#they tried for a minute or two and corrected themselves a few times

[shapoopy178]

Sitting here at Christmas lunch listening to The Wife's family repeatedly misgender her trans cousin while they fight amongst themselves about which of them is the least transphobic

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Teen Villain Alliance

Chapter 1 - Damian

Despite his proficiency in the skill, Damian hated spying on the Teen Villain Alliance. 

Having appeared two years ago in alliance with Klarion Bleak, the Teen Villain Alliance, or TVA, quickly made themselves known as little more than pests, often rushing in to assist other young adult criminals or harass Justice League officials. Father wanted to investigate when they first appeared, but with Todd’s reveal and Damian himself coming to take his place as Robin, he’d been… busy. 

Which allowed the TVA to flourish into a respected criminal enterprise. No vault was safe, no hero strong enough. A group had even banded together to take down Superman! And while there was no lasting damage other than some bizarre markings on the Kryptoian’s face, it was enough to prove these teenagers as a threat. 

Damian, as much as it galled him, was not the first chosen to infiltrate. Martian Manhunter, shapeshifted into a meta fourteen-year-old girl, tried and was identified as a hero on sight. The Teen Titans and Young Justice got closer, actually able to talk to the villains about joining, but “it was like they could smell the hero on us,” Beast Boy had explained. “I don't know how else to explain it.”

Most likely, the TVA kept tabs on the Justice League and affiliated organizations. They needed someone fresh, someone who wasn’t a hero.

Damian had been more than willing to volunteer. 

Introducing himself as Damian Al Ghul, the recently escaped Heir to the Demon Head, he’d been accepted immediately despite having approached the group mid-heist. All he had to do was extrapolate about how Grandfather’s assassins were chasing him, and the Wolf—a designation given to the members of the TVA’s inner circle—allowed him to join, but he was forced to stay with the hacker of the group while the heist commenced with no interference from a hero.

Damian had been confident. He’d gotten so far in mere minutes when a member of the Justice League, and even Drake, couldn’t get past the first few questions. He’d have the Teen Villain Alliance dismantled within the week.

Then Manson, as the Wolf had introduced herself, took out a device that transported them all to another dimension. Which was where the main base of the Alliance was. And none of his communication devices or trackers worked there. 

Damian had only been able to update the Justice League a few times since his tenure as a spy began. Superman had reassured him it was fine, that there had been plenty of missions were communication was infrequent, but after a month of living in the TVA Base in the Infinite Realms, Damian hated not being able to contact his father easily. And in return, Father and Drake had taken to interrogating him for as long as possible the couple of times he was outside Headquarters. 

(Phantom’s Haunt is what the TVA members called it. It was Phantom Dark’s home that he opened up to them all. Damian didn’t know how to feel about that.)

Damian had only been able to contact Father three times in his four weeks undercover, each time on a supply run… which was essentially just a grocery trip for the Haunt. The first time Damian had slipped away to the bathroom and called, Father had been… furious. He’d thought Damian’s lack of updates was on purpose. It had been five minutes before Damian could correct him. 

He wished Grayson had answered during any of his updates, but he was on a mission in space and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks. 

In those four months, Damian was still the newest member, and had yet to be involved in the truly illegal aspects of the organization. All the information he’d gathered purely administrative, like how Duulaman, a reincarnated pharaoh turned hacker, stole money from various billionaires and government organizations to fund their plans. He’d yet to be involved with anything serious. 

He wasn’t allowed on serious missions either. He only had the supply runs to look forward to, and those only occurred once a month. 

His other objective, to undermine the Teen Villain Alliance and spur a mutiny, was also going poorly. The children he surrounded himself with were fanatically loyal to the Alliance, citing Phantom and his harem as the reason they were alive today. Even those who weren’t directly rescued were loyal. One such child, a boy named Kyd Wyckyd, had confessed to turning to a life of crime due to his terrifying meta abilities and their effects on his appearance. 

But the TVA took him in after the collapse of HIVE Academy. He hadn’t participated in a crime since, preferring to work with the Wolf named Jasmine who led individual and group therapy sessions for the villains. Jasmine had tried multiple times to convince her therapy sessions—more like brainwashing sessions—but Damian had stayed strong in the face of adversary. 

Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be much more Damian could do. He tried to push, to get involved with the criminal aspect of the organization, but the Wolves blocked him at every turn, saying he was “too young.” That he needed “stability” and to “rely on them to keep him safe.”

Perhaps Damian oversold the danger of the League of Assassins. 

For now, Damian hid in his room in Phantom’s Haunt. His castle. Even the magnificence of the compound he grew up in couldn’t compare to the headquarters. There were an infinite number of rooms—”as many as we need,” Phantom had told him—that changed based on the user’s preferences. Right now, Damian’s room looked like a cave. The Batcave, to be precise, though he didn’t allow references to his Father and legacy. 

He was hiding because Manson had suggested he attend some of the classes held in the libraries—there were four libraries at the moment. Classes were taught by ghosts under Phantom’s control and weren’t mandatory, but “everyone’s worried about the lack of structure in your life.”

He tried to tell himself it was because he didn’t want to be brainwashed by Phantom’s lackeys, and that he already knew everything they were going to teach. But in truth… Damian was anxious. Attending school at the Haunt felt too permanent, too much like he was planning to stay. He hadn’t gotten the choice to attend school back in Gotham, with Father acting like he would compromise their identities around children. He wasn’t that petty. 

Someone knocked on his door. “Damian? Are you inside?” 

Sighing, Damian stood up and opened the door. “Dr. Fenton. Am I needed for anything?”

Dr. Daniel Fenton was another Wolf, another member of the harem Phantom had built around him, twenty years old and not an actual doctor but everyone called him that anyway. While Damian had yet to see Fenton and Phantom in the same place, Damian was keeping a detailed record of how the Wolves’ polyamourous relationship worked. Phantom and Fenton both dated Manson and Duualman, though they didn’t seem to be dating each other or Jasmine. Klarion often inserted himself into those relationships for hugs and hand-holding, but only seemed to kiss Jasmine. 

“Actually, yes.” Damian’s lips parted in surprise. “I wanted to talk to you about something down in my lab. Would you join me?”

Fenton’s lab was off-limits to low level members of the TVA. He was the engineer, the creator of all their weapons of destruction. Fenton had no minions, while Manson had her thieves, Duualman had his hackers, Jasmine had her helpers, Klarion had his witches, and Phantom had his fighters. 

Fenton was alone. 

Isolated. 

Damian agreed. 

Fenton led him to the depths below the castle, past the never-used dungeon and through a secret door into a surprisingly bright and airy lab. He caught Damian looking through a window that displayed one of the Haunt’s many gardens, an impossible feat for being so far underground. “Magic castle, remember,” Fenton chided him. “Those work as portals that lead to the garden too, so it’s an easy one-way exit.”

Damian scoffed, abashed that he’d been caught so easily. From a glance, the lab was perfectly maintained, with every piece of equipment assigned to an outline meant to indicate where it belonged. As he walked further into the room, Fenton made slight adjustments to his tools, meticulously shifting them back into place. It looked more like a set than a laboratory. 

But then, Damian observed Fenton. The twenty-year-old relaxed as he put his space back into order, nudging the screwdrivers and beakers back into their designated outlines. As he worked, the sleeve of his lab coat road up, revealing a glimpse of lichtenberg scars before it was hidden again. 

Finally done, Fenton turned back to Damian. “My sister, Jazz, has told me that you’re not attending individual or group therapy sessions, is that correct?”

Well, that revealed a  lot of information. Ignoring the fact that Fenton and Jasmine were apparently siblings, Damian replied, “I do not see a reason to attend. If this meeting is an attempt to force me–”

Fenton held his hands up in surrender. “No, I would never. Therapy doesn’t work if the person receiving it doesn’t want it. But you haven’t been attending any of your classes either, and Phantom has mentioned that you don’t hang out with the other kids. Are you settling in alright? I know the others are a few years older than you, so it might be harder for you to connect with them.”

Damian chewed on the question. While part of him was furious that someone, especially a villain like Fenton, was concerned about him and discussed him with his fellows, the other part… wasn’t. It was true; he was having difficulty connecting with the villains. Damian didn’t particularly want to, but it would make his mission easier. 

He chose a neutral answer. “In the League of Assassins… I was the only child in the entire compound. Other children weren’t allowed inside, not unless their parents did something wrong. And those children…”

“Were used against their parents?” Fenton offered when he struggled to find the words. 

“Precisely. It’s not in my nature to associate with children.”

Fenton nodded in understanding, stroking his chin in thought. “That does present a conundrum alright. How unfortunate; the task I needed your help with requires you to interact with at least some of the others, but if you’re that uncomfortable with the idea, then I could find someone else.”

Damian stared at the man in suspicion. “What task?” he demanded to know. If this was a way to get more information for father, he needed to know. But if this was another trap to get him into therapy…

“You’ve probably noticed by now, but I’m the only Wolf without someone working under me. Sam has her Bats, Tucker has his Flies, Jazz has her Rats, Klarion has his Strays, and Phantom has the TVA as a whole. The others have been pressuring me to create my own group, but babysitting a group of teens in a lab where anything could explode is just asking for trouble.”

Damian stepped away from the nearest device. Fenton continued, “However, I think a group dedicated to investigation would work much better. Here in the Infinite Realms, we’re very isolated from the human world, so my research on competing inventors is always lacking. Tuck and Sam help, but Tucker has his own hacking projects, and Sam targets financially viable targets instead of labs.”

“You want me to be a member of your new… group?” Damian read in between the lines of what Fenton was saying. Surely Father would be proud of him for gaining information about Fenton’s inventions and targets—

“I want you to lead the group.”

His glare dropped right off his face in shock. “Lead?” he whispered. 

“That’s right,” Daniel agreed. “It’s not conventional and I barely got the others to agree, but Damian, you’re one of the best trained villains to ever join the TVA. Yeah, you’re really young, but you are serious and professional. To be honest, most of the kids we take in don’t take our work seriously. It’s not a bad thing, but I need a leader who is willing to keep their group in line. Infiltration and information gathering can be very dangerous, and I need someone who can keep the team safe.”

Daniel trusted him enough for that? Father didn’t trust him enough to be his partner; honestly, Father didn’t even trust him enough to introduce Damian to the world as his son! Perhaps he was aggressive towards the interlopers in his home, but he wasn’t going to stab a civilian!

And while Damian didn’t understand why Daniel was so cautious around what amounted to breaking and entering, he wanted Damian to lead. He trusted Damian for that. 

And Damian was going to take back whatever information Fenton revealed back to his father, like a hunting dog to its master. 

Daniel continued, “Of course, this is still a few months off from being necessary. But that should give you plenty of time to attend some classes to prepare you more! One on leadership skills, one on modern technology, one on basic magic and wards, maybe a refresher on hacking… Knowing you, you’ll test out of them in a few weeks, but the main point is to find other people to join our team. I’m looking for four other team members, and while I am looking for certain traits and skills, it's up to you to decide who you want on the team.” Daniel placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder. “So, what do you think?”

He’d betray Daniel by saying yes. He’d betray Father by saying no. 

He made his choice. 

Damian looked up at Daniel, determination set into his face. “I won’t let you down.”

Daniel smiled. “I know you won’t. You couldn’t if you tried.”

[mymindisneverhere]

warnings: 18+, SMUT, dirty talk, unprotected sex, & more but don’t say I ain’t warn you.

Summary: Aaron is head of an architect firm who just hired a new assistant who is very nervous yet severely attracted to him.

(this is my first time writing one of these but I had to cause this man got me in a chokehold. enjoy!) 🩵

Assistance

She watched as his back muscles flexed with every rep. He had been exercising for the past 30 minutes and she didn’t want to interrupt but this was an emergency. Meagan had been Mr. Pierre’s assistant for 3 months now and she was enjoying her time with him. He was a kind yet stern gentleman who took his business endeavors very seriously. He needed her to send the final blueprints of a new building his architect firm would be preparing to build this coming fall. The deadline was in an hour and there were still bits and pieces of information missing. She knew how much this meant to her boss but she also knew how much his private workout routines meant to him as well.

She didn't mean to stare but she couldn’t tear her gaze from his glistening body. This man was sculpted by the creator themselves. Every muscle flexed perfectly and the veins in his arms went well with his masculine physique. She studied his movements as he brought both of his arms up and down above his head, doing what they called “Shoulder Press”. After a few more reps he slammed the dumbbells down and leaned forward to catch his breath. She had been in such a trance that she didn’t notice him looking up to see her staring in the mirror.

“Do you like your job?” He asked in a stern tone.

”Uh y-yes.” She stammered, shaking her head to bring herself back into the present moment, pushing her curly hair behind her ears.

”Then I suggest you get back to it then.” He stated, reaching for a towel and throwing it over his shoulder.

“Um, Mr. Pierre sir, th-there are a few details missing from the blueprints. We h-have an hour and uh, I-I didn’t want to send them t-to the contractors until-“ She stuttered. She hated when this happened. She’d get so nervous that her words would struggle to leave her mouth. She always struggled with her speech impediment since a child but it had gotten better over the years, that is until she met Mr. Pierre.

He walked over to her grabbing the papers from her hand reviewing the layouts of the new fine arts museum that would be built right in the center of downtown. As he looked over the paperwork the two sat in silence. Well he was silent but he could hear her struggling to breathe as he stood a few inches away from her. He made her nervous and he liked it. It wasn’t anything new to him though.

Being the man that he was with a million dollar business caused women to gawk at the sight of him. What he didn’t enjoy about these women were the ones who were obviously bothered by his presence but chose to put on a front. He knew that he could be intimidating and he hadn’t done it on purpose. But the women who tried so hard to match his aura always failed tremendously. The over talking, over sexualizing themselves, practically throwing themselves at him when they weren’t even prepared for the type of man he was, irritated him.

But his assistant, Meagan, was a different story. She’d get nervous from time to time when speaking with him but she’d never force herself to hide it. He’d notice that she’d take a few deep breaths, take a sip of water and then get right back to it like she never missed a beat. He liked that. He had to admit watching her struggle around him fed his ego a bit.

He looked to her and handed her the papers, giving her the corrections to make before sending it off to be finalized.

“Is that all?” He asked, staring down at her with a stern expression.

“Yes sir, thank you.” She grabbed the papers with a steady hand, slowly to be sure she didn’t drop them or make it obvious that he had her shook. She placed the folder with the paperwork under her arm and turned to leave his in-home gym.

He stood watching her walk away, admiring her natural body from her defined hips that slightly dipped into deep dimples to her voluptuous ass. No matter how many pairs of tights she’d wear, they would never stop the natural jiggle that happened when she’d walk. He felt his dick jump in his workout tights and he knew he had to have her. He immediately grabbed his phone and made his way to his bedroom to shower.

Meagan sat at the kitchen island, her fingers going a mile a minute as she sent email after email. They had done it, they had just secured the lot for the new Museum of Fine Arts and this meant Mr. Pierre would have a large check coming to him very soon. This was her first big win as his assistant and she couldn’t decide how she would celebrate. Although she couldn’t focus on celebrating because every time she did, images of him flashed in her mind. Images of him in the gym, images of him staring down at his sketches for the new buildings, images of him fucking her-

“Did you get it to them on time?” He asked, interrupting her thoughts. She silently thanked him before responding.

“Uh yes sir.” She replied. She turned the laptop toward him so he could see for himself. “Everything is confirmed, the deal is done!” She said looking up at him. Her eyes were so soft and pleading, almost childlike. It’s like she wanted to impress him badly. She wanted to finally get the approval she had been working for these past 3 months.

“Good job.” He said dryly.

She frowned a bit, somewhat in confusion and frustration. What was with this guy? She had just helped him secure one of the biggest deals for his firm and all he could say was “Good job”. She turned the laptop back toward her and went back to doing her daily emailing.

As she confirmed meetings and lunches for him she tried to sneak a peek at him but he was already staring at her. She didn’t know what this meant but she was afraid she’d be in the unemployment line real soon. He didn’t say anything, he just stared at her. When the silence went on for longer than she expected her mind went into overdrive. She couldn’t be getting fired, they had just closed a 7 figure deal, but she did overstep a boundary by going into his gym without his permission. But it was an emergency, hell it was for his business. He couldn’t have been that much of an asshole.

”Look Mr. Pierre, I-I’m sorry about coming into the g-gym without your permission. I just d-didnt want to mess up y-your b-big-“ She struggled to get out before he interrupted her.

”Breathe.” He suggested.

She stared down at her hands as she took a few deep breaths before mustering up the courage to meet his stern gaze again.

“You’re not in trouble.” He said, calming her mind first and her body second. He studied her as he watched her chest rise up and down slowly. Her jaw became unclenched and her shoulders more relaxed.

He looked down at his watch to see the time was nearly 11p.m., it was too late to send her on her way. He had enough bedrooms in this house, she could just pick one to rest for the night and be on her way in the morning.

“I don’t want you driving back home so late tonight.” He spoke.

“Oh, I’ll be fine. It’s no prob-“

”That’s an order.” He interrupted. “I wouldn’t be a man if I let you leave so late, I know you have a far drive to make.”

She nodded, refusing to look him in the eye.

“You know your way around the house, you can stay in a guest suite tonight.” He said before leaving the kitchen. “Great job by the way.”

She looked up at him in surprise.

“You’ll be around for a while so get comfortable.” He finished, leaving her in the kitchen alone.

Once she heard his footsteps become silent, indicating that he was no longer within ears reach, she jumped up in celebration. That is exactly what she wanted to hear.

”Yes!” She yelled, covering her mouth. She giggled to herself as she grabbed her laptop off of the island and made her way up to one of the guest suites.

After placing her things in the chair that sat near the window, she unbuttoned her dress shirt and kicked off her heels. She chose to stay in the guest suite on the far west wing of the house, it was in the opposite wing from his bedroom. She walked into the large bathroom that was attached to the suite and turned on the lights. She looked over to see a walk in shower and a large garden tub. She had chosen to take a shower instead, she was already a guest in his house, the last thing she needed to do was spend hours in his bathtub.

She turned on the faucet, pulling it all the way left to get the water as hot as possible. That was the only way she’d take showers. Closing the shower door, she walked over to the mirror to continue removing her clothes while the water warmed to her liking. She got down to her bra and panties, a matching set, as she admired her reflection. When she unbuttoned her bra, causing her natural 34 C’s to drop a bit, the images began to flash in her mind. Only this time she had imagined Mr. Pierre in the bathroom with her, staring at her with those icy blue eyes that sent chills down her spine.

This made her pussy tingle. The thought of her tall, broad shouldered, smooth skin, no nonsense boss staring at her with pure hunger and desire. Him touching all over her body, feeling her breasts in his big hands, feeling his soft lips on her neck. Her fantasies were making her wet but it was fine because she would hop right in the shower to wash her lustful thoughts away.

She stepped out of her panties and into the shower, letting the hot water run down her body. Her hands ran up and down her figure as she tried hard to stop the fantasies of her boss joining her in the shower. She had pictured what he’d look like naked a few times, she had already gotten half of the picture today when she saw him shirtless. His toned arms, each one covered in a single tattoo, his chiseled chest, his brown nipples, his defined abs and that V cut that she had stared down at while he reviewed the blueprints. She knew that V cut led to a heavy dick, carved with thick veins and a head that would feel soft against her lips.

She was so deep in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized that her hands had been playing in her pussy. Her middle finger and ring finger toyed with her clit as her hands began to wrinkle from the wetness her boss had brought her and he didn’t even know. As she played with her pussy she imagined his tongue there.

“Fuck.” She had let out a moan, sure that she wouldn’t be heard. She was positive that the water would drown out her cries.

“You feel so good in my pussy Mr. Pierre.” She said aloud, not worried about being heard by him or the house keepers. “Eat this pussy Daddy.”

She moaned and groaned, begging and pleading for her boss to make her cum until she came all over his face in her mind, her fingers in reality. After a few breaths she opened her eyes to realize where she was and that she needed to get clean so she could get some sleep.

A few minutes passed and the water was turned off. She stepped out of the shower, one foot at a time before realizing she had no towel to dry off with. She searched through the drawers in the sink vanity and found nothing but toothbrushes and toothpaste. Not a towel in sight.

“Shit.” She said to herself. She needed to dry off but stepping outside of this bathroom uncovered was too much of a risk for her. She didn’t even want to think of being caught by the house keepers let alone her boss. She sat thinking for a few minutes, contemplating on whether or not she should just air dry and slip on the pajama sets he had stored in the nightstand next to the bed. She hated air drying in the bathroom though, it was so wet and humid, she needed to get out of there.

Once she remembered his beautiful mansion came with intercoms in each room she figured she'd just politely ask for some towels to be left outside of the door. Finally satisfied with her plan, she headed for the bathroom door. When she swung the door open her heart sank as she met his blue eyes first. Her boss, Mr. Pierre stood on the other side of the door staring down at her.

Panic was written all over her face as she remembered she had just orgasmed to the thought of him eating her. She had called out his name and many other things, confident that she wouldn’t be heard. But by the look on his face, she knew he had heard everything.

“I remembered the housekeepers didn’t stock this bathroom with towels, so I thought I’d bring you some.” He started, still staring down at her with those beautiful eyes, that seem to change to a light hazel color now. He walked into the bathroom causing her to step back until her back hit the wall near the shower.

“Did you need me for something?” He smirked, towering over her. Her 5’4 frame didn’t stand a chance under his 6’3 build.

She stood there speechless, she didn’t know what to say. She was too embarrassed to speak. No matter how hard he stared at her, she refused to meet his eyes. So she stood staring at his chest, his muscular and defined chest.

“I- um, I- was j-“ She struggled, this time understandably.

He bent down, burying his face into her neck, sucking on her vanilla scented skin. She was still so caught off guard, not coming to terms with the fact that her fantasies were coming true in real time. He dropped the towels and reached down to grab her legs, wrapping them around his waist. He sucked and licked on her neck, planting kisses all over her.

“Sir, I-I didn’t m-mean to-“ She stuttered, struggling to breathe correctly or at all.

“Don’t be nervous now.” He mumbled, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. “This what you wanted right?” He pulled her off of the wall and sat her on the bathroom sink.

“Um…” She managed.

“Right?” He asked, looking into her eyes, demanding a response.

She looked up at him before taking a deep breath and responding “Yes.”

“Yes what?” He asked, still staring intensely at her.

“Yes sir.” She breathed.

He smirked. He enjoyed having women at his mercy but this woman was different. He didn’t expect her to be pleasuring herself to the thought of him. She appeared innocent and sweet but that was clearly a front. She craved him just as much as he craved her.

He looked down at her freshly waxed pussy still glistening as a result of her own pleasures. He licked his lips as he admired the sight of her body in front of him. He didn’t know where to start, he just knew he didn’t want to go wrong with this masterpiece that sat waiting to be devoured by him.

She looked down at his sweatpants and saw his print. She wanted so badly to find out what he felt like, what he tasted like, how his dick would feel hitting the back of her throat. Without hesitation she stood from the sink and dropped to her knees. She ran her fingers around his waist before pulling his pants down, coming face to face with his dick. It was exactly how she imagined, thick, brown and beautiful. She grabbed his length with her hand, noticing the precum that sat right at the head.

She licked the sweet cum off of him, locking eyes with her boss as she did so. He was taken aback at the sight of his once nervous and jittery assistant who was now bold and fearless. He was used to being the dominant in the situation, he would have his women responding to his touch and the feeling of his tongue in their pussy. But this night was a total 180, he found himself being the subject of a woman who had dreamed of devouring him months ago.

She licked the entirety of his dick before taking him into her mouth, wrapping her lips around his hardness. She jerked her neck back and forth, her tongue rubbing against the bottom of his dick so that he could feel only the wetness and warmth of her mouth. She sucked and slurped, moaning out of pure satisfaction and enjoyment. She watched as his face frowned in pure bliss. He had placed his hands on her head to help guide her but she didn’t need any guidance. She could tell by the look on his face he wanted something more, but he was in too much ecstasy to bring himself to say it.

“Fuck my face.” She said, rubbing the head of his penis against her full lips that were covered in spit. She liked the fact that she was watching her super tough super masculine boss fold at her touch, it was all because of her.

He tightened the grip on her head and forced himself into her mouth touching the back of her throat. She relaxed the muscles in her neck so that he could get better access, all the access he hoped for. He fucked her face, pumping in and out of her mouth pausing when he got all of himself into her. This caused her to gag slightly, building more saliva in her mouth which would make for an even better experience. He thrusted his hips back and forth, pausing between strokes to trigger her gag reflex. He loved the sound of her struggling to take all of him in. The more she gagged, the more tears built in her eyes. Before she knew it, the tears had fallen and the spit that built in her throat and ran down her neck onto her breasts.

This sight caused him to clench his jaw reluctantly. His assistant who he perceived as innocent had turned into a slut all because of him. The way she moaned as if she was the one being pleasured, the way her eyes would roll into her head and then focused back into his, hedidn’t want to cum just yet but the way she locked eyes with while he fucked her pretty face sent him over the edge. How she sat and took in every inch of him without tapping out made him let out a loud groan before sending his nut down her throat.

”Fuuuuuck!” He groaned, holding her head in place as he rode out his orgasm. She sat still as he struggled to catch his breath, her eyes still locked onto his. He pulled out of her and took a few breaths, still coming down from his climax. She swallowed every single drop of him.

“Stand up.” He demanded, his voice deep and impatient.

She stood with a slight smirk on her face, proud of her performance. In a swift motion she spun around facing the mirror as he kicked her legs open and slightly bent her over the sink. His hand was still wrapped tightly around her curls so this sudden change in position was all his doing. He pressed himself into her ass while he eyed her through the mirror. He could see that this had caught her off guard, the ball was now back in his court. He stared down at her ass, biting his lip in anticipation.

“Don't get nervous now.” She said, eyeing him through the mirror, a small smirk on her face again.

Without warning he pushed himself into her slowly until all of him was inside of her, every single inch. She let out a small wince from pain from the size of his dick. It had been a while since she’d had any, let alone one this size. With a hand full of curls in his left hand, he pulled her head back wrapping the other around her throat as he began to fuck her from behind. The sound of her ass slapping against him and the wetness from her pussy sent her into another realm. It was so good, better than she’d imagined.

He stroked her pussy, barely tightening the grip he had on her lower jaw. He pulled in and out of her, slamming himself into her with a quick thrust and then returning back to his steady pace. As he began to roll his hips into her, he saw her face twist in complete pleasure.

”Is this how you wanted it?” He said into her ear.

“Mhmm.” She replied, still so caught up in the pleasure she was getting from him.

“Use your words.” He said, tightening the hold he had on her hair.

“Yes sir.” She quickly responded.

“Good girl.” He spoke into her ear.

She felt him moving in and out of her, his dick hitting every spot with every stroke. She could feel the head of his dick rub against her spot over and over again. It was only a matter of time before she would cum all over him like she had imagined for months. The more he spoke into her ear, the crazier he was driving her. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it. His deep and calm tone right in her ear sent sensations to her clit, it was so swollen that it damn near stung from pleasure.

“You gone cum on this dick for me?” He asked, tightened the grip he had around her neck.

“Yes!” That was all she could manage at the moment.

“Cum on this dick baby.” He said into her ear, still hitting that spot that made her eyebrows wrinkle in pleasure.

She could feel her stomach tightening and pussy began to contract around him, she was cumming.

“Yes daddy, I’m cummin’” She yelled out in pleasure. He continued stroking her, feeling her creamy goodness run down his dick and onto his balls. He wanted all of her, he wouldn’t leave her until she was completely undone. He slowed his pace giving her time to come down from her orgasm before he made her cum again.

After a few long and slow strokes, he gradually picked up his pace aiming for another climax from her.

“Oh fuck yes!” She cried out. She had never cum multiple times in one day. For her orgasms to be back to back like this, there was no way she would ever meet anyone else who would top him.

”Give me that shit.” He spat, his lips brushing her earlobe. He needed his demands to send blood rushing right to her pussy.

”Yes!” She screamed, cumming all over him once again. Her clit jumped as her pussy throbbed naturally after her second orgasm. Even after that powerful flood that ran down her legs, he still hadn’t stopped stroking.

“I can’t.” She said, pleading for him to let her come down.

“Yes you can.” He said, now picking up the pace. His strokes became harder and faster, this time it was his turn to become undone and he wasn’t stopping until he did so. He fucked her like he was running a marathon and he could see the finish line a few feet away.

“Please.” She begged. Her hearing was starting to fade and breathing was becoming harder and harder by the second. On one hand she wanted a break, she needed a break from all of this back to back pleasure. But for some reason she didn’t want him to stop, she could feel his dick throb in her pussy. She knew he was about to cum and she wanted to have the last laugh.

“I’m almost there baby.” He said, his eyes closed as he felt the nut build in his lower abdomen. She watched in amazement as his face turned in pleasure. She took this opportunity to watch him fold yet again.

“Cum in my pussy daddy.” She moaned.

That was it. He leaned forward, placing his lips on her neck, closing his eyes even tighter than before. He grinded deeply into her until he felt his muscles in his stomach flex.

”Fuck!” He groaned into her neck as he shot his cum deep into her pussy. He stroked forcefully until he felt all of himself empty inside of her, before stopping and letting go of her hair.

There they rested against the bathroom counter struggling to catch their breath, holding onto each other for dear life. After a few minutes they both opened their eyes and stared at each other through the mirror.

“Sleep in my room tonight.” He began. “Or you’re fired.” He finished, pulling himself out of her and leaving the room.

She felt her knees buckle as she struggled to keep herself upright.

”I love my job.” She said to herself.

(I hope y’all liked it 😭 excuse any mistakes)

🩵

[starrylevi]

Can you do more Levi and chunky baby.

Of course!!! ☺️ Okay so this kind of got away from me. I had trouble figuring out how to end it so if the ending seems abrupt I apologize 😅

🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣

“This little sucker’s got some weight on them.” Hange teases with a smile as she pokes the baby’s cheek.

“Sounds like you’re just weak.” Levi retorts. “Give me my child.”

Hange rolls their eyes at him. “I never said it was a bad thing, Levi.”

Levi stares at Hange for a few seconds before he relents.

“Your dad’s so easy to anger.” Hange speaks in a childlike voice to the baby. “Good luck, kid.”

“Certain people are quick to anger me.” Levi corrects them as he throws a glare their way.

Hange’s eyes light up when you walk into the room. “Ah, y/n, could you please tell your husband to lighten up?” They request as they walk over to you, your baby babbling on their hip.

You quickly look at Levi who rolls his eyes and you shake your head with a chuckle. “What did you do this time, Hange?”

“I just said your baby’s got some nice weight on them.” Hange says with a smile before looking back at the baby. “Don’t cha, ya little plum.”

You sigh with a smile, knowing your baby’s weight is a touchy subject for Levi. “I’m sure you didn’t mean in a bad way.”

Hange looks back at your husband as if to say ‘See, Levi?’

“However, you should be careful about what you say around him. I won’t be liable for any injuries.” You tell Hange with a smirk as they pass you the child.

“You gotta tell your auncle to be careful with their words or daddy will hurt them.” You take them into your arms, kissing them on the cheek, emitting a happy babble from them. “Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Hange says mockingly, making you giggle, before they walk out of the room.

You walk over to Levi whose eyes soften as you get closer. “Hi.” You greet him softly before you give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Hey.” Levi sighs as he gently pulls you in by the waist for another kiss, minding the baby. “And hello to you too.” He gives them a gentle kiss on their forehead.

“I was thinking of taking a shower. Do you mind?” You ask him.

“Of course not, give ‘em here.”

After you leave the room, Levi puts down a clean baby blanket on the floor before he sets a colorful inflatable water mat right in front of it.

“Alright kid, it’s tummy time.” He places the baby down on their stomach with their upper half directly on top of the mat.

He watches as the baby becomes fixated on the squishy fish and ducks floating around in the mat. Their chubby hands try to grab at the fish while they try to hold themselves up. “There you go.” Levi says under his breath. The baby doesn’t typically like tummy time so you and Levi tried to think of different ideas to make it more stimulating for them. This inflatable mat is what you two decided on.

They seemed to be entertained for a few minutes before he sees their little body slowly roll themselves over so that they’re on their side. “Where do you think you’re going, hm?” Levi gently grabs the one chubby hand in the air and brings it back down so that they’re upright on their stomach again. The same thing happens a few more times. “Now you’re just being a little shit, huh.” He watches as the baby rolls over for the last time on their back. “Wonder where you got your stubbornness from.” He mutters to himself as he picks up the little chunk. The baby babbles and taps his cheeks with their little hands. “I’m sure that was fun for you, wasn’t it?” He asks them, earning a babble from them as a response. “Yeah, I bet…”

Levi grabs one of the baby snacks on the dresser before sitting down on the rocking chair you begged him to get, baby on his lap. “What am I gonna do with you?” He shakes his head as he opens the bag and feeds the baby a snack. “Should we just leave you somewhere?” Levi asks thoughtfully. As the baby chews on the snack, they look up at their father, their big sliver eyes mirroring his. The way they’re looking up makes it seem like they understood what Levi said. “No you don’t like that idea?” The baby continues to stare at him, making Levi let out a chuckle before he feeds them another snack. “Love you bud.”

[ash3d-darling]

“ANYWAY THE WIND BLOWS...”—

PLATONIC!VENTI / NEUVILLETTE x CHILD!ANEMO SOVEREIGN READER.

GN READER

cw: Brief religious mentions(church, prayer),Brief drinking mentions, slight Fontaine spoilers(?), possibly OOC in some parts. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

•Let’s begin properly, with the Anemo man himself: Venti.

•How they met was really in hindsight, not a surprise.

•I can see Sov!reader hearing one of his hymns, and trying to find him.

•Meanwhile Venti gets increasingly confused/worried about the new immense anemo energy that is not his.

•Venti seeking them out and standing there awkwardly with sovereign looking at him silently.

•Eventually he asks why they’re in the woods, where their parents are, and why they have anemo but no vision.

Venti clears his throat,“hello there child! If you don’t mind, Why are you in the forest..? And-” he looks at them carefully, searching for something. “Do you happen to have a vision?” He asks, charming voice getting strained near the end.

“a what?” Those two words were the thing that made him realize.

•With the new knowledge of what exactly anemo sovereign!reader is, he decides after zero thinking to “adopt” them!

•This of course means, “teach them to use anemo & play the lyre” but still!

•I can imagine training with Venti going.. well? If you’ve ever seen that part in ATLA where Katara first tries training waterbending to Aang(the scroll episode), it was pretty much that.

•I can see visiting the church, and praying to Barbatos, which may or may not have made Venti a little smug. Once he remembered who he was💀

•l imagine him not drinking while reader is around, for dignities sake.

•Eventually, Venti does worry how Sov! Reader would react about what happened to the previous dragon sovereigns, but he won’t need to worry for that until long ahead.

•In the end, the two of them end up having a father/older brother & child/younger sibling relationship.

•Now, Neuvillette is certainly happy reader has resurrected, but how did they meet?

•The two met when Venti had decided to take them Fontaine for “a little outing”. Where, they inevitably ran into each other.

•I can imagine that Venti knows dragon-sovereign!reader can fend for themselves, and obviously they’re quite strong, +Fontaine has a record of being reasonably safe, so he left them alone for 5 minutes. Little did he know.. •The Melusines simply had wanted to talk with reader, being interested in their “aura” of sorts, when Neuvillette had come to see them.

•unlike Venti, he knew almost immediately.

As always, Neuvillette had come to see the Melusines. It was practically a daily routine for him, always predictable. But, one thing he would never expect would soon appear.

“[__]? I’ve—…” The man paused when his eyes landed on the child, an unmistakable presence. Eyes widened, he stepped forward; “Greetings, young one. Who exactly may you be?” He asked, vying for more information— had the previous sovereign truly been reborn?

When they responded, Neuvillette knew he was correct.

•I imagine he would care for a.d.s!reader just as much as the Melusines, even more so if reader got along well with them.

•I can see Reader visiting Fontaine every few weeks, listening to his times and interests. •On that topic, I think that If A.d.s!reader ever listens to him talk endlessly about water or law, or even asked/took interest In them, he would be overjoyed!

•if reader ever wonders, Neuvillette would gladly show them his power, and perhaps help them with their own. •slightly jealous of Venti, as reader eventually goes back, but ultimately understanding. •Like Venti and anemo dragon-sovereign!reader, I see Neuvillette and readers relationship as: caring father-figure & slightly weird mystery child.

[mystic-writings]

emergency contact | jack hodgins

pairing — jack hodgins x fem!booth!reader

summary — hodgins hasn’t heard from you in over six months, after you broke up with him and disappeared. until he gets an alarming phone call in the middle of the night

warnings — angst, canon-typical violence, mentions of death

word count — 2,528

notes — a few things: i wrote this back in january, and it was rushed and poorly done but im being self-indulgent for this one | also im not tagging anyone bc i wanna see how far this will get on its own (except for my beloved @shmaptainwrites who indulged me ily mimi)

masterlist | navigation

2:47am

Despite his many years working for the Jeffersonian, Hodgins had yet to get used to his phone ringing at odd hours. With a groan and a stretch, his palm landed where his phone lay on the nightstand table. Without checking the caller ID, he picked up the phone and slurred out a tired greeting to the caller on the other line.

“Hello, Dr. Hodgins, I’m Marie, calling from the George Washington University Hospital.” Why was a hospital calling him so late at night? “You’re listed as the emergency contact for Y/n Booth, correct?”

Your name sent a shock through Jack’s body. “I— I guess so, yeah. Why? Is she okay?”

“Your fiancée was shot on duty, sir. She’s in surgery right now. We suggest you be with her when she wakes up.”

Without a second thought, Jack hung up the phone and flung out of bed. He didn’t care how things ended between the two of you, good or bad, but he knew one thing for certain: he needed to make sure you were okay. After scrambling for a decent set of clothing and his car keys, Jack rushed out of the house and down the near-empty streets to the hospital you were taken to. 

Even though his mind was running at a mile a minute, Jack managed to recall what the nurse had told him. Shot on duty. You took a sabbatical seven months ago, were you back in town? Surely Booth must’ve known, he was your brother and co-worker, he had to have. Did he spare telling Jack to avoid the inevitable turmoil? Obviously you’d been back long enough to take a case, so it wasn’t like you had decided to come back out of the blue. 

By the time he found parking, it was half past 3 in the morning, and Jack’s heart refused to stop beating out of his chest, his palms sweating rivers as he clenched and unclenched them. Despite all of this, though, he approached the front desk with a cracking resolve, trying his best to be put together for the sake of not distressing the night staff and lingering patient family members. 

“Could you tell me where Y/n Booth is?”

The nurse behind the counter glanced up at him. “Connection to the patient?”

“I’m her-” he stumbled on the words. “Her, uh, fiancé. Emergency contact.” 

She typed a few things into the computer when a voice from behind caught Jack’s attention. 

“Hodgins.” Booth called, approaching with a weary face and a cup of likely burnt coffee.

Jack nearly sprinted over to the man, blue eyes frantically searching for answers in his features. “What’s up, man? I mean, what the hell happened?”

Booth took Hodgins by the arm and led him down a hallway, over to the elevators. “We were going after a perp. I told her not to go in first, that I’d handle the hard part. She didn’t listen, the bastard got her from behind, shot out one of her kidneys. Been in surgery for almost,” he checked his watch, “three hours now.” 

Jack deflated just as the elevator doors dinged open. The pair stepped inside, the space empty apart from themselves. “I just— I don’t get it. Yesterday, she was somewhere even I didn’t know, taking some damn sabbatical. Yesterday, I was still pissed at her. Now? She’s in surgery because she was on a case. Because some asshole shot her. I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do with that, Booth?”

Unable to provide any kind of emotional support or response, Booth remained quiet as his friend tried his best not to break down in the elevator. 

When the doors opened, Jack attempted to regain his composure as best as he could while Booth led him down the hall. There was a separate waiting room here, for family members who had someone in surgery. He sat opposite Booth, next to a sleeping little girl and her obviously exhausted mother. 

He had no bearing of the passage of time, and felt as though there was no energy left within him to check the watch on his wrist. All he did was sit with his hands on his knees, head tilted to the sky, one leg bouncing like an infinite rubber ball. At some point, a doctor came out to notify the mother of her husband’s successful surgery — his tumor was gone, he’d told her, and there was little chance of it coming back. 

It wasn’t until the sun started to peek in through the waiting room windows that a surgeon called out your name. Booth had been asleep in the chair across from Jack, but he was wide awake. The pair jumped up and approached the doctor, throwing questions at him rapidly. 

“Y/n is okay. Surgery went well, though we’ll have to keep her here for longer than expected.”

“Why? What happened?” Booth asked. 

The doctor sighed. “Due to the location of the entry wound, the bullet caused too much damage to her right kidney. For now, she’ll only be functioning with one until we can find a donor match. She’ll be on dialysis weekly and some medication to assist the working kidney, but otherwise, she’ll be just fine in a week or so. The bullet did puncture the liver and small intestine, but the speed of the bullet slowed enough to only cause minor damage, nothing we couldn’t fix up.” He told them, and a wave of relief crashed over the pair. “She’s being brought up to her room now, if you’d like to go wait with her.”

Jack only nodded, Booth trailing him as the doctor led them up one more floor, where you were being transferred to the ICU. It was painful, seeing you after so  long, only for you to be hooked up to so many machines, laying nearly helpless in a bed. He pulled a chair up to your right side, reaching for your limp hand to hold, hoping you could feel him. 

Hoping you knew he was there. That you knew he always would be.

Booth leaned against the door frame, watching everything with anguish. After you left for California, you kept in constant contact with your older brother. But even in those months, you never explained why you broke off the engagement so suddenly. Why you took a surprise sabbatical, why you went to California specifically. Why you became so closed off, so cold to everyone, even to Parker. 

After a while, Booth left Jack alone to go pick up Parker from his mother’s house. He promised to be back later, your nephew in tow, and pressed a featherlight kiss to your forehead before he left. 

Jack, swimming in an ocean’s worth of thought, barely noticed the sun coming over the horizon in the window opposite him. All he could do was process the emotions flowing through him. Anger, that you left him so suddenly and without explanation. Despair, that you’d come back so long ago and didn’t come to see him, to work things out. Worry, that despite your life-saving surgery, you wouldn’t get a new kidney, or that you’d never be the same again. Anger again, but at the bastard who shot you. Triumph, that he was rotting in a cell right now. 

 Jack’s only comfort in the sterile, whitewashed room was the steady beeping emanating from the heart monitor, a small assurance that you were okay. His hand remained clasped over yours for hours, thumb stroking the smooth skin on the back of your hand. Partly as a comfort to himself that you were still there, but mostly, he believed, a comfort to you. He hoped you could feel it; that you could feel his presence. He hoped his presence comforted you. 

By the time you woke up, all the worry had faded from Jack’s body and exhaustion had taken its place. He was asleep, head supported by his arm on the side of the chair, when he heard the sheets rustle in the bed. 

Somehow, in all your years of work, this was the first time you ended up in the hospital due to a job-related injury. It wasn’t the first time you woke up dazed after a surgery with little memory of how you got there, though. 

The sheets, despite being thin, weighed down your legs and torso, providing warmth and comfort. You could feel the leads for the heart monitor stuck to your chest, irritating your skin in the slightest bit. There was a cannula feeding oxygen into your system, though it rubbed the skin on the back of your ears uncomfortably. The main thing, though, was that your torso hurt. 

Despite that, you managed to notice something weighing down your right hand. It was warm, warmer than the blankets. And heavier. Garnering the courage to open your eyes, you blinked to adjust to the sunlight and fluorescent lights, trying to shift yourself upward, wincing when it pulled on your wound. Instead, you glanced over at your hand, only to find another on top of it. Following the arm connected to it, your heart stuttered and cracked when you found a sleeping Hodgins sitting next to your bed. Emotion swelled within your chest and tear ducts just at the sight of him, sleeping so peacefully next to you, his hand over yours in a firm grasp, as if that was the only thing that assured him that you were really here. 

Slowly, quietly, you tried to pull your hand out from under Jack’s, only for the movement to wake him up. He stretched with a deep inhale, blinking rapidly as he took in his surroundings. It wasn’t until he noticed you were awake that he seemed to come to his senses. 

“Hey,” he nearly whispered. “How’re you feeling?”

You bit back a scoff. “Terrible. First job back and of course I had to get myself shot.” 

Jack fought a smile, scooting forward to raise the bed up for you to sit properly. “They said they got all the fragments of the bullet during surgery. You’re down a kidney for now, though.”

You only nodded, allowing yourself some time to gather your thoughts. “Why are you here, Hodgins?”

“Apparently, I’m still your emergency contact.” He told you, sitting back down and resting his elbows on his knees. “And apparently, I still care about you enough to show up.” 

“Don’t put that on me.” You whispered, chest restricting as tears fought their way back to your waterline. “You can’t say that to me. Not after what I did to you. You should hate me. I mean, really hate me. Like, praying for my downfall, kind of hate. You shouldn’t still care about me.”

“Well, apparently I do. I thought I hated you, for a long time. But I guess I don’t.” Jack sighed,  taking your hand. You wanted to protest, to pull away, but you let him. “I guess this was a wakeup call for me. Literally. They called me at 3 in the morning to tell me you were in surgery.”

You laughed, a wet sound underlined with sadness. “I’m sorry, Jack. Really, I am. I just…”

“What, don’t love me? It’s okay. I’ve learned to live with it.” 

Even when he should hate you, Jack still understood, and even worse, he still loved you. He was, somehow, the world’s most understanding man. God, you love him. 

“No, no I don’t hate you. Actually, it’s the opposite. I just wish things could’ve gone differently.” 

Now Jack was just confused. “What d’you mean? You broke up with me for a reason, right? You told me you didn’t love me anymore.”

“It’s too complicated, Jack. I want to explain it all to you, really, but it’s not safe. I don’t know if or when it will be, and I won’t blame you if you want to find someone else, or if you already have. You deserve to be happy, Jack. You should move on from me.” 

“I don’t want anyone else.” Jack said, emphasizing each word and squeezing your hand. “I just want you. From the moment I met you, I knew you were it for me, Y/n. Even with your brother breathing down my neck to not even think about pursuing our relationship. It was terrifying, but I ignored it. Because you were too important to have in my life. I couldn’t risk passing you up. I just don’t understand why you ended things so suddenly.”

The tears that you had been attempting to keep at bay for this entire conversation now flowed freely down your cheeks, the emotions you’d kept close to your chest for nearly a year now breaking free. Jack, like the gentleman he was, gently tilted your head toward him, reaching up and using the pads of his thumbs to brush them from your cheeks. 

“I’m sorry,” you whimpered, daring to look him in the eye. 

“Don’t be.” He whispered. 

“I have to be. I hurt you. I ruined everything. And it wasn’t even worth it. It  didn’t change anything.”

Despite his confusion, Jack said nothing. He simply stood to his full height and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling you into his chest — minding your wounds and stroking your hair. “It’s okay. You’re home now. We can fix this.”

“No we can’t.” You shook your head, looking up at him. “Jack, there’s nothing left to fix. Because if we fix it, you’ll die.” 

After what felt like an eternity of swirling, spiraling thoughts, Jack found his voice. “What?”

“That’s why I left.” You said. “I was ordered to. I was working on a case, some underground organized crime syndicate. I found out some stuff I shouldn’t have. My hands were tied, I had no choice.” Choking back a sob, you wiped the tears from your face and took a breath. “It was either break up with you, call off the wedding, and leave, or everyone I loved would die. They were gonna kill you, kill Seeley and Parker, and drain your accounts. There was nothing I could do.” 

Jack pulled you in tighter, his whole worldview shifting and turning on an axis. He couldn’t speak — hell, he could barely even think right now. Jack had spent months grieving your relationship, questioning why you broke things off, harboring a ruthless anger at what his life had become, and all of it faded to dust in an instant. 

“I don’t know what to do,” you whispered, pulling Jack back to the present. “I work with these people, Jack. They could ruin me in an instant.” 

“We’ll fix this, I promise.” Jack declared, and despite the fear that had overridden your senses for the past few months, you couldn’t help but believe him. 

You only nodded, curling further into him as best as you could with your incisions. Fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie, you listened to the beat of his heart beneath you and took a deep breath. 

Soon enough, you were drifting off to sleep with the firm belief that soon enough, with the help of your family, somehow, everything would be okay. 

if you want more jack fics, please feel free to comment and let me know!! writing for smaller characters is always a gamble but if people read this i’d be more than happy to do so!

[stevie-petey]

what about a fun silly little mindless blurb w steve robin and bug at scoops before ch 1? like what was the first time bug stopped in to visit steve like ? did robin instantly take to her ? i need to see my precious babies bond

we technically already see bugs first time meeting robin in chapter 9 of season 2, buuuuut i love em and will extend the scene a bit <3

enjoy !

"slow down! youre running so fast and i just biked here!" you try your best to keep with robin as she drags you through the newly built mall.

"keep up, slowpoke!" robin only tugs at your hand and all you can do is follow.

youve known the girl for all of five minutes and already shes become your new favorite person.

robin drags you to an area close to the entrance where theres a fancy fountain. seemingly content with where shes dragged you to, she finally drops your hand and sits against the fountains ledge. scrunching her face, she looks disapprovingly at the statue. "how come hawkins had enough money for this crap but not for new uniforms for the band kids?"

"youre in band?" you ask the girl as you sit next to her.

"yup," robin nods at you, curious to see what your reaction will be. shes heard a lot about you, everyone in hawkins has. youre the towns sweetheart, and robin knows at least three people in her band group that you helped one way or another throughout the years.

you gasp. "dude, i wouldve done band, but jonathan wanted to do choir instead."

"why didnt you just do what you wanted?" robin asks you, though she knows the answer already.

"band wouldnt have been fun without him, and i do like to sing." you shrug, not really regretful over the decision.

robin stares at you, a slight frown on her face. she seems to almost study you. "youre fascinating, you know that?"

"what do you mean?" you wrap your arms around yourself, suddenly feeling very small.

seeing this, robin is quick to correct herself. shes always been horrible talking to other people; shes the worst at making new friends, and she really, really wants to be your friend. "no! i didnt, uh, mean it in a bad way! i just-well, i mean. shit."

robins panic only makes you forget your anxiety and you nudge your shoulder against hers. "hey, breathe. im not going to like, dunk you into the fountain water."

"thank god," robin exhales, relieved that you dont seem too angry with her. taking a deep breath, she tries again to explain herself. "what i meant was: you took choir for jonathan byers, and yet youre here now with steve harrington. the douchebag."

you frown at robins words. you forget sometimes that so few people see steve how you do. hes far from the boy he used to be, but you know that sometimes its harder to heal wounds from cruel words said during your youth. "i know you dont believe me, but steve isnt so bad."

"hes a dick."

"he used to be, but now he isnt."

robin huffs. "and im just expected to believe you?"

"no," you shrug. "while i understand that steve has changed since you last saw him, i also understand that this change isnt mine to force you to accept."

your words leave robin speechless. its almost annoying how rational youre being about this. how you can balance both steves feelings and hers without making either of them feel lesser for it.

youre a goddamn saint and robin truly has no idea how jonathan or steve have managed to snag you for themselves.

its unfair.

"i..." robin tries to think of something to retaliate with, but she cant. youre right and she hates it. "thats a very frustratingly mature way to look at things."

you shrug again. "it sucks being so mature, i'll admit."

then steve runs up to the two of you and hes panting with exhaustion. "christ," he wheezes out, clutching at his knees as he bends down to try an catch his breath. "you two are fast."

"youre an athlete, harrington." you tug at steves hair and cause him to topple onto the ground, which robin cant help but giggle at. "keep up."

"why do i always end up on the ground when youre around?" steve doesnt even bother to get up.

"because im clearly bigger and stronger than you."

robin pokes your cheek, mollified by your conversation from earlier and by the fact that you just knocked steve harrington to the ground for fun. "dont forget more mature, y/n."

"oh, so much more mature." you agree, smiling at her.

steve sighs from the ground. "this is gonna be a long summer."

"get used to it, dingus," robin nudges the boy with her sneaker and he flinches away, displeased, but this only makes you and robin giggle even more together.

[dcawritings]

You are the manager of the daycare (and Sun by extension). Some people think this means you don't care if he gets yelled at.

This assumption is wildly inaccurate, and you are not afraid to professionally threaten correct them.

You're in the middle of something important.

It's been clinging at your thoughts all day while you tried desperately to ignore it, but at some point it became impossible to deny the truth--technically, it had a higher priority than everything you decided to complete much earlier in the shift.

And unfortunately that leaves you stuck at your desk, staring down hard at the collection of intake forms and spreadsheets. You know it won't take more than half an hour, but that time would be some of the most horrible, boring, downright painful minutes of your life.

Could you push it off until tomorrow? Maybe Monday even?

No, you ultimately decide, the paperwork needed to be done. There was no point to pushing it back again--it still needed to be forwarded to the document filing team, then to human resources, and that would only end up making your job harder in the end since only then could you finalize everything.

By the time that you'd actually relegated yourself to sitting down and getting the work done, the day was nearly over with--parents were starting to come in and pick up their children.

Some were kids of employees that worked at the Pizzaplex itself; childcare cost was heavily discounted for workers of any department, so it was extremely convenient for many who simply didn't have any other options. They were also some of the sweetest kids you'd ever met, if only because they were very familiar with the daycare and its rules. Other children were simply dropped off because the guardians wanted some time to enjoy the facility themselves for a few hours or so. The process for checking a child out was the same regardless, and typically very painless after a parent knew to expect the process.

Normally you don't need to worry about assisting with child pickups. You had several employees that were expected to make sure the process was quick and smooth, though there was only two on the clock right now--a couple call-outs had left you with less people than you'd like on such a busy day, but the two working today were some of your best and longest-term employees. They handled plenty of crazier days, so you trusted them to keep things together when office work took precedence over smaller tasks that kept you visible and available even for the kids themselves.

So, one can imagine your utter surprise when the sound of disdained yelling suddenly echoes through the daycare. Not just a little yelling either; it's shrill, with enough intensity that it reaches all the way to your back office and that... that takes a lot. Enough that it immediately tugs at your instincts to investigate.

The words aren't clear enough to make out, so you push yourself away from the desk and leave the office, then out of the hallway into the main daycare area.

It doesn't take more than a breath of time to realize who is making all the noise--a parent. They're standing near the front of the daycare, but not where they're supposed to be.

The check-out desk was located in the small room overlooking the daycare's main play area, separated by plexiglass and rope netting. Not only was it supposed to be an easier way to get kids comfortable in being away from their parents (they literally arrive in the daycare by way of a slide into a ball pit), but it also served as a form of security--nobody could enter the daycare without proper credentials, and there was always someone posted up there to greet anyone coming to drop off or pick up their child.

But this one? Somehow, this one came through an employee-only entrance. That audacity alone would make your blood boil, but the fact that you recognized the woman only made it worse.

Her shrill screaming filled the room with venom while she clutched her son against her hip, as if trying to shield him from the poor daycare attendant animatronic who was, as best as he could, diffuse the situation.

It doesn't take long to get an idea of what she's going off about either--the woman is not particularly quiet about it.

"When I leave my son here, I expect that he will be safe!" she hisses, brushing her son's hair as if trying to soothe the child. "And what do I find when I come to pick him up? That he's been manhandled and tossed around like a toy--you're lucky he didn't break a bone!"

The young boy doesn't look injured, and if anything he seems more scared of his mother.

Travis, you recall his name--a rather quiet boy, didn't always like to play with other kids. His mother, Sarah, worked in one of the back offices as a programmer. Her hours were always odd, so his father tended to be the one to drop the boy off. Now you understand why.

The thing was, Travis really liked playing with Sun. Since he was shy, the daytime bot often took it upon himself to try and encourage the boy to take part in craftime or storytime--he'd recently been able to get him to play in the ball pit with the other kids his age.

"This kind of behavior is completely inexcusable," she finally seethes, a look of one-note rage in her eyes that seemed to burn the longer she looks at the animatronic. "I will make sure to put in a complaint about this--"

"I-I am sorry that you think your son was h-harmed, Miss Martin. I assure you that h-he was just playing with the other kids." Sun lifts his hands up in a passive way, trying desperately to keep her from screaming more. People were starting to stare at the unfolding scene, and it was quickly coming undone at the seams. "I am incapable of doing anything that w-would put any little superstars in danger!"

Sarah's eyes gleam with poison as she seems to catch her claws on a hook. "Oh, so you're saying you're defecting from your programing?"

"N-no! Not at all! My programming is clean as a whistle, I have it debugged at r-regular intervals!"

"I work in the programming department," she says, voice going quiet. "With the glamrock series code. Directly down the hall from the man who makes decisions about every machine in this facility. All it would take is for me to walk right down to his office and let him know that the daycare is turning into a severe liability for the company." You are already hurrying over, not missing the way Sunny's fists start to clench tight, tight enough for his joints to squeal under the pressure as he restrains himself. He's trying so hard to keep his professionalism under the abuse--and Sarah seems to know exactly what to say.

"Your model is old. Your code is old. It's a shoddy piece of work that should be scrapped and redone, I've been telling them that for months now. They'd be better of scrapping you so we can finally have room for another glamrock and-"

You waste no time in immediately stepping directly into the line of fire, forcing yourself into the space between Sun and Sarah who has, until that moment, been encroaching closer and closer into his personal space. Was she trying to set him off? To see how far he would take the abuse before saying something wrong?

Probably. You wouldn't put it past a cruel woman like her at this point.

"What seems to be the problem here?" you say, fake smile wide and tone forcibly friendly. "I sure heard you all the way from my office!"

"Oh no dear, don't worry, it's nothing you need to concern yourself about," the woman says, waving her hand at you as if expecting her words to be like an order. "Though you can be a dear and go fetch the manager?"

You don't move, but clench your jaw tight and force the words through your teeth, "I happen to be the manager of the daycare, so if there is an issue or complaint, then I need to know about it! So please," the fake smile drops and you stare at her hard. "What is the problem here?"

Sarah's expression twitches with annoyance, but she tries to immediately save face by gesturing to her son and acting as if she was the one getting yelled at.

"Well, I didn't want to make a big deal of it, but my son has been injured because of your animatronic!"

You glance over at Travis. The poor kid is no older than eight, and he's trying to stare down at his shoes, his face flushed red with embarrassment and shame.

"Hey, little buddy," you kneel down to be closer to eye-level with him. "Did something happen to get you hurt?"

He shakes his head before his mother can try to interject. When you try to ask him another question she finally puts a hand between his gaze and yours, breaking it and forcing you to look back at her.

"That thing is running on severely old, broken code," she says, tone low and voice slow, as if trying to communicate an unspoken threat. "It's only a matter of time before something happens. Before someone gets hurt. I don't understand why they haven't just decommissioned the abhorrent thing. Doesn't even look as cute as the glamrocks."

Oh. So she's chosen death?

No. Breathe. Slowly. Remember how things work. Remember to play it smart. She wants you to get angry, needs to get a response out of you just so she can use it to cry to upper management.

Be smart about this. Be smart and unyielding. It takes every ounce of restraint not to deck the woman in the nose right there--but you at least have an upper hand.

"Who is your direct manager?"

"Huh?"

You stare at her expectantly, letting the silence fill the room before finally clarifying and repeating yourself. "Who. Is. Your. Direct. Manager?"

"I-I don't know how that's relevant to the current problem we're trying to solve."

"Well," you finally say, pulling out your company-assigned mini pad and scrolling through the employee database. "I need to get into contact with them about your behavior. Obviously you've forgotten several very important policies and I want to make sure you're educated on them as need be."

"Wh-what policies?" Sarah demands. "I haven't broken anything--that thing is what we're talking about right now."

You shake your head, proud of the even tone to your voice even though you want nothing more than to scream and yell at her in kind.

"First, you enter the daycare using an unapproved door-"

"I am an employee for the company-!"

"-and even employees are not allowed to use that door. It is for daycare attendants and handlers only. It is an active security measure to ensure the safety of little superstars like your son, whom you obviously seem to care for the safety of, right?"

She is silent, sputtering, taken aback by your confidence or simple knowledge of how to play the system correctly.

"Second, I have you on record actively harassing a coworker. Not only are you specifically not using his preferred pronouns, you are also belittling and demeaning him and his ability to do his job correctly. A job which I will remind you is difficult and stressful and comes with a wide variety of nuance."

You take the opportunity to step forward. Not too far, just a little idle step. Enough to take control and apply pressure to the situation.

"I'm sorry that you can't seem to understand the subtlety of how kids tend to play around Travis' age, and I'm sorry that you don't seem to care about the fact that he has been making very good progress in getting to know the other kids--specifically because of Sun's hard work with him."

Another small, calculated step. Sarah retreats from how she's looming forward, and you can see the tension in her jaw.

"Harassing a coworker? I haven't said anything to-"

"Sun? You mean one of my employees? The very one I heard you screaming at?" You shrug, managing to seem coldly nonchalant with surprising ease--maybe it's the adrenaline coursing through your veins. Between the heat of your words, you feel one of Sun's hand gently grabbing the back of your shirt. Not tugging, just holding on. "I mean, if you like we can go into my office and I can pull the cameras--if I misunderstood something then surely we can go over the recording and find out where I'm not getting that right."

That's the final push. Sarah knows she can't win the argument or force you to back down from a legitimate, honest-to-god threat. Despite being in a different department, technically you are still above her; you already know her manager. Marcus was a pretty easy-going guy that had a lot of sympathy for the animatronics, so it wouldn't take much for him to write her up from your word alone.

"I... well, maybe I just misunderstood," the woman finally says, her smile cold and not reaching her eyes. "No need to make this a big deal or anything! I will make sure to use the right door next time, my mistake."

Your mouth moves faster than your brain can stop them--it's edging on the line of being appropriate for someone of your position, but you need to make sure this woman understands that you are willing to hold your ground.

"Please do, because if I hear of something like this happening again? I will ban you outright from the daycare facility."

Her eyes widen and she opens her mouth as if to say something, but she's already lost. You have the authority to decline service to anyone, and at least with this situation you were grateful to have that power.

Sarah hurries out of the room without another word. You feel bad for Travis--the kid really didn't deserve to be in the middle of all that--but he offers some assurance by turning around to try and wave before the two of them disappear beyond the door.

You barely get a chance to let out a held breath before a pair of hurried footsteps approach you.

"Is everything okay?" one of the attendants ask. She's normally so soft spoken, but you can hear the genuine concern leaking through the words. "I knew as soon as I saw Sarah things would be bad--she always tries to find something to yell about when she picks Travis up."

"Yeah," the other worker echoes, then turns to speak to Sun. "I am so sorry you ended up with her, Sunny. If I knew she had used the door down here I would have immediately left the intake room."

The two of them started to crowd around you and Sun a bit more than you liked. Jesus, how was Sun even doing?

"We're okay, it's fine just-" another sigh spills from your lips, exhaustion taking the space where adrenaline had kept you so still and composed. "You two go make sure the other kids are okay? That was a lot of screaming for them to hear."

With only a little more consoling they finally move away to check on the few kids still waiting to get picked up. It leaves you and Sun alone at least, a vague amount of privacy.

You turn around, not sure what to expect from the animatronic--but it's a surprise all the same to find him staring at you with wide, as if unbelieving eyes. There's a sense of tension hidden somewhere in his expression, but its overshadowed by something else. Something hard to read.

"... Are you okay, Sunny?" you finally ask in a soft, gentle voice. He looks down, peering at the multicolored carpet silently. All it takes is the soft touch of your hand gently touching the side of his faceplate to make him twitch, listening but still not looking at you. "Don't you worry about anything, okay? She's just a cruel nobody who likes making other people feel bad. I will make sure she's not allowed anywhere beyond the intake room and make a recommendation that Travis' dad be the only one who can pick him up."

He is still silent, but you're relieved to see his body loosen. All that tension, all that heartache and anger, almost all gone in an instant.

"Sunny...?"

After a moment, the animatronic finally tilts his face into your touch. Before you can ask or say anything else, however, he sweeps you into his arms in a tight hug. So tight in fact that he begins to spin you around in a circle, stopping only when he's done sputtering.

"You didn't have to do all that for little ol' me! Someone so busybusy like you shouldn't need to deal with parents at all--you're so silly, starlight!"

Despite the fact that his words try to sound casual, you saw every sign in the book that Sun had barely been taking the woman's verbal abuse. You can't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't shown up--would he have snapped? Would she have threatened something worse?

"Oh goodness please put me down Sunny-" you lean into his arms as the room slowly stops spinning around you. Then, when you collect yourself, you offer him a warm and genuine smile. "Sunshine, you are one of my employees, and nobody deserves to be talked down to like that at all. It's not fair for her to treat you like that-" you catch a look of worry somewhere in his eyes, and so you quickly add, "-and I will never let you be decommissioned. There isn't anything wrong with you, so don't let her empty threats put a rain cloud over you."

It's only in that moment that you realize how tightly his hands are grasping at your uniform.

"... you... promise?"

He's more scared of that then he ever lets on.

"I promise," you say with complete confidence. "Nobody will ever hurt you on my watch, Sun. You and Moon both. They'll have to go through my stubborn ass first--and I actually memorized most of the employee handbook anyway."

"Starlight!" he says, sounding shocked.

"Wh-what?"

"Language."

You chuckle, the sound rumbling through your chest as you bring a hand over your face. You'll have to touch base with Sun again once the other kids and employees have left for the night, but at least he's doing better.

And you're still sending a message to Marcus about her--she'll be lucky if she doesn't get a huge write-up for that outburst.

[a-small-tragedy]

And so... Hi!

Usually my name is Korzh, but you can call me Bernard! My pronouns are he/his. You may know me from the Topher art. But recently I had posts written about me with extremely dubious content and I want to refute these disgusting accusations in my direction. 

Let's get right to the point, I'm NOT a PROSHIPPER AND I'VE NEVER BEEN ONE.

The first and most terrible is the accusation of pedo content. I've always drawn characters older than they are in the show. I myself am very uncomfortable with sexual undertonesbetween 16-year-olds, so I made them older for my comfort. That being said, the characters both on my nsfw artworks as well as regular ones are OF AGE!

Also, in my defense, I want to show a post that I made the DAY BEFORE.

Context: I drew my favorite characters dynamics, but some people started commenting adult and child pairs, so I made a post.

Translation: JULY 5TH 9:54 Guys, if there is a child or an animal in your ship dynamics, then I may have questions for you...  Just a warning, I never thought that it would be necessary to introduce a rule for this, in my group!

I tried to be as correct and gentle in my statements as possible, because I couldn't know for sure with which intent these characters were shown in the first place. But later I realized that it was just a misunderstanding, I did not indicate that it was a romantic relationship, people misunderstood me, so I deleted the post :D

But as you can see, I'm generally AGAINST THIS KIND OF STUFF.

Speaking of misunderstandings.....I was also accused of Transphobia based on a deleted post.

Probably not everyone knows, but I am trans myself! It was very hard to accept, because I was constantly faced with transphobia in my address from people in reality and the Internet.

As for the deleted post, it really looks terrible. The fact is that unfortunately, while writing, I mixed two ideas at once( The first one was that I can't really imagine Topher being in a relationship with a girl. The second one was supposed to tell about the ideas for an art with T Joan and T Topher.

But in the process of writing, I couldn't formulate the idea correctly, and it turned out like THIS... IT WASN'T UNTIL A FEW MINUTES LATER THAT I REALIZED WHAT I HAD DONE AND I WAS REALLY SORRY, SO I DELETED THE POST SO AS NOT TO UPSET PEOPLE. My trans friend reassured me that it didn't hurt her, but I still felt terrible, so I completely refused to implement that idea.

I'm really sorry about that post, but I didn't think that people would just take it out of context and want to cancel me without understanding the situation. Now I understand that I should have apologized for it right away. But what happened happened.

Also I tried to contact these people just to talk, but the only person who knows their contacts refused to help.

Addition: Some people on Twitter pointed out my nationality, yes, I am Russian and do not support the authorities in my country. WELL, APPARENTLY, NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT 2 OUT OF 3 PEOPLE WHO WROTE THE POST WITH THE CANCELLATION ARE RUSSIANS THEMSELVES. AHAHAHAHAHAH Addition 2: Already at the time of writing, the authors of the post compared me to a real terrible person and began to blackmail me by setting conditions. I can't describe how disgusted I am with this whole situation. Shall these words and actions be on their own responsibility, if they have any left. To the rest, thank you for reading and taking the time! Your support has helped me to deal with this. Special thanks to everyone who helped translate this text ahahah, I'm really not very good at this... If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments or an anonymous ask!  Bye!

[luimagines]

Unlocking Our Chains in the Shadows

.....Ok.

More "original" work. ^.^*

Once again cowritten with @thesoftieanon with her character Hesper.

We once again lost our minds here. It's blind child, mafia au where this time Hesper was paired with Time. No demigods here though. Enjoy 29 pages of pure brain rot. We certainly enjoyed writing it.

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

When they first entered the house, it was stealth and deadly precision. They were a unit. A single track mind with the goal to meet and a target to eliminate.

They didn’t expect the place to already be filled with blood and carnage.

It was a massacre.

They stayed quiet, so as to not arouse suspicion if there were any traps nearby but the place had been cleared out. There were at least five dead men The Chain didn’t recognize and they found their target beheaded on his bed. Given that it was the middle of the night, this was a premeditated attack. 

They were too late to get their own licks in- and had lost the one source of info that they had hoped to gain from him. A shame, but there was no use of crying over spilled milk.

An ear piercing scream shatters the sickly calm over the house, snapping all of their heads towards the rooms. A high pitched sound that unmistakingly belonged to a child.

Their hearts dropped.

While they weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty… they had often tried to stay away from the little ones. Whoever came before was unlikely not as kind.

“I want answers.” Time growls, signaling for Twilight and Four to follow where Sky and Hyrule had gone off to. Those two had no doubt found the child first. The boss of the group had to send Wild and Warrior to check the perimeter once more. If the scream had attracted any unwanted attention, they would have to be quick about getting out of there as quickly as possible.

It only took a few minutes.

Twilight returned with the child in his arms, shivering and sobbing quietly. Something pulls on the Boss’ heart strings. The small child could be no older than six years old. So young. And already so scarred.

“Don’t….” They whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me like they hurt Father.”

Time sucks in a breath through his teeth. Sky and Four share an equally cringed look.

“We won’t.” Time tries to keep his voice level. The rage in his voice is already threatening to boil over at the dark scars on their arm. He doesn’t know where they came from, but it’s enough to know that this child hasn’t only suffered on this night- but perhaps many more before the attack. “We’re going to take you somewhere safe, ok? We just have to quiet for a little bit.”

They sniffle. “...No more bad guys?”

Time notices that the child doesn’t quite look in his direction. “No more bad guys.”

“Blind.” Twilight answers the unspoken question. He can see the confusion on Time’s face as clear as day.  “Poor kid can’t see a thing. Doesn’t appear to be injury related.”

Time nods at his nephew. “Move out then. Don’t leave any evidence that we’ve been here.”

“Yes sir.” Was the answered chorus.

They move swiftly and silently and within the hour, they are back at their home base.

They’re quick to get the child settled, fed and cleaned. They don’t want to startle the child more so than they already were. Time interrogated Sky and Hyrule about their findings. Their target happened to be the child’s father, if they’re investigation was correct. The child had heard the house being broken into and hid in the closet for hours until they had arrived. The child hadn’t mentioned any other family.

Time sighed. They can’t exactly give the child into the system without giving themselves away but this was no life to live for the likes of a kindergartener. Wind was an exception. He had a little sister to look after the death of his grandma, but that didn’t mean they dragged on every mission they had.

Actually… now that he thinks about it… Aryll might be a bit closer to their age. Perhaps they could keep the child here. Aryll and Wind had nowhere else to go. Neither does this child.

Time sends the order to clean out a small space for the child to call their own. He calls Aryll over specifically and tells the young girl to keep an eye on them and help them feel comfortable. Be their friend. 

Time calls over the boys and holds a meeting about the unsuccessful mission. No one seems to have anything to say.

He can’t blame them.

It’s late. They’re disappointed, tired and shocked.

Time holds a vote, mostly to see if any of them are against having the child here despite the challenges it would no doubt bring.

“Old man.” Warrior swallows harshly. “If we disagree, what do you plan to do?”

Time didn’t have an answer for him.

“Would you kick them out to the street?” Legend asks next, tempting the silence to answer back with teeth.

Time shakes his head. “Child of the enemy or not, they’re still a child. I’m not that cruel.”

A pregnant pause follows. It threatens to burst and explode but no one seems willing to take the needle to the pressure.

“No objections then?” Time raises a cool eyebrow. “It’s going to change our schedules by quite a bit. I expect all of you to play a part in making them feel welcome.”

Wild’s hands clenched into fists by his side. “With all due respect boss, it wouldn’t fit right by us to kick out someone with the same circumstances we all had at one point or another.”

Sky swallows harshly but says nothing.

Time allows himself to smile. The boys relax slightly.

“Dismissed.”

The boys nod and head out of the room. Only Twilight stays behind.

Time sighs and rubs his temple, already trying to compute mental calculations to keep things in order and figure out how to care for another vulnerable being in his charge.

“Uncle.” Twilight calls silently. “Didn’t the attack seem odd? …Right as we were about to get to our target, he’s already dead?”

Time shakes his head. “That drowned rat already had a bounty on his head. I’m not surprised he didn’t get wiped off the census earlier.”

Twilight hums and looks away. “You saw the scars on the child.”

“I did.”

“They’re also blind.”

“I saw that too.”

Twilight shuffles awkwardly on his feet. Time looks at him with the tender smile he only allows him to see when they’re alone. “What’s wrong pup?”

He takes another beat to answer. Time can see the veins on his neck pop as well as his jaw clench with whatever amount of force Twilight’s putting behind it. Twilight starts to shake. He’s pissed. “I’ve never been so angry on behalf of a person I’ve never met before, Uncle Link.”

Time nods. That’s his boy.

“I believe you.”

“I want to tear his heart out.”

“A shame he wouldn’t feel a thing.” Time answers dryly.

Twilight can’t help the wicked smirk that blooms on his face. 

They say nothing more and depart.

The next few weeks are… strange to say the least.

The child is quiet and withdrawn. That’s to be expected. Aryll became close to the child and tried to be as close to them as possible. Due to this, Wind snuck past their defenses relatively quickly since that was his sister. Hyrule had been tending to the small bumps and bruises the child had sustained in their time in the house and also gained the child’s trust relatively quickly.

As weeks turned to months, Time didn’t know what to personally think of the child and didn’t go out of his way to form a relationship just yet. The child would come to him every now and then in his office and he’d let them sit in his lap. He’d hold them until they fell asleep and would carry them to their bed. But that was about it.

As more time went on, Sky and Four managed to get the child to giggle some more and explore some safe activities so that they weren’t bored. Twilight had taken to sitting in on their play time with playdough and beads and instruments to see if the child had started their schooling. If not, then the plan was for Time and him to make a curriculum and share it between Aryll and the child.

Legend didn’t seem to be in the child’s good graces yet, but the ones who were really struggling were Wild and Warrior. The child seemed to avoid them, but no one couldn’t figure out why.

Still that didn’t seem to break their spirits. Those two were just going to try harder and sweeter. In Wild’s case? Literally. He’d bribe them with sweets if he had to.

It wasn’t until the spring had begun to heat up for the summer that Time had gotten a rather unsettling invitation for a private meeting by none other than the Shadow Queen.

Now that Shadow Queen was another powerful boss that had built her empire from the ground up a long while ago. She was much more ruthless than Time and his Chain would ever be. Despite his own power, he knew better than to insult her intentions, no matter what they might be. They’ve never stepped on each other’s toes, never stepped beyond their borders and into each other's territory. 

Time had no idea what Her Majesty wanted. 

The boys were just as nervous as he was when he told them of the potential affiliation that would happen. They weren’t trusting of the circumstance but couldn’t come up with enough excuse to convince Time to not go through with it. The child comes up and hugs his legs.

“Will you be safe, papa?” They say.

Time feels his heart jump into his throat as he bends to their level. He tenderly moves their hair away from their face, kisses their forehead and gives them that same smile reserved only for solo time- but in front of everybody. “I will be back, safe and sound. I promise.”

Time leaves with his head held high. 

That is until he gets to the center of The Shadow’s Queen kingdom. He enters through her casino with more unsettling ease. 

It appears the guards have been expecting him.

He enters a back room and comes face to face with a desk with the chair facing away from him on the other side. He knows this trick. Time has played it multiple times himself.

He takes the chair facing the desk and crosses his leg across his knee, crossing his arms in a relaxed position.

She turns around and Time realizes that he’s actually seen her face before. Jet black hair and eyes that sparkled enough to rival the night sky at its fullest.

“You have something of mine.” She says sharply, tongue and tone all sharp and no doubt bladed.

Time doesn’t show any care or fear. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Does a six year old blind child sound familiar?”

“....I might know what you’re talking about.”

They have a stare down.

Time is trying to see if she’s willing to diverge any more information and the Queen herself wonders if the infamous Chain Boss is the weakest link of them all.

Neither of them want to back down. It would be a show of weakness that neither of them are capable of showing to the heads of the other mafia houses. 

But there’s a desperation that Time doesn’t expect to see in the eyes of the Shadow Queen. It’s not the same cold blooded blood lust he’s heard so much about. This is a feral kind of hunger. A protection behind her fierce gaze.

This is personal for her.

He takes a chance.

"....I get them every spring and summer." Time offers. "You can have them in autumn and winter."

"I missed out on nearly six years, sweetheart, I'm not missing six months every year." The Shadow Queen chuckles, unamused. "You're cute, but not cute enough to get away with that much."

"You think I'm cute?" Time turns on his boyish charm, leaning in a little more to sell it further.  "Regardless, a child needs stability. And my boys have grown quite attached to them. And while morality states that I hand the child over, you are a total stranger to them. It would do more damage than good to their psyche. I refuse to even so much as imply to abandon them. And my boys would very much agree with it."

She doesn’t answer him right away. Time knows that she’s chewing on his words. She’s taking him seriously. If she takes any longer to answer him then he knows that she’s considering his words. 

Her fingers drum on the desk, well-manicured nails clicking against glass. She doesn't like it... but he has a point. And his charm is working better than she wants to admit. "... How about autumn and winter, plus weekend visits? So I'm not a stranger when we trade."

His eyebrows furrow invisibly. “....You’re the mother.”

She doesn’t answer him in that regard. Although her clicking nails subconsciously clack faster against the glass desk.

Time flexes his jaw, keeping a pleasant, if neutral, smile. "Naturally in autumn and winter the child will fall under your care. It's only fair to give the mother the holidays. And weekend visitation sits alright with me, so long as you come alone."

"That's not a problem, I was planning on that." She relaxes a little, seeming relieved. "I'm glad we could come to an agreement with minimal issues."

Time holds out his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you. I suggest making a place for the child and their wolf to stay in the meantime. I'll see you Saturday, your majesty."

He stands, brushing down his suit.

"I look forward to it." The Queen shakes his hand, standing with him. "Let me walk you out. Casino is hard to navigate the first time in."

"Of course." Time follows dutifully. He tries to look around as subtly as possible. You never know when he's going to need insider information.

The House of Umbra Casino was lively with customers drinking, gambling, chatting away. He notices bartenders and security guards roaming the floor, likely the Queen's people gathering intelligence. She chuckles after a moment, and Time realizes he's not quite subtle enough. "Taking notes on how I run things?"

"Only taking note of exits, my dear." Time responds casually. "The number of health code violations are minimal. I see why the business is unbothered."

It gets a small laugh out of her. "I take great care in my work. Do tell me the violations and I'll see they're taken care of."

"I hope you don't mind a closer examination then." Time turns his head and winks with his good eye. "On a later date, of course."

"Not at all." The Shadow Queen chuckles as they arrive at the door. "But for now, I'll let you go. Seems you have quite the family to get back to."

Time nods and leaves. 

His mind is crowded with the idea that he might have a terrible decision. But he can’t afford for the others to see him dire straits. He needs to get his head on his shoulders and get down to business.

He informs his boys about the upcoming visit of the Queen and there is the expected outrage.

“You invited the Night Mother here to our base?! Just like that?!”

He didn’t expect Twilight to be the one to take issue with it though.

“Who’s that?” The child asks quietly from the doorway, silencing any further discussion.

They all stare at the child with apprehensive faces. Time forces a smile to his face and adds a more calming tone to his voice. “A friend. She wants to see you and is going to come by to play for a little bit on Saturday.”

The child perks up a little bit. “A new friend?”

“Yes.”

“...Would she like to play with Mr Wiggles?” The child shuffles nervously on their feet. Mr. Wiggle was one of the first gifts the chain had ever gotten them. It was their second day in the base and Legend had gone and bought them a stuffed elephant that Time was almost positive was actually a toy for infants. It had crinkly ears and what he thought was a rattle or a few bells hidden inside so it made a few noises when it moved.

They hardly went anywhere without him.

Time smiled a little more softly, shocking his boys even further. He’s starkly reminded of the way she all but begged him to get close to the child, how willing she was to agree to his terms without the threat of violence. If he looked closer, he thought he could see that very way their noses both curved and the slender hands that they shared. 

Even if she hadn’t responded to him, Time knows better. She is the mother. But why wait until now to take the child back? He has more questions for her. “I’m sure she’d love to.”

The child smiles, bright and innocent.

The boys look back to him with valid faces of suspicion and distrust. Time meets them head on. “She’ll come by Saturday morning and will leave before sundown. I want a few of you boys to keep watch between her and the child. I don’t care how you do it, just do it.”

“Will she come alone?” Warrior frowns.

“Of course.” Time raises an eyebrow. “That was one of the conditions.”

“And she agreed?” Hyrule asks incredulously.

“I know. I was shocked too.” Time sighs.

Twilight shuffles awkwardly in his spot, not able to come up with an argument to stop what has already been agreed upon. The child walks further in and crawls onto Time’s lap once more. Time looks at his nephew and tries to not look too lost. “Pup?”

The young man wipes his hand harshly down his face and takes a deep breath. “I’ll be there.”

“Thank you.”

With that, they were off the races trying to get together the means to host The Queen herself into their humble base of operations. They went through with a deep clean of the place before tucking away any unnecessary info they would hate to be leaked.

Peaceful talk or not, they didn’t need an enemy to spy on their business.

Luckily, when she appeared in all her glory on the appointed day- it was hard to not see the panic in the way she walked. In the way she talked. It was much too business-like to speak with any child. She no doubt made Aryll uncomfortable as well. The young girl had offered to spend the day with the child and the Night Mother as well, if only for the child to have more familiarity with the stranger.

Twilight, Sky and Hyrule had offered to take shifts until The Queen left.

No one seemed willing to make eye contact with the woman- not that Time could blame them.

They took to fingerpainting when playing with Mr. Wiggles wasn't enough to distract the children.

The first day wasn’t a total disaster in the end though. Even Time had to admit that. He walked the Shadow Queen to the door and put himself between her and the boys he considered his own.

“Well, your majesty?” He offered his hand. “Was it everything you wanted to be?”

She bit her lip before banishing whatever nerves she may have had left over. “It will suffice.”

A beat passes before her anxieties take hold once more. “Did I frighten them?”

“You frighten everybody.” He shrugs, not willing to rise to whatever bait she’s planting. “Should I expect your carriage next week at the same time, your majesty?”

“Call me Hesper.” She once again doesn’t bother answering her question. “It’s easier that way.”

“Hesper.” He says her name slowly, savoring the way it tastes on his tongue. “Very well. Drive home safely.”

She nods and he closes the door.

Very quickly they all fell into the strange and unorthodox routine of this new arrangement. The child was still a little apprehensive around the woman and the woman had yet to fully break out of her business tycoon persona to let the child in. It was almost painful to watch.

But Time had to admit, she wasn’t going to give up anytime soon.

The summer passed by quickly. By the turn of autumn, the child was growing more and more out of their shell and Time was happy to see their progress. Wild had eventually won them over, although poor Warrior was still working on it on his end. 

They were happy and things were calm.

That was until their base was attacked.

It was in the middle of the night and the boys were quick to awaken and fight back against the intruders. As soon as there was any push back whatsoever, the attackers fled the scene, hardly landing a scratch against them. Although there had to be at least a few gunshot wounds on the opposing side. Sky was quick to grab a weapon and fire a few… warning shots.

Time’s first concern was the child.

They had already been through violence. He wasn’t sure if they would be able to handle more.

As misfortune would have it, upon the very superficial investigation, the intruders were after the child.

Now that just pissed him off.

But that was nothing compared to the reaction of the woman he went to report it to. He’s actually quite glad that he took his nephew with him.

"I'll have my best people on guard in five minutes."

"Uh- m-ma'am, that isn't necessar-"

"Twilight." He shut his mouth in an instant. The Shadow Queen all but glares at the young man in question. "With all due respect: that is my child they're attacking. I am not having a repeat of what happened last time." She sends a text, then turns back to Time. "They'll be here in five minutes."

Time nods, as if expecting this. "I figured as much. Such is why I'm alerting you first thing. Let's go, Pup. We have to show our guests around."

"Wha-what?!" Twilight blinks  double taking between the two adults. "Are you serious? Just like that? You're ok with this?"

Time raises a cool eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

Twilight can see the subtle threat as it is and he settles down... begrudgingly. "No, sir."

"Then let's go."

To the credit of her men, they’re right on time. They’re quick to check all of the perimeter and any weak points and blindspots the base has. They start reinforcing the second the find anything of potential interest.

Four and Wind had stayed with the child as the strange men poked their noses through their house. Aryll was taking a few notes of the way Hesper was ordering around her men, watching her with great interest as well. The others were too busy trying to move around the men and keep all of their information secret. Not that the other group was doing much snooping. According to the grapevine, The Shadow Queen had formed an alliance with The Chain.

No one wanted to break the thinly lined trust.

The child however, notices that everyone was on edge. They tug on Wind's sleeve. "Is the scary lady staying? Why is she yelling?"

"She’s just really worried about you." He's quick to make her seem (hopefully) less scary. "Your safety is really important to her."

"Yeah." Four joins in, ruffling the child's hair. "She just wants to make sure the bad guys can't get you, kiddo."

The child listens closer, eventually picking up on the telltale stutter of an anxious heartbeat, almost hidden behind the fury.

"mmm..." The child grips their shirt and Wind's sleeve. "Does papa know about this?"

"Yeah, he knows. He's with her right now." Four tells them.

The child looks away, letting their ears do most of the work. "Legend and Warrior don't seem too happy about this though.... Is it because the scary lady scares them too?"

Wind and Four share a look.

"Uh... maybe, kiddo. She's pretty new to them too."

Hesper finishes giving orders, and the guards vanish. It's then that she allows herself a small sigh, a slight lax in her shoulders. "Alright. They have their instructions. I'll look into who might’ve ordered the attack as well." 

She frowns, thinking as she looks out into the city. "I hate to think that... nevermind. ... Did I scare them?"

Time doesn't look her way as he inspects the 'damage'. "Who? My boys? Yes, but I had assumed that would be a given. It's not everyday The Night Mother leaves her den, let alone to bark orders at another, formerly claimed, rival."

"Oh. No, I mean..." She trails off, glancing towards Four and Wind, but it clicks. Last thing a mother wants is her child being scared of her. Especially when trying to rekindle a relationship.

Time knows this. She had asked the same question the first she visited. He was just trying to distract.

He sighs. "It takes time. They witnessed the murder of three people when we found them. You can't expect them to be trusting. It took us weeks. They still act guarded around Warrior and Wild. Although the latter seemed to have given them enough sweets to lower their guard. Give it time. They're a good kid."

“Right... right, sorry." Hesper looks away. "Patience... you'd think I'd be better at that. Not in this case, apparently."

"You're scared." Time says bluntly. "You're efficient and you're used to instant results."

He also looks away from her. "This is beyond your comfort zone. You're not in control and you don't like it. ...The kid can feel it. There's no harm in being honest with yourself."

(Said the biggest hypocrite.)

She chuckles a bit. "Vulnerability around the wrong people can risk everything in this line of work, Link. I was trained to be a book no one wants to read. As much as I want to, I don't know how to be honest."

"Would you consider your child to be 'the wrong person'?" Time asks point blank. "Even if you don't know, I suggest you start learning. The kid would know when you're lying."

Hesper's eyes widen as she realizes what she implied, and it's like a switch flips. The professional killer and businesswoman vanishes,  leaving the nervous mother scrambling behind. 

"I didn't mean that, I-! Oh, why would I even suggest that..." She tucks a stray strand of hair back, blows out a breath. "Alright, I see your point. ... Any advice on how to start?"

The switch flip shocks Time more than he's willing to let on. If he allowed himself to think it, she appears just as any mother would 

It's a shame she could end them all in an instant.

But he sees the trust where it's placed. At this point he knows her child better than she does.

Time smiles. "Ask them questions. What's their favorite toy? Their favorite show? They've been trying to paint recently. Draw with them. With time, they'll feel better around you. Just don't take it to heart if the boys join in. It's the most excitement we've gotten in a long time, and they love them."

Not to mention it's been helping the kid feel more at ease. But he won't say that. No need to rub salt on the wound.

"Painting?" Hesper feels a memory stir in the back of her mind; she had always wanted to... she quickly pulls away from the memory before she can get lost in it, and smiles back. "I think I have a set of paints back home, actually. I'll have to bring them next time I come over... Thank you, Time, that helps a lot."

Time raises an eyebrow, trying to tease her gently. “Oh, are we back to that? And here I thought I heard you actually call me by my name?”

She pauses and he laughs a little. He won’t push her. She’s flustered enough. He nods, turning to her at last. "You're welcome and please do. Let me know if you need a room. I'm sure we can clear space."

"Ah- a room?" She laughs a little, looking... flushed? Interesting. Time doesn’t comment on that either. "You've done so much already, I don't want to impose. It's still your house."

Time chuckles. "Well it just so happens to be a very big house. It'll just be a play room of sorts. Neutral ground for the child."

He'd do anything to make sure they feel safe. Of course, they may need more furniture for it.

"Oh! In that case, I'd be happy to help with it! I can bring some things in... after I've asked what they'd want in one... it could be their dream playroom!" She pauses, smiling sheepishly.  "I-if that's okay with you."

Time chuckles and allows the way she blushes at the sound to please him deep in his bones. It’s been a long time since he’s seen a woman blush as delicately as she does. He allows her to stay for longer than usual that night.

With their guard higher than usual, the boys still refuse to complain to their boss about the changes. The child doesn’t notice much of a difference as everyone gets into another change in their routines. They keep learning the little curriculum they have and the chain tries their hardest to keep things as normal as possible.

It grows increasingly harder the more they see Time and The Night Mother spend longer and longer talking to one another. However, they can tell that something is happening between the two of them, even if neither of them is going to say anything anytime soon.

Autumn turns colder and winter approaches. That’s when trouble decides to come back to bite them.

It’s on the further side of the border this time. Ganon and his band of no good ruffians are making claims against The Chain again. This is not something they’re unfamiliar with, but they’re going to have to be smarter about this than in the past. They can’t risk having trouble on their side so close to their home when they have the children to think about.

The Shadow Queen has had enough of their funny business. Apparently she’s had a few run-ins with the son of Calamity Ganon but refused to elaborate when Time asked.

Wild was furious.

Calamity Ganon was the whole reason his family was dead- and yet his son gets to live?

Time had to remind him that no matter how much he deserved and was willing to attack, Ganon was more powerful than they were and he gained his power for a reason. This was not the time for rash decisions. Even if he secretly agreed with Wild’s logic.

Hesper had taken a few hits too many and told them that she was going to fight the man anyway. She asked them to stay behind while she pushed him back enough to remind him that he wasn’t the only King Pin around.

She stopped visiting as often.

Time didn’t want to admit it but he had actually grown to miss her. Dare he say, he wanted her with him instead. But he has a duty to his boys, his little girl and the child she entrusted to him to keep safe.

He couldn’t risk joining in on the fight.

It was dark already when he heard it.

Time had already tucked the child to bed and was checking the locks on the doors when he heard a solid thunk just beyond the wooden frame.

The sound causes him to pause and hesitate.

He undoes the locks and steps outside, keeping his weapon out just in case and- “Hesper?”

Blood.

Lots of it.

She’s on the pavement and not moving.

Time drops his weapon and runs to her side. His heart is instantly pounding in his chest as he picks her up and brings her inside the base. He puts her in the spare room they’ve kept clean for unsuspecting visitors but it’s about to get very messy.

Time hurries and wakes up Hyrule and gets Warrior, the two most versed in first aid as he scrambles to get the needed equipment for her to be treated.

He’s furious.

His heart beats rapidly and furiously. His own blood rushes through his body at breakneck speeds. It’s the only thing he can hear right now aside from his breath. 

He’s so angry.

Hesper could have been followed.

Hesper had just brought the war she so desperately wanted to keep away from her child right to their doorstep.

Hesper could have asked for help.

Time would have given her the assistance needed then.

He forces himself to slow down.

Didn’t he just admit to himself that he couldn’t take that kind of risk?

He tries to stay out of the room and out of the way of those who actually know how to help her. As luck would have it, most of the blood on her wasn’t her own. As luck would further have it, Warrior was in tune enough with this line of work that he asked the same questions Time had when she was lucid enough to speak.

She was not followed.

She had killed Ganon and the last of his goons. The territory was now up for grabs. Something Warrior had gladly taken note of.

Hesper hadn’t slept in days.

Time had taken note of that.

Lastly, when Hyrule asked about coming here instead of back to her own place, she mentioned wanting to tell the good news but felt tired. So tired. She was going to turn back so no one would be worried any more. They should rest easy.

She fell asleep soon after that.

Time growls but thanks the two boys for their help, asking them to keep quiet about her arrival and to merely go get some rest after their hard work.

Time finds that he can’t sleep that night.

In fact, Hesper stays asleep for a long time. Days pass. Time finds himself worrying more over her well being than the rest of the responsibilities that he has to take care of. He’s lucky that the boys can more than handle themselves. But the child-.... Her child. He had to think of what to tell them.

By the fourth night, Time finds himself sitting by his desk with his head in his hands. It’s been another sleepless night. Dawn breaks and Time can hear the door of the room opening. There’s a small thunk and a muted curse. After a faint pained hiss, he hears the same floor board that always creaked when stepped on wrong. A pause and then it creaks further, slower- as if trying to avoid the sound from happening at all.

Time gets up, keeping his walk as calm as possible as he goes to confront her. He can see Hesper get to the stairs and begin her descent despite her bandages and bruises. He doesn’t want to make things worse between them but there’s frost on the ground now and if she left now she would most likely get sick with her injuries. For some reason, that only gives him more incentive to keep her here.

"Going somewhere?" Time speaks from behind her. He's leaning against the wall, his arms are crossed and an eyebrow is raised. 

He does not look happy.

Hesper winces, looking back very slowly.

She can see why the boys hate this look.

She looks back down, deeming silence the best course of action over the responses 'no' and 'I'm sorry'.

His glare only hardens. "I asked you a question."

Okay, not the best course of action. "No..."

"Incredible." Time gets off of the wall, still glaring. "Going nowhere and yet you're out of bed and sneaking around my house like some rebellious teenager."

He begins to walk toward Hesper with purpose. "Get back there. Now. We need to talk, since you're finally lucid."

In a panic, she scrambles back up onto the bed as best as she can, squeaking in surprise when Time effortlessly hoists her up the rest of the way.

She has not genuinely feared the outcome of a conversation in a while, but this one definitely scared her the most.

Time keeps his arms by her sides, caging her in. He lowers his voice to a whisper, but he's obviously livid. 

"What the hell were you thinking?" He hisses.

"I-" I wanted to see you. Oh no, she can't say that. She knows better than to say that. But what else can she say?? "I-I was going to do a quick check and leave-"

"Leave?!"

Time pushes himself away from her to pace the room. He makes a rash circle before coming back to the previous position. His hands grip the bed sheet until his knuckles turn white.

"What do you expect me to tell your child then?" Something in his eyes turns sharp and desperate. Like an animal. "Or Twilight. Or Wild. Or Hyrule. Or Warrior. Or Legend. Or Sky. Or Four. Or Wind."

He gulps, almost pushing himself into her face but holding back. "What were you thinking?! You could have died."

I could have lost you, sits on the tip of his tongue. But it's too soon. Too raw.

Blood on his hands- Ganon's, hers- haunts him.

He hasn't been able to sleep this entire time.

"... I'm sorry." There’s a line down one cheek, then the other. She takes a breath that hurts for too many reasons. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't... I wasn't..."

She hadn’t cried since her husband died.

Time's face crumples and his impossibly tight grip grows tighter.

He hangs his head and takes a deep breath. As he lets it go his whole body relaxes. Not looking up, Time reaches for her hand and gently, slowly, hesitantly, laces their fingers together.

"You scared me." Time admits. "Don't do it again."

Hesper sniffles, wiping at her eyes with her free hand (the one laced with his unconsciously squeezes it). "I know... I'm sorry..."

"...You've been unconscious for days." Time's voice wavers slightly. His grip on her hand also tightens- albeit more gently than how he gripped the bed sheets. It's tender. 

"Everybody's been worried sick."

He crumples fully. Finally,

His head lands on her lap.

"The child asks for you. They know you're here. They ask me 'papa, when can I see mama? When is mama gonna wake up?' and I can't answer them."

He makes no movement for breathing, but her knee starts to feel cold and wet. "What was I supposed to tell them?"

A hand brushes through his hair after a moment. Gently and methodically untangling the knots, rubbing his shoulder. 

"... You sacrifice a lot for them... no wonder they all love you so much." I love you too. Hesper sniffles quietly, smiling a little. "You should rest, Time. I can take it from here."

"....You're more insane than I thought." He mutters.

He lifts his head up, ignoring the tears running down his face. No one has seen him cry. He also hasn't cried in years.

"If you failed to notice, you were hardly capable of staggering out of the room. Let alone taking it over." He stands and wipes his face. "I'll send one of the boys up...and the child...It's ...only fair..."

He sniffles, fixing his face.

"You'll be taken care of here, I promise."

He leans in, caging her in gently once more before he pauses.

What was he about to do?

Time blinks, unsure of himself suddenly, uncharacteristically.

"I'll... go get them.."

"... Right." She nods, looking down. She lets his fingers slip away from hers slowly, then suddenly grabs his hand again before he can leave.

"... Hesper?" 

She feels her heart flutter. She likes hearing him say her name.

"Promise... promise me you'll rest afterwards. Please." She asks softly, timidly... but she doesn't think it's the soft mom side of her talking. Or the assassin.

Time's eyes also soften.

In a fluid motion, he adjusts her grip, bringing her hand up to leave a kiss on her knuckles. "Yes, My Queen."

He looks up with a subtle wink, and lets her hand go.

He has to tell Wild to make food and for Twilight to bring the child and for Legend to find Hesper some clothes to change into. And he has to make sure that the budgets are in order and that the defense system is running...

Then rest. Maybe.

The child comes running to him a few (many) hours after he sends them up to Hesper with Twilight.

"Mama says it's bedtime for you, Papa." They find his shirt and tug on it. "You promised."

Time blinks, swaying slightly as he bends to pat the child on the head. "Is that so?"

He feels so tired.

"Did you talk to mama?"

"Mmhm! She was too tired to play tag, so we painted and talked for a while before she had to sleep again. She told me to make you go to bed too because she knew you were still up." The child takes his hand now, tugging insistently. "Come on, Papa, you have to sleep."

Time chuckles quietly and lets the child lead him through the house. It’s only when he realizes that the child begins to lead him to Hesper’s room that he digs his heels in.  "Bubba, she's still hurt. I could make it worse by accident. It's better if I sleep in my own bed."

"Oh... but she wanted to see you. She asked Twilight about you."

Time winces, unknowingly letting his emotions betray him. 

"Um... but..."

He can't think of a reason to not go.

The child grins and takes the queue to keep dragging him into the room where their mother is sleeping. Time smiles at the sight. It appears a little someone had tucked a teddy bear under her arm. The small child feels around for the bed before they begin to climb in. Time sighs, picking the child up. "Bubba- you should go to sleep too. I don't think there's enough room for all of us."

"Aw, okay. Maybe next time we can snuggle." The child pouts a bit, but accepts it.

Time chuckles, carrying the child away and to their room. "It's past your bedtime anyway, bubba. We'll see how mama's doing tomorrow."

And not because he nearly kissed her earlier and held her hand, twice. He was the one to clean her up and bring her in. He wants her recovery to be as perfect as possible.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Hesper had been awake enough to hear them both. She finds herself lost in her thoughts afterwards.

Mother never believed in getting attached.

She had trained Hesper to plan, to sneak, to kill, to run a business, to run from the law.

And yet Mother forgot the most important lessons.

What are you supposed to do when you get attached?

Knowing her, she would say cut your losses. Get rid of your feelings before they grow out of control.

Well, too late for that one.

Hesper sighed at the ceiling, still holding onto the stuffed bear from her baby.

Family was one thing. She would never regret that attachment.

... But what about a lover? She knew the sting of losing one; she couldn't bear it a second time.

Not with someone so wonderful. So powerful.

So utterly terrifying.

It was too late to leave Time... she'd already tried. It might’ve been the biggest mistake of her life. It would've meant so much more than leaving a person, it would be abandoning her child again, abandoning the humanity she just found.

... Why did she even try to leave? Was she afraid? Afraid of attachment, admitting weakness?

... Afraid of Time?

She shook her head, even if she was the one who asked. She wasn't afraid of him. She loved him. Time meant so much to her. Everyone in this house did.

... This house was her Achilles Heel.

... She should leave. For their safety.

Hesper grips the bedsheets. If she grips hard enough, she can feel Time's warmth there still.

A warmth she couldn’t bear to leave.

In the other room, Time sets the child to rest, finally. Three bedtime stories later and two lullabies and they fell asleep. Their chest expands and deflates with every deep breath.

He sighs. 

He's so tired.

Time leaves the room, softly shutting the door and banking to the left. He's not entirely sure why, but he's heading back.

He has to see her. He has to know that she's ok. That she really did wake up.

He doesn't bother knocking.

He grabs the door knob and turns it quietly, in case she's asleep and opens it.

His heart is pounding in his chest and he feels as if he could throw up at any minute.

Is she gone? Is she still there? Is she hurting? Is she dead?

He can feel himself spiraling.

He's just there to check, he tells himself. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hesper looks up from the bear in her lap.

"... You're still awake?" It comes out much softer than anticipated.

Time blinks, sagging from the release of his anxiety.

"I could ask the same to you." He replies just as softly. "The child said you were sleeping."

"I was. Just woke up." She watches him a moment, then moves over, patting the now open space on the bed. "Come lay down. You need to sleep."

Time's eyes soften as he moves into the room. "You're still injured. I doubt that's wise."

He bends next to the bed, resting his arms over it. "How're you feeling?"

"A lot better, but I don’t feel like trying to walk at this time of night." Hesper rests against the headboard. "How are you feeling?"

Time hums. "Better, now that you're here."

He blinks. That was more honest than he was intending.

"A bit tired, but nothing a good nap won't fix."

He doesn't want to be checking her out, but he can't help the way his eyes fitter over the injures he knows are under the blankets.

"The child is asleep now." He tells her. "Took longer than usual."

Hesper chuckles softly. "I think they know how tired we are. Before I fell asleep, they suddenly stopped painting and insisted I go to bed. Tucked me in and everything."

Time snorts, resting his head on his arms. "They do the same to Warrior and Legend. They always seem to know. I see you have Charlie with you... They love that bear. It was the first one we got for them. Although Mr. Wiggles is their ultimate favorite."

"Charlie, huh?" Hesper admires the bear with a gentle smile. "Well, it’s nice to meet you, Charlie. You almost look like the blue bear I got them as a baby... could never get them to let it go."

Time chuckles, smiling softer. "Really now?"

This is cute. Time finds his eyes closing.

"They must have been a cute baby."

"Cutest in the world..." Hesper looks over. She can tell he's falling asleep. "... Come to bed. Please?”

Time doesn't even register that she speaks.

He reaches for her hand and promptly passes out.

Hesper snorts softly, taking his hand.

"That's going to hurt tomorrow." She squeezes his hand. "Sleep well, Time."

She stays awake a little longer, watching Time as he sleeps. Eventually, he turns, falling off of his seat and straight to the floor. Hesper laughs and finds herself relaxed enough to fall asleep again at last.

Hesper wakes up first and finds that Time is still on the floor of the room. She can’t help but laugh again at his expense. The sound wakes him up.

"Sleep well?" She’s in a teasing mood this morning. And doing terribly at stifling her laughter.

Time sits up slowly, running an internal diagnostic check.

Everything seems to be functioning. No pain outside of what he's used to. No hangover or side effects that he can recognize.

He turns to Hesper. 

"Well...this is certainly one of the better places I've woken up face flat in."

He sent a dashing smile. "Good morning gorgeous."

She giggles, ducking partially against the bed. "Good morning, handsome. Suppose the floor is better than propped up against the bed. I feared for your back."

Time grunts, twisting so that his entire spine can pop like rock candy. "I've dealt with worse. Better bent over-"

You know what. He's not going to finish that sentence. He forgot he's in "polite" company. "What about you? Sleep well? Have any pain?"

Hesper hums. "No, no pain. Have some energy back, too. Given my track record for healing, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was up and walking again soon."

Time smiles genuinely. "Good. ...Good! That's great!"

"What about you? Feeling a little better after your nap?" Hesper chuckles, brushing hair from his face.

Time tilts his head into her touch. "I always feel better when I'm around you."

He smiles and gets up. "I'll get your food. I'll be right back."

"Okay. I'll be waiting." Hesper smiles as he leaves... then realization hits like a bucket of ice water.

Were they flirting? Is that okay??

She shakes her head. No way. They're just being playful. He couldn’t possibly-

Time leaves the room, feeling giddy for the first time since he was a boy.

Wild is already up, plates of food on the table, waiting to be claimed by whoever wakes up first.

"Good morning." Time takes two plates without hesitation. "Any updates on the matter of-"

"None that I'm aware of." Wild flips more food onto the next plate. "Who died that made you so happy?"

"No one." Time shrugs. "Hesper is recovering."

"....Is that all?:

"She called me handsome." Time turns on his heel to go back. "I'll let you know if there's any need for updates."

"Yessir."

Time returns to the scene of Hesper talking softly with her baby.

"Hm? Oh look, Papa's back." Hesper grinned.

"Morning, Papa!" The child waved, Hesper gently nudging them so they waved at him and not the wall.

Time can feel his heart swell at the sight.

"I brought breakfast." Time rotates the plates, handing one to Hesper as he sits on the bed.

"Thank you, Time." She smiles and takes the plate. She proceeds to share it with her child, who doesn't need to know there's only two plates.

"Does papa have food?" They ask before they take a bite.

"Yes, bubba. I have food." Time chuckles quietly.

"Eat as much as you like." Hesper encourages the child as she feeds them another bite.

They smile, eating happily.

Time eats silently, watching Hesper be a mother after so long of having to figure it out on the fly.

He finishes and puts the plate on his lap.

"Oh? All finished?"

"Mmhm!" The child hops off the bed. "I'm gonna go play with Wind, he's gonna teach me how to fly a kite!"

"Aw, a kite?" Hesper smiles. "You'll have to teach me how to get better."

"Okay, Mama!" And with that, they run out of the room, leaving the two adults alone.

Time smiles, nudging Hesper with his knee. "Your turn. Eat."

He's already done with his food.

"I am, I am." Hesper chuckles as she eats. "And before you scold me about the portion, I don't eat much on injuries. Can't stomach as much, for some reason."

Time raises an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to say too much. Having not eaten in three days can stretch out your stomach significantly when you do. I wasn't expecting you to eat much anyway. As long as you eat something."

"... Oh." Hesper blinks, clearly not expecting that one. Stunned by his calm (and intelligence), she finishes her meal quietly and wills herself not to blush.

Time takes her plate without any other comment. "I'm sure it's boring being on bed rest but unfortunately, there's little I can personally do to remedy that. The best I can do is get the boys to move you to the play room. I'm sure the child would be more than happy to spend the day with you. They've been wanting your attention for a while now."

Her eyes go soft on him. "Really? You already do so much, I don't want to strain you boys too much..."

But he already knows she'd love that more than anything.

Time snorts. "I've never been shy about putting them to work- but I don't think they'd complain as much if it has to do with you."

He winks, already taking out his phone. "I'll be back later and they'll be here in a jiffy."

Hesper giggles at that one. "Alright. Thank you, Time."

He smiles and leaves, intending to get to work without further delay.

Within minutes, Sky, Twilight and Warrior appear by the door.

"Good morning! Glad to see you awake, at last."

"Glad to be awake." Hesper chuckles. "I hear we're going to the playroom."

"That's correct." Warrior nods. "Ready when you are."

"Think I'm as ready as I can be."

Warrior and Twilight nod. They each move to the side, picking her up. Sky moves to support her back while the other two hold her up as she sits on their shoulders.

"Onward!"

Hesper helps as much as she can to get herself carried over to the playroom, but she can't help but joke about feeling special. Soon enough, she's settled in the playroom, and she thanks the three boys for their troubles.

It's at about this time that the child rushes in, leaves and twigs tangled in their hair.

"Oh, bubba, you have a few things stuck in your hair." Hesper chuckles. "Can I help you get them out?"

"Mama? Can you walk??"

"No, the boys brought me over so we could play."

"Oh! Yeah, I wanna play!"

"Can I help you with your hair first?"

"Sure, lemme get my brush!"

That was later in the autumn. Eventually Hesper got better and returned to her own house. It dawned on Time that the child they shared should have gone to her house by now but neither made an effort to correct the issue. Hesper was in no way healed enough to take care of the child 24/7 and she had yet to bring it up either.

By the time Hespered remembered the second half of the deal they made back in early summer, she had a new problem to deal with.

She was on her way to her scheduled appointment at the Chain Base, ready to chew Time out when her foot bumped something. A baby. On her doorstep.

There was a note on the top of the little baby’s chest.

For some reason, Hesper already gathered that this was her mother’s doing.

Hesper picked up the baby right away, regardless of potential risk. His face twisted as if he was crying, fat tears ran down his cheeks... but he made no sound. Not a single peep.

She bounced him gently as she brought him inside, nudging the door shut with her foot. The poor boy was freezing. How long had he been out there? He could've died-

She heard the church of paper. Tucked in his swaddle was a note. She shifted him to one arm, opened the note with her free hand.

He is of no use to me. Perhaps you will find use for him in that little waste of time you call a family.

... She crumpled the note in her fist, knuckles turning white.

She'd never wanted to kill her mother before.

She was lucky the baby came first.

She calls Time and says she's going to be late

"Late? Why?"

"... My mother left me a present."

Hesper wasn’t about to disappear on her own baby though, and decided that after the two year old was fed, washed and properly warmed, she would still go visit. And maybe ask for some help. Again.

Hesper knocked on the door, texting Time to come out alone. He does so, no questions asked. Hesper doesn’t have the forethought to think through that level of trust.

Time stares for a minute before he speaks. "You know.... I'm sure your mother would have said something first if she wanted grandchildren so badly... I didn't think we were moving that slowly."

The little boy stares at him curiously, blue eyes wide and bright.

"Better us than a woman who'd leave him in the cold for... who knows how long." Hesper cradles his head close to her chest. He smiles and nuzzles it. "He's mute. I didn't even know he was out there until I opened the door. I hope he doesn't get sick."

Time flexes his jaw and nods. "Wild can get the kid some warm milk. I'll see about running to the store for emergency supplies. Food, diapers, blankets and maybe a car seat. We can figure out the rest later."

"Thank you." Hesper looks down at him again. He's taken to looking around again, taking in the strange new world around him. "... I was thinking his name should be Sol. His smile is so bright."

"And here I was thinking it was for the bright blond baby hair he's sporting." Time chuckles, leaning over to run his hand over the baby's head.

Time grabs his keys, instantly texting a message on his phone. "I'll be back. Make yourself comfortable. Wild should be working on the food as we speak. I'll get the boys to make a list of other items we'd need."

He heads to his car, unlocking and opening it without missing a beat. "We'll take care of him."

Sol reaches towards Time, clenching and unclenching his little fist.

"Yeah, that's Time." Hesper whispers to him with a smile. "He's the papa here. He's such a sweetheart~"

"Hesper?" Sky asks as he opens the door. "Are you ok? I've never seen Time leave in such a rush."

Sol and Sky meet eyes at the same time. Sol offers a toothy grin, while Hesper offers a sheepish smile.

"I'm fine... Sky, meet Sol."

Sky's jaw drops and it's visible, the way he scrambles to form a coherent thought. "...Congratulations."

He clears his throat and opens the door wider. "I wasn't aware you were expecting.... like at all..... whose child is that?"

He tries to backtrack. "Not that it wouldn't be yours... or that there's multiple possibilities of fathers- it's just you were here last week... and you visit regularly and nothing was ever mentioned-"

Help him, he's rambling.

Hesper covers his mouth, chuckling. "He's my brother, Sky. Not my son. But I'm taking charge of him now. Does that help?"

Sky's mouth shuts with a soft click and he nods. "Yes....It does. ....Do you want to come in?"

"Yes, please." Hesper chuckles, finally stepping into the house.

Sky coughs and lets her in. He lifts his hand to his mouth and calls out. "Her royal highness has arrived!"

"HESPER!" Wind calls out from beyond the house. Multiple footsteps follow suit. The patter against the hardwood. "Good morning Your Majesty!"

Hesper laughs. "Good morning! I brought my little brother today, hope you don't mind!"

Sol merely grins at the sudden multiplication of boys, waving and bouncing in Hesper's arms.

The boys cheer as they come to say their greetings.

Twilight shakes his head. "Does he need anything immediate?"

"No, I have it covered." Hesper chuckles as Sol wiggles around. "I think he might want to play, though."

"How little is Mama's brother?" The blind child asks and Hesper crouches down.

"Littler than you, bubba." Hesper guides the child's hand to Sol's, and they gasp as his little fingers grasp theirs.

"Is he a baby?" At Hesper's confirmation, her baby gets excited. "Baby brother! Let's go play!!"

By the time Time returns, he finds all of his boys crowded around the woman and infant as they all try to get the baby to laugh. It is clear that while the baby smiles widely, he makes no sound.

When the commotion dies down and little Sol has enough to keep him steady for a week or two, Time gets the answers to the questions he didn’t ask earlier as Hesper explains all that she knows. 

They talk for hours.

It’s a long time before either of them realizes what time it is. 

It’s decided to revisit the earlier and let the blind child stay with Time and his boys for a little longer while Hesper tries to get her life together with her little brother in her own house.

It begins to snow outside.

Hesper stays the night.

No one’s sure when it happens but Hesper has fully integrated herself into their dynamic and she comes over nearly everyday.

They have a party for new years and naturally, she’s invited.

Most of the boys take to entertaining the children as they time counts down. The older ones, including Hesper, open the wine cabinet for a glass or two. Or more. Much more.

Time and Hesper have ended up on the bed next to each other as the clock slowly ticks down, neither caring much about the commotion happening down below as the boys no doubt begin to rough house. It’s nice actually.

A bit loud- but it’s family.

….This is they’re family.

They're talking, laughing, and then they're closer than they should be, being openly soft and vulnerable.

It slips out of Hesper first. She didn't mean to say it.

"I think I love you, Time."

Time abruptly stops laughing, staring at her for a moment. 

He just stares. No more laughter. No reaction.

A hand comes up to stop her from leaving if she gets up. Slowly, it moves to cup her cheek. "Do you mean that?"

She can't help it; she holds his hand there with her own. It's so warm, so right, even as she worries she may have ruined their relationship. "... Every word but 'think'."

"Outstanding." Time runs his thumb over her cheek. "I would have said the same thing."

Hesper pauses, the train of acceptance derailed. She was the one staring now, at his eyes, his smile. "... Really?"

Time grins. It's boyish and uncaring. "Yes, really. Darling, you're stunning."

She laughs, a melody he thinks only he's ever heard. "What does that mean?"

Time scoots a little bit closer. "I see you... and I'm awestruck...star struck even. I forget to breathe. I forget to think. I forget myself. Everything in that moment is you. Only you. And your beauty, your wit, your talent. You are breathtaking."

They're close all over again, but it's intentional now. Maybe they're even closer than before. Hesper chuckles softly as she tries to find the words to reply, forehead coming to rest against his. "I'd argue you're the breathtaking one here. And the witty one. Somehow you know just what to say to leave me speechless. And... it's a wonderful feeling. ... You’re wonderful, Time."

Hesper wasn’t sure who leaned forward first. All she really knew is after a moment of resting her forehead there, staring into those brilliant blue eyes, she had glanced down, and then their lips connected.

It was soft. Short, simple, and sweet. Hesper almost couldn't believe it had happened, if not for the warmth it left behind. Slowly, one became two, and two became three, each one just a little longer than the last. Just another moment. Just a little deeper. Just a little sweeter.

Because all the time in the world just wasn't enough.

"Happy New Year, Mama!" Hesper’s baby exclaimed into the moment, running over to the pair. Hesper chuckled softly, reaching down to ruffle her child's hair.

"Happy New Year, My Darling."

Time thinks he might be drunk. But he's not sure if it's from the liquor or the kisses. He sits up and picks up the child. "Come 'ere you!"

Only to mercilessly tickle them.

"Happy new year bubba."

"Happy New Year, Papa." The child giggles, getting cozy between the two. Soon Sol has joined the party, clambering into their laps and pointing at the pretty lights hanging everywhere.

'Stars!' He signs with a grin.

"They do look like stars, huh Sol?" Hesper chuckles, kissing his head. "Good eye~"

Time snorts. "Yes, that's true. They do look like stars."

He's looks at Hesper though- trying to get a glimpse of her eyes once more.

He's not thinking straight. Something is telling him to leave- the vulnerability is dangerous. She is the Shadow Queen. The Night Mother. She can end his whole empire with a single stroke of her finger...

And yet he kissed her. He wants to kiss her again. He wants to never stop kissing her.

Her eyes are sparkling in the lights, warm and stunning as ever. She watches her kids run off again as Wind mentions sparklers and fireworks, and nods at Twilight as he goes to supervise.

And then she's looking at him again. How could this woman be the Night Queen? It just didn't fit.

"Interested in the fireworks?" She smiles, and the lights in her eyes dare to shine a little brighter for him.

"You could say that." Time smiles and holds out his arm. "Care to join me?"

"I'd be delighted." Hesper grins, taking his arm as they go outside.

Time's smile seems to widen as he leads her through his house.

The boys are busy shooting firecrackers and sparklers and getting the children to join in the fun. Sol runs around wildly with two sparklers, chased by Four who also has two. Both spot Time and Hesper at the same time and run over to offer them one of their sparklers.

"Oh, for me? Thank you, Four." Hesper chuckles, taking the sparkler.

"No problem."

Sol grins, bouncing a little as he extends his sparkler to Time.

Time nods, taking it gently. "Thank you, Sol. Go play."

He ruffles his hair and pats his shoulder to send him off. He stands and waves the sparkler through the air. He makes a heart and strikes a line through it. Like an arrow.

Hesper giggles from his side and makes a heart with their initials in the middle, like she's a schoolgirl doodling in her notebook. She follows it up with several tiny hearts.

"Now all that's missing is a stick figure wedding." She jokes.

Time wraps his arm around her hips, pulling her flush against his body. He presses his ear next to her ear. “Or we can just have the real thing.”

Hesper’s heart starts beating rapidly. She turns to him, not sure if it’s her heart or the liquor that does the talking but she kisses him again. “I’d like that.”

Time smirks and kisses her back, dropping his sparkler in the process. He can’t help it. 

Behind them, back in the house, the clock strikes midnight, the beginning of the new year- and their new lives.

[mischiefmaker615]

Be Prepared

Rating: R

Request: Loki request prompts: “No one makes me weak like you do. Or so fucking angry.” and “You’re lucky you make me so damn hard.”

Request For: eleniblue

“No one makes me weak like you do. Or so fucking angry.”

You glare up at Loki as your eyes follow him in his slow and steady pace around you. Your limbs were sore, both from being bound to each corner of the bed and by trying to get out of said bounds. Your energy was quickly spent in the first few minutes upon before taken into this mysterious room where he did nothing but relieve you of your SHIELD uniform, right down to your undergarments. Your body still shivered at the temperature as you stopped trying to guess where you were, it could be anywhere by now considering you had woken up from being unconscious. ‘’what did I ever fucking do to you-‘’ Your words were cut short as he moved to your side with his hand shooting out to grasp your jaw, his face looming close to yours with his eyes alone feeling like daggers. ‘’it’s the fact that a creature like you is merely wasted on trying to help useless mortals like them in a scheme to try to stop the inevitable.’’ He hissed, his grasp tightening as you wince, doing your best not to give him the satisfaction on crying out before his touch returned to being gentle once more; his thumb even stroking your skin. ‘’and yet you still refuse to join my side, even when there is clearly no hope for your so-called Avengers to stop me. I will have my thrown.’’ Your head turned to the side as he continued to stalk around the bed, his gaze dragging over your body hungrily as you tried not to squirm under his gaze. ‘’they don’t see your potential, your skill, beauty- you can be appreciated here..’’ he purred and your glare returned to him with your mock tone coming back. ‘’what’s stopping you from using the scepter then? You want my help so badly? Take it.’’ it was a stupid move, but if you had no choice in the matter anyway, at least your sarcasm had a small chance at pissing him off in the long run, giving you a win. Yet all he did was laugh. His laugh made you shiver all over again, his timing making you feel like the answer wasn’t clear even though his eyes said it all as he placed his finger tips at your ankle and slowly dragged themselves up as he spoke. ‘’there are two flaws to your accusation darling. One, using my scepter on you would surely disintegrate the fire in your eyes and spirit I oh so love so much. And two, I never exactly said I wanted your help.’’ ‘’join your side is what you said, like I’d ever try to hurt-‘’ ‘’perhaps I didn’t explain myself clearly love. I don’t wish for you to betray your rights to fight for mine.. exactly. What I merely am asking is that you become my queen.’’ He purred and your eyes widen, even as he sinks down onto the mattress beside you once his finger tips had passed your thighs and hovered right where your intimate area was- just being covered by a pray and your panties. ‘’and w-what gives you the idea that I would agree to that position?’’ ‘’hesitant? Think me a tyrant?’’ he smirked, almost hurt as he placed a hand on his heart for dramatic affect. ‘’you killed people-‘’ your words were cut short as his long finger hooked into your panties and moved them aside, revealing your intimate parts for open access. ‘’don’t you da-‘’ With a flick of his free hand, a tie formed around your mouth and dampened your words as you turned your head from side to side to try to remove it. no luck. Of course, you were cure he understood the string of cussing following after. ‘’your people kill people. Every day darling. SHIELD is all about the greater good, correct? Instead of rehabilitating others or sending them off to prison, they decide to shoot first. Even your people have weapons that are meant to knock mortals out rather than expire them.’’ Loki shook his head, as if disappointed with her before he places his hand beside her to rest his weight while his free hang ghosts between her legs, causing her to flinch and tense her muscles at another attempt to break her bonds. No such luck. "I can't blame you. I'm afraid I've built quite an unfortunate reputation for myself in this realm. Can't trust me any further than you can throw me, I suppose. But I do assure you that I will not hurt you Y/N, or I would already have done so.’’ He smirked, flaunting his upper hand in the matter before he lightly presses the tip of his middle finger to your clit, remaining fingers remaining up as if in a dainty position before he slowly began to rub in circles. Your eyes squeeze shut as your teeth sink down into the gag, trying to fight the pleasurable feeling and any sounds that would try to escape as your limbs fail to free you. Useless. ‘’how about a recap shall we?’’ he asked with a light hearted tone in his voice as if their situation was as simple as having tea in the morning. His eyes slowly moved from her face with a smirk as they dragged down to where his hand was in action and he already felt his bulge begging for some relief. Restraining himself, he added his ring finger along side his middle and gently dragged them up and down, up and down in an agonizingly slow pace that would keep her pleasure at bay but just at that edge where he wanted her. ‘’you are mine and I am very much yours. You are to be my queen and together we shall rule this world where you can also finally see the potential you have upon your skills, they impressively have been holding back from you. You can do far more damage than you think and they shall pay for the years of waste upon your devotion to them. While we have plenty of free time in between, I will take it upon myself to pleasure you, in all the ways I know you craze despite how you even now are trying to deny it. but I suggest you stop trying to lie to yourself and to the very God who can detect it, it only makes me want to punish you..’’ his voice got huskier as the tip of his middle finger ghosted upon your entrance and barely curled in as it passed, making your hips rise ever so slightly before you were quick to shove them back down but he had already noticed. “You’re lucky you make me so damn hard.” He purred as he removed his fingers and your eyes quickly looked away, wanting to hide your disappointment from the loss of touch before his hand found your jaw again and forced you to look at him. ‘’because lying to yourself is like lying to me.’’ A smirk returned to his lips after his serious expression and he slowly moved down your body before dipping his head to your cunt. ‘’but if that is what you wish darling, then I hope your prepared for punishment..’’

[skyloftian-nutcase]

The idea of your Shadow Link needing hugs consumed my brain. So... here.

There was someone clinging to Naydra as she emerged from the Snowfield Chasm. Link didn't think many others could see the dragons, much less have the nerve to ride them. And Naydra's aura of frost never made that easy. And the frost-bitten-whoever-they-were was slipping. Link angled himself towards the falling form, calling first in a sharp whistle to try to get the tumbling form to steady themselves, then calling out to Tulin's Sage ability to push him into the other person.

“Hold on to me!” He called.They tried, but with the frozen air still whipping around them, the second Link deployed his paraglider, they slipped, and began falling once more. No no no no no he chanted, throwing himself into a dive once more. They weren't that far off the ground. He had a fairy, it wasn't the worst fall he'd had even in the last week, so he put himself between this dragon-rider and the ground and braced himself for impact.

It hurt, but no fairy fluttered out of his pouch so after giving himself and the other person a second to breathe, he started to move towards sitting up. The person in his arms was shivering violently, Link could feel them wincing in a way that said the cold was killing them like taking a plunge into the icy waters still would for him.

“I've never seen anyone else ride a dragon. Who--?”

They were dressed in some robe-thing that looked like a piece from the gloom set the bargainer statues gave. Gray-tinted skin, white hair... and red eyes pried open to look at him. It was that shade of a hero that the Demon King summoned. It reminded him uncomfortably of the Puppet the Yiga had been using to imitate Zelda. Link gasped despite himself.

“You're Raru's knight...” The Shade Hero murmured, trying to move away from Link and only falling to his knees instead.

“Zelda’s knight first.” He corrected. The Shade was thin, too thin, like a step away from being corpse-thin like the redeads. His forehead was bleeding sluggishly. The cold would kill him if whatever had been done to him didn't. He didn't have spare cold gear but he did still have a couple items from his trip up to the Stormwind Ark. “Here.” He pulled the simple mushroom, meat, and peppers skewer from his supplies. “Can you eat this? It'll stave off the cold for a few minutes. Long enough to get to a cave anyway...” The Shade looked at him skeptically but took the skewer and tentatively took a bite, then hurriedly scarfed the whole thing. He had even more questions now, concerning ones to think about. When was the last time the Shade ate? Did he need to? Something in the Shade's posture had his knight’s oath to protect screaming at him to act. He looked so...beaten down.

“Come on.” He gestured towards the exit from the snowfield. “There's a cave at the end of the promenade. You won't freeze there and I can start a fire and...” and maybe cook something else because you're clearly hurt and/or starving.

And so Link led the Demon King's Shade of the Hero down to the cave at the end of the Lanayru promenade. Once outside the wind and safe within the regulated temperature of the cave, he started a fire, then parked the Shade in front of it before setting up a portable cook pot and pulling every blanket and spare warm item he could find in his pouch to wrap his companion in. Hot chocolate. This kid (he looked very young huddled there by the fire) needed hot chocolate.

“So, am I going to get stabbed the second I turn around?” He asked, trying to sound casual. Yiga played sympathetic on occasion for as long as several minutes, and the shock and cold still seemed to have kept Shade stunned.

“N-no. I'm not... I don't want to fight you. Please. I don't want Him to bring me back again. Don't kill me.” That was a whole lot to unpack, but it didn't take a ton of wisdom to see Shade meant it. He was terrified.

“Whoa, easy, Buddy.” Link tried to soothe, finishing with the pot and dumping two bottles of milk and a whole bunch of chocolate into the bowl. “I'm not going to do anything...” He rambled while the hot chocolate warmed, rambled about Cotla’s grotto below Kakariko, about shield surfing down the mountain chasing a beam of light, about the Stable Trotters and the Dondons down in Faron, about the thousand random tasks he'd found time to do while gathering his courage to plunge into the Depths again. Eventually, it seemed to soothe Shade. He put a mug of the warm milky-chocolate in the boy's hands and sat beside him. Shade curled into his side so much like Zelda had right after defeating the Calamity, desperate for Hylian contact. He didn't like what he could conjecture about Shade's story, and the evidence in the thin form in his arms wasn't any more comforting. He began dreaming up more ways to murder that Demon King. Pushing him off the top of the Stormwind Ark and letting him splat into the tundra was no longer enough. He needed something more painful...

JFIEOWAJFOKSAJFIEOW WAAAAAAAH AJ

I want you to know that when I first saw this I was in bed trying to convince myself to get up and this was such a comfort and amazing thing to find and read. And tonight at work I found it again and got all excited and happy and it helped me settle a bit, tonight’s been an interesting ride lol

POOR LITTLE SHADOW he was so scared when Wild asked about if he was gonna attack T-T AAHHHHH I LOVE THIS AJ

Have I mentioned that I adore this BECAUSE I ADORE THIS <3 <3 <3 <3

AH I’m going to read and reread this <3 Thank you so much for sharing <3 <3 <3 <3

[mcx7demonbros]

Stair Fall (Brothers x GN!MC)

Hurt + Comfort 💔

Warning - stair fall, broken hip, surgery/medical operation

Not thoroughly proofread

Also, please forgive me if I get anything wrong about human body or medical terms.

“If anything happens, summon us immediately.” Lucifer reminded you.

“Alright, I know, mom.” You teased Lucifer. The eldest glare at you before his eyes turned into just-you-wait-i’m-going-to-punish-you-later-for-this glare.

“Good luck dealing with those nobles.”

“Alright, we’ll be going.”

You gave each brothers a kiss before they had to board a personal carriage to go to the Demon Lord’s Castle for a high-ranking demon-only ball. Lucifer said it was so important that none of them could excuse themselves and stay at home with you.

That was the backstory of how you got the whole House of Lamentation to yourself for the next few hours, maybe until dawn if the ball got dragged on.

After a few hours of doing what you like in the House, including playing and partying with Cerberus, Henry 2.0 and Satan’s secret pet cats, which involved preventing the felines from eating the fish, you decided to turn in and head to bed.

I guess the ball gets dragged on. You said within yourself as you climbed the gigantic staircase.

Your exhaustion became more dominant over you. You yawned as you continued to go up the stairs. Suddenly, you felt nothing but air under you step.

Oh shit. You knew you had misstepped. You lost your balance and even though you tried your best to regain it, you failed and fell down the stairs miserably.

In your moment of falling, the images of the brothers appeared in your mind, along with two words, “Save me!”

“Ouch.” Asmo yelped as he dropped his glass of Demonus. All the nobles nearby stared at him with curiosity. But Asmo had no time to care about how he looked in their eyes, he had a strong connection with you and he knew something bad had happened to you. Asmo turned to his brothers for confirmation and when he saw that they had the same expression when looking at each other, he knew his feeling was right.

“Paimon, tell Diavolo we have to leave right now and take care of everything here.” Lucifer ordered his butler.

“Yes, my Lord. Do I need to get the carriages?”

“No need.” Lucifer said as he dashed out of the ball with his brothers. Lucifer, Mammon, Asmo & Beel, who carried Belphie, spread their wings and flew away. Satan turned into his unicorn-like true demon form and galloped away. While Levi used dive into the earth and swam away easily like how normal people swim in the water.

Just under a few minutes, all the seven reached the House. As they rushed inside, they found you lying on the ground, at the end of the stairs, probably unconscious.

“Don’t touch them.” Satan shouted when the others rushed to you. “You could make their injuries worse. Check if they’re still conscious.”

“MC, can you hear me?” Lucifer called, but no reply, only your hard breath could be heard.

“Asmo, call Solomon.”

“How is MC?” Lucifer asked, trying to be as calm as possible. He needed to. If he freaked out, it would affect his brothers too.

“Simeon and Luke have healed the wounds on MC that are within their capabilities….” Solomon reported your’s current situation to the brothers.

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ here.” Levi said.

“You are correct, Levi. MC’s hip bone cracked and we need to get them to a human hospital for a surgery.”

“Can’t ya just treat them, Solomon?” Mammon shouted.

“Sorry, Mammon. I’m a sorcerer, not a doctor. I have knowledge in the medical field but it’s not my expertise. I have done all I could to help MC.”

“I understand. Thank you, Solomon. We owe you a lot.”

“Don’t mention it. MC’s important to me too.” Solomon said as he prepared to leave. “Also, one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“In the worst case scenario, MC will have to use a wheelchair for the rest of their life.”

Solomon’s words were thunder sound beside the brothers’ ears. Some of them didn’t even believe in what they just heard themselves.

“This is a joke, right? Solomon, tell me this is a cruel joke of yours.” Belphie was the one to react first, even though it was denial and negative.

“I wish it were. But it’s the truth. Though, as I said, it’s the worst case scenario, so we should be hurry up and take MC to the hospital to avoid it.”

“No, this is a lie.” Sloth mumbled as he sat down, tightening his grip over his pillow. Seeing the scene, Beel couldn’t help but going over and hugging his twin to comfort him.

“I will go back to the Demon Lord’s Castle to talk to Diavolo to get MC to a hospital in the human world. The rest of you, go prepare things that MC might need. Mammon, you stay beside them.” Lucifer ordered as he left the House immediately.

None of the demons complained. They all went to do what they were ordered.

“Doctor, please help.” Mammon shouted as he ran to the reception, making everybody in the hospital to look at him. Following behind him were you on a stretcher and the other six brothers.

“Please calm down and tell me what happened?” The nurse at the reception desk asked with a gentle voice.

“My partner…my partner…they fell down the stairs and broke their hip.” Mammon said like he was gonna cry like a baby there.

“Alright, let me call the doctors.”

A bunch of doctors and nurses arrived and took you away, one of them stayed to ask Lucifer and Satan some questions, another nurse soon came and guide the brothers away to a waiting area.

After the mandatory diagnosis and check, the doctors finally pushed you into a surgery room. All of the brothers were frustrated to not be allowed to go inside to see you. Mammon tried to look through the glasses. He did see what was happening inside but he didn't understand what was going on. Satan was walking back and fourth, continuously asking Mammon “How’s the surgery going?”, every single minute. His blood boiled because Mammon couldn’t understand what was going on inside. In the end, Satan realized he could have settled looking through the glass on the other door of the surgery room and he did just that.

For Levi, it was so overwhelming for him that he had to sit down on the floor, even though they was a bench there. The third born kept torturing himself with images of the worst case scenario and worse-than-worst case scenario where you died because the surgery had failed. Though a part of himself kept encouraging him with reasons like “MC is stronger than a hip break, they will definitely beat this.” And two sides fought for domination within Levi’s mind.

Sitting on the bench were Asmo, Beel and Belphie. The fifth born looked extremely haggard, his hair unkempt, his eyes had dark circles under them, completely different from his usual self. Lust was also very tired and he had to lean on Beel’s shoulder.

Leaning on the other side of Beel was Belphie, who was sleeping, but his face kept showing uncomfortable expression like he was in some kind of pain. Images of you lying motionlessly at the end of the staircase kept appearing inside his dream. In his dream, Belphie came back to the House of Lamentation, only to see you lying unconscious on the ground, at the end of the staircase. And at the top of the staircase was himself, another Belphegor, smiling. Belphie asked the other him questions “How dare you harm them?”, or “Why would you push them?”, only to receiver the answer “Why don’t you ask yourself? Because I’m you.” The dream kept repeating and repeating and Belphie couldn’t escape from it.

Normally, Beel would have been devouring something to satiate his hunger at this time. But at this moment, Gluttony had no appetite. He had no desire to eat. He just wanted to know if you would be fine.

Meanwhile, Lucifer had to go back and fourth, from this office to that office to take care of the paperworks, all for your sake. The eldest never liked to do paperwork, he only do it because either out of duty or out of love for someone (and/or his siblings). In this case, it was definitely the latter.

It was dawn in the human world. Needless to say the last couple of hours were the most hectic one the residents of the House of Lamentation had had since so long ago.

The surgery had been done and the hospital staff pushed you to the recovery room. The brothers intended to follow but the one doctor came and asked them an important question.

“Which one of you is patient MC’s family or partner?”

“Me!” All of them said the same time.

“We all are their family and partners.” Lucifer answered, representing all.

The doctor was surprised at the plural “partners” but he decided not to ask further into the patient’s private life.

“Please follow me.”

The doctor led all 7 of them to his office.

“Doctor, d-do MC have to use a wheelchair for the rest of their life?” Mammon asked immediately after stepping in the office, without letting the doctor having the chance to sit down.

“The operation was a success, so no.”

“How long will it take for them to recover?” This time, it was Lucifer asking.

“1-4 weeks, it depends on MC’s body system. But they won’t be able to walk right away and will need exercises back home to regain the ability of walking. But-.”

“But what?” Satan interjected.

“MC may never regain the same strength and movement they had. They had quite a serious stair fall. They may need a walking cane or frame for the rest of their life.”

Those words made the brothers’ hearts heavy. But well, it’s better than sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of your life.

“It’s also important that the patient’s family must be with them during the recovery process. It will help a lot.”

“Don’t worry, doctor. We will always be with them…forever.”

Epilogue

You opened your eyes inside a hospital room. Beside from the piercing pain due to the surgery, you could barely felt your body from the waist down anymore.

“Lucifer, am I-.”

“No, MC, you can still use your legs. There was a chance you might lose the use of them forever, but it’s fine now.” Having said that, Lucifer began to explain to you what you needed to know.

You looked at your legs and just the thought of never be able to use your legs again saddened you greatly. The thought soon overwhelmed you as tears escaped your eyes.

“It’s alright, MC. We are here with you.” Asmo said as he kissed your cheek.

“Yeah, all of us are.”

You looked around to see your boys looking at you with reassuring smiles and gentle and encouraging eyes.

“Thank you. You guys are the best.” You said as you wiped the tears on your face.

Whatever happens, you know for sure the boys will always be with you.

Author’s words

Hope you guys like it :3

[trickstarbrave]

this is not proofread. and i am half awake

but i have FINALLY finished the fucking. nerevoryn omegaverse au fic. no one else has written it yet, so i will be the one to bear the burden. i will commit the first sin and take all the stones you throw.

sorry that this is mostly not even smut, just me messing around with worldbuilding. i have worldbuilder's disease. i have even MORE thoughts about this setting i have inevitably left out. but. well. they fuck in the end okay

special shout out my mutual who posted an omegaverse tweet bc i was really blanking on the smut for some reason. i couldnt get it working right???? like it wasn't interesting. but we got there with the help of the tweet.

content warnings: standard omegaverse shit. heats, ruts, biting, impregnation kink, knots, you get it. omegas have vaginas as far as im concerned bc it just makes more sense to me. give it a shot as i have played with stereotypes and tried to make it interesting i hope

There were, despite the stereotypes, perks when it came to being an omega. In fact, in a way, stereotypes could be one of the perks, if you played your cards right. And if there was anything Nerevar knew how to do, it was use anything and everything to his advantage. 

There was a common belief omegas were all delicate, gentle hearted peace-keepers--or worse, treasures that lay in wait for some big strong alpha to come take them. It wasn’t like there were no docile, delicate omegas, but Nerevar was certainly not the type. He could make peace all right--with persuasion and his blade however, not rolling over with his belly up begging everyone to stop fighting. 

Most people thought he was an alpha given how headstrong he was and how quickly he took charge of situations. That, or he was an alpha-leaning beta given he was usually able to keep his cool in difficult situations, especially around alphas acting territorial and puffing out their chests. Nerevar never bothered correcting them either way; sure, he could turn himself into some moral champion of omegas and prove they could be just as capable politicians and warriors, but the more likely outcome was everyone he told would take him significantly less seriously. And that would mean more heads would have to roll and well, Nerevar didn’t like cleaning up messes. 

He still had heats, having to retreat into his room for days at a time, but no one said anything. Just as easily he could be locked away in a rut, or praying to Azura for several days on end. No one dared question him, and only the most trustworthy attendants were allowed anywhere near his room to be able to smell the difference. 

On the plus side, Nerevar had many things he used to his advantage; in all honesty, the fact people thought Nerevar was a beta wasn’t unfounded. Even when an alpha went into a rut, he was mostly unbothered by it. A bit of discomfort, not to mention he needed a long bath afterwards to get the smell off him, but unlike some omegas where the scent of an alpha in rut had them going into heat right away, Nerevar seemed mostly unaffected and could force the instinct down. And, through careful control of his mental state, he could usually calm most alphas down without them being the wiser about Nerevar’s secondary sex and wanting to take him for themselves. His seeming immunity from an alpha in rut was often the subject of multiple jokes by Almalexia, as the two of them would mostly sit around, having a few drinks in the quiet of her room. Well, that was until she took Vivec as her mate, then most of her ruts were spent with the warrior-poet instead. 

Hence why, when his meeting with Voryn had been canceled last minute after he already made his way to Kogoruhn, he simply strolled to Voryn’s room, humming casually with a couple books and food for the other. 

Much like Nerevar, Voryn was also an… Interesting example of an alpha. Voryn was usually pegged more so as a beta based on his behavior, until you got a whiff of pheromones when you pissed him off. He wasn’t as outwardly aggressive and territorial as far as most people were concerned, but Nerevar knew him well. He disguised it as dedication and love for his house, or loyalty to those close to him, but he was indeed territorial. And instead of outward aggression, picking fights and throwing fists, he preferred to temper his aggression and instead attack them when they least expected it. He may look like he forgives and forgets, but in truth he was a viper laying in wait to strike. 

Nerevar knocked, careful not to drop the few books tucked under his arm, hearing the low growl that followed. 

“Out.” Voryn hissed, and Nerevar bit back a laugh.

“It’s me,” Nerevar clarified. “I brought you some books and some food. Servants said you haven’t eaten since yesterday.” Voryn, unlike his typically cool demeanor, was vicious and snippy in a rut. Since Nerevar grew up alongside him, he knew it very well, getting chased away from Voryn’s door every time. Well, that and the servants and other members of House Dagoth would shoo him away, warning him not to go near. It was customary to keep young alphas and omegas apart during heats and ruts respectively, for good reason. No one wanted any injured teenagers or anyone carrying children way too young. But Nerevar could still see it in the aftermath—scratch marks and bruises on Gilvoth after he came to force his younger brother to eat, broken furniture, a smashed window at one point—luckily he calmed down from physical violence as he got older. If he hadn’t, he doubted Kogoruhn would still be standing with all the magic the lord knew. 

“All the more reason to tell you to leave.” Voryn huffed. 

“You know ruts don’t bother me.” Nerevar snarked. “Hurry up and open the door before I drop your food.” 

After some groaning and growling, eventually Voryn did open the door, to which Nerevar quickly darted inside before he could take the tray and shove him out. 

“You are an idiot.” Voryn groaned as Nerevar set the tray of food on the desk, before tossing the books onto Voryn’s bed. “But that’s nothing new anymore.” 

“I told you, ruts don’t bother me.” Nerevar chuckled, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in the air as always. At the very least, Voryn’s scent wasn’t offensive; some alphas made him feel disgusting, if not a little nauseous. Voryn’s was much more familiar and a lot more welcomed, given he was used to it in much smaller quantities over the years. In fact, it was kind of nice; warm, a bit spicy, and nostalgic. 

“I can’t help but fear you’re just playing with fire when you say things like that.” Voryn sighed, before plopping himself on the bed. He was dressed very loosely, no doubt feeling hot and antsy. Nerevar, unbothered, also sat beside him with a grin on his face. 

“Come on, I’m not being that reckless.” 

“You’re tempting fate, that’s what you’re doing.” Voryn huffed. “But you’ve always been like that, haven’t you? Always pushing your luck to its limits until it blows up in your face.” 

“It hasn’t blown up in my face yet,” Nerevar asserted proudly. “Unlike several of Sil’s little inventions.” Voryn rolled his eyes at that.

“Because you’re constantly poking and prodding at them even when he specifically told you not to, that’s why.” Nerevar, seeing as Voryn was making a good point, instead side-stepped it entirely.

“Come on, you know you get lonely during a rut,” Nerevar instead circled the conversation back around. “Bored, stir crazy, antsy…”

“That’s the nature of a rut so I don’t rip someone to pieces.” Voryn huffed. “I’m not supposed to be relaxing and having fun but defending my territory and looking for a mate as far as my instincts are concerned.” 

“Mm…” Nerevar hummed. “I heard mate does make them easier. At least, as far as Ayem told me.” Nerevar hadn’t minded his wife taking a mate that wasn’t him; in terms of sexual compatibility, Nerevar didn’t find her very appealing. Not that she was ugly or anything--far from it! She was very beautiful, tall, strong… All things an omega should be dying to have in a mate. But there was something about her scent that put him off from ever wanting to mate. Just as well, she didn’t find his scent all that appealing either, and most political marriages didn’t end in mating even in the case of alpha and omega couples. 

“And I am in no mood to tear apart Vvardenfell looking for one.” Voryn scoffed, before laying down on his side. Despite doing so, however, he didn’t look comfortable in the slightest. All of his muscles were tense as he laid there, stiff as a corpse. “I have things to be doing, research to do, meetings to be had--”

“Shh…” Nerevar hushed him, scooting closer to rub his back. At the touch Voryn snarled, before slowly he began relaxing, bit by bit. “There…” Nerevar smiled fondly. “You’ll have time for all of that when this is over. It’s only a couple of days right?” Nerevar asked, before working at a knot on Voryn’s shoulder. “Roll over and I’ll rub your back. You’re way too tense.”

Despite all his huffing and snarling, Voryn did roll over, face planted in a pillow, allowing Nerevar climb on top of him to massage him. For most alphas having an omega crawling on top of them in the middle of a rut like this was no doubt humiliating, but Voryn had in fact relaxed gradually. The scent in the air turned from one of hostility and warning to more of a gentle warmth as Nerevar continued to work knot after knot out of his back. 

“What research are you working on now?” Nerevar asked, hoping some light conversation would help relax him further. 

“Mm…” Voryn groaned softly, fingers clenching and unclenching the blankets under him. “Dwemeri explosive powder…”

“Making it?” Nerevar asked, raising a brow. 

“No,” Voryn clarified. “Dwemer machinery is required to actually… Make it.” He hummed softly as Nerevar rubbed at his lower back, working the especially tense muscles nice and slow. “Machinery far too large and complicated to fit into Kogoruhn.”

“What about it then?”

“Dwarven oil has a number of alchemical properties…” Voryn continued. “I was hoping to test if their explosive powder had any as well.” 

“Without blowing up half of your stronghold, I hope?” At that, Voryn snorted, before rolling over and forcing Nerevar off him now that he was much more relaxed. With a grin, Voryn tugged Nerevar down to be laying beside him.

“Unlike you, I don’t have a track record for blowing things up unintentionally.” 

“You’re back on that again?” Nerevar groaned, offended but still laughing. 

“I’m not the one who brought it up the first time.” Voryn smirked. “Though tell me, how many times has Dumac saved you from nearly stepping on a landmine again?” 

“You’re being an asshole right now, you know that?” Nerevar shot him a playful glare. 

“Well you’re an asshole all the time and it’s never stopped you.” 

And just like that, the two were at it. Was wrestling an alpha in rut a good idea? Not in the slightest. However, the two used to playfully wrestle all the time as children and even teenagers, so it was… Oddly nice to do so again as adults. Typically Nerevar would win due to raw strength alone--and he could right now, of course--but he knew it was probably a terrible idea to piss an alpha off like that in the middle of a rut. So instead, Nerevar just put up a gentle fight, knocking several of the pillows and blankets off the plush bed, along with the books Nerevar brought earlier, all the while laughing. Then, once he felt Voryn was starting to get a bit too aggressive and his movements too hurried, he let the other pin him to the bed. 

“Gods…” Nerevar laughed, breathlessly. “How long has it been since we wrestled like this?”

“Decades.” Voryn replied, equally as breathless. “Mm… But oddly nice to get the energy out.” 

“I told you.” Nerevar grinned. “Nice to move around, get your mind off things… Sitting there stewing in it only makes it worse.” 

“Don’t tell me you go around wrestling people in heat.” Nerevar nearly choked in laughter at that. 

“No!” He had to roll over onto his side, holding his stomach from giggling. “Gods, fuck no! Azura’s mercy, I’m not that insane!” Another few chuckles followed as he tried to compose himself. “I can barely stand anyone touching me once it settles in. Everything feels so… Sharp and uncomfortable.” 

“Does it?” Voryn raised an eyebrow, but climbed off Nerevar to flop down beside him. “That sounds… Unusual.”

Nerevar shrugged. “It’s always been like that.” He admitted as though it were nothing. “You wouldn’t it get it being an alpha, I guess.” 

“Nerevar, I may not be an omega but that doesn’t mean I’m uneducated.” Voryn was oddly stern now, concerned. “Just like how you aren’t an alpha but understand how a rut works.” 

“Look, what do you want me to say?” Nerevar asked. “No healer has ever told me anything is wrong with me. It just seemed the more time that went on, the more… Painful they got?” Nerevar groaned. “Well, not really painful, I’ve found a way around it for the most part--”

“So you’re coping with it like a poorly healed injury.” 

“No!” Nerevar asserted. “It’s not an injury but a normal thing.”

“A normal process that isn’t acting as normal.” 

“Look,” Nerevar rolled his eyes, “You can bother the healers back at the palace about it if you’re so concerned. But I’ve adjusted just fine to my heats. I lay in bed, have all my food ready, stacks of books and what have you, and I deal with it.” Nerevar gave him a playful kick. “Unlike someone who went a whole day without eating.” 

Voryn rolled his eyes, getting up from the bed. “Fine fine, I’ll eat lord Nerevar.” Voryn replied, sarcastically. He then went over to his desk, finally eating the meal Nerevar brought him. 

While he ate, they still chatted and talked, Nerevar laying casually on his bed. It hadn’t been the first time he’d done it, and Nerevar expected it wouldn’t be the last with their close friendship. Even as councilman and king, Nerevar saw them as close friends above all else. The closest friend he had, honestly. 

Yet, as he laid there he found himself feeling… Uncomfortable. The air wasn’t stifling after Voryn calmed down, but Nerevar’s clothes felt… Itchy. Not to mention he was starting to feel feverish. Maybe that wrestling wasn’t a good idea if he was coming down with something, but he didn’t want to leave yet--he was mid conversation, after all, and it seemed like Voryn was still relaxing more and more. But, it wasn’t long until Nerevar was tossing and turning on the bed, trying to feel comfortable. Despite being fully dressed he got that same paranoid feeling he had being out in the open on the battlefield: antsy and exposed. 

“Are you alright?” Voryn had finished by now, coming to the bed to look at him.

“Yeah just--” Nerevar sighed. “Uncomfortable.” Then, realizing how that might be interpreted, tried to cover for it. “Not that your bed is uncomfortable, I just feel… Off, all of a sudden.” 

“How so?”

“My clothes feel itchy--” Nerevar was already scratching at his arms, writhing slightly to try and itch at his back. “It’s not flees, I just bathed… Not to mention it’s not like, bug bite itchy but like my clothes are way too rough…” 

“Stress?” Voryn asked, looking at his arms to ensure he didn’t have a rash. “I could always look at your clothes to be sure.” 

“Not a bad idea.” Nerevar began pulling his shirt up over his head to hand to Voryn who combed it over. Sure enough, the clean cloth had no parasites or bugs crawling around in it, but already Nerevar felt relieved. He kicked off his trousers while he was at it, left only in his undergarments and much more comfortable. 

“Well the fabric is particularly rough.” Voryn remarked. “Thick material, more so used for keeping warm and dry rather than relaxing. Rolling around wrestling in it probably irritated your skin.” Nerevar snorted at that, especially as Voryn tossed one of his own silk robes on top of him. He used to have no problem wrestling in the ash and dust, but now slightly rough fabric was what was going to do him in? Although… The silk robe was a lot more comfortable, the soft fabric almost soothing his skin as he curled up with it on and tied shut, breathing deeply. Voryn’s sheets were also nice and soft… 

“You are also feeling warm though…” Voryn brought the back of his hand to Nerevar’s forehead. “Not to mention I actually beat you at wrestling…” He looked concerned, “You weren’t mucking around the bitter coast again were you? Swamp fever has been on the rise there, and I know how much you love mudcrab hunting more than your own good--” Nerevar rolled his eyes.

“I came straight here from the propylon chamber, Voryn.” He did wear weather appropriate clothes given it was the cold and rainy season in northern VVardenfell, but that was just a precaution. “I wasn’t running around the bitter coast catching mudcrabs, I can assure you.” 

“Here,” Voryn stood up now, pulling the pillows and blankets back on the bed to make Nerevar more comfortable. “Why don’t you just lay down for a few minutes and see if it goes down. If not, I have a cure disease potion around here somewhere…” He then got up after piling them all back on, rummaging through his shelves stocked with an astounding amount of alchemical books, ingredient chests, and potion bottles. ‘Controlled chaos’ as Voryn would say, though Nerevar could never make sense of it. But right now he was more than content to just lay there in the pile of pillows and blankets, breathing in nice and deep as his body started to go from uncomfortably hot to warm and fuzzy. 

“I found it,” Voryn kneeled beside him, beckoning Nerevar to sit up properly. He groaned in annoyance; he just got fucking comfortable, now Voryn wanted him to sit up? But one look at Voryn’s eyes told Nerevar it was just for his own good, so reluctantly and without much fuss he sat up slightly, letting Voryn tilt his head and press the potion bottle to his lips. It briefly occurred to him he could drink it himself but… Well, Voryn was just being a loyal retainer and friend right? Ever loyal, doting Voryn.. Nerevar found that trait of his kind of endearing. 

“Normally when I have to give you medicine you make such a fuss,” Voryn smiled softly, “You’re being a good boy right now, I see.” At the ‘good boy’ comment Nerevar’s breath hitched slightly as he sunk back onto the bed to lay on his side, Voryn piling more of the blankets and pillows around him so he was comfortable. Then, a hand threaded into his hair, rubbing at his scalp just like Nerevar liked, making him positively melt, mewling and moaning softly in pure delight. 

“That’s it…” Voryn purred, “Such a good boy, aren’t you…?” Voryn then laid down behind him, nuzzling against him, his hands brushing across Nerevar’s chest and stomach in soft strokes… 

Ah, Voryn was scenting him, something that wasn’t unwelcomed in the slightest. It was nice; being wrapped up in that warm, musky scent was only making him feel better. People would be able to smell Voryn on him after all, all over his body from his clothes to his hair and skin… Then again, he felt like he never wanted to leave the comfort of Voryn’s bed right now. He was content to just lay there being tended to, Voryn nuzzling him, feeding him, guarding him… 

“Oh Neht,” Voryn buried his face in Nerevar’s neck, breathing in his scent directly, before his tongue swiped at a scent gland. That caught Nerevar’s attention, making him moan louder, squirming in Voryn’s arms. 

“Hey--” Nerevar protested weakly. His mind felt fuzzy, but he knew that was crossing a line at least. “Watch it.” 

“You smell divine…” Voryn purred. “Nice and sweet…” He resumed the licking, leaving Nerevar whining softly, his hips moving in small circles until Voryn pressed his hips firmly against Nerevar’s ass, holding him still with a growl. His cunt throbbed at that, suddenly overcome with the realization he was empty right now, so fucking empty--he needed something in him. Right now. Fingers, a toy, a cock, just something filling him up--

Then, Voryn was pulling back suddenly, jerking his hands away as though he was burned. Nerevar looked up at him confused and dazed, Voryn’s face flushed red. 

“You’re in heat.” Voryn murmured, suddenly realizing what was going on. Nerevar, however, took a few moments to process his words, before anxiety bubbled up inside him.

“No I’m not--” He wasn’t the type to go into heat smelling an alpha in rut. He had never done so before, and he wasn’t due for his heat for a few months anyways. Besides, when he was in heat he was nesting and--

Nerevar glanced at the pillows and blankets Voryn had put around him, realizing when he had done so Nerevar felt much more secure and comfortable. He’d been antsy before, paranoid and feeling exposed until the soft, plush walls were around him. He also felt more sensitive to his clothes, feeling warm and aroused-- 

“I-I hate people touching me in heat,” Nerevar tried to explain quickly, sitting up and panicked. “I can’t be…” That was right, he couldn’t be. He hated being touched during his heat, growling and hissing as the touch was physically painful. But Voryn touching him hadn’t hurt at all, it felt…

Nerevar’s hands were trembling as he got up quickly, tugging the robe shut firmly and making sure the tie was secure, before he took off running for the propylon chamber. He wasn’t thinking clearly, he just knew he needed to not be there anymore. Something was wrong with him after all; very, very wrong with him. He paid no mind to Voryn calling after him, even as his anxiety spiked hearing the concern and anger in his voice; he just kept running through the halls, sprinting past servants and attendants until he made it to the chamber, giving quick orders to send him to Mournhold before he was teleported away. 

At the palace, Nerevar didn’t stop to catch his breath either. The air felt cold and stifling as he continued running, spriting like a mad man until he made it to his room where he swiftly locked the door. He drew the curtains, blocking out the light until it was dark, his anxiety still not ceasing. He tripped on a chair in his scramble, swearing up a storm as he kicked and snarled, breaking a leg off the chair. He then grabbed it as he stood, throwing it to the wall resulting in the wood splintering against the heavy stone and knocking several tapestries down. Now in darkness he retreated to his bed, trying to curl up to find comfort.

His bed felt wrong. Wrong, disgusting, cold, uncomfortable… Even as he moved the blankets and pillows he just felt worse. None of them were as comfortable as Voryn’s bed, covered in his scent…

Nerevar tugged the robe off, burying his face in it, whining softly. The scent, despite being musky and strong, was so comforting. He never used to find an alpha’s scent so soothing before, why now? Even when he was in heat he’d growl if any alpha even so much as came near his room, so why this? Why now?!

A few servants knocked on the door, calling for him alarmed. Then a few healers. He didn’t respond to any of them, laying there in silence, too ashamed to even tell them to leave. It felt like his skin was crawling, and he simultaneously felt both hyper-aggressive and like he had no strength in him. Then it was Almalexia, knocking.

“Nerevar?!” He growled weakly; he didn’t want anyone to see him, let alone a different alpha--no, he needed to get rid of that mindset. Voryn wasn’t special, at least, not as an alpha. Voryn was his closest friend yet, but if he didn’t want to be seen by anyone, that meant anyone. Especially not Voryn, an alpha in rut, when he was obviously in heat. 

“Are you injured?” She asked. “What happened in Kogoruhn--” A few more people spoke quietly to her, their voices too hushed for him to hear. In the back of his mind, he knew it was only logical she’d ask; he did come sprinting through the palace in one of Voryn’s robes, running like a pack of nix-hounds were trying to kill him. What was supposed to be a political meeting ending in such a sight would be a great cause of concern--one Nerevar should smooth over before anyone marched to Kogoruhn accusing Voryn of treason. But he didn’t have the energy to do so; all he wanted to do was curl up and forget the rest of the world entirely. 

“Nerevar,” It was Vivec now, knocking at his door, voice level and a bit softer than how he usually spoke, “The healers are here, will you let them in?”

“I don’t need to see a healer.” He growled, enraged. It was stupid; Nerevar knew something was wrong with his body, but the idea of being seen by a bunch of strangers right now poking and prodding at him felt like a fate worse than death.

“Voryn is here.” A sensation ran straight through Nerevar he didn’t have a proper name for. Anticipation? Anxiety? Want? It was impossible to place, but it made him feel restless. “Would you prefer to see him?”

“No!” Nerevar suddenly snapped, his voice much louder than it had to be. He was terrified of what would happen if he saw Voryn again right now. Part of him wanted to, deep down; he wasn’t this restless and anxious simply laying in Voryn’s bed. In fact he felt nice--warm and fuzzy and safe. But he didn’t know what was going on, or what would happen if he followed that thread of desire to the end.

“Did Voryn hurt you?” Vivec asked, trying to get answers. 

“He didn’t hurt me--” Nerevar snapped at that as well. Voryn would never hurt Nerevar. He knew that much. His whole body was screaming, suddenly offended at even the idea. Voryn had been trying so hard to take care of Nerevar, made sure he was comfortable, fed him medicine and even made a nest for him… A wave of heat washed over him quickly at the memory, followed by a spike in anxiety. “I just--I don’t know what’s going on!” 

A few moments of silence followed, before Vivec sighed. “Let me come in.” That seemed less risky than healers he hardly knew or an alpha. Nerevar’s brain, as was so common while in heat, was in survival mode after all, constantly looking out for any potential threat. But Vivec was another omega, and a bonded one at that. Someone close to him and trusted.

After Nerevar gave a quiet answer, Vivec unlocked the door with a spell, slipping inside and then shutting and locking the door behind him. He approached the bed slowly, not sitting on it or touching him. 

“Tell me what happened and I’ll tell the others.” His voice was quiet, knowing just how jumpy and aggressive an omega could get in this state.

“I…” Nerevar swallowed. He didn’t want to recount it, embarrassed now that his luck had in fact run out just like Voryn said it might. “Ruts don’t usually trigger heat in me.” Nerevar said, his voice wavering.

“I’m aware.” 

“But it was…” Nerevar gave a shaky sigh. “I don’t… Know what happened. My body just started… Going into heat all of a sudden while I was laying on his bed, without me even realizing it.” Normally he could tell the warning signs of an impending heat: irritability, hunger, defensiveness, physical discomfort, even a sensitivity to light. “I also hate being touched when I’m in heat, it fucking hurts,” He hissed softly, remembering the warm, welcomed touch of Voryn’s hands on him as the other scented him. His skin burned despite no one touching him at the moment, and he wanted the relief of Voryn once again. Vivec still raised an eyebrow at that. “It always does but then I… It didn’t hurt when he was touching me. It felt… Nice. Relaxing.” Vivec hummed contemplatively at that. 

“When he realized I was… Going into heat he pulled away. And I realized it too and panicked and ran back here.” He did regret making a scene but he didn’t know what else he was supposed to do. 

“I’ll speak with the healers.” The most they’d be able to do was a suppressant, but at this point Nerevar would take it. He wanted this feeling to stop. Desperately. 

“Nerevar?!” He heard Voryn’s voice outside the door. “Nerevar, are you alright?” The concern in his voice had Nerevar’s heart racing, but he was still anxious about what would happen if he saw Voryn again. The sensation he was losing control was terrifying, after all. 

“I think it would be best you see him, Neht.” Vivec said simply, moving towards the door. “He’s going to tear the palace apart trying to get to you.” Nerevar’s anxiety only grew at that; what if Voryn got hurt? What if people assumed the worst? Not to mention it was only making the other, strange feelings inside him grow all the more strong at the notion Voryn desperately needed him.

“L…” He hesitated, before he tugged the robe out from under him and back onto his body to make himself decent. “Let him in.” 

As soon as the door was opened, Voryn shoved his way past the guards and Vivec into the room, Vivec retreating outside once more to hush the angered guards, attendants, and healers who wanted to drag him back out. 

“Neht,” Voryn’s voice went hushed as he quickly made his way to the bed, climbing on without a care. Nerevar had half a mind to snap at him, before Voryn was stroking at his skin and scenting him again. He felt himself melting already from the familiar scent filling the room, along with the soothing touch on his skin. “Thank gods you’re alright.” The room still felt wrong, but he felt a hell of a lot better being tended to like this, the burning under his skin slowly fading. 

“Voryn…” He murmured, closing his eyes. He tried to will himself to feel more comfortable; he was in his room, the same place he always was for all of his heats. Maybe it was because there were people outside his door? It was possible; he hated being bothered when he was in heat. 

Then the door opened after a few, pleasant moments, Voryn growling with pure rage. The healer who entered was an older beta woman, but even she shuddered. 

“I mean his majesty no harm.” It was a healer he saw many times in the past. She then glanced at Nerevar in the dim lighting. “I know what happened, Lord Nerevar.” 

Nerevar sat up at that, eager for answers, but Voryn kept an arm wrapped around his waist securely. 

“... In all honesty,” The healer began, sounding exacerbated, “I have never seen a case like this in all my years. But there is only one answer I can come to based on everything else.”

“Go on.” Nerevar tried to keep his voice level rather than annoyed. Azura knows how terrified most people got when he was angry. 

The healer pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“How familiar are you with fated mates?” At her question, Nerevar froze, stunned, before he gave a loud bark of laughter. The healer, however, did not laugh or smile back, and instead only looked more resolute. 

“... Be serious with me.” 

“I am being serious, Lord Nerevar.” 

“Are you--are you seriously trying to say Voryn is my--”

“I understand how strange it sounds at first.” The healer cut him off. “Typically when someone meets their fated mate they determine it quickly. It only takes a few heat or rut cycles before the draw is undeniable.” She sighed once again. “I can only assume because you knew Lord Dagoth before either of you presented, the draw was less noticeable.” 

It kind of made sense, to a degree. When people wrote about fated mates it was usually that they had a scent that was undeniable. Even passing by them on the street, you couldn’t get the scent out of your head for days on end, trying to find it again and again. Even those who tried to deny it couldn’t refuse the pull forever; heats and ruts were unbearable, the longing overwhelming the pair. No one had ever recorded an account of a fated pair who knew each other prior to presenting though; fated mates were absurdly rare, after all. They were more common in fiction than real life, and only the most hopeless of romantics ever went out actually looking for one. Most people just found a mate they liked rather than chase after some destined person, and why fated mates even existed was a mystery. Did everyone have one but distance kept them from finding one? That didn’t seem likely; the most common belief was that some people were born with them--not many members of the population, anyways--and even fewer actually found their ‘other half’. Someone meeting a fated mate before presenting, when you were children not off exploring the wider world yet, was even more unlikely. 

Dumac told him the dwemer scholars believed it had something to do with ‘reproductive compatibility’. Not that it was a mystical, god given connection like some believed, but rather those with a fated partner were less compatible with most of the population, so when they did find someone they could produce children with easily, the desire to mate was enhanced strongly. Nerevar didn’t know if he liked that explanation either though. He found the ideas the gods made destined partners to love each other forever as too romantic of an idea for reality yes, but presuming there must be something wrong with them instead wasn’t much better. 

It didn’t seem likely that he and Voryn could just ignore the draw for decades though, right? Surely that wouldn’t be possible. The draw was supposed to be strong, impossible to deny past a certain point.

Sure, when he was younger and Voryn was in a rut he always came by to check on him before he was shooed away, but that was just boredom. And when he was in heat Voryn would pass him notes under the door from time to time that he’d bury in the nests he made, but that was just because being in heat made him feel sensitive and sappy. Nothing more. And shouldn’t there be something more if they were a fated pair?

“Your other symptoms make me more certain of it.” The healer continued, pulling him from his thoughts.

“How so?” Nerevar raised an eyebrow. 

“It isn’t healthy for an unmated omega to be around an alpha in rut.” She replied, a fact that always made Nerevar roll his eyes. “It causes excess stress, even if it doesn’t trigger a heat. Unless you are drawn to the alpha in question as a potential partner, usually a rut is off putting, distressing, or nauseating for an unmated omega.”

“They’ve never bothered me to that extent.” Nerevar snarked.

“Precisely.” She locked eyes with him. “You handle it more akin to an omega who’s already been mated, despite not having the scent of one.” Nerevar tensed at that. He hadn’t thought of it like that in the slightest; why would he? He wasn’t mated. Anyone could smell on him that he wasn’t. “Those who have met a fated partner experience mated behaviors before the bond is even set. Rejecting other suitors, unbothered by others in a heat or rut,” She sighed. “Lord Vivec even explained you were giving off the same scent as a bonded omega whose mate was absent.” Nerevar’s cheeks flushed at that. 

“That’s--” Nerevar tensed slightly, “I wouldn’t go that far.” Surely Nerevar wasn’t. He wasn’t fucking bonded, why would he be throwing out the same scent as an omega who went into heat, begging for their mate to come tend to them? 

“You were.” She asserted, though she did have some sympathy in her gaze at least. “Unfortunately, the best I can do is, if you truly don’t want the bond, I can give you suppressants. They won’t actively stop it right now given you already went into heat, but they should calm some of the worst side effects for a time.” Nerevar already knew what she was going to say next though. “But your next one will be much the same. The side effects will continue to worsen.” Short of running away to the other side of the continent and burning anything he owned that Voryn had ever so much as touched, he would be able to smell Voryn faintly, after all. In the palace, on his belongings, anywhere Voryn had been might trigger the worst of the symptoms all over again now that he had a heat triggered by his rut no doubt. 

“At the very least, Lord Dagoth is in control of his emotions.” Voryn’s brow twitched at that, his arms tightening. “You can spend ruts and heats together without actually mating, until you come to a decision on how to proceed. It should alleviate both of your struggles.” 

Shit, Nerevar hadn’t even considered what Voryn must be going through. Was his irritation and lack of eating because he subconsciously knew Nerevar was supposed to be his mate but wasn’t there by his side? When he was younger was that out of character, violent rage because he knew, right there in the stronghold, his mate was being kept from him? No doubt the next rut Voryn would be uncontrollable; before he could hold back because he wasn’t consciously aware of what he wanted, but now that he knew it was Nerevar… 

Nerevar felt himself getting all the more wet at the prospect of Voryn tearing his way across the country for him, earning a low growl from Voryn and the healer clearing her throat. 

“I’ll leave the two of you to discuss it.” She said, now turning to leave. Nerevar felt his cheeks flush in a rush of embarrassment; no doubt because he was in heat the arousal led to a surge of pheromones in the air all but begging for Voryn to fuck him. “We will be waiting outside for your answer.” 

As soon as the door shut, Voryn was fussing over him again, marking him with his scent by nuzzling into his hair and against his cheek. But quickly the tension was melting off of Voryn’s body as he began apologizing. 

“I’m so sorry, Neht.” 

“This isn’t your fault.” Nerevar huffed. “I’m the idiot who deliberately stuck around after you told me not to.” 

“You didn’t know either.” Voryn sighed. “I could have made you leave but I… I felt more comfortable with you there.” If it was anything like what Nerevar was going through he could understand it. “Besides… If what the healer said is true then this was bound to happen.” That was also true; it was a miracle it hadn’t happened until now. If it wasn’t Nerevar insisting on spending time with Voryn during a rut, it could just as easily be Voryn stumbling upon him in heat, or anything else really. 

“Do you want to take the suppressants?” Voryn asked, and Nerevar sighed, shaking his head.

“No,” He rubbed his eyes, feeling sluggishness settle into his body. “It’ll help only temporarily, and make it worse next time around.” 

“But they might help you think clearer.” Voryn countered. “I don’t want you making any decisions with a clouded head.” 

“I’m not completely out of it, Voryn. A bit anxious, yes, but it’s not like I’m drunk.” Nerevar hated those kinds of assumptions; the stereotype that omegas were just needy, pathetic little things that couldn’t think for themselves once they were in heat was the most infuriating one. 

At his anger though, Voryn hushed him, nuzzling into his neck apologetically and licking a scent gland. Nerevar huffed at first, still rigid, until the affection soothed him, now groaning softly in delight instead as he head fell to the side to give Voryn more room. 

“Then,” Voryn began, “Would you prefer to stay here?” His hand rubbed soothing circles on Nerevar’s lower stomach. “Or do you want to return to my room?”

“Mm…” Nerevar knew it would probably be easier if he stayed here; he had healers and attendants he was used to, not to mention he knew the layout of his room well and kept it stocked with toys, erotica, anything he needed to help him get off. Even if the two of them only went so far as masturbating together rather than mating, those would be helpful. 

But the room didn’t feel entirely comfortable, even with Voryn there. Damn hormones were likely acting up on that front, but no use arguing with something illogical. 

“Your room is probably better.” He admitted, pulling himself out of Voryn’s arms to start packing. “Let me just get a few things and we can head back. Hopefully without the whole damn palace gossiping about it…”

“It’ll be alright.” Voryn reassured him, rubbing his back gently. “The palace was mostly quiet today.” He then coughed awkwardly, “Before I… Came running through after you.” Nerevar snorted at that. “After how thoroughly I scented you though I doubt most will be able to tell what’s going on.”

“Hopefully.” Nerevar wasn’t keeping it a secret he was an omega exactly, but he didn’t want to go shouting it to the world either. It was better to keep people guessing rather than anyone giving him shit for it unnecessarily. He still grabbed his travel pack, carelessly shoving some comfortable clothes and sleeping robes in, along with a few changes of underwear, and a favorite pillow of his. He also managed to cram in a few toys and a steamy novel he enjoyed, able to smell the spike of Voryn’s arousal at the sight from how strong his pheromones were. 

Another trip through the propylon chamber later--this time less hurried and better dressed, and they were once again walking back to Voryn’s private chambers. On the way there Voryn ordered attendants as they went, requesting a large dinner to be brought to his room that evening for Nerevar too, as well that Nerevar would be staying in Kogoruhn for several days. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Nerevar was going to be spending Voryn’s rut with him, the servants all scrambling at the knowledge. 

Just before they reached the room another healer appeared, handing Voryn several vials of potions, before giving a respectful bow and leaving. Voryn’s cheeks were more red at that, but he took them regardless, letting Nerevar enter the room. 

It was mostly as he left it, albeit with a few blankets and pillows knocked off from his speedy exit and a few tapestries fallen off the wall from a door slamming. A wardrobe was left open, probably from Voryn’s scramble to make himself semi-decent before chasing after Nerevar. 

He tossed his bag to the side of the bed, already feeling relieved to be back. Voryn locked the door behind them, moving to draw the curtains shut as Nerevar began fussing over the pillows and blankets, making sure the bed would be comfortable for him. With more than enough room for Voryn this time, something that had excitement bubbling away in his chest. 

“What are the potions for?” Nerevar asked as he added his own pillow to the bed, still arranging it. It was annoying to do it in heat--normally he got started a few days prior, but whatever. 

“... Birth control.” Voryn admitted, and Nerevar’s hands stopped briefly. 

He knew that was only logical. Even if they ended up going further, actually having sex or mating entirely, most didn’t want to have kids the first time. It took a while to adjust to a mate, see if you wanted to keep the bond… Then again, it was said fated mates couldn’t remove the bond once they did mate.

Still, hearing ‘birth control’ made it seem that much more… Real. They were going to spending Voryn’s rut and Nerevar’s heat together. Very easily one thing could lead to another, and he could… Actually have sex with Voryn. 

“... Better to be prepared than not.” Nerevar finally replied, resuming his work, before flopping into the nest he made. As soon as he was situated, Voryn stripped out of the additional robe he threw on top of his night clothes for decency, climbing in to lay beside Nerevar. 

“Did you eat properly?” He asked, fretting over him. Nerevar snorted. 

“Says the one who forgot to eat.” Nerevar teased. 

“I was…” Voryn sighed. “Too anxious to eat. I get wound up during a rut, and the idea of eating was nauseating.” He closed his eyes. “Until you showed up.” 

“Well I’m glad I made it easier for you.” Nerevar smiled. “And for your information, yes. I did in fact eat a large breakfast and lunch, as always.” He always had a big appetite after all, though he was especially ravenous during heats. “Though I wont say no to a big mudcrab feast for dinner~” Voryn laughed loudly at that, head thrown back and canines glinting. Nerevar swallowed roughly at the sight, subconsciously rubbing his own neck. 

“I’m glad you’re well fed then.” Voryn was still smiling warmly. “Hopefully you won’t eat me out of house and home.”

“Get a bigger house then if I do.” Nerevar teased back. 

“I certainly will have to, won’t I?” Voryn was smirking now, rolling on top of Nerevar. “I have to keep my mate well taken care of…” Voryn went back to his neck, kissing and licking now, earning several long, breathy moans from Nerevar. 

Gods, did Nerevar know what Vivec meant when he said heats were so much easier like this. Nerevar thought obviously a mate or even just a potential one you spent a heat with would make it a bit more bearable. But this… He didn’t feel nearly as irritable as he usually was, now feeling quite secure, not to mention his arousal wasn’t frustrating it just…

“Mmm…” Voryn groaned softly, grinding his hips against Nerevar’s. “Such a sweet scent when you’re aroused…” Voryn nipped at his ear next, making Nerevar arch up and keen. 

“Ah,” Nerevar gasped, grinding his hips in return, “Is it?” He didn’t have many people telling him he smelled sweet; usually he was compared to things that were fresh and bright, like citrus or herbs.

“Delightfully sweet.” Voryn purred. “Perfectly so, just to my taste…” Voryn then pulled up from his neck, taking his chin in hand. 

Nerevar’s heartbeat accelerated from the look in Voryn’s eyes. In every raunchy novel he read, alphas were described as ravenously hungry when they stared down omegas, like a predator having just caught its prey. But here Nerevar didn’t feel like prey; Voryn’s eyes were hungry, yes, but more so they were warm, affectionate and…

Loving. Devoted. Like he would do anything and everything for Nerevar’s sake. 

Nerevar’s eyes fell half shut as he found himself leaning up, Voryn meeting him halfway to connect their lips in a soft, gentle kiss. 

It was entirely out of order; normally you kissed and courted someone before you invited them to spend a rut or heat with you, contrary to many smutty novels and ballads where the couple spontaneously fell into bed together during one. By Azura, the two already knew each other for so many years too, and they were just barely kissing… 

Gods, no wonder people described it like fate. It felt insane that they hadn’t kissed before now. That it took so long for them to get here, sprawled out in bed together. The scent from Voryn was intoxicating as the kisses warmed up from slow and soft to passionate ones that made Nerevar feel entirely breathless. When Nerevar swiped his tongue into Voryn’s mouth, flicking briefly against his fangs, Nerevar shuddered, slipping one hand down between his thighs to rub back and forth against his dick. 

“So eager…” Voryn moaned against his lips, his own hand joining Nerevar’s. Even through the fabric the touch was electric, Nerevar’s body trembling slightly. “Did you want a toy inside you then?” Voryn asked, his voice low and deep, the sound going straight to Nerevar’s cunt. 

“Yeah…” Nerevar moaned softly. “A toy, your fingers…” Voryn was already undressing him, throwing the robe open and sliding his underwear off, “Anything…” 

“My cock?” Voryn offered with a smirk, only joking. Still though, Nerevar groaned at the thought; fuck yes did he want Voryn’s cock in him, fucking him to completion and then knotting him. He was already dripping wet at just the idea, after all. But he also knew they should take things slower.

“T-toy for now…” Nerevar groaned through grit teeth, before hissing as Voryn played with his dick while fishing around in the bag beside the bed. 

“Which one?” Voryn asked, still not letting up his teasing in the slightest. It felt so damn good, but Nerevar felt too empty! He threw an arm over his eyes, panting.

“Th-the…” Using his words was more difficult than he thought. “The one with the… Big knot~” A moment later, Voryn pulled it out, sliding the tip against Nerevar’s entrance. “Hah~!” 

“Is this one your favorite?” Voryn asked, a devilish smirk still on his face. Nerevar didn’t even have to look, he could feel the pleased look on his face as he started to tease it in. 

“Mm, when I’m in heat, yeah~” He could have lied, but what was the fucking point? Voryn was already fucking him with the damn thing, why play coy? Voryn slid it in a few inches, groaning softly as he watched it vanish into Nerevar’s body, before thrusting it in and out. It was a different rhythm than Nerevar used, but like everything else today it wasn’t unwelcomed. 

“Oh I’ll bet…” Voryn purred. “When you’re in heat you love taking a nice,” He gave a sharper thrust, letting Nerevar take it all up to just before the knot, but not quite pushing it in, “Big knot in your greedy little cunt, don’t you?” 

“Yes!” 

“Would you fuck yourself to completion and then take the whole thing?” He continued moving at that sharp, hurried pace as he slid it in and out of Nerevar.

“Fuck, yes—yes!!” He was panting desperately now, savoring the feeling. Voryn’s dirty talk was making this all the better—how had he gone so long without this?! If he’d known it would be this good, he’d have climbed into Voryn’s bed long before this.

“Imagining someone breeding you up?” Voryn was panting too, watching Nerevar with rapt attention. 

“Please,” Nerevar pleaded, feeling how close he was to an orgasm just hearing that. “Please, please~!” He tried grinding his hips down on the toy, desperate to feel the knot slipping inside him, but Voryn kept it from doing so. 

“My knot is the only one you’re going to feel this time, Neht.” Voryn growled low in Nerevar’s ear. “Only mine.” 

In response, Nerevar growled in return, quickly flipping positions as he climbed on top of Voryn instead. The toy completely slipped out, soon lost in the piles of pillows and blankets, as Voryn growled in return. The two were wrestling once again, though this time it wasn’t quite as playful. Honestly, Nerevar probably would have won this one by how seriously he was taking it, but heats made his body so groggy he wasn’t up to his usual strength. 

“Get inside me then.” Nerevar demanded through grit teeth as Voryn shoved him back down, prying his legs back open.

“Lay there and I will.” Nerevar still snarled, thrashing. “Now hold still or I’ll make you.” The threat made his cunt ache again, a long moan crawling out of his throat.

“Potion—“ Nerevar freed one arm, reaching for them. Voryn grabbed one, placing it in Nerevar’s hand as he finished undressing himself. Nerevar uncapped it and threw his head back, chugging it.

To Oblivion with taking it slow. He needed Voryn—all of him.

He tossed the potion bottle aside, wrapping his arms around Voryn as he nuzzled his face into his neck, now being the one to lick and kiss at a scent gland, almost intoxicated by the spice and musk. 

“Neht,” Voryn hissed. 

“Let’s mate.” Nerevar whispered, before feeling Voryn tense up. Silence followed, except for Voryn’s heavy breathing.

“Nerevar we don’t have to mate just to—“

“I want to.” Nerevar pulled back enough to look at him. “Be honest with me Voryn, who else am I going to mate with?” The very idea Nerevar could mate with someone else made Voryn’s anger spike, clear from the scent he gave off. “And even if we just tried to deny mating, just spending heats and ruts together, we’ll both lose it eventually.” The draw was supposedly undeniable, and Nerevar wanted to do it at least semi lucid without pain and desperation making the experience less enjoyable. 

“Besides,” Nerevar now gave a warm smile, the low light still twinkling in his eyes. “You’re a very devoted, loving, strong alpha…” Voryn shuddered. “Making sure I’m well fed, giving me medicine…”

“I have to take care of you…” Voryn whispered. “You mean the world to me.”

“Exactly.” Nerevar was still smiling, now thumbing at Voryn’s lower lip as he cupped his cheek. “Who else could possibly take care of me as well as you? You’re the one who’s always been there for me. You guarded my back in war, supported me on my quest to become hortator, and even long before I was a hero, just some canvasari not even wanted by his own house, you took care of me and showed me respect.” Just as easily, Voryn could have tossed him aside. Childish friendships with lower classes didn’t need to be kept by chimer nobility. Any other would have probably ‘outgrown’ Nerevar, but Voryn didn’t. Because Voryn didn’t just see Nerevar as a toy to be played with and tossed aside but as himself. 

Honestly, even being tossed aside by another noble would have been a good outcome. Many would have also taken Nerevar as a concubine after he presented, or sold him off given he had nowhere else to go. But Voryn always saw him as a friend he treasured.

“But,” Voryn gave a sigh, “You don’t love me.”

Ah. Nerevar didn’t think Voryn was the type to only want to mate when you truly loved someone. It only made sense he supposed, most people did, but he was used to seeing things in terms of practicality.

“Voryn,” He stroked his cheek, “Maybe I don’t love you romantically… Yet.” Nerevar wouldn’t discount that at all; if he’d fall in love with anyone, right now he imagined it would be Voryn. “And I don’t really know… What it’s even like to fall in love with someone completely like that given I’ve only had a few flings and a political marriage but,” He looked up into Voryn’s eyes, never more certain in matters of the heart than he was now. “I do know I care about you deeply. More than anyone else in my life.” Nerevar licked his lips. “And there is no person in the world I’d rather be mated with than you.” 

Silence then followed, Voryn staring at him in shock. Suddenly nervous, Nerevar began to backpedal slightly. 

“Of course I understand if you want to wait. I-gods, it would probably be easier for you if we did the whole courtship and dating thing first, wouldn’t it—“ He was then cut off by a kiss, Voryn’s tongue swiping into his mouth.

“I want to mate with you, Neht.” Voryn whispered, as he pulled away with a smile. “Tonight.”

“Are you sure? I—“ Nerevar swallowed roughly as he felt Voryn lift one of his legs up, his own instincts screaming at him that he needed this—that he needed to stop talking and get fucked right then and there.

“I’m certain.” Voryn said, his tone unwavering as he kept that warm smile on his face, his eyes shining. “Do you want me to mate with you before, during, or after?”

Nerevar licked his lips, thinking it over. A claiming bite was said to be extremely pleasurable, once the initial pain wore off. Some preferred to get it out of the way before sex, enjoying their new bond before warming back up. Some preferred the orgasmic rush that came with a claiming bite in the middle of sex. Others preferred to claim their mates while they laid together, panting and connected after being knotted.

“Not before,” Nerevar answered, his whole body still feeling warm. “I can’t… I can’t wait that long.” His body was still screaming at him to move, push the alpha on top of him down and ride him if he wasn’t going to take Nerevar already. He was squirming, antsy under Voryn’s gaze, and feeling too fucking empty again to think properly.

“Here,” Voryn whispered, pressing the head of his cock to Nerevar’s entrance. Nerevar’s breath hitched, before giving a long, drawn out moan as Voryn slid inside. “Why don’t we just see what feels right in the moment…”

“Voryn~!” Nerevar arched up, trembling slightly. 

It felt good. It felt right. It occurred to him, at that moment, that this was what he’d wanted every heat. Every struggling minute of desperation, every orgasm that didn’t quite feel satisfying enough—he wanted Voryn. 

Voryn threaded his fingers with Nerevar’s, pinning both of his hands to the bed as he gave a slow thrust, kissing him for all he was worth. No wonder his heats were so much more unbearable after he moved to Mournhold—he had assumed it was the heat and stress of being king, but he knew now it was his body screaming at him to return back to Voryn. To lose himself in Voryn’s embrace, just like this.

“Fuck…” Voryn groaned as he pulled away from the messy kiss. “Incredible—you feel incredible~”

Such a comment only stroked his pride, adding to the pleasure. He was making his mate feel good. He was making his mate feel just as good as he felt. It was enough to make his head spin, as every thrust quickly matched that sharp, hurried pace Voryn had set earlier with the toy.

“Claim me~” Nerevar whined, turning his head to expose his neck. Nerevar could feel it—he wanted to be claimed. Oh gods did he want to be claimed! Before he felt disgust whenever alphas glanced at his neck, trying to determine if he was a claimed omega or a beta of some kind. But now though he wanted it more than anything—

Voryn complied, moving down quickly, not letting the pace of his thrusts falter as he growled, nuzzling Nerevar’s neck. He licked and kissed, listening to every sharp whine from Nerevar that followed, before finally biting.

Nerevar’s mind went blank the second Voryn bit him, his eyes rolling back as he orgasmed.

It felt unreal—every fucking novel he read left him sorely unprepared for the pleasurable rush that hit him. It was pure bliss; every nerve in his body burning brightly from ecstasy, as Voryn growled deeply. 

He was officially mated. He belonged to Voryn. He found his mate and everything felt perfect, sparks still shooting up and down his spine as Voryn pulled his teeth out, panting and growling even more harshly as his hips somehow moved faster and rougher. He could feel Voryn’s knot forming too, pumping in and out of his cunt in a way that hit his sweet spot every time.

“Tight—!” Voryn snarled. “So tight, so damn tight… Neht!” 

“Knot me…” Nerevar moaned, coaxing Voryn further, feeling intoxicated from the pleasure still coursing through him. “Knot me, breed me up~” He ground his hips down at every thrust inside him, forcing Voryn to change the rhythm. Now, every thrust in he stayed a moment longer, grinding down, his knot catching on Nerevar’s entrance.

By now, Voryn had let go of Nerevar’s hands, face still buried in Nerevar’s neck as he moaned and growled into his ear. “I’m going to,“ Voryn panted. “I’m going to breed you, knot you until I know my seed takes—!” It wouldn’t, not after the potion Nerevar took, but he wasn’t thinking logically at the moment. All he was thinking about was how great it felt being fucked and bred by his mate, his alpha. “Mine! You’re all mine! Mine mine mine mine mine—!”

Finally, the knot refused to slip out. It swelled up completely, pressed firmly inside him, and Nerevar gasped as a new sensation overtook him. 

He felt himself tighten even further, making Voryn  moan long and loud, as the two were now firmly locked together. An orgasm hit him next, even more intense than the one from the claiming bite. If the bite was an intense, all encompassing blast of fire—like a star going supernova—this one was a drawn out burn. His mind didn’t go blank, instead forcing him to focus on the pleasure, as he felt heat inside him.

“Fuck~!!” Nerevar yelled, practically screaming, dragging his nails down Voryn’s back as his body shuddered, his cunt clenching and milking the cock still firmly sealed inside him. 

He knew what it was, yet he never really experienced it, so his knowledge was only really how it would be in theory. He never let an alpha knot him, after all; even if he had to have sex for political reasons he doused himself in perfume oil to hide his pheromones and always made sure they pulled out. Supposedly an omega locking happened much more commonly in heat, tightening around the knot as they orgasmed, keeping every drop of seed in to ensure conception…

Nerevar felt another wave of the long orgasm following, a broken, garbled moan spilling from his lips as Voryn rocked his hips.

“Stop moving!” Nerevar pleaded. If he kept rocking his knot right there—right against Nerevar’s sweet spot—he was never going to stop climaxing.

“Stop cumming!” Voryn hissed back, before groaning. “Oh gods you’re milking me for every drop!” He continued the slow rocking, as Nerevar felt fuller and fuller, his vision going hazy as tears rolled down his cheeks. 

“I can’t…” Nerevar whined. “Too full…” Nerevar groaned, still trembling. “It’s too much….” There was too much inside him—before he felt painfully empty, and now he felt far too full. Voryn’s cock, his knot, and every drop of seed was filling him—

Another wave of pleasure followed, as Voryn growled. 

“Your body wants this so badly…” He snarled, nipping at the claiming bite he left. “Get pregnant!” He hissed, enjoying the way Nerevar’s body tightened around him once more. The command was enough to make him shudder, yet another wave of pleasure following. “Get pregnant, get pregnant!” Voryn urged with a bit more rocking, before Nerevar tugged him into another messy, open mouthed kiss.

If it wasn’t for the potion, Nerevar knew he would be. It seemed impossible for him not to conceive when it felt this good—when he was so full and not a drop spilling out of him despite Voryn’s movements… 

Eventually the pleasure subsided, Voryn’s movements slowing as their kiss went from feral and intense to something slower and lazier, kissing each other over and over as Nerevar ran his hands through Voryn’s long hair. 

“Fuck…” Nerevar groaned, breathlessly. “Intense…” It felt like an understatement, but that was the only word that came to mind as Voryn panted. 

“Gods…” Voryn groaned. “You were… Tighter than I had expected…” He hissed, shifting slightly again, but this time just to help them lay more comfortably. 

“It still feels too big…” Nerevar groaned. Now it was slightly uncomfortable, but he knew the more they did this, the more his body would adjust. To help ease his discomfort, Voryn pressed a few gentle kisses to his face, keeping himself still.

“Is it too full?” Voryn asked, and Nerevar nodded. Voryn sat up slightly, and the pressure being taken off his lower stomach was a relief, especially as Voryn caressed it. 

As Nerevar looked down, he could see why: there was a slight swell in his stomach from the pressure. He groaned, already regretting the decision to have sex on his back. He knew now why omegas preferred mating face down, and that it had nothing to do with submission and instead purely comfort.

“Don’t worry,” Voryn reassured him. “Just a few minutes…” His voice trailed off as his eyes went dark, taking in the sight of Nerevar under him, panting and covered in sweat, filled with his seed. Nerevar could tell what he was thinking from the change of the scent in the air, sparks from their newly formed connection.

“Like what you see…?” Nerevar asked with a toothy, cocky grin, only to groan as he felt Voryn shift again.

“Keep acting like that and I’ll only want to take you again…” Voryn replied, his voice low. Nerevar still felt rather proud at that; his mate didn’t like a soft, demure, and submissive type of omega like he always kind of worried an alpha would demand once they mated. Instead, Voryn seemed to enjoy him earnestly, even with all of his showboating and teasing.

“Maybe you should…” Nerevar purred in response. “We can have dinner, a relaxing bath to recover…” Nerevar’s eyes were half lidded as he spoke. “And then you can fill me up all over again…” 

The warm, messy kiss Voryn gave him was all the answer Nerevar needed.  

[axelnyx]

God I Wish I Never Spoke Part 4 (Finale)

Just realized I never put the last chapter of this fic on here. Will also be adding the chapters of my other fic (Desolation) on here as well in case you guys rather read it on Tumblr than ao3. Anyways enjoy.

part 1 part 2 part 3

can also be ready on ao3

Gaz had told Price where he could find Soap with the condition that if the Sergeant didn’t want to talk, Price would back off and give him space. Price had quickly agreed and now he was walking towards the training grounds. According to Gaz, there was a hidden alcove on the grounds that was relatively hidden from sight. Soap and Gaz used the spot when they needed to cool off for a bit or need a moment to themselves. When Gaz had told Price this, the Captain double checked to make sure it was alright for him to go to the spot, not wanting to intrude on the Sergeants’ sense of comfort. Gaz had reestablished that is was fine, so long as Price follows the condition he set,

After some searching, with the help of Gaz’s directions, Price was able to find the hidden spot. He cautiously approached it, catching sight of his other Sergeant. “Soap.” Price called gently, stopping a few feet in front of him. Soap quickly looked up at him, scrambling to his feet and stepping out of the alcove. “Captain, ye need somethin’?” Soap asked. His tone was calm and level, and he had a smile on his face. But Price could tell it was fake. The smile was strained and Soap stood tense and fidgety. Price shook his head. “Just wanted to talk to you for a minute, lad. It’s about the other day.” he says calmly. Soap visibly gets more tense, swallowing nervously. “Right. Listen, it wasn’t the others’ fault. They dinnea do anything wrong. Hell, it was my idea and-” the Sergeant started rambling but Price held up a hand, signaling him to stop.

“Not that part. I’m talking about how I treated you, Soap.” Price explains softly. Soap blinked in surprise and then nervously cleared his throat. “Well, it’s understandable. I fucked up an’ made a dumb decision. Ye had a right to be mad.” he says. Price shakes his head. “I may have had a right to be mad, but I had no right to take it out on you like that. You had done what you thought was appropriate for the situation and, in the end, everything worked itself out. I didn’t listen when you tried to explain that and for that I apologize…and I apologize for scaring you.” Price says softly, looking at Soap with regret in his eyes.

Soap shrugged his shoulders. “It’s fine, Price.” he murmurs, looking at the ground and avoiding Price’s gaze. “It’s not,” Price retorts, “You thought I was going to hurt you.” Soap cringes at the mention of how he reacted to Price’s outburst. “I was being a bit dramatic.” Soap says quietly. Price’s eyes widen in surprise. “No, you weren’t. I was being a dick and took it too far. That’s all on me, not you. You didn’t do anything wrong and you sure as shit weren’t being ‘dramatic’.” Price gently corrects. Soap is silent for a moment as he looks at Price before slowly nodding his head. “Ye were bein’ a bit of a dick.” he mumbles. Price chuckles and nods in agreement. “That I was, but I promise to better control myself in the future.” Price says.

Soap smiles at him before clearing his throat. “Sooo, I’m guessin’ Gaz told ye where to find me.” he says. “He did. It’s a neat little spot you two got here.” Price says, nodding towards the alcove behind Soap. Soap beams at him, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. “Ye want a tour, Cap?” he asks. Price smiles and nods his head. “Would love one, son.” he replies. Soap turns around and gestures for Price to follow him into the alcove.

It would take some time for Price to fully gain his boys’ trust back, but his actions today were a good start.

[thecameronchronicles]

For A Reason

TW: Dark!(ish) Rafe. Smut. Language. Spanking. Choking. Degrading Language. 

SUMMARY: As you try and help Sarah get the keys to get the cross out of Rafe’s grasp, the distraction you intended to be brings you to one of your own…

WORD COUNT: 2100

REQUESTED

Anonymous asked:

hii i have an idea... so maybe the reader is a pogue and she's working with sarah and evrrything to try and get the cross... and yk that scene where sarah tries to take the keys to the van where the cross is, can u make it so that while sarah is trying to find the keys, the reader has to distract rafe so she goes in his room and sits on his bed, and a few minutes later he opens the bathroom door and walks out shirtless (yk that scene in the show) and the reader is all flustered and  rambling about something random to try and make him forget about the keys, but he manhandles her on the bed and he's like i know you're trying to distract me but i'm gonna fuck you anyways and then it leads to rough sex & he keeps slapping, degrading and choking her bcs she's a pogue and everything 🥵

For A Reason

Your purpose was simple enough, even if the idea was supposed to make your skin crawl. You were intended to be a distraction to Rafe. It would be easy for the fact you knew he eyed you as more than one of Sarah’s new pogue friends. Despite the social barriers that would set you two apart at every turn, he didn’t need to accommodate the difference or amend the cruelty in the past in order to want what he did from you. The same ‘something’ that set his eyes in a blazing lust from across any room, even prior to the entire race for the gold and lately, the cross. And you and the remaining pogues knew it as well. Which was why you would be the one sent in to distract him while Sarah was in search of those dreaded keys. 

You had prepared an excuse to him about being upset at Sarah and feigning seeing his side to things as you knew stroking his ego and gaining his trust this way would be the only way to truly seduce Rafe Cameron. But as you had rehearsed the words a thousand times in your mind for when those intimidating blue eyes would rest onto you, you were confident in having him wrapped around your finger, until finding that door to the bathroom open and you were suddenly flustered. 

Although he had just emerged from the shower, his chest was dry from a thorough pat down prior to exiting the room now absent of all steam, his eyes fixating onto you with confusion and eventual disbelief as you were made flustered by the sight of him. And this was because you’d never seen him shirtless. It wasn’t as if you ran in the same circles, and the times in which you had seen him, he was wrapped beneath some polo or button up shirt that kept this concealed to you. Bronzed muscles concealing modesty behind a single towel wrapped tightly at his hips that sat just beside his navel. 

“Sarah’s not here.” He spoke in finality as your eyes flickered from the immediate rejection they’d taken to his torso and coming to an unsteady rest back at his own. 

“I know…” The sudden plan at hand would be reminded to you as the keys themselves were visible on the table beside the bed itself, your reason for being present to begin with. But you had accounted for everything but the way him moving closer to you would affect you. Running your fingers nervously through your hair, you licked your lips apart for some form of recalibration of your confidence, before looking back up to him once again. 

“I actually think I-I- just left something here last time I was, I was here and I..a sweater…It was a favorite and I just-” By the time you had corrected this rambling, he was between your legs, a hand on your thighs tracing gently, almost lovingly if possible, as your eyes darted to the door. 

“Actually, I think I remember it’s in John B’s car so…I’ll just-” He chucked his tongue to the side before an unkind grip to your hair pulled you to look up at him with force. 

“Yeah, you’re not going anywhere, Pogue.” With the sound of the title, you were forced into a lift onto the bed, his arms pinning you flat. 

“Think I don’t know why you’re here? Think I’m stupid, hmm?” He scoffed, looking to the direction of the keys. 

“Came to distract me? How do you think THAT is gonna pan out for you? Because I don’t like people who play games with me…and you’re not even that…” His eyes fell down your body, sweaty from the race made of the last endeavors with the pogues and clothes tight that left you accessible to him for a summer day’s weather. 

“Doesn’t matter…” You were pulled almost weightlessly onto your stomach, a grip to the back of your neck keeping you flat as he had straddled you from behind, leaving only grips into the comforter before you as you witnessed the towel discarded from within your peripheral vision. 

“I’ll still fuck you, even though you don’t deserve it…even though you came to try to distract me,” He scoffed, “And when I’m done…your ass is red and you’re dripping with me…THEN I’ll let you go back to your little friends and make sure they know exactly what happens when they send their…” He scoffed again, “Distraction…” Before you could even think of fighting him, you were removed from your shorts with his hand already wrapped in your hair while he lined himself up to you. 

“Bet you’re used to the boys from the cut being nice and sweet with you, yeah?” He chuckled, the remaining smirk heard as he spoke. 

“Well, sweetheart, I’m definitely not some pogue and you’re surely not on the cut anymore-” You were thrust in to, the gravity of the situation now weighing heavily on you as any forbidden desire or intrigue had had awoken in you was now existing as a means of guilt as you fought to move away from him. But any attempt would be futile as he was too strong and you were far too weak. 

“Clenching around me already,” he smacked your ass. “Dirty little poguie needing my cock so bad that you’ll take it any way I offer isn’t that right?” He asked, bent over you, deep enough to bring pain in contrast to pleasure. But as you continued to shuffle, he only found amusement in your attempts. 

“Try to deny it and yet you’re making it so easy to slip out of this tight little pussy…Making you nice and wet for me…Because I am taking what I want. What I deserve. Making me come is the least you can do with all the fucking trouble you’ve caused, yeah?” Another smack to your left cheek would send you into a gasp, your fingers wrapping tighter into the sheets, knuckles white, and being yet another reason that his smirk remained. 

“Could make you come so fast because you’ve never had a cock like mine…But you’re gonna work for it.” He turned you to face him, “Because the only face better than the one you're making now is gonna be the one you make when you realize you’ve lost. And if you think ANYTHING else…you're even dumber than I thought….” He penetrated himself into you once again. Only this time, you were set on your side, his arms pinning you in yet another inescapable positioning as your legs were divided as one sat at a rest at his shoulder and the other on your thigh to keep it flat.

“Look at you…already begging for it and it hasn’t even been five minutes…But you wanna come don’t you, you dirty little pogue slut…Clenching me…soaking me…making it so easy to fuck you just how I want…”

“Please…” You had uttered again, not sure if you were asking for more or less, but unable to say anything aside from this. And it wasn’t even as if you expected him to pity you or show you mercy as you knew better than this. But you had understood just how truly selfish and animalistic he was as he pounded into you this way, working up perspiration upon you both, as each brutal force seemed endless as your body was reliant on him completely. You were overtaken by that forbidden fantasy come to life, one you always had for the Kook prince who was weighing you down with his own ambitions. 

“God damn, your fucking joking with me right now! No way a pogue pussy feels THIS good. Only this good because of MY cock in it…” He lowered over you, forcing himself deeper into your walls, bottoming out and remaining set, as he spoke over your pained expression. 

“Tell me. Say it bitch, tell me just HOW good it is…”

“Rafe-” His hand came around your throat. 

“Doesn’t sound like an adjective there, now does it. I already know how deep I am…already know it’s making you wanna come…Feeling you getting wetter by the second…so fucking tell me before I have to send you back to them bleeding-” He scoffed. “Still might anyway…”

“Please, Rafe…” His grip tightened harder, making only desperate breaths and the shuffling of the sheets beneath you as the only sound until he spoke. 

“Not even your breathless begging is gonna make me take pity on you. You REALLY thought all it would take is for you to show up and I’d drop to my knees for you,” He released a grunt as he continued slow thrusts while keeping this weight over you, “I know you too well, pogue…been watching you long enough to know that you wouldn’t come here without a reason…” 

“Rafe-” You choked. 

“So THIS is your reason. You were supposed to distract me? Then fucking distract me! Make me come then, you little slut. God knows YOU need it…” Your eyes rolled as he smacked your ass again, a bitter sting amended by that of another thrust. 

“How are you gonna explain walking out of here unable to walk? Bruised neck and cum dripping down your thighs because you left your panties here-yeah, you’re not getting those back.” Your eyes widened in horror. 

“Don’t be so surprised. We both know I’m the reason they’ve always been so wet…Validated it when I took them off…And I feel it now. So you’re gonna fucking come right now so I can go faster. You are coming for ME, not for you-don’t get the wrong idea. You are here for ME. Isn’t that reason you came?” He forced himself into an ungodly pace, your body a simple outlet for him as you whimpered and pleaded beneath him, his grip only tightening between these heartless pistonings. 

“Oh, you’re so fucking close, you’re shaking…it’s so goddamn pathetic…” He gave a single chuckle. 

“But all those little desperations are making me…Fuck, I’m gonna come…” He suddenly felt deeper as you became tighter, contradicting each other’s movements as you were both pulled to that mutual high. 

“FUCK!” He exclaimed before dragging you to the edge of the bed, hair as this leverage before his cock was forced at the breathless parting of your lips. 

“I don’t want some dirty pogue cum on my cock. So clean it the hell off…” You obliged by his initial threatening guidance, expertly pulling him beyond your reflex. But as you attempted to bring him to another edge, he forced you back from your endeavors. 

“You don’t get to please me. Not after thinking I’m stupid enough to care about you more than a fuck. You came here for a reason…and I used you for it. So thanks for the distraction…” He tossed you in complete disregard as you covered yourself with your shorts, huddled against the bedside table.

“I’m giving you a minute to pull yourself together because I know how hard you just took it…but if you aren’t out of here after that, so help me God, I’ll send you back too battered to recognize who you are.” Your body was left in abandon, pleasantly numb from a series of silent releases he had pulled while garnering his own, your skin wearing the evidence of what you were sent here for, a reason all your own having been quelled as you collected yourself as much as possible, before returning to your Pogues, all none the wiser of your own secret ambitions having been met…

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae @camilynn @bethoconnor @belcalis9503