#their relationship devoured this part of the season

[spacesourcx]

Ben and Saanvi

in MANIFEST S4 final season (2023)

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

The Divine Feminine: Welcome to Hell

Here is part 2 of this fic! Happy halloween!

Warnings: descriptions of hell and other deities, mentions of curses/death, p in v, oral (fem receiving), fingers, multiple orgasms, cnc, daddy kink, supernatural x human relationship

WC: 12,159

Y/N and Hades (Harry, to her) had been living in a love bubble all through the spring and summer seasons. Persephone was gracing the world with her gifts of plenty and beauty, all the while her husband did ungodly things to Y/N and her fragile, yet completely perfect human form. But as the autumn neared, Y/N knew that her time with him would soon come to an end as he had mentioned to her previously.

“I’m not going to abandon you.” Harry murmured against the skin of her stomach. His lips tickling her with the words he formed, causing goosebumps to break out onto her skin.

“Hey, no mind reading.” She reminded, tugging at his luscious curls with a bit of force and he chuckled.

“I can’t help it. Sometimes you just think really loudly.” He said and she smiled. She sometimes wondered if she was completely delusional and in the midst of a psychotic break and none of this was real…but the marks he’d leave on her body, his scent lingering on her bedding, and the romantic gestures he’d lavish her with, proved otherwise.

“I guess I just don’t know how this will work… I mean, you love Persephone.”

“I do. But I love you most.” He said before kissing right above her belly button.

“Liar.” She whispered and he glanced up to her.

“Do not accuse me of lying. I could turn you into a…bug!” He threatened playfully and she cackled, which caused him to laugh along with her.

And when their fit did down she hummed as she patted his head a few times,“Go right ahead. Make me a little lady bug if possible and I can live on your shoulder. Go everywhere with you.” She said and he smiled and shook his head before continuing to kiss down her body to get to one of his favorite places on her body. Her eyes being his most favorite body part of hers, he would be lost in them if she’d let him. He moaned hungrily as he took in her scent and then latched his mouth to her sopping pussy.��

He lived for the way her fingers scratched at his scalp and pulled his curls hard as he honed in on her sensitive, little button until he had her withering on his tongue. She was absolutely delightful on his tongue and he couldn’t stop when he got started. Soon enough, his fingers were joining in the mix and she was soon coming several more times from his thick digits massaging the sensitive spots of her hot, tight inner walls. 

He’d found this spot inside of her that no matter how many times he’d go over it, it’d make her come undone for him until she was an unbelievably sticky and sloppy mess between her legs. So fucking wet that when he’d finally get his big cock in her it’d continuously slip out, making him groan in desperation as it interrupted his pleasure just when he was getting close. It was torturous and he absolutely loved it. Loved filling her with load after load of his come until each thrust had his seed squelching out of her tight little hole. He’d taught her endurance in their months together, but he would still wear her out. He just couldn’t stop burying himself in her or devouring her, connecting with her.

“Fuck baby, you just feel so fucking good… you’re so fucking good.” He moaned his praises as he got ready to come, “One more for me, I know you’ve got one more in you.” He muttered as she groaned into the mattress, her legs were trembling as she clutched the sheets beneath her as he drilled into her from behind. Her eyes were rolling back as she whimpered and keened such beautiful sounds of ecstasy. His finger at her clit was incessant and before she could even beg him to give her break her walls were clamping down around his cock.

“Oh my god…” she gasped as he ground his cock into her to help carry her through her orgasm. She felt like she was floating, it had all been so much, she was sweating and panting as he fucked her clean through it. Her body shivered with overstimulation as he started to thrust harder and faster, getting himself off now for the last time. She was like putty in his hands, he could use her however he pleased, she trusted him that much.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come.” He grunted as he delivered a few more sharp thrusts before stilling deep inside of her. His hands were around her hips, holding her flush against his body as he spilled his hot load of come into her. And he was panting as he came down, but refused to withdraw from the warmth of her body. He started lowering his weight over her, crushing her beneath him and she hummed happily as he finally settled over her. After a few moments he started to shift them onto their sides. Her back was flush to his front. His cock, still hard, was sheathed inside of her, twitching occasionally when her muscles would spasm around his length. “You’re everything.” He mumbled against her ear and she tangled their fingers together, “Wish you could be with me forever.” He said quietly.

This made her smile. Y/N had never really felt like she had a place in the world. She had always struggled to fit in, to find a place in it where she felt like she belonged completely. She’d wondered before if maybe she wasn’t meant for this earth? But she had no idea what Harry’s world was like. She was curious, but she also realized that in order to be there she’d have to die and she didn’t want to die. Not yet at least. There were so many things that she still wanted to do and experience…like tornado chase, travel to Europe, or see her favorite band live at least once. As much as she had grown to love him, he was Hades. He transcended time, he was the god of the underworld. He was the ruler of the afterlife, the highest judge in the universe! At the end of their life every single being answered to him for the way they’d spent their time. He was justice. He was vengeance. He was a God. It baffled her that a being as simple and fragile as her could even catch his eye.

“You shouldn’t think so highly of me, love.” He spoke quietly, like a whisper but in her head and she smiled.

“And why not?” She though inquisitively.

“You’ll make me too arrogant.” Was his response. She loved that she could hear his voice without it needing to be audible. 

“As if you needed any help with that.” She quipped in her mind as she grinned and he swatted the side of her thigh quickly and a giggled bubbled from her mouth melodiously.. “You should stop hearing my thoughts.” She reminded him, speaking aloud this time.

“I want to show you my world. Everything that I can offer you whenever you’re ready to join me.” He said and she sighed.

“What if I’m old and gray by then?” She questioned and he squeezed her tighter.

“I can become old and gray too or restore you to whatever age you desire to be.” He said and she hummed.

“That’s fascinating.”

“It is.” He agreed, “You know, there’s…a spell that can grant you temporary immortality. I could learn more about it and perform it on you, that way you can see everything there is to see without having to die.”

“Hmmm… a little weekend getaway to hell? Sounds nice.” She said teasingly and he chuckled and kissed her bare shoulder.

“S’paradise too, you know?” He said.

“I thought that was Olympus.”

“No, that’s where most of the other deities live. People don’t go there.” He explained and she hummed in understanding.

“Is it dangerous? The spell?” She asked.

“I don’t know, I’ll have to consult Hecate, she’s one of the goddess that also dwells in the underworld. That’s her area. We can weigh out the pros and cons together.”

“Alright, it’s worth looking into I think.” She decided, “And what about your wife? The first day of Autumn is just two days away.” She pointed out and he hummed.

“I’ll talk to her. Tell her about you. I think she’ll be glad that I’ve found someone other than her to keep me happy.” 

***********

Every time Persephone made her descent back to the realm of the Underworld Hades would throw a bash for her. It was an absolute lavish feast and everyone was a huge part of it, Admittedly, Hades had been very distracted with his favorite, little human so he only had those 3 days to plan this feast whereas before he encountered Y/N, he’d begin planning at least a month in advance. As soon as Hades arrived back in his realm several of his fellow deities conjured themselves.

“Are we having the feast or not?” Thanatos asked.

“Yes. I know I’ve been gone a lot-”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it. The dead remain dead, all is in order.” He assured his friend and Hades smiled.

“Thank you.”

“You deserve this. You never have your fun.” He said and Hades chuckled.

“Let’s ummm, make this feast more intimate, yeah?”

“Alright. And ummm, let’s search through Elysium and the Meadows for some musicians. Just the better ones.” Harry said and Thanatos nodded.

“Nyx and Erebos did start setting up the great hall in their home a few days ago.”

“And your brother?”

“Wandering about the world. After you were gone more than a week he also took a leave. We shouldn’t count on him for any of this.” Thanatos said of Hypnos.

“Alright, fair enough.” Hades chuckled.

“I must tell you, Persephone is a bit…unsettled.” Thanatos warned. 

“Why?”

“Hecate overheard Eros bragging about “striking the ruler of the underworld with his arrow to fall in love with a human”. Boastful little prick…” he huffed and Hades sighed, “Ever eager to gossip, Hecate mentioned this to Persephone, or so I’ve been told by Hermes.” Thanatos explained.

“Unbelievable.”

“I told them it was just Eros being a prick. We all know how bitter he still is over Persephone’s rejection all those millennia ago…” 

“Can I be honest?” Hades said and Thanatos nodded.

“Of course.”

“He’s not just being a boastful prick…I think he succeeded.” Hades admitted. Thanatos was shocked to hear this. 

Anyone who knew the pair knew that the one with an unwavering and undying devotion in this marriage was Hades. He never even thought to gaze upon another being. And anyone who knew Persephone knew that despite her mostly pleasant and benevolent manner, she had inherited the jealously and wrath of her father, Zeus. She could be cold and senseless in her wrath. Hades knew this and it worried him for Y/N.

“If what you say is true then your human is in danger.” Thanatos said solemnly.

**********

Hades had been unsettled after his conversation with Thanatos. He had mentioned to Y/N that he would be rather busy until Persephone’s return and she fully understood this, but he needed someone to protect her from any possible attacks that his wife might hurl at the unsuspecting and fragile human who had his heart. 

Typically he would call on his own wife or Hecate when someone or something required the utmost protection, but these two were the ones who’d been consorting all summer long and likely had turned against him to some extent. Persephone was reasonable, maybe he could convince her to not harm Y/N. But what worried him was that she was all alone on earth without anyone there to guard her. Hades wasn’t all that excellent in his practice of spells, but he did find himself at his altar, performing a spell for Soteria - the spirit of deliverance and protection - for Y/N. Being Hades, the spirit realm was always more susceptible to his wishes. And it gave him peace to know that his offering was accepted. 

The next couple of days passed by quickly and soon they were congregated in the great hall of Nyx’s home as a grand and gorgeous theme played as Hecate and Hermes escorted Persephone inside. Of course, Hades was pleased to see her, he did love her, but it was different now. Still, he was fast to meet her and take her back into his arms as he kissed her lips with adoration. She didn’t have to know that he longed for another’s taste.

“Welcome home, darling.” He said and she smiled.

“Thank you.” She responded softly.

Persephone expected far more fanfare than this small feast that was laid out before her. Typically the underworld was alight upon her return. She had mostly dismissed Eros’ whisperings about him supposedly claiming a victim in her husband, the all powerful Hades. But the thought reentered her mind when she saw the reception he’d given her this time.

It was still lovely, but this was not at all what she was accustomed to. She was his queen. The second most sovereign being in his realm…did she not deserve more than this? It baffled her, it truly did. So when they finally returned to their home and he did not immediately jump at the opportunity to worship her body, she had to confront him.

“Are you not happy to have me back home?” Persephone’s question didn’t catch him off guard. He expected it, he had just been trying to figure out a way to tell her.

“Of course I am.”

“Then what’s the matter?” She questioned him sternly. He was trying to find the words, “Does it have to do with that human you took as a lover?” She asked, “The one that Eros is bragging to all of Olympus about making you fall in love with?” She added and Hades sat at the edge of the bed and sighed.

“Yes.” He said simply and he could just sense her rage boil up in her blood. He could practically hear her thoughts of revenge and the level of cruelty she was imagining made him grateful for having cast those protective spells over his love. “You can’t hurt her.”

“Hecate has more power than those spirits you pray to.” She said and Hades turned to her.

“Please don’t do anything to her.” He said and she was just so stern.

“You were only devoted to me, Hades. And then some pathetic, mortal little thing appears and you’re done for?”

“I didn’t know this would happen! You told me it was alright. To just do as I pleased and I did! You take lovers all the time! For ages sometimes and I’ve never felt threatened by any of them!”

“Yeah, because you’re fucking Hades! And I’ve never fallen in love with any of my lovers. At least not in the way that you’re in love with this human.” She argued.

“It’s not like I planned for this to happen! It just did…” he explained, “I’ve even…considered asking the fates what I should do because I don’t know what to do.” He said honestly and she shook her head.

“I don’t even want to know what they’d ask you for in exchange for revealing something unknown to you.” She said.

“I know… it would be absolutely insane, but I don’t want to hurt you or Y/N. That’s her name.” He said.

“Don’t tell me her name.” She mumbled, “So what…you make her immortal and make her queen of the Underworld? Then what happens to me?” She asked. “You fought tooth and nail to save me from being hurt, you treated me until I learned to love you and-”

“You’ve never been in love with me, Persephone. I know you’ve tried, but it’s never been like what I felt for you. Like what I’m feeling now for her.” Hades explained. And well, she couldn’t’ argue with that. Did she love him, of course, he risked his existence to save her from the cruelty of the Olympians, but she was never as devoted to him as he was to her. He worshipped the ground she walked on…and not having that felt…empty. “And no, I wouldn’t make her queen, you’re great at it. You’re balanced and smart and I trust you to always do the best thing. She’d just…be here with me when her time on earth comes to an end.”

“What if she lives to be 90? And she’s all…frail and ugly?” Persephone asked.

“Hebe owes me one.” He said and she sighed.

“This is…madness. Even if you’re the ruler of the underworld, she still needs to be judged and she’ll be confined to whatever region of this place that she deserves to be in.”

“She’s good. All good.” He said and she scoffed.

“There’s no such thing.” Persephone said incredulously.

“Look, just watch her for a few days. Just look at how she lives, the way she is, the things she does…” Hades appealed and Persephone shook her head, “Please. I want to bring her here,  show her what it’s like. With Hecate’s help-”

“She won’t help you without my blessing.” Persephone cut him off.

“I know that. That’s why I want you to just observe her. I assure you, she’s no threat to you. She never will be. She’s not like us…she has no lust for power or position, she just…wants to be happy.”

“Oh great, just what we need, another Hedonist like Hypnos and Dionysus…” she quipped.

“If she doesn’t have power over anything what would it matter?” He asked and she sighed. “Please, Persephone. I have given so much for you. For your happiness. Would you not do this one thing for me? For my chance to have the happiness the rest of you have had for millennia?” He appealed and she just had to tear her eyes away from his as she felt her heart softening a bit, her obstinance slowly melting away.

“Fine.” She said and Hades smiled happily. 

***********

After a week of settling back into her routine in the underworld, Persephone traveled to the earthly realm to observe Y/N. It irritated her how painstakingly kind she was. Hades was right, she was far too good for this earth. She was a school teacher for children and she was excellent at it. She was charitable, nonjudgmental, and admittedly she was ethereal in beauty. She’d fit right in with the other deities. After observing her that first week, Persephone asked Hecate to join her in her observations. They watched her closely, scrutinizing every single thing she did. Hades had mentioned to her that he was supposed to be visiting her the week after she had done her observing, but when she called Hecate to join her he couldn’t leave. They were the main three rulers of the underworld. So he couldn’t go and each night, she’d have to put up with endless questions from him about what Y/N had been doing? Did she seem disappointed? Was she angry at him? And she starved him of any answers. Hecate even cast a spell over her so that he couldn’t see or hear her thoughts. It was cruel, but the more she observed this human, the more she understood why Hades had fallen for her nurturing and pure spirit. 

Of course she was disappointed that he hadn’t come. She called him “Harry”, which she felt was rather insulting, to bestow a god of his caliber with an earthly name, but that’s who he was to her. He was right, there was no longing for power or strength or wealth - she just wanted love and acceptance - the kind of love that he had given to Persephone for millennia and that she had never really understood or appreciated. She and Hecate heard Y/N’s thoughts on the situation, her understanding that even if he could take lovers, that his wife was his reason for living. That he adored her. He had apparently shared with her their true story and it made her sad for Y/N. To see her so powerless in this situation, to see her just accept the fact that she’d never get “Harry” back.

“I can’t stand to see her that miserable any more. I’m going back.” Hecate said after their 3rd week of observing her. But the second Hecate made it back to the underworld, Hades was traveling to earth. It was just moments later that he met eyes with Persephone before he conjured his physical form in her apartment.

“Harry!” She gasped when he suddenly appeared, startling her. “God, you scared me so bad!” She groaned and threw the strawberry she was about to eat at him. He just glanced down at the spot on his chest that had just been hit by the fruit, but she was soon stepping up to him and hugging him tight. “It’s good to see you.” She smiled as she pulled back from their hug.

  “You too. I’m sorry, I’ve been really busy.” He explained and she nodded.

“I understand, but ummm…I needed to talk to you about something.” She said and he immediately frowned. Persephone tuned into her thoughts and soon understood that she was going to ask him to end things. 

“I already know what you’re going to say. No. I’m not ending this.” He said and she groaned.

“No mind reading!” She scolded and he sighed.

“I already told you, love. I can’t help it sometimes!” He defended himself and she sighed.

“Look, it’s for the best.” She said and he pouted, “I know that you can take lovers but…this is not that.” She said to him, “You have a wife. A wife who you said yourself, is basically your other half!” She explained, “You should go be with her. I mean…what’ve I got left here, another 40-50 years on this earth? I’m just going to get slower, older, weaker, more fragile…I love you, I love you with my whole heart but I can’t spend my life waiting for you to come back when you have a chance. You keep the balance, your role in this universe matters far more than my own, Harry. Your time is better spent in the Underworld than just…wasting time with me.” She explained and he smiled at her.

“It’s never a waste time when I’m with you.” He said and Persephone nearly gagged at the way they were looking at each other with so much adoration. Sure, she loved him, but not nearly as much as this little human loved him. Loved him so much that she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for his? 

“You know what I mean.” She huffed.

“I talked to my wife about you.” He said and she frowned, “I want you.” He said and her gaze softened but she shook her head.

“No, Harry. You can’t do that to her.” Y/N said.

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do here but the trouble with that is that I…am in love with you now.” He explained and she looked so conflicted.

“I love you too-”

“I know.” He smiled.

“The blasted mind reading!” She groaned in irritation and he chuckled and grabbed her hands.

“Sorry.” He laughed breathily, “It’s the truth though. It’s different with you. Everything is just different and I want you t-to be with me. Forever.” He said and she chuckled nervously.

“Oh my god…”

“I know.”

“But how?”

“We’ll find a way. And it doesn’t have to happen any time soon. You should enjoy your life for however long you need, but just know that you’re the one I want by my side age after age, until the world passes away. We’ll just be together, loving each other, exploring everything the universe has to offer because I’m a fucking god and we can do that.” He said and she was smiling as tears trickled down her face.

“That sounds phenomenal but is she OK with that?” She asked and well he stayed quiet. He knew she was there, watching, listening to his profession of love.

“Yes.” Persephone caved. Her response so soft that only his hearing could detect it. 

“Yes. She’s ok with it.” He said and she sighed in relief.

“I don’t have to like…be the queen of the underworld right? Like I can just…hang out?” She asked nervously and he just hugged her into his chest as he laughed. He could also hear Persephone laughing a bit at her question.

“Yeah, baby. You can just hang out.” He said softly before kissing her head and with that settled Persephone disappeared back to the Underworld.

**********

It was a few days later when Hecate had been able to really perfect the spell to grant Y/N a temporary immortality for her visit to the underworld. She was going for the weekend so she could see what everything was like. Obviously, it was nothing like you’d imagine, but they had inspired storytellers in the ancient times with terrifying images and ideas to scare people into behaving just a little bit better. Which, Harry had assured her of as the day of her visit grew closer. 

Finally, the day came and Harry had appeared in her home with an ethereal, feminine being at his side. She was as tall as him, with a slender build. Her skin was pale and she had long, black hair creating a very stark contrast. Her eyes were a cold gray color that seemed to look straight through her soul but Y/N could not look away.

“This is Hecate. One of the main rulers of the underworld. She will cast the spell on you to grant you immortality for your visit.” He explained.

“I must warn you that you will fall terribly ill when you return from your visit. The travel between realms will catch up to you when you’re back in your human form. It’s relatively normal.” She admonished.

“I understand.” Y/N said and with that confirmation she started speaking in what Y/N could only assume was some celestial or greek language. Little sparks started to appear around her and then they started drawing closer to her. She winced when they started to stick to her skin. The little flecks of light felt hot against her, but she held perfectly still, and she gasped when they started to be absorbed into her skin. She could see her hands and arms radiating more and more and more until suddenly everything stopped. Her head felt fuzzy for a few seconds before Hecate grabbed her hand and out of nowhere slit the palm of her hand with a blade. Y/N winced and pulled her hand away quickly.

“Was that necessary?” Harry reprimanded Hecate as he hurried over to Y/N, “Are you alright?” He asked as he grabbed her trembling hand but when the two glanced down to inspect her wound they saw as it started to fade until it was gone, leaving no trace of the injury.

“I had to make sure it worked.” She smiled to Hades.

“Ready to go?” He asked and Y/N bit her lip and nodded. 

They opened up a portal, so she could know exactly where to go and Hecate walked through first and disappeared. Then he grabbed her hand and gave Y/N a reassuring smile before he started leading her through it. It felt tingly as she made it past the portal into some in-between dimension. It was overwhelming. She could suddenly hear everything. Nature, people talking in many languages, cars, ambulances, animals…it was just so busy. And as they continued stepping through that in-between dimension it started going dark. “I’ve got you.” Harry assured her as they were surrounded by pitch black before they were suddenly stepping out to what appeared to be a river bank. It looked like a gorgeous and peaceful place. The sun looked to be setting at the moment and it made the water glimmer and glisten beautifully, it looked like liquid gold. The ground they walked on was lush green grass and before her was a wide river and on the opposite side of it she could see gorgeous, glistening castles settled deep into the landscape. It was breathtaking, there was so much to see, but then Harry turned to her, capturing her attention.

“Welcome to hell.” He grinned and she chuckled.

“It’s…beautiful.” She said and he smiled and nodded. “Where did Hecate go?”

“She had other business to attend to. I’m going to give you a tour.” He said as he guided her over to a dock where a lone man stood at the very end. The boards slightly creaked as they walked over to the man standing at the end of the dock.

“My king.” The older man said and half bowed as soon as Harry, well Hades, approached.

“Charon, this is Y/N. Y/N this is Charon, he-”

“Guides the souls down the rivers of the underworld.” She said and Harry nodded. Charon seemed pleased that she knew of him, the slight smile on his face gave it away, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

“Precisely. I will take her around myself.” He said and Charon nodded and then waved his hand and another boat started to emerge from the water. Harry got in first and then he helped her on and with a wave of his hand, they started to glide froward. 

“The layout of the underworld is basically a circle that funnels down. This is the main river, the River Styx. With each full turn you make around the river you descend into a deeper level of the underworld. Obviously, the lower you go-”

“The less pretty it is.” She said.

“Exactly.” He confirmed as they started to veer to the right. “To descend you would find the portal in the water and that will take you lower.” He explained. “That small offshoot there is the river Acheron. The river of pain and suffering, this is the way all souls go and it takes them to the judgement chamber where their life will be weighed and their fate decided. This is all part of the top level. The main land is where we deities reside as well. The little bit of land there with the large building is the judgement chamber. And then we have some islands coming up in just a few moments.” He said as they glided through the water at a faster pace now that they were riding a current.

“That is Elysium.” He said and she gasped as she took in the island. It was lush and vast. Not as vast as the mainland where the deities resided but it was something to behold. There were also gorgeous greco-style buildings residing on a hills that peeked out of the tree line at its base. They weren’t all that close to the island, but she could make out a few people on the grassy fields. “This is essentially paradise. Not too many people go there. The souls that have earned a place in Elysium are given the choice to stay here or drink from the river Lethe and start a new life on earth.” He explained and she looked surprised.

“So reincarnation is a thing?”

“Yes and no. So for those who have lived a life worthy of Elysium, their paradise is whatever they choose for it to be if they choose to stay.” He explained, “So if I were to have died and made it here and decided to stay in Elysium, everything I was in my life stays with me. I would remember what I did in my life, my family, friends, and say I wanted to have you with me. I could very well ask for my paradise to be your apartment with you for ever and ever, though it’s not really you, of course, but to those who stay it doesn’t really matter. You could come out to the fields, befriend other fellow residents of the islands, essentially do anything you wanted to do. The universe is so vast that each person that chooses to stay in Elysium essentially gets their own world. That building you see at the top of the hill?” She nodded, “That’s the entrance and exit to each person’s paradise. Obviously there’s a hall there for feasts and anything else you could want. But most people who are here tend to stay in their own world. Their utopia.” He said and she smiled.

“Wow… and what if you grow tired of it?”

“Most don’t ever leave it. But you can always…start over. You can take the ferry to the river Lethe, have a sip and everything you were gets wiped clean and the essence of your soul is just used for a new person. Every single person is unique, but the substance of your souls are the same, that’s what makes you alive, it’s what some would call the breath of life or consciousness. So it’s not exactly like the typical reincarnation where you remember the lives your soul has lived through, it’s just what makes you a living being. And life just, keeps going…there’s not really any purpose or meaning intended for it, the meaning and purpose are entirely up to you as an individual, it’s just what you make of it.” He explained and she nodded in understanding and once again they took off. That kind of blew her mind; learning that the purpose of everything was just to be and make your own meaning. It gave her more peace than anything.

“How many people have made it to Elysium?” She asked as they started to pick up speed again.

“In all of history?” He asked and she nodded.

“1,000 maybe?” He asked and she looked shocked.

“Anyone I might know?” She asked with a smile.

“Ummm…J.R.R. Tolkien.” He said and she gasped.

“Really?”

“He was a wonderful man. Everything he did was done with love and the utmost care. He loved the earth, he loved looking after it. He took care of people even when they were awful to him…he was a stellar man.” Harry explained with a smile.

“Did he stay?” She asked and he nodded.

“Yep. He just wanted to be with his family again.” He smiled and she did too.

Before they knew it, they were rounding the river and he was guiding them down to the portal to the next level.

“This is as far down as we’ll go. I’m not going to take you all the way to the bottom, it’s not a nice place to be.” He said and she nodded. The second level was a bit darker. It looked very normal, but the land was vast and it looked like a city with farmland almost. Like earth basically. “This is the place where most people go. The Asphodel meadows and the Fields of Mourning, then running directly through these you’ll find the Cocytus river, it irrigates the fields. So on this level people basically live normal lives. They’re working the tasks they are assigned until they have worked off their bad deeds. Then, they get taken to the River Lethe, drink from it, and start a new life on earth.” He said and she hummed.

“So not too bad.”

“No, very neutral. They get food, water, to sleep, it’s all very humane. But kind of like prison I guess, where you do some labor so that you’re not just, chilling in purgatory. And depending on how much bad they did is how much time they spend here.”

“What about kids?”

“Children and any other innocents get taken straight to Lethe.” He said and she nodded.

“And our animal friends?” She asked and he smiled.

“Their souls are a little different, they don’t have the same consciousness humans do and are considered innocents as well. So the ones that do incredibly heroic things are often given to those in Elysium who want an animal companion. The others get to go back to earth like every other being.” He explained.

“Oh my god…” She gasped as she saw a river that literally looked like lava starting to stem off.

“That’s the Phlegethon river. It’s so hot that as soon as you touch it you just…cease to exist. It’s fast and painless. All three rivers  merge here, so if we get on it we’d go down to Tartarus - that is essentially hell.” He explained as they started to make their way back up. “You have to be incredibly cruel to end up there.” He explained, “But it’s not like eternal torture. Basically everyone eventually ends up in Lethe to start a new life except these people down here, some souls are just corrupt. I have no idea why or where that comes from, but after a few tries at redemptions I learned that it wasn’t worth trying to redeem them. They just came back to hurt people again because it’s not the same type of bad that everyone else carries inside, this is a capacity for evil that is beyond repair.” He explained and she nodded, “Once they have suffered their sentence they get sent to the Phlegethon and that soul ceases to exist. So people who have senselessly murdered others for example, they have their own level and are often subject to the same pain as their victims. So someone like Jim Jones…he’s still down there. He’s to spend time in several of the levels.” He said and Y/N hummed.

“Wow, a cult leader?”

“Yeah, most of the cult leaders are down there for a while on several levels too, mostly for harming innocent people. They’re some of the most evil people.” He said. 

“Definitely. I approve of this system. Seems very fair to me.” 

“I agree. I mean, I am a bit bias as it was my design…but I think it works justly.” He said as they started to emerge by Elysium again. Then they started rounding the back of the mainland and soon were approaching a larger dock. Other boats were lined up there neatly, they were as nice as the one Charon had produced for Harry, or Hades. “You are not moronic for calling me Harry.” He said to her with a grin. She groaned and playfully smacked his arm.

“Stop reading my thoughts!” She said with a grin.

“You think really loud! I’m sure everyone heard that.” He chuckled and she rolled her eyes at him.

“I don’t even know what that means! How can one think quietly?” She giggled and he smiled.

“It’s not about being literally quiet. It’s about quieting your mind. Regulating your emotions.” He said and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “I can sense them and that lets me in your head. So when I do this…” he said as he leaned in, just an inch from her face. Her pupils blew wide and she immediately started to get excited to have him so close. “Your amygdala starts producing and firing dopamine, oxytocin, glutamic acid…and you start to get excited. Then you get a little horny for me.” He said teasingly and she bit her lip, “There’s so much going on and we as celestial beings can sense that. You’re vulnerable to your emotions and that allows me to get inside. And when I’m inside I can start to figure out that you want me to kiss you. That you want me to touch you in all those places that are part of your body, but actually belong to me now. I can practically feel your longing for me as if it were my own longing, angel.” He said and her skin was littered with goosebumps upon hearing this, “I know it has been quite a while hasn’t it? I’ve neglected you for basically a whole month and you can’t help but be this loud for me. Can you?” He asked and she moaned and grabbed his face before smushing her lips into his. 

She kissed him with the the fiery passion of a million burning suns. And as Harry gave into their kiss his emotions swelled and the adoration he felt for her overwhelmed him. Having her there with him in his world, having her meet the likes of celestial beings she never knew were real, showing her the secrets of the afterlife, it was such a special moment to him that he couldn’t help it as his joy just forced a surge of power from his body so great that the the waters of the river became agitated, and a beautiful breeze suddenly whipped around them, and the sun reemerged from the horizon. She pulled away upon feeling the sudden shifts around them and he chased after her lips, giving her a few more smiley kisses and when they parted and looked into each others’ eyes everything fell still again.

“Did you just…force the sun to come back up?” She whispered with a giddy grin and he actually blushed as she looked over his face. He looked just as surprised by this as she did. 

“I-I guess I did.” He said bashfully and she nuzzled her nose to his which made him feel so happy and warm inside. It was such a cute gesture that had caught him off guard and then she kissed the tip of his nose before pressing her forehead to his and he was blushing again, showing off that gorgeous and boyish toothy grin. It made him feel innocent, like a child. That’s something he had never felt in the ages of his existence. He had never even been a child, but the warmth and safety and comfort he felt then with her was a feeling he would cherish for eternity. “That’s how much I love you.” He said softly.

“I love you too.” She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and just held her close until they were docked safely. He helped her off and started guiding her down the path that would lead them down to all of the homes the deities lived in. “So how do we get to the top of the mountain?” She asked.

“We fly.” He said and she looked skeptical and he chuckled, “I’m joking. We teleport, through the portals.” He said and she cackled which made him grin. 

He then guided her to a portal opening, similar to the one they had arrived through. Moments later they were emerging on a path that led them straight to the steps that led up to the gorgeous, deep green door of the dark colored, gothic style castle. She would’ve said mansion, but it was far bigger than a mansion. She literally was glancing up at the intricacies of the exterior as they made their way up the steps. When he opened the door she smiled as she immediately looked around. It was beautiful and dark, it obviously looked great, but she loved that it was lived in, it wasn’t pristine and museum-like, like she imagined it might be.

“I love this.” She said with a smile as she spun around to take in the whole foyer.

“Yeah?” He asked as he came up, hands circling her waist and she nodded in confirmation.

“Ummm…are we staying here w-with your wife or-”

“No. I told her about you when she came back and how it’s different with you.” he said. “After a few days she had a new place built for herself.”

“Oh OK…so she’s not happy about it.”

“I don’t think it’s so much hurt as it is jealousy.” He explained, “The way I’ve been with her up to when she left the last time was…like a queen. She technically is, but you get what I mean. But I’ve been sharing her forever, she’s never had to share me before or see me treat someone else the way I’ve always treated her.” He explained as he started guiding her up the grand staircase. 

“Well sharing a body is far different than sharing feelings.” Y/N said and he smiled.

“You’re right, but I’m not sharing feelings though.” He said as he turned around to face her and her eyes softened. “Everything I did used to be all about her, for her…worshipped the ground she walked on and well…now you’re all I want. S’quite a big change.” He said and she hummed.

“I feel bad now.” She pouted and Harry shook his head.

“Don’t. I mean, she loved me for what I did for her, but never in the way I loved her.” He explained, “Hence the sharing option.” He added and she nodded in understanding.

“Would you share me?” She asked and he frowned.

“Absolutely not. Out of the question.” He said immediately and she giggled.

“Good.” She said and he smiled, “Do I have to share you?”

“Nope.” He said and she grinned, “I’m just yours, angel.” He said as his hand wrapped around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. She melted at the feeling of his lips smooching into hers. Her hands wrapped around his body to hold him closer.

“Mmmm, does the house tour start or end in the bedroom?” She asked and he grinned.

“Fuck the tour.” He mumbled and she smiled as he suddenly picked her up hurried up the staircase and into his bedroom. She smiled when she saw it for herself. It was huge and dark, the bed was enormous with the most beautiful, wooden black bed frame holding it up. The carvings along the tall posts were intricate and she couldn’t help but inspect them when he set her down on the floor. She then glanced up at the high ceiling and smiled, it looked like she was staring straight into space.

“Is that-”

“Yep.” He smiled. “I keep a portal open into space. It’s so gorgeous to look at.” He explained and she smiled and let out a satisfied sigh.

“That’s incredible, Harry. Or should I called you Hades or?”

“Whatever you want, angel.” He said and she smiled.

“What if I call you… daddy?” She questioned as she sat on the bed and he smirked, “Or sir? Do you like that better?” She asked before she peeled her shirt off and dropped it on the ground. His mouth was watering and his eyes grew dark with arousal. His heart thumped as she stood and started to undo the button of her pants. She grinned as she watched his eyes rake down her body, his lip bitten beneath his teeth.

“What’s the difference?” He asked as he came closer. He too started to undo the buttons of his shirt.

“Mmmm, I think daddy is more on a tame level…” she said as she reached out to help him finish off his shirt. She loved his body…she now understood why all the Greco-Roman sculptures featured such ripped ass men…if the gods were the inspiration then the artists did a great job of capturing their beauty. She smiled up at him as her hands slid up his bare torso and helped the material off of his shoulders. “You’d continue taking care of me how you do, but you can make some rules for me to follow during our…sexy time.” she said and he chuckled, “You’re in charge. Play your part and I’ll play mine. And when we’re through, back to your sweet wonderful self-”

“I think I’d be sweet and wonderful the whole time.” He said and she smiled.

“True…with Sir, it feels a bit more…official…I’d…” she felt herself blushing jus thinking of it, but he could hear what she meant.

“You’d be all mine. Everything?” He asked and she nodded and he continued reading her thoughts, “Want me in your head? Want me to use you? Want me to own every part of you?” He asked and she bit her lip, “You’ve got some nasty thoughts for such a sweet little thing, you know?” He teased and she leaned into him and hid her face in the crook of his neck and kissed him there. His cock was hardening up quickly and she kissed up his neck, “Everything you’re picturing in that beautiful brain of yours, I can do those things to you.” He said lowly and smiled as she reached his jaw and kissed him there again.

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah, angel.” He smiled as his hands landed on her bottom. Kneading at her plush butt before landing a sharp smack. “When did you get so nasty?”

“After that first time.” She said and he chuckled.

“Liked that did you?” He asked lowly and she pulled back and nodded.

“Loved it. Love you. And I love what you do to me, how you make me feel when you just take me how you want. Just wanna be good for you.” She said and he smiled.

“You are. You’re so fucking good for me.” He hummed and grabbed her hands, “Now keep being good for me and suck me off.” he said lowly, “M’so fucking hard for you. Want to feel that hot little mouth drooling all over my cock.” He said and she smiled and tiptoed to kiss his lips before kneeling down and quickly undoing his pants so that she could get to him.

Her mouth watered as she released his cock. It slightly bounced from the weight of it as it fell forward. She wrapped her hand around him and glanced up at him as she let her tongue out of her mouth and placed his tip on the flat of it and he smiled as she licked and then sucked it between her lips.

“Fuck, good girl.” He hummed in satisfaction. Her slow strokes along his length and her sucking at his tip had his brain going fuzzy. He moaned when she tongued at his frenulum and he reached for her head, “Fuck yeah, keep doing that f’me.” He hummed and she did as she was instructed. Her free hand reached between his legs and cupped his balls which made his eyes close. She gave a gentle squeeze and he groaned in satisfaction. Her eyes squeezed shut as he pushed her head halfway down his sizable cock and with that, he was reaching the back of her mouth and after she adjusted she blinked her eyes open again before relaxing her jaw and sinking all the way down. “Oh shit…” he moaned with hooded eyes as his tip sunk into the tightness of her throat. Her eyes were tearing up, but when he read her thoughts, asking for more he smirked and thrust in a bit deeper. She choked down her gag as he started fucking her mouth. “Shit baby, so fucking good for me. Letting me fuck your throat like this. Should I give it to you like this more often?” He asked teasingly and she moaned however she could and Harry grinned before he pulled her off of him by the hair, “What was that, angel?”

“Yes, sir.” She responded breathily, her eyes were absolutely darkened with lust for him.

God, he wanted to take over her perfect and willing body but it was more satisfying to know that he didn’t need to go to those lengths to have her do to him all the filthy things he wanted. He smirked and then shoved her head back down and he sunk into the back of her mouth with far more ease this time around. She moaned around him, he could feel her trying to swallow but couldn’t and maybe what he did next was an evil thing but he found no will to stop himself as he groaned and came on the spot. His generous load flooded her mouth and he could feel her trying to swallow it down but in moments she was coughing around him and he pulled her away as she coughed out and swallowed down what was left in her mouth as she also swallowed gulps of air. His sperm was dripping out of the sides of her mouth and her mascara was running down her face, streaking down her kissable cheeks. 

“That’s what you wanted too, wasn’t it?” He asked and she rested her cheek against his thigh and nodded. “Your words, baby.” He insisted.

“Yes, sir.” She rasped out as she continued to regain her oxygen. Having him that far down really took away her ability to properly breathe and it made her head all fuzzy.

“You’re so good for me. You know that?” He hummed his praise as he pushed her hair out of her face, “Stand up and look at me, angel. Let me clean you up a bit.” He said and she glanced up at him and he smiled as he helped her stand. His thumb and index fingers cleaned at the sides of her mouth and she eagerly licked up the rest of his cum from them. He then swiped away her smeared makeup to have her looking good as new. “God, I love you so much.” He hummed with a smile as his eyes met her own and his palm cradled her face.

“I love you too.” She whispered as she leaned into his touch.

“S’your turn now, angel.” He spoke softly. “How should I go about it, hmmm? You still feeling a little wild or do you want me just like this?” He asked and she bit her lip mischievously as her eyes met his, “Alright then.” He chuckled, “What’s gotten into you?” He grinned as he pulled her over to the bed and let her fall down into the plush and heavenly mattress. 

She exhaled as she looked over his face, studying him just a bit. His hand reached out and traced down her side, he loved the curves of her body and the feeling of her skin under his fingertips. She smiled as he touched her lovingly, he could practically feel the life force in her emanating towards him when they were skin to skin. Not that the gods weren’t alive, but they were eternal, there was no need for their life force to fight to continue functioning, it was steady. But hers, it peaked and felt more intense when they were together. A human’s purpose was to find the things that made them feel happy and that in turn, helped them live longer and fuller lives. He was enamored with the fact that for her, he was what did it. He fed her soul all it needed to keep her going. He couldn’t wait until they could finally be together forever and ever. Yeah, he felt things a bit differently than she did but he felt what she felt as well. Like finally his existence had a purpose other than just dictating the fates of humankind. His purpose was to meet Y/n and fall in love. It had to be, because suddenly everything just made sense.

“Gonna answer my question?” He asked as she had just continued admiring him as he had been admiring her.

“Yeah sorry.” She giggled, “Just being here with you in this…realm?” She said with question, “I ca’t help but feel a little…small.” She explained and he frowned, “Oh no, not in a bad way. Just in a way that gives me some perspective. Like up on earth with me you’re just Harry, you know? Silly, sweet, far too giving, humble…normal.” she said and he smiled, “But being here, where you belong? I feel the difference.” She explained to him with a nod, “I feel how you’re different. How powerful you truly are. You’re a god.” She chuckled nervously, “And I don’t feel like I often treat you with the respect you deserve because we’ve always been on my turf, you know?” She said and he hummed, “So ummm…I think I’m just really settling into my role where I feel…comfortable right now. Which for some reason feels like a more…subservient position?” She said with a bit of questioning in her tone.

“Well first off, I need you to know that I don’t think of you any less whether we’re on earth or here. You belong by my side wherever we are, not beneath me.” He assured her and she smiled.

“Well maybe sometimes beneath you…” she murmured with a mischievous little smirk and he chuckled and rolled his eyes, “But ummm…I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t mind the power dynamic. It scares me a little but it also excites me.” She explained with a smile. “I like it more than I ever thought I would.” She shared and he smiled as his thumb ran over her kiss-swollen bottom lip.

“S’funny because when I’m with you I don’t feel like I have the advantage at all. Maybe that’s why I have to really try to…take on a more dominant role with you?” He shared, “You make me feel like I’ve always wanted to feel. Just a man.” He said and she smiled. “And yeah, I’d love to get freaky with you how you want.” he said with a grin and she giggled, “But I need you to know that I don’t think I’m bigger and better or more important than you. You’re all I ever wanted, I’ve been waiting eons for you.” He said softly and she blushed hard as her adoration just swelled and swelled until it manifested physically that way. “I’m so glad we found each other.” He said sincerely as he tenderly caressed her face.

“I am too.” Y/N smiled and then exhaled, “I often think about how…lucky I was that you were there that night.” She said and his gaze softened. “You didn’t have to interfere.” She said and he smiled slightly.

“I absolutely had to.” He insisted, “I was so angry for you.” He recalled, “The things that prick was thinking of doing to you…” he scowled, “And then seeing how pleased you were just to be there, possibly making a genuine love connection with someone? It was infuriating. You were so vulnerable, so well-intentioned. I couldn’t let him ruin your life. I had to do something. But that’s just it, isn’t it? Only I could have done something in that situation. It had to be me.” He realized and Y/N nodded. Her eyes were welled up with tears of joy because no matter how twisted the circumstance was, this had been meant to be.

“Yeah.” She whispered as she reached for his face. She cradled his perfectly sculpted jaw in her soft hand and he leaned into her touch. “I love you so much for it.” She said quietly and he smiled.

“I love you.” He smiled down at her before lowering himself enough to kiss her slowly.

Moments later his tongue was smearing against her own as their kiss quickly grew steamy. Her legs spread to let his hips down collide down into hers. The sizable outline of his cock rubbing over her clothed pussy was making her core tingle deliciously. She needed to feel his cock right up against her throbbing little clit. He was quick to peel off her underwear and sink off of the bed and onto his knees. He spread her legs and groaned at the sight of her. She was pretty everywhere. She smelled divine, it made his mouth water. He sponged kisses up her thighs until he was right up against her pussy. He let his tongue roll out of his mouth as his thumbs spread her open a little more and he started to lick at her entrance. Her little hole was oozing slick right onto his tongue. After she stopped squirming from that he teased around her clit until she was squirming again. Keening for him to mind her clit, shivering in anticipation of the feeling.

“Just a little bit more, baby.” He encouraged her, “Need you absolutely dripping f’me so I fit.” He mumbled against her pussy. 

“Wh-what?” she muttered in question and he glanced up at her.

“Baby, we’ve been doing things while I’m in my human form.” He chuckled and her eyes widened a bit at the realization.

“Right…duh…so what’s…different?” She asked. She was doing her absolute best not to show her nerves but she forgot way too easily that he could read her mind. Her precise thought in this moment was- How big is too big?

“Well it’s not exactly what you might think. My anatomy actually adapts to fill you perfectly. The spots that I can get to sometimes I’ll be invading from the start. If you beg me to go deeper I’ll get in deeper. If you want me to stretch you even more than I do now, you’ll get that. If you had some humiliation kink and needed me to be smaller then…” he trailed off and Y/N was completely enthralled by the idea of this. She already loved that he overwhelmed her in every sense of the word, she couldn’t even fathom how much fun this would be for her.

“I’ll need to be more mindful before I crave more than I can handle.” She said with a smile and he grinned up at her.

“That would be wise.” He hummed before smooching his lips against her inner thigh. “But just know that whatever you desire, whatever you need, s’already yours.” He said softly, “You’ve got me in the palm of your hand.” He said and she bit her lip to suppress her grin as he said this, “I bend to your will. You are the single most powerful being in the universe and you don’t even know it.” He said softly with the most belly-wrenching rasp before kissing a bit further up her thigh again. 

Y/N melted upon hearing him uttering these things to her and she reached down and grabbed him by the hair to push him back up against her dribbling pussy. “Please, keep going. I need to come on your tongue.” She insisted. 

Harry wasted no time in stuffing his face back against her sopping folds and sucking on her clit gently as he slid his fingers into her easily. Y/N felt absolutely helpless and at his mercy as his fingers reached a bit deeper and rubbed against that particularly sensitive part inside of her that just drew the sounds out of her with far too much ease. It was a lethal combination and it was taking her right to the edge far quicker than she was used to. The way that the tingles inside of her were starting to build up so fast and the heat was starting to surge up to her head as she focused everything she had on that feeling was making her body tremble.

“I’m gonna come!” She warned through a pitchy whine before she started to wither in Harry’s hand. It felt so good as her hips writhed and followed the movements of his hand and mouth, she ground herself against his mouth desperately. Making the most of the experience, riding it out and relishing in the breathless and magical feeling as Harry continued to fuck his fingers into her until she couldn’t breathe. Her sharp inhale got caught in her throat when his fingers mercilessly railed into her g-spot until she was gushing into the palm of his hand. Her grip on his hair was only getting tighter as he forced her into a second orgasm. He loved to feel her trembling beneath him, unable to even make a sound from how much she was feeling. He groaned and bit into her thigh gently as he started to slow down enough to let her catch her breath. Her sharp inhale made him grin and break the gentle grip of his bite on her plushy thigh.

“Fuck…” she giggled breathily and he glanced up at her. Her eyes were glossy and lidded and his were just dark, he was already hungry for more of her.

“Are you alright?” He asked and she nodded silently with a pleased smile adorning her lovely face.

“Very.” She smiled. And as his eyes met with hers his heart started to thump so hard as the singular thought in he heard was how much she loved him.

“Angel?”

“Yeah?” She asked as she smiled down at him and raked his hair back and off of his forehead.

“I wanna go slow.” He hummed as he started to press himself up. “Need to show you everything I feel. Need you to understand how it feels for me.” He said breathlessly before kissing her deeply, “Can I?” He asked between kisses and she nodded.

“Yeah. Please, show me.” She hummed, her eyes, all full of need and longing, locked onto his gaze. 

In seconds the energy shifted and she felt herself submerge deeper and deeper as he possessed her. She was looking at him from so far away inside of her mind. He was smiling  dopily as he surely read her thoughts. 

“Ready for me?” He asked and she nodded and prepared herself but he wasn’t sinking into her he was actually playing with her brain. She suddenly started to feel all fluttery inside. It was so intense.

“Sometimes it’s so bad I swear I have to throw up.” He said softly, his voice echoed and bounced off of the walls of her empty mind. “I feel so warm. So at peace.” He continued saying and all she could do was smile from her prison. She was dying to feel him inside. His erection was pressed up against her, she could feel the steady throbs of it against her. “Need me inside, angel?” He asked, she was begging for it, “Alright.” He hummed. She loved the smugness emanating from him. Moments later she was regaining control of herself. “Want you here with me.” He said and Y/N smiled and slid her hand up his strong bicep.

“Please.” She whispered with need. He licked over his lips before guiding his cock to her entrance. His hips pressed forward as she spread her legs wider for him, eager to feel him start to push inside of her. They both sighed in relief as his thick, ruddy tip sunk into her.

“Fuck, angel…” he grunted lowly as her warm, plush walls squeezed around his cock. 

Y/N moaned as he sunk in deep and ground into her, getting even further inside. He dropped his weight to his hips and really let her feel him inside of her. Her nails bit into his back as he started to rock his hips bak and forth setting a glorious pace. Their hips moved together like they were in a dance, back and forth, give and take. She felt so safe with him, she was obsessed with him. Her eyes squeezed shut when he ground down over her clit. A small whine slipped past her throat as he did things exactly the same until she was right on the edge.

“Not yet, baby. Not yet.” He instructed and she groaned in defeat as her limbs relaxed as her body eased out of it’s near climax.

He closed his eyes for a second and suddenly everything was growing dark and they were shrouded by swirls of stars and constellations. Her heart was swelling with awe and wonder at the vast beauty and then she just felt more love for Harry. 

“I’m making one for you.” He said, “A constellation.” He clarified and she chuckled because she had no idea what to even say to that! If she had his power she would’ve made one of him too. 

“I love you so much.” She declared softly and he dipped down to kiss her. He started to pick up his pace, delving deeper and deeper into her slick little pussy. He was dying to get her pregnant, the thought crossed his mind every single time he was inside of her. The was she squeezed around him, the ridges of her spongey and hot walls literally made him feel stupid. He felt like he lost all control, he would fuck her for hours if she could take it. He loved the idea of filling her up he had before…

“Can I come inside?” He asked and she nodded quickly.

“Please, daddy.” She emphasized and he groaned and started to go faster as he started to come undone. 

“Fuck, angel…” he groaned before he started to grunt with each thrust into her as he came inside. “You come until I’m done, okay?” He instructed and she nodded. He slowed his pace for a moment before flipping her onto her knees before he continued sheathing himself inside of her with long, slow thrusts. Her arms felt trembly as her fists squeezed the covers tight. He was fucking right into her spot and it was making her so fucking wet. They could hear it as he started to fuck into her harder, “Oh you feel so fucking good…” he moaned before squeezing her hips hard and then holding her against him as he pressed in as far as he could before grunting as he busted another nut in her pussy. 

Y/N’s mind was drawn a blank, she was absolutely drunk on him. Before she could even process it he had her on his lap and she was desperately humping up against him, fucking his cock with a rabid need. Her soft, little grunts were coming out in perfect time with her movements. Harry’s lips smooched down the valley of her breasts before he opened wide to suck her right nipple into his mouth. He sucked fervidly at it as she rode his cock, he needed to feel her coming around him.

“Come for me when you’re ready, angel. Wanna feel it.” He mumbled and she nodded. He snuck a hand between them and started to swirl his thumb over her clit, spurring on her orgasm. Y/N’s body was already taut and trembling, eagerly awaiting his permission to come. She started to lose her rhythm as the friction on her clit became too great of a distraction. Y/N was covered in goosebumps as the fire started to spread from her core all the way out to the rest of her body. Her tummy started to tighten as she felt her walls pulsing and throbbing around his big cock. She was absolutely stuffed of him. The wet sounds of his cum mixing with hers brought her that much closer to her end.

“I’m gonna come! Oh baby, I’m gonna come!” She gasped and he wrapped his arms around her midsection and hugged her close as she started to come. The pulses of her contracting walls around him pulled his final orgasm from him too. As she shivered in his arms he spurred on her pleasure by continuing to fuck her through his own orgasm, it was far too much but he could not stop. Being with her felt too good. They were both struggling through it, tears brimming their eyes until it was just too much and they had to slow down. 

“I love you so much. Just so fucking much…” he mumbled as they fell onto the mattress and kissed passionately. It was such a special and tender moment, everything about this was right. And as the kiss ended they were suddenly back in his bedroom and she smiled at him. He just took her in for a few moments, admiring her beauty, but then his smile faltered for a moment.

“Hey, don’t think about my mortality…” she said and he sighed.

“How’d you know?”

“I can read minds too.” She grinned and he smiled slightly. 

“Do you want all of that normal life stuff?” He asked and she shrugged.

“Not without you. But I also…don’t want to die.” She said and he nodded before kissing her cheek.

“There’s gotta be a way.” He said.

“If you find the way, you let me know. I’d say it’s worth a shot.” She said and he smiled.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She confirmed.

She had no idea what any of this would entail and she didn’t really care. All that mattered to Y/N was that he was going to find a way to let them be together. He was her other half. There were no if, ands, or buts, it was a divine union. He was hers and she was his, always.

Feel free to check out my masterlist

[themusingsofacurlyhairednerd]

hiiii, omg i would absolutely adore more of vampire rhysand fics, especially from that universe you created with them all vampires, will there be more? maybe when reader is turned, she can finally take both azriel and rhysand👀👀👀 or maybe to explore rhysand's relationship with her maybe nesta or someone from her family sneak in to the ball to steal reader back but rhysand is like nu uh tf

those are just some of the ideas that popped into my head, i love your writing and your smut💖

You must be psychic because I had literally just opened up a Word Document to try and write another Vamp!Rhys fic but couldn't figure out where to start!

I've got some ideas, and was thinking about doing some Monster Themed Fics for Spooky Season (More Vamp!Rhys + Bat Boys, maybe a Werewolf or Demon AU) if I can get my thoughts in order enough. Until then, pls enjoy a possessive!vamp!Rhys ;)

----------------

Mine

Content Warnings: Slight SMUT, Possessive!Rhys, Blood and Gore

---------

“I’m bored,” Rhysand says by way of greeting, as he throws his lythe body onto the chase across from where you sit, curled up in a reading chair in the library.

 The sun sets behind you, the golden rays peeking in through the blackout curtains that usually remain closed during the day. Most of the horde sleeps through the day, meaning, if you let your body’s natural rhythm guide you, you have the entire manor to yourself. And of course, you use most of that time to peruse the thousand year old vampire’s massive collection of books. There’s so many organized on the floor to ceiling shelves you’re not even sure you’re promised immortality will give you enough time to read all of them--that doesn’t stop you from trying, however.

The vampire lord remains in the shadows of the library, the crack of sunlight just far enough away to not burn his otherwise unbreakable skin. Sometimes you think it’s a shame he can only go out at night, while it’s true he looks his best under moonlight, the golden hue of the fading sun makes his bronze skin glow like a god. You’re tempted to set down the book in your hands and climb into his lap, unbutton the already half open shirt and run your tongue over every golden inch of him. Time has not dulled the need you feel for him, even after all these months, he’s still as tempting as he was the first time you laid eyes on him. 

“There are a number of things you can do in this manor,” you say, ignoring your instincts and going back to the fantasy romance you’ve been devouring for the last hour. In truth, the smut on the page before you might also play into why your mouth is practically watering at the sight of him. You’re right at the good part, and your mind is torn between finishing the chapter and indulging your own fantasies with the very real, and very eager, vampire before you.

“Not entertaining enough,” he whines. 

Your eyes still on the page as you try and think of something to offer him. He hasn’t been able to throw another ball in nearly a month, not after a group of vampire hunters had come rolling into town. Their presence had been tiresome and even Azriel, for all his talents had not been able to figure out who’d tipped them off and brought them around. Rhys had initiated an indoor ban on the whole horde just to keep everybody safe. That meant for the most part, everyone had been living off of sheep’s blood and well, you. Mostly the sheep’s blood though. Rhys had threatened to keep you locked in his room, for only his enjoyment if Azriel didn’t stop leaving so many bite marks in your thighs--his favorite place to feed from you apparently. There were more than enough bite marks across your throat to give the others pause before they tried to drink from you these days. And it hadn’t helped that Cass had snuck out and nearly been caught, drinking from a barmaid in an alley three nights ago. Everyone was on edge. 

You glance up at him over the top of the worn pages in your hands. He keeps an arm thrown over his eyes, as if, even the little bit of sunlight filtering passed is enough to hurt him. Aside from that, he lays with one long leg tossed over the back of the couch, his shirt untucked and unbuttoned, the swirl of ink across his chest on full display. His dark hair is tousled, falling messily over his forehead. He had to have come directly here from his bedroom.

You look back down at the paragraph you were reading, the spicy scene practically leaping off the page at you, then back up to him as you bite your lower lip in thought. It’s usually him that initiates your interactions, him that dictates how and where  you take him. You don’t mind. Truth be told, you love being able to let go of everything and let him dominate you in whatever way he sees fit. It is the height of your pleasure, knowing he could so easily break you, and yet he doesn’t. You think meeting him might actually have put some pieces of your soul back together, rather than shatter them further and you love him all the more for it. And now, in that freedom, you can’t help but wonder if there are still other things to explore?

“We could play a game?” You suggest, voice softer than you mean it to be. Neither of you have ever talked about switching things up. Why mess with a good thing, right? But he’s here, asking, and the idea is literally in your hands as you speak, like fate prompting you to try something new and exciting. It can’t hurt to ask, right? He’s never denied you anything before.

Rhys spreads two fingers over his face, so you catch a glimpse of one, gleaming, violet eye. A grin spreads across his handsome features, fangs glinting in the scarce few rays of sunlight left. There will be nothing but starlight here soon, the plain of existence made solely for him. The others may live in the dark, but it is Rhys who thrives in it. “I’m listening.”

You draw a shaky breath. It’s just a question. No harm can come from a question. But how exactly do you suggest… this? You glance down at the pages again, trying to see if they even gave it a name for you to offer him, but there’s nothing but the promise of pleasure blurring across the pages.

Gathering your courage, you unfurl your legs from beneath you and cross the distance so you can climb onto his lap. Those thighs might have been made just for you, muscle shifting to let you get comfortable as his hands settle on your hips. He sighs contentedly, like this is something he’s been missing as you settle your weight against him.

“I was reading this book and these characters are…” you scrunch your face, trying to explain without sounding crass and failing. A blush works its way up your cheeks as you shove the open book into his hands. “Maybe you should just read it.”

He takes his time, tongue slipping out to wet his full lips as he reads. You count every breath he takes in the silence, watching his face with rapt attention to try and gauge what he’s thinking about it. He’s a master of schooled expressions, always collected and together, but after all these months, you like to think you know his tells. Yet, as he reads, there is no gleam in his eye, no obvious indication of arousal from where you sit over his hips. There is nothing but careful calculation as he reads--and maybe rereads, judging by the time it takes him--the pages.

Finally he closes the book and sets it down on the floor. “You’re suggesting we do that?” 

It’s hard to identify if that is amusement or irritation in his voice and you find your heartbeat quickening regardless of which it is. “I-if you want.”

“That’s not what I asked, Little One,” he tuts, hands resuming their rightful place on your hips. His thumbs stroke gentle circles into your skin, a move that can turn either teasing or cruel at a moment's notice. 

“I don’t know, you said you were bored. I thought maybe, you know, since we haven’t had a ball in awhile you might want to…” the word sticks in your throat and you swallow as the intensity of his gaze pins you in place. “You know… hunt.”

His eyes light up at the word. “And you want me to hunt you?”

Your thighs clench involuntarily at the thought, a move that doesn’t go unnoticed in the slightest. He grins wolfishly, gaze pinned to where your hips rest over his. He could have you right here, like this and he knows it. All it would take is a couple rocking motions of his hips, a slide of his fingertips beneath the thin silk of your top, teasing up bare skin until he can play with your breasts and you’d surrender. He could drink his fill and take you just as you are, right here and now. But there’s no challenge in it, no fun to be had, and he wants you to tell him you want it. Want him like that.

You’d be a liar if you said you’d never thought about what he would feel like if he let loose his control and showed you just how much a monster he was capable of being. You knew that even if he lost his usual composure, he would never hurt you. Even his basest instincts would balk at the thought of causing you pain. If you said you wanted it, he would make sure that you enjoyed every minute of it.

“Yes,” you say softly.

He sits up, swinging his legs onto the floor, moving you with him. His hands slide over your hips to your ass, squeezing playfully as you squeal in surprise over the sudden shift in position. “What are the rules to this game then?”

Your heartbeat quickens in your chest. You’re actually going to do this.

“I want a ten minute head start,” you say slowly, mind spinning. 

He hums as he leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Done. What else?”

“No going past the gardens.” There is enough yard between the manor and the perimeter walls that you could still feel like you were outside without risking an encounter with a hunter. 

“Agreed,” he kisses the opposite corner of your mouth.

“If you catch me-”

“When I catch you,” he says, lips pressing to my chin.

“If you catch me before the end of the hour,” that gives him a total of thirty minutes before the clock chimes, “then…” It’s not like you’ve never talked dirty before, but still, your cheeks are a deep set of red as you say, “then I am yours to do with what you wish.”

His eyes gleam, fangs glinting as he leans back and grins like he’s already won. “And if I say I want to be so deep inside you that every sorry hunter for miles will know your mine regardless of where I find you?”

You clench your thighs again, or attempt to, this new position in his lap doesn’t give you a lot of room to do so. “If you can find me.”

He slides you effortlessly off his lap, but you find, given the nature of the way he’s looking at you, that your legs feel weak already. “You should get going. You’ve only got ten minutes, Darling.”

You waste precious time leaning down to capture his lips in a quick kiss, but you don’t care. Every kiss, every touch is worth the lost time. He is a promise of endless time, of boundless freedom and new adventures, time is never wasted with Rhys.

He pulls away with some difficulty. “I’m still counting,” he warns.

You grin as you turn and sprint out the library, leaving the doors wide open as you run. It occurs to you now that you’ve never actually seen him hunt outside a ballroom. There’s a lot of strategy to those hunts, as you’ve observed, but he’s never had to chase anything. He’s like a spider, waiting patiently for his prey to get caught and stuck in his web for him to devour. You don’t actually know how fast or strong he is. He certainly has a heightened sense of smell, but how heightened?

You know you want to make it outside, just to let him feel like he’s getting out of the house, but going straight out the back door would be too easy. You run up the stairs to the second floor instead, then into one of the many empty rooms and unlatch the window. This might waste more of your precious time, but still, you’re curious to know if he’ll save time and run right out the door, or if he can actually follow your scent. 

Carefully, you climb onto the roof and pick your way across the slanting tiles, until you reach the side of the manor where tree branches reach for you. The gardens outside the estate are massive, their own little forest, and with the gates closed, the gardeners haven’t been around to trim the trees. Branches that would normally be clipped to keep the leaves from collecting on the roof have been allowed to blossom and you find a sturdy one and nimbly walk across it like a balance beam. He may be the expert hunter here, but you spent years outside the Spring Estate, back when your parents were still alive, exploring the massive gardens and climbing the trees. Until your Governess had dragged you back by the ear, yelling about your ripped skirts and scraped knees. Hardly the lifestyle of a lady, they’d said. You couldn’t care less now as you climb, hand over hand through the dense leaves, moving from tree to tree. This is familiar yet different, you are far more free here than you had ever been back home.

Anticipation sits hot and heavy in your lower belly as you move. It’s hard to tell how much time you have left and you need to decide if the plan is to just keep moving or to hunker down and hide in wait. 

When the trees start to thin, you finally clamber down onto the damp floor below and take a good look around. There are certainly plenty of bushes to hide under, but that feels… boring. 

You glance over your shoulder, the trees blocking out the moonlight that has now replaced the earlier sun. Shadows cling to the trees providing ample cover, for both you and the predator you know is coming. 

You bite your lip. You want it to be a challenge. So you keep moving, ears straining for any little sound that might indicate your ten minutes is up. Every rustle of leaves makes a shiver run up your spine, heart thundering beneath your ribs. It’s a heady sort of rush that makes you laugh as you break into a full on sprint, wind tearing at your loose hair. 

This is freedom. Unbridled and unrestrained, there are no limits on what you can do or want, and right now, you want exactly what he promised you.

You slow to catch your breath, the trees thinning as you come closer to the hedge maze on the far side of the property. There’s usually a whole slew of string lights bobbing overhead, so partygoers can see past the towering hedges full of roses and attempt to find the bubbling water fountain at the center of the maze. It’s a showstopper when lit, but right now, it is dark and unyielding and you inch your way towards it with more than a little trepidation. It would be a good place to make him walk through to get to you, but some of the hedges are so thick and overgrown it blocks out the light, and you do not have the night vision of vampires, not yet.

A twig snaps behind you and you jump with a hand clamped over your mouth to keep from screaming as you turn to face the noise. There’s enough moonlight to see by out here, but there is no familiar shape stalking towards you. There’s nothing there at all but the trees and the maze at your back.

You give yourself a little shake to calm your nerves as you inch backwards towards the opening of the maze, still anticipating Rhys’s sudden arrival. One step back, then another, until you can almost feel the shadow of the hedges against your back. It’s a degree colder within it than outside of it.

The first bit of darkness covers your entrance.

And it covered the hiding place too, because you hadn’t seen anyone or anything within the maze until a firm hand clamps over your mouth. Surprise makes you scream, the noise muffled beneath the weathered palm as a strong arm wraps around your waist. 

How the hell had he gotten behind you?!

Hot breath fans your ear as he puts his lips to your ear. “Scream, and you’re dead.”

That’s not Rhys’s voice at all!

Panic grips you and you have just enough presence of mind to fight, digging your elbow into the stranger’s soft gut, throwing your head back into his shoulder. You twist and claw and bite down on the hand covering your mouth so hard you taste blood.

“You little bitch!” The stranger snarls, his hand slipping off your mouth.

You don’t have time to spit out the blood as you scream, “RHYS!!!” As loud as you can.

The stranger grabs your hair and spins you, face scraping over a cluster of thorny roses that cuts open your cheek as you fight to keep your footing. You stumble, but before you can hit the ground, another rough set of hands grabs your arm and yanks, pulling you deeper into the darkness of the maze. 

“Get off me!” You shout, your game forgotten. There is nothing but wild panic in your blood as you claw and punch at the hands that pull you deeper and deeper into the maze. 

Rhys can find you in here, right? He knows this isn’t part of the game?

Blood trickles down the wound in your cheek, following a trail down your neck and chest as your head whips around to try and get a good look at your attacker. He’s not much taller than you, but he’s twice as large, his arms made of thick, corded muscle. A spiderweb of scars travels up the bare expanse of his right arm, but he has no other defining features you can see in the darkness.

The second remains in the dark as they drag you through the maze. They must have been here awhile, if they know their way through it. In no time at all, you find yourself at the maze’s heart, the fountain that’s usually so dazzling at parties remains full of stagnant water and dead leaves. Sitting on the lip of it are another two men, one carrying a sword and another wearing a bandolier full of wooden stakes. Hunters.

Your mouth dries, heart skipping a beat. No no no! This can’t be happening! How’d they get past the gate? Rhys had it made by some local witches, it was supposed to be spelled to keep hunters out!

“Y/N?”

The world narrows in to the sound of that voice, as the body attached rounds the fountain. The sliver of moonlight cuts through the overgrown shrubs, highlighting the swatch of blonde hair, carefully tied back from a face that looks so similar to your own. 

Though you have no fangs of your own, you pull your lips back in a snarl as Tamlin draws nearer. “You did this?” You hiss at your brother.

He looks older, tired. Emerald eyes framed by dark circles. It’s been months since you’ve seen him. Months since he sent someone to tell you not to bother coming home since you’d ruined yourself with Rhys. Based on the stories you’d heard, he’d trashed the manor in a fit of rage when he’d found out he could no longer auction you off like a mare to be wed and bred by some stuffy, old baron or count.

He takes you in, nose crinkling as he spots the hickeys littering your throat. You’re not wearing anything more than a pair of lounge shorts and a silk top, an outfit that had felt appropriate a moment ago but now, based on the judgment and leering of the hunters, feels poorly out of place.

It’s an effort not to try and cover yourself, to stand there, blood still dripping from your cheek and keep your chin up.

“Where is he?” Tamlin demands. 

Shit. Shit. Shit! Of course he’s not here for you, he’d made it clear you were as wanted as a wadded up gum wrapper. He--they--are all here for Rhys. 

“Who?” You play dumb, trying to buy time. Rhys is walking right into a trap and if you don’t think of something quick…

“Don’t play dumb!” Tamlin snarls. “I know you’ve been whoring yourself out to that blood sucker!”

He can’t know that Rhys is the town’s vampire, there’s no way. Every person that leaves the manor is compelled to forget everything they saw. The whole horde is meticulous, Az has even followed people home to ensure the protection of the den. 

When you don’t respond, he says, a little gentler this time, “Tell me where he is, Y/N, and I will consider this whole mess a compulsion on his part and not hold it against you. We’ll go home and find somewhere safe for you to live. There’s a temple that will take in ruined women…”

You’re seeing red. “Nobody fucking ruined me! It is my body! What I do with it is none of your business!”

He frowns. “Nesta thought you might have been compelled, I didn’t want to believe that you were so weak minded that it could happen to you, but now that I see you…”

Nesta. Your stomach twists itself into knots. She was supposed to be your best friend, and yet she had gone to Tamlin and he’d called the hunters. She must have seen Rhys drinking from you that first night after all. In her rush, she’d pissed off Cass, who had been so distracted with her leaving he’d distracted Az from following her home. She’d gotten out of the den knowing what they all were and Tamlin had spent all this time summoning these hunters. 

The betrayal stings worse than the cut on your cheek, your eyes burning despite your attempts to keep it all bottled up. You can’t cry here! Not in front of them. The four hunters hover near the exits, blocking your escape, but keeping watch for Rhys all the same. They all have stakes. They’re all clearly fighting men, all capable of taking on an unsuspecting vampire. 

“Don’t do this, Tam,” you whisper. If anything happens to Rhys… If they get their hands on him because you suggested going outside the manor, you’re never going to forgive yourself.

“You forced my hand!” Tamlin snarls, advancing a step towards you. “You went and made a mess of things as always! If mom were still alive she would have keeled over and had a heart attack from the strain of having you for a daughter.”

The words hit like a slap. He’d always been good at that; when he couldn’t use his size and strength, his words were just as sharp as a blade, and he’d used them to keep you in line for years. Even now, the freedom you had so desperately craved feels like it’s slipping through your fingers. You feel your shoulders hunch, chin dipping towards your chest. He’s always been so terribly good at making you feel small and useless and so terribly unwanted. Even now, your own flesh and blood isn’t here to make sure you’re alright, he’s here to prove himself a hero by killing a vampire. Your vampire.

Figures, as soon as you’d found something to love, Tamlin found another way to rip it from you.

Seeing a weakness, Tamlin stalks towards you, his footfalls heavy in the damp earth. He reaches out a hand to grab you, but before he can so much as brush a fingertip over your arm, his body flies backwards like it’s been tossed by an invisible hand. He hits the statue guarding the water fountain so hard the old angel’s head falls from it’s stone shoulders. 

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Rhys snarls so loud the ground shakes. He’d come in silently, stealthy as a cat. The power that radiates off him is nothing like the demure courtier you see in the ballroom, there is nothing subtle or charming about this Rhys. There is only cold, unyielding rage as he moves around you faster than your eyes can track. You don’t even have time to warn him about what the hunters are armed with before he uses his teeth to rip the throat out of the first man. Blood splatters across his face as the hunter falls. Another blink at the second falls, his heart still beating from where Rhys holds it in his fist.

The third hunter has just enough time to slide a stake out of its sheath and lunge, but Rhys is so much faster and stronger, there is no contest. He snags the hunter’s wrist, snapping the bone so hard his wrist twists backwards, the stake now aimed at the hunter’s heart. His own momentum keeps him moving forward, even as he screams in terror, and he impales himself on his own stake. Rhys hurls the body into the thorny hedges, leaving it to bleed out as he turns to face the fourth and final hunter. 

It's the one that had grabbed you initially, his thin lips pulled back in a sneer as he flips two stakes around in his large hands. 

“You think you can waltz into my domain,” Rhys seethes. There’s an eerie calm to his steps now, blood dripping from his fingers, splattering the trampled grass. “And try and take what is mine?”

Rationally, you know you should be terrified of him like this--this is who he really is, not the courtly mask and disarming smiles you know, this is a full-fledged vampire in all his glory--but you’re not. Not even a little bit. If anything, the sight of him makes you feel like you can breathe again. 

“I’ve killed worse things than you,” the hunter spits. “You won’t even be a challenge.”

Rhys cocks his head like he’s thinking, a grin spreading across his face. His fangs are longer than you’ve ever seen them, poking into his lower lip, where the first hunter’s blood still lingers. “Is that so?”

He takes a small step forward, and though the hunter’s fingers twitch around the stakes, he doesn’t move. He doesn’t even blink. He stands still as a statue, his chest barely rising and falling. Almost like he can’t move at all.

Rhys reaches out and plucks the stakes from the hunter’s hands like he’s taking a toy from a belligerent child. The hunter doesn’t move; doesn’t speak in his own defense. 

Rhys lifts the stake to get a better look at it in the moonlight. “These are poorly made,” he tuts, right before he jams it between the hunter’s eyes. The man falls, still completely immobile.

“You’re a fucking monster,” Tamlin hisses from where he’s still struggling to get back to his feet. 

Rhys slides the hand not dripping blood into his pocket, appearing bored as he puts a boot on Tamlin’s shoulder and pushes him back down into the mud. “Humans are so very dull.”

“Yet you keep my sister like a fucking pet!” Tamlin snarls, trying to rise again and losing the battle as Rhys’s heel pushes down against his shoulder until the bone snaps. “You compelled her into being with you and have been keeping her here against her will.”

You stare at the two of them. Rhys is holding back now, toying with Tamlin--the brother that had locked you up, had insisted your Governess cut your meals in half to keep you thin and desirable for a suitor; the brother who had ignored your wishes your whole life and had stolen almost every bit of happiness you had tried to carve out for yourself. Only one of them is the monster here.

“Nobody compelled me into staying,” you hiss. “Nobody compelled me into doing anything! I chose it.”

Tamlin tilts his head to look at you, despite the pain flashing across his face. “He just used his powers to freeze a man in place, you’re too stupid to know if he used them on you.”

Rhys moves his boot from Tamlin’s shoulder to his wrist, heel crushing down until the bone splinters, the resounding crack echoing through the maze. “Try that again,” he dares. 

Tamlin’s howls of pain have somehow not drawn everybody else outside, but you are relieved to see it. As much as you want him out of your life forever, you’re not up for watching them all devour him like a turkey at a Sunday roast. 

You pick your way around the mess of bodies until you can grab Rhys’s hand, the blood now cold and sticky over his palm. You do not balk from it. This is still your Rhys. He is still what you would choose, if you could go back to that first night on the dancefloor. Bargain or no bargain, you would have come back time and time again, to be with him and this family you have made for yourself here. This is the life you want, messy and full of monsters.

Rhys glances down at your joined hands, yours so small and delicate against the mess of his own.

You intertwine your fingers. “Please don’t kill him.”

He reaches out with his free hand to run a thumb over your ruined cheek, checking how deep the cuts are. “Why not?”

“Can he be compelled to forget about all of us? Can you make it so that we never existed?”

“Y/N!” Tamlin screams. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

“I could,” Rhys admits. “Is that what you want?”

“I want to be with you,” you say confidently. “As a human or a vampire.”

Tamlin tries to move out from under Rhys’s boot but gets nowhere.

“I want him to no longer have control of my life. I want to be free to choose where I go and who comes with me. I am angry at him. I’ve been angry at him my whole life. But… but I don’t want him dead.”

Rhys nods, then brushes a tender kiss over your forehead. “It’ll be done then.”

Azriel appears from the shadows then, as if he’d been hovering somewhere in the maze just in case. That intense hazel gaze sweeps over you, taking stock of your injuries before he hauls Tamlin to his feet. 

Your brother still tries to fight it, but his right arm hangs limp and twisted at his side, and even if he was whole, he’s no match for either of them. 

Rhys takes Tamlin’s chin between his forefinger and thumb, holding him in place with just those two fingers alone. “Any last words, Darling?”

You flash your middle finger at Tamlin, “If you come back through these gates, I’ll hunt you down myself.”

“Vicious,” Azriel praises, tongue running over his lower lip in appreciation to this new side of you. 

Rhys keeps his attention pinned to Tamlin. “You’ll return home. You’ll forget this vampire business. You went out and got drunk and got your ass handed to you by the barmaid.”

Azriel snickers at that. 

You’ve seen that barmaid, she very well could hand Tamlin his ass, the story will be convincing. 

“If anyone asks about your sister, you’ll tell them she ran away to be with the people that love her. There is no need to look for her. She is happy.”

And you are. Your chest warms at the words. You are happy here. You will always be happy here, with this new family you’ve found. 

Tamlin repeats the words in monotone, like they’re being forced out of his head.

“You’ll have to find and compel Nesta too,” you say softly. “She saw us that first night.”

“Leave it to Cass to put us in this mess,” Azriel grumbles. “I should make him compel her for the trouble.”

“He’d just turn her for shits and giggles and then we’d be in bigger trouble,” Rhys responds as he releases his grip on Tamlin. Your brother’s head sags to his chest, unconscious, and Azriel drags him out through the back gate.

“It’s done?” You ask, watching them leave.

“It’s done,” Rhys confirms. 

You turn to face him again and stretch up on your toes to kiss him gently on the lips, despite the blood. “Thank you.”

When you try to pull away, he slides a hand into your hair and pulls you back for another, ravenous kiss. “Are you all right?”

“A little shaken,” you confess, reaching up a hand to brush a tendril of dark hair off his head. “But alright. Are you?”

He slides his arms beneath you and picks you up like you weigh nothing. “Let’s get you cleaned up and I’ll feel better.” 

In no time at all, you’re back safe inside the house, perched on top of the counter in the bathroom attached to his room. Candlelight flickers to give him a better view of the gash across your cheek, now forming a bruise beneath the split skin. 

“It doesn’t hurt too bad,” you assure. “Just stings a little.”

He frowns as he pokes at it, then brings his wrist up to his mouth and sinks his fangs into a vein. “Drink,” he orders, bringing it to your lips. “My blood will heal you.”

You stare at him for a moment. It has become an easy thing to accept that he likes to drink from you. He needs blood to live and you want him to keep on living, it is an easy exchange--and one that always ends pleasurably for you at that--but this is different. It’s not necessity. He’s offering because he wants to. Because he cares about you.

“Please,” he says gently, pushing his wrist a little closer. “Let me take care of you.”

You wrap your hand around his arm as you bring his wrist to your mouth, unsure of how to go about this. He holds you steady, pressing his wrist to your lips, guiding you through it like he has everything this far. His blood is a coppery tang in your mouth as you run your tongue over the two puncture marks in his wrist and swallow it down. 

By the time he pulls away, the stinging in your cheek has subsided. 

“It’ll taste better once you're one of us,” he explains as he grabs a towel and cleans the remaining blood off your skin.

You watch the slow pace in which he moves now, all that rage and strength once again contained within the confines of courtly manners, but there is a stiffness to those usually graceful motions. You can almost taste the unease coming off him as he uses the same towel to clean the blood off his own face and hands.

“You’re not changing your mind about turning me after this mess, are you?” 

He tosses the towel in the hamper near the door and comes to stand between your legs. You have to tilt your head back to look at him as he cups your face in his large hands. “Never.” The finality in his tone leaves no room for doubt. “I never wish to be parted from you again.”

Your heart stutters in your chest. This bargain between you is fun and exciting, and truth be told you are more fond of him than you’d ever dare say out loud, but you had always assumed those budding feelings were one sided. This was a game and a bargain at the end of the day, what was one human in the span of eternity to a thousand year old vampire? Daring to believe that you meant more to him was not a luxury you had let yourself indulge in.

“And I thought…” he shakes his head and kisses you gently at first, grounding himself in the reality that you are safe and in his arms, but it turns rough and desperate as he considers what he’s saying. “I thought I might lose you.”

You run your fingers through the silky strands of his hair, knocking a few loose leaves that had gotten caught when he’d come running after you. 

“If anything were to happen to you, I don’t…” he shutters as he slides his hands beneath you and lifts you off the counter, carrying you towards his large bed with ease despite the shakiness of his breathing.

 “I’ve killed thousands of hunters. I have drained entire covens of witches and packs of werewolves.” He lays you down in the center of the black silk sheets, body propped up against a dozen pillows someone who is undead doesn’t really need, his large frame kneeling over yours as he kisses you again. “I have fought and won hundreds of battles and taken down an army of other vampires. Bloodshed is in my nature. It is woven into the lifeblood of creatures like me. I am used to the killing, but I have never enjoyed it. I avoid it if I can, but tonight, when I saw those hunters around you…”

He steals another kiss, tongue sliding behind your teeth to try and claim your very breath as his weight settles between your legs. “I wanted to take my time. I wanted to make them pay for putting their hands on you. I enjoyed making them suffer. And I’d do it again.”

Perhaps the long lasting effects of being locked up has altered your brain chemistry, because such outright aggression should be a warning sign to run, but it makes heat flare in your chest instead. This is a dangerous amount of possessiveness and yet, you enjoy it. It is nice to be looked after so deeply.

“And I know that I should turn you,” he continues. “You have more than fulfilled your part of the bargain and after seeing those hunters today, I should give you an edge over them, just in case, but…” Another kiss, his hands slipping beneath your top to skim your sides. “But to turn you I have to… You have to die to become a vampire. How am I supposed to do that, knowing that it’ll hurt, even for a moment? Knowing that I will have to be the one to do it?”

Your fingers drift to the buttons of his shirt, slowly popping them open so you can touch him. “It doesn’t have to be today. We never set a time.”

“I saw that scratch on you and almost went out of my mind,” he says as he leans back enough to let you push the shirt off his shoulders, but as soon as the article is off he’s right back on top of you again, kissing you like he won’t ever get enough. “I love you,” he whispers against your lips. “I have never loved a human before. I have never been so conflicted before. I can’t lose you, Y/N. I’m just not ready to turn you yet either.”

Your hands skim up his tattooed torso, tracing every curve of ink up his chest and shoulders until you can cup his cheek. “You’re not going to lose me. Like I said, I choose you. I want to be here with you. Like this or otherwise. I am in no rush.”

He tilts his head and kisses your palm. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know,” you assure, using your free hand to grab him behind the neck and pull him down for another kiss. “I trust you. When the time is right to turn me, we’ll know. It’ll feel right.”

His lips pull away from yours just long enough to catch your breath before he starts trailing kisses along your jaw and neck. You let yourself relax beneath his ministrations, eyes drifting shut. It no longer feels strange that this has become the place you feel safest; this is right.  

“I love you,” you say softly.

He all but purrs into your throat, the kiss he was placing there more forceful than the last. “Careful, that’s a dangerous thing to say to an immortal.”

“You said it first,” you counter, hands sliding off him to reach for the hem of your shirt. You want it off, no clothes between your bodies, the warmth of him like this seeping into your skin. There is no telling how different it’ll feel once you’re no longer human, you want to relish every experience you have while you still have it.

He nips teasingly at your throat, fangs just barely scraping your skin. Not enough to feed, but just enough to remind you they’re there. “What power you wield over me, Little Human.”

“I’ll try not to let it go to my head,” you reply.

He laughs at that, the sound rich and deep, and you think you might do just about anything to hear it again and again. “Be careful how you wield it, I would do anything you asked.”

“Anything?” You ask with a grin, a few things coming to mind. 

He nips at your throat hard enough to leave a bruise this time. “No questions asked.”

“So if I have other scenes in my books I want to try out…” 

“What a dirty little mind you have,” he tuts. “And when we didn’t even get to finish the first one.”

“That really is a shame,” you muse. “I was looking forward to it too.”

“Another night then,” he promises, his voice low and dangerous in your ear. “Tonight I want to take my time with you.”

And how can you say no to those kinds of promises?

[lurkingshan]

What are your favorite examples of deep unbridled yearning in a bl? I think my is I told the sunset about you the way they used the coconut smell to showcase one the leads feelings for the other was so unique and sensual. He starts out hating coconut and how it smells but slowly as he falls in love he becomes obsessed with it since it's the other MLs unique scent and he uses it on everything, so we get a scene of him inhaling a paper written by the MLs coconut pen and then another one just devouring a coconut like it's the best thing in earth. I don't think I have ever seen such a depiction of attraction/love/lust that's so different but also visceral and beautiful and it really stuck with me. It's very different but it's one of the rare romance things that I'll never forget akin to the hand flex from pride and prejudice.

So you want to talk about yearning.

*Lan Wangji has entered the chat*

There’s a lot of good yearning in the romance genre, and plenty of bls feature it. The example you gave from ITSAY is definitely one of the standouts in terms of how visceral it felt. I will never forget Teh shoving his whole face into that coconut, or all the super charged scenes where he and Oh-aew stare at and touch each other and keep testing boundaries until they break.

There are definitely other expressions of yearning that stick out for me for one reason or another, and not all in this same tone.

The Untamed

Let’s get this out of the way upfront, because no one can step to this man on yearning. He adopted a whole child and named him after his yearning for his lost love. What I love about the presentation of Lan Wangji's particular flavor of yearning is how steady and matter of fact it is. He is always yearning for Wei Wuxian and it's just a part of who he is, whether his love is alive or dead. And while I love that Teh is such a big mess of emotions, I also like this more understated flavor of yearning where nothing is ever said out loud but Lan Wangji's feelings are clear in how he chooses to live his life. He's the poster boy for "actions speak louder than words."

Eternal Yesterday

I'm not sure if you've seen this one, but it's one of the most poignant and devastating depictions of yearning I have ever seen. Mitsuru yearned for Koichi so hard that he kept his body alive for precious extra days and his memory alive forever. Brb gonna go cry.

Utsukushii Kare 2

This is probably one of the more unique expressions of the emotion (on brand for this series), since this sequel season has Kiyoi yearning for the man who is already his boyfriend to love him for real instead of idolizing and holding him from a distance. It's one of my favorite explorations of how lonely we can feel even while in a relationship.

I Cannot Reach You

This show wins for best visual effects to convey yearning, with a beautiful bokeh effect taking over the screen in moments when the characters were extra in their feelings over each other.

Unknown

Wei Yuan's yearning was more of the desperate and hopeless variety, especially in his teens years when he knew his feelings for his adoptive older brother were impossible. I liked that his feelings were expressed via caretaking; he didn't think he could have the relationship he really wanted with Wei Qian, so he made it his mission to take care of him and help shoulder his burdens instead.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

This story stands out in my memory for its dedication to anticipatory yearning. That is, knowing a separation is coming against your will and yearning desperately for the person who is still in front of you. Yai and Jom did not want to let each other go despite knowing they could not stay together, and that yearning was so strong it ultimately connected them through time.

Theory of Love

And on the comedic end of the spectrum, I absolutely cannot end this list without giving a shoutout to one of the funniest manifestations of yearning that has ever graced my screen. Every time his feelings for Khai got overwhelming, Third ran to the bathroom for a Sadness Shower, and if the water wasn't working he was happy to improvise (and now I am cackling).

[ivy-loves-chocolate]

Possessive Sukuna Headcanons (NSFW)

Note: these just came to me after rewatching season 2, so I hope you'll enjoy these 💖 reblogs are appreciated as they help this blog reach out to more people 🥰 Pair: Og!Form Sukuna x Fem!Reader

Possessive!Sukuna who would show off with you everywhere he was going. I'm talking about matching outfits, expensive jewels, and expensive clothes. He loves when you doll up for him every time you two go out, not necessarily to be a trophy wife, but because you enhance the beautiful features you already have. He also takes pride in knowing that the gold you're wearing is provided by him, and he believes you will wear tons of it.

Possessive!Sukuna who would give a guy a death glare just because he thought he was about to flirt with you or it happened to have a flirtatious approach unintentionally. Every man knows you belong to him, and they know better than to annoy him

Possessive!Sukuna who will find a way to keep you close to him forever. You are one of his favourite toys, so he will look for incantations to bind your soul to his. 

Possessive!Sukuna who would slam his cock repeatedly inside you until your mouth gets dry from screaming his name.

Possessive!Sukuna who would claim your body over and over until your body was covered in small bruises from his bites and his back was full of scratches.

Possessive!Sukuna who would absolutely have no shame to kiss your neck in public whenever someone is looking at you, Like legit, he'd go straight to your neck and begin to kiss it obscenely. You'd be shocked at first, but in a few seconds, you'd lean your head to the side and moan slowly as his tongue drew circles around your skin and his teeth began to grab the flesh.

Possessive!Sukuna who would have no shame in touching you in public, As you sit neatly with him, you feel his hand sliding underneath your kimono to squeeze your breasts and play with your nipples. You’d gaze up at him with a dirty smirk while grabbing his forearm, because telling him to retreat at this point is futile. You can feel the warm, wet tongue coming out of his hand over your nipple. His eyes are simply devouring you, watching every grimace your face is making, not minding about other souls in the room. You try to keep your composure as you feel another arm sliding between your legs. You know there is no way of getting him off you now, so you try to hold in any moan and look as respectable as possible while Sukuna is touching you in front of everyone else.

Possessive!Sukuna who would have pin you down on the mattress once you reach your bedroom and tear your red kimono apart. Parts of your body are shining in the dim light of the candles because of the saliva left by the tongues.

"Look at you; I could eat you whole."

Part of your relationship consists of the constant adrenaline and pressure you feel every day. You never know whether he wants to actually eat you or not.

He’d spread your lips apart, spitting over your cunt. You’d feel his hot saliva dripping between your folds, making you whine and move your hips for him.

“Needy slut…”

He loves to talk dirty and would tease you the most while in bed.

"Oh, what was that? You want me to go deeper? Then, how about you ask me nicely? C'mon, use that mouth of yours."

When it comes to him fucking you, he always makes sure to leave marks on your body. Bites, bruises, scratches, everything is on the table. If he is in a good mood, he might heal some after.

A lot of preparation is needed to take him, but once you do, it is heaven.

He's big, and you will feel every thrust of his cock. You will feel how he rearranges your guts every time; you will feel his veins pulsating and his dick throbbing while rubbing himself inside your walls.

He isn't all that into physical touch during sex, but sometimes he will press his body over yours and stay glued like that until the end. He might whisper some words of praise while being so close to your ears.

"You are taking me so well." "Do you feel how you make me throb?" "This is all you."

Your belly might sometimes bulge.

Possessive!Sukuna who would use his extra hands every time just to overwhelm you. One hand will hold your hands behind, two hands will hold your hips, and one will occasionally fix his hair while he is shoving his cock inside you while you're having your ass up for display. Or, his hand still holds yours as he moves your hips with another pair while you ride him, and with the fourth, he'll just play with your tits or your clit. The possibilities are really endless really.

He will use tongues on you. Whether he is fingering you or playing with your breasts, you will feel additional attention. Speaking off he will give you all his attention, just to remind you every second who is the one making you feel so damn good. 

[onlyswan]

summary: in which sour and salt could be so sweet when jungkook’s existence reminds you that there is still good in the world.

> fluff, a pinch of angst, suggestive / wc: 3.1k

> warnings: mention of the doctor bc oc missed their period >:(, allusion to s/x, making out, jungkook doing pull ups must be a warning for the faint hearted like me

note: we’re going through the seasons?! partly inspired by #that live and jungkook for calvin klein <3 we’ve all seen those pictures right… right… i hope the onlyswan prophecy continues with this drabble i need to see jungkook do pull ups at the beach <3 + reblogs & feedback are always appreciated :D

—

jungkook is a sunkissed daydream and a shirtless adonis. his tender hands are on your bare thighs, keeping himself steady on the light brown sand while you sit still and look pretty on a log.

“baby, are you pregnant?”

when a man spits out this question, it usually sounds a little bit something like an anxious and insensitive ‘you’re not pregnant, are you?’ your starry-eyed boyfriend is asking you in a calm tone, joking for the most part, yet genuine wonder is painted on his face as if you’re just supposed to tell him what day of the week it is.

you stare at him with a blank expression, silent for a moment as the fierce waves crash on the shore, finding it difficult to take him seriously. “i don’t know. did you break a condom?”

he breaks eye-contact to space out, pursing his lips as he pretends to be immersed in deep thought.

“uhh, not to my knowledge.”

“then i’m not.” you shrug your shoulders with a cheeky grin, scrunching your nose. “will you steal some mangoes for me now, please?”

“is my baby craving for them that bad?” he coos at you softly, inching closer to press a kiss on your lips. “no but why do you always ask me to steal mangoes for you?”

“what do you mean ‘always’? this is only the second time.” you scoff, offended by the accusation, shoving him lightly but he quickly takes a hold of your arms to save himself from falling.

he chuckles lightheartedly, recounting the first time you visited his hometown and you took a walk around his neighborhood together. you looked at the mango tree with so much longing, and he had so much love for you, it was untameable.

nothing much has changed.

except for the color of the mangoes, perhaps. they were yellow back then, ripe and soft. you ripped off the fragile skin with your bare hands as you devoured the nectar-filled fruit, and the both of you came home to his parents’ house sticky and satiated like little kids who played under the sun from noon to afternoon. today, they’re green and plump, and truthfully, his mouth is watering for a taste.

“you know, since the tree is directly infront of our villa-” he tilts his head to the side, briefly looking at your temporary private residence. “it’s technically ours, so it’s not stealing.”

your eyes are glitter with mischief, and they communicate without words before you burst into a fit of revitalizing giggles, filling your empty tummy with a childlike joy.

—

for a while before jungkook, you’d forgotten people are kind. you chose to live for yourself, and yourself only, because you thought that if you lose sight of your plans for the future because of a impetuous slip within the thrill of temptation, you would also lose the essence of your being that you’re actively fighting so hard to get a good grasp of. you’re in a never-ending, excruciating process of picking apart your identity; detaching yourself from what you learned in the past to make room for growth; and swallowing bitter pills of hard-taught lessons. but when you’re in a relationship, every decision goes through a filter, a need for an answer to the question of how would this make my partner feel?

your friends still ask from time to time, what it is about jungkook that made you bend this principle and compromise your plans when those were the reasons you impulsively ended relationships in the past.

you’d forgotten people are kind.

jungkook is messy. he always leaves behind a fragment of his heart, and you shake your head and you pick up each one to stuff it in the shallow pocket of your understanding of love… until the weight of them destroyed said pocket, and all of a sudden, you have awoken. he opened your eyes to the underlying implication of that filter, how having something sacred to protect is also what makes life more worth living after all.

more than two hours ago, at seven in the morning, he held back your hair while you emptied your guts in the toilet bowl. a week ago, he held your hand in the doctor’s waiting room and didn’t let go until your name was called. that same night, you sulked about the doctor concluding that the reason you didn’t get your period last month was stress again and he teared up when you said i eat well, and i exercise regularly. but in the end it’s all useless because stress is messing up my body and i can’t control it. what do i do? the next day, he cheerfully asked you if you wanted to go see the ocean with him. right now, he’s hanging on a thick branch of a tree, enthusiastically doing pull ups while you peel the raw mangoes he picked out for you.

the familiar sounds of moans and grunts convince you to move the log you’re sitting on, abandoning the view of the majestic blue sky kissing the sparkling ocean in favor of facing your gorgeous boyfriend. he moves on to doing hanging knee tucks, pulling his knees to his chest and gradually increasing his speed and range of motion after gathering enough leverage.

“ah, this is tiring!” his yell ripples across the near-empty beach. he squeezes his eyes shut, laughing through the pain that hurts so good.

you set aside the paring knife on the plain white porcelain plate, dipping a piece of mango in the hill of salt before taking a bite (you played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would call the front desk for salt and you won after jungkook said he lost because his rock was made of paper). this, it’s just what you needed to cure the lethargy that’s been eating away at you. the combination of sour and salty explodes in your taste buds, remedying your awful loss of taste and appetite.

you shudder in sheer delight, smiling sweetly at the man brazenly showcasing his strength infront of you. “i like this a lot. i can feel my stress melting away… like ice cream under the sun.”

“i’m happy you’re enjoying yourself while i-” he cuts off his sentence, letting himself fall on the sand before jumping again to adjust his grip on the rough wood. once again, he hauls his legs upward repeatedly, reaching higher and higher each time. he releases loud huffs of air, grunting raspily with every exertion of force.

you stifle a scandalous gasp when his knees touch his wrists, covering your mouth as you grind the food with your teeth. okay, you know damn well he is flexible and a human-shaped vessel of physical strength, but you mostly witness their irrefutable testaments during intense moments of love and lust… the blissful memories can be kind of hazy.

he heaves a deep sigh, taking a rest as he hangs motionless on the branch. picture-perfect, center-frame for your adoring eyes to feast upon. his honey skin is glazed with a fine sheen of sweat, further accentuating the well-defined muscles of his torso. you only get a tease of his v-line. it hides beneath the exposed white band of his calvin klein underwear peeking above his black swimming shorts. his stomach rises and falls with each breath, and you can’t help but to marvel at his abs with appreciation. beautifully prominent, sculpted not too much. you love that when you touch them, you still feel the tenderness of his flesh, so rawly and so uniquely jungkook.

“you like what you see?” he grins when your eyes meet, winking at you flirtatiously.

“i do.” you sheepishly admit, scrunching your nose before putting another slice of mango on top of your tongue. “keep going. i want to see more.”

“more? you want more?! aish- so demanding.” he complains, thick satoori accent dripping from his voice but still, he gives you more.

you giggle in satisfaction, closely observing the flexing of his muscles and the veins along his arms popping out. one must think you’re used to his tattoos by now, but you’re definitely not. you just learn how to act unaffected, like you can’t write a book of poems about how his body art never seizes to bring you in absolute awe. his eyebrows knit as he pulls himself up, face crumpling with the amount of force and strength he utilizes with every manuever. it’s a seductive scene, but then the dimples on his cheeks make fondness bloom in your heart.

for the love of god, it’s not compromising your plans, but making jungkook a part of your plans. you no longer fantasize about a perfect life. you just want to keep waking up somewhere safe— to be here, standing on the tips of your toes, planting a delicate kiss on the mole at the lower right side of his ribcage. your lips have made one too many sharp mistakes, but they ghost over his skin and he laughs. laughs so joyfully, a majestic string of musical notes from his mouth no other instrument on earth can recreate. it’s a good mistake, the best mistake you could ever possibly make.

“here, drink.“ you offer him a bottle of cold water.

“i’m so tired. oh, fuck-” he does one final pull up before letting go, deliberately falling on the sand and bumping against your feet when he rolls over.

he sits up, warm body vibrating with giggles as he looks up at you.

“did you pack a first aid kit?“

you put a hand over your hip, raising an eyebrow. “what happened now?”

“my hands-” he stares at his palms, sand coating half of the area, before showing them to you. “they sting like hell! seriously!” his little lisp slips out as he rants.

”then why did you keep going?!” you exclaim, grabbing his tattooed wrist to assess the damage. there’s no blood in sight, but his skin has turned a very bright shade of red.

“because it was fun.” he simply answers, and you can’t argue with that.

of course you brought a first aid kit. it’s a necessity, especially when you’re on vacation with your gym bunny boyfriend, apparently. while you grab the ointment in the bedroom, jungkook decides to clean himself up under the outdoor shower situated in a corner beside the swimming pool.

“what’s wrong with this? why are they going at the same time?” he scratches his head in confusion, looking up at the spraying shower head and down at the gushing faucet. he fiddles with the handle in hopes of fixing his problematic water consumption, unintentionally pushing it up higher as he does so. this causes the water pressure to become stronger, sending thin needles to crash down and pierce his fragile skin.

“aw shit-” he reflexively runs away from the rude attack of the silver device. “yah, you punk! what did i to you, huh?! how dare you-”

he clicks his tongue in irritation, resting his hands on his hips. after glaring one more time, he extends his tattooed arm to push the handle all the way down, turning it off. he proceeds to experiment, tilting it to the left, which turns on the faucet only, and then to the right for the shower.

he laughs sarcastically at his discovery, going back under the water. “ahhh, was i the stupid one?”

—

“i missed you!” he declares loudly as soon as you step out of the sliding door.

“me too, babe.” you hum as you walk towards him, standing a considerable distance from the shower.

he wipes his face with his hands to unblur his vision before pushing back his wet hair, droplets of water endlessly rushing down his body.

“why are you so far?” he protests. “come here.”

“but i already took a shower.”

“so what? you’ll get wet again when we ride the jet ski later.”

you pout at him. “i told you i’m scared.”

“i’d be jack if i have to, i won’t let you drown! don’t you trust your boyfriend, hm?” he attempts to persuade you again after failing last night, knowing well that you’d enjoy yourself only if you overcome your fear of the deep waters. “it will be fun, i promise.”

“ugh, fine. only because you promised.” you weakly succumb to his wishes, setting down the small jar of ointment on the ground.

he happily pulls you in for an embrace, burying his face in the crook of your neck while your arms wrap around his waist. the only barrier between your chests is the thin and small fabric of your red bikini, thoroughly soaked by the cold water combatting the rising heat of the approaching noon. you can feel the rough grains of sand that were washed away from his skin under the soles of your feet, contrasting the feather-light kisses being scattered on your neck. and this feels so utterly liberating, you refuse for it to end, allowing yourself to be hastily pinned against the wall when his supple lips meet yours.

he cups the back of your head and his long and slender fingers dig into your hair, protecting you from accidentally hitting the hard cement. the small thoughtful gesture makes you smile into the kiss. he is not real, he can’t be. if this is a dream, you’re begging the sun to never rise. his gentle hands slowly travel down the expanse of your back, until they reach your hips, teasingly tugging past the side straps of your bikini bottoms before kneading the soft flesh of your ass. he swallows the strangled whine that escapes you, slipping his tongue past your parted lips. he’s addicted to how your body language speaks to him when you get intimate, how you lovingly caress his face and his arms, slow and sensual, but then unconsciously dig your nails to mark crescent moons on his skin when you begin getting lost in your combined passion.

he wants this. he wants you. he wants to spend the rest of his life kissing you and wringing the water from your hair.

—

you’ve deserted the log to comfortably sit cross-legged with jungkook on the lounge chair, under the shade of the brown umbrella rooted in the soil.

“mhmmm! it’s so delicious!” jungkook carefully dips the slice of mango in the salt once more, wary of the ointment from his hand smearing on the food, before muching on it eagerly. “so crunchy!”

you pause from tending to his left hand, looking at the plate between the two of you to learn that he is nearly finished with the second mango. you only have one left.

“damn!” he dramatically curses with his eyes squeezed shut, punching the salt air. without context, a stranger would probably guess that he tragically lost a bet or remembered an embarrassing memory from highschool. but really, he’s just enjoying some pretty good food. this is the fourth time in the past five minutes that he precisely did the same thing, and yes, you’ve been counting.

“is it that yummy?” you chuckle, extremely endeared and contented when he looks this excited around food. he is the only person in the world who can make you say i’m full just by watching you eat and mean it.

“it was your idea!” he bobs his head while energetically rocking from side to side, cheeks round and full as he chews. “i haven’t eaten something new in a long time. i love it… i should give the resort five stars for my review. just for this. i’ll say i’ll come back again for the mango tree.”

“or i don’t know, we can just plant one ourselves.” you propose before lightly blowing on his inflamed palm.

“but, baby, that would take years!” he interjects. “we need to buy another house, one with a backyard, and wait at least five years for it to grow. i’ll be thirty-two by then. are you hearing that?!”

the disgusted look on his face elicits a burst of amused laughter from you, stomach hurting with a reason miles better than earlier’s. he winces at the thought of entering his 30’s in the very near future. it feels odd to think about, but it’s a little less daunting with the tree added to the picture.

he picks up the final slice on the plate, smothering it with a thin layer of salt before devouring it entirely. he whimpers, high-pitched and wide-eyed, clasping his hand over his mouth before the other one you’re holding slips away from the solace of your care. he free falls from the chair, limply collapsing on the sand. and just like that, he’s covered in them again, from his damp hair down to his wiggly toes.

you move closer to look at him, dangling your legs on the edge. “darling, you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

he spreads out his limbs like a starfish, dreamily peering into the vast cloudy sky. “oh? i think this is exactly what it means to be alive.”

beyond his words, it’s the way he said them. without shyness, without qualms, without pondering. it makes him sound purely sincere, his mellifluous voice gracefully echoing louder than the nihilistic thoughts in your head, and you believe him.

he abruptly sits up, crawling on his knees to reach you. “baby! it’s too good! i want more!” he cries out, feigning desperate sobs as he hugs your legs. “i want more. let’s eat the third one, please.”

“fuck, okay. calm down. we’ll have it.” you cackle, stroking his hair while he rests his head on your lap.

you drag the plate to your side, slicing the last mango with practiced precision and skill. he, then, closes his eyes and bathes in your presence, his warm breath fanning you. it’s peacefully silent for a while, only the sounds of the knife dragging across the fruit and the waves chasing each other to the edge of the sea can be heard. that is until your boyfriend grows bored. he puckers his lips to brush against your soft skin, insatiable, climbing higher and higher until he’s peppering your inner thigh with kisses.

tingling sensations inevitably spark in your lower region, and you click your tongue to rebuke him. “jungkook, behave. i might cut myself if you keep that up.”

his lips curve into a naughty smirk, shifting a bit further down. “sorry.”

“do you want to get sunburnt? get back up here, on the chair.” you bounce your legs to shake him off, but your efforts prove to be fruitless.

he groans, stubbornly holding on to you tighter. “no, i don’t want to.”

—

taglist in the reblogs! send an ask / dm if you want to be added (or removed) :D

—

[flightlessangelwings]

FawKtober2024 Part 2- Qimir

Qimir (The Stranger) x fem!reader

Kinks- cockwarming, teasing, riding

Word count- 1315

Warmings- s.mut (18+ ONLY!), implied master/student relationship tho ages or status is never mentioned, just a hint of plot, softness, teasing, praise, no physcial description of reader, no use of y/n

Notes- I've been wanting to write a Qimir fic since he appeared and what better time than Kinktober! I decided to go with a more softer version of him too, and this fic was so fun to write! I hope y'all like it as much as I do! Also, The Acolyte deserves more seasons!!!

@flightlessangelwings-updates is my update blog so please follow that and turn on post notifications to stay up to date on when I post!

~

“Concentrate,” Qimir’s soft voice in your ear was a welcome warmth. He hummed in satisfaction as you kept your hands raised in front of you.

Your eyes were closed, leaving only his voice and the feeling of him around you. Your hands were steady as you lifted large, heavy boulders in the air with little effort. You both felt the force surrounding you, like a comforting blanket on a cold day.

But Qimir also had another comfort surrounding him.

While you sat in his lap on the edge of a rock, Qimir’s cock stayed buried deep inside you. He let out a deep, guttural groan as he pushed himself inside you and nestled comfortably. You mewled as you lowered yourself onto his lap, adjusting yourself to his cock before settling in and relaxing in his grasp.

“That’s it,” his calm voice soothed you as he ran his hands up and down your sides.

You let out a soft moan at his praise and subconsciously squeezed your inner muscles around his cock. 

Qimir hissed your name as he felt a jolt run up his spine. 

A smirk lit up your face, but you kept your concentration in front of you. Twirling your fingers, you made the boulders dance in the air, spinning them carefully one at a time in a specific pattern. All the while, you were keenly aware of his cock inside you, and you fought against every urge to rock your hips along his lap.

Again, he growled your name in a low tone; a warning. His hands landed on your hips as he gripped you tightly. “You’re getting better,” you could tell he spoke through gritted teeth as you felt his cock twitch inside of you, “And bolder.”

“Impressed?” you asked with a satisfied grin.

Qimir squeezed your hips tighter as he nibbled your ear, “You feel so good,” he purred, his honeyed admission rolling off his tongue with surprisingly little effort. 

It was your turn to groan as you shifted in his lap. Finally, you opened your eyes as you slowly and carefully set the boulders down on the ground. One by one each rock settled into stillness, and the less energy you exerted, the more you became aware of the feeling of Qimir’s cock inside you.

“Qimir…” you whispered what you knew was his name as you turned towards him.

Feeling your breath on his lips, Qimir hummed. One hand moved from your hip towards your pussy as he slowly rubbed circles on your clit. When your mouth dropped open to let out a gasp, he took your lips with his, devouring you.

You reached your hands back to grasp at his neck as you slowly rocked your hips. His tongue explored every corner of your mouth as if it was his first time tasting you, as if he couldn’t get enough of you. And when you started to move, you felt him groan into you. Smirking into the kiss, you squeezed your inner muscles again, clenching his cock as much as you could.

“Careful,” he warned in a hiss as he gently bit your bottom lip.

“Maybe I know what I’m doing,” you retorted slyly as you rocked your hips again, “Maybe I know what I want.”

Qimir growled as he yanked you against his chest, wrapping his arms around you as much as he could as he devoured your lips once more. He swallowed the moan you let out as you parted your lips for him once more. 

“Ok then, prove it,” Qimir breathed heavily in between kisses, “Ride,” he commanded as he broke away suddenly. 

You were left bewildered for a moment before you registered what he said. Your lips stayed parted as you blinked your eyes open to meet his gaze. His dark eyes peered into you, sending a wave of anticipation down your spine. His eyes narrowed, as if to tell you he wouldn’t repeat himself, and it broke you out of the trance you were in.

Placing your hands on his knees, you lifted your hips enough to feel his cock drag along your inner walls. A gasp escaped your lips as the movement after being still for so long ignited a fire within both of you. And you heard Qimir groan behind you, telling you he felt it too.

Slowly at first, you lowered your hips back down to meet his. You couldn’t hold back the moan as the tip of his cock hit that sweet spot inside you. Goosebumps erupted all over your skin as you repeated the action, slowly purposefully lifting and lowering your hips as you used his knees to steady yourself.

Qimir watched in mesmerized awe as his cock disappeared inside you over and over again. His fingers twitched as the feeling of you almost overwhelmed him. The more turned on you got as you rode him, the wetter your pussy became. And he could hear the evidence.

“Faster,” he spoke in a low tone that went right to your core.

You whimpered as you complied, bouncing on his cock with more speed. You tried to bite your lip to stifle your cires, but it was no use. Every time you landed on his hips and his cock was fully sheathed inside you, you couldn’t stop the moans that came out of your mouth. Your body felt warmer and warmer with every bounce.

“That’s it,” Qimir purred as he let out a groan of his own.

“Feels so good,” you moaned as your head rocked back.

He hummed as he dipped a hand below your waist to play with your clit once more, “Cum for me,” his low tone made you whimper once more, and he loved the effect he had on you. He wouldn’t admit that you had the same effect on him, though.

The squelches of your wet pussy were drowned out by your cries of pleasure as you picked up your pace. And Qimir decided to help you along by thrusting his hips up to meet yours, which only made you scream louder.

“Cum,” he growled with new found determination.

You landed on his hips hard as you completely fell apart. His cock hit your sweet spot at just the right angle, making you tremble in his arms as you screamed loudly. You fell back into his chest, your limbs unable to hold yourself up anymore as you came on his cock. 

“That’s it,” he murmured as he savored the feeling of your orgasm against his body. He rubbed at your clit as you bucked your hips uncontrolidly in his lap.

“Fuck!” you screamed as you clutched at his legs, desperate for something to hold on to you as you felt him try to extend your climax as long as he could. Tears formed in your eyes as you saw stars the moment you closed them as wave after wave of pleasure crashed into you.

Qimir growled your name as he bucked his hips a few times, rutting his cock into you again and again as he started to chase his own orgasm. With a curse of his own under his lips, he quickly found what he craved as he spilled himself into you just as the aftershocks of your own orgasm pulsed through your body. He groaned in your ear as he buried his cock as deep as he could once more as he came in you, holding you tightly as he did so.

He held you close as you remained limp in his arms, in his lap. Heavy breaths were the only sound either of you made for several minutes. Neither of you moved, though, as you both savored the connection you shared. The setting suns illuminated your silhouettes as you sat together in comfortable stillness once more. 

It was Qimir who finally broke the silence, “Well done,” he smirked, making you grin as well.

[crowleysgirl56]

Book Omens! A meandering journey to reading Good Omens to my son. The finale!

Well we finished it! Here are some thoughts and observations from both my son and myself (mostly myself actually).

- did I miss something or did Hastur just not do anything further once he got out of the answer-machine and ate all the telemarketers? In the show he manifests in the Bentley then gets discorporated and sent back to hell when Crowley drives through the ball of fire on the M25. But the book just has him coming through the phone line, turning into maggots, devouring the room of telemarketers and then that’s it. Also, it’s been a while since I’ve watched season 1, do they show that the telemarketers are brought back to life because the book has one of them call Newt and then gets annoyed that they’ve lost an entire day because they think it’s still Saturday (assuming this is thanks to Adam putting the world right again). Anyway, this is all to say that I find it odd that the thread of Hastur is just left hanging like that. Which makes me wonder if he was always supposed to have a major part to play in the book’s sequel (and therefore season 3). I recently read an old interview where Pratchett said the makings of the sequel are built into the book. Could this be one of those threads?

- on the subject of Hastur my son said that while he was stuck in the answer-machine Crowley should have just turned him into The Best of Queen, and HOW THE HELL HAS NO ONE THOUGHT OF THAT?! This kid is so clever sometimes he’d make Crowley proud.

- another major thing I noticed and I’m hoping I just didn’t miss something crucial here, is it’s never explained where Crowley got the holy water from. Is it implied it was Aziraphale in the book and I just completely missed it? All of this backstory was of course included in season 1 and I’m wondering if it was included specifically because it was never explained in the book. And again, because there was no explanation, would this have been included in the sequel?

- a sudden though regarding the bikers. There’s never any indication that they were restored. I don’t know if this means anything specifically, but considering there’s the short gag at the end of the book that implies the telemarketers were returned and also the delivery man, I wonder why this didn’t happen for the bikers. Again, is this another thread for the sequel?

- I’ve taken some screen shots below of more passages in the book that made me realise why I never thought Aziraphale and Crowley were romantically coded to each other the first time I read through the book (and I think I might do a deeper dive into these passages in a separate post).

Any thoughts about this is welcome. But again, it seems to be one of those “squint to see the deeper relationship” cases here.

- I will admit however the fact that they had no problem holding hands may have been what gave people pause to think about their relationship. Though could their relationship have been framed platonically, like for example Frodo and Sam in LoTR? (don’t come at me for that comparison. I get that Frodo and Sam are shipped constantly, but Tolkien very specifically said their relationship was about platonic companionship and the type of companionship that hetero men seem to be afraid to show each other in modern times.)

- the last passage involving Warlock was really interesting. Again I couldn’t remember if it’s included in the show, but there definitely did seem to be some kind of implication that there was more to Warlock than him just being the swapped child. Again, was this another thread for the sequel? Was it implied that he would now be the new antichrist? Or could he perhaps be the second coming? Will we see him in season 3?

So, overall impressions. My son liked it but I think a lot of it went over his head (I had to stop and explain a lot of religious canon to him, a lot of the satire, and most of the jokes). He liked Death and the rest of the horsemen and also the bikers. He identified with Adam but still didn’t quite understand why Adam just didn’t use his powers for good (bless him). He didn’t really feel anything in particular for Aziraphale and Crowley (sob!). He also asked me to explain what happened season 2 and why I’m sad about it. He is also now very sad for me, and is very angry with NG.

Maybe one day he’ll read the book again for himself and find the humour much more relatable. He is interested in reading Discworld again and maybe this time will stick it out.

I personally am glad I read it again for myself. And I’m also really grateful for all the fanfic that we have that expands on the story and the characters. Thank you so much to the fandom for your fabulous stories and your love for these characters. And thanks for following along with my ramblings.

[adarkrainbow]

Given I have made two posts already about "Hansel and Gretel", or variations of the story, I'll make this fairytale the Grimm fairytale of this season. And since everybody knows Hansel and Gretel, and I already spoke somehow about it, I'll just leave below several notes, trivia and facts.

I have spoken before about the "original" version of the Brothers Grimm fairytale - aka the first edition of the text, and how it changed and evolved up to the story we know today. Many of these changes are well-known by the public - for example how the wicked stepmother was originally a wicked MOTHER (but the Grimm changed it because they had a mother-worship thing going on) ; or how the whole "duck scene" where the kids are helped crossing the river by birds was added later and not present in the original text. Some are less known, such as the fact that the "heavenly wind" rhyme was not part of the original text, or how Hansel's prison was originally not some sort of stable like in the final text but a tiny hicken coop.

In terms of "sibling stories" when we look at the great patches of historical fairytales and older literary works, you will find a lot of people pointing out to the Italian fairytale "Ninnillo and Nennella" by Basile - but I have to strongly disagree with this claim, because while Basile's fairytale does contain the motif of "boy/girl sblings abandoned several times in the woods, using various objects to find their way back, until it fails and they are lost forever", beyond that the fairytale has little to no relationship with Hansel and Gretel. A more direct ancestry and relationship has to be found in the French fairytale. More precisely in Perrault's Little Thumbling, Le Petit Poucet, which is also a story about children abandoned in the woods due to a lack of food, that found their way back several times before the birds eat the bread, and that end up in the house of a man-eater, an ogre trying to kill them. But we are still quite away from the German tale - and it is another French literary fairytale that forms the "missing link" in this chain. Madame d'Aulnoy's "Cunning Cinders" (Finette Cendron). This story doesn't involve children, but four young women - however it still follows the Hansel and Gretel formula very closely. Abandoned by their parents in the wilderness, manage to get back several times before it fails, end up trapped in the house of man-eaters, and the titular character defeats the ogre by pushing hm into a fiery oven... Of course, beyond that d'Aulnoy has a ton of additional content - such as the ogre having a wife that must be beheaded ; the lost girls being helped by a fairy godmother ; and the second part of the story being an alternate Cinderella.

But all in all it shows a point I made previously, and talked about in my ogre posts: the structure and type of the "Hansel and Gretel" story is originally an ogre tale. All older versions of the story involve ogres, not witches - but since the German do not have "ogres" in their folklore, the ogress was replaced by a witch. And despite this replacement, the witch of the story keeps several ogre traits - such as a motif of "the elderly devours youth", the idea of the witch having a poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell, or the entire "maternal perversion" motif. Which is my next point.

"Hansel and Gretel" is a familial tragedy, like many other fairytales. But the family of Hansel and Gretel is an actually extremely bizarre one. You can see, once you know your folklore and fairytale lore, that despite it being considered a "classic" and a "foundation", this tale is actually a fragmented and pieced-together story that leaves numerous gaps and is much more muddled and confused than its equivalents and predecessors. What I mean by that is that, when you look at the familial relationships in this story, you will discover several remnants of an older and more commonspread familial structure that was erased, and only leaves bizarre analogies in the new set of characters the tale offers.

To be clearer. We know that Hansel and Gretel are siblings, and that they have two parents - the father and the stepmother, formerly mother. The witch is an unrelated character acting as an outside element - or so it seems. The fairytale actually establishes a parallel and a connection between the wicked stepmother and the witch. They are parallel characters, two wicked women that want the death of children, but whereas one wants to throw the kids out of the house to leave them to starve or be devoured by beats, so she can have more food herself, the other imprisons the children in her house and overfeeds them to devour them later. A more direct link is established whenn the children return home, at the end of the tale, and discover that their step-mother is dead.

Some dark and edgy adaptations will have things such as the stepmother being killed by her husband, or killing herself, stuff like that - but by the tale alone, on just reading the words, and the first impression it leaves on a child, is that the stepmother mysteriously dies in unexplained ways right after the children burned the witch in her oven. The fact that the two wicked women end up deceased for the tale to end happily, the fact the stepmother's death is left unexplained while the witch's death is graphic and fully presented, the fact the stepmother's death is announced after the witch was killed... It all leaves the impression that the two were connected, and that by some sort of "parallel magic", killing the witch triggered the stepmother's death.

This is something many adaptations picked up upon, and you find versons where the witch and the mother look a lot alike, or are played by the same person, or are the same being. (One can compare it to Russian variations of the stories of Baba-Yaga, where wicked stepmothers sometimes send their nice stepdaughters a la Vasilisa the Fair, to the Yaga's house claiming the Yaga is their "sister"). All in all this continues the idea that the witch is a perverse take on the mother figure - nourishing and protecting children only to gulp them down into her stomach. Which, by the way, is the very symbolism and essence of ogres: fathers that kill, mothers that eat.

But while this is the most famous of the "perverse family connections" in the tale, there is another people tend to forget: the connection between Gretel and the witch. I talked heavily of the difference of treatment the witch has between Hansel and Gretel in a previous post ("Why was Hansel the meal of the witch?"). People have noted the strange discrepancy of Hansel being the one locked up and fattened up to be eaten, while Gretel became an abused slave. Many modern adaptations played on this element by having the witch planning on not eating Gretel, but making her an apprentice in witchcraft, an heir to her house, and treating her like a daughter/witch in training. After all, she does malnourish her, so she seems not keen on the idea of eating her at first...

But these modern adaptations actually picked up on something deeper and more fascinating. You see, the witch not locking up Gretel and treating her as her slave seems to be a leftover from older variants of the tale, because there is a widespread archetype in fairytales known as "the witch's daughter" or "the ogress' daughter". In many ogress or man-eating witches tales, the antagonist has a daughter that assists her in her chores. Sometimes the daughter will secretely help the protagonist escape and be an ally - but these are quite rare, and most of the time the daughter is the one the witch/ogress charges of killing-cooking the protagonist. Then the protagonist tricks the daughter, kills and cooks her instead of themselves, and serve her to their monstrous mother, who believes she is eating the protagonist, when in fact she devours her own daughter. It is a very typical structure in those tales, found from the Baba Yaga legends to the Kabyle tales of the teryel.

The witch's daughter archetype also exists in fairytales where the witch is not a man-eater, but rather an antagonist that imprisons people, or that imposes impossible tasks - and here, the daughter will be a more benevolent figure that will secretly help the protagonist escape the witch and/or overcome the trials and tasks the mother imposes. In fact, in several of those stories, the protagonist fights for the right to love and marry the witch's daughter.

All in all, the fact that Gretel is treated as a slave and assistant to the witch, that she is to help feeding and fattening her brother, etc, etc, implies that her character in the story of the Grimm is a leftover of the "ogress' daughter" or "witch's daughter" of older stories. As a result it makes even more sense for adaptations to have the witch treat Gretel as some sort of surrogate daughter, and it makes the whole family picture of the German story very messed up. The witch who tries to eat the children might be their mother/step-mother, and Gretel might be the witch's daughter.

Another motif that has been picked up by various adaptatons is the motif of birds. I remember long ago I stumbled upon a fascinating art series depicting the witch as a half-bird half-human creature - unfortunately the pictures are now lost in the vast pit of the Internet. More recently, another artist posted an image of Hansel in his cage, with the witch appearing a large, black bird above the cage, wearing a witch's hat.

All those art pieces reflected a true fact: "Hansel and Gretel" is a bird story. You have the birds that devour the bread crumbs, but also the pretty bird that leads the children to the witch's house, and the ducks that helps them cross the stream in the added ending of the Grimm. Some variations also have Hansel claim, when he keeps looking back at the house, that he is seeing a "pretty bird" instead of a "pretty cat" like in the Grimm's final text. As a result, some people did identify the birds that eat the breadcrumbs and/or the bird that leads the children to the house with the witch. The anime "Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics" notably depicted the pretty bird luring the children to the house as the witch's familiar.

A last note: The idea that the witch's house is made of tons of various candies and sweets was popularized by various modern adaptations and retellings of the story. In the Grimm tale, the house isn't made of candy. It isn't even made of gingerbread as so many people believe! While it is common for people to think of this tale as "the one with the gingerbread house", I don't know where that comes from. In the text of the Grimm, the house is merely made of bread, plain old bread, with sugar for the windows. There are however cakes that are said to cover the house, as ornaments. Maybe people in retellings decided to mix together the "cake"and the "bread" and decided to make it "gingerbread"? I don't know.

[zepskies]

Midnight Espresso Masterlist

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here's a Masterlist for all stories in the "Midnight Espresso"-verse! ❤️‍🔥☕

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Plus-size Latina!Reader

Stories:

(**Notes 18+ only and/or smut)

Midnight Espresso** You’ve never taken Dean’s flirting seriously…until he asks you for an impromptu Spanish lesson. 

🎙️ Podcast Fic:

Want to listen to Midnight Espresso in podfic form, narrated by @talltalesandbedtimestories? Check it out below:

Then keep reading...

Touch Me** Dean isn’t used to how “touchy” you can be, but he never said he didn’t like it.

Devour Me** - Complete! When you and Dean start to press each other’s buttons, both of your tempers ignite. To make up for it, you give him an impromptu salsa dancing lesson…one he didn’t exactly ask for. 

Part 1 - A Takeover Part 2 - Telenovela Style

Bad Boy (Chico Malo)** You catch Dean red-handed—with one of his favorite episodes of Casa Erotica.

Show Me** - Complete! Dean meets your infamous ex-boyfriend at a fallen hunter’s funeral. You just forgot to mention that he’s a hunter as well. Maybe because he still has the power to get under your skin…in the worst of ways.

Part 1 - Objects Are Closer Than They Appear Part 2 - A Thorough Reminder

🎙️ Podcast Fic:

Get Stuffed Dean enjoys the way you cook Christmas dinner with a Latin flair, even if Sam likes to tease him about his insatiable appetite. You remind Sam about the true reason behind one of Dean’s biggest quirks.

A Wish to Build a Dream On** Dean has been harboring the archangel Michael in his mind for weeks now, putting a strain on your relationship. When Dean makes a wish that accidentally brings his father back from the dead, you get to meet the (in)famous John Winchester. But as always with magic, your boyfriend’s wish has unintended consequences.

A Little Danger** While relaxing together in the bunker, Dean takes your playful teasing to a new level. (And he’s too horny to care about the consequences.)

In Bad Weather** You and Dean tackle the biggest possible monkey wrench in your relationship yet: could Chuck have been manipulating you two all along?

[Set in S15 - "Fix It" for season finale]

Dream With Me** - Complete! When your ex-boyfriend calls for help on a case, you have a tough decision to make. But Dean isn’t going to let you do anything alone. (AKA: The last hunt you, Sam, and Dean will ever go on together.)

[Set in 15x20 - The true "Fix It" story]

Part 1 - On the Drop of a Dime Part 2 - We Can Fix This Part 3 - What is Deserved

Dean Winchester Series

Dean Winchester One-Shots

Dean Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

✍️ Writer Support:

Have you enjoyed the Midnight Espresso-verse? If you’d like to keep supporting me as I continue writing, you can:

Ko-Fi Me ☕

Become a Patreon Member 🌟

💌 Get Notified

Follow @zepskieswrites (with notifications on) to get notified every time I drop a new story.

[theyoungeragrippina]

15 more gentlebeard fic recs!

that i have lovingly hunter/gathered for you all. may they act as sustenance for u in this drought.

they are all complete, do not feature any ongoing steddyhands, and are above 20k words.

peruse part 1 and part 2 at your leisure if you want to compare our tastes/devour more fine literature, or check out my masterlist as an ao3 collection.

happy reading!

it's what isn't in the name by @tciddaemina

41k, mature

"The first thing they see - apart from Captain Bonnet himself, all silked up and frilly and I sight in his own right - is the cat sitting primly by his ankles."

writing is top quality, the depth of understanding the author has for every character is unmatched. i have never felt so gutted to know a writer hasn't written anything else for ofmd.

clarity by @kat0nline

44k, explicit

"After an accident upends Stede and Ed's fragile new relationship, Ed fights to bring Stede back."

amnesia/memory loss fic done justice. mary continues to be the best and i love her. only note i wrote after i finished was 'screaming crying throwing up i love you author'.

you are at the top of my lungs by @ratchet

55k, explicit

"Ed has a simple life. He has a self-built, off grid, mostly self-sustaining house tucked away in the middle of a forest... the appearance of an incredibly nosy, incredibly handsome stranger three weekends in a row has him questioning every self-imposed rule he's ever set himself."

this is really a story about healing and hope and grief and love. one of my most favourite eds. this author makes me want to change my whole life, and in this case become an off grid chicken owner that grows food and has gay christmas dinners.

seven point three miles, also by @ratchet

20k (technically just under but it gets a pass because everyone should read it rn), teen and up

"Stede takes a job as a remote forest fire lookout in the summer following his divorce, with a plan to find out who he is, and what he wants his life to be. With the help of the enigmatic lookout on the other side of the forest, he ends up getting more out of the experience than he could ever have hoped."

when will this author receive their nobel prize in literature. i want to be a fire lookout now. i also want to scream and cry and maybe stare at the ceiling for five hours to process this fic. there is a reason everyone loves this fic.

fine dining by wishingonalightningbolt and sugarybowl

37k, explicit

"Edward Teach is one of the most famous chefs in the world, working under the handle Chef Blackbeard. Not one to be tied down, he does random pop-ups in all types of kitchens, and for the absurdly wealthy, he caters special events. Stede Bonnet wants to throw the best engagement party ever for his ex-wife and best friend, Mary. His assistant recommends the extravagant work of Chef Blackbeard."

my notes just say: 'ed is a chef and stede is a cute guy and they are cute together' and i think that is a pretty good summary tbh.

Old Bae Season by nomadsland

57k, explicit

"Ed picks Stede up at a bar for what ought to be a one-night stand, but it turns out they're attending the same academic conference the next day."

they are scientists and stede experiences self discovery. crab door knockers as a symbol of love. i love this fic because it made me smile so much (and want to get my life together, weirdly).

Vitalis by jfc_anna

29k, explicit

"Crown Prince Stede Bonnet. Reserved, anxious, and newly arranged to be married. A child is expected. Though, with the Prince’s lack of experience, is also highly unlikely. There are murmurs of an educator of sorts amongst the nobility, with raven hair and eyes like fire, who has been the cure of impotence and disagreeable attitudes. He has been called many names, whispered behind hands or between cracks in doors. Siren. Kraken. Devourer of Love."

short and sweet and so different from most other things i've read in this fandom. lots of flirting and pining and copious amounts of seduction.

all that might happen is here somehow by @sungmee

27k, teen

"Stede gets caught in a time loop at the moment where Badminton tries to shoot him."

i put off reading this because i thought i wasn't super keen on time loop fics. i was wrong. this is charming, and a little bit heartbreaking, and VERY well written, and i loved every word. don't make my mistakes. read this rn.

turn on the light by smallestchurch

55k, explicit

"Lighthouse Bookshop had been there seemingly since time immemorial. Over forty years at that spot, sitting proud, a beacon at the heart of the community, and when the old owner decides to sell, it's the perfect vessel for Stede's odd restlessness. And the building is connected to a famous cocktail bar run by a mad genius behind the stick."

smiling through my tears rn. i was so absorbed that the end of the fic came up on me like a jumpscare. stede and ed continue to be posterboys for maladaptive coping mechanisms. books & cocktails & outrageous flirting.

our tesco means death by @stedesparasol

21k, general

"Determined to prove he can earn a living without his family's wealth, Stede applies for a job at the UK's biggest retailer (probably). Hmm, I wonder who his supervisor will be... surely not a handsome bearded man sick of the retail grind until Stede joins his workplace and makes things interesting..."

so unserious and so funny. fuckin' brilliant. made me genuinely laugh out loud so much that my dad asked if i was okay.

Queen Anne’s Renovations and Remodelling by bythedamned

32k, mature

"Ed didn't know why Stede’s house had a room sealed off. Two decades gone, filled with the creation and destruction of things they'd never shared with each other, and Ed no longer had reading privileges to the Book of Stede. So he's left to wonder - what's in the room? Why is the door plastered over? And why does Ed remember kissing Stede on a make-believe ship they’d invented as kids?"

thank u sm to @okayestokapi for the rec!! i love the sort of magical-mystery vibe this carries the whole way through & the conclusion was so charming and clever. heaps of fun.

help me to find peace (tell me you're okay) by @percyjacksonfan3

38k, general

"Stede and the crew come to find Ed and make things right. Turns out Ed is doing the same".

i am simply a sucker for a good post s1 reunion fic, and this is up there with the best. it flows really well, the characterisation is so good, and it felt like such a natural continuation of the s1 story and character arcs!!

Invisible String by @dimplyowl

48k, mature

"Scourge of the Caribbean" has been Stede's favorite book series since he was 12 years old. Now, age 47, divorced, and an aspiring author, he turns back to the series to draw inspiration from the familiar story. But as he starts reading, he realizes that something is different. Blackbeard, the main character, is apathetic and depressed, and the story has changed. Even stranger still, Stede seems to be the only one aware that this change has occurred."

more magic realism!!!!! this is so much fun and such a clever idea (plus such clever execution)! lots of flirting and stede being flustered and cute dates.

The Lion, the Witch and the Auxiliary Wardrobe by @xoxoemynn

21k, explicit

"Edward "Blackbeard" Teach's foolproof strategy to get over devastating heartbreak: 1) bring a witch aboard the ship 2) get trapped in an auxiliary wardrobe with the man who broke your heart 3) well, you'll have to read to find out."

in this house we read everything em writes because it is all brilliant and hilarious, and this is no different. its silly and fun and still tender and sweet, and ed & stede get to be just as embarrassing as they deserve (also there is a currently updating work by the same author u should look at too - take it as an unofficial rec).

Due North by surprise pink (+ gorgeously illustrated by @sungmee who appeared earlier on this list!!!!!!)

28k, mature

"Burnt out from his corporate job and his miserable marriage, Stede takes a seaside vacation where he meets Ed, an artist who takes inspiration from strange dreams that feel like memories. A museum exhibit about Blackbeard and the Gentleman Pirate brings them together, but it doesn't feel like the first time they've met."

had me googling 'pirate museums near me???' urgently at 1am. romeo & juliet meeting through a fishtank/starcrossed lovers vibes. absolute oodles of pining. a joy of a time to read.

[theinnerunderrain]

The apple of his eyes [Yan! Kazuha x Amnesiac! Reader]

Warnings: Yandere themes, amnesia, manipulation and gaslighting, objectification.

-

Love is a fruit that is always in season and within everyone's fingertips. There is no fixed constraint on who may gather it.

Kazuha reasoned that even if the affection was contrived, it was nevertheless a fruit of blessing and therefore only needed just that little prodding in the right direction. It was his own fruit, which he voluntarily spent time tending to by providing it with continual water, ample food, and trimming at the margins to allow for the healthy growth of new twinges.

"Who are you?"

Kazuha was a bit saddened by your sincere interest as she heard the inquiry leave your lips. But perhaps it was the results of his own behaviour—his failure to effectively manage his emotions. It was an error that he didn't intend to make but committed due to his strong sentiments towards you, which he vowed to better control.

He simply lost control and devoured a touch too much of the fruit.

But how can you condemn him when you're just too sweet for your own good?

"...Ah, you do not seem to remember me."

He mumbled, attempting to seem as miserable and distressed as he could, hoping to elicit your sympathy and cause you to shed your sense of guilt.

"I-I apologise for forgetting. If you just tell me, I might be able to recall certain things..!"

The sound of your bewildered voice prompted a ghost smile to briefly trail the edge of his lips, but the room's obscurity prevented you from seeing any of his smile because of how quickly it vanished.

"[First Name]."

He pronounced your name fluently, as if it were a weekly incantation he repeated to himself as part of his meditations. As though he was so accustomed to saying your name that it became an intrinsic part of his personality.

"There's no need to panic. You can refer to me as Kaedehara Kazuha, your friend."

His statement fell off the tip of his tongue, however it wasn't entirely a lie given that you two were friends prior to the occurrence. He wasn't really lying about anything; considering how close you two were to one another, some people might have even assumed you two were in a relationship.

So he didn't have to feel guilty about anything.

"Ah, so we're friends..!"

You inquired, gazing at him with anticipation as he finished speaking, as if it were a comfort to have a friend by your side who could assist you find your way down the memory lane. As you searched for memories of this alleged friend of yours, the term "friend" kept resonating in your head.

Yet nothing came to mind.

But the name Kazuha does sound oddly familiar, doesn't it?

Kazuha.

Kazuha.

Kazuha.

"You were involved in an accident, one that rendered your mind unconscious and blank. We are lucky enough to have you alive and well."

His lips were as seamless as caramel as he chatted, examining your visage for any indications of emotion as his crimson gaze skimmed over it. However, the only impression on your face was one of utter uncertainty, as if he were some kind of parent attempting to explain to their infant child the significance of the very first day of preschool.

"What sort of accident was I involved in?"

You asked, concealing a few stray hairs behind your ears while you awaited the man's response. The murmur of small ripples squirting against the ship seemed to resonate in the atmosphere, and the wobbling of the vessel made you feel somewhat apprehensive, even if you already got a sense of déjà vu simply being inside the boat.

"That's something I'm not sure of. A Crux crew member discovered your body lying on the shore. Here, drink some water."

Kazuha leaned over the bed and reached for a cup of water, pressing the rim of the grey cup on your lips and tilting your head back so the water would easily flow down your throat.

"I hope that helped you feel much better."

He smiled, setting the cup back to its original position, and then wiped the excess moisture from the corner of your lips with the sleeve of his shirt. Even someone with no memories would be able to tell that possibly Kazuha had a bit too much fondness for you based on his almost too endearing stare.

Yet you made no attempt to question him, only allowing him to gently care for you. Perhaps too afraid or too hesitant to freely question the young man.

"Now, as much as I would love to answer your question."

Kazuha positioned a gentle caress on your shoulder and cautiously eased you into the mattress. He then reached for the blanket and slid it over your body merely enough to encompass the majority of your body. The blanket smelled like syrup and leaves, much like Kazuha, and felt warm against your body amidst the cold night.

"Why don't you rest, and when the moment is right, we'll discuss tomorrow?"

+

What he was doing wasn't wrong.

Kazuha didn't force you to do anything and he didn't tell you any nasty falsehoods. He just added more components to the story.

Kazuha wouldn't even perceive it as pressuring since he wasn't employing any violent methods to ensure you comply with his dictates. So what if he was required to coerce the intimacy between the two of you?

He was essentially repainting over your image of him, as though he were commencing with a blank canvas and rewriting one of his compositions. Kazuha might even claim that your creation is his finest. Given that Kazuha was not a scientist and could not just concoct a love potion, it certainly necessitated some trial and error. He was aware of your doubts about him, yet you were forced to rely on him because you had no other reliable source.

To ensure that the fruit he sought blossoms properly, it just required a small amount of encouragement and a few words. He'll just have to erase your memories when you start to retrieve them, persuade you that you're mistaken, and how could you honestly trust yourself. Shouldn't you be relying on him instead since your mind is filled with voids and empty memories of the past?

You don't have to think of anything.

Let him serve as your compass, like a gardener steadily guiding his fruit in the right direction.

He should manoeuvre the fruit into his hand since there are no set restrictions on who has access to you.

Kazuha wasn't going to let anyone steal from him or ruin the quality of his produce.

Not after he worked so hard.

Not after he had to give you a little shove.

Not while you're clutching to him so affectionately and feeling grateful to your close friend for saving your life.

Not when his fruit is so luscious and red that it is at the pinnacle of its prime, able can be devoured at any time.

If Kazuha had to eliminate innumerable vines in order to obtain the fruit he desires, it wouldn't be beneficial for anyone, would it?

Just be good and listen to him.

[lady-phasma]

What's itwav about

Hi anon! If you follow me I guess you've seen the alphabet soup of my tags: AMC IWTV, IWTV, and so on. I'm going to answer this like you have never heard of it. (I don't want it to come across as patronizing.)

Interview with the Vampire is a 1976 novel by Anne Rice that was adapted into a series by AMC in 2022. The second season is airing now. It is the "biography" of the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson, right). Although there are numerous important characters, the other main character is the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid, left).

I have been a fan since I first read the book around 1995 and then promptly devoured every book Anne wrote for The Vampire Chronicles (until the last two). That makes it difficult for me to make this answer brief but I'll try.

Louis is American, from New Orleans, and meets Lestat around 1910. They begin a tumultuous relationship and, although not at all like a soap opera, that is the center of the story for season one. So much happens as Louis learns what it means to be a vampire that to explain much would be to spoil it.

But the interview itself takes place in 2022 with Louis recounting these memories for a human, Daniel Molloy. That dynamic is witty and fascinating and, just like the book, forces us to follow along with an unreliable narrator. Part of the story is Louis's life in New Orleans in the early 1900s with Lestat, the other part is the interview with Daniel in 2022.

Not everyone likes the vampire genre, but this is based on one of the best series of vampire fiction ever written. If Bram Stoker is the grandfather of vampires, Anne is the mother. Her characters are rich, complex, and very human. The show runners and cast have honored that and, somehow, mind-blowingly, have made them even richer.

That may not have answered your question as specifically as you might have liked, but if I kept going I might not be able to stop. The Vampire Chronicles are very dear to me. Aside from that, this is one of the best tv series out right now. That is not an exaggeration. It is wonderful even if you don't know the source material. They build the world and give you everything you need to fall in love with these characters immediately.

[basicallyjaywalker]

Wanna ramble about a moment/character in ninjago you think people need to talk about more?

I don't know who you are anon, but I'm glad you asked!

I am desperate for people to character-analyze Wu. I'm desperate for a lot of character analysis including Nya but since I got a lot of my Nya feelings out with some lovely folks the other night (edit: the other night was a month ago dw about it. this took a minute) I'm going with Wu this time

Master Wu to me is such an interesting case of a character who it is so easy to ignore the bits of the show that hint at his wider issues and traumas. He is a man defined heavily by his family and by his past. A lot of criticism he gets, I think, is due in part to that.

I've mentioned before that I've been rewatching S1 with a friend of mine and intermittently pausing to infodump on them about interesting character things I notice from that season. A lot of that has been Wu-focused because despite having seen RotS dozens of times throughout my life (watching it on CN, watching it on Netflix when only it and Legacy were around, rewatching it with friends) I have only just started noticing the seeds of character written in.

I might also just be reading too much into things, but hear me out

In S1 (and by extension, the pilots), Wu is characterized as your typical old wise teacher. In the first few minutes of EP1: Rise of the Snakes, he is chewing out the Ninja for playing video games instead of training. The line he uses? "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today."

It's a line that gets repeated throughout the series. In fact, it gets repeated that very episode when the ninja go (pun not intended) to fight the Hypnobrai and a literal pre-teen. At first, it seems to just be a piece of wisdom. Some old proverb Wu's picked up over the years, possibly one he even coined himself. However, in EP7: Tick Tock, Wu tells the story of who, possibly, first told him this.

(Source: Tick Tock/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom, highlight added.)

It was Garmadon. Now, I'm not gonna dwell too long on Garmadon, if you spend five minutes talking to me you'll learn he was the first character whose story I obsessed over and I want this essay to be about Wu, but I think he plays a role in Wu's overall story, as does Wu's family as a whole.

Prior to this, Wu and Garmadon's relationship has been more of a sibling rivalry taken to a good vs. evil extreme. We didn't know why Garmadon was evil and we didn't know about Wu and his relationship as kids. However, this scene establishes the backstory. They were, as Wu puts it, "the best of friends." That is, until Garmadon gets bit by the Devourer going to get the katana Wu lost.

Now, I know the Devourer bite was destined to happen because of the Overlord or some shit, but Wu doesn't. As far as he's concerned, Garmadon getting bit was a direct consequence of both his mistake and his cowardice. He lost the katana. He was too scared to get it. Garmadon went over instead. Garmadon got bit.

The scene goes on to show the FSM tending to Garmadon in the aftermath. Wu is watching from behind the door, likely told to stay back, but concerned. And in his POV, we get this intense moment, where Garmadon turns, looks directly at him (his eyes turning bright red for the first time), and says "It's all Wu's fault!"

(This clip should begin at the start of Wu eavesdropping. If it doesn't, skip to 0:58. I highly recommend also paying attention to Wu's body language during this scene.)

The camerawork does a great job of showing how this probably felt for Wu. It zooms in, Garmadon's voice echoes, and the background blurs. We see in the flashback that this is a moment Wu has etched into his memory. Not to mention, he was likely a very young child when this happened. LEGO characters' ages are weird, but Wu in this scene has the Big Eyes, which always seem to be used for characters under 12. We don't know exactly how much older Garmadon is to my knowledge, but he doesn't have the Big Eyes, so he's probably closer to 12 and a few years older than Wu for sure.

Imagine that. Being in elementary school and your older siblings gets hurt. They're acting strange. They're lashing out at your father. Then, they blame it all on you. They're hurt because of you. Wouldn't you internalize that?

I could go on about Wu's relationship with Garmadon, but again, I think I've spent enough time on it and I don't want to only focus on that. It's an important part, but there are others.

Let's talk about Wu's relationship with his dad.

Now, I have not yet read the Spinjitzu Brothers series. I cannot speak to any development of Wu and the FSM's relationship in there. I have, however, read The Book of Spinjitzu and blogged some of my thoughts on it here, including some of what it says about Wu.

For those who haven't read it, first, there is a Google Drive folder floating around with all of the canon spinoff books/graphic novels in it. Here's the link if you wanna read them!

The FSM is an... intriguing figure. I mean, in the series he's basically god? He made the entire world. That's already a very high bar to live up to. Then, in Book of Spinjitzu, there's a few specific parts that, when I read them, signaled that Wu internalized a specific message when he was young.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 3).

Wu does not want to disappoint his father. It is up to him (and Garmadon until he turns evil) to "uphold the legacy of Spinjitzu" and, by extension, his family. He says he was "very young" when this was explained to him. Considering he seems to already be training at an elementary age, "very young" means VERY young.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 16).

Here, we again see Wu being very aware that he has some large burden to carry. Something else interesting here is that the thought of the Green Ninja Prophecy is already weighing on him too. His considering if he might be the Green Ninja is of extra interest because of how the Green Ninja Prophecy and the--I wouldn't call it obsession, possibly fixation?--with who it is factors into his later actions, but we'll get to that later.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 19).

This one in particular gets me because it comes after Wu mentions Garmadon becoming more evil. It is a statement of power. Wu knows that the legacy of Spinjitzu now rests in his hands alone. He cannot let himself fall the way Garmadon did. He cannot disappoint his father. Whether or not the FSM intended it, Wu always knew the fate of the world rested, at least in part, upon his shoulder. He knew this from the time he was a young boy and it remains in his mind to this day.

Now, these quotes are indirect, but they all point to one clear idea: As a child, Wu internalized the idea that he alone is responsible for keeping Ninjago safe. He will play a pivotal role in its history.

There's not evidence in this book that the FSM's was a bad father, per se. However, just because one doesn't set out to harm their children, doesn't mean they won't. I often say Wu has an "Atlas complex," which I have no idea if it is an actual concept but use it to refer to this idea. Wu feels as though he is responsible for holding up the world, much like Atlas. He must keep the balance, he must solve the Green Ninja prophecy, he must make his father proud.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, page 61).

I'm going to get further into what this means for Wu as a teacher to the current Ninja Team, but for now let's look at Wu's first foray into teaching.

Morro. Wu's Biggest Mistake.

That might seem like an overstatement, but it's not.

(Source: Ghost Story/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom)

Okay he says regret, not mistake, but I was paraphrasing.

Let's turn back to his quote about his destiny. Wu writes, "Is my life's mission to be the Green Ninja? Or maybe it will be to find the Green Ninja and protect him (or her)??"

From a very young age, Wu was not only aware of the Green Ninja but prophecy but also thinking about his place in it. We see this again when he takes Morro in and trains him.

(Source: Ghost Story/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom, highlight added)

A big thing Wu is criticized for here is making Morro believe he is meant to be more. That he is the Chosen One. And Morro, being a young homeless orphan just now given some semblance of power and protection, latches onto that. And I can see it, but when you take into account the above that he was trained from (likely) a younger age than Morro and given a similar level of responsibility, it becomes more understandable. Wu is just doing what he was taught. He doesn't believe that he is harming Morro until it is too late.

This is the entire story, but I'm specifically going to be discussing 1:36 onwards here. I also wanted to add that rewatching this scene made me lay down on the floor! What the fuck! But I digress.

There's a lot going on in this scene. For one, Wu washing his hands of Morro in some ways, but not others. He turns his back on Morro when he tells him that destiny has decided, but looks at him again when Morro storms out. He goes to save Morro from the Grundal, but decides that he cannot "teach those who would not listen." Most importantly, when Morro leaves to go find the Tomb of the FSM, Wu leaves the door open. He waits for Morro to return, but never goes after him. And Morro never comes back.

Wu gives Morro's fate a dismissive response at the end of his ghost story ("I am saddened he was banished to the Cursed Realm") but it's clear he still cares deeply about him in the finale of the season.

Wu's VA in this is phenomenal btw. That "Please Morro!" and "MORRO!" make my heart ache.

Morro believed Wu stopped caring, but he didn't. Even after all he's done, even after trying to destroy all of Ninjago--destroying what Wu had spent his life trying to protect--Wu tries to save him. He begs for Morro to come with him. Morro refuses, Wu watches him perish.

Someone else Wu is close to is gone. Wu again considers himself responsible. Everything is his fault.

And finally, we reach Wu today. A cautious, secretive man. He loves his students, this much is clear. Even as early as the pilots, he drops his wise teacher persona to joke around with them.

As with Morro, he trains them like his father did him. He even uses the same methods his father used when he trains them.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, page 32)

While he is hard on the Ninja, wanting them to succeed and training them to help defend the Realm, he lets his guard down more than it seems he did with Morro. He also learned a valuable message from his experience with Morro when he hides the Green Ninja Prophecy from the Ninja, getting angry when they start to push themselves in the same way Morro did upon learning about it. It's clear he doesn't want a repeat.

Now, I can't speak for later seasons (I will eventually) but this fear of repeats, his students going down a dark path because they're tempted by power or greatness, losing someone else, likely drives Wu not telling them other important information. That is just a passing thought though.

Final notes:

I'm currently in the process of rewatching S7: Hands of Time. I actually got this ask right after finishing EP68: Scavengers, which opens with Wu having a nightmare. In it, he and Misako are walking outside of Yang's temple. While walking, Misako delivers this line in response to Wu reminiscing about the time they've spent together:

(Source: Scavengers/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom)

This line, to me, is Wu's subconscious trying to tell him something he needs to hear. It's hinting at what might be his greatest flaw. Wu is haunted by his past, by his mistakes. He finds it difficult to tell others because of both his guilt and his desire to not put that worry upon them. In this very season, he makes the mistake of trying to face his past on his own, and he nearly dies for it.

In the same episode, you see Wu trying to make sure Lloyd doesn't make the same mistakes.

(Source: Prev)

Wu stresses the important of the team. It's as if he sees Lloyd blaming himself for what happened to Wu, sees him doing the same thing Wu has, and is trying to prevent him from doing the same thing. This is further emphasized when, after Wu falls asleep (well, fakes falling asleep), Lloyd says "Wu's mistake was going in alone. So was mine."

Master Wu is, like many characters in this show, someone who is more complex than meets the eye. He is not just a wise, old teacher. He is a man who, throughout his life, has made mistakes and carries the weight of each of them on his shoulders. He is a man who tasks himself with making up for those every day. He is a man who wants better for his students, his family.

Until the day he dies, he will guide and protect his students. And possibly? Even after death too.

[btr-rewatch]

Big Time Rush Season 1, Episode 18: “Big Time Concert” (Part 2)

Highlights: Everything falls apart.

When we last left Big Time Rush, James had just been devoured by the crowd of screaming fans at Dak Zevon's concert training session. He's eventually tossed back onto the stage disheveled and underwear-less. The rest of the training goes great.

The boys are forced to sing as they run home, and as they do, we catch sight of George Hawk, Gustavo's arch-enemy who we fist met in "Big Time Sparks." He's back and more determined than ever to bring Gustavo down.

After a montage of the guys gradually perfecting their concert performing abilities, we end with some praise and expectedly unhinged words from Griffin.

I love their reactions to him. Not one of them knows how to digest that information. Look at Kendall's face.

Griffin then breaks some bad news: the album and tour are canceled. The band is too risky and not feasible.

Bummer.

Instead, Rocque Records will be focusing its energy on children's audio books. The band is dead. No, but for REAL this time. Not like the dozen other times the band was in jeopardy this season.

Back at the Palm Woods, Katie is upset that all her time spent making merchandise has been for nothing. Carlos (always the sweetheart) offers to take a hat, and I love the exchange that follows.

Meanwhile, James has locked himself in the bathroom and is down to the last frayed shreds of his unraveling sanity.

Down at the pool, Kendall and Logan are saying goodbye to their respective girlfriends, and can I just say how much I dig their color-coordinated outfits in this scene?

Kendall can't find the words to say to Jo, though, because he's "not good at goodbyes." Which reminds me of earlier in the season, in the dance episode, where Jo was angry at Kendall for not asking her to be his date (because he just assumed they were already dating and didn't need to say anything).

Kendall is a master at pep talks, but his communication skills when it comes to romantic relationships sure is lousy. Huh. Wonder why.

glances at Mr. Knight.

Kendall and Jo share their first (and last) kiss, Camille slaps Logan goodbye, and then the gang heads back to Minnesota. Obsessed with the fact that they're dropped off (piles of boxes and all) in front of the grocery store. Like. Why?? Also, the fact that Kendall's boss immediately tosses an apron at him and tells him to take the afternoon shift is hysterical and ridiculous. Also! Look how teeny-tiny Mama Knight looks standing next to Kendall and James.

James is suddenly hit with the reality of the situation and storms off screaming. We then go to Rocque Records, where Ed Begley Jr. is doing his recording of "Can You Foo?" (this scene used to crack my sister and I up)

Kelly points out that Gustavo never even said goodbye to the boys. He's not good at goodbyes either.

Has anyone ever written up a post about the parallels between Kendall and Gustavo's personalities and how it impacts their relationship? Because. There's a lot there.

Over at the grocery store, Kendall is trying to rally the guys and push everyone to move on with their lives. He tells Logan to work toward his dream of being a doctor and promises Carlos they'll work on fine-tuning his dream (to be hit by a radioactive meteor and become a superhero).

James is not having it. He tells them their dreams are stupid. He tells Kendall he's stupid too. Very reminiscent of the parking lot scene in "Big Time Audition" where James is angry at Kendall for blowing off Gustavo's offer.

Seeing as Kendall and James are both so passionate and hotheaded when it comes to things they care about, I headcanon that they definitely got into a handful of arguments that came to blows over the years. Can totally see them getting so worked up that they just start beating each other up, then go back to being buddies a few hours later after they cool down.

James calls the other guys quitters, then takes off on his tiny little bicycle.

No, but I'm laughing. Why is the bike so small?? Did he steal it from a ten-year-old?

At Hawk Records, Hawk's assistant is giving them the rundown on the boys so they can choose their target. After eliminating them one by one (Logan's too smart and will ask questions, Kendall's too hard to control, Carlos has the Helmet Thing) they settle on James.

And with that, I'm going to wrap this post up for now. I'll probably end up with 4 parts to this one just like with the pilot episode.

[princeloww]

broadchurch fic recs !!

(Except I'm very picky and don't read Alec/Ellie fics)

Whumpuary Day 1: Secrets Revealed by AJWrites1998 (@bro-ken-spoon)

Summary: Ellie Miller was having the worst day of her life even before she got the text message. Takes place during season two, episode six.

Details Ellie's reaction to Alec getting his surgery (and telling her about it over text). Packed full of brilliant lines that are both clean and beautifully sensitive all at the same time. Spot-on characterisation, and quite a quick read. I personally really loved this one, and (as you'll probably notice) absolutely love this writer and their writing style.

All I Want For Christmas by AJWrites1998

Summary: The edges of his mouth turn down slightly, but he tries to play it off as thinking about whatever he’s managed to pull up on his computer. He sighs.

“Can’t,” he says, “Daisy’s visiting her mother for Christmas. She won’t be back till next week.”

Ah, so that’s what it was, then. He’s missing Daisy.

“Well, I guess if I can’t have Daisy, I’ll accept just you,” she says, then takes a sip of her own tea. She watches for his reaction over the top of the mug. He winces, but she didn’t exactly leave a lot of room to say no.

---

Daisy's out of town for Christmas. Alec has some feelings on the matter. Ellie's there to help out.

Alec Hardy sick fic!!!! This is a Christmas themed one, but it definitely doesn't need to be Christmas time for it to be enjoyed. Ellie and Alec are written incredibly well - their interactions are so brimming with familiarity that you get the sense that these two characters really know each other, yet in such a spectacularly Hardy-Miller way. Very slice-of-lifey and quite low stakes. Very fun to read, and full of really sweet moments (like Alec helping Ellie put Christmas presents together).

A Hard Day's Night by AJWrites1998

Summary: “Well, she was right, even if you are feeling poorly now. We’ll get you some toast later on, when you’re feeling up to it again.” She feels the need to reinforce this, otherwise she fears he’ll take away the wrong lesson. Unfortunately, at the mention of food, he pales again. “No. No need. I’m never eating anything ever again.” he says, his face lined with pain. ------------ Alec Hardy doesn't usually eat anything at all. It's just his luck that the one time he does, it's gone bad. It's up to Ellie Miller to look after him.

Oh my god, I think this is my favourite Broadchurch fic ever. I think it deserves so much attention - it's amazingly written and honestly quite beautiful. It's witty, clever, and perfectly captures strong, familiar and platonic intimacy. This is another Alec sick fic where Ellie takes care of him. Their dynamic is really well written, and extremely accurate. The author clearly has a great understanding of the characters, and it really translates in this - and all of their - piece(s). Without giving too much away, I've got to say the hair scene is absolutely amazing. If you enjoy thinking of them in a queer platonic kind of way, this might be good for that? It's very intimate, in a way that is refreshingly platonic.

Over the Sea to Skye by lestatslestits (@lestatslestits)

Summary: five times Alec Hardy sang to his daughter while she was sick, and one time she sang to him instead.

Oops, it's another sick fic. I only read this one recently, but it is absolutely beautiful. The father-daughter relationship between Daisy and Alec is so compelling and sensitive, and every character is incredibly well written and characterised. I really, really recommend this one.

On this part, I'm going to go ahead and recommend lestatslestits' entire selection of Broadchurch fics. I've only read this one, because I genuinely literally just discovered it while writing this post, but I'm entirely confident that they are all amazing. I'm going to devour them as soon as I have a chance, and then probably devour their TOTA fics too. Amazing writer, please go check them out.

Mail Slot by capn_schmazz (whose tumblr I don't know)

Summary: Ellie thought about Alec in those first weeks of knowing him. Seeing if her memories were different now with this new information. They weren't. Not really. She wouldn't have ever guessed it if he hadn't trusted her enough to tell her, so she stopped thinking about those weeks and took a sip of tea in the present.

I am INSANE about this fic. It's absolutely perfect, yet subtle and meaningful and really impactful. Has suicide themes, as Alec tells Ellie about a past suicide attempt. It's really focused on the relationship between Ellie and Alec, as they have a late night/early morning conversation about first a case and then the past. Also one of my absolute favourites. The dynamic is so well done, and the characters are so well portrayed, that I had a tiny little David Tennant and Olivia Colman in my head as I read it. Genuinely, in my opinion, brilliant piece of writing.

I really really recommend all of these fics!! Please go check them out.