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discoscoob · 3 years ago

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Constellations | Loki x Female Reader

Loki (Marvel) x Doctor Who

Pure fluff and smut of Loki and you making love in a dome observatory beneath colliding galaxies.

Part Ten | Part Twelve | Chapter Index

Words: 5.1k

Warnings: Jotun Loki, smut, oral: male receiving and unprotected sex

Read on AO3

Loki observed you with a raised eyebrow as you returned both the psychic paper and the sonic screwdriver to the Doctors jacket pocket.

“Did you steal those?” Loki gasped, although you could tell from how exaggerated it was that his shocked reaction was playful.

“Borrowed.” You corrected him with a shrug.

“Where is your auntie and the Doctor? Did you... did you pilot the TARDIS yourself?” Now Loki looked genuinely amazed. “How were you able to track me down so quickly?”

“I connected my consciousness to the TARDIS through the telepathic interface and thought about you a lot and she brought me straight to you...” You affectionately patted at the console like you would a pet. “She’s smart.”

But Loki noticed the way your brows pinched together and your eyelids lowered over your eyes as your affectionate patting of the console switched into more of a nervous movement, you were far too interested in tracing the intricate lines which ran between the different toggles and buttons. Loki reached his own hand out to cover yours, to pull your focus back into the moment.

“What is it?” He gently nudged you.

“Donna and the Doctor... they found out about New York... about you. I tried to tell them that you weren’t in control... I think the Doctor understood... but Donna... she thinks you made the whole thing up... that you can’t be trusted.” The entire time you spoke, you avoided Loki’s eyes as you kept your gaze focused on your interlocked hands hoping he wouldn’t pull his away.

“And what do you think?” Loki asked as he brushed his thumb along the back of your knuckles.

“I trust you... does that make me a fool?” You finally looked into Loki’s eyes, wanting to hold contact as he answered to search for any traces of dishonesty.

“Yes,” Loki nodded and your face dropped as your eyes slightly inflated, “if you were anyone else,” he added as he caressed your jaw with his palm. “I don’t know what I have done to earn your trust but it is something that I would never wish to destroy.”

You leaned your face into his palm with a slight blush as you let your eyes fall shut, you planted a lingering kiss on the back of his wrist. “You had me for a second there.”

“Twice in one day.” Loki proudly smirked.

“Hmm... Moby tho?” You lifted a judgemental eyebrow, recalling your encounter in the Judge’s office, and his face twisted with a cringe.

“Not my finest moment, I’ll admit.” He chuckled at himself slightly before he began walking backwards, pulling you along with him by your hand. “I have something which I would like to show you.” He told you to ease away the confused crease between your brows.

Loki quietly guided you through the corridors of the TARDIS, since neither of you wanted to deal with a confrontation from your auntie just yet, you had came to an unspoken agreement that you would avoid her for now.

“After the Dark Ages... when I...” Loki began, keeping his voice low.

“Avoided me for three days?” You finished for him and Loki shamefully avoided your eyes as he nodded.

“I explored the depths of the TARDIS,” he softly explained after letting a moment of silence wash over the both of you, “and I found a room, which I imagined sharing with you whenever I visited it.”

By the time he was finished speaking he had halted in front of a sealed door and was grasping both your hands in his own, he let his hands stroke up both your arms, until they eventually reached your shoulders and he manoeuvred you so that your back was facing his front.

Loki brought his hands up to your face and used them to cover both your eyes, plunging you into darkness. He felt your eyelashes brush against his palms as you slowly blinked.

“Do you still trust me?” You felt his breath fan over the shell of your ear from his close proximity.

“I do.” You confirmed without hesitation.

You heard the sound of the sealed metal door slide open before Loki guided you forward, your footing was clumsy due to your lack of sight but Loki made sure to keep a slow and steady pace as he walked you into the room.

You startled slightly once you heard the door seal back shut behind you and Loki soothed you with a gentle shush in your ear before he brought you to a stop.

“Ready?” Loki whispered and you nodded before he removed his hands from your face and rested them back on your shoulders.

Once you blinked your eyes open your breath caught in your throat at the marvellous sight before you. Loki had stood you in the centre of a dome observatory. Beyond the glass panels above you, every colour your eye could see twirled and intertwined, both spiralling and colliding with one another while mimicking the shape of clouds, amongst glimmering Swarovski crystal stars which provided you with the only source of light as they shone down on the pair of you like a mirror ball. The floor of the observatory perfectly mirrored the scenery above, creating the illusion that you were completely submerged in the depths of space, floating between colliding galaxies.

The stars reflected in your dilated pupils as your eyes stretched wide with amazement and your jaw dropped as you failed to conjure any words which would come close to justifying how captivated you were by the wonder before you.

Loki circled you until he was stood before you and you reluctantly pulled your focus away from the stars to instead admire them as they floated in the reflection of his eyes.

“This morning you asked me something...” Loki began as he held both your hands in his, “you asked to know what I really looked like and I didn’t understand why you would ever wish to see that part of me. It isn’t something which I have ever fully accepted about myself, but it is a part of me no matter whether I like it or not and as your beloved it isn’t right that I hide parts of myself from you, especially since I have gained your trust, you deserve full openness and honesty.”

“Loki, if you’re not comfortable... I don’t want you to feel forced into revealing your true form to me. I was wrong to pressure you and I should have respected your boundaries.” You admitted making sure that he was sure about his choice.

“I don’t want to hide anything from you, I’m certain.” Loki assured you before he planted a kiss on your forehead and began backing away, you stepped forward to follow him but he gave you a stern look which told you to remain where you were as he widened the distance between the pair of you.

Loki closed his eyes and you expected to see the green shimmer wash over his body to reveal his true form but instead a darker shade began to spread over his skin, at first you thought it was a shadow as it creeped over half his face until it began to cover every inch of his skin.

Once his entire face turned a cold shade of deep blue, the purples, pinks, reds and greens of the galaxies above reflected off the high points of his face, giving his skin different hues. His cheekbones glowed with a hint of purple, while the bottom of his forehead reflected the green glow, which combined with his skin tone, created a cyan highlight over the top of his eyes, which were still hidden behind his lowered eyelids.

Markings rose over his face in the shape of fine lines, three of them ran across the side of each cheek just beneath his high cheekbones and another set ran down the front of his chin, while on his forehead three lines ran parallel in the shape of a semicircle which disappeared into his hairline.

You looked down to his hands, noticing the blue tone had spread over them by now and just like on his face, thin lines rose across the back of his hands and fingers and his fingernails turned black.

You chanced taking a step forward but Loki finally lifted his eyes, revealing a pair of crimson irises, and fixed you with a warning look that told you not to come any closer.

“Loki, what is it?” You could sense there was a reason he was maintaining his distance and you doubted he was just hoping that you were short sighted so you wouldn’t be able to see him properly from far away.

“I have never been touched or touched anyone in this form. When I went to Jotunhiem with my brother, the frost giants would give the warriors frostbite from their touch alone. I don’t want to hurt you.” Loki shared his concern with you.

“But may I come closer? I won’t touch you, I promise.” You paid attention to the hesitant look in Loki’s eye before he subtly nodded and clasped his hands behind his back as you slowly closed the gap between the two of you, until you were about arms length away from him.

Loki appeared nervous as he let his eyelids cast over his eyes once again and lowered his head to stare at the reflection of the galaxies on the ground, avoiding your curious gaze as you let your eyes cast over every visible inch of his body, amazed by his otherworldly form. He was like nothing you had ever seen before and you were completely captivated by him, even the constellations above couldn’t steal your attention away.

“Please don’t hide your face.” You softly pleaded.

“You don’t have to pretend that you find this form appealing,” Loki shook his head letting his dark hair curtain over his face, “I know this is disparate to the standards of beauty on your planet, I do not seek or expect validation, my one and only intention is to honour your trust and be completely open with you.”

Innately, you reached your hand out with the intention of brushing his hair away from his face and behind his ear, momentarily forgetting about the promise you had made not to touch him. When Loki caught sight of your movement, he flinched and instinctually blocked you by catching your wrist in his fist, causing you both to stiffen with alarm once you realised you had made skin on skin contact.

Loki snatched his hand away almost instantly, as if he had touched something scalding hot, while you cradled your wrist in your palm and inspected it. To both your surprise, you were unharmed. All you had felt when Loki touched you was a slight chill which rose goosebumps along the back of your forearm, but you received no injury, no frostbite.

Tentatively, you began stretching your fingers out towards Loki’s hand which hung limply by his side, he warily watched your movements but made no move to pull his hand out your reach since he was just as curious as you were. Your pointer finger lightly brushed against his own, rivalling the touch of a feather, causing his hand to twitch slightly at the ticklish sensation that ran through it. His hand was cold to touch, like he had just came inside from a long walk in a winter storm, but his touch did not hurt you so you slowly reached out further until your fingers were interlocked.

Loki looked at your intertwined fingers as if his eyes were playing tricks on him before he hesitantly gave your hand a gentle squeeze with his own, just to make sure it was truly there and not a figment of his imagination and you gave his hand a squeeze back in return as you took a step closer to him.

“I’m not pretending.” You told him honestly and Loki pulled his gaze away from your hands to look into your eyes for any sign of insincerity. “I love the way that your skin glows different hues as it reflects the colours of the galaxies surrounding us.” You traced the pad of your thumb against the purple tone on his cheekbone, as your eyes studied his face, “the way the stars mirror in your eyes, they outshine even the finest rubies.”

Loki leaned into your touch as you moved ever closer, you traced the pad of your thumb over the ridges of his face and Loki let his eyes flutter shut in response to your soothing touch. You were fascinated by the perfectly aligned markings.

“Do all frost giants have identical markings or are they unique to each one, like fingerprints?” You curiously whispered and Loki’s eyelids calmly rose open as he looked down at you, almost dumbfounded by the genuine interest you displayed in his true form.

“They’re all different...” Loki slowly answered as he watched the way your eyes roamed his form with nothing but pure intrigue.

Your thumb travelled across his cold skin until you found markings that disappeared under the collar of his shirt.

“May I?” You looked up to his eyes for consent as your fingers rested over the top button of his shirt.

Loki was looking back at you, his cheeks appeared to be a deeper shade of blue than the rest of his face, it almost looked like a blush, while the bottomless depths in the centre of his ruby red eyes expanded, as constellations swirled inside them. “You may.” Loki granted you permission in a hushed tone and you felt his Adam’s apple bop against your fingers as you unfastened the top button of his shirt.

You loosened his tie and slipped it from his neck, letting it cascade to the floor to be forgotten, before you returned to unbuttoning his shirt. Once it was completely undone, you peaked at his bare chest, the markings from his neck ran parallel along his collarbones and stopped at the edge of his shoulders. A single line ran down the centre of his chest and stopped above his belly button. Two lines on either side ran parallel until they diverged in opposite directions and disappeared around either side of his narrow waist. In groups of three, completely symmetrical lines on either side of his hips, arched down towards his pelvis and disappeared beneath the waist band of his trousers.

Moving your hands underneath his shirt you gently encouraged it off his shoulders and gravity did the rest to slip it from his body. The same narrow markings ran down his biceps and forearms, the lines spiralled around like the pattern of a candy cane until his elbows where the lines gathered close together and completely circled his arm like a band.

“Are you okay with this?” You double checked with Loki, your hands were resting on his shoulders, you didn’t want to push him beyond his comfort, he had remained uncharacteristically quiet the whole time. Loki simply nodded and you furrowed your brows, not entirely convinced.

“Are you su–“ you didn’t get the chance to finish asking him before he hooked his cold hand around the back of your neck, sending shivers down your spine, and he dragged your lips towards his own. His other arm encircled your waist, securing you close to his body, you felt him fist at the back of your thin blouse to drag it out from where it was tucked into your trousers so his hand could gain access beneath it. As his cool fingers ran along the dip of your spine, goosebumps rose along your skin and your fine hairs stood on end.

“I’m sorry, I just– I never imagined I would ever be touched in this form and even if there was a chance I could be... I doubted anyone would ever want to.” Loki admitted, as he rested his forehead against yours with his eyes closed.

You nudged your nose against his affectionately, “I find it difficult to keep my hands off of you.” You admitted as you wrapped your arms further around his neck and pulled him down to once again mould your lips to his.

Loki could sense from the way you looked at him, your body language and lack of hesitation that this wasn’t a performance, your words and actions were completely true and sincere. The fact he was in his jotun form slipped from the forefront of his mind as he allowed himself to indulge in this moment which he shared with you, without allowing any other thoughts to enter his mind, his attention was entirely focused on you.

Loki lowered the pair of you to the floor and you prepared for your back to come into contact with the hard surface but instead it met a soft fur blanket and cushions which you were certain hadn’t been there beforehand. You couldn’t be bothered to find the words to question it, instead moans of pleasure escaped between your parted lips as Loki’s cool mouth attached to the column of your neck and left hungry open mouthed kisses down your collarbones and over your chest, as he skilfully unbuttoned your blouse with one hand.

The fact his lips were cold created a whole new foreign sensation which you weren’t used to and it caused your sensitive body to become even more responsive. Once Loki had slipped your flimsy blouse from your body, you put your palms on his shoulders and pushed until he rolled onto his back and you straddled him.

Loki couldn’t hide the stunned expression which crossed over his face from your unexpected gain of control, you wanted to make sure he knew how much you admired his true form and how grateful you were that he trusted you enough to let you see it.

“Let me worship you.” You whispered against his icy lips.

“If you insist.” Loki grinned in return after a short quiet pause where he put little effort in masking the affect your words had on him.

As you followed the markings on his chest all the way down his belly, to the top of his trousers, Loki sunk his fingers into your hair and gently scratched the tips of his black fingernails over your scalp, which sent pleasant shivers through your entire body.

You quickly popped open the button of his trousers and pulled down the zipper, eager to reattach your lips to his cool flesh, you dug your fingers into both the waistband of his trousers and his underwear and dragged them down together until his hard member sprung free.

“Darling?” You heard Loki whisper and you gently shushed him as you planted warm kisses along his marked thighs, while your hands rested on his bare hips, which involuntarily bucked as your lips moved closer to where he needed you.

You purposely made your fingertips lightly drag across the point where his hip met the top of his leg to send a ticklish sensation through his abdomen, you smiled to yourself when you felt Loki squirm slightly beneath you, before you wrapped your fingers around the base of his length and you heard his breath catch in his throat.

You looked up at Loki through your lashes to find him already staring down at you with his pupils blown and his lips parted ever so slightly. Without breaking eye contact you opened your mouth and licked a stripe straight up his cock from the base to the tip, you weren’t sure where this surge of confidence to take had control come from but the way Loki responded only encouraged you to continue.

“Gods...” You heard him whisper to himself as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, which fell back limply between his shoulders as his grip in your hair tightened once you wrapped your warm mouth around his cold and sensitive tip.

You slowly dragged your lips back off his length with hollow cheeks, relishing in the response you gained from Loki, you dared to try and take him even deeper as you reattached your lips and sunk down until you felt his tip at the back of your mouth before you slowly pulled back up.

“I fear your mouth might take me to Valhalla.” Loki strained as he bucked his hips in search of more friction, your cheeks heated at the praise, spurring you on to please him further.

Sinking back down on his length, you dragged your hand at his base up and down where your mouth couldn’t reach as you began to bob your head. You felt yourself grow wetter in your underwear simply due to the affect you were having on the God beneath you. Using your free hand you unbuttoned your suit pants and dug your fingers into your underwear to rub the pad of your middle finger over your sensitive clit.

Moans escaped your mouth, sending vibrations through Loki’s hard cock which increased his pleasure, he couldn’t control the way his hips bucked into the warmth of your delightful mouth, making you choke slightly as his blunt tip hit the back of your throat.

Loki immediately lifted his head to check on you but you had quickly regained your composure as you continued to pleasure him, unfazed, but he noticed your hand buried into the front of your own pants and he drew his brows together because that just would not do.

Using his hand which was buried in your hair, he gently dragged your head up, causing a whine to leave your throat as he slipped from your mouth but he tenderly soothed you as he brought his hand to your cheek and encouraged you to crawl up his body.

“What were you doing?” Loki softly asked you, by now both your hands were resting on either side of his head in order to hold yourself up as he stared up directly at you with one hand stroking through your hair, while the other traced patterns along your bare back.

“Sucking you off?” You answered, but your tone made it sound more like a question as you drew your brows together with confusion.

“What else.” Loki prompted you and your mind cleared with realisation but you were still confused as to why he was drawing attention to it.

“Playing with myself...” You said feeling your face begin to flush, certain now that this was the answer that he was looking for.

“Mhm,” Loki nodded in acknowledgement before he switched your positions, pushing you onto your back so he was looming over you, his stare grew even more intense as the galaxies were no longer reflected in his eyes causing them to grow darker. “Why?”

Suddenly you began to grow nervous, like you had been caught doing something you shouldn’t have, “because I wanted to?” You asked, as if he already knew the answer and you were making a guess hoping it was the right one.

“You wanted to?” Loki cocked his brow, as he slowly trailed his hand down your stomach and buried his hand into your underwear just like you had, you twitched slightly at the cool sensation on your heat, as he dragged his fingers through your folds, gathering your juices on them, he lightly nudged your clit before he pulled his hand back out of your underwear.

“You’re completely soaked,” he stated, “you resorted to pleasuring yourself while I’m right here and perfectly capable of taking care of all your needs.” If you weren’t mistaken, you’d say Loki seemed almost offended, you weren’t sure if you should’ve apologised or not.

“What about you?” You tried, after all you were taking care of his needs.

“My love, I will not see you go neglected as I chase my own pleasure.” Loki told you, as he dragged your trousers and underwear down your legs, revealing your most intimate area to himself and the galaxies above. You moved your legs like you were on an invisible bicycle in order to completely pull them off your body and left them in a messy heap on the floor while Loki unlatched your bra, leaving you completely bare to him.

He didn’t hesitate to run the blunt head of his cock over your folds, causing you to jump at the unfamiliar feeling of such a chilling temperature on your heat, you wondered how it would feel inside you. You didn’t have to wait long to find out as Loki began sinking himself into you, both of your senses and sensitivities were heightened due to your contrasting temperatures, you felt every inch of his length drag against your hot walls, while Loki almost came instantly from the feeling of your tight heat surrounding him.

“Oh my god, Loki,” you gasped as you tightened your arms around him as shivers shot through your spine hand in hand with pleasure while your abdomen tightened and your walls fluttered against his cool length. Loki allowed himself to bask in your response before he began rolling his hips in a steady rhythm.

Once again you began to move your hand down towards your clit but Loki quickly grabbed both your wrists in his fits and pinned them on the plush cushions scattered around your head.

“If you keep insisting on taking responsibility for your own pleasure, I will be left with no choice but to restrain you.” Loki warned you and the suggestion sent the pit of your stomach swirling.

Loki picked up on the way your eyes widened so slightly at the mere thought of being restrained and completely at his mercy and realised that might be something you would be interested in and he stored it in his memory to explore at a later date, for now he made sure to keep your wrists held together in one of his large hands, as he brought the other down to your neglected clit.

Your back immediately arched into his as you gasped with pleasure and he increased his pace, creating more friction for the pair of you. Loki’s marked back glistened with the many hues from above, as it arched and rolled with each hard and direct thrust.

“Please, Loki...” You whined as you felt your release coiling in the base of your stomach, you just needed a gentle nudge over the edge. You moved your leg slightly, giving Loki the room to change the angle of his deep thrusts and you instantly screamed with pleasure as he unexpectedly hit the perfect spot inside you, instantly sending your orgasm crashing over you as you chanted his name along with some added curse words.

Loki came immediately after you as the way your walls clenched around him as your release surged through you had ignited his own explosion.

While you recovered from your orgasm, you watched Loki’s face as his eyes closed and his lips parted before a backdrop of constellations which shone behind him like a nimbus and you thought it was the most breathtaking sight you had ever seen.

As his pleasure gently evaporated, he slipped himself out of you and rested by your side, a warm ivory skin tone began to spread over his body as he returned to his usual form. His body temperature instantly rose and you snuggled into his chest in search of warmth, since laying with his frost giant form had left your own skin cold to the touch.

Loki conjured another blanket and tucked it snugly around the pair of you as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and secured you in his safe and comfortable hold and you let out a quiet content sigh.

You believed the moment couldn’t have been anymore perfect, you were resting in the arms of the person you loved, in post orgasmic bliss, underneath a view very few people would ever have the privilege of enjoying.

It took you a moment to realise it, but you immediately stiffened as soon as you realised what you had considered Loki as. The person you loved.

“Are you all right?” Loki lifted his head to look down at you, having picked up on the way your body had stiffened against him and the way your pulse picked up as his felt the beat of your heart hammering against the side of his bare chest.

“I just... I just remembered what I saw on the projection,” you quickly saved yourself, “will you tell me where it was from?”

Now you lifted your head and rested your chin above his armpit as you looked at him with concern, although you were attempting to cover up the real reason you had unexpectedly stiffened, you were still anxious about what you had saw and Loki had promised that he would explain it to you later, you decided what better time than now.

Loki’s eyelids lowered as he looked down and let his head fall back against the cushions and you noticed the way he swallowed nervously, as you watched him closely in silence, giving him time to gather the right words.

“Remember how in Pompeii I told you I am a glitch in the timeline and I’m not supposed to exist?” Loki jogged your memory and you nodded against his shoulder.

“After I attacked New York and I was captured by my brother and the Avengers, I stole the tesseract and used it to escape – in the original timeline that never happened, originally I was captured and Thor took me with him back to Asgard. By escaping with the tesseract I created an alternate timeline of events. The projection was showing me my alternative life... and that moment you saw... that was my death.” You didn’t miss the way Loki’s voice trembled slightly as he explained it to you which caused hot tears to gather underneath the edge of your waterline, while it felt like a fist tightened around your heart.

“That... that’s not going to happen to you now though, right?” You worried and Loki once again lifted his head to look you in the eye as he rose a comforting hand to your cheek.

“No, darling. I’m on a different path now. One I am taking with you by my side.” Loki assured you and brought a smile to your lips and a warmth to your chest that soothed your racing heart.

You planted a kiss on his lips, pouring all your emotions and feelings into it, which caused it to deepen as your lips moved against each other’s in a lazy rhythm until you lifted away with one last peck before you returned your head to his chest.

“Let’s sleep here tonight, under the stars.” You said as you closed your eyes, finally realising just how tired you were.

#loki #loki imagine #loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki x you #loki marvel #loki smut #doctor who #tenth doctor #donna noble #tom hiddleston #loki series #jotun loki

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whumphoarder · 5 years ago

Text

Flying Blind

Summary: Tony’s never been one to turn down a mission. Even when he can’t see shit.

Word count: 2,194

Genre: light whump, humor

A/N: Happy birthday @awesomesockes!! Hope you enjoy! Thanks @xxx-cat-xxx & @sallyidss for beta-reading and ideas!

Link to read on Ao3

It starts, as bad things in life so often do, with a series of headaches.

Having been prone to migraines since adolescence, Tony doesn’t think much of them at first. As long as the pain in his head and the slight blur to his vision are content to stay ‘irritating’ rather than ‘debilitating,’ he doesn’t complain. He pops some Advil and chugs a few glasses of water, which doesn’t exactly help, but doesn’t not help either. Pepper’s always harping on him about being chronically dehydrated anyway.

Truth is, headaches are so common for Tony that it takes an embarrassingly long time for a man of his intelligence to connect them with all the squinting he’s been doing lately. Or how he’s having to stand a little further back from his holographic images than usual so that he can make out the letters. Or how he’s had FRIDAY increase his screen font size from eleven to twelve. And then thirteen.

It’s simple: Tony’s going blind.

Well, alright, fine—not blind. But old, which is arguably worse. Vision is the first to go after all, and then it’ll be his six-pack, and his memory, and his hair, and before he knows it he’ll be tuning in every afternoon for a new episode of Jeopardy and soaking his pearly whites in a cup of Polident.

Anyway, that’s why, when Tony realizes he might possibly need glasses, he doesn’t request an appointment with SHIELD’s in-house optometrist, nor does he ask Happy to drive him to the unassuming private office downtown that he contacts instead. He just drives himself—which seems like a fantastic idea until he steps out of the office into the blinding brightness of the spring afternoon to find that he cannot, in fact, see shit.

“Well this sucks,” he mutters, blinking multiple times in an effort to clear his watery, stinging, freshly dilated eyes. His vision is so blurred that he trips over an unexpected half-step and only barely manages to avoid face planting onto the sidewalk. He slips on his high tech sunglasses. “Up the tint by fifty percent,” he commands under his breath. The glasses darken immediately and Tony sighs in relief as the strain on his eyes eases marginally. “Now where’s the damn car?”

A route to the parking lot illuminates before Tony’s eyes. He grunts sharply, squeezing his eyes shut against the flash of pain. “Verbal, FRI!” he hisses. “No visuals, just words.”

“Sorry, boss,” she says, and the lenses revert to dark. “Fifteen paces straight ahead, then a sharp right.” Tony starts moving cautiously forward, eyes focused on what he can make out of the ground. “Would you like me to contact Mr. Hogan or Ms. Potts to pick you up?”

Tony pauses. On one hand, he can barely see—there’s no way he should be driving. But on the other hand, the Audi has so many upgrades and added safety features that it basically drives itself. Not to mention, he’s pretty sure that if he calls Happy or Pepper at the moment, he’s never going to hear the end of this.

“...Or perhaps an Uber?” FRIDAY suggests helpfully.

“Nah,” Tony decides. He taps the housing unit on his chest and the nanotech instantly encases him. “Just keep feeding the meter. I’ll take the Iron Express.”

There’s a hint of disapproval in FRIDAY’s voice. “Given your current condition, I would strongly advise against operating any sort of heavy machinery.”

“That’s why I’m not operating it,” he retorts. “You are.”

“Still, I must caution you—” The AI’s voice cuts out abruptly. “I have just received an urgent incoming message from Captain Rogers,” she informs.

Tony’s heart sinks. There’s only one reason that Steve ever uses the emergency override channel, and it’s definitely not to shoot the breeze. “How bad is it?”

“A wormhole has just opened up over Staten Island. Scronquad are invading as we speak,” she reports. “All the Avengers have been ordered to assemble.”

“Fantastic,” Tony groans. He briefly considers sending an empty suit from the Iron Legion in his stead, but then nixes that idea when he remembers that none of his spare suits have the exact same color scheme as the current model. Steve is nothing if not detail-oriented—probably the artist in him. He’ll notice in a heartbeat.

He heaves out a sigh. “Alright, set the coordinates, FRI.”

“Boss—” the AI begins to protest, but Tony interrupts with, “Override code: 6673.”

FRIDAY goes silent. The helmet materializes around him, the HUD lighting up automatically.

“Gah!” Tony yelps, squeezing his burning eyes shut tightly. “What’d I just say about the lights?” he complains. “No lights!”

“Sorry, boss.” The display goes dark, leaving only a heavily tinted view of the fuzzy world around him.

Tony engages autopilot and blasts off before he has time to change his mind.

As far as hostile aliens go, Scronquad are about as annoying as they come. They’re anywhere from eight to twelve feet tall, their scales are a hideous shade of maroon and green, and each one of their ten writhing tentacles oozes a gelatinous slime that somehow manages to smell simultaneously of rotten eggs and expired tuna fish. When they move, there’s an ugly squelching sound as their bodies glide across the ground, similar to the sound of pulling one’s boots out of the mud. They’re nefarious, destructive, repulsive creatures, and never in a million years would Tony have dreamed there’d come a day when he missed seeing their fugly little faces.

First time for everything, he supposes.

“Six o’clock,” FRIDAY chirps. Tony whirls around, head pounding, and catches sight of the blurry outline of a massive purple figure. He fires his repulsor at his best guess of where its head is located and receives a garbled roar of fury in exchange.

“Too low,” FRIDAY corrects. “You’ve taken out his seventh and eighth tentacles.”

“Seventh and— what?” Tony sputters. He fires again, a little higher. “Starting where? He’s a fucking cylinder!”

“Starting at his navel—which is located above his middle eyebrow—and moving clockwise,” FRIDAY clarifies. “Duck, boss.”

Tony drops to the ground a split second before one of the alien’s remaining two-hundred-pound tentacles swings overhead.

“Roll left,” the AI continues. Tony barrel rolls to the side, narrowly missing the appendage’s backhand. “Scronquad at ten o’clock.”

Switching gauntlets, Tony shoots a repulsor beam at the blob approaching on his front left side. The alien blasts backwards. He spins back around and spies another blurry moving purple shape—smaller this time—and instinctively raises his gauntlet towards it.

“Hold fire.” Power to his repulsor instantly cuts out. “That’s Barton, boss,” FRIDAY informs as the figure darts across the street.

“Ah.” Tony winces. “Yeah, good call. That would’ve been a lot of paperwork.”

FRIDAY continues rattling off directions, which Tony follows more or less blindly—firing, charging, and evading as instructed. Every blast of the repulsor results in an explosion of light that shoots daggers of pain through his head. The only thing Tony is seeing at the moment is stars.

Tony keeps the team comms channel playing low in the background under FRIDAY’s verbal directions, and they seem to be making headway. According to Cap’s last update, the wormhole has been closed. Only two of the initial six Scronquad remain, and from the sounds of it, Natasha is close to taking down another.

“Overhead,” FRIDAY warns.

Tony shoots directly upwards, but this time the Scronquad is ready. The repulsor blast ricochets off the protective forcefield that the alien throws up at the last possible second. Tony barely even has time to register what’s happening before he’s blasted backwards and collides with the brick wall of the Wells Fargo office across the street.

Then it’s lights out for real.

The next thing Tony is aware of is his helmet being retracted. Then someone is tapping the side of his face and speaking to him. It takes a few seconds before the garbled words clear into intelligible speech.

“...with me? Hey? Tony?” a voice—Steve’s, he thinks—asks worriedly. “Can you open your eyes for us?”

That sounds like a terrible idea to Tony. He expresses this with a low groan of displeasure.

“Anyone have eyes on Banner?” Steve demands.

“I see him—he’s coming down the side street,” Natasha calls back. She sounds further away—maybe a few yards to Tony’s left. “Still looking a little green, though.”

Aw, fuck. Tony hates to bother the guy when he’s coming down off a transformation. He should really say something. Or at least open his eyes. He makes an attempt to flutter his eyelids open, but they seem to weigh at least a thousand pounds each and he only succeeds in letting out a small moan.

“It’s okay. You’re gonna be alright, Tony,” Steve reassures, patting his shoulder with a heavy hand. “Bruce is coming now.”

Rapid footsteps approach. “I got him, Steve,” Bruce says, his voice a little ragged. Poor guy. From what Tony heard over the comms, Hulk really put him through the wringer today. But Tony’s sympathy instantly dissolves when the doctor pries his eyelids open and shines a penlight into them, causing fresh pain to explode through Tony’s already throbbing skull.

“Gah! Fuck!” he gasps out, squirming away from Bruce’s fingers and clenching his eyes shut again.

“Both pupils are blown,” Bruce says grimly. “The concussion must be worse than we thought. How far out is the Medevac?”

“ETA seven minutes,” Natasha reports. “But there’s no space to land in the alley here.”

“Should we move him?” Clint suggests.

“No, definitely not,” Bruce answers immediately. “FRIDAY was obviously wrong about the concussion—I don’t trust her assessment that he hasn’t sustained any spinal damage either. We’ll have to wait for a backboard and neck brace.”

Well, that’s totally unnecessary. Sure there’s a goose egg on the back of Tony’s skull somewhere and he definitely got the wind knocked out of him when he fell, but he doesn’t need a whole evac —that’s ridiculous. To prove it, he starts to push himself up, but is quickly stopped by a strong hand on his chest.

“Stay still, Tony,” Steve commands, his voice grave. “Don’t try to move yet—we don’t know how badly you’re hurt.”

“Nah, ‘m fine…” Tony groans. He forces himself to open his eyes again and squints up at his worried looking teammates hovering over him.

“Jesus…” Clint whispers, peering down at Tony from above. “He looks like the dolls in that horror film Lila loves. The one with the creepy mother who replaces everyone’s eyes with black buttons.”

“Coraline?” Natasha asks, raising an eyebrow. “That’s a children’s movie, Barton.”

Clint shudders. “It was terrifying.”

“Hey, guys? Keep it down, alright?” Steve reprimands. “He’s concussed.”

Tony would roll his eyes if they weren’t currently drilling holes into his skull. “I’m not concussed,” he mutters.

Steve scoffs. “Sure, Tony.”

“I’m not,” Tony insists. He props himself up on his elbows and this time Steve doesn’t stop him. “My eyes are just dilated. It’s not a concussion.”

Bruce’s expression knits into a worried frown. He leans in closer to Tony. “Wait, does that mean you, uh…”—he lowers his voice—“fell off the wagon?”

“What? No!” Tony retorts, sitting up straighter. “I’m not high, and I’m not concussed! I had an eye exam, but I must be allergic to those stupid drops or something because I can’t see shit right now, alright?”

A collective snort of disbelief issues from the little group around him, but Tony just continues to glare at them. Well, it’s more of an annoyed squint, really. Then all at once, they all start talking over one another:

“Are you telling me you just flew a mission blind?!” Steve demands.

“Tony!” Bruce admonishes, looking somehow personally hurt by this. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Nat crosses her arms and fixes him with a blank expression. “That’s insane, even for you.”

Clint scoffs. “Is that why you were briefly planning on barbecuing me back there?”

“Well, you shouldn’t wear purple shirts on Scronquad days!” Tony retorts hotly. “Everyone knows that!”

“Why don’t you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up right now, Stark?” Clint says, making a rather rude gesture.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Steve declares over the squabble. He turns toward Clint and fixes him with a stern look. “Barton, from now on, you need to avoid color coordinating with the homicidal aliens.”

“What?” Clint balks. “You’re taking his side?”

“And as for you,” Steve goes on sharply, glaring straight into Tony’s blown pupils. “No more flying blind.”

Tony snorts. “Isn’t that the whole job?”

Natasha smirks. “He’s got a point there, Cap,” she says, eliciting a small chuckle from Bruce.

Steve looks unamused. He grabs hold of one of Tony’s arms and hoists him to his feet.

The change in elevation does nothing to help Tony’s swimming vision. He blinks several times, feeling suddenly dizzy and sick. “You know, on second thought...” Tony mumbles, swaying a bit. “I might be a bit concussed after all.”

Steve sighs and adjusts his grip to bear more of Tony’s weight. “Alright old man, let’s just get you home…”

Link to all my fics

#hurt tony stark #tony stark whump #humor #banter #team as family #blindness #concussions #headaches #shining the light in the eyes #ima make that a tag for ya bro #my fic #happy birthday cecily!

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grimmseye · 4 years ago

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A Bird in the Hand: Chapter Twelve

Read on Ao3 here!

Rating: M

Fandom: Critical Role

Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (eventual),

Chapter Characters: Mollymauk Tealeaf, Essek Thelyss

Chapter Tags/Warnings: Molly Rez, Amnesiac Mollymauk, Oh My God They Were Roommates, Violence, The best kind of romantic relationships are when you fight big monsters together

— — —

Seeing this side of the world reminded Essek why they were envious of the Empire.

The Ashkeeper peaks, at their southernmost edge, were bright with life. Even in the nighttime, the lands buzzed with a steady drone of noise, small and mundane creatures that would bear them little harm so far from the wastes of Xhorhas.

They didn’t have these luxuries of rich growth and predators that thought you too big to be their next meal. The Dynasty’s lands were long blighted, and what stood today came from centuries of building from scrap.

Essek was not much of a patriot, but he still had some love for his home, and still wanted to see it flourish. Beholding the verdant jungles that spilled out far below, he could not tamp down the resentment for what they’d been denied.

One ear flicked back at the sound of approaching steps. Essek turned as Mollymauk caught up with him, his coat draped between his arms to carry several handfuls of small, round fruit. The smile on his face beamed joy and contentment as he shuffled up to Essek and held out his coat in offering. “Blueberry?”

“Another fruit named after its color,” Essek observed, but reached for a few.

“Make sure to take the firmer ones. A mushy berry will ruin your day,” Molly advised, and Essek rolled back a few that had been soft between his fingers.

They were little blooms of sweetness on his tongue, and he couldn’t help but let a smile spread across his face. Xhorhas struggled to maintain their farms, druids and bards and clerics filtering out to the fields to bless the lands and enrichen the soil. While it let them till the land, magic had a way of leeching the flavor from anything that grew there. It left much to be desired beyond the edible fungi that naturally grew in the wastes.

“Good?” Molly prompted, smiling. “Hey, hey, hand over your bag, will you? I can’t carry these forever.” He reached for Essek��s pack without waiting for real permission, tugging a small pocket open to start shoveling berries inside. “Just let me know when you want some more!”

When the berries were safely offloaded and the pocket closed, they fell into step back along the deer path they’d been following. An arc of one finger sent orbs of light bobbing through the air around him to illuminate their road once again.

They had only been traveling a few hours, his teleportation spell landing them further than he might have liked. Mollymauk took to the mountains with glee, his hooves allowing him to hop up steeper slopes with ease while Essek simply let graviturgy boost him up the hills. It made him feel warm to see Molly scamper up to the crest of another slope and then spin around, absolute delight on his face as he drank in the world below them.

“Mollymauk,” he called, and watched him twitch to attention. “More berries, please.”

“Get your ass up here first,” Molly shouted down. It was a blessing that he didn’t start his usual jeering.

Once Essek had joined him, Molly dutifully opened the pouch, delivering another handful of berries. Several steps down the path, he got a tug on his arm, and the tiefling’s mouth opened wide in expectation.

“You could have gotten your own,” Essek pointed out, but fed him a berry. Teeth closed around his pointer finger, scraping as Essek pulled away.

Molly waggled his eyebrows. Essek turned to walk away.

“Gods’ sake, Essek,” Molly groaned. He caught Essek around the shoulders to pull him down, lips meeting. The hand that didn’t cradle blueberries found Mollymauk’s arm instead, squeezing in expectation for the filthy sort of kisses Molly liked to spring on him these days. Instead he found himself smiling as Molly pressed one, two, three, small pecks to his lips, and then another to his nose, and again to his lips, this time to mumble, “You’re such a hardass.”

“You’ve done nothing to discourage me,” Essek pointed out, and Molly barked out a laugh.

It made travel impossibly slow, but Essek had never enjoyed himself more on this road. Earlier in his career, he had traveled with bands of Kryn soldiers, escorting him under the night, moving quick and quiet with the constant dread of being found out beyond their borders. As he developed his skills and reputation, he’d started coming alone, trusting his own resilience to make a quick escape if needed.

Neither had been enjoyable. Being alone had been an improvement, allowing him the peace to enjoy the change in scenery, but in recent months he’d recognized something that colored all memories of his past: a loneliness that ached to his core.

Now he had Mollymauk.

The Ashkeeper peaks were home to drakes. They weren’t true dragons, lacking their power and intelligence, but hunting one down would fetch a good price in any shaded market. Essek wasn’t here for poaching, though — all he needed were the shed scales that lined their nests.

They reached the peaks a few hours before dawn. The moons had slid out of view, leaving a bright field of stars overhead. He dismissed the lights around them, and they both took a moment to let their eyes adjust to the new darkness.

Mollymauk stuck close from that point forward. His visual range was significantly reduced compared to Essek’s, and he followed close behind. When Essek’s hands drifted to his component pouches, Molly’s swords hissed from their sheathes.

He had been to this drake’s lair a few dozen times already, and knew its patterns. A male, it always left the nest at night to hunt. It dwelled in a cave at the very peak of the Ashkeepers, where snow lined its crest well into summer.

Mollymauk’s steps were near-silent in the frost. Essek cast Message, whispering “Don’t stray from me,” before he set a hand on Molly’s shoulder and cast invisibility on them both.

His grip tightened as Mollymauk’s image slid away. He kept pace, Molly’s tail weighed against his side as the tiefling eased towards the mouth of the cavern. The temperature only dropped further as they passed under its roof. The inside of the cave nearly crystalline with ice. Even invisible, the fog of their path mingled with that which circulated inside.

Essek would give Mollymauk nudges to direct him through the tunnels, the two of them slipping around frozen bends, a veritable maze carved into the mountain. At its end was another cavern, this one with walls and burrows to form an uneven landscape. Essek knew that at the farthest point, the drake’s nest would be tucked away, filled with soft snow and plant matter and any shiny thing the creature could get off the ground.

A low, rumbling sound made both of them freeze. It rolled through the cavern, bouncing off the frozen walls. They held their breaths, counting the seconds of silence before it was chased by a hissing, sucking sound.

Snoring. That was the sound of snoring. The drake was still in its nest.

Molly’s hand replaced his tail, a weight at Essek’s side. He dragged it up, to his arm, his shoulder, skimming fingers along the length of his neck and over his jaw, until he’d found Essek’s ear and held it in place. Heat burned his cheeks as he leaned down and Molly pressed close.

The tiefling’s lips were practically on top of his ear as he whispered, “Still good to go?”

His hand dipped to cup Essek’s cheek, so Molly felt it when he nodded. There was a squeeze to his jaw, and a moment later, Molly slipped away.

The absence terrified him. Essek pulled a piece of iron from his pouch and clutched it in his hand. Even prepared, he was still too far away to cast. He watched Molly’s path through the mist, eyes fixated on every uneven swirl of fog until it grew too dense to parse.

Then his eyes were focused on the drake’s nest, which hovered at the very edge of his vision. He held his breath, blood pumping in his ears.

The edges of the nest were lined with glinting shapes — silver scales. It was the sudden loss of one’s light that alerted him to Molly’s position, watching as a shape lifted, and vanished. Then, seconds later, another. Then a third. All the while, the drake in the nest snored peacefully away.

One by one, Molly plucked the scales from the nest and tucked them safely away. Essek had almost let himself breathe again — and then a scraping sound came from above.

Essek froze. He prayed Molly had done the same, ears straining for the noise. It was the echo of scrabbling talons growing steadily louder, and closer. His eyes widened as he stared at the roof of the cavern, where one of those burrows tunneled up through the mountain to open air, where another silver snout was poking through.

The drake had apparently found itself a mate. Now the new one crawled onto the ceiling, something bloody clutched in its mouth. Its wings spread, bringing it gliding down to the cavern floor, Essek’s heart leaping in his chest as it landed on the edge of the nest. It was not, apparently, on top of Mollymauk, for the drake only siddled back onto the ice and began to scrape at it with its claws.

Mollymauk was invisible. He only needed to stay still and wait for the creature to settle down. Essek repeated this in his head as he watched the chunk of meat — a torn-off deer’s haunch, he was sure — get tucked down in the ice and then blasted with a stream of pure frost from the creature’s throat. It nudged the heap left over, muzzle coming away coated in snow, and for just an instant it looked like it was going to curl up peacefully in its next.

Then its nostrils flared. The pupils dilated, a snarl echoing through the cavern, this time the breath exhaled was more than just snow — it was a cone of jagged ice, to cut and freeze and kill. Essek felt the thread of his spell snap, Mollymauk flickering into view as a silhouette ducking away from the blizzard.

Essek’s feet hit the ground. He moved faster this way, darting forward across ragged ice. The other drake was waking now, as an arc of flaming orbs formed a halo above Essek’s head and then blared jets of fire into its mate.

Molly tried to retreat, scrabbling back. The awoken drake caught sight of him and then shrieked and lunged, the first snap of its jaws missing but talons catching his thigh. Molly snarled. His sword flashed down, Essek threw out a hand. The velocity of his swing doubled just before he struck, driving the blade deep into the meat of the creature’s back.

The second, the male drake, jumped from behind Mollymauk. Essek rushed forward, squeezing the chunk of iron tight enough that it cut into his palm and willing the beast to freeze in place. His magic curled around it for only a moment before it broke free of his grasp. It snapped at Mollymauk with a vengeance, clothes shredding around its teeth and jaws slicked with blood..

Molly couldn’t escape, barred in by two of the beasts. Essek snarled to himself, shifting to an angle where he could line up their thrashing bodies. “Mollymauk,” he called. The tiefling caught his gaze, saw the electricity as it pulled into Essek’s grip, and dove for the female’s tail.

He swung forward. The air pressure dropped, and dark purple lightning burst across the floor. It caught the female in the skull, its mate springing away with a hiss. Molly took the distraction, swinging viciously into the already bloodied drake as it staggered and wailed.

Essek hesitated for only a moment before getting even closer. He could get them out, he just needed to get to Mollymauk first.

And then the female turned, frost billowing between its teeth, and both of them were surrounded by pure cold. Essek shuddered, his legs giving way, knees hitting the ground. Snowflakes clung to his eyelashes, blurring his vision, skin stinging where needles of ice pricked through his flash.

He panted, gulping in a breath before he pushed himself upright. Mollymauk was still on his feet, defending himself against both of the beasts with blood dripping down his chin.

One step forward. Fresh blood drooled from Molly’s eyes, but the tail still caught him in the legs, made him stagger.

Another step. Molly dug one sword into the ice, the other glowing with radiant light. He lunged, dragging a crimson line into metallic scales.

Another step. The drakes both snarled, jaws parting in near unison, two mouths full of ice to expel.

Essek’s hand clamped onto Mollymauk’s shoulder, and he pulled.

They landed outside the cave, several hundred feet down the mountain. The shift in pressure made his ears pop as they collapsed in the grass.

For a moment, they both just caught their breath, adrenaline making his hands shake and his head swim. He listened as Mollymauk regained his bearings, shoving himself onto his knees.

“Can we run one gods- damned errand,” Mollymauk snarled, wrestling Essek’s pack away, “without something getting its teeth into me.”

There was the clink of glass. Essek rolled over, pushing himself to sit up. Mollymauk had pulled out a pair of potions, and was holding both of them out to him.

Essek frowned. “You take one,” he said, lifting a single bottle from his grip. He braced himself and downed it, the grimace from its taste giving way to relief as warmth flushed over his skin again.

Molly shrugged, pinched his nose, and did the same. Essek had to chuckle as Molly gagged and dove for the blueberry pouch.

He watched as Molly crammed a handful past his lips, then threw himself onto the ground. The grunt and groan that followed suggested the potion hadn’t patched everything up just yet.

He chuckled, and then settled his chin in one hand, elbow propped on a knee. “That was unfortunate,” Essek sighed. “I’ll have to go back to making this trip in a group if there’s a pair of them, now.” He was glad they hadn’t actually managed to kill one. If the drakes abandoned that nest, he’d be out of good components. “At least information means the trip wasn’t an utter waste.”

Molly, mouth stained with blueberry juice, suddenly perked up. He gave a wet, food-muffled noise that made Essek grimace before digging into the pockets of his coat. When he pulled his hands free, it was with a bundle of silver scales each.

Essek’s face lit up. He took the scales, even those streaked with blueberry juice, to examine them for a moment and slip them into his component pouch. Excitement thrummed in his chest. That would restore an entire batch of potions and leave him some leftover material for experimentation — he could kiss Mollymauk for that.

He could. That was the truth. Essek peeked back at Molly, to find the tiefling sitting up again with a squinty-eyed grin.

It took a moment to steel his courage before he cupped Molly’s face and pressed a kiss to his lips. The shock and then delight that shone in his eyes after had some odd pride flaring in Essek’s chest.

He’d almost grown comfortable with the arrangement. Mollymauk almost always initiated, pulling him down for kisses or burrowing into his space, clinging in bed when the night was cold. Sometimes he’d push Essek down in that bed and leave marks on his neck that the mantle would hide. Sometimes Essek came home carrying tension in every muscle and Molly would nudge him against the wall and sink to his knees, or lay out across the bed on his belly, tail curling, voice goading.

Turning the tables was fun. Seeing the warmth in Molly’s eyes made his heart do something strange but not quite unpleasant.

“Let’s get a little further out before resting,” Essek suggested, before pulling Molly another five hundred feet down the mountain.

He cast a spell, then, one that Molly had seemed delighted by when he first heard of it. Magnificent Mansion was a requirement for travel. The doorway shimmered into being, and the two of them vanished inside. There were a few plants Essek will need to gather under sunlight come morning, but for now, they could lay in a bed and rest.

And they did. They sank onto a mattress, injuries still too sore to do anything but curl around each other and bask in shared heat after being doused in the mountain’s chill. Meditation was easy to slip into, the deepening of Molly’s breaths becoming the metronome to carry him somewhere beyond conscious thought.

These were moments that made him feel like even in the worst of times, things could still be okay. The yawning pit of his future had given way to a flicker of light.

He was woken by the feeling of a spell shredding through the threads of his magic.

Essek’s heart skipped the moment before he was shunted into another space. He hit the ground in a heap, gasping in one breath before the air became flame.

A scream ripped from his throat. He thought for a moment it was echoing, until he realized Mollymauk was shrieking as well. In the span of seconds, every inch of his flesh was sent crawling with agony, blood pulsing heavy under his skin and leaving him stunned when the inferno fell away.

Arrows had embedded in his body almost without him noticing. He reached for his component pouch, grabbing hold of Mollymauk as they staggered upright. He’d burned too much magic to bring them home, but maybe he could put enough distance, could hide —

The spell crumbled to ash. Essek’s gaze focused on the caster, horror twisting in his gut. Mollymauk met his eyes, then shoved him, barking, “Just run!”

So he ran, dragging Mollymauk behind him. His hand lifted to try again, just one successful cast to save them.

A series of snaps pierced his ears before the bolts drove under his skin. He pitched forward, registering only pain the second before the world turned to black.

Elsewhere, it was raining.

They stood on a hillside, the clouds opened up to a frigid downpour. It wasn’t a storm, yet, but the force of the wind was a warning.

Two pairs of hands dug through slick mud, finding the earth below loose and pliant, the grave they had dug so long ago now revealing itself as empty.

#shadowmauk #mollymauk tealeaf #essek thelyss #mollymauk #essek #cr #cr fic #my writing #queue

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romana73 · 5 years ago

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REYLO FANFIC: YIN AND YAN. 3 PART

WRITER: Romana73 TIME: One year after Star Wars. Episode VIII. The Last Jedi THEME AND FANDOM: Star Wars RATING: Explicit TITLE: Yin and Yan CATEGORIES: M / F COUPLES: Kylo Ren / Ben Solo and Rey CHARACTERS: Rey, Kylo Ren / Ben Solo, Anakin Skywalker (nominated), BB - 8, Knights of Ren, Chewbacca, Darth Vader (nominated), Finn, General Hux, Han Solo (nominated), Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Rose Tico, boys from Canto Bright, Snoke (nominated), various Resistance and First Order fighters WARNINGS: The characters, the world and the stories of Star Wars AREN’T MINE AND DON’T BELONG TO ME, but they are created and owned by George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Disney, J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson and the actors who play the Star Wars characters and their stories. I’M NOT IN ANY WAY LINKED TO THESE PEOPLE AND CINEMATOGRAPHIC HOUSES. I DON’T KNOW NO ONE OF THEM and I’M IN NO WAY IN CONTACT WITH THEM WARNINGS 2: violence, also at the language level. The starting idea of this story derives from a leaks I read last year and which struck my imagination CHAPTER I can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/189784450126/reylo-fanfiction-yin-e-yan CHAPTER II can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/189959876431/reylo-fanfic-yin-and-yan-part-2

CHAPTER III

Rey remembered attacking Kylo with all herself, animated by a dull anger, until then, she didn't know she was feeling. Sometimes her vision blurred, while in her mind images of workouts she had spied on boy 's head swirled when they had joined hands on Anch - To, and now her body repeated these moves diligently and precisely. Nonetheless, Kylo dodged her shots with calm, dexterity and precision. A couple of times, Rey had blocked Kylo's lightsaber by raising one hand and using Force, but he had twisted her move against her, blocking her lightsaber. Clash had continued in that way, until a strong pain had flooded Rey's brain throwing her on the ground in excruciating spasms. Rolling on the ground with her head in her hands, she had had time to notice Kylo was in same condition, before someone lifted her up and took her away. Rey had seen her other companions throw themselves on Kylo, immobilize him and tie his wrists with anti - Force handcuffs. - Where did you get those?- Rey had heard herself babbling before she passed out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rey had woken up the next day, lying in her quarters bed. Sitting up, she had looked around until her eyes had fallen on tray covered with a white napkin, resting on bedside table next to bed. Raising cloth, Rey had found several dishes, a bottle of water and a glass with pills next to it. She had shaken her head annoyed. She felt groggy and didn't like it. Raising a hand to her head, Rey had inhaled deeply, until he calmed down and concentrated. Images of clash of last night had infiltrated nebulous blankets occupied her brain, until they became increasingly clear. Kylo Ren! They had caught him! How had they succeeded? Had they really taken it? Rey had expanded her senses and jumped as her eyes filled with tears. Leia's pain had overwhelmed her like a Tsunami. Rey had placed a hand on her chest as her breathing became labored. Swiftly swallowing pills on tray and opening water, to attach herself to the bottle, swallowing enough water to knock them down, Rey had jumped out of bed and rushed to General Organa's door. - Leia! - Rey had run into room, throwing herself at woman's neck, sitting at table in her room, her eyes closed, one hand resting on her forehead. Leia had barely had time to lift her head, open her eyes and turn to side where girl was, before finding Rey in her arms. Old woman had held Rey tight. -…it's true? Is... is he here? - Rey asked hesitantly.

Pain she read in Leia's eyes was impressive. Princess had nodded, silent and sad. Crouching in front of her, Rey had taken woman's hands in her own, looking at her sympathetically. -Where is he now? - She asked sweetly. - In anti - Force cell, below us. He didn't want to meet me - Leia had sighed tiredly. -All right. He will want to meet me then - clutching Leia's hands once again, Rey had stood up, heading for exit. A step away from door, Rey had stopped, turning to Leia. - Since do we have anti - Force tools? - She asked, frowning thoughtfully. Leia had shrugged. -I don't know about handcuffs. As for anti-Force cell... Luke had built it for safety. Emperor and our father were dead, but nobody assured us there were no survivors or crazy cells... not to mention someone could always fall on the Dark Side... - Leia's voice had cracked, while she had lowered her shiny eyes on hands she held in her lap.

Rey had nodded, smiling.

- Rest, General Organa. I'll take care of rest - Rey had brought an outstretched hand to her temple, slamming her heels before going out. Leia had reacted to hoax with a faint smile and Rey had nodded. Girl had just left room, when a excruciating pain had caused her to crouch on the ground, her mouth distorted in a grimace of pain, without being able to make a sound. Rey had brought both hands to her chest, closing her eyes and tightening her eyelids, waiting for pain to pass. Someone was torturing Kylo Ren and Leia didn't have to know. Woman was too much sad and Rey feared she wouldn’t stand news. As soon as pain had passed, Rey had run to underground prisons. He was in first cell. Rey had widened her eyes in horror at seeing scene appeared before her. C3PO ran from one side of cell to other like a hen, shaking his head and murmuring in agitation what they had done. R2 - D2 turned his head left and right, following C3PO movements. Poe and Finn were standing in front of Kylo, hanging by arms on ceiling thanks to a pair of long and massive chains. Kylo's wrists were tight in thick, narrow iron rings, his head dangled on left side, his long, wavy black hair covered half his face, like a black wing of a crow, his eyes were closed, his skin shone with sweat. Rey's eyes had moved to new Supreme Leader’s cheast, where she had also felt pain. Young woman had jumped. A deep diagonal wound ripped through man's skin. Blood rivulet ran down his skin, smearing belt of his black leather pants and dripping on the floor beneath him. Rey had felt her breathing gasp as she frantically looked around. Eventually she had noticed Finn was holding a long bloody blade in his hand. Acting instinctively, Rey had reached out to cell lock, trying to blow it up using Force. Not only had nothing happened, but a kind of invisible electric shock had hit her palm, causing her to withdraw and scream. These movements had attracted two adventure companions attention . Finn and Poe both turned their heads towards her. - R-Rey ... - Finn stammered, widening his eyes and tightening even more blade he held in his hand. Rey had noticed beige linen shirt worn by man was stained with blood splashes, her friend was breathing heavily and his pupils were dilated. Poe wasn’t in better shape and he had stared at her as if a horn had come out in her forehead. - What are you doing here?- Poe had asked, genuinely surprised to see her in prisons. -Let me in!- Rey had roared. - Now! - She added, narrowing her eyes trying to influence them. - Are you crazy? Were you really trying to manipulate us? Do you remember this area is anti - Force and then... were you doing it for HIM? - Poe had finished, in a scandalized tone, blinking, pointing to Kylo with his thumb, but staring at her. R2-D2 had rushed to Rey's aid, opening cell door. Rey had come in like a tornado. In silence, she had run her eyes over Kylo's hung and exhausted figure. Planting her feet on the ground, legs spread and chest out, Rey had turned to Finn and Poe. -You are mad! Since do we torture people? We must be better than them! - Rey had thundered. -You can't blame us! Kylo has hurt us all! Poe was tortured, I was seriously injured, you ... - Finn reacted animatedly, gesturing furiously.

Rey was surprised.

- Fortunately you aren’t Force sensitive, otherwise ... - Rey had murmured, becoming sad to see her friend in those conditions. Finn's neck veins had swelled, his face was red, his eyes out of his sockets. Rey had a pang in heart when she saw her friend, usually sweet and cheerful, overwhelmed with anger and hatred. This was also Kylo’s fault, of his decision not to end war and First Order. -If he had been Force sensitive, today he would surely have fallen into Dark Side... - Kylo's tired voice had a cavernous and sarcastic tone.

Poe moved threateningly towards him.

- Shut up, damn you! - Pilot had shouted.

Rey stood in front of him, with open arms, blocking him.

- That's enough! He just wants to provoke us! Come back, I think about it - she said firmly.

Rey had half-closed her mouth, with a surprised expression when she saw two men move an inch, staring at her suspiciously.

- Kylo said you have helped him to kill Snoke and you became his ally... - Poe explained, answering her silent question. -That's why I hit him. I know I didn't have to do it, sorry, but I'm tired of his lies! Especially when it concerns you. I thought he just wanted to muddy you, but now you're defending him ... - Finn had spoken ardently, going out on the end, as if he were disappointed by Rey's behavior.

Girl had staggered for a moment to hear Kylo had revealed some of truth so easily, most likely to hurt her friends and undermine her relationship with them. Rey could feel Kylo's lips curl into a satisfied, malicious smile. Her eyes had filled with tears, but she had pushed them back. Sighing deeply, Rey had lowered her arms, relaxing. - I'm defending you ... us - she corrected herself, shaking her head. - I don't like seeing you in these conditions. You aren’t these. Don't let him win, please!- Rey had taken Finn's hands in her own. At that sight, Kylo had made a threatening, snarling sound. Poe had sighed.

- Okay, as you like, but if he does something ... - - Don’t worry. Poe ... General Organa isn’t very well - Rey had informed him, spying out of her eye corner Kylo Ren’s reaction. Suddenly, Supreme Leader had fallen silent and darkened. -R2 -D2 go with him. Leia may need you. Finn - Rey had grabbed her friend’s arm, stopping him. He had turned his sweaty face towards her, staring at her with a serious expression. - Calm down and rest - Rey had lightly squeezed his arm, Finn nodding, had left cell. - ... what about me, Miss Rey? What should I do? - C3PO had intervened.

Rey smiled kindly.

- Come here, help me get he down - Rey had stood on tiptoe, fumbling until an iron ring was released, while C3PO had thought of the other. Kylo had fallen dead on her, threatening to make her fall to the ground. -It seems you have hidden various things from your friends... this is also a Jedi thing, you know? - Kylo had whispered in her ear.

Rey bit her lower lip, refraining from screaming. C3PO had run to help her, taking Kylo by arm and passing it around his robotic neck. Rey had done same with other, transporting Kylo to a corner and letting him go on an old moldy mattress. -Fault of all this is yours, you could have ended war, but you didn't - Rey had hissed between her teeth, with flashing eyes. Kylo had laughed bitterly - Of course, as usual. You have no faults, do you? You could killed me. It would have been easy, I was passed out... you knew choice I had made, but you didn't. You got caught up in sentimentality... Luke, great Jedi hero and master, would have killed me without even thinking about it. Did you tell your friends you saved my life? I think they would have something to say about it ... - Kylo had spoken sharply, though weakened. By end of his speech, Rey's breathing had become labored and this time she had been unable to hold back tears that had started to run free along her cheeks. She had got up and ran away. Kylo's blood had started to boil in fury as he followed Rey's thin, nimble figure with his eyes. For a moment his attention had been drawn to something else. Kylo had inspected place by making his eyes dance between his half-closed eyelids, but it was difficult to focus wounded in way, with cell interference. He had turned on his side, falling into a kind of doze until, through Force, he had heard Rey return to him. She seemed to have recovered and eaten. Rey senses were clear and he had had no difficulty communicating mentally with her. Kylo was surprised when she started to medicate him silently until she decided to drop bomb - What are you doing here? Why did you get caught ... Kylo? -

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goddesstrolls-archive · 5 years ago

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This is what i spent most of the night writing

hopefully the readmore works for people on mobile....i’d link the google doc i wrote this in but there’s a l o t more info there than just this

Men Called raanin/raan (’thieves/thief’) by the beastfolk, bjeir (old orc term for unequal/weak enemy) by orcs, nen (‘lesser one’) by selesse, and tosuin (’tall’) by dwarves.

Beastfolk and selesse have a second term for them that is slightly more polite (or less so given the usage). Beastfolk call them poruk (plain) but may also use raan in the same sentence; “poruk raan” aka “plain thief”, or a very rude way of saying a man. Selesse may use a more honorable term, “llandir”, meaning “hero”.

They are not quite humans, but are similar; They’re resilient with higher endurance than most other races, though they lack some of the refined techniques. They excel at elemental magic.

Selesse Also called raanin or raan by beastfolk, but also may be called sikisik, a term similar to ‘barbarian’, ‘conqueror’, or ‘murderer’. Similarly to men, both terms are usually used in tandem, “sikisik raan”.

Their own term, Selesse, is derived from a phrase meaning ‘people of the stars’. They are called fair folk, star folk, or ‘meiale’ (literally ‘star people’) by men. Orcs use the same terms as men, as well as ‘waevala’ or ‘sea people’. Dwarves call them Asii, a word meaning ‘high above’ or the sky.

Selesse are taller and slimmer than humans, often with unusually colored skin, eyes, or hair. They have impeccable eyesight, and are faster than humans, but lack physical strength and endurance. However, they excel in many different forms of powerful magic. They are borne from the water of the heavens that holds the stars, and are thus an aquatic people. They primarily eat fish, but use herbs and plants to season and accentuate.

Skin colors: Human shades, shades of purple/blue-grey, lighter shades of blue Eye colors: White/black sclera or sclera matching the irises; White, black, silver, gold, red, yellow, blue, green, purple irises Hair colors: Shades of purple, white/silver/grey, pale gold/blonde, jet black

Feature list: Long, pointed ears, webbed/fin-like ears, pointed/ridged ears, small pointed ears, two-toned skin, glittering, freckle-like marks in gemstone colors, usually only on the face and shoulders, glittering or glowing skin, usually only in symmetrical patches on the face, shoulders, back, top of arms, outside of legs, ect., webbed fingers, elongated toes and webbed feet, long, thin, reptilian tails, sometimes with tufts of fur, strangely shaped jaws/mouths that can open wider than others, fangs/sharp teeth, glowing eyes

Beastfolk They call themselves Kyarou-Ferim, or ‘dark mother’s (Kyarou’s) children’, but have adopted men’s term for themselves as well. They may also refer to themselves as ferim- ‘children’. Men call them beastfolk, or kekir, ‘mudfolk’. Selesse call them fex/fexen, or ‘tainted/dirty people’. Orcs and dwarves also use the same words as men, and have no word of their own.

The strength of their senses is typically equal to that of a human, but may be better or worse depending on the animal they take after. For example, a feline ferim might have exceptional hearing, whereas an eagle ferim would have exceptional eyesight. They may have additional abilities- A bear ferim might have incredible strength; Bird ferim can fly; Wolf ferim might be able to essentially skyrim shout and knock an enemy back.

They usually look human, but with animalian features. They have a resistance to disease and poisons, and can eat practically anything, including tree bark, raw meat, spoiled food, ect.

Their fangs and claws can grow, usually when they’re angry or fighting, to match a proportionate size to the creature they ghost (take after). For example, a bear or wolf would have larger fangs but smaller claws than a bird.

Some may also have horns and bat wings despite their ghost, usually seen as a blessing from their goddess.

Skin colors: Human shades, shades of grey ranging from almost white to almost black, as well as human tones Eye colors: Human tones that are typically more saturated/pronounced, saturated shades of red, yellow, green, purple, and blue Hair colors: Stark black or white or matching their species (Reddish-orange for lions, shades of brown for bears, ect.)

Feature list: Animalian features/abilities Slit, unusually dilated or constricted, vertical/rectangular pupils Cross-shaped, triangular, or square pupils Tapetum lucidum- Eyes that glow/flash in the dark and allow night vision Large fangs or claws regardless of their ghost

Orcs Beastfolk have no word for them; Men call them orcs or Rorin (Barbarian/enemy) Selesse call them Ulen, which is only a word to refer to them and has no meaning Dwarves call them desta, or ‘furthest/far away’. They sometimes call them desta’fal, or ‘furthest friend/far away friend’.

Orcs are a seafaring people who live in tribes along the shore. They are known for raiding sea ports and fishing villages, regardless of the race. However, they are most often prideful and honorable, and consider their raids to be well-earned.

They have raised scar-like marks along the sides of their necks and sides, evidence of the gills they once had.

They are stronger and taller than men, with black bones that are difficult to break, but bleed heavily when injured and succumb faster to blood loss and disease. They also have black horns similar to a ram’s, that spiral along their heads, and pointed ears. Their nails are black and blunt.

Skin colors: Shades of green ranging from verdant to ashy and pale, two-toned, prone to vitiligo-like markings Eye colors: Rarely iridescent, saturated shades of teal, bright yellow or orange, purple, red, icy blue Hair colors: Black or dark brown, sometimes streaked with white or silver, rarely full silver or white

Dwarves Beastfolk have no word for them; Men call them dwarves or ‘roruk-tal’, ‘earth-men’. Selesse call them ke’ojjiwol, or ‘Ojjiwol’s people’. Orcs call them Felsín, or ‘friend-folk.’

Dwarves are shorter and stockier than men, and have thick body and facial hair regardless of their gender. As a result, they have a very loose definition of gender, and use he/him as a matter of course. They are a proud and honorable race, and enjoy the thrill of combat. They influenced and were influenced by the orcs more than men or selasse.

They have human skin tones and hair colors, but most often have black, red, or brown hair that turns white/silver as they age. A blonde dwarf is very rare. They also tend to have darker, more earthy tones for eye color; Brown, green, grey, and hazel are more common, while blue and purple are rare.

#bastet speaks #its fun to think about what each race calls each other

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rageprayer · 6 years ago

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get to know your followers 💕

i got tagged by @plutosmoons, thank you so much! ^___^

Rules: Answer the questions (which you can change if you don’t feel like answering certain questions) then tag 20 followers you want to get to know better!

1. Nickname? i've never had a cool nickname but people in school used to call me gluten (or any variation of rye/wheat/oat boy) because my surname in my language literally means 'an ear of wheat' :') i actually liked it just because it was a running joke between all of us

2. Gender? male. i'm trans too

3. Star sign? taurus sun scorpio moon leo rising

4. Height? i'm 164cm which is like, almost 5'4 i think? i'm a smol boy

5. Favorite feature? i'm just gonna list some things i like about my body ok are you ready - my pupils are always slightly asymmetrical, and noone knows why. it happened around the time i started getting migraines and my right one is constantly slightly more dilated than my left. it's just a neat random thing that looks cool - my nose. i have hands down the best nose from my entire family and i'm damn proud of it, it's cute - my hands and lower arms in general, i've always liked them but i have like. visible veins on there now which is.. my kink tbh. i have really small wrists and my forearms are covered in scars which i used to hide but i love them now and i'd never get rid of them, even if i could. i also really like the shape of my nails. - i've been on t for so long that my midsection/hip area and neck/shoulders/arms actually have some definition to them now and ngl, it's kinda hot. i constantly stare at myself in mirrors @__@

6. Favorite plant? i fucking love plants, all of them. BUT my favourite ones are any that have purple leaves instead of green, they're like the goths of the plant world and i want some in the epic garden i'm gonna have someday. in terms of flowers i am obviously in love with roses and anything that blooms dark purple or black, but also dandelions! they are rays of sunshine and the fact that they're so common just adds to the magic. joy really is everywhere my favourite trees are pine trees - they smell amazing, and poland is covered in pine forests so they just really remind me of home and i feel connected to them. my favourite plant of mine that i'm growing (i love them all equally though, they're my children) is currently my tomato bush because like, it's turned into an actual bush. it's only in a box on the balcony but i had to put a stick in there to support it because of how big it is. and i grew it from seed too :o

7. Favorite animal? dogs! i will always have at least one dog, i love dogs with my whole heart and i want several when i have my own place and space for them all :D some other animals i really like are rats, bats, spiders and ants

8. Favorite Bands? What have you been listening to lately? i'm changing this because i suck at picking favourites. i actually haven't been discovering much new music lately; in terms of albums, it's been type o negative's october rust and bloody kisses, and this fabulous remaster of depeche mode's violator (i am IN LOVE with what they did to personal jesus at the end, seriously. so good. if you scroll down the comments far enough there's some people hating on it but honestly? i don't know music and it all sounds gr8 to me so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) i'm not religious at all, but i discovered this collection of russian hymns and it's one of the most haunting and beautiful things i've heard in a while. the fact that i can kind of half understand the words just adds to the mysterious magical feel it has. i really like the first one on there, and it kind of makes me wish i could sing in any way because like, it's SO beautiful, i actually had a dream about it. also lots of adam lambert, placebo, some random fifth harmony songs from the reflection album and helena by mcr because it was stuck in my head all day yesterday >__< (yes, i am perfectly aware that there is no coherency here. i thrive on chaos)

9. Dogs or cats? dogs all the way, but i can apprecieate a good cat. i'm not one of those weird cat haters

10. Number of blankets you sleep with? two, and i hug pillows because i'm l o n e l y

11. What’s your dream trip? somewhere warm because i am so. tired. of whatever the heck this is and i need the sun. i'm thinking warm but not too tourist-y? if i do go somewhere, i want to see interesting things but also be surrounded by nature. honestly take me anywhere though. surprise me. i love going places and i have no expectations show me a big rock or something and i'll be like !! WOW

12. What’s your dream job? i have no idea .___. i know i want to be self-employed eventually because the perspective of having to arrange my entire life around strict work hours is depressing at best, but i don't know what i actually want to do

13. When did you make this account? i don't remember precisely, i know it was a few months before i started using it so i'm guessing sometime in summer 2017

14. How many followers do you have? i'm choosing to keep that a mystery, but my follower count is actually quite close to the number of people i follow so that's cool

15. How many pets do you have? I HAVE A DOG i love him so much he's an angel <3

16. Best places to visit in your town or country? my town isn't the biggest or most exciting place to be, but we do have a very nice central area with some impressive views over the river, a very old cathedral, some good cafes poland is mostly fields and forests, we have the sea up north and mountains at the bottom, and a cool lake region too

17. Favorite ice cream flavor? mint chocolate chip, pistachio, coconut and lemon sorbet. anything fruity is good too

18. How often do you read? not nearly as often as i used to. i read things on the internet all the time but i haven't touched a book in a few months, and i don't really have the attention span for it anymore. which is sad because i used to regularly take things out from my school's library and i loved reading so much, my brain just doesn't work like that nowadays. it's also really hard to find interesting books without some hetero bullshit in them, but maybe i'm just looking in the wrong places

19. Favorite study locations? this is irrelevant because i'm not in school anymore lmao

20. Favorite book series? Favourite movie? yes, i’m that bitch that chooses films over books. fight me about it. i’m sure you’ve all seen me post about it, but my current obsession is the lost boys. i actually wasn’t that impressed by it the first time i saw it, but it really grew on me when i realised just how gay it was. gay vampires are like. My Thing and the tension between david and michael is SO there i just can’t unsee it. it was filmed in the 80s too so it has that sligthly odd vibe to it and i love the idea of a group of vampires on motorbikes so much, it’s so cool

Now tag 20 of your followers! i'm tagging 13 of you because i do what i want (no pressure though, you absolutely do not have to do this if you don't feel like it)

@sinistergouache @bugzrule @cerise-cutie @gendermenace @bitchinpoison @softvamps @necrocomicon @garbage---rat @sableyesmaw @queer--cryptid @gutlessghostboy @killrot @that-spooky-boy

i'm also officially tagging any of my followers who aren't mutuals but see this and want to do it anyway, go for it!

#long post #this is so fucking long oh my god #got a little carried away lmao #get to know your followers

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tea-and-toblerones · 7 years ago

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The One Where Ed Gets Creative With Some Frosting | A One Shot

Happy Christmas Eve everybody! Let’s celebrate with some sexy times with Teddy.

Rated M for Smuts

It had been a week since you and Ed had went drunken caroling and you two hadn’t even touched the decorations since then. You spent the next day re-cooperating, taking care of each other. You both had different hangover cures so the two of you shuffled around the kitchen gathering the things the two of you needed to feel better. Ed swore on a ginger beer first thing then pancakes. You always went for sprite or 7 up with a bowl of ramen, loaded with hot sauce. After your breakfast you both laid on the couch, passing a ice bag between the two of you. You had smeared Vicks under yours and Ed’s nose to curb the nausea.

It wasn’t until Ed brought home two gingerbread house kits did you even think about decorating. When you asked why he got two, he shrugged saying that you guys could make a deluxe house.

“I don’t think that’s how that works, but we can try it.”

You were looking over the kits, seeing what was all inside. Seemed fairly standard. You heard the paper of a second bag crinkle as he had started pulling extra supplies out of another shopping bag.

“I thought maybe we could make little cookie men to live in the cookie house. Not gingerbread men though. That would be weird.”

He had bought a variety of candies. Gumdrops, Mike and Ike’s, candy buttons, gummy worms, miniature and regular candy canes and sixlets. There was also a bunch of different frosting colors, extra food coloring to make different colors and piping bags. He even purchased cookie cutters. Not only was there the men ones, he had Dino ones, a bunch of different types of animals and shapes. Not to mention about every type of sprinkle you could think of. You wondered if the boy had bought out the entire baking aisle.

You had pulled down your battered recipe book and picked out a simple, yet delicious sugar cookie recipe. You had planned on only making one batch, yet here you were, surrounded by one batch of plain sugar cookies, one batch divided out into different colors, one batch of peanut butter and one batch of mint chocolate peanut butter. Ed being the eager student watched everything you did intently, handing you the next ingredient, reading off the directions for you in his smoothest, sexier voice he could muster. He had to repeat himself several times because you were whisked away in his silky dulcet tones.

You tossed the dough in the fridge to chill, doing a quick clean up of the kitchen before Ed drags you out to the living room to start trimming the tree. He had been sitting on floor, untangling the mess of lights. He had them plugged in so he was aglow with the multi colored lights. His face pulled in one of concentration as his fingers worked out the sad excuse of a wrap job. You had tried to keep them neat, wrapping them in an ‘o’ but much like any other type of wire they magically seemed to do the chaos cha cha in the box. You couldn’t help but snap a picture of him, planning on making a sort of scrapbook of your first Christmas together.

He had climbed onto a step ladder to wrap the lights at the top of the tree with ease. You ended up wrapping them a bit on an angle to make up for the two bare patches. The ornaments you owned were all various sizes and shades of blues, white and silver. You had forgone the garland for wispy white and teal ribbons. You had went a purchased glass icicle and snowflake ornaments to really make the tree pop. You both stood back to admire your colorful tree. The bright lights mixed with the cool blues and whites reminded you strongly of Ed’s rainbow-hued body.

“All that’s left is the star on top!” You exclaim, bringing your hands together, proud of your tree.

“Are you sure? I think we missed one.” His voice was airy, almost playing with you. He was fighting the smile that was trying to come across his face.

“You slip something in the box when I wasn’t looking?” Knowing Ed it could be a variety of things. He tried to keep his face expressionless, but the boy’s poker face could definitely use some work. He tried his best to shrug nonchalantly, but he couldn’t keep that grin off his face if his life depended on it.

You look in to see a small, flat box, wrapped in a pretty gold bow. You pick it up and look over to him. “Well what is?”

He just shrugged again. “I dunno, why don’t you open it and find out.”

You pull the ribbon loose, careful not to tear it. When you lifted the lid off you saw an ornament with the picture of the two of you posing in front of giant inflatable gingerbread man. You were laughing, your arm wrapped around him as he was beaming, his santa hat perched jaunty on his head. On the back it read Our first Christmas, with many more to come.

“Oh, Teddy, it’s perfect!” You throw your arms around him, planting your lips on his. After a couple seconds you broke away, your head spinning.

“I’m glad you like it, love. Where does it go?”

“Front and center obviously.” You point to the desired spot and he hangs it where you instructed, cramming the star on the top before climbing back down.

You take several pictures of the tree, some selfies of the two of you with the tree and one with Ed pointing out the ornament, a thumbs up and a huge smile on his face.

You had taken a break halfway through to cut the dough into shapes and start baking them off. You were checking to see if they had cooled off enough to start icing. You placed them on a plate and went to set them on the table to start decorating. When you turned around you saw Ed sitting at the table, waiting patiently to begin. He had stripped his shirt off and used the peel and stick Christmas bows as pasties. You had packed the gift wrapping stuff with the ornaments and Ed had obviously found it. He wore a cheeky grin, waiting for you to comment, but instead you acted like this was completely normal, which for Ed it was.

“Okay, we have the not gingerbread men, some trees, some snowmen, some wreaths and some plain round ones to decorate however.”

You had sat side by side, picking a not gingerbread man to start with. Ed had grabbed a round one and began. You were concentrating hard, placing little dots of frosting to use as glue for the candy buttons when you hear Ed whisper your name, so he wouldn’t startle you. When you look up to see what he had decorated, snorting because you had somehow forgotten about the holographic bow pasties he was still wearing. He motioned to the four cookies he had decorated. Four EXTREMELY dirty cookies. He had drew a pair of tits on the first one, followed by a cookie with a very crude pussy, a smile with its tongue out followed and ending with a dick, going the extra step of adding the white sticky fluid coating the head and dripping off.

“You like the sound of that baby girl?” You could hear the lust dripping off of every word. “You like the sound of my tongue on your clit? My fingers in you, working you up? My cock filling you like no other?”

You were still gripping the piping bag and had unknowingly squeezed it, causing the white frosting to shoot out and splatter all over him, sticking to his light chest hair.

You don’t miss a beat, your tongue quick to lick it off. You hear a soft moan as you move from his chest to his neck. You take your time, the little whimpers and moans were just adding fuel to your already raging fire.

“I’m going to lay you down, and the first thing I’m going to do is admire every inch of you.” His feathery tone sending shivers up your spine. “Then I’m going to tease you with my tongue. Starting with your mouth and making my way down to those gorgeous fucking tits of yours.”

Your mouth never stops moving, as you tug the fleece pajama bottoms and boxers down. You feel his muscle clench as his skin comes in contact with the wood of the chair, but otherwise there’s no indication of what you were doing.

“Once I felt like I have teased them enough, I’ll make my way down your stomach and slide my finger past your already drenched entrance making sure to just casually brush against your clit before I begin to thoroughly savor that pretty little sweet tasting cunt of yours that drives me absolutely mad.”

As he was talking you had grabbed the piping bag again, laying a line down his already erect shaft, finishing it off with a ring around the head. You hear a hitch in his voice the moment you press your tongue flat against his warm velvety skin, your hands resting on his thick muscular thighs. You look up at him from under your eyelashes as you wrap your lips around his pink head. His eyes never leave your face, his pupil dilated with arousal as you begin your slow descent down his thick cock.

“I’m going to- nnnngg- tongue and finger- oOooO- fuck you until you- Oh fuuuuck- come completely undone underneath me- Jesus fuck your mouth feels so FUCKING good, baby.”

He had given up on the dirty talk, his hand resting on the back of your head as you bobbed along. His hips thrusting up to meet you. Your eyes still locked on to his as the swears fell steadily from those gorgeous lips of his.

“Your fucking mouth works MIRACLES but it’s nothing compared to that tight pussy that’s going to be wrapped around me. Shit, how you work me up, it’s fucking intoxicating!” His hand went from resting to wound in your hair. His hips had lost what rhythm they had as he was reaching his climax. “Fuck, I’m close, I’m so fucking close…” You could feel his grip tighten right before his release hit the back of your throat. The bows had been dislodged at some point and were laying discarded on the floor along with the rest of his clothing.

You didn’t even bother leaving the kitchen. As soon as you broke away from him, he was out of the chair and pulling off your t shirt as he eased you down on the tiled floor. You tense at the coolness of the tile against your hot skin but Ed mouth quickly made you forget as he made straight for one of your pink buds. He had straddled you as he worked, you could feel the heat radiating of his bright torso as he worked. He broke away sooner than you thought, reaching up on the table, grabbing the piping bag and whichever candy he could reach without getting up, which happened to be the gumdrops. He didn’t squeeze it directly on your body, like you had did, he applied it to his finger and drug it across you torso. He added a fair amount on each one of your breasts and smeared a wide line slowly down your torso. He topped it off by placing gumdrops down the center of the line.

Just as he said, he was in no hurry. He did admire the effect of the frosting covering you. His tongue gliding over his lips as he took you in. You knew he was picturing another sticky white substance covering you. It was a kink of his, but one he hardly ever indulged in. His tongue had in fact explored every inch of your mouth before moving to your neck, leaving a trail of nips and kisses down your neck, causing you to moan.

His tongue pressed against your breast, licking off the frosting off slowly, working in a circular motion towards your nipple. Instead of taking it into his mouth like you had thought, he moved over to your other one, doing the exact same slow, clockwise movement. His mouth hovered over, his warm balmy breath causing you to shiver. You had been prepared for him to pull it up into his mouth but all he did was lightly run his tongue over the pebbled flesh before moving on to the gumdrops. His mouth came down completely over each one, his teeth just grazing your flesh as he collected each one. Every time his teeth made contact you’d shudder. You had raised your head to watch him work. Everytime he collected a piece of candy, his eyes would find yours, his state holding you captive due to the sheer amount of sex appeal it held. It was almost like he was the predator and you were his prey. The way the corners of his lips curled up was reminiscent of something playing with its meal before going in for the kill.

You could feel your need of him growing as he teased you. The candy was gone but there was still traces of frosting left behind. You could see where some had clung to his chest hair as he had made his way down your body. When his tongue did two long drags across your stomach to collect the remaining frosting you let out a shuddering moan. His finger had glided up your thigh, making its way to your wet center. When his middle finger slipped inside a moan escaped your lips,,causing him to smirk.

“Just imagine how it’s gonna feel when my cock is buried deep inside that tight little cunt of yours.” he had spoken with a seductive growl, his mouth trailing down you. His tongue pressing over your wet slit.

“I can never get enough of your delicious cunt. And you’re always drenched and dripping, just waiting for me to lick every bit of you.” everything that came out of his mouth was said slow, seductive voice.

And that’s exactly what he did. His tongue flicking across your sensitive bundle of nerves. He had been rubbing you with his thumb as he spoke, making it hard to focus on his words. You had watched his mouth as he spoke, his tongue coming over his lips, his teeth dragging across his bottom lip in anticipation.

His beard provided enough friction to drive you wild as his mouth sucked at you. His nose brushing against you as he worked in that tantalizing speed. The gentle hums he let out as he worked just added to the sensations. His fingers working you into a frenzy, your hips rocking, burying his face into you more. You loved to watch him work. Those gorgeous copper curls between your legs, just begging for you to sink your hands in. Which you do, enjoying the feel of his silky locks between your fingers. You could feel yourself teetering on the edge as he coaxed you along.

“That’s right, love. Let go for me. I can tell you want to, be a good girl for me, please?” He knew exactly what words to use, matched with the gentle yet demanding voice.

That’s all it took, your body reacting to his commands. The waves of pleasure crashing over you, your grip on him tighten as you rode out your orgasm. Constant praise coming from him as he stroked your hair. His mouth had came on yours, soft but urgent. You could feel his need for you growing with every kiss he pulled from you lips.

“Need to feel you around me baby. Can I? Please?” He gasped out as broke away from your kiss swollen lips. You nod, wanting to feel his cock buried in you, crashing relentlessly against your back wall. Your muscles clenching around him.

You could feel his thick head rubbing over you, coating himself with your fluid before positioning himself at your entrance. You gasped as his head pushed into you, your fingers digging into his shoulders as he begins driving himself into you. Little moans dropping from his mouth as he thrusts himself into you.

“Fucking shit you fit me like a goddamn glove. So fucking tight.” His voice in your ear, his hot breath on your neck causing goosebumps to come across your flesh.

His mouth was working on your neck, massaging it with his teeth, little bursts of air accompanied by a little grunt coming out every time he collided with you. His name coming out of your mouth in a moan that was steadily growing in volume. You could feel the muscles in his arms working as his thrusts became rougher. You wrapped your legs around his torso so he could reach even deeper within you. Your heels digging into the top of his ass, spurring him along as you clung to him. Your legs sliding over his sweat slick skin, making you dig your heels in even more. The sweat on his forehead gleaming under the kitchen light, causing his curls to stick to his forehead. His eyebrows drawn together as he worked, his breath coming out in ragged bursts, punctured by ‘fucks’ and ‘shits’ and ‘god damns’. Little beads of sweat clung to his chest hair along with bits of frosting that had remained behind.

You could feel the warmth beginning to gather again as he continued to drive himself into you. You had been matching his rhythm, but had fallen out of sync as his pace quickened. You could tell he was close, so you brought your hand down to your clit, rubbing frantic circles to speed up your release. Your body tingling, every nerve on in, the tension building almost like the pressure you feel before a storm. Your muscles beginning to tense up, your release imminent.

“Fuck, I’m so close baby. So close.” He managed to sputter out between his grunts.

That paired with the frantic pace you had been working at, you felt your release hit you like lightning, setting every nerve on fire as you felt like yourself tighten around him. That paired with the cry that came from you was enough to send him over the edge. His shaky cry mingling with your own as he filled you. You could feel his fluids running out as he pulled away, laying beside you, his chest heaving as he drew air deep in his lungs. He still pulled you close to him, place a kiss on the side of your head.

As much as you wanted to lay there enjoying his presence, now that your lust had been saitied, the floor was growing more uncomfortable by the second. Once you both had caught your breath you moved from the kitchen floor to the shower to wash off the sweat and frosting that was left behind.

Once you were clean, you finished up the cookies, both of you eating the ones he had decorated. The both of you finished the cookies, decorating one to look like Ed, complete with a crude guitar and flannel. He has decorated one to look like you so cookie Teddy wouldn’t be lonely in the gingerbread house. The gingerbread house of hell. Ed had insisted on placing every type of candy on it to create a child’s dream house. He grinned looking at his handiwork. You had started yours to look like a proper house but gave into his pleas of more candy. You place the cookie versions of yourselves with the house, putting it on display.

By the end of the day you had finished all the decorating, the house fully ready for Christmas. You both settled on the couch, mugs of cocoa in hand as you watched yet another Christmas movie. Your eyes going over to the tree, most importantly the ornament he had gotten. The words ‘the first of many’ playing on a loop, causing a smile to come to your face.

“Everything alright, love?” His voice pulling you out of your reverie.

“Everything’s perfect Teddy. Everything’s perfect.”

#ed sheeran #teddy sheeran #code ginger #ed sheeran fanfic #ed sheeran fanfiction #ed sheeran fan fiction #celebrity fanfiction

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sockdreams · 7 years ago

Photo

Tour Ozone's Poison Garden

Here at Sock Dreams we employ many a gardening enthusiast, who are, of course, also sock enthusiasts. Thus it should come as no surprise that some of us are really, really into Ozone's Witches Garden and Apothecary Florals collections. These lines feature poisonous and medicinal plants that are as interesting as they are beautiful. If, like us, you dream of touring the poison garden at Alnwick Gardens, but don't get a lot of chances to visit England, these may be just the socks for you! Join us on a virtual walk through Ozone's poison garden...

A photo of signage at Alnwick's Poison Garden, taken by Jo Jakeman, from flickr.

Disclaimer: we here at Sock Dreams do not recommend ingesting any of the plants described below, even if they aren't explicitly listed as toxic. We are not doctors, chemists or botanists, and while we do enjoy learning about poisonous plants, we are far from qualified to claim that any of these are safe to use under any circumstances! Please assume that they are not.

Morning Glory Crews

When Ozone first released their Witches Garden collection, it consisted of four styles: Morning Glory, Devil's Breath, Belladonna, and Amanita Muscara. Each label had "recipes" listing different combinations of these socks, for various magical purposes. We love the idea of sock spells, and it's so much safer than using actual poisonous plants! Of course, we find it's just as fun knowing why you should not actually ingest these plants...The Morning Glory Crews depict what may be one of several blue morning glory species, but we suspect that it's the infamous ipomoea tricolor, or "Heavenly Blue" shown here.

Though the seeds of this strain are known for their mild psychedelic effects, there are lots of good reasons not to use them as such (not to mention the inherent dangers of using any psychedelic substance). The seeds don't just contain a mild psychedelic - they also contain glycosides, which cause nausea. Most people who have tried to abuse morning glory seeds report unpleasant stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting, which tend to outweigh any potentially positive effects. Additionally, many commercially available seeds are chemically treated to deter people from abusing them. All in all, we strongly suggest sticking to the socks.

Amanita Muscaria Crews

Next on our tour, we come upon a cluster of brightly colored mushrooms. Their red caps are dotted with white spots, and something about them just screams out to us, "don't eat me!" It is the Amanita Muscara, or "fly aragic" and this is one seriously toxic toadstool.

Though historically there have been cases of death from amanita poisoning, modern medicine has luckily been very successful in treating it. So successful, in fact, that there hasn't been a confirmed report of death from poisoning by these fungi in over 100 years! Of course, even non-deadly poisoning is going to be a bad time, so really, don't try these at home, in the woods, or anywhere else.

Belladonna Crews

Next up is a big, shrubby plant covered in purple, bell-shaped flowers and shiny black berries. It is Belladonna, or atropa belladonna if we're being formal. Also known as deadly nightshade, this plant has a long history of being used as a poison by ancient Romans, an anesthetic prior to the middle ages, and even as a cosmetic!

The name belladonna is Italian for "beautiful woman," and the plant is called this because during the renaissance, Italian women used it to make eye drops which dilated their pupils, as dark eyes were considered more alluring at the time. In fact, the dilating drops used by optometrists have the active ingredient atropine, which is the same dilating chemical found in belladonna!

Devil's Breath Crews

Continuing down the garden path, a stand of pendulous, orange, trumpet-shaped flowers catches our eye. It is brugmansia, also known as Devil's Breath or, conversely, angel's trumpet. All parts of this plant are toxic, but the seeds and leaves are especially so.

Mostly grown for ornamental purposes, the consequences of consuming this plant are dire. In addition to unpleasant symptoms such as tachycardia, migraines and death, devil's breath can also cause hallucinations which are known for being terrifying. While indigenous South American cultures have traditionally used this plant for medicinal purposes, we strongly advice against trying this yourself. In 1994, 112 people were admitted to hospitals for brugmansia poisoning in Florida alone. The concentration of toxic alkaloids varies widely from plant to plant, which makes determining a safe dosage nearly impossible. [source]

Woody Nightshade Crews

Moving out of the original portion of the garden, we discover an area added on later... it seems the garden was expanded by popular demand at some point. In the addition we come across a plant which features purple star-shaped blooms, and which seems to have attracted caterpillars and butterflies! It is solanum dulcamara, or Woody Nightshade, a cousin of the potato.

In Medieval times woody nightshade was thought to ward off witchcraft when worn, though in North America it is currently considered a highly invasive species, which makes it rather less desirable. Though fatal human poisonings are not common, this plant is toxic. The socks, conveniently, are not.

Fairyglove Crews

Just past the nightshade we spy bright spears of bell-shaped flowers rocketing out of the ground. They are digitalis, or Fairy Gloves, even more commonly known as fox gloves. While many people the world over grow this biennial as an ornamental flower (many of us Portlanders even find them volunteering in our gardens each spring) is it important to exercise caution regarding pets and children, as these beautiful flowers are, you guessed it, poisonous!

Bioluminescent Spores Crews

As we enter a shady grove of trees, our eye is caught by something glowing... what in the world could it be? Why, it is the elusive Bioluminescent Spores, and though 80 different species (including some poisonous ones!) can be found in temperate and tropical forests around the world, to do so involves being in the woods at night, without a flashlight. While this can be very fun in a controlled setting such as Outdoor School, it can be very dangerous in some areas. For easier thrills, we suggest wearing the socks under blacklight!

Poppies Crew * Marigold Crew * Echinacea Crew

Continuing down the path through the trees, we return at last to the light, and leaving the poison garden, we find the relative safety of the apothecary's garden. The flowers found here have traditionally been used in folk medicine, though we're still definitely not suggesting that you go out and eat them (or any other plants you're not sure about). Luckily for us, these flowers all have important symbolic meanings, which means their socks do to! Poppies for sleep and peace, Marigolds to represent the sun, and Echinacea for strength and prosperity.

#sock journal #poison garden #witch's garden #ozone #crew socks #socks #floral #nature #plants

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deathincarnatetbh · 7 years ago

Text

burn the stars

Warnings: N/A

Pairings: Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck

Tags: Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Recreational Drug Use, Marijuana, Introspection, Family Issues, Feelings Realization, Angst, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Character Study, ASLDFKJASKLDF?, i wrote this??, gon and killua smoke weed this is new, illumi is referenced frequently but does /not/ show up, Internal Monologue

Summary: Gon teaches Killua about all the mountain grasses and plants he’s sampled. Including weed. It yields unexpected results and revelations.

Notes: ASDFGJKL? I can't believe I wrote this. Based on this meme everyone in the HxH fandom has probably seen at least once, I never thought I would write anything like this.

Link on AO3

Killua could give Gon credit: Whale Island was a beautiful place to grow up as a child. It fostered adventure and a sense of comfort that could only be described as “new.” Although the forests that surrounded the Zoldyck mansion were well-kept and familiar, this was something else entirely. Whale Island felt alive and free, without the sense of impending doom his family’s property had pressing on his shoulders. The woods he explored with Gon were serene and calm. Killua followed him through winding paths of mud, boggy in places as it fell into gullies and rose up the hills. They raced through the trees, leaping over thin winding creeks and slippery rocks. Killua dodged and zipped past rotting oaks and under lowered and snapped branches until everything blurred into dizzying blend of earthy tones.

Best of all he was able to do it all with Gon, and he wouldn’t want it any other way. The entire trip seemed “innocent,” a concept he was deprived of during most of his life. It felt almost strange to do so many things with so much freedom. It seemed like Gon had so much to share and Killua had so much to learn about having a normal childhood and a simple life. He could almost say he was jealous, though he wasn’t about to admit such a thing.

It was fun, something he wasn’t quite used to while growing up.

By the end of the day, Killua was worn out but quite pleased. Gon had taught him how to fish, and upon catching one they roasted it over a fire as the sun began to fall over the treetops. They had found a nice and quiet clearing to relax and unwind after the day’s activities, right next to a small lake. As twilight ensued, the surface of the water was as smooth as black glass. The thought of his eldest brother’s eyes matching its vacancy began to form in his mind, but he managed to push it away as he gave a glance to Gon. He was safe now, further away from his brother than ever before. Being by his side gave Killua more comfort than his own family, which mildly disturbed him but it was also a sign that he wanted something for once in his life.

He wanted to stay , and after Gon’s enthusiastic and endearing statement (‘Then let’s stick together,’ Killua recalled Gon’s assertion word for word, ‘We can travel around and see the world together!’) he was sure that his desire triumphed everything Illumi had taught him about his destiny and purpose.

“Killua are you okay?”

The words shook Killua from his thoughts. Gon was staring at him with a look of concern, his head turned to the side and the campfire’s flames flickering orange light over his face.

“What? Yeah. Why would you ask that?” Killua replied, his tone a bit drawn out and low.

“You look like you’re thinking about something.”

He was right of course, but it would be embarrassing to say it out loud. Killua chewed a bit on his cheek as he glanced away from Gon to stare up at the stars instead. What if Illumi was right? What if Gon would eventually become someone he got bored of? What if the happiness he felt with Gon faded and he would be left with nothing but sick thoughts and a morbid curiosity to see if he could kill his own best friend? That was the way he was raised, wasn’t it?

“Killua!”

He was snapped from his train of thought again, blinking several times. Gon was kneeling next to him, eyes a bit wide with unease.

“Are you okay?” he reiterated, his voice clear and sharp.

“Yes.” The lie slipped out smooth and easy. Why did it feel so wrong?

“You’re not, or else you wouldn’t go quiet.”

Killua growled a bit at that, sitting up to face him. “If you know that I’m not okay then why ask again, idiot?”

Gon’s eyes went downcast at that as he began to chew on his lip. “Maybe…because I expect you to be honest with me about how you’re feeling for once.”

His words struck Killua in the heart, a dull ache beginning to form in his chest. Honesty was difficult to come by within his own family and even harder to confront within himself. The truth is treason in an empire of lies, Illumi had drilled into him. Lies choke you and make you feel empty. That is the way you were born, that is the way you were raised. You’re a liar and a killer Killu.

“Gon…” Killua grimaced. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel very well right now but I’m not sure if I want to talk about it. It’s too personal.”

To Killua’s relief, Gon nodded.

“It’s okay! I think I know how I can help though.”

Killua groaned.

“Gon you don’t have to, I’m fine. The feeling will probably go away eventually anyways—”

But Gon was already standing up and moving away from him and towards the edge of the clearing. He seemed to be pulling some leaves from a small bush that Killua couldn’t recognize quite yet.

Gon made his way towards the campfire and sat down, patting the area next to him as a gesture to coax Killua next to him.

“What is that?” Killua asked as he crawled towards the spot, watching him curiously. Gon must have plucked a bundle and the shape of the leaves seemed familiar… Killua couldn’t recollect where he’d seen it before.

“Aunt Mito would make a tea from this whenever granny would have very bad aching in her bones. You can breathe in the fumes and it can act as stress relief and it can calm you down,” Gon explained as he began to tear the pieces of the leaves so they would kindle and burn better.

Killua was… skeptical.

“Are you sure inhaling fumes is safe?”

“It is! I see some of the fisherman down by the pier do it sometimes and nothing bad ever happens.”

The white-haired boy grumbled as Gon gave him the fresh bundle of the leaves. “Alright fine, but this better not screw me up too much.” Killua gave him a shifty gaze. “Have you ever even done this before?”

“Not until now,” Gon muttered. “But if you’re going to do it, I want to do it too. That way if it is bad, we can share its effects!”

“E-Eh?!”

But before Killua could say anything else, Gon was already inhaling through his nose, the bundle catching fire for a quick moment before going out. The smoke wasn't completely opaque as he let it puff from his mouth, but its long grey wisps seemed to curl in the air like cattails. He gave a quick smile to signal his state.

“I’m okay Killua, it’s not a big deal.”

“What do you mean it’s not a big deal, what if this is poisonous? You could die—” Killua gave a cough as Gon exhaled more smoke and blew it right in his face. The scent was distinctive, he acknowledged. It most definitely had a signature taste as well. “Fine fine!” Killua sighed, giving in. He touched the tip of the bundle of leaves to the flames cautiously and inhaled as Gon did, choking a bit on the strength of the stench. Just as he breathed in, he felt a sweet burning sensation curl throughout his lungs and throat.

Killua blinked a few times as he exhaled. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but it felt a bit unnatural. He testingly inhaled once more after lighting the tip of the bundle on the campfire, breathing in. This time he inhaled slowly, his system responding to the smoke, and he felt his lungs being wrapped by a warm blanket. Taking small, slow sips of the fumes, he felt delighted, like he had never felt before. “Hey Gon, this isn’t… that bad.”

“See… I told you…” Gon reassured him, the words drooling from his mouth slowly like syrup. He was sniffing the charred leaves curiously, thin strands of smoke lifting into his nose. His pupils were already decently dilated and his muscles in his back were almost completely unraveled and loose. Killua could sense his own tension fading away: whether it was from the smoke or being in the presence of Gon’s contagious emotions, he couldn’t tell.

Before Killua knew it, his back was on the ground and he was staring up at the sky. He wasn’t sure how he ended up in that position but his brain was lagging and he felt sluggish and tired, so it was likely he sprawled across the ground because it was cooler and more relaxing that way. He hadn’t realized how tight his muscles subconsciously were, like he was constantly vigilant for being attacked at any moment. But now… he was vulnerable. The thought would have made panic rise in his chest under normal circumstances, but he felt safe here. Safe with Gon, on Whale Island, far away from Illumi and his family.

Illumi. That’s what he was worried about. Before fear could claw itself back into his nerves it was already melting away. He could only think about Gon, focusing on his presence and how honest and there he was.

Killua reached up to touch his own face as he stared blankly at the sky, fingertips meeting with trails of wet tears rolling down his face. Is this what it felt like to be safe? To be completely comfortable, completely fearless? He wasn’t sad, he was happy. At least that’s what it felt like.

“Killua? Why are you crying?”

He vaguely heard Gon’s voice next to him and he felt a hand wrap around his wrist, but he suddenly felt too weak to move. It wasn’t the smoke, Killua acknowledged. He was resistant to all poisons, all drugs, but he couldn’t resist the way his mind succumbed to a source of comfort that wasn’t Illumi. A source of comfort that wasn’t pain, a source of comfort that wasn’t the cause of—

Killua’s breath hitched in his throat as he felt Gon’s fingers gripping a bit tighter, drawing him out of his painful turmoil of thoughts and fears. He looked to the side to meet those eyes, half-lidded and a bit glazed. Although Killua had taken a slight hit from the plant’s qualities, the high had only lasted a few minutes thanks to his background and resistance to intoxication. Gon on the other hand seemed definitely vulnerable to its effect.

“Killua, how do you feel?”

He felt his eyes soften at Gon’s words.

How did he feel?

Killua knew he would defend Gon with his life even if the odds were insurmountable. He would never betray him, never give up on him. He would never abandon him. He would never put him in danger, no matter how noble the cause may be. If he ever gave up on him then he will have slain himself, for it was Gon’s heart that pumped blood in his veins. With Gon he would always find his way back. When fear set his compass spinning, it wouldn’t matter which direction he took.

“I feel like I’m home,” Killua murmured, and that was the truth.

#killugon #gon x killua #killua zoldyck #gon freecss #hxh fanfiction #hxh #hunter x hunter #illumi writes

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