#that was true for so so so long before they came across the revenge

[the-uk-is-jk]

Everybody talking about how izzy deserved to live and should have gotten more.

Guys

This entire season was his moment of shine. Look at how everything seems to be from Izzy's pov the way last season was stede's pov.

He got this whole character arc. Frankly, apart from a bit from Zheng in the finale, the only character arc the season saw. Yes Ed and Stede got a small arc on the side. But by far not as elaborate as in season 1 and by far not as elaborate as it could have been (which I don't think is a bad thing).

Of course it would have been wonderful to see Izzy get the chance to enjoy his newfound family and happiness more.

This entire season was about Izzy and y'all still think he should have gotten more.

[skele-bunny]

Mountain's Revenge. (CW) Swiss/Mountain

CW: Dubcon, Forced Intox, Sounding, Piss

Characters: Swiss, Mountain

A little gift for the amazing @hypnoneghoul ! I had such a blast with this.

Read under the cut or on AO3!

“Damnit, Swiss!” Mountain hissed between his teeth, looking down at his stash jar opened and half empty. “I just filled this thing, you stoner…”

The earth ghoul moved towards the LED section of the greenhouse and crouched down, hands delicately lifting one of the plants and listening to its hum. Mountain knew Swiss visited much too often, and that also meant he's aware of the plants ready to be harvested, dried, and trimmed. With a tail flick against the ground, Mountain stared at the mister that continued flowing before his ears perked up - cheeks turning dark as an idea came into his mind. 

Swiss knew when the next harvesting date was, and Mountain was positive he'd get the point across. Moving around, Mountain began to plant heavy ferns and letting certain plants overgrow - even if it hurt his heart to see. Through the days, he had made more frequent trips to tend to the greenhouse, and Swiss was none the wiser. Just like he hoped. Just like he planned. 

Two weeks later in the middle of the night, Mountain's ‘prophecy’ became true as Swiss peeked his head through, smiling as it was clear. The multi made his way to the handmade stock shelf, standing on his tiptoes to grab the clear jar at the top, purrs loud and content. With excitement in his step, Swiss sat down on a chair Mountain kept nearby his workbench, opening the metal clip and practicing moaning as the strong smell of cannabis snuck into his airways. It always had a strong scent of cinnamon, signifying the strength and meant for Ghoul lungs only. Satan save whatever sibling that dared to try. 

Reaching into his pocket, Swiss pulled out wraps he and Cumulus had picked out while on tour - different flavors but specifically picking out a strawberry one. Unwrapping the wrap, Swiss pulled off the lining before reaching into the jar, using his nails to measure out before grinding with care; falling into the all too familiar rhythm of rolling. He brought the roll to his tongue, licking along the side before closing with a squeeze - finally releasing with a happy purr. Swiss leaned into the chair and brought his finger up, lighting his blunt with his spare fire element. With a long drag, Swiss held himself before exhaling, giving a slight cough as the cinnamon taste was more noticeable than normal.

“Damn.” Swiss laughed under his breath, bringing the blunt back to his lips.

He had lost count, really. Was it two inhales? Eight? He didn't know. Two blunts in and Swiss couldn't even move his head much, lost in an array of different flavors and sensations. His eyes began to flutter as the sound of movement picked up on his ears, but his body proved too weak to do anything. Swiss felt so lost in head, focusing on the euphoria and numbness, he didn't notice the feeling of something creeping up his leg. Swiss let out a whine as his body was picked up, something cradling his head and lower back, sighing as he was wrapped up by his legs.

“M…” Swiss tried to lift his head. “Moun’ty?” 

There was no response, just sensations. Swiss exhaled as he felt his pants slowly being dragged down, arms carefully pulled up by the wrists and tank top discarded. 

“No,” A shaking breath. “M’ too fucked up.”

Whoever it was, whatever it was, didn't listen. Unbeknownst to Swiss, vines had emerged from both the ceiling and ground, some downing thorns and some slick and smooth. The ones with thorns wrapped around his wrists and ankles, one loose around his neck while the nude vines began to squirm and wriggle their way across his body. One of the smooths carefully pushed its tip into Swiss’ mouth, holding the last dead bit of his roach that Swiss accidentally fell asleep with. It was brought to his slightly parted lips, Swiss trying to inhale air only to meet smoke. He let out a long whine, falling more limp into the vines holding him, tail lax and freely dangling. 

The numbness through Swiss’ body felt like a switch had been turned off - mind still dull but body set ablaze. He groaned as he could feel everything down to the minute detail, how his glamor began to slip and vines went through his talons to wrap around his calves, how the thorns around his neck were barely grazing to keep him safe but still provide a threat. Swiss inhaled sharply as more nude vines began to squirm at his most sensitive parts: slowly massaging his armpits and love handles, inner thighs being completely wrapped around and squeezed, even his tail being snaked around and lightly pulled. His body absentmindedly responded to the frictions by his cock slowly chubbing, another whine dragging through his throat. 

Drool began to go down Swiss’ lip and a nude carefully began to sneak it's way up before entering his mouth, tip gliding over the multi’s tongue before suddenly shoving down his throat. It seemed like a signal as the others pounced. Swiss gagged, tears forming in the corners of his eyes, thighs forcefully opened and now feeling his cock being squeezed. Swiss wanted to squirm, wanted to bite, yell, and especially cut the damn things, but all his body could do was make him moan and whine. 

He was unaware that a budding flower that had some kind of syrup covering its petals began to lift up to his ass before it touched him, smearing it's syrup over his hole then reaching up to his cock. Swiss shivered and gagged harder as the vine in his throat shoved further down, retracting and thrusting back down. It throat fucked him with no mercy, slowly pulsing as it kept a steady rhythm - Swiss' eyes rolling back as he let out the most beautiful wet gags and chokes. He felt the bud smear at his cock’s tip before finally retracting back to its pot. 

A much thinner, tiny vine broke off from its parent as it teased his urethra. Swiss felt nothing but white fire as it slid down in, squirming and flicking around rapidly. It kept pushing and digging, Swiss left in hysterics but muffled by the vine in his throat still. Once it deemed itself fully seated, it went still, and the mother in the ghouls throat finally pulled out. Heavy breaths left the multi's throat, trying to cough and still gagging on his spit. His entire front was a deep red and yellow, body shaking as the sudden sounding caught him off guard more than he already was. 

Despite his best efforts, Swiss couldn't form a straight sentence in his head. There was nothing but feeling. Droplets of color spread amongst his consciousness, seeing the vine in his cock as a bright orange. 

Swiss felt his legs being pushed towards his chest, and it bubbled a purple. Something prodded at his home before sinking in, a green. A strained moan came from the multi ghoul’s throat, being ripped from him as he was entered by the nude. 

It didn't even bother to wait before thrusting into his body, the thorned keeping him still as the nude went into the deepest crevices, Swiss keening as he could feel it twist past his rectum and into his colon. Nothing but red and violet filled Swiss, mouth lax and fucked in both the head and now ass. His cock strained against his abdomen, the thin inside his urethra slowly starting to squirm which set him off more, pre desperate to leak out. His body was on complete fire and if he was more conscious, he would've assumed himself back in the pits. 

It felt like both torment and pleasure as he was fucked helplessly, even as his body was rotated so he was upside down so another vine near the ceiling could squirm it's way in his ass too. The two nudes went at different paces out of sink, sending Swiss into hysterics, tears trailing down his forehead to mix with his own drool. His cock felt like it was turning purple from the neglect to cum, the thin never once leaving or showing signs it was. Bliss clouded his head, lost in his intoxication and body. 

With nothing becoming clear anymore, Swiss was stuck in a repetitive circle of moaning and loose begs that wasn't coherent - just babbles and murmurs that wouldn't have sound. He could feel his slick dripping down his skin every time the nudes pulled out, slinging his own bodily fluids around. Perhaps it was just another minute, just another hour, or even a few more but all Swiss knew was that his cock ached desperately and his hole had finally begun to gape around them. With the feeling of the thin squirming, Swiss was able to let out a pain-relieved sob as it suddenly yanked out and he instantly coated himself and the ground below in both piss and cum. The vine around his neck tilted him back out of a mindless courtesy, but not once did the nudes in his hole stop.

They continued until another orgasm wrecked Swiss’ system, now fully crying from the overstimulation as his dumb, fogged brain couldn't process. He heaved for air and finally everything came to a slow stop. The nudes in his ass slowly retracted with wet squelches, watching as Swiss’ hole tried to wink to no avail from the loss. It was a gentle rotation back up so he didn't vomit, then suddenly cradled by warmth. 

Mountain looked down at his mate that laid in his arms, covered in his own mess and trying to breathe - his eyes completely pitched out with stars. He'd have to thank Aether for spiking his weed. He leaned down and kissed the multi's forehead, starting to purr as he walked out of the greenhouse; vines retracting back to their respective plants. 

“You did so good, beautiful…” Mountain mumbled, tail wagging. “Watched the entire time… I have to fuck you more like that, don't I?” 

Swiss closed his eyes, babbling again under his breath. Mountain could only chuckle, watching each step as he slowly approached the abbey. 

“I'm glad you agree.”

[royalsunshinehotel]

a weaker woman (Sergei Kravinoff x Reader, 18+)

A/N: First of a hopefully productive kinktober. Breeding/lactation kink I guess, reader is kind of a captive on purpose (beauty and the beast)

Since coming to know Sergei Kravinoff, you had been the happiest you’d ever been. As his sweetheart, his mate, you’d wanted for nothing, and that included all of him. 

Of course, it wasn’t always like this. 

Here you sat, comfortably in your shared bed, having fallen asleep waiting for Kraven to come home. You’d expected him in the late afternoon, and  here you were, at 10pm, alone. 

It wasn’t just that he was late, it was the ache, deep in your heart. The only kind of pain you felt whenever Sergei was away. 

It was nothing that couldn’t be managed with time with your son, or time alone with your hands, but pain would still be pain. 

The air in your bedroom felt too hot. Combined with the hormones from your latest pregnancy, you didn’t wear many clothes anymore. 

He’s in the corner, staring at you while you doze, while he did prefer you comfortable, it did nothing to stop him from salivating at your exposed form. 

If he had a thousand years, he could never articulate how flawlessly and appetizing you looked. Your hair had grown long, your belly round, your tits fat. You could barely get up from a chair without help, and by some stroke of good fortune, you were all his. 

By good fortune, he meant his father, but not entirely all things for him. 

You were here, calm, and about to become the mother of his second child, and he owed all of it to a shoddy revenge plot. 

A scientist, hired to distract him, had somehow worked out wonderfully well. Your eldest, almost one year, was across the hall, and your second, a little girl, was due within the next month. Timing was truly everything. 

While he did fancy himself a reasonable man, after your true motives had been revealed, he thought he’d keep you as his whore. He’d already gotten you pregnant, and he’d intended to take the baby away, to punish you. As if any of this was your fault. 

And, despite the betrayal, despite the distraction he’d wrought on his won mansion, you’d wanted for nothing. In ‘captivity’, you’d given birth at home, in the company of the best medical team he could buy…for his son, he’d told himself. 

Sergei wanted to laugh, standing in the dark. He really thought he could keep you as a toy, something to breed to keep away the boredom.  

You smelled like heaven when he filled you with him. 

From the first moment Kraven watched your wide eyes roll, and struggle to stay open while he stretched you around him, he knew he simply wouldn’t be able to give you up. Breeding his father’s spy hadn’t been an accident. He’d gone and fallen in love. 

Unfortunately for you, you’d felt this way almost since the beginning. Sergei hadn’t believed you when you came clean about your connection to his father, and your pregnancy, so you had decided to wait it out. 

Maybe, if you were lucky, he could mourn the person he thought you were, and realize reality and fiction weren’t that different.

“The payoff would be worth it,” is something you’d whisper to yourself whenever the doubt crept in. 

Sergei and his temper, making grand threats he’d never be able to complete, while you stayed by his side. He’d never actually wanted someone before, and he’d never had someone stay. 

Sergei loved you too, this is what made your time in ‘captivity’ bearable. He could call you his whore, as long as he kept coming back to you. 

The feeling of having such an angelic, ferocious man wake you in the night, to warm his cock while he sucked on your breasts, would make a weaker woman’s head spin. 

He could hurl as many insults as he liked, have a tantrum if he wanted, but you wouldn’t budge. Though you were technically a captive, you love him, and you won’t move. 

The payoff would be worth it. 

Sergei was right there with you the day your son was born, and from that day, you knew it was only a matter of time before he’d bred you again properly. 

God knows he would try. 

You’d agree to marry him in the days after, and he’d fuck you full of him. You wouldn’t be a “whore” or a “pet”, you’d be his wife. 

Sergei would treat you as such, in most ways at least. 

You’d both come so far in such a short amount of time…

Gently pulling a strand of hair from your cheek, he pulls you from your rest. Taking a moment to admire your body, he pulls the blanket down to reveal more softness. 

“Sergei?” You question, reaching in the dark. 

“Yes my love, I'm here.” 

His weight bends the mattress, hanging over you. He keeps most of his weight off to not distress your condition. You hum happily at his warmth, and Sergei sees fit to trace his sharp nose around your nipple, with a sharp inhale.

From the day your son was born, the tantalizing scent of your milk had brought Kraven back from the edge. He had been addicted to you the whole damn time. Yet, he perfectly balanced it with love, just as someone should. 

It’s a sweet gesture, somehow, shoving his face into your breasts. It’s sweet, and just like your pussy, he uses his teeth. 

You moan, almost a plea, as your husband holds you. 

A chaste kiss to your lips, and you squirm. You’re still half-asleep when Sergei traces large, warm hands down your belly, right to where you need attention. 

Long fingers tease your entrance, and you move your hips as best you could into him.  

It’s just been too hard without him, and damn near ridiculous. 

He’s made you stupid. All those years of school, all that work, and you were about to give birth to your second child in two years. 

You have a PhD for fuck’s sake. 

Sergei loves that he’s made you stupid. He swirls his tongue around your areola kneading as he pleased. 

Your milk had come in, with plenty to spare, and he was taking his fill freely, in the way he usually would. 

His mouth, god you loved his mouth, but “Cock! I wan’ cock!” You struggle to get words out, but you’re smiling. He always makes sure you’re smiling. 

It’s not that complicated. You just want to feel him deep inside you, scraping against parts you never knew about. You could make as many children as he wanted as long as he never left. 

As long as he kept touching you like this. 

Sergei pulls off your breast, earning a whimper, your wide eyes make his hair stand on end, and he has to ask, “I want more,” he growls, “Will you give them to me?” 

“Yes” 

A/N: I can’t lie, not as kinky and graphic as I had hoped, but this is heavily based on conversations with @false-girl-prophet about her OC, Grace. I guess we’ll see Daddy Kraven next August 

[halfbloodfics]

Hi! Yeah, so I desperately need a Pillow Fucking Snape who's needy for his Y/N as your sub!Snape headcannon made him 🥹👏 Skipping all the pleasantries here 'cus holy moly you got me with those headcannons and since you sent me here from the comments I went straight in for the request 👀❤️

A/N: {i have been wanting to write this, a sinfully long time. he's so sub its actually tragic. this is REALLY long im so sorry, but i really wanted to make it a sweet, long buildup of how much Sev really wants this woman :') Sev is literally like a feral cat experiencing love for the first time in this lmao}

title: let me get what i want

18+ minors dni

rating/tw: explicit, smut, brief mention of suicidal thoughts in very beginning

tags: solo smut, solo snape, sub!snape, snape centric pov, masterbation, insecurity, guilt, shame, kinda angsty, snape is touch starved, female professor reader

song: please, please, please let me get what i want by the smiths

MASTERLIST

~

Severus was a man not known for his indulgences. Everyone knew that. He knew that.

Gratification was a luxury he could never afford.

Growing up poor, Severus learned quick that what you desire is often not what you get. He had desired a lot of things before, certainly. To say he hadn't would be nothing but a lie. In the nights in his bedroom in that dusty old house on Spinners End, cowering in the corner, he desired for the drink in his fathers hand to put him to sleep at last. In his fifth year, glaring at the smirking upside down face of James Potter and Sirius black, he desired revenge. At 21, in the doorway of Dumbledore's office, when he learned the consequences of trust, he desired his death.

He had lived his entire life chasing his desires like a dog chasing the moon, knowing it was out of reach and yet too unevolved to understand how.

And yet... He had never felt his desire so, within grasp until he had met her. Those things of the past, poisonous, intangible pleasures, dark or light, had never been even remotely in reach.

She came into his life like a meteror, completely dashing across his sky, ripping him from the endless chase he had partoke in his entire life. Leading him on a completely seperate path, one he had never thought would ever find him...

True, honest, burning, desire.

The day she started teaching at Hogwarts in the middle of the year was a day like any other. Professor Sprout having retired rather abruptly, Severus didn't even spare a single thought at who would replace her. Why would he? For what reason? The weight of returning responsibilies lay heavy on his left forearm. Harry's 4th year, the emergence of his name from that god foresaken over-glorified cup; the promise of danger, the threat of a decade old vow..

The moment she walked in and sat beside him at the Professors table was hardly memorable, aside for the absolutely obnoxious outfit she were wearing.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye as he ate, interested only in seeing the face stupid enough to wear the brightest possible shade of yellow, in his presence, none the less.

When he found a rather young woman smiling at him, his gaze flicked away back to his plate. He had no interest. No desire, for conversation. And certainly not with someone resembling an overgrown daffodil.

It was barely the end of the first week when she had knocked on his door. Opening it and finding no one at his eye level, he glanced down.

Why on Earth, was she always wearing the horribly bright shade of yellow?

After she had given him an obscure collection of herbs, Severus thanked her with a brief nod before promptly closing the door on her face. He'd expected as much, Sprout and him had always had a decent, professional relationship. Their disciplines somewhat intertwined, Sprout had always provided him with the clippings of plants he needed, and in turn Severus had always provided her with whatever potions he could brew to help her plants. It wasn't the act that surprised him, but the way this new professor went about it.

She smiled a smile as bright as her shirt, every cursed night she knocked on his door. It was always something with this woman. A clipping, an herb, an old book. It was as if all things useful to him kept apparating in her office with a giant note saying "GIVE THIS TO THE GRUMPY GIT DOWN THE HALL."

Often times these gifts came along with unwanted and frankly unnecessary conversation. At first it was small talk, questions about his day, brief statements about yours. Often times she told him things about herself he didn't particularly care to know; such as what book she was reading, or how her vacation back home for the Holidays was.

What Severus did care for, was eye contact. It could have been the Occlumens in him, his guarded persona trying to gain some sense of dominance over the conversations where he usually felt none, an oppertunity to control.. to read.

And yet everytime he looked at her, he found her shining eyes looking right back up at him with a confidence that unnerved him. She stared him right in the eyes as he talked, not with a malice he had seen before, not with a fear he had grown accostomed to seeing and not even with an expectancy that so many demanded of him.

She looked at him like she could see right through him. As if she could see into every desire he ever had, as if his Occlumency skills were pointless against the skill of a 20 something year old Herbology Professor who hadn't even fought in the first Wizarding War.

And so reluctantly, as Severus took every gift with a nod and eventually a brief thanks, offering his own potions occasionally in return as he had so many times before despite feeling slightly unnerved.

The simple, professional relationship seemed to teeter on the edge of what was almost a-

"Friendship," She'd described it once in the doorway of his office. "It's a nice friendship we've got going on here, Severus. Thank you, for helping me, I appreciate it."

That was a word Severus hadn't clung to for quite some time.

He blinked, silent for several moments, for the first time in a long time almost uncertain of what to say. He hadn't considered her a friend, had he? Even as the months of the academic year had passed by, even as the conversation began to drift from work to hints of her personal life. Even as he found the corners of his lips occasionally twitching up in a smirk as she laughed her obnoxiously cheerful, loud laugh. Even after he began knocking on her door as she had knocked on his..

He hadn't even considered that she might have desired to be his friend. Or that he might have desired to be hers.

And in the months that passed by after that casual conversation, the one she had let slip likely without thinking twice, Severus found himself replaying the moment over and over in his head.

He found himself walking down the corridors between his lectures, expecting to see the young witch in that painfully bright yellow dress he'd somehow grown to tolerate.

He had even wiithout fully relising it himself, grown to desire it. her presence, her friendship.

And it had gone completely under that Roman nose until that one evening in March in the Great Hall for supper. Sitting beside her, Severus looked across the hall as he ate and she talked his ear off, a habit of avoiding her gaze he'd begun to pick up. It was only when she brushed her long hair off her neck and took a sip of her wine that Severus glanced at her for longer than a moment.

His heart stopped involuntarily in his chest.

Her neck, the soft, delicate flesh, was marked with a bruise of broken blood vessels. It was small, almost hidden towards the back of her neck, but that dark red mark stuck out like a thorn against the warm shade of yellow.

He didn't understand the sinking in his stomach he hadn't felt in over a decade. There was no reason for his jaw to clench as he looked back at his plate, no reason why his appetite was somehow ruined.

And all of a sudden, on a simple Tuesday in March, did Severus understand that he had grown to desire something...

"Gratification was a luxury he could not afford"

The weeks after that were nothing short of torture, for a magnitude of reasons. The dark mark on his arm burned stronger with each passing day; Karkaroff's words from the Yule Ball hung heavy in the air of his chamber, late at night when he couldn't sleep. The second task of the Triwizard tournament was a moment still echoing in his crowded mind. Who was stealing gillyweed? Why was Harry's name actually put in the goblet of fire?

And yet, out all of the absolute bullshit fighting for dominance in his crowded mind, did his thoughts always trail back to her.

Like a lovestruck idiot, he couldn't stop thinking of her. Or more so, thinking about that damned lovebite on her neck.

Why did he even care?

If Sprout had had a lovebite on her neck would he have even thought more of it other than the intial disgust?

Was this friendship? The concept was so foreign to him for so long he didn't even know. All he knew was that for the next several weeks, like a hormonal teenager, his body reacted to her presence quicker than his mind.

Every time she knocked on his door and looked up at him with those big bright eyes, he felt it. The lurch of his chest, the sinking in his gut.

He couldn't ignore it, the twitch of his jaw when he'd let his guard down and snuck glances at her neck. What was he hoping to find there anyway? More marks? Or was he hoping to find a blank canvas, the silk of her skin untouched, the possibilities of tracing his own lips down the curve of her neck-

No.

Her voice snapped him out of his tortured thoughts.

"Severus?" She spoke. "You alright?"

They were sitting in her office on a Friday night, a rather recent development in their "friendship" that Severus was unsure how he felt.

He blinked, met her gaze and then looked back at the fire, sipping his tea and putting his Occlumency shields back up, cursing himself at the fact he'd let them fall.

"Yes." He said, his voice low.

And that was when she did it, she touched him. Gently, as if he was something fragile, something delicate that could break under her soft fingertips. And Merlin, the feeling nearly made him gasp out loud. He tore his gaze from her hand placed on his left forearm and looked into her eyes for longer than he had in quite some time.

Her lips curled into a soft smile. "You know Severus.. I know these past few months have been chaotic, with the tournament, but I think you're dealing quite well."

Severus blinked. She didn't know of the darkening tattoo under her very fingertips. What did she know about what he was dealing with? What did she know about anything that he had ever dealt with? Who was she to say he was... doing well?

Why did a heat begin to grow in his lower abdomenon? Why did her touch feel heavier on that cursed mark? Why crave her to say it again?

She pulled her delicate touch away as if it was a fleeting, minute thing that had never meant to be anything more than what it was.

Friendship.

That night, Severus let the door to his chamber slam shut behind him. He detatched the cloak from his robes and hung it on the door, reaching his bedroom in a few quick strides and letting that door slam shut as well.

As soon as he was alone, truly alone, he sunk down on the bed.

He may not have been not the most emotionally intune, but he was intelligent. Severus was no fool to longing. He had, afterall, longed for his whole life. But the feeling possessing him now; the raw, burning in his chest when he looked at her, the way his chest fluttered..

It wasn't the longing he was afraid of. It was the hope.

The smile on her face as she looked at him, as if he was something as bright as she was... The gentle tone of her voice as she coaxed more and more information out of his guarded frame then he'd care to admit..

It was the hope that all these things were her desiring him.

Severus ran his hands through his hair. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he tried desperetely to ignore the restlessness inside him.

What was he doing? He was a man of control, a skilled Occlumens, able to lie straight to the face of the Dark Lord and live to tell the tale, and yet here he was, in the suffocating darkness of his lonely chamber that had never bothered him until now, feeling absolutely on fire.

Was that what it took to break him? A man of his talents reduced to a fluttering, pathetic mess at the mere, single touch of a pretty woman?

The heat in his lower abdomen was not foreign, but it was unwelcome all the less. Of course he knew sexual desire. It wasn't as if he hadn't indulged before.. Occasional, late nights where he had lost control.. Where he'd succumbed to the feeling of his right hand in his trousers. It was the shame afterwards, the disgust for himself that prevented him from making it a regular habit.

In fact, now that he thought of it... When was the last time he had allowed himself release?

Certainly it had been awhile since he felt such... Yearning. And certainly he'd never felt it to such degree before but thinking of it now, his head in his hands, Severus relised it had been years.

Years.

The pent up tension, the reemergence of past lust he thought he'd long buried, the sheer strength of it this time was enough to make him begin to pace in his room.

Breathing through gritted teeth, he paced in circles, running his hands through the strands of raven hair. This need was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Lust and hope combined was never something he'd experienced together.

Would those same lips that are always smiling at his sarcastic remarks kiss his? How would she taste? Would she kiss him softly, gently? Succumb to the power imbalences between them?

Or..

Would she kiss him hungrily? Would she take control, weaving her soft fingers through his hair and tugging? Would her lips whisper praises like the one she'd said that day?

Severus groaned, sitting back down on the bed. He'd never craved to be... taken like this. He'd had fantasies of course, things he thought of on the rare occasions he indulged in his need, all ideas of exercising the control he so often craved.

And yet now, feeling so powerless, so torn, it began to dawn on him that that's what he craved... To be freed from the guilt of his own desires. Have any sembelence of control taken so far from him he could do nothing but take it, take her.

He couldn't ignore the strain in his trousers. It had been so long...

He shifted his weight, not trusting his fraying control enough to get into proper sleepwear, he layed down on his back on top of the sheets, staring up at the ceiling and trying desperately to ignore the aching in his groin.

It'd been so.... long..

"No." He murmered, but the word came out weak.

No, he thought to himself, Absolutely not.

Severus rolled onto his side, trying desperetely just to close his eyes and beacon forth the sleep he knew wouldn't come. He knew deep down, he could just take a simple sleeping potion, it wouldn't be the first time.

But as he shifted, he felt the strain of his cock in his trousers brush against the firm matrress. Almost immediately his breath hitched. His slender fingers tightened around the messy sheets, his jaw clenched.

Every muscle in his tired body seemed to clench. It didn't help that all his mind could so was replay that moment over and over again. The weight of her hand on his forearm... The way she looked up at him so gently.. Her words... What was it she had said? He was handling it... Well?

She had praised him.

Pathetic. He thought, letting out a sharp exhale. A mere compliment she hadn't thought twice of was his undoing?

But the voice in the back of his mind, the one that had begun to threaten his control, whispered: "What if she had meant it? What if she had meant more?"

And it was this hope, this foolish hope he hadn't allowed himself to indulge in years that seemed to set him on fire.

He stared at the wall of his dark chamber. Even in the night of his room, he never felt safe from the invisible eyes of others, not even his own.

If he.. indulged... How could he look at himself in the mirror?

How could he look at her?

But the weight of her touch on his arm was a heavy burden his mind couldn't afford to ignore. Every shift of his weight on the bed sent a spark up his spine, every minute, tiny brush of the sheets against his cock made it throb.

Sleep.

Sleep would not find him. He laid completely still for what felt like an eternity, and yet the ache in his pants would not go away. It only seemed to grow stronger.

Frustrated, Severus rolled over to his stomach and immedietly let out a sharp hiss. The friction between his clothed groin and the mattress sent a bolt of pleasure up him he hadn't felt in years.

He'd forgotten what pleasure could feel like.

And for the first time in a long time, Severus acted without thinking. His hips rolled almost involuntarily against the mattress, a single, simple grinding motion that drew another ragged gasp from his lips.

Another jolt... Another roll of his hips...

Remembering the constant feeling of eyes on him, he buried his face in the pillow and stopped his movements all together.

What the fuck was he doing?

It wasn't just the burning desire, or the pleasure of friction he'd so long denied himself. It was the exhaustion. He was tired. Tired of being in control over everything in his life, day after day, year after year. Tired of fighting that clench in his gut that he felt everytime she looked up at him. Tired of refusing to be selfish.

He tore his head from the pillow, reaching both hands up to grasp the sheets around it.

"Fuck it." He whispered to himself.

He didn't fight the next wave of pleasure that crashed over him as he rolled his hips against the mattress again. The sigh that lleft his lips left so on his own accord. As if his whispered permission was enough for all reason to flee him, he began to grind his clothed erection against the firm mattress again, his movements still slow, but deliberate.

God.. It had been... So.... Long...

He began to pant, short, quick breaths coming out quickly as his movements picked up pace. The pleasure that each thrust sent through him could have been enough to pull him over the edge, but it wasn't enough for him.

He had to feel it... Just once, just this once and then he could go back to whatever sense of celibacy he had adopted over the years. Just for tonight, he had to feel it.

Severus propped himself up on one elbow and used his other hand to unbutton his trousers. His fingers hastly unzipped it, reaching into his boxers as if he unconciously feared his mind may deny himself again if he allowed it the time to.

The very second his fingers wrapped themselves around his cock he gasped. The sound was ragged, strained as he pulled himself out, pushing down his trousers and boxers the very least he could. The cold dungeon air of his bed chamber immediately contrasted against the warmth of his skin and even that simple sensation felt as though it had been amplified.

Without wasting a second, Severus tore his hand away to join his other in gripping the sheets and began to buck his bare erection against the mattress.

Another torn gasp. Another shudder. His fingers tightened their grip around the sheets, his hips rolling faster, feverishly in time with his panting.

"Fuck," He hissed, his head falling down against the pillow as he moved.

He could still feel it. Her touch on his left forearm.

And perhaps thats what drove his next action. It certainly wasn't reason, or shame, those things he had so long clung onto having abandoned him. He tossed, rolling over to his side and began to pump his cock with his left hand.

It wasn't his dominant hand, but he used it none the less. Shamelessly bucking his hips against his fist, his grip tight as he stroked himself desperately. Deep down he knew that the only thing on top that forearm in that moment was the Dark Mark, but the only thing he felt, was her hand.

He imagined her touch again. Her soft fingers on his clothed skin. Gods.. What would it feel like without any barriers whatsoever? What would it feel like to have her fingers trail up that arm, down his chest, his abdomen-

"Fuck," He grunted, louder this time as his grip on his cock tightened and his hips continued to buck against his hand, "Fuck."

With his eyes screwed shut, Severus pictured her eyes staring back up at him as she whispered more praises. What he would do to hear more of them... What he would do to coax those words from her lips, no, what he would do to make her moan them.. If he was inside her, if it was his cock, his movements, making her praise him...

His control snapped. In an instant he moved, thoughtless, completely slave to the desires he'd repressed for so long; he pushed himself up, bunching the sheets up and bringing them under his hips.

Without thinking, Severus took his cock in his right hand and lined it up with the crease of the rolled up sheets and pushed in.

"Shit!" He hissed, his head collapsing against them as he supported his weight on his left forearm. His other arm reached down to hold the sheets steady as he began to fuck them shamelessly.

The gasps that flew from his lips were sinfully loud, a string of curses and her name as he chased the release he'd denied himself for so long. He pictured her body beneath him, the possibilities of feeling so much more of her soft skin. How her walls would welcome him... Wet and warm around his cock, how those delicate hands would cling to him as she looked up at him with those bright eyes that seemed to only see good in him.

And stars, did he want to be good for her.

"You're doing so well, Severus," Her voice rang out in his mind as he screwed his eyes shut, "Feels so good..."

His breath coming in quick short gasps, his grip on the sheets tightened even further, his knuckles white. The headboard creeked against the stone wall with every thrust of his hips, but the only thing in his mind was her voice. That wretched, soft, voice..

"Severus!" She moaned in his mind. His name, on her lips. He was coaxing those moans. He was giving her that pleasure.

What would it feel like to give her more? What would it feel like to watch her face as she came around him? He'd read about sex, sure. Heard about it, in the boys dorms in school, from Lucius' wild adventures, from the Death Eaters. But what would it feel like to have her come for him? The tightening of her around him, the sound of his name on her lips as she gushed arou-

The thought was too much for him to bear. Soft, high whimpers flew from his quivering lips as he came into the sheets. The orgasm crashed over him seemingly out of nowhere fast enough that he wasn't prepared for it. His entire body shook, hips faltering and chest heaving as he thrusted sloppily into the sheets as he filled them with his cum.

Her name left his mouth like a broken prayer, chanted breathlessly, even as his thrusts slowed down and he stilled against the sheets.

Severus panted, sweat clinging to his forehead, his raven hair. For as long as he could, he lay completely still against the messy sheets, almost frightened to move and face what he had done.

When he finally did open his eyes, he pushed himself up on shaky arms to look down. The black sheets were painted white with his cum, glistening in the faint glow of the room.

Not bearing to look at it any longer, he reached for his wand and cleaned up the evidence. Tossing it to the side, he shoved his softening cock back in his trousers and collapsed on the once again clean sheets to stare at the ceiling.

Shame and guilt coursed through the back of his mind, but at the forefront of it all, was the absolute sheer exhaustion.

The prayer in his mind was only her name, the scripture only her praise. He drifted off begging, to who, he wasn't sure. But for the first time, in years, Severus slept peacefully.

~

well im sorry that was seven decades long. haven't yall had a pretty lady touch you once and then immediately gone feral?

no?

just me?

oh

~

taglist:

@graciesbow @niftysnazzy @plecosylvia @dark-st  @3hrysfiction-blog @ilovegrapes-world @darkvoidz @lexiitaylorrrr @theheartwants-what-itwants **@aperol-with-izzy **@herbologygremlin @kittenlittle24 @aleck-cross

[heartfullofleeches]

Clown Talk

Yandere Crime Harem + G.N Clown TV-Showhost Reader

-

Extortion. Aggravated Assault. Murder.

The list went on for the royal who had it all, and lost almost everything in one night.

A well respected and charitable figure in their community, it was a shock to the masses to see local casino owner, and frequent donor to hospitals framed on the five o'clock news for misconduct. Anyone with a good head on their shoulders and a realistic outlook on the world could see straight through the facade. Beneath that mask was a monster - every good deal that person ever committed a cover for their true goals.

Those they had helped plead their innocence. Those they had wronged tied their noose. The documents leaked to the public would tell which party was correct, wiped clean from history before the victor could be declared. Read aloud in court, each word marked a new trial at play. The execution of the rat bastard who got them into this whole ordeal in the first place.

The criminal know exactly who it was. Caught his hand in the cookie jar resembling their safe weeks ago, but they had enough of a heart to let him go for being the one person his little girl had. Not again. Day in and day out they dreamt of how they'd carry out their revenge. Splattering his brains all over the wall. Slicing him into cutlets and having a nice cookout for everyone involved. It was a beautiful dream. The one thing preventing the compete lost of their sanity. Shouldn't be too long now until their people manage to get them out and their hands around that bastard's neck. Only a matter of time-

"Quit mumbling to yourself- I can't hear the TV."

As if this hell couldn't get any worse. A desaturated rainbow flies across the television screen, showering an empty field with stars and hearts that sprout colorful flowers from the earth. The theme song for the show plays in the background; the strums of each guitar string and the voice humming along to the beat drilled into the criminal's head like psychological warfare. While the voice wasn't totally abysmal it still belonged to their greatest enemy. That fucking clown.

"Good Day, everyone! I've missed you all so much, and am so excited to meet all the new faces. Are you ready all for an exciting day of fun and new adventures?"

The few shouts of agreement make their ears bleed more. Needless to say the prison they had been thrown in was a shit hole. Terrible food, hard beds, and televisions that only played one station without interference. That neon haired, colorblock mess of an entertainer had haunted them from day one of their stay; the sounds chasing them whenever they fled to the sanctuary of their cell. Pathetically, while there were a couple naysayers, majority of the prison population had begun to actually like the show. A body hurls into the seat next to them.

"Thank fuck I didn't miss it. You staying this time, Zero?"

Zero's face wrinkles from the frown lines. 4D was a fellow intimate and the biggest fan of the show. A crook booked for various robberies who just like Zero was ratted on by an acquaintance. The nickname came from their tag including the number fourty and they thought it would be cool in unison with the one they forced onto Zero.

"I told you not to call me that."

"I get that you're some big hot-shot and "adults shouldn't be watching shows for kids.", but it's really good when you sit down and watch it. That clown ain't too bad on the eyes either."

Zero resists the urge to snap their fingers as they air quote. "I'd rather flush my head down a toilet."

"Come on! If ya watch it, I'll leave ya alone for the rest of your sentence."

That catches their attention. Armz crossed, Zero looks at the television. The set had switched to that of a kitchen as the clown speaks

"Juno has been feeling better down today, let's cheer him up with his favorite snack! Before we begin, make sure you always ask for an adults help when handing sharp objects or using the stove. Unless you are one yourself. "

With a wink, they throw an apron and go through the steps of making homemade rice treats with the audience. After putting the tray in the oven, they discreetly pull out another one with a full sheet of the treats already made. Marshmallow fluff and melted chocolate chips ooze from their sides as the clown cuts out a heart shaped piece with a cookie cutter.

"And there you go! A simple, fun activity you can do with family and friends, and even get something taste out of it. Juno prefers chocolate, but you can add a number of things to your own and let your imagination run wild."

Great. Now they were annoyed and hungry. They couldn't stand another segment.

"I'm leaving."

4D whines. "Whaaat? That was barely anything. Hey, don't go-"

They grab Zero's sleeve, but are powerless to stop them as they leave the common area and venture up to their room. Over the guard rail of the second floor, they watch the other inmates mindlessly crowded around the television screen and unironically enjoying it. They would've spat at them had it not been for the guard by their cell. Inside the room, their roommate had left the tv on and that same damned show was playing. They go to turn it off only to be cut off by a fake cry of pain.

"Ouch!"

The clown tumbles to the ground, figure looming over them off screen. They come into frame as they grip the clown's arm and helps them to their feet.

"I'm so sorry, Y/n. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay, Juno. I know it wasn't on purpose."

The two face the screen as the clown speaks.

"Sometimes our friends do or say things that hurt our feelings. Take a breath, hear them out, but there's one important rule. Remember - forgiveness and friendship aren't always mutual. Sometimes people we may think are our friends go too far, and they believe an apology will make everything okay, but that's not always the case. The best thing you can do is forgive - and let go."

The background music is soft. The clown's smile is sincere, but an offshoot of that silly expression they had moments ago. Forgive. That weasel? There's no way in hell they could. He ruined them. Damaged their imagine. The bitterness Zero held was the only thing that pulled them forward. But what would come after they got their revenge?

"That's all for day, folks! And don't forget- you all may be my helpers, but I am here to help you the most!"

The intimate ends up watching the show until lights out. Each episode holds a new life lesson, cushioned by the silly activites prior to them and the songs the clown and their friends sings at the end. Regrettably, Zero finds their lips twitching upwards and a hushed laugh in their chest at some of the clown's jokes. When the clown visits them in their sleep, the dreams didn't seem as bad as before.

The next day Zero finds 4D in the yard. They're hesitant to speak.

"So... Why exactly do you like that clown?"

4D drops the equipment in their hand, looking flustered. "Wow, uh, why do you ask?"

"Just curious. If it's so embarrassing, I can make it worth while."

4D refuses the cigeratte they offer. "I quit. It ain't nothing serious like that, we just... talked."

Zero raises a brow. "Talked? You some kind of nutcase or something?"

"Maybe, but what I mean is I sent them a letter. After all the rush and freedom of the things I did, I was going mad in here. I got no friends, no family. At the end of every episode there's an address so I thought I'd try and send them a letter. I never expected them to respond. Hell, I thought the guards would tear it up and laugh, but neither of those predictions were true. They... helped me. More than anyone ever had in my life. Even sent me a couple things when I hadn't asked. They're all I have."

4D wipes their face with their sleeve. Zero, unsure, raises their hand to their shoulder, but falls short of a comforting touch.

"..Thanks... Take care."

Zero sits in their cell when the next show comes end. They pen down the address on the screen, wondering if they were really going to go through with this. They write out their letter and hand it off to the only guard they trust.

"What do you do, when you've lost everything."

A response comes in a week's time.

"Hey, there!

First off, I want to say thank you for sending your letter in. From the address and the others I've spoken too, I know that you're going through a really tough time. It's understandable to believe you've lost everything, but there will always be a new ladder to climb to the top so long as you try your hardest. You may be in the dark for now, but the sun will shine again for you some day."

Zero loses track of how many times they read the letter. They can see eraser marks from when the writer rewrote their lines. It was the exact same penmanship as when the clown wrote their name on a drawing they had just finished, clearing out the possibility of it being an assistant on the show. Zero crumples the envelope and throws it in the trash, but tucks the letter under their pillow.

When they are released the following month, they're found sitting in front of the community television.

-

"Sunshine's beautiful this time of day, isn't it?"

"B...oss, I'm sorry, please."

Zero takes another drag of their cigar as his head is dunked into the freezing waters. The silence makes the scenario one for the books, but for some reason the sun just isn't as bright as it was on those dirty screens. They exhale as the bruised male is brought out of the sea once more.

"I forgive you, and now I'm letting go." They wave to the others on the boat. "Drop him. I don't want to be late for the show."

-

Arriving at the studio, a whiny voice drills from behind them.

"Aw, man- you got front row seats? Switch with your ol pal. Its the least you can do since I introduced you to them."

[plussizefantasia]

Revenge

Flufftober Day 18: Teacher AU

literature teacher!Loki Laufeyson x math teacher!reader

Word Count: 1.5k

AN: I actually love this one so much. I also just realized that we are over halfway done with Flufftober which is kind of sad. Anyway, we've got 13 more days left and I'm looking forward to the plans I have for each one. If you liked this story please reblog and I'll see y'all tomorrow.

divider credit @royallaesthetics

You are going to kill him. You are going to murder that man. You stayed after your last class yesterday so that you would be able to draw out the problems that your students would have to solve for class today. Now, written right on top of your trigonometry diagrams were the words:

“Mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true. -Bertrand Russell”

Written in the ever so familiar scrawl of the Literature Teacher, Mr. Laufeyson. Loki was a nice guy, a great teacher, and at times, a giant pain in your ass. You have no idea how this little feud of yours got started but you are certain that it has escalated beyond what it once was.

At the start, it was just funny little jokes between the two of you. He had once stolen all of the red pens that you used to grade your student’s quizzes and when you went to go look for them, they had all been taped together in one big ball and were sitting in your “Math is Fun” mug that you kept in the teacher's lounge. That was annoying and you also had no real way of knowing who had done it. Until he had brought it up the next day and asked how grading had gone.

You had retaliated by going in early the next morning and moving all of the furniture in his classroom an inch to the left. It had thrown him off just enough that he had tripped on his rug during a lecture and faceplanted. All of your students were talking about it two periods later when they arrived in your class and you were all smiles for the rest of the day.

So far, there has not been any lasting damage, and all of your coworkers find it more amusing than annoying which is a good thing because neither of you wanted to get the administration involved. 

You were not amused by the board graffiti you had found when you came in your class this morning, and while you were re-drawing the problems he had ruined you were thinking of how you could get back to him later that day.

Your plans for revenge had to be put on the back burner as students started filing into your classroom. Half of them looked so tired that you genuinely thought they might fall asleep at their desks and the others looked entirely too frazzled for 7:30 in the morning.

It wasn’t until after you had had your lunch break that an idea had come to you about a way to get back at Loki. You grabbed the pile of graded quizzes from your desk, ones that you were able to grade in red pen thank you very much, and started making your way upstairs to where Mr. Laufeyson’s class was located.

You knew that he was teaching his British Literature elective right now, as it was fifth period. You also knew that most of the kids in that class were also in your Calculus class at the end of the day.

You didn’t wait for very long before pulling open the door to his classroom and waltzing right in with a smirk across your face.

“Good Afternoon Mr. Laufeysoon, pardon the interruption but I have some quizzes I need to give back to some students ASAP.” Without waiting for a response you began walking up and down the rows of desks in his class passing out the graded quizzes to your very amused students. You noticed that he had stopped talking when you had walked into the room and hadn’t started up again. “Go ahead,” you had told him, “don’t want to waste valuable teaching time.” You continued to pass out the papers, all while trying to not burst out laughing at the look on his face.

“Um, yes right. Well as I was saying. Shakespeare was a minor god of his time. His ability to-”

“Hey Derek, I wanted to talk to you about this question that you got wrong, would you be able to stay a little bit after our class to talk about it.” You sent a small wink to Derek and put a finger to your mouth to indicate that he shouldn’t say anything. “I just don’t want to waste any class time going over it today, we have a lot to cover.” Derek just nodded and you could see his shoulders shaking with repressed laughter.

“Are you done?” Loki asked, slanting his hips to one side and placing the hand not holding his open book on them. “Because I have a class to be teaching right now.” He lifted his eyebrows and you acquiesced. You wanted to mess with him, not ruin his whole class plan for that day.

“Yes, I’m done. Thank you for letting me hand those out.” You smiled sweetly at him and began walking back out of his room. Just barely hearing his mutter of “I didn’t let you do anything.” As you passed by him.

Mission accomplished you headed back down to your classroom and started gathering up the things you would need to teach the next period. You didn’t expect that he would have the time to be able to get you back today. But you were for sure expecting some kind of retaliation the next day.

It wasn’t until your last period that you were proven wrong. Everything seemed normal, your students filled in slightly ansty as it was the last period and everyone was ready to go home. They all pulled out their work and started on the problems you had written on the board. 

It wasn’t until you started calling on them that you realized what you had opened yourself up to.

You called on Derek first, he was one of the more academically inclined students you had but he was shy about answering in front of the class. You knew he had gotten the answer right, you had looked at his work before you called them all back to focus. But what you weren't expecting was for him to give you his answer in eh most god-awful British accent you had ever heard.

“I doth believeth that the answer to this problemeth is 42.3”. You were baffled. You had no idea what was going on and the fact that Derek had said all this with such a straight face made you think you were having some kind of hallucination episode in the middle of class. But instead of mentioning it you just decided to move on.

“Oh-kay. Um… Samantha what did you get for number 2.”

Again you were met with an awful accent and weird olde- english phrasing.

“Yes, Madame, the answereth I haveth arrived at was X equaleth 110”.

Now that you knew you weren���t just having a breakdown and something was actually happening you didn’t hold yourself back.

“What is happening right now? I don’t- why are you guys being so weird.”

You were met with utter silence, which was rare in your classroom of 23 teenagers. But you didn’t move on. You stared each of them down, focusing a little harder on trying to get the weak ones to crack. Finally, it was Abigail who let the cat out of the bag. She was sweet, but notoriously bad at keeping secrets.

“Mr. Laufeyson said he would give five bonus points to anyone who used a bad accent in your class today.” She let out in all one breath, “More points if you spoke like someone out of Shakespeare.”

You ran your tongue across the front of your teeth. “Did he?” You let out a sort of incredulous laugh and shook your head a little. “Well then, bonus points on the next quiz to whoever can steal the marble apple off his desk and bring it to me tomorrow.” Your students all began to laugh a little bit and some had a look of extreme determination across their faces at your words.

Your class continued sans silly accents and you sent your students home for the day without any homework. As you started cleaning up your desk, putting your laptop in your bag, and grabbing your sweater off the back of your chair you were interrupted by the voice of your arch-nemesis.

“You are positively wicked.” Loki was leaning up against the frame of the door to your classroom, his jacket also on his arm and his messenger bag slung across his shoulders.

“You started it with the Russell quote on my board. You knew how much time I put into drawing those problems.”

“Admit it, it made you smile when you saw it.” He began to cross across the room towards your desk,

“Maybe, but what really almost made me lose it laughing was Samantha’s horrible British accent.” You looked up at him and let out a small laugh at the memory. “So maybe, Mr. Laufeyson, you are the wicked one.”

“I might be, Mrs. Laufeyson but you were the one who married me.”

“Yeah, I guess I did.” You chuckled once again and leaned up to place a kiss upon your husband’s lips.

“May I ask what plans you have concocted to get back at me tomorrow Darling?” He asked.

“You’ll just have to wait and see for yourself tomorrow, Love.”

[starillusion13]

Imagine your friends!NCT are secretly mafias, falling in love with you…

[I’m doing with my bias line so if your bias is missing means they are my bias wreckers and as am being ot23(I will always be their supporter so don’t expect I love any of the members less) please read the end note.]

Remember this is my top bias line:

Lee Taeyong

Being the leader of the biggest mafia gang, NCT he is very passionate about his life. Never for once he thought of getting you in his life. An innocent but suicidal girl but also a very daring girl. He is attracted to you because of your multiple personalities and this is the reason he finds you different from other girls. He is good at pretending that he is not getting attracted to you day by day or simply he is deeply in love with you. But what about you? No one knows as you are just friends with him, a very close one. It’s a very simple story. But the problem is that you are only familiar with mafias in story book but you don’t know the dark secrets of your cute and handsome friend, Lee Taeyong.

Kim Doyoung

Your most caring friend who literally takes care of you like an older brother but he has made it clear not to call him your brother. He treats you more than you ever need. He takes you on luxury friendly dates when Taeyong(his bestfriend) is busy or that man would not leave his chance to tag along( you are afterall spending his money even with Doyoung). His gummy smile is everything you need before going to work. Those gummy smiles hide the devilish smirk when he is torturing his victim brutally and his sharp eyes watching the helpless condition of them. But to you, he can heal your every pain as a true friend.

Jung Jaehyun

the most charming guy you have ever met. Anyone would want him as their boyfriend including you but you bet he has girlfriend as you feel he hides things from you and that can be possible if it’s his gf. Once late at night you came across him on the streets and you thought him as any celebrity and that’s how your friendship began. He has the show-off attitude and would always buy you costly dresses, jewelry and other accessories and urge you to wear them on friendly dates and workplace. He has this possessiveness in his every move and words as if he owns you. He is a loyal NCT mafia member who has swear not to get distract by anything but why he is losing his mind for you.

Lee Mark

the sweetest and the most innocent guy. You feel this urge to protect this silly boy from this cruel world. Cruel world? He is a walking devil with a facade of innocence. His silly speech, his innocent heartily laughs and his securing embrace is like alluring you to trust him with your whole. But it’s a trap to keep you close. You don’t know how his awkward behaviors in front of you are just the opposite when he plants bullets in his enemy’s head and throat. His soft big and innocent eyes are the dangerous hell-hole for his victims.

Lee Jeno

well, you doubt him as a gangster sometimes because of his physique and personality. But He can’t be because next moment he is giving off his eye smile melting your heart along with his sweet gestures. A perfect soft boyfriend with some dominating aura. He likes to order you around like those are simple and sweet but somehow he has that controlling attitude. His helpless and worried expression if you are hurt for some reason is just the opposite from the one when he makes sure to burn the victim or bury it 6-feet under and his eyes burning with the rage of revenge, nowhere to be seen those cute eyes looking at you in awe and adoration.

Lee Haechan

a playful menace. You question sometimes why you are being friends with him in first place. His teasings are out of hand and loses your mind but the next moment he is the dearest friend to you. But you have fun with him in sleepovers, sneaking out for late night long drives playing ‘Highway to Heaven’ and he sings along the song’s bridge, his fav part ‘oh she’s so bad, I’ll make it last’ and looks at you in your eyes. Even behind his mischievousness, there is a lover boy. He cuddles you to comfort and a perfect bestfriend and you are thankful for such a nice friend. But you don’t know that the annoying boy with heavenly vocals is a hacker of the ruthless mafia gang, NCT.

Na Jaemin

a total cat person. He even has an insta account for his cats and mentioned himself as their father and you as their mother. A boy with heart on his sleeves and he doesn’t let a moment to fall in vain without making you blush. A family man and not gonna lie you have a little crush on him. His endearments and sweet gestures always make you feel like that you are a couple and sometimes some people even assume it. Even if you deny it, he proudly smiles and agrees with them. But this sweet Angel boy is the devil who can shoot someone and bury them in a stance and then act like he tugged his cats in bed to sleep.

I’m writing such above things just casually because even if it’s late at night yet am not feeling sleepy😭 actually I was preparing a NCT! Mafia draft so felt like sharing some imagines. If you guys need any particular member imagine then you can send me asks(also Yuta Lucas Renjun Ten Yangyang and Kun are also in my bias list tho🥹)

Should I make a NCT! Mafia series with my bias line x reader? Of course after finishing ‘Like We Just Met’?

Perma Taglist: @mymoodwriting @justhere4kpop @anyamaris @yeoobin @icchyi @jwnghyuns @piratequeen-queenofgames @dinonuguaegi @oreharuuu @hwanring @sanwifesstuff @kiwiisnthereoops @kiwiraccoon [open!]

[imagines--galore]

||The Thread of Fate|| Part Fourteen

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen

A/N: I LOVED writing this chapter! That's it. That's all I'm gonna say! Enjoy my lovelies!!!! Eeeeeepppppppppp!!!!!!

"I was saving that peach for this morning."

"Then you should've told me last night. How was I supposed to know it was yours?"

"Because I didn't eat mine last night. You were right there when I put it away."

"For all I know, you didn't want to eat it."

"Who in their right minds wouldn't eat a peach?! Its the best fruit there is!"

"Which is why I ate it!"

And so the argument continued, words flying back and forth across the breakfast table. Iroh sipped his tea contentedly, enjoying the warmth of the beverage. The little argument didn't bother him, really it would bother him if Orora and Zuko weren't arguing first thing in the morning.

Thinking that perhaps he should step in, lest Orora freeze Zuko for the rest of the day, and she would do that, Iroh cleared his throat, catching both their attention. "I believe you owe Orora a peach Zuko." He stated calmly, prompting his pupil to shoot a smug smirk in the scowling Prince's direction.

"She can get one herself." He grumbled, standing up. Orora pursed her lips in annoyance, but chose to remain quiet. She wouldn't be letting it go that easily, but for now, they were already getting late for work.

Best to pick up on it later.

Iroh couldn't help but chuckle at the look of intense concentration on Orora's face. He knew exactly what she was planning, he just hoped her revenge, should she choose to seek it out, which she would, wouldn't make Zuko too annoyed.

Then again, it was rather nice to see Zuko display emotions other then anger, anguish and hopelessness. For too long he had watched his nephew despair over the loss of his home and his honor. But ever since Orora came into their lives, Iroh had seen significant change. One that made him realize that perhaps the boy Zuko had been before he was banished, was still somewhere inside him.

And as they stepped into the teashop to begin work for the day, he caught his nephew shoving a peach into Orora's hand before stalking off to look for his apron. His young pupil stood still for a few moments, eyes darting from the fruit to the door where Zuko had disappeared.

Finally, she rolled her eyes, a gentle smile playing about her lips. Slipping the peach into her pocket, she began her tasks for the day.

Iroh shook his head, smiling to himself. It was obvious how the both of them cared for one another, and yet neither were willing to take the next step. Perhaps because of their views, views that had been thrust upon them by the world.

A Fire Nation Royal, and a Water Tribe Noblewoman.

A love that was never meant to be.

Huffing to himself, Iroh began to go over the many many teas he had stored on the shelf behind the counter.

He had allowed them both the dignity of working everything out themselves, but if they were going to be too stubborn about their nonsensical views, he would have to step in.

They were far better together then they were apart, he had seen and experienced it firsthand.

Perhaps an opportunity would arrive soon, that would help push both teenagers together.

                                          ————————–

She stared at the peach in her hand.

It was rather strange how something as insignificant as a piece of fruit held so much meaning. And all because Zuko had given it to her.

Granted he had done so because his Uncle had told him he owed her one, but, lately, Orora had begun to realize that even though his Uncle was the one to advise Zuko on something, the act being carried out was something he did out of choice, and not necessity.

She was on her break at the moment, sitting in the back of the tea shop, looking over at the peach as if she were seeing it for the first time. Taking a bite of the fruit, she smiled at the sweet taste that burst across her tongue the moment she split the skin with her teeth.

Staring listlessly at the wall across from her, her mind wandered to the dinner they had a few nights ago. She still couldn't believe her and Zuko had managed to pull it off without any major mishap. They had actually been smiling at one another by the end of the night. And there was also the fact that she heard him laugh for the first time since they had met.

She had come to that realization late at night. It was shocking enough that she had laid there in silent surprise for a good few minutes before it sank in completely. It was sad how Zuko didn't allow himself to be happy. He didn't smile often either.

If eating spicy food and reacting to it got a sincere laugh out of him then she would probably do it again.

Orora shook her head as she took the last bite of her peach. The past couple of days, she had been seriously contemplating on Zuko being her soulmate. Here in Ba Sing Se, so far away from the horrors of war and the danger that had plagued them, she had to admit it was easy to dismiss all that was going on beyond the Walls and build a new life.

Maybe

.

.

.

.

.

.

Maybe having Zuko as a soulmate wasn't such a bad thing.

He did look out for her, she mused as she stood to wash her hands in the sink. Whenever she would go out in the city he would follow her. At first it had been a little annoying, but seeing him actually be sincere about the task had softened her heart. And though she knew she could take care of herself, should the need arise, it was comforting to know that there was someone watching out for her.

And then there were the little gestures he had been acting on every now and then. She usually slept late, wanting to get a bit of practice in before heading to bed. Besides, as a waterbender, her abilities were much stronger at night under the light of the moon. Sometimes she would practice for so long that she would barely have the strength to stumble to her bed roll, let alone pull the blanket over her. She would wake the next morning with the blanket covering her, and she knew it had been him.

How?

Because her string had tugged a little during the night and despite being asleep she had felt it.

He would always wait by the door before they left to ensure she walked between him and Iroh during their short trek to the tea shop. And when it was time to go home, he would be at the door once more, walking a pace behind her.

Zuko probably thought she didn't notice. But she did.

She noticed everything about him.

How, despite the cold exterior he tried to maintain, he actually had a kind heart. One that had hid from the rest of the world because he had had his face burned for showing that empathy for someone else.

Looking down at her hands, Orora suddenly realized she had actually washed the peach pit. Smiling softly, the girl couldn't help but shake her head as she recalled how Zuko had avoided her eye when handing her the fruit.

And for some unknown reason, one that certainly had nothing to do with sentimentality, she slipped the little peach pit in the pocket of her trouser.

The moment she did, her string flickered with color, and remained a deep red for a good few minutes.

All the while she stared at it, a warmth spreading through her entire body.

And if she blushed when Zuko walked in a few moments later, she simply walked past him, head held high, and eyes aglow with the realization that, perhaps, her feelings for him were beginning to grow stronger.

                                          ————————–

Warm amber gold eyes followed Orora as she walked back to the front of the shop. Once her break ended, his began, and Zuko was dying to eat something and get off his feet.

Honestly, serving tea all day, taking orders, washing dishes and stocking new product was as taxing as firebending. As someone who hadn't had a job his whole life, it was an eye-opener for him that people did all this and much more, just so they had a hot meal and a roof over their head.

Moving to where their daily lunch was, he picked up his bowl and settled onto his chair as he began to eat.

His eyes flickered to the two bowls that were still full of food, and he frowned. Orora hadn't eaten. She would likely be starving when they got back home. He needed a reminder to tell her off when it came to skipping her lunch. She did that often, he noticed, not eat because she didn't feel like it. If she kept doing that, she was surely going to get sick.

Letting out an annoyed huff he took a big bite of the stew he was eating, chewing almost aggressively. It was a little annoying at times, how much the thought of Orora occupied his mind. It was beginning to get rather tedious, if he were honest with himself, trying not to think of her.

But the surprising revelation about it? Was that he didn't actually mind thinking about her.

It was strange. For so long all that had occupied his mind was capturing the Avatar and getting back home. But now that was something that seemed as impossible to achieve as seeing a live dragon.

But what did seem possible? Was living a quiet life as a refugee. During the 100 year war, no Fire Nation army had been able to penetrate the walls of Ba Sing Se. So there was no chance of the city coming under the Fire Nation's control.

Maybe Uncle was right?

Maybe it was time to stop looking to the past and look towards the future.

A future with his Uncle at his side, someone who genuinely loved him.

And Orora. A future with Orora.

Would it ever happen, he wandered, playing with the last few pieces of meat that were at the very bottom of his bowl. He saw her as a friend now, and he was content with just that.

After all, he sighed in slight defeat, leaving the rest of his stew as he moved to the front of the tea shop again.

Soulmate or no, who could ever accept him?

A scarred, banished prince, with nothing but his title to remind him of who he had been.

Nothing more.

                                          ————————–

The new boxes of teas had arrived, and Iroh had eagerly opened them up to begin stacking them in the appropriate shelves. Climbing up the ladder, he lowered his hand down where Orora began to hand him the boxes one by one.

It had been a relatively slow day, so most of the chores they would normally do after the shop had closed were nearly completed now. Orora was honestly looking forward to going home early. It had been a busy few days, and she would also be going to Lake Laogai to practice a little of her bending soon.

A little lost in her daydream of practicing in a large body of water, she very nearly missed Zuko approaching the both of them.

"Uncle, we have a problem." His voice sounded urgent, prompting Orora to turn and look at him, while Iroh descended from the ladder.

"One of the customers is on to us." Zuko stated through slightly gritted teeth. Orora looked around the tea shop, and not finding anyone that would look remotely threatening rolled her eyes at Zuko. "You're being paranoid Zuko." She stated in a low voice, before moving to arrange a few more tea boxes in one of the lower shelves. Zuko threw a scowl in her direction before continuing to address his Uncle.

"Don't look now but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation." Iroh turned around to look at the girl, but was quickly pulled back by Zuko, who growled at him. "Didn't I say don't look?!"

"She's harmless Zuko. She's been coming in for days now. Always orders the Jasmine." Orora stated, not at all bothered by his accusations. Their main concern had been Jet, and he was already dealt with, so no reason to go around stirring up trouble. And she was aware how much Zuko loved to get in trouble for no reason.

Iroh had managed to see the girl, and having seen the girl before as well, he had also noticed how she would often watch his nephew as he worked around the shop. He tried his best not to let his glee show as he spoke. "You're right, Zuko. I've seen that girl in here quite a lot." He nudged his nephew in the stomach playfully. "Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you."

The reactions he had been hoping for were instant. Zuko blinked in astonishment at his suggestion, his brain unable to comprehend that anyone, let alone a pretty girl, would have a crush on him. Orora had dropped the box she had been setting, and turned to stare wide-eyed at her teacher and soulmate.

"What?" They both all but squawked out, prompting Iroh to let out a chuckle.

As if realizing what had just come out of her mouth, Orora quickly turned her attention back to her task, though not before she caught the look of surprise Zuko threw her way. Obviously he had seen her reaction. Though nothing could be said on the matter at present, since the girl came up to the counter. "Thank you for the tea." She said, a smile on her lips as she placed a few coins on the table, which Zuko picked up to put in the money box. "What's your name?" She continued, prompting Iroh to smile slightly.

Turning back around, Zuko spoke. "My name's Lee. We just moved here." He added, gesturing to both his Uncle and Orora, the latter of whom was still rather busy with stacking boxes, however she was more then aware of the conversation happening behind her.

"Hi Lee, my name's Jin." The girl introduced herself. "And......well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime." Zuko was stunned, for lack of a better word, staring at Jin as if she had suddenly grown an extra limb or something. Iroh, not wanting such a golden opportunity to go to waste quickly stepped forward.

"He'd love to!" He exclaimed loudly, behind him Orora glanced at Zuko out of the corner of her eyes, trying to see how he had reacted to being asked out by such a pretty girl.

"Great." Jin exclaimed, sounding delighted. "I'll meet you in front of the shop at sundown." And just as suddenly she had appeared, Jin walked away. A large smile on his lips Iroh threw an arm around Zuko's shoulders, who finally broke out of his bewildered state to glare at his Uncle.

                                          ————————–

"I'm not going."

The deceleration came as no surprise. As soon as Jin had walked out of earshot, Zuko had been quick to turn to his Uncle and state what was on his mind. Orora, not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation, moved to the back of the shop to finish doing whatever cups were left.

She knew Iroh wouldn't let Zuko back out, not when it meant making someone sad, so it was better to not be a part of that conversation.

Besides, she needed a little alone time to figure out why she had reacted the way she did just then a few minutes ago. Bending some clean water she splashed her face with it, allowing the coolness of it to calm and relax her a little. Maybe she should spend the evening on the roof. There was bound to be a moon out, and she just needed to bask in it's silvery glow. That always helped ground her.

But first, something to eat.

She moved to where her bowl of broth was still waiting for her. It was cold now, but she barely noticed as she caught snippets of conversations from beyond the open door.

Finally, Zuko appeared. He began pacing, grumbling under his breath, and she knew Iroh had won. "You know, you should be glad a pretty girl asked you on a date. Most guys aren't so lucky." She stated between a bite of her stew. He glared at her, to which she simply shrugged. "I'm just saying, why not go out and just have fun?" Setting her bowl down, she watched as his gaze flickered from his finger to her own.

The very finger the string that attached them to one another was tied.

She sighed, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth as she spoke. Zuko, just because we've decided to be friends doesn't mean we've promised anything more." Her voice was soft, and sounded a little detached, even to her own ears. And despite her heart telling her not to, her mind was pushing her to do the right thing.

"Go out with her. And like your Uncle said, be a normal boy for once. You deserve that more then anything. To be treated normally and not as the enemy." A smile pulled at her lips, though it didn't reach her eyes. At least not completely.

Something that Zuko noticed, even as he finally relented. "Alright, I'll go."

                                          ————————–

Zuko was beginning to feel a little exhausted.

Mentally.

Jin spoke. A lot. And while that wasn't a bad thing, he had never been good for long conversations. He preferred silence and as minimal conversation as possible. Orora had understood that early on, and though she teased him about being broody, she would keep quiet when she knew he needed the silence to just......be.

Her conversations did help him forget his rather morbid thoughts, and whenever he would return to silently contemplating, he found his mind to be much lighter then it had been before.

And all because he spoke to her.

"So tell me, I know Mushi is your Uncle, but what about that girl that works with you?" Jin's question had him blinking out of his stupor and looking at her across the dinner table. "Oh, she's a student of my Uncle's. He helps her with her waterbending, even though he isn't a bender himself." He was quick to add with a shrug.

He watched, confused, as Jin let out a little sigh of relief, her shoulders drooping slightly. "Oh well thats good! From the way she looks at you sometimes, I thought you two were soulmates or something."

Zuko blinked.

"What?" That word was supposed to come out as a demand, but instead it came out hoarse and unbelieving. The girl shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean I've seen her look at you sometimes, and thats the exact way my mom looks at my dad when he isn't looking." She grinned. "They're soulmates." She added as a away of explanation.

The young prince simply gave a small nod, before returning to his silent contemplation, only half listening to Jin as she continued to talk.

                                          ————————–

The only good part of her evening had been when she had seen Zuko walk out after Iroh had helped him with his unruly hair. She had to physically hold herself back from laughing out loud, and had only let loose after he had gone, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"I see you are amused by my nephew's misery Orora." Iroh said, though there was no anger in his words, only slight reprimand. Orora pursed her lips to keep from smiling. "I'm sorry Master. Though I do hope Zuko has a good time. He deserves it." She added.

Iroh reached out to pat her arm in an affectionate manner. "I know you are a little hurt, but you possess a kind heart for saying so Orora." Seeing the slightly crestfallen look on her face, as she allowed her true feelings for the date to show, Iroh continued.

"And who knows, perhaps this date will act as the wake up call my nephew needs to not take you for granted."

She shook her head. "He doesn't do that Master." Moving to the window, she placed one leg over the ledge. "Although, it would be nice if he were to notice me as a girl rather then just his friend." So saying, she pulled herself up on the roof to loose herself to her thoughts.

                                          ————————–

Well this was a little awkward.

Zuko glanced at Jin, looking more then a little crestfallen about discovering that he lamps weren't lit. And looking at her sad expression, he was reminded of Orora, and how sad she would look whenever he spoke to her about his past. Though since that first night, when he had revealed everything, he did try to cheer her up. Mostly he just said something to annoy her, to distract her from thinking about his past.

Lately though, he had been working on actually making her smile.

"Close your eyes. And don't look." He said. Jin gave him a confused look, but did as he asked. She even covered her eyes to assure him that she wasn't looking.

Zuko walked forward, holding his hands together. He closed his eyes briefly, inhaling as he allowed his inner fire to burn a little brighter. It had been so long since he had firebended. Using his pointer and middle fingers on each hand, he shot small bursts of flame in the directions of the candles to light them. It didn't take long for him to be done, and once finished, he stood straight and looked at Jin, who still stood with her palms over her eyes.

"Okay, now you can look."

Removing her hands, Jin gasped. "Oh, wow." Zuko had to admit, the lights did look rather beautiful as they reflected off the surface of the water of the fountain. Jin looked at Zuko, amazed. She walked up to him, looking at the candles. "What happened? How did they light? What did you do?" There was no accusation in her tone. Only surprise and happiness as her gaze flitted between him and the lights around them. Zuko didn't reply and Jin finally fell silent as well, looking around at the pretty view in awe.

And as he watched the light reflect in the fountain, he couldn't help but think of Orora and how she would probably create ice crystals to hang in midair. He was sure the sight would only become even more wondrous then it already was.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Jin take his hand. Feeling a little lost and confused, since he had no other girl other then Orora actually take his hand voluntarily, he turned so he could look at Jin.

Who was beginning to lean in a little.

Prompting him to quickly hold up a piece of paper between them. His heart thumped wildly in his chest. Surely she hadn't been about to..........

"I've brought you something." Jin looked at him surprised. "It's a coupon for a free cup of tea." He continued, prompting the girl to smile. "Lee, this is so sweet." She said taking the coupon and smiling at him. Zuko shrugged as he took a couple of steps back. "Don't thank me – it was my Uncle's idea. He thinks you're our most valuable customer."

Jin smiled. "Your uncle is a good teacher." The young prince's face softened slightly at the words. "Yeah, Orora can testify to that." He said, his eyes falling to the fountain once more where the water rippled slightly in the breeze. He felt Jin walk up next to him. A hand pressed to the side of his face. "I have something for you too. Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

With no hesitation he did. He felt Jin move even closer to him before a pair of soft lips pressed against his own. The contact was brief and she pulled back almost instantly. And though he did lean back in a little, almost instinctively he pulled back.

He opened his eyes, standing there and looking at her. Imagining someone else.

Someone with darker skin.

Ice blue eyes.

A patch of white in her hair.

And a smile that had begun to effect him more then he ever thought possible.

He turned his back on Jin, beginning to walk away.

"What's wrong?" Jin called out behind him. He could almost hear the disappointment in her voice. "It's complicated." He said, trying to shake away the image of Orora looking at him just as Jin had a few moments ago. "I have to go." He said starting to walk once more.

"Its that girl isn't it?"

He turned around startled, his eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at Jin. She had an almost sad smile on her lips as she looked at him. "You know you look at her the same way she looks at you sometimes. I've seen it." She said sighing in an almost melancholy way. "I would kill to have someone look at me like that. Like I'm their reason for getting up in the morning." She clarified, oversharing as usual, given how that was how she talked. Jin shrugged.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be as complicated like you say it is."

Zuko looked at her one last time, before sprinting back home.

                                          ————————–

Iroh looked out from the window down in the street, hoping to catch sight of Zuko as he returned. Of course he did not anticipate his nephew taking the back entrance of the apartment building. The door opened and Zuko walked in, silent and contemplative.

Trimming a bonsai tree to appear nonchalant, Iroh barely glanced at his nephew. "How was your night, Prince Zuko?" He asked. Zuko responded by walking to the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him. Iroh looked after him for a second with a confused expression before he sighed and moved back to his task.

Though he immediately turned back around when he heard the door crack open and Zuko's voice to filter out.

"It was nice." He said, his voice soft and sounded as if he didn't believe the words himself. The door closed again, and Iroh smiled before resuming his task.

                                          ————————–

He found her lying on the roof. Her arms behind her head, her gaze trained towards the night sky, the light of the moon bright yet soothing. She didn't move her head, though she knew he was there as he mirrored her position.

A peaceful silence enveloped them both.

Where Zuko's mind had been a cacophony of words and voices echoing all around, barely finishing a thought, it was now silent. And where Orora had been overthinking even the most minutest of details, she found perfection in that moment as Zuko lay beside her.

"So, how was your date?" She finally spoke, her voice breaking the stillness of the moment, though not taking away from the tranquility of it.

"It was nice." Zuko repeated the same words he had told his Uncle, eyes tracing the many stars that littered the night sky. "I told her we traveled with a circus at one point. She seemed to believe it."

A soft laugh echoed across the rooftop. A sound that prompted Zuko to smile. He liked hearing her laugh.

"She also asked me to juggle, and I broke a couple of pots."

Another laugh. He was beginning to associate that sound with true happiness.

"Then she took me to see this fountain. You would've liked it. The lights made it look like the water was dancing." He never would've thought he would say words like that. Words of beauty and appreciation he always kept to himself. But here, with her, he had no problem saying them out loud.

Another silence.

This time it was broken by Orora. And the words she spoke next were so soft that Zuko almost missed them.

"Did you kiss?"

He stiffened beside her, and she had her answer. A pang of sadness had her almost wincing as she pursed her lips.

"She did." His voice finally came, soft and sincere. "I didn't."

Normally when the both of them spoke to each other concerning anything, words were their major means of communication. A way to get their point and message across.

But right then, they were barely speaking, and yet the amount of emotion, understanding and comprehension that passed between them was one neither had ever felt before.

Finally, finally, she turned her head, something she had been dying to do since he came up.

Why?

Because she wanted to look at his handsome face.

She wasn't at all surprised to see him looking back at her. The wind blew softly, a few strands of her hair escaping her comb and tickling her cheek.

"Why?"

Her heart was beating fast, though her breathing was calm and slow. She had never seen him look so gentle before. So soft.

Zuko allowed his eyes to roam over her face. From her expressive blue eyes, to that soft looking patch of white hair. And while in the past he had to stop himself from touching it, this time he didn't.

His hand lifted to gently brush the tips of his fingers against the strands. They were just as soft as he had imagined.

In his attempt to stroke her hair, his body had shifted even closer, and tilted slightly so that he was lying at his side. Loosing herself to the feeling of his fingers in her hair, Orora couldn't help but lean towards him, her upper body turning to the side as well.

Their gaze never wavered from one another.

He cleared his throat, wanting to give her an answer though unable to find the words. And somehow, she understood.

So she brought her fingers up, gently pressing them against his lips and giving him a smile, showing him that despite him not saying a word, she knew.

A look of gratitude flashed in his amber gaze, as his hand slowly dropped from her hair, to rest his palm against her cheek. The gesture surprised her, prompting her to remove her fingers from his lips. Though they didn't get very far.

Instead she pressed her fingers gently against the scar on his face. She allowed her fingers to trace along the rough skin, a touch so exquisite and tender, that Zuko was sure it was nothing but a dream.

But the reality of it was that Orora was lying next to him. And she was touching his scar. The ugliest part of him. And she was touching it as if it were the most softest of flowers.

"Close your eyes." He said, his voice a perfect replica of his expression.

Tender.

The girl stopped moving her fingers, though her hand stayed where it was.

She did as he asked.

He moved closer, his eyes closing as well.

She felt his nose brush against her own.

He felt her warm breath caress his mouth.

And in that moment, there was no war.

There was no Fire Nation or Water Tribe.

No Prince or Noblewoman.

It was a moment between a boy and a girl.

A moment under the stars as his lips found hers in a tender embrace.

And the string that connected them together burst in a flash of color.

Blue and Red.

Before it faded once more.

                                          ————————–

Tag List - @wavesofchaos​ @violet-potter​ @rennysketch​ @emma-andrea1 @lovesammikinzz @fuzzyfestcat @msrawog @notsaelty @lust-for-pan @aces-tattooartist @jinxxangel13 @lotr-got @bitterspoons @realrintaro @gatorgirl151 @inutheangel @heartfully10 @lucaaahhh @juniper-july19 @anuttellaa @gfksz @bussyvussy

[dawneternal]

A Wild Thing | One

⚘ Summary: Elain makes a decision, Nesta has something to say about it, Lucien is surprised

⚘ Warnings: anxiety, angst

⚘ Word Count: 2.1k

AO3 Link ⚘ Masterlist

The world is blue. A deep Aegean blue, filling the endless space above, around, below. It is still and empty.

A bright, poisonous green pours into the ether in the way lightning spreads through the sky. The way that a river forks on a map. The way that veins spread under skin.

Blue turns to red. The color of spilled blood, slowly bleeding into the calm space. The color of anger and revenge fills everything and the web of green is a hideous, blinding contrast.

The vicious red is fading into maroon. Deeper and deeper, absorbing all light with it as it becomes an inky black. The green is throbbing like a weak, beating heart. The veins morph, taking on a dimensional shape, shifting into vines with budding leaves, growing small white flowers that wither and turn brown.

Urgent, it is all so very urgent as those flowers fall and die and the blackness swallows them up. Black as the space between this life and the next one. Black like the nothingness inside the Cauldron.

The last of the flowers fall away, into eternity. The vines do not grow any more. Then slowly, they fade into that void and nothing remains.

𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘

Elain's eyes flutter open. She stares at her surroundings with suspicion, wiggling her fingers to determine whether or not she is still in the vision. She can move them, feel the texture of the linen sheets beneath her fingertips.

She let her hand fall limp against the fabric and sighed, watching the morning light pour across the floor as remnants of her dream danced behind her eyes. Laying in the silence, she shifted through the images, hoping they may reveal their meaning if she meditated on them long enough.

But there was nothing of meaning, and it grew harder to focus as the rest of the house woke. Muffled footsteps and voices wove into a song of life. Elain pulled the covers up over ears and ignored them.

In the moment, the visions were so clear. They invoked such strong emotions she could almost piece it all together. But when she woke up, the imagery became desaturated and foggy within minutes and all gut feelings faded into nothing. She was left no closer to understanding than before.

A deep, restless itch surfaced just beneath her skin. She could not go back to her post-cauldron state, living constantly intertwined with the visions. Back then, they muddled her thoughts because she had not learned to let them come and go. Now, it did not matter what she did, how hard she tried to sort them into neat boxes and go about her day. They wanted her, wanted to pull her under the water and let her drown in nonsense, filling her body and mind to take for their own.

A few weeks ago, asking Feyre and Rhysand for help would have been out of the question. Feyre was busy with her little boy and Rhys had yet to comprehend that he had pissed Elain off. They would tell everyone, anyway, and then it would become a whole thing.

But the itch in her veins was growing stronger, the pull of the visions more demanding. She could not stay in one piece much longer.

Her window was closing. Lucien left for the Spring Court soon. Her stomach flipped as the reality of what she was about to ask settled in, but anxiety dissolved all the resistance in her body.

Feyre's lovely, musical laughter filled the hallway as she passed by Elains door, followed by Rhysand's deep, rumbling chuckle. And Elain made up her mind.

She tossed the covers back with trembling hands and shoved her freezing feet into slippers. Teeth dug into her bottom lip as she wrapped her robe around her shivering form and shuffled toward the door.

Slippered feet came to a stop just before the door, fingers hovering over the knob. How exactly was she supposed to explain how she knew where she needed to go? That wasn't even something she understood, herself. She just knew it was true. Answers lay in the Spring Court.

Elain shook her head, willing her doubts to disappear at least long enough to let her try.

As expected, Feyre and Rhysand stood at the bottom of the landing stairs, preparing to leave. Rhys held up Feyre's coat as they laughed together about something or other. A scene sweet enough to fill Elains mouth with a bitter taste.

She ignored it, smiling anyways, as her sister and brother-in-law caught sight of her at the top of the stairs.

"Morning, Elain," Feyre's smile faded as she took in the sight of her sister - thin, tired, and curls tangled. “Is everything alright?”

Elain’s lips parted as she inhaled, heart hammering, and in one breath she poured out her confession, “I want to go to the Spring Court with Lucien. I think I had a vision about Tamlin.”

She descended the stairs as the pair digested her words, eyes wide as they watched her. Elain waited, eyebrows slowly drawing together as the silence dragged on. Rhysand remembered himself and smoothed his expression, masking over into calm neutrality.

"What was the vision?" He asked, nothing in his tone indicating any alarm.

“Well, they've not been very clear, lately,” Elain stammered, fingers tightening around the worn bannister, “It was mostly colors. But I'm certain it was about him. And I'm hoping that if I go, they'll get clearer.”

"If something is wrong, we can take care of it." Rhysand said, gently. He was studying her, searching for hidden things. She did not particularly care for it.

"It's not that. I'm not even sure what the visions are trying to tell me. I…I'm worried about what will happen to my mind.”

Silence settled in the foyer again as Rhysand and Feyre looked at each other, a wordless conversation passing between them. Feyre's brows knit together in worry, blue eyes sending something pleading in her husband's direction. Elain watched her sister take a deep breath before she turned to her and said,

“There is no one else there, Elain. It would be only you and Lucien. You would have to stay close to him for protection.”

Elain shifted her weight, bringing her gaze to the floor in order to hide her annoyance. As if that was not the first thing she considered. Her discomfort around Lucien seemed so small compared to the idea of her visions untethering her from reality. Was she that shallow, in their eyes?

“I know.” She swallowed.

“It may not be very comfortable," Feyre continued, her voice soft like Elain might shatter, "It hasn't been clean there in a long while.”

“I can clean.” Elain said. There was something heavier in that statement than either sister wanted to admit.

So Feyre cleared her throat and forged ahead,

"It will be for a whole week. Maybe more."

"I can keep busy."

"Tamlin may not be very friendly to you," Feyre continued to press. Elain's nails dug into the wood.

"Fine," She huffed, "I don't have to go.”

Her mind was already reeling with back up plans, body tensed to turn and flee back up the stairs.

"No, no," Feyre said quickly, "I don't mean to dissuade you, I just don't want you to be unhappy.”

Elain swallowed hard, trying to stuff down a rising wave of defiance. But in spite of herself, her eyes snapped up toward Rhysand, burning bright. She slammed her mental shields closed so he could not hear the word that rattled around, deepening her anger. Mistake.

Feyre's mouth open and closed, her confusion written clearly over expression. Rhysand did not react at all, not one muscle in his face twitched as he met Elain's fury.

"Lucien leaves tonight after dinner," He said, too smooth to be oblivious, "If you would like to go, you're welcome to leave with him then.”

“Thank you,” Elain said, surprising herself with her amiable tone.

"You'll let us know right away if something is wrong or you need help?" Feyre pressed.

Elain nodded and offered a small smile. A little apology. Feyre smiled back, though her eyes were sad, filled with unsaid things.

Rhys offered a nod, and Elain returned it before making her way back up the stairs. There was silence, the creaking of the steps emphasized as Elain trudged, wondering what they were saying about her. Then there was a snap and she knew they were gone.

𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘

Elain's bedroom door burst open, door knob hitting the wall with a bang. Elain did not flinch, did not even turn around. She said nothing, only continued to fold the pile of clothes before her and arrange them neatly in her bag.

She knew who it was and had expected this visit from the moment she had spoken her request.

“You are not going to the Spring Court.”

Nesta was breathing heavily like she had run here, her voice equal measures firm and riled.

“You can't decide that for me,” Elain said quietly, tucking a rolled pair of bloomers between two folded dresses. She turned to face her sister, shoulders squared.

"Elain," Nesta said, her voice scathing. Her own shoulders were drawn up, hands balled into fists at her sides. "Tamlin is a beast. He does not leave his beast form. You don't have any training to protect yourself.”

"I don't think he's going to be much trouble right now, Nesta. He's very unwell." Elain brought her hands to rest at her waist, resisting the urge to fiddle with the lace trim, "And I won't be alone."

"Yes, let's discuss that. Because one moment, you barely even speak to him. Then you're running away with him to a court that's gone completely wild." Nesta scoffed.

Elain closed her eyes, hurt washing over her like waves of salt water. Stinging. She had tried to tell Nesta about her visions. She thought maybe her sister would understand.

“This is bigger than that. I won't be running around the spring court with him. And I'm not running away with him.”

Elain's cheeks burned at Nesta's implications. She was certainly not making it any easier for Elain to convince herself that she could manage to keep away from Lucien. All she needed to do was be there, in the Spring Court. There was no need for them to talk or…bond.

"I will not refrain from telling you I told you so when he does something stupid and breaks your heart," Nesta drew herself up to her full height and looked down her nose at Elain, crossing her arms. "And I will not refrain from punishing Rhysand for letting you go if you come back injured.”

“Do what you want,” Elain glowered, her voice low, “Say what you want. I'm going.”

"I think you forget that I have seen Tamlin in his beast form and you have not," Nesta growled at Elain's dismissal. "I would think my opinion holds some weight.”

"I think you forget that I have seen the inside of a Hybern war camp and Tamlin in his beast form," Elain turned and snapped, loosing the tight leash on her temper for a moment. The way that Nesta forgot those things infuriated her.

Nesta said something else, but Elain had retreated, arms crossed around herself for support. Nesta cared, she tried to remind herself. But she cared in a way that whittled Elain down into a smaller version of herself, irritated and sensitive. Nesta lived her life as a battle and Elain had no interest in fighting. She'd never win.

She heaved a sigh of relief when Nesta scoffed once more and stormed away, the door slamming shut a welcome end to their conversation.

𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘

A familiar awkwardness settled into Elain's bones as she closed her bedroom door behind her. Chewing her lip in anticipation, she made her way down the stairs and into the silent living room. The small journey felt agonizingly long, and her heart hammered as she stopped on the plush patterned carpet, slowly lifting her eyes to meet Lucien's.

Lucien stood before her, a bag thrown over his shoulder, hands in his pockets. Immaculate, as always. Even with that unmistakable emotion written across his fine features. Incredulous, like he had been waiting to see if she would show up. Incredulous, like he still didn't believe it.

The defiant thing within Elain thrashed at his silent accusations, filling her body with that restless itch again. But she behaved herself, returning his curt greeting and letting him take her carpet bag.

Then he offered her an elbow, and Elain had to take a deep breath. This was something she avoided at all costs. The moment her hand landed on him, she was dizzy. Dizzy from her whole being singing in relief.

Mate mate mate, her heart chanted so loudly that she wondered if he could hear it. He gave no indication that he could, eyes straight ahead as he winnowed them away into the wild of the spring court.

[odditycircus-2002]

Medusa!Reader and Shang Tsung in MK1 Part 8

Spoilers for story mode: Proceed with caution

Previous

NEXT

When Kuai Liang and Tomas brought you to Lord Raiden’s Fire Temple, you were pleasantly surprised to find Syzoth and vice versa. Syzoth then inquires about your health, if Shang Tsung hurt you or did anything to you. He swears that he’ll make the Sorcerer 100 times fold for everything he did, but you put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance before he could go on to plan his revenge out loud. You remind him that you don't prepare an effective murder plan out loud.

Not too long after you reunite with Syzoth, the Earthrealmers you met, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Kenshi, and a woman you've never met enter the courtyard to greet you. Like the Zatteran, without murder planning, they express their relief at seeing you mostly alright besides the bruises and scratches. First Cage hands you another set of sunglasses for your eyes before letting you in on how Baraka reacted when Shang Tsung kidnapped you, which is to say not well at all.

"No joke, he went full Kool-Aid man on the door and then an entire wall! I thought Baraka was gonna pop a vein, not that I blame him seeing his gal was taken from him."

You stammered to Johnny that Baraka was upset because his friend was taken. Although the way your snakes went to cover your warm cheeks said otherwise. To change the subject, please ask who the newcomer is. The woman introduces herself as Ashrah before asking if you are Zateran, the same as Syzoth. You explain that you look like a reptilian because of Shang Tsung, which causes your snakes to hiss and writhe angrily to reflect your mood.

The group eventually catches you up on everything you missed, including how they came across Ashrah, Quan-chi's involvement with Shang Tsung, creating something called "Ermac" made from the souls of the Living Forest, and their daring escape at the festival. You were surprised to hear Syzoth held his own against Tanya AND Princess Kitana. It also didn't slip your notice how flustered your reptiloid friend seemed when Ashrah praised him for his bravery. Although that was another matter for a, hopefully, better time. You, in return, also share your experience of being held captive at Ying's fortress.

You explained how you deeply regretted not splitting Shang Tsung from the groin to the gullet before Kuai Liang invited you to The Fire Temple to wait for Lord Liu Kang's return. You acquiesce, only asking for parchment and quill to pass the time. You finished tying your ribbon around your letter when Lord Liu Kang entered. When the latter explains how he must inform and prove Empress Sindel about Shang Tsung and Quan-chi's evildoings, you immediately offer to assist the Fire God. You cite that your presence with Lui Kang would provide more credibility to his claims as he tries to convince Sindel of Shang Tsung and Quan-chi's true intentions.

Your prediction is true when you and the Fire God enter through the portal gate, only to be greeted by Li Mei and the rest of Sun Do's constables. The First Constable does a double take when seeing your masked face but with your hood down. She learned from General Shao about your monstrous mutations and subsequent betrayal, but she didn't want to believe either. Li Mei knew that you were steadfast in your loyalties to Sindel and her daughters, but to see you so utterly transformed... Another problem for another time.

Li Mei, understandably, was reluctant to hear Liu Kang's claims about the Deadly Alliance and General Shao's conspiracy against the throne. However, at your insistence and reminding her how you, too, had your counsel ignored by Sindel despite your best intentions, Li Mei is quick to catch on.

"I knew he couldn't be trusted!"

"I wish I had known that sooner."

Liu Kang then explains how Shang Tsung treated Mileena's Tarkat symptoms, gaining Sindel's favor to get close to the throne. You describe to Li Mei that after Shang Tsung treated Mileena's Tarkat symptoms, you partnered with the Sorcerer to study Tarkat near the Wastes. You had hoped to finally find a cure, only for that Snake to use your research for his twisted experiments, adding how you still can taste the air of that dungeon. Li Mei, not wanting to let down the royal family again, agrees to assist the Fire God with his goal. She also agrees to have one of her constables deliver a letter you wrote for Baraka to the Wastes, which lets him in on everything that transpired and that you're well. It also lets him know you intend to save the Empire and Outworld.

P.S. I was told by Mister Cage about your concern after my kidnapping.

On the way to Sun Do's palace, you and Lord Liu Kang fill the First Constable with everything you know about General Shao's plans and his part in the conspiracy. When Reiko and some of his subordinates, including Motaro, block your path, all of you spring into action against Outworld's soldiers. You rip off your mask to turn some of the soldiers into stone before biting into one that tried to grab you from behind, who then falls to the ground, coughing blood. You duck and weave between soldiers, letting your snakes bite into exposed flesh. This turns the soldiers into what you could only describe as living blood trees. Occasionally, you would be able to help Li Mei in her fight against Reiko, mainly offering her medical aid before hopping back into the foray.

After Li Mei defeats Reiko, all of you left the site before reinforcements could arrive. Not long after entering the palace's Hanging Gardens, you and your companions are surrounded by Tanya and the Umgadi. You plead with Tanya to listen to what Li Mei has to say, reminding her that you, too, are concerned for the royal family and helped treat Mileena's condition. Yet, while Tanya hesitates briefly, it doesn't stop her from fighting Li Mei. It doesn't surprise you that the former Umgadi wins against the younger warrior priestess. You kept your mask on as more Umgadi arrived on the scene, even as they enclosed you with their spears. You're glad you did when Li Mei passionately urged the rest of her former sisters-in-arms to stand with her to save the empire.

The Umgadi heeded Li Mei's words and escorted the rest of you to Empress Sindel's throne room, with a bound Tanya walking beside you and Li Mei. You had to bite your tongue when Sindel immediately accuses her former friend of trying to destroy the rest of her family by allying herself with Earthrealm's protector. You let out a hiss and let down your hood to show your Empress your new form.

"My Empress, I implore you, for onccce, to listen to what an actual friend and ally have to say before making blind accusationsss."

When Sindel asks who are you to talk to her like that, you reveal to her that it's you, her Imperial Healer and friend. A friend who has wanted nothing more than the best for the royal house and Outworld. Who, because of Shang Tsung, you are like this, and because she was blinded by anger and grief, you feared telling her all of this sooner. The Empress was left speechless at your emboldened words and appearance. Li Mei then assures Sindel that you and her are here to help her, even if she'll never forgive Li Mei. As the Empress appears to pause to consider her friends' words, Tanya tries to strangle Li Mei with her ropes. You are forced to fight against the rest of the Umgadi, including one that could've been your sister. You'd be lying if you said you didn't get some twisted satisfaction at landing some blows on the "perfect" daughter your mother used to brag about despite never knowing.

When Mileena decided to fight against Li Mei, you felt panic grip your heart as you watched their fight get progressively more aggressive.

"Mileena! DON'T!"

You treated enough Tarkatans to know where this could lead, especially with emotions high mixed with adrenaline. In most of these sorts of instances, the afflicted would stop sparring or fighting and start brutally tearing into one another out of pure rage. You had to treat many Tarkatans because of these injuries if you didn't sedate them fast enough. However, you were out of tranquilizers at the moment, which is especially unfortunate when Mileena's symptoms manifest, and she then pounces on her mother. You quickly run over to Empress Sindel's aid, mask off, but Mileena wouldn't look you in the eye as she claws at your face, knocking you to your side. Fortunately, Li Mei rips off the feral princess and tosses her away from both of you.

While Li Mei was occupied with Mileena, you inquired about Sindel's health and if she had any injuries. Sindel replies that she's fine, more concerned about the scratches on your face. You answer that they aren't deep and you'll heal before putting your mask back on. You shout at Tanya to grab Mileena's serum and to hurry while the latter is still engaged in kombat with Li Mei. The Empress then apologizes for making you feel like you couldn't be open to her and unable to imagine what you went through. You reply to Sindel that you wish you had come to her sooner, but it wasn't all bad. You got to work with the colony out in the Wastes, where you had gathered a well of information and improved their conditions a little, but there's still a long way to go. You also found friends at the Colony, with you being closest to the leader of the said colony, who accepted you for all your new deformities. Sindel raises a brow at the fondness in your voice when mentioning Baraka but doesn't comment on it.

After Li Mei finally subdues Mileena, you and Sindel sit beside Mileena on both sides to support her as Tanya injects her with the serum. You don't miss the soft look shared between Mileena and Tanya, but you don't comment.

Finally, Liu Kang had an audience with the Empress, who is still suspicious of the Fire God for seemingly sending minions on secret missions into her Empire. After the Fire God makes his case, he offers to show Sindel proof of his claim at Shang Tsung's laboratory. You grimace at the thought of returning to that horrid place but willingly return for the sake of the royal family and your friend.

A/N: Remember to like, reblog, and or comment! I love to hear y'alls thoughts and that includes my inbox too. Thanks for being patient with me (for the most part) as I've been busy with midterms so I wasn't exactly able to take some time to write. I hope this makes up for it! Stay weird, my fellow humans.

[catsandpens]

P1Harmony with vampire!Reader

Keeho

Your companion died after being together for 50 years. After being alone for more than ten years,  trying to discover yourself, you believed that the time was now, to find a new companion. The search for your new companion within the vampire console was disappointing so you redirected your search to the humans. You suddenly remember a man from your past life before changing to a vampire. Remembering his witty humor and fascinating charm. You wondered how his descendants were doing, knowing that your old fling is long gone.You come across a young daring gentleman known as Keeho who appears identical to your former connection. You introduce yourself to him and become acquainted. When it came time to explain your true nature and intentions with Keeho, he accepted without hesitation. Keeho has always desired to live a long and fruitful life, and now he has the opportunity to do it with someone who shares his beliefs.

Theo hails from a long history of vampire hunters. He recalls his father telling him stories about how a group of vampires invaded his family's village years ago and how it is up to the Choi family's descendants to seek revenge. It became lonesome for Theo, growing up outside of civilization and hunting vampires, which was not a simple endeavor. Things would change when he witnessed you draining the life from one of your prey. His hesitation to kill gave you the opportunity to escape. Theo usually felt disgust towards vampires but that feeling just did not appear for you. This was the beginning of a cat and mouse relationship where he chases you to “avenge his family” while you try to convince him to become a vampire so they can spend the rest of their lives together.

During your midnight strolls throughout the human world, you discover Jiung, your soon-to-be faithful familiar, beaten and left for dead on the road. Considering it was a night of festivities for the mortals, you thought that the wounded man had an encounter with the wrong people. Your subconscious swiftly advised you not to get involved; it was mortal business and had nothing to do with you. You gazed at Jiung for a while longer, thinking, "I bet he would look truly dashing without that blackeye," and as you began walking away, you heard his weak pleas for help. You impulsively welcomed Jiung back into your home to nurture him back to health. When he was able to communicate, he praised your charity and offered you his life to repay you for rescuing him. Knowing how useful a familiar can be, you welcomed Jiung as your familiar. Jiung has since been faithful to you alone, maintaining your secrets and catering to every single one of your needs.

Every year on your birthday, you would travel to a random town and feast with the humans. This year was particularly memorable, with a man knocking down drink after drink and demonstrating his immense strength by defeating five men back to back in an arm wrestling match. Intak the human enchanted you, just as you enchanted him. Intak spent the entire night trying to impress you, flashing his muscular physique and raving about all the jobs he's getting, and you relished every moment of the attention you were receiving. You choose to take him back to your cabin to "get to know each other" and reveal your true nature to him. Intak was distraught at first with your little secret , but he swiftly warmed up to the concept after you presented him with a gift he couldn't refuse.

Soul descends from an ancient line of secretive, powerful witches. He was very talented at producing potions in his family and would frequently spend the majority of his time searching for high-quality herbs. All of the time spent in nature helped the young witch form strong bonds with the land and its inhabitants. During one of his explorations, he sees a flash across his vision. Out of curiosity, he chooses to pursue it. When Soul catches up with the fast dark creature, he sees you drain an enormous male deer. Soul casts a minor spell to stop you, but it does more harm to the vampire than he imagined possible. You apologize for eating off his animal friend and explain how you feed off animals in order to avoid hurting people. Soul could only feel awful for the vampire and offers to help you in finding animals to eat. The two super beings developed a powerful bond, making them invincible. A witch and his vampire.

You and Jongseob come from two of the most famous vampire families. Both families became close together while also trying to one up another. You and Jongseob mothers would frequently have tea together and boast about what new fortunes they gained or how their husbands are conquering different parts of the world. This competitive nature between the parents continued on with you and Jongseob. Jongseob showing off how many humans he fed on in one night and you showing off her new vampire ability. You would often complain to her mother about how much of a bothersome Jongseob was but refused to actually separate from him. Jongseob on the other hand believes his teasing to be acts of support and genuine advice. He only wants their two families to continue thriving and elevating and he enjoys elevating with you.

AN: Most of my understanding of vampire lore comes from what we do in the shadows so…

[panic-at-the-fiction]

Cowboy like me

Summary: Having worked as a freelancer in Emon you’ve run into Vox Machina and their shenanigans on a handful of occasions. Often you feel drawn into their chaos and to one of their particular steampunk aesthetic members. But maybe that’s because you have more in common than one might think.

A/N: So what I’m using some Taylor Swift song inspiration this year. It’s fun I got some good ones lined up for it too.

Maybe it was fate that I landed in this one small-town tavern, it certainly couldn’t have been luck. I had just been in town running “errands”, small gigs that didn’t take me too far off my desired path. This one was just a simple retrieval of a missing wedding ring, perhaps the man should have held on to it a bit tighter the last time he was here, but that wasn’t for me to say.

“Yeah, I found that one last week, but I put it with the other things that have gotten left here over the years. You’ll have to give me a minute to find it.”

“Take your time,” I said, tossing the barkeep a few spare coins for the effort.

I sat down, taking hold of my glass and staring at the wall behind the bar.

“(y/n)?”

I was surprised to even hear my name in a place like this, but his face was easily recognizable once I turned around. “Percy?”

He shook his head almost in disbelief, “I really didn’t think we’d ever run into you again. How long has it been?”

“Let’s see, the last time was the mimic case, so a while, I guess. So the whole crew is here then?”

“Oh yes, think I could leave them unsupervised?” He nodded his head in the direction of where a few members of his found family set, most of them drunker than they ought to be. “We were just passing through looking for work. You know how it is.”

“Tell me about it.” I said, turning back to stare at the wall.

“How are you handling these days?” He said, taking the seat next to me.

“I take the odd job for the money, I make ends meet, but I’m looking for bigger prey presently.”

“Bigger prey?”

“Story for another day.”

“And what might you do once you track down this bigger prey?”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Percival, I got some tricks up my sleeve.”

“You can call me Percy, you know?”

“I know,” I smiled while drinking from my glass.

“Well, the offer always still stands to join Vox Machina if you ever want the company.”

I tried not to smile at the offer. “Is that offer from the whole group, or just you?” He tried to hide the smile and light blush from my suggestion. “Can’t, a group like yours might just slow me down. Honestly, I’m shocked you're still with them.”

“Why do you say that?” I turned looking at him, he had a deep crease in his brow, questioning me. Almost like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

“You may play the gentleman Percival, but I can read it in your eyes, you're just another cowboy. And like any true cowboy, you’re really after one thing.”

“And what is that?”

“Revenge.”

“What makes you think I want revenge?”

“Call it a woman's intuition.” Just as I took a long sip finishing my drink, the barkeep came back with the ring in hand.

“Here you go, miss.”

“Thank you, kind sir.” I smiled, pocketing the ring and standing up to leave.

“You’re going to leave already? At least let me buy you a drink,” Percy tried.

“I got what I came for, it’s time I head out.”

“You know, (y/n), you’re not as mysterious and cool as you think you are.” I raised my eyebrow, questioning where he was going with this.

He stood up, standing closer this time. “You're a woman on a mission.”

“Pray tell, dear Percival, what is that mission?”

He smiled, leaning in closer. “It's obvious, dear (y/n). You’re a cowboy, just like me.”

I tried to play it off with a shake of my head as I started walking toward the door.

“Hey (y/n)!” Percy shouted from across the room. “Good luck with your bigger prey” He smirked before he turned back to his friends.

As I left the bar, I could feel the goosebumps on my arms, shaking my head. Oh, y/n you are playing a dangerous game getting distracted like this. You’ve been there before, just run before it's too late. It still blows my mind how he could just read and call me out like that, but I guess it takes one to know one. But by now I should know to stay away from cowboys.

Part 2

[berryflavouredkoolaid]

Artemisia - Buffy The Vampire Slayer OC

~ General ~

Full Name: Evelyn Blackwood

Given Name: Artemisia

Aliases/Nicknames: Little One (By Drusilla), Arty (By Spike), Artemisia the Huntress (Various historical texts), Spike’s Lapdog (By Angelus), Psycho Vampire Bitch (By Xander)

Born: April 18th, 1868

Species: Vampire

Abilities: Clear sight, prophetic dreams (formerly)

Residence: Perthshire, Scotland | Assorted | America (various) | Prague, Czech Republic | Sunnydale, California | Assorted | Los Angeles, California | Sunnydale, California

~ Physical Appearance ~

Hair Colour: Red

Eye Colour: Blue-green

Skin Tone: Pale

Height: 5’6

Misc: Long lashes, a scarred mark over her heart,

Face Claim: Rachel Hurd-Wood

~ Personality & Traits ~

Personality: As a Vampire, Artemisia is a cruel and conniving one. She enjoys teasing her victims and enemies, taunting them with freedom and victory, only to strike the final blow. As a human, Artemisia’s most fervent desire was to find true, loyal and enduring companionship, true love, even. when she was turned, that desire transferred over. She becomes deeply attached to people who she views as friends or family. She is fiercely protective over her family unit and will exact revenge if harm comes to them. She is completely driven by her undying devotion and would even act in ways that are self-sacrificing to keep her family together and safe.

Priorities: Her family unit

Strengths: fighting, ruthless, relentless

Weaknesses: vengeful, clingy, unwilling to let people go

Likes: hunting, the blood of men, jewelry and fine clothes, gifts, fighting, dancing

Dislikes: slayers, cheats, human food, being alone, fire, crosses

~ Life ~

Born Evelyn Blackwood, she was the bastard daughter of a wealthy nobleman and His mistress. She and her mother were sent to live in exile in a small estate in Perthshire after Evelyn was born a girl. If Evelyn had been born a boy, her mother would have been made the Marchioness and married Evelyn’s father so he could have an heir. However, it was not meant to be.

From birth, Evelyn was gifted with the ability of Clear Sight, she could see people for what they truly were, good or evil, human or demon. she was often plagued by otherworldly sights. Her mother and the servants dismissed her as hysterical.

Because of her ability, Evelyn was raised in practical isolation, rarely allowed to leave the grounds, which were practically deserted. The small estate lacked both funds and care.

Despite her incredible beauty, rumours of Evelyn’s madness and hysteria kept her from making a match. When Evelyn was 20, her father sent word he had made a deal with a friend that Evelyn was to be married to him.

Evelyn was sent to London immediately upon hearing this. Upon meeting the man, Evelyn was horrified to learn he was a womanizing pervert who had been married many times before, each to a miserable end.

Only a few weeks from her wedding day, which would take place on her 21st birthday, she slipped out of her father’s manor and into the streets of London. While wandering, she briefly came across Spike, then called William. She merely brushed by him, but was able to glean his true nature by only a brief touch. William became fascinated with her. Goaded on by Angelus to take what he wanted, He made an effort to find Evelyn.

However, he discovered she rarely left the manor, least of all at night. However, her wedding was sure to be a veritable feast, held in a chapel. And, it was to be held at sundown.

He, Drusilla, Darla and Angelus crashed the wedding, massacring the guests. William bit Evelyn, turning her. When she was reborn, she drained her would-be husband.

~ Unlife ~

Newly reborn as a vampire, Evelyn becomes the 5th member of the close-knit group. Dubbed Artemisia by Spike after he observed her enjoyment of the hunt. He named her after the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis.

Artemisia quickly becomes completely devoted and loyal to Spike. She and Spike shared a romantic and sexual relationship. However, when Angelus was ensouled and became Angel, the group was split apart. Artemisia split from the others as Spike lost his fascination with her now that Drusilla was wholly his again.

She spends years alone, until the First World War. While feeding at a war base, she stumbles upon an American soldier named Patrick Lewis. She became infatuated by him and, only days after, turned him. She dubbed him Cassius and he became her lover. However, only 40 years after she turned him, Cassius was killed by a Slayer. Artemisia was heartbroken and enraged. She sought out the slayer, and ruthlessly tortured and killed her.

However, her rage was not yet sated. Artemisia began searching out Slayers and killing them. She reunited with Spike and Drusilla in the 70s in New York while tracking the slayer, although Spike had already killed her. Artemisia didn’t stay for long, as she felt like a 3rd wheel.

In 1997, Artemisia, Spike and Drusilla all ended up in Sunnydale. They worked together to try and kill the Slayer and heal Drusilla.

When Angelus returned and took control of the vampires, Artemisia and Spike worked together with Buffy and the Scooby Gang to stop him. Spike, Artemisia and Drusilla escaped shortly after.

Following Drusilla’s leaving Spike, Artemisia and Spike continue their travels alone. In 1999, Artemisia began experiencing vivid prophetic dreams of Spike’s death. Exactly the same, every time. After weeks of being plagued by the dreams, Artemisia snuck away and went to Los Angeles.

There, she was guided by her dreams to seek out Angel and Co. to help her. She lied to Angel that she had received visions that the world would end unless she had an audience with The Oracles. Artemisia was able to get Angel to allow her access to The Oracles. When she entered their realm, she asked them to tell her how to stop Spike’s death. Angel was blindsided by her lies and tried to force her out but failed. The Oracles made a deal with her. Artemisia was marked with a brand over her heart. If she breaks the pact she made with the Oracles, she and Spike will experience eternal torment, never dying, but never escaping the pain. If she attempts to act against the forces of Good, she will experience intense pain and physical weakness. The Oracles tell her to go to Sunnydale and help the Slayer.

Angel was angry she lied to him and tells her never to come back or ask for his help again. She leaves Los Angeles and goes to Sunnydale, much to her chagrin.

Once in Sunnydale, Artemisia goes to warn Buffy of the threat that is approaching. She goes to Buffy’s window in the night and cryptically tells her that an enemy with a vendetta against the Slayer had come to Sunnydale hellbent on Buffy’s death. However, when she flees to escape the sunrise, Buffy assumes Artemisia is the enemy and wants to get back Spike.

Eventually the misunderstanding is rectified and as time passes, Artemisia becomes a member of the Scooby Gang.

~ Relationships ~

Family:

Spike

Drusilla (Formerly)

Darla (Formerly)

Angelus/Angel (Formerly)

Friends:

Anya Jenkins

Buffy Summers

Lover(s):

Cassius (1915-1958)

Spike (On and Off)

Enemies:

Buffy Summers (Formerly)

The Scooby Gang (Formerly)

Angel (Formerly)

The Forces of Evil

Rivals:

Xander Harris

Angel

~ Miscellaneous and Notes ~

Artemisia is really good at doing impressions and mimicking voices. she can also do bird calls very accurately

She has an accent that’s very had to place, it’s sort of a mix of Scottish, English, American, and a mish-mash of other places she’s lived throughout her life.

Wears a lot of white dresses

Is always beefing with Xander

Artemisia’s weapons are a collection of fine daggers plundered from a wealthy nobleman’s home by Cassius. She has kept them in perfect condition and they are her prized possession.

She and Drusilla were dear friends, almost sisters. She never liked Darla, though.

[evolutionsbedingt]

WIP Wednesday

Have another snippet from the TGCF fic!

★★★

He returned to the camp to find Xie Lian quietly keeping watch over a small fire and the young woman sleeping wrapped in his outer robes on top of her thin blanket.

“Sit,” Xie Lian said quietly, gesturing at the open space next to him and He Xuan obeyed. “The widow?”

“Excited,” He Xuan reported with a small smile. “Thank you for your help, Xie-daoshi.”

Xie Lian inclined his head. “I hadn’t realised how-” he hesitated for just a moment “-pronounced this aspect of He-dafang’s godly duties is.”

“Mn,” He Xuan said, bracing for the judgement, the questions Xie Lian was sure to have. “This lowly scholar ascended while taking his revenge on those who wronged him.”

“Is that why your blade is so resentful?” Xie Lian asked, glancing at the scabbard resting across He Xuan’s lap. “It must be incredibly strong to seep past the dampening spells like this.”

It took him by surprise and He Xuan thought that it shouldn’t have. He knew how powerful Xie Lian was. “It has also accumulated more resentment since then. The Reverend of Empty Words for one.”

Xie Lian made an intrigued noise and He Xuan found himself handing over the blade for his inspection before he knew what he was doing. He felt foolish, giving this incriminating a weapon to another god but- but he trusted Hua Cheng and if the ghost king intended to show his true form to Xie Lian, he must believe that Xie Lian was trustworthy as well.

“A cruel blade,” Xie Lian muttered, inspecting the jagged edge and the pits rust had eaten into the surface long before He Xuan got his hands on it. “That you’re able to keep it in the Upper Court without causing a riot…” he trailed off, his elegant finger hovering just above its edge. “It’s blunt?”

“I kept it more as a deterrent than anything else,” He Xuan said, staring transfixed at the fingers exploring his cursed weapon so gently and delicately. “I hadn’t- I hadn’t ever planned on using it until they came for my life. I couldn’t-” he closed his eyes, shivering under the strange sensation of having his spiritual tool touched like this. “I went mad. I don’t understand- How could I ascend? I should have died and become a resentful spirit.”

Xie Lian sighed and sheathed the blade to He Xuan’s great relief and dismay. “Fate sometimes has other plans for us. Look at me, twice banished and still I ascended a third time. And as far as I can tell, this time it was for collecting scraps, which is probably one of the stranger things to ascend for.”

He Xuan breathed a laugh at the pique audible in Xie Lian’s voice. “What a pair we make, the god of hunger and revenge and the god of scraps and misfortune. And yet most of the heavens are scared of Xie-daoshi because of his second ascension and wary of me because I’m a scholar who carries a blade.”

“They’re sure to be ecstatic about the gossip,” Xie Lian said drily and pressed the blade back into He Xuan’s hands. “As cruel and resentful as that blade is, it’s a good blade. You’re taller than me, so it fits you a little better and I can tell that it has recognised you as its master.”

He Xuan was surprised, looking down at the scruffy scabbard. “It has a spirit?”

“Very faintly, but yes,” Xie Lian said, stoking the flames and pushing more of the thicker branches into the pit. “I think it’s only still there because it became a spiritual tool. It’s also half-buried under the resentment it holds.”

The last bit made He Xuan feel a little scolded and he ducked his head. “Xie-daoshi knows a lot about blades.”

Xie Lian smiled and nodded. “I like them, all kinds of them. Guoshi was always a bit worried about just how much I liked them. Apparently he thought it might make me equally obsessed with using them.” He shook his head and stroked his thumb over the white ribbon clinging to his wrist. “I don’t mind using a blade to maim or kill if it’s needed. But I’d far prefer admiring their beauty unmarred by blood and dust.”

He Xuan thought of the storage room in Paradise Manor, holding all those swords and sabres and knives, and he understood a little better the protectiveness Hua Cheng had displayed when he'd shown it to He Xuan for the first time. He wondered just how much of Hua Cheng’s personality and his opulent home was shaped by his love for Xie Lian and how he could ever have hoped to be able to compete with it.

[vergeltvng]

SPOILERS for The Boys Season 4

I'm still processing the final episode but here are some of my random thoughts, in no particular order. It was a wild ride and I enjoyed it for the most part. The season had its lows for sure and I'll never forgive the writers for how they treated Hughie. I'm still fucking mad about everything they did to him after episode 5. I also felt like they wasted a lot of potential with Annie's arc. She's been through a lot after season 3 and I loved the idea of her having an identity crisis but it was just so poorly executed. It all felt messy and as if the writers had no conclusion in mind for both her and Hughie's plotlines. Unfortunately I couldn't find myself caring a lot about Frenchie's and Kimiko's subplots which is sad because I love these two. I was hoping they get to kill that bitch Little Nina and Kimiko getting her revenge on the SLLA. Both could have happened this season before they got separated in the end. Instead we've been put on hold to wait if these plots get resolved at all. Firecracker and Sage were great additions, I loved to hate Firecracker and Sage gives off endboss vibes for me. I still feel like she's gonna betray Homelander in the end. Can't wait for "phase two". A-Train's arc was great, he truly redeemed himself and him showing up at the flat iron to save the others was proof enough for me how serious he was about doing the right thing. I liked all of his scenes with MM, too. I loved Ashley this season, I hope she gains some badass powers and kicks everyone's ass. I've seen some complaints about Homelander being nerfed - are we watching the same show? He is fucking unhinged and more terrifying than ever. He is basically god by the end of the season and can (and will) do whatever the fuck he wants with no one in his way. Someone telling me that's not scary?! He is and always will be one of the best villains in tv history. Poor kid Ryan, he deserved better. How is he ever supposed to feel safe around Homelander and Butcher phrasing it that way was downright evil and manipulative towards the boy because he knew it would make Ryan feel insecure and cornered. Him pushing and killing Grace was in self-defense. His reaction afterwards however is concerning and I guess ambiguous for interpretation on purpose. I still don't get how some people in the fandom could hate on a 12 year old child so much, leave the kid alone.

Where do I start when it comes to Butcher? I have many thoughts and this text is already long but I'll give it a shot anyway. Obviously I'm biased because I love this man and will defend him to the very end. I think his arc was one of the better aspects, he is still one of the best written characters on the show. What I always loved about him was him being truly morally grey and the ambiguity in his words and actions. He cannot be trusted. I don't know if it's me but Karl's performance makes him actually a lot more likeable than he deserves. He is a bad person and I don't think this is negotiable. I have thought about this so many times in made-up scenarios and I stick with my opinion that there's no fixing him and there never was. I have tried to stay away from fandom discourse as much as I could for my own well-being but I don't get how people act surprised and as a result hate over his behavior and decisions. I think most were true to his character and also him killing Neuman made perfect sense and was a well-deserved payoff narratively. Not that I'm not mad at him for doing so! I loved Vicky and she was such an interesting character. But his final words in season 3 were "that bitch has to go" and one of his main goals across the whole season was to get that virus to kill her. He was absolutely clear about it and worked towards this goal on his own terms, not even under the influence of Kessler. Certainly Kessler pushed him to commit some of his atrocities but it matched with what he wanted himself. He drew the line when it came to supe genocide and was conflicted about it initially but one of his core themes is doing whatever it takes and losing his humanity on his chosen path. Since he is highly intelligent he knows very well what's wrong with him what emphasises even more that he actively chooses to do bad things rather than being impulsive and regretful afterwards. I personally loved his turn at the end and I am eager to see his villain arc. What's not to love about evil daddy?! I could go on about some of the dynamics between him and Kessler but I'll do that in another post maybe.

[shadowqueenjude]

What if Nesta decided to Destroy the Inner Circle? Part 2

They made it.

Sweaty and shaking, legs trembling, but they made it. Only pure adrenaline had got them through it. Elain and Nesta stumbled through alley after alley until they finally came across an abandoned delapidated building and stepped inside.

After several long minutes of catching their breath, Elain said, “We can’t stay here long. It’s only a matter of time before they come to check on you. We have to get out of the Night Court by then.”

Nesta shook her head. “Not without Feyre.” “We’ll come back for Feyre,” Elain said soothingly. “But right now, we’re in no position to take on the Night Court. What you need is rest, Nesta.”

“I don’t want rest. I want revenge.” The antidote seemed to be taking effect, and that familiar rage that had stood by her side her whole life came rearing back. Nesta was sure that if she looked in a mirror, she’d see silver in her eyes. “I know. But if you storm in there right now, no good will come of it. You’ll die.”

Nesta protested for a moment longer, then slumped. She knew Elain was right. They had to regroup before they came for her sister. The two of them alone could not take down the might of the Inner Circle.

Elain set a pot on the stove, poured water in it, and set it to a boil. “Azriel rejected me,” Elain admitted. She gathered up some ingredients as she spoke. “And, well, he and Rhysand, they…spoke about me.”

Nesta raised a brow. ���What did they say?”

“Nothing flattering, that’s for sure,” Elain said, tossing something into the pot. “But never mind what they said about me. He…the way he spoke about Lucien.”

Elain’s mate. She had interacted very little with him, however. “I thought you didn’t care about Lucien, Elain.”

Elain stiffened. “That’s not true. It’s the bond-“ She hesitated, then said, “That’s not the point. Azriel spoke of killing him so callously, like it was nothing to kill him. Lucien has been nothing but good to them, but Azriel had no qualms about killing him over me. Not even because he loved me or anything. But because he thought I should’ve been his mate.” She threw something else in the pot and stirred vigorously, channeling her rage. “I’m not a child to be fought over. I gave his stupid necklace right back to him. I was done with him from that moment onward.”

Nesta recoiled in horror from Elain’s words. She had never been that fond of the autumn court male, but as far as she could tell, he was a good male. A pretty incredible male actually. He deserved better than death threats. How did Feyre not see the horrible truth right in front of her?

A knock on the door brought Nesta back to the present. She recoiled in horror when a voice called out, “Elain?”

A shuddering sigh of relief ran through Nesta. Not the Inner Circle. She went to the door and opened it. As if speaking of him had summoned him to their doorstep, Lucien walked in through their door. He was flushed and sweating, as though he had run a very long distance. And beside him was…Eris?

That was weird. The two brothers hated each other.

Nesta narrowed her eyes at the paler of the two brothers, and Lucien explained, “He was already on his way here, so I asked for backup.”

Lucien must have been pretty desperate if he was asking his brother for help, but Lucien only looked to Elain. “Is she alright?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. Why?”

Lucien shuddered in relief. “I…felt something. Down the bond. That something was wrong.” The mating bond. And he had been worried enough to sprint over to the Night Court.

“Nothing is wrong, yet. But it will be soon.”

“Why?” Lucien’s metal eye narrowed on her. Noticed the red marks around her wrists, her ankles. “What happened,” he asked quietly.

“They locked me up,” Nesta said, voice wobbling. Her lips quavered. “They chained me to my bed. Because I disobeyed Rhysand.”

Lucien sucked in a breath. Eris’s eyes simmered. “Bastards,” Eris said in a low voice, viciousness laced in that one word. “For once, I agree with you, Eris,” Lucien muttered.

“Can you winnow us out of here?” Nesta asked.

Lucien nodded. “I can winnow Elain, and Eris can winnow you,” he said.

Nesta coolly looked over the eldest Vanserra brother, indifference coating her stare. Eris only gave her a little smirk in return. Nesta’s heart flipped.

Elain abandoned the pot she had been cooking food in and walked hesitantly over to Lucien. Lucien’s normally confident demeanor had been replaced by something that seemed like nervousness as Elain approached him. Elain too seemed a little shy, but she left Lucien wrap his arms around her.

“Are you coming or not, Nesta Archeron?”

Nesta turned to glare at Eris. His smirk widened. The arrogance of this man made Nesta desperate to take him down a peg or two. “So impatient,” she murmured. “It must be because you can’t last long. Quick off the mark, are we, Eris Vanserra?”

Lucien choked, but Eris just grinned at her. “Play with me, and I’ll show you just how long I last, Nesta Archeron.”

Nesta reigned in her shiver of pleasure. Lucien rolled his eyes and said, “Let’s try to get out of here before the Night Court comes after us, yeah?”

Nesta snapped out of it, walking towards Eris. He wrapped his arms around her. Nesta couldn’t help but relish the feeling of his closeness, how right it felt to be in his arms. “Hold on tight, my lady,” he murmured in her ear, and Nesta couldn’t repress her shiver this time as he winnowed them away.