#she might keep a healing spell in her back pocket

[soraavalon]

Moriarty (OOC): How you doing, Crow? How you feelin'? Nathaniel (OOC): In general or about something specific? Marigold (OOC): In general. Nathaniel (OOC): Fine? Marigold (OOC): Good. Nathaniel (OOC): Why am I being singled out? DM: Because we've been tormenting you psychologically . Hunt (OOC): Yeah! Marigold (OOC): I've been doing nothing. DM: No, you've been perfectly good. Hunt (OOC): I mean, as far as we know. whomst: I only clock in like once a month here, so I gotta get these bars off. DM: Oh my god. whomst: I show up here, your dad listens to FCC podcasts, he's a bad dad, he likes football and he... Marigold (OOC): Liking football is the worst sign of bad dad. Nathaniel (OOC): [in chat] me rn: *inserts pic of a blue screen* DM: It's so funny because meme!Nicholas is really nothing like actual Nicholas who is a huge fucking nerd. whomst: No, that's why he likes, see there's the thing; he likes football because it's the coolest sport you can like while being a math nerd. DM: That's not true. It's baseball. whomst: No no no. If you're a baseball nerd, you're uncool. DM: Yeah, exactly. It's Nicholas Price. whomst: "I'm getting women, what do you want from me? What are you saying? You saying that the Great Relnian Game of Football? What do you want? [something] on the field, what are you talking about here? Got things to do. Now, help me out, we gotta reanimate your mom or something, I don't know. What am I doing?" DM: [something] so slowly while standing here and not helping. Just nagging you. whomst: I've been nagging you, teaching you, reading Joe Rogan's book to be an alpha male. This is a problem man! This is the issue!" Nathaniel (OOC): I'm back to being not fine. -laughter- whomst: Kids today, you kids today don't want to do the work. This is the issue. DM: What if your  girlfriend died tomorrow, would you put in the effort to meticulously make a copy. Nathaniel (OOC): I don't want to think about that as much as possible. Marigold (OOC): We know a cleric, so... DM: True. Moriarty (OOC): A cleric who barely fucking heals. DM: So hopefully you wouldn't have to meticulously make a clockwork model. Tark (OOC): Hey! Nathaniel (OOC): You think that Tark would not resurrect Rosaline? Tark (OOC): Oh, in a heartbeat. Nathaniel (OOC): In a fucking heartbeat. Hunt (OOC): Yep. DM: Yeah. Marigold (OOC): If he has some diamonds, maybe. Thinking about that, do we have diamonds? Hunt (OOC): Yeah Tark has diamonds. Moriarty (OOC): Oh yeah. Marigold (OOC): Oh cool. Tark (OOC): Of course I do. Hunt (OOC): He spent a ton of money getting diamonds. Tark (OOC): It's fine. I made that up and then some. Nathaniel (OOC): *laughs* DM: He has a job. Hunt (OOC): Yeah. DM: Unlike the rest of you.

[fountainpenguin]

"I was given a name before I was given blood (like you were given your faith before there was made a god...)" (x)

New Fairly OddParents 'fic update today!

Frayed Knots - Chapter 41

"Mounting Pressure"

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☁️ Cloudlands AU

🦇 Ridwork Guide || Chapter Recaps

✨ More Fairly OddParents 'fics

“Juandissimo is very calm, mature, and reasonable,” I tried to tell him, and Cosmo shrugged. “Oh, I know. Yeah, he’s kind of a pushover; those shiny muscles and tight butt are all for show. I’m not afraid of him. I just hate to be rude, treading all over his girlfriend’s space… and what would Wanda think? She might get the wrong idea.”

In which Anti-Cosmo visits Wanda in the hospital, looks after his godchild, and receives word that Blonda found his absent fairy grandfather.

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

- Aftermath of a car-hits-pedestrian situation described in the S9 episode "Cosmonopoly;" blood mentions

Mounting Pressure

I’m afraid I don’t remember much of that wild trip to hospital. Cosmo sped through Fairy World, blaring Darla’s horn, while I huddled in the back seat with Wanda and pushed my healing magic for every damn fleck it was worth. The borrowed wand in my hand kept kicking spells back at me, so you can only imagine what the aftermath smelled like.

By the time I had a moment to myself to breathe, I must have wiped a gallon’s worth of stinky magic from my hands across my shirt. Flecks of blue and red soot hung in all the pockets, mingling Cosmo’s impulsive panic (The former colour) with medical-grade scarlet. I’d tossed my jacket somewhere. I think Jasmine arrived at some point, after spending her whole day hunting and shepherding lost spirits. Gods, I had so much to tell her about the burglary and meeting Cosmo in the first place, but that could wait.

I can’t recall if anyone looked at me funny or implied I may have hurt her. I suppose someone may have brought it up. I just remember standing to the side, bleary and mute, while Jasmine rubbed her head against my side and Cosmo spun a story to the receptionist that I didn’t bother making out. I think that mostly, I just looked at my hands. At my soot-spattered forearms and liquid-dripping hands.

Wanda’s been hit. Is it bad? Why can’t we see her? Did she bar us entry from the room? Are they not allowed to say?

“You should go,” I did tell Cosmo, though, when I regained myself. We’d found chairs. Were there chairs? I touched his arm just past his rolled-up sleeve, which made him jump; I felt the flicker of alarm in my own core. How funny, the way we breathed… and when he looked at me, green eyes dim, I tried again. “Her father’s Dusty Fairywinkle Jr., you know. If he finds out his daughter’s hurt, he’ll want the assailant right away.”

“If he wants revenge, I think I’m safer in the hospital,” was his response. That made me blink, but when I reflected on his words, I had to admit this was probably true. The staff were well-versed in the art of keeping unwanted visitors outside a hospital room. I won’t lie and say we Anti-Fairies never visited these places. Quite the contrary…

“I see a lot of hospitals in my line of work,” I said off-hand, turning my attention to Jasmine’s fur. She sat on the floor, her large head resting in my lap. I don’t think we had proper chairs, actually. I think it was a bench without a back. Cushioned, though. There were leafy cushions with buttons spaced just so apart. I wrapped my fingers over one, tasting every breath to cross my lips. I’d never felt this shaken up since my lifesmoke still lived inside a jar. At least with my mother, I knew what to brace myself for; I’d already seen the worst that she could do. Mother was predictable in a way that holding an accident victim wasn’t.

“Yeah, I bet you Anti-Fairies come here often.”

“Pardon?”

Cosmo shrugged. “You leave behind a lot of broken backs.”

Of course I do. What did he mean to imply? That I wasn’t any good at my job? I may be a demon summoner, I thought, wrinkling my nose, but I can still perform basic field work with top marks. “Yes, well… There’s so much magic around here that not even the finest tooth-and-comb clean-up job can scrub it out. I trust the workers do their best, but hospital’s a hotspot for stinky magic; really, I don’t know how you stand the roar of it. That’s why we Anti-Fairies don’t use them.”

“No hospitals?”

“Never this big. And believe me, I’ll be fighting with all my strength if I set foot on that white floor. Unbroken white paths! In hospital!” Every passing heartbeat slammed metal and shattered glass against my ears. Gods, I couldn’t hear myself think.

Cosmo shifted seats… I think so he kept downwind of me in comparison to the quick movements up and down the hall. Even the squish of fabric beneath his rump set a chill through my fangs. Could he taste my emotions better there? He’d conveniently sat himself where I couldn’t smell his. Not that I was any good at detecting the silent signals the Seelie communicate with, even after all my years in school. It might be nice, at times like this, to belong to a species whose special ability granted them cues for an individual rather than the majority in the room. The energy field hummed with professionalism and alarm. A single flick of my ear told me everything (everywhere) truly was as fine as everyone presented it.

But it must be very overwhelming to be a Fairy. Just the thought of tracking each and every person in the busy hospital foyer sent a lightning bolt of nausea to my stomach. Churning insect legs scrabbled against my stomach as magic fought for whatever footing it could reach. Cosmo settled himself in his newfound place and pushed flops of green hair back from his eyes in a long, slow pulse. Oh. I stared back in silence, twitching both my ears. If he were an Anti-Fairy, his hand would’ve passed straight over the scent gland we drakes develop in adulthood. My nose was sharp enough for that. He’d coat his hair and hand with it. Bleeding confidence, he’d expect no challenge to his rules. To his claims.

My presence leaves impact, he signaled in silent Anti-Fairy talk. If I’d been a better creche father, perhaps I’d have puffed my chest and disputed it. I did no such thing. I flitted my eyes down and tried to keep as small as I could. I sunk my claws in Jasmine’s scruffy fur.

I’ve tamed umbrae who would have my back if I brought them here, but that takes time and ingredients I left in my coat. You are so much bigger, and Fairies learn to fight with body instead of mind. You could so easily bring me crashing down. He could sink his teeth in my throat if it pleased him, actually. He didn’t have fangs, but I had no doubt he could (regardless of my screams). Perhaps the Finella reflex - so-called by the pseudoscience that upholds it - isn’t at all about Fairies holding instincts to hurt or “kill” their Unseelie counterparts. Perhaps the ancient researchers who wrote about it had simply looked forward in time to this exact moment and found me quivering in my chair.

“What’s it like?” Cosmo asked me, leaning forward. He clasped his hands between his knees, which would’ve spread scent to both palms in bigger claim. Butterfly wings danced against my throat. When I said nothing, he prodded, “What’s it feel like to spread bad luck?”

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[tavyliasin]

ATG 13 - Bear? Bare

In which there is a surprise in the woods.

Pairing: Halsin/Tav SPICE Rating: 4/5 Content Warnings: Sex, Bondage, rough sex,     

Spoilers Act 3, Halsin Romance Canon Compliance Canon adjacent and close to Halsin's romance scene with a bit of my traditional embellishment to add some extra flavour.  Other Notes Introducing Halsin's poly dynamic to Tav first, there will be more later where we bring Astarion back into the story more at the conclusion of his quest Mood/Song Run Wild by Valkyrik "Come find us in the woods tonight But before the nighttime turns to day I'll let the melody take way I'm leaving reservations behind (Behind) Now the sun is rising It's energising The shadows are melting away There's a drum beat breaking into my bones Crushing the ice and crumbling to stone And the melody of the night keeps calling me Louder and louder and louder I wanna run wild I wanna run free I wanna move like the stars are a part of me."

Tav watched as Halsin paced the room, wondering if his boots would wear a permanent path in the floorboards. She stopped in front of him and laid her hand on his chest. “Halsin. Enough.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just-” he began, looking down into her eyes and making her breath catch in her throat. “Restless.” She finished his sentence for him, echoing the sentiment. “I can tell. You seem to be mostly recovered from your wounds, too. You’re not fond of being indoors this much, are you?” “I miss the wind in my hair, the grass beneath my feet. It feels…unnatural, to be so far from nature. The saplings struggling between cracks in the stone do not help.” He sighed, looking towards the window where some scant few branches knocked against the glass every time a breeze caught them. “Let’s go, then. Tonight. There’s a spot not far outside Rivington, we can take some food and wine with us, maybe even our bedrolls, and spend a night under the stars.” Tav smiled taking his hand in her own as a subtle hint. “You’re…certain? You do not wish to bring the rest of our friends along?” Halsin hesitated, caught between excitement and concern, visibly struggling to contain those emotions. “Two is company, Halsin, three is a crowd. Isn’t nature better appreciated without a crowd?” She squeezed his hand, watching his throat move as he swallowed his own anxieties. “That would be… Appreciating nature as the Oakfather intended. I would like that, very much.” He held on to her hand a little longer before excusing himself to gather what they might need. Maybe don’t invite the Oakfather tonight, Halsin. Tav chuckled to herself, tucking a couple extra items in her own pockets.

--- The sun was setting as the pair walked through the lower city and across the bridge towards Rivington. Tav felt her heart racing, but she had a suspicion the druid’s was sprinting much faster than her own. He kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips from time to time, feet keeping a careful pace as if he was desperate to run but didn’t want to wear out his companion. “There’s no rush, we do have all night, if you want.” Tav smiled, casually linking her arm through his elbow, delighting in the pink hue that rose to the tips of his ears. “I have…spoken, with Astarion. About your situation.” He tentatively broached the subject, still keeping his gaze on the path as they passed the last houses out of the city. “I hope the conversation was enlightening. I asked him to speak with you, once you were feeling better.” She pulled herself closer against his arm, relishing in feeling how his muscles tensed even more. “Maybe someday he might join us, when he’s ready to. But I’m not going to push him.” “He requires more healing than a few spells and salves can provide.” Halsin agreed, risking a brief glance to the woman at his side who was stroking his arm as they walked into the trees. Breathe, by the Oakfather’s mercy, stay calm… “You know, you’re welcome to join our little book club if you want to.” She kissed his shoulder now, relishing in teasing him, watching every little sign that he was more than ready to throw her down into the grass at any moment…and yet also enjoying how much he held back. He kept his poise, no matter how difficult she intended to make it. “Is it not…too personal, to be reading your innermost thoughts and your, ah, experiences ?” The druid paused for a moment, turning to face her properly now. “I have nothing to hide, not really. Astarion told you about my rules?”

“He mentioned them, yes. But I think I might like to hear them from you, directly.” He placed the bag down by a tree, they were already far enough into the woods to be alone now at least. Tav followed his lead, putting her bag beside his and pulling out her diary. It felt peaceful, even though nature’s orchestra surrounded them in the moonlight that sparkled on the lake’s water, just visible between the trees. “Here, you see?” She pointed to each rule in turn and read them aloud. Rule 1: Survive. Do whatever you must to stay alive.

“I will. I have. I’m going to keep everyone alive now.” She felt a little pain lingering whenever she thought of the first rule, but the scars on the man before her told her she was, unfortunately, not alone.

“You have survived much, my heart.” The druid spoke kindly, a new pet name escaping perhaps sooner than he intended, but drawing a smile from her that softened his own features further as he caressed her shoulder. “You do not have to struggle so hard alone, now.” Rule 2: Live. Find your pleasure where you can get it, remember what life means beyond survival. “This…is a much more fun rule. Lust is an indulgence, pleasure is fun, and when we don’t know how many days we have? I want to make the most of them.” She laid her hand over his, where his thumb still idly stroked the edge of her collarbone. “Such is nature’s way…” He sounded a little crestfallen now, a hint of sadness in his smile. “That’s… I don’t mean to say I have no feelings for you, Halsin.” She panicked a little, realising she might have said the wrong thing, not wanting to hurt him. “I’ve wanted to spend more time with you, and when you were missing, I… We were beside ourselves. I pushed that rule as far as I could, neither of us were willing to give up until-” The druid pressed a finger to her lips, quieting her worried words, moving to cup her cheek with his hand as he bent to kiss her. It was soft, warm, and felt like it was on the verge of sparking a fire where they touched as he almost let his passion take over. But he drew back, breathless. “I know, my heart. He told me, and I feel the same, for both of you if you will have me.” Tav nearly dropped the book, but Halsin leaned back again, running his fingers down her arm from the shoulder to the wrist, lifting the book back to where they could see the open pages again. He looked down at the page to encourage her to carry on.

Rule 3: Take. If nobody else needs it, it’s yours, especially if the owner has more than they need.

“Nature does provide.” The druid smiled, the hint of a laugh playing around his eyes. “Well, nature, rich fools who haven’t heard of good locks… Same thing, right?” “I suppose it could be, if you stretch the definition far enough.” He watched as her finger lingered on the last rule, Astarion’s addition. Rule 4: Taste. Sample from any plate before you that is appetising. “Well?” His smile grew just a little wider now. “Are you hungry?” She glanced down at their bags. “We did skip dinner for this.” He leaned in towards her again, lips just a whisper away from hers. “The food can wait, let’s find a way to fill more of those pages instead.” This time the book did fall from her hand as Halsin wrapped his arms around her, almost lifting her off the ground as he kissed her with an unbridled passion. Tav felt herself completely encompassed by him, the smell of leather, moss, and a hint of honey filling her senses as she tried her best to hold on with her arms around his shoulders. His hand drifted down, caressing the curve of her hip, cupping her rear, then sliding further to lift her thigh, encouraging her leg to find purchase as he fully hoisted her off the ground. Tav raised her other leg, both now encircling the druid’s waist, and for once now his head was tilted upwards to continue the kiss he did not wish to break even as he manoeuvered her back against a tree. She could feel his muscles, tense and almost shaking, heated even in the cooler evening air of the forest. 

Halsin abruptly parted them, almost dropping her to the floor as his breathing grew heavy, laboured. “Halsin? What’s wrong?” Tav steadied herself against the tree, uncertain what to do to help. The druid was almost glowing, his eyes alight with a form of magic as he fell forward onto all fours. He hurriedly tried to unfasten his clothes, but it was a little too late. Even the tough leather buckled and ripped as his body shifted and transformed, growing in size, thick dark fur covering every inch of the huge bear. The creature stepped backwards, a look that could only be described as apologetic crossing its features… his features. Tav held out a hand, stepping towards him. “Are you alright?” He blinked a few times, then shook his head, the rest of his large body following, the magic weaving back around him and returning him to his more usual form. He was almost naked, the remnants of his leathers hanging off him in strips, and he sat back on his heels breathing heavily still. “I’m…sorry. Oakfather grant me strength - Sometimes it is hard…to control myself.” Tav knelt on the ground with him, taking his hands into her own. “Don’t worry about it, as long as you’re ok.” “How did nature make you so beautiful, my heart? Inside and out.” He kissed her hands softly, eyes locked on hers. “I will be just fine. With you here, how could I be anything but?” There was something about him that still seemed slightly ashamed, a look she was not used to seeing from the Archdruid. “Halsin,” she made sure he looked her in the eye before she continued, “I like you, I adore you, all of you. Just the way you are.” She allowed a little smirk to play at her lips. “But for now, perhaps stay like this. I don’t think I can handle a bear.” Yet, she almost added, only allowing the thought to half form in her mind.

“You seem very certain that you can handle me as I am. Perhaps we should test that theory.” There was an almost animal glint in his eye as he raised up on his knees, pulling her closer to him and removing her clothes with deft movements. It didn’t take long for her to be as bare as he was, both dressed only in the cool moonlight and the light breeze that passed around them. “Nature truly outdid itself when it made you…” “I could say the same of you. It’s like you were carved out of marble by an expert artist, and brought to life with the warmest heart.” She smiled, reaching forward to tuck his hair behind his ear, delighting in how he shivered as her fingers brushed past the pointed tip.

“You flatter me,” he held her hand to his cheek for a moment, “but perhaps we’ve talked enough for now.” He kissed the inside of her wrist, following it with further tender pecks along the length of her arm, moving closer to wrap his arm around her back. His lips continued their path along her shoulder and collarbone as he brought them both up to their feet again, kissing up her neck as they were standing. “Oakfather preserve me, I want to devour you…” He growled seductively in her ear. 

“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” she returned the look he was giving her, full of barely contained lust.

He paused for just one more moment. “You must tell me if we are to stop, I do not want to hurt you.”

“That would be almost impossible,” she breathed heavily, feeling the heat rise within her as his lips lingered by the tip of her ear, “but for safety, squirrel can be our word.” She was rewarded by a deep chuckle in her ear, the sound itself travelling along her nerves to somewhere far deeper in her core. “Somehow that seems perfect.” He began to lift her again, pressing her back up against the tree as he continued to administer his affections across her skin. Soft lips expressed tender care across fresh bruises and old scars alike, the slight cooling of healing magic soothing the more recent signs of battle that marked her like a mosaic. Tav tensed as he moved lower, leaving small bites along the line of her hip, each delighted gasp from her lips only urging him onwards with renewed passion. “Hold on.” He murmured, as he hooked his arms under her legs and in one swift motion stood up with her thighs on his shoulders, bracing her back against the tree once more as his tongue began to taste her desire. Tav didn’t even notice the whisper or the slight gesture as the spell was cast, but she felt the vines of Entangle rise from the ground to hold her. You have certainly been talking to Astarion, haven’t you- She moaned as his tongue and lips drank deeply from her, working every nerve within her as the vines coiled up and around her arms, holding them above her head and secure against the tree. More vines found purchase around her waist and ribs, lifting and cupping her breasts, thinner ends just pinching the hardened peaks to draw a fresh noise from deep within her lungs. The food in their bags sat long forgotten as Halsin took his time, savouring every moment, every little motion of his tongue sending waves of heat through her whole body. Just as promised, he  devoured her, drinking in the pleasure, working in such careful patterns that it wasn’t long before the local wildlife were rudely awoken by the wanton howl that escaped her. He held her tight, pressing his tongue ever deeper even as her hips bucked against him. Even as his mouth refused to stop dragging the ecstasy from every nerve, his hands caressed every curve they could reach. Strong, soothing, carrying the aftershock of her climax as long as he could and bringing her back down again like a gentle wave passing through the afterglow. The druid eased her down carefully, the vines relaxing their grip and lowering her shaking body into his arms. He kissed her heated skin tenderly from her naval to her neck, until her feet touched the floor once more. Tav felt like she had been flying, floating back down to the moss below her toes completely surrounded by affection. “You didn’t stop me.” He whispered against her cheek, continuing to kiss her even as she blushed a deeper hue again. “I didn’t need to.” She reached her hands up into his hair again, lingering by his ear this time. She felt his reaction as her fingers caressed the line from lobe to tip, the way his breathing quickened, the subtle heat rising from his skin. “I didn’t want to.” “You are…dangerous.” He rolled his head back, leaning in to the touch against his ear. “Isn’t that what makes it exciting?” She began to kiss and nip across his chest, her fingertips still tracing unspoken words in her new favourite place to tease, relishing in the quickening of his pulse. He looked down at her again now, his hands gripping her hips firmly, just holding her back from pressing against him. “More?” His breathless whisper was hot against her ear, lips trailing a new path, worshipping every inch of her body as he sank to his knees before her, one hand already moving to her inner thigh. Tav simply nodded, biting her lip, unable to resist the temptation to let him do as he wished. Her knees still felt weak, and the moment he slipped a finger inside, curling it to reach the most sensitive parts, she nearly fell completely to the floor. 

His eyes caught hers as he looked up momentarily, before dipping back down to taste her again. The druid could not get enough, tasting her, moving her, drawing every breath from her lunches in ragged gasps as he added a second finger to his new favourite game. Tav was certain she would’ve fallen over, if it hadn’t been for the hand inside her and the other wrapped around her lower back holding her as close as possible. She tried to brace herself against the tree behind her, suddenly missing the grasp of the vines but feeling completely incapable of denying Halsin the meal he desired.

Trying to cling to her consciousness with everything she had, she ran her fingers through his hair, once again finding the tips of his ears to caress. The vibrations of his delighted moans only increased the feelings building within, ready to bloom a second time with a primal lust. She kept going, letting her fingertips rile him up more, relishing in the look of him knelt before her… Halsin’s hunger seemed endless, relentless, damn near insatiable. Looking down at him worshipping every inch of her body was the most erotic sight that Tav could imagine. His skin was beading with sweat, muscles clearly defined and almost quivering with the sheer sexual energy that seemed to full every cell of his being. Even his breath was heated as he worked his fingers within her while his tongue did not waste a single drop, tasting her, devouring her like it was her last meal. By the time the shockwave hit, rippling out from her core with muscles twitching around his hand as he continued to tease out the afterglow, her knees were completely weak. She was certain the only things keeping her upright were his hands, one inside her and the other holding her lower back, keeping her pressed to his face as he kept the final pulses of warmth subsided with a long and shuddering moan. “My heart,” he smiled, casually cleaning his hand with his tongue as she sank slowly to the floor, “you are a greater feast than all of nature’s bounty.” For a few moments, all Tav could do was try and remember what breathing was, and appreciate the sight of the man in front of her. This suited him best, hair falling out of place, skin slick with sweat, moonlight highlighting every line of hardened muscle, and the best part of all - the smile on his face as he quietly watched her. “What do you desire? Name it, and it will be yours, as I am yours.” He laid his hand on her knee, beginning to caress up her leg, but Tav stopped him. “No,” she leaned forward, caressing his cheek softly, “you give too much of yourself. Let me…” Halsin’s face was a mix of delight and self restraint. His lips tried to form words, but his mind gave him nothing more than a silent smile. He nodded, turning his head to kiss her hand and wrist, looking almost lonely when she pulled back. Tav found a little strength to move again now her body was finally recovering, and took the small bottle from her bag.

“I thought we were leaving the picnic til after?” Halsin looked confused for a moment, until he realised exactly what her plan was. “Oh…well, in that case, carry on.” Tav smiled, shuffling towards him on hands and knees, the glass bottle held between her teeth. She pushed firmly on his chest, finding very little resistance as he laid on his back beneath her, watching her every move while consciously not acting on any of his impulses. She almost found it difficult to straddle him, kneeling over his waist but denying him contact for now. She relished the way he bit his lip when she took the stopper out of the bottle with her teeth. She held the bottle high above him, letting a little of the golden syrup pour in a thin line down to his chest. She used the honey like ink, drawing a map of everywhere she wanted to taste, watching the way he reacted to each place. After replacing the stopper, she put the bottle to one side and began to sample the delicacy she had made, a sweet dessert to savour and enjoy. Her tongue and lips teased, relishing the taste of his skin. The honey had the tangy sweetness which blended so beautifully with the hint of salt on his hot muscles, the lingering flavour of leather from his armour, and the general earthy aroma that seemed to be a part of him made the experience complex, yet decadent. She continued down across his abdomen, amused at the points where he quivered from a ticklish touch, running her hands down his arms with just a little pressure. There was no way she could ever hope to pin him beneath her, not on her own, he was far too strong, but this little illusion of power quickened his pulse beneath her fingertips. By the time she kissed along the line of his hip, teasing little bites and enjoying every moan he tried to bite back behind tensed lips, she could feel him almost quaking beneath her. She wanted this, to see him finally allowing someone to tend to his desires, and it was clear how much he was enjoying it too. The taste of him now was like a fine banquet. She dragged her tongue slowly along his tip, as if tasting a stray drop from a bottle of wine, listening to the long low moan that came from above. Tav kissed along him, each fresh press of her lips opening them more, adding just a little more tongue, until she reached the top once more and took him entirely into her mouth. She lavished affection on him, allowing her teeth to tease and drag out pleasured moans, her hands still caressing his body, tenderly testing for any areas that deepened his voice. Tav let her tongue speak a hundred languages, all words of love lavished around him, singing his praises more literally as she allowed her own moans to send subtle vibrations through him. It seemed this was enough to tip the scales, as she was rewarded with the taste of his own nectar, a warm honey with its own sweetness that she devoured with a ravenous appetite spurred on by the howl that echoed around the clearing. Tav barely had time to catch her breath when his strong arms lifted her forwards, pulling her up to straddle his waist again, gazing at her with unbridled passion in his eyes. “Of all of nature’s gifts…” He paused, running his hands up her arms to her shoulders as he sat up, bringing his knees up to support her back. “I couldn’t possibly ask for more, and yet… Forgive me, I want you, my heart, I want all of you.”

“Then you may have me, and I shall have you.” She kissed him lightly, almost surprised when he immediately deepened the kiss, the taste of each other mingling on their tongues in a moment of pure lust. “As nature intended.” He growled, kissing down to her neck as he lifted her slightly, encouraging her to continue. Tav followed his direction, finding him already prepared with barely a minute to rest. He’s…insatiable… she thought, not unlike me, I suppose- The thought was cut off as she felt him in place, too deep in her own desire to try and tease him or prolong her own satisfaction. She pressed herself down slowly, the pair of them exhaling in tandem as he filled her so completely she thought her legs might give way again. But she held strong, wrapping her arms around him, holding him close as she began to move.

--- Halsin had been thinking of this moment for so long that it was almost like a dream now. Surrounded by nature, encompassed by the body of his heart, watching her head roll back as she took her own pleasures by moving above him. It was going to take everything he had within him not to rush this, and he was now more grateful than ever that she had already given him some release before they began. That would make it easier to prolong the moment, to draw out every second as long as he could. The soft glow of the moon made her look even more beautiful to him, if such a thing had ever been possible in the first place. He did not miss the city one bit, his senses keener from the bear within that was always just held back below the surface it was impossible not to notice everything about her. The colour of her eyes, sparkling with starlight. The sounds of her breath catching in her throat as he moved with her, finding every way to make her feel all of him, pressing just that little bit deeper every few thrusts and relishing the little moans against his lips as he kissed her neck. The scent, the scent was so clear to him; the moss beneath them, the fresh water of the lake nearby, the ripening berries on the bushes and refreshing pine- Tav leaned back and braced herself on his knees behind her, quickening her pace for a minute to draw out her own pleasure. Halsin focused again, trying to hold back and allow her to do what he pleased. The aromas of the forest were mingling with their own sweet perfumes, sweat, sex, honey, and the slight hint of roses from the woman whose head was tilting back breathlessly, chest heaving as her climax echoed from the trees. Oakfather, forgive me, she is too much.

--- Tav rode out the wave of bliss, unaware of the feral look creeping onto her lover’s face. When she was descending from the high, she soon realised something had changed as he gripped her hips and rolled them both so he was above her. His arms were shaking, not through the difficulty of holding himself up - far from it, he could likely keep that position for hours - no, this was the pure intensity of his desire. She gasped as he pulled out, pausing only to flip her on to her front before he pressed back inside with a swift and powerful motion. His lips pressed devoted kisses and untamed bites across her back, holding her legs together with his feet and shins pinning them down. His thrusts were wild and harsh, breathing ragged, and if she didn’t know better she might have thought he had truly become the bear again, but his hands remained entirely without paws or the thick fur of the beast. As he increased in intensity, he found a grip on the back of her neck, holding her beneath him in a way that excited her entire being. It didn’t matter that the ground was rough beneath her, or that her hair had become entirely tangled, or that the remnants of the honey was clinging to her skin. All that mattered was this, the feeling of him completely ravaging her, letting his passion take control and bringing her breathlessly towards their conclusion. “Let me hear you,” he growled, “let the whole forest hear your voice cry out, make the birds envious of your song.” His voice alone was almost enough to tip her over the edge, but it was when she felt the subtle growth within that her muscles responded, tightening around him as he let go completely. The sheer intensity of the pulsing climax seemed to drag an even greater one from her as she did exactly what he had demanded. Not a single beast within earshot remained asleep, the sound travelling close to a mile from where the two elves cascaded together over an entire waterfall of bliss, the consummation of lust that both had felt since not long after they met. Halsin lay his body over her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace and kissing the point of her neck where he had gripped perhaps a little tighter than he had intended. She didn’t care, though. She was filled with complete bliss. Beyond the powerful afterglow flowing through her whole body, she felt so entirely encompassed by him. It was as if they were the only two beings in the forest, in the whole world. She was glad he didn’t withdraw immediately either, not wanting to feel that emptiness just yet. Tav sighed happily. Even in this, he was gentle, the embrace of a lover not just a quick fling. Although he was above her, he was still careful not to let his whole weight rest on her, supporting himself by his knees and elbows and the forearms that were wound around beneath her, holding her close. She could feel the strong and steady beat of his heart through her back, she could hear his breathing slowing to contented sighs, and she wanted nothing more than to remain right there.

--- Halsin waited a while, savouring the close feeling of holding his heart in his arms, listening to the easy sounds of her satisfied body. Eventually, he carefully parted them, a light chuckle escaping him at her disappointed little sigh. “Let us clean up, my heart, and we should not let our other feast go to waste.” He kissed her shoulders and back as he moved aside, waiting to help her to her feet on legs that couldn’t quite support her. “Just give me a moment, you don’t have to-” she tried to protest, but was cut short by a sweet kiss. The druid instead lifted her up into his arms and carried her to the lake, sinking into the cool water slowly and holding her close. “I don’t have to, but I want to. You have done so much for me, allow me to take care of you, too.” Tav wrinkled her nose and pressed her finger to her lover’s lips. “Only if you will allow me to do the same for you, my love.” “Love,” he echoed the word carefully, contemplating its meaning. “So you are willing to share your heart with me, as I do you?” “Of course. I care about you. I love you. I suppose I have for a while…” She kissed his cheek, smiling at how he blushed now from a simple declaration of affection. “Let us indulge our bodies as we so wish, sample all the delights the world might have to offer, but keep our hearts to ourselves, and our other love.” “Astarion.” He echoed her unspoken words. “You think he will accept me into his heart, too?” “Give him time, earn his trust, and hold him with care.” She kissed his lips, a declaration of her affection. “I don’t know how anyone could resist falling for you.”

---

They spent the rest of the night beneath the stars. They swam and bathed in the lake, playfully splashed each other and chased each other through the cooling ripples that sparkled in the moonlight, and eventually even made it to the food they had carried all the way out there. However, when the sun rose and they realised it was time to return to the city, they noticed a small problem. Or rather, a large, naked problem. “My clothes…I completely forgot.” Halsin sighed, looking at the torn scraps of fabric and leather that couldn’t even form enough of an outfit for a certain incubus to wear. “Oh…shit.” Tav realised, looking at the few tears in her own clothes that prevented them from effectively covering her. “This…is going to be awkward.” — Some time later, the upper floor of the Elfsong tavern was filled with laughter and a friendly mocking, as two elves strolled in carrying their bags and clothed only in the blankets of their bedding wrapped around them.

----------- ----------- ENDING NOTES ----------- -----------

It felt about natural to have the Halsin chapter here, after his rescue and recovery, with a little need to get out of the city. He's a terrible patient in my mind but what better way to know he is fully healed? This is the last main chapter that I currently have ready, so there will be a few of the side story specials coming in next, then ATG 14 will be back hopefully in the next couple of weeks depending on my schedule~

[coffee-or-murder]

5, 9, 23, and 25 for Lemon :>

5. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

Honestly it depends on the thing! She’s not a particularly materialistic person, and she’s pretty sure that with her set of skills (healing magic, arcane/nature knowledge, and baking/cooking) she shouldn’t have to resort to stealing from innocent folks to get by. Lemon also has a problem of putting others' needs/wants before hers, up to and including sacrificing her own comfort for their needs/wants, for people she cares about. We’ve talked OOC about how another person’s heart is an acceptable substitute for a diamond for a revivify spell, so under the very specific circumstances of “during combat person kills a person I love, person is clearly the aggressor and is in their right mind, I have no diamonds to bring back the person I love” Lemon would kill the other person in fear/rage to bring the person she loves back to life which with some team members might be a major point of contention between them. 

The most in canon thing she’s done to pursue a “material want” was when the team was clearing out the Tower, and she and Nick found a set of very fancy kitchen knives. Lemon pocketed those with a little nudging, but the party also technically owned everything in the Tower at that point, so I wouldn’t count it as stealing. The most she’s done “emotional want” wise is run away from home to avoid delay her arranged marriage, but even that was orchestrated by her family and not totally her choice. They were always going to get her out of the shires, but whether she hid at a distant family friend's home or joined up with LEAGUE was the only choice she got to make.

9. Do you have a specific lyric or quote which you associate with your OC?

So Lemon’s playlist is now up to…..160 songs so there’s a whooooole bunch I associate with her. Here’s a selection~ ;D   

“Make it easy/ Make it clever, craft it into pieces/ Make it sweet/ Crimp the edges/ We'll make it sour and serve with lemon wedges/ Even doubt/ Can be delicious/ And it washes off of all the dirty dishes/ When it's done/ I can smile/ It's on someone else's plate for a while/ I'll place it on display/ And then I'll slice and serve my worries away”

“Sometimes I find myself shaking / In the middle of the night / And then it hits me and I can't / Even believe this is my life / But people have problems that are worse than mine / I don't want you to think I'm complaining all the time / And I wish that everyone would go and shut their mouths / I'm not strong enough to deal with it / I am slowly falling apart”

“I'm happy for you, I'm smiling for you / I'd do anything for you, for you / It's always for you and never for me / And I need it to stop so let me tell you, please / I'm always sad and I'm always lonely / But I can't tell you that I'm breaking slowly / Closed doors, locked in, no keys / Keeping my feelings hidden, there is no ease / I need it to stop and I want to be able to open up / But my feelings are fatal, my feelings are fatal”

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

She has trouble processing anything to do with guilt/shame, which unfortunately is also deeply entangled with her perceptions of love and her own self image. Lemon is so full of shame over her own wants and needs because of her mothers emotional abuse, and even with the support and love of the rest of her friends/family she hasn’t managed to unlearn those feelings. She openly and repeatedly offers love/comfort/help to others, but has a lot of trouble admitting her own need for it out of fear/shame of being a burden to the team and losing the little bit of love she’s found with them. 

Lemon has the most trouble with expressing negative emotions in general to the people she cares about! She’ll get mad and sass back at rude people or a stranger who ignores her boundaries or is mean to her friend, but if her loved ones toe the line of her comfort she just ignores it. She tries very very hard to only let her friends see her be happy/supportive/comforting out of fear of them leaving her behind, because why else would they want her around if she isn’t providing a service? She’s a bit of a crybaby, but has smothered that response the best she can so no one gets annoyed by her crying when she’s stressed/angry. Everytime she has a disagreement with a friend she tends to panic and immediately back down, though she’s been getting a bit better about realizing that one disagreement isn’t the end of everything! It’s slow going, and only made worse because of how isolated and untethered she feels being away from home and cut off from the only support she felt she could trust. 

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

Her hair and freckles are so much fun to draw lol. Something about trying to maintain a loose heart shape with her hair and getting to dot her freckles is just a lot of fun. I also enjoy how I set up how her magic feels to her! It’s fun coming up with various ways she feels the hearth fire/boiling pot in her gut and how it can react to outside stimuli. Also the dice seem to always know when I’m rolling to see if Lemon got flustered by someone and she rolls so low everytime. It’s hilarious lol. 

[comfort-questing]

25. assumed dead

FE:3H war phase again. why is it always the Blue Lions I visit disaster on? but they're just so made for hurt/comfort. sorry not sorry

-

"She has to be here somewhere. We might as well keep looking." Felix's voice cracked with exhaustion, muffled by the folds of his up-tugged cloak collar. The rain had long since soaked through his hood, dripping in his eyes and soaking the fringe of his hair.

"What if - what if she - " Ashe's voice was very small, his keen archer's gaze sweeping the dusk-dim woodlands as they walked. "She might not be - "

That wasn't a question Felix had let himself ask, or meant to answer out loud. He knew well enough what a fallen pegasus rider looked like. If Ingrid hadn't been dead already from the spell-blast before she hit the ground, the landing would have been enough to kill her. But here he was anyway, out with Ashe and a scrounged-up healing potion in hand, searching the woods of the day's battlefield in a vain approximation of hope.

He hadn't seen Ingrid fall, only heard of it from Annette who'd been led crying back to camp by Dedue. He didn't like to think of the sick dull look in Professor's eyes as they'd dispatched the two of them to search.

If he'd gotten to choose an associate to search the woods for a mangled corpse with, he wouldn't have picked Ashe anyway. But Sylvain needed to get his broken arm splinted and Professor was busy all but sitting on an angry Dimitri to get the Boar to accept they couldn't break camp and march southwards tonight. Which also ruled Dedue out. And Annette was no use at the moment, and Mercedes and Flayn more than busy at the field hospital. So Ashe it was, after the archer boy had volunteered.

He clenched his fists around the edges of his cloak, pulling the sodden cloth tighter around his body. Ashe was a dozen paces ahead of him now, half-invisible in the gathering dark, peering into the shadows and still calling Ingrid's name now and again.

They spotted the pegasus first - down in a hollow just beyond the feeble attempt at a path, standing sway-backed with wings trailing on either side of it, bloodied. Ashe's voice and his footsteps must have startled it, because it shied, shoulder dipping as it put weight on one foreleg.

Ashe ran forward anyway, haphazard, plunging ahead. Felix took the downward slope slowly, boots slipping in the mud beneath him, grasping at the thin leaning saplings for balance. He watched Ashe fling himself down by the crumple of cloth and pale hair barely visible in the dusk, hands hovering helpless above the motionless form there. He clenched his teeth, willing himself steady as he followed.

"Felix! She's - I don't know if she - "

There seemed no use in speaking. Ingrid's eyes were closed, her skin transparent and chilly in the downpour, blood clotting in her hair against the rain's attempts to wash it out. The gray tendril-bruises of the dark magic spell lay like a spiderweb across her face and disappearing down into the collar of her jacket. Both of her legs were badly broken, twisted and limp, the white of bone showing in the wound just above one skewed ankle. Felix couldn't see any motion of her breathing, but he reached out anyway, elbowing Ashe aside and tugging one glove off.

He'd expected nothing, told himself so all the way through the rainy half-light, known it was most likely far too late for their mission to make any difference. So the first moment of stillness under his two fingers as he felt for a pulse at Ingrid's throat didn't surprise him. But the faint, thready motion there a moment later did, and then another, and as he leaned close to his friend's face he felt the slightest whisper of her breath against his skin.

And then because there was still a chance, because it wasn't the end yet, he cursed the sudden rising hints of panic in his chest and grabbed for the healing potion in his pocket, uncorking the bottle and tipping it to the corner of Ingrid's mouth.

"She's not dead," he said, gruffly, and watched Ashe's eyes widen in a sudden weary relief. "Not yet. Go back and get help, and hurry."

-

It shouldn't have been long. It couldn't have been long, now that they knew where to go. But still it seemed dreadfully long that Felix sat there, in the slow endless dripping rain, with Ingrid lying next to him as he cautiously fed her the potion mouthful by mouthful and waited for help to come. He'd wrapped his cloak over her, though it was wet enough he didn't know if it was any benefit to either of them. Her hand was cold in his, but he'd felt her swallow the potion after coaxing, and watched the grimace of pain pass across her face briefly as she brushed against awareness.

"Stay still," he'd told her. "Don't try to move. I'm here and the others are coming soon."

And in the end there were lanterns in the woods, and voices, and Ashe with Mercedes at his side, and Professor done with or spelled out from Dimitri-management and sliding down the muddy bank in their desperation - "Felix! We're here - "

And he thought, he thought he saw Ingrid smile, just for a moment, though her eyes were still closed - and that broke something inside him so that he had to swallow hard despite himself, as he looked up into the lights and the faces of their friends.

[theamityelf]

Adaine and Kristen gravitate together kind of misguidedly, like "Hey, we both don't know how to be good parents because our most formative examples were terrible. 😅" But then, after they've already agreed to partner up, it suddenly turns into, "Wait, we both don't know how to be good parents because our most formative examples were terrible! 😨" Adaine reads a bunch of parenting books, but she's mostly focused on healthy conflict resolution and active listening, so when the baby cries she's like "I understand that you're having an intense feeling, and I am not angry with you for feeling strongly," before course-correcting to "What am I doing?" and pulling a bottle out of her jacket pocket. Kristen panics whenever it cries, possibly drops it by accident, and has a personal revelation that every children's song she knows is a religious one. She tries to make up a song of her own, but it's very bad and also kind of a bummer.

Fig and Riz are partnered because Fig says she needs to focus on her career/band and Riz reads like a stay-at-home dad to her. They don't stay in the same house, so they agree to alternate nights. He'll be looking over his clue bulletin board at 3 in the morning with the baby in a baby carrier on his chest or back. Maybe accidentally melts some of the plastic face by spilling coffee on it. When Fig finds out, she's like "You were supposed to be the responsible one!" On nights when it's with her, she sings it lullabies set to electric guitar and is actually super sentimental about talking to it about her feelings and bouncing it in her arms. She also changes its appearance to look more like her and Riz. Ayda is as earnest about the fake baby as Fig is; even if she isn't the biological parent (No one's the biological parent, but they're committing to the bit.), that is her child, too. She does a whole dramatic spell to "heal" the melted part of its face. Honestly, with all the wacky magic these ladies are capable of, that thing might actually be sentient by the time the project is done. Which is, yes, a nightmare.

Gorgug and Fabian pair up. Fabian largely foists the baby (with he refers to as a toy) onto Gorgug, who, as soon as he is given the thing, looks it in the eyes and says, "Hi. I'm your dad." (Boy, I hope he doesn't break it; that would seriously stress him out.) He takes it on a date with Zelda, and it is awkward. She doesn't know how to treat it, he's trying to be romantic about it but doesn't know how. Meanwhile, Fabian's having a whole emotional journey about why he doesn't want to take the assignment seriously, why he feels a particular need to keep this wall up, which culminates in him riding The Hangman at top speed, mayhap in the rain in the middle of the night, to go see his child. He is a more doting father than his own, and he likes throwing it in the air and catching it. He and Ragh go to the mall with it, which Ragh casually refers to as babysitting, but Fabian corrects that it's not really babysitting, since he's the father and a father is supposed to take care of his kid, and Ragh breaks down crying, and Fabian hugs him. It becomes a three dad situation; it's a very healing experience.

hey, for a junior year side quest, the bad kids have been split into twos and given arcnotech robo-babies to take care of for a week. what are the parental pairings and how quickly do they lose their minds?

[booksandchainmail]

thoughts on the final? arc of Katalepsis

(this includes spoilers for the patreon advance chapters, specifically up to 24.2)

One: the setting change is an excellent idea. A big problem with any kind of long form horror is that eventually the fear wears off, and I think this is amplified in cosmic horror. There's only so long you can keep describing things as unknowable and indescribable and Wrong before it gets banal. But this final arc is neatly avoiding that by, after a few chapters to get across the weird, switching to a mostly metaphorical? pocket dimension? setting, where the horror can come from the twisted mundane.

And of course it has particular satisfying kind of full circle feeling: just as at the beginning of the story Heather is trapped, alone and restricted, surrounded by people sweetly, earnestly telling her to just behave and do what they say and not trust herself, and it's all in her best interest. Effective horror! And very satisfying to see how, even as she has to play along, she can do so without losing herself or compromising what she knows.

Two: I really like the character work going on for the rest of the cast. It's fucked up and disturbing to read, but very crunchy to think about. The way that in this world, everyone shows up as a mockery of themself.

The Caterpillars and Knights are easy, since they're pretty simple beings. It's spelled out in the text that the Caterpillars are explorers, but here trapped in a terrarium. And the Knights, built to be protectors, have been placed as prison guards

Twil has been... tamed is the word coming to mind. Cut down, placed in this pretty, preppy, meek upperclass respectability, robbed of all her roughness, and emotion, and aggressiveness, and confidence. This is a Twil who does not have a wolf inside her, who didn't grow up knowing she was faster and stronger than everyone around and utterly unharmable.

Evee is, I want to say, made a victim and only that. She's stuck back where she was as a teenager, her wounds still raw and bleeding, mobility aids removed, denied the safety and time that let herself heal, but also stripped from the drive (and Raine's help) that let her survive, just trapped with no escape from the woman who was killing her piece by piece.

And thinking ahead to the ones we haven't seen yet:

My first thought for Raine was to made conforming, but that's pretty much what's going on with Twil, so it would be redundant. Apart from that, I have two angles: one is Raine as she was before meeting Evee, aimless and drifting, no sense of purpose or meaning in her own life, on the outskirts of society. The other would be to pull from Raine's lack of an internal moral compass, her talent for and enjoyment of violence. Raine without having found people to structure herself around could be very, very dangerous, and either way (or both combined) I think this might lean into that. The caveat here is that if this asylum is trying less to shape them all in a way that is realistic but twisted, and more just to make them harmless, this would have to go differently.

Zheng, I think the obvious approach is to return her to being a zombie, just a corpse puppeted by a mage's will.

Lozzie, I think it will just mimic what her brother and uncle wanted to do to her. Treated like a child who can't make her own decisions, shoved into conformity... they've definitely taken her poncho.

Praem, I don't know entirely. Maybe she'll be one of the nurses, twisting her care into control?

Sevens is tricky, because I don't know if even this world can trap her. But if it can, I think it might have forced her into a single mask, which would be an utter unmaking of who she is. Alternately, if it's willing to give her more power, I could see her being made the puppetmaster of this place, with all her power and craft turned to a new type of story...

[winterapocalypse]

Winter Apocalypse chapter 17

The Return of Mysterio 2

"You're here…" Jon whispered, in a rush. He felt as if his heart might explode in his chest at any moment. Mysterio. He was there!

Jon felt his eyes watery, and his right eye, the one hit by that damn eagle, began to hurt. The boy in black put his hands over his aching face, hissing at the pain. With his eyes closed and his mind filled only with pain, Misterio's warm and gentle and powerful hands on him cleared his clouded mind, like the dawn chasing away the darkness and the firmament on his path, bringing light and serenity.

Mysterio gently removed the bandages from Jon's face, and incredibly his eye… had stopped hurting. Now he saw, and he saw the centaur in all his beauty. His palms were glowing as he gently touched Jon's face, applying a mysterious healing spell. All the tattoos on his body shone with that soft, golden light in the same way, channeling that magic - so beneficial and different from what was applied there at Winter Hogwarts - onto Jon's face, which he quickly healed.

"The scars will remain, but they don't look bad on you." Misterio whispered to him, in a low and calm voice, in that accent that was so melodious to Jon's ears…

Jon took her hands in his own. "I… I lost…"

All of a sudden, he felt something heavy in his jacket pocket. He had to let go of Misterio's warm, strong hands to reach into the pocket, and find what he had just slipped into it - the pendant, the string torn from Royce's eagle claws, and his dried blood still littering it. .

"But how…"

"You must be careful, Jon Snow." the centaur admonished him, his gaze soft and attentive beneath the mask that covered his mysterious face. "That amulet will help you call me. But you must keep it close to yourself, and not let others have it. It could fall into the wrong hands… into the hands of those who use dark magic. You must be careful, Jon… many are looking for you. You are special, and you don't know it yet. Blood flows in your veins…"

His gentle voice was interrupted by the sound of flying brooms. The same eagle from the morning, talons ready to attack Jon again, was knocked back by a swing of Misterio's arm, which created a strong gust of wind that sent the eagle flipping into the air.

"I can't stay here, I would put your life at risk." Misterio said, shaking his hands tightly. "Do not trust dark magic. They are about to pass the Wall, but you will be safe in this castle. Promise me."

Jon looked at him desperately. Unfortunately, the centaur did not wait for the boy's response, because with a worried look he turned around and disappeared into the thick of the forest, getting lost in the darkness of the night that had now fallen on Westeros.

In the meantime, the enormous eagle, frightened, had darted back towards her mistress, who was astride her black broom inlaid with copper and was observing Jon from above the branches of the trees of the Dark Forest. As always, she was between her two large henchmen.

Had they seen Misterio?

Sheamus, the boy with the red mohawk on his head, pointed to the young Guardian. "He HAS the amulet! He stole it from you!"

The redhead was now furious. "I had to take it to the Ravenclaw special lab and someone took it out of my pocket! I don't know what the fuck magic they used, but I'll take it back! Our research can't stop here!" he shouted. "On you, guys!"

Aston in the lead and Cesaro and Sheamus following her, they drew swords and wands and pointed them all towards Jon. It didn't look like they saw Misterio, and that was good, but at the same time they would have killed him. And this was bad.

He covered his head with his arms, and involuntarily invoked a powerful gravitational field around him. As soon as the three came into contact with this bubble of protective light that had been created around his body, they were thrown away, meters and meters away from Jon.

What had happened?

In his hands, the amulet shone.

He didn't know it, but he knew he had to escape. Clutching the amulet to his chest, and the memory of Misterio to his heart, he ran into the castle, circling the pumpkin patch.

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[theshatteredrose]

Nugatory: The Secret War (Chapter 14) - Disgaea 5 Fanfiction

AN: This week has been a little bit chaotic, but thankfully I managed to get this chapter done. It was an interesting one and I needed the distraction, so that helped. But forgive me if it’s not up to my usual standard. As for next week’s update, I don’t know. My father is in the hospital with an infection due entirely to a GP’s incompetence. The next week is a little iffy right now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading.

Ao3 | Wattpad | Inkitt | FFNet

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Chapter 14:

On a bed in the hospital of the Pocket Netherworld, Usalia laid perfectly still, even as she gasped for air, sweat beading across her brow and cheeks.

Gathered around the bed stood Killia and the others, feeling helpless and at a loss at what to do. Only Samuel stood close to Usalia’s bedside, his hand over the injury site, constantly using Espoir in the desperate attempt to keep the venom isolated, and to stop it from attacking her vital organs.

“Samuel, can you help her?” Killia asked him desperately.

“I’m trying,” Samuel returned, slightly breathless. “But Espoir isn’t enough. It’s not strong enough. There has to be another spell.”

Another spell? Was there another spell beyond Espoir?

“K-Killia.” Samuel stuttered for a moment before he purposely righted his posture, squaring his shoulders to maintain a stance of strength. “I’ll keep her alive for as long as I can. Check the library. There has to be s-something there.”

“B-but…”

Majorita said Usalia had less than an hour left to live. So, time was ticking away. That wasn’t enough time. How long could Samuel keep Usalia alive?

He would…he would do it for as long as necessary. No matter the cost to himself. He was…a martyr, after all.

Zeroken grabbed him by the elbow in an attempt to get his attention. “B-bro, if he keeps this up, we might lose Samuel, too.”

Killia swallowed thickly and nodded, not trusting his voice. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the low, violent hiss from his Other-Self.

He couldn’t let both Usalia and Samuel die. He couldn’t lose both of them. But he couldn’t sacrifice one to save the other. The one he saved wouldn’t forgive him. There had to be something he could do!

Damn it, Killia, think!

“Everyone, step back!”

Killia was greatly startled by Christo suddenly raising his voice. “What?”

“I just remembered an old spell that has been passed down through my family,” Christo explained as he moved to stand on the other side of Usalia’s bed. “One that goes beyond Espoir. I can save Usalia!”

Samuel looked across to Christo expectantly. “What should I-?”

“Stay there. One more Espoir as I get ready, please.”

“Right.”

Christo turned his back toward the bed for a moment, seemingly taking a moment to prepare himself. Samuel stayed where he stood, dutifully uttering another Espoir spell to stem the venom from spreading. Killia stood back with the others but remained close regardless. And waited with bated breath for what Christo was to do.

Finally, he turned back toward the bed, his face set in determination.

He stepped closer toward the bed and raised his hands over Usalia as a bright, white light immersed him.

The others were surprised by the bright, shining light that Christo emitted, yet Killia wasn’t. He had received healing from Christo before, and knew it was vastly different to those of the other healers.

Instead, Killia was preoccupied by a feeling of nostalgia.

That light, that warmth…Killia had encountered it somewhere before. But where…?

Wait…Samuel. That warmth. He was certain he had experienced a similar warmth from Samuel whenever he healed him!

The light surrounding Usalia soon died down and Samuel took a slow, cautious step away from the bed.

Killia and the others were startled greatly when Usalia suddenly sat up in bed. She not only did that; she stood up on the bed and proceeded to jump off of it. Like she had never been on the verge of death, held on only be Samuel’s healing.

It was…a miracle. That was the only way to describe it.

Or, perhaps, a divine intervention?

“Wh-what happened?” she asked as she looked around, confused before suddenly looking excited. “It…doesn’t hurt anymore, plip!”

Christo breathed a sigh of relief. “Whew…Looks like it worked.”

Samuel also sighed and swayed backwards. Killia immediately stepped forward and caught him by the shoulders, allowing him to rested his back against his chest. “Are you all right?”

“Y-yeah,” Samuel replied with an exhausted nod of his head but a smile on his lips nonetheless. “Just a little tired.”

“I’m impressed, Lil’ C-Sto!” Red Magnus said boisterously. “What in the red hell did you do?”

Christo seemed unsettled by the attention. “A-as I said, I just remembered an old spell. One that has been passed down through the generations. It’s an ancient spell. Hardly ever used as Espoir is more than efficient. I simply forgot that I had it.”

He wasn’t being entirely truthful, but the explanation sounded reasonable regardless.

“We’re relieved that you remembered,” Killia said as he helped Samuel to sit on the foot of the hospital bed, giving him time to catch his breath.

“Yes, well, it was Samuel mentioning the possibility of a spell beyond Espoir that jarred my memory,” Christo insisted.

“I don’t feel any pain, plip!” Usalia announced, which was a relief, before she turned to everyone and gave a questioning tilt of her head. “What happened?”

Killia sighed. “You were poisoned by Majorita. Samuel was able to keep the venom at bay by the continuous use of Espoir, giving Christo time to remember an ancient spell to remove the venom completely.”

That was the gist of it. He didn’t want her to know how close to death she actually was. He certainly didn’t want her to know about the possibility that should, could have taken Samuel with her.

“Christo! Samuel!” Usalia hurried over to the two and grabbed each by the hand. “Thank you for saving my life, plip!”

Samuel patted the back of Usalia’s hand as he smiled at her. “Think nothing of it, Bunny Princess. You’re a cherished member of our little family, after all. It was all Christo, though. He’s the MVP here.”

“N-not at all,” Christo replied, still rather uncomfortable by the attention. “Samuel’s healing gave me the time and knowledge needed to do what had to be done. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

Family…

Were they…?

“Christo.” Seraphina suddenly approached their two healers and eyed Christo critically. “There is something bothering me, I’m afraid. There is something that Majorita said that I don’t understand.”

Usalia released her hold on Christo’s hand but kept a hold of Samuel’s, and stepped back to allow the two to talk.

“Oh? And what is it?” Christo asked as he hid his uncertainty by readjusting his glasses.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes. “If I remember correctly, didn’t Majorita declare that ‘there was no possible way to neutralise that poison in this Netherverse’? The venom could not have been cured by ordinary healing magic. So, how could you?”

A flicker of panic appeared on Christo’s face before he played it off with a dismissive shrug. “I-It’s simple, really. My magic is beyond that of ordinary demons, because I am an Overlord.”

“Is that so?”

“What’s up with you, Sera?” Red Magnus asked. “You’re awfully suspicious of Lil’ C-Sto all of a sudden.”

“I’m quite well read, as you can imagine,” Seraphina explained, briefly looking over at Red Magnus, before promptly turning her sharp, critical gaze back toward Christo. “And the magic that Christo used is similar to that of Angel magic I read about in literature.”

Christo spluttered and paled, and it was easy to tell in his eyes that he was inwardly panicking. “A-angel magic? Me? What nonsense! Besides that, Samuel kept the venom at bay, did he not?”

Samuel nodded his head, unconcerned by Seraphina’s grilling. “For the most part. Besides, why are we taking Majorita for her word? Of course she would think she could develop a poison that would have no known cure. She’s such a belligerent child.”

He did raise a good point.

“Y-yes, exactly!” Christo readily agreed, perhaps a little too quickly. “The Netherverse is so vast, after all. With endless mysteries and possibilities.”

Killia wasn’t so sure, and he wasn’t so willing to brush that aside. Samuel held back the poison and Christo removed it completely. Killia knew of Christo’s…quirk. But Samuel? Could he also be…?

It would explain so much. About his lack of knowledge of the Netherverse. How undemonic he acts. Killia had been healed by Samuel numerous times before, and it was unlike that of the other demon healers that work with the Rebel Army.

But those scars on his back. And his skills.

Killia knew little of Celestia, but surely the realm of angels wasn’t as brutal as that of demons?

Nevertheless, Seraphina’s line of questioning was intrusive and unwarranted. Christo had just saved the life of their teammate, possibly saved the lives of two. She had no right to be interrogating him the way she was. It would be best that Killia stepped in.

“Seraphina, please leave my saviours alone, plip!”

However, it seemed that he didn’t need to when Usalia placed herself firmly, and rather protectively in front of Christo.

“I will not have you interrogating my saviours after they just saved my life!”

Seraphina regarded Usalia quietly for a moment. She then nodded her head, willing to listen. Willing to back down. “Very well. I suppose we should be grateful for miracles.”

That conversation was over. For now. Killia doubted that Seraphina was willing to let it drop, however.

For now, they could breathe a sigh of relief. But not for very long. With Usalia safe and healthy, and with Christo able to remove any poison that Majorita could throw at them, they had to return to Toto Bunny, to destroy the Magical Spear.

They had gotten lucky. Next time, they may not.

They needed to be careful.

Killia turned his attention toward Samuel, quickly taking note that he still looked pale and weary from having to repeatedly use Espoir and likely Mega Heal to keep Usalia alive. Though, knowing him as well as he did, he hid the vast majority of his exhaustion.

“Let’s take a moment to catch our breaths before we return to Toto Bunny,” Killia instructed. “Samuel, do you want to stay here and rest?”

Samuel, however, shook his head, just as Killia expected him to. “I’m fine. I’m not sitting this one out. I want to help Usalia save Toto Bunny.”

“It’s ok,” Usalia immediately insisted. “You’ve already done so much for me and Toto Bunny.”

Samuel still stubbornly refused to think about himself. “Nope. I won’t be persuaded. If roles were reversed, you’d insist, too.”

Killia couldn’t exactly fault that line of logic. He was right. He had a nasty habit of being right. Especially about topics Killia wanted to be stubborn over. “Alright. At least let’s have something to eat before we leave.”

Thankfully, Samuel nodded his head without argument. “I can agree to those terms,” he said, smiling once more.

… … … … …

Being greeted by the sight of Bloodis after stepping foot inside Toto Bunny Castle was the last thing Killia expected.

Adviya Holy Water not working was the second last thing.

Luck was on their side for once, however, when they were interrupted by Majorita’s (foolishly) loyal handmaids insisting that Bloodis was to leave the protection of the magical spear and the destruction of Toto Bunny to them and Majorita.

As much as he hated the idea of another Overlord and Netherworld having to deal with Bloodis, Killia was thankful that their impending battle was interrupted. With Samuel and Christo winded from having to heal Usalia, and everyone still on edge from nearly losing their companion, the very last thing anyone needed was a battle against Demon General Bloodis.

Still, Bloodis did not leave without a parting shot;

“Show me that true power, the one you revealed when we first met. For if you don’t, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

It was lucky that battling came second nature to him as they traversed their way through Toto Bunny Castle, for his mind was elsewhere.

Killia knew exactly what Bloodis was referring to.

But that ‘true power’ was his Other-Self; Tyrant Overlord Killidia.

He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t unleash his Other-Self. He couldn’t go back to that kind of life. Even…even if he did, what good would it bring? Even his Other-Self was incapable of possessing, of using the Final Skill.

Even Tyrant Overlord Killidia was still a novice. The Ultimate Demon Technique could only be master when the Final Skill was learnt. Only then will all other skills reach their full potential.

He couldn’t learn the skill. So, he ran away.

He was a novice. And a coward.

All he knew to reach the Final Skill, to change his evil heart to a pure heart…was to open his heart. To use his fists for the ones he cared about. For the ones he loved.

But who…?

Killia was jarred out of his musings by a loud sneeze.

He immediately flickered his gaze over to where Samuel stood, his brow furrowing in concern as he watched as Samuel pressed his hand over his mouth and nose to cover another sneeze. His back tensed and his shoulders heaved from the sneeze, which another promptly followed.

“You ok there, Samuel?” Zeroken asked as he patted him on the back, thinking that could help him somehow.

“If you don’t stop sneezing, you’ll give our position away,” Seraphina sharply scolded.

Samuel responded by releasing another sneeze. “Sorry, I just can’t stop sneezing all of a sudden.”

“Lil’ C-Sto is acting weird, too.”

Christo presented Red Magnus with an indignant look. “Wh-what do you mean? I’m perfectly fine.”

Killia stared at Christo for a moment. There was something off about him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it…

“Psst, Christo.” Usalia tugged on Christo’s sleeve to gain his attention. “Your horns are about to fall off.”

Killia’s gaze shot up toward his head and, hah, she was right. That was what was off about him; his horns had tilted to the side, clearly askew and not attached to his skull in any form or manner.

“Oh, right,” Christo said, lifting his hands toward his hair without a second thought and adjusting his horns. “Let me fix that.”

Silence promptly followed before Christo began to fumble over his words, hastily trying to explain that his horns weren’t about to fall off. No, it was just an illusion. A poor excuse from Christo. Really, the man should have thought of something better.

Naturally, Seraphina wasn’t about to let an opportunity to make him uncomfortably slip by.

She could be so antagonising. Killia had better say something to keep the peace and give the distinct hint for Seraphina to drop the subject. Though, he doubted she would for very long.

“I see what’s happening here,” Killia said. “Samuel’s sneezing, Christo’s horns falling off; there’s no mistaking it.”

Usalia immediately turned to him. “What is it, plip?”

“It’s stress. There is a certain kind of demon that can get into sneezing fits or have their horns fall off when they’re exhausted and under stress.”

Zeroken’s eyes widen in genuine shock. “R-really, Bro?”

Killia nodded his head, hoping that his face remained neutral. “Y-yeah.”

Usalia turned around to look toward Samuel and Christo. “It must be because Christo and Samuel worked so hard to heal me, plip!”

“I had no idea that could even happen,” Zeroken murmured under his breath.

Hm, it seemed that in his attempt to protect Christo and Samuel, he had caused an irrational fear in Zeroken. It was sure to pass, though.

“Christo, Samuel; please, don’t push yourselves,” Usalia pleaded. “I will protect you, no matter what!”

Killia allowed himself to breath a small sigh of relief. Ok, that situation had been diffused for now. They needed to continue forward. They needed to get to the magical spear and destroy it as quickly as possible. They had been delayed long enough.

Majorita was going to be waiting for them.

She was going to be surprised.

Falling into the rhythm of battles was somewhat reassuring. Their enemies’ movements were predictable, relying entirely on the Geo-panels. With their differing long ranged skills, they were able to dispose of the Geo-blocks, rendering them useless. All that followed was to knuckle down and go in guns a blazing. Their usual battleplan.

It didn’t matter how many zombies Majorita threw at them; they weren’t backing down.

Just one more floor to go.

“Achoo!”

Killia’s brow furrowed. That wasn’t Samuel who sneezed that time.

“Great,” Christo mumbled as he pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his nose, shooting a disgruntle glare in Samuel’s direction. “Now I’m sneezing.”

“Don’t look at me,” Samuel shot back as he tried to suppress a shiver. “I didn’t realise my stress was contagious.”

“Samuel, are you cold?” Usalia asked as she rubbed her hand along his arm seemingly in an attempt to warm him up. “You’re shivering, plip.”

It was very sweet how attentive Usalia was being over their two healers. She was taking her role as their protector very seriously.

“I’m alright,” Samuel replied, giving Usalia a reassuring smile, though it had less impact than usual as he continued to shiver. “Nothing to worry about.”

“You’re flushed in the face,” Christo helpfully pointed out.

“So are you,” Samuel retorted quickly.

A frown tugged at Killia’s lips. That was…startling.

Fits of sneezing? Slight fever? Chills?

Killia remembered reading about a condition with those exact symptoms from a book in the library. True, many illnesses and viruses had those exact symptoms. But the illnesses of demons didn’t affect…angels.

Of course, it was just a theory. But once they returned to the pocket Netherworld, he needed to track down that book. If he remembered correctly, there was a recipe of a tonic included. If his theory was accurate, if he created that tonic and gave it to both Samuel and Christo, and they were both cured, then Samuel was also…

“Hng.”

Killia was immediately pulled out of his musings by Samuel making a quiet, purposely smothered noise of distress. “Something wrong?” he asked as he made his way to stand next to him.

Samuel managed a weak smile as he pressed a hand against his stomach. “No, it’s nothing.”

Killia wasn’t having it. “You know you can’t lie to me.”

Samuel had the decency to look apologetic. “Sorry, sorry. Force of habit, I guess.”

“Is Samuel still feeling unwell, plip?” Usalia asked.

“I guess so,” Samuel finally admitted as he idly rubbed his thumb over his stomach. “I’m just feeling a little bit woozy for some reason. I guess it’s because I haven’t eaten for the last couple of days.”

Killia was dumbfounded. “What? I remember specifically giving you some curry before we left.”

Samuel sheepishly looked down at the floor. “Ah, well…”

Usalia suddenly latched onto his arm. “Did you give me your curry, plip?”

“You needed it more than me,” Samuel insisted. “Besides, I’m used to it. I think.”

Killia was left speechless. For the love of…he truly was a martyr.

“B-but you said you had already eaten, plip!” Usalia all but shouted as she shook his arm. “I didn’t know I was taking food out of your mouth. No wonder you’re feeling so unwell, plip. Especially after you spend so much energy healing me!”

“N-no, it’s alright-”

“No, it’s not alright,” Killia interrupted. “As Usalia said, you need to eat, too. And you will. Even if I have to spoon-feed you myself.”

The light flush on Samuel’s cheek suddenly darkened considerably. “Th-there’s no need to do that,” he stuttered.

Killia had the strong urge to scold Samuel further, to tell him to have some self-preservation, when another band of Lost Soldiers had the audacity to show up. Interrupting their conversation and barring their way.

“Oh, look; enemies,” Samuel said, almost sounding relieved. “Best get ready for battle you two.”

Killia scowled. “Don’t think you can battle your way out of this, Samuel.”

Surprisingly, Usalia giggled as she followed Samuel.

Killia sighed as he prepared himself to battle his way through his enemies quickly. Faster than usual. Honestly, that Samuel. Once they defeated Majorita again (and they will), he was going to drag him back to the Pocket Netherworld and shovel some curry down his throat…

[neesieiumz]

Sorry {Izuku Midoriya x Reader}

[Pro-hero!Izuku Midoriya x Former Pro-hero!Reader]

[P A R T O N E] [P A R T T H R E E]

L E A V E.

Based on the song Sorry by Beyonce

Summary: You couldn't hold your tongue after all. It was a long time coming anyway. A long time coming.

A/n: So I still have special plans for this one! However, this became so long that I had to switch my original plans! So there's actually gonna be a third part to this one as well! I'm turning this into a limited series, like those shows on Netflix. So enjoy this part two of Pray You Catch me!

Word Count: 5.2k

"Now you want to say you’re sorry, now you want to call me crying"

“Good Morning sweetheart.”

You stiffened at his gruff morning voice, hearing him walking barefooted into the kitchen. YOu currently cooking over the stove, fluffy omelets currently cooking through butter, and a plate of pancakes sitting on the counter beside you. YOu glanced over at him ambling into the kitchen, wearing no shirt and his pajama pants hanging dangerously low. You glanced over his half-naked body, glancing over the many healed scars from all the villain fights he’s been through. You shook your head and turned back to the food you were making. You could hear Izuku stop in his tracks, his eyes raking over your slightly hunched-over form over the food.

“Y/n? Is everything alright?”

“Her? Oh, you don’t have to worry about her doll.”

You took a deep breath and shook your head, turning off the stove and turning towards him, giving him a half-fake, half-real smile. Pulling your robe tighter, you walked over to your husband, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and pulling yourself up along his tall stature. He responded by wrapping his own arms around your waist. He smiled as you placed a longing kiss on top of his lips.

“Everything is perfectly okay, are you staying for breakfast?” You asked him, tightening your grip around him as he carried you back over the stove.

He hummed positively, “I have some time to kill before I head, so I thought why not finally join my wife for breakfast?”

“She and I… haven’t been working out for a while. That’s where you come in.”

You took a deep breath, taking the pan from the stove as he put you down. You asked Izuku to get two plates and two glass cups for juice so you could ration out the pancakes and eggs. As you put the food onto the table, you could feel Izuku wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you towards his own body. He placed his head in between your shoulder and necks and rifled his face in the crevice, blowing raspberries into your skin. The action caused you to giggle, nearly dropping the serving spoon you were young to pate the eggs. Izuku looked over your shoulder and noticed that you were done putting the food on the plates, so he let go of you, and reached over to take them off the counter.

“Here, let me help you.” He turned around swiftly, heading towards your dining room.

“The way you walked, it just…. pulled me in.”

You reached up to set your neck, popping some of your joints to relieve some of the tension slowly building. You then turned to the cup cabinet, reaching down to turn on your kettle, at the same time as you reached for your favorite cup. You stopped mid-way of grabbing it, remembering exactly what the cup looks like. It was a custom, gifted to you by Ejirou for you and Izuku's own wedding anniversary, it was a mix of both your and his hero colors. He got you both one, the designs were so intricate that no one could get them from anywhere, they were one-in-a-kind pair. Yours was dominated by Izuku’s hero colors, which were green and white, while Izuku’s was dominated by your own hero colors, (h/c) and black. You took a deep breath before continuing the reach for the cup, wrapping your fingers around the handle.

“Izuku, can you get the sugar cubes from the pantry, please? Along with a packet of tea?” You asked him as the light went off in the kettle, the water already bubbling and boiling.

You heard a hum of acknowledgment before hearing him drag his feet over to the other door in your kitchen. You poured the hot water in the mug, hearing Izuku come up beside you placing the small bag of sugar cubes, and teabag packet beside you. As you took the packet the teabag was in, placing it on your tea, Izuku leaned towards you and placed a kiss on your cheek, the feeling of slightly chapped lips leaving a slight tickle.

“You’re so beautiful.”

“Of course you know I enjoyed our time together.”

You just smiled softly at him, grabbing the small bag of sugar, and the mug, before falling into step with him to your dining room, which was connected to your kitchen of course. You looked at the rectangular table, finding Izuku placed the plates on the long side of the table, opposite of each other, making the usual gap between the two of you much shorter. You took a deep breath, pacing your mug and bag of cubed sugar beside your own plate. You took your seat, sweeping your robe from under you to allow you to sit comfortably. Izuku took his own seat opposite of you, deciding to drink orange juice with his food.

You made sure to say grace, before beginning to dig in.

It was quiet, nothing the sound of metal forks and knives hitting scratching against plates. You liked the silence, but all you could do is wait. Wait for that one thing to ruin this small vacuum of sweet yet sullen silence you haven’t had with him in so long.

You knew it was coming. It always did.

Ding!

Izuku jumped slightly as the ding came from his pocket. You followed his hands as he reached down and pulled out his personal phone from his left pocket. Your gaze shifted from his hands to his face as he unlocked the phone, to see who exactly texted him. His facial expression changed into a soft, long one, and that was it.

“Of course you know I enjoyed our time together.”

“God you look amazing tonight, and you wore my favorite color too.”

“The way you walked, it just…. pulled me in.”

“Her? Oh, you don’t have to worry about her doll.”

“She and I… haven’t been working out for a while. That’s where you come in.”

“With you… I feel a breath of fresh air, something new.”

“I love you too Doll, I have to go before she sees I’m not in bed.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow, good night doll.”

“Is that her?”

Izuku froze. His head slowly craned up to look up at you, to find you looking straight at him with cold, dead eyes. You slowly placed your utensils down and reached over to grab the cup of tea, the bag of sugar cubes, and the long teaspoon you placed on the table to stir.

“You still didn't answer my question, Izuku.” You looked down, twirling the spoon in between your hands.

“What,” he cut himself off as he swallowed some spit, “what do you mean by “Is it her?”?”

You couldn’t help the cackle that echoed throughout the entire house, dropping the spoon onto the table as you hunched over onto the table. The air was only getting tenser and tenser with every dry chuckle that escaped your mouth. You used the table as support, placing your hands on top of your forehead.

Izuku’s heart was racing, there was… there was no possible way that you knew about them? He could feel himself start to sweat from all over, the once impeccable taste of the syrup and eggs from the breakfast you made now beginning to taste like ash. He could feel his mouth drying up, and his fingers started to twitch involuntarily. A telling sign of his nervousness from the overuse of his quirk. He slowly placed his phone down, waiting for you to actually finish laughing. You were laughing, right? Which means that you were just joking with him. Right? Right?

Once you finished with your laughing spell, you leaned back into your chair, taking a deep breath before looking back at your overly anxious husband. You smiled wickedly at him before picking up your spoon once again.

“I heard you, last night, in your office.”

Izuku’s heart dropped to his stomach. It was inevitable really, he, out of all people knew that he couldn’t keep a secret. It only reminds him of his time in U.A and how Bakugo found out about his true quirk.

“Sweetheart I-”

“Don’t fucking call me that.”

The air was tense, you pulled up the robe you were wearing, you could feel it slipping with every movement you made. Deku could no longer look at your eyes, those eyes which were once filled with joy and love for him and for him only. They were now cold and filled with pain, anger, and disdain for his every being.

“What’s her name?”

Izuku continued to look down refusing to speak, while you just sat there waiting for his answer. You then grabbed the spoon next to the cup of tea that you made for yourself, dropping a couple of sugar cubes in the small mug before stirring it slowly.

“Well,” Izuku jumped at your sharp tone, “I’m waiting? What’s her name? Who was able to “snatch” you away from me?”

You slowly placed the spoon down before picking up the cup and taking a small sip of the calm, sweet liquid. You looked on at your trembling husband, whose tears were slowly falling from his eyes. You could feel your heartache at the sight of your love but you also knew that your stare had to remain cold stare. So it did.

“Her name-her name is… is…”

“Spit it out.”

“Do you… do you remember Melissa?”

Melissa…

“Y/n, you have to meet someone!”

You had just transferred into Class A, and you and Izuku hit it off just as friends, for the time being, You had already found your place in the class and it was like you were always with them. The two of you decided to arrive at this private hero gala on I-Island, him tagging along with All Might and you tagged along with Mirko. Some of your classmates were here as well, Bakugo, Kirishima, Jirou, Mina, and others. This was your first time here on the island, only hearing about their adventure from their own time on the island from Izuku and the others. You were wearing a black, ruched t-shirt that had long, flowy sleeves along with some simple black, leather pants.

Izuku pulled you over towards another girl, you had long, blonde wavy hair pulled into a slicked-up ponytail. She was wearing a lavender, silk dress that stopped right at her ankles. She saw Izuku coming to her and you could see her perk up, before following her hands and seeing that he was also pulling you over. You saw her face fall once her eyes landed on you, making you narrow your eyes at her.

“Y/n, this is Melissa Shield, her dad was All Might’s first sidekick when he worked overseas! Melissa, this is Y/n L/n, she just transferred to our class at the beginning of the year.”

You looked over at her, her face no longer fallen, giving you a softer smile as she held out her hand. The weird feeling that you got from her faded away as you smiled back at her. You took her hand and the two of you shook hands, moving into a conversation about hero support gear for you and Izuku.

You slowly nodded your head, the blond girl you haven’t seen since that time on I-Island during summer vacation in high school. You took another sip of your tea, continuing to nod your head.

“How long?”

“How-how,” he stammered and stuttered over his words, “how long have we been “seeing” each other?”

You raised an eyebrow at him, taking a sip of your tea. He blinked and leaned back into his seat, grabbing his right hand with his left to stop the nervous tics. You could see him slightly rocking in his seat, showing his anxiety was increasing. Usually, you would find yourself on the other side of the table, trying your best to calm him down. But this time, you wouldn't move an inch until you got the answers that you need.

“We’ve been talking to each other for six months, it didn't turn physical till-till about three months.”

You dropped your cup. The tea spilled all across the floor, along with broken pieces of your mug. You looked down at the cup, seeing the liquid slowly spread across your hardwood floor. You then looked up at your husband, who was just looking down at his bare feet

Three months ago was your wedding anniversary.

You just nodded your head, you could do nothing but nod your head at the words. You then stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. You turned around, and headed towards the kitchen, ignoring the way your heartfelt heavy, like lead in your chest. Ignored the way you felt tears swelling up at your waterline. You grabbed a rag and a plastic bag and walked right back to your seat in the dining room. You got on your knees, beginning to clean up the spilled tea while picking up the pieces of the mug.

Izuku peeked up and got out of his seat, walking over to you, “let me, let me clean this up.”

You swiftly turned towards him, no longer holding back tears, your piercing glare stabbing a hole into his heart. He took a couple of steps back as you stood up, your chest heaving up and down. You threw the wet rag and the plastic bag at his chest, he immediately caught it. He looked on as you broke down fully, falling to the ground. He immediately rushed over to you, trying to hold you but you summoned a thunder cloud filled to the brim with lighting. It struck him and threw him back to the kitchen. His body slammed against the dishwasher, leaving an Izuku-shaped indent. You gasped, sitting up on your knees. You wrapped yourself with your arms as Izuku groaned, as he tried to push himself off the floor. He slowly stood to his feet, swaying slightly from the impact.

“I gave up EVERYTHING for you! My life, my job, everything I worked for most of my teenage life! All for YOU, my parents cussed me out deciding to become your stupid, little braindead housewife! My brother didn't speak to me for months after I decided to not go back to being a pro hero! All for you!”

Another storm cloud shot out from your hands, this time going behind you and sending a harsh lighting bolt against the dining table. The bolt sliced the table in half, leaving behind a charred, rigged, broken table. Izuku saw the damage you were causing, and slowly approached you, hands out in front of him.

“Y/n… y/n… let’s talk about it.” You saw the look in eyes, apprehensive, as if he… as if he was approaching a villain.

You shook your head vigorously, slowly unraveling your arms from your body. Eyebrows furrowed and angry tears falling down your face at an even faster pace. You summoned a black cloud, one of your most powerful attacks back when you were a superhero. You would enclose it into a perfect sphere before throwing it at an assailant, which set off a bomb of lighting, both blinding and stunning the villains. It was effective and would get the job done when other attacks wouldn't. The black clouds swirled around to create a sphere, still as round as back on those days. Izuku's eyes widened and immediately powered, green lightning surrounded him. Teary-eyed, you swiftly throw the stunning attack, aimed straight at your deceitful husband.

Only for a wall of ice to cut between the both of you, catching the attack and surrounding the dark cloud spree with ice. It muffled the lightning as much as it could and caused it to dissipate within the ice, however, the ice couldn't fully contain the attack and so the ice broke but luckily it only was able to give a weak lighting stroke, only leaving a charred mark on your kitchen counter.

“What the hell is going here?”

Standing towards your now opened front door would be the number 2 and the number 3 heroes. Izuku’s best friends, and parents. Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki. Shoto was huffing and puffing, gaining between the two of you. Katsuki came up beside him after closing the door behind them, his face slowly turning to his usual anger.

“The hell Y/n?! What the fuck are you even doing? You know what that attack could do to someone!”

You took a deep breath, reaching up to your face to wipe your tears. You glanced over the uninvited guests who suddenly appeared into your home. You turned your back towards them, walking back to your broken dining table, picking up the spilled breakfast that was splayed across the floor.

“Are you not going to answer our questions? Y/n? Izuku? What’s going on?” You could hear Todoroki come up behind you, waiting for one of you to speak.

You turned your head and looked up at the bi-colored hero, taking another deep breath as you leaned slightly to look at Izuku who was now kneeling on the floor staring at the charred mark left on the kitchen floor.

“Ask your best friend over there.” That was all you said before using a cloud to carry the destroyed breakfast into the sink.

You said nothing as the two of you just stared at each other, the silence between the two of you saying everything and nothing all at the same time. Bakugo and Todoroki glanced at each other before looking at the distressed husband and wife.

That’s when a noise rang through the air, a ringtone. And it wasn’t Izuku’s this time. You turned towards the counter in the kitchen and saw your own phone ringing, vibrating against the counter. You let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding and pulled the robe belt tighter across your body. You stood and walked over to the counter, taking your phone from the counter, turning away from him. The screen showed that it was Mina calling you. You smiled at the picture of the two of you on a weekend vacation, it was just the two of you, back when you were in the same agency. You clicked the answer icon and walked out of the kitchen, not wanting to acknowledge the uninvited guest in your home, and wanting privacy while you talked to your closest friend.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Shoto and Katuski stared down at their friend slowly succumbing to his sobs. They glanced at each other once again before walking over to him, each taking one side of his body. They both did a silent countdown before carrying his buff body up by his arms. They carried him to the living room, laying his body across the expensive leather couch. His body just shook with sobs. He rolled over to his side, facing the back of the couch. They just let him cry, remembering the last time Katsuki interrupted his crying sessions.

Soon enough, Izuku turned towards the two of them, making them perk up. With teary eyes, he finally spoke.

“Shoto… Kacchan… I did something stupid.”

---

It had been a couple of hours since you went upstairs, leaving behind the three men to talk things out between themselves in the living room/kitchen. Mina had just invited you to a private brunch, and you figured it would be the perfect excuse to get out of the house. You need all the space you could get after all. You took a long, hot shower before getting ready, choosing to wear a more classy outfit. You pulled out a sage green satin slip dress, pairing it with a pair of ankle strap heels. You pulled your hair out of the night scarf you tied on your head last night before sitting at your pure white vanity, turning on the mirror lights. You did your makeup next, choosing a simple look with a deeper brown eyeshadow with a liner in your waterline that matched the color of your dress. Coming to your fingers to unstick your braids, you pulled them into a very high bun, leaving two pieces to frame your face. Topping your lips with some lip gloss, you looked at yourself in the mirror. You twirled around a couple of times, loving the way the satin gave you a loose yet form-fitting look around your body. You grabbed your matching purse, making sure you had all your necessities before heading out the door.

You slowly walked down the stairs, your heels clicking against the hard floors with each step. The arguing you were hearing from the living room slowly ceased as you began to peak through the steps. The three of them turned and saw you, all dressed up, their eyes slowly taking over your body. You looked at Shoto and Katsuki, giving them a soft smile before landing your eyes on your husband. His eyes, filled with all different emotions, shame, guilt, and also admiration, couldn’t tear themselves away from your form. You took a deep breath before starting to walk past them, headed towards your front door.

“I’m going out, Mina invited me out to brunch, when I get back, you better not be here, Izuku.” With those final words, you opened and closed your door behind you, not bothering to stop for both Shoto’s or Katsuki’s exclamations for you to wait.

You unlocked your car, quickly starting it, and reversing out of your driveway as soon as possible. You reached in on your phone, pulling up the address of the restaurant Mina saved reservations for the brunch, placing the device on top of your dashboard before driving down your neighborhood's street.

Back in the house, Shoto and Katsuki look at Izuku who was once again looking down in shame.

“Izuku Midoriya, what the fuck did you do?”

Izuku just said nothing.

---

Arriving at the restaurant, you parked in the accompanying parking space to the very expensive restaurant, before grabbing your purse and phone. You stepped out of the car, holding the bottom half of your dress as you did. You locked the car with the remote before heading towards the restaurant. You entered through the doors before being greeted by the hostess, who simply smiled at you before asking for your name. You saw a look of recognition shine in her eyes but she obviously held back due to her job.

“Oh no, I’m here on behalf of Ashido, the brunch?”

She gasped before nodding her head, grabbing a menu and a couple of other things before guiding towards the back of the restaurant, taking you up the stairs. Hiking your dress up slightly, you followed the worker to the second floor. She led you past the other tables, who were whispering as you passed by them.

“Look its H/n, god she looks amazing.”

“Deku is so fucking lucky, imagine coming home to that after saving heroes.”

You rolled your eyes, shuddering at the forced image of the false world in which you and your husband were actually happy together. The hostess opened the private patio doors, revealing copious amounts of chatter and laughter flowing through the balcony. She moved out of the way slightly, as you thanked her, entering through the doors. As you walked in, you saw all eyes turn on you. You smiled as they all yelled out your name, even some getting up out of their seats to come and greet you.

“Y/n! You actually came! Mina yelled, jumping up and wrapping her arms around you.

You smiled widely, as you wrapped your own arms around her waist, holding her close. You looked over at the shoulder to see the rest of your classmates, Yaomomo, Tsu, Uraraka, Jirou, and even Hagakure. You even saw some new faces, remembering them from Class B. And then you saw her, sitting in between Uraraka and Tsu, engaging in conversation with the two of them. Melissa Shield. Her long wavy hair was straightened and from what you could tell, she was wearing a dark red and black plaid dress, with a slight ruffle in her skirt. You glanced over her before taking in her body language, fidgeting fingers being hidden in the ruffles of her dress, and her face was looking everywhere but at you. Mina let you go, leading you over to the table. She had an empty seat beside her, saying something about wanting to with her best friend after being busy for so long. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on what you thought of the situation, that seat happened to be the one that was directly in front of Melissa’s own seat.

You could see her freeze up as you took your seat, seeing her slowly turn around to face you. You simply smiled in her face, taking a sip of the complimentary water sitting in front of you. She smiled back, nervously albeit, taking her own water with shaking hands as well. Uraraka, being as ever-attentive as she is, noticed Melissa’s shaking hands and the cold sweat running down her face.

“Melissa?” Uraraka started to question, reaching up to grab her by the hands, “Melissa is everything okay?”

Melissa hummed, putting down her glass of water and nodding her vigorously at Uraraka. Your face shifted into an annoyed one, rolling your eyes and as you glanced to your right and noticing the waiter and another waitress came in with notepads and a round of champagne. You put your water down before grabbing your menu, looking over all the options before deciding to eat the red velvet waffles, topped with strawberries, whip cream, and icing. Once you ordered your food and received your own flute of champagne, you heard Uraraka call your name.

Taking a sip of the bubbly, sweet alcoholic beverage, you turned towards her and gave her a smile, nodding your drink and your head towards her.

She giggled before gesturing towards Melissa, lifting and holding in her hand within her own, “you remember Melissa? From I-land? Her dad was All Might’s former sidekick? She helped out my support gear when Hatsume was out for a whole.”

You weren't the only one she was assisting.

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

Your eyes widened as you glanced at Uraraka, who was looking at you in confusion, as well as Tsu who heard what you said as well. Glancing at Melissa, who was taking a sip of her own water, although her hands were now starting to shake and sweat even harder in nervousness. You just shook your head and gave them a fake smile, holding up your glass,

“She and Izuku have been working together on some support gear together, and so I hear about her whenever he comes home.” You lied, taking another sip of your champagne.

Tsu and Uraraka simply “oohed” before pulling you and Yaomomo into a conversation about your daily lives, and new things you all were working on. Meanwhile, during the whole time, you and Melissa locked eyes multiple times, causing her to quickly look everywhere but at you.

---

You finally cornered her in the bathroom.

She had left, a couple of minutes before you, saying she had to use the bathroom. So you waited a moment before faking an excuse to use the bathroom as well. You found her hunched over the sink, taking deep breaths, her body shaking, from her head to her wobbling knees all the way to her heeled feet. You just leaned against the door, waiting for her to acknowledge you. You saw her slowly raise her head, before looking at herself in the mirror. She glanced to her to the left, locking eyes within the mirror. She let out a scream, turning around and jumping back into the sink. You said nothing, just stood up straight before standing at the sink beside her. You could hear her breaths sharpening up, as she just stared at you washing your hands.

“Thank you.”

It was you who said that. In the corner of your eyes, you could see her face twist in confusion. You could basically hear exactly what she was thinking. Thank you? You know that I’m sleeping with your husband, and all you can do is say thank you?

You took a deep breath and turned to face, looking deep into her blue eyes.

“Usually in these situations, I don’t blame the other girl. Most likely they didn't even know that the man was married or already had a significant other. It would all rest on the man’s shoulders. That’s not the case for this though, everyone and their mother knew that Izuku was married. To me. I am pretty sure he invited you to our wedding. So I do blame you. However, I also thank you, because I don’t care who advanced first, whoever made the first move, but all it confirmed is that Izuku never truly loved me the way I loved him. No matter how much I gave up for him, he threw it all away for… you.”

You reached over the towels sitting in an intricately fancy box, wiping your hands before placing one of them on Melissa’s shoulders. You smiled at her and she just shrunk away from you. Your smile tightened before landing a swift right hook on her face. She stumbled slightly from the force of the punch as you let go of her shoulders, walking around her to throw away your crumpled-up paper towels. You looked back at her and your fake smile face fell, your eyes narrowed in a viscous, vile glare and your mouth fell in a frown.

“If I ever see you again, it’ll be more than just a right hook.”

You opened the door and took a couple of more steps before turning your head enough to be able to look at her again. She was nursing her bruised cheek, turning her head so you heard her call out her name one more.

“You can have him, by the way, better hope he doesn't cheat on you next.”

With that, you leave the bathroom, head back to the table to leave your own split of the bill, and pick up the take-out tray of your food. You said your goodbyes to t]your old peers, mention a lie about having something to do later at the Foundation. You left the restaurant, waving at those who would wave at you. As you walked to your car, you pulled out your phone, taking it off silent mode. You noticed a couple of texts from Shoto, and Katsuki, asking you to call them asap. Well, that’s not exactly how Kats worded it, but it basically was what he said. You ignored their texts for now as you scrolled through your contacts, before finding your mom’s contact. Letting out a shaky breath, you entered your car and closed the door behind you. You clicked her name, allowing your phone to ring.

“Hello? Y/n?”

You sniffled as you could feel the tears from this morning begin to fall all over again, “M-mom, ca-can I come over please?”

-

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[anthemxix]

There is something that I noticed while watching a game play of Hyrule warriors. Once You get the great fairy in the game but the way she fights is what got my angst side tickling. The way she fights is that she puts Link in a bottle and fights while he’s in the bottle, and once there’s a victory. The great fairy lets him out and you can clearly see his discomfort when she spins around him and such. Just something i noticed that i thought might be important for yah. :3

thank you so much for sending me this! it makes me so happy that you thought to share this with me. thank you ;w;

the whole getting-stuck-in-a-bottle thing is perfect for angst, and i was going to write something angsty, but then...this happened?? tl;dr for this fic is as follows~

hyrule: i don't like trapping fairies in bottles. warriors: yeah, getting trapped in a bottle sucks. hyrule: wait, what? warriors: what?

like that's it, that's the fic. also, wind is the problem child here because the fairies in WW look so sad after you catch them XD

Deep in the woods, the heroes find a sanctuary.

The densely-packed, straight-backed trees open up into a sunlit pocket, a secret glade undisturbed for centuries, where the air holds still like bated breath. Playing among the sunbeams, fluttering on filmy dragonfly wings, are dozens upon dozens of fairies.

Hyrule smiles fondly as he steps into the clearing, stretching out an arm in invitation. Several fairies, awash in a pastel pink glow, drift towards him and perch there like birds on a branch. A few more land on his shoulders; a couple snuggle into his nest of unruly hair.

“Oh, this is great!” Wind chirps. His voice seems unnaturally loud in the quiet, sacred space, and a handful of the fairies on Hyrule’s arm startle and flit away. The Traveler turns, prepared to admonish the Sailor for his volume, but he pales as he sees Wind, and several of the other heroes, fishing empty bottles from their bags.

Fairies’ healing magic is more potent than any potion, so Hyrule understands why the other heroes want it at their disposal; yet the idea of trapping one of these magnificent little creatures for days or weeks on end merely to exploit her generosity makes Hyrule uneasy. He knows what it’s like to be so small and helpless, and he can only imagine the horror of being imprisoned in a cramped bottle with nothing to do but breathe increasingly stale air and wait for freedom.

Hyrule holds out his other arm to offer refuge to more fairies; several more pink orbs alight on him without hesitation. Dismayed, he watches Wind ready his bottle and make a wild swing for a fairy. She bleats in alarm before zipping away.

His next target is not so lucky. Wind catches this fairy between his hand and the bottle, effectively jamming her inside.

“Sailor—,” Hyrule begins, but he cuts himself off as, to his surprise, Warriors clamps a firm hand on Wind’s shoulder and spins him around. He’s wearing the irritated scowl that’s usually reserved for Legend.

“What do you think you're doing?” the Captain snaps.

The triumph over a successful catch swiftly drains from Wind’s face. “What do you mean?”

“You have to be more careful,” Warriors chastises. “If you insist on detaining them, at least don't hurt them.”

“What? I would never—!” Pausing, Wind gives the cross-armed Captain a once-over, defensiveness dissipating in favor of curious realization. “Wait, why aren’t you grabbing any fairies…?”

Huh. Now that Hyrule considers it, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Warriors with a bottled fairy of his own. He hadn’t realized the Captain, too, is sensitive to the plight of these little winged creatures.

Blatantly discounting the question, Warriors says, “Look, why don’t you let Time give you pointers on how to do this properly.”

Wind’s imminent protests visibly shrivel as his gaze follows to where Warriors points. Time stands peacefully in the middle of the glade, open bottle passively upheld; a fairy willingly flies inside and allows herself to be stowed in Time’s bag. Attention captured, Wind bounces over to Time without another word to Warriors.

Eyebrows raised in amusement, Hyrule relaxes. Wind hadn’t intended to mistreat the fairies, and his youthful vigor is disarming. He glances at Warriors, expecting to see a similarly amused expression on him, given the massive soft spot Warriors has for the kid, but Warriors isn’t looking at Wind or Time at all. Instead, he’s watching the others collect fairies with an expression Hyrule has never seen on him.

His irritation, it seems, was a knee-jerk reaction, a symptom masking the real problem, which apparently is…discomfort?

Hyrule watches as now, in the quiet, some fairies drift towards the Captain, languidly orbiting him or touching down on his shoulders. If he notices, he doesn’t acknowledge them, continuing to watch the other heroes with crossed arms and pursed lips, like he’s tasted something sour.

Stepping closer, Hyrule says, “Uh, h-hey. Captain?”

As if he’s forgotten Hyrule was standing nearby, Warriors startles, but he quickly composes himself, seamlessly transitioning to an air of detached, smoothed-over neutrality. “Yes?”

“You okay? You look a little, uh…spooked.”

“Of course.” He buries one hand in the folds of scarf around his neck. The lie is painfully obvious, though Hyrule isn’t certain if that’s a cue to keep pushing or to let this go.

Fortunately, he doesn’t need to decide. Warriors drops the hand from his scarf and instead hooks his thumbs onto his belt. He’s in his observational tactician mode, his posture and expression shuttered so that he gives nothing away, only takes in. “You know, I'm not as in-tune with magic as you or Legend, but I’ve always been able to sense the residue of fairy magic on you, Traveler. Why is that?”

The deflection is unexpected, Hyrule thinks, but he supposes he can’t call it unfair. Secrets are like anything else: earned, not free. So he barters.

“Yeah, it’s, um. It’s from…a spell I can cast.”

“What does it do?”

“Uh, well, it’s…” He swallows. Maybe he isn’t ready to divulge this particular secret in full. “It sort of…replicates fairy magic, you could say.”

Warriors looks like he wants to ask more; Hyrule jumps in before he can. “So you don’t like catching fairies, huh?”

He can almost see the same thought process flicker across Warriors’ face: get a secret, give a secret.

One hand trails up to his scarf—a nervous habit, Hyrule figures—but then drops to his side again. “I don’t like the idea of trapping them.”

“Neither do I,” Hyrule agrees.

Warriors’ gaze is fixed on the others again, on the bottles in their hands. His hand returns to his scarf, and this time he absently toys with it, mind preoccupied. “...I know what it’s like.”

“What…what’s like?”

“Being trapped like that.” His voice has gotten quieter, his gaze more faraway. “And no matter what you do, you can’t get out.”

“Oh...I...I'm sorry,” Hyrule fumbles, not sure what to say.

“No one took it seriously,” Warriors continues. He untangles his hand from his scarf, holds out a finger so one of the fairies on his shoulder can perch there instead. “I felt so small and helpless...but it was just a joke to everyone else.”

Hyrule shuffles uncomfortably, scrutinizing the somber way Warriors is looking at the fairy on his finger. “So, um...what...where were you...trapped, exactly?”

Warriors frowns, and for one hopeful moment, Hyrule thinks he’s going to get an answer. But then Wind is bounding over, chattering excitedly, earlier tensions seemingly forgotten. The fairies around Warriors flutter away in a cloud, and Time is gathering everyone up so they can keep moving.

Well. A half-truth exchanged for a half-truth. It’s a start, Hyrule supposes. At least it’s a start.

[tavyliasin]

ATG 11 - Deal? Done

In which a new bargain is struck.

Pairing: Haarlep/Tav SPICE Rating: 4/5  Content Warnings:  Sex, BDSM, Power Play, Bondage, Safe word use (respected)   

Spoilers Act 3, House of Hope, Orin's Plot Canon Compliance Canon forsaken and forsworn. The parallel to the kidnapping and rescue is vaguely in canon, and the deal itself is half canon as there are a couple of changes that our Tav makes in the bargain.  Other Notes There is the use of the safe word in this one which is immediately respected - I have every partnering establish a safe word though I rarely have them used, but this felt like the perfect time. 

Song/Mood Haunting Kind of High by Aviators "The haunting kind of high The devils dropping by The mortal spirit's cry Like the fire in your eyes We're all just searching for that lasting mental spark When it hits you know it sticks And then your soul has hit its mark Ascending from this plane to walk along the sky But you need the supernatural For that haunting kind of high."

----- FULL CHAPTER BELOW THE CUT -----

Haarlep was bored. And if there was anything they hated most in all the hells, it was boredom. Raphael was out bargaining again, some new soul to break in his claws, the cure for his own infernally listless shuffling of papers just to fill the time. They waved their hand in the air, lazily conjuring the scrying portal, wondering where the most interesting little morsel might be. Unfortunately, the view was not an exciting one. Tav and Karlach stood either side of the druid, Halsin, his arms over their shoulders helping him walk slowly out of Orin’s dank little cavern. The bitch’s body was twisted and bloodied on the floor, and it was at least a little amusing to Haarlep to see the pale elf give the motionless corpse a couple more stabs before moving on to join his companions. Interesting, they thought, idly stroking their chin. They reached over to the table and picked up the stone that they had managed to steal from Raphael’s pocket the night before, a moment of inspiration setting them up for an entirely devious plot. They waited, albeit impatiently, as the little group continued to make their way back to their room at the tavern. It was far from evening still, but the druid clearly needed healing. Were they feeling generous , Haarlep might have invited them all to the house to heal. It would be nothing to let the elf recuperate for a while in the pool, and he wasn’t exactly an unpleasant sight… But the agreement had only been for one pass into the halls. An agreement that had been particularly irksome to wrangle from the master of the house, and something that had not yet been passed to the beneficiary. They knew he wanted to see her again, that there was a spark left unsatisfied by just the one night that they shared, and if there was one thing that Haarlep loved above all else it was feeding on a delicious meal of sins. They tapped the sending stone with an impatient claw, waiting for the right moment to begin putting their menu together. It was taking too long. They paced the room, fresh ideas turning in their mind, quietly grumbling to themselves as they flicked through the neatly laid piles of spell scrolls in the cupboard. Ah, this will be just perfect.

--- Tav had been worried for a long time, and despite the literal weight of the druid draped across her shoulders, a far greater weight had been lifted from them when she had seen the rise and fall of his chest on the altar. He was still breathing. Alive. The battle had been exhausting, but they were almost home. Yet… Something felt wrong. A prickling on the back of her neck made her feel like she was being watched, but the source was nowhere to be found on the streets around her. Years of keeping herself safe meant the likelihood of her senses failing to detect a lurking threat was next to none. More concerningly, however, this watching…it did not feel dangerous . By all rights it should - an unseen watcher should certainly not feel anything close to exciting. By the time they got back and laid Halsin in his bed, she was ready to go and take a bath. She longed to wash off the sticky and sickly sweet blood that clung to her clothes and skin, mixed with mud, dirt, and splashes of acid and gods only knew what else. It was when she was getting dressed in fresh clothes, however, that Tav felt the sending stone in her pocket hum with magic. Raphael? She thought to herself, remembering the one who had handed her the paired device, and wondering why he wouldn’t bother to just show up unannounced as he usually did. “Good evening, Little Rat,” the voice intoned in her head. Not Raphael, no, there was only one person who called her Rat. “Consider this your invitation. Should you accept, step through the portal that will appear before you. We have…business, to discuss.” Tav had a chance to reply, but without being able to get a response back again she wouldn’t have much choice but to accept if she wanted to know what they wanted. She was…curious. “Fine, let me check on my companions and then I will come back in here for your door. I know you’re the one watching me…”

---

Haarlep laughed, a deep and genuine amusement bubbling up within them, the unusual sound echoing off the walls in a way that would’ve made the most hardy of debtors shiver had they heard. They weren’t certain she would agree, she wasn’t desperate now, she wasn’t sneaking in to find help for a companion in peril. No, this was entirely her choice, she was walking willingly right into their den and they could not be more excited at the possibilities that lay ahead. Besides which, she had the audacity to put her own business before theirs… They did so love the excuse to punish an unruly Little Rat.

—

Tav straightened out her shirt for the fourth time in half as many minutes, not entirely sure if she was underdressed or overdressed. She wasn’t even sure why she was about to step through the shimmering portal that had appeared before her, but nevertheless her legs were moving. One foot in front of the other until she was once again standing in the lavish bedchamber, face to face with the incubus, dressed as ever only in the leather harness that served to make their body look somehow more naked than if they were wearing nothing at all. “Well, well, what do we have here~” Their voice was pure amusement, a smirk lifting their lips to reveal the sharpened teeth beneath. They stepped forward, dismissing the portal with a wave, and walked around Tav as if examining every inch of her being. “What we don’t have is all night, Incubus. Why exactly did you invite me here?” Tav’s patience was thin, and completely erased every single memory that the being before her held enough power to snap her like a twig in an instant. Although, if that was their intention, they wouldn’t have bothered with the polite invitation… “You forget yourself, Little Rat, do not assume you have any real power here. You didn’t even bring a single weapon with you.” They growled their words, rising somehow taller as their wings spread behind them, tail lashing the ground with a snap that made Tav flinch at the ghost of the memory of her last visit. Fuck, she realised, I only brought 5. “That’s what you think, but I assume they won’t be needed?” Too bold, Tav, too bold, why can’t you just think before you speak- “You may make whatever assumptions you wish, but whatever you have hidden under…I’m loathe to call it an outfit , whatever that is supposed to be, you had best keep it hidden.”

Haarlep’s words were cutting, the remarks stinging as surely as a whip might. Why am I thinking of whips at a time like this? “So, Little Rat, do you remember your last visit to this room?” They stood right in front of her now, the fire in their eyes flickering as they gazed into her soul. Or at least that’s how it felt. “Be honest with me now, you wanted to come back, didn’t you?” Fuck. She bit her lip. They weren’t wrong. But she had no idea how or why she would even try - breaking in the first time was risky, and so was summoning a cambion with a sending stone just to ask for a visit to… To do what?“It seems the roles have been reversed, Little Thief, cat got your tongue now?” Haarlep leaned down closer, the decadent scent of spiced cinnamon and fire almost overpowering. “Speaking of tongue, please do not be so foolish as to try and devour mine again. I will decide how much is safe.” “I’m sorry, you seem to be assuming I want to sleep with you?” Tav found her voice again somehow, managing to stare defiantly even as her knees felt about ready to give way at any moment. “I thought I told you,” they took hold of her throat now - enough pressure to make a point without restricting her breath - “to be honest .” She swallowed involuntarily, her mouth suddenly feeling dry, the pressure tighter as her neck muscles moved. They did not relent, holding her still so she felt the same swell of pressure above her vocal cords as she replied. “Maybe,” she swallowed again, “I have been curious. Before, you talked about a deal, but none was ever made. Unless you tricked me, that is.” “Rest assured, if we make a deal it will only be because you completely agree. The same with anything else that happens in this room, you understand? I am an incubus , Little Rat, not a monster .” Their grip loosened, soothing where their burning palm had been with magically cooled fingers. “You are intriguing , I have no interest in breaking you, nor would I allow Raphael to do so either.”

Tav’s memories stirred, the echoes of their voices from this very room as Haarlep had subtly pushed the so-called Master of the House into taking care of her after they-... Ah…yes… She felt her cheeks flush, the warmth spreading simultaneously elsewhere. “Then… What deal do you have in mind?” She struggled to keep her voice from wavering. “I assume you already know my recent problem has already been solved.” “The problem remaining,” Haarlep glanced down to where the heat was fast gathering between her legs, “is Raphael.” “I’m not sure I understand…” She paused, neck beginning to ache from looking up at them as their horns seemed to reach infinite heights above her. “What’s the issue with him?”

“The truth, Little Thief, is you have stolen his attention. He won’t admit it, but he can’t get you out of his head, which means I can’t get him into my bed.” The incubus looked positively disgusted at the notion of being turned down, of anyone else taking the attention away from them for even a second. “You can’t just drag me here every time you need to get laid.” “I don’t need to, if you agree to a little deal. There is a way I can take your form, to use as I please, to please him when he is ignoring himself.” The frustration was clear on their features. “Naturally, a deal with me is not so simple as signing a little contract. You must give yourself to me, willingly, wholly, and I promise you Rat you will not regret a single moment.” “So, after that… You can just become me any time you like, simple as that?” “Indeed. I can add your form to my glamour, use you at my leisure, and you won’t even need to lift a finger.” They licked their lips, entirely too excited at the possibilities running through their mind. Tav considered the proposal. “Then what do I get from this arrangement?” “Simple, Rat, you get what you want. You get him, Raphael, just like I know you want him~” They purred, beginning to loosen her clothes.

“You might look like him, sound like him, but you’re not him.” Tav said bluntly, standing perfectly still while they undressed her, unable to hide the flush colour rising to the surface of her pale skin every time their claws grazed her most sensitive nerves. “Well that,” they continued undressing her, “is obvious. ” They casually tossed aside the fourth concealed weapon they’d found with an air of amusement. “But it’s not what I’m offering. You see, what you will get is a one time use of my appearance, as the Archduchess.” 

Tav took a step back, almost entirely naked. “You want me to…to…” “Exactly. You will seduce him, as me. Then I can walk in, as you-” they paused, grinning deviously, “Don’t you see how fun that could be? I know you enjoy pushing every last one of his buttons. Just. Like. Me.” 

“There is no way I could ever sound or act like you. How in the hells do you propose we achieve that?” It wasn’t a no. She couldn’t be more intrigued… There didn’t seem to be a single downside. They pulled a spell scroll from…she wasn’t sure where, and didn’t wish to consider it too deeply. “It’s only a Disguise Self scroll, a simple illusion but if you play your part right he won’t notice.” “That simple?”

“It’s a trick that will work once and only once, so you are going to have to listen and learn well. Now, do we have a deal? You get your dance with the devil, and I get to use you as I wish?” Ah, there’s the catch. “Wait. You could just use the scroll on yourself, why do you need me for this?”

Haarlep hissed through their teeth. “Oh very clever, Rat, but it’s only a small catch.” They leaned in close to her ear, removing the last of their clothes. “Once you have given yourself to me, fully, I can add your form to my glamour. And every time I use it,” they paused, claws raking down her back, drawing a gasp from her throat before they continued with a lust heavy voice, “every single time I use you, you will know. ”

The vibrations of their voice travelled straight down Tav’s spine, further igniting the burning in her loins. “No-” she stammered, “not just any time you like.” She bit her lip as their hands caressed her, seeking every most sensitive area to tease, to make her want to give in. “If you want to use my body, it’s on my terms.” She gasped again. “If I were to die in a fight, or one of my companions were to get hurt because you were making me climax from another plane-” she shuddered as they growled against her throat, “that would mean you would have no chance to toy with us both again.” “Insolent-” their tail cracked like a whip, “little!” This time the whip struck her lower back, drawing a scream from her lips. “RAT!” The third swipe of their tail missed its target as her knees buckled, striking her across the cheek. “Meow-” she gasped, hand dabbing at the droplets of blood. “Meow.” Immediately Haarlep stepped back, hissing in anger still, but ceasing all action against her. “You’re crossing a line. But that,” they handed her a small pot of salve and a piece of cloth, “was accidental.” They sat on the edge of the bed, wings shaking with repressed irritation as they considered the changed offer.

“You can’t expect me to disregard my safety entirely for the sake of pleasure.” She breathed deeply, not too hurt, but more shocked at the strike that had caught the wrong place. “You’ll have to make me a better offer, if you want that little caveat. You cannot simply take everything you wish without consequence, Little Rat. So, what is it to be? What can balance the scales? I’m listening.” They rested their elbows on their knees, chin balanced on their hands as they observed her cooly, their rage subsiding slowly. “There are others…who might enjoy a night here.” She replied, contemplating it. “Not immediately, I can’t promise who or when , but I will bring those who would…appreciate your company. You can’t take their bodies like this, though. They have to be here, of their own free will.” “A compelling offer. And if you do not fulfill your side?” Haarlep kept eye contact with her as she put away the cloth and balm, smoothing down her hair. “If that were to be the case, then you may use me.” She took a deep breath, holding it now as she hoped she had read their frustrations correctly. They didn’t seem like they could leave this room, they laid on their bed simply waiting for Raphael or one of his many clients to walk through their door, hoping that it would be enough to sustain them. They were bored , they were bored enough to have been watching her, to steal the sending stone from Raphael, and use it to invite her here. For this. Those were not the actions of an incubus satisfied with their existence. The look on their face, only barely noticeable through their usual careful control, was answer enough before they spoke.

“Fine ,” they growled, “but I certainly hope you make it worth my while. I would so hate for you to be brought to your knees screaming, your last moment of pleasure silenced by an enemy sword~” Their tone was irritated, scathing, dripping with sarcasm; but Tav knew she struck a nerve. She had made a fiend agree to change their terms to her benefit. How the fuck did I manage that?-“Now then, Little Rat, are you ready to seal our deal?” Haarlep was more impatient now, tail flicking behind them with irritation. They were not about to let her off easily after she had so deftly got right under their skin without so much as a hint of a knife.

Kicking away the last of her clothes, the final concealed weapon dropping from…only the gods knew where…Tav nodded.

“In that case~” the seductive air was returning to their manner now, but still with a bladed edge as they stood and continued. “On. The. Bed.” The words were a command, simple and clear as they rose to their full height, wings spreading behind them in a display of power and intimidation as she followed the order silently. “Now, as that delightful little mouth of yours cannot be trusted - you took too much from me last time and nearly drowned yourself entirely. Save your lips only for what I give you.” They pressed the claw of their thumb against her lips to make sure the point was understood. “And as for your troublesome tongue, I shall have no more words from you until I say so. No words, bar one, should it be needed. Do you understand me, Rat?” She nodded, mind beginning to empty of all thoughts besides the words they spoke, body devoid of all feelings but the heat already rising without the need for their saliva-

“Open.” They ordered, pressing their claw harder against her bottom lip, but not enough to draw blood. As she obeyed once more, they took their hand away, tongue lavishing the tip of their finger, slicking it with the powerful aphrodisiac they carried. It was salacious, the way they kept eye contact for every indecent second. The next moment, the same finger was pressed to her parted lips, hot with the scent of cinnamon and pure lust, the direction now left unspoken.

By all rights, it should have been unpleasant. The incubus leaning over her, still only standing beside the bed, denying her any touch but this single request…and yet… Her tongue wound around their finger, tasting the spiced treat that had coated it moments ago, curling around every inch to try and entice them to greater action.

The shudder in their wings told her that it had worked. They reached down beneath the bed, pulling out a couple of items and holding them up for Tav to see clearly. “This, Rat, should still your tongue for now. Much as I loathe to stop you from divulging in your desires, you should save something for later.” The leather secured easily around her with a buckle at the back, the padded bar now clenched between her teeth. She could breathe, she was comfortable, but there would be no more talking from her now. “Now, sit up.” The next item in their hands as Tav got to her knees on the bed had a wide leather collar at the top. A long strap extended nearly the full length of her back, cold metal rings at regular intervals almost unpleasant against her increasingly heated skin. Two more straps at the lower end threaded along the inner curve of her hip, securing the piece against her back with the buckles braced at the top of her thighs. “You will forgive me for being so terribly primitive but tonight I must save my magic for later. This should be enough to satisfy you.” They had been painfully cautious as they attached everything, coming so very close to the core but denying her any touch besides where the straps were pulled firm against her skin.

They knelt in front of her now and ran their fingers tantalisingly down the length of her arms, starting at the shoulder and ending with a firm grip on her wrists. They leaned forwards, using their deep voice as a weapon in the war of lust, aiming directly into her pointed ear with heated breath. “You won’t be needing these, for now~” The wide leather straps - as it seemed Haarlep was particularly partial to the softened but tough material - fastened around both wrists easily. Tight enough to feel the pressure, impossible to struggle free, but not so tight as to damage her skin or leave a mark. Tav might have been surprised by the care that the incubus gave to their partners, if they hadn’t immediately cruelly yanked her arms behind her and clipped the cuffs to the leather strap on her back. “Now, what you must remember with Raphael , is that he is not the first to act, nor will he act at all if you do not provoke him properly.” Haarlep lay down on their back, folding their wings carefully beneath them. “So we will consider some of this to be training , but I am not so crude as to withhold all pleasure from you.”

Tav was still touch starved, desperate for any contact, and all too willing to follow direction as Haarlep beckoned her towards them. It was awkward to move, shuffling on her knees, muffled noises filtering past the gag. Haarlep simply watched, the hint of a smile, eyes wandering across every curve of her form as she approached. She expected to stop by their hips, bringing one leg over to straddle them, expecting to do all of the work as she might have to with Raphael. But their tail snaked up from behind her, nudging at the small of her back. “Not yet, Little Rat, first you shall have a little taster.” They licked their lips. “Although that might perhaps be inaccurate… Closer, Rat, closer. ” Their tail gave a light stinging blow to her rear to keep her moving even as she got to their chest, their harness almost catching on the straps around her own thighs on the way. She was almost by their shoulders when Haarlep finally acted, strong arms encircling her hips, pulling her into their waiting lips. The lack of touch for so long as the aphrodisiac they had so carefully administered at the start had risen her to such heat that a long, almost anguished howl fought its way past the gag that she bit down hard on. They had a hunger, a desire, to bring forth every ounce of pleasure from the depths of her soul. Their tongue switched between delving deep inside her heated core and licking infernal symbols that made her shudder. Their strong arms braced her, held her tight, as their relentless work continued. Lips, tongue, teeth - all working her nerves until she cried out wantonly, desperately craving the release that was almost within her grasp. Just at the moment she thought she couldn’t take another second of maddening desire, their hands lifted her just slightly allowing space for their tail to slide between her thighs and penetrate her. Their tongue drew such immoral symbols that she felt that if she had trained as a paladin her oath would be broken the moment the orgasm tore through her like a thousand explosions.

Their arms gripped her, held her, mouth and tail viciously prolonging the aftershock until all she could do was whimper. The syllables of the word that would stop it almost wanted to reach her lips, but even without the gag she would not have uttered them now. Her whole body was alight, mind white hot with desire, knees shaking as it felt like the hells themselves plummeted even farther beneath her by the time they finally relented. Tav almost keeled over backward, but Haarlep’s arms held her back from the fall. They licked their lips, face slick with the evidence of their skill, eyes alight with ever brighter flames. “Well, Thief, is that all you can take?~” They watched carefully for her response as she shook her head, a desperate moan marking her plea for more. “Good…good… You do play so very nicely for me.” They held her still with one arm, using their free hand to turn their harness into smoke that left their now naked body in curling whisps. “Now, let me see how well you can move for me, Little Rat.” They guided her back now, until she could feel what she wanted most ready and waiting for her. “Do you want me, Rat? All of me?” Tav nodded, mind utterly clouded by lust. “Then, Little Thief, show me how well you can steal .” They released the last of their hold on her, leaning back with their arms beneath their head, simply watching her every move. She lowered herself carefully, the ridges almost sharp yet hitting every point that felt so decadent inside her. Her breathing was heavy as she tried to resist the urge to go too fast too soon. The friction was maddening, the heat even more so, and the way they were watching her was utterly beyond sinful. Her back arched as she reached the base, a lurid wail when Haarlep gave a single sharp thrust of their hips, somehow reaching a depth she didn’t know was possible. “Now, play with me, show me how well you can dance~” they smiled wickedly, drinking in every one of her reactions with a powerful thirst, “give yourself to me and prove you are capable of handling Raphael on your own.” Without her arms to brace her, Tav only had the strength in her legs to ride them, still tightly bound and deeply enjoying how the collar pulled on her neck every time she moved. It would be so much easier if she could use her hands as well, to touch them, to explore every hard muscle that glistened with a thin sheen of sweat and oil. She kept her pace steady, rolling her hips with a wanton moan as she thought about how desperately she wanted to taste them again, to trace heated lines all across their body and drink in their very essence- “More, Rat, you will not satisfy him with this alone.” Their tail swept up from behind her, lashing her upper back where her skin was still exposed. The metal rings of the straps jingled as she winced with her entire body, every muscle recoiling with exquisite pain. “Do not assume he would give you such treats as this, either, but I will ensure you enjoy yourself most thoroughly.”

Spurred on by the encouragement, Tav quickened her pace, feeling her own climax beginning to build with ferocious intensity. It seemed Haarlep was feeling generous with her now, finally allowing her the pleasure of their hands all over her bound body, grasping, clawing, teasing every nerve into a whirlwind of sensation. The muffled sounds escaping teeth clenched ever tighter on the leather bar grew louder, even more licentious - if such a thing were possible - brought to a deafening crescendo when their fingers thrust inside her. She was too full, impossibly so, yet her muscles tightened more with waves of tension as the last pieces were added to the incubus’s wicked game. She could not tell if it was the circles their thumb drew that sent her cascading over the edge, or if it was the whip of the tail that made her cry out in one extended wail, but her mind barely held from folding entirely in two. Her climax was drawn out further by theirs, withdrawing their fingers at the crucial moment as they filled her completely, the ripples of the aftershock barely any less intense. The only other sounds in the room were the three small words uttered by a fiend who had claimed almost everything they wanted. “You. Are. Mine. ” —

Haarlep watched, fascinated by the devotions of their favourite Little Thief, watched as her pleasure almost completely broke her. They almost wanted to, but that would have denied them any further feasts. This little game was not quite the banquet they had wanted to prepare, but it was so very delicious. They congratulated themselves on how well they had prepared their meal, seasoned her to devour her, sealing the contract with the most delightful chorus of pure hedonistic thrill. The lived for this , the satisfaction, the knowledge that they could bring any soul quivering and shaking to their knees, collapsing as she did now onto their chest. They gave her a moment, stroking her back with care, soothing the places they’d struck with cooled fingertips. Once her breathing and heart rate had returned to normal, they slid free from her, caring little for the fluids that spilled across silken sheets. A debtor would be in to deal with that before Raphael returned. Feeling Tav still shivering against their chest, they freed their wings from beneath them and wrapped them around her, laying still for another few minutes until she was ready to move.

“You did well, Little Rat.” They muttered close to her ear. “He will be most pleased. Now, come over to the pool with me. We need to fully prepare you before he arrives, you still have a little left to learn before you can play the role of the Archduchess.” Tav quietly nodded, looking forward to the soothing water on aching muscles, and suddenly feeling the pangs of a far more mundane hunger. At least she knew she could trust the food in this room, and somehow she felt she could trust the strange incubus carrying her across the room in their arms now… Even if their widening smile should have been cause for alarm.

----------- ----------- ENDING NOTES ----------- -----------

This is another part 1 of 2, so I will schedule the next to release tomorrow at the same time (unless you wish to head over to AO3 now to check out the originals~) --- Note from the original posting ---

I decided it was time to show Tav using the safe word and making sure it was respected immediately. Haarlep didn't mean to strike her face hard, but it happened and they dealt with it. They were still angry, I tried to keep true to their character whilst also showing them as responsible in the BDSM. The moment the word is used they stop, step back, and give the needed care. They keep a very close eye on Tav's reactions, and they do not initiate anything until they have clear consent to do so. Tav struck a nerve with those words, going a little too far in pushing their buttons. Everyone has their limits and they both reached them in that moment.

I'd also add in too about the ending. I actually wanted to add some more soothing aftercare, but I was too tired to keep writing darlings I had a bus to catch and wanted to get this one posted after such a long day pawing at it. But still, Haarlep is entirely selfish to their core, but they are still responsible. They wait for Tav to come down from that high, to return to the room from the subspace and pleasure, and indulge in what she needs. Mostly because Raphael isn't there so they can't force him to do it instead like last time. --- As a final aside on safe words and safe signals in case any are still unfamiliar with the concept: As soon as one is used, it must be respected immediately. Any action stops, bonds released, and nothing continues until/unless everyone involved is full happy to do so. Anyone who does not respect that simple and golden rule should not ever be indulging in BDSM/PowerPlay/etc.

[fweasleyswhore]

Ok this might be a little long so I’m sorry but finals got me feeling some sort of way. So could you do a fic where it’s finals week and the fem!reader is stressed about what of her NEWTS that Oliver doesn’t have and it’s really late in the library, so late that the librarian isn’t even there because the reader had a key to lock up. And Oliver knows the reader has a tendency to lose track of time and work herself to the bone without really noticing. So he stops by the library to pick her up and basically has to carry her out of the library. And he takes her to his dorm instead because he knows everyone else is sneaking out to party and hogsmeade because they’ve finished whatever newts they had and he knows if he took the reader to her dorm she would keep working. And he’s like “you need some stress relief” and he’s touching her leg but she’s so tired and he’s like “you just lay there and let me do all the work” and it’s just a soft romantic smut and he keeps going until she’s exhausted (like she finishes a couple times ~3) I’m so sorry this is so long I just needed to get this out of my mind

a/n: fucking yes, and as someone who is in finals week i just, need that rn, like oliver to fuck me so good and sleep away the stress just, yes so here you go darling! sorry it took me a hot min to get to

general tags: @fredshmeasley @pandaxnienke

oliver tags: @peachyy-em @losers-club6

word count: 2.7k 

warnings: smut, 18+ themes, soft romantic smut, fingering/oral fem recieving, unprotected sex

My eyes hurt but I continued scanning my advanced potion book. My N.E.W.T. was next week and I was one of five students who decided to take this class. I was intrigued by potions, having been all my life, so being able to take the highest level class Hogwarts offered I jumped. Of course, I was not very fond of Snape, or how he treated his students but the subject matter was enough to get me through. I felt the weight of the library key in my pocket as I stood up to put some of my books back. Although my stack was getting smaller it wasn’t yet completely finished.

Adjusting the candle my eyes stung as the light flickered. Despite the pain, I set the candle down opening the chapter Chizpurfle Carapace trying to memorize its effects and uses.

“Thought I would find you here.” The voice made me jump causing the candle to turn over and spill wax all over the table. My shock faded and I was filled with anger, swiveling in my chair prepared to hex whoever caused it. My eyes softened when I saw him.

His tongue in his cheek and a worried expression cast over his face as he examined the area. Silently I watched him pull out his wand, casting a spell under his breath his eyes didn’t meet mine.

“Ollie what are you doing here?” I asked. He shifted on his feet, finally pulling his eyes up to mine.

“Looking for my beautiful girl of course.” His words were accompanied by a cheeky grin, confidence rolling off of him in waves. I felt my face heat up but I pushed my feelings aside turning back to my book.

“I need to study,” I said quietly trying to hide my face under the pages of my book.

“No. You need to rest.” He moved in front of me. Successfully capturing my book is his hands and closing it. Deciding against fighting him, knowing of his iron grip I looked up at him. He looked ethereal in the low candle light, towering over me. A soft smile spread across my face just admiring his features.

“I’m not on the Quidditch team you can’t order me around you know.”

“I damn will try.” His words came out with a half hearted laugh.

“Seriously I need to study, can I-” Right when I reached for the book he pulled it out of my reach, a glint in his eye I couldn’t quite read.

“You can try to fight me for your book back, a fight you will lose. Try to study with another book of which I will take from you and bring you back to option one, or you can come out of this dingy library with me and take a break.”

“But I don’t need a break-”

“Yes. You. Do. Now, up.” He held out his free hand for me to take. Sighing I grabbed it, like a truck I felt the days and tireless hours of study finally catch up to me. I faltered slightly as I stood feeling my body try and weigh myself down like a bag of bricks. “Easy now, I got you.”

I felt his arm slip around my waist, offering more support and I leaned into it. Putting the book down on the desk I was as he grabbed his wand, sending the books back into their proper places.

“Thank you Ollie.” He hummed pressing a light kiss to my temple and led me out of the library. I didn’t pay much attention to walking as he led me away, pushing my face into his chest. I breathed in his familiar and distinct scent. Cinnamon Gum, hints of leather and oak. It made me smile and my stomach flip, the only thing convincing me that it wasn’t a dream being I felt his ever present arms around me.

“Key?” He asked, closing the doors with the arm not around me.

“Pocket, here.” I shoved my hands into my pocket, rummaging around for a second before depositing it in his palm. Our fingers touched and the skin on skin contact made fireworks erupt in my body, the feeling of his hand became more present on my waist as I let my mind wander to the other things his hands can do.

“Cmon, why are you standing there like a statue. Let’s go.” His words snapped me out of my daze and I forced my legs to walk, hiding my face in his shoulder as we walked, trying to diminish the thoughts of him in more precarious ways.

My eyes were half closed as we walked back through the portrait hole, trusting Oliver to dispose of me back in my dorm. Finally I fell back against a bed, letting my body relax into it and blinking around trying to see where we are.

“Is this your dorm?” I asked as he pulled off my boot.

“Yeah, I don’t trust you to not go right back to your books when I leave you alone, also I never minded some company.” Pulling off the other boot, he discarded it on his floor and sat beside me. Pushing some stray hairs away from my face. “Can I help?”

I smiled weakly, leaning into his touch. “No, I’m just really stressed. It will be better after the exams pass.” He hummed. I watched his eyes wander to different points in his room, never staying in one place too long. A cheeky smirk found his face and he stopped his searching looking down at me.

“I have an idea.”

“What’s that?” I leaned up, a shiver of excitement tore through me, waking me slightly.

“Let me help you calm down darling.” His hands stopped playing with my hair, they trailed down to my neck, then my chest and finally my thigh. Where he let his hands trail lightly on the skin, moving in small meaningless patterns leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

“Ollie, I’m tired.” I reminded, catching his drift. The idea did sound wonderful, I just wasn’t interested in foreplay and giving tonight. The idea felt unfair.

“Let me do all the work, can you let me do that for you darling?” He began grabbing my thigh more roughly, the feeling sent shivers down my spine and my stomach flipped in anticipation. He continued, cocking his eyebrow at me.

“Please.” I gave in, the feeling of arousal winning the fight against my tired state. “I need you.”

“That's what I like to hear.” He laughed before leaning down and catching my lips in a kiss. It was slow but it was enough with his added touch to quicken my heart rate. He brought his hand up my thigh, stroking it softly until he got to my underwear, which most definitely soaked at the point. Running his finger up and down my clothed sex he chuckled lightly, pulling away. My lips tried to follow but he got too far, opening my eyes I caught onto his cocky grin.

“Tired are we?” He teased. I let out a short hiff of annoyance preparing to push back but before I could he had pushed my panties aside, thumbing my clit gently. Letting out a soft moan I relaxed pushing my head into his thigh. Everything drained from my mind at the feeling, my body went limp, twitching at the slightest touch.

“Feel good sweetheart?” I nodded in response unable to conjure up words at the given moment. His fingers sped up at my response, working quickly with my slick to make me see stars.

“So good.” I breathed out. My eyes fluttered open to see him smiling at me, the shit eating grin told me my reactions were feeding his ego but the feeling spreading through my body was enough to distract me from caring. He began to thumb with a little more pressure. I felt my hips buck into his touch on their own accord, meeting his every move with ferocity. His other hand came up to stroke my hair, running through it gently and scratching my scalp with his fingers. The feeling felt amazing paired with his work below.

“Come on baby,” He coaxed, picking up his pace below. “Cum darling, let go.” I nodded, screwing my eyes shut and shoving my face into his thigh I let out a languid moan as he worked me through my orgasm, never stopping the rhythm of his hand. I bucked into his touch until it became too much and my hips fell against the bed, he understood, slowing his hand down and going back to stroking my thigh.  

“Thank you.” I whispered, a lazy smile found its way to my mouth, batting my eyes up at him.

“I hope you don’t think I'm done with you yet.” he laughed.

“What do you mean?”

“What is the use of… Fluxweed?”

“It has healing properties but can be used in the Polyjuice potion if your sample is picked on the full moon.” I recounted my knowledge on the subject, my books flooding into my mind. “But what does this have to do with anything right now?”

“I don’t want you to be thinking about that right now, I want you to relax.”

“What did you expect? You asked.” A small giggle escaped my lips before I could stop it. Wishing I did when he glared at me.

“I mean,” He said with an eye roll. “When I am done with you I don’t want you to remember what a potion is.” I gulped at his words, his intentions sending a shiver down my spine, feeling myself growing wetter.

“Then I suggest you get to work.” I challenged. He smirked and changed his position on the bed. Hovering over my I finally got a good look at his face.

“You know I suggest you stop back talking if you want me to do this.” I smiled, leaning up I pecked his cheeks which soon took a rosy glow. “I’ll take that as an apology.” I giggled again as he started crawling down my body, peppering kisses to my abdomen that still tickled even through my clothes.

He settled himself between my thighs, pushing up my skirt, he pressed a few kisses to my hips in doing so. He was gentle as if too much pressure would cause me to shatter.

Hooking his fingers into my panties he pulled them down, I helped him by killing them off.

“So pretty,” Pressing another kiss to my folds I giggled at the contact. “My pretty baby.” He lapped a stripe up my folds, making me moan out and buck into his mouth. His hands were on my thighs, rubbing up and down and holding me in place to stop me from doing that again. He soon attached his tongue to my clit, lapping it and sucking gently every so often. The feeling was indescribable, his mouth was skilled and it made my brain foggy. I felt my orgasm quickly build, the pit in my stomach growing with every second of his teasing.

“Just like that,” I breathed out. My hands travelled up under my shirt, squeezing my breasts with instinct. The added feeling added to the fever growing in my stomach. I picked up my head, I tried to meet his eyes. They were staring intently into mine, pupils dark, almost swallowing his iris, a physical indication of his lust. When our eyes met his pace quickened, his lips surrounded my clit, sucking on it while lapping on it with his tongue. “Ollie!” I screamed his name as I came for the second time, arching my back and screwing my eyes shut in the process. He hummed against my clit, working me through my orgasm. His grip on my thighs tightened as they spasmed and tried to close around him.

Pulling back he rested his head on my thigh, placing chaste pecks to my skin. “You did great baby, can you do another one?”

My eyes widened in shock that he wanted to continue but my core ached for more. “Please?” I asked.

“How about another one on my fingers and then you can have my cock?” He purred.

I nodded feverishly. Excitement growing in my stomach, fueling my arousal.

“Spread your legs baby.” He ordered pushing on my thighs. I pulled them up and to the side of my torso. “So pretty, spread out and wet for me.”

“Only for you.” I whispered back.

“That’s what I like to hear.” He plunged a finger into my dripping heat. I clenched around him from the sudden intrusion, moaning as he curved his finger to hit deep inside me just right.

“You like that?” He sped up his finger as he asked, moving it in and against my walls.

“Yes m-more please.” He chuckled darkly, adding another finger and thrusting them to hit the spot inside of me. I moaned at the contact, he made the connection and began thrusting against the spot with more fever. Intermittently scissoring them to open me up.

I felt my muscles twitch as his speed picked up, my stomach twisted with pleasure. He wrapped his lips around my clit and began sucking while continuing his ministrations below.

“Ollie, ‘m gonna cum.” I breathed out, my hips bucked into his touch. Throwing my head back I came hard onto his fingers, my release making obscene noises against his thrusts.

“So good princess.” He cooed. Pulling his fingers out he picked himself up, situated himself between my thighs. He picked up my shaky legs, wrapping them around his hips. I watched him through heavy eyes, he released his cock from his trousers, pulling it free I noted the precum leaking from his pink tip. The sight making me want to drool.

“You want to keep going baby? We can stop if you want to.” He ran his hands up and down my quivering thighs.

“Want you, inside me.” I whimpered, my brain was cloudy and I felt tired but not completely satisfied and I needed more.

With that he pushed completely inside of me in one thrust. He paused, his hips flush with mine, his pelvis rocked against my clit causing me to clench around his length eliciting a groan from him. “Move.” He did as I asked and began to thrust into me at a slow and sensual pace. He brought his head down attaching his lips to mine, one holding himself up the other gripping my hip as he steadily pumped into me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Seemingly understanding my message he dropped to his forearm, his chest pressing against mine. The feeling was erotic, it made the romantic feeling multiply and his thrusts feel all the more deep I loved it truly.

He attached his mouth to my neck, leaving open mouthed kisses against it. I tangled my hands in his hair, pulling on it each time he hit the spot inside of me. “You're such a beautiful princess.” He whispered against the shell of my ear. I moaned in response, unable to talk back in my brain fog.

He thrusted into me again rocking his hips against me as he bottomed out, rubbing against my clit. The feeling made the coil snap within me. My walls clenched around him as I let out a languid moan. He grunted into my neck, continuing his pace until he stuttered, bottoming out and spilling his seed inside of me. He rocked slowly, fucking his cum inside of me before gingerly pulling out with hiss. I was shaking as he did so, letting out a whine and throwing my head back against his pillows.

I tried to slow my ragged breaths as he laid down next to me.

“Better now?” He asked, running a few fingers through my hair. I nodded breathlessly, swallowing hard. “What is the use of a Fairy Wing?” A faint smile on his mouth as he asked.

“Ollie you know honestly, right now, I don’t care.” I laughed. Eying him from the corner of my vision I couldn’t miss the cocky smile that broke out on his face. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You didn’t have to!”

“Ugh, come here.” He wrapped me in his strong arms, burying my face in his chest I breathed in his scent, his heartbeat was a constant drum that lulled me to sleep, feeling satisfied and safe in his arms.

[silvertonedwords]

Hand prompts 33, 40, 45 for Newt/Tina !!!

bandaging the other’s hand and not quite letting go

___

“Tina! You’re--”

Tina spins around just as Newt touches her right hand. He spreads his fingers across her palm as he gently turns the back of her hand to face him.

The touch sets off a pleasant jolt, her fingers shifting just barely against his palm.

She looks up, but his gaze is focused on their hands, his fingertip tracing a reddened mark that covers her knuckles and runs halfway to her wrist.

“--you’re hurt.”

She follows his gaze, then looks back out into the case: the magically setting sun and Frank’s recently-emptied enclosure.

“It’s nothing--it’s--” his eyes meet hers, and her heart inches up inside her chest. Merlin does it feel strange. And good. Her head feels oddly weightless. “When Graves and I were--Grindelwald--it’s from the debris, I think. Some of it was hot.”

“It’s burned you.”

Tina looks away. “It’s nothing.” It did throb for a bit when it first happened, but in the hours since, it’s subsided into a dull ache, almost possible to ignore.

“I have a bandage to keep the air off of it. Healing paste. I add billiwig powder as well. Makes it stronger. I have--er--some experience with burns.”

Tina smiles despite herself, hesitating only a moment before nodding her acquiescence.

Newt fishes his wand out of his coat pocket, and one accio spell later he’s catching the items out of the air, his other hand hardly shifting as it continues to cradle hers.

She does not manage to contain her gasp when his calloused thumb smoothes the paste across the back of her hand. It’s cold, of course, she thinks, and the burn is a little sore; that’s why. It’s certainly not the surprisingly gentle touch of his large hands, or the way he turns her hand this way and that to check for other marks, dabbing paste onto smaller burns along her thumb and wrist.

He does not look up from her hand as he rolls a length of cotton around her palm to keep the salve in place. His fingers brush her skin as he delicately unwinds the fabric. “There,” he says softly, tucking the trailing end into place.

His hand lingers, or hers does, or they both do, and Tina’s reminded again of the fact that he’s got a ship to catch in five days, and of the fact that, no matter how much it would’ve surprised her when they first met only two days ago, she really doesn’t want him to be leaving so soon.

They could write, couldn’t they? Keep in touch, just to--he lives in England, she reminds herself. And anyway, he probably doesn’t--there’s that girl, Leta, and--he probably wouldn’t want to--doesn’t think of her as--

“Better?”

It takes her a moment to return to the present, to anything other than her own thoughts and the warmth of his hand holding hers. “It is.”

He nods. And yet they do not pull away.

Tina thinks this might be one of those memories that she tucks far, far away, where Queenie won’t see it. And she thinks this also might be one of the ones where she fails.

At last, he pulls his hand away slowly and sends the supplies flying back to their shelves.

She catches him just as he turns away. Not with her hand, this time, but with her voice. “Newt?”

He spins back.

“Thank you.”

He nods again and returns to the pails of mooncalf food he’d been preparing.

Tina resumes her spot as well, sorting potions ingredients on the far wall as she’d offered to when she saw the state of them a few hours ago.

She wonders how it’s possible to feel giddy and lonely at once. She glances back at Newt, watching him add a pinch of this, a drop of that into each pail, and suddenly she has the ridiculous thought that she doesn’t want those hands to leave her life on Monday. Their power and gentleness; their deep callouses and deeper scars, and the way he cradles small creatures and pushes back into the excited shoves of the larger ones. The way he can use one finger to smooth the tiniest of feathers or stroke the smallest tuft of fur, and yet his occasional clumsiness in holding a teacup. 

Stop, Tina, she orders herself, trying to push the thoughts away, but, like his touch, like the tender, fragile moments between them, she finds she doesn’t want to.

[shysneeze]

How they react to you getting hurt:

description: how various harry potter characters (Harry, George, Fred, Neville, Hermione, Luna and Ginny) would react when you are hurt

warnings: injury mention but not really described, brief mentions of food, generally just concern etc

(A/N: this was requested a bit ago and i can’t find the request now but sorry it took so long!! i’ve never done preferences before so it’s kind of headcanon-esq, but hope you enjoy anyway)

harry:

Harry has been the one in the hospital wing bed before, felt the itch of the thin bed sheets and heard the creak of the bed springs that with ache with the smallest movements.

However, seeing you in the hospital bed is a whole other kettle of fish. It doesn’t matter how minor the injury, a concussion from quidditch? a bad dose of the flu? He’s sitting by your bed side tapping his foot anxiously, even if you’re awake and rambling.

When you notice his concern, it will only take a reminder of his own injury-risking behaviour and he gets rid of the hypocritical lecture he’s been planning in his head.

But he’ll be very gentle with you, all soft kisses and quiet conversations until you’re back to yourself again.

George:

George is no stranger to the occasional injury, usually by his and Fred’s own inventions, so i low-key think he has a mini first-aid kit on him most of the time. Just some healing paste, some plasters and tweezers (his broomsticks are older than a lot of his teammates, i just know he gets splinters okay??) that rattle around in his pockets waiting to come in useful.

So if you get hurt, he’s actually pretty helpful. He’ll be very gentle when he touches you in fear of hurting you more, and sometimes his tongue pokes out just a little if he’s concentrating really hard on cleaning up a cut or something.

Whether it’s minor or hospital wing worthy though, he’s cracking jokes to cheer you up and only feels himself stop worrying once he hears you laugh again.

Fred:

If he witnesses it happening, he’s very quick (and sometimes dramatic) to come to your aid (you once got a paper cut and her held your finger into the light for inspection for at least five minutes).

If it happens at the hands of someone else, an accidental shove in the hallways or a jinx, he’s planning revenge instantly, which is when some of the more harsh pranks tend to come into action.

If it’s a hospital wing sort of injury, he’s sneaking in contraband snacks while Pomfrey pretends not to see it happening. He insist on keeping you company until he is certain for sure you’re alright, even if you’ve told him a million times already.

Neville:

Neville worries in a subtle way that onlookers might not always notice. Chances are, you’ve assured him already that you’re fine, and he knows you well enough than to keep asking, no matter how much he wants to.

So, he gets a little clingy. Not so much that its concerning or annoying, but walking that little bit closer on the way to classes, goodnight kisses that last just a little too long and worried glances when he thinks you’re not looking.

Chances are you’ll wake the next day to find he’s concocted some natural remedy from some plants. A burn in potions? babes is waiting the next day with aloe vera. Bad cut? Did you know that sphagnum moss is an excellent antiseptic?

Hermione:

Hermione tries her best not to show you she’s worried but she’s already thinking of the millions of spells and potions that can help.

She trusts Madam Pomfrey, she really does, but something takes over when you’re in the hospital bed, and suddenly the urge to ask the school nurse every question under the sun takes over.

“Are you sure that potions is best? i heard that-“

“Miss Granger, i know you are worried but i am very good at my job,”

Once she’s calmed her nerves though, she’ll read your favourite books to you, even if you’re unconscious or sleeping, just so you know she’s there.

Luna:

Luna is another one who just happens to carry first aid materials with her. It doesn’t matter the injury, she has an obscure potion and plasters with little flowers printed on them.

She drives Madam Pomfrey mad when you’re in the hospital wing because she begins to bring random magical objects she claims have a healing effect to them, but it’s just like a dusty old hand mirror or a pretty looking rock she found in the lake (it always works which is what stresses Pomfrey out the most).

She likes to keep you company, and will talk about everything and anything until you’re eventually falling asleep, and then she’ll wait until she’s sure you won’t wake before leaving, because she doesn’t want you to wake up alone.

Ginny:

Ginny gets a bit over protective, it’s in her genes. I like to think she doesn’t even notice herself doing it until people are smirking at her at the breakfast table when she’s subconsciously loading your plate with food, or refusing to let you do the “heavy” lifting and carrying all your stuff to and from classes, even the ones you don’t share.

One hundred percent will shout at anyone who happens to accidentally hurt you, often scaring first and second years when their jinxes stray a bit far off target and hit you by accident.

Having to pull her aside and promise her you’re really fine, (and explaining that “I love you but if you make me drink my orange juice with straw at breakfast one more time, Ginny Weasley-”), but you know she just wants to make sure you’re okay in the end, and letting her spoil you for maybe just a little longer.

[accioxreparo]

ink stains

synopsis: soulmate au in which every mark that appears on your body also appears on your soulmate’s body including, as you discover one day, drawings. Needless to say you’re determined to make your soulmate smile, even if you haven’t found them yet.

pairing: George Weasley x ravenclaw!reader

warnings: none

a/n: Hi I’m late to the party but @thoseofgreatambition is doing a soulmate theme night and I’m a ho for soumate au’s so hopefully mine is decent enough lol also I may or may not be writing one for fred too but it’s taking me ages so 

tagging: @the-hufflepuff-of-221b

~~~~~~

When you were six years old you woke up one morning to dark stains splattered all over your face and arms. You were confused and quickly grew panicked, absolutely positive that you had contracted Dragon Pox overnight. It had taken an hour for your dad to calm you down enough so he could explain with a small grin that your soulmate must’ve spilled an inkwell on themselves. 

“What do you mean?” You had asked with wide, curious eyes.

“Well,” Your dad had reached for the bedside table and picked up a quil. “Everybody has a soulmate, Y/N. One day you start being able to see the marks that appear on your soulmate's body, permanent or temporary. For you, that day happens to be today.” He dipped the quil in a well filled with bright blue ink and handed it to you. “Why don’t you give it a try? Write your soulmate a message.”

“What if they don’t write back?” You had frowned then, suddenly worrying that maybe this mystery person on the other end would want nothing to do with you. 

“Well that’s okay,” Your dad had been quick to reassure you. “They might not be able to see the marks yet. But one day they will and I just know they’ll be ecstatic to know you’re here.”

After that day there was a constant stream of doodles all over you. Vines snaking up your ankle. Twisting patterns winding around your fingers. Planets and stars littering your collarbone area. Stripes of random colors all over your palms as you mixed new colors. The most detailed pictures were always on your left arm though, that was where you practiced new drawings. 

Occasionally you wrote a message but mostly you drew. Then one day you bought a book about charms to cast on drawings in Flourish and Blotts and you begged your dad every chance you got to cast them for you. After that at least a few pictures were always moving up and down your body.

When you got your very own wand at the age of eleven they were the first spells you practiced. By the end of your first year at Hogwarts you had mastered the whole book. Since then there was always a constant supply of different colored inks in your bag and pockets. The array of multicolored moving pictures that changed every day was your one connection to your soulmate. 

They had yet to write back. 

It had been ages since you first found your connection to your soulmate. You’d dealt with scars and bruises and occasional scribbled reminders but never once had you ever received even an acknowledgment of anybody seeing your drawings. 

You tried not to let it bother you, you really did. But it seemed like every single person around you had known their soulmate for years, in one way or another. Some days the smile you wore wasn’t quite genuine, the longing you felt growing a little deeper at times, but never once did you fail to decorate your limbs with gentle reminders that you were there for your soulmate to find on themselves. 

Not until that day. You were set to leave for school the next morning and your father had taken the week off of work to see you off. The two of you, your older brother, and your younger sister were probably too focused on the quidditch match you had going against each other in the backyard of your house. So much so that the bludger hit your way completely blindsided you. 

The match ended with panicked shouts, a trip to St. Mungos, and your left arm wrapped tightly in cloth bandages as it rested in a sling while your bones healed. 

It was only when you were sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express that the strangest thing happened. Words scrawled in letters that weren’t your own had appeared on your right arm. 

Nothing new today? 

As you stared at the writing with wide eyes, more words appeared underneath those. 

I’m sure this is bending the rules but I had to know. Something’s wrong isn’t it?

Frantically you dumped out the contents of your bag, scattering them all over the floor of the compartment. You dug around the mess you had made until you found a self-inking quil. Just as you were about to write your response you caught sight of the bandages on your arm and gave a defeated sigh. 

“Would you like some help?” 

You looked up and saw Luna, a friend of yours a couple years below you, watching you with an amused smile. The two of you would always sit up late in the common room together, swapping theories and stories about anything and everything. 

“If you don’t mind,” You gave her a sheepish look and she only smiled before moving to sit next to you. 

“What would you like me to write?” Luna asked as she took the quil out of your hand. You smiled and told her, watching as she took your arm and wrote out your words for you. 

What makes you think something is wrong?

It was seconds later when you received your response. 

Not once in the six years since I’ve been able to see your drawings have you let a day pass where you don’t add new ones. What’s wrong? 

A smile graced your face and Luna was kind enough to help you continue the conversation happening on your arm. 

I’m fine. Just a Quidditch injury. I’ll have the bandages removed by tonight, don’t worry. 

Take your time. I don’t want you to hurt longer than you have to, love.

You were sure it was cheating, talking to your soulmate by writing messages on your arm. But if whatever soulmate forces were out there didn’t want you to talk to them then there shouldn’t have been such a simple loophole. 

That’s what comforted you late that night, now gently scrawling messy words quickly on your arm that had been broken only the day before. Never before had you been more thankful for Skele-Gro. 

Can I ask you something?

The print you wrote with was small on purpose, trying to keep as much room available as possible. It didn’t stop you, however, from doodling new little pictures on the back of your hand. 

Go for it.

Why haven’t you ever said anything before? Why now?

You stared at the words you had written for a few moments before sighing and heading to the bathroom that was connected to your room. Only after staring at the words covering both arms now for a minute or two did you start washing away the ink you had put there. 

For a minute you thought that you shouldn’t have asked. You stood in silence, watching as the remainder of the ink, the part written in your soulmates handwriting, was slowly washed away leaving only faint ink stains. Then to your relief a response came after it was all gone. 

I was worried. And let’s just say I’m not as artistic as you are, my talents lie in other places. 

For a second the writing stopped but then more words appeared, quicker than they had before. 

Also I may have missed seeing you draw new pictures for me a little too much.

You beamed at the words and walked back to your bed. After the curtains were pulled around it you lit the end of your wand and picked up your quil again. 

Do you like them? The pictures. 

The response was almost immediate. 

I love them.

***

“Miss Y/L/N.” 

You jumped in your seat at the sound of a voice calling your name. Slowly you looked up from where you were taking notes on nonverbal spells. Professor Flitwick stood only a few feet away with an exasperated look on his face. Meanwhile both of the Weasley twins sat at their desk looking quite satisfied with whatever they had just done. 

You’d been correct to assume they were behind whatever loud noise had been going on only minutes before. The desk the twins were sitting at was now charred and the other Gryffindors surrounding them were chatting excitedly about whatever it was you missed while your nose was buried in your charms book. 

Neither Fred or George Weasley missed the fact that you were trying and failing to keep back an amused smile.  

“You’ll be getting a new partner to do your project with,” Professor Flitwick lifted his wand and with a single flick a bag and a pile of unused textbooks was flying across the room and into the empty space next to you. “Mr. Weasley.” 

Both boys stood at the same time wearing matching smirks and chorused, “Yes, Professor?” 

You covered your mouth with your hand to stifle your laugh when Professor Flitwick sighed and shook his head upon realizing that he really should have seen that coming. “Mr. George Weasley. Come meet your new partner.” 

Oddly enough said person didn’t look disappointed by the new assignment at all. Instead he grinned as he approached you, sliding into the chair beside you easily. 

You could count the number of times you had spoken to George Weasley on one hand. The first time had been during potions when he’d asked to borrow some foxglove for a pompion potion. It wasn’t the potion you’d been assigned to brew but you hadn’t questioned it. The second time he’d walked up to you and your friends after a quidditch match to congratulate Ravenclaw on their victory against Slytherin despite the fact that none of you were on the team. And the third time was only a few weeks before when he asked to borrow a spare quil in transfiguration. 

You doubted he remembered any of that though. 

“So partner,” George leaned on the desk, head resting on one of his hands as he looked at you. “What do you know about,” He reached over to look at the piece of parchment you’d been taking your notes on. “Nonverbal spells? That’s our topic?” 

“It is,” You nodded and reached for your notes, hoping he wouldn’t flip over the parchment to see the drawings you’d absentmindedly doodled during the lecture. “Is that a problem?” 

“Not at all,” George’s smile turned softer then as he stared at you, a fact which you noticed. You turned away quickly as you felt your face burn, hoping silently that it wasn’t too noticeable. “On the contrary. From what I hear you’ve already mastered a few nonverbal spells yourself Y/N, dearest.”

You froze then, not sure which revelation surprised you more. The fact that apparently you had developed a reputation without you knowing or the fact that George Weasley of all people knew your name. 

You tried your hardest to fight the temptation to ask how he knew you and why. 

“Class is almost over,” Your words came out rushed and a little too loud to sound natural. It wasn’t a complete lie. In just ten minutes you’d all be dismissed and that was hardly enough time to make even a small dent into your project. “We should meet sometime before our next class to get started if we want to have it done by the due date.”

“You’re so...ravenclaw,” George spoke after a few moments. When you looked at him again he was still giving you that same soft smile, a different sort of glint in his eyes than the one you were used to seeing every now and then.

For a second your thoughts drifted to the words scrawled on your right arm and the pictures on your left. They were covered up by the sleeves of your sweater as they usually were but you could picture the words you and your soulmate had written to each other earlier that day clearly. 

“Is that a bad thing?” You found yourself asking, for some strange reason not being able to bring yourself to pull away from George’s gaze. 

“No,” He shook his head gently almost immediately. “It’s perfect.”

***

You had to give credit where credit was due. When it came down to it, George Weasley could in fact step up to the plate. 

Even now, an early Sunday morning the day after a trip to Hogsmeade, he sat right in front of you. 

You knew for a fact he had been up late the previous night causing his usual mischief alongside his brother. One of the Ravenclaw prefects had been patrolling the halls and you overheard him complaining about having to send the twins back to their dorm for the fourth day in a row when he entered the common room.

It had made you smile. 

You’d spent at least a couple hours each day alongside George for the past two and a half weeks. Some of that time had indeed been spent on your project but you found it easier to talk to him than you thought it would be. You couldn’t even begin to count the variety of tales he told you just to hear you laugh.

That, however, meant that the two of you had developed a tendency to avoid your work resulting in you being behind. The next day the two of you would have to present in front of the class. You had already gotten away with postponing the presentation twice. 

The first time you had told Professor Flitwick that you needed more time to gather as much information as the topic deserved. The second time George had eaten one of the products he had told you he was working on, one he called a nosebleed nougat. It had worked like a charm and the moment you left the classroom with him he ate another candy and it stopped.

It was the only reason the two of you had woken up at that godforsaken hour of the morning on a Sunday. There was simply no other option now.

“I think all of our research is done and I can write up some notes for us to remember during the presentation,” You reached for another roll of parchment from your bag to do just that before dipping your quil in an inkwell filled with bright blue ink. “But we still need to practice some nonverbal spells for the practical demonstration. What do you think we should -”

It wasn’t until you looked away from the pile of books in front of you and at George that you realized he had dozed off.  His head was resting on his arms which were crossed on the desk in front of him and he looked almost peaceful for once. 

The corner of a piece of parchment was sticking out from under one of his arms and suddenly you couldn’t help yourself. Slowly you leaned forward until you could reach the parchment and you began to sketch a field of flowers on the paper in various ink colors. 

You didn’t notice your own smile as you did so. 

Then the end of your quil brushed across George’s face and he almost immediately bolted up in his seat. After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes once more he looked over only to find you biting your bottom lip to keep from laughing. 

“You look suspicious,” George narrowed his eyes at you playfully when he saw the look on your face, still not noticing the addition to his parchment. 

“Do I?” You smiled then as you leaned back in your seat, crossing your arms in front of you. 

“You do,” He leaned forward on the desk again and the grin you’d come to see on a regular basis returned. “May I ask why?” 

“No reason at all. I’m just excited to learn some nonverbal spells is all,” You laughed as you stood from your seat, squinting a little at the late morning sun shining through the windows. “Speaking of, I’m gonna go search for some books a friend of mine recommended with some spells we could use.” 

“Do we not have enough of those here?” George said as he glanced at the pile of no less than seven books, none of which he could remember anything about. 

“Those are all on history and theory. We need something on practical application.” 

“Right,” George let out a sigh as he reached for one of the unopened books. “You’re lucky I like you. I can’t remember the last time I did this much reading for a project.” 

You hummed and then shook your head, a soft smile playing on your lips. “Don’t I feel honored.” 

“Just get on with it,” George glanced up from the pages of the book he’d been flipping through and at you again, this time with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Faster we finish with this, the sooner we can sneak into the kitchens for a late breakfast.” 

You were quick to agree. George watched as you disappeared behind one of the bookshelves. It was only when he was sure you were gone that he rolled up the sleeve of his sweater and reached for a quil, quickly scribbling a message to his soulmate on his right arm. 

When he was done writing the message he caught sight of the flowers that you had drawn on the corner of his parchment and he grinned. Almost absentmindedly he started drawing flowers around your own, albeit a little simpler than the designs you had made. It took a minute for his eyes to widen, quil falling out of his hand, realizing that the flowers you had drawn on the paper he had already seen dozens of times before. In fact, a variation of them sat on his left arm now.

***

Finally four hours later you and George sat in the kitchens which you’d found surprisingly empty. Breakfast and lunch had come and gone and the two of you had gladly accepted a variety of foods from a couple of the house elves. 

You were completely oblivious to the way George was studying you closely, trying as hard as he could to see if he was right. 

“Puddlemere United,” He said when he caught sight of the patch sewn onto the jacket you were wearing. “I take it you’re a fan?” 

“I sort of have to be,” You laughed a little when you saw the confused look flash on George’s face. “My dad is Puddlemere’s captain.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not, promise,” You smiled as you shook your head. Without hesitation you pulled off your jacket, flipping it around so the back was visible, and pointed to a navy blue crest with the Puddlemere United logo and the word ‘captain’ across it in bold, golden letters. “Has been for a few years now and here’s your proof.” 

But when you looked at George he wasn’t looking at the jacket at all. Instead he was staring at the variety of words and pictures covering your arms. You could see his eyes darting back and forth and quickly pulled your arm away and under the table. 

“Wait,” He reached across the table and took your hand in his, slowly turning your arm around so he could see all every single stroke of ink. You could only watch as he gently traced the designs with his free hand. 

The moment was soft, intimate in the purest way. You swore you could hear your own heart thumping louder each second that passed. It reached its peak when George placed your arm on the table in front of the two of you only to pull off the sweater he’d been wearing. It was then that the breath you were holding in left you. 

Every single ink stain on your arms was perfectly reflected on his. Now that you looked closer you wondered how you hadn’t recognized his handwriting right away, you’d spent the last few months writing back and forth after all. You’d been so focused on the drawings and the writing that you hadn’t noticed what, or rather who was right in front of you. 

“I knew it was you, you know.” 

Your laugh was light when you finally dared to look at George once more. He was looking at you with pure and utter adoration and you were positive you wore the same expression. “Did you now?” 

“I did,” George grinned as he took your hand again, more confident than he had previously been. “Remember our first year when I asked you for that foxglove? I was supposed to nick it from one of the shelves but you had your sleeves rolled up and I swore I saw the edge of the stars you had drawn earlier that day. I went to get a closer look but they were covered again.” 

“And I suppose it was the same thing in transfiguration a month ago?” You shook your head with an amused smile as you thought back to the encounter. It all seemed so obvious now.

“It was. Same thing with the quidditch match a few years ago too,” He leaned forward as if what he were about to tell you were a secret. Suddenly it was like he couldn’t let you go, not that he’d ever want to now that he’d finally found you. “What made me almost certain though was the little drawing you left on my parchment earlier. I knew I’d seen those before.” 

“Well I suppose it’s a good thing you’ve kept your eyes open unlike me apparently,” You were beaming as you glanced down at the matching pictures present on both of you. “What do we do now?” 

“I’m glad you asked,” George immediately stood, pulling you up with him. He grabbed hold of your jacket still sitting on the table and started pulling you out of the kitchens. “Now that we’ve found each other we’re going to make up for lost time.” 

“By doing what exactly?” You asked, eyebrows raised questioningly and a slight smirk on your face. 

“Head out of the gutter, love,” George laughed as the two of you walked back up the stairs still hand in hand. He looked down at you with a wild grin on his face. “We’re going on our first date if you’re up for it.” 

You agreed instantly and happily followed to wherever it was George would take you, just as you knew you always would from that moment on.