#since that's doubling as a recovery tag now

[crimeronan]

went back swimming tonight :) school started up again this week which means there were gaggles of teenagers from the adjacent high school who have made the athletic center home til it closes at like 9:30pm. all flopped together with their backpacks kicking their feet up giggling over dumb teen bullshit and enjoying the air conditioning. POWERFUL nostalgia for when the theater kids at my school would all crawl up into the lofts and snuggle in puppy piles of costume fabrics. i love humanity actually.

[badgirlcoven-official]

I often think about "Well Camila was motherly to Amity, Gus, and Willow too does that make her their mom too?" Like. Yes??? Do y'all not get how found family works?

Like she was fully willing to raise all of them and I doubt that'll change like do you think that she wouldn't want to meet up with their parents and collaborate with them? She was raising their kids for months, it's kind of similar to a foster parent situation like they all have their biological parents and they are going to return and live with them but I fully believe they all think of Camila as a mother/call her mom?

Not in the way where any of them are Luz's siblings of course (Hunter and her are different imo just cause Luz was sisterly towards Hunter long before Camila was involved anyway) and in Amity's case it's very obviously a situation of "of course you can call me mom, you're dating my daughter/family" like is completely normal for their situation.

But like, with Gus and Willow "Luz's mom" becomes just "mom" and that's natural to them considering neither of them even have mothers so it's not like she's replacing anyone with that title.

Would she legally adopt them? No she has no reason to do that but that doesn't make her less of a mother to them. Eda doesn't legally adopt Luz but she's still Luz's 2nd mom? Luz is still King's sibling?

It's just weird the way that Camila's role in these children's lives is minimized so much that's the whole hexsquad's mom now no take-backsies whether or not they still officially live with her or not is irrelevant.

[Dadrius deniers/haters DNI y'all are annoying, Darius has so much fatherly swag it's unreal.]

[brittle-doughie]

Hello CCCC Anon here, 4th time i've sent this so sorry if I seem impatient. It's been a while since I've sent an ask mainly because I couldn't think of anything but here I am!

For some reason I've grown strongly close to one-sided Logical y/n and Royal icing cookie where Royal icing cookie tries to initiate a relationship and flirt with them multiple times, but logical y/n is not only too egotistical and loves themselves(side note: they still care for others to some extent), but is also just plain rude, very blunt with their hatred of Royal icing cookie, and is too focused on finding ways to get themselves and the other halves to become whole(y/n).

They can and WILL reject Royal icing cookie harshly since they know how terrible of a cookie he is cause of him being unhealthily obessed like his sister, the other halves, especially y/n's logical side know this.

Not only that; despite them claiming to be emotionless, they can emotionally lash out, mainly out of anger, resulting to them having a higher chance of inflicting violence on others, on purpose or not. Recovery from injuries inflicted by them may take a long time or not be able to recover from them at all, as Logical side y/n's nearly entire body is made up of strong metals and not sugary sweets; they will not apologize not matter how many times you try to get them to.

So please do include this at the end where instinctual side y/n holding back an angry logical side from accidentally killing off royal icing cookie who's laying on the floor and now has to deal with a severe injury inlicted on him (and somehow survived idk how but he did) by y/n's logical side, because as emotionless they claim to be, they still have flaws mixed in them and the other halves from y/n splitting into three.

So I propose one-sided logical y/n and Royal icing cookie based on these lyrics!

"I love you!

I love you not.

I love you~!

I love you not.

Should I take or should I break your heart?

Should I take or should I break your heart?"

The lyrics are short yes but better than nothing really. If you want the song then it's called "love you, love you not" by little purr man.

Anyway imma move back into the shadows til I got a new idea, Farewell!

Sincerely- CCCC Anon

Yooo @/scarabeeart, probably should’ve asked sooner if it’s all good to tag you for Royal Icing mentions, whoops.

Unfortunately, logic simply doesn’t mix with a determined cookie that by all means wants to claim the hand of the one he adored and the answer of no only makes me ponder on his APPROACH rather than Logical’s geunine disinterest.

It would come to ahead where Logical would lash out at Royal Icing, tired of having to tell him over and over that they’ll never like him to the degree that he does for them. Instinct has to step in and calm down Logical, as Royal Icing clutched his face with the bruise of the smack.

And yet, something that his sister would do…

He only focused on that Logical PAID ATTENTION to him, never the strike. He saw it as his efforts working and will act to double them so, maybe the next time will be the one where he finally gets their hand.

Much to Logical’s irritation, of course.

[kckt88]

Three Hearts, One Breath.

Summary:

After kissing his brothers wife, Aegon tries to distance himself from his growing feelings.

However Vaeryna and Aemond have other ideas.

Warning(s): Language, Exploring, Body Worship, Kissing, Incest, Smut - F/M/M, Lactation Kink, Daddy Kink, Fingering, Oral Sex (M & F Receiving), P in V Sex, P in A, Double Penetration, Multiple Orgasms, Cum Eating.

Word Count: - 5063.

PURE FILTH - I'M SORRY. IT'S DEPRAVED.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!!

GREENS WIN - ENEMIES TO LOVERS.

One Shot Take My Breath Away AU

AEMOND X O.C & AEGON X O.C

Tag List -@immyowndefender, @fanficapologist, @wickedfrsgrl, @queenofthekeep, @kaelatargaryen

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon or Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are very much appreciated.

How could he be so stupid? Kissing Vaeryna like that, literally just after she’d given birth.

There was something wrong him, there had to be for him to do something so stupid like that.

This infatuation with Vaeryna had to stop, she was his brothers wife. Of course, his curiosity towards how brother didn’t help matters either.

The only immediate solution to his problem, was to actively avoid Vaeryna and Aemond at all costs, of course he had council meetings to attend to which would make things difficult with regards to Aemond, but he would avoid Vaeryna.

He would surround himself with guards and make sure no one approached, he would also avoid his favoured whores, indulging in his usual habits wouldn’t help, not right now.

As hard as it was to avoid his good sister, he seemed to manage it.

In the weeks since Aegar’s birth and her recovery, Vaeryna had tried multiple times to gain an audience with Aegon, they would usually have dinner together every Thursday, but he made his excuses, even his trips to the gardens were off limits as Vaeryna would often frequent them in the hopes of running into him.

It pained him to cut her off, but he just couldn’t be around her anymore.

Which is why he found himself hiding in his chambers like a coward.

Gods, his mother was right. He was nothing more than a disgrace, she once said his carnal urges would be the death of him and she was correct.

Because once his brother found out what he’d done, he would kill him, admittedly it was odd that Vaeryna hadn’t told him yet, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t eventually.

As his heir Rhaegar wasn't old enough, upon his death, Aemond would ascend the Iron Throne with Vaeryna by his side as his Queen, mayhaps the crown of the conqueror would look better on Aemond than it ever did on-

A soft knock brought Aegon out of his reverie.

“W-Who is it?” asked Aegon, his voice shaking.

“It’s Vaeryna”

Oh shit.

He could ignore her; he should ignore her. He’d made a promise to himself to stay away from Vaeryna and let go of his feelings for her.

He would stay firm in his decision to avoid her, he could tell her to leave him alone, he could even be cruel to her in the hopes that she would hate him enough to stay away.

Yes, that was a plan, open the door and tell her to leave him alone.

So, with that plan in mind Aegon opened the door and-

“What’s wrong?” asked Aegon concerned as he spotted Vaeryna’s tearful gaze.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” asked Vaeryna.

“I haven’t-“

“-Yes, you have, I called your name yesterday and you turned away from me, you won’t have dinner with me anymore and I never see you in the gardens” said Vaeryna.

“I-I just don’t-“

“-Is this because of what happened the day Aegar was born?” asked Vaeryna.

“N-No”

“You are such a bad liar Aegon Targaryen. Why are you treating me like this? What did I do wrong?” exclaimed Vaeryna.

“It’s not you-it’s me” replied Aegon.

“Then what is it?” questioned Vaeryna.

“Who-“

“What are you a fucking owl? Just spit it out” snapped Vaeryna.

“I LOVE YOU-OK I FUCKING LOVE YOU”

“Aegon” gasped Vaeryna.

“I don’t know when or how long, but I do-I’ve tried not too, but I can’t stop” said Aegon.

“What if I don’t want you to stop?”

“WHAT?” asked Aegon.

“What if I want you to love me, what if I want you as much as I want Aemond”.

“Then I would think you were having a joke at my expense, there’s no way I would ever believe such a thing” replied Aegon.

“Well, believe it” muttered Vaeryna.

Aegon didn’t have a fucking clue what was happening, one minute he was staring at Vaeryna like she had three heads and the next-well, he had her pressed up against the door as he kissed her, their hands grasping at one another desperately.

It was only when Aemond appeared that Aegon reared away from Vaeryna.

“I-I can explain” stammered Aegon.

“You can explain why your kissing my wife?” asked Aemond cocking his head to the side.

“It was me-I came onto her; she isn’t too blame-I am” gasped Aegon.

“An admirable sentiment, however, you do realise that I was aware of the reason for Vaeryna’s visit” said Aemond, his arms folded behind his back.

“What?” exclaimed Aegon, looking at Vaeryna who blushed.

“Well, you see brother, your infatuation with my wife has not gone unnoticed, and of course that has been the reason for your avoidance these last few weeks” said Aemond closing the door and sliding the lock into place with a soft click.

“Oh fuck-“ muttered Aegon under his breath, this was it-the day he was going to die. He hoped his lady mother wouldn’t be too upset, well perhaps not. She always did prefer Aemond over him, mayhaps she would be glad that he was dead.

“My wife is truly one of my most precious treasures” said Aemond, advancing upon Aegon like a predator upon its prey.

“Y-Yes” breathed Aegon nervously.

“I will not concede her too you, but I am willing at times to share”

“S-Share?” asked Aegon.

“Hm”

“It’s ok Aegon-why chose when there is the option for both” said Vaeryna sweetly.

Aegon’s gaze shifted from Vaeryna to Aemond and back again, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing-surely, they weren’t suggesting some kind of threesome were they?

Wait-was he actually dead and this was some form of heaven because there was no way this was even remotely real.

“B-Both?”

“Yes- besides didn't mother always tell us to share” said Aemond as he began unfastening his leather doublet.

Oh fuck.

This was real, and it was happening.

Aemond released Vaeryna’s mouth and bent down to lick her nipples.

“Oh” muttered Vaeryna as she flung her arms over her face, as pearly white liquid began to leak from her breasts, running down her body in rivulets.

Aemond ran his tongue over the milk that had dripped from his wife’s rosy nipples and delighted in the sweetened taste.

“Come Brother-You have one, I’ll have the other” growled Aemond.

Aegon leaned forward and slowly ran his tongue over one of Vaeryna’s nipples, his lips wrapping around the stiff peak.

His cock throbbed as Vaeryna writhed against the bed.

“A-Aemond, A-Aegon” gasped Vaeryna.

“Hm” moaned Aemond as he continued to lick and suck his wife’s breast.

Aemond looked over at Aegon as they indulged themselves in worshipping Vaeryna’s breasts, their gaze locked upon one another.

Suddenly Aemond reached around the back of his brothers head and took hold of his roughly shorn silver tresses, pulling him away from Vaeryna and seizing his lips in a brutal kiss.

Aegon could taste the mother’s milk upon his brothers tongue, and it drove him wild.

“Hm”

Aegon moaned at Aemonds rumbling hum, it used to annoy him whenever he did that during conversation but in this circumstance, it was fucking amazing.

Suddenly Vaeryna let out an adorable squeak, Aegon looked and noticed that Aemond had his fingers inside her cunny.

“You should touch her too” exclaimed Aemond as his mouth once again descended onto one of Vaeryna’s breasts.

Never one to back down, Aegon gentle ran his hand down Vaeryna’s body and had to recite some stupid faith of the seven prayer to stop himself from coming when he felt how wet she was.

“I-Is she always-“

“-This wet?-Hm-yes issa byka zaldrīzes, so sensitive” muttered Aemond (My little dragon).

“A-Aegon-please” whined Vaeryna as their eyes connected.

“Patience issa dōna nūmio” replied Aegon as his fingers began teasing her slick folds (My sweet pearl).

Aegon watched with awed fascination as Aemond expertly fingered his wife, the way he used his fingers and thumb in tandem with one another to tease her little pearl.

Aegon knew Vaeryna was close to her peak, he could feel her cunny fluttering around the finger he had inside her.

However, Aemond removed his hand and sat back on the bed, his singular amethyst eye darkened with lust as he pressed his fingers against Aegon’s mouth.

“Taste her” growled Aemond.

“Delicious” muttered Aegon as he swirled his tongue around Aemond’s fingers.

Vaeryna clearly not happy at being denied her peak, began to whine.

“Aemond-“

“-Now ābrazȳrys. I want you to sit on my face, whilst my brother sucks my cock” exclaimed Aemond (Wife).

Even though he was the younger of the three, Aemond had a naturally dominant personality, and if he wanted to be in control then Aegon was more than happy to submit.

Aemond reclined on the bed and smirked, his cock standing hard. Aegon’s mouth was watering just looking at it, his brother the absolute twat had truly been blessed.

The largest dragon in the world and a cock to match-no wonder he was so smug all of the time.

Vaeryna hovered above Aemond’s face, her knees splayed on either side of his head.

“Such a pretty cock sleeve" breathed Aemond as he ran the flat of his tongue along Vaeryna’s soaked slit, from bottom to the top, tasting her.

“Oh, my god” moaned Vaeryna her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

“That’s it Issa dōna. Let me hear you” (My sweet).

“YES. It feels so good. Don’t stop. Aemond. Please” begged Vaeryna.

“FUCK” groaned Aemond as he felt Aegon’s mouth around his cock.

Devouring his wife’s sweet cunny as she sat on his face was one thing, but to do it whilst his brother sucked his cock was other worldly.

Admittedly it was different from Vaeryna she was soft and patient, always teasing him to the brink of madness, whilst Aegon was firm and unyielding.

He enjoyed the feeling of Aegon’s mouth around his cockhead, his tongue teasing his slit, as the salvia dripping down his shaft.

"Delicious" purred Aemond as he began lapping at Vaeryna, running his tongue along every fold.

"More" panted Vaeryna "Please. I need more”.

Aemond inserted two fingers, sliding them in and out of her slick wet folds.

“T-That’s it, fuck-Aegon” breathed Aemond, as his brother wrapped a hand around his cock and began to move in sync with his mouth.

“Oh" whimpered Vaeryna; her chest heaving as she began to roll her hips against him.

“That’s it baby, ride my fucking face” groaned Aemond, thrusting his own hips.

Vaeryna was giving off a slew of loud swear words, moans, and pleas, that anyone passing the King's chambers would surely hear as Aemond’s nose bumped repeatedly against her pearl.

 Aemond’s fingers were soaking wet as they continued to pump in and out of her tight heat.

“I can’t wait to get my cock inside you. I don’t want to wait any longer, come for me baby, come for daddy” moaned Aemond.

Finally, he felt Vaeryna’s inner walls start to flutter around his fingers, squeezing them. Vaeryna’s back arched taut as a bow and she screamed her release.

Aemond pumped slowly and lapped at his wife’s centre as she came.

After a few minutes, Vaeryna moved off Aemond’s face and flopped down onto the bed beside him.

Vaeryna moaned quietly as she caught sight of Aegon sucking Aemond’s cock, she could feel herself getting wet again, she watched as Aemond placed his hand on the back of his brother’s head, forcing him to take more of his cock inside his mouth.

Suddenly a naughty thought entered into Vaeryna's head and before Aemond could stop her, she bent down and began running her tongue along the part of his cock that wasn't in Aegon's mouth.

"SEVEN HELLS" roared Aemond.

Aegon and Vaeryna shared a knowing look before they both began to take it turns slowly sucking Aemond's cock, taking him the brink only to stop.

"V-Vaeryna" groaned Aemond, he needed her, he needed her now.

"Yes my love"

“Come here” rasped Aemond, his chin still shining with her slick.

Vaeryna leaned forward and wiped her tongue across her husbands bottom lip before taking it in between her teeth and biting down gently.

“You naughty girl” muttered Aemond as he surged forward and pressed a kiss to his wife’s sumptuous soft lips.

One hand tangled in his brothers hair and the other in his wife’s.

“A-Aegon-enough-stop” groaned Aemond his hips stuttering, he could feel the urge to come building in his abdomen.

“Spoil sport” muttered Aegon as he wiped the spit from the corners of his mouth.

“I want to spill my seed inside my wife’s cunny”.

“W-Where will-“ asked Aegon looking around awkwardly.

“I want you to spill your seed inside me as well” whispered Vaeryna.

Aemond was sure his brother was about to blow his load right there, judging from the way his eyes rolled back into his head at every filthy word his wife spoke.

Vaeryna moved over Aemond’s body, her slick folds rubbing against his cock.

Gods he was so hard, it was bordering on painful.

Seizing his wife’s hips, Aemond surged up and ploughed his hard cock into Vaeryna’s soaked cunt.

"AEMOND!" screamed Vaeryna.

"Gods. You feel so good" rasped Aemond.

"Fuck me, Aemond" urged Vaeryna, her tone bordering on desperate as she rolled her hips against his.

Aemond started to thrust slowly, trying to prolong the feel of his wife squeezing his cock.

“Aegon-please” breathed Vaeryna as she felt his warm chest press against her back, his hands gently caressing her sides as he pressed a series of gentle kisses along the back of her neck.

“Do you want his cock as well Issa perzys?” asked Aemond, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hips (My fire).

“Y-Yes, please. I want it-I want you both inside me” moaned Vaeryna.

“I’ll need to prepare you” whispered Aegon as he took hold of the small bottle of oil that Aemond discreetly pressed into his hand.

Aegon uncorked the bottle and poured a generous amount of the oil onto his palm, spreading it over his fingers.

After discarding the bottle somewhere on the bed, Aegon reached down to her arse.

“Hm-yes, I-like it” whined Vaeryna, biting her lip.

“Be patient” urged Aemond as Vaeryna began to squirm against him.

Vaeryna gasped as she felt Aegon’s finger on her little rosette, and it felt so naughty, it was good.

“Yes, or no?” asked Aegon.

Vaeryna didn't even have to think.

“Yes, Aegon” moaned Vaeryna as he slowly inserted his finger into her body.

He worked in silence for a while, easing his finger in and out of her arse until she could take it easily.

Aemond began teasing her pearl with his fingers, his cock throbbing inside her.

Pulling out, Aegon added a second finger and brushed both around her hole.

“Yes, or no?” Aegon asked again.

“Aegon. I want you take my arse, I want both of you to fuck me until I scream out your names. I need to come, please. Do not deprive me any longer” begged Vaeryna.

Aegon let out a breath of air, but no words. Silently, he breached her arse once more.

Vaeryna screamed, and Aegon panicked. He started to back his fingers out, but she begged “No, no, oh god it feels so fucking good I can barely stand it”.

Aegon continued to work his way into her tight space, his cock was like stone, and needed nothing more than the odd stroke to keep him there. When his fingers were fully inside her, he put his lips to her ear again.

“I'm going to take your arse” whispered Aegon, pumping his fingers slowly in and out.

“Yes” gasped Vaeryna as she pushed against Aegon’s talented finger’s.

“I'm going to breach your arse with my cock and fill you all the way up. It's going to feel so good, love, I can't wait for you to come around Aemond’s cock in your sweet cunt, whilst my cock shoved in your arse”

Vaeryna’s teeth were gritted, and she grunted low in her throat each time his fingers surged in.

“Yes” moaned Vaeryna loudly. Aegon slapped her buttock, and she wailed again.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir” moaned Vaeryna. She was pushing back against his hand, so he spread his fingers inside her, accommodating her to his size. At last, she was ready for him.

Aegon pressed the head of his cock to the entrance of her arse, and Vaeryna moaned in need, he pushed through her entrance and past her sphincter muscle, swearing loudly as it gripped him unbelievably tight.

“Oh gods. Oh yes” moaned Vaeryna, flinging her head back. Aegon eased himself slowly into her tight anal passage, trying not to pass out from the sheer fucking bliss of it.  

Eventually, Vaeryna took his entire cock.

The three of them remained unmoving as Vaeryna got used to having both Aemond and Aegon inside her.

“I-I’m ready” whispered Vaeryna.

“We’ll go as slow-” muttered Aemond as he placed his hands on his wife’s hips.

“-as you want” said Aegon as he placed his hands on top of Aemonds and entwined their fingers together.

“OH-MY-“ shrieked Vaeryna as both Aegon and Aemond began to move, finding their rhythm and thrusting gently.

Both brothers moving in tandem with one another, a slow sensual pace, that drove Vaeryna to the brink of insanity.

"Faster, please" begged Vaeryna.

"Patience, Issa zaldrīzes. This is your first time doing this with both of us" chided Aemond (My dragon).

“I-I’ve taken you there before” admitted Vaeryna softly.

“Fuck” groaned Aegon at Vaeryna’s admission.

“I know but you’ve never taken us both at the same time” replied Aemond as he gave a quick deep thrust.

“Yes, Aemond, just like that-" panted Vaeryna.

Her hands ran along his arms, over his shoulders and down his chest, digging her nails into his pale skin.

“Gods, Vaeryna" grunted Aemond, speeding up slightly.

“Y-Yes, fuck” muttered Aegon.

"Fuck me, Aemond" whispered Vaeryna "Fuck me with that big, cock of yours. You feel so good inside me, filling me up. Give me what I need. Make me scream, make me come. Give me your seed. I want it”.

Aemond knew exactly what Vaeryna was doing, and he couldn’t help himself.

Vaeryna wanted faster and he was going much faster now; so much for having the control in the situation. His pace had increased with every filthy word that dropped from his wife’s luscious lips.

“Fuck Aemond” groaned Aegon, the force of his brother’s thrusts moving Vaeryna on his cock.

“A-AEGON-“ screamed Vaeryna as she reached behind her and wrapped her hands around the back of his head.

She craned her neck back and dragged Aegon’s head towards her, she wanted to feel his lips on hers as she took both of their cocks.

Aegon released his grip on Aemonds hands and slowly caressed her skin until he reached her breasts, both hands squeezing them as his tongue moved against hers, his cock thrusting inside her.

Aemond watched with a hooded gaze as his wife kissed his brother, he thought he would feel jealous knowing that his wife was finding pleasure with someone who wasn’t him, but in truth he found it incredibly hot.

Both of them were cock deep inside her and it felt glorious, it was just a shame they’d waited so long to do this.

“Faster-I can take it-I can take both of you-please” stammered Vaeryna as she released Aegon’s hair from her grip.

Aemond and Aegon shared a quick glance before nodding.

Now they were both quickly thrusting in and out, the force of their combined movements shaking the bed, the headboard banging loudly against the wall.

Vaeryna was meeting them thrust for thrust.

“Aemond-Aegon! I’m going to come. Oh, fuck!” screamed Vaeryna; not caring if anyone could hear them.

Vaeryna always looked amazing when she came. Her head thrown back in pleasure, her amethyst eyes alive with lust, and her pale skin shining with sweat.

Vaeryna clamped down around Aemond’s cock so hard he could hardly move. That, combined with how glorious Vaeryna looked, pushed Aemond over the edge, the heat shooting across his abdomen.

“God. Vaeryna” groaned Aemond as he exploded. His cock throbbing and twitching as he spilled his seed inside his wife’s wet heat.

Aegon followed not long after, his cock twitching as he spilled inside Vaeryna, his head falling to her shoulder.

His chest heaving with every breath he took; he had never come so hard in his life.

“Aegon-“ whispered Vaeryna as he gently pulled his softened cock from her.

“You were so good” replied Aegon as he laid on the bed next to Aemond.

“Hm-so perfect for us” said Aemond as he also pulled his cock from Vaeryna and moved over so she could lay in between the brothers.

Their sweaty bodies pressed against one another as they came down from their high.

Aegon opened his eyes at the feeling of the bed shifting.

“Did you really think that we were finished brother-I want you to clean my seed from wife’s cunny as I fuck you” growled Aemond.

“Aemond” gasped Aegon as his brother flipped him onto his stomach.

“Be a good boy and clean up the mess I’ve made” cooed Aemond as he reached for the bottle of oil.

“How are you so hard this quickly” exclaimed Aegon not sure whether he should be impressed or not.

“It’s a gift” replied Aemond smirking as a generous amount of oil coated his fingers.

Aemond manoeuvred Aegon so he was all on all fours and began to prepare him for his cock.

Aegon groaned as felt Aemond’s fingers breaching him, obviously this wasn’t his first experience with a man, but Aemond was significantly larger than anyone he’d taken before.

“Do not neglect my wife, Lēkia” said Aemond (Brother).

Aegon moved in between Vaeryna’s open legs and moaned as he saw the seed leaking from her.

“Go head and clean her up-“ ordered Aemond as he coated his cock with oil.

Aegon grunted with mild discomfort as he felt his brother’s fingers withdrawing from him, only to be replaced with his cock.

“Fuck-Aemond” groaned Aegon, closing his eyes as he took every inch of his brother.

“Do not leave my wife wanting-or I will punish you” snarled Aemond, as he gave a rough deep thrust.

“Yes-“ groaned Aegon as he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against Vaeryna’s cunny.

Ravenously, he pressed into her core with his tongue, in and out.

Vaeryna clutched at his head with one hand, her other hand grasped at the sheets.

Aemond withdrew from Aegon and surged forward again, setting a brutal pace as he watched his brother lick the seed from his wife’s cunny.

Aegon lashed hard at Vaeryna’s pearl with his tongue, pulling on it with his lips. He was hard and fast, alternating between her bundle of nerves and drinking deep from her cunt, the taste of Aemond’s seed mixed with her delicious ambrosia.

Vaeryna ground down on Aegon, hard; his tongue speared deeper inside her, and she felt the warm curl of her peak approach.

However, she shoved Aegon’s face away from her and smiled widely.

“I want you inside me” whispered Vaeryna as she shimmied slightly down the bed.

“Go on brother-give her what she wants” exclaimed Aemond as he thrust forward, his hips slapping against Aegon’s.

Aegon slid into Vaeryna immediately, aided by how wet and open she was for him. He sighed into the crook of Vaeryna’s neck, slowly building up the pace. 

The feeling of Aemond inside him and Vaeryna around him was heavenly.

Initially when he had pulled off his tunic and breeches, he was apprehensive as to what Vaeryna and Aemond would make of the burn scars that covered the majority of the lower half of his body, especially his cock, it still functioned as normal, and he could produce seed, but he wasn’t fertile, not that he minded anyway.

But Vaeryna and Aemond had still welcomed him into their relationship, and it made his heart soar, and the way Vaeryna had gently kissed everyone of his scars made him want to cry with happiness.

Vaeryna’s tits bounced with each thrust, as Aegon was driven into her by the force of Aemond’s thrusts.

Vaeryna moaned and cried beneath Aegon, his pelvis rubbing against her swollen bud with each thrust he gave.

“You going to come? I can feel you gripping me” huffed Aegon, watching his scarred length disappear into her wet folds.

“Please” wailed Vaeryna, her hands gripping the sheets.

“That’s it-come for us baby” moaned Aemond, his pace relentless, the sweat dripping down his chest.

Aegon took pity and slid a hand down to Vaeryna’s pearl, rolling it in time with his thrusts,

“Come on then. Cum on my cock”

It took four sharp thrusts before Vaeryna screwed her eyes shut, as she came with an earth-shattering cry.

Aegon fucked her through it, his hips and hand not once still until Vaeryna was a sobbing and slick mess beneath him.

“Give him another Issa jorrāelagon” grunted Aemond (My love).

“Fuck-Aemond” moaned Aegon, his face pressed into the crook of Vaeryna’s neck.

“That’s it-fucking take it” snarled Aemond.

Vaeryna squirmed to get away from Aegon, but it was no use, and Aegon ripped yet another peak from her with precision.

Vaeryna’s head lulling to the side tiredly as her body was thrust up the bed with the combined force of Aegon and Aemond’s thrusts.

Vaeryna laid limply beneath him as he continued to fuck her.

“Fuck-going fill your cunny” moaned Aegon.

Vaeryna nodded weakly as Aegon continued to thrust his length into her.

“You want me to fill up this pretty cunny with my seed?”

Vaeryna nodded her head again, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes as Aegon continued to rut into her.

Vaeryna’s brain went blank as ecstasy shot through it.

Aemond was close as well, his thrusts had grown sloppy and uncoordinated.

Vaeryna heard Aegon’s loud groan as he spilled his seed deep within her.

Then nothing as darkness embraced her.

It took a while for Vaeryna come back to herself, and when she did she was in Aemond’s arms, with Aegon pressed behind her.

She felt warm, safe, and completely exhausted. Vaeryna shifted to look up at her husband, watching as his eye opened to look down at her.

“So good you blacked out?” mused Aemond softly, watching as his wife weakly smiled at him, nuzzling into his chest, the sparse hairs tickling her nose.

“D-Did you finish?” asked Vaeryna, craning her neck to look at her husband.

“Yes I did-“

“-All over my back the dirty bastard” retorted Aegon.

“I didn’t hear you complaining at the time” snarked Aemond.

“I need moontea” whispered Vaeryna.

“There’s a cup waiting, freshly brewed” said Aegon pointing to the silver trap on the table.

“H-How long was I blacked out?” wondered Vaeryna.

“A while-“ mused Aegon as he climbed out of bed and picked up the cup of moontea.

“Thank you” replied Vaeryna as she took the cup from Aegon and drank the concoction in one gulp, grimacing at the bitter taste.

“Don’t mention it-“ said Aegon as he pulled on his small clothes and went to pour himself some wine.

“Are you ok?” asked Aemond quietly.

“I’m fine, are you ok?”

“I’m ok, gaomagon ao gīmigon skorkydoso olvie avy jorrāelan?” replied Aemond (Do you know how much I love you?).

“I’m not sure, mayhaps you should remind me” teased Vaeryna.

“Tolī than glaeson, ao issi se ōños isse issa zōbrie” (More than life, you are the light in my darkness).

“In that case, avy jorrāelan, issa idaña perzys” replied Vaeryna (I love you, my twin flame).

Aemond hummed contentedly as he drew Vaeryna back into his arms and held her close.

“You do realise these are my chambers” groused Aegon as he climbed back on the bed.

“-Your point?” asked Aemond.

“After sex I like to sleep”.

“So, do I” whispered Vaeryna as she took Aegon’s hand and pulled him closer, her eyes closing as he snuggled behind her.

Soon Vaeryna fell asleep, safely ensconced between her two silver dragons.

“What’s wrong with you?” muttered Aemond.

“I wasn’t sure what this would mean-you know for us now that-“

“-We’ve fucked you mean?” said Aemond quietly.

“Well, yes. It’s not everyday you fuck a wife at the same time as her husband, and then fuck the wife as the husband fucks you” mused Aegon.

“Like you didn’t enjoy it” quipped Aemond.

“Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed it-mayhaps next time you’ll let me fuck you”.

“Absolutely not-I’m a top” replied Aemond, looking down at Vaeryna to check that she was still asleep.

“Nothing wrong with being a bottom, you should give it a try”.

“Do you want a slap?” asked Aemond frowning.

“I might like it-daddy” said Aegon smirking.

“Your incorrigible” muttered Aemond shaking his head.

“So, I guess you and Vaeryna discussed boundaries prior to her arrival earlier on?”

“Yes-we agreed to have you together, no separate encounters, it’s both of us or nothing” replied Aemond.

“Sounds-reasonable”.

“Hm, of course this will not be an everyday occurrence, as I still wish to have my wife to myself at times” said Aemond sternly.

“Of course-so how often, will we you know-“ mused Aegon.

“Once a month if you’re a good boy-“

“-And if I’m not?” mused Aegon curiously.

“I’ll tie you to a chair and make you watch as I fuck Vaeryna” said Aemond smugly.

“Sounds delightful-anyway I must say your wife is a fantastic fuck, are you sure she was a maid when you first laid with her”.

“Forget the slap-I will slit your throat if you carry on” groused Aemond shifting slight as Vaeryna moved in her sleep.

“I was joking-not about the fantastic fuck thing though, even your performance was very satisfying brother”.

“Are we really going lay here and discuss who satisfied who the most or who’s the best fuck because that’s just childish and at any rate-I’m the best” said Aemond as he laid down on the bed.

“I’ve had more practice than you” argued Aegon.

“Having more partners than you’ve had hot dinners doesn’t mean your good in bed. I’ve only had sex with three-“

“-Four people. I’m counted amongst that number now” said Aegon smiling.

“You’ll never counted amongst it again if you don’t shut your mouth” snapped Aemond.

“-Stop talking, need sleep” muttered Vaeryna.

“Shh-it’s ok, go back to sleep dōna hāedar” whispered Aemond (Sweet girl).

“Jorrāelagon ao issa zaldrīzes” mumbled Vaeryna (Love you my dragon).

“Is she aware she drools in her sleep?” asked Aegon.

“Shut the fuck up” hissed Aemond as he closed his eye.

Aegon simply smiled and snuggled against Vaeryna who sighed in her sleep, he placed his hand on her waist and jumped slightly when he felt Aemond’s fingers touch his own.

“Next time-” muttered Aegon.

“-Next time” replied Aemond softly.

[cozage]

New Multi-Chapter Fic: The Moss that Grew in Gloom

A/N: A multi-chapter fic I promised weeks ago is finally starting!! With Made for Two being complete, I finally can redirect some of my efforts to other things, and this is at the top of my list! I hope you enjoy!!

Characters: female reader x Zoro, (Mihawk and Perona are also present)

Summary: As the daughter of Dracule Mihawk, you've spent your life in almost complete solitude. But that changed one day when a green-haired swordsman makes a smashing appearance.

Word count: 5k

Chapter One: The Fall of a Swordsman

| Next Chapter | Masterlist| Read on AO3

--

Your life began when a moss headed man crashed into the pavement outside, you just hadn't known it yet. 

It was the second time someone had fallen to Gloom Island since you had been alone. Your father had been called away to help with an execution, and he had forbid you to tag along. The Warlord had left you alone several times before, but this was the first time a person had come crashing into your castle. And now that number had doubled to two.

You and Perona peered out the window, looking at the place of impact. 

“I think he’s dead,” you said, looking down at him from your second story bedroom.

“He looks familiar…” Perona mumbled. “We should go see.”

You frowned at the body outside. “Dad said not to leave the castle while he was gone.” 

“Yeah but aren’t you a little curious?” Perona’s wide eyes were stuck on the unmoving man.

“Not really.” You turned away from the window, back to your room. “The baboons will deal with him if he’s not dead yet.”

“You’re so cold!” Perona pouted at you, and she ran to your door. “I’m going to save him!”

“Suit yourself,” you responded, opening a book. “But I won’t be helping.”

You didn’t see Perona for a few days after that. You knew she had managed to save the green-haired man and drag him back into the castle, and you knew she was tending to his wounds. The sounds of banging and the occasional shout from both of them proved that. 

“I do know him!” She said, entering the kitchen. It was one of the few moments you left your room with a stranger in the house. You had managed to avoid Perona and the stranger whenever you ventured down for food, but you had known it was only a matter of time before your paths crossed. 

“He’s a Strawhat!” she continued. “They were the ones fighting Moria and sent me to this dreadful place in the first place!” 

That caught your attention. “He has that power? He’s that strong?”

“Well, no..” Perona said, thinking back to her time on Thriller Bark. “I think it was a crew mate of his that did that.”

You frowned, but said nothing at that. You did remember the Strawhat Pirates from the news, and your father took an interest in one of the crew members, but you couldn’t remember which one. But you didn’t remember any ability like that being on their wanted poster.

“I guess he’s alive, then.” You tried not to sound too interested. “Will he make a full recovery?”

Perona groaned. “He’s SO needy! And he’s complaining about EVERYTHING! The food, the bed, the way I wrapped his wounds! Nothing is good enough for him, I swear!”

You laughed at the irony of that. Perona hadn’t stopped complaining about this place since she had arrived either. Nothing was ever good enough for her, even in a giant mansion on a secluded island. 

Not that you were upset about her presence. You didn’t mind Perona most of the time. Sometimes you even liked her. But on those days when you just wanted to be alone, she was always there. She was like a little sister who was always demanding your attention, always wanting to do something with you. It had been strange to get used to after such solitude with only you and your father your entire life. 

Perona finished making a sandwich, and looked your way. “You should come see him!”

“I told you, I’m not helping.” You left the words hanging in the air as you walked out, hearing her frustrated breath huff out behind you.

--

You finally met the mysterious intruder a few days later, when he barged into your room unannounced. Your eyes flicked up from your book as your door slammed open. He had mossy green hair and tanned skin, and you could tell he was in good shape under his bandages. He was covered in them, and you could see why he was complaining about Perona’s handiwork. She had wrapped them so tight in some places, you were surprised he could move. 

“Wha--Who the hell are you?!” The man demanded, gawking around your room. Your sword laid next to your chair, and you saw his eyes slide over to it.

“It’s rude to demand someone’s name when you haven’t introduced yourself,” you said, returning your gaze back down to your book. 

You could hear him grit his teeth in frustration, and you resisted the urge to smirk at his reaction. 

“Look, woman, do you know where my swords are or not?”

“Swords?” Now that caught your attention. You looked back at him and found his gaze was still on the sword next to your chair. You closed your book, mentally marking where you were in the story, and then placed it down on the coffee table next to you. 

“That stupid ghost girl stole my swords!” 

You stood and picked up your weapon, turning it over in your hand. “Swords as in multiple?”

“Three.”

“Three?” 

His eye twitched in frustration. “Are you going to help me or not?”

“How long have you been looking for these swords?” You walked over to the door where he was standing. “And don’t ever barge into my room again without knocking first.”

He gritted his teeth, and you could tell he wanted to say something back, but he refrained. He moved out of the way for you to pass through the door. “I’ve been looking for a few days.”

“A few days?” You laughed at that, thinking it was an over exaggeration, but his silence made you realize he was being serious. “You must be bad with directions.”

“It’s not my fault it’s a maze in here!” He shouted back at you. You rolled your eyes and bound down the steps, hoping he was capable enough to follow you. 

“Perona,” You call out at the bottom of the stops. “Where’d you hide this guy’s swords?”

“It’s not my fault!” the pink-haired girl cried, floating into the room. “I told him exactly where they were! Up the stairs and down the hallway!”

“Thanks!” You bound back up the left staircase, and when you got to the top, you realize you didn't see the swordsman anywhere. You had just run down the stairs and then back up them, how had you lost him already?

You didn’t have time to figure out where he went. Honestly, you cared more about his swords than you did about him. You just wanted to see how his blades looked. 

His swords were exactly where Perona described. It was as he said: three swords sitting together in the room. 

You could feel the energy rolling off of one of them when you opened the door. It was respectable for a swordsman to carry a blade with such a strong personality, but you weren’t interested in a sword with an attitude. 

The next one that caught your eye was a sword you never thought you’d see in your lifetime. Shusui, the legendary katana from Wano. The last you heard it had been buried with its previous owner. You unsheathed it and held it out, slashing the air a few times. The balance was perfect, and it almost made you envious of the user. If you didn’t have the sword you possessed now, you would certainly be taking this for yourself. 

You sheathed Shusui and turned your attention to the last sword, a white-hilted one. As you bent down to grab it, a strong hand grabbed your shoulder. You quickly turned, unsheathing your own blade and holding its tip out against the perpetrator’s throat. 

It was that damn pirate. You had been so caught up in looking at his swords, you hadn’t noticed him come in. He was smirking at you with a brow raised, eyeing the sword in your hand. You rolled your eyes and lowered your sword, scoffing at his cockiness. 

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” he said, nodding at the blade in your hand. You squinted your eyes at him suspiciously, but handed your blade over to him and then bent down to pick up the white hilted one. 

As you examined it, you couldn't help but find it familiar-looking. It was a great sword, and it was made with the finest materials by an extraordinarily skilled blade smith. You were jealous of the man who got to call it his own. Wado Ichimonji, you believed it was called. It wasn’t exactly your style, but you could still admire it nonetheless.

You could hear him gasp behind you, and you turn to look. His fingers reached down to run along the light blue blade as he inspected it. 

“Wait-” 

He cried out, more in surprise than in pain, and he yanked his hand away from the blade. You could see that his fingers had beads of blood forming on them, cut by the razortooth edges that ran along the flat of your blade. 

“Sorry, I forgot to warn you.” You sheathed his blade and walked over to him. You reached out for his hand to examine it for any serious damage, but he yanked it away from you. 

You scowled at him, but he continued to inspect your blade, turning it over in his hands. He slashed at the air a few times, and you could feel the waves of air roll over you. If he knew how to actually use the blade to its full capacity, he’d be quite powerful with it. You suspected that the other swords in his possession weren’t by luck.

“Roronoa.” You had been piecing the information together for a while now, and you were fairly certain in your guess of his identity. 

“You know me?” He said, eyeing you cautiously. 

“I’ve heard of you,” you corrected.  Your father occasionally commented on him when he was in the paper, and you knew the story of how he had challenged the Warlord in the East Blue. At the start of the Grand Line, he hadn’t been anything impressive, but over the few months he’d been there, he seemed to have made a name for himself. 

“You have a nice blade,” he said, handing it back to you and walking over to pick up his own. 

“Nikko,” you say, giving it a quick glance before putting it at your side again. “You have nice ones as well. Except that cursed one. I’m surprised you can handle it.”

He chuckled. “Don’t you worry, I’ve got it under control.”

You nodded back to him, not quite sure you believed him. “Are you planning to stay with us for a while?”

He scoffed at your question. “I’m returning to my captain as soon as I can.”

It’s your turn to laugh now. “Good luck. In your condition, you won’t make it to the coast.”

“Yeah well, you don’t know what I’m capable of.”

You snorted at his response, but offered none of your own. With the conversation over, you turned away from him and back to the door to take your leave. 

The sound of rock collapsing comes from the swordsman’s direction, and your head whipped back around to see what he’s done now. You just catch a glimpse of moss-colored hair jumping out of a cut opening in the stone. 

“You brute!” You screamed down at him as you watched him fall. “What the hell is wrong with you?!?”

But he didn’t respond, he just hit the ground and started running. 

“Where’d he go?!” Perona’s shrill voice came from beside you. “He’s my ticket off this dump of an island!”

“This dump of an island is my home,” you said, irritated with the bubblegum girl. Maybe it would be better for her to take her leave.

“Enjoy it! I’m leaving with him!” She floated through the opening that Roronoa had made, and began chasing after him. 

“Watch out for the-” you shouted as loud as you could, but she was already out of earshot. 

You looked up, as if you were mumbling a prayer. “Father, where are you?”

--

You found them at the wooden cross, surrounded by baboons. You watched from the woods at Roronoa struggling to fight, and as the baboon went in for the kill, you jumped in front of him and sliced the baboon across its chest with Nikko. 

“I don’t need you saving me!” You heard the man call from behind you, anger thick in his voice.

“Oh? You don’t?” You turned back to him and sheathed your sword. “Fine then. Do it yourself.”

Most of the baboons had learned to fear you, but this green-haired stranger was no threat to them. Once your sword was put away and walked out of range, they began their attack against him again. 

You watched the match in disappointment. You expected better from the man who was supposed to best your father in a sword fight. But this was just pathetic.

“Aren’t you going to help him?” Perona screamed at you from above. 

“He doesn’t want my help,” you hissed, loud enough for him to hear. “Why don’t you try, Perona?”

“You think I can take those things?!” She squeaked, and you turned your attention back to the fight, just in time to see Roronoa get thrown backwards into the wooden cross.

He hit it with such force that he left an indent on the wooden marker, and then fell face first into the ground. He laid there for a minute, and you grabbed the hilt of your blade, ready to draw if the baboons made an attack.  

It wasn’t necessary though, because you finally noticed his presence. You relaxed, clicking Nikko back into its sheath. Only a second later did the baboons notice, and they all began to flee from the area. 

Even Perona and Roronoa seemed shocked, and you could see the green-haired swordsman tense at the realization of who was appearing through the fog. He grabbed his cursed blade, using it to pull himself up to his knees. 

“You better not do that, Roronoa Zoro,” your father said, eyeing the man before him. “You’ve been injured beyond your limit. Do you think you can beat me when you can’t even beat the baboons?”

You snorted at that, pleased that your father was equally unimpressed with the swordsman. Roronoa Zoro, he called him. 

Mihawk’s gold eyes flicked to you, and he frowned. “I thought I told you not to leave the castle while I was away. I expect a full explanation of the events that occurred while I was absent.”

You bit your lip, frustrated with the reprimand, but said nothing. You knew he wouldn’t listen now. He had bigger things to deal with, like the two new houseguests who had appeared while he was gone. 

“Why the hell are you here?!” Roronoa demanded, looking at your father. 

Your father’s attention moved back to the man on the ground. “I’ve been living in that castle for quite some time. Why are you here?”

“I got blown away by Kuma, a member of the seven warlords like yourself.”

“I see…” Your father looked at you briefly. “Is he telling the truth?”

You nod. “He is.”

“Very well. That explains why Strawhat came to Marineford with other people.”

Roronoa’s eyes got wide at the mention of his captain’s name. “You saw Luffy?! How was he?!? Was he alright?!”

Your father seemed unfazed by the green-haired man’s desperation. “He’s still alive probably. But I assume that he’s been very badly traumatized.”

“What happened?”

“He lost his brother.”

Roronoa blinked. You could see every muscle in his body tighten in anguish. “What did you say?”

“Fire-Fist Ace died before Strawhat’s eyes.”

Everyone stood there for a moment, frozen. You could tell the news had rocked the pirate. His facial expressions were extremely easy to read. He looked confused, angry, helpless, and upset all in the same moment. 

After a moment, he struggled to his feet. “I have to go. I have to go find Luffy.”

After the swordsman and Perona took off, your father looked at you with a frown. You knew he was disappointed, but you weren’t entirely sure what you had done to make him feel that way. 

“Please explain to me why there are two new people on this island.”

You began walking back towards the castle. “I believe Roronoa is right. Kuma sent them here, separately. There was a pawprint impact zone around Perona when she arrived on the grounds. I did not leave to inspect Roronoa’s site when he arrived a few days later because it was outside of the castle grounds.” You paused for a moment, letting him absorb all of the information. “I didn’t leave the grounds, father.”

“And yet you are off them now,” he shot back. 

“They were in danger! I couldn’t-”

“I do not care about the lives of those two. And I do not appreciate you risking your own life to save them.” You heard it as he paused to keep his voice from rising any further. The worry laced in his voice that was initially masked as anger. He took a breath, and his voice returned to his normal cadence when he speaks again. 

“Do not do it again.”

You grinned at him, deciding to press your luck. “You were worried about me, weren’t you?”

“You can handle yourself. I am aware of that.”

You laughed lightly, and decide to abandon the topic. You had missed your father desperately while he was gone. 

“How was Marineford?” you asked. 

“Like I said, the execution was successful.”

“But how was it?” you pressed. Sometimes your father forgot to turn off the whole mystery persona with you. 

He hummed, thinking how to describe it. “There were some complications. Mainly Roronoa’s captain. He’s quite a problem for the Navy.”

You chuckled at that. “Runs in the crew, I guess.”

“What do you mean? Has he been a problem?”

You looked at him, irritation on your face. “There's a hole in one of the second story guest bedrooms now. He got irritated with how complicated it was to navigate the castle and just cut his way out.”

Your father frowned. “I see. They’ll be quite troublesome houseguests, won’t they?”

You were so shocked by his response that you stopped in your tracks. “They’re staying?”

“Do you think they’re going to get off this island in their current state?”

You laughed at that question. You had been thinking the same thing. At least someone was of the same mindset as you. 

----

Later that night, you heard Perona enter the castle. Based on her grunts of frustration, she was carrying the swordsman. He lasted longer than you thought he would. You chose to lock your bedroom door that night. The last thing you needed was to wake up to a lost, poorly bandaged swordsman barging into your room. 

Every morning, you would hear Roronoa scream as he woke up, which prompted Perona to scream in return. The two of them would hobble out of the castle, trying to fight their way to the coast. And every night, long after sunset, Perona would drag the swordsman back into the castle and rebandage his wounds. Just for the cycle to repeat the next day.

You wanted to scream at the mossy-haired man. He would never get anywhere if he didn’t let his injuries heal. If he just rested for one or two days, he might have enough energy to make it. But he refused to rest. The only thing he could think of was his captain. 

“How long do you think he’ll keep doing this?” You asked your father, spreading some butter on your toast. You had fallen into a strange pattern over the past two weeks with your houseguests, but you were getting tired of it.

“It is…unclear.” You could hear the disapproval in his voice, and you laughed at it. 

“You told the baboons not to kill him, didn’t you?” 

You looked over at him inquisitively, but he didn't respond. 

“He’s such an arrogant swordsman. Why are you sparing him?” 

You were met with silence again, causing you to huff in frustration and pick up the News Coo. 

“Oh, you were correct,” you said, looking at the front page. “There’s news of Roronoa’s Captain today on the front page. He’s alive.”

“Let me see!” A girlish squeal came from behind you, startling you. She grabbed the paper out of your hands, staring at it. “I’ll need to show Zoro!”

“Hey! I was reading that!” You screamed after her, but she whisked away without looking back at you. 

“There’s still time to go talk to the baboons,” you grumbled as you stood from the table and began to retreat to your room. You could hear your father chuckle behind you, but you didn’t bother looking back. 

You spent the day in your room, and were surprised to hear the pink and green-haired combo come back earlier than usual. The sun was still up, and based off of the sounds they were making, the swordsman was still conscious. 

You tiptoed down the hall and stood near the base of the stairs, hidden from sight. 

“I want to beat you!” You heard Roronoa scream. You decided to peek around the corner to get a better view of what was occurring, and you could see that the swordsman was bowing before your father. It was not a sight you expected to see, especially in conjunction with the words he had just spoken. 

Your father laughed at his words. A full, hearty laugh. “You’re asking me to train a swordsman who wants to kill me? You’re insane. And what you’re asking is nonsense. Even so, what you’re doing is still embarrassing.” But the swordsman stays kneeling, waiting for an answer, and your father watches him with interest. “Seems like you found something more important than your ambition. Hey, ghost girl. Treat him.”

Perona pouted from her place near your father. “Don’t tell me what to do!”

You took the opportunity to step out into view of the room. “I’ll do it,” you offer. “I’ll treat him.”

Your father watched you with his sharp gold eyes, hesitating for a moment. But he nodded in agreement after a brief pause, coming to a decision. 

“Very well. The training will begin when you’re recovered.”

“Thank you,” Roronoa said, struggling to stand on his feet. You offered no assistance. If he could not walk to the medical bay on his own, then he did that to himself. 

You walked alongside him in silence. He didn't ask for help, and you didn’t offer it. It was a slow and painful walk to the medical room, but the swordsman completed it on his own. 

You pulled his bandages off gently, unraveling the long mess of Perona’s handiwork up his arms and down his torso. He had plenty of fresh wounds both internally and externally, but the wound that caught your eye was an old one that ran diagonally across his chest. You were certain the cut was made by Yoru, and your fingers began to run across it to examine it further, but Roronoa smacked your hand away. 

“Do you mind?” He hissed, pulling away from you. 

You rolled your eyes, but abandon the inspection and walk to the back of the room. As he limped over to the bed, you grab a new roll of bandages and gauze. 

“You should shower before we rebandage everything to give it a chance to breathe,” you said, looking through the cabinets. “There’s a bathroom through the second door you can shower in.”

“I showered two days ago,” he said simply, sitting on the bed unmoving. 

You paused what you were doing and turned to look at him. “Exactly. Go shower.”

“I don’t need to.”

You frowned. “Yes, you do.”

You heard him suck in a breath of air. “I’m not showering, woman. Rebandage my wounds or leave me alone.”

It was his tone that really irritated you, and Nikko was in your hand before you knew it. You slashed the air, sending a blunt force air cannon to smack him in the back of the head. 

“Go shower!” You screamed at him, just as the strike made contact with his head. 

You heard him grunt in pain, and quickly resheathe your blade and continue to search for more bandages.

“What the hell?!” he said, looking back at you. But you acted like nothing happened, and you heard him get off the bed and shuffle towards the bathroom to fulfill your request. He was mumbling curses under his breath, but you’d take the win. 

It takes him a long time to reemerge from the bathroom, and you picked up the News Coo from this morning to finish reading. You read about Monkey D. Luffy’s 16-bell toll at Marineford, and his honoring the fallen in the battle. There’s a full analysis of whether the pirate was marking the dawn of a new era or if he was declaring war, which you found particularly boring. 

You finally heard the click of the door, and the swordsman reappeared from a steam-filled bathroom. You smiled proudly at your small accomplishment, seeing his freshly washed hair fall over his face like strands of algae. He hobbled over to the bed and gently sat down on it. You were still reading the article about his captain and decided to ask him something that had been weighing on your mind. 

“What’s with his tattoo?” You asked, looking back to the picture. “3D is crossed out, and 2Y is written.”

“It’s not a tattoo.” He winced slightly as he adjusts himself on the mattress. “It’s a message. We made a promise to meet at a certain place three days later.”

“And that meeting time was moved to two years from now?”

He nodded. “Exactly. Everything else was for publicity. This is a message exclusively for us. Luffy made a decision. Meet at Sabaody in two years.”

“It sounds like your captain is quite smart.”

He snorted at that remark. “He’s not.”

You laughed at his bluntness and put the paper down. At least the swordsman was honest. 

You picked up his arm with your hands, and you can feel his strong muscles tense in your grip. “Relax,” you demand. He was always so damn rigid. 

You rubbed his forearm, lightly massaging it along upwards to his biceps, and then his shoulder. You worked in silence, besides Roronoa’s occasional groan or your scolding hiss to get him to stop tensing. 

By the time you got to his mid-back, he had finally started to loosen up, and you could feel his muscles responding to your touch. You went down to his lower back before curving across and starting on his opposing shoulder to work your way down his other arm. 

You could feel his eyes on you, watching you silently as you stayed absorbed in your work. Your father had done this to you hundreds of times over your life. You could only hope it felt as relieving for Roronoa as it did all of the times your father had done it for you. 

You stopped when you got to his fingers, and looked up at him. “Do you mind if I bandage your wounds now, Roronoa?”

He stared at you for a moment with a bewildered look in his eyes. You stare back, refusing to look away. Your father always taught you that it showed weakness to look away first. It was better to start out intimidating and then loosen up around others once you knew they were trustworthy. But pirates were rarely trustworthy. 

“Zoro,” he choked out, his eyes finally skirting away from yours. “You can call me Zoro. And yes, uh, you can. Do the bandage thing, I mean.”

You nodded and picked up the bandages to begin wrapping his arm. You could hear him huff a frustrated sigh, and you curiously looked over at him. 

“Well?” he said, looking at you expectantly. 

You felt your eye twitch at his sudden moodiness. “What?” you shot back, matching his energy. 

“Are you going to introduce yourself?”

Right. You knew a lot about Roronoa Zoro, but he didn’t know anything about you. You introduced yourself with your name, but didn’t offer any other information. 

He accepted that introduction, at least for the moment, and you finish wrapping both of his arms in silence. When you were finished, he flexed under his bandages, and he smiled a bit. 

“You’re better at this than that other girl.”

You laughed at that, starting on his torso area. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“What did you do before you got here?”

You paused, looking at him. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, messing up a piece of your wrap and forcing you to start over. “Didn’t Kuma send you here too? Like me and Perona?”

“Oh. No,” you clarified. “I’ve been living on Gloom Island for about seven years now.”

“Seven years?”

You nodded and kept wrapping, but Roronoa didn’t let the conversation go. “What have you been doing for seven years?”

“Training, I guess. Reading. Exploring the island.”

He tensed. “But the baboons…”

You shot him a look. “Stop tensing or it’ll be too tight on you. The baboons aren’t anything to worry about. There’s only one or two on the island I have some trouble with.”

“Tch. Whatever you say.” You could tell he thinks you’re lying, but you don’t care. You finished wrapping his torso and gave him one last check-over to make sure the bandages all held. 

“Why Dracule Mihawk?” you finally ask, curiosity getting the better of you. 

He raised an eyebrow at you. “What do you mean?”

“Why train under him? Why work to defeat him?”

His eyes narrowed at you, as if he was trying to comprehend what you were asking. “He’s the best, isn’t he?”

You nod, and the swordsman gets a wicked grin across his face. 

“I’m going to beat him and the best. My name is going to be so famous, it’ll reach the heavens.”

“I see,” you said slowly, watching him. You could see in his expression that he means it, and he’ll stop at nothing to reach his goal. You went to take your leave, stopping at the door and turning to look at him one last time. 

“Then I wish you luck in that journey, Zoro.”

[eris-snow]

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥

Tags: bakugou x gn!reader, quirk accident, angst

I haven't written for Bakugou for awhile, so go easy on me. "The quirk is called 'Numb'. It basically cuts off any feelings of the person that got hit."

It feels almost numb now, when you think about him.

It's scary, because when you look at Bakugou, ready to feel a pang of desire and aching yearning for the blond...

you feel as if you're grasping at straws.

It seems like Bakugou can sense it too, because he doesn't seem to accept it either.

"What the fuck did this villain do to my Dumbass?" He demanded, placing a protective hand on your shoulder as Aizawa stood at the doorway of the infirmary.

On a good day, you'd feel touched. Feelings would be bubbling in your throat at the simple gesture because you were always a little bit more emotionally sensitive than others. Too bad you felt nothing from that usually touching gesture.

"We just interrogated the guy. And, no Bakugou, this was not caused by you." Aizawa runs a hand down his face, continuing without missing a beat. "The quirk is called 'Numb'. It basically cuts off any feelings of the person that got hit."

Bakugou draws his hand away from your shoulder as if it touched a hot pan. "What?" His voice is barely over a whisper. Bakugou squats down at your eye level, face losing all blood and starting to colour in dread. "Is this true?"

You swallow, biting your lip harshly. You wish you could feel some form of guilt, but it's scarily faint. Still, you have an answer to give.

"I'm sorry." You rasp.

Sensing the teenage hormones, Aizawa stiffens visibly and launches himself out of the room. "I'll give you some privacy. Once Recovery Girl is done treating your wounds, I expect both of you to head back to the dorms immediately. No detours. No buts. Judging by your injuries, I will allow a day off from school. Midoriya will hand you your notes for tomorrow after school."

With that, the sleep-deprived teacher escapes from the ward.

Bakugou's eyes snap from the doors to yours, and you blink back blankly, trying for a sheepish smile. It didn't feel right.

Part of you knew what you felt for the blond. You knew you were supposed to love him because you always did. He treated you right, was faithful to you and even protected you from that blast today.

And now look where that got you.

You could barely feel grateful for what he did.

--

Bakugou was having the time of his fucking life right now. His lover has stopped feeling and it was all his fault. If he'd moved a little quicker, a little faster, you wouldn't have to deal with this shitty situation

The moment he stepped foot into the living room and lock eyes with you, there's a sense of wrongness that swallows him whole. There was always something in your eyes whenever you looked at him. Love, adoration and soft contentment as a smile graces your lips.

That look needs to be there.

He needs it to be there.

Instead, all he's greeted with is rapid blinking and a hesitant wave. "H-Hi?" You voice, and it makes Bakugou's hard heart crack.

"Hi," He repeats to you curtly, clambering over to the fridge and yanking the door open. He really hopes that this was over soon.

--

Bakugou tries to skirt around you for most of today, but his plans are thrown out of the window the minute lunch rolls around. Without thinking, he'd made double portions because he's so used to cooking for two ever since he got with you.

He contemplates leaving you alone and starting on his own, but the blond knows how you are. You're almost as bad of a workaholic as himself. Before Bakugou knows it, he finds himself standing in front of your door with a plate of your favourite meal in hand, knocking on the door and hoping for an answer.

"Dumbass!" He calls when you don't answer, knocking on the door again. "I have food."

He's replied with frustrated sniffles.

Fuck.

Bakugou knows he fucked up. But seeing you, curled up on your bed while hugging your knees shakes his entire body to the core. He let's himself in and places your plate of food on your table, immediately rushing to your bedside.

"Y/n?" He inhales, taking you into his arms as he pulls your head to his chest. "What is it? What happened?"

He keeps his questions minimal and tone-leveled because your tears just keep flowing and he has no idea how to stop it. You'd know, he reminds himself bitterly. You'd know how to comfort people, it's practically your second quirk. He can barely talk to preschoolers without scaring them away.

"Katsuki," Your voice is shaky, as if it could break back into sobs anytime. You clench his shirt tighter, eyes pearling with tears.

"I'm scared."

Bakugou's heart shrivels up even more as you continue talking. "I can't feel anything. It's fading away and I don't know how to make it stop-please make it stop just-" You look up to him shaking your head as you burst into sobs. "I don't wanna stop loving you."

You're scrapping at the bottom of the barrel, looking for love that is draining fast. And Bakugou sees all of it.

"You're not going to stop loving me," He soothes, hugging you tighter. He doesn't know if he's reassuring you or himself. "I love you." He says firmly. "We're going to get through this."

You want to nod your head. To trust his words because, isn't Bakugou always right? He is, isn't he? It's a universal law.

But it only makes you want to cry harder because when you hear those words, the words that cause you to feel all kinds of colourful emotions that you'd gladly let on display...

Your tears dry and your heart slows.

You feel nothing at all.

---

So...I'm back :)

[jadevalentine-writes]

WIP...Saturday???

In the slipstream today! Reread Chapters 1 and 2 of Welcome to the Mod Shop and decided to crack open Chapter 3. Had much more written than I remembered and decided to add to it this evening. Below is a snippet of the beginning (aka what I had written before this evening). Enjoy! (Tagging @hidden-scarlet-whispers because I thought you would enjoy! :) )

Osiris had been with Saint through many deaths, but the quantity did not make each one easier. There was always that moment of panic, that cold pool of dread in his stomach at the momentary realization that Saint was dead. Then Geppetto would twist in a burst of light and his beloved would breathe once more. 

Osiris would breathe too, and swallow any tears around an irrational lump in his throat.

Saint waking up from surgery was different and the differences made it simultaneously comforting and terrifying.

"He'll be a bit groggy, maybe even completely disorientated," Dr. Rose said calmly after the surgery was completed and her assistant cleaned up. "Be calm and give him time. Shutdowns are different from dying and rezzing, so his recovery time may be a few minutes instead of a few seconds. His system basically has to recalibrate and install software for the new peripheral, hence the extra time. If he's not functioning normally in ten minutes, you can press the red button near the surgery door. Clara or I will be here within fifteen seconds to assist. Do you understand?"

Osiris glanced at the emergency button near the door, glowing like a Vex's singular eye behind its protective glass flap. He nodded.

"I understand."

"Good." Dr. Rose smiled and clasped her hands together. "Now the fun part! The peripheral will be fully operational upon start-up. You are encouraged to ensure it is one-hundred percent operational before departing today, though you can come back at any time for a tune-up, recalibration, or any maintenance. A lifetime warranty is guaranteed with any augment.”

Osiris nodded sagely as he held Saint’s cool and motionless hand. 

“And if there are any issues with the peripheral during testing?”

Dr. Rose grinned and pointed at the emergency button near the door. “Just give it a press and Clara and I can assist.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Osiris exhaled as he looked at the dark voids where Saint’s light once was. “I’m ready.”

Dr. Rose nodded and motioned for Clara as they began the reboot sequence. First the shutdown circuits and relay pathways were brought back online. Osiris studied Saint’s motionless face intently as diagnostics were run to gauge the connections. 

“Everything looks green,” Clara said. “Circuits and pathways are clear.”

“Good. Proceeding with wake-up call.” 

Dr. Rose tapped a key and Osiris swore he heard the moment power once again flooded through Saint, like a warm electrical hum on the edge of his hearing. Osiris felt like he his lungs could expand fully for the first time since the shutdown was executed. 

“New hardware is receiving power and the logic panel is patching the required software now,” Clara reported. “New peripheral should be operational in under two minutes.”

“Excellent.” Dr. Rose smiled and turned to Osiris. “We’ll leave you two to it then.” 

Dr. Rose and Clara quietly moved towards the exit. Before departing, Dr. Rose gave Osiris a double thumbs up. The professionalism of the action could be argued, but Osiris would be lying if he did not admit it made him smile. When the surgical suite door slid closed behind her, Osiris turned his attention back to his beloved. 

Saint’s hand was starting to warm, though Osiris was not certain if it was from Saint’s systems or his own sweaty palm. Tentatively, he squeezed Saint’s hand and feared he would not get a response. 

He silently gasped in relief when the Exo’s fingers twitched against his own. Then the Titan began to shift slightly on the table.

[fuck-customers]

I wish there was a way I could convince my boss to get on board with the idea of a suggestion box, so that all of us employees could anonymously write suggestions for how to improve the store + things we'd like that might make us more productive, feel more appreciated, etc. But there's no way for me to bring it up without making it seem like the reason for the box is because she's such a fuckup as a manager. (Because that is the real reason lmao) She's also the type who would read a legitimate constructive criticism and scoff and wave it off as us asking for something extremely unreasonable or make up some bullshit about how xyz can't be done to improve the store because there's not enough hours, or crew, or money in the budget, whatever. I can actually picture her doing that.

The past few days I've been obsessed with this idea (mostly because I had a nightmare shift that would've easily been avoided had she done her job and managed correctly and assigned people to do the setup work beforehand) but I can't think of a way to get her on board. I've considered just making a box myself and putting it in the breakroom with some pens and paper scraps, but I predict it wouldn't even be a full day before she tosses it out.

So, just to get some off my chest, I'm going to put some of the suggestions I WOULD'VE written here.

•Either bring back the stocking crew that came in at 5:00 a.m. before the store opened or schedule extra people on delivery days to stay in the stockroom and unbox all products and sort them by department/aisle BEFORE putting product out on the sales floor.

(This one is a direct reference to the stocking shift I recently had that was a nightmare because none of the stock had been pre-sorted by department, which was done in the past by the stocking crew, so we had to open boxes and sort them on the sales floor while simultaneously stocking items, while the store was open and we were constantly interrupted by customers. This made stocking take at least double, if not triple the time it would've taken. That delivery was a week ago, and the boxes are STILL sitting on the sales floor, half-stocked)

•While stocking, have each employee price tag each individual item, as our stock does not arrive pre-tagged, so that customers are not confused about the prices, since upper management removed the store scanners.

•Assign the ASM or a lead to exclusively do the schedule so that the schedule is regularly posted the 3 weeks out, as required, not 3 days out.

•Assign a lead or promote a non-management employee to be a trainer to correctly train the new hires.

(As of right now, new hires are hired and then basically thrown on the floor and told to figure it out and fend for themselves, obviously leading to many mistakes that need to be unfucked by the rest of the crew, they'll ask other employees for help, but most of those employees were "trained" in the same method, so they'll show the new hires the wrong way, the blind leading the blind, essentially)

•Schedule more than 1 person per department, this way there is adequate coverage in the event of a rush, plus in downtime, one employee can assist customers while the other does go-backs/recovery and makes the department look neat and presentable.

(The store looks like a tornado hit it currently) (I also know this one is probably a union-busting thing, but honestly? Remember KM@rts and how messy they always looked? My store makes KM@rt look like a model store)

•Do some morale boosters. Every employee in the store looks like they're in prison. (We kinda are) We literally got an online review (that SHE HERSELF PRINTED OUT) that stated that we all looked miserable and looked like we needed a moral boost. We desperately do. The real solution would be better pay and hours, but we know you, the SM don't have that much control over that. You could do small things, though. The previous ASM would regularly bring in snacks for the breakroom for us, would regularly have potlucks on holidays that brought us all together, she would also make sure to regularly tell each of us that we were appreciated and would recognize our hard work. Even if it was bs, it still raised morale.

ANYWAY, thank you for letting me rant. ✨️🙌

P.S. I know obviously none of you know my boss, since I'm anonymous and didn't specify where I work (for obvious reasons) but do any of you think the suggestions box thing has even a slim chance of working? In my head, I wasn't going to tell her it was my idea or ask permission, I was just going to set up the box in the breakroom and throw in a few of my own suggestions and see if any of my coworkers add their own. Because I felt if I asked permission or told my boss my idea, she'd take offense that I was indirectly calling her a fuckup (she is) and undermining her authority or some bullshit like that. Or do you guys think if I just do it without telling anyone, she might be curious and at least look at a few suggestions? Or should I ask her to set one up? I really don't think that would go well, personally.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[friendly-books]

Grave Peril implications

Content warning: Rape, Double standard rape: female on male, roofies, 

Alright I hope I gave enough warnings. And that I tagged this right. I’m not a psychologist and I mean no harm with my thoughts.

The implications I got from the end of chapter thirty-three and the beginning of thirty-four is that Bicana at least raped Harry. I got these implications from several quotes and moments from the book. Bicana is naked and Harry has his clothes removed. Some quotes are 

“I heard them taking you. Playing with you, for two hours maybe” pg. 453 Justine tells Harry this when he wakes up. 

“The monsters can’t get you here, Harry,” he used to say. “They can’t get you.” He’d been right. Until now. Until tonight. The monsters got me.” pg. 447 

“I don’t know where real life left off and the nightmares began, but I thrashed myself awake, screaming a scratchy, hollow scream that made little more noise than a whimper. I screamed until I ran out of breath, and then all I could do was sob.” pg. 448 

“I lay there, naked, undone. No one came to hold me. No one came to make it all better. No one had, really, since my dad died“ pg. 448

“Next came the terror. The pain. Humiliation. More than anything, I wanted to crawl into a hole and pull it in after me. I wanted to be not” pg. 448

“And they were always the same: darkness, trapped, with vampires all around me, laughing their hissing laughter. I’d wake up, screaming and crying.” pg. 511. 

Also the Red Vampire spit reminds me of roofies and/or similar drugs. As it has some kind of addictive narcotic. The fact that Harry doesn't remember two hours could be dissociation. Not sure if I’m reading it right or that I’m reading too much into things.

On the assumptions that Bicana raped Harry I see this going in two directions Harry address his trama and heals or he doesn’t. Both with watsonian (inuniverse) and doylist (meta) options. 

To address his trauma a watsonian option could be that with Harry's friends and support network he could heal from this. He could go to a therapist and work through it. 

For the doylist Jim could show the aftereffect and a process to recovery. Now I’m about to make some assumptions. One that Jim has a majority male audience. Two that they wouldn’t have read something addressing rape and/or the aftermath. It could help with the double standard there is in regards to female on male rape. 

Now for a situation where Harry doesn't address his trauma a watsonian option could be that given Harry’s character he would want help or acknowledge what happened to him. It can also take years for a person to come to term to the fact that they’ve been raped. 

For doylist I’m not sure if Jim intended it to come across as rape. He might no want to/know how to write something addressing rape and/or the aftermath. 

All this to say after reading Grave Peril and Harry starts a war. What the wider supernatural community thinks happened at Bicana’s party and how they think the war started. Harry sent a report to the White Council and I’m sure Duke Ortega told the rest of the Red Court of his version. Does the wider supernatural community know that Susan got turned? Or that the sword Amoracchius was going to be unmade? Or what happened to Harry? Are the wider supernatural angry at Harry for starting a war? What about Justine and Thomas? Do they know?

[jazlynriddle]

Welcome to your life - Pt 2:

Acting On Your Best Behaviour Ch 17:

Summary:

They'd seen it in their fellow orphans often enough to recognise the pattern and were now forced to admit, despite their hopes to the contrary, that Isidora had likely suffered similar side effects.

No… they'd always known she had. The Keeper had just wanted the power that Ranrok had, enough to convince themselves that they would be able to handle it better than that naive woman.

With the start of the Keeper’s sixth-year in Hogwarts, comes a whole slew of headache-inducing challenges from the most unexpected of places. Between insignificant pests throwing wrenches into their plans and tedious teenage drama, that the Keeper is entirely unprepared for, they wonder if they'll make it to their NEWTs without losing their sanity.

Or worse, Ominis or Sebastian.

Warnings: Sebastian x MC x Ominis! Drug Addiction! Spoilers! Slow-burn corruption! Dark content! Fucked up 1800s orphanages! MC has no love for Anne or Solomon! Dubious happy ending (it's happy for MC, Seb and Ominis at least).

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

Warnings: Torture, again not exactly torture but kiiiinda torture, there's a lot of pain involved but it's a side-effect, sort of?

We'll get to the proper torture when it's victims our kids are emotionally invested in xD

And that smut with Ominis will be coming up next chapter! ;) I'm gonna need to add a new tag to the fic haha x3

FYI: For those not too familiar with the name, an 'athame' is a ceremonial blade often used in magical rituals, it's usually a black handled and double-edged dagger.

"Thank you for the breakfast, Tibsy, it was delicious." The Keeper nodded as the small elf cleared the dishes from the table.

Tibsy beamed brightly at the compliment, giving the three a little bow before popping away, likely to feed their guest back at Dìon.

"Will both of you be working on the wards today as well?" Ominis asked, taking a relaxed sip of tea, his expression content after their meal. "The two of you seemed rather tired when you got home yesterday evening."

"I think we can continue tomorrow and relax a little together today, maybe get some homework done too." The Keeper smiled wryly, their guest needed time to recover too.

They'd spent a fair amount of time and effort healing the woman after their tests. Neither they nor Sebastian were particularly skilled healers however, so it had taken a while just to perform basic treatment with Tynx's help, and they’d left the rest to her own natural recovery.

"We had some ideas for the underground area's security, but I’ll need to double check our math first, our tests with the Guardian prototypes failed pretty abysmally too." The Keeper grimaced lightly, absently cleaning a spot of sauce on the table with their napkin.

"We weren't very hopeful for those without the Leyline link anyway, it's fine to rework them later." Sebastian gave them a gentle pat on the hand and the Keeper returned his efforts with a fond smile.

"Fair enough." The Keeper nodded. "According to Tynx, the greenhouses are almost complete as well. We can probably start moving the plants in soon."

"I suppose I shall continue my search for Anne tomorrow then, I got a promising lead in Cragcroft yesterday." Ominis hummed thoughtfully.

"That reminds me, yesterday we took a quick dip in the lake since we were in the area, and while there, Sebastian and I found something for you, Ominis." The Keeper smiled softly as they stood to retrieve their satchel.

"So that's why Sebastian was missing a sock." Ominis chuckled.

"I swear some critter must have made off with the blasted thing." Sebastian grumbled. "How'd you tell anyway?"

"Your steps sounded uneven." Ominis drawled dryly.

"Yeah, right." Sebastian snorted sceptically.

The Keeper retook their seat, satchel in hand as they spoke. "Here we go, hopefully you'll like what we found. Though, I will say, Ominis, that you don't have to accept this if you don't want to."

"Oh?" Ominis tilted his head to the side curiously, feeling slightly wary as well, from their words. A moment later, he jumped in surprise when the sound of the jar opening was followed by two soft and shrill voices.

"It's open, it's open! Left, let's go this way-"

"No, right, let's go right-"

"Ow! No, I want to go left!"

"Ouch! Stop it, I want to go right!"

"Left!"

Ominis blinked in confusion for a moment, before abruptly realising that the words had a familiar lisp to them. "...snakes?"

The Keeper chuckled. "Yes, I was considering giving them to you closer to your next birthday, but we've run into a small problem."

"I think you mean two small problems." Sebastian snorted. "The fact that it's not two snakes, it's one."

Ominis frowned in even more confusion, feeling more wary and uncomfortable, had they forgotten that he didn't like being a Parselmouth? Why would his lovers offer him such a thing? For a birthday gift no less.

"Sebastian's right, this little one has two heads." The Keeper shook their head in amusement as the two headed snake wiggled about drunkenly. "I'm not entirely certain why, but they can't seem to move right. I spotted them trying and failing to swim away from a dragonfly nymph in the lake."

"And what's the problem you've run into?" Ominis asked brusquely, impatient to understand why he was being gifted a two-headed snake.

"Feeding." The Keeper replied, plucking another jar from their bag, and withdrawing two worms with a mild grimace, lowering the wiggling creatures into the snakes’ jar.

Immediately, the two heads began to whip back and forth aggressively, hissing at each other angrily.

"Food food! Mine!"

"No, mine! Out of the way, I'm hungry!"

"I saw it first! You move!"

"Ow! Stop pulling! Hey!"

"They're fighting…" Ominis' eyes widened in understanding.

"Yes, even though there's more than enough worms to go around, we can’t feed them if they keep thrashing about." The Keeper rolled their eyes in exasperation. "Likely because only one of the heads can look 'in front' at a time. Perhaps you can do something about that?"

Ominis hesitated for a moment, listening to the little hisses of distress, and feeling his sympathy for them mount with every cry. He too knew what it was like to feel so at odds with oneself, the pain of being torn in two directions. If he could help ease someone's struggle and conflict, shouldn't he?

Finally, he sighed and focused on the small voices, tapping into his birthright with a fluidity that he resented. "Stop fighting little ones, there is enough food for both of you."

The hisses of the snakes immediately stopped, the two heads staring at him in shock for several seconds.

"It speaks, how?"

"How?"

"Yes… I am a speaker of your tongue, you needn't fear, you can share, there is plenty of food here." Ominis couldn't suppress a smile at the curious little voices.

"Lots of food?"

"Really?"

"Yes, so just open your mouths and wait for the food to come to you." Ominis nodded firmly.

"...okay… food? Now?"

"Yes, food food, I'm hungry!"

Ominis chuckled, finding their young, innocent voices and immediate trust rather adorable, quite unlike the sinister snakes his family kept around the manor. Deadly sentries that kept his parents abreast of everything their children did. "You can feed them now."

"Finally." The Keeper sighed and lowered the wiggling worms into the small snakes' open mouths, the twin snake's patterned tail flicked excitedly as they chomped down on the fat and juicy worms.

The twins quickly swallowed the worms and opened their mouths again, hissing insistently. The Keeper shook their head at the demanding creatures, they didn't need to be a Parselmouth to understand that gesture.

As they fed the snakes another two worms, the Keeper added. "I rescued this one because I've never seen a two headed snake before. It's up to you if you want to keep them but I doubt they'll survive on their own."

Ominis nodded in agreement, it sounded like the snakes couldn't even move properly, they would be incredibly vulnerable to predators and unable to hunt when they were fighting over both food and direction. He'd never been proud of his ability to speak parseltongue, but if he could use it to help…

"Ah, full… sleepy."

"I wanna sleep somewhere warm…"

"Yes, warm warm, it's cold."

"Come here then." Ominis sighed, opening his palms. "They'd like somewhere warm to sleep."

The Keeper gave an approving nod, pouring the snakes out of the jar and into his hands. The two heads immediately began to hiss happily and flick their tongues against his skin.

"Warm! Speaker warm!"

"Speaker smells nice… sleepy…"

Ominis blinked in surprise at how small they were, small enough to fit into one hand. The feeling of their cool scales against his skin was surprisingly soft and he cradled them to his chest, running a finger along their body.

"Hehe tickles!"

"Mmm feels nice, again Speaker again!"

Ominis chuckled, stroking a finger under the chin of the snake that liked it and feeling the twins coil up in his palm to sleep after a few moments. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad being a Parselmouth…

The Keeper's eyes softened at the affectionate expression on Ominis' face. "It's not so bad, isn't it?"

Ominis startled slightly when the Keeper spoke his thoughts, a knowing smile on their face as they continued with. "If you were not the one with this ability, they would have died."

Ominis narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You seem very intent on convincing me of that. It is not I, that these little ones owe their lives to, it was you who rescued them."

"Be that as it may, from how you've described your family, I doubt any of them would have helped a crippled snake who can't even move right." The Keeper shook their head. "Neither would these snakes have let us non-Parselmouths properly help them without a fight and that could have ended poorly."

"They aren't kidding, you should have seen how aggressive those snakes were, crazy considering that they're practically babies." Sebastian shook his head before glaring at the Keeper accusingly. "Can't believe you didn't tell me there was a tiny pair of snakes biting the palm of your hand the whole time."

"Barely felt it with you snogging me that hard." The Keeper waved their hand dismissively, causing Sebastian’s cheeks to flush with a mixture of surprise and pride, as they returned their attention to Ominis. "Point is, with you, they will be both heard and loved."

Ominis remained silent for several minutes, before he finally sighed and nodded reluctantly, giving the sleeping twin snakes a gentle smile. "I suppose you're right… they will be loved."

The Keeper smiled, pleased that he had come around to their perspective. Parseltongue was a rare and unique ability, it was pointless for Ominis to begrudge himself something valuable that he couldn’t change anyway. Eventually he'd come to accept and maybe even appreciate his gift, if they had anything to say about it.

"What type of snake are they?" Ominis asked curiously after a few moments of petting the snakes.

"Common Watersnake, non-venomous and harmless to humans. Apparently, they're killed often because they resemble the venomous cottonmouth." Sebastian grimaced. "Can't believe some idiots can mistake these cute little things for deadly snakes and kill them for it, feels rather unfair to them."

Ominis went silent again, before murmuring a quiet. "People often hurt those mistaken as dangerous just because of who they were born to or how they look."

"That's why those people are idiots and neither of us will stand for it." Sebastian repeated emphatically and a small shy smile teased the corners of Ominis lips, his cheeks flushing slightly.

"Let's spend some time today setting up a proper living space for the snakes too." The Keeper chuckled. "They're small but we shouldn't keep them in a jar."

Ominis flashed a wry smile. "That's true, fortunately, I am familiar with what a snake nest should have."

"Great, because all I've got are books and they're not particularly helpful when it comes to details." Sebastian grinned.

"Helps that we can simply ask the twins what they like or don't." The Keeper nodded, before glancing at the small coil of snake sleeping in Ominis' hand.

"Since you seem quite unable to move." With a wry smile, the Keeper stood from their chair, kneeled by Ominis' feet, and took his free hand in theirs, grazing the back of it with their lips. "Tell us what we should gather, we are at your service."

Ominis shivered at the sensation, his ears turning red this time while Sebastian snickered behind his hand and Ominis cleared his throat pointedly.

"Well, we'll need some branches and wood shavings for bedding, cypress or aspen would be suitable." Ominis hummed. "We'll also need to pick a good spot that's well-ventilated and will let them sunbathe whenever they like."

"They live by the water, so they probably like it humid." Sebastian added. "We can make the bedding a little wet so they can stay hydrated by burrowing in it."

Ominis nodded, looking more enthusiastic about providing the snakes a comfortable home.

The Keeper smiled affectionately as they sat on the floor, taking out a journal to jot down the supplies they'd need, while the two boys discussed their options. They really did like this side of Ominis, he was such a sweetheart despite everything he'd experienced, as well as his own cunning nature.

"Alright then, while we're gathering these materials, you have a more important job." The Keeper nodded, putting away their journal and smiling as Ominis tilted his head in confusion. "You get to pick names for them."

The Keeper hummed as they scratched several notes in their journal, this second round of tests had gone well. They'd successfully stretched the amount of time it took, for the woman to make it from her cell to ground floor, to a solid hour.

It had been rather entertaining watching her slide down the stairs repeatedly, after said stairs transformed into slippery slopes when the cell wards detected the breach. Though, as fun as that had been, it had been more surprising when she'd used a rather creative combination of Bombarda and a door to successfully propel herself up the slides.

Speaking of doors…

A muffled scream came from the woman bound to the cell's cot as Sebastian carefully slid a small and sharp athame under the skin of her right palm, like one might skin an apple. Her eyes were filled with tears and her body struggled to contort with every shift of his blade.

The ropes binding her jerking limbs to the cot's sturdy metal frame, wrung against her wrists, and burned the skin under them with every spasm. Her cries gurgled and choked around the saliva gathering under the cloth they'd gagged her with, preventing her from biting her own tongue. Rolling his eyes at the sound, Sebastian continued to shear until finally the entire strip of her palm peeled right off.

"And, there we go." Sebastian grinned, looking proud of his work as he raised the bloody layer of skin, or more so the doorknob attached to it, with a pair of prongs, discarding it into the blood-filled bowl under her hand without much care for the splash that followed.

The woman continued to cry and whimper despite the announcement that her suffering had reached its end, perhaps she couldn't understand words at this point.

"Quit complaining, nothing a bit of wiggenweld won't cure." The Keeper huffed as they finished jotting down their notes. "Be glad we're even helping you remove the damn thing."

"Could've left you with a knob permanently attached because you tried a door that you had no reason to open." Sebastian agreed, flipping the bloody blade in the air, seemingly unbothered by the flecks of red that splattered across the floor as he caught it again with ease.

The Keeper rolled their eyes at his showing off but couldn't conceal the fondness in their smile. In truth, they were deeply impressed by Sebastian's steady hand and keen wit.

His idea of furnishing the underground floors with sliding doors adorned with charmed fake doorknobs was quite brilliant. Forcing the escapee to either sever their hand or at least injure themselves, costing them the use of a hand even if they choose to simply detach the doorknob from the door and leave the knob stuck to their hand. Thus, costing the escapee precious time.

And they'd thought they couldn't possibly become more enamoured with this boy.

This idea alone had severely impacted the woman's dungeon clear time, as she had been further stymied when trying to escape the castle grounds, now that the gates were locked behind passwords. Of course, they had always intended to make the gates securely locked but getting a proper gauge of the time difference a password system made, versus one that could be unlocked with Alohomora, was important to their statistical evaluation of its effectiveness.

Assumptions, in their experience, were the most foolish yet easy mistake to make in any given scenario, the last thing they needed would be to overestimate or underestimate the effects of any individual decision at a critical moment.

The woman had then tried to scale the walls with one hand and that had cost her another two hours, several conjured ropes, and a debilitating amount of physical energy. The woman didn't even make it to the red zone before she passed out from exhaustion, and her injuries, this time.

"Well, at least that answers the question of how far the permanent sticking charm goes." The Keeper nonchalantly cast a scourgify at their partner's bloody hands with a dry chuckle. "Skin deep."

Sebastian snorted, drawing his wand with his now clean hands, and casting a scourgify on the athame in turn, before tucking it back into its holster around his waist. "Well, with that settled, I'll go see if Tynx has finished making a new door and reapply the charm if he's done."

"Sure, I'll finish up here." The Keeper nodded, tucking away their journal as Sebastian picked up the bowl and made his way towards the cell door, taking a moment to give them a kiss on the cheek on his way out.

As the cell door closed behind him, the Keeper cast a scourgify on the woman's hand, ignoring her renewed screams as the spell scraped the raw and exposed flesh clean. They waited a few moments, before ungagging her, grabbing her by the hair and lifting her head so they could pour a vial of wiggenweld into her mouth.

As soon as she swallowed the potion, they released her and cast a scourgify on their own hand to clean the oils off. The woman coughed a few times, wincing as the skin on her palm began to burn and itch as it healed.

As the Keeper began releasing the woman's hands and feet from the ropes binding them to the cot's frame, her raspy voice wheezed through her throat. "...why…"

The Keeper straightened as they finished unbinding her. "Why what."

"...why me?" The woman sobbed, curling up into a ball the moment she was released. "I never did anything bad, my dad never did anything bad. We never did anything wrong, why us? Why me? It's not fair."

The woman shrieked, her bloodshot eyes stabbing her captor accusatorily. "What did I do to deserve this?"

The Keeper stared at her blandly, their expression flat and disinterested. "You demanded a hundred galleons for mere information that wasn't worth such a valuation."

The woman stared at them uncomprehendingly and the Keeper turned to leave the cell. "I can't say anything about what you suffered before, but if you think you're the only one dealt a bad hand by fate, you're sorely mistaken."

The Keeper chuckled sardonically as they stopped by the door. "The only thing we get to choose is what type of person we become. Don't expect reality to be fair. Whatever you do will have its own consequences regardless of how extenuating your circumstances may be. You will be judged by the actions you take."

"The moment you took advantage of a stranger who did you no wrong, you lost any moral high ground to bemoan your unjust fate." The Keeper pushed the door open and closed it behind them.

"Then why are you doing this!?" The woman protested, pushing herself up weakly. "Doesn't that apply to you as well?"

"Of course it does. I simply care not for moral grounds, nor do I expect any sort of fairness for myself. That is the person I chose to be, and I am well aware that if I fail, I will taste a hell far worse than the one I grew up in." The Keeper flashed her a sharp grin as they locked the cell door. "All I have to ensure… is that I play every card in my deck and never lose."

As long as you know yourself, no one can tell you who you are. Strength is being able to smile even when it's hard to.

Smile… her father's last words resonated through her mind, she wondered how long it'd been since she'd smiled. She gazed at her own reflection in the cold metal of her cot's frame, the worn and tired face staring back at her bore nothing but worry lines.

She could barely remember his voice, but she could still remember her father's face clearly. Like hers, it had been worn and tired from the hard life of caring for his daughter alone in the middle of the woods while on the run from the Ministry. Even then, she could also remember his smile, the way the skin around his eyes crinkled in little crow feet.

He'd been a hard worker, tilling their garden without a single complaint, tending their crops with a gentle hand. Every day of his suffering that she bore witness to, made anger burn inside her ever hotter and she’d held on to that anger for her entire life. How could anyone believe that such a kind and strong man would murder his own wife with dark magic?

When he passed away, that anger compelled her to remain in their small hut. He'd once told her that he hoped she would return to the town after he passed, to see what had become of it and if his friends were still well, but she couldn't understand why he would say such a thing.

What did she care for the people who betrayed and abandoned them? Why would she return to the town, beg for their help or acceptance? No, she would stay in the place her father had built. It was theirs and it was all that mattered.

When people had occasionally come by her home seeking help, her anger compelled her to spit in their face and turn them away. What did she owe them? No one had helped her when her father was sick, no one had helped him when he begged his friends to care for his daughter when he was being accused.

Not that she really wanted them to, if someone had been willing to take her in, he would have allowed the Aurors to arrest him, and she didn't believe that he would have been found innocent. Nobody cared about them, so why should she care about anyone else?

Her angry, bitter, and hateful face stared back at her in silver. When had she become like this? When had her face become so heinous? A pang of grief gripped her heart and her eyes welled with tears again. What would her father say if he were to see her now?

As long as you know yourself…

Did she? Did she know who she had become? As she ripped her eyes away from her reflection and wrapped her arms around herself, the answer burned in her heart.

She'd become just like the people who'd turned their backs on her father.

Notes:

https://www.susquehannockwildlife.org/2021/11/19/two-headed-water-snake-finds-a-home-at-the-wildlife-center/

Aren't they cuuuuuuute? I took one look at this two-headed Watersnake and immediately fell in love, so I just had to add them to this story! ♡w♡

And, if you guys don't know how dragonfly nymphs eat, you should look it up, it's honestly quite an unsettling sight, one you might expect to see in an Alien movie rather than real life xP (Still kinda cute too tho)

Also, I wonder if anyone realised that the lake on the map is actually the Hogwarts Legacy logo x3

[crimeronan]

spent a few hours at the farmer's market yesterday where local places have small samples of different strains of fruit and veggies to try. anyway we got a little box of plums that are so damn good it's unbelievable. just inhaled three in the kitchen and they don't even make a mess bc they just fall off the pit & melt in ur mouth. also got some of the sweetest peaches i've ever tasted & huge pears & a bunch of veggies n potatoes n corn for cooking this week. spoke with different vendors about their handcrafted beer and their rare peonies, watched little kids run around, got hot stroopwafels made to order n fresh squeezed lemonade that was wildly overpriced but very tasty. and now i'm like. i think i'm not a bitch anymore actually.

[stobinesque]

WIP Wednes-eekend: Summer Challenge Edition

tagged by @wormdebut and the inimitable trio of @steves-strapcollection @scarcrossdlvrs and @patchworkgargoyle

I am also taking a break from some of my bigger projects so that I can focus on actually getting all of my Summer Challenge fics done and posted!

The Rules

Post the file names of up to 5 of your WIPs for people to send you asks

Post a snippet of one of those WIPs

When people send you an ask with the name of one of your WIPs, write 3 lines of that WIP.

(Optional) Post the lines you wrote.

You can send multiple requests especially since this is going on through the weekend!

The WIPs

A Cure for All that Ails You [Stobin Starcourt recovery fic]

the firmament in you [Stobin dancing under the stars]

first light on the horizon (at the end of the world) [Rockie]

The Snippet

from first light (this is the world's shortest snippet, because most of the writing I've done for this has been spoilery outlining)

"We should go out of town."

"What?"

"Yeah! I mean, it's been, what, three weeks now? And it seems like things might be like this for a while, but it's just in Hawkins, right? So we should take a day off. Go to Indianapolis or something and pretend like the world's not ending."

bonus stargyle snippet from the same fic:

There's a small banging sound somewhere outside, and Steve jumps at it, looking around frantically.

"Yo, brochacho, I'm sure it's just the wind," Argyle says with a serene smile on his face.

Steve forece himself to relax, but there's still tension thrumming through him. "Yeah. I'm sure you're right."

"Wanna hand to hold?"

Steve turns to regard him with surprise, but the tension does actually seem to bleed out of him. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

the pressure-less tags

i'm tagging on the leaner side because I should be asleep already and also i'm pretty sure most of my writer moots have been covered (who wants to bet i still double tagged most of you). as ever, if you want to participate, consider this your tag in! @spicysix @xenon-demon @devondespresso @delta-piscium @bifuriouswaterbender

[cultofsappho]

Some Sentences Sunday

ty for the tag @kiwiana-writes !

I've been sick for the last few days. And it's been really frustrating becuase I really wanted this fic to be up a lot sooner. It's been 95% done for way too long. But, I realized a missed a dose of my thyroid meds at some point, which has very bad consequences for me, both mental and physical. I've been in recovery mode for a while, and too exhausted to write. It's been shit, but i'm almost out the other side of it.

I'm still working on the happy ending to the fic. It desperately needs one, becuase as hinted about in this clip, Spider-Man stories get a bit dark. And this one is no exception...

Alex jumps rooftops as far as he can, until he has to cross the East River. He’s a little surprised by how easy it is. He knew he could do it, but he was surprised to find that he hadn’t even had to stop to catch his breath since he’d left home. 

Everything physical just seemed so easy, now. He felt like he could run a marathon three times over without breaking a sweat. It was surreal.

He, also, felt like he could break a grown man’s wrist like it was a twig. He wondered how hard he could hit someone without caving their skull in.  He has plans for the night.

Suprise! the spiderman au sequel is a prequel-sequel double whammy!

tbh i'm about to fall asleep again, so i'm taking the easy route: Open tag for fic writers!!! Anyone looking to share what they've been working on, tag me! I can't wait to see! Sending love to everyone and I hope you've all been well and taking care of yourselves. Health comes first, sometimes <3 ok nap time now pls

[icycream-catqueen]

Fandom: Stranger Things

Ship: El x Max

Summary: With Henry dead and Hawkins finally safe, Eleven learns how to live without looking over her shoulder for the ghosts of her past, how to find family in the people around her, and how easy it is to fall in love with her best friend. Even with the newfound sense of security, the road to recovery is a long and painful one, and it's not always easy, but at least it's not a journey anyone has to face alone.

Ch. Title: I Don't Want to Say Goodbye

Ch. Summary: Life goes on in Hawkins, but El just wants Max to wake up. OR El yearns without realizing she's doing it in a sapphic way, bonds with her friends and family, and spends as much time with her comatose best friend as she can.

Ch. Word Count: ~19,700

Rating: T

Important Tags: Canon Divergence, Injury Recovery, Fluff, Trauma, Mental Health Issues, Hurt/Comfort

So this is actually the first work in a whole-ass series I've planned in this AU. I've been working on this for a while now, and recently decided to actually double down and make it a thing. It originally was supposed to just be one work, but then it kept growing, and the format just worked best as a series. This work itself will have four chapters. Normally I wouldn't make a post for each chapter, but considering each chapter is gonna be long enough that I could probably split it into its own chapters and make it its own fic if not for the format I'm using, I'm making an exception. Below is the briefest of brief excerpts from early on in this first chapter, just as a taste.

El could barely register what was going on. Even her own voice was distant, and she wished she hadn’t asked when she heard the answer. Max was asleep, and she might never wake up. Almost in a trance, she slowly moved to sit beside Max and carefully took her hand—what she could of it, at least. Max was always fiery, even down to the warmth of her body, so the cool chill of her skin made El’s throat close up. It was Max, she knew that—but it was Max without what made her Max.

It wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough. I failed.

“I’m here, Max,” she said softly, something inside her breaking at the thought that Max might not hear her, might not feel her—that she might be so very alone, not knowing that El was right there. She closed her eyes and evened her breathing, focusing. Mike, recognizing the way she stilled herself, shushed the others, and she heard someone quietly close the door. It was so easy to focus on Max—she hadn’t left El’s mind ever since she’d realized she could finally check in on her friends in Hawkins again—that she slipped into the Void with barely any effort.

It was familiar, the empty blackness, and it only took a second for a shape to appear. El broke into a sprint, reaching the projection of the hospital bed and the girl lying pale and broken in its sheets.

Max’s body in the Void was as still as her body in the hospital, but it was still so reassuring to see her here. One consumed when he killed, Papa said; if Henry hadn’t died, even if Max’s body was brought back to life, would Max be here? Or would she be stuck in red mist and strangling vines, inside of One until he was killed? Would anything even be left of her after that?

El shook off the horror and fear that threatened to choke her. She needed to focus on Max, not slip into dark what-if thoughts. And Max was…halfway here. She seemed somehow blank. Empty. With a slow breath, El took her hand. It was just as limp and cold here as it was in that hospital room, and she swallowed tears.

“I’m here,” she said softly, closing her eyes. If Max was trapped in her own mind, if that was why she was asleep, maybe El could find her and wake her up. And if not, maybe visiting some of her happy memories would take that emptiness away, at least a little bit.

She didn’t find any sign of Max. When she knew she was at about half of her limit, she gave up on that for the day. Instead, she wandered through memories as politely as possible, trying not to invade anything too private, until she found one full of laughter and smiles and warmth: their trip to the mall, running around hand-in-hand, enjoying freedom from monsters and rules and stupid boys. It made El’s heart hurt with happiness and the longing to be able to be happy and carefree with her best friend again.

Please come back, Max. Please come back to me. You have to come back to me. I need you. I’m so sorry.

Reluctantly, El finally opened her eyes, a little woozy. She looked back at her friends with tears in her eyes, and they rushed to scoop her up in a group hug.

“She’s always been tough. Tougher than any of us,” Will said.

“And stubborn as hell,” Mike added. “She’ll pull through.”

El hoped so with all her heart, but it still hurt so fucking much. She leaned into Lucas and pressed her face into his chest, knowing he would understand just how agonizing it was for her to see Max like this. He loved Max with such strength and unwavering conviction—if anyone knew El’s pain, it was him.

“I know, El…” Lucas murmured, pressing a kiss to her head. She felt his tears, then felt her own start to spill out. “I know.”

That was all it took for El to finally fall apart, muffling her sobs in Lucas’s chest, surrounded by her brothers and her friend and her boyfriend but still cold and alone without her best friend there to pull her in close. Max felt empty, but so did El. It was like Max had a part of her, and without Max, that part of her was gone. It felt like half of her heart had been torn away. And it hurt like hell, to feel that emptiness inside her, but that part of her was with Max now. Maybe it would help Max be less alone, wherever she was, and that was more than worth the pain.

[theoriginaleppieblack-blog]

Hi, it's your Santa

What are your holiday plans for this year? Do you have any decorations to put up or loved ones you'd like to visit?

Hi Santa, I'm so sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I've had a really rough Christmas Season so far. I got sick and have had a really uneven recovery and my partner also got sick and that acerbated his chronic issues so now he's really sick. So far this Christmas season, I've doubled down on my special interests and tried to shut out the stress. It's been a pretty bleak old Christmas around here.

My plans (To Do List) for this season:

Open 3 doll-related surprise balls I bought myself.

Go to some kind service, or at least pray. I'm a pagan who enjoys "secular" (what we now call cultural) Christmas so probably I'll go to the Unitarian Universalist service or to the solstice party/ceremony at the local occult bookstore. If not, a walk around my neighborhood at sunset and a prayer at dawn outside in my stone circle (lol, it's not that impressive, just three stone benches).

Do a quick and dirty reorganization of the kitchen as a present for my partner and set up the new fancy toaster oven that I bought him.

Post all my Christmas related doll pictures on here. Which are also Classic Rock related since the dolls I'm working with now are based on Led Zeppelin (see my Tris/Alex tag)*. I have a ton I took in October to get a jump start to the season and it did me no good.

Watch A Scooby Doo Christmas and The Song Remains the Same as a double feature on Christmas Eve with my partner and have some scooby snacks and other holiday treats.

Have Christmas Day lunch with my mom at her retirement community and zoom call my god(x)-daughter. Open presents with them.

Watch Rudoph's Shiny New Year and A Hard Day's Night with my partner and our ex-boyfriend and his husband on New Years Eve and toast in the year with eggnog.

Set up my calendar for the year on New Years Day and do a whole year Tarot reading.

What are you up to? What do you like?

*Tris(Jimmy Page) and Alex(Robert Plant) - My fanwork is non-graphic slash.

[calcbench]

Marriott’s Long Road Back, in Non-GAAP

Hotel giant Marriott International ($MAR) filed its first-quarter 2023 earnings report this week, which allows us to address two of our favorite issues on this blog in one post: the recovery of pandemic-sensitive industries, and non-GAAP disclosures. Let’s take a look at what Marriott had to say!

First let’s review the traditional GAAP stuff. Marriott’s Q1 report is quite rosy: revenues up 33.7 percent from the year-earlier period to $5.61 billion, operating income up 70.4 percent to $904 million, and net income essentially doubling to $757 million. See Figure 1, below; it looks nice and healthy.

The devil, however, is in the details — and the details tend to be non-GAAP. So we also looked at Marriott’s earnings release, which included adjusted revenue, operating income, and net income. Using our “Show Tag History” feature that we’ve mentioned previously, we downloaded the history for those three non-GAAP measures for the last 12 quarters. See Figure 2, below.

You can see the long, slowly accelerating slog for Marriott since the depths of the pandemic in early 2022. As to what those specific adjustments are, you can always investigate that via our Footnotes Query tool. In the earnings release you’ll always find a reconciliation from the adjusted, non-GAAP metric back to its closest comparable GAAP metric.

But wait, there’s more!

Since we’re talking about the hotel sector, another critical disclosure is “RevPAR.” That’s revenue per available room (even if the room is unoccupied), and it’s calculated by total room revenue into total rooms available.

Marriott also discloses RevPAR, occupancy rate, and average daily rate for each of its many hotel brands. See Figure 3, below.

Again, using our Show Tag History feature, we could download RevPAR for each hotel brand. We did that for the Ritz-Carlton, going all the way back to the start of 2019. See Figure 4, below.

As you can see, RevPAR is now $336, above pre-pandemic levels. RevPAR in Q2-2020, by the way, was only $30.81 — which sounds like someone just taking a drink from the mini-bar without even renting a room at all.

Anyway, all this information (and much more) is buried in the earnings reports. All you need to know is how to find it, compare it to others, and drop it into a chart. Marriott’s report hit our database at 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday, and our marketing team had all these charts done within 20 minutes. Imagine what an actual financial analyst is able to do!