#right now i am feeling sol calling my name it seems

[rpvlix]

🧺 For your muse to come across my muse changing clothes - Sol

Nudity Roleplay Scenarios

Somehow, Solinas does not notice the other's presence right away. She continues to undress, stripped down almost completely before an ear twitches and they turn, squinting to assess the intruder.

His face softens when he recognizes who it is.

"Atieno. I was not expecting you, welcome."

Xe didn't seem to have any reservations about this state of undress, regardless of who it was at their door. Had it been a stranger here to peep, she hardly would have cared, it seems.

Although, to be fair, there was not much to see.

He hasn't got any real surprises under all those layers of clothing. As it said before, there's just a smooth nothing where genitalia ought to be - a personal choice, of course. Sol has no real need for those, or at least hasn't until now. Perhaps someday she'll change her mind.

They're about as toned as one would expect, too, a decent amount of muscle hugging her frame. A chest so muscled that it's genuinely hard to tell how much of it, if any, is breast. An almost textbook ambiguity in xir entire build.

She does not seem to be in much of a rush to resume her routine, still standing practically naked in front of this friend.

"I do apologize if I have forgotten some planned meeting. It would seem I'd failed to make note of it, if that was the case."

[silentmagi]

Rising Star

Main Page

Welcome back, I’m hoping that everyone’s still enjoying this story, and would love to talk with you if you have questions or comments about the stories. After a discussion with Luna, Star has decided that her next steps are:

3: Finding a third to go to the mountains with them.

I hope that you all enjoy it.

Getting to the Headmistress’s office, Star and Luna knock and await admittance before entering. What they found waiting was a bit of a surprise. The Headmistress had company.

The swordsman and his apprentice turned to the two and bowed in greeting. “Salutations and well met, I am the swordmaster Sol, and this is my niece and apprentice Nebula,” the older man offered with a warm smile as he tapped his chest. “We have completed our discussion, so we will let you have your meeting.”

Star noticed an expression and look shared between her aunt and Nebula, apparently used to the formal speech of Sol. “My name is Star, arcane archivist and scholar, and this is the bard Luna,” she introduced while meeting his bow with one of her own. “You honor us with your visit, Swordmaster.”

“Quite so, though the honor is mine,” Sol continued with a chuckle to his voice. “Until the next time we meet.”

With that, he and Nebula excused themselves and went about their day. Star and Luna took a seat, letting the Headmistress finish filing some paperwork before presenting their notes. “Last night, I believe I may have been visited in my slumber, and we were wanting to have your thoughts on this.”

It was not the first time that Star had gotten a raised eyebrow from her aunt, but it was a rare occurrence. Taking the notes, she began to go over it, reading through them casually before looking up. Not at Star or Luna, but out the window, towards the mountain peak that Star had suspected would be the one she was being called to.

“I do not like the idea of you going out, not with your father on the loose,” Headmistress Celeste commented as she processed the information that had been presented to her.

“I know, and I’m not going on my own, but I don’t think a large group is a good idea.”

“Good, however, you and Luna should take someone with more… martial training I believe,” Celeste mused as she set the papers down steepling her fingers before her in a meditative pose. “Taking a member of the guards could raise suspicion, though.”

“We were thinking of a three-person team, since that’s the auspicious number for starting new quests,” Luna supplied with a knowing smirk as she caught up with the gears spinning up in Celeste’s mind. “Do you have any suggestions on who we might ask to come with us? We might be a day or two getting there and back.

“Now that you mention it, there might be some options that could work.” Lifting up the notes, Celeste tapped her finger along the side as she thought through the options. “Sol is here for a month to do some training exercises with the guard, however his apprentice Nebula is ready for her journeyman trials.”

“Alternatively, there is a druid that arrived earlier this morning named Wolf, who told me more about your little incident in the woods. We are preparing a team to investigate the dinosaur that you three met. She has been contained, and is well fed and looked after right now. So Wolf is sticking around until that is ready. Perhaps a week.”

“Finally, we would have the option to reach out to the local rangers and see if one would be able to escort you,” she concluded with a sigh. “What do you believe feels best to you?”

It seems that we have a few choices as to who to round out the team.

[jayden-killer]

YOU LOOK LONELY.. I CAN FIX THAT. (Miguel O'Hara AU!)

summary: Year 2099 and a new A.I. had been lanuched. He is called "Miguel" and he's here to comfort you in your most hard times. But, little you know, he's more than a A.I.

paring: Miguel O'Hara x F! Reader.

A/N: woah there, Detroit: Become Human and Blade Runner combined togheter? Why not, hehehe.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HOLD THE HAND TO SOMEONE? INTERLINKED.

DID THEY TEACH YOU HOW TO FEEL FINGER TO FINGER? INTERLINKED.

DO YOU DREAM ABOUT BEING INTERLINKED?

INTERLINKED.

Year 2099. Bright neon leons illuminated the streets, high skyscrapers were imposing themselves, showing on their huge advertising screens and weather forecast. It was night, and the air smelled of smog. She always believed that all those air purifiers wouldn't be very effective. But now it didn’t matter, because among the crowd of people in the street she walked with her head down, tired eyes that seemed off. Next to her, dozens, no, many more people, ready to start their weekend. They planned to go to nightclubs, drink, have sex, or do something she didn't care about. She heard their laughter in the background, and he could clearly see some guys pushing each other, laughing, and joking in the corner of his eye. She didn’t care. She just wanted to get to her house. Then she gave himself a push and marched more quickly, because she could no longer. She wished to put an end to the terrible sadness in her heart.

"I'm home".

The moment she walked across the threshold of her house the lights went on, lighting up the living room and kitchen. She breathed deeply and threw out the excess oxygen accumulated, also expelling the tension she had accumulated in the day. She looked around, and calmly placed the bag on her raw coffee table until she heard some sweets in the house, yet heavy steps. Her eyebrows leapt up and a smile, a soft smile, fell on her face.

"Miguel," said his name softly. "You’re here."

"I am always here, dear. Ven aquì". The man smiled back and extended his arms in her direction. She didn’t waste any time holding him to herself. Miguel tilted his head to the side and a confused expression landed on his face. " I can feel your heartbeat, and your blood pressure is 61 mmHg. What’s going on, dear?" Miguel’s arms touched her gently, almost as if she were a fragile doll, caressing her hips. Her eyes shone.

"I just missed you, my love" she answered quietly, never stopping looking into his reddish, brown eyes. "That's all".

"I want to help you, mi sol, how can I?"

Miguel blinked, genuinely worried about his partner’s health. He gave her a rough hand in her soft hair and continued to caress her. She stared at him with those eyes that showed true love, felt, and felt good because now it was just her and her Miguel. It was just the two of them in his house while the world was doing who knows what beyond those walls. He sighed, and nodded, answering Miguel’s question. "Oh, no, I’m fine. I just missed you so much".

"I’m here, mi flor, I’m here," he repeated once again, bringing his body to him, a hug that Miguel really felt. His heart pompo more, feeling so close to him the person who had immediately shown him kindness, sweetness. The warmth that emanated from his loved one was comfortable. It was all true for him.

"Do you want to watch a movie? In exactly eight minutes, they’re gonna broadcast the "Bicentennial Man". It’s your favorite movie, right?" Miguel smiled at her, grabbing her hand and gently sitting her down on the sofa. She did not take her eyes off him for a moment: his tall, imposing figure, with large shoulders and trained arms, but she only saw a sweet man who needed great affection. He was perfect in every way.

"Of course I do, but only if you will be next to me to pamper me".

"Absolutely". Miguel landed lightly on the sofa and took a breath. With a gesture of the hand, the television went on, and the channel was rolled into the desired one with a single finger move. The girl got much closer to the man, cuddling up to him, resting her temple on his huge muscular arm. Miguel spent no time surrounding his beloved with that arm, bringing her closer to him. The two remained there, enjoying their presence, occasionally discussing the development of the film, a film that she had reviewed over and over again.

It was now night, the hologram of the clock marked 12.12 am. Miguel’s eyes fell on the figure of his beloved then sleeping companion. He calculated his breath and his heartbeats, and everything seemed normal to him. He was just resting quietly. He understood that his day had been intense, without her telling him, but he didn’t want to hurt her. Because over time he had learned to respect the needs of humans. He had become accustomed to their habits, or rather, to the habits of the one who had welcomed him to his house, without treating him as a slave, without showing racism towards him, just because he was a robot. Yet, he felt real every time he touched himself in the face, fingering his facial features. Every morning it was the same. Her arms picked her up, taking care not to wake her. She looked like an angel, he thought, admiring her as if she really was. How could human beings be such beautiful creatures, so deadly?

"Door, please," he muttered. The door to his room opened like a curtain, closing behind him. She walked calmly to her bed, then rested it on the warm mattress she had heated for her. He pulled the blanket up, and he watched her sleep for a few more minutes. She couldn’t believe it, she was the most beautiful creature he’d seen.

"Rest, my love. I’ll be here with you tomorrow too," he smiled, laying a subtle, soft kiss on her lips. His artificial heart blew, even more, even more the liquid that was contained in his circuits. He lowered the shutters and warmed the home environment a little more. Leaving the room, Miguel headed for his post, where he would recharge for the following day.

"Model 70868". This was what was written horizontally on his desk. He was not comfortable with it. He didn’t feel like a simple robot, something built to serve mankind and satisfy it fully. He didn’t feel like a machine.

"I want to be human".

[painandpoesy]

LOVELY RUNNER FIC

Sunjae's POV (when he remembers everything)

"Ajushi!"

What? Whose voice is that? Why does she sound so familiar that my flesh starts to tremble in anticipation? Why does the rain feel so familiar on my skin? What are these memories that are rushing through my head? Why does my heart ache like I am about to die? What is this longing, and how come I am desperate to hold that girl running with a yellow umbrella in her hands under the rain in my arms like she's my lifeline? Like she's the air I breathe, the reason for my existence?  Where is this greed to feel her warmth coming from? Why does my chest feel like it's about to explode? Am I losing my mind?

"Sunjae. I'm your fan."

How come she's in a wheelchair? What happened to her, and why was she looking at me with tears welling up in her eyes? What is this feeling of helplessness, and why does it start building up in my lungs? Why do I feel like I am carrying these regrets on my shoulders?  I feel like shit, and it's torturing me. A fan? She's telling me she's my fan, but why does my heart start breaking upon hearing her say that? Who am I to her? Who is she to me?

"Sunjae-ah! It must have been so hard for you to go through this alone. You couldn't tell anyone that you were struggling. I didn't know how much pain you were in. I'm sorry that I didn't know."

Why is she running towards me with tears brimming in her eyes? Why is she calling my name as if she only has one chance to do so? Why does she look like she's filled with regrets? Why is she hugging me as if she does not want to let go? How come I feel comforted? How come my heart swells with joy? Who in the world is she to make me feel this way?

"Im Sol!"

Why am I frantically calling her name? Why am I running as if my life depended on it? Where is this fear coming from? Why am I trembling with fear of losing her? Why am I desperate and helpless at the same time? When did this kind of fear make its way to me? Why am I scared cold of not being able to see her again? Of not being able to hold her hand again? Of not being able to wrap her in my arms again? Im Sol. Why does your name seem to be at the tip of my tongue all this time? Who are you to make me feel everything at once?

"Sunjae-ah. I like you."

"Sol-ah!" I called out as I stood still at the sidewalk.

I remember everything now.

I catch my breath when everything starts to make sense. My head hurts as the images flash before my eyes like a cinematic de javù with no end. I clutch my chest and dig my fingers into the fabric of my coat, as the unexplainable yearning for something I could not even name all these years and the void that keeps haunting me now make sense. Even the moments when I catch myself in tears for reasons I cannot even figure out start to feel real.

"Im Sol," I muttered under my breath as tears started brimming in my eyes.

Why do you have to do this, Sol? After remembering everything, I cannot help but ask all the whys. Why do you have to make the yearning worse by erasing yourself from my life? Why do you have to make your life miserable just for my sake? Why do you have to suffer by remembering everything while I live the life you chose for me, oblivious to the lives I have lived with you in it? There is no crueler torture than losing every moment I have spent with you and not being able to miss it, relive it, or cherish it. It is much worse than death. I chose to die for you, and it was never your fault. I have loved you in every timeline, and I would die for you over and over again without regrets.

"Sol-ah!"

Right. That's your name. The girl I secretly loved during my youth. How dare I forget your name? The way you smiled at me and how your eyes lit up the first time we met under the rain? I should not have forgotten the numerous times you uttered my name. How you came back for me in your desperate attempts to save me when I was also desperate to save you. These memories, good or bad, I'll cling to the last bit of them because you're there. Remembering everything at once makes me want to run to you despite my lungs closing in, despite my knees losing strength, and despite my heart pouncing inside my chest.

"Im Sol." I can barely hear myself as I fell on the pavement as the overwhelming realizations made my knees weak.

"I beg you. Please allow me to remember." I watch the starless sky above me as the tears start to trail down my cheeks.

"Look! This watch is a time machine. I'm Im Sol from 2023, the future."

Allow my heart to break because, for the longest time, there was nothing in here but longing.

"Even if you were to end up in a different time. I would jump over space and time to see you."

Allow me to shed these tears for you because 15 years was a long time of waiting, and you must've gone through prolonged agony in your waking days.

"I hope you're selfish. I hope you think about how you can be happier and live a better life at times like this."

Allow my hands to hold you once again, because for once I would really like to be selfish. Let me soak in your warmth, because a decade and a half without you has left me cold.

Allow me to be the Sun Jae you knew from the start. Allow me to dedicate the rest of my life to you from this day forward and slowly fill the void fate has brought upon us. Allow me to continue to foster the kind of love that transcends time and space. The kind of love that is only meant for you, my Sol.

Note: This was inspired by a prompt by @saltedsan

[hils79]

Hils Watches Lovely Runner - Ep 4

HE SAVED HER AFTER THE CAR ACCIDENT I KNEW IT!

AND HE KNEW WHO SHE WAS WHEN THEY MET ON THE BRIDGE! Okay, that I did not see coming.

This is clearly going to be an excessive capslock episode I'm very sorry.

This whole scene hits different now that you know that he's been in love with her since he was in school, and that she's the reason he likes those sweets in the first place. I love this so much!

WAIT THAT'S JONGHO SINGING! OMG I know the song but I totally forgot it was from this drama. I am such a bad Atiny. Has this song played before and I just haven't noticed?

I am going to say that I'm going to be a bit annoyed if it turned out someone pushed him or something. It'd feel almost like saying 'we can't have a romantic lead who suffers from depression' or something like that. But I shall reserve judgement until we see how it plays out. I mean stuff keeps changing because of the time travel stuff anyway. Just a thought I had was all.

I understand the logic of trying to exactly recreate the situation that sent her back into the past last time but I'm not sure lying in a river in the middle of the night was part of the magic

Calling it now this dude killed him because Sunjae wanted to retire. I have absolutely no foundation for this theory beyond knowledge of drama tropes but that's what I think

I know that you're grieving for your best friend but why would you say something cryptic like this and then just hang up without explaining when she asks what you mean

Ah, the magic only works at midnight! That makes sense. As much as anything to do with magic makes sense. I still don't understand what caused her to come back to 2023 in the first place though. Is it because Sunjae told her he loves her even if she didn't hear it?

Oh no she remembers what happened while she was back in 2023 including rejecting Sunjae and hitting him with her bag. OH NO.

This poor boy though. The girl he likes has what seems like a total personality change, tells him to get lost, and then a week later she's back to the way she was again.

Oh, yeah, him. Love him calling her 'girlfriend' rather than her name just because Sunjae is standing right there

When you find out your 19 year old past self is totally cringe

He's handling the whole personality switch thing far better than Sunjae is

This is so funny I thought for sure she was going to be the one who inspired him to become a singer and instead she's doing whatever she can to make sure he doesn't become an idol to protect him.

Of course there's a bully. There's always a bully. He can be friends with the bitchy girl who hates Im Sol.

Oh, punch him!

Holy fuck she just headbutted him before Sunjae could even land a punch. I love her so much.

Ah, I see. She saved him from his bully and now he's going to save her from hers

Scrap that she saved herself because she's awesome

Oh that's so smart she yelled a bunch of stuff about the future so time froze and she could sneak past Sunjae's dad

I love that even though she knows Sunjae as a friend now she still goes into fangirl mode sometimes. It's so cute.

Really can't relate to what a heavy sleeper she is. This is, what, the second or third time she's been asleep while he's been there and hasn't woken up at all. I'd have been awake as soon as he opened the bedroom door.

God he's so adorable. Look at him comparing their hand sizes.

The only time he ever looks happy now that he can't swim is when he's with her. I'm fine. I'm definitely not crying.

So she gave him the advice that he gave her. Does that mean he only knew to say it to her because said it to him in the first place? My head hurts 😂

I mean they can. You just can't be friends with this particular girl because you're in love with her

This is honestly making all the cringe stuff I did as a teen seem totally sane and normal

Okay, what's with the sus taxi that was going to stop and then pulled away when the driver saw that Im Sol wasn't alone?

He's all wet again. And, hey, she's remembered that he was the one who saved her after her accident

[sirianasims]

Chapter 36

Out Of The Woods

“Daddy, did you see how fast I was? Did you see me?”

“I saw you, you did so well! Ivy and I were cheering for you all the time.”

Hailey had placed second in her first track run. I worked as a coach for the track & field teams now, so Samuel had been sitting with Ivy as they watched Hailey run.

We went to the pier, all four of us together for once, and got ice cream. Hailey was excitedly telling Samuel all about her track times.

It made my heart swell, not so much because she seemed to have a talent for running, but because I hadn’t seen her so proud of herself before, and I was happy that Samuel was here to experience it too. I didn’t want him to miss too many of the girls’ milestones just because we were no longer together.

The girls ran off to try the ferris wheel and we were alone. Samuel awkwardly scooted over to where Hailey had been sitting. We never spent any time together these days. Ever since that uncomfortable Winterfest a year and a half ago, we had mostly kept it to administrative texts and taking turns picking up the girls from kindergarten.

Finally, Samuel cleared his throat.

“So, uh. You look… well.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I was sweaty and Ivy had wiped some ice cream on my sleeve, but I did feel better than I had in a long time.

“Thanks. You too. The beard suits you.”

We talked for a while, carefully sticking to safe subjects. I told him about Jessica getting into fashion design, how she was planning to move to Del Sol Valley with her boyfriend. Samuel updated me on Daria and Griffin who just found out they were expecting a baby.

Then, his expression turned serious.

“Do you ever… have you talked to Charlie?”

I realised that it was the first time either of us had spoken his name for almost two years.

“No. I wouldn’t pick up if he called, but he hasn’t tried.”

“He actually called me when he heard about the divorce. But we didn’t speak for long. I may have said that I would personally castrate him without anaesthesia if he ever contacted you again.”

“Samuel -”

“With a dull scalpel. I was pretty angry at the time, and he said some really cruel things, and… I just don’t know who he is anymore. I haven’t heard from him since.”

I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to give him a hug, but I couldn’t imagine Samuel would ever want me to touch him again.

“Samuel, I’m really sorry that I screwed things up for everyone. Not just us, but you and Charlie too.”

Samuel sighed and attempted to smile.

“Hey, he wasn’t exactly blameless. He was supposed to be my brother. He should never have... anyways, you said you wanted to discuss the girls’ living arrangement? Are you not happy with the split?”

I was grateful for the change of subject.

“I am, but I’ve been asked to coach the track & field team for seniors as well. And I would like to accept, but it’s in the evenings and I’d need you to have the girls a bit more often. I know your schedule can be difficult, so I only want to do it if you can find the time.”

He looked relieved.

“Sure, we can figure something out. For a moment I wondered if you, you know… Found someone.”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing like that. I just figured I should be doing something worthwhile with my time now that the girls are getting older, instead of being stuck in the house all the time.”

“You do know that was always an option, right?”

“Sorry, Samuel, I don’t mean to sound like I was a prisoner. It was my own choice to stay at home, I know. And you did try to talk me out of it.”

“Maybe I should have tried harder.”

“Samuel, don’t. I doubt you could have convinced me back then. I was pretty out of reach, I think. You were right, there was nothing you could have said that would have made me listen.”

We were both quiet.

I wanted to ask him if he was seeing someone, ask why he cared if I was. But suddenly the girls were back and begged for more ice cream and the moment had passed.

beginning / previous / next

[justinewt]

Per Ardua Ad Astra - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE Chapter Two

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summary: After a whole month in Rome, she was starting to like her life in the city, though she never stopped longing for her homeland, and her brothers. She prayed they would be reunited one day but when Aelius - the sailor that got her on the merchant's ship - reappeared, it perturbed the great day that she was having, after Tenax allowed her to attend games at the Circus Maximus. And health complication made for a very painful few days afterwards. But as she always did, she endured.

Words: 4k

Warnings: title means "through adversity/struggle to the stars" // Those about to die (no spoilers yet), 1st person (somewhat unreliable narrator - doesn't mean that she lies about the events, just that it's her recollection/perception of them), blood/abortion, mention of SA and murder

On the 28th of August 75 CE, about a month after I arrived in Rome, - and exactly a month and 9 days after I got stuck on that boat -, there were gamed held at the Circus Maximus, on the occasion of a festival for the God Sol and the Goddess Luna, where all the races would take place. These games were started with a parade in the city, which I learned was called the pompa circensis. I thought I’d have to beg Tenax to let me attend the parade and the games, but it actually didn’t take a lot of convincing. I merely asked and he told me to go, pretending not to care about it. I didn't know if he cared or not but, in any case, I got to wander around the city on my own, taking in the cheerfulness and excitement of the crowd. I couldn’t believe that I would feel this much joy after what I went through to get there but I welcomed it. I followed the Romans to the Circus Maximus, bought myself a ticket and ran up the stairs to get a nice seat in the stands, watching the athletic events and beasts hunts and cheered for the chariot races. I leapt to my feet and everyone in the stadium chanted Scorpus’ name after he won. He waved at us and gave me a smile after crossing eyes with me – I was in the lower stands, right above the stall he stopped by.

“Ah, my favorite Spaniard.” I chuckled, the smile on my face getting even bigger as I leaned over the railing to talk to him as the stablehands brought the horses back inside. He got off his chariot, handing the reins to a stablehand.

“You were incredible.”

“I am, after all, the great Scorpus, but – Fortuna blesses me with your support.” He brought a hand to his heart and then blew me a kiss. He knew his worth and wasn’t shy to show his confidence. I liked Scorpus. He made me laugh with his manners, and he was very handsome. I really liked him. Everytime we spoke, there were only a couple of thoughts going on in my head; that he was, as I said, handsome and that his accent was beyond attractive. I now realize I probably – definitely – romanticized him too much. I didn’t care that he was a drunk, and I was oblivious to the fact he was constantly meeting with prostitutes. I saw these men and women on the streets but never thought much of them, and Tenax understandably forbade me from going to places remotely close to pleasure houses. I wasn’t interested in those places anyway.

Tenax stepped out and looked up at me, “How are you enjoying the games?”

“Greatly. The games are just – amazing!” I glanced at the thousands of people sat all around the stadium. Tenax looked glad I was having such a great time.

I was really starting to get used to life in Rome, working for Tenax; taking bets, serving clients at the tavern and prepping horses with Gavros before the races. It got me running around quite a lot. The stables were a couple of kilometres away from the tavern and the entrance of the stadium. I also came to realize, rather quickly, that Tenax wasn’t as heartless and impassible as he made it seem, but I was quite content to be on his good side because I knew this wasn’t entirely an act either, if he held a grudge against you or you owed him something – you were screwed. I didn’t see anything like that happen – it happened in the shadows, and I was not meant to know anything about his business and clearly, I wasn’t going to ask about it – but I saw the men who worked for him, sometimes leaving the tavern after talking to Tenax.

They were nice to me and all, but I could imagine them tracking down some guy for Tenax, following the through the streets, at the dead of night. I would lie in my bed, in the corner of the room at the back of his flat, and look at the moon outside the window when I knew Tenax wasn’t home because he was out and about and I imagined what was the issue, but I was so tired from running around all day, I always fell asleep quickly, woken up by the sunlight, or if I turned in my sleep and rolled on my wrong shoulder. We were busy during the day – there were a few dozens of races every week. Festivals like this happened as often as races, but such grand circus games happen on specific occasions like that day, and it was one of the few times I attended such events alongside the citizens of Rome. I would usually be at the betting tavern and then watch the races through small opening in the stalls’ doors with Tenax. At the midday break, people went out of the stadium to eat – most went to the Forum a little further and a few dozen people filled Tenax’s tavern and so I worked for a bit. I didn’t mind – I was happy to move a bit after sitting for so long. The thrill of the games made me quite efficient I must say.

“Wine please.”

“Here.” I turned around, carafe in hand, my gaze following my hands as I poured the drink in the man’s cup. I froze when he wrapped his hand around my wrist suddenly, some wine spilling on the table. The gasp I let out was drowned out by the ambient loudness of the tavern. When the man said my name, I finally looked at him and I was in shock.

“Aelius—” I couldn’t believe it was him.

“I saw you in the parade… I’d been looking for you. Oh, Gods, Aldea – I am so sorry for what happened, I— they threw me in the holds the whole day, and then I learned that you were locked in the captain's cabin...” I felt his apologies were genuine and he felt guilty about what happened, but I did not want to have that conversation with him there and then. This whole ordeal was something I wanted to forget and the mere sight of him was just reminding me of it. He was the living reminder that I left my family for a stupid reason – because I thought I loved him. I wanted him gone and I was getting frustrated and angry with myself for just standing there and letting him go on. “Aldea, I heard you scream that night – the whole crew heard it.”

I spoke, but it was barely a whisper, “please, let go of me.” I tried to yank his hand away but did so quite weakly and my arm was just pulled back towards him. It made me lean forward. The garment I wore over my dress, wrapped around my shoulder and secured with a brooch to hide the sling in which my arm was still in at the time, fell a little and showed the top of said sling and my drooping shoulder. It was quite obvious that something was wrong – it looked like I had no collarbone except for a bump in the middle of the swollen area. I saw his eyes fall on my shoulder and managed to free myself from his grip – though his grip wasn’t actually that tight – and I straightened up, pulling back my garment and was about to walk away when he stood up to stop me. I saw the worry in his eyes, but I didn’t want any of it.

“I knew he must have hurt you. I should have done something… I wanted to go find you, when they took you to be sold as a slave in Rome but – I couldn’t. Then I heard you’d been bought by this man, this Tenax, a criminal. I needed to check on you.”

“Please, just leave.” I looked around, searching for Tenax desperately. I didn’t feel in any danger – Aelius would never hurt me – but I wanted him gone. That was the only thing I could think about as I tried to not listen to what he was saying – it was too painful to hear and be reminded of. Then I saw him near the betting desk, in the distance. He was looking in my direction and saw the man in front of me, his hand on my arm. He didn’t know what was happening, but he did not look happy about it and I couldn’t tell which of us his displeasure was directed at. “I have to go. Just leave.” I avoided looking at Aelius and made my way towards Tenax, almost running into a man that was getting out of his seat. Aelius took a few steps after me, but I saw, from the corner of my eye, one of Tenax’s men blocking him and pushing him in the other direction. Once I reached Tenax and looked back, both of them were gone. I just hoped Aelius wouldn’t fight back and get hurt.

“Who was this?” He enquired.

“It’s just – it’s the sailor who got me on the merchant’s boat.”

“Tell me his name.” I was reluctant to tell him at first, knowing he might hurt for whatever reason, but I figured rather quickly that he would find that piece of information even if I wasn’t the one to give it to him.

“Aelius.”

“Go home. Go.” He insisted, repeating themselves after I didn’t move at first but I didn’t wait for him to raise his voice again and left the betting tavern, walking back to the apartment without stopping. Claudia opened the door, and I simply told her that Tenax sent me home for the afternoon. I saw she wanted to tell me something and thought she was going to ask about why he had sent me home, so I changed the subject before she even brought it up and told her about the games and that I was happy Tenax allowed me to attend but her face stayed the same throughout my brief monologue and I went quiet. She looked concerned. Her question took me aback.

“When did you last bleed?”

“I, uh… I don’t– I don’t know, uh—” I really thought about it and came to the realization that the last time I bled was almost two months ago and I froze for a second, staring into space, before daring to look up at Claudia. “In the beginning of Julius, I think.”

“Two months ago. I was beginning to wonder. You might be pregnant.”

“What? I—” My voice faded, as if my breath had been taken away.

“Were you taken advantage of? On that merchant's boat.” Claudia’s disdain for that man transpired in her voice as she mentioned him and though I was uncomfortable, it reassured me to see that she wasn’t angry with me.

I swallowed harshly, looking down at my feet, “Yes.”

“Stay here.” She left me in the apartment, and I locked the door behind her. I waited, anxiously, walking back and forth in the kitchen, glancing towards the bedroom doors, open. I glanced at the front door, no one was climbing up the stairs. Claudia had been gone for a little while and would still be gone for at least twice as long. I stepped towards Tenax’s room, quietly, as if someone was going to hear me and I looked around the room. A bed against the wall, a few furnitures. It was modest but quite nice – the whole flat was quite nice though much smaller than what I was used to back in Spain, where I lived in a nice house in the valley, built by my family, by my grandfather. I loved that house. I rushed back to the door, jumping on my tiptoes and opened – Claudia was back, with a small pouch in her hands. She went to boil some water and crushed a bunch of leaves and other things together and put them in the water. I watched her from the dining table after she told me to sit down and she poured the tea in a cup and placed it in front of me, telling me to let it cool down a little and drink it – all of it – and so I did. I had no idea what it was, but I figured it was something to stop my pregnancy and I wasn’t going to turn it down. I didn’t want to risk having the merchant’s baby, and even if it was Aelius’ baby, I didn’t want it. I feared Tenax would throw me out if I were to have a baby, and in truth, I was terrified. My mother died giving birth to my brother Elia and knowing that I would get married and have children of my own one day, it caused me to have a crippling fear of pregnancy and childbirth.

Claudia then warned me I would bleed profusely, and have painful cramps, but it was necessary, and temporary. I would have to endure, and I knew I could. I found out I was especially enduring, even though I’d have preferred to not have to. I followed her to the room we shared, and she placed a bucket by my bed and told me to sit over it once cramping started, to avoid making a mess with the blood. I didn’t ask any questions, didn’t say anything and would do as she asked. I trusted her with this – I had to. I lied on my bed for a couple of hours. I felt some discomfort but wasn’t bleeding yet. She gave me another cup of the tea she brewed and threw the rest out of the window. Two more hours later, the discomfort turned into the painful cramps she told me about and I moved to the bucket, pressing my hand against my stomach, leaning my back against the bed. I pursed my lips inwards, closing my eyes shut, wincing from the pain as I tried to be quiet. My whole body grew hot and I was shaking, chills running down my spine. I couldn’t even press too hard against my stomach as my hand, and the rest of my body, felt weak so I bent forward, my hand flat between my thighs and abdomen. I heard when Tenax came home. Claudia was in the kitchen, preparing his dinner and I heard them speak as he sat down at the table. He was asking about me and Claudia told him I wasn’t feeling well. I was indisposed for another couple of days before I stopped bleeding altogether and felt well enough to stand up. Claudia brought me some food, mostly liquid as I couldn't stomach most of it. She then took care of the bucket after she made me some food and I ate, knowing that the time when Tenax would ask about what was going on would come. And I would have to be honest. He came home later in the afternoon and Claudia went to open the door while I stood in the kitchen, my back to the wall. He looked at me, after not seeing me for a little over 2 days.

“Claudia, leave us.” She obliged and went in our room. He told me to sit, and I didn’t dare say anything, or look directly in his eyes, so I sat down. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Tell me what’s been going on.” His tone was firm, but not especially harsh and she didn’t understand whether he was angry, annoyed, or something else. I parted my lips, quiet for a few seconds, taking a shaky breath. I finally met his gaze – though briefly – after he prompted me to speak up.

“I was pregnant. Claudia gave me something to— get rid of it. I don’t– I don’t know if it was Aelius’ or—” I swallowed harshly, cutting myself off. Tenax was listening, not saying anything. I had no idea what was going through his head. I wouldn’t look at him again. “or the merchant’s. He didn’t just break my shoulder—”

“I heard enough. Have you eaten?”

“Yes.”

“Go. Rest.” I nodded and went in the room where Claudia was waiting for our conversation to be over. She left as I came in, patting my shoulder on her way out. I went straight to bed, facing the wall and cried, covering my mouth with my hand. The week was ending on a quite emotional and painful note. I returned to work the next day. It seemed Gavros and Scorpus knew I had been ‘sick’ and so did the kids. The latter were especially happy to see me again and quite literally ran to me. This warm welcome brought me some joy finally and I smiled, telling them I was well now. Things went back to normal. I didn’t talk about it, and neither did Tenax, until a couple days later, I was at the desk taking bets when a hooded man came up to me – it was Aelius again. I took a step back, but he motioned for me to come closer to talk to me. I wouldn’t listen to him, but he insisted, and I sighed.

“Speak. But then, please, leave and never come back.” I walked behind a curtain, and he followed me, so he could tell me whatever he wants to tell me before Tenax saw him and kicked him out again.

“That day I came to see you – Tenax had me followed.” I sighed, knowing this would have happened. “Those two men cornered me in an alley. They wanted to know my boss’ name, and location – which I gave them... He was found dead this morning.”

I stared at him, in disbelief, “He’s dead?”

“You see, now, what this Tenax does? He has people followed, beat up and murdered. He’s a criminal. Look, come with me, I– I can leave with you. We’ll be safe together – I’ll keep you safe.” He tried to grab my shoulder, but I backed away instinctively.

“Don’t touch me. I’m safer here, with him, than anywhere with you. And I can’t leave anyway – I’m Tenax’s slave.”

“His slave? I’ll buy your freedom. I’ve saved some money—”

“Leave – just leave Rome. Please.” I wanted this conversation to end. I was hoping he would stop insisting and luckily, he did, maybe he feared what Tenax would do if he was seen bothering me at the tavern again and he reluctantly walked away, following the other people leaving, while I returned to the desk just a moment before Tenax came in and we closed the bets as the race was about to begin. I looked at him when he had his back turned to me for a second. I couldn’t ask him about whatever happened when there were so many people around, so I waited until we were alone, watching the race through the opening in the doors. Gavros was taking care of putting away some equipment in the back and was out of earshot if I spoke quietly, “I have a question.”

“Ask.”

“Did you really do it?”

“Do what?” Neither of us were stupid. He knew very well what I meant, so I was very blunt with my next words.

“Have him killed – the merchant.” He didn’t say anything at first and that was already confirmation enough. I turned my head towards him and locked eyes with him.

“He was a problem – I had it taken care of.” He said, shooting up his eyebrows, trying to act unbothered.

“Thank you.” I whispered these words. He looked a little surprise to see me being grateful for his deed and thanking him, face to face but he nodded and looked back to the race. One of the charioteers got into a shipwreck, but it wasn’t Scorpus so neither of us really cared. I had quickly become aware of the nature of Tenax’s business and that threatening or killing someone was part of it, but I didn’t think he would jump on the occasion to deal with the one man who wronged me – no, worse, almost completely broke me. But if Aelius didn’t sneak back in the betting tavern to talk to me, I don’t know how or when I would have found out. I don’t believe Tenax would have told me if I wasn’t the one to bring it up first, or maybe he would have, but much later. “Aelius came to tell me.”

“That fucking sailor—” He spat, through his gritted teeth.

“He wanted me to leave with him. I refused – told him to get out of Rome.”

“Why? I’m sure you’d rather go home.”

“Yes, but– I don’t know. I didn’t give it a second thought, really. I pray everyday that I am reunited with my brothers, but I guess I just didn’t want to go with him. And, he said that I wasn’t safe with you, and that he would keep me safe…" I shook my head. "Ever since I went on that boat, and left Baetica, he has proven that I couldn't be safe with him, while you have proven I was – safe – with you. Thanks to you, I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes. Not many slaves in Rome can say that they’re treated this well, and, I must admit, I’m really starting to like it here – all the festivals, the games, the horses – and the kids are sweet.” We both chuckled softly at the thought of those kids.

“They’ve grown fond of you.” This made my smile grow bigger. I had grown quite fond of them as well. They were nice kids. “They kept asking me about you when you were ill.”

“My brother, Fonsoa, and I, we used to take care of our little brother, Elia, after our mother died. I guess I’m good with kids.”

“You are.” He nodded.

“They're fond of you too. They look up to you. I know, you’ve said that it’s because they are kids, and would look up to anyone giving them “food and the occasional coin” but, you care for them. I don’t believe you’re as hard-hearted as you pretend.” He didn’t say anything to that, just shrugging. Maybe it got him a little thoughtful, or he knew but would rather not comment on it. I wished I could read his mind to know what he was thinking in this moment. After a moment of silence – which wasn’t exactly silence with the crowd cheering in the arena — he spoke again. There was only a couple of rounds left at this point.

“I will free you. You can leave, on your own, if you wish – or you can keep working for me, at the betting tavern.”

“I’d like that – to keep working at the tavern.” I added another, softer, thank you and we watched the end of the race without talking. Scorpus came second and we welcomed him in the stall. Gavros and another stable hand detached the horses from the chariot and brought them back to the stables. I watched them with envy, wanting to take care of those horses too, but my arm was far from healed. I had no idea how long it would take – most definitely a long time. But I could wait. Right now, I was just happy that Tenax said he wouldn’t keep me as his slave and that I would be a freedwoman, but he was kind enough – though like I said, he didn’t let any of it show – to let me live in his flat, and I actually liked working for him, so it wasn’t such a hard choice to make. I wanted to go home too, but I was, in truth, terrified of being on my own and I feared what might happen on land or by sea, if I did leave. I might be taken by someone else and sold as a slave again or taken advantage of again. At least, here, with Tenax, I was quite well surrounded and protected. A lot of people always had an eye out for me, and when someone threatened me – it didn’t matter if that threat was a passive one – he dealt with it. I knew that he didn’t take any pleasure in doing that kind of things, but he would do what needed to be done. I knew I could trust him.

[To be continued…]  

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Published (08/01/2024) by Andrea

[toasecretsanta]

To: @dreams-and-dreams from @colorsunlikeanythingseen

Prompt: Meg and Apollo road trip

We see a big fork/ I’m absolutely famished/ Turns out I bite too/

I do not get why mortals complain about road trips. There is nothing better than driving across the country, spending time with friends, and listening to music, podcasts, or whatever radio station you happen to find. It is better in the sun chariot of course but even so there is joy in the journey of our stolen truck. I have however learned to appreciate road stops more than I used to when I was a god I rarely saw the point in stopping.

“Turn left” Luckily I was reinterpret this particular order and turned my body left to face Meg instead of raming the car into the side of a building

“Meg watch your orders. I am not mad at you but you have to be more careful”.

“Right, sorry” Meg said and looked away, her face was like cement. Luckily that only lasted a block and she soon went back to examining her map and humming along to the radio.

“Go…We… um.. Please go right now.” I turned right wondering what destination or dead end I would find.

I turn the corner only to find more rows of downtown brick buildings. I will never understand Missouri’s apparent urge to make everything brick. It brought up bad memories of Athena’s lectures on city planning in Olympus. I barely had to make an effort to tune out those meetings. When buildings weren’t brick they were the same bland cookie cutter modern office space.

“Right. It’s right here” Meg suddenly said. I barely had time to turn right. I pulled into a building that managed to be a mix of both brick and modern glass office space. Perhaps Athena had a point about the decay of American architecture.

“Why are we here Meg.” I asked as she stumbled out of the car with the grace of a newly born gazelle.

“Fork.” She said pointing at the fork that looked like one of Utgard-Loki’s dropped dinner sets (Do not accept any of his invitations even if he is, funny, has really good poetry, and lovely eyes. He is simply a terrible host).

“Yes I see the fork. Why?”

With her usual eloquence Meg wandered off without a word in my direction. I suppose you can only expect demigods to stay still so long. I felt a bit wobbly as well, another downside of being mortal. I used to be able to drive all day with complete ease and now after only four hours driving I wanted a rest.

I found a bench to sit down on. It was once of those weird almost modern art ones with curves that might pass as handle bars if you squinted in the middle. The air was warm and you could feel the sun warming the earth. Perhaps it was Ra up there or Sol, or a giant ball of gas, at the moment the cosmos turning on without me brought more comfort than despair. Even if I fail things would continue my children would outlive me and the world would keep turning (a weird fact but not an unpleasant one).

Someone sat down next to me and it was not Meg. It seemed to be a business lady and I felt hungry just looking at her. I didn’t need to be the god of medicine to recognize the clear signs of extremely unhealthy weightloss. She was bone thin in the way only starving people could be, her once perfectly tailored business suit now sagged around her like loose skin. Despite the layers of her suit jacket, vest, and shirt I could count her ribs. She is literally only skin and bone.

“Hey are you alright?” I asked knowing the answer should not be yes. I would not be surprised if I had to call for an ambulance which would be a problem unless the Arrow of Dodonna could make phone calls as easily as they could access google maps.

“Yes… yes I am alright better than ever in fact. Thank you for asking, what is your name, young man.” She gave me a thin smile as she found something funny.

“Lester.” I searched my pockets for some sort of snack. Dried vegetables or meats would be preferred as she would be more likely to accept that of course anything is better than nothing.

“It is nice to meet you Lester. I am Limos, I work in one of the offices there. What are you doing here this is hardly a place you should be.” I found a packet of peanuts in my sweatshirt pocket.

“I am on a road trip with my little sister.” I was starting to feel hungry myself. Ugg road trip snacks are not filling. “That’s her”

She looked over towards where Meg was destroying the carefully cultivated patch of grass at the center of the roundabout. Limos was not as happy as I was at seeing her have fun.

“Well we can’t help who we are related to.” If looks could kill Meg would be dead but when she turned back to face me Limos was all smiles again. “What do you know about this monument.”

“Not much” I was increasingly tempted to dig into the peanuts myself.

“The fork used to be a sculpture in front of some restaurant. They went out of business and whatever company rents out this office space bought the world’s second largest fork.”

“Second?” I felt weak. The last time I felt this hungry was the last time I was mortal. It hadn’t quite sunk in then that food, sleep, and water were now mandatory for me. I was in such a rush to complete the wall of Troy I didn’t eat, sleep or drink for four days straight. Had I not maintained some measure of godly strength I would have died. I wasn’t at that level of hunger yet but something was wrong.

“Oh yes the new largest fork is located in Colorado. So not it is now just a large empty fork with nothing particularly special about it.”

I pulled out the peanuts poured half into my hands and offered the other half of the bag to Limos. “Here”

She looked like I had just offered her maggot infested meat. Far faster that she should be physically be capable of moving she threw the bag into the dirt and knocked the peanuts out of my hand.

“I never share. You should never give something for nothing! That destroys profits and drives me out of business” She snarled and for a moment resembled my father about to strike. However hunger was a force far more powerful than fear so I was more focused on the peanuts.

“My peanuts!” I stumbled off the bench and collapsed as if my legs were cooked spaghetti. My stomach growled like a cornered wolf ready to eat me alive.

“You aren’t human.” I should know exactly who and what she was but as usual that file was not found.

“Neither are you Apollo.” Limos said and in a parody of tender care helped me back onto the bench.

“Why are you trying to kill me.” I asked mostly to delay the inevitable. I remembered many many reasons monsters, gods, spirits, and humans might try to kill me and there were even more that I had forgot.

“I am not trying to kill you Lord Apollo. You might die but that wouldn’t be my fault.”

“Well that is a nice change. It really does not feel like you aren’t trying to kill me though” I rasped. Shooting pains ran through my stomach were it not for Limos’ tight grip on my hands I would have charged towards the roundabout and started eating grass or the peanuts scattered out of reach.

“It’s not worth getting on Artemis’s bad side besides you are going to die soon anyways hopefully after you deal with Python. It could be… inconvenient for us all if you die before then” She said is an even and uncaring tone like she was discussing the projected revenue of a new product and not whether I would live or die.

In a worrying turn of events I stopped feeling hungry as if my body gave up on receiving anything to eat. With this bit of renewed clarity I remembered that she was the very very very minor god of famine (duh), not someone I hung out with, and the natural enemy of Demeter and her children. She wasn’t here for me she was here for Meg, and I was a hostage.

She seemed to notice my look of despair, “Oh you finally caught on took you long enough.” Limos dragged me to my feet. I had to come up with a clever plan to warn Meg unfortunately nothing clever came to mind so I did the next best thing.

I shouted. “MEG. LIMOS IS FAMINE. DO NOT STEP OFF THE---”

I was rudely interrupted by Limos covering my mouth. Taking a page out of Megs book I bit her, hard. Despite the blood running down her hand Limos didn’t even flinch. Luckily her blood was red, like the triumvirate or my sister’s hunters. Limos’ power truly had faded over the millenia. If I wasn’t about to pass out and had my ukulele or any arrows, I could kill her! Maybe...

Meg unlike me was always ready to fight someone and was armed with ornamental vegetable seeds, snacks, and swords. With her typical grace she stated, “Give him back.”

“I will if you corporate with me. Lets have a talk just you and I this does not have to be ugly and no one needs to get hurt.”

Hopefully heading my warning Meg did not move closer. Limos stepped onto the road instead cementing my theory of her not quite having the range she once had “Your dear stepfather worries about you and had hired me to bring you home.” Limos lied.

“He- he isn’t my family. That’s not my home. I am not going back like that ever again.” Meg spoke in a rush like she was trying to fit decades of unspoken words into a sentence.

“I am sorry about your situation I truly am” Limos continued lying, “But I was hired for this job and I must fulfill it. I am sure we can reach a compromise.” I am sure she said elaborated more but I was rather distracted by a jagged knife of bone getting far too close to my throat.

Perhaps it was a sign of my current starving state of mind but my first thought was not, oh yikes I am going to die , instead I wondered it I could eat that bone. There was only one way to find out. In a move so stupid that Limos couldn’t predict it I stopped biting Limos’s and bit down on the knife instead. In case you are wondering, no it did not tase good. it tasted like my own blood and new mouth injuries because that is what happens when you bite jagged knives.

Luckily Meg took advantage of Limos’s distraction or perhaps someone drop kicked a pumpkin out of a nearby window. Either way Limos fell back and I stumbled forward. Meg supported me back to the grass and more importantly the pumpkins. They were better than any ambrosia and nectar I have ever had.

“That was quite rude of you. To think we could have done this the easy way. Now well- you have disrespected a god you both know the consequences of that.” My pumpkin withered and felt more hungry than ever after eating.

“How do we beat her.” Meg said still standing tall despite her new hunger. I tried to mimic her focus.

“Food, especially gardens, grow as much as you can. You are her natural enemy for a reason, she wants to kill you before you kill her, because this god can die.”

Meg nodded and scattered seeds across the grassy spot. Strawberries blossomed and burst into fruit, shoots of grass grew into golden grain, squashes sprouted. It was a paradise greater than Elysium. I gobbled up as much strawberries as I could. Meg munched on a cob of corn. We were safe for now, but I doubted that Meg could outlast a god. Limos reached the curb but did not step closer. I could see anger behind her smiling mask either at my words or the pumpkin staining her new suit jacket.

“Ridiculous I am immortal just like you once were Lester. You could never defeat let alone kill me. I just want to kill you because you are related to someone I can’t hurt yet.” Meg nodded at me as if to say keep talking. Finally I could do something I excelled at!

“That speech might have fooled me if I were a mortal but I am a very old god. I have witnessed the final moments of pantheons, I can see the signs of a gods death. Your domain is weakening-”

“NO it is not. Famine has never weakened in fact it has grown more than ever, tonight over 828 million people will go to bed hungry. My reach has not weakened and it never will.”

“Yes there are far too many people hungry, but they don't have to be. New farming practices are so effective that there is enough food to feed everyone.” I couldn’t tune out all of Demeter's rants on improved agricultural efficiency.

“And people would rather have it rot then share it. No one shares if it means that they might lose a few dollars.” Limos successfully was distracted arguing with me but Meg seemed to need even more time.

“Some are that greedy but not everyone. Besides that isn’t even your biggest problem I mean who know who Limos is? You name is practically forgotten. I haven’t seen a shrine for you in millennia and nothing is named after a famine god. That would be terrible branding.”

For a moment Limos’ mask of confidence cracked and either fear or anger leaked through. “Shut up.” A wave a hunger washed through me a but I simply helped myself to more strawberries. “Gods are always powered by a worshippers’ fear. Even if they don’t know my name anymore, anyone that has met me fears me and will never return to life the same. That is more powerful than any shrine.” Her resemblance to Zeus continued to grew and it wasn’t because they had the same taste in business suits.

“Fear only works for so long, Love lasts far longer, but nothing is remembered forever. Even Pan died and you are far weaker than him. How much time do you have before you die like everyone you killed? I have always wondered what a god’s afterlife would be like if we have one at all.”

Limos trembled probably out of anger. “You are going to learn that first.” Bone knives flew towards my neck and would have hit were it not for Meg and her ornamental vegetables. A wave of vegetation grew cracking the concrete. A peach tree grew around Limos trapping her.

As one Meg and I ran towards the truck. The ground trembling beneath us as the road was transformed into a new community garden. We did not buckle our seat belts, I stomped on the gas pedal, accelerated to illegal speeds and left Limos in the dust. Presumably. I did not turn around to check.

It took twenty miles before I felt safe enough to speak “That was terrible. We are never doing that again”

“Yeah, don’t get captured ever again.” Meg looked at me weirdly like I might die or vanish forever if she looked away again.

“I am not planning to. Want to find us a new rest stop?”

“Thought we were never doing that again?”

“We aren’t visiting any large forks again, but a ball of twine is still on the table if it is on the way too….”

I didn’t continue the weight of our task sat too heavily in my throat for moment, but I drove on each mile getting us closer to what would be the end of our journey one way or another. I would not mind another roadside attraction before things ended.

Facts

The statistics about word hunger is accurate as of my time of writing this. Source https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/the-hunger-crisis/world-hunger-facts/

The story of the world’s second largest fork is is accurate.

A lot of Missouri’s building are made of brick due to the brick mines as well as because brick is fire resistant. St. Louis is particular had a problem with fire due to how steamboats were prone to spontaneous combustion.

Brickwork can be beautiful if you are a bit creative but corporations are not creative.

There is a surprising amount of discourse about whether or not this is or isn't the largest fork. Missouri’s is the tallest but Colorado's is the largest from what I have seen. Main source https://417local.com/largest-fork-springfield-mo/

Meg and Apollo did fight a famine sprit at Springfield Missouri’s largest fork.

Limos is the greek god of famine.

We do have enough food to feed everyone on the planet. No one needs to starve.

[toymittens]

M;PN AU

Context: This takes place in Arena Combat. Sol, the playable character in this run, has had his squadmates return from a patrol gone wrong. Sol wants to know what happened.

also the player is eldritch and terrorises a grunt for a few hours (accidentally?)

|encounter|

"...Is Necro able to talk?"

"Well, that's why we're here. They, ah- they wrote this up for you. It's apparently an account of what happened. I'm sorry, sir, we tried to get them to come and see you-"

"No, no. It's quite alright, Gumball. Tell them to get some rest... actually, you two can have an early break as well. I'll get someone else to handle the patrols. Is that all?"

"That's all, sir. Thank you."

"You can just call me Sol... and it's not a problem. Close the door on your way out, please."

The click sounded behind him, leaving Sol alone in the loft. Still, he did not sit down until he heard his squadmates' footsteps trailing off. With a sigh, he took his gloves off and began to read. The writing was shaky.

I am sorry I cannot tell you this in person. I just can't look at you right now, all I can think of is those eyes.

I should explain myself.

We were patrolling the area when it happened. It was just me, Gumball and Cvoklall. Gumball ran ahead again after hearing a noise, leaving me and Cvoklall behind. Cvoklall tried calling for him, but we were ambushed by bandits almost as soon as Gumball left.

The bandits weren't a problem, there were just many in one small area. I'm not useless. I can still do my job. Please let me keep my position here, I have nowhere else left.

The next few lines were covered in harsh dark scribbles, the words underneath unreadable. They must've gone on this tangent for a while. Sol found the next part, and continued his reading.

Well as I mentioned, there were many. Too many, and I ran out of bullets. I didn't have any extra ammo on me, so I ran, hoping to find some on the ground elsewhere. Looking back, I know that I could've used one of their weapons. I should've done that. I'm not even a huge fan of firearms. I don't know why I didn't think of that.

I'm sorry, I've lost track again. I was running, and you know that warehouse a bit to the east of here? I've seen you going inside a few times alone, so I figured that there's something useful inside. That's all it was, really. I just thought there could be a weapon or something useful. I thought it was safe.

I guess... that's why I didn't think it was odd that the attackers didn't follow me inside. I just assumed that you or someone from the base was inside, and the bandits didn't want to risk anything. Now I'm not so sure. Did they know something...?

When i entered, it was dead quiet. It wasn't that there was no sound, it was almost like all the noise around me was stifled, somehow. I felt that if I tried to talk, I wouldn't even hear my words. I wanted to just grab what I could and get out of there. Whatever was going on, I didn't want to be a part of it.

There was something else. This awful feeling of being watched came over me, and moving further into the warehouse took effort. That's when I saw it. Someone was inside with me, casually walking around, despite me not hearing his footsteps at all.

It did not occur to me why not hearing him felt so wrong.

I was actually about to chase him off, when I got closer and recognised his clothes. Believe me when I tell you that this man wore the exact same outfit you always have on. His body shape, his height, even the hair looked like yours. I did call out to him using your name. Just once. He stopped dead, but did not turn around. Again, no noise.

It was only as I approached that I saw he was standing at an odd angle. It looked like he was about to topple over with the way he seemed to lean harshly to one side, but he remained upright, somehow.

And then I looked down.

Now this isn't even something I'm positive was real, but I could've sworn this guy's feet were not touching the ground properly. They were connected with it, yes, but they seemed to hover, slightly, as if he was hanging from the ceiling. I had to do a double take at this, but they still didn't seem to be... correct. I looked the man over again. Now that I was looking for it, I noticed. He was wrong. I can't explain how I felt other than to say that I knew he wasn't right. He was a little taller than he should've been, as if he had been stretched out like elastic. Every small detail that the you I know has seemed missing on this figure, or warped somehow. At this point I knew that I was not looking at you, but my mind was racing. I couldn't think to do anything, not even to run.

I'm saying this because I have to make you understand why I didn't just kill him. Please don't fire me, I'll accept any other punishment for my incompetence but I cannot leave this place. I hope you will at least consider.

The man seemed to know I was staring at him, and righted himself so that he now stood almost like a real person. Well, actually he didn't move, he just sort of shifted. Like the reflection in rippling water. I can't describe it properly. Sorry. I also cant really describe how I know he knew I saw him. He was not facing me, but... It felt like he was looking directly at me.

Then, he slowly turned around, and I still wish I didn't stay to look at his... it's face. It turned all of it's eyes to stare at me, and it was then I realised why I felt like I was being watched. I couldn't see any other features, just a dark space where it's face should've been, with eyes covering every part of it. All focused on me. Then what I saw changed, and this is the part where you tear my letter up and deem me a liar.

Every part of it was eyes. I could still see it's body and hands, but I promise you, they were focused on me, and with more pupils than I could comprehend. It wasn't just the figure. Everywhere I looked there were those same, unblinking eyes on a pitch dark void. I must've ran through that place for what felt like hours. Everywhere I turned I was watched. At the same time, I felt a pulling, as if something was dragging me somewhere. I resisted it but it was persistent. In the end, my mind was so numb that I just... didn't care anymore. At this point I just wanted it to end, so I gave in. I knew I was moving, but I didn't feel in control at all. It was horrible. I felt completely helpless and I never want to even think about that sensation again. It didn't even feel good when I gave up, just like I had surrendered any chance of survival I had left.

I do not know how I got out of there. At some point I just stopped thinking. What brought me to my senses was the rain, and I'd realised I had stopped moving for a while. That's when I realised Cvoklall was talking to me. He was just telling me about his day, sometimes looking at me as if hoping for a response. I did manage to say something in the end, and asked him how long he had been speaking to me. He told me he saw me standing there, unresponsive, and decided to ease me back into reality by talking. He had been talking to me for an hour, turns out. Gumball had been keeping watch, and was a lot less calm than Cvoklall. When he realised I had started to talk, he didn't stop asking questions. I know he was just worried, but I couldn't bring myself to answer.

I still haven't told them what happened, and only Gumball has been asking although I know Cvoklall wants to know as well. What do I even say? None of you are likely to believe me.

I just hope that this is a decent enough explanation for why I can't see you in person yet.

Sol put down the letter, hands slightly shaky. Necro may not think he would believe their story, and a few months ago they would've been right. Now, though...

Sol believed every word. He had tried to keep his trips to that warehouse private, but Necro had a keener eye than they gave themselves credit for. Still, it was not their fault. No, Sol knew exactly who was to blame for this.

As for what would happen with Necro, Sol wasn't sure what was the best course if action. Obviously he wasn't going to kick them out. Necro may not know it yet, but Sol had grown attached to them, and wasn't planning on abandoning them in the future. Maybe he should treat the other grunt with more kindness in the future. Guy clearly needs it.

...

Maybe he should ask Bossman to look for a therapist to hire. Next time he saw Necro, he would make a point to have his shades to cover his eyes.

...

Sol felt a sudden chill, and the familiar feeling of a thousand eyes staring into his skull returned. Turning around, he noticed a monitor that had always been unplugged, flicker to life. Noise momentarily filled the screen before becoming completely white.

Words started to appear, and Sol did not stop to read them, instead turning to the door to leave. He didn't care what that monster had to say.

"I know you can hear me. Stay the fuck away from my team."

[heartlessfujoshi]

the horndog and the prince(ss) - a multichapter rufusreno fic

Title: The Horndog and the Prince(ss) Chapter: 10 of 10 Fandom: FFVII Compilation Pairing: RufusReno (Rufus Shinra x Reno) Rating: Explicit (Explicit Sexual Content - Timeline what Timeline - Collar - HEA) Word Count: ~2,510

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9

“Rufus, I need to ask you a question, and I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me.” 

The sun was shining, there was a very delicious cocktail in front of him, and the waves could be heard crashing onto the beach about a dozen meters away from where he was sitting. Rufus had brought his Turks to Costa del Sol for a weekend of relaxation and recharging. A group activity, if you would. And while it has been all fun and sun, right now it was anything but that. Rufus could feel a knot begin to form in his stomach, as he kept his eyes on the ocean, where he could see both Rude and Elena having fun splashing in the waves. His favorite redhead was sunning his very pale body on the beach, sunglasses covering his face, while his goggles were left on his towel. 

He kept his eyes on the ocean, then reached for the glass and brought it to his lips. Tseng never addressed him by his first name unless it was something very serious. He really didn’t want to deal with something serious when this weekend was meant to be one where no such thoughts should exist, but apparently Tseng had not gotten that memo. “What is it.” 

“Is Reno compromised?” 

Setting his drink down, he felt the knot disappear, as his eyes went over to where the redhead was laying. “Why would you think such a thing? Has he shown disloyalty to any of us?” 

“No, he hasn’t. I’m not asking in regards to that. I’m asking in regards to being able to protect you.” 

The drink touched his lips, the alcohol striking his tongue as panic began to well up inside of him. They’d been so careful in the past, but it seemed that their luck had finally run out. “Why would he not be able to protect me?” 

“Because he’s in love with you.” 

Rufus’ head snapped to the left where Tseng was sitting, and he could see a pleased smirk on his former favorite Turk’s face. “Excuse me?” 

“I am not an idiot, Rufus.” Tseng picked up the cocktail that had been in front of him, and took a long drink from it. “I had my suspicions, and you confirmed them just now.” 

His eyes narrowed. “You know nothing, then.” 

“I know everything, Rufus. You think you may be fooling the others, but I know you better than you know yourself.” Tseng returned the drink to Rufus, and leaned back against his chair. “Now, I will ask you again. Is Reno compromised? Or do you think he will be able to perform his job when called upon?” 

Rufus looked back over at where Reno was laying, and sighed. “He would die for me if he had to.” 

“Do you love him?” He closed his eyes, and nodded his head. “You both deserve to be happy. I’m sorry that our positions limit that from all of us.” 

“It’s fine.” Rufus grabbed his drink and took another long sip. “It happened by accident.” 

“You’re lying.” 

He groaned, then rolled his eyes. “Fine. It didn’t happen by accident. I went and sought him out, but he didn’t know it was me when it started.” 

“You were playing a dangerous game.” 

“Don’t I always?” He heard Tseng chuckle, which made him feel slightly better. “I don’t know how it happened, but yes - I love the idiot.” 

Tseng nodded his head. “He’ll be your guard moving forward. Only if you promise to curb your sexual needs until after hours.” 

“I will do my best.” 

“That is better than refusing.” 

“Reno will be more difficult to accept that, though.” Rufus commented, leaning back in his chair as he exhaled a long sigh. “I promise I will try, Tseng.” 

“Thank you, sir.” 

He heard the chair scrape against the sand, and saw Tseng stand up. “How long have you known?” He asked, curious to hear what he was going to say. 

“A few months.” 

“Why are you asking about it now?” Rufus was curious, needing to know why Tseng had kept quiet about it for all this time. 

“Because Reno has been acting more volatile if he’s not around you.” The smirk on Tseng’s face had Rufus blushing. “Keep him in check, would you? He listens to you better than he listens to any of us, so it would seem.” 

“I will.” Rufus refused to tell Tseng that he was wrong. It was him that would listen to whatever Reno wanted. “Do the others know?” 

Tseng shook his head. “I’m sure Rude has his suspicions as well, but he won’t say anything. Elena will not find out.” 

“Thank you.” He saw Tseng bow his head, then watched him leave. Rufus finished the alcohol in his drink, and wasn’t at all surprised when he saw a very pale redhead standing in front of him. 

Reno’s sunglasses were perched on the tip of his nose, his green eyes staring at him in a way that was making his heart beat a little quicker. “Ye gonna go in the water, sir?” 

“No.” He shook his head. “I think I’ll be retiring to my room now.” 

“Tseng gonna escort ya?” 

“You are.” Rufus stared directly at him, conveying his meaning through a single look. 

The redhead grinned, and nodded his head. “Yes, sir.” 

Rufus led them back to his suite on property, which was off to the side of the hotel as it was more private. The owners of the hotel were happy to host them, and made sure that they were all well taken care of. Rufus, as a precaution, took the suite as it made the most sense for him to be in it. He unlocked the door with his magnetic key, and pushed it open, knowing that Reno would follow him. 

Two well defined arms wound themselves around his waist as soon as the door was closed. “Saw ya talkin’ wit’ Tseng. Anything I should know about, yo?” 

Leaning back against Reno, Rufus shrugged. “He knows about us.” 

“Fuck!” 

Reno started to pull away from him, but he held his arms in place, refusing to let him go. “Relax.” He waited for Reno to settle down, then continued. “It’s fine. I’m glad he knows.” 

“Am I fired?!” 

“Why the hell would you be fired?” This time, as Reno struggled to get his arms free, Rufus allowed him to move. He turned around, and could see panic written all over his face. “Hang on, are you upset that he knows? Because I’m relieved.” 

“I don’t want to be fired.” 

“You’re not fired!” Rufus bellowed, then walked away from him and headed towards his bedroom. “You’re a fucking moron, Reno. Why would you be fired? Because you’re banging your boss?” 

“Yeah!” 

He turned around, and saw Reno was following him into the bedroom. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’ll be assigned to me full time.” 

“Is Tseng a fuckin’ idiot?” 

“Maybe.” Rufus smirked, as he peeled off the button up shirt he was wearing. “He asked if you were compromised. I told him no.” 

Reno stared right into his eyes as he spoke. “Ye know I’d fuckin’ go into th’ lifestream for ya, Ruf’.” 

“I know you would. As would I.” He approached Reno, and brought his hands to his and held them tight. “I’m yours, Reno.” 

“Hang on.” 

He blinked a few times as Reno left him standing in his bedroom, his shirt wide open, the swim trunks he was wearing hanging low on his hips. Rufus couldn’t believe the redhead left him. He was about to tell him he loved him again, when he was left high and dry. What the hell. 

Reno returned a few minutes later with a wrapped box in his hand. “Sorry. I was gonna give this ta ya when we got back ta Midgar, but now seems like a good time.” 

“You got me a present?” He asked, staring at the box. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had given him something he hadn’t expected to be given. 

“I did. I saw it, and knew I had ta get it for ya, Princess.” 

“Can I open it now?” 

“Ye fuckin’ better.” 

Rufus tore into the package, and saw that it was a medium sized velvet box. He opened it, and felt his stomach roll in a way that took his breath away. “Reno.” He examined the item, and felt all the blood in his body rushing down to a part of him that was begging to be touched. 

“Want me ta put it on ya?”

“Please.” He nodded his head vigorously, his fingers still touching the item in the box. “When did you get this?” 

“I saw it a few weeks ago. Was waiting for th’ right time ta give it to ya.” 

Reno picked up the simple leather collar that was in the box, and held it up to Rufus’ face. “It’s beautiful.” He breathed out, his heart still beating quite fast as his cock stood rock hard in his swim trunks. 

“Only th’ best for ma babe.” Reno put the collar around his neck, and Rufus exhaled a low moan. “Now ye can wear it all the time, and know that yer mine.” There was a small pendant attached to the collar, which also could be attached to a leash if the owner wished. On the pendant was the letter ‘R’. To any other person, it would mean his own name, but he knew it stood for ‘Reno’. “Do ya like it, Ruf’?” 

His hands touched the collar, which hugged the base of his neck. “I love it.” He moaned softly, then stared up at Reno who looked pretty proud of himself. “How does it look?” 

“It looks like ye wanna fuck.” Reno’s lips were curled up into a smirk, as he put his palm right up against Rufus’ very apparent arousal. “Is that true, Princess? Do ya wanna fuck?” 

“Yes.” He nodded his head. “I want you to fuck me, Reno.” 

“Then get on the bed, and get on yer hands and knees.” 

Rufus quickly got out of the rest of his clothes, and crawled onto the bed. The collar around his neck felt so good - he truly was Reno’s now. What had started off as morbid curiosity had turned into something he never could have dreamed. He hung his head, the pendant swinging back and forth as he waited to feel his lover’s cock push up against his needy hole. His fingers dug into the comforter, his hips swaying back and forth, waiting for Reno to join him. 

He moaned low as Reno slapped his hole with his cock. “Ya want it, don’t ya, baby?” Reno did it again, making him moan lower as he tried to hold onto his sanity. “Tell me ya want it.” 

“I want it.” Rufus moaned, pushing his hips back, as if that would get the redhead to give him what he wanted. A hard slap to his ass made him positively ravenous, as he screamed into the mattress his mad desire. 

“‘Course ya want it.” Reno rubbed his lubed up cock between his cheeks, torturing him in the best way possible. Rufus moaned and moaned, the collar tightening around his neck as it moved up from the base, making it difficult to breathe. It was perfect. Another hard strike to his ass made him involuntarily spasm, his body willing and ready for Reno. “I guess I gotta give it to ya, don’t I?” 

“Please!” He shouted, his cock thick between his own thighs. 

Reno slammed his dick deep inside of him with one hard push forward. Rufus fell forward as he finally got the relief he’d been itching for, a deep bawdy moan leaving his throat as his inner walls were stretched to the max. Reno slapped both of his hands onto his hips and held him tight, forcing him to follow the speed that he set. Rufus moaned, pushing his hips back in a futile attempt to get Reno to move faster, which only made the redhead move slower. 

“Yer gonna earn this fuck, Rufus.” He moaned low in response. 

Over and over, Reno snapped his hips hard, but wouldn’t allow Rufus to come. He was constantly held back, and by the time it had happened for the fourth time, Rufus was shouting obscenities that would make a SOLDIER blush. He could hear Reno chuckling low right up against his ear, as he yanked him up off the bed, forcing him to stay up on his knees. 

“Curse all ya want, baby.” Reno’s tongue licked the shell of his ear, and then Rufus was screaming again as the redhead’s hand touched his cock. “Imma make you scream for th’ rest of yer life.” 

Rufus knew he was done for. As Reno’s hand pumped his cock, he rocked his hips back and forth, reveling in the way Reno’s cock felt inside of him. If this was what he was going to have for the rest of his existence, it was going to be a very good time. “R-Reno!” He moaned his lover’s name as he began to come, finally getting the release he’d been chasing after for a while now. 

“That’s it, baby….Keep comin’ for me…” 

He couldn’t stop if he wanted to. And when he was finished, Reno pulled out and flipped him onto his back, then drove his cock back inside of him. They came together, meeting in the middle with sloppy kisses, Rufus’ fingers now dragging down Reno’s back as he snapped his hips harder. He heard the redhead howl, and then felt his inner walls flood with the heat of his release, Rufus exhaling a deep moan as he himself began to come again, the two of them locked in a lover’s embrace as they reached oblivion together. 

Reno collapsed onto his chest, Rufus grunting as he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. “I love ye.” Reno panted hard, Rufus’ own breaths matching his. 

“I love you too.” Rufus moaned softly as Reno’s fingers touched the pendant on his collar. “I’m yours, Reno.” 

“And I’m yers.” Reno lifted his head, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes. “Ya might hate me.” 

“I’m sure I will.” He agreed, but said it with a smile on his face. “And you will get tired of me.” 

“Never, yo.” 

Rufus looked into his eyes and believed him. Whether they would stay together until their dying days, it was anyone’s guess, but Rufus knew that he’d made the right choice by seeking Reno out. He never had any intention of falling in love with him, but it had happened, and he wasn’t at all sorry. Rufus knew the redhead would love him, and would keep him safe for as long as he was able. He trusted Reno with his life, and with his heart, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Because he was Reno’s, and would always be his, until the lifestream came for him. 

---

Cross-posted to AO3

[florainkingdom]

"Strict sounds like an understatement if you ask me. Whatever, not like we have to worry about it anymore." Poppy wanted to go over and smack Rosa upside the head, though no point in causing problems that didn't need to be caused. "I think we can both agree on that. Only been back for about twenty minutes and I'm already tired of Flora." Guess having a much more peaceful home makes Flora seem ten time worse than she already saw it as.

Suddenly the tall, cloaked lady walked over, looking down at them before holding out a ticket to Blaze. "A gift, if you will. Burn it in the Flame and the results should speak for themselves. Be wary of one called Laffy." She then turned around and returned to the group which teleports back to the temple. It then goes back into the portal which close's right after.

"Okay, does anyone have any idea who the heck those people were? Not to mention that tall lady seemed to know some stuff she shouldn't. Then warning us about some chick name Laffy. I am so lost at this point." Poppy was at a complete lost right now. At least Kalak seemed nice enough, if only a bit pushy about her petition. What on Flora did she miss while in Sol? Wasn't often you saw so many people of different countries working together like that.

"Ah, the Seven D'vas have reformed at the demand of High Queen Vix. The with a flame on the back of her cloak a stand in while they find a sheep to fill the spot an old member used to fill. It is a wise move as they're made up of some of the most powerful mages in all of Flora, and I have no doubt there are some from other worlds who are less the savory along with being powerful themselves." Bella honestly wasn't surprised the D'vas reformed.

Their attention then went to Leo and his question. "I'll honestly feel better once we high tail it out of here." The opossum then noticed her family rushing back, along with an army of kids. "Oh, did I forget to mention one of my sister's has fifteen kids. Which reminds me, mum-" She was cut off by getting hit with the cane. "I didn't even get to finish my-" And then another hit making her stop talking.

"Coming all the way here just to ask me to play babysitter, you're lucky I don't keep hitting you with this cane!" Scarlett wasn't finished tearing into her daughter it seemed. "Though yes, I'll watch the little ones so you can work." The feline then turned to Blaze offering a gentle smile. "And don't worry about me. Between raising my own litter and this one here watching my grandchildren will be easy."

Blaze was quite intrigued by the others ability to split bits of themself off and it made her tilt her head. She was honestly glad she didn't or couldn't do that. The last thing she needed was her rage getting free and running amok. But still she seemed to be quite in tune with herself. But at least things were resolved and they could all get back soon. Though it was quite a trip, she hoped Miles gizmo could get them all back. Though she supposed she could open a proper gateway if she had to. Though doing so might give away more then she wished to give away.

" Well it seems my brash actions didn't stop your quick thinking Scarlett. Good to see you're all back together. I'll be happier when we are all back in Sol... I'll see you all get proper rooms in the Palace until we can locate some proper housing for you as well as employment "

Her eyes traveled to the solider as she approached and gazed at her curiously. So one of Poppys family was a soldier of the iron paw? Seemed Rosa was a strict military leader. She can't say her own Military was less strict though probably les violent on those wishing to leave.

" It seems Rosa is a strict ruler... I shall keep that in mind for the future. Though i suppose her willingness to bend the rules shows she is not completely heartless...let us be thankful for her mercy today... things could have gone far differently... "

She placed her hands behind her back and offered Bella a soft smile

" ...i wish i understood the reason for this prejudice against the Opossums... perhaps it would help me understand this entire situation better..."

She sighed watching Rosa's amusement she had a feeling they would never get along. She seemed a cruel woman, yet she allowed bella to leave? Perhaps she was mere keeping face. She put her hand on Poppys shoulder and shook her head. It wasn't worth the energy, or the stress to deal with those like that. Poppy would most certainly have to learn to keep that in check---perhaps something they both had in common.

" She's right, i may have to deal with these nobles in the future...best not to antagonize them any more then we have. Let's just take a moment to calm ourselves and be thankful its over... once your family returns we'll open a gate to Sol and return... sooner we are in Sol the safer i'll feel. "

By this point Leo had managed to crawl his way back up to everyone else. Having found his discarded shield, and strapped it back in place and put his armor back on. He looked more comfortable then before at least. Joining the others with a hand upon the hilt of his blade. The Tall white lion sighed and though worn out, he was reminded that healing magic still could be exhausting.

" Apologies for the delay highness... I trust all is well? "

[lou-wilham]

Villainous // Queer Cyberpunk Scifi Fantasy

Dusk didn’t wait to start on his diatribe. “Every hero needs a villain, right?” The words fell from his lips, accompanied by his fingers as he spoke. He kept his own voice low, matching Jericho’s volume. “Isn’t that what you used to say? Remember? You always made me play the bad guy, or the damsel in distress. I was never allowed to be the hero; that was your job. Well, here I am, Lettie. Your self-made villain.”

Lettie. It didn’t feel as uncomfortable as Jericho thought it might for her to hear that name again. Dusk had been the only one she’d ever allowed to call her that. A sign of their friendship, their closeness, when Jericho couldn’t express her emotions any other way. But now there was no closeness. Still, the name left her feeling . . . nostalgic. For a life that was long gone, back when things had seemed simpler. When her parents had been there to patch her up every time she fell on the playground. Before . . . Before . . . Before the guilt had settled in and broken everything.

Jericho stared at Dusk for a long time, her eyebrow twitching in irritation and disbelief. “Seriously? That’s what you’re going with? My best friend never let me play hero when we were little, so I decided to become a villain? That’s the most cliché shit I’ve ever heard.”

Dusk held the look for a moment longer before snickering, as if they were both in on some age-old joke. Maybe they were. But it didn’t feel like it would have all those years ago. This felt brittle, strained. “Nah.”

“Then what?” Jericho blew out a breath, rustling the loose blond strands fluttering around the opposite side of her undercut.

Dusk made a noncommittal noise in the back of this throat. His fingers moved over the cool acrylic tabletop he was chained to. They’d left him enough chain to move his hands in the familiar intricate patterns but not enough to stand. How long had he been sitting there?

“What’s on the thumb drive?” Jericho pressed on, vowing not to think further about what Dusk had gotten himself into. That was his problem, not hers.

Dusk lifted his eyes, a smile unlike any Jericho had ever seen on his face before—cold, calculating—curling his lips. Suddenly, that dimple on his cheek didn’t look quite so charming. Despite the smile, he remained silent, lips and fingers unmoving.

“Damn it, Sol! Tell me!” Jericho growled, jaw clenching around the words as her anger flared.

“What’s that? Can’t hear you.” Dusk leaned forward so he could hold a hand up to his ear.

Rep: Genderfluid MC, Hard of Hearing Trans Masc MC

What makes someone a villain?

After the war, Mythikos was divided into three classes: Seelie, Unseelie, and human.

For Jericho, a werewolf a part of the Hero Alliance, the world has always been black and white. Heroes and villains. Seelie and Unseelie. Those who protect the humans and those who hurt them. Jericho has always known what side they’re on.

But when the villain they’ve been hunting for the last six months turns out to be their childhood friend, everything Jericho knew is turned upside down. Dusk storms into Jericho’s life to show them just how wrong their assumptions are, and that the world is made up of more than just good and evil.

Faced with a world that seems increasingly more grey, Jericho must decide to return to their old life, or trust their friend turned villain.

A LGBTQ+ fantasy scifi novel for fans of J. Elle’s Wings of Ebony, Marissa Meyer’s Renegades, and April Daniels’ Dreadnought.

GRAB YOUR COPY

[zootplayz]

Who Who

Hey all welcome to the prequel to my Not so Dr Who legacy challenge. Now initially the plan was to just be a famous legacy called Peach after Gretchen's creator Georgia.

But these two are too amazing for that and since I'm currently watching all of the Doctor Who episodes I've decided to make a Who Legacy. Now there is a time lord challenge already for the Sims 4 which, quite frankly is far more accurate than what I'm going to be doing. But I'm still doing it. The plan is I'm going to make each generation like the corresponding doctors. As such this lovely couple is generation zero, a prequel if you will, on where the doctors come from. So we're going to be pretty normal here for a bit before we get to the doctors but we are still Who's up in here.

Who! Who! Sorrynotsorry In case you couldn't tell and or didn't know, this adorable couple is currently living in San Myshuno so Gretchen has been able to bring in extra dough while busking in town.

She really doesn't have to though because Felix is already at the top of his career as a comedian so they are doing just fine.

Things are going so great before we knew it Gretchen went and got herself pregnant.

Felix's face is just kinda killing me, like uh what? I just woke up you can't be springing this on me right now. Now the Who's are doing just fine to survive in a tiny apartment in the city but there is literally no room for a baby. What the hell was the game thinking when they had those pregnant Bheedas in here? Zoot hates the city so I think it's time to move. But we don't have enough money so thanks to some loans and a little help from Felix's Dad living in retirement, we finally managed to scramble together enough simoleons to get the hell out of this place. Let me tell you I friggin love this house I found.

Gretchen's reaction upon moving in just says it all.

It's amazing I know. I just saw it and had to have it for the Who's. It does have that celebrity lot trait though so Felix is going to have to work on his fame rather than just bringing home dogs to fill the house with.

Luckily for us all Gretchen is already pregnant so we don't have to worry about this amorous duo throwing more kids at me.

But, well, pregnancies don't last forever and it was soon off to the races.

It's ok Felix, Gretchen is just fine with your beautiful baby girl.

No, wait, damnit.

...girls... Kill me. Just kill me now. I am so sick of multiples. Here are a couple pictures of Felix's puppy Dingo to make me feel better.

I mean just how cute is he? My friend DK was right a husky corgi mix is out and out adorable.

The Who's also have a cat, Gustav that you haven't really gotten to meet. But Felix's sister loves him.

So it's winter here in Del Sol Valley and Felix had to invite his whole family over to help with the tree.

Because it is his birthday after all he should be surrounded by loved ones on his big day.

While all this holiday stuff was going on the twins went and aged up and promptly made a huge mess.

Watcher help me, these kids are going to be a handful. So this little one here with the pigtails is Victoria or Vicki. Named after two of the 1st 2 doctors' companions. I mean why they had one named Vicki and another like 2 seasons later named Victoria seems a little uncreative. But anyways there you have it.

Vicki is not heir though. That honor fell to her older sister Dorothea or Dodo. Again another early companion and well Dodo is just fun to say.

And I'm out of things to say yet I still have three pictures in here. So here's some more of Vicki.

Felix getting some presents.

And the one, the only, the amazing... Gustav!

Read the full article

[seasonsbloom]

dime store cowboy 2 . (hangman)

pairing ; cowboy!jake seresin x female!reader

synopsis ; jake teaches you about the cowboy hat rule. (part two of dime store cowboy, but can probably be read separately.)

wc ; 6.5k

warnings ; 18+ only, minors do NOT interact; explicit language, alcohol abuse, explicit sexual content (semi-public sex, sex while under the influence, p in v, fingering, riding, dirty talk, lil tiny bit of degradation maybe?, almost getting caught)

note: YEEHAW PARDNERS………. i hate this so much, but hey i finished! that's the only positive about this goodbe.

sol. sunderlust. you already know what i’m gonna say thank you for being my bestie :(

It’s a small town, so news travels like wildfire - soon, all the kitchens are burning.

When you walked into work on Monday, three of your co-workers told you not to get too involved with Jake. On a trip to the local mom-and-pop shops for nails to hang your newest art print with, the older woman at the register frowned, called you by name even though you don’t remember ever introducing yourself to her, and said, Jake Seresin is bad news, honey. At a diner, a whole table of mid-twenties girls glared actual daggers at you.

With the way he’s looking at you right now, sort of like he’s ready to reach across the table and devour you whole, you think you kind of know what they mean.

“You’re like… a local legend,” you tell him, toying with the straw in your margarita. Jake ordered it for you before you even walked through the doors, and you don’t know how to feel about him remembering your drink order.

Jake raises an eyebrow. He’s wearing a pale blue button-down tonight that seems more formal than the flannel you met him in, but the hat and obnoxious belt remain the same.

“Am I?” he asks and sounds a little too pleased for your liking.

You nod. “I got advised not to show up tonight by….” You count them off on your fingers. “... four people. And that’s not counting any of the girls who I think are planning my murder as we speak.”

It punches a chuckle out of him, but something about the sound is almost sad.

“Yeah, yeah,” he agrees, waving it off. “I may have a bit of a reputation.”

“What sort of reputation?” you ask, watching as your straw paints swirls into the pink slush of your drink.

Looking at him is dangerous business, you’ve learned this much by now. It makes you do crazy things, shuts off whichever part of your brain is responsible for logic and common sense. So you avoid his eyes, even as you feel his gaze burn holes into the side of your face.

“A bad one,” he says.

It’s ridiculous, and judging by the fake deep voice he puts on, he knows it too. So you laugh, duck your head, and wonder if you even want to know the real answer.

From what you’ve gathered, Jake is a bit of a ladies man. (Your co-worker’s description had been somewhat less flattering. At least you don’t think town mattress is going to show up on his CV any time soon.) Usually, that fact alone would have been enough to have you running for the hills, but you can’t forget the night you met him - his hand on your thigh and the easy banter and feeling sexy, carefree, grown-up in a way not even doing your taxes can duplicate.

Still. The uncertainty remains.

“You think I should listen to them?” you ask. The leather of the booth clings to your sweaty thighs. It’s a hundred degrees in this stupid bar.

Jake hums and shrugs his shoulders. “What I want you to do and what you should do are two entirely separate things, sugar.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He’s drinking whiskey neat. When he picks the glass up to take a sip, amber liquid trembles like a lake in an earthquake.

“It’s your choice, sweetheart.”

That’s not exactly an answer, and it doesn’t escape your notice.

Jake sets his glass back down, braces his elbows on the table’s edge, and leans forward, leans into your space, a conspiratorial grin pulling up the corners of his mouth and says, “If you’re asking me, though… I think you’ve already made your choice.”

You’re not exactly sure what you’re talking about anymore, but you won’t give him the satisfaction of saying what.

“How so?” you ask.

“Well.” Jake makes a sweeping gesture that seems to encapsulate both your little outfit and meticulously styled hair as well as the bustle of the bar. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

You can’t argue with that. A new song comes on, and a group of girls near the bar yell in excitement. You watch them for a second.

“What made you come anyway?” He has his arms folded on the tabletop, clearly trying to pull you back from whatever train of thought you’ve boarded and sailed away on.

That’s a good question, and it’s one you’re not too sure how to answer. Because, truth be told, you almost didn’t. Without the liquid courage of three strawberry margaritas coursing through your bloodstream, without him so close you could barely think of anything but his stubble between your thighs, your nerves caught up with you. You’ve agonized over this, even twenty minutes ago, sitting in your car and staring at the twinkling neon of the bar, your heart beating an erratic pattern that echoed in your words like the same question repeated again and again: Should I?

You shrug. “Curiosity.”

He grins, his teeth gleaming between the pink of his lips. You wonder if he uses Crest white strips or if he gets them professionally bleached. They’re almost too white.

“Curiosity about what, exactly?”

You take a sip of your cocktail to bide your time, to collect your thoughts. Then you say, “I’ve never been on a date with a cowboy.”

Casually, Jake leans back in his chair, folding his arms in front of his chest. His expression is unreadable. “Oh, so is that what this is? A date?”

Your heart drops to the vicinity of your kneecaps. Could it really be that you’ve misjudged this situation so completely? Could it really be that you’re so inexperienced, so out of tune with the signs and signals of the chase, that you can’t even recognize when somebody’s flirting with you?

And you were so sure of it all. That he had felt the same pull as you did that night at the bar. That he’d wanted you almost as much as you had wanted him. That he’d called the number you’d scribbled hastily on a napkin soaked in beer (called, not texted, and you’d been so sure it was a spam call you almost hadn’t picked up) because he’d genuinely wanted to see you again to continue whatever your co-worker had interrupted.

Back home, your friends used to call you romantically challenged, but you didn’t think it was this bad.

“Oh,” you say, and your cheeks feel warm as you shift your weight in your seat, as you pull your shoulders up like you’re trying to disappear between the blades, “I’m sorry, I just….”

Jake is shaking his head before you can finish the sentence you had no idea where to end anyway. “I’m only messing with you, sugar,” he says, his laughter warm even as he teases you, and for a split second, his fingers graze over your knuckles on the tabletop. “I’m honored to be the first cowboy to take a pretty lady like you out.”

That line has no business making your heart race the way it does. Where his fingers touched yours, the skin tingles.

Because you don’t know what to say, you down the last of your cocktail. 

For a while, the two of you chat about nothing and everything. Your new job, the adjustment to the countryside. His work on his parent’s ranch and his family. He names all of their seven dogs, and your eyes nearly bulge out of your head.

“Seven?” you repeat, a note of awe sneaking into your voice. “You guys have seven dogs?”

Jake laughs. “I take it you like dogs?”

“Like is like… the understatement of the century.”

“If you’re a good girl,” he says, looking at you over the rim of his glass, “maybe I’ll introduce them to you one day.”

That has your thighs clenching, your toes curling against the soles of your shoes. Jesus. He can’t just say things like that.

Jake orders you another cocktail from a waitress that does very little to conceal the glare she throws in your direction. When she comes back to deliver your drink and the beer that Jake has switched to, she leans so low both he and you get a good, thorough glance into her cleavage.

As she saunters away, hips swinging, you blink, caught between confusion and a tiny bit of annoyance, and Jake just snorts into the sweating neck of his beer bottle.

By then, the sugar and the alcohol are beginning to work their way into your bloodstream, and you feel just the right side of tipsy. Where your senses are dulled enough the bar fades away to a steady chatter of background noise, tuned out by the gleam of Jake’s smile and his eyes and his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the wood of the table. You feel loose and swaying and unsteady in a way that is funny, thrilling, instead of scary.

It’s strange to be so far from him, all the space of the booth stretching and elongating. Later, you’ll blame the liquid courage, but something (it’s definitely not jealous, nope, not at all) propels you to slide along the leather of the seat, feeling the sweat collecting in your kneecaps, heart in your throat, until you’re on his side, your legs just an inch or two from his.

Jake watches your migration with a faint smile on his face.

“Hi,” you say, blinking up at him.

“Hi,” he echoes back, his arm sliding over the backrest just above your shoulders. “You good?”

You nod. “I was getting lonely over there.”

As soon as the words are out, you cringe at yourself, mouth already opening around an apology, but Jake’s hand on your waist silences you. Wordlessly, he pulls you the last inch to him. And then you’re pressed to him, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, thigh to thigh, and he’s like a massive bulk of heat and muscle and the pleasant, spicy scent of his aftershave. Your heart stutters, stumbles, trips.

“Well, we can’t have that,” Jake says, his voice rumbling in his chest. “Pretty girl like you all on her lonesome.”

It has you grinning involuntarily. His arm goes from your waist to drape across your shoulder instead, heavy against you, and you set a tentative, searching hand on his thigh. The denim of his jeans feels rough against your palm.

“Better like this?” he asks, and the words are quiet, soft, like they’re meant just for you.

You nod. “Much.”

From your perch against his chest, you watch as he takes a sip of his beer. The bottle comes away, mouth wet just like his lips. His tongue pokes out just a little as he chases the flavor, chases a drop, and it’s like an intrusive thought, something planted in your mind by someone else, something…

“Can I have a sip?” you blurt.

Jake raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t take you for a beer girl.”

You’re not. That’s not what it’s about.

You shrug, his arm moving with your gesture, and say, aiming for nonchalance, “Maybe I could be.”

He chuckles but hands you the bottle without further protest. It’s ridiculous, but something about the thought that you’re putting your lips where his have been moments ago excites you, sets your heart racing. Maybe you’re childish. If you reached up now and kissed him, you’re almost entirely sure he’d kiss back, but the tiniest, smallest spark of fear flickers inside of you at the idea. What if he rejects you?

So instead, you bring the bottle to your lips, take a single, tiny sip, and then, because you can’t help yourself, because apparently, this has become a habit in his presence, you lick the rim. 

Then you cringe. “Nah,” you say. “Still not a beer girl.”

Jake snorts, but his eyes stay fixed on your mouth for just a moment too long. “Can I try your margarita, then?”

You nod, lean forward out of the crescent of his arm for just a moment to pluck the glass you left abandoned across the table.

Jake takes a sip and, to your disappointment, does not copy your moves. There’s no licking off the sugar for him.

He grimaces. “Jeez,” he says, “this is like ninety-five percent sugar.”

“Yeah,” you agree. “That’s why I like it.”

“Well, sugar,” Jake says, his grin turning just a touch devious, “I bet you taste even sweeter.”

Now that has blood rushing into your cheeks, fingers tightening around his thigh. You can feel his hand tracing up and down your side in leisured patterns, the naked skin of your legs against the fabric of his jeans. Your foot in the dainty sandals just an inch shy of his boots.

It’s like you can’t stop touching each other. Like a circuit, the electricity only flows if all parts of the pattern are connected. Like you’re gravitating towards each other, hands always on the other, your neck, his knee, your hip, his biceps.

“You want to find out?” you ask, voice barely more than a whisper, and wonder where the hell that came from.

Jake’s mouth lifts into a grin at one corner. “You’d let me have a taste, sugar?”

I’d let you have anything you want. That’s what you want to say, but when you open your mouth, somebody else’s voice cuts over yours.

“Jake.”

It’s the waitress from earlier. She’s gotten rid of her apron and notepad and is smiling at Jake in a way that makes her intention crystal clear. This girl is definitely here on a mission.

“Hi,” Jake greets back. “We’re still good on drinks, thank you.”

She laughs, and the sound is almost musical. “That’s not why I’m here. My shift just ended.”

For the first time, you really take her in. She’s beautiful, tanned skin, full lips, long hair the color of butterscotch that seems to dance in the light breeze from a ceiling fan. If it hadn’t been for Jake’s arm around you, you would have tried to melt back into the cushions of the booth. Suddenly, you feel painfully inadequate.

But Jake just says, “Good for you.”

The girl casts a furtive glance at you, a furrow etching itself between her eyebrows as if she cannot understand what Jake is doing with someone like you.

Welcome to the club, you think and startle at how bitter that sounds. It’s not like you to pity yourself like this.

“You remember when you asked me out on that date?”

Jake takes a moment to think about that. When he speaks again, he somehow manages not to sound like an absolute douchebag, and you’ll take that as a testament to his immense charm. “Vaguely.”

The girl’s mouth twists like she’s just bit into a lemon. “How about it then?”

One of Jake’s eyebrows rises so high it almost touches his hairline. He says, “I’m a tad busy.”

You watch the whole exchange like somebody watching a tennis match. Sort of like you forgot you’re at all involved in this and not just an innocent bystander watching a girl’s romantic advances crash and burn. Then she sends a truly withering look at you, and you’re reminded that you’re smack dab in the middle of this thing.

“Alright,” she says, trying not to let the note of hurt in her voice show too much. Honestly, you feel sort of bad for her. “Give me a ring whenever.”

Jake hums, but he isn’t even looking at her. His eyes are fixed on your face, his thumb dragging in a long line from your hip down to the top of your thigh. A thoughtful expression crosses his face, and then he’s reaching for where he placed his hat on the tabletop earlier and planting it on your head again.

There’s a thrill to it all - a guy who could potentially have any girl in this town (pretty girls and funny girls and smart girls), but he’s looking only at you. His arm around you and his eyes on you, and his fingers on your leg. His hat on your hair.

You don’t even know if the waitress is still standing by the table or if she’s left. You don’t care.

“Did you drive here?” you ask.

Jake, preoccupied with adjusting the hat on you, glances down at your face and answers, “I did.”

Maybe you’re flattered by all the attention. Maybe it’s been too long since you last got laid. Maybe Jake is too pretty. Or maybe you’re just drunk. 

But there’s a sudden bout of confidence, a wind in your sails, a voice at the back of your head whispering fuck it, and another answering yeah, we’re trying.

Maybe it doesn’t matter. What matters is this: You say, “Do you wanna get out of here?”

You expected Jake to be surprised. Instead, he just smiles, something like amusement crossing his face, and you’re not sure how to feel about that.

“Sure,” he says. “Wait by the door for me, yeah, sugar?”

You agree. As he goes to pay, you idle by the entrance, acting like you don’t feel any of the eyes on you. Without his touch on you, you feel almost forlorn. A little sheepishly, you take off the hat and hold it to your chest, turn it over and over to stare at that label inside.

“Property of J. Seresin,” you read out in a whisper, running a finger along the thin leather of the hat band.

“You really like that hat, don’t you?”

Jake’s voice startles you. He’s smiling, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d call the expression on his face affectionate.

“It’s that cowgirl fantasy,” you say and watch as he stuffs his wallet back into his pocket.

“Yeah, I got my own cowgirl fantasies,” Jake mutters, and you don’t know how to respond, so you act like you didn’t hear him. Something at your core has gone liquid.

He takes the hat from you and plants a warm palm at the small of your back, steering you confidently toward the door.

And this time, when you twist over your shoulder to throw a last glance at the bar, there’s something a little smug to your smile. So what if everybody sees you leave with Jake Seresin? Let them talk about this come Monday then, let them talk about it in the break rooms and the supermarkets and the diners. Let them set the whole town on fire.

You don’t really care, not when you’re the one Jake is ushering toward his truck with something like urgency in his step.

Jake parked his car towards the end of the lot, where the lights of the bar turn into shadows, where the music and the voices are drowned out almost entirely by the chirping of cicadas. The air smells of gasoline and green things, growing things you never really knew back in the city with all its traffic jams and construction work.

When you tilt your head back, you see the stars like glowing pins stuck in the velvet of the night.

“Earlier,” you tell him, slowing your steps as you get closer to the truck, “you asked what I was curious about.”

Jake hums in agreement. He’s rounded the car with you, clearly intent on opening the passenger door for you, but now he stops when you do. You’re still in sync.

“I think,” you say, and wonder how your voice sounds so firm when you feel like you’re floating off into the stratosphere, “I was wondering what it might be like.”

In the dim of the night, Jake’s eyes look almost black. “What what might be like, sugar?”

You bite your lower lip. “That ride I owe you.”

He’s on you within seconds. 

One of his hands tangle in your hair, the other falls once more to that spot at the small of your back, pulling you towards you with enough that you go careening, that you crush into him. The alcohol still has you a little off balance, so you steady yourself with both palms flat on his chest, then make a sound against his lips when you feel the muscles beneath his shirt, the rapid beat of his heart.

It’s all so sudden that it takes you a moment to get used to it. I can’t believe this is happening, you think distantly as Jake opens his mouth against yours, as his tongue traces over the seam of your mouth. You react on instinct, letting him in, melting in his arms. It’s all hot and wet, and god, he’s warm. You know the backs of your thighs and knees are still damp with sweat, with the sweltering heat of the bar, and now, surrounded by the furnace of Jake’s body, not even the night breeze can do anything to cool you down.

Jake walks you backward until your back connects with the metal of his truck, and then he presses you against the door. The hand on your back wanders down, down, down, over the curve of your ass, and then he’s pinching the skin there, and you yelp.

The curve of his smile presses against your own mouth for a moment, and then he’s drawing back at the exact moment that he pulls your hips forward. He’s hard beneath the denim of his jeans, his cock an insistent pressure against your core.

“Oh,” you gasp.

Jake grins. “So do I get to be the first cowboy to fuck you, too?”

You squeeze your eyes shut, hips instinctively bucking forward and into him. The sound of those words tumbling from his lips, his tone so easy, so unaffected, has something inside of you clenching.

“I…” You clear your throat and take a deep breath. “Yeah. First cowboy.”

His voice is husky when he says, “Good.”

Then he’s leaning back in, his tongue sliding into your mouth, his feet kicking your legs apart so he can slot himself between them. His thigh nudges against your clit just once, the contact almost has you keening, and then he’s angling it away, holding your hips back so you can’t rut against him.

Jake is a good kisser. He’s probably had enough practice, you think, and then immediately abandon that train of thought. There’s nothing good down that line. It’s not difficult anyway, not when he does something with his tongue, when his hand slides from your hair to the back of your neck and your brain melts into a puddle anyway, all coherent thoughts shriveling up with it.

When you lick into his mouth, you find traces of the whiskey he had earlier, of honey and oak and smoke. His stubble scrapes against your cheeks, your neck when he leaves a trail of open-mouthed, lingering kisses along the edge of your jaw. Part of you imagines him leaving a mark, imagines the rasp of that bear along the inside of your thighs, and your breath hitches.

The hand has wandered from your ass to the very top of your thighs, where your skin is so tender and sensitive that you bounce up onto your tip toes when he lets the pads of his fingers stroke a figure-eight pattern against you. His answering chuckle vibrates somewhere low in your throat, tickles in an exhale of warm air against your collarbone.

“Sensitive, sugar?”

“Yeah,” you breathe.

And that’s just about the only answer you give because then he’s inching your panties to the side, and one finger dips between your lips, and you have no air left in your lungs to form words with.

“Jesus,” Jake rasps. “You’re fucking soaked, doll. Have you been like this the whole time?”

You make a soaked noise at the back of your throat. Truth be told, you may have been wet since you walked into this stupid bar. It’s not your fault you’ve been wound tighter than clockwork since that night you first met him, it’s not your fault he’s so unfairly hot, not your fault he kept looking at you like he was mentally undressing you, not your fault he…

His finger finds your clit, applies a steady kind of pressure, and you throw your head back and moan so loudly you’re glad the parking lot is abandoned.

He grins again. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Then he’s kissing you again, his finger rubbing circles against you. You can barely keep up with the movement of his tongue, can’t really do anything but open your mouth and take what he’s giving you. The metal of the car is cold against your back, your head.

“Hold this,” he mutters without breaking the kiss, bunching the fabric of your dress up around your stomach and shoving it into one of your hands.

You do as he says, giving him better access to you. His mouth trails from your lips to your jugular, where your pulse is jumping so quickly it’s making you dizzy, as he slides your panties down your legs, taps the side of your thigh to signal you to step out of them. You go one foot at a time, knees feeling like jelly, but Jake steadies you. Bending down to retrieve the underwear, he presses a kiss to your kneecap on his way and mutters, “Good girl.”

Then he’s back up, your panties a crumpled up piece of fabric in his hand, and he presses his face right into the lace. Inhales deeply.

You’re going to pass out.

“Fuck,” he mutters, “can’t wait till I get that taste, sugar. You really are just the sweetest thing, aren’t you?”

It’s not really a question, but you still think it warrants some kind of answer. Your brain won’t cooperate, though. It’s completely and utterly blank.

You think he’s going to chuck the panties into the truck or something, but instead, he shoves them into one of his pockets, a bit of the pink lace peeking over the denim, and you swear you get even wetter.

“Souvenir,” he says, winks at you, and then you’re grabbing him by the collar, pulling him in, in, in, shoving your mouth to his, and kissing him like you want to drown.

If Jake is at all surprised by your sudden initiative, he doesn’t let it on. He takes as well as you give (if not better), fingers digging into your bare ass, your thighs, one sliding through your wetness and then inside of you. You whimper against his mouth as he fucks that finger in steadily, as he thumbs at your clit. Cling to him with both arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

The sound of gravel crunching beneath feet reaches you as if through a fog. Thankfully, Jake is quicker on his feet than you are, pulling his fingers out of you, tugging your dress down to cover you, and angling his body to shield you from whoever is approaching their car. 

You can’t believe this is happening to you.

“Seresin,” the man calls as he unlocks his car door. Most of your vision is blocked by Jake’s shoulder, but you see the silhouette of someone raising their hand in a wave.

Jake tips his hat in response, arms protective and reassuring around you. He greets, “Hal,” then stays just as he is until the sound of the engine has died away in the buzz of the cicadas and the faraway traffic of the highway.

“Shit,” he curses, but there’s a chuckle to his voice. “You alright, sweetheart?”

The thing is this: you actually are alright, apart from the very, very insistent thrum between your legs Jake is doing nothing to help with. In fact, you’re more than alright. It’s exciting in a way you can’t explain, to be right here in the open with him, to know he wants you so much he’s willing to do this where anybody could possibly see. To know you want him so much you don’t even care. But also to feel so incredibly safe with him, to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’ll take care of you no matter what…

This one, you definitely can’t blame on the alcohol. 

“Yeah,” you confirm. “Can we… can we get in your car, maybe?”

Jake nods immediately. “Sure thing, sugar.” He unlocks the car door and opens it for you. “You want me to drive you home? I can…”

But you don’t let him finish. For the second time that night, you pull him by the collar, shove him down into the passenger seat and then climb after, clambering into his lap with your knees pressing into the cushion by his hips. Behind you, you pull the door closed with a resounding thud.

Jake’s truck smells like the air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror, but you barely take note of that. He throws his hat in the general direction of the driver’s seat. His face is just inches from yours, his hands immediately settling on your ass, his eyes wide and blown, and his lip curling in a surprised, pleased smile.

“Sure you don’t wanna do this in a bed?” he asks, but his fingers are already shoving beneath the fabric of your dress again.

You shake your head, lower yourself down until you feel his cock against you, until you both exhale in shaky unison. “Owe you that ride,” you mutter and lean in to kiss him.

It’s torture after that. Jake kisses you like he’s trying to climb into your body, tugs at your hair until you feel each pull like sparks of electricity down to your clit. He pulls your dress down your shoulders, lets it pool around your stomach to get his mouth on your nipples even over the fabric of your bra, the lace soaked through with his spit and your skin aching. All the while, you grind against him, spread your wetness all over his denim as Jake ruts up into the movement, the friction almost unbearable. On every hitch of your hips forward, the obnoxious belt buckle nudges against your clit, and it almost undoes you - the cold of the metal against your heat enough to have your eyes rolling into the back of your head, your mouth opening around moans of Jake’s name.

Finally, he seems to crack, reaching around you to prop open the glove compartment and get out a condom. You watch as he finally unzips his jeans, gets out his cock, and hisses as he rolls the rubber down. Your heart is in your throat with the anticipation of it all.

And then you spot it.

In a split-second decision, propelled by something that must border on madness, you stretch across the middle console, reaching for the driver’s seat.

Jake frowns. “Where you going, sugar?”

“Just…” You strain until you can finally get your hands on the soft fabric, and then you’re sinking back down into his lap, your cunt rubbing over him, and a long, languid moan escaping you before you place his hat on your head.

Jake blinks at you for a moment, eyes glassy, mouth open, the fingers on your hips tightening.

“Jesus,” he whispers, “you gonna wear that, sweetheart?”

You can’t read his face, can’t read the expression, and the uncertainty slams into your chest like an iron-clad fist. Maybe this was a bad idea.

But Jake groans, says, “You gonna wear my hat as you ride my cock, sugar? That’s how you wanna play this thing?”

And shit. Okay, then.

“Yeah,” you breathe, plant both hands on his shoulders. “Can I?”

In answer, he surges forward to kiss you at the same time that he pulls you down on his cock. It’s a stretch, and it’s a slow slide down, but it feels so good, it makes you go a little crazy. You cling to him, let him kiss you, let him dig his fingers into the skin of your hips, pant into his mouth.

When he finally bottoms out, you can’t tell how long it’s been. Your legs are already shaking, your head spinning, your words failing.

Gently, Jake pinches your side. He’s undeniably beautiful, face painted in the neon lights of the far-off bar, shadows crowding behind him. His lips pink and swollen from the nip of your teeth. His eyes lidded and glazed. “Go on then, sugar. You owe me.”

You whimper and obey, move yourself up and down on him slowly at first. The slide of his cock in and out, the clench of your cunt around him each time, as if your body doesn’t want to relinquish its hold on you. His fingers on you as he finally slides your bra off. His lips on your collarbone, then on your breasts, his teeth grazing a nipple, his tongue soothing the sting… It’s almost too much, all of it.

The cubicle is filled with your sounds, the quiet gasps and the loud whines, with Jake’s moans muffled against your skin.

“Fuck,” he mutters, “god, you feel so fucking good, sugar.”

You just nod in answer, the hat almost slipping over your eyes again, and up the pace. You’re all but slamming yourself down on his cock now, the sounds obscene. It’s the wet squelch of your pussy every time he spears into you, the frantic slap of skin on skin as your thighs meet his, the noise of his mouth on your tits.

It goes on forever, something that spirals higher and higher and never reaches the pinnacle. The windows fog up. Your thighs ache. You chase a high that eludes you, time and again.

And all through it, Jake’s hands remain infuriatingly stagnant on your hips.

Finally, you give in and whine, “Jake….”

You can barely keep up the bouncing, your thighs trembling with the pent-up desire, the strain of the movement. In fact, you’re shaking all over, so far gone you can’t even control your own muscles anymore. Sweat drips in steady tracks down your back.

“Hmm?” The sight of him, his hair disheveled by your fingers as he trails a line of wet kisses from your clavicle down between the valley of your breasts, is almost too much. 

“I can’t….” You slump against him, the fatigue catching up with you, pant into the place where his collarbone dips in.

“You tired, doll?”

Without lifting your head, you nod.

His laughter brushes over your hair on an exhale. If you had any strength left in you, you might feel insulted at the fact that he’s laughing at your plight. But the alcohol and the exhaustion and the night in total have finally caught up with you, and you can’t think of anything but your dizzying, deafening, debilitating need to cum.

“That’s too bad,” he says, “You promised me a ride, didn’t you?”

And, like… fuck him, honestly.

“I’m too tired,” you whine, and you’re not too ashamed to admit it. Haven’t you been doing all the work for long enough?

Jake clicks his tongue and pats along the length of your spine. In a voice like melting honey, he says, “You want to come, don’t you, doll?”

You nod, words drifting far away from you like letting go of a balloon.

“Well.” He presses a kiss to your temple that is too soft for the moment. “Then you better get back to work, hmm?”

That’s the breaking point for you.

“Jake,” you say, pushing yourself into an upright position with both palms balanced on his pecs and glare down at his stupid, evil grin, “if you don’t fuck me right now, I’ll go back into that bar and find another cowboy to do it properly.”

You wouldn’t, of course. There isn’t anybody in there you trust the way you trust Jake, not a person you’d want even half as much as you want him.

But Jake doesn’t know that.

The shift is almost immediate.

His eyebrows furrow, his hands tighten on your hips. Something dark crosses his face.

“Don’t talk about other guys while wearing my hat,” he says.

You shrug, motioning to take off his hat. “I will if you can’t fuck me pr….”

Your words trail off into a squeak as Jake fucks his hips up, as his cock plunges into you with more force. Then he’s sitting up straight, wrapping one arm around your waist as he sets a quick, hard rhythm, as he plants a firm hand on the hat and pushes it back down.

“Don’t even say it,” he whispers into your neck as he licks at a drop of sweat, as he sinks his teeth gently into your skin. “You should know better than that, sugar.”

He’s fucking you for real now, hips pistoning in and out with abandon. Your breasts bounce with the force of it, your hands scrabbling for purchase among the curve of his shoulder, the leather of the headrest.

Into your ear, between pants, he’s pouring buckets of filth, saying, “They couldn’t fuck you like this anyway, sugar, and you know it. Nobody but me could give it to you like this, get that pretty pussy this wet, give you the ride of your life….”

Your mouth drops open, sounds pouring from you that could put most porn actresses to shame. When Jake’s fingers find your clit, you have to muffle a full-on scream into his neck.

“Jake,” you whimper, and it’s almost scary how big it is, looming just in the distance. So close now, you’re so goddamn close.

“Yeah,” he’s saying into your hair, planting his feet firmly on the ground and fucking up into your pussy, his cock plunging so deep you swear you feel him in your stomach, “fucking take it. You better not forget who’s fucking cock you’re taking, sugar, who’s hat you’re wearing, who….”

You don’t hear the rest of it. All you can think of is the weight of the hat on your head. All you can think of is that label on the inside of it.

Property of J. Seresin.

You cum with a strangled shout, with your cunt clamping down so hard on Jake’s cock he grunts, with a gush of wetness, with your back arching far enough the hat tips backward off your head, with your fingers and toes numb, with your head somewhere in the clouds, with your blood rushing in your ears, and your heart like a sledgehammer and your arms around his neck. And then you sob, gasp for breath, wriggle like a fish on land.

“That’s my girl,” Jake is saying into your ear when you regain enough presence of mind to tap back into your hearing. “Look so pretty when you come on my cock, Jesus, you’re so fucking tight, sugar, God….”

He pumps his hips a few more times before the rhythm stutters, before he groans and tenses and empties into the condom. His cock twitches inside of you, and you moan weakly, slumped against his chest as you are.

Jake’s arms wrap around you as he hauls you closer to press kisses down the slope of your shoulder.

“You good?” he asks softly.

You nod, eyes fluttering closed. God, you could fall asleep right here - completely sated, completely exhausted, completely full.

“Jake?” you whisper, and as your lips move against his skin, you taste the salt of sweat.

“Yeah, sugar?”

“Can I keep your hat?”

It’s so warm in the car, and he’s even warmer. Soon, you’re going to have to climb off him, going to have to pull your dress back on, let him take you home and step under the shower, wash off the remnants of this night, of this thing that will never happen again. Something you’ll keep locked in your heart forever, a warm, soft memory to melt you in the cold.

But just for now, you get to keep it. For another minute, for another moment.

Jake laughs, his shoulders shaking and your body moving with it.

“Since I’m keeping the panties,” he says, his voice almost tender. “Sure thing, sugar. It’s all yours.”

You press your smile into his chest, preen as he reaches around you to put the hat back on you, and then you think, Thank God for Carrie Underwood.

[neodith]

The Sun, the Trees, and the Moon a short story by Neodith TW: mentions abuse (Sol-is) (Lune-ay)

Everything around Solis was gray, the grass under his feet, and the hills around him. He was the only color in a world of monochrome. Solis could not remember anything but only his name, he was not even sure that was his true name.

"Hello," a voice said from behind him, "I thought I lost you. I have been looking for my Light for a long time." "Who are you?" Solis asks, startled "I am but Lunae! Your everything! Surely you must remember me!" "No, I am afraid I do not know who you are." "Ah, well. It will come for you in due time." Lunae sighed, "What will?" "Your past." Lunae said darkly.

Solis started to back away slowly, Lunae did not seem to notice, for they were now staring into the sky. Solis ran towards the arching mountains in the distance. He ran until he could not anymore. He ran for what seemed like weeks, but could have only been hours? He stopped and took a breath, and looked around him.

There they were, Lunae, standing under a large tree, staring up at it. The tree was carved with drawings of terror, a child hiding, that same child being hit by a man. It was full of fear.

"There you are! How did you know to run here? Was it the way I looked?" Lunae chirped, Solis stood stunned, "N-no, I did not." "Well, now you know! Come, sit with me! I have sandwiches, I know they're your favorite." Solis tentatively came and sat down.

"Touch this tree, let yourself feel it." Lunae suddenly said, Solis touched the tree, and suddenly he had a moment of clarity, everything was rich in color, but oh! The voices he heard! He did not recognize them, but deep down he knew, he knew they were not good. He ripped his hand away from the tree to see Lunae looking at him with pity.

"It looks like you found the tree of fear, come with me, I can show you to the tree of your happiness."

He turned and ran. He ran to the forest for what seemed like days.

He finally stopped at the base of a large tree, it was carved with intricate stories, a man walking with another man, a child with a woman walking together, it was so loving. Solis touched it, immediately he felt a feeling so welcoming, fresh baked bread, warm hugs, kisses on the cheek. "You've found it, you've found love." commented Lunae, Solis, no longer surprised, "Who is this?" "It was you, and it can still be you." "Show me to the other trees." "Gladly!" they replied.

As they walked together, Solis asked Lunae questions about his life, Lunae answered thankfully. "Who am I? What is my name?" "Solis," answered Lunae, "but, in another life you are known as Jade." "Where am I?" "You are in your mindscape, in another world you are in a place called a hospital." "Why am I here?" "It is unknown as to why you're here." Lunae answered simlply.

They cam across the largest tree yet, carvings depicted unknown feelings, a boy unsure about someone, a man about to go somewhere, that same man sitting next to a woman in bed.

"We've found the tree of unknown new experiences, wonderment, unsure, excited." Solis touched it, again, a new feeling flooded through him. Him holding out a flower to another boy, him about to go to a restaurant, and him sitting by his mother's bed.

"I remember now. I feel I remember almost everything." Solis said, Lunae smiled and looked to the stars, "My task is complete. You have found yourself." Lunae flashed with a brilliant light, and was gone.

Suddenly Solis was not by the tree of unknown, but was now surrounded by white. A window was to the right, showing a brilliant blue sky. Across the room sat the man that was in the carvings of love and surprise.

"Jade! You're awake!" Stephen said, full of tears.

i wrote a short story recently

and i feel pretty proud of it, it was assignment for my english class, write a short story to end unit 1, im usually pretty bad at creative writing, but so far my peers have positive opinions about it :)

will have on a reblog

[dogwatch05]

Humans and Peeling Skin

EOCs are over and I promise I still exist! I still have some time left in school, but I should have some more time to write now. I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head that I’ll probably have to queue them up. I’ll be making a separate post (so I don’t make this author’s note too long) with updates and questions that I would love feedback on even if you aren’t a follower. This one will be a bit of a longer one to try and make up for the weeks that I haven't posted.

So over a recent weekend, I got pretty sunburned and I started to peel. I got curious and looked up if other animals peeled when they burned, and from what I could gather humans are the only animal that peels when it burns. So based off of this fact, what if aliens only associate peeling with a reptile or spider molting?

Xiv't walked into a galactic sanctioned bar and sat down at a table. After the waiter terminal had processed his order, a young C'altus made his way over to the table. Watching him, Xiv't determined that he couldn't be more that 18 years of age, though it was hard to tell with the C'altus.

The young man walked over and slid into the table with Xiv't. "I saw your ship insignia. I've been assigned to your crew after this docking point has been completed." The C'altus seemed to get nervous for a moment. "Umm, I've heard that there are humans aboard the ship. Do you have any...tips for dealing with them? Oh, pardon me, my name is Ensign Doralus, newly commissioned and not too confident if you don't mind me saying, Sir." Doralus' ears flattened in embarrassment and his tail began to swish ever so slightly.

Xiv't sighed. He thought it would be something like this. "Well Ensign, I am Lieutenant Commander Xiv't of the G.S.S Star Dancer. The Humans are fine once you get to know them. Would it ease your nerves to hear a story about them?" Doralus perked up at the last question. "Yes Sir, I would appreciate that."

Grinning mischievously, Xiv't glanced out at the bar floor and saw the waiter droid coming over with his drink. "I know just the story. Sit back and relax son. You know of the Human home planet, yes? Terra? Alright then, lets begin."

"Myself and the rest of the crew that was on leave slowly made our way back to the ship. No one really wants to go back to the ship after an extended shore leave, but once we got back to the ship that feeling would evaporate. We had docked at the intergalactic extension of the ISS in the Sol system and so had been given leave to visit Terra. The humans on board had struck out on their own to spend a week at a condo on the beach. Now, I knew that human skin was both delicate and strong at the same time, but I never would have been prepared for what I saw when the humans came on board. The men didn't have their shirts on and were walking "bow legged". Meanwhile the women were delicately holding their torso coverings just above their shoulders."

Doralus cocked his head slightly, an action he had picked up from one of his instructors who had been indirectly instructed by a human," Them walking strange was surprising?" Xiv't shook his head and held up a finger for silence. Doralus looked suitably chastened after that.

"This wasn't the surprising part. Oh no, that would have been too easy. No, what was surprising was the glaringly red skin on all of them. These burns were some of the worst I had seen in decades, and I worked with open flames all day! I immediately called for some medics to bring some burn relief medication, but the humans simply asked for pain killers and a plant called Aloe Vera .

You thought that the burned skin was the most surprising thing didn't you? No, again, that would have been too easy. About a week and a half of the humans using copious amounts of aloe and pain killers, they finally stopped having to hold their outer garments off their skin. Then their skin started falling off! Yes, you heard me right. Their. Skin. Fell. Off. I was shocked as well. As you well know, the shedding of skin is reserved to reptiles and a few insects and spiders. Humans are mammals and so should not "peel". "

Doralus looked horrified. "Humans can shed their skin?! How? They are not meant to loose skin like that!" Xiv't held up his hand in a calming gesture, "Shush, listen."

"Once the humans had successfully calmed the crew, they explained that upon burning their skin, the skin died and was shed in this manner. It took a while for our scientists to accept this fact, but everyone else just shrugged and thought "Oh well, just another weird Human thing."

Then came the habits associated with this peeling. This was enough to make my stomach turn over and do a back handspring. About three days after the peeling was revealed, I walked into the men's bathroom to find two humans. One had his back revealed to the other and the other human had a sheet of dead skin in his hand that was slowly being removed. "Why the hell are you removing his skin!?" I shrieked this after I had sufficiently emptied my stomach. The answer was actually satisfactory. "The skin itches if it is left on too long. It also feels good to have the dead skin taken off." What made my stomach become a trained gymnast was when the human then went on to explain some of the disturbing things humans did with this skin. For both my sanity and yours, (I actually cannot write these down. They are disgusting. Let your mind wander and people probably do that with it.) I will not be recounting these activities."

Doralus seemed to shrink into his seat just imagining the horrors of humans.

"Now, the skin peeling truly was the most surprising thing about the whole incident; however, after the burn had gone away and the skin was mostly peeled off, the skin had turned a darker shade than it originally was. On a space ship, humans maintain an almost papery white skin tone or what ever skin tone they maintain without exposure to the sun. We knew this would happen as we had been informed of the existence of melanin, but it was amazing to see. It was almost as if the humans had undergone a molting."

Seeing this story had not had the intended effect, Xiv't continued in a different way.

"Yes, Humans are strange. They have odd biology that does not fit within the norms of nature. But their physical aspects are nothing compared to their mental prowess and their bonding skills. Bond with a human and you are bonded for life. I recommend you listen to General Kodi's speech from last century. Consider it your first assignment for this deployment."

Xiv't slotted his credits into the payment kiosk at the end of the table then tossed a few at the Ensign. "Get yourself a drink. Non alcoholic mind you. I won't have you showing up to your first shift drunk to oblivion. Oh, and Ensign, do yourself a favor and don't come onto the ship prejudiced against humans. You may find that you like them quite a bit."