dodging the subject and refusing most of his offers to pay. You tried to. You kind of tried. You suggested staying at home, in bed, most of the time, and he gladly agreed, but that strategy wasn't gonna work forever. You had to be honest with him. But at the same time, you knew what he was going to say and do, and the thought of him spending money on you, even if just by handling the restaurant bill, wasn't something you were much more comfortable with. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the "gold-digger" term starts to fly around in the small world that was the F1's.

You were laying on his couch, the Olympics playing on the TV but you were too busy overthinking the money thing to pay attention. Daniel was laying with his head on your lap, absently caressing your thigh and watching the TV. His phone went off and he moved to pick it up.

"Hello?" you watched as he answered the phone. "Hey mate, how's it going? Uh nothing, we're just chilling at home. Getting some rest... Yeah, I'm getting rested, you dirty-minded son of a bitch" you rolled your eyes while he laughed out loud on the line with someone. "Yeah, I know... the 19th is it? No, it's fine. Yeah, yeah. I'll be there. Alright, mate. Thanks for calling. Have a good one! Bye!" he hanged up and leaned in to peck you on the lips.

"Good news?" you asked him.

"Not really. Just wanted to kiss you" he shrugged, smiling. You smiled back and hugged him, pulling him in for another kiss. He was always so caring with you, always finding an excuse to kiss or touch you. You knew some people didn't like it, but you loved it. Physical touch was definitely one of your love languages.

"What's happening on the 19th then?" you asked him once you guys set apart from the kiss.

"Gotta be in London. Gonna run some testings and other boring race stuff..."

"Hum..." you hummed in understanding.

"You know what would make it less boring though?" he asked and you just looked at him, you already knew what he was going to ask you and it wasn't that you didn't want to spend every minute of the day with him, but you simply couldn't afford any more traveling, especially not in such short notice. "If you came with me. Huh? What do you say? A week in the Queen's land? Then we can fly together to Spa and after the race, I can go with you to Amsterdam. The next one it's the Dutch GP anyway, I'll just get there sooner" he laughed. It was crushing you, the man of your dreams was literally beaming at making plans with you, talking about spending the next few weeks glued together and you couldn't say yes.

"Dan, I have to work" you smiled sadly.

"Can't you work from distance? Or, I don't know, I mean... I know it's tiring, but you could come to London and fly home a bit early, then just meet me in Belgium?" great, his solution includes even more flying. And the thing is, you really didn't mind the flying. You always slept during the whole thing anyway, so you never got tired and the jetlag was minimal. You could work from distance, sure. Your boss wouldn't mind, as long as you got there eventually to check in on everything. But the whole logistics were just too expensive. There was no way you could afford it.

"I... sorry, I don't think I can" you said sadly and watched as his face dropped.

"That's fine, baby. I get it. I'm asking too much, all this traveling... don't worry about it" he tried to mask his emotions but you knew better. He knew you could in fact work from distance, so he was probably thinking the reason you couldn't do it was because you didn't want to.

He got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. Meanwhile, you couldn't help but bury your face in your palms. This was so frustrating!

"You wanna go for a run or something? Maybe get something to eat?" he called from the kitchen, already moving on from the subject. You knew this whole thing was only gonna keep build up till he got tired of your excuses or you blowing up, probably the former, but you just keep going.

"Yeah, sure" you answered, getting up from the couch.

You and Daniel were both very active so going for a run, hiking, riding bikes, or whatever in the middle of the day was really routine for you. The Monaco summer weather was as beautiful as always and the sun was shining bright. You enjoyed the rest of your afternoon racing each other, kissing in the harbor, and just taking in the views, spending quality time together. Money wasn't even a thing in your bubble for a while.

"I'm getting hungry" he said on the way back home.

"Me too, and I'm super hot. I could go for a juice or something right now" you were all sweaty from the running, but you didn't care, he was too.

"You're always hot baby, I don't think juice gonna help with that" he grinned at you and you just rolled your eyes at him.

You passed by one of his favorite spots for food, nearby his place and he suggested getting some take-out, to which you agreed.

"Green juice, and a chicken wrap?" you tried to decide while the both of you waited in line.

"I'll never understand how you drink that"

"I've seen you drink that too, it's actually very refreshing"

"Because I'm forced to, I'm a high-performance athlete baby. But I'm on a break, so I'll have a coke, thank you very much" you laughed at him. He was holding your hand and tried to kiss you, wrapping his arm around you, you didn't dodge his kiss, you would never, but still laughed at the fact he wanted to kiss the sweaty mess you were right now.

"I'm gross, only you" you laughed.

"That's my baby, with no makeup she a ten" he rapped shrugging and grinning.

"Alright Lil Wayne, I know that one, don't even finish the verse" you laughed at him, making him laugh out loud, getting everyone's in the restaurant's attention.

"It's true, though"

"Sure..." You just shook your head smiling. Then you heard someone call his name.

"Hey! Daniel!" you both turned around to see Charles and Charlotte sitting in a corner, him waving at you two. You had met Charles a couple of times before but never spoke too much to him. They seemed to be leaving anyway, so they walked towards you guys, instead of towards the door.

"Hey mate, how's it going?" Daniel greeted him with a handshake. "Hey, Charlotte! You know (y/n) yet?"

"Hi! I don't think so, hi! How are you?" she greeted you smiling.

"Hi! Nice to meet you. Hi, Charles!" you said.

"Hey, (y/n). You're keeping him in line during the break? Char won't let me cheat my diet either" he laughed.

"Oh, that ship has sailed long ago! Daniel will just roll into the paddock if it's up to him" you laughed back.

"Hey! I think I've earned the right to some extra calories, we've been working out extra hard lately" Daniel said waving his eyebrows suggestively, making Charlotte giggle, Charles rolls his eyes and you go even redder than you were from the actual workout, while he just laughed out loud.

"I don't even want to know" Charles said. "Always great running into you mate" he was getting ready to say goodbye.

"Are we seeing you guys tomorrow?" Charlotte asked you.

"Tomorrow?" you asked her.

"Stefano's birthday" she said like it was obvious. Stefano Domenicali was the President and CEO of Formula 1, but you didn't know that yet - still, her tone made it seems like it was someone Daniel knew, so you just looked at him. He just rubbed his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh, wait. Please tell me I didn't just said something I shouldn't" she looked at Charles.

"No, no. He invited me. Us, actually" Daniel reassured her. "I don't think we're going though, forgot to mention to you" he said looking at you.

"Uh mate, I wouldn't skip that if I were you. He didn't even invite all the drivers I heard" Charles said. "Maybe just stop by to say hello?"

"Stop by... a yacht... at the sea?" Charlotte said grinning at him. Daniel looked at you.

"You feel like going? It should be fun" he asked you.

"Sounds fancy... I mean, I don't mind if you go" you said.

"Common... I’m not going alone" he nudged you.

"I don't even have anything to wear, Dan" you told him.

"Oh! We can go shopping together!" Charlotte said and you had almost forgotten they were still there.

"Perfect!" Daniel answered for you. You could only imagine the types of stores she shopped.

"Tomorrow morning, then? Daniel can text your address to Charles for me? I'll pick you up!" she was being really nice about it.

"I thought you wanted to go today?" Charles said.

"That's when I thought I would have to go shopping with you, so I could use the extra time since you're the worst shopping partner ever!" she laughed at him.

"Burn!" Daniel laughed.

"His fashion taste is not the most reliable, let's face it" she laughed and kissed his cheek. "It's a date then (y/n)?" she looked expectantly at you. You didn't want to let her down, it was so hard to make friends with the girlfriends of other drivers, they were usually so... not nice. You could always just help her and find something to wear in your own stuff later.

"Yeah, sure! See you tomorrow, at 10?" you said simply.

"Perfect!" she beamed.

>>> end of part 1 <<<

[wreckmetoji]

idfc

An ongoing fic in which you don't realize you have both Fushiguros at your feet.

↳ Toji Fushiguro/Reader

Part 4/?

Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 5

content warning. age gap, mention of sex, mild breeding kink if you squint, afab reader, profanity, slight angst, unrequited love, nobara being a supportive friend, mentions of domestic toji

This is part four of a several part story revolving around smut. **Minors DNI**

1.5k words

What can I say, I live to please. Besides..." "You ain't seen nothin' yet." 4:03 am is what the clock read by the time you had settled into your bed for some much needed, actual sleep. Toji had thoroughly fucked you over nearly every surface in your house that night, leaving no part of you untouched. By the third round, you had nearly lost all feeling in your legs and angry bruises were spotting the surface of your neck, thighs, and hips, the occasional hickey littering your chest. That didn't seem to stop the two of you from going another two rounds after that. What surprised you even more than his stamina, was the fact that he lay beside you in your bed, arm lazily draped over you as he slept silently. In all honesty, you had expected him to leave the moment he was done with you, recalling him saying at some point that this was just him throwing you a line, a simple no-feelings-attached fling to get your mind off the mistake you'd made the night before. For the most part, it worked, but some part of you felt disgusted with yourself for what transpired. When you woke up in the morning, Toji was gone. He had the courtesy to at least plug your phone in and place it on your bedside table, as well as lock your front door. How did he do that? Not seeing your phone for more than twenty-four hours meant you had a lot of messages and calls to catch up with, your chest squeezing slightly seeing that the most recent one had been a missed call and text at 2:47 am. It was from Megumi. By that point in the night, you were sure Toji had you bent over the railing on your balcony, but it was all hazy by this point. That same part of you that felt guilty for what, or rather who, you'd been doing all night is the part of you that texted Nobara first. Incoming call... "Nobara Kugisaki" "WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN, BITCH?!" Nobara screeched into the line, causing you to hold the phone at an arms length away as she hurled several choice insults at you. "We thought you were dead, no one's been in contact with you since you and Megumi left the bar," She chastised once she managed to calm down. "I know, I'm sorry. Some shit happened and... promise to keep a secret?" You whispered into the line, as if someone might be listening. You trusted Nobara with your life, Yuuji too but that boy couldn't keep his mouth shut if his life depended on it. So you entrusted your drunken mistake with your mutual best friend to her, and her only. "I was wondering when he was gonna make a move," She sounded so nonchalant, as if everyone but you had expected this. "He's had a thing for you ever since our last year of high school. You didn’t know?" Her words made your stomach churn. Megumi had been secretly pining for years, and you went and fucked his dad. "That still doesn't explain where you've been since you got home, did you go into a coma?" "I was... busy." Nobara gasped, your name falling from her lips in shock. "No shit. Rebound, who was it?" You both loved and loathed that she could see through you so easily. You two couldn't keep anything from each other. How could you tell her this without making it sound as bad as it actually was? "He brought my phone over, and I was just in a really bad place emotionally..." The line was silent. "It was his dad. It was Toji." Unsurprisingly to you, Nobara was more intrigued than disgusted, considering anyone and everyone that went to the Fushiguro household thirsted for Megumi's hot, ripped dad. Although she had a lack of interest in men, she asked the obligatory spill the beans, what was it like? It took nearly ten minutes of just you talking to explain everything that happened, in as little detail as possible. "So that man banged you on every piece of furniture you own and turned you into his personal cum-stuffed twinkie?" Don't make it sound so crude. "More or less, yeah." "I don't see whats wrong with that. Just don't let Megumi know, he already hates his dad." You hadn't planned on it. Nobara and you caught up for another minute or two while you got changed, hanging up when she had to leave for her extra curricular classes. Now left with your thoughts, you sighed, wandering into your kitchen aimlessly. You cursed every couple steps because holy shit your legs hurt. Deciding it was too straining to stand, you sat at your kitchen island, your head in one hand as the other held your phone, your conversation with Megumi opened. [10:20pm]Gumi: I'm sorry.

[10:22pm]Gumi: There were better times to tell you how I feel, this is my fault.

[11:09pm]Gumi: You're the most important person in my life. Just know that no matter how you feel, I'll always be here.

[2:47am Missed call]

[2:47am]Gumi: I'll give you your space. Take care of yourself, please.

Shaky fingers hovered over the keyboard of your phone, nausea building up in your gut. You were about to put your phone down, leave it for later, before the three dots popped up, letting you know he was typing. He must've seen your read receipts.

[. . .]

[9:56am]Gumi: Thank god you're safe

[9:57am]Gumi: Can I call?

The call notification popped up before you could even send the message you'd typed out.

Incoming call... "Gumi Bear"

Your thumb hovered over answer, hesitating for just a moment before answering and bringing the phone up to your ear. You could hear the concern in his voice when he whispered your name into the receiver, a guilty knot twisting in your gut. "You don't have to say anything, I was just worried about you." There was a click on the other end, followed by some rustling. "You left so quickly, I was gonna come bring your phone but... it was probably best that I gave you some space. When my dad didn't come home I assumed it's 'cause he couldn't find you." A long sigh came from him, but your brows furrowed. Toji still wasn't home? The sound of your balcony door sliding open made you jump out of your skin, having to slap a hand over your mouth to prevent from screaming right into the receiver. From the phone you could hear Megumi calling your name, hearing the sudden commotion, completely unaware of the brief staring contest you had with the tall man stopped mid-step into your house, cigarettes and lighter in one of his hands, the balcony handle in the other. Both your eyes were wide, seeming to surprise each other. Had he been out there this entire time? "H...Hey, sorry, I... a spider, I saw a huge spider and it scared me." Mentally face-palming at your sorry excuse for your outburst. Toji seemed to find it entertaining as well, chuckling to himself as he slid the door closed. Megumi was silent for a moment, but ultimately accepted the explanation. He continued, promising he'd only take a minute of your time. You couldn't hear anything he was saying over the pounding of your heart as it leapt in your throat, watching Toji slide his shoes off and stride over to the kitchen, the flat of his palm brushing the small of your back as he passed by. "Let's just forget this happened, we can start over. Okay?" His voice dropped in tone, obviously hurt by the decision. "I think... I'd like that, yeah." There was a brief silence. "Okay, well," Megumi breathed in deeply, "That's all I wanted to say. I'll let you go. Text me if you need anything." A noise of affirmation came from your throat, the line going dead soon after. Small hands placed the phone face down on the countertop, hands overlapping on top of your phone as you stared up at Toji through your lashes. He didn't ask who called. The rest of your morning was spent with Toji, not much was said. It wasn't awkward, it was a surprisingly comfortable silence, for the most part. He'd made coffee and toast, his capabilities of displaying qualities of domesticity surprising you to say the least. The kitchen clock read 1:02 pm when he said he'd be leaving and you walked him to the door. As the two of you stood in the doorway, you found yourself unable to piece together the right words swimming in your head. Toji seemed patient, smirking with his hands stuffed into his sweatpants pockets as he faced you, back to the apartment hallway. "Well, um..." All night, and you decide to be awkward now?! "Thanks for everything, I guess?" You extended a hand, offering it to Toji for a handshake. The action made him snort, one hand coming out of the pocket of his soft cotton pants and placing it in the dip of your waist. Firmly, he tugged you closer to him, leaving a searing kiss on your lips. It was as fiery as it was short. He left you dumbfounded when he parted not a second later, waving as he walked down the hall. "Let's do this again soon."

[isabellehemlock]

Sabbatical

TL;DR I’m downsizing my volunteering commitments in my community by half, because I haven’t made adjustments for the fact that my family’s chronic health issues have meant an increase in medical appointments from about four to a dozen a month in the last two years, and I need some physical rest for my own health. However, I’m sure some days will include guilt as I essentially “nest” in the winter, and I’d appreciate any words of encouragement you might be able to leave me <3

August is always a deep month of reflection for me, there are no less than five anniversaries of lives and deaths that have left lasting impacts in our family. It’s not so much a hard month of grief, because time eases all things, and nothing lasts forever - but in a way that’s the one thing I’ve learned from grief: to treasure the relationships while I have them. To love hard, while I can and where I can, because it’s not always death - sometimes people outgrow something, or move on, or it’s no longer servicing a need - but regardless, August is a month of deep reflections about how I show up in my relationships, and what I can work on and where I can do better.

But this year feels different. This year, after some prayer and contemplation, the word sabbatical entered my heart and I realize it is exactly what I need: an acknowledgement that I have worked hard for my community, and also acknowledgement that I deserve to rest to restore.

The truth is, my family’s health issues - including new diagnosis’ - has meant that in the last two years we went from about four appointments a month to a dozen, and sometimes even closer to fifteen, including ones involving overnights to the Mayo that we now do every six months. It has gone from a part time situation to a full time situation, and there’s simply no way for me to honor my community commitments, with worsening health, and my familial obligations to drive around as much as I am doing. It has unfortunately already impacted both my creative time, and most importantly my spiritual time when emergencies happen (and boy the last ten months of back to back to back - some of y’all have seen my color coded planner, it’s been insane lol). I have spent many more weekends in bed than I care to admit, because I’m exhausted from the week.

So how am I going to go about my sabbatical?

I’m going to downsize my volunteer commitments by half. I’m going to be stepping down as president of a local non profit chapter, and not teach Faith Formation this year, as well as not take on any volunteer commitments with the school district. Instead I’ll be able to pour those hours into both my creative and spiritual time to better nourish myself during the long winter months when my lungs are at their worst. When it is imperative that I’m inside as much as possible - where I can still find ways to help my community (I’ll still be doing various work that involves calls/emails), but not the physical commitments.

My hope is that I’ll also be able to spend the remainder of this month, and next month, focusing on downsizing the house and working on repairs before the colder air in October pushes me indoors. Being able to spend several months running around slightly less (those med apps aren’t going away lol), means I’ll be able to spend quality time with my husband and kiddos. But it also means that I’ll be able to invest time in my spiritual life (have I mentioned I’m making my life promises this month as a Lay Dominican??) and hobbies (both creatively, but also making some niche corners of the internet lol). And I’m excited to have more of a balance between them all.

Because the truth is, if I tried to wipe it all away, my ADHD brain would be LIT lol. I need community, I need things I can do from home, I need connection. But both my body, and my family’s health, means there’s certain limitations and that doesn’t mean I can’t do the things - but I need to acknowledge that I have to do them a little differently. I don’t want to give up even more things that fill me up, so I can do more things that drain me. Nah, we’re going to do it the other way around now :)

Besides, let’s be real, it’s not like I can’t call up my parish, or the school district at any time and ask if they got small projects that’ll will take a day or two for me to work on if I’m feeling up to it. There will always be something to do <3

But my hope is to communicate this all with enough advance notice - and potentially even help with a transition period as needed - because at the end of the day: others deserve me bringing my best to the community and to my family and to my health. And I deserve to listen to my body and rest and restore.

However the reason I’m sharing this all is because I’d love to hear any words of affirmation you might like to pass along my way, I’d be happy to keep them on my phone on hard days where guilt sets it. Thanks in advance!

[solinarimoon]

Fields of Wildflowers

Chapter 15

A Sihtric x OC story

AN: Well loves, this is the final chapter for this story.  Depending on how season 5 of the show goes, I may do more and I may do one-shots for Cwen and Sihtric later too.  I am honestly incredibly proud of myself for finishing my very first multi-chapter story.  And I am beyond thankful for each and every one of you who thought it was worth your time to read.  Thank you!  From the bottom of my Dane loving heart.  I have more stories planned featuring our favorite cinnamon role Dane and some new OCs so be on the lookout!  The moodboards provided by the lovely @serasvictoria

Warnings: Smut.  Smut with feelings.  (So this also counts as my outdoors entry for @tlkfanficfest bingo axe card)

Word Count: 3877

Fields of Wildflowers Masterlist

My Full Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hild found Cwen some old novice robes that fit comfortably enough.  The abbess then cleaned Cwen’s face and put a soothing poultice on some of the deeper scrapes and bruises before sending her off to bed.

The room was plain, holding only a bed and a small table.  And there was a lingering aroma of some floral fragrance Cwen couldn’t place.  She laid down and was asleep within a matter of minutes.

When she awoke, it was with a start to find an arm weightily draped across her waist.

Turning from her side to lay on her back, Cwen saw Sihtric dozing soundly next to her.

He had found a moment to clean the grime and gore from his face and body, she noticed as she took in his features.  His armor and tunic lay discarded by the door to the room and Cwen took a moment to take in his resting form.  The line of his jaw and the length of his neck.  His shoulder, rounded and firm, with long muscles leading along the arm hooked around her waist.  She felt the heat radiating off his bare chest.

In his sleep, the warrior’s face was relaxed and his breathing even and shallow.  His mouth hung slightly open, a quiet snore escaping him every few breaths.

Cwen raised a hand to brush the hair from his forehead and trace the lines along his brow.

She smiled when she felt him stir under her touch.  Without opening his eyes, he reached a hand up to grasp her own and bring her palm to his lips.

“I am glad you took my advice and rested,” he hummed against her palm before pulling her body closer into his embrace.

“Is there peace?” she questioned after nuzzling against his neck and trailing her fingers along his collarbone.

“For now, it seems.”

“Tell me.” Cwen asked, sleep still clouding her voice.

Sihtric rolled onto his back, sliding his arm to rest under Cwen’s neck as she nestled into his side.

“They’ve given Sigtryggr Eofiwich.  And he promises to remain peaceful and in alliance with Wessex and Mercia.” Sihtric paused, running his fingers gently through Cwen’s long hair.  Hild had also spent time using a brush and comb to work through the knots and tangles that had accumulated during the siege.

“That can’t be all though,” Cwen asked while turning her face up to meet his, “What about Stiorra?”

Cwen felt as a rumble passed through Sihtric’s chest as he laughed.  

“And what about Stiorra?” 

Cwen propped herself up on to her arm, her mirthful smile mirroring his.

“Is she part of the bargain?” 

“Why would she be?” Sihtric’s eyes glittered mischievously.

“Because they have fallen for one another.  Stiorra and Sigtryggr.” Cwen’s words were sure and matter of fact.

Sihtric moved to place a strand of hair that had fallen across Cwen’s face before he asked, “Now what would make you say that?”

Sighing, Cwen laid herself back down and nestled into his side.  Her fingers absent-mindedly finding the hammer amulet draped across his chest.  Tracing the intricate designs.

“Well I don’t know exactly.  I have never even seen them in the same room together,” and her words were interrupted by a scoff from Sihtric.  She hushed him playfully before continuing, “but it is in the way they speak about each other.  As if he truly sees her.  And she, him.”

Here she paused, her hand stopping it’s fidgeting with the hammer.  She took a breath then continued, vulnerability lacing her words, “It is not much different from the way I believe you see me.  From the way you have watched me and seen me since the fields of Saltwich.  You see me and know me.  The true me.  And that is love.  To have someone see through you to your soul.  Or your spirit, your essence.  Whatever term you wish to give it.  When a person can see your rough edges, the parts that are broken, the fragile things…” her fingers began fiddling with the pendant once more, nervous as she continued, “a person who can see that in another and appreciate it, accept it.  That is love.  That is what will help someone to heal.  Find peace.  Happiness.  I see who you are and you see me for who I am.  I see that mirrored in the way Stiorra and Sigtryggr speak about one another.” 

Cwen’s voice got quieter as she stopped her rambling. Her fingers continued to place their anxious energy into toying with the necklace until she felt his strong hand wrap around her own, stopping her movements.  He moved to place his knuckles below her chin, tilting her head up so he could catch her eyes.

“What have I done in my life to deserve you, my lady?”

Now it was Cwen’s turn to scoff at his use of the term lady once more before he continued, interrupting her.

“It is true.  I have been blessed by the gods and I do not know why.  I am nothing but a bastard son who has killed more men than I can count. Many who were probably good men.”

Cwen stared into his face as he spoke.  She watched as his brows stitched together and the line of his jaw flexed.  His eyes growing distant and clouded.

“Then you do not see what I see, Sihtric.” Her hand rose from his chest to caress his neck, fingers smoothing themselves through the curls of his hair, coaxing his eyes back from whatever unfocused horrors he was imagining, back to her.

“You are a man, devoted and loyal.  I see your heart.  A heart that is fierce and passionate, but also kind and warm.  It is gentle when time or place calls for it. I see that in how you are with the children and with me. You have shown me time and time over that the quality of your heart is pure.  It is all those things that make who you are.  A warrior. A heathen but not a barbarian as some Christians would paint you. These are the reasons you follow Lord Uhtred.  These are the reasons you fight.  And they are good qualities.”

Cwen watched while he listened to her words. The lines of his face eased and the whites of his eyes glistened more brightly. The lovers brought their lips together, the language of a whispered kiss speaking more deeply than either could with words. 

A subtle cough from the doorway broke them apart. 

Hild stood, a kind smirk on her face. 

“I would remind you that you are still in a church, Sihtric. And even though you are heathen I will have you respect this home of my God.”

Cwen rolled over, burying her face in her hands and stifling anxious giggles while she heard Sihtric apologize and then the rustle of Hild’s robes as she moved away from the door. 

But Hild called over her shoulder to them before she had made it out of earshot, “Uhtred is looking for you. King Edward has spoken with him.”

“Tell my lord I am on my way.”

They heard Hild laugh before she replied, “He wishes to speak with Cwen.”

The pair glanced at each other, confusion on both of their faces. Slowly, they moved to sit up and make ready themselves. 

“But Sihtric, you haven’t answered me!” Cwen exclaimed. 

When he looked askance at her as he did the laces up on his tunic, she continued, “Stiorra? Is she leaving for Eofowich?”

Sihtric smirks without raising his eyes again to meet hers, instead focusing on his lacing. 

“Well?” Cwen moved to help him secure the armour and interrupt his avoidance.

“She will be going as a hostage,” he replied. But the mirth behind his eyes showed his agreement with her notion that it was not a hostage arrangement. 

“Lord Uhtred must be furious,” Cwen mused. 

“He was quite, yes.”

Sihtric turned to grab his bracers off the floor and Cwen took them from him, sliding them onto each of his forearms in turn. 

“So what does he need with me, I wonder?” 

Sihtric shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as they walked out of the door to find Uhtred.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The king has charged me with the care of Aethelstan.”

Uhtred and Cwen were standing underneath the arches leading to the inner courtyard of the church.

Hild was walking with Eadith to stretch and warm some of her muscles, while an anxious Finan looked on.  He was clearly only half listening to whatever Osfeth and Sihtric were discussing.  It made Cwen smile, before turning her attention back to Uhtred.

“With care for Aethelstan?  But Lady Aelswith had been planning to do that?” 

Uhtred sighed, “Plans have changed.  Apparently Lady Aelswith is in poor health after the siege.  And Edward wants Aethelstan removed from Winchester.  It will be safer for the boy.”

“Aelswith offered me a place in her household caring for him before we left Mercia. I turned her down but not because I don’t want to help Aethelstan. Did you wish to speak with me to ask for my help?” 

Uhtred chuckled dryly and looked down at his boots, scuffing the dusty dirt. 

“It is no secret, I am…,” he trailed off before clearing his throat and starting again, “I will be able to teach him the shield wall and battle tactics. And other life lessons but I am lacking in many skills when it comes to raising a child.  I would ask you for help, yes.”

“And you will have it.” Cwen smiled, her words sincere and happy. 

It was at that moment that Sihtric approached, wrapping his arm around Cwen’s waist and drawing her close to him as she leaned back into his embrace. 

“You have chosen a good woman, Sihtric.” Uhtred clapped his friend on his shoulder. 

“I have, indeed,” Sihtric paused, pressing a kiss against Cwen’s hairline making her grin despite herself. 

“But may I have a word alone, Lord?” 

Cwen glanced between the two men before excusing herself to go check in on Eadith and Hild.

After joining the two women, Cwen continued to glance back to where Sihtric stood speaking with Uhtred.  The two men stood close together while Sihtric spoke, but his words did not travel and Cwen did not know what they discussed.

After only a few moments, she saw Uhtred embrace Sihtric and the two clapped each other on the back before breaking apart and Sihtric turned to walk to Finan and Osferth, who were standing in the path that Hild was guiding them along. Sihtric beamed at her as they approached, his smile filled with adoration. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After eating a light lunch with everyone, Sihtric excused himself and asked Cwen to join him.  He led her to the edge of Winchester and outside the walls.  The Saxon camp of King Edward was still scattered across the surrounding field, but the couple walked beyond the scattered tents and cookfires.  Here and there, men were mulling about, collecting their things, preparing to return to their homes.

“Where are you taking me, Sihtric,” Cwen looped her arm through his and leaned herself against him as they strolled.

She smiled when she felt his breath on her ear as he leaned close, “Do you remember the last time you asked me that question?”

His voice was low, husky.

The implication sent shivers along Cwen’s spine.  Just as it had while riding in the fields outside of Aegelesburg, she felt her body stir.  

They stayed quiet as they walked, both feeling the rising thrill in their energy.

Cwen tried to keep her breathing steady while her heart began beating steadily faster and faster.  The feel of Sihtric’s movements against her as they walked gave her shivers, every place where his skin brushed hers leaving trails of gooseflesh.

Eventually, they moved off of the main road and began to cross onto hunting trails, through woods and fields.  It may have been along the route they had come to Winchester.  That seemed ages ago and had been in such haste, Cwen thought she would have no idea if she had been through this way before. And there was no way she could focus clearly on her surroundings with the anticipation of being with Sihtric again.

Finally, he stopped walking and Cwen took in their surroundings.

They were at the edge of a low lying glen, leading up to a small hill crested with trees.  The glen was carpeted with tiny white and violet-blue flowers, all migling together.  Cwen breathed deep, enjoying the musty aroma of the woods to their backs, earthy and solid.  She tried to slow her pounding heart.

“I told you I wished to cherish you, Cwen,” Sihtric pulled her body flush against his before cupping her face, “and I mean to do just that.”

His lips ghosted across hers before he moved to nip underneath her ear, his tongue languidly tasting her skin in between gentle kisses down her neck.

“Sihtric,” she moaned out his name, her hands grasping hungrily at his hips and pulling him even closer to her.

“I will never grow tired of hearing you moan my name,” he whispered against her collarbone.

His fingers found their way up from her waist to begin undoing the laces at her collar, before moving the fabric apart to reveal the skin of her chest.

Despite the heat of the late summer, his fingers left goosebumps dancing along the trails they made, slowly fanning their way over to caress one of her breasts.

Cwen sighed as his kisses continued along her neck and his fingers lightly pinched at her erect nipple. 

She could feel the swell in his trousers bulging against her hips and longed for more. 

Slowly, she reached her hand down from his hip to cup along his length. 

The groan her movements brought forth from him flushed Cwen with a sense of pride that she could cause him to make such noises. 

“Mmmm, woman,” he growled, “I planned to be making these noises come from you,” but Cwen interrupted him. 

“And what if I wish to show you how I cherish you too?”

Sihtric leaned back on his heels to stare at Cwen. Her shy smile and mischievous twinkle in her eyes.  

In an instant, his mouth was on hers. All sense of calm replaced by fire. 

Both sets of fingers fought to undo the buckles and ties holding cloth against skin. 

All the pain, all the terror over the past weeks. Separated by barriers and words. All of the emotions of the heart came crashing out against each other. 

Swiftly, Cwen slid her dress down from her shoulders to pool at her feet, leaving her chest bare and only a thin underskirt draped off of her curving hips.

Sihtric, breathing heavily,  stood back to admire her form, his fingers tracing the curve of her waist up to the slope of her breasts.  

While his hands roamed her body, Cwen undid the lacing holding his bracers and leathers on, removing them deftly.  

Smoothly, he lifted his arms and pulled his shirt over his head, discarding it in the grass by their feet, only to then drop to his knees, peppering kisses along her abdomen while his hands reached behind her to grasp and gently knead her bottom.

Cwen sucked in a breath as the feel of heat pooled deep in her core, mingled with a throbbing pull at her opening.  She wanted to feel him touch her there.

She ran her fingers along his head, nails scratching along his scalp, before he tilted his face up to hers to see the passion burning in her eyes.

“Come here, Cwen.”  His voice was deep and sensual, causing another thrill to ripple through her swollen womanhood.

She slid her body down to meet him, feeling his lips trailing up now, to find her nipple, sucking and flicking his tongue against the hard nub.  His hands bunched at her skirt, pulling it up around her as she lowered herself.

Once she was on her knees, he brought his face to hers, kissing her lips once more while growling, “Lay back for me.”

Cwen lowered herself back, while Sihtric’s body, hard and strong, loomed over her, sheltering her, enveloping her.

Again, he brought his lips to her skin, licking and sucking gently at the dips and shallows of her neck and shoulders.

She shuddered when his hands left the skirt, now rumpled around her waist to trail down her hip.  He had slowed their pace once more, gradually bringing his fingers to rub against her swollen center. Slow, short strokes followed by an even slower long stroke circling the moist opening of her slit.

She moaned and arched under his hands, yearning for more but relishing the feel of his hands on her.

Slowly, his kisses moved lower, back to her nipple, drawing circles around it before he continued even lower.

Cwen opened her eyes, when he sat up, removing his hand from her wetness.

Sihtric leaned back on his knees and shifted Cwen’s hips as she watched him eye her hungrily.

He began to lean down to her, his breath hot and heavy on her aching core.

“Sihtric, what are you,” but her words were replaced with a rasping moan as she felt his tongue on her. He trailed his tongue up from the dripping moisture of her slit to press and flick against the nub of her sex making her gasp outloud.

Sihtric looked up to meet her eye, now sucking at the nerves before he answered, “I am cherishing my woman, every part of her.”  And he then moved back to lap at her with the flat of his tongue.

Licking her lips, Cwen felt as her hips unconsciously rose to meet his actions, continuing the slow rhythm his fingers had started.  Slow and small strokes followed by a longer stroke, the pressure always building then pulling back as he pulled her to the edge.

When he brought his fingers to her opening and slowly pushed one then another inside, Cwen felt herself arch and moan his name. 

Her fingers found themselves raking through his hair as he moved his fingers inside her, matching the rhythm of his tongue.

Cwen felt herself rising to the edge, “Sihtric,” she groaned while his actions became faster, matching the pumping of her hips rising to meet him.

And she came undone, her legs tensing and squeezing as he brought her to her high.

When she opened her eyes, he had moved his face to stare at her, but was continuing the motions of his fingers, still feeling her clench around him.

“You are the most beautiful woman,” he whispered, his voice deep with lust.

“Can you take me?”

Noiselessly, Cwen nodded, holding her arms out for him to come to her.

He moved, lithe as a cat, to bring his face to hers, kissing her passionately.  She could taste herself on his lips and feel her own moisture in his beard.

Cwen slipped her fingers between his pants and his hips and slid them down with his help to release his bulge.  He rolled off of her just long enough to slide his trousers off completely, before he was on her once more, his manhood hard and ready for her.

Guiding himself to her entrance, Cwen shifted her hips to better meet him.

As he pushed himself inside her, she met his eyes.  He filled her completely, pushing into the hilt before he paused to kiss her.  Then slowly again, their bodys began rocking together in a rhythm building steadily.  Her small moans and noises driving him to push harder.

He built her up once more, feeling her body tensing beneath him ready to crash in ecstasy.  Cwen cried out his name once more when he pushed her over the edge, feeling her walls clench him tight driving his own climax to follow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They lay in the grass, a tangle of limbs as their breathing returned to normal.  Cwen found her hand in Sihtric’s as he toyed with her fingers, weaving them together with his.  He brought her hand up to place a gentle kiss on her thumb.  

“Be my wife, Cwen.”

Surprised, Cwen turned her face to watch him.  He was focused on their fingers, still lacing them gently together.

He continued after a moment's pause, “I want you for my woman.  My wife.  From now until the end of days. I told you that all of my roads will lead me to you, Cwen.  And I meant it.  You are warm and kind.  You are brave.  And you make me happy.  Happier than any warrior deserves to be.  

His words were strong. Sure.

Cwen felt her eyes prickle as tears formed, blurring her vision.  She blinked to clear them away as she saw Sihtric’s head turn to look at her.

“Will you be my wife, Cwen?”

Smiling, Cwen nodded her head furiously, “Yes, Sihtric, I will be your wife.”

Grinning, Sihtric rolled Cwen on top of him and kissed her, deeply before he pulled away.

Still smiling, he laughed, “Then I have something I need to give to you.”

Cwen moved herself off of him as he reached into his pants, reaching into a small pocket, hidden in the waist.

He pulled out a tiny pouch.  He emptied the pouch into his palm.  It contained a small golden ring.  Simple and delicate, with just a few markings and designs along the band.

“This belonged to my mother.  It is the only possession I have from her. Before my father,” he glanced at Cwen before he continued, “before he killed her, she gave this to me.  She knew he would find out about what she had been doing to help the children of Dunhilm.  And she wanted for me to have this.  She has been the only woman to ever hold my heart.  Until now.  And I want you to have it.”

Cwen was speechless as he placed it in her palm, before closing her fingers over it and kissing her hand.

The tears she had been able to stem before, now ran freely along her cheeks.  Gingerly, she opened her hand and picked up the ring.  She slid it onto her finger and it fit perfectly.

“She would have loved you,” Sihtric added, wrapping his arms around Cwen and resting his forehead against hers.

“Thank you, Sihtric.  I will treasure it and hope to honor her by wearing it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they were getting dressed and beginning their walk back towards Winchester, Cwen gasped.

“Wait, won’t we need Uhtred’s approval to marry? When will you ask him?” Laughing, Sihtric took her hand, “I have already asked him, love.  It is what I wished to speak with him about this morning.”

“Oh you planned all of this then?”

“I did”

“Oh you are quite the romantic, my soon-to-be husband.”

Sihtric chuckled once more along with Cwen, “I guess I am.”

As they continued walking, Cwen asked, “So what did Uhtred say when you asked him?” “He said that I would be a fool not to marry you.”

Sihtric pulled her close, kissing her temple as they walked, “And he is right.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[valwentinefics]

I’m saving you - Dark!Helmut Zemo x F!Reader

A/n: Hey guys It’s your friendly neighbourhood Zemo simp Aur. Law class is kicking my ass big time so sorry this took so long for me to post. I really like dark Zemo so if you’d like to send requests that’d be really nice but I can’t promise they’ll be out fast! Also the gif on this just makes me go AAAAA. Not sure if I like this or not, but I loved the concept and it was a request so it’s being posted anyways.

Warnings: Zemo is basically a yandere, kidnapping and drugging, mentions of Zemo’s family’s death, past suicidal Zemo, swearing.

Word count: 1736

Plot: It was difficult for Y/n not to fall for Helmut Zemo and soon she would realize it would be even more difficult to get away. When she tells him he can’t protect her from everything he knows he has to find a way... even if his methods are unconventional. (Takes place during episode 4 of tfatws, cannon divergent and possible part 2)

Y/n laid in Zemo’s bed, her fingers gently tracing the small scars from knives and bullets that littered his bare torso. His warm earthy eyes watched her with soft adoration as she laid her head on his chest, sighing contently as his hands ran through her hair. This was something that happened often between the two and Y/n arguably loved it more than the sex that came before it. It was nice laying in the quiet. The only sound that filled the room was their breaths or Zemo’s occasional quiet and rough humming.

Y/n had been apprehensive about Zemo when she first met him. She had never before encountered him in person but he was a popular topic on the news when he was arrested and tried for what he had done. As a friend of Bucky she had originally been against the man, giving him harsh glares whenever he spoke or came too close to her, but eventually against her better judgement she began to develop a fondness for him. It was hard not to when he would talk to her oh so kindly with his beautifully articulate accented voice, or how he’d look at her as if she was the only person in the room when she spoke. His intelligence and various skills attracted her to him even more, and Y/n found herself falling for the man before she even had a chance to breathe.

She lifted her head off his chest and sat up, running a hand through her hair to try and fix it from the messy state it was in from their previous activity. Y/n sent a smile to Zemo, her arms in the air and back arching as she stretched before getting off the plush bed, walking around the room to gather her clothes.

“Where are you going, Liebling?” He asked sitting up, a few unruly bits of hair falling into his face. She was the only one he would allow to see him like this, soft and not well put together.

“Well, me and Bucky have plans to walk around and see if we can find out any information about the Flag Smashers.” She said casually, pulling on her clothes.

Zemo’s body tensed. “I’ll come with you.” He said as he picked up his clothes that had been discarded on the ground and putting them on as he found them.

“No, two people is enough, any more and it’ll look weird.” Y/n explained, placing a hand on his chest to stop him.

“But what if you get hurt, you know what they’re capable of.” He countered, his eyes wandering over her face, filled with concern.

Y/n let out a soft laugh. “You know, you won't always be able to protect me from everything Helmut. I’m not fragile, have some faith in me.” She pressed her lips against his for a second before walking out, not seeing how his eyes hardened as her words sank into him.

Helmut Zemo had lost everything before he found Y/n. Formerly the leader of EKO Scorpion, a Baron of his country, and a father, Zemo had it all until it all came crashing down. Literally. When the dust settled upon Sokovia he wasn’t only looking at the ruins of his country, but of his life and everything he had achieved. After that he was consumed by vengeance and sorrow, dedicating what he believed and intended to be the last year of his life to avenging his late family. When he was put into prison he felt no joy for how his plan worked, only numbness as he waited patiently, anticipating his eventual death. However when Bucky assisted his escape and brought him to the mechanics where his eyes met Y/n’s, he suddenly found a reason to stay around longer.

Zemo ran his gloved fingers through his hair, his jaw clenched as he thought to himself. He couldn’t lose Y/n, she was the one thing he had. He had lost so much previously that even the thought of losing the one last person who belonged to him was almost enough to send him into a frenzied state. Y/n’s words kept echoing in his head, mocking him as he stood. He had to do something, he had to find a way to protect her from everything. 

-

Y/n laughed at Bucky’s joke as the two walked back into Zemo’s home, a smile plastered on her face. She was unaware of Zemo’s glare burning holes into where Bucky’s hand rested on the small of her back. Y/n didn’t see any issue with how close she and Bucky were, even leaning more into his larger body to steady herself as she slipped off her shoes.

“Y/n, how did it go?” Asked Zemo who laid on the couch, his voice sounding tense.

“Nothing productive.” She sighed, waving to Bucky as he quietly went to the room he was staying in. He didn’t like being around Zemo more than he needed to which she understood.

“You should have let me come along, I’m good at getting information.” Zemo said, standing up. His movements were smooth and confident. She admired how he always stayed and looked in control no matter the situation. “Would you like a drink Liebling?”

Y/n nodded in reply, heading to the couch and sitting by the arm rest, enjoying the simplicity of the situation. Just two lovers enjoying a drink together. It made her feel awfully domestic and she enjoyed it. In another life maybe they could have lived like this everyday, quietly enjoying each others company, but it was an unrealistic dream. She was a friend of Bucky and Sam, she would never truly experience peace and safety. There would always be a villain threatening someone, and Y/n would always have to help stop it.

Zemo walked back over, handing Y/n her glass and placing his on the coffee table, freeing up his hands to pull Y/n into his lap. They stayed in silence, Y/n enjoying the whiskey. She downed it quickly, noticing Zemo must have gotten her a different type than usual, it had an odd aftertaste but she didn’t mind it enough to bring it up. It was calming being with Zemo, so much so that her eyes grew heavy, and she leaned into his chest while letting out a content sigh.

-

The sound of soft music gently pulled Y/n out of her sleep, her eyes squinting as they adjusted to the bright light coming from a window and falling onto her face. The place she was in was odd and unfamiliar. The realization that she had not fallen asleep here and her arms being bound tightly behind her back with a soft fabric sent waves of panic through her body as she jolted up, looking around the room. Where was Zemo and the others? Were they safe? The room itself didn’t seem dangerous, the furnishings similar to that of a nice hotel. It was tidy and well kept which almost made it more frightening than it would have been if it was dilapidated.

“Hello?” Y/n called out, moving to the edge of the bed, her feet dangling off as she was about to stand up when the door creaked open, revealing Zemo. Relief flooded her body as soon as she saw the man, instantly feeling a little safer.

“Helmut, where am I? Why are my hands tied?” Y/n looked at him questioningly.

Zemo smiled at her as he approached. “This is all to keep you safe.” He said, his hand tucking some stray pieces of hair behind Y/n’s ear as he stood before her.

His words confused Y/n. “What do you mean this is to keep me safe? Helmut what’s going on?” She struggled to free her hands. Something wasn’t right here. The feeling of dread ate at her stomach as she watched him.

He shushed her softly, his hand gently stroking the soft skin of her cheek. “Stop struggling, you don’t need to worry about anything anymore. I couldn’t handle the thought of you getting hurt any longer. I knew I had to do something, I can’t lose you too. Maybe I slipped something into your drink, I apologize for that. It was a necessary evil to get you here, where you could be safe with me.”

Y/n’s eyes widened as she stared at the man in front of her, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily upon her. “Helmut, why the fuck did you kidnap me?” 

“Don’t look at me with such fear Y/n, it hurts me.” He frowned. “From the first time I looked in your eyes I knew you were different from the rest. You just have a quality about you, something indescribable that draws me to you. I was lost, suicidal, every day I spent waiting for death, until I looked in your eyes and found something to live for. The thought of you getting hurt… I just can’t even stomach it. You’re all I have and I can’t lose any more people I love.”

His words scared her, sending a chill through her body. “I won’t tell anyone if you let me go, I won’t leave you either. We can pretend this never happened!” Y/n pleaded desperately as her mind raced. 

Zemo’s hand tightly gripped her jaw in anger, his gloved fingers digging into her skin roughly. “Don’t speak like that, I’m risking so much for you right now, a little gratitude would be nice.” He growled, before exhaling, letting go as he calmed himself down. “Apologies, I suppose I do understand where you’re coming from, I know what it’s like to be locked away. Liebling, I promise to you that I will never hurt you. I’ll give you everything you could possibly desire. All I ask for in return is your love.”

A sob escaped Y/n’s throat, tears falling down her face. Zemo pulled her into his body as if she was made of glass, his arms tenderly holding her against his warm chest. “I want to go home.” She cried.

Zemo sighed. “This is your home meine Liebe. I’ll cherish and care for you. One day you’ll learn to appreciate it, and we’ll have a perfect family. You’ll thank me for this once you realize I’m saving you.”

[adorerdraco]

My Angel ✧ Draco x Reader

Request: Hi cutie! Could you write a draco x reader where they have a soft and quiet relationship? Like they dont need to be with each other all the time, or even talk, like they feel comfortable and safe in each other's presence? thank you!

Warnings: none !!!

Words: 1.1K

A/N: PLSSS I LOVE THIS IDEA I AM IN LOVEEE WITH HIM AHHH THANK YOU LOVELY ANON but this my first requesttt and i hope i wrote it the way you imagined !!! do not own gif

There was nothing Draco loved more than attention. He adored the praise he would get from his fellow Slytherins after a good quidditch match or a pleasing comment from his professor’s when he would get outstanding marks on his exams. He even sought out for attention when it would sometimes be negative, the laughter of his friends egging him on as he made fun of someone or causing a scene somewhere so that others would be aware of his presence. Bottom line, he didn’t mind being the center of attention, he most of the time craved it.

But when you came into his life, it was like a whole different world that you offered him. It was a world of calmness, a silent tranquility that would soothe his mind and body whenever he found himself around you. You gave him that change with warm smiles and gentle touches. Silent cloud watching and stargazing. Sitting together in the library studying or reading. Hanging out by the Black Lake, leaning against a tree, eyes closed with your back against his chest and his hands interlocked with yours on your lap. You were quiet and humble, unlike anything else he knew. He always felt at ease with you because with you, he didn’t need to be Draco Malfoy, sole heir of the Malfoy fortune and Prince of Slytherin; he was just Draco.

It was a sharp contrast from his loud and demanding life, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He liked being able to go from his rowdy reality to the tame and peaceful paradise with you. The beautiful thing with your relationship was that the two of you valued space and quality time. It was the only thing he had that was low key. He lived his life and you lived yours, both on complete opposite sides of the spectrum until you were with one another. It was nice for him, having you be apart from his everyday life. You were different for him and he adored all the new things that you showed him. You were safe, loving, and kind.

He especially liked your company when his days would become overwhelming and he would feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, all his stresses melting away the second you would greet him with an affectionate hug and a tender kiss. The need to be around you was magnetizing on these days, his legs guiding him to you as if they knew you were the cure to all his ailments.

When you would notice his more dreadful moods you would always, always, ask him a soft, “do you want to talk about it?”

Now and then he would answer with a nod if it was a really bad day and he’d briskly vent to you without too many details. But oftentimes, he would just shake his head and bury his face in your neck as he held onto you tightly, whispering a faint, “just hold me.”

You were like his own personal angel in the flesh, guiding him into bliss and bringing a meaningful light into his life that he rarely seemed to have. He could go on and on about you, always feeling like he needed to let you know just how much you meant to him but he never needed to and neither did you, the both of you just kind of knew. You knew in the way he would gaze lovingly at you when you would be sunbathing on a warm sunny day in the spring. He knew in the way you would mindlessly play with his hair with his head in your lap and a smile on your lips as you peered down at him. You felt it in his forehead kisses where he would linger for a few seconds before he would depart from you after hanging out. He felt it in your hugs where you had your arms looped around his neck, standing on your tippy-toes to place a tickling kiss on his nose. Wordless, plain and simple.

It was currently around dusk, the sun shining a warm pre-sunset glow onto the quidditch field where Draco was finishing practice. He hopped off his broom, a giddy feeling in his chest as he rushed to his dorm to take a quick shower because he knew the longer he took, the longer it would take for him to get to you. He ran a bit of product through his hair and lightly spritzed himself with his expensive cologne, (he most definitely wears Dior Sauvage or Bleu de Chanel), before nearly skipping out of the Slytherin common room to go find you in your usual spot outside the school where you would watch the sun’s descent and the moon’s awakening by yourself. He always happily joined you when he wasn’t busy or if you asked him to, today being one of those days.

He walked outside, quickly finding you with your back against the stone walls of the castle and a book in your hand about astronomy that he had suggested to you. He smiled to himself, admiring the concentration on your face and the way your lips would mouth the words you read.

“Is the book any good?” He asked as he neared you. He sat himself down beside you and pressed a soft kiss to your temple causing you to smile at the gesture.

“It’s very good,” you nod, showing him you were nearly halfway through even though he had told you about it that morning in passing. “How was quidditch practice?”

“Good,” he answered with a yawn, “just tired now.”

You patted your shoulder and he chuckled, adjusting himself so that he could lay his head comfortably against your arm, letting your own fall gently above his. Your hand on the arm he was laying on rested against his cheek and he hummed in delight. You continued silently reading your book while he had his eyes closed, letting himself bask in the warmth radiating off your body and the feeling of peace that followed you.

In his head, he thanked the stars for you and for the day that seemingly happened so long ago when you were introduced into his rumbustious life.

It was at the Hogwarts library, slumped over his Potions essay and his head in his hands as he stressed away at the parchment below his quill. He had been in there all week, continuously getting distracted with the most beautiful girl that he’s ever seen that carried herself so ethereally like a goddess from another world. He allowed himself to steal glances at you every so often, unbeknownst to him that you were doing the same thing. At this point, he didn’t care that he was making little to no progress on his essay, just enjoying the time that he spent in the library where he knew you would always be.

Little did he know, you would be walking up to him one of those days, a kind smile on your face as you pointed to the empty seat in front of him with a question that started it all.

“Can I sit here?”

[author-morgan]

Your work is so good, you should do this for a living! Your Ivarr stories are treasurers! Because quality Ivarr content that matches up exactly with my fantasies are rare, and I'm shit poet...

Could you please do one where the clan's dainty sweetheart secretly has the hots for Ivarr but avoids him because she doesn't know how to act around him.

He's also into her but thinks she hates him.

She gets terribly drunk for first time ever, throws herself at Ivarr...

Confused but also turned on, he internally struggles because doesn't want to take advantage of her.

He puts her to bed/or gets someone else to do it? Ubba? Because he doesn't trust himself to be alone with her?

Finds her when she's sober and not hungover, confronts her because drunken words are sober thoughts. She's embarrassed but they end up having really great sex!!!

i do write for a living, just not creative writing oh the joys of academia. apologies for the long wait, but here's more Ivarr! hope you enjoy! ♥ i kind of went overboard (like 3.3k words overboard) but it's Ivarr and i'm thirsty as hell for this bastard. Ivarr the Boneless x fem!Reader

EIVOR SHAKES HIS head. His arms crossed with a frown playing on his lips. He doesn’t see what you do —why of all the people in Midgard, you only have eyes for Ivarr the Boneless. Even Ubba would be a better choice, he thinks. It’s in Eivor’s nature to worry over and protect the ones he loves after all he’s lost. You are another example of Styrbjorn’s charity to those he considered friends, just as he is Sigurd’s brother in all but blood, you are their sister and have been for many years —becoming a temper for the two rowdy boys, favoring the healing arts over swordplay and battle.

Since Eivor’s initial meeting with Ivarr in Repton, there’s been something about his methods and outlook that sets Eivor at unease, even more so now that he’s caught Ivarr’s gaze lingering on you —like now during the autumn feast. Some jest, saying opposites attract, and while that seldom seems to be the truth, it is for you and Ivarr. He is cold iron, warm blood, a harsh winter —and you’re soft silks, a cool breeze, fresh spring blooms.

He’s seen the looks you share with Ivarr. Fleeting and flirtatious, but that is nigh all you share besides few rushed words in passing. Ivarr cuts an intimidating presence, and you’ve never been quite sure how to converse with warriors beyond your brothers. It’s nigh as difficult for Ivarr —all he knows is bloodlust and his fellow drengrs— finding the right words to say is not a battle he thinks he can win. There’s fondness between you, almost everyone can see it, but there are times when Ivarr is left to wonder if you truly like him or if your soft smiles and kind words are only a product of his reputation.

Ivarr’s feelings are clear to himself, though, especially as he watches you among the people of Ravensthorpe, partaking in the autumn festivities. Seeing you wear a crown of gold and amber leaves, dancing with Ceolbert to the drunken tune of Bragi and his tagelharpa with a tankard of Tekla’s mead in hand makes his heart beat faster, and his mouth go dry. He keeps to the benches, reminding himself that a drengr does not dance —at least not this type of dance.

The evening fades, but the festivities don’t. Soma claims her clan throws the best feasts, though you’re tempted to challenge the jarlskona for the title since Ravensthorpe has grown. You look around, searching for your brothers, but Sigurd has retired for the evening, and Eivor is slumped over on one of the tables, asleep —his hand still curled around the handle of his mead cup. Sighing, you find Ivarr’s gaze in the hazy air of the longhouse, half-shocked by the intensity and darkness, half-eager to return the lust-laden stare with your own.

Emboldened by the mead, you gather another horn and move across the longhouse where Ivarr sits. With a smile, you offer him the horn of mead before taking the empty spot on the bench next to him. He eyes you, curious, as he turns up the horn —downing the mead in a few gulps— and turns his attention to you. Spurred on by the moment, you lean closer, twisting to drape your legs across his thighs, squirming more than needed. “What game are you playing at, little dove?” Ivarr asks, his gaze dark and tone dangerous. You only smile, flitting your eyes up to meet his as you tip up your cup.

The soft plucking lyre strings and the low thrum of the tagelharpa are nigh enough to lull you to sleep coupled with the stillness. When you start to sway, both from the trance of the music and the heaviness of your eyes, Ivarr brings you closer to his side before deciding it best to see you off for the night —lest he is on the receiving end of Sigurd or Eivor’s anger. Ivarr pushes the bench back from the table, slipping his arms around your shoulders and beneath your knees, rising with you cradled in his arms —head resting on the leather of his shoulder pauldron.

When Ivarr places you on the straw and rag stuffed mattress of your cottage at the eastern edge of the settlement, you are not eager to part with him —the bulge tenting his britches tell you he’s not eager to leave you either. “Don’t” —you hiccup, lips turning into a pout as you lift the hem of your skirt to show the bare skin of your calves and beyond— “don’t you want me?”

Gods, Ivarr wants you. Just the thought of lying with you sets his blood hot and racing —like a giddy boy before his first battle. He doesn’t think he’s ever wanted a woman more. But he can smell the mead on your breath and see the weariness hiding in your eyes. Ivarr knows it is the drink speaking for you, and he will not be the one to dishonor such a woman as you. “You’ve too much drink, little dove,” he chides in a rough chuckle, uncurling your fingers from their hold on his tunic. “Sleep,” Ivarr says, sitting back on his haunches —drinking in your appearance for a final time, “I doubt you’ll say the same thing come the morning.”

MORNING BREAKS AND so does your uneasy rest. The scent of smoke and mead clings to your skin and clothes, as does a dried sheen of sweat. Rising, you strip out of the soiled clothes and into a linen shift. With the hour still early and some only just retiring for bed from the feast, you gather up a cake of soap and boar-bristle brush, heading toward the small waterfall and pool at the northern edge of the settlement. Sparing a quick look around and now certain you’re alone, you strip, stepping into the clear, cool water with a sharp inhale.

Humming a soft song, you wring the suds from your hair and cross toward the bank where your clothes lay, but the snap of a branch underfoot stops you. Gaze darting around, you see him emerge from behind the trunk of a large tree near the stables. “Ivarr,” you greet, not shying away from his wandering gaze. His silence and the look in his eyes make you smile as you wade in his direction, stopping when the water brushes the underside of your breasts. “Are you watching me?” It’s a redundant question that needs no answer besides the hungry look in Ivarr the Boneless’s eyes.

“What you said last night–” he starts, voice surprisingly cautious, but you cut him off with a wave of a hand and scolding grin. “I was not that drunk, Ivarr.” Tekla’s mead had not dulled your senses, only gave you the courage to act on buried feelings. He lifts his brow and rakes his hand through his parted hair. “And yes. I meant it,” you tell him, wearing the same look now as you had last night nigh begging Ivarr to have his way with you. If Ivarr is surprised by the truth of your feelings, he hides it well. You motion to the pristine pool of water and bite down on your bottom lip before finding his gaze again. “Join me?”

Ties and buckles rustle as he hastily kicks away his boots, drops the fittings of his armor, and does away with his britches and tunic. Ivarr circles you like a wolf eyeing his wounded prey, and then he pounces, wrapping an arm around your middle, pulling your back flush against his chest. He leans forward, trailing his nose along your shoulder and neck —rough hands trailing up your sides and around to your breasts, squeezing them and teasing your nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

When you gasp, he bites down on your shoulder and rocks his hips into your ass with a low chuckle. “You know who I am?” He means it as a warning —a warning of his bloodthirsty and unkind nature, that he is not a man to sing sweet songs or offer tender caresses. You already know that, having been privileged to witness Ivarr the Boneless in battle and know him outside of his craft.

“I do,” you answer, unwilling to shy away. He sucks in a sharp breath when you turn to face him, stepping closer and look up at him under lidded eyes with a wicked smile that sends blood rushing to his already half-hard cock. Careening toward Ivarr, you brush your lips across his jaw, settling one hand over the dark tattoo of Yggdrasil on his breast. “And if I wanted gentle,” you breathe at his ear, nipping at his neck, “I would fuck one of the Saxon monks.”

Ivarr laughs, grinning, but it falters when you reach below the water and squeeze his cock and balls, giving no doubt to your intentions or your wants. “Careful, little dove,” he hisses, tilting your chin up. He hunches, ashen hair half-falling before his face as he leans down and kisses you, warm, open-lipped, and intoxicating.

You pull back with a groan, and Ivarr chasing your lips, stopped only by your hands cupping his face —thumb tracing the deep scar on his cheek. “While giving the gods a show sounds delightful” —Ivarr’s lusty eyes take on a twinkle at the thought. Suddenly he’s picturing you splayed out on a Christian altar, spent from his love with his seed dripping from your cunt. His cock twitches, pressed tight against your belly— “Sigurd or Eivor finding us like this is less enticing.” Had it been anyone other than Ivarr, your brothers would have turned a blind eye, but neither have particularly liked the interest you and Ivarr show in one another.

Stepping back, you grip onto his wrist, staying his hands from their wandering assault, and pull him toward the waterfall and the small cave beyond. Before Ivarr has a chance to move again, you smile for him in the dim light, sliding an open hand to the nape of his neck, drawing him closer. With your lips pressed against his, Ivarr can only reciprocate —he parts your lips with his tongue, hands curling into your hips in a vice grip. But when the kiss breaks, you shimmy from his grasp and trail your lips to the dip in his neck —licking and laving.

“Having your lips on my skin is torture,” he inhales, hand fisting in your hair as you move down to the tattoo of Sleipnir at the center of his chest. You laugh softly and lean back, his eyes piercing through you. The smile on your lips is roguish, but you do not let up, making your way to his abdomen where a few small scars are clustered. Ivarr moans above you, and you haven’t even touched his aching, dripping cock yet. His hand reaches for your breasts, but you knock it away, having yearned for this moment for too long to let it slip away.

He titters at your enthusiasm and rolls his hips forward. Not dissuaded, you press your lips to the scar next to his navel, right below one of the dark runes tattooed on his abdomen. The hand still twined in your hair tightens, pushing you down to your knees. Ivarr’s legs are powerfully built, the muscles of his calves and thighs flex as you run your hand over them appreciatively, still finding small scars to trace and kisses, purposefully ignoring the hard cock pressed against his stomach. His hands clench as you kiss the skin of his thighs, your hair tickling the underside of his cock.

You smile at his surprised gasp when you drag the flat of your tongue along his cock, tracing along a vein running up the length of his shaft. Ivarr’s unable to hold back his groan when your fingers wrap around his girth, giving a few heavy strokes. And then, without warning, you wrap your lips around the head of his cock. He tastes of salt and iron and something forbidden and dangerous. Taking his cock as far as you can, you press your tongue against the underside, silently humming.

Above you, Ivarr chokes your name like a ragged prayer —it fills you with pride to know the son of Ragnar Lodbrok is coming apart at your hands and mouth, unable to say anything but your name. The lords of England may fear the whisper of his name, but right now, he is at your mercy.

Slowly, he begins to thrust himself into your mouth, but he makes no move to command your movements. Instead, his impatience wins over. He pulls you away from pleasuring him with your mouth. “Enough,” Ivarr says, his voice ragged as he crouches down, hand sliding from your hair and down to tweak one of your pebbled nipples, then lower still until he comes to the warmth between your thighs, slick with arousal. You whimper, gripping onto Ivarr’s shoulder when he pushes two fingers into your cunt, curling and thrusting. “On your knees, little dove,” he rasps. He warned you, and now he means to make good on his silent promise.

You struggle to gain your balance on the uneven ground of the small cave, but soon did, only to nigh lose it again when Ivarr slides the blunt head of his cock through your slick folds —thrice over before gripping onto your shoulder with one hand and guiding himself into your warmth with the other. Ivarr’s moan when he sinks inside you is breathless and airy, a misplaced sound from the likes of him. He grips you tight —one hand on your shoulder still, the other on your hip— holding your squirming body still as he eases his way into you. Your shoulders curl forward at the sudden wide spread of his cockhead into your body, fingers digging into the soft earth beneath you.

Ivarr pants against your shoulders —you can feel the open brush of his mouth along the sensitive skin of your spine and neck— as he draws his hips back and slams his cock back into you. You buck your hips back in time with his thrust, and Ivarr growls. You move with him as he fucks into you, squeezing with your inner muscles and whimpering in loud gasps. “Ivarr,” you chant, over-and-over.

He’s pounding hard immediately, giving in to the hunger that’s been consuming the both of you for far too long to be decent. His fingers are strong, streaking against your skin as his grip slides, something to discolor and bruise you by evening. But it feels so fucking good. You toss your head back, finding a glimpse of his face in this aching position with back arched, teeth shining in the low light, and eyes burning on you. He’s feral and ruined, and his fingers bend on your skin.

The building tension fades when he draws back, leaving you aching and empty. Ivarr spins you to face him as he reclines. “Ride me,” he commands, kissing you quickly, with an open mouth and teeth scraping your bottom lip. You pull away from the kiss, moving so you could sit atop him, straddling his hips, his back against a smoothed boulder. Breathless, Ivarr cannot be bothered with the loss of control —reckless abandon shines in your eyes, and he cannot help but grin as you slide down on his cock. He grunts enthralled at the feel of your warm cunt around him, walls clenching to feel every ridge and vein.

Moments pass, and you begin to move on top of Ivarr, rolling your hips into his. He groans, rough hands torn between holding onto your hips or pawing at your breasts. Instead, he decides to push himself up and let his lips attack your jaw and throat —biting and suckling— and annoyed at the slow in pace, Ivarr thrusts his hips up into yours, a sign to move faster. You don’t hesitate —lost to the exquisite bliss, clawing, desperate and eager. Holding Ivarr’s face in your hands, you try finding his lips with your own, but all you can do is moan and pant with him into his mouth, lost in the craven pleasure.

Ivarr bites hard in the crook of your shoulder and neck as he repeatedly drives his hips upward, chasing his and your releases. One of his hands slips between your bodies —his calloused thumb teasing your clit in a way that makes your hips stutter and body trembles, nails clawing into Ivarr’s shoulders. He grits his teeth, wondering if his little dove had broken skin. The burst of pain fades quickly as he watches your body bounce in time with his thrusts and listens to the moans and pants echoing off the cave walls and water.

He knows he’s close, his pants ragged and thrusts sloppy and desperate. The hitch in your breathing when he presses his thumb against your clit tells him you’re close to. It’s the boiling heat between you that takes hold, curling your toes and parting your lips in a silent throe, hands digging into Ivarr’s biceps as he chases his pleasure —teeth bared and bright eyes burning. Several thrusts later, his body tenses, and a dull warmth spreads between your connected bodies, and still, he is not done with the thrill of how you tremble and whine above him, but the rhythm soon slows, and you fall forward, resting your head on Ivarr’s chest.

You sit there, savoring the last twinges of carnal gratification, with your bodies rising and falling as you breathe in unison. And when the haze clears, you trace the small scars near his shoulders and follow the blue-black runes tattooed on his middle.

After what feels like an eternity, you feel him shift underneath you, sitting up on his hands. Ivarr glances over you —the small purple marks at the base of your neck from his lips and teeth, how your nipples are still hard, begging to have his mouth on them, and how your bodies are still connected. His cock is soft now, his seed seeping from your cunt and drying on your thighs —Ivarr thinks it a glorious sight. He hisses as he pulls himself out of your warmth, slowly, relishing in the gasps and whimpers you make at the resultant empty feeling it leaves between your thighs.

With flushed cheeks and swollen lips, you tell him you must go —this escapade would have already made you late for your daily duties, and the last thing you wish is for one of your brothers or Valka to find you in this state. He follows you from the cave behind the waterfall, back to the bank where his and your clothes are strewn. Gentler than you’d imagine, Ivarr kisses your cheek, then the corner of your mouth, before cupping your face with strong, rough fingers and moving your lips back to his. You let him move you, kissing you back, smiling against his mouth. “Come to me at nightfall,” you breathe against his lips, parting to gather up your clothes and shoes.

Ivarr grins, swatting your ass before pulling you against his chest, keeping you from reaching for your linen shift —his chin resting on your shoulder as his hand slides between your legs and two fingers sinking into your cunt, still slick with your essence and his seed. “That eager for my cock again, little dove?” He laughs.

He’s silenced when you grind back into his hips with a glint of mischief shining in your eyes. Ivarr lets you go, though reluctant, and watches you dress from the corner of his eye. It’s impulse driving you when you decide duties can wait. Smiling, you grip onto Ivarr’s wrist —he’s only half-dressed in his britches and boots, tunic in hand— and drag him away from the waterfall and toward your home in the settlement. Consequences be damned. It feels as though the gods made you and Ivarr for one another, and you aren’t willing to let another moment be wasted.

[taglist: @elizabethroestone @kitkitvm @elluvians @fullmoonwolfer1 @ghostieisalone @boodaga @southsideslutt @dynamite-with-a-lazerbeam @lizlovecraft @heathensith @alexisp787 @nobodyydobon @certifiedlittleshit ] if your name is italicized, tumblr wouldn’t let me tag you. if you want to be added to my taglist for Ivarr, just let me know in the replies or a DM!

[cjtheghost-14]

Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans - Pidge Gunderson x Reader

Requests: None (but please give me some)

Notes: This came to me while I was eating chocolate covered espresso beans at 3:42 am last night, why do you ask?

Summary:  Your the White Paladin on team Voltron, and you also happen to be dating the little gremlin piloting the Green Lion. Pidge Gunderson. Lately, you haven’t been able to have much alone time, what, with saving the Universe and all. The only downtime the two of you have is at night, and the castle has run out of coffee. Your body can’t handle it, and you pass out as soon as you get in bed with your girlfriend. Pidge, on the other hand, doesn’t need coffee to stay awake. It’s not like she has a choice, anyhow. She’s always up late working on upgrades for the castle. You’ve been upset about the lack of contact the two of you have been having lately, and mad at yourself for always falling asleep. What are you meant to do without coffee? Then you remember something you smuggled aboard when you left Earth.

Warnings: Some good old fluff, being sleep deprived, stress, caffeine over load,  swearing

(sorry this took so long, blame my hectic life!)

Is it 11:00 pm already? How could that be right? You check your watch again, your vision beginning to blur from exhaustion. You take a sharp breath in, being able to just make out the time. It was, in fact, 11:00 pm. You rub your eyes in an attempt to just simply wipe the sleepiness away. Today was an unusually long day for the whole team. Zarkon apparently didn't know the meaning of sleep since his attacks have been relentless. Just today the team saved two planets. Although afterwards, the castle had been so severely damaged that we spent the rest of the day trying to fix it. Coran only let you stop a few minutes ago. He could’ve kept you longer, if not for that fact that you were practically falling asleep while re adjusting the teludav. You didn’t know if your girlfriend, Pidge, was even going to be in her room but you drag your feet in it’s direction anyway. She was always the busiest when it came to castle repairs, leaving you alone with your thoughts. After leaving your family, maybe some quality time with your depressing brain wasn’t the best idea. You have never felt more alone. Loneliness was corrosive, eating away at your heart until it left only a shell of a human. It could arguably be the worst feeling someone could feel. And ever since you left earth to become a paladin, that very feeling has taken over your already fragile mind. You depended on Pidge to pull you through, but you’ve barely been able to see her lately. Now, of course, you had the rest of the team beside you. You loved cooking with Hunk, listening to Coran’s weird stories and Allura’s beautiful ones. You loved spending time with Lance, he was your best friend after all, and you grew up with Shiro and Keith. Shiro was like a Dad to you, as Keith was like your brother. You loved them all with your whole heart. But those bonds paled in comparison to your feelings for Pidge. Your heart ached thinking about her. All you wanted to do was hold her in your arms. The thought made you walk faster, rounding the corner and not hesitating to barrel into Pidge’s messy room. You stumble over a box of electronics, your eyes landing on Pidge sitting on her bed, fiddling with something glowing. Your face breaks into a huge grin as you see her sitting there, her face bathed in blue light, glasses askew on her nose, pictures of you and her stuck on the wall behind her.

“Pidge!” You exclaim, surprised that she was actually here.

Her head shoots up, the lazy smile you love making its way onto her face. “Y/N!”

You run over to her, jumping on the bad, grabbing her face and slamming your lips onto hers. She laughs, pulling away slightly to look at you. “As much as I loved that, Y/N, I have work I need to do.”

“But I haven't seen you in days!” You say, your hopes sinking like lead.

“I know, love, but I really can’t relax now. Coran needs this by tomorrow morning. Just give me a few minutes, I’m almost done.” She says, turning her attention back to whatever she was working on.

You sigh, laying down. You can feel all of the anxiety from the past month weighing on your chest, crushing you with no hope of escape. You had hoped to talk to Pidge about it, but she was too busy, yet again. It wasn’t her fault, of course. It was Zarkons. But it didn't matter, you just needed someone to talk to. You knew that wasn't going to happen tonight though. When Pidge says she only needs a few minutes, she means she needs a few hours. Yet you decide to try to stay awake anyway, her presence was enough to make you feel better. But before you get to have any say in the matter, sleep grabs you by its claws, dragging you under.

***

You peel your eyes open, only to be met by complete darkness. You blink once, twice, trying to understand what happened. Then you realize, you fell asleep. You sit up suddenly, slamming your hand down on the mattress.

“Quiznak!”

You bring your watch up to your face, squinting, reading with difficulty the numbers 5:33 AM. Not again! How did you fall asleep again? Every rare time Pidge is actually in her room when you are, you end up falling asleep before you can talk to her. In a rush of adrenaline you bolt out of bed, maneuvering through the dark and into the hallway. Your footsteps echo through the castle as you round a corner into Lance’s room. You power off his white noise machine with a slam of your hands as you shout, “Lance!”

He bolts up, his eye mask sliding off of his face as he cries out in alarm. “I remember our bonding moment!” His head whips over to you, eyes widening. “O-oh! Y/N, w-what are you doing here?” He asks, voice rising an octave in embarrassment.

“I fell asleep!” You shout, throwing your hands in the air as you plop down on the bed next to him.

“That's why you woke me up?” He yells in exasperation, laying back down. “Go back to bed you freaking maniac” He says, kicking you off the bed with his foot. “I need my beauty sleep.”

“Too late for that.” You say sarcastically, standing up and grabbing his pillow from under his head, hitting him. “Get up!”

He yells out, bolting up, grabbing the pillow out of your hands. “I will shoot you!”

“Noted. But Lance, I fell asleep again. Now who knows when I’m going to even see Pidge again. Weeks? Months?” You sigh, sitting back down on the bed, staring at your hands.

Lance’s expression softens at the tone of your voice, resting a hand on your shoulder. “I’m sorry Y/N, I know it's been tough. But don't we have coffee in the kitchen? I swear Hunk smuggled some in.”

“We’re out.” You say sadly, shaking your head. “I have no way to stay awake, bu-” Your eyes widen suddenly, an idea forming in your head. “Wait, Lance, you're a genius!”

“I know.” He says triumphantly, crossing his arms with a smug smile. “Wait, why am I a genius?”

You chuckle, getting up, beginning to walk out of the room as you explain your idea. “The coffee Hunk smuggled in might be gone, but I totally forgot about what I smuggled in. Chocolate covered espresso beans, my mom made them. God, it's perfect! Thanks for the idea Lance!”

“Anytime. And, oh, Y/N?” He calls out after you.

You stop before you reach the door, turning around. “Yeah?”

“About what I said… I absolutely do not remember Keith and I’s bonding moment that didn't even happen.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Keith you remember, he’ll be happy to hear.” You smirk, running out of the room.

“Y/N! I said I don't remember! Y/N come back!” Lance shouts, sticking his head out of the door. “Y/N!”

A Day Later

You skip into Pidge’s room, a new sense of energy engulfing you. To your delight, you find Pidge sitting on her bed.

“Hey, lovely.” You say, plopping down next to her.

“Hi, (Y/N)” She says, looking up momentarily from her project to kiss you on the cheek. “Sorry to do this again, but I’m gonna be busy for a while” She explains, frowning slightly, her nose scrunching up in the way that you adore.

“It's alright, I’ll be waiting.” You say, leaning back on the bed to watch her work. She smiles softly before turning her attention away. You watch her slim fingers for a moment, fiddling with another glowing object before you decide to pull out your small packet of chocolate covered espresso beans. Pidge stops for a moment, turning to look at you.

“Uh, whatcha got there?” She asks, peeking into the bag.

“Some chocolate covered espresso beans.” You say, smiling softly before popping one into your mouth.

“Oh.” She says, reaching a hand into the bag before stopping, looking up. “Can I have some?”

“Of course.”

She smiles brightly, taking a handful, popping a few in her mouth as well. “Ooh, these taste like the ones your mom makes. These will help me stay awake for this project, actually. Thanks love.”

“And these will also help me stay awake long enough to spend some time with you.” You say softly, your eyes drifting over her lips.

She smiles more, leaning forward and kissing you, sending an electric jolt through your body. This was just what you needed. You melt into the kiss, running your fingers through her soft hair. You were convinced this had to be what heaven felt like. And when you pull away, theres a lingering taste of chocolate covered espresso beans.

[valewright67]

Melizabeth Week, Day Two: Heaven/Hell - Heaven

Fair warning, this is an old one I wrote but never published. I wasn't sure what else to do for it. Also, I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes.

A bit of OOC with Ludociel

_-_-_-_-_

 "So where should we go first? Now that we're free from the curse. We agreed we'd travel, right? Sooo.... Any ideas?" Meliodas asked, leaning back against Elizabeth. His eyes were closed in bliss as he lay cradled in her arms, back to chest. She was leaning against the headboard on their bed. "Hm… Well, we could return to the celestial village? I've got my memories back now, and… well, that's the closest place to the goddess realm I can get. I'd like to visit. Fly around a land above the clouds once more."

He hummed and turned his head, nuzzling into her collarbone gently. "Sounds good to me. Should we invite any of the others?" Her eyes lit up. "That's a splendid idea! I'm sure Mael would like to visit a place like that too! Zeldris and Gelda as well!" She giggled. "We can invite the rest of the sins, but to be honest? I think they're pretty occupied."

True to her prediction, the sins all declined this time round, citing… alone time. (For Merlin and Gowther, that was literal. They just wanted to be left alone for awhile.) Mael was eager to come, for the same reasons Elizabeth had listed. Zeldris was reluctant, but Gelda convinced him, saying it'd be good for him and Meliodas to spend some quality time together, and she wished to discuss more with Elizabeth.  

By the time the group of five had arrived, the sun was almost rising. "Oh, the spring is refilled! Good, that's convenient! We could have flown, but it would’ve been irritating." Meliodas said. He leaned down by the water and tapped it gently, channeling his energy into opening the portal. An extra burst of goddess magic from Elizabeth by his side, and the familiar glow lit up the pool. He grinned and stood, looking to the other couple. "Zeldris, Gelda. After you."

The black haired demon sighed. "Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?" The blonde smirked. "Because it probably is. Have fun!" 

"...why do I ever trust you?" He grumbled, but dove into the pool anyways, quickly followed by Gelda. Elizabeth smiled at Mael. "You next." He nodded and went without complaint. Elizabeth after him, and Meliodas last, closing the portal behind him.

_-_-_-_-_

Zeldris blinked, adjusting the sudden darkness of the cave as Gelda broke the surface besides him. He swam out and pulled her with him. "Might as well take a look around. They'll be a minute." She nodded and the two walked out of the cave, into the sunlight. 

He almost gasped. The view was incredible. It was stifled though, when he felt a presence of light flying towards him. He was immediately on the defensive and enabled his hellfire with a snarl, whirling around to face the potential threat. 

Goddesses!

Wait… no. These didn't feel like Goddesses. Similar, but off. That's right, they're celestials. Apparently, descended from the heavenly beings who'd once been his mortal enemies. It was hard to remember that now, sometimes. That the war was over, and he had FRIENDS from the other side.

He held his hands up. "Wait, please, I mean you no harm, I swear it!" The bearded man holding a familiar feathered sword scowled. "Like we would believe you, demon! There's only one demon we've ever trusted, and that's not you!" 

Zeldris tried to speak, to explain that he was pretty sure he knew exactly who they were talking about, and that they had nothing to fear from him. “You mean Meliodas, right? I’m-” Before he could complete his sentence, however, the man held the sword up near his throat threateningly. "No lies will spill from your throat before blood, demon scum." Gelda snarled. "How DARE you threaten my husband, you IMPUDENT prick-"

"I am only defending my home from the likes of creatures like you!"

"Remove the sword from my husband's neck!"

"Absolutely not! Either of you make a move, and I slit his throat!"

"MELIODAS IS MY BROTHER!!!"

The man froze and stared at him, before scowling suddenly. "You lying scum-"

"Hey, hey, hey! How about we all calm down, now!" Mael said, emerging from the cave entrance, arms raised placatingly. "There's no need for figh…ting… is that my sword??" He gaped at it. "I haven't seen that thing in 3000 years! This is where it's been the whole time??" 

The Celestials didn't say a word, too stunned at the sudden appearance of a GODDESS, when they were supposed to be wiped out. And not only a goddess, but apparently the first wielder of their most sacred sword. He shook his head. "Um, well anyways. My names Mael, I'm one of the four archangels. That's Zeldris and Gelda. They're not gonna hurt you, the five of us just came for for visit."

"Five? Where's the other two?" By now a small crowd had gathered. The trio blinked as a small blonde man, looking eerily like Meliodas, were it not for the wings on his back, walked forwards. A woman looking near identical to Elizabeth by his side. Mael blinked and smiled. "I'd think they were right in front of me, if I didn't know any better, but they should be here in just a moment. They came through the portal last."

The two exchanged looks. Did he mean…? "Yo, Solaad!" Sure enough, the blonde demon who'd saved them during the time of ruin came up through the cave. "Why are you all terrorizing Zelly?" (A scowl at the nickname was directed at him, but he just smirked at the younger.) "He won't hurt anyone, I promise."

"Hello, Elatte. And everyone else too! It has been quite a long while, hasn't it?" Elizabeth spoke, walking up behind Meliodas with her wings folded neatly against her back.

…wait.

Wings??

"Meliodas? E-Elizabeth? Since when did you get WINGS??" Solaad asked. Elatte glanced at the older man. "Sir Zoria, please drop the sword, Meliodas himself said that this man means no harm."

Elizabeth gave a soft smile. "It's complicated. I've always had them, in a way, as I was born a goddess in my first life. But I was cursed by the demon king to reincarnate as a human for the rest of time, and if I should ever get my memories back, I would die in three days." She fluttered her wings gently. "We managed to break the curse, after 3000 years and 107 lifetimes."

"...who's 'we?' And why did the demon king curse you, what did you DO??" Zoria asked. She laughed. "Well. His firstborn son and I fell in love." She gestured to Meliodas, who had drifted over to Zeldris and thrown an arm over his shoulder, apparently teasing him in demon tongue, much to the younger's displeasure. Zeldris was almost visibly bristling, and his face was red.

“Meliodas is the son the demon king??” Solaad almost yelled, gaining the two demons' attention. “I mean, yes?” Meliodas said, arm still around Zeldris’s shoulders. “Though the previous demon king is dead now, we killed pops. I’m not exactly the current demon king's son.”

Mistress Vaness hobbled forwards. “Who could possibly have the power necessary to take the place of a god?” Meliodas and Zeldris blinked, looked at each other and back at her. “We share the burden.” They said together. She gaped. “You mean…?” They smirked. “Yep! Zeldris is my younger brother. We have the same blood, which makes it easier to share the role of demon king.” 

“Meli is, technically, the stronger by default. But we split the demon king's power and influence 50/50. He just had a more powerful base. Not by much though.” Zeldris added on. 

Meliodas ruffled his hair fondly, and Zeldris swatted him off, retreating to Gelda’s side.  The blonde laughed and drifted back over towards Elizabeth. Mael was just. There. He was still looking at the sword. “Where did you all even get that?” He asked, baffled. The Celestials all exchanged looks and Elatte smiled at him. Solaad took the sword. “Come, we will show you.” They took off and flew down towards a temple. The group followed them.

Elatte gestured up at the magnificent murals. "The legend says that 3,000 years ago, a dark haired goddess in flowing robes accompanied the great Oshiro when Sealing away the demons on our island. He gave us the sword right before his body was spent."

She pointed to a section along the side. “All he said was: ‘I cannot bear to look at this blade any longer. Perhaps it will protect you all better than it did my brother.’ And then he was gone, simple as that. We have passed it down, generation to generation. It is because of Solaad figuring out that it could be used to seal away demons that we are all still alive.”

Mael flew up towards the mural, gazing at the depiction of the goddess. “His name was Ludociel. He was my older brother. There was a forbidden spell cast that changed the memories of everyone in the world, including that of the gods. It made it seem as though I had been killed by Estarossa, one of three demon princes. In reality, Estarossa never existed. I was transformed into him, and false memories were implanted in everyone’s head, including mine. I had no idea that I was actually Mael.” He gave a small smile. “The memories are all still there, though. It is strange. I am both Mael of Sunshine, one of the four archangels, younger brother to Ludociel of Flash. And also, I’m Estarossa, second of the three demon princes, Commandment of Love. It is… strange. I don’t fit in anywhere anymore. Not really.”

Meliodas and Zeldris exchanged glances and flew up next to him. “Mael.” Zeldris started, quietly. “For a moment in time, even without the false memories, you were still our brother.” Meliodas grinned. “Yeah! You may not be Estarossa, but, like you said, he never existed in the first place. He was made up. But you are Mael, and we may as well count you as our brother. Even if you did kill me.” He smirked and the goddess gave a strained chuckle. “Thank you.” He murmured, drifting back down to the ground. Meliodas slapped his shoulder, and Zeldris nudged his side in an unspoken display of commadry. 

He turned and looked to Solaad. “The sword belongs to your people now, I accept that. But… Would you permit me to wield it once more?” The blonde nodded and held the sword out to him. He took it gratefully, feeling the familiar weight of it. He twisted it around, reacquainting himself with it.

He walked outside into the clearing and took a deep breath, centering himself. He thrust the sword up towards the sun, channeling its energy, and he spoke. “Huius bring animam suam. Iterum ego volo loqui cum eo.” The sword lit up, and a beam of light shot out of it. He grunted. “Permitte mihi vedere!” He removed a hand and pointed it forward. The beam of light connecting him to the sun moved through him and flowed out of his hand. A silhouette started to form, flickering. He pushed his hand a little bit farther forward, and more light and magic poured out of him. “Emerge.”

The silhouette solidified. A goddess stood there, blinking and looking confusedly at his hands and then around him. His eyes landed on Mael, and then the stream of light that flowed to him and formed his body. A glimmer of understanding crossed his face, and he looked back up, meeting his brother's gaze.

“Mael… Hello, little brother. What are you doing?” He smiled kindly. Mael gave him a slightly strained grin. “Hi Ludociel. I missed you, I wanted to see you again.” The dark haired goddess softened a little and walked forward, caressing the side of his face. “I have missed you too, all these years. You cannot keep this up for long, however. Manifesting a soul takes up a lot of magic, and you’re going to burn yourself out.” Mael leaned into his palm. “I know, but… my sword… I can channel more magic through it, and I just. I needed to talk to you again. I needed to tell you how sorry I was, Luce...” 

He shushed him. “None of that, Mael. There is nothing to forgive. You’re my little brother, and I love you. I understand.” He glanced around again. “So you made your way to the Celestial’s island. I remember giving them your sword. I couldn’t stand seeing it without you there everyday. I just wanted to get rid of it. I’m a little impressed they’ve kept it in such good shape all these years. Heaven knows most of the rest of our weapons were damaged or destroyed over the centuries.”

Mael wobbled a little, and Ludociels image faded. His hand was clasped on his older brother's shoulder, channeling the magic directly into him. He grunted and forced himself to straighten, Ludociel’s body solidifying again. He gave him a sad smile. “You have to let me go, Mael. Before you hurt yourself.” “No! I’m not, I’m not done talking to you yet, there’s so much I need to say!” He grunted again, the magic taxing on him. Ludociel was about to force him to stop, when two beams of pure magical energy hit his back, reinvigorating him. He turned to look, and Zeldris and Meliodas were lending their power to him. 

“He’s our brother too, in a way.” Meliodas said. Zeldris finished the thought. “He deserves to get to talk to you, after everything.” With the extra influx of magic, Ludociels form started to glow. He could almost feel his body again. Elizabeth walked forwards. “Ludociel… I can do this for you, at least.” He blinked, almost surprised to see her here. She pressed one hand over his forehead, and another over his chest. She inhaled deeply, eyes closed. On the exhale, she spoke. “Revertere ad vita.” His eyes widened. Return to life. 

Her hands glowed with a brilliant light, and he could feel a true body forming around him. She groaned, drawing on her reserves. Gelda scowled and whirled around to the celestials. “You all have light magic! Give her some of yours!”

They were frozen, but Elatte stepped forwards and lifted her hands, pointing at Elizabeth’s back. “All of our power into one! Heal!” A beam of green light shot out of her hands and into Elizabeth. The other celestials were quick to follow her example.

She gathered the influx of energy and pushed it into him. A blinding light filled the clearing, and when it faded, Ludociel was actually there, kneeling on the ground, naked as the day he was born. Though, Elizabeth supposed that made sense, considering he had just been reborn, in a way. Mael dropped the sword and stumbled forward, clinging to him tightly. Ludociel hugged him back. 

“...May I please have something to cover up with?” He asked. Mael laughed and took off the topcoat of his robe, wrapping it around him. Ludociel buttoned it up, silently thanking that it was long, and reached to his ankles.

Mael stood, and helped him to his feet, the two leaning on each other for support. Meliodas had already gathered Elizabeth up, and was holding her while she regained her energy. The two murmured gently back and forth. Gelda and Zeldris were doing the same not too far away.

"Mael…" He started. "Thank you, little brother." The light haired goddess grinned and leaned in to hug him once more. "I missed you, big brother." Ludociel smiled and stroked his hair. "We can talk later. For now, let's just enjoy the moment."

"Elizabeth… How did you do that? Even with all of our energy, we cannot bring someone back to life. So how is that with you performing the spell, it was successful?" Solaad asked, picking up the sword. She smiled a little. "I honestly had no idea that would work. I hoped, of course, but I had no way of knowing for sure."

Ludociel barked out a tired laugh. "You are far too modest, Lady Elizabeth." He turned to the gathered celestials. "She is more powerful than even I or Mael are at our strongest, when she wishes to be. Her healing powers far surpass even the best of our other healers. She is able to remove the darkness from even Indura’s, and has done so before, purifying two Indura demons at the same time. Her formal title is Elizabeth Lightbringer." He gave a small smirk as he added on one more tidbit of information. "Daughter of the Supreme Deity."

Gasps echoed through the crowd, and Elizabeth sighed. "Please, it's really not that big of a deal-" "But it is, Elizabeth." Mael said, with a brilliant smile. "Of the goddesses, you are second in power and ability only to your mother. In the rest of the world. Well. You married your equal." He nodded his head at Meliodas, who returned it with a smirk. 

The two brothers walked off, shooting the crowd and, specifically, the demons and Elizabeth, grateful smiles. Meliodas clapped and rubbed his hands, wings taking shape on his back. "I'm hungry. I'll catch a sky fish, and you'll teach me how to cook one. Deal? Deal!" He flung off the ground and Elizabeth bristled, bolting after him. "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO COOK, YOU'LL POISON US!!" He just cackled.