#sorry friends but i have no drip so neither does Leo

[sugarpasteltmnt]

do you have an outfit ref for neon leon void hamato at all? I keep forgetting what chapters his outfit gets described in 🫠

i'm so sorry friend but your guess is as good as mine hahaha. his 'latest' outfit is inspired by the 'Insane in the Mama Train' episode, but his first 'fashion disaster' outfit is honestly fair game LMAO

(the chapter's your looking for are chapter 2 and chapter 9!)

[anjanettexcordonia]

Chapter 4: Psycho

Book: The Royal Romance A/U

Catch Up Here Ties That Bind Masterlist

Rating: Mature (18+); NSFW; Dark; Torture; Rape; mentions of child abuse; Death

Pairings: Liam x Riley; Drake x Olivia 

Word count: 2,922 (+/-)

A/N: Please excuse any grammatical errors. 

A/N: Please Read With Caution! 

Thank you @texaskitten30 for bouncing ideas with me & beta-reading! If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have finished this chapter anytime soon! 

Thank you to @yourmajesty09 for Godfrey! ;) 

Disclaimer: Some characters & some scenes belong to Pixelberry. (This is not based on any actual events!) 

Tags: If you would like to be added or removed please let me know. 

PermaTags: @yourmajesty09 @gkittylove99 @kingliam2019

Series Tags: @cordonia-gothqueen @mom2000aggie @texaskitten30 @hopefulmoonobject

Clink. Clink. Clink. 

Celeste winced at every snap against the bars in her small confines. 

“Uh what’s going on Li? Why is she in there?” Drake choked out. Drake's eyes darted around the dimly lit room. He saw Celeste curled up a small cot in a jail cell. 

“Shut up Drake.” Olivia snapped. 

“Olivia Nevrakis, Drake Walker.. is.. is  that you?” Celeste choked out. Liam pressed his finger to his lips to silence them. 

“Hello, my dear Little Sister” Liam hissed. Riley could feel the heat radiating off his naked body as she stood next to him. 

“Hello brother, I had a feeling my abduction had something to do with you & her,” Celeste pointed in Riley’s direction with her long bony fingers,” when I was left in this filth of country.” Celeste eyed Riley. Celeste always felt a slight connection towards Riley. Not friendship but kinship. They shared demons, not the same demons different traumas but demons all the same. Celeste craved power. Power at any cost no price wasn’t worth paying. Riley craved blood, the blood of the powerful. Blood of those who had wronged her or Liam. 

Liam scoffed at her remark. “Cece, of course you know why you’re here?” 

“William, You know I had nothing to do with what happened to Leo. Or you. I had no idea anything was going on. Madeline she.. she.. forced me. And Regina & Adelaide.” 

“Ya know Cece, I don’t care what lies you tell yourself to clear your conscience. Better yet you're more like me than I like to admit. We don’t have a conscience, do we dear sister? Madeleine’s blood is on your hands.” 

“Go cover your dick and get out William, I’m done with this conversation. And take your whore of a wife with you.” Celeste mumbled as she turned to face the wall away from the group standing on the other side of the bars. Riley could barely contain her excitement the more defiant Celeste became. 

Riley walked over to a scanner mounted on the wall. She presses her thumb firmly to the scanner. The wall retracted into a much larger room. The room had a large bed in the center and large ornate thrones for the King and Queen. The thrones were positioned against the wall with a perfect view of the entire room. Surrounding the bed were.. torture devices to say the least. Riley grabbed a catch pole and large hook and joyfully walked towards Liam. 

“My King,” Riley knelt to one knee in front of her husband holding the pole and hook above her head, her arms outstretched towards him to take the pole from her hands. 

Liam leaned down taking the devices from Riley and caught her pouty lips into a passionate kiss. Riley wrapped her arms around his neck and her hands finding the hook in Liam's hand. Still locked in a heated kiss, Riley and Liam rose to their feet. Riley suddenly broke the kiss and snatched the hook free of Liam's hand. In a flash, she put the shaft of the hook through the iron bars and hooked Celeste around her neck pulling her towards them. Riley pulled the pole as hard as she could causing the cable around Celeste’s neck to tighten. With Liam standing behind her with a wicked grin appearing on his face she pulled Celeste flush against the wrought iron bars. Liam pried the pole from Riley’s fingers and brought his face as close as he could to Celeste. 

“Sit.” He commanded Olivia and Drake. Both of their faces twisted in fear and confusion. “I understand you’re both curious as to what’s going on. Right now, you will observe and your questions will be answered. Please be assured neither of you will come to any harm at my or Riley’s hand.” In typical Olivia fashion, laughed at Liam’s remark, “Me, harmed by either of you, I'm interested in what game you two are playing.” “Liam, I don’t know about this. Can I at least have my pants back?’ Drake runs his fingers through his thick dark hair nervously. Liam gave Riley the catch pole that held Madeline flush against the cold bars. He sat down on his throne, Olivia and Drake took their seats on a bench on the far side of the room. “Bring her to me, my Queen.” Riley bowed her head, she opened the door to the cage and jerked the catch pole pulling Celeste hard. Riley pulled her infront of Liam and slammed her to her knees on the floor. “What the fuck, you bitch?” Celeste yelled at Riley. “Let me out of here Liam NOW!” She bellowed. Riley drew her hand back to hit Celeste for her outburst “Riley stop.” Riley froze at Liam’s command.

 Riley knew, right now her and her husband were not equals. He needed her to do this for him and she was more than willing. He needed to heal and she would heal his wounds. She would save him from himself. She is saving him from his torture and hate. She will fill the void that they left behind. What’s love without obsession?

“Celeste, the more you fight, the worse it will be. Riley come here my Queen.” Riley dropped the pole and went to sit on Liam’s lap. Liam pulled her into a tender kiss. Liam kissed her down her chin to her neck and up to her ear, “Get the knives.” Riley walked over to a safe built into the wall. She typed in the password and scanned her palm. The safe opened and she pulled three small daggers out. Each dagger was adorned with a large jewel. 

“Olivia, Drake here.” Riley handed them each a dagger. “These daggers are of importance. Each one has a specific crown jewel encrusted in the hilt. Olivia, red obviously for the scarlet duchess and House Nevrakis. Diamond for you Drake. You’re a true diamond in the rough and a pillar in our reign.” Riley explained. “Riley, Liam I don’t know what to say.” Olivia thanked them as she looked at the dagger in her hand. A large red ruby was encrusted in the hilt along with Nevrakis Justice engraved along the blade.

Liam stood from his throne. “Let’s get on with it. I’m tired of waiting. Riley Rhys, Olivia Nevrakis, and Drake Walker, today I am judge and jury. You are executioner.” 

“Jesus Christ Liam, you are such a drama Queen. You’re not going to kill me and neither will these bastards. It’s treason.” Celeste snapped. 

Riley couldn’t control her blood lust any longer. She walked over to Celeste and sliced her across her back with her Rhys sapphire encrusted dagger. Riley froze as she watched the blood pour in small estuaries down Celeste’s back. “Fuck you really are a crazy bitch aren’t you!” Celeste screamed in pain. “Liam stop this NOW. I’m the mother of your first born child!” Liam’s lips curled at the sound of mouth forming the words mother. “YOU ARE NOT A MOTHER OF ANY CHILD OF MINE.” His voice boomed. “Regina forced me and so did father. You know that Liam!” “Shut up. You’re a liar.” “Do you think I WANTED to fuck my half brother over and over?” Liam sat down quietly. “Maybe, maybe not. But your natural response spoke otherwise. Every time I fought, you came harder. And what about Savannah?” 

Drake's eyebrow quirked at the sound of his sister's name. “Savannah? Li what?” “Tell him Cece. He knows you raped me. But does he know that you are the reason for his sister's death? And his father’s death? That had Jackson Walker executed for false allegations of rape. That you found out about Constantine,our father, abusing Savannah and impregnating her? Instead you helped Regina take her son away.” 

“Son?” Drake screamed. “My father… my sister… because of you..” Drake charged at Celeste. Liam grabbed Drake by the throat. “Stop. I’m not finished.” He calmly spoke. “Get the fuck off me Liam. This bitch… she.. she..” “There’s more,” Liam directed his attention back to Celeste who sat in complete silence. “What about Olivia, Celeste?” Olivia's face drained of all color. She knew exactly what Liam was about to say. She had never spoken a word to anyone before. “No Liam, stop. Don’t…” she whispered. Drake eyes his wife. “What’s he talking about Olivia?” 

“Liv I’m so sorry. I tried to stop it.” Celeste sobbed. “No, no, Cece tell the truth.” Riley interrupted. Celeste’s tears stopped abruptly as if she could control her tears. A smile formed across her face. “You’re right Riley. I’m lying. I knew what Constantine was doing. Why do you think I was your best friend, Livvy. He said he would fuck the traitor out of you. I guess he didn’t do a very good job.” She shrugged. “None of you are worthy of the crown. You’re weak. You allowed the torture. You weren’t strong enough to fight back. Liam, your own father destroyed you. I stole your illusion of innocence. No one may have touched you Drake but your poor sister and disgraceful Kings Guard of a father got it enough for you. And Liv, you were the most trusting. You are the most weak. You don’t rule Nevrakis with an iron fist. You all got what you deserved.” 

Liam returned to his seat on his replicated throne. “Riley. It’s time. We will let Drake and Olivia work out their aggressions. Drake, Liv… you may do as you please to her. Do not kill her and make sure when you are finished she is fully concious.” Drake felt the anger rising inside of him. He felt as if his skin would burst into flames at any moment. He had never felt hatred in his life until this moment, listening to the evil drip from Celeste’s lips. The hatred engulfed him and he understood. He understood Liam in a way he had never before. Drake darted from his place on the other side of the room. He felt himself losing control until he pounced on Celeste. “You stole my family. You murdered them.” Drake screamed as his arm drew back to hit her hard across her jaw. Celeste screamed as Drake pummeled her. “Enough.” Liam’s deep baritone voice boomed through the room. “Sit Drake.” Drake immediately turned to look for Olivia. Celeste lay balled on the floor. She was badly beaten and bloodied from the brutal beating Drake had given her. “Well deserved. That was for my father and my sister. And for my nephew and my mother.” Drake hissed at Celeste. Olivia kissed Drake deeply. Drake poured his anger and relief into the kiss, emotions he never knew he felt for the loss of his family and finally knowing the real truth. 

Celeste lay on the floor breathing heavily. She closed her eyes and laid her head back on the cold tile floor. “Princess CeCe..” a smooth yet sharp voice poured into the completely silent room. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. She felt the cold sharp lightly touch the sensitive skin of her throat. She felt the sharp scratch of the dagger glide down her chest between her breaths and stop abruptly at her pubic bone. She felt the dagger press harder until she felt the pierce of her skin and the blood coming to the surface. Celeste’s eyes opened in a flash. “Nevrakis” she hissed. “No need for words.. shhh.” Olivia pressed her finger to Celeste’s words. Olivia continued running the dagger down her thighs drawing the slightest bit of blood. 

Liam, Riley and Drake watched in awe of Olivia. Liam felt his cock twitch at the sensual torture taking place in front of him. He took Riley’s hand and placed it gently on himself. She gripped him hard and slowly pumped his shaft. “Bring her in. She’s going to watch.” Riley nodded her and released her husband from her grip. She disappeared into another room. 

Olivia continued to make the small cuts over Celeste’s body. Celeste was crying out for the pain to end. Olivia pressed deeper and deeper into each cut. Liam was getting more and more excited as more and more blood pooled on the floor beneath the vile creature before him. He watched as Olivia’s naked body hovered over Celeste, Olivia’s hands were deep red from the blood of Celeste. Liam snapped his head when he heard the muffled gasp. “Regina,  join us.” Liam grinned a sinister grin at her before he turned his head back to Olivia and Celeste. Riley pushed Regina down against the wall to sitting position. 

“Enough Olivia,” Liam barked. 

He stood from his throne and reached for his wife’s hand. Riley placed her hand in his, both of them transforming themselves into their regal Queen and King stance. Olivia slinked back to her place beside Drake. Liam looked at Riley, an unspoken conversation happened between them. Riley knew exactly what to do by her husband’s expression. She knew the depths of his tortured soul better than anyone. She knelt down beside Celeste’s head. She pulled Celestes arms above her head and held them in place. The catch pole cable still wrapped tightly around Celeste’s neck. Liam knelt down between Celeste’s legs. 

Regina cried out, “Liam please no.” Liam ignored Regina's pleas. “Did you stop when he begged you to stop Regina?” Riley spoke through gritted teeth. “Did you Celeste? When you forced his seed into you? Did you think he would never come for you?” Liam slammed his cock into Celeste as hard as he could lurching her forward. She let a scream, “No.” “How does it feel to to be the one vulnerable?” Riley whispered into Celeste’s ear as Liam continued to violate her body. “Hold her My Queen.” Liam commanded his wife. Her grip on Celeste’s wriggling body tightened holding her in place. Liam leaned into kiss his wife deeply as he continued his assault on Celeste. “Dagger.” He whispered. Liam could feel his orgasm building within his body not caring about the sandpaper feeling that enveloped his cock. Riley released her grip on Celeste and went to retrieve the Rhys dagger. Liam grabbed a firm hold around Celeste’s neck. The sweat dripping from burned her wounds. She looked at her mother, who was crying watching her daughter's assault, helpless. “This is your fault you fucking cunt.” Celeste whispered, as she gasped for breath at her mother. “Now Riley.” Liam removed his hands from Celeste’s neck, Riley immediately replaced his hands with the dagger. Riley watched her husband’s face twist and contort as he reached his climax. Riley pushed the knife deep across Celeste’s jugular vein. Blood sprayed over Liam as he released himself deep within Celeste. Her body jerked as more blood poured from neck. Liam slowly pulled himself out of Celeste, wincing in pain. They stood both covered in Celeste’s blood. Neither making eye contact with each other. 

Regina sobbed at the sight of her daughter's life leaving her body. Celeste became who she was her fault. The twisted monster before her, Liam, she knew was her fault. All of it was her fault. “Liam if this is what you need to lead our country, so be it.” Regina whispered through hushed sobs. 

“Our country? MY COUNTRY.” Liam thundered. “It is your fault. Celeste, my father EVERYTHING WAS YOUR FAULT. A child I can’t love like mine and Riley’s children.” A fresh anger coursed through his veins. A rage he needed satiate one last time for himself. He snatched the dagger from Riley’s hand and marched to stand directly in front of Regina. “Look at me.” He commanded Regina. “Liam..” “Your Majesty. You will call me your majesty. I am your King. You tried so hard to remove me from my rightful place. You destroyed my brother, you took everything from me. But I took it back. I have MY Queen. My family. And MY COUNTRY. And you will die here in a foreign country, and forgotten in your own.” Liam plunged the dagger into Regina’s heart. “Today I’m taking back MY power, not for me. But for her and my children. All of them.” Regina whispered, “I’m sorry.” Liam pulled the dagger out of her heart. He plunged it back in again. “DO.” The squish of flesh beneath the dagger was the only sound in the room between Liam’s cries. “NOT” “APOLOGIZE.” Liam had tears running down his blood spattered face. Riley ran over and placed her hand on his, “she’s gone, baby.” She wrapped her arms around him to hold him. He sobbed into Riley’s shoulder. 

“I’m so sorry Riley, I love you so much.” “Shh shh.. it’s okay, I love you too.” Riley comforted him. 

Drake and Olivia sat in a stunned silence at the scene that just played out in front of them. They could sense a flood of relief flow in the room. The room was covered in blood, two women lay deceased on the floor.. but somehow they sensed a peace. Evil had been exterminated and replaced with a light. 

A dim light, is still a light nevertheless. 

[kelyon]

Trio: A Golden Cuffs Story 3/5: Morning

In which Belle and Jefferson have a heart-to-heart (and other-bits to-other-bits)

Read on AO3

Belle was still mostly asleep when she got cold enough to want to cover herself with blankets. With her eyes closed she groped around the big bed, feeling for the covers that she needed. She found them wrapped around a man’s body.

She groaned. Rumple didn’t need blankets! He was just toying with her and keeping her cold! She yanked them away from him and wrapped the warmth around herself and went back to sleep. 

When she woke up again it was because he was trying to roll her over.

 “Please don’t!” she whined, tiredness making her petulant. “If you want something, just order me to do it and let me sleep!”

“Can I just have one of the blankets? Please?”

Belle opened her eyes. That was not Rumpelstiltskin’s voice. She looked over her shoulder. Jefferson was lying next to her, clutching an edge of one of the blankets.

“I’m so sorry!” she said as she tried to disentangle herself from the cocoon of warmth she had made. She threw bedclothes over Jefferson haphazardly, trying to give him as much as he needed. 

“It’s okay.” He put a blanket over his naked shoulders and scooted over to her. “Do you mind if I get in close to you? For warmth?”

Belle didn’t answer, but straightened out the bed clothes so that they were both covered. The curtains were thin in this room and dawn crept in with the winter chill. There was no sign of Rumpelstiltskin anywhere.

“Would you allow me to hold you, Belle?”

Belle shook her head and made sure her blanket went up to her neck. “Not if Rumple’s not here to say it’s alright.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Jefferson, or didn’t trust him not to do anything untoward even when they were both entirely naked. But Belle was profoundly aware that she belonged to Rumpelstiltskin. Whether or not Jefferson touched her was not her decision to make.

Nodding, Jefferson eased back to his side of the bed. “He can be very possessive about his things. I’m honestly surprised to be here right now, like this.”

Belle relaxed and smoothed the top blanket over her body. It was morning now, and she wasn’t tired anymore. She might as well get to know Jefferson. “You’ve never shared a woman with him before?”

“I’ve never seen him with a woman before. I mean, I’ve seen him flirt with women but he flirts with men too. And with those who are both or neither. Until I met you, I didn’t think he liked women.” 

Belle rested her chin on her knees. “Until I met you, I didn’t think he liked men.”

“He’s a man of many secrets, our Dark One.”

She looked at him. “Why do you call him that?”

Jefferson shrugged. “He’s never invited me to call him anything else. I know his name is powerful and little good comes from speaking it.”

“In my village, they say it’s bad luck. But he ordered me to use his name and disobeying him would be very bad luck. How did you meet him?”

“He saved my life,” Jefferson said. “Do you believe that?”

“I do,” she answered. After all, he had saved hers. “It sounds like a story.”

“You wanna know?”

“Yes, please.”

Jefferson propped his head up on his hand while he told Belle his story.

“So my father was a man named Jeffer. He was a stonemason. My grandfather was also a stonemason. My uncles were stonemasons, and my brothers were stonemasons. Pretty much every man in my village who wasn’t a farmer was a stonemason. Every day, every man would march down to the quarry to dig in the dirt, using all their strength and skill to cut a block of stone that would go on to form the walls of a castle that they would never see. 

“My father was a good stonemason, strong and steady. I was his first son, but I was a runt and I had no patience to stay in one spot for more than an hour. He tried to work with me, tried to figure how to make me want to do what I was supposed to do. When I was ten, he apprenticed me to a stone carver, instead of a stone mason. For variety, you know. I learned to chisel all the little cherubs and gargoyles that are on the sides of castles. A fifty-pound granite demon is as light and cheerful as stone work ever gets. I tried to be good, but I was completely miserable. No one in my village could understand that I wanted… so much more than they had planned.” 

He sighed and rolled back on the bed, his arms folded behind his head. Belle understood his situation, how even loving parents could trap you in a life you didn’t want. 

Jefferson went on: “When I was eighteen, my father arranged for me to be married to the daughter--the only child--of the guildmaster, the head of all the stonemasons in our region. I don’t know how he managed that. This girl was the most sought-after maiden in our village. She might as well have been a princess for all the young men who were desperate for her hand.”

“That wasn’t Leona, was it?”

”No, I didn’t meet Leo until I started traveling. This was a girl that I had known all my life. She was very nice and very pretty, but I wasn’t ready to settle down. I had never been unsettled!” 

Jefferson chuckled weakly, but then became dreadfully serious. “I saw my future written in the stone I worked with: If I married this girl, I would have to become the only kind of man my village could tolerate. I would muddle through to become a journeyman stone carver, and then eventually a master of a trade I hated. I would only ever sleep with one woman. I would only ever live in one town. I would devote my life to making ornaments for castles that I would never see. I would have sons and whether I willed it or not, they would have my life as surely as I would have my father’s. Every day when I went down into the quarry, I knew I was walking into my grave.”

He looked haggard, as he said all that. The misery that could have been still haunted him. Belle understood his plight. She may not have recognized the feeling at the time, but she had felt the same way whenever she had spoken to Gaston. To see the future laid out in front of you, to know the steps that the rest of your life would take, could be a beautiful, hopeful thing--but not if it wasn’t a future you wanted. 

“What did you do?”

“I ran away. On the day I was to be married, I ran into the woods. I ran for half a day before I realized I had nowhere to go. I had no money, no family or friends I could ask to help. The only trade I knew was the only trade I swore I would never do again. It got so bad, I…” He looked at her, clearly unsure whether or not to tell this part of his story.

Belle reached across the bed to put her hand on Jefferson’s bare arm. He was safe now, and she wanted him to know it. “What happened?”

Jefferson looked at her for a moment, and then nodded to himself. He reached up to his neck and loosened the fastenings on his black leather collar. He turned his head from side to side. “Can you see it?”

A thin white line that ran from ear to ear across his throat. Belle gasped. “Is that a scar?”

He nodded and tightened his collar again. “On that day in the forest, I had no future, and no hope of ever finding one. But I had a knife, and even death seemed better than living as I had been.” He swallowed, not looking at Belle. His eyes seemed to be focused on some spot in the distance, in the past. “I watched my blood drip down into the dirt and I wished out loud for a world where I could be happy.”

“You made a wish?” Belle asked. “Did you say you would do anything?”

A grin flickered over Jefferson’s face. “I didn’t say that, but he came all the same. The Dark One saw me and… I don’t know if he took pity on me or if he just recognized my desperation. He healed my injury and saved my life. He left the scar so I could have a memento of surviving my darkest hour. And then we made a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“He gave me my hat and showed me how to use it. Now I can go anywhere in any world. I can trade and sell between worlds, keep tabs on important people for the sake of other important people, and get paid very well to do so. I can go to places my father wouldn’t see in his dreams. I’ve been a guest in castles that my village toiled to create. Now I can talk to anyone and find myself in all sorts of amusing situations, just like this one.”

“And what did Rumple get from you?”

“The best of what I do. I report to him first of what’s going on in other worlds. I give him the most valuable treasures, the juiciest gossip--whatever he needs. Whatever I think he might like.”

“So,” Belle said slowly, “you didn’t make a deal for your body?” Was he not like her?

Jefferson smiled now, with devious but genuine pleasure. “No, that came a little later. Once I had the hat, I spent a long time traveling the worlds for myself, seeing how other people lived--and loved. I learned from a lot of different lovers, and I kept thinking that I wanted to go back and tell the Dark One what I had learned. The first time I heard about sucking cock, I thought, surely this discovery is the greatest thing to come out of any world in the history of sex!

“But as it turned out, the Dark One already knew more than I did. We took a holiday in a world of paradise and he taught me...” Jefferson sighed, “everything. Lust and love and loss and life.”

That word again. Love. Belle felt a strange unease in the pit of her stomach.

“What does your wife think of that? Does she know?”

“Yes, Leo knows everything I’ve done and everything I do. And I know about her past and her present. I met her on my journeys--she is not ashamed of anything. We’re honest with each other and we love each other and we’re devoted to our daughter. We get it to work.”

“You seem to have everything you wanted,” Belle said. She tried to be happy for him, but she couldn’t help being painfully aware that no one would ever say the same thing about her.

“I have everything I was certain I would never have on my first wedding day. This collar covers up my scar, but it also reminds me of it. Every time I’m happy with my work and my wife and my daughter, I remember not to take them for granted. I was willing to throw this future away. I was willing to let all my happiness spill out onto the forest floor. But now, by the grace of the gods and the Dark One, I am alive. And I have a future. And I am happy.”

“And you loved him?”

“Still do, a little. But you love him too. He’s easy to fall in love with.”

Belle went very still. She could feel her mind taking that sentence, You love him too, picking it up, and putting it away for safekeeping. It was too big a thought to think right now. She would think on it later, not now while she was still trying to talk to Jefferson. Not while Rumple could come back at any moment.

“You said… he taught you about loss as well?”

“Yeah, just… realizing you can’t be on holiday forever. Eventually you have to go back to work, move on from silly romances. See what else the worlds have to offer.” He shrugged. “But what’s your story, Belle? What was your deal with him?”

“Rumpelstiltskin saved my life too,” she told Jefferson. “And the lives of almost every person I’ve ever known. Our town was under attack by ogres, and--”

“That was you?” he sat up to interrupt her. “From King Midas’ land? The ogre attacks last summer? In the story I heard, the girl died. I always listen for stories about the Dark One. The way I heard it, he ate your flesh in front of the whole town and it aroused his appetite so much that he was able to devour the entire horde of ogres.”

She blinked at him. “You didn’t believe that, did you?”

“Of course not,” Jefferson shook his head. “But I didn’t think the slave girl serving us drinks was the high-born heroine who martyred herself to save her people.”

Belle stared down at the woven pattern of the blanket. “Do people really think I’m dead?”

“The man I met in a pub said he got this story from the Duke of the Frontlands himself.”

“Oh,” Belle nodded slowly. “More likely the Duke’s son.” At Jefferson’s look she explained. “I also was about to be married before Rumple found me. And I did tell my fiance he could tell people I had died.” 

With a twinge of guilt, she thought about her father and her cousins. They knew this story was false, but perhaps it was easier for them to believe it. From their perspective, a quick death would be a kinder fate than a lifetime of serving Rumpelstiltskin. Did they perpetuate this lie? Was it easier for them to say that than the truth? Did they think that he really had killed her?

“They said your sacrifice saved a thousand people. Is that number true?”

“I think so. The whole village was probably a thousand, what was left of it. All of them in exchange for just me. It was a good deal.”

“I’m certainly pleased with it!”

Rumpelstiltskin stood at the foot of the bed, fully dressed and leaning over them with a leer. “Why so far apart, little ones? Don’t you like each other?”

“We were leaving room for you.” Jefferson thumped the space between their bodies as an invitation.

Rumpelstiltskin grinned. “Breakfast first for those who need it! Jefferson, what would you like?”

Jefferson sat up, baring his chest as he spoke. “Do you remember that swamp world we visited? And the chef with the shadow problem? What was that food she made us? I forget what it was even called.”

“Jambalaya!” Rumple declared. He waved his hand and there was a steaming dish of meat and grain sitting on the little table. Belle could smell it from the bed, smokey and sharp and foreign. It made her mouth water.

Jefferson eyed the dish hungrily as he got out of bed. Before he got to the food, Rumple stopped him and offered him a dressing gown to wear while he ate. Jefferson robed himself and sat down.

“Belle, pour our guest a cup of tea.”

She was offered no robe. The cuffs pulled her out of the bed and to the tea tray, which was on the table next to Jefferson’s bowl. There was a teacup at his place setting. Another cup--the chipped one--was in front of the empty chair. 

“How do you take your tea?” she asked Jefferson. 

“Strong and sweet, like my lovers.”

Belle snorted and Jefferson chuckled at his own joke. She put two sugar lumps in his cup and poured.

“And you, Rumple? Will you be joining him?”

He hadn’t sat yet, but had been standing in front of the bed, looking at them. He kept his hands clasped behind his back.

“Yes of course. It would be rude not to.”

“Shall I get you another cup?”

“No.” He sat down in the chair, his legs in front of him, crossed at the ankles.

Belle served his tea with cream and three sugars, as she knew he liked it. 

There was something strange about his manner just now. He was distant, masked, acting cool to hide a fire. He was trying to disguise some terrible emotion. Was he angry? Was she going to be punished soon? Or was it just the presence of the chipped cup that made her think he was about to fly into a rage and beat her? 

He had said there would be no pain games during this encounter, but what if he changed his mind? What if she had done something wrong that merited real punishment? Belle couldn’t think of anything she had done to offend Rumpelstiltskin, except talk to Jefferson. And he hadn’t told her not to do that. In the mood he was in, would he punish her for a rule she didn’t know she had broken?

Would Jefferson want to see that? He seemed too kind a soul to take pleasure in her suffering. But if he was familiar with Rumple and his ways then perhaps he would know what a delight it could be to take punishment from him. She hadn’t asked if he had ever subjected himself the way she did. But Jefferson had been a lover, not a slave. Had Rumple ever made a deal like the one he had made with Belle?

She sat at Rumpelstiltskin’s feet and kissed his boots, waiting for whatever would come next.

“Aren’t you hungry, little Belle? Why haven’t you asked for breakfast?”

She shrugged. “You will feed me when I deserve to eat.” 

Above her, the noises of  Jefferson’s meal slowed down. He was looking at her.

“Shall we show Jefferson how I feed you?”

“Yes please, Rumple.” Being humiliated was a better game than being hurt for their amusement. And eating off the floor had become one of her favorite ways to submit herself to Rumple. 

The breakfast tray was on the floor in front of her. The cuffs pulled her to the ground and locked her into place. She was right in front of Jefferson. He would have a good view of her face and her breasts and her backside. Rumpelstiltskin was behind her, his boot pushing gently on the side of her bare foot. It was a subtle but constant reminder of his presence. 

Breakfast was porridge. Not too cumbersome. Belle bent her head down and lapped up the thick goo. She looked at Jefferson as much as she could, looked him in the eye and dared him to judge her. He didn’t. He looked down at her with desire and with awe.

“What a sight!” he said. “And you get to have her do this every day?”

“More or less,” Rumple said. “I like making sure she knows her place.”

“On your knees and licking is a good place to be!” Jefferson expelled a breath and took a sip of his tea. “I wish my wife could see you.”

“Would you ask this of your wife?” Belle asked as she ran her tongue over the empty bowl.

“No, I would want her to ask this of me!” Jefferson sighed. “I would gladly grovel three meals a day if it did to her what it’s doing to me.” He shifted in his seat but kept talking. “To have Leona act as my lady, my imperious mistress...” He shivered. “That would be… exciting.”

Rumpelstiltskin chuckled. “Has everyone eaten their fill?”

Jefferson locked eyes with him. “I’m hungry, but not for food.”

“Belle?”

She took her cue from Jefferson. “I’m ready for more in my mouth--but not food.”

“Excellent! Would you like to kiss Jefferson’s feet?”

Belle’s face fell, the sultry manner she had been playing with shattered. “No, Rumple,” she said softly, looking up at him. “I… I will if you order me to, but I don’t want to kiss his feet. I don’t owe Jefferson any fealty.”

 There was the slightest twitch at Rumple’s mouth, the smallest softness in his eyes. “Very well,” he said. “Will you sit on his lap?”

“Yes!” The cuffs released her and Belle leapt to her feet. Jefferson opened his arms and Belle wrapped her naked legs over his silk-covered hips. He held her steady with both hands--one arm wrapped around her waist, the other holding onto her shoulder. His robe was open at the front and his manhood stood out, long and pink. 

“Tell us, my girl. What do you think of our friend Jefferson?”

Belle looked at the man who held her in his arms. Playfully, he tilted his face back and forth, showing off every angle for her perusal.

 “I like him,” she said honestly. 

“What do you like best about him?”

“He’s fun. Easy to get along with.”

That didn’t seem to be the answer Rumple wanted. “What part of his body is the most pleasing to you?”

“Well, he has very expressive eyes.” But she knew that wasn’t what she was supposed to say. “And his mouth did bring me much pleasure last night.”

“And you, my boy? Do you like this girl?”

“Of course I like her. You’ve done very well for yourself.”

Rumpelstiltskin frowned and stood up. Belle shared a quick look with Jefferson. He didn’t understand what was happening either. Rumple came to them and bent over. He put one hand on the back of the chair and the other over Jefferson’s cock so that Belle was pressed between the two men when Rumple kissed him. 

He had kissed her like that before. It was a kiss of ownership, of dominance. Jefferson had no control over this kiss. His only choice was whether to fight it or accept it. He accepted it. One hand reached out to Rumpelstiltskin even as he nearly choked. 

Belle watched as Rumple’s scaly green hand wrapped over Jefferson’s pink shaft. He squeezed and Jefferson made a strangled noise that was muffled by Rumpelstiltskin’s mouth. 

Not wanting to be left out, Belle pulled herself up to push against Rumple’s chest. All she wanted was to be near his body. She reached her arm out behind her and touched Rumple’s tight leather breeches. She groped up and down his thigh and came to rest over his straining bulge. At that touch, he broke the kiss and sent Jefferson gasping for air.

While Jefferson caught his breath, Rumpelstiltskin stepped away from both of them and took a seat at the table. He pulled out a bundle of straw from his coat pocket and  began to spin it on a small spindle.

“What was that about?” Jefferson asked. He didn’t seem offended, merely curious.

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged and kept his eyes on the gold thread. “I didn’t get much use out of your cock last night, my boy. I wanted to check in on it.”

“Everything to your satisfaction?”

“I’ll adjust my plans according to your needs. For now I would have you finger the girl while I work.”

“Your wish is my command, Dark One.” Jefferson looked up at Belle with a smile. “Are you ready?”

Belle nodded. She wondered what Rumple was making, but she was certain they would find out soon enough. 

Jefferson kept the arm around her waist and used his other hand to open her folds. His fingers were longer than Rumpelstiltskin’s, and his nails were shorter. It felt strange to have this man inside her--to have anyone touch her who wasn’t Rumple. No matter how many people might fumble around between her legs, no one had mastery over her body like him.

“Don’t forget, you’re allowed to speak now, my slut. Why don’t you give Jefferson some of your lovely noises?”

“I will when he elicits them,” she answered saucily. 

“Is there anything I can do better?” Jefferson asked her. 

“Move around more. Don’t stay in one place all the time.”

“You’d think I, of all people, would know that! Alright.” He swirled his fingers around in her wetness--reaching up to her cleft and then dipping down again into her core. His eyes shifted between her face and her body and her master. Rumpelstiltskin was folding the thread between his fingers like a game of cat’s cradle. He glanced over at them occasionally with a small grin.

When Jefferson found her pleasure spot, Belle yelped and her body jerked so sharply she almost fell out of his arms. 

He brought her back to him. “You’re okay,” he told her. “Stay with me, Belle. Am I permitted to make her come?”

“That is the idea, my friend. And after you do, she’ll return the favor.”

Jefferson looked away from Belle and at Rumple. “What?”

“You’re nearly bursting already, my boy. I can’t ask you to last for as long as I want you to. It will be easier for you to start again after you’ve taken the edge off.”

He looked as though he might object, but then he shook his head. “You’re the boss.”

“Don’t forget it.”

He turned back to Belle, looked at her face for a moment, and then buried his head between her breasts. Thrown off balance, Belle leaned forward and grabbed the back of the chair to steady herself. Jefferson’s fingers never stopped and his mouth began to suck and bite at her flesh. She cried out and that only increased his fervor. 

Belle felt the pleasure begin to rise inside her. While Jefferson rubbed and sucked, she looked over her shoulder at Rumpelstiltskin. He watched them calmly, his hands stilled around a strip of gold cloth.

She was about to reach her hand out to him--invite him to join them, or at least get a closer look--when her orgasm took her. It was like a bolt of lightning in reverse, coming up from her cunt through her body and out her mouth in a shout. She rocked forward onto Jefferson, who caught her and held her while she shook. 

“Very good.” Rumple’s voice was low and smooth. “Now, Belle, get on top of him and show him what you can do.”

The cuffs pulled her over so that there was no room between herself and Jefferson on the little chair. His cock was red now, so hard it looked like it ached. One cuff moved her hand so that she had to pull him up and slide herself over him. Still throbbing from her orgasm, Belle’s cunt clenched around Jefferson. 

She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of him filling her. His breath was ragged and shaky. She could smell her pleasure mingling with the scent of his sweat. She rocked her hips slowly and Jefferson moaned. She moved her body forward against him, undulating in a fluid motion that ended with her breasts in front of his face.

“You can suck them again if you want,” she murmured.

“Fuck!” he hissed. “May I, Dark One? May I suck on her?”

“Of course, sweet boy. Take whatever you like from my thing.”

Jefferson held Belle’s back and filled his mouth with her nipple. He licked and teased her, bit her gently and made her moan. But he mostly seemed content to rest his head against her breast and suck her like a newborn babe. The sensation created a sharp pull inside Belle, like a cord running from her breast to her cunt. It wasn’t entirely pleasure, but it was an undeniably erotic tension. 

Jefferson kept his eyes closed. He stroked her back and pushed Belle’s body rhythmically, encouraging her to keep moving. Belle moved around his cock slowly, rocking and leaning in as many directions as she could find. Gradually, she increased the pace. She noticed that Jefferson began to suck her more furiously the faster she moved. Before too long, the sensation was too much and she had to push him away from her.

He detached from her breast with a pop. His head lolled a little. His mouth was slack and red from his work. His eyes were unfocused and glassy with lust. 

“Are you ready?” she asked him. “Are you going to come for us, Jefferson?”

He was jerking before she had finished asking the question. His arms around her tightened and he pulled her into him with such force she thought her bones would break. He shouted and spurted and then sank back into the chair.

Rumpelstiltskin stood up. “A perfect show,” he said. “And now I get to join in on the fun.”

[probably-writing-x]

The unknown one Vol.4

~A Noah Centineo AU Series~

Inspiration: The boy next door cliché always seemed to happen in movies. But when this boy moved in to the house beside yours, he seemed willing to discover more than you wanted him to know.

Warnings: Nothing y'all

It wasn't long before the football team snapped Noah up, he already seemed more talented than any them. You had tried to speak to him less, always avoiding his attempts at eye contact in the corridors and diverting whenever you saw him near to you. It seemed stupid but you felt like it had to be done - you couldn't be responsible for destroying his school reputation.

Leo was spending the night at a friend's house today so you were all on your own- giving you a chance to do some well needed maintenance around the house.

The light in the kitchen still needed fixing and the tap in the bathroom wouldn't stop dripping and the radiator was making a weird sound... So yeah, there were a few things to get done.

The summer heat was still cruel and unsatisfying so you had opted to start your work outside in the hopes of some breeze floating past.

But then there's a presence beside you and you regret it all.

"So, I still can't work my key," Noah grins, leaning against the wooden post outside your house.

"Careful, I'm trying to fix these boards," You respond, not glancing up too much.

"You're even ignoring me when there's nobody around? I'm starting to think I've done something wrong," He sighs, sitting down on the steps beside where you were crouched.

"You've done nothing wrong and that's the problem," You admit, dropping whatever you were doing to go and sit beside him, "You're a good person, unlike anyone else in that damn school,"

Noah falls silent because he realised there was more to it than he'd given credit for. This house and Leo wasn't a part of your life, it was the entire thing. It was everything you worked for and everything you cared about.

As if on an alarm to break the tension, Bolt ran swiftly out of the house when he'd woken up from his naop engulfing Noah in a ball of curls as he bounded around the tall teen.

Noah laughs and you watch as his eyes crinkle up and his teeth flash for just a second. He looks gorgeous as the golden hour sun beams onto his tanned compexion.

What you don't realise until its too late is that he looks up to meet you too. His eyes watch how yours dance across his face and his focus on the dog has completely swapped to you.

With certain movements, he's moving closer to you and you're doing the same. You feel your shoulders tense and your heart beat a little too quickly. But, as soon as his lips touch yours, it stops. Your muscles relax and your heart slows; he was kissing you, and you were kissing back.

You're too caught up in the contact of his hand in your hair and your fingers gracing his cheek to hear Taylor's car pull up outside the house next to the two of you.

Noah pulls away with a grin on his face you were certain couldn't get any bigger, he clears his throat, "It feels like I've been wanting to do that for a while,"

You hum in response, a blush growing on your cheeks because you would always feel that bubble of nerves when you saw him.

"Well don't you two move fast," Taylor calls out, jamming her key into the lock.

Noah turns and faces her, groaning and turning back to you. For a moment, he rests his forehead on your shoulder to hide his embarrassment but the contact still feels intimate.

Taylor laughs and heads into the house, knowing when it was her point to leave.

"I'm so sorry," He finally says, looking back at you again.

You shake your head, "There's definitely nothing to be sorry about,"

"I want you to come to the game tomorrow night," He states with the confidence in his voice to make you want to say yes.

"What about Leo?" You frown, your heart beating fast enough to burst.

"Why don't you bring him? I'm sure he would enjoy it as well and I want to spend more time with you," Noah grins, brushing a piece of hair from in front of your face to behind your ear.

"Okay," You reply, "I'll meet you there,"

Noah's grin remains on his face but falters as he presses a kiss to your cheek, standing to leave.

Your eyes follow him because you couldn't help it. He was perfect.

"Oh," He turns around, finger pointed directly at you, "And I expect the full blown cheerleader act. I'm talking banners, my name painted on your stomach and definitely a chant,"

"I'll see what I can do Centineo," You call back, watching him struggle with his key in the lock before Taylor finally let him into the house.

What had just happened? Was that a sort of date? Did you have to take it formally and act to impress? This was intense and definitely not something you'd normally do. But the idea excited you and so did Noah. He made you feel more human than just the girl who grew up too fast. He made you forget the million and one worries that normally flooded your thoughts. And, in those moments, he made you feel more loved than you ever did - even if neither of you were close to that point yet. He made you feel.

((Does anyone still actually like this? Please please let me know your thoughts, how is it going so far and how do you want it to continue (if at all)?))

[projectsoleil]

We Must Be Killers | The Detonator | RE: man.

“Lord almighty – ROGER!”

Leo’s eyes go wide as a gun is drawn – a gun drawn on Red nonetheless. Another step is taken towards the target, in an effort to show some semblance of defense. Beads of sweat drip down his forehead.

He knows it in his heart that he has no right to protest against Roger. He wasn’t afraid of pulling a weapon on an old friend either. He wasn’t afraid of vengeance – something Roger was perfectly capable of.

A gloved hand slowly inches away from his side, steadily reaching for his belt. He wants to stop it, because of course he does. Not just because that’s Red in front of the barrel – but because Roger was behind it.

Oh, geez. It’s like looking in a mirror. No wonder Leo Kaminsky got attached.

“Red…”

He thought having her here would set his head straight – instead he feels worse. Listening to Red insist that she was evil… trying to push everyone away. The moment she brings up Min, he remembers something, but can’t quite grasp the original words. What was it? What was it?

“That’s right… neither o’ us were in charge. Just followin’ orders.”

As much as it was just a job to Leo, this still fucking sucks to explain. When he looks at Shougo, there’s none of that confidence or cruelty on his face. Leo wears something more dull, more solemn – like the day Haruki and Min died.

“That… whole "greater good” thing. I wrote that so long ago that I… don’t remember much. That was just… more like someone else’s idea of a greater good. Somethin’ I was thinkin’ ‘bout after Collin died. It was bad enough that he… y'know. I didn’t think it should’ve been in vain. Not only that, at first I… I wanted to be a part o’ somethin’ while not gettin’ exploited for it. I went through hell at Titan, but the boss wasn’t like that. In fact… maybe you’re better off askin’ the boss 'bout the “greater good”.“

Leo glances over to Red, frowning as he studies her face. The last thing he wanted was for her to cry. Sure, he had acted for a large part of his stay on the island. But there was one thing that was true: he cared about Red. There was no one else on this island who understood him better.

"Red, I…”

With his other hand, he places a gentle hand on her shoulder. At this moment, he looks a lot more like the Leo everyone else had come to know. He looks genuinely worried. And depending on who is looking, they might be able to tell that this expression isn’t new to them. 

Even actors have to put down the mask sometimes.

“…”

He averts his gaze when the back-up plan is brought up. Another fucking accident.

“I didn’t mean to… I said I was sorry…”

“… Anyways, that’s true. We were both hired for our brains. This project had a lot to do with DNA splicin’ 'n buildin’. That’s why everyone’s bodies were preserved.”

He remembers something else – not what was running through his mind when he watched those tears but something else. Memories of crackling bonfires, bottles clinking together, harmonies laughter. Whether it was on a beach, or in a lab, the feeling stayed the same. 

“I… agree. I wish we all met before alla this.”

So, Leo drops his mask.

“S'true that a lotta my mannerisms 'n stuff were acted out, but… There were good times. In the beginnin’, I didn’t expect so many people to… care so much. I couldn’t act the whole time.”

He turns to the man holding a gun. No fear found in his eyes, only a solemn stare.

“That sleepover… was one o’ the best nights I’ve had. Um… I was cryin’ often, but… that night I cried for real. Not just 'cause I was touched – y'wanted to travel with Haruki 'round the word? Offered to take me too? I… um, well… I knew it’d never happen. That’s why… I…”

He feels something prick his eyes, immediately he turns to look away from Roger (Despite everything, he still thinks this hero was a much better role model for young Tori. One that Leo will never be).

“Ah, man… would y'all believe me if I said I quit the act 'round Mana after a long while? I miss her, that lil gremlin. But it was 'cause o’ me that she died…

… S'just as Red says, though. I knew what I was gettin’ into. I’ve lied so damn much, I don’t think y'all will ever believe me again. I got no room to be upset, so bein’ the villain I’ve always been… It’s better this way. Really, it’s better if y'all stick to hatin’ my guts.”

[riverofmemoriesft]

. In Tenebris . 15

Twister turned out to be loads of fun and even stranger than any other time Lucy had played it. After Natsu had calmed down and regained his usual attitude, they'd returned to the living room and joined in. The dragons were all surprisingly flexible, she realized. Natsu had bent so far the heels of his hands touched the heels of his feet and Sting had somehow nearly done the splits at one point.

Sprawled out flat on the floor beneath all of them, playful fear in her eyes, Wendy looked pleadingly at Gajeel. "Help me," she wailed.

He grinned, showing off sharp teeth, and called, "Right hand yellow!"

"Fuck," Rogue muttered, making Lucy laugh and Yukino giggle, because to be honest, neither expected him to use such a word. He just barely avoided Wendy's head as he stretched out and Lucy expertly shuffled around.

"I'm glad we had two mats," she told Levy as Levy reached for a spot on the second one, grunting with effort. "We'd never have all been able to play at the same time."

Juvia beamed, her thigh close enough to Gray's face that he was leaning as far away as he could without falling down.

Jellal, who'd chosen to not join in, chuckled. "Erza, watch Natsu's hand," he warned when she tried to move and nearly crushed it with her own.

"I hate you all," Natsu whined, moving his hand up a spot to give Erza room.

There was a sudden shriek as Lucy slipped and crashed to the ground. She flinched at the hard surface beneath her - which in all realities turned out to be Sting. He grunted, the breath driven from him, and beneath both of them, Yukino yelped.

Natsu cackled, looking very much like his regular self as he mocked, "Clumsy, are we, Lucy?"

Sting lightly pushed her off and grimaced. "I get that I burned you, but holy hell, woman, don't crush my spine and Yukino's." He rolled away, and the others that were left gave groans of relief as they were given more room. Lucy touched where she'd been wounded almost thoughtfully, as if she'd forgotten it.

Gajeel spun the wheel and called, "Right foot green!"

"No," Wendy wailed. "It's already on green!"

"Move over one circle," Natsu grunted, straining to get past Erza. "Just a little, Wendy, I'll take the old one and you can lean on my foot with your leg to keep balance."

Wendy did as he said and whined softly in pain, wanting to get off of her hands. "My stomach hurts," she whined. "It's burning!"

"Work those abs, Wendy, it's good for you," Gray ordered, struggling to get his foot over Juvia's head.

Natsu took on a devilish look and then spat a little fireball at Gray's hand. He yelped, darting it away and then gave an odd shriek as he landed on his arm awkwardly. "Shit, that hurt!" he shouted, withdrawing from the game, cradling his arm with a look of twisted pain.

"Natsu," Lucy scolded fiercely, moving to check. "I think you made him dislocate his shoulder!"

Wendy looked up. "I can see it if you want," she offered, but Gray glared at her and said darkly, "Wendy. Avenge me. Make sure that bastard loses."

"Gray," Lucy protested, but Wendy said firmly that she would make sure his sacrifice hadn't been in vain and the blonde couldn't help but giggle.

"I told you that doing fun things would help you feel better," Leo muttered, amused. "I like Wendy. She's like a little kitten."

Lucy muttered, "You're obsessed with cats now, aren't you, you freak?" She examined Gray's shoulder as he snickered at her talking to herself. His face was white with pain, so she didn't touch his shoulder as Gajeel announced that the next move was a "right hand green".

"Oh, my god," Levy breathed, terrified as Natsu gave her a devilish grin and reached past her head. "Don't burst into flames. Please. My wrists are too fragile to handle Rogue's weight, Natsu."

"I'm not that heavy," Rogue muttered, somehow squirming backwards to get his hand where it needed to be.

"You're cheating!" Wendy wailed when Juvia somehow turned her fingers to water and reached further than necessary. "Juvia!"

"Juvia is giving you the room you need," Juvia told her. "So that Natsu does not burn any of you."

"You are an honorable lady, Juvia," Rogue told her as Erza managed to succeed in getting her hand to the right place. Suddenly, however, Erza squealed uncharacteristically and went down, unintentionally flailing an arm and catching a stunned Rogue in the face with her elbow. He swore and rolled away, clutching his bloodied nose.

"No!" Sting wailed, "You were supposed to win, Rogue!"

"My face," he groaned.

"Forgive me, Rogue," Erza gasped, shaking out her arms to get rid of the burning in her muscles. "I did not intend to hurt you in such a way."

"Levy," Lucy said seriously, "It's up to you, Wendy, and Juvia now to defeat Natsu."

"Shit, my shoulder," Gray uttered, swearing under his breath. Wendy trilled anxiously, wanting to help him, but didn't dare move until Gajeel called out a "left foot blue". She glanced over her shoulder, eyeing Natsu suspiciously as heat washed over her foot.

He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows as he blocked her path to the blue circles.

Levy pleaded for him to move and Wendy took a deep breath before suddenly smirking. Her eyes flashed and there was a flicker of horror in Natsu's face as she inhaled. "Wendy," he began, "Wendy, don't you dare-"

He shouted in horror as she blasted him out of her way, sending him rolling straight into the dining room chairs. Beaming, she put her foot on the circle his had been on and hummed, "Natsu is out."

"Don't use dragon stuff and water on me," Levy gasped, "I don't have the skills you do."

"Juvia will win," Juvia bragged. "Juvia can turn into water and reach any spot on the mat."

"I want to retry," Sting added. "Can we restart with Juvia doing the circles? We've got Wendy if Gajeel's scales show up. I mean, she can heal the scratches, right?"

"She can," Natsu agreed.

Jellal eyed the mats. "I suppose I could join in...I don't normally play games like this, but…"

"Restart!" Delight flashed over the faces of all of those who'd been out and Wendy hurried to tend to wounds quickly. She grimaced after hastily stopping Rogue's nose bleed and turned her attention on Gray's shoulder. "I don't know how to fix that…"

"Dislocated," Levy confirmed. "Sting, Rogue, you guys are strong...do either of you know how to-"

"I've got it." Gajeel shoved the spinner into Juvia's hands and then stepped over. "Did it for my old man once upon a fucking time." Gray eyed him suspiciously as he neared him, but let him carefully prepare to put his shoulder back in place. "One, two…" On three, he made a sharp movement and there was a crack followed by a yelp as Gray instinctively decked him in the jaw.

Gajeel swore, reeling back. "What the fuck?!"

"I'm sorry," he groaned, rubbing his shoulder with a grimace as Wendy settled her hands lightly on it, tending to whatever muscles had been messed with. Within minutes, he was swinging it around, testing it to make sure it wasn't going to be giving him any trouble in the future. "This is great, Wendy, thanks!"

She beamed, proud of herself.

Lucy did a quick scan over as Natsu prepared himself for another round, grinning at her. Heading towards the right around the two mats, there was Natsu, Wendy, Gray, Gajeel, Levy, Erza, Jellal, Yukino, Sting, and Rogue. Lucy silently wondered how they'd ended up with so many people in one game of Twister, let alone in her house.

Juvia flicked the spinner. "Right hand blue!"

"Oh, here we go," Levy grunted, reaching. Everyone followed suit, some shuffling around to get to another mat. Lucy glared at Natsu, who could reach a circle with ease while she had to struggle a little.

"Right foot blue!"

"No," Wendy wailed. "My legs!"

"Look how flexible you are," Yukino said in horror as Wendy somehow got a leg far enough over. "How do your hips and legs even work, Wendy?"

"I don't know," Sting muttered darkly, "But it's not natural for someone that small to reach that far."

"I object very strongly to such a remark," Levy mused, looking to Juvia when she announced a left foot red. Now, people started to get tangled up. Lucy leaned over, flushing when Natsu tried to reach past her for the right circle, exceptionally close.

"Scooting past, Lucy," Gray announced, awkwardly sliding a foot beneath she and Natsu to reach one. Lucy flashed her friend a quick grin.

"Right hand yellow," Juvia called.

"Fuck the right hand, deal with my left!" Gajeel snarled, hopping a little to get to a yellow circle. Levy squealed when she almost fell, bumped by Rogue, but he was too focused on getting to his own circle to notice. Jellal bent over Yukino with ease, and Sting and Rogue bickered over one before Erza just took it.

"Left hand blue!"

"No more blue," Lucy growled.

The game continued on for a short while before it began to get hard. Levy was a brilliant red, practically shadowed by the dragon that towered over her, struggling to keep from slipping and crushing her petite form beneath his own. Wendy was nearly kneeling on Gray's back as he easily reached out, resting on his chest and stomach with all four limbs splayed out, leaving everyone screaming at him to move so they wouldn't fall.

Sweat dripped from Lucy's face as she held herself awkwardly, using Natsu to keep herself balanced. He didn't bother to mess her up by shaking her off, either. He let her lean against him as she focused on keeping herself from falling. Jellal awkwardly avoided Yukino with an apologetic look, and Sting glared at him as he tried to purposely nudge Erza just a little to try and knock the tower she had created, struggling to remain over Gajeel and Levy without falling on them because damn it, she knew just how small Levy was.

And then Juvia said the dreaded words.

"Right foot," she breathed, "Green."

The tower came down with a scream.

"Get off!" Levy screamed desperately, wailing as Gajeel squirmed, trying to get off of her without hurting Erza on the scales that had unintentionally risen to his skin in his shock.

"Everyone stop moving!" Juvia called, putting the spinner down. She quickly walked over and grabbed Erza beneath the arms, hauling her carefully off of Gajeel. "Kay!" she announced as Erza gasped, freed from the game, on the ground. "Gajeel, you can move now!"

Very carefully, he rolled away from Levy and she groaned in relief, heaving for air. Lucy laughed anxiously, aware that one wrong move would result in the rest of them falling to their demise. "You okay, Levy?"

"Now I am," she wheezed as Gajeel grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her out from underneath the rest of them, careful of her head when she reached the floor.

"Jellal," Erza said gravely as she sat up, giving him a fierce look. "You must win."

"I'll do my best," he promised with a chuckle, breathing heavily.

A sudden knock on the door caught Lucy's attention and she blinked. "I've got it," Levy called as all of the dragons froze, ready to bolt. No one moved a muscle, nervous. Gajeel forced the scales that had appeared away and Natsu released the flames that had gathered at his ankle near Gray. Sting and Rogue, on the other hand, exchanged nervous looks.

"It's okay!" she called suddenly. "Just Makarov! He brought Laxus and Mirajane over!"

"Mirajane?" Lucy called back, startled. "She knows about us?"

"Well, I am in a relationship with Laxus," Mirajane herself chuckled as she climbed a staircase. She paused at the top to stare at them. Laxus nearly tripped on her and Makarov joined them as Juvia said casually that the next move was a left hand yellow.

"What the fuck?" Laxus muttered, watching as they all carefully shuffled around.

"Not now, Laxus," Gray grunted, propping himself up, careful of Wendy, who was now using his back as a prop for her stomach. "We're in the middle of - watch it, Wendy!"

"Sorry," she trilled. Lucy reached around Yukino, Natsu squeezing a hand between them. Sting and Rogue managed to get their hands into place, Jellal finishing up with a carefully placed fingertip.

"Mmm, left foot green."

Down went Yukino when her foot slipped. She gasped as she just narrowly avoided knocking Wendy in the face with her foot. "Sorry!"

"I'm okay!" Wendy reassured as Erza dragged Yukino out of the tangle of people and limbs.

"You guys can have a seat," Levy laughed as she waved the newcomers in. "This will take a while. Lucy, make sure Natsu loses! I want you to win this time."

"It would be my greatest honor to defeat Natsu in a game of Twister," Lucy said somberly as she followed Juvia's next instruction. She whimpered at the awkward position of her leg and then grimaced when Jellal slid a hand beneath her, glaring at him. "You're flexible, too?"

"I have my reasons," he said calmly as Wendy finally threw herself the entire way over Gray's back, expertly slapping her hand down to keep her face off of the ground. Gray had to heave himself off the ground and join them in agony.

Sting, half under Rogue, said shakily, "I can't feel my arm."

"I don't think any of us can at this point," Lucy told him.

Levy laughed and then launched into an explanation of everything that had happened for the Dreyars and Mirajane, starting from the moment she and Lucy had purchased the house. Natsu listened alongside the others as she talked, though Gajeel managed to catch the majority of the mistakes.

As they spoke, the game continued. It wasn't long before Gray fell, taking Wendy down with him. Gray playfully grabbed Wendy by her ankles, holding her upside down. She giggled hysterically as she tried to hold her shirt up to keep it from showing off her belly. Mirajane wore a warm look as Wendy trotted over to greet her when Gray had gently set her down.

"Right foot blue," Juvia hummed.

"I will attempt another kidnapping, Lucy," Sting said darkly as she wiggled her eyebrows and did as one of the Spirits - unnamed - ordered her to do: steal the spot he'd been aiming for. "And I will succeed."

"I don't know," Rogue drawled, stealing the second one his friend went after. "She's good at throwing herself out windows now."

"I forgot you did that," Sting muttered, blinking.

"Lucy's badass," Natsu huffed, twisting himself beneath the blonde to grab a spot.

"How are you feeling, Lucy?" Makarov asked, watching with a chuckle. "Levy came to me, but we never really heard about what happened until just yesterday. Are you feeling alright?"

Lucy, sweating as she tried to get around Rogue for the next move, gasped, "I'm feeling a lot better. Thanks, Makarov. Levy mentioned...damn it, Natsu!" she shrieked as he tried to nudge her. "Levy mentioned what you agreed to do even though we never got around to needing your help."

Makarov smiled warmly as he watched Rogue sacrifice himself for Lucy, shifting in a way that he knew would result badly for him. He grunted as he fell, leaving just Jellal, Sting, Natsu, and Lucy. Turning his attention on Wendy, he greeted warmly, "You must be Wendy. Levy and Natsu mentioned you to me."

She flushed, embarrassed. "I am Wendy," she agreed, shaking his hand with Levy murmuring at how to do so. "It's nice to meet you."

He chuckled and then pulled back. "I hear you like to heal people. Is that true?"

Wendy nodded. "Mhm. I'm good at it. I helped Lucy with her head when it hurt before we started our game." She glanced over her shoulder as Juvia called a new combination and Sting managed to reach past Lucy's chin. Jellal did a little flip, sending his foot over his head, and Natsu gaped under his arm.

"I was discussing it with Mira on the way here," Makarov began. "But perhaps you would like to go and learn with a friend of mine about someday working in the medical field?"

Sting swore, falling as Natsu jolted in shock, snapping his head at an awkward angle to stare at Makarov, a suspicious look in his onyx eyes. "Damn it!" Sting hissed, crawling away. He slumped onto his back, letting his arms and legs rest. "That hurt!"

"Are you trying to take Wendy from us?" Natsu growled, ignoring him. He glared viciously.

"I'm not taking Wendy away," Makarov said, shaking his head with an amused look even as Laxus rolled his eyes and prayed to the heavens above for patience. "I thought, perhaps, that Wendy merely may be interested in using the abilities she's been given to help others."

Wendy's gaze snapped to him. Her eyes widened. "I could do that?" she trilled anxiously. "But...my feathers-"

Laxus grunted. "Ya can learn to control 'em, kid. I started out with just as many scales as we hear he started with." Her jerked his chin in Gajeel's direction. "Takes a year or two. Gotta learn to control emotions."

Natsu growled. His eyes blazed accusingly as Juvia calmly told them the next one. Frustrated, the pink-haired mage not-so-nicely jerked his hand so that he knocked Jellal down. Jellal wheezed for air as he hit the wooden floors with a thump.

"Natsu," Lucy scolded furiously. "That was mean!"

He growled again. "They're trying to take Wendy away! Just lose, Luce, you can't beat me!"

"They're not trying to take Wendy away, dumbass," Gajeel huffed. "They're giving us options should we ever want to leave and go elsewhere." He eyed them. "How hard is it? Controllin' the scales?"

Mirajane hummed. "From what Laxus told me, it's just something that takes practice. They come with anger and fear and sadness. If you can keep a handle on those, you'll be fine."

Gajeel nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Natsu growled. He reached for blue, escaping Lucy's limbs and freeing himself. Lucy groaned in relief when Jellal rolled away. "Lucy's gonna call my brother. I'm goin' to visit him."

Juvia dropped the spinner. "You're what?"

"Are you stupid?" Gray demanded. "You have to be. What the hell, man?"

"Zeref," Lucy said calmly, glancing expectantly at Juvia for the next direction. "Demanded he be given Natsu to do one more experiment on as well as regular updates on those of us who have been experimented on. He's promised people like doctors and stuff to keep them healthy. Natsu's supposed to come back."

"We can't just say no if it's doctors he's offering," Gajeel admitted. He glared at Natsu, however. "Are you seriously just gonna waltz up to him?"

"Yes." Natsu squirmed to the next spot that Juvia called out. "I'm not gonna let him hurt anyone like he's been hurting us."

"As Mard Greer plots to kidnap me," Levy said dryly. When she earned shocked looks, she shrugged. "In his letter, he claimed that I was going to be next. Let him come. We've got five dragons to kick their asses."

"I still want to know who grabbed Lucy," Sting muttered, rubbing his arms. "That bastard was intimidating."

"Strong," Lucy agreed. "He had me out of here in under a minute."

"Fuck, never thought I'd be listening to people talking about this like it's normal," Laxus said under his breath before eyeing Gajeel with narrowed eyes. "Redfox, right? Your old man's shop is up for sale."

Silence fell as Gajeel stared at him, eyes wide. And then he clenched his jaw. "Levy-"

"I'll get it purchased for you," Makarov cut in. "You need some sort of income. I'll contact Porlyusica for Wendy, purchase the shop for you. Natsu," he continued, turning to the pink-haired man who was trying to reach the next color. "Is there anything you would like in particular? Something that will perhaps help you be able to live alone without relying so heavily on Lucy and Levy?"

He froze, thinking as Lucy shifted, her warm body sliding expertly to awkwardly twist around him. "Yeah," he said suddenly, speaking quietly. "I like fire. Is there something with fire I could do?"

"Entertainment, maybe. We could get you a spot in the Fantasia Parade. The people would think it visual effects." Mirajane contemplated.

"I'm gonna re-start my old man's place," Gajeel said suddenly. "Need flames that'll melt and mold things. He could work in it."

"I'll do that," Natsu decided. "Don't wanna go away from my family. Wendy has to come work, too, sometimes."

Lucy's gaze softened as she reached for a spot over his head. "I'm sure we can arrange that."

Wendy hummed her agreement.

"What about us?" Sting demanded and Rogue grunted in agreement. "We can't just hang around here!"

"I need to hire someone for my bookstore." Levy thought of the shop she'd been visiting on occasion the past few days, apologizing to her friends who'd been running it for her. She thought over it. "If Yukino wouldn't mind be hired there...but don't you guys have a home in Crocus?"

Rogue was the one who spoke quietly about the matter. "We can't go home like this."

"One or both of you could come work in my mom's place if you don't mind me revealing you being dragons to her," Gray suggested. "Ultear's heading out to another town for schooling with Meredy, and Lyon's going to chase after them of course."

"Ur is incredibly trustworthy," Erza agreed. "And if all else fails, Fairy Tail always needs someone."

"Fairy Tail," Makarov said quietly, "Is undergoing some changes." Laxus and Mirajane hadn't expected this, apparently, because both looked to him in surprise. He'd proudly raised his chin. "With what's happened recently, it's time that someone gather enough information to shut down companies like that supporting Zeref's work. If that is alright with all of you, of course."

Jellal looked surprised as he glanced at him. "What do you think to do, Makarov? They know everything about those who work for them."

"I suppose that we could start with you," Makarov chuckled. "Sit down, talk about everything you can think of that would help bring such a place down. You'd have to be willing to sign the information with your name. It'll allow us to post the work for news agencies to see."

"Wait," Lucy said as she poked her foot out and slid, just barely catching herself. "You realize that some of us will end up under a knife if the government finds out about this, right?"

"Not," Mirajane reassured, "If we can get the sympathies of the public. Make friends in town. As many as you can. Your name alone gives you power in the government, Lucy. Being a Heartfilia...you're practically untouchable."

"Maybe so," Lucy replied. Natsu looked to Juvia for the next instruction. "But - shit, watch out!" She nearly fell over when Natsu jerked to keep from falling himself. "But that does nothing for the rest of them."

"Can your father provide immunity?" Levy suggested, pressing her lips together.

"Maybe," Lucy admitted. "I could ask. He'll demand something in return. Marriage, moving back home, etc. I mean, maybe if it was something tiny, but asking him to stand against the government is a huge deal. If it keeps the rest of these guys safe, though, I'd be willing to throw myself at the government."

"Hey. Don't forget we're here," a voice snapped warningly in Lucy's head - heavy, masculine, raspy. Leo introduced him as Scorpio. "We're affected by whatever you're affected by."

"We wouldn't let you," Levy disagreed, and then leaned back, arms crossed. "Before we even consider revealing any of this, however, we need to get the dragons and the rest of them settled in. I mean, Juvia didn't get any offers on things to do."

Juvia's gaze fluttered up from beneath her eyelashes, her gaze sharp. "Juvia will work with Gajeel."

"What she said," Gajeel grunted. "Anyone want a job with me, they can have it."

"I agree," Makarov told them. "I would like to implant a spy. I considered Mira, but Laxus won't allow it."

Mirajane pouted, earning a glare from Laxus. "No, Mira. No."

"I'll do it."

Everyone turned to look fiercely at Erza. Jellal's gaze hardened with disapproval. Erza offered them a warm smile of reassurance as she told them, "I'm sure Zeref wouldn't say no to a curious person, and if Lucy could make it seem like I'm honestly curious and turning towards what they're doing than what's going on here, I can pass on warnings and such."

Jellal touched her arm. "You won't like what you see," he said quietly. "Kyouka alone...you've seen the results of her work on Lucy."

Lucy touched her temple with one hand and then caught herself as Juvia gave them the next direction. "Erza, it's dangerous, and they know who you are…"

Erza shrugged her shoulders. "Even better. I'll let them do what they wish to me experiment-wise if it will get the information we need to get this operation shut down entirely." Everyone voiced their disapproval - particularly Jellal, who was fiercely encouraging this as a bad idea.

Erza rolled her eyes and turned to Makarov. "Consider me hired."

Makarov gave her a long look. She returned it, not once backing down. Finally, he acknowledged her with a nod. Angry, Jellal stormed towards the stairs, frustrated with them. Erza trailed after him, throwing an apologetic farewell over her shoulder. She rushed after Jellal, calling for him with a fierce tone.

Suddenly, Natsu yelped. He went down and accidentally knocked Lucy down. She cried out and collapsed on top of him, and he wheezed beneath her. "Heavy!"

She kicked him with her heel and threw up her hands in triumph, several voices in her head cheering. "I win!"

Natsu pouted beneath her, and Levy giggled, shaking her head.

"Cute," was all Levy said before turning her attention back on Makarov, fully intending to figure out who was going to possess the title to Gajeel's shop.