#sylus x f!oc

[razzmatash]

Kiss Me Quick Day 3 - Kiss in the snow & "Take my coat" Love and Deepspace Sylus x f!OC 1328 words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

Watching the fat, fluffy flakes fall from the sky, Sylus barely felt them as they landed on him. He knew he shouldn’t be here, that they had agreed to keep workplace visits to a minimum, but he’d broken faster than he’d thought he would. After days of seeing her, days of being with her, suddenly not having that had scraped him the wrong way. So he’d travelled into Linkon during the middle of the day and was now waiting in one of the outdoor areas of the hospital.

He had it all to himself, the weather keeping most people inside. Even with the heat lamps turned on, everyone would rather be completely surrounded by warmth. He was glad for it as it left him with the quiet of his thoughts and the anticipation that she was coming. She knew he was there and was waiting for an upcoming break to join him.

Keeping his hands in his pockets, he fiddled with the coin there, rolling it between his fingers. The Arctic expedition had wrapped up without any other issues and he’d managed to get her back to the team without anyone being aware he was even there. But for two glorious days, it had just been the two of them. The storm had made it like the rest of the world had fallen away and he’d gotten to revel in the undivided attention of her. And given his back to her. No work, no business, no nothing; just them.

His breath steamed in front of him as he exhaled slowly. Maybe, once the holidays were over, he could convince her to take some time off and whisk her away on a trip for just the pair of them. He knew better than to try to ask for it earlier than that but after? She had to have some time banked that she could use since he also knew she wasn’t going to let him cover whatever she’d miss from not working. It would be so simple to get the funds to her but with her skills, she’d get it back in his account before he realized it.

One day she would let him take care of her without pushing back.

Hearing the door click behind him, Sylus twisted and smiled as he saw Calliope stepping outside but it quickly turned into a frown. “Where’s your coat?”

“If I grabbed it, I would have lost time on my break. I only have fifteen minutes right now.”

That was not going to work. Shrugging out of his heavy coat, he quickly wrapped it around her and considered giving her the scarf as well. “You still should have grabbed it.”

She shook her head, smiling faintly. “You made it sound urgent so I wasn’t going to lose time.”

Her well-being outweighed his need to see her. Always.

Calliope looked at him curiously, saying, “You didn’t say why you needed to come here. Are you alright?”

“No,” he said honestly.

Concern immediately crossed her face and he watched her eyes dart over him from behind her glasses. “Are you hurt? It’s the middle of the day. Do the clouds help with the sun? Should we go inside?”

Ah, wrong phrasing. Definitely the wrong way to put it. Reaching out, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him. Concern shifted into surprise before melting into understanding. “Just stay with me,” he said quietly.

Her expression softened and she reached up to stroke his face. “You’re too cold,” she scolded gently. “You shouldn’t have stayed out here.”

“I don’t mind the cold.”

Humming, she rose up on her toes and gave him a gentle tug down. “Then I’d better warm you up,” she said before kissing him.

Holding her steady as she swayed on her feet, Sylus tugged her a little closer to let her brace against him. His other hand cradled the back of her head and he hummed as he swiped his tongue across her lips before slipping past them. She was so warm against him, so soft as she melted into him. Little noises left her as he continued to kiss her, swallowing all of them and craving even more.

She made a little mumbling protest as he lifted his mouth from hers before it dissolved into a moan as he fit himself over her again. Her hands slid past his face and into his hair, clutching at him as he didn’t give her any reprieve. He wanted everything she had to give him. He wanted everything she had given in that little cabin in the middle of a snowstorm.

“Sylus,” she gasped as he moved to press more kisses against her warm skin.

Nuzzling into her cheek, he murmured, “Don’t make me stop. Not yet.”

“Someone’s going to see us.”

He didn’t care. All he was doing was kissing her. That was hardly groundbreaking and the other nurses already wanted more gossip about him. Let them look, let them see just how much he loved her.

But she cared because she was the one that had to field all the questions. She cared because this was her workplace. She cared because she didn’t like having to lie about them.

Moving back to her mouth, he dropped a soft, quick kiss on her parted lips. His curled into a smile as he looked at her. “Do you know what you look like?”

She took a deep breath and glanced up at him. “Happy?”

“Very much so.” He wanted her happier, wanted to wipe away the dark circles growing under her eyes. He wanted her. “What are you doing tonight?”

Calliope laughed softly, shaking her head. “Sleeping.”

“Is there room for dinner?”

She leaned into him and kissed him again. “Always. You should go to my place and get a nap or something before I’m off.”

He didn’t really want to leave but he knew she had a point. Even with the clouds, he was feeling sluggish. He had a safe house that was closer than her condo but if given the choice, he’d rather sleep in her bed. Her security wasn’t quite as strong but it was hers and that made all the difference.

Another soft kiss from her that ended with her rubbing her nose against his. “Go home and get out of the cold. I don’t need you getting sick.”

“I don’t get sick.”

Rolling her eyes, Calliope dropped back down and let her hands slide out of his hair. “Everyone gets sick. You aren’t immune to that just because you’re relatively indestructible.”

He brushed his hand over her hair, gently wiping away the snowflakes clinging to her curls. “The position for my personal nurse is still open,” he teased.

“Mm, are you sure I’m qualified for that position?”

Leaning down, he stole another kiss from her, enjoying the way her cheeks reddened further with pleasure. “You’re the only one that is.”

“Well, I’d better negotiate a ridiculous salary if I’m the only one.”

“Whatever you want,” he purred.

She watched him for a moment before shaking her head at him. “Not the way to do business, Sylus.”

Wasn’t it though? What did money matter if he was getting what he wanted? Kissing her forehead, he finally admitted that he needed to go. Her skin was starting to get chilled and he didn’t want her getting ill either. Turning her back to the door, he kept one arm around her as he led her back inside. “I’ll come get you when your shift is over,” he said as she took his jacket off to give it to him.

Nodding, she smiled up at him. “Go home, Sylus. I’ll see you soon.”

He watched her walk down the hall to get back to her ward, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest. Home was wherever she was but she’d be back with him soon enough and he’d get another evening with her where it was only them.

[karespocketboyfriends]

𝚁𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢

𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 2024 𝙳𝚊𝚢 𝚃𝚠𝚘

Sylus X Evie (OC)

Warnings -> 18+ NSFW (roleplay kink/use of ‘husband/wife’/oral m&f receiving/finishing in her mouth/penetration via fingers), situationship dynamic

An original fan-fiction for Love and Deepspace. I appreciate reblogs but reposting to Tumblr or any other site is not okay with me.

Crossing the threshold into Sylus’ private room, I raise a hand to fan myself. It does nothing to cool the burning sensation in my cheeks, a feeling that’s been present the entire course of the evening.

The door closes behind me, a pair of footsteps heavier than mine following me further inside. “Still flustered?”

I cut him a glare. His smirk is too arrogant, tone too amused. “I wonder what on earth could have caused this reaction.”

Sylus mocks a hum and crosses his arms. “Let’s see… It’s certainly not the alcohol.”

I turn to face him, hands on my hips.

“It can’t be that man who eyed you like a prize all night.” With long, slow strides, he crosses the distance between us. He doesn’t stop until I have to tilt my head back to look up at him, our chests almost touching with every rise and fall of our breaths. “Could it be because I called you my wife?”

Heat explodes in my cheeks again. “Someone failed to tell me that was the plan. I wasn’t prepared for the story we spun.”

My heart is pounding against my ribcage so hard, I can feel it ricochet off my bones. Shadows fall over his stupidly attractive face like a form of art as he tilts his head, the contrast making his ruby eyes glow. His smirk does little to curb his appeal. He’s alluring on a regular basis, but right now, he’s downright sinful.

I realize too late that my thighs are squeezing together, and I subtly shift my weight to snap out of it.

Sylus chuckles. There’s no way he’s buying my excuse. “Does the thought of being my wife make you shy, kitten?”

“No.” I fire my response off too quickly, and it only makes that insufferable grin grow. “Don’t pretend like you weren’t puffing you chest out every time I called you my husband. Admit it, you’d be proud to have a wife like me.”

By the shift in the air, in his eyes, I know I just set something into motion. “I would? Since we’re on the subject, indulge me. How would you greet your husband when he comes home?”

This is a dangerous game. A very, very dangerous game. I shouldn’t play this game.

But I want to.

My heart is begging me not to act, not to torture it again, but I ignore it. Standing on the tips of my toes, I cup Sylus’ cheeks in my hands and press a long but chaste kiss to his lips. I feel him grow tense, eyes narrowing softly as I pull away.

I smile up at him, and I don’t have to try hard at all to make it genuine. I almost hate that I don’t. “Welcome home. Would you like something to eat, or should I get the shower going for you?”

His nostrils flare with his next exhale, the air around him heavy with something possessive. The look on his face is so raw with emotion it makes my heart stop, but it doesn’t last long.

The mask he’s so good at wearing slips back on before I can blink, appearing so fast I start to wonder if I imagined that I saw. “That’s rather docile of you, kitten.”

I roll my eyes and drop back onto my heels. “You asked me a question, and I answered it. How would you want your wife to greet you, Sir?”

“That’s easy.” He places a hand on my cheek, thumb running over my lips. “I’d want her in our bed, naked and waiting for instruction.”

My teeth catch the inside of my cheek, a throbbing sensation starting between my legs. I part my lips to speak, but not before teasing the pad of his thumb with a swipe of my tongue. “A simple enough request to fulfill.”

I take a step back, moving slowly towards his bed. The room grows hot with each step, sizzles with electricity so dangerous it threatens to shock me. I welcome it, letting my hair down from the elegant updo it was styled in and stepping out of my heels. Sylus hasn’t moved from his spot, and I don’t shy away from his eyes as I unzip my dress and slip out of it, letting the expensive fabric pool on the floor.

I’m catching fire beneath his gaze as I ditch my bra and underwear along with it, then crawl onto the bed and settle in the middle of it, sitting on my knees with my hands on my thighs. “Like this?”

“That’s perfect, sweetie.”

Sylus loses the coat draped over his shoulders as he approaches. He’s moving at a relaxed pace, not a shred of urgency to it. He isn’t worried about me going anywhere, because he and I both know this is exactly where I want to be.

He stops at the foot of the bed and motions for me to rise. “Tell me again.”

I lift up onto my knees and hold onto his broad shoulders for support. “Welcome home, Sylus.”

Pinching my chin between his thumb and index finger, Sylus pulls me into a brutal kiss. He bands an arm around my waist and pulls me flush against him, tongue pushing its way into my mouth to consume everything that I am. I match his intensity, fingers working their way into his hair to lightly play with the silver strands and scratch his scalp.

My hands don’t stay in his hair for long. The feeling of his warm palms travelling up and down and across my back encourages me to move my own. They go right for his chest, but the second my fingers graze the button of his shirt to undo it, he catches my both my wrists in a single hand.

Breaking the kiss, Sylus speaks against my lips as I pant, breath tickling my skin. “What are you up to, wife?”

A long, quiet moan escapes me, but I’m not so far gone that I can’t match his energy. “You had a long day, husband. I just want to make you feel good.”

“Is that so?” He slowly taps the back of my hand with his index finger. His smirk is so alluring, I have to stop myself from leaning into him. If my face ends up any closer, we’ll be kissing again. “I’m sure my wife can come up with a better idea.”

His prompting sparks mischief in my blood. Wiggling my wrists free, I place a hand beneath his chin and guide his face across the short distance until our mouths meet again. This kiss is slower, deeper, more sensual than the one we shared before. I’m surprised he’s letting me led, but instead of questioning it, I grasp the opportunity.

Dropping my hands to his belt, I unbuckle it with the same patience set in our kisses. Sylus drops one arm down by his side, the other moving from my back to lightly wrap his hand around my throat, holding my head in place. I hum at the feel of it, the warmth around my neck familiar and much welcomed. It doesn’t stay there for long - as soon as the button and zipper are out of the way and he’s free of his slacks, he easily lets me escape so I can drop down to my knees and elbows.

Sylus hisses as I lick a long, slow stripe up the underside of his thick shaft. He’s solid, the tip almost angry for attention. I circle it once with the tip of my tongue before swallowing him down.

The breathy sound that leaves him sounds like relief, and it spurs me to take him as deep as I comfortably can. Only half of him will fit before my throat is full, and I have to use a hand so that no part of him is neglected.

Sylus brushes all my hair over one shoulder, then glides a hand along the length of my back. “What a good little wife you’d make. Is this what you read about in all those dirty books of yours?”

I can’t help but huff a small laugh around him. He’s not wrong - those ‘dirty books of mine’ have given me several ideas to incorporate into some of our games. Ideas that I’m sure blew his mind, even if he didn’t show it.

“Fuck, Evie.” He growls as start to please him more intensity.

I focus on breathing through my nose, trying to prevent from choking and having to stop. Sylus is heavy in my hand, hot against my tongue, starting to pulse against my cheeks-

I don’t stop until he’s spilling down my throat, his hand a tight fist in my hair. Only when I’m sure that he has nothing left to give do I pull off him.

Licking my lips, I look up at him only to be left speechless. His eyes are narrowed and glazed, hair messy as if he had been running his hand through or pulling on it, breath heavy and face flushed. I’ve seen how he gets when I touch his chest and abs, but this…

This is a first, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

Without warning, I’m being grabbed beneath my knees and flipped onto my back. I gasp at the sudden turn of events, barely getting a second to process it before Sylus dives between my legs and starts to feast.

I cry out at the sudden stimulation, back arching and hands grabbing fistfuls of his dark sheets. “Sylus!”

He briefly pauses his attack to slip a finger inside me. His middle one, I think, and he curls it until I’m crying for him again.

Sylus shushes me, parting my folds so he can flick his tongue over my clit. “Be a good wife and take what your husband gives you, Evie.”

SFW Masterlist || NSFW Masterlist || Kinktober

[seradyn]

Rules for Requests

I’ve had this account for about a year and have just now realized I don’t have any rules for asks/requests, so I decided to make some! 😁

Ground Rules

I’m always happy to write, but please read these before you make a request!

Do not read my writing if you are not 18+. Some of it may include things that are disturbing to some, so please be mindful of TWs.

I’m only willing to write for the fandoms I am interested in. I do not feel I could do justice to those I have no knowledge or experience with. I primarily write F!Reader x Character, but I am also happy to write ships, scenarios, etc. (see below for more details).

I am also happy to answer personal questions, though I will not give you identifying information.

What I will write:

Head cannons

Drabbles/one-shots

Scenarios/Prompts

Short stories

Ships

Cannon

AUs

Reader x Character/Cannon

Gore and violence

Sexual content, including noncon

Fluff, angst

LGBTQ+

What I will not write:

Abuse

Yandere

Your OCs (….except maybe Cahl. Iykyk 😘)

Polyships

Love triangles

Underage

Genderbending

If your ask features racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or is in any way built around presenting hate in a positive way, I will block you. I will not tolerate your bigotry.

This is an 18+ blog, meaning I am willing to write NSFW and sensitive topics. However, this is still down to my discretion; I will decide on a case by case basis what I am comfortable writing. You’re always free to ask, but please don’t take it personally if I do not feel comfortable fulfilling your request 😊

Fandoms

This list is of all the fandoms and their characters that I’m willing to write. Please do not ask for things outside of this list, because I probably won’t want to write it. However, the list is subject to change.

The characters are listed in order from most interested to least interested, and any characters not listed I will not write for. Fandoms are in no particular order.

FFXV

Ardyn, Chocobros, Ravus, Cor, Areana, Lunafreya, Nyx

FFVII

Sephiroth, First Class SOLDIERS, Zack, Cloud, Turks, Remnants, Rufus, Vincent

The Evil Within

Ruben Victoriano/Ruvik, Sebastian Castellanos, Leslie Withers, Juli Kidman, Joseph Oda

Resident Evil Village

Karl Heisenberg

Baldur’s Gate 3

Astarion Ancunin

Love and Deepspace

Sylus, Rafayel, Xavier

I do not accept commissions, or payment for my work. I’m doing this purely for the fun of it. However, this means the turn around for requests may be longer, if I get flooded with them, have irl stuff to deal with, or am working on my own fanfics. Please be patient 💕

Everything I write will be posted to my Masterlist and AO3, unless they’re really sort.

Please do not copy or plagiarize my work. This includes for training AI.

Thank you for taking the time to read! Feel free to send me an ask/request, or just chat me up 😁😁

[goldenangelbloodcastiel]

Oh! First one that comes to mind is Sylus and it’s by @chaoslovesmisery ! They have an 8part fic so far that is about F!Mephisto Shifter x Sylus, MC is stil included but not the love of I’m following it along correctly..😅 I’ve linked their wattpad as well but they post the updates here too!

https://www.wattpad.com/user/ChaosLovesMisery?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_profile&wp_page=user_details&wp_uname=SisterKat

***

My other love that writes for the LADS is @janumun and they have some really good ones! Some of their works are based off cards and others are whatever they happen to envision! They’re very fun to talk to and have really been a great introduction into the fandom for me! 💕

***

@hitoshitoshi Has wonderful SFW and NSFW F!Reader stories for all the fans. They have a few fics for each of our LADS men, feel free to indulge!

***

@xvysarene Makes F!Reader fics and I believe they have some Headcanons too! They’ve written at least one story for each man and have a very pretty aesthetic too their writing 😍!

***

These are just a few of my fav writers and fellow LADS fans, (I am still deep-diving into their writing 🙈) and there are plenty more out there!

I hope this helps but I’m not sure if your looking for fics that are tagged F!Reader xLADS and not MC, but still might follow certain story points/cards or if you’re wanting entirely new, almost OC characters. Either way, I hope you find what you’re looking for!

I feel like, for the most part, the fandom is still pretty new and finding our way around. But a lot of time it’s just digging and waiting on new fics to come out! I hope you find some you enjoy and please, share if you feel like it 😉. Have a good read!

***

Ugh how DARE I forget to add @loveanddeepthroat because their fics and HCs I literally CANNOT get enough of & can’t stop reblogging!

Also, everytime I see their name I giggle cuz I love it so much. ♥️ they are a GEM (ty for following me lovely 👉🏻👈🏻)

Does anyone knkw where i can find or has links to stories involving Sylus or Zayne or Rafayel x Reader where Reader is not MC?? im finding it so rare on ao3 and tumblr that it breaks my heart💔

[aztecbrujeria]

~Masterlist~

Started: 06/12/2021

Updated: 09/06/2022

Total Works:51

Descent into Madness...300 Follower Collab

Reminder:

🍊G-PG, 🟢PG-13, 🍋R-NC17, 👹EXPLICIT DARK CONTENT, 🌈PRIDE PIECES

~JJK~

HC’s: 🍋Choso morning HCs, 🍋Sukuna HC’s, 🍋Nanami HC's

Requests: 🍋JJK NSFW HC: SPIT

Drabbles: 🍊Always Remember, 🍋Toji Fushiguro drabble, 🍋MTF Choso x Masc. NB Reader, 🍋Maki x F!reader 🍋🌈FTM Trans Sukuna x Reader

Collabs: 🍋Pragma & Ludus: Toji Fushiguro x F! Reader, 🍋Virgin Choso x F!Reader w/ Exp., 🍋Piercer Choso x F!Reader, 👹Hip To Be Scared, 🍋Yaga Masamichi x Plus Size Reader

Series: 🍋👹Wolfsbane: TojiGo Assassin AU, 🍋Birds of Paradise: WW2 Pilot TojixF!Latina Nurse

Mood Boards: 🍊Naraka x Sukuna

~MHA~

HC’s: 🍋What if Izuku HC, 🍋Before Bed…Shinso, 🍋My Emo Prince...Shoto, 🍋MHA Boys X Star Wars RP HC

Requests: 🍋Shoto x Black afab reader: office Sex

One Shots: 🍋One Percent: Izuku x Chubby f! reader

Collabs: KiriBaku Punk AU Bang🍋

Art pieces: commissioned flower boys

~HQ~

HC’s: 🍋Osamu Miya (Power Lifter), 🍋Daddy Daichi, 🍊HC Comfort for When you're told you're not good enough

Requests: 🍋Shower request

Drabbles: 🍋Red Lace Kuroo x Reader, 🟢Dr. Sugawara Gossip, 🍋Akaashi x F!Reader, 🍋Atsumu Miya x GN Reader, 🍋UshiTen x Reader, 🍊🌈Osamu x NB Reader: Trans Tape, 🌈MTF Trans Ushi x F!Reader

One Shots: 🍋The Fox’s Bindings: Kita Shinsuke x Reader, 🍋Bar Fight: Iwaizumi Haihime x Ava (F! OC) 🍋The Meeting: Inarizaki Clan x  Shiratorizawa x OC’s, 🍋La Lotería (Hinata Shoyo, Sakusa Kiyomi, Bokuto Kotarou, OC intro), 🍋Lipstick, 🌈🍋Peach Lingerie

HQ Mafia AU (Ongoing Series):🍋Vixen Uncaged: Haikyu Mafia AU

Mood Boards: 🍊Suna Rintarō, 🍊Oikawa

~Fire Force~

HC’s: In coming

Drabble: In Coming

One Shots: 🍋Benimaru x Y/N “My Little Daifuku”

~Tokyo Revengers~

HC's: In Coming

Drabble: 🍋Taiju Shiba x Fiesty F!Reader

One Shots: Incoming

~Underrated Fandoms (Bleach, Devil's Line, All Out, Run With the Wind, Moriarty the Patriot, etc...)~

HC's: 🍋Sekizan x F!Reader

Drabbles: 👹Aizen x F!Reader, 🍊🌈Gray-Ace Xiao x Trans Reader, 🌈🍋Bisexual Alucard x M! Reader, Work Study: Kunikida Doppo BSD

One Shots: 🍊The Outlaw: James Bonde x OC Intro

A Kittens Corvid: Sylus L&DS x Self Insert

Stay Tuned...

[razzmatash]

Warm Me Up Day 2 - Trapped in a snowstorm Love and Deepspace Sylus x f!OC 1622 words Read on Ao3 Warnings: slightly suggestive at the end banner by firefly-graphics

How had this happened?

Watching the storm rage outside, Calli curled in on herself a little tighter. She never should have agreed to join this expedition. She didn’t need the money and that was the only reason to join something like this. She knew that everyone had to do one rotation a year on a more remote expedition but why had she agreed to go north? And why had she left it for so late in the year?

Her only consolation was the fact that the little way station she’d found was well insulated and had enough energy to last the storm. But she was here by herself with no way to contact the outside world until the storm passed. She’d tried to radio in where she was but she wasn’t sure if it had gone through. All she could do now was wait out the storm.

Pulling the blanket around her shoulders a little closer to her, she gazed out the window listlessly. When she got back to civilization, she was going to submerge herself in a hot tub and not leave for a week. Maybe she’d apply for a vacation and go further south. She didn’t want to see any snow anytime soon and Linkon City was due for it’s first snowfall soon. Maybe she could convince Sylus to take her on a holiday.

Calli snorted at herself. Convince him? All she had to do was suggest the idea and he’d leap all over it. Any chance to spend time with her took priority and if it was just the two of them? She’d be lucky if she finished her thought before he was asking where she wanted to go.

A heavy sigh left her and she plunked her chin down on her knees. Thinking about him just made her miss him, even though this expedition was only for a week and they had been apart for longer than that. Maybe it was because she was alone here with absolutely no chance for help that had her wishing he was there with her. She could take care of herself but she wouldn’t have minded someone to talk to to help pass the hours. Or cuddle. He kicked out so much heat she wouldn’t need a damn blanket with him around. Maybe-

Frowning, she stared harder out the window. That couldn’t be someone coming toward the little cabin. It just couldn’t. It was the middle of a storm and no one from the base would have been allowed to go out in it. The only people out here were Hunters and the crews that had come to support them. It didn’t look like a Wanderer but...she wasn’t so sure she wanted to spend a snowstorm trapped with a stranger. No matter how lonely she was.

She scrambled off the chair and stumbled toward the door. She hadn’t bothered to lock it when she’d come inside earlier, the storm already picking up enough she’d known that no one else would be coming in after her. Now she regretted it. Being in the middle of nowhere didn’t mean she could suddenly be stupid about her safety. She could hear both Carrow and Sylus chiding her for the rookie mistake. If she made it out of this in one piece, she wasn’t going to tell them. She’d take this secret to her grave.

Gasping as the door started to open before she reached it, she slammed her body into it to force it closed again. It shut for a moment but before she could slide the bolt home, a weight greater than hers leaned into it from the other side. Desperation rose in her, welling up to clog her throat. No, no, no! She knew it was a terrible thing to do and that whoever was on the other side would likely die in the storm but she-

“Sweetie, move,” a deep voice growled from outside.

Calli blinked, losing her balance for a moment. It was enough for the door to surge open, pushing her back, and a large frame hustled inside to slam it back closed. Staring at the person in front of her, she squeaked, “Sylus?”

He pulled off the goggles and scarf that were obscuring his face and gave her a look. “I thought you didn’t want me dead.”

She couldn’t stop staring at him. Was he actually here? Or had she fallen asleep and was only dreaming that he was? She’d already had a few of those on the expedition and had woken up disappointed in her little bunk. She didn’t know why it was so different when she was the one that had gone away because she didn’t feel like this when he was away for business.

Sylus set aside the goggles and scarf before starting on his jacket. “I was listening to the reports as they came in and heard that you’d gotten stranded out here,” he said calmly as if they were back in the city and not out in the middle of the Arctic. “I came to keep you company.”

He had? But...what was he even doing up here in the first place? She didn’t remember him saying he had any business here and it wasn’t like it was a hot spot for his kind of activity. The only thing that was up here for him was...her?

He set his bag near the door and started to stomp the snow off his boots. “We’ll have to make sure the snowmobile is returned before one of the Hunters notice that it’s gone. Shouldn’t be too hard since they’re more focused on people and supplies than-” He cut off with a grunt as she slammed into his back.

Winding her arms around him, Calli pushed her face into the back of his sweater and clutched at the front of it. He was here. He was actually here. She wasn’t dreaming.

“Kitten?”

She shook her head, clinging to him and trying not to cry. She didn’t have to go through this alone and she wasn’t stranded with a stranger. Even though he shouldn’t have been anywhere near here, he’d come for her.

A large hand covered hers, squeezing gently. “Did you get lonely?”

“Yes,” she whispered. She wanted to get closer to him but she couldn’t.

He squeezed her again before gently prying her hands off him. He turned to look at her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Let me get out of these,” he said quietly, “and then you can tell me how much you missed me.”

She flushed a little as he gave her another kiss, this time on the mouth. Blinking at him as he stepped back to finish with his outerwear, she took all of him in before murmuring, “Thank you.”

A flash of a smile that warmed her more than anything else. “You don’t need to thank me.”

Except she did because he absolutely did not need to go to this extreme for her. Turning from him, she shuffled toward the kitchenette. He’d been bundled up but he had to still be cold. She could make some coffee or hot chocolate to help him warm up and she was pretty sure there was some alcohol stashed somewhere in the little cabin. That would help.

She busied herself with it enough that she didn’t realize he was done until arms wound around her middle. She barely had time to tense before he was pulling her back into him, nuzzling a cold nose into her neck. “Sylus!”

“You’re so warm, sweetie,” he purred, curling around her.

Sucking in a sharp breath as his hands slipped under her sweater, Calli nearly shrieked. “Why are you so cold?!”

“It’s the Arctic. I’m not immune to the cold.”

He usually was so this was almost atrocious. Was this what he felt when she put her cold bits on him? Biting her lip, she squirmed as he showed no signs of pulling away from her. His chuckle did nothing to help because she knew he was doing it on purpose. She tried to focus on making them something to drink but every time she got used to his fingers he’d move them to somewhere else to keep warming them up.

He made things harder by not moving away from her a bit as she grabbed cups and poured out the drink, somehow shifting even closer to her. “I don’t think I was the only lonely one,” she huffed softly.

“I never said you were,” he murmured into her neck. “You’ve been working in zones that barely have any reception so you haven’t been messaging me as much. You don’t usually come to places like this, at least not without me.”

“Is that why you’re here? You were worried about me?”

No answer came immediately but his fingers pressed a little harder into her belly. “Am I not allowed to worry about you?”

Turning her head, she gently rubbed her nose against his hair. “Maybe you need to cuddle more than have a drink,” she teased.

Sylus lifted his head enough to meet her gaze, his eyes glittering. “Do I get a choice?”

Butterflies filled her stomach at the low purr of his voice. “Maybe. I mean, we don’t know how long the storm is going to last. We’ll need to stay warm somehow.”

The smile that curled his mouth had her toes curling and heat scorching through her. “I can think of a few ways, kitten,” he murmured, “but drink your hot chocolate first.”

She almost pouted at him before his lips pressed to her ear in a gentle kiss that ended in a nip.

“You’re going to need all the energy you can get,” he breathed.

Shit.

[razzmatash]

Winner Day 4 - Board games Love and Deepspace Sylys x f!OC 2035 Words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

“Ready to submit?”

Calli wrinkled her nose and stared harder at her cards. As if that could magically change the low numbers. She finally sighed and put down her cards. “You win,” she muttered.

“Don’t sound so disappointed, kitten. You can’t win them all.”

She hadn’t won any today. It was like the kitties had turned against her. “Did you bribe them?” she accused, looking up at him.

Sylus cocked a brow at her, shuffling the deck of cards again. “Bribe a deck of cards and the holographic cats that go with them?” he elaborated. “If anyone was going to bribe a program, it would be you.”

How had she never thought about using the muses to try to win? Because she liked beating him with her own skills. Calli sighed and slumped back in her chair. “Do you want to play something else?”

“We still have half an hour booked for the table, sweetie. You were the one that wanted to come here.”

Because of the holiday promotion they were doing. In addition to the little collector’s badges, they were giving away Christmas plush of the kitties. She’d tried to be strong, knowing she already had more than enough plushies at home but she was weak. So she’d convinced both him and her sister to come play with her, separately, to try to increase her odds of getting one. She had done alright against Carrow and managed to get one of the limited items but Sylus was mopping the floor with her today. “I used up all my luck on Carr,” she muttered, looking away from the table.

They’d booked a time later in the evening, mostly for Sylus and partly because the chances of there being children in this time slot was low. He would have come no matter when she’d made the reservation but she’d wanted to try to make it pleasant for him. Maybe she’d tried too hard and now it was fun for him only.

He chuckled from across the table. “Kitten, you are the worst sore loser I’ve ever met.”

She puffed out her cheeks. She was well aware of that. “Nothing wrong with liking winning.”

“I didn’t say there was but you need to recognize when the odds are stacked against you.”

Jerk. Sometimes he let her win, clearly making the wrong choices when it came to placing cards, but there was none of that tonight. He was playing to win and continually doing so. “Let’s take a break,” she said, looking back at him. “Do you want something to eat?”

Scarlet eyes flicked toward the counter before returning to her. “Do you?”

“I wouldn’t mind something else to drink,” Calli admitted, starting to push her chair away from the table. She stopped when his large hand caught her wrist and blinked at him.

“I’ll get it. Hot or cold?”

“Hot.”

He nodded and stood up from the table, passing her the cards.

Fiddling with them absently, she watched him walk up to the counter. How did he look so out of place yet right at home at the same time? His larger frame seemed to dominate the cafe, even with picking the bigger location. It wasn’t just his height but the breadth of his shoulders. He commanded attention just by walking across the room and he was getting it. She could hear whispers and murmurs as he passed tables, glances at him then back at her as they traced where he’d come from. She didn’t care what they thought when they saw her, a little gleeful over the surprised looks even though it was at odds with the holiday spirit. It always amused her when she watched people approach him, attempting to flirt and only being shut down as he turned his attention back to her.

He only ever had eyes for her.

Calli looked away and down at the cards. How many tokens had he won already? The system would keep track and let him cash out once they were done but she was curious. He’d been so nonchalant with each win, ready to start the next match without giving her a moment to sulk. She highly doubted it was because he wanted to keep playing; more likely he didn’t want to deal with her bad mood.

Her nose wrinkled. No. She wasn’t going to get upset. It was just a game and just a plushie. He’d come in from the N109 to spend time with her. She needed to not be sulky.

Looking up as a cup was placed in front of her, she started to smile at him before blinked as something was pressed against her lips. She automatically opened them and bit into the pastry. “Sylus?” she mumbled after swallowing as he took his seat.

“You haven’t had anything since we got here,” he said, putting the pasty on a plate that he pushed closer to her.

Was he saying that she was grumpy because she hadn’t had any sugar? She ripped off another piece and nibbled on it. Or was it just his concern that she needed to eat more, that as soon as he took his eyes off her she was going to stop? Looking at him, she knew it was likely a combination of both. “Do you really want to keep playing?”

“Yes.”

Her nose wrinkled. “You really want to keep beating me that badly?”

“I really want to spend time with you,” he corrected, shuffling the cards and placing them in the centre of the board. “You’re the one that wanted to come here tonight.”

Because she’d thought she might have some hope of getting a prize. Instead all she was getting was pain. Sighing, she picked up her cup and sipped at the hot chocolate he’d gotten her. “Who first?”

“You.”

Of course. She took another sip before setting the cup aside and stealing herself for another loss. A frown crossed her face as she stared at the five and six she pulled, both matching a pair of the coloured cups on the table. “Sylus.”

“It’s your turn, sweetie.”

Calli stared at him but all he did was smile at her and wait for her to play a card. Huffing, she slid the six under the appropriate cup and watched the pink kitten appear inside it. “You don’t have to cheat to make me feel better.”

“Would I do that?”

She watched him play a three. “Yes.”

He chuckled and waved her on.

“I can win on my own,” she muttered, slipping the five onto the board.

“Grumpy when she loses, grumpy when she wins. Sweetie, you can’t play both sides that hard.”

Says the man who played both sides whenever it was convenient for him. “It doesn’t feel good to win when I didn’t do it on my own.”

He hummed and pulled a card. “Do you want to swap cards then? We can always trade.”

A deal always in her favour although every time she’d tried tonight he’d plucked the best card back into his hand. “No thank you.”

“Are we in a stalemate then?” Sylus asked curiously as she drew a card.

“Maybe.” Most likely since he was also drawing a card. “You could just win. There’s not much point in me winning a token or two at this point.”

“Then what’s the point?”

She gave him a look before turning to the prize machine. “I’m greedy,” she muttered.

Sylus chuckled lowly, playing a card. “So you don’t want just one, you want all of them?”

“They’re a matching set. One is nice but...they’ll be out of place.”

“Do you even have any place to put them?” he asked, playing another card that had her frowning as she realized he’d played two sixes in the coloured cups. He was ahead of her. Again.

“I’ll find space.” But at this rate she wasn’t going to get anymore than the one she’d managed to score in her games against Carrow. Her nose wrinkled as he beat her and she tossed down her cards. “Not that it matters.”

“Of course it matters,” he said smoothly, resetting the board again. “Finish your snack.”

Sighing, she slumped back in her chair and alternated between the pastry and her drink. “How many do you have?” she asked.

“Enough.”

What was that supposed to even mean? When he started to deal the cards again, she shook her head. “You win,” she said.

“We still have the table for a bit.”

She knew that but she also knew that she didn’t want to completely ruin the night and her mood was going to keep souring if she kept losing.

His legs shifted under the table, wrapping around hers and caging her in with him. “Don’t be grumpy, kitten,” he murmured.

She was trying. She just didn’t know why he’d turned on hard mode tonight. She doubted he wanted any of them for himself since he’d sighed when she’d tried to put any on display in his room. Even if he’d relented and allowed a pair of crows to sit on a shelf, his interest wasn’t in the rewards. It was in the time spent together.

“Which one do you have?” he asked quietly.

“The red one.” If she was honest, it was the one she’d wanted the most and she was glad that she’d at least gotten it. But it would have been cute lined up with the other holiday colours. It just wasn’t meant to be and she had to be content that she’d gotten lucky enough to pull it.

Sylus’ gaze slid to the machines along one wall where people were slipping in their tokens with excitement. “How many are there?”

“Four.”

He hummed before pushing away from the table. His hand on her shoulder stopped her from joining him and he pointedly looked at the pastry and drink. “Finish them,” he told her.

She frowned up at him but he didn’t say anything else as he went back to the counter. He wasn’t going to order her more food was he? They’d already had dinner before coming here so he knew she’d eaten so why was he so focused on making sure she finished these?

Turning to look out the window, she cradled the cup in her hands and watched the snow drift down lazily. The city was slowly turning into a winter wonderland and if it kept up, there would be a decent layer by the time the holiday arrived. Which would be nice. It had been a few years since they’d had any snow to go with it. The perfect weather to cuddle up inside and watch the lights reflect off the snow. Maybe she could-

Calli blinked as several items thumped gently onto the table before her eyes widened and jerked up to find Sylus beside the table again. She hadn’t taken a good look at the soft pile on the table but she was willing to bet it was a full set of the limited holiday plushies.

“What?” he asked mildly. “You didn’t think I was going to keep them for myself did you?”

She continued to stare, feeling silly that she hadn’t thought of that. She’d been too caught up in losing she hadn’t really thought about what he did every single time he won a prize when they were together. Her cheeks coloured as he chuckled and braced a hand on the table to lean down to her. She made a soft noise as he kissed her and kept staring as he moved away.

He smiled and held out a hand to her. “Come on. I should get my grumpy kitten home so she has enough time to figure out where her kittens are going to go.”

“Are you going to help me?”

“Haven’t I already?”

It wasn’t a no. A fizzy happiness welled up in her as she took his hand and she popped up onto her toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Sylus, and I’m sorry.”

“Forget the second bit, sweetie. I’m well equipped to deal with your claws.”

Looking at the little pile of plush, her mouth quirked. He was just well equipped to deal with her, claws or not.

[razzmatash]

Not Yet Day 10 - Surprise Visit Love and Deepspace Sylus x f!OC 1431 Words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

“Calli, you never mentioned that your boyfriend was loaded!”

Pulling her head out of her scrubs, Calli blinked at the woman that had swung around the lockers to face her. “Huh?”

She rolled her eyes before shaking a finger at her. “Your man. Not only is he good looking but he’s loaded as well?”

“Probably loaded in other ways too,” another voice chirped from the other side of the lockers, causing laughter through the room.

“Where is this coming from?” Calli asked warily, tugging her t-shirt down over her belly.

The other nurse’s eyes widened suddenly. “Oh, you didn’t know?”

“That he’s loaded? I already knew that.”

“Well, you’ll see soon enough!”

“Wait!” she said sharply as the other turned sharply to run away. “What the fuck are you talking about?!”

No answer came and she had the distinct impression that everyone was getting out of the locker room as quickly as they could.

Calli huffed to herself. What the hell was going on? Why would she suddenly mention Sylus like that? She’d never really hid the fact that she had a boyfriend. It would have been idiotic given how Sylus liked showing up to pick her up whenever he could and showing that they were very much together. But she didn’t talk much about what he did or where he came from. It was hard to keep the others at bay but most of them had picked up on the fact that she didn’t want to talk much about it.

Of course, that meant they started making things up. Government secret agent, mafia boss, playboy billionaire. Those were only the latest guesses she’d heard thrown around and she refused to acknowledge that she had heard them. They were having fun and Sylus always thought it was amusing when she told him.

But why would she say that?

Rolling up her scrubs, she tucked them into her bag and hefted it up. She needed to get home quickly so she could start prepping for tomorrow. While she was excited about having everyone over for holiday dinner, she wasn’t sure how it was going to go. So she wanted to get as much done tonight as she could and try to have a good night’s sleep. Then she could be ready for whatever chaos came from dinner.

She pulled on her jacket and started for the door. With any luck, transit wouldn’t be too bad and there wouldn’t be any hassles getting-

“Where are you taking her?”

“It better be somewhere nice!”

“Or maybe you should get her a ring!”

Calli paused at the chorus of voices that sounded suspiciously like the girls she worked with. Peeking around a corner, something odd happened. Her heart somehow sank and leapt at the same time. Sylus was standing near the nurses station, completely surrounded by the rest of her shift. It was them peppering him with questions! What were they doing? And what was he doing here? He’d told her he’d be busy until dinner tomorrow, wrapping up everything he could before they went on their holiday. Had he lied or had he actually wrapped up early?

“She’s deciding where we’re going.” Sylus’ smooth voice reached her, amusement laced through it. “Only she knows if it’s nice or not.”

“But you’re paying for it?”

“I am.”

“You also didn’t answer about the ring,” someone said slyly.

Her heart leapt into her throat and she hurried around the corner. They’d only been together a few months! What were they doing?! She didn’t want them to ask and she absolutely did not want him to answer!

She didn’t know if he heard her or if he somehow felt her approaching but Sylus looked up suddenly. She saw the smile spread across his face before his gaze dropped back down to the other nurses. “A ring?” he mused. “I wouldn’t be opposed but-”

“What are you doing here?” Calli interrupted, jerking to a halt on the other side of the small crowd.

The nurses all spun to face her before they all hurriedly left, saying their goodbyes and holiday wishes. Sylus continued to watch her with a smile, one eyebrow raised at her outburst. “Hello, sweetie,” he murmured, leaning down to meet her.

She reached up and covered his mouth with both of her hands. “Why would you answer that?” she whispered. “They’re just trying to get a rise out of you.”

He caught her wrists and pulled them away from his mouth. “I don’t think I’m the one they were trying to get a rise out of.”

Calli huffed, shaking her head. “But what are you doing here? Did you wrap up everything early?”

Sylus hummed, letting go of her wrists. One hand stroked over her hair while the other threaded their fingers together. “I did so I thought I would come help you tonight.”

And spend more time with you. The sentiment was unspoken but she heard it loud and clear. “I’d like that.”

Another smile before he was leading her away from the station where the girls were still watching them like hawks, waiting for more information. His almost comment on the ring was going to make the rounds but hopefully that would die down by the time she got back. Hopefully.

She gave a little wave as people chirped their goodbyes as they walked past but Sylus didn’t stop to let her talk to them. She didn’t mind. Her thoughts were starting to pile up with all the things they needed to do to prep for tomorrow. It would be a little easier with him there but maybe she could fit in a few more things so they could relax more tomorrow. Maybe-

A small noise left her when Sylus tugged gently on her hand before wrapping an arm around her waist.

“You’re overthinking it,” he said without looking, leading her out the door. “We’ll do what we can and finish the rest tomorrow.”

“But-”

“Kitten, we have time.”

She puffed out her cheeks before sighing. He was right. She’d had enough time when it was just her. With him there, they could finish early, maybe enjoy dinner together before tucking in for the rest of the night. She didn’t say anything as he took her to his car and helped her into the passenger seat. Instead, she just snuggled into it.

His laughter roused her a little bit as he pulled away from the hospital. “Comfortable?”

“It’s better than the bus,” she teased, making him chuckle.

“I should hope so.”

Calli smiled and almost purred as a large hand came to rest on her thigh. “Definitely don’t have that on the bus,” she murmured.

His fingers tightened for a moment. “I should hope not.”

It was her turn to laugh before they fell into a comfortable silence. But he didn’t let it last for long.

“Black diamonds,” he said quietly. “Platinum.”

She frowned, turning to him. “What?”

“I said I wasn’t opposed to it, kitten. Do you really think I haven’t thought about it?”

Her frown deepened. What was he talking about? Opposed to what? What would he be using diamonds and platinum-Calli froze in her seat, staring at him. “Sylus....”

“Maybe I should,” he mused. “It’s just a ring.”

Her heart thumped in her chest, her pulse ringing in her ears. “You....”

He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. She didn’t miss which finger he kissed. “But you don’t let me buy you jewellery,” he continued. “You don’t take it when I try to give it to you. Would you turn me down if I gave you a ring?”

She didn’t know what to say, her thoughts whirling again but going in a completely different direction.

Scarlet eyes slid to her and his lips quirked up. “What are you thinking about to look like that, sweetie? Can’t a man give his lover a gift?”

“But a ring?” she squeaked.

“What’s wrong with that?” he asked smoothly. “It’s just a ring. What do you think it is?”

She didn’t know what to think! Was he serious that it was just a ring because the girls were absolutely not asking about just a ring earlier? Or was he teasing her and actually being serious?

Another look and a soothing squeeze of her hand. “But I didn’t get to finish,” Sylus said quietly. “While I’m not opposed, I know it’s not time.”

Her heart was back to pounding wildly at the mere thought that he wanted that with her. Because she heard the unspoken yet at the end of his sentence.

[razzmatash]

Sugary Sweet Day 5 - Cookies Love and Deepspace Sylus x f!OC 1468 Words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

“Where did you get all of these?”

“Some of them are...unique.”

“Have either of you baked before? Besides, it doesn’t always matter what they look like. What matters is how they taste.”

Pausing at the voices coming from the kitchen, Sylus had a quick debate with himself if he actually wanted to step inside to see what was going on. But the chef had found him to let him know that the twins were back in the kitchen and after the last time, no one wanted them in there unsupervised again. However, Calliope was inside so it wasn’t like they were exactly alone and they listened to her. Usually.

He finally stepped into the kitchen when they all fell silent, knowing that was never a good sign with the twins. But he found all three of them focusing on whatever it was they were doing. “What’s going on in here?” he asked, staying in the doorway.

Three heads snapped up at his voice.

“Boss!”

“Sylus! What are you doing here?” Calliope asked, smiling at him. “I thought you were working.”

“I was,” he said mildly. “Until I was cornered by a concerned chef.”

She blinked at him but the twins shared a look over her head. “Huh?”

“We’re not touching anything, boss.”

“Nope. Only the stuff Boss Lady lets us.”

“Then that’s touching something,” Sylus said dryly, leaning against the wall. “And you still haven’t answered my question.”

“We’re making cookies.”

Three words. She’d only said three words but for some reason he couldn’t wrap his head around them. “Cookies?”

“Yes. There’s an exchange at work and they’re easy to give gifts. I usually make some to give out to the people on the floor and my neighbours.”

“And you’re doing them here why?”

“Your kitchen’s better.”

She said it as if that was completely obvious and yes, it was the truth, but she had come into the N109 Zone to bake? His eyes narrowed. “How did you get here?”

“We got her, boss!”

“She didn’t want to bother you ‘cause you were working.”

Admirable but he would have gotten her. He would have preferred to get her rather than listen to people drone on about meetings and reports of what had been happening in the city. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“I wouldn’t have left without saying hi,” Calliope huffed at him. “I’m not that mean.”

He’d like it if she didn’t leave at all.

“Did you want to help us?”

He blinked at the request, not expecting it. The twins were looking at her now and he didn’t need to see their faces to know what their expressions were. “You want me to bake?”

“You don’t have to. You could help decorate them instead if you want.”

He hesitated for a moment. Calliope could keep them in line so he didn’t really need to supervise. What’s more, he still had work to finish and had only stepped away to make sure nothing was going to blow up. He hadn’t anticipated her being here and he didn’t know how long she was going to stay. Or when he was going to see her again since between both of their works and her flurry to get ready for the holidays, it was hit or miss.

The sweet, hopeful smile on her face decided for him and he walked further into the room. “I can stay for a bit,” he said.

The twins moved to cluster to one side of her as he claimed his spot on her other side, soaking in the wider smile she gave him. “Have you baked before?”

“No,” he said honestly. He’d made meals for himself but baking hadn’t seemed necessary at any point. His gaze moved over everything on the counter before he cocked a brow at her. “Do you really need all of this?”

“We’re making different types,” Calliope said, pointing at the different bowls. “Peanut blossoms, snicker doodles, gingerbread brownies, sugar cookies, crinkle cookies, and maybe shortbread if I feel up to it.”

Sylus eyed her for a moment and decided she wasn’t joking. Some of those names did not sound real but she was the expert in holidays, not him.“Do you usually make this much?”

“Yes. I like making them when I have time.”

He’d been in her home often enough that he had no idea how this wouldn’t take all day given the size of her kitchen.

“Which one do you want to make first?”

“Sugar cookies!” two voices chimed.

He flicked a look at the twins before shrugging. “Sugar cookies,” he echoed.

“Those are easy enough,” Calliope said, grabbing a bowl.

The recipe was basic enough but the twins were clearly excited about this and kept asking her questions while she explained what they needed to do.

“Do we need to use the cookie cutters?”

“Could we use a knife instead?”

“You need to actually mix the dough first before you can cut anything,” Calliope said dryly.

Sylus leaned a hip against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest and levelling a look at the twins. “You’re using the cookie cutters. When was the last time you cleaned them properly?”

“Last time we used them!”

Calliope looked away, turning slightly to him so he didn’t miss the way she pressed her lips together in an effort not to laugh.

“Don’t encourage them,” he muttered.

Eyes bright with laughter met his and he sighed. It was easy to forget his little kitten could be just as chaotic as the twins because she kept it locked up usually. But the more time she spent with him, and them, the cracks in her control were getting wider.

Leaning down, he stole a kiss from her mirthful mouth before turning her back to the bowl. “Give them something to do, kitten.”

She did, passing a bowl to Luke and a rolling pin to Kieran. Her instructions definitely had laughter under them but she managed to not outright laugh at them. When she was done with them, she turned back to him. “Which ones do you want to make now?”

“You’re going to let them do it without watching?”

“If they mess up, I can just make them again.”

That seemed like a waste of time but if she really wanted to make this many cookies, she would have to multitask. “Which ones do you want to make?” he countered, having zero preference when he didn’t know what half of the cookies even were.

She thought about it for a moment. “Probably the peanut blossoms. They need more time to fully cool before they can be boxed up.”

Sylus watched as she grabbed a pair of bowls before plunking one in front of him. He eyed the brightly wrapped items in it. “Kitten?”

“Can you unwrap them for me?” she asked, already adding ingredients to the bowl she had kept. “They’re chocolates. Kisses.”

He picked one up, tugging on the paper sticking out of the top to reveal the chocolate beneath. “All of them?” How many had she bought? When had she bought all of this? Had she brought all of it or had they all gone shopping before getting back to the manor?

“Mmhmm. Any we don’t use we can just eat.”

Unwrapping another, he shifted to press it to her mouth. Big eyes blinked at him from behind her glasses before she let him pop it between her lips. She was going to need the sugar now if they gave any to the twins and he didn’t need her going sour if they got too out of hand.

Before either one of them could go back to their tasks, they heard a snicker from the twins and immediately turned.

“We didn’t do anything.”

He’d believe that when the sun shone in hell. His gaze dropped to the dough that had been rolled out and the haphazard shapes that had absolutely been carved out with knives and not cookie cutters. “What is that?”

“Mephisto!”

“A dove didn’t seem appropriate,” Kieran said, holding up one of the designs.

Calliope huffed out a laugh. “For who? I’m giving them to people I know remember?”

They both stared at her before looking at the cookies. “Aren’t we getting any?”

“I didn’t say you weren’t but if you cut out weird shapes we won’t have enough dough to do enough cookies for everyone.”

The patience in her voice told him she must have been working with children recently.

“What if we had custom designs made?”

“We could have a special batch for us then.”

Sylus tried not to sigh again and made a mental note to find someone to make custom cookie cutters before the twins tried to. If he left it to them, who knew what shapes they’d wind up with.

[razzmatash]

Hold Me Close Day 8 - Touch starved Love and Deepspace Sylus x f!OC 1615 words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

Absently stirring her tea, Calli tried not to yawn. She’d only woken up a little while ago and she was debating on if she should just go back to sleep. It was her day off and all of the overtime was finally catching up with her. If she wanted to be proactive, she should do some more shopping to round out what she was missing but she didn’t have the energy for it. The holiday itself was only a week away and if she was going to survive it, she needed to rest.

And she could probably order anything online and be fine.

She finally yawned and winced as her jaw cracked. Well that was just great. Picking up her drink, she turned to go back into her room but stopped as the front door swung open suddenly. She blinked and turned to the entrance. There were only two other people that she’d added to the lock and neither one of them were supposed to be here. She stared as Sylus stepped into view, several large bags in his hands. “Uhm, hi,” she said in surprise.

He stopped, staring back at her before he made a low noise. “Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked as he pushed the door closed behind him.

“I just woke up and was thirsty. I was going to go back to bed. What are you doing here?”

He gave her a look that she was quickly getting tired of since he’d been giving her it almost every time they’d seen each other over the last couple of weeks. It was one that said she needed to not ask questions because it was the holiday season and she’d been the one to teach him it so she couldn’t complain. According to him. “We’re celebrating here aren’t we?” he asked, taking off his shoes before walking over to her. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, nuzzling against her hair with a quiet sigh, before he kept going past her into the living room.

What did that mean? Setting her drink down, she shuffled after him and frowned as she saw that he was near the tree. “Sylus-” She squawked when she felt his Evol wrap around her before she could get closer, lifting her off her feet and giving her a gentle toss toward her bedroom door. “H-Hey!”

“Go back to sleep, sweetie,” he said without looking.

“No, I-” A disgruntled noise as the black and red mist swirled around her again, suspending her in air this time. “Sylus!”

“You’ll see them soon enough.”

Had he really brought presents? Had he wanted to sneak in to leave them while she was sleeping in the hopes that she wouldn’t notice? Her heart dropped when she thought about how many bags he’d been holding. “Please tell me they aren’t all for me.”

“They aren’t all for you.”

She didn’t believe him. She didn’t believe him for a second. One of the only things she had seen him get actually excited about when she had talked to him about the holiday was realizing that he could buy her presents without her being able to refuse. She had tried to get him to agree to some kind of limit on how much he could spend but she would have had more luck stopping the sun.

He stood up after a few moments and turned to her with an amused smile. “Kitten, it’s the holiday season,” he teased. “You’re the one that wanted to celebrate. You can’t get grumpy all because I am celebrating.”

She huffed and wriggled in the Evol’s binds. “Put me down.”

“No.”

She hadn’t expected him to but did he have to sound so pleasant when he said it? She shifted in the air before dropping when he was close enough to catch her. He lifted her up enough to plant a kiss on her forehead and he lingered again, slowly inhaling as he held her close. She dug her fingers into his shirt as his own tightened on her, holding her like she’d disappear if he didn’t.

He pulled away after a moment, amusement on his face. “If you’re still this grumpy, you need more sleep.”

Calli rolled her eyes as he strode toward her bedroom. “I’m not going to peek the moment you leave,” she said dryly.

“Good but I’m not leaving.”

She stared up at him as he set her on her bed and shrugged out of his jacket. “You told me you had a meeting today,” she accused. “Did you lie so you could sneak in here?”

“It wasn’t a lie. How do you know this wasn’t the meeting?”

She narrowed her eyes at him before rolling over to the other side of the bed. “You’re terrible.”

The mattress shifted as he joined her on it, gripping her hips to haul her back into him. He curled around her, arms sliding around her middle to keep her in place. Like he was keeping her from going to see what he’d added to the tree.

She rolled her eyes again but snuggled into the bed and him. His face was pressed into her neck, his lips moving on her skin with each breath. The position wasn’t anything new, if anything it was one he favoured when they shared a bed, but something felt different. He was tense and she didn’t think it had anything to do with the thought of her trying to find out what he’d brought. “Are you alright?” she asked softly.

He shifted behind her, somehow tucking himself closer. “I am now,” he said after a moment, his voice gentle against her ear.

Calli pressed her lips together and gently stroked along his forearm. She didn’t say anything as one of his hands slipped under her tank-top to press into her belly, his palm cool from being outside. A tiny squirm he stopped, huffing into her neck and nipping gently at her. “It’s cold,” she mumbled.

“It’ll warm up.”

Why hadn’t he been wearing gloves? A question for another time as she tried not to move. His thumb was slowly swiping back and forth, just grazing the underside of one of her breasts. But he wasn’t making a move to turn this into something more. If anything, he seemed to only want the comfort of being near her.

She thought about that for a moment. They’d seen each other over the last couple of weeks but it had been hectic. With her picking up as many extra shifts as she could physically handle and running around to get ready for the holiday, they hadn’t properly seen each other. Add to the fact that they were essentially in a long distance relationship, it had been...almost a week since she’d seen him last. When he’d come over to decorate? Had it already been that long? “Oh,” she said softly, her hand tightening around his arm.

Sylus hummed quietly behind her but she had a good idea he knew what she’d just figured out.

Forcing herself to let go of his arm, she went back to stroking him. She wasn’t a fool, she’d noticed almost right away how he liked having a hand on her, whether curled around her hip or spread across the whole of her lower back. How he practically purred when she would take his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together to keep them together. Or how he liked to settle her in his lap when they were alone, face buried in her hair while he held her close. He’d leapt all over it once she’d initiated these small acts of intimacy, almost craving the contact, and she’d ached at how touch starved he truly was.

Had he really come over to drop off the gifts or was it just an excuse to see her? Had he wanted to slip into her bed so she could wake up to him?

“You can come over more, you know,” she said softly, lightly scratching at him with her nails. “You don’t need a reason.”

“It’s your home, sweetie.”

“If I didn’t want you to come, I wouldn’t have added you to the security.”

He hummed again, brushing a kiss over her neck. His hand pressed a little firmer against her belly before he sighed. “You’ve gotten me addicted,” he said lowly. “It doesn’t feel right when you’re not there.”

Her heart tugged and she snuggled back into him. A week was hardly the longest they’d been apart since he’d come into her life but with the holiday approaching, it felt different being apart. “You could just stay here until the day,” Calli suggested.

“I would love to,” Sylus murmured, “but there’s still business to take care of.”

She pouted a little, covering the hand on her belly with her own. “It’s almost the holiday though.”

“And if I want to enjoy my present fully without distraction, I need to take care of my business first.”

Oh. That made sense. Heat still filled her cheeks at the idea that he was trying to clear his schedule completely so that they could be together.

“But, since my kitten offered, if I wrap up sooner than I expect, I’ll stay with you.”

She nodded, relaxing into the bed as much as she could. She didn’t doubt that he would try his best to get all of it done but she still had some shifts before the holiday so he’d be alone here some days. But warmth filled her at the thought of coming home to him being there, to getting to spend time with him like this as if it was a normal part of their lives.

[razzmatash]

Mistletoe Day 7 - Decorations Love and Deepspace Sylus X f!OC 1889 words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

Opening the door to Calliope’s condo, Sylus paused as several things assaulted him at once. Squinting at the lights that were hung over the mirror in the entrance way, he confirmed that they were indeed twinkling at him. What’s more, there was some kind of garland wound into them as well, ornaments hung from it to reflect the lights. It was pure chaos.

He turned from them as he closed the door and took a deep breath. At least the baking was less of a jarring sensation. But was she making more holiday treats? He’d thought the plethora of baked goods she’d monopolized his kitchen for would have been the whole of it. Why did she need more?

Taking off his shoes, he cocked his head as he listened to the music filling her home. It was pleasing even though it was clearly holiday music. But it wasn’t like the loud, jarring sounds that filled every store as soon as Halloween was over. Orchestral covers? Had she been inspired by his collection...or was she trying to lessen the holiday burden on him?

Sylus walked into her home, looking over the kitchen first before moving on. He didn’t see her but he knew she was here. One of the bedrooms? Before he could decide which one to look into, he heard footsteps coming from hers. A smile formed as he turned to see her, watching an identical one bloom on her face. “You look good, kitten,” he said, letting his eyes trail down her body. The red dress was one he hadn’t seen before and he wondered if she’d bought it for him since she knew how much he liked her in that colour. But more than that, her hair was down, the curls a chaotic halo around her just begging him to touch, and her thick framed glasses perched cutely on her nose.

Not dressed up but comfortable and...happy. It looked damn good on her.

She laughed. “You’d say that even if I was wearing a potato sack,” she accused.

“Because it would still be true.”

Calliope shook her head, crossing over to him and patting his chest. “I’m glad you’re here. I need your help.”

He tried not to frown at the lukewarm greeting and lifted a brow at her. “With what? You weren’t particularly forthcoming in your text.”

Humming softly, she gestured at her living room. “Decorating.”

“Decorating?” he echoed.

Her hand pressed to his chest as she leaned into him a little, her expression soft despite the serious glint in her eyes. “You’ve never really celebrated the holidays properly,” she said quietly.

He hadn’t had a reason to.

She nodded faintly and her thumb rubbed against him through his sweater. “Which is why I wanted you to help me. If you’re going to celebrate, you need to experience all of it.”

“Then shouldn’t we be decorating my home?”

“Fuck no! Your place is huge! We’d never finish.”

Sylus chuckled and leaned down to kiss her. The frown formed when she ducked her chin and he brushed a kiss against the top of her head instead. “You started without me, though,” he mentioned, thinking about the light show by the door.

“Just while I was waiting for you,” she said, stepping away from him to hurry over to the large boxes on the floor. “We still have the tree and lights and the ornaments for the window. Oh! And the stockings!”

His heart tugged a little at the excitement in her voice and he walked over to join her. “How do you usually get all of this done?” he asked, looking over the boxes and the amount of decorations pouring out of them.

“Phases,” she admitted, “and Carrow would usually come over to help.”

He paused, considering that. “But not this year?”

“She’s decorating Zayne’s place so it’s only fair that you get to help me.”

Running his hand over her hair, he buried his fingers into the curls and tipped her up to him. “What would you have done if I wasn’t free today?”

Blue eyes blinked up at him. “Waited for you to be free.”

“What if I wasn’t?”

Her brows drew together. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I wanted to do this with you.”

His free hand came up to brush his thumb over her mouth.

Her frown deepened and she softly said, “Do you not want to help me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You’re acting like it.”

It was more he hadn’t expected this. He’d seen how excited she’d been when she’d been baking with his twins but he hadn’t realized that she enjoyed the holiday this much. “I didn’t say that,” he repeated, pulling her lower lip down with his thumb. “And you know, I’d make time for you, no matter how busy I am.”

She didn’t look convinced but she nodded. “Where do you want to start?”

Sylus leaned down and a growl left him this time as she turned away from him. “Sweetie, what’s going on?” he asked lowly.

“Nothing!”

“Liar.” He caught her chin and turned her back to him. “Tell me the truth.”

Her nose wrinkled, her cheeks puffing out. “If we start, we’re not going to stop,” she muttered, “and then we won’t have enough time to decorate.”

“A kiss is hardly starting anything.”

“Tell that to every other time you’ve kissed me.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining then,” he said mildly, not letting her go.

“Maybe if we decorate fast enough, we’ll have time for...festivities.”

Sylus snorted. “How long do you think this is going to take?”

“Depends on how good you are.”

Swiping his thumb over her lower lip again, he smiled as her tongue darted out to flick against him. “You know exactly how good I am, sweetie,” he purred.

She didn’t move away from him when he let her go, watching him in a combination of wariness and heat. “See?” she said, poking a finger into his chest. “Even without a kiss, you’re already starting.”

“I’m not starting anything.”

Calliope rolled her eyes but he didn’t miss her smile as he turned away. “The more you talk the less time we’ll have to celebrate.”

Looking at the boxes, he didn’t think it would take them that long to get all of it up.

He thought wrong as thirty minutes later he watched Calliope adjust the same ornament on the tree for a third time. “Sweetie, it’s fine,” he told her, holding out the box with more of the baubles in it to her.

She gave him a look. “It’s not fine,” she countered. “If they’re not right, we won’t get them all on!”

All of them? He tossed a look at the ones that were still sitting in the big box. They were all supposed to go on the tree that he had spent fifteen minutes fighting with? He’d thought he was getting off lucky since it had lights already on it but whatever time he’d thought they were saving was being used by his fussy kitten to get it just right. “We won’t finish everything tonight if you keep at it like this.”

She huffed and went back to the tree, moving the ornament and replacing it with one that looked exactly the same. “Do you have somewhere else to be?”

She knew perfectly well he didn’t but with every second that passed he had the growing awareness that she was up to something. He had never seen her be this fussy about anything before and for it to be over the placement of decorations? No. This was something else. Putting down the box, he grabbed her hips and lifted her away from the tree. Ignoring her squeal, he plopped her down a few feet away from it and gave her a look. “Why don’t we take a break from the tree and do something else?”

“I thought you didn’t like leaving things half done.”

“We can do something else and come back to the tree with fresh eyes,” he countered. “Maybe then it’ll work better for you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you patronizing me?”

He was going to throw the tree off the balcony if she didn’t finish it soon which meant he needed to figure out why she was being so damn fussy with it. “Never, sweetie, but you need a break from it.” He needed a break from it.

Her glare didn’t ease before she turned away to move to a different box. “Fine.”

Clearly, it wasn’t fine. Was putting up decorations always like this? He walked toward her, wanting to see what new mess he was about to get himself into, when she plucked something out of the box and hurried away from him. “Kitten?”

“Come with me.”

He watched her round the corner into her kitchen and fought a sigh before following her. Forget festivities, he was going to need a nap after this.

He found her waiting for him in the archway leading to the entrance way, whatever she had picked up held behind her. “What now?”

“Can you lift me up?”

Sylus considered her. No snippiness in her voice now; it was a soft request instead.

“Please?” Calliope added when he didn’t move.

“What’s going on, sweetie?”

She shifted on her feet before a heavy sigh left her. “It’s important,” she said quietly. “This is the first real holiday we’re getting to celebrate together when we’re actually together and I want it to be good. Perfect. I know you haven’t done any of this before so I just want it to be good for you.”

That’s why she was being so fussy about everything? He thought he’d already told her that she didn’t have to be this particular on his behalf. “Calliope, it’ll be perfect because I’ll be with you,” he reminded her.

A rosy flush stole across her cheeks. “That’s such a low bar,” she whispered. “We can make it better than that. You’re already paying for your own present and now....”

She didn’t understand. Everything was better because he was getting to experience it with her. Closing the distance between them, he leaned down to wrap his arms around her thighs and lifted her up. “Put up your decorations, sweetie,” he said quietly.

One hand pressed into his shoulder as she stared at him before a sweet smile curled her mouth.

Sylus watched as she pulled the decoration from behind her back, his brows rising as he saw what it was. “I might not have celebrated the holidays before,” he murmured, “but even I know what that is for.”

Her smile grew as she lifted the mistletoe up above their heads. “Do you?” she teased.

He returned the smile but didn’t move. “My hands are full,” he purred. “You’ll have to-” He hummed low in his throat as Calliope leaned down to press her mouth to his, kissing him slowly. The tension melted off of him as she didn’t pull away, digging her fingers into his hair even as she started purring herself.

Something hit his foot a moment before her arms were winding around his neck and he realized she’d dropped the mistletoe. Turning on his heel, he walked toward her bedroom. Well. It looked like she was right on both counts. He didn’t want to stop once they started and he wasn’t going to leave this half finished.

[razzmatash]

Surprise Me Day 6 - Present Love and Deepspace Sylus x f!OC 1549 Words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

Walking down the hallway, Calli tried not to sigh. She’d wracked her brain as much as she could over the last week and come up with nothing. She’d even gone so far as to ask his twins for help. That hadn’t worked but she hadn’t expected it to. Every suggestion the boys had had had gotten more and more ridiculous the longer she’d let them talk. She’d thought that maybe Kieran could have given her half decent answers but he got caught up in Luke’s excitement and said just as silly ideas.

She stopped in front of a large door and did sigh. No point in stressing about it. Maybe he could give her a couple of ideas and she could pick from them so it would still be somewhat of a surprise. Knocking after she gathered herself, she waited the half beat it took him to respond before opening the door. “Are you busy?” she asked, peeking her head in.

“Not right now.”

It could have been a lie. He rarely turned her down when she wanted to see him and when he did, he usually wasn’t in town. But she wasn’t going to complain. She was here for a reason. Stepping into the room, she carefully closed the door before walking over to his desk.

Sylus cocked his head at her. “Come here, kitten,” he said when she stood across from him.

“Can we talk?” she asked not moving.

He leaned back in his chair, one hand absently tapping against the arm of his chair. “We can. Did something happen? I thought you would have wanted to go home by now.”

She wanted to. After the chaos in the kitchen with the twins, she’d really wanted to. Even after Sylus had kicked them out and sent the chef back in to help her, she’d still wanted to go home. “I wanted to talk to you before I left.”

“Sweetie, what’s wrong? You were mostly fine when I left the kitchen and that was only a couple hours ago. You wanted to talk to me so talk.”

Well this was going wonderfully. “What do you want for your present?” she blurted, unable to think of a proper way to say it.

He seemed to freeze at those words before he blinked. “My what?”

She sighed and shoved a hand through her hair. “I don’t know what to get you,” Calliope complained. “You have so much money you just get yourself whatever you want. How am I supposed to compete with that? I can’t even think of anything that I could give you that you don’t already have. I mean, what do you even get someone who runs a criminal organization? A gun? You have so many of those. Jewellery? You already have pieces for every outfit. I’d have to run so many bounties to afford anything in your closet and-”

“Sweetie,” he interrupted, pushing out of his chair to walk around to her. “This is what you wanted to talk about?”

“It’s important!” she said, glaring up at him. “I can’t think of anything and I want to get you something!”

Large hands cupped her face and he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “It’s not that important.”

“Yes, it is!”

He drew back to stare down at her.

“You’re important to me,” she said, her voice softening.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he started to smile and she recognized the indulgent look on his face. “You can get me whatever you want. If it’s from you, I’ll gladly accept it.”

Her nose scrunched. “But it won’t be special.”

“Yes it will,” Sylus countered, leaning down again. This time he pressed his forehead to hers and held her gaze. “You’re the only one who’s ever wanted to give me a present.”

Which just hurt her heart and was the main reason she wanted to give him something good. If she was honest, she wanted the entire holiday to be good for him. She wanted to make good memories with him. She wanted to give him something that he could have that would remind him of the time they’d spent together during the holiday. “But...that’s not the same,” she protested weakly.

He laughed, the sound low as it rumbled through his chest, before he scooped her up. Ignoring her gasped protest, he carried her back to his chair, settling her in his lap after he’d sat down. “I wouldn’t know the difference,” he said honestly, “and stop looking sad every time I say anything.”

Except it was sad that he hadn’t had anyone to celebrate with. His arms were loosely wrapped around her, one hand resting on her thigh and rubbing slow circles through her clothes. He was totally relaxed beside her, watching her with amusement and she gave up. Slumping into him, she sighed heavily, muttering, “You’re impossible.”

“I wasn’t lying, kitten. Whatever you give me will be special because it’s from you.”

“You can be greedier you know,” she complained. “It’s the holiday!”

“Don’t tempt me, sweetie.”

Calliope blinked at how low his voice had suddenly gotten. His hands flexed on her, a press she recognized all to well but what had changed that would make him want to be possessive when it was just the two of them in the room? “Sylus?”

He took a slow breath, letting it out even slower. “Do you know how hard it is not to be greedy when it comes to you?” he asked, his voice still low and far more serious than it had been this entire conversation.

She tilted her head enough to look at him and even though she expected it, the heat in his eyes scorched through her. “Sylus....”

One hand moved to stroke along her arm, his fingers lingering where her sweater drooped off her shoulder. “I know you want to keep working, that you want to stay in Linkon, but there are some days I don’t want to let you go back. I want you to stay here, with me.”

Her breath caught. She’d always known he hadn’t liked her going back, the way he kept her in bed on the days she needed to spoke loud and clear on that. But he’d never come out and said it so plainly.

“Don’t tempt me to be greedy when it comes to you, Calliope, because I’ll cross a line you haven’t yet.”

She swallowed hard, staring at him. “Sorry?”

His eyes closed and he shook his head. “I’m not going to keep you here against your will, sweetie, but that doesn’t mean I’m not tempted to.”

She didn’t look away from him, her thoughts whirling. She knew he wanted her to stay but more than that, he wanted her to want it as much as he did. She wasn’t there yet so he was right, it was a line she hadn’t crossed and if he did, it would break their deal. But.... “What about my time?” she whispered.

Scarlet eyes opened to meet hers, an unspoken question in them.

Licking her lips, she didn’t miss how his gaze dipped to follow the action before coming back to hers slowly. “As a present,” she continued.

“What do you mean?”

“You and the boys are coming over for dinner but Carrow and Zayne are going to be there too. It’s a family dinner, more or less, but what if after the holiday is over...we go somewhere? Just us. Would that be a good present?”

“Work?”

“I have time off. It’s why I’ve been trying to get in every shift I can before the holiday. All the overtime is to take time off.” She’d planned on spending some of it with him but she hadn’t told him, hadn’t thought it would be too big of a deal. She should have known better. “We could take your jet and go anywhere you want.”

His head cocked but she could see it in his eyes. He was already onboard but he wanted her to propose it.

“Then you can be as greedy as you want with me,” Calliope said softly, stroking the back of his neck and pressing the other over his rapid heartbeat. “Would that be a good enough present for you?”

Another slow, deep inhale before the smirking smile she adored spread across his mouth. She only saw it for a moment before he kissed her. “Use my card and plan all of it,” he murmured against her. “Do not skimp on the price, kitten. Give me a proper place to be alone with you.”

“You’re buying your own present then.”

He shook his head and nipped at her lower lip. “Surprise me. Don’t tell me where we’re going. I don’t care where it is but make sure that we can be alone. I’m not going to let you go while we’re there.”

Oh, god. Maybe this wasn’t a smart idea even if it was the best thing she could think of to give him.

His smile grew wider and he kissed her again, deepening it until she was moaning into his mouth. She was gasping for air when he finally drew back, pressing soft kisses toward her ear. “Don’t forget the wrapping,” Sylus purred, making her shudder. “I want to thoroughly enjoy unwrapping my present.”

[razzmatash]

Only One Day 9 - Christmas Market Love and Deepspace Sylus x f!OC 1580 words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

Exhaling slowly, Sylus looked over the crowd filling the area. This was...not his idea of a nice afternoon. His hand unconsciously tightened on Calliope’s as he tried to figure out the best way to get through this.

“We can come back another time,” she murmured, picking up on his mood immediately.

“And have your sister bitch about me more?” He honestly didn’t care what Carrow thought, they’d been at odds for far longer than the Hunter could even imagine, but he didn’t like the thought of Calliope having to suffer because of it. He knew she didn’t tell him half of the shit her twin complained about and he wasn’t going to willingly add to it.

“She doesn’t do it as often anymore,” Calliope said quietly, leading him off to the side so they weren’t blocking the flow of foot traffic.

She still did it. He wondered if she was still trying to convince Calliope to leave him. She’d been less than enthused when the news had broken that they were doing more than just resonating and he still had the flurry of texts the Hunter had sent him in response. He hadn’t taken any of them seriously because he knew that no matter how much Carrow wanted to hurt him, she wasn’t going to willingly hurt her sister.

Calliope popped up on her toes and he obligingly leaned down to meet her. The kiss was quick and sweet with a hint of the sugar cookie she’d had earlier. “Tell me if you want to leave,” she said honestly, holding his gaze as she dropped back down. “I know this is a lot for you and I appreciate that you agreed to come with. But I want to know if it’s too much.”

Smiling, Sylus stroked the back of his fingers over her rosy cheek. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’m serious.”

He knew that. But he wasn’t going to be the reason they called this off early. He would endure the market and her sister because he was still spending time with her. Lifting their entwined hands, he kissed the back of hers and smiled again. “Let’s find her before she gets mad.”

Calliope huffed out a laugh. “I know where they are,” she said dryly. “Zayne found the macaron booth.”

It was a wonder the man still had any teeth with the amount of sweets he consumed. Sylus kept his mouth shut as she kept a firm grip on his hand and led him into the market. Even though they were in Linkon City and no one was likely to recognize him, his body tensed at how many people were around them. It would be so easy for someone to hide in the crowd. What’s more, he stood out so easily that it wouldn’t be hard to make a move against him. While he knew how it would end, he didn’t like the thought of putting Calliope in harm’s way if he didn’t have to.

He pushed out a breath as her thumb stroked against his hand, trying to soothe him as best she could. The effort was appreciated but it would take a lot more than that to really help him. Maybe he could convince her to tuck into a quiet place with him afterwards, just the pair of them. Have an early dinner before he had to leave town again.

Although, it was highly likely that her sister would also want to do something with her.

“There they are,” Calliope said. “Right where I said they’d be.”

His gaze skipped over the booths, seeing her twin and the good doctor standing in front of a colourful display with boxes already in their hands. “How many do you think they’ve bought?”

“He’d get them all if Carrow wouldn’t bitch about it,” she muttered.

He smirked as her sister turned to them, almost like she’d heard her name. Her face lit up for a moment before a faint scowl marred her expression as she locked on him. “Hunter,” he said as they came up to the booth. He looked it over before going back to keeping his attention on the people.

“Skye. I didn’t think you’d make it.”

His brow twitched at the name but he didn’t react beyond that.

“Can you not antagonize him the moment we get here?” Calliope growled. “We can leave if you don’t want us here.”

“I want you here.”

“Well, he comes with me so stop it.”

Sylus smiled to himself and gently squeezed her hand. She didn’t have to fight his battles but it amused him that she immediately leapt to his defence, no matter who was on the other side. He didn’t need to look to know that Carrow was trying not to seethe and rein in her own dislike. His disinterest probably wasn’t helping matters either.

“Carrow, did you want anything else?”

Calliope leaned into him a little as Carrow was distracted by Zayne and he looked down at her. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m fine.” It would take a lot more than some barbed words to get him to leave and if he did, he was taking her with him.

She gave him a little smile before looking around. “Do you see anything you want to look at?”

Here? The market was full of small businesses and artisans. Which didn’t mean he wouldn’t find something interesting but it wasn’t his usual scene. “Do you?” he countered.

“There are a few cider booths that Carrow wanted to look at.”

Sylus flicked a look at Zayne at the comment. How long had they been here that they’d already scoped out the place? And cider? They all knew that Calliope didn’t drink so would it really be that interesting for her?

“Lead on.”

Carrow watched both of them for a moment before she followed Zayne as he started into the crowd.

Leaning down, he murmured, “Only one.”

Dark blue eyes looked at him and he didn’t miss the huffy pout on her face. “It’s just cider.”

“One.”

“They’re small samples.”

“Do you want me to have to carry you out of here? Because I will.”

Her nose wrinkled. “One,” she mumbled in agreement.

He smiled and didn’t let go of her as she started off after the other pair. While he enjoyed how giggly and flirty she got while she drank, he knew she didn’t like that it only took one glass to get her there. He might be comfortable with her having one while they were in the comfort of one of their homes, but he knew it happening here was not going to go over well.

But he still looked over the booth with interest, curious to see if there was anything worthwhile.

“This is our featured cider for the month,” one of the vendors said, showing a bottle to the other couple. “It’s a rose cider with a blend of apples and berries. It pairs well with most meals.”

Leaning past Calliope, he picked up a little cup of the cider they were talking about. Her eyes followed him, waiting for him to try it first, and he couldn’t help his smile. Was he to be her measuring stick for which one she’d pick? Taking a sip, he let it wash over his tongue and slowly inhaled as well. He could definitely smell the rose aspect of it but he wasn’t sure if she’d appreciate the dryness of it. “Not bad,” he admitted, tossing the little cup aside. “But you deserve something better.”

Her eyes narrowed at him but not before he saw the way they were dancing.

He tipped his head slightly, smiling at her, and he looked at the vendor. “Do you have something with more sweetness?” he asked, drawing their attention away from the other couple. “Not overwhelming though.”

The woman blinked at him for a moment before smiling and nodding. “This one has notes of caramel and vanilla,” she said, picking up another bottle to show them. “It’s medium bodied as well, if you want something a little milder.”

Reading the name, he plucked up another sample and tried it. He considered it and hummed quietly. “Better.”

“Good enough for my one?”

“I haven’t tried all of them, have I?” he tossed back at her and picked up the bottle to read it.

“Or I could have more than one.”

“You shouldn’t do that, Calli.”

Sylus flicked a look at Zayne. So the good doctor was aware of Calliope’s non-existent tolerance.

“Not you too!” she protested. “It’s just cider!”

“Did you eat something? You shouldn’t have more than one on an empty stomach.”

Sylus hid his smile by turning to Calliope and lifting his brows at her. “Doctor’s orders,” he teased.

“Oh, now you play nice,” she growled.

“I always play nice, kitten.”

She snorted and carefully picked up one of the cups.

He watched as she sipped at it, her nose wrinkling a little bit but he recognized this look.

Turning back to the vendor, he smiled. “We’ll take a bottle,” he told her, “and you’re still only allowed one.”

He heard Carrow snort and quickly try to cover it up but he was more focused on the flush that was already settling on Calliope’s cheeks. Well. Maybe she was only allowed one over all if she was already going to react to it. He’d been willing to let her try at least one more but his kitten was just too much of a lightweight.

[razzmatash]

...With You Day 12 - “You are all I need tonight underneath the Christmas lights.” ...Sort of Love and Deepspace Sylus x f!OC 1406 Words Read on Ao3 banner by firefly-graphics

Waking slowly, Calli shifted under the covers, frowning to herself. Something didn’t feel right. Sliding her hand across the mattress, her frown deepened when she didn’t find Sylus. She lifted her head and squinted in the dark but she couldn’t see any lights on from the bathroom. “Sylus?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and pushing herself up in bed.

He wasn’t in the room that much was clear now. Tapping the beside lamp, she still looked around to confirm he wasn’t. Where had he gone? He’d been so insistent about her going to bed after she’d fallen asleep against his shoulder on the couch. She’d pushed herself too hard, according to him, and he was calling it a night. He’d carried her to bed and tucked her in, climbing in with her when she hadn’t settled down right away.

Except it had barely been ten so he wouldn’t have gone to sleep.

Pushing her hair away from her face, she frowned to herself. Was he out in the living room? Had he not stayed because he didn’t want to wake her up? The clock showed she’d been asleep for a couple hours so everyone else should have been asleep by now too. They’d all stayed so they could celebrate the holiday in the morning and so far as she was aware, his twins were crashing on the pull out couch. Would he go out there or-

Calli shivered as a faint breeze washed through the room and she watched the curtains stir from it. Was he outside? She swung her legs off the bed and scooped up a cardigan she’d tossed earlier to pull on before padding over to the glass doors. Quietly peeking out, she wasn’t entirely surprised to see him on the balcony, leaning on the railing and watching the city below him.

“Sylus?” she said softly, not sure if she should disturb him. He’d clearly gone out here to be alone.

He didn’t say anything but he turned just enough to hold out a hand to her.

Shuffling across the balcony, she didn’t complain about the cold on her feet as she took his hand. He moved her to stand in front of him, tucking her close while he continued to watch the city. She looked at him over her shoulder before looking out as well when he still stayed quiet.

They were up high enough that it gave a wonderful view of everything in the area. Her favourite was the park nearby because the city would always light up the trees and she enjoyed watching them twinkle in the relative darkness. But it wasn’t just them. Other balconies had lights and decorations strung up, some curtains open to show the trees lit up inside for people that were still awake. There were little pockets of holiday cheer no matter where you looked.

“It’s different from what I’m used to,” he said quietly, his voice rumbling through her. “Even if people in the N109 celebrate the holidays, they do it privately. There’s no outward sign that something is happening for fear of it being taken advantage of or ruined.”

Calli listened, her heart aching a little. The Zone was filled with all kinds of people, many who hadn’t asked to be there but were there anyways. Because there was nowhere else to go. She knew she couldn’t fix it even if she tried but the holidays were special to her. With how busy her family had been, it was the one time they had all always agreed that they would be together. No matter what was happening, they would get together for the holiday.

“In all the years I’ve been there, I’ve never celebrated anything. I never wanted to,” he admitted. “There was no reason to. Even when the twins came, they didn’t know what a normal routine was either. They did small things with each other, tried to prank me the first few years, but nothing like this. Nothing like what the last few weeks have been.”

The last few weeks had been hectic to say the least and she suddenly wondered if she should have eased him into it a little more gently. “I’m sorry if it was too much,” she said softly.

He ducked his head, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. “Don’t apologize. It wasn’t too much. It showed me a different side of you I hadn’t seen yet.”

Was that a good thing? Calli smiled wryly. “I don’t know how I should take that. I’ve been a little crazy the last few weeks.”

“Because it mattered to you and you wanted it to matter for me.”

That was true but it didn’t excuse it if she’d crossed a line. The arm around her belly tightened as he inhaled deeply, dropping a kiss on her neck that made her shiver.

“You didn’t need to do that,” he said quietly. “I told you you didn’t but you did it anyways.”

“I wasn’t going to leave you alone on the holiday,” Calli protested.

“The holidays don’t matter to me.”

She tried to twist to look at him but he kept her right where she was. “Sylus-”

“They don’t matter,” he repeated. “To me they’ve always been made up days that people use as an excuse to be together. You shouldn’t need an excuse for that. I don’t need an excuse for it. But they matter to you so I wanted to see why. I wanted you to show me why they mattered.”

“They matter because of the people I want to share them with.”

“And you wanted to share it with me.”

“Maybe we had a rocky start, Sylus, but if you think for one fucking second, you don’t matter to me, I’m going to throw you off this balcony.”

He chuckled, deep and low, and moved to press a kiss to her ear. “Odd way to show affection, sweetie.”

“You like it.”

He didn’t deny it and kissed her again. “They still don’t matter to me,” Sylus said after a moment.

She bit her lip to keep from reflexively saying anything. He wasn’t done and if she interrupted him, she wouldn’t get the rest of it.

“But what matters to me is that you shared it with me. You made space in your life, in your rituals, to include me. You went out of your way to do so. That you’re willing to do that for me...that’s what matters to me.” He paused, rubbing his cheek against her hair. “You’re what matters to me.”

Her breath caught as he gripped her chin between chilly fingers and turned her just enough so she could see him. “Sylus.”

“All I need is you, Calliope,” he said quietly. “Nothing else matters so long as I have you.”

She didn’t know what she was trying to say, words jumbled in her throat, before he kissed her. It was slow and deep, his teeth nipping at the plush of her lower lip before his tongue swiped over it soothingly. He slid it against her own, holding her captive while he took his time with her. One hand fisted in his shirt, holding onto him as the world dropped away around her. There was only him.

She managed to get out his name as he lifted his mouth from hers but that was all before he claimed her again. The hand on her chin slid back into her hair, burying in the curls to hold her steady as she began to tremble.

When he finally eased back from her, it was only far enough to press his forehead to hers. His gaze was heavy on her as he watched her gasp for air, taking in all of her. “I don’t need presents,” he said softly. “You are my present.”

Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a small breath. “We’re still going on the trip,” she pushed out.

She didn’t need to see him to know he was smiling before he kissed the tip of her nose. “We’re still going on the trip,” he agreed, his grip around her waist moving to band around her thighs and lift her up. “I’m looking forward to unwrapping my present.”

Not opening her eyes as he carried her back inside, Calli hung onto Sylus and told herself to just breathe. Considering what all she had bought for him to ‘unwrap’, she’d be lucky to survive the trip.