#to having the other at their back like vax knowing vex will keep that long term vision and vex being brusque and calculating with her charm

[sparring-spirals]

Went through my kith and kin tag after that last post and once again lying on my floor thinking about. vex snarling at vax about his judgement being swayed by a pretty face-

(another person vax is brave enough to love, even if its dangerous. looking for the good and the kindness and the humanity among the darkness, trying to bring it forward, let vex experience it, even when it can leave him bleeding)-

and vax snarling at vex about her judgement being swayed by her desperation to be accepted-

(another time vex sees a way to secure safety and security and approval, which is safety and security, in a different form. for her, her and vax and trinket and everything she loves, safe in one place, where they can belong, they can stay)-

and. oogh.

Holding these twins in my hands. squishing them like playdough. one of them fights desperately to find the kindness and good and light even when its a fools errand. leaves himself open and hurt for a little bit of light. if it keeps vex safe, happier. one of them counting and calculating and running and cruel because the world demands it. keeps the counter going and going and does the hard things if it keeps vax whole, and okay. one close range and one long.

they'll hurt each other if it keeps the other whole. they'll gladly get hurt if it keeps the other safe. the world is harsh, and they are surviving. what the fuck. theyre such a fucked up pair. they love each other so much.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Hello! may I request any prompt of your choosing from the hurt/comfort list if I specifically ask for tlovm vaxleth? thank you!

10. "Don't worry about anything now."

It's cold in Whitestone, especially at night, but Keyleth doesn't feel it. Her body is warm, hot even, pressed back against Vax like this. His arm is draped over her, his chin hooked over her shoulder. Her naked shoulder. Because she's naked. They both are. Because they had sex.

Vax's breathing is slow and even, and Keyleth is working overtime to keep hers the same way. It's not that she's freaking out—she's not. Not really. Except her body is sore, pleasantly so, dully tingling in the memory of his hands on her, in her—oh, and while that was happening, the people of Whitestone were burying their dead. And Thordak was still burning Emon. And Raishan was probably plotting her inevitable betrayal. And Percy was lying in a tomb, surrounded by generations of deceased de Rolos. But oh gods, the things Vax's tongue can do.

She's a bad person. That has to be it. She gets together with Vax in their dead friend's home? While Vex is in mourning? Who does that? Sure, she was waiting for Vax to pull his head out of his ass long before Percy died, but still, she could have waited, should have waited, found a better moment, done everything differently—

"You're thinking so loud." Vax's voice is a sleepy rumble in her ear as his arm tightens around her.

She laughs nervously. "Sorry. Just, um. A lot to think about."

His nose trails lazily up the back of her neck. "Care to share?"

Now she's in a pickle. She can't tell him what she was really thinking about, because then he'll think she regrets sleeping with him, which she doesn't—at least, not like that. And she's always been so bad at lying. And if she says she's thinking about Percy, will he think she wishes he were here instead? Because wow, no. She has to lie. But say what—

"Kiki, seriously. If you think any louder you're going to wake up the whole castle."

"Was this a mistake?" She feels his body stiffen, and his arm starts to retract. Fully panicking now, she grabs his hand, uses it to tug herself around so she's on her back, where she can see his face. It's shell-shocked, hurt. "That is not what I meant. I don't—I don't regret this. I don't regret you. I promise, Vax."

His face softens a bit, but he's still regarding her skeptically. "I'm really struggling to find another interpretation here, Kiki."

"No, I know, I just meant—" She throws her forearm over her eyes so she doesn't have to look at him. "Percy is dead and Vex is heartbroken and Whitestone is in ruins again and we have to fight Thordak and Raishan is such a bitch and gods I am so behind on my Aramenté and really what right do I have to be happy with you when everything is terrible—"

He shuts her up by kissing her. His hand pulls her face closer to his, and her arm falls away from her eyes as she melts against his lips. For a moment, everything is quiet.

"Keyleth," he murmurs against her mouth. "You are beautiful and powerful and wise and so very, very silly."

"I'm not—"

"You are. There is no 'deserving' happiness. There is just...finding it. With our friends. With our families." His thumb traces little circles where his hand cups her jaw. "Here, in this bed, with you. You know, a very wise woman once pointed out to me how foolish it was to forgo current happiness for fear of future pain." He smirks at her. "I'd hate to see her forgo current happiness because she's guilty about the suffering of others."

Keyleth chews her lip. "But there are things we could be doing. People we could be helping."

"We can't help anyone if we're too exhausted to stand. C'mere." He gently spins her around again so that he's spooning her, her hand cupped in his, and yeah, the feeling of him behind her, warm and solid, does make the brain chatter quiet a bit. "Don't worry about anything now. We have so much time to worry, I promise you. All of the things you're concerned about will be there in the morning, and so will I." He kisses the nape of her neck. "I don't know what the future holds, but I can't imagine thinking about that when I have my favorite person in the world in my arms."

He squeezes her close, and Keyleth breathes in the arm, woodsy scent of him. Alright. Maybe he's right. Maybe the horrors will still be waiting come daylight. Maybe they can share this night, and the happiness it has brought them. She closes her eyes, and soon, she is dreaming of hundreds more nights, just like this.

[unicyclehippo]

spare some vexleth? maybe? "i don't believe this"

‘i don’t believe this. i don’t believe you. you should have told us.’

‘and when was i - ow - supposed to do that? how? maybe when you were all the way across the continent in emon organising the armies, doing exactly what i was trying to do? maybe i should have - ah - told you then! can you please stop trying to make me sit!’ she growls at her helper—someone left behind by her right hand, who doesn’t deserve to be growled at, but if they touch her one more time… her growl deepens.

they scurry to the door, yanking it shut behind them to “give the tempest time with her guest” she hears from the antechamber.

across the room, vex purses her lips to keep from smiling; she’s upset, still, about keyleth’s wounds and finding out from esqoult of all people—whom vex considers an “idiotic blowhard tight-fisted hateful byblow of a rock” at the best of times—and the attack at the red centre and vax. unceasingly she is upset about vax. unceasingly, his death follows them both like feathers in their hair; he is their constant, dark companion. keyleth’s near death, however, is far more recent and unclosing wounds is a new and hellish experience that hurts them both.

anger crackles in her gut. she hasn’t the energy to shift forms but smoke curls in tendrils out of her nose, sparks smoulder in the one fist she can actually close. her other hand aches, split to bone.

‘sending stones aren’t working. our earrings aren’t working. sending—‘ she takes a moment to breathe. it hurts. ‘sending spells aren’t working, not that i have that anyway. and a bird,’ she grunts, propping herself against the headboard, ‘would take days at the very least. so tell me, lady vex’ahlia, when exactly was i supposed to tell you?’

‘i don’t know! but when you’re nearly dead, you make the effort!’ vex commands.

it looks good on her. keyleth can admit that in very private thoughts and fever dreams. maybe a death bed. she stares across at vex, who has only ever grown into her considerable beauty, and manages a shaky smile. command has always looked good on vex.

‘missed you. if that - i don’t know - helps.’

vex snorts. ‘yes, darling, i missed you too. obviously. i’m furious with you that you nearly died, oh and also we really must meet up when the world isn’t alarmingly close to being obliterated.’

‘brunch?’

‘girls day. i’ll invite pike.’

‘i thought - just you and me,’ keyleth says, trying on a flirtatious smile. it’s been a long time since she wore it last, some fifteen, twenty years. it feels weird so she stops trying. ‘ignore that. ignore me. i’m- death bed propositions.’

‘stop it. you’re not in your death bed.’

keyleth glances around the room. it’s empty, just her and vex, so she can admit, ‘feels like it.’

vex softens. she always does. she gets angry first, angry and scared, because she’s lost a lot in her time and she learned early and harder than most that the only way to stop that was to fight back with everything, anything. she does bitter and snide and bitchy and mocking better than anyone keyleth knows, but that’s because vex is better than anyone keyleth knows, and it all comes from the same heart. vex softens, and she comes to sit lightly on the side of keyleth’s bed.

‘what can i do?’

‘nothing. nothing. it’s all - there’s people helping me already. cursed flowers and potion stuff. bells hells.’

vex starts. ‘the ones who came to us? with her?’

‘did you -‘ she can move, a little. it hurts but hell, what in life doesn’t hurt? she covers vex’s hand with hers. ‘did you talk to her? i saw her - alive this time. she’s…sweet. strange but sweet.’

‘i know. at least, i thought so.’

keyleth slid her fingers over vex’s. ‘you gave her your ring.’

vex laughs, bitter-edged. ‘yes, and it made up entirely for all the shit that poor girl has been through.’

‘not your fault. it isn’t,’ she insists, when vex goes all stone-jawed and stubborn. ‘didn’t you - tell percy that? it’s true for him too. isn’t it?’

vex rolls her eyes to the ceiling. makes a wet, disgusted noise. ‘i suppose.’ after a long moment, she says, ‘how did she look? delilah’s doll?’

‘don’t call her that.’

‘my lookalike.’

‘she doesn’t look much like you,’ keyleth tells her. it’s a lie. she looks so much like vex had, like vax does in their memories. young. ‘i don’t know. they’re due back today, maybe tomorrow. stay. you can - ow - talk to her.’

vex nods. strokes keyleth’s clenched hand. ‘i’ll stay until you’re well.’

‘you’re a hero, vex. you’re needed elsewhere, i’m sure,’

‘keyleth, it’s war. the treasury is open. they don’t need me for that—they need my very expert clerks, gods bless them. i’m here with you.’ the stubborn look resolidifies. vex tilts her head in such a way that keyleth is sure her heart is about to fall right out of her split-open chest, and leans forward to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. pulling back, she searches keyleth’s eyes; whatever she finds there makes her nod, quite satisfied, and she smiles. ‘besides, your assistants are going to need a hero to keep you in bed and resting. i volunteer, as it happens.’

[cillivnz]

gunplay [percy de rolo]

PAIRING — LORD PERCIVAL FREDRICKSTEIN VON MUSEL KLOSSOWSKI DE ROLO III x F!READER

WORD COUNT — 2502

WARNINGS — cursing, alcoholism (it’s vox machina, what do you expect), slayer’s take!reader, dark!percy, full-fledged jealousy, implied vex’ahlia x percy, implied reader x vax’ildan and reader x kashaw, fighing, percy points a gun (the gun) at reader, degrading themes, degrading name-calling, pet names, gun-play, mention of gun penetration, fingering, orgasm denial, breasts/nipple play, cum-eating, cunnilingus, overstimulation, biting, possessiveness, sex/pillow talk.

A/N — just a little somethin’-somethin’ for my favourite noble.

you had no idea how you ended up like this.

except it came to you, bits and pieces, as you rubbed your temples. despite having done it this long, you could never get accustomed to the hangovers that came with partying with vox machina. you were bare, not a strip of cloth covering your skin. about to get up and leave, when you felt a calloused hand wrap around your arm, and a strong arm pulling you in place. “stay,” an all-too-familiar voice requested, expect raspier, an underlying tone you’ve never heard in it before.

your eyes widened at realisation; the same very moment, those arms pulled you back to bed, keeping you flush against a cold chest, the same arms wrapping around your waist. your ass was pressed against his crotch, and the realisation elicited a groan from him.

“percy!” the realisation dawned on you when you saw the glistened, new-and-improved pepperbox on the nightstand in front of you.

HERE’S HOW IT STARTED: you’ve been with vox machina for a while; not an original member, but you were tasked with assisting them on the pursuit of the vestiges of divergence. the slayer’s take became cold and indifferent towards you, hating your departure, that they claimed to be your betrayal, but the order came from none of other than osysa, so every mortal was to oblige.

from the minute they barged into the home of the take, you had eyes on the white haired assassin. sure, vax’ildan was cute, but he seemed to be too out of it from the beginning. you also soon found out the ginger ashari claimed “dibs”, so you proposed a friendship instead. percy avoided you during team split ups, ignored your presence and voice entirely during plan discussions, and volunteered to go with vex’ahlia instead, whenever you offered to team up with him.

you never let it get to you, though. perhaps, it was just hostility rather than dislike because you weren’t a part of vox machina, but then again, grog and scanlan called you one of them on numerous occasions.

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED: after grog’s gruesomely glorious victory against his uncle, the then thunderlord of the herd of storms, the lot of you have been chugging barrels after barrels of booze. you had a high endurance to alcohol, but befriending vox machina turned you into the alcoholic you didn’t know you could be.

right now, you were seated between keyleth and pike; keyleth blabbered about vax while pike gazed nonchalantly at something you couldn’t make out in the corner of the room; vax just wandered out on his own, but no concern grew. “where’s-” ah, there he is. percy was with vex, her arm on his shoulder, a flushed grin on his face, vex twirled her braid in her other hand while saying something that caused percy to rupture into laughter.

you scoffed, downing the rest of your drink. getting up, you made your way to the bar, which was right behind them. “great,” you rolled your eyes, walking towards them. with swift strides, you picked up an unattended drink from a random table on the way, letting the oddly fruity taste stream down your throat. the contrast from your favourite grimly bitter drink was revitalising.

by the time you reached them, vex’s sultry voice only cheered the word “darling!” while hearty laughs roared in the room. they didn’t notice you, not until you made them. bumping into him so hard, almost dislocating your shoulder, you made mercy drop the pepper box, eliciting a gasp from vex.

he looked at you, an eyebrow raised at your audacity, while his jaw, one you know could cut a diamond into two, clenched, once he realised it was you. “watch. where you’re going.” he spoke through gritted teeth. “fuck off, de rolo.” you spoke with disdain. “excuse me?” he questioned your audacity. you flipped him off, a crimson and black flame of magic dancing behind your hand. “it’s foolish to disrespect a noble, slayer.” again, with the constant reminder that you’re not one of them. “especially,” he paused, and in a flash, the dropped weapon was in his hands, “an armed one.” he finished, pointing the pepperbox right at your temple. “percy, darlin-” “don’t bother, vex’ahlia.” you interrupted her. “i’d like to see ‘percy darling’ try.” percy snarled when the nickname left your tongue, the sound of it turned his face pale with disgust. “now that you don’t have a demon in there, i do wonder what you do with it.” his eyes, narrowed to slits at your remark.

yeah, you knew about orthax. osysa gave you enough information about each and every member of vox machina before you departed. plus, keyleth is an oversharing drunk, so this fact was backed up.

“well, don’t leave me hanging, baby. are you gonna shoot me? because,” you slowly turned towards him, closer to him with every word you dragged flirtatiously, “i’d like to see you put that thing to other use.” you finished, letting the tip of the gun graze your lower lip, softly pulling the plump lip down.

AND THAT’S HOW YOU ENDED UP HERE; in lord percival fredrickstein von musel klossowski de rolo III’s room. he’s still obnoxiously dressed, barely parted with his cravat, while you’re stripped to the bone; either leg placed on his sides, spread wide for him. one of his gloved hands is snaked around your waist, firmly holding you in place, dismissing your squirming, while lo in behold in his hand, the pepperbox — tracing your jaw, the valley of your breasts, and finally resting against your lips. “open.” he ordered, and you hesitantly did. the tip of the gun snaking in your mouth. you groaned when the brutally cold metal came in contact with your tongue. “suck it.” you pulled out, “percy, i want your cock…” he ‘tsked’. “no. you asked for this, and this is what you’ll get.” his authoritative tone made your cunt ache.

“now open your fucking mouth.” he demanded, the dominance in his tone was mocking you, so degrading, as if percy were a god, sick of hearing your endless devotions. being his devotee, you had no choice but to comply to him, your god. complying, you began sucking on the metallic weapon, tongue lapping at it, wetting the barrel. “good girl, at least you’re capable of something.” he halfheartedly praised, pulling the gun out of your mouth with a ‘pop’ sound. you knew he was lying when he said that, he did too. on countless occasions had you saved their asses, single-handedly. tonight, however, was not the night to let you know; praise you in any way, unless you fuck your way for it.

“i am capable.” you stated, relieved that your voice hadn’t given out. “are you now?” he questioned, amused. his fingers trailed the skin of your thighs, sending shivers down your spine. before you knew it, the grip on your tightened. you were left gasping for breath, only when your eyes clouded with panic did he let go and grabbed your mouth, forcing it open with a rough squeeze of your flushed cheeks. he shoved three of his fingers in, and you were quick to wrap your tongue around each of them, earning a rewarding groan from percival.

his digits began gagging you, pulling away, before shoving in deeper. his wet fingers then reached down to your weeping cunt; spreading the with his index and ring finger, percy showed in his middle one. “fucking drenching, just like i imagined.” “fuck, percy!” you moaned when he added the fingers spreading you, into your hole. “slow, please-” you gasped, your cry falling on deaf ears. “now, you say you’re capable,” he had an animalistic look in his eyes. you’d only heard of this craze, this ferocity dancing on percy’s face in stories told by vax, back when orthax was rooted in his soul. now that it’s in front of you, you can’t help but clench around his fingers, pummelling your cunt like a man (still) possessed. “yet,” he continued, “you’re so fucking tight — barely able to take in my fingers.” your half open eyes met his green ones, darkened with lust. “how on earth will you take in this, hm?” he used his other hand to press the cold, wet barrel of the pepperbox against your clit. you moaned so loud, you were sure the adjacent rooms were aware of your devilment.

he slowly began to move the weapon against your swollen clit. “don’t tell you weren’t planning on having it inside you. what’s the fun if you’re not gonna be fucked with it?” the relentless pace of his fingers, his dirty mouth — the smirk plastered on it, his gun on your clit. “but don’t worry, by the time i’m done with you, you’ll be stretched enough to take it,” he chuckled sinfully.

the darkest of your fantasies unravelling today, you were at the mercy of this assassin, and you loved every bittersweet bit of it. you knew your smartmouth wouldn’t last a second in his chambers, and he proved to be above you, oh so cruelly, the erotic feelings becoming unbearable.

he straightened his posture, easily moving you with him, as if you were featherlight in his embrace. his lips parted to let out his tongue, it circled your hard nipple, before engulfing it whole. his mouth was contrasting the icy feel of his fingers inside you and the metal that mocked your clit with every graze. it was blazing, as his mouth pulled and tugged on your nipple, before taking it between his teeth. you moaned a shriek. “fucking hell,” he pulled away, his tongue drawing wet circles around the bite. how he managed to stimulate every inch of you left you flabbergasted. “is this what you wanted?” percy looked at you through his lashes, “having my fingers inside this hot pussy, my mouth on these perfect fucking tits?” you moaned his name in response, he nodded with a smirk. “didn’t know nobles could talk dirty.” you managed to taunt between a moan. “not all, just me.” he clarified. “just like not every noble gets to fuck this pussy, more like anyone from now on.”

“who’s pussy is this?” he questioned, curling his fingers inside you; all three making your legs twitch. “yours, percival.” you whispered without thinking. “even when i’m flirting with vex, and you’re all alone pity drinking?” your ego was jabbed over, and over again. “yes, percival.” “aw,” he teased, “even when you were flirting with kash when we stopped by?” “yes, percival.” “ha-ha, and why’d you turn him down, baby?” “because… fuck, i’m gonna cum-” his movements halted. “answer me, my love.”

my love, what— “fuck, no, please let me finish!” you begged, the pressure of stopping coaxed tears out of your eyes. “you’re crying, my love? pathetic.” “i… i said no to him because i saw you and i… fuck, i wanted you from the moment i saw you, percy. i knew only you could do me right, and it fucking hurts when you don’t.” you were fucking relieved to surrender to your feelings and let them be known to the man eliciting them.

“kiss me,” he closed his eyes, swollen lips parted in wonder. “kiss me while i make you cum for me.” he patiently awaited your lips, ones he’s craved since the minute he set foot in vasselheim, and when you brought your plump lips to his, his movements resumed in your cunt, as did those of the pepperbox.

when your tongues danced to the fiery tune of the squelching sounds your cunt made, every fibre in your being raptured. this was unlike any feeling you’ve ever felt.

“oh, percy!” was all you chanted, while he cooed praises along the lines of ‘good girl’, ‘so good for me’, ‘that’s it, cream on fingers’. he placed you on the bed, the gun, beside you on the nightstand, and fervently discarded his clothes. shirtless, he climbed on, spreading your pussy once again, before diving in. “percy, i can’t- oh!” you moaned when his tongue wriggled inside you. he ate you out, you grabbed onto his ivory locs, using that beautiful face you’ve spent day and night fantasising about, to ride your high.

often, you had wondered what de rolo would be like in bed, obviously not anticipating that he and you would ever be sleeping together. even when you and the gang were camping in the open, he would make sure to sleep as farther away from you as the proximity of the fire would allow him to, so yeah, to say ‘surprised’ would be like reducing osysa and kamaljiori to mere kitties.

“fuck, percy, just like that.” you moaned when he began sucking on your clit. “god, you’re gonna make me cum again,” your voice was getting shriller, hand gripping on to the sheets for dear life. “good,” was percy’s response, and he lapped at every drop flowing out of your fucked out cunt, fingers pinching the clit to coax more out.

you saw white, yet again, when he had you coming undone on his tongue. your legs threatened to shut close, but percy didn’t falter, still determined to overstimulating you, as if that were your punishment for the bratty behaviour today.

the last thing you remember was him tucking your naked frame in the sheets before he spooned you, arms wrapped around your waist as if you were a celestial dream that would fade away at the brink of dawn.

NOW: you were being held on to for dear life, while you thought of a way to slither away from his embrace. deciding to try your luck, you just grabbed his, surprisingly muscular, arm and placed it on his side, ready to make a run for it — about to get up and leave, when you felt a calloused hand wrap around your arm, and a strong arm pulling you in place. “stay,” an all-too-familiar voice requested, expect raspier, an underlying tone you’ve never heard in it before. “we’ve done what we wanted to, let me leave.” you said without facing him.

“well, i’ve got a lot to apologise for, and so do you.” he spoke, nonchalantly.

“best way to do that is by submitting to me like you did last night.” he piqued your interest, “you— remember it all?” you asked, slowly turning toward him. “of course.” he chuckled, the sound made you rub your thighs against each other.

“kind of hard to forget the women you fancy getting her clit rubbed by your gun.” wait did he just— “yes, i do fucking fancy you, dummy. i’d tell you all about it if you could just sleep with me for five more minutes.” he said before he yanked you towards him; landing on his cold chest, you let him soak in your warmth, his large hand holding your shoulder, while yours placed on his heart, felt it beat, for you.

main masterlist. more from ‘the legend of vox machina’.

[innocent-cat]

May I request an angsty Vax (vox machina) x reader, where the reader likes Vax but he doesn't know it especially paired with his feeling for Keyleth at the time. But when he figures out he rethinks his feelings, but by then the reader feels like the Second pick. (It can have a happy or angsty ending, whatever feels right to you)

GUYS IM BACK!!!! have this and two others im keeping on the burner to write. There were five, so if you don't see your's pop up anytime soon, its because I didn't know how to write it. Loved the ideas, though◡̈

Vax'ildan Vessar x Reader

Warnings - None

"An option, never his priority.", Vax x Reader

.·:*¨༺༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺༻

The fire whips in the direction of the wind and crackles in defiance against the small pellets of snow fall onto it, burning the firewood, which was already charred on nearly every side.

You sat next to your best friend, Vex, who had known about your love for Vax for months now. All she could feel was pity for you when she watches you stare off into the dark and starry night, looking anywhere except the two people in front of you.

Vax and Keyleth. Vax shot empty flirts at Keyleth without any reaction from her, as she blankly looks into the fire uninterested in him.

From the corner of your own eyes, you can feel Vex looking at you with a look on her face that you hated. It felt embarrassing for her to give you that look of empathy for so long, and it brought you back to the moment.

Taking a deep breath in through your nose, you held it for just a second. You let it out through your mouth and watch the air fog for just a moment. You look at Vex through the side of your eye, making eye contact, and she quickly looks away.

You sigh. The silence between the entire group was killing you, and you caught second hand embarrassment from Vax flirting with Keyleth like no one could hear them.

To be fair, no one but you and Vex were paying attention. Percy was tinkering with something that you couldn't be bothered enough to ask about, Pike and Grog were fast asleep. How could they fall asleep so quickly in this cold?

You slid off the log you sat on, the rough texture of the bark along it pushed against you and the snow crunched under your feet when you stood. Without looking around, you simply walk away into the snowed in forest.

"If you get lost just give us a shout." Vex's voice ringed through your ears, and you gave her a nod without turning to look at her.

Snow continued to crunch under your feet as you trudged into the forest. It was extremely dark, and the trees made you feel crowded. The trees rock as you push the pines out of the way, feeling the snow piled on them seep into your mittens, creating a soggy feeling on your hands.

Turning to an opening, you see a few logs turned to one another. It seems another group of travelers had passed through here once or twice before too. The world is really small, anyway. Not too hard to think about. You cast a fire spell on their old fire pit, watching the charcoal burn again. You sit down on a log, and stare into the sky, enjoying lonesomeness.

//////////////

(third person POV switch)

Keyleth awkwardly stood up and followed you after a few minutes of awkwardness with Vax. She tightly gripped and wrapped her faux coat around herself. Vex and Vax make eye contact, and glance between themselves and Percy. Vex shrugs and speaks.

"You know she doesn't love you. Quit bothering the poor girl, Vax."

Percy glances up at the siblings, but opts to continue fixing and cleaning his trinket.

Vax sighs, and turns his face away from Vex, not saying a word, waiting for her to say something he would choose to continue off of.

Vex scoffs at his stubbornness to the conversation. "Have you ever paid attention to how they look at you? YOU guys would work out. Not you and Keyleth!" Vex's accent gets thicker as she continues to voice her complaints about Vax's irony to not notice anything around him.

Vax pauses, and looks as if he's thinking to himself and piecing together evidence in his head.

"...You mean to tell me, that this whole time, all those gifts, and all the times they've been flustered without reason, was because they're in love with me?" Vax mumbled to Vex, still putting it together.

Out of the corner of her eye, Vex could see Percy rolling his eyes to their conversation. It was obvious he could tell too, in fact, him and Vex had spoken about it a few times when they had nothing better to do.

Now, it's Vex's turn to roll her eyes. And that she did. "What do you think I just said to you?" She scoffs after her sentence is stated.

Silence falls over the two and only the wind, the crackling fire, and Percy's tinkering can be heard. Soft crunching and talking can be heard from the forest.

(3rd person POV switch)

I softly laugh with Keyleth as we step back to the group's makeshift firepit. Before I can sit, Keyleth sits next to Vex, which forces me to sit next to Vax. Before I do, Vex waves me over and whispers into my ear.

"I told him"

I give her an annoyed look and she smiles smugly at me. I quickly turn before anything can be insinuated between the others and sit next to Vax.

This time, Vax seemed to be nervous to sit next to me. He was drooling over Keyleth just a second ago, You couldn't understand how he could change his mind so fast.

You close your eyes and decide not to think about it, trying to sleep quietly. It was late, and you were too tired to talk after the grueling work done today, which had to be followed with miles of walking to do the next morning.

When Vax notices this, he wraps his arm around you and pulls you in to rest on his shoulder. While his touch his warm, and something you've yearned for, you didn't like it. You didn't welcome it.

It wasn't what you yearned for. It felt forced.

The vibrations of his voice rumbles on his chest, and you could feel it in your head, but your hearing was muffled. It felt like you could hear their conversation in another room. You felt him hesitate when talking to Keyleth, but he spoke to her in that same tone.

He was settling for you.

You could feel an unsettling sense in your stomach, it made you uncomfortable, and it made you squirm.

You didn't want to be his second choice.

[peach-the-owl]

*Emerges from the depths of the void, drops post* See ya in another few months… maybe… *Crawls back into the void*

Cuddles 2.0

Vox Machina & Child!Reader (Kids Machina)

Pike

You could be a nervous bean more often than you’d like to admit, you loved cuddles but never know when to ask for some. Luckily Pike knows how to read your body language and is more than happy to offer cuddles with you when things aren’t crazy. With time you get braver at asking yourself but it’s always good to know that Pike can always tell when you need one.

Pike’s skill to read your emotions works effectively well on those days where you feel down and lonely, especially when you two are away from the rest of the group to fulfil your duties to Sarenrae. Pike will start by asking if you’re okay, try as you might sometime you just can’t lie to her and she’ll warmly offer to cuddle with you until you feel better.

Keyleth

Cuddles with Keyleth are the best especially when she can wild shape herself into different animals you can snuggle against. You especially love cuddling against her Minxie form, feeling the soft fur under you as you snuggle up to her while she curls around you protectively.

While Keyleth has had her own share of down days, she can’t stand to see the downtrodden look on your face when your mood is low. She’ll scoop you up and hold you close, telling you stories or even singing to an old lullaby she remembers her mother singing to her when she was little. You relax into her after a while as you listen to her and she can’t help feel some pride at how much you trust and depend on her.

Vex

You liked cuddles but didn’t always show it seeing as Vex wasn’t always one for cuddling, thankfully Trinket was. The bear always happy and willing to give you snuggles when Vex was busy. Sometimes while you’re cuddling Trinket, Vex will sneak in and join in, making the cuddle pile extra special.

On days where your condition strongly affects you and you’re feeling useless, Vex will be there to reassure you and hold you in her embrace for as long as you need, telling you over and over that you’re not useless and that she’s happy you’re here with her. Her reassuring words to you always help lift your spirits more and make the bad days more bearable.

Vax

Vax likes his time alone, you understand this, you like your alone time too, but sharing some cuddles every now and again is always nice. The only few times you’ve interrupted his alone time for snuggles are the times he’s in an extra standoffish and distant mood, wanting to lift his mood, it always works or at least helps him feel better.

When you’re the one in a down and distant mood Vax will give you some space at first, give you time to come to him. You eventually do but don’t say anything, letting him talk to you, not about what the issue is, no he won’t push you for that, he’ll sit with you and talk about what he did or how he outwitted Grog in their latest “game”. Slowly but surely making you feel better, while he feels a sense of pride for perking you up again.

Grog

You’re a small, fragile child who likes sharing hugs, he’s a large, powerful goliath who could snap you like a twig if he’s not careful. Thankfully, for both of you, Gorg’s had lots of practice with handling smaller beings

Grog can have a hard time understanding feelings. Especially when you get stubborn and say you’re fine, he accepts that answer until one of the others tells him that you’re 100% not fine. He’s confused, you said you were fine but you were lying? Why would you do that? He doesn’t know exactly what to do so he’ll just scoop you up and keep you close to him until you’re actually feeling better.

Percy

Percy isn’t a touchy feely man always busy, always tinkering. Being his apprentice you get to stay close to him so you could deal with not getting cuddles or hugs. Occasionally when a project of your own goes well and tests successfully he’ll proudly ruffle your hair, it wasn’t much but you’ll take what you can get.

Some days you just don’t feel motivated or worthy of being Percy’s apprentice. When he notices, and he will notice, you’re not in the workshop with him he will drop everything to find you. When he locates where you’re hiding he’ll just talk to help you get your mind off of your troubles and doubts because he knows better then anyone that you are worthy and he couldn’t have asked for a better apprentice.

Scanlan

He’s tried not to get close to you, didn’t want to give the wrong message to whoever he’s flirting with but after that time you called him dad he’s become more open to it, if only a little bit. Scanlan hadn’t realized just how much he’d enjoy something as simple as a hug, sure he’s spent the night with many women, but that pales in comparison to the genuine parental connection he felt when you’d hug him.

When you’d feel sad or upset about something he’s there to cheer you up, with a joke, story or song, anything to see your cheery face again. To the rest of the team’s shock he’s even brushed off ladies who openly tried flirting with him because he saw your watery eyes and pouting expression.

[blueseachelle]

Hi I just saw your post!

Could I ask you do an imagine with percy or vax (or both😅) where they find their soulmate and what it is like. Smut if you like.

Thank you 😊

I can do that! I gotcha! This will not be NSFW. Some spoilers for Season 2 will be in this. I have many other requests in the web I’m creating right now. So, we’ll have an easy one today!

Percy De Rolo

You would join Vox Machina off a whim. Got caught up in a tavern brawl and got kicked out with them.

You actually hit it off with Scanlan and Grog out of the rest of the group first. Then, Pike, Vax, and Vex. Percy didn’t accept you at first. He was wary of you because of his past.

You made it your entire effort into wanting to become Percy’s friend. You slowly gained more feelings for him the more you harassed him into a friendship.

He slowly became comfortable with you. Of course, you would never know that. He loves your company. He will never admit it.

You both are on the same wave length with everything, be it his crafting or to strategy in battle. Always by each others side.

You could sense something familiar about his aura. He found the same in you.

Soon enough, he found comfort in you. Just your presence can help ease if spiraling spirit.

He would always tell himself this is nothing more than a friendship but, he always felt deep down that he was lying to himself.

You knew you loved him with all your heart so, you would always remain by his side. No matter if he got with someone else or never at all.

He wouldn’t realize you are his soulmate until the falling of Whitestone.

You were the only one that could calm down his inner turmoil and was the one to sacrifice everything you could to keep him and his friends safe.

He finally knew it for sure when he was getting taken over by the spirit his gun possessed and accidentally shot you in the side. (As we know that never happened but in this little imagine, it did).

You went down and it snapped him into reality. He ran to catch your body only to be stopped by Scanlan and Grog as Keyleth got to work after being brought back herself.

After that day, for a while, he couldn’t stand to be out of his quarter’s at the Keep. He even refused to look at himself in the mirror.

You made a swift recovery and was told by the rest of the group about what Percy has been doing, Isolating himself.

You went to his door and knocked on it.

Percy was hesitant but opened the door. Before he could do anything, you hugged him and told him that it wasn’t his fault and that he’s okay.

He was caught off guard as he hugged you back. He listened as you consoled him, telling him that it was the spirit inside that did it, not him, and that he didn’t need to worry anymore because its gone and she is okay now.

He slowly pulled you inside during the hug and closed the door. After it shut, he let out the tears he didn’t know he was holding back.

He let himself spill, telling how he felt and that he is sorry. He needed to tell you that he wants to be by your side forever.

Of course, you feeling the same told him that you will never leave and that if you can handle what just happened and can make amends, you can get through anything.

Vax’ildan

I feel like Vax is really in tune with himself.

When he first meets you in a market place, he stole your coin purse but, your keen eye saw him do it and you stole it back and his on top of it. Sending him a wink as you walked away.

He was starstruck. He at least knew that he was in love with you.

When they moved on, he hoped to revisit and see you again but, he didn’t hold to any hope because people have lives and move around too.

He long forgot about you after that because he and the group were really busy and he got caught up in other feelings for Keyleth, which didn’t end well for him so, he hasn’t thought much of you.

After the Chroma Conclave destroyed Emon, He and his friend departed to Vasselheim in search of allies.

Guess who’s there? You!

You are actually are a mercenary. You help whoever pays you, be it the Slayer’s Take or other people.

After being rejected by the clergy, the group was making there way over to the Slayer’s Take and that’s when he spotted you.

You were walking out of there as they walked up. You a large sack of gold that you finished your bounty for and was about to head out.

Before you went too far, Kashaw opened the door and called you back in, telling that the Patron needs to talk to you.

He watched as you sighed and headed back inside.

He raised and eyebrow, You’re so important that the Patron needs to speak with you directly. Interesting.

You were a mystery to him and he loved every second of it. He thought he was the most mysterious person he knew. Not by a long shot.

When they walked in, the quarrel happened until the Patron lets them down to speak with them.

You waited down there on Osysa’s throne was she dealt with each member.

When Vax was encountered, a number of things were said but, one of the most important ones was, ‘You sought love and it wasn’t found but love is a mysterious thing. Soulmates will always be drawn back to each other, no matter the distance or time it takes. Remember what has happened and reflect on this. Love will never always be right in front of you always. Follow your spirit and you will know.’

Vax knew she was talking about you. His spirit was saying it over and over was she spoke to him.

After the dust cleared and they proved themselves worth, you were introduced by Osysa herself.

Osysa knew your heart that you hid away from everyone, she knew that you would help them and not screw them over. Plus, you are preferred to handle in the affairs of God’s, given that you are a Warlock.

Vax couldn’t take his eyes off you. He repeated your name over and over in his head. His spirit seemed to scream out to be next to you.

As Osysa sent you all away, she gave you a knowing look. You two were best friends. You were always there for Osysa ever since you have been confirmed to be of a righteous heart.

The glacé she gave you made you grin and tease back, ‘I’ll tell your hubby you said hi!’

Vax immediately as you all were walking out went up next to you, ‘Hello, I’m Vax’ildan. It’s nice to actually know your name now.’

You just smirked at him, ‘Maybe ask a name before yanking there coin purse next time.’

With that, you passed him as he stood in shock for a second. He watched as your hips swayed slightly back and forth.

It took Scanlan to break him from his thoughts, ‘Someone’s gots the hots’ He semi whispered to Grog in a singsong voice. Grog laughed and covered his mouth.

Vax just rolled his eyes and continued walking.

You hit it off with Pike, Grog, and Scanlan immediately. Everyone slowly pulled there way into your conversations.

As your journey continued, Vax admired you more and more. You’re beautiful, smart, cunning, stealthy, and just a wonderful person in general. He loved it.

After you an everyone made it successfully into the tomb, Percy found the armor.

Instead of hitting Vex’ahlia, it hit you. Killing you in an instant. Vax lost it.

He ran to your corpse and held it tightly as he cried. He just got you. He will not lose you this quickly.

As everyone was trying to resurrect you, Vax had his vision and told the Raven Queen to take him instead of you.

She excepted and you came back. He was so relieved. Yet, his emotions couldn’t express it. He just went and put on the armor.

You realized something was off immediately about Vax. You didn’t know him long but, Osysa told you he was the one. You knew it too but, it’s nice to hear it from your best friend.

After being sabotaged and Vax clutching up, you sat by the fire and watched Vax. He stood and stared into space.

You walked over to him and rested your hand on his new armor.

You knew what he did because of your affairs with the Gods and Goddesses themselves.

You looked at him, ‘Can you go on a walk with me?’

He agreed and you both started walking.

‘I know what you did. You aren’s the only one that see visions and Gods.’

Vax stopped in his tracks and looked at you, ‘I did it to save you. Nothing more.’

‘You lost part of your soul when you did that. That’s why you’re cold and distant now. Don’t worry. I used to be the same. I made a pact too. My feelings came back after I met you.’

Vax felt a rush of emotions come over him. He knew that he had someone to rely on now. He knew that you shared the pain he feels right now.

He hugged you tightly like you were going to disappear again. He let the tears flow as he held you. You held him back as he sobbed. You whispered to him that everything will be okay and that you will be there until the end.

At that point he knew for a fact, you were his soulmate. Be in life or amongst the Gods.

[your-turn-to-role]

is there a canon reason why percy and vex broke up? did tal or laura ever say why exactly?

not to my knowledge? they mentioned a lot about the secret wedding, but the break up was mentioned offhand in the campaign wrap-up talks machina, when they were asked if there was anything anyone did during the year off that never came up in the campaign

i will say though that in quite a few talks machinas tal and laura talk about perc'ahlia like a celebrity relationship (or specifically say "yeah we're one of those couples"), and that's a thing you tend to see fairly often with celebrities that end up in tabloids - they have a complicated life, they break up and get back together quite a bit, so i think part of it is tal and laura having fun playing that drama and letting them be those disaster celebrities

if you want my speculation on an in-canon reason though? i think the commitment freaked them out

like vex has always had issues surrounding stability, she's not had it in her life since she was a little kid, and she's just made excuses to herself her whole life that she's fine because she doesn't want stability - she just wants her brother and to keep moving and to never have to worry about putting down roots or forming emotional attachments because it hurts less that way. it's why she gets so jealous and snippy when vax starts showing interest in keyleth, and why she keeps shutting down his attempts to tell her he's moving to zephrah - she can't keep being flighty and only attached to her brother if he wants to settle down with someone else

as much as she loves percy, and they're good for each other, we know from the grey hunt trial that the idea of settling down with him scares her, because it's new, and because it means for the first time in a long time she has something to lose

percy is almost the opposite, he lost his entire family once already and he doesn't ever want to do that again. it's why he gets so vicious when scanlan leaves, because vox machina is his new family, and no one's allowed to tear that apart again (also why we get the really tentative "i know we don't always agree and i know i can be unkind, but... you know you're family, right?" to grog immediately after)

but a relationship is a whole new step, he trusts vex about as much as he does anyone, but this isn't just trusting her with his anger issues, or trusting her with his city, this is trusting her with the future, with his future, with always being around. i don't think he's confident enough to believe she loves him that much, that anyone could, and if he lets himself take that step fully, he has so much more to lose if something happens like it did last time

so it's all well and good when the relationship is new, when they're still trying things out, when it's flirty and it doesn't have to be serious if they don't want it to

even in moments where it's emotionally heavy, like percy's resurrection, it's still new and in the moment, they're not looking past what's immediately in front of them

(and even after that heavy moment, vex got nervous percy didn't like her back and decided to push it all to the back of her brain and not think about it - vax straight up told her to go chase him bc she deserved to be happy and she instead got drunk and changed the subject)

but then the fighting's over. they're not worried about their lives every day. no one died, they're both still here. and it starts to sink in with them that this isn't going anywhere. that this can be their forever, if they choose it. and that scares both of them, and when they get scared they tend to either wall themselves off or lash out, and both would cause a schism in their relationship. and then one day it turns into an argument and in the heightened emotion one of them says they should break up and the other agrees

and now they're emotionally safe, because if they cause the relationship to end on their terms it can't be pulled away from them unexpectedly

but they're not actually happy

and maybe they come to that realisation on their own, more likely they talk about it with their friends and vax and keyleth tell them they're being idiots

and then the question is what to do about it

it's possible they went slowly back into it

or, since we know their first marriage proposals were a dare, maybe they weren't even together again yet

i could see that being exactly the sort of thing they'd do if they wanted to get back together but they didn't want to be the first one to admit that they wanted to

skip the dating phase we already did that i dare you to marry me

and maybe they talk about it much later, maybe they don't

but i think by the time they got to the marriage, they'd realised they wanted this to be more than a casual thing, and it's still probably scary, but there's no one else they'd trust to get them through that fear and come out the other side

[ravendruid]

Be In My Eyes - Chapter 30

You can read the previous chapters here or on AO3. Here we are, folks. One year later, Part I of BIME comes to an end. I will return with Part II soon because these chucklefucks still have much to suffer. Content warning: Panic attack. Summary: Finals week is hell, but at least it brings Keyleth and Vax closer... but for how long?

Vax was glad that finals were almost over. The week had been horribly stressful between handing out final essays, studying for exams, and giving final presentations. Vax barely had any time left to do fun activities with his sister and friends, not just during the week, but the entire month. All his professors became even stricter than usual, often forgetting their class wasn’t the only subject the students had, passing mountains of homework and scheduling essays and other projects they had to deliver and present within a tight deadline. The only good thing about that was that the final evaluation for those subjects was divided between the final exam and the projects, so even if Vax had a bad grade on a final essay, he could still make up during the exam. On Conthsen night, Vax was anxiously counting the hours left until Keyleth’s last exam the next day, not just because he missed spending time with her—fun time, not study time—but because that was the sign that exams week would be officially over in apartment 7B and that was all Scanlan would need to open the case of beer they had saved in the fridge and turn on the music.

Vax remembered Keyleth was still in class and that she would probably get home exhausted and go straight to studying without eating, so he closed his book and flicked the light off. He would make her dinner and keep her company while she ate, and then they could study together if she wanted, even though Vax wanted nothing more than to have Keyleth curled against his side on the couch while they watched a movie and he played with her hair. Vax loved taking care of Keyleth, especially by doing small gestures like making sure she ate. It didn’t bother him to cook a different meal for her or to leave a serving from dinner in the fridge. He did it because he loved her and wanted to care for her. So Vax made a fresh batch of miso soup that Keyleth could eat anytime and prepared tofu, eggs and vegetables so that he only had to add noodles to the soup base when she got home. It would be warm and full of nutrients for her.

In hindsight, Vax should have noticed the first sign that something wasn’t right when Keyleth slammed the door and slid her back against it. But Vax was so distracted finishing Keyleth’s dinner that he thought she was just tired, and he certainly didn’t think anything else of her tight hug when she entered the kitchen. Keyleth was usually quiet on days she got home late from school, too socially exhausted to hold a full conversation, so Vax sat by her side at the table while she ate and let her fumble with his fingers on her lap.

The second sign came when Vax asked her if she wanted company to study and she said no. He still didn’t think anything of it because Keyleth sometimes asked him to study alone, which Vax understood. He could be quite distracting. So he kissed her forehead and headed back to his room, letting her know the door was unlocked if she needed anything.

Vax finally realized something was wrong when Percy and Vex returned. They were talking in hushed voices as they stepped into the room, and when Vax heard Keyleth’s name, he turned on his chair to look at his sister and his roommate.

“What’s wrong with Keyleth?” Vax asked. Vex’ahlia was still holding Trinket’s leash, even though the massive shaggy dog was nowhere to be seen.

“She’s acting weird. She barely acknowledged our presence.” Percy answered instead. “Do you know if something happened?”

“She was fine when she got home. Maybe she’s tired. Finals week has been hard on all of us.”

“Keep an eye on her, brother,” Vex said. She crossed the room to kiss the crown of his head, then gave Percy a peck on the lips and left.

Vax didn’t need to be told twice to keep an eye on Keyleth, especially when he looked at the clock and saw how late it was. He knew her classes started early the following morning and that if someone didn’t force Keyleth to close her books, she would stay up all night studying. Again, it didn’t bother him to go out of his way to make sure Keyleth got some rest. Everything he did was for her own good, even if it meant he would have to stay up until late.

Vax wasn’t surprised when he saw the mess on the kitchen table. Books were spread open, notes were scattered, a colorful rainbow of highlighters littered on top of papers, and an empty mug of coffee sat on the table. Everyone else had some level of stress before exams—even Grog and Scanlan—but no one beat Keyleth’s anxiety.

“Keeks?” Keyleth wasn’t at the table anymore.

In hindsight, things should have gone differently. Vax should have seen the signs, but he didn’t, so he was naturally concerned when he saw Keyleth sitting on the floor, her back against the wall and arms wrapped around her knees with her head hiding between them, rocking back and forth with shallow, rapid breaths giving way to sobs, and then chokes.

“Keyleth?” Vax called again, kneeling in front of her. When Keyleth didn’t answer, Vax softly placed his hands on her head and lifted it, seeing tears falling down her cheeks and the panic in her eyes. “Kiki, what’s wrong?” He asked. Keyleth didn’t react to him, as if she hadn’t noticed Vax in front of her. Instead, she tried to put her head back between her knees, but Vax held her steady. He knew what was going on: Keyleth was having a panic attack. He had helped Vex’ahlia through them after Saundor and Syldor, and he had forced himself out of a few himself, so he knew what to do.

“Deep breaths,” Vax cooed. Keyleth was still panting and choking, so Vax cradled her cheeks and asked her again, more firmly this time, to take deep breaths. The touch of skin-to-skin seemed to be enough to bring Keyleth out of it at least a bit, just enough for her to start mumbling incomprehensible words.

“What’s wrong, Kiki? I can’t understand,” Vax tried again. Keyleth was still rocking back and forth, still breathing hard, her arms still tight around her knees. She mumbled something again, and, this time, Vax made up the words “can’t” and “it.”

“You’re safe, Keyleth. Take a deep breath in through your nose,” Vax said, demonstrating. Keyleth stared at him, finally stopping her rocking. “And then out,” he exhaled.

“I–can’t,” Keyleth mumbled. She brought her hands to her chest and throat, leaving her legs free.

“You can’t breathe?” Vax asked, concerned. Keyleth had enough strength to nod, so he extended her legs in front of her and straddled them.

“Yes, you can. Breathe with me,” Vax whispered, placing her hands on top of his heart inside his shirt. Keyleth’s hands were burning, but her fingertips were freezing. “In–” Vax took a deep breath in, which Keyleth finally copied. “–and out…” They both exhaled. “Let’s go again.” Vax kept whispering and rubbing his thumbs across Keyleth’s cheeks. One of his hands slid to the loose hair behind her ears, where he started rubbing reassuringly, always making sure to breathe slowly and guide her.

“You’re doing great,” Vax whispered when Keyleth let out a soft sob. It was an improvement from the raspy chokes that made Vax fear for her life. The hand left on her cheek lowered to her neck, where he found her pulse point and remained guiding her breathing. After a while, Keyleth’s sobs lessened enough that Vax felt comfortable to try something different.

“Can you speak?” Vax asked. Keyleth mumbled a ‘yes’ with a ragged voice. “That’s good. Can you tell me five things that you see?”

“You, the floor, chairs, the table, and the trash can,” Keyleth enumerated. Vax nodded with each word, keeping his breath steady to guide her.

“Very good, Kiki. Keep breathing with me, okay? Now, tell me four things you can touch.”

Keyleth moved her frozen fingertips on Vax’s chest. “You, the floor, the wall…” Keyleth paused. She grabbed Vax’s hand on her hair and brought it to her chest, setting it right atop her heart, and said, “And your hand.” She finished with a long exhale.

“You’re doing great, Kiki,” Vax whispered lovingly. He leaned in, pressed a kiss to her forehead and then rested his brows against hers. “How about three things you can hear?”

“Your heart,” Keyleth said without hesitation. Vax smiled at that. She must have been truly focused on his heartbeat, which was good. “Your breathing and the fridge.” Keyleth’s breaths were slower now, almost back to normal, but Vax knew he had to finish the exercise before he could let her go.

“Good job. Can you tell me two things you can smell?”

“You…”

“And?”

“Just you. All of you,” Keyleth replied bashfully. Vax chuckled but accepted the answer since he was so close to her.

“Last one. What can you taste?” Vax asked, but before Keyleth could answer, he kissed her deeply, and against his expectations, Keyleth’s tongue found his. She hummed and pulled away, leaning her forehead against Vax’s again. Her body relaxed, shoulders sagging with relief, but her hand still remained on Vax’s chest, now fully warm.

“Home,” Keyleth answered. With her breathing and heartbeat back to normal, Vax allowed himself to relax and remove the hand on her neck (although he kept the hand on her chest). “Thank you.”

“Come here,” Vax pulled in closer and wrapped both arms around her, bringing her head to his shoulder. Keyleth leaned into his embrace and sighed deeply. “What happened?”

“I can’t do it. I’m so exhausted,” Keyleth admitted.

“You only have one exam left tomorrow, right?” Keyleth nodded in response. “You need to sleep. You’ve been studying non-stop for a month, Kiki. You’re more than ready. And if you’re not, it’s not the end. You can make up for it in a few weeks.”

“I can’t. I have to go home,” Vax’s heart leaped in his chest. It’s not that he forgot that all his roommates were leaving, but it hadn’t dawned on him that Keyleth would also be going home for an entire month. “I don’t think I can pass the exam tomorrow.”

“You will,” Vax whispered against her hair. The knot on his throat was so tight he couldn’t breathe from what Vax knew was a sign of anxiety for being alone, of not having Keyleth close to him. “I believe in you, Kiki. You’re going to ace it. But you need sleep, and I won’t take a no for an answer, so you’re coming with me.” Vax pulled away and raised to his feet. He helped Keyleth up and started leading her out of the kitchen, but she stopped. “Don’t look at the table, just follow me.” He said. He waited for a sign of acknowledgment, which came in the form of a silent nod, and led her by the hand toward his bedroom door.

“I—Percy,” Keyleth tried to stop him, but Vax shook his head as he opened the door.

“It’s okay,” Vax mouthed, bringing her inside with him. Keyleth looked at him confused and at Percy’s empty bed. “He’s in the shower,” Vax explained, seeing her look. He closed the bedroom door behind him and opened his wardrobe to grab a wrinkled T-shirt.

“Put this on,” Vax handed Keyleth the shirt. She nodded and started stripping out of her clothes, which made Vax take a step back. He stammered an apology and turned, not before he saw the soft white fabric of her bra.

“It’s okay,” Keyleth said, half amused, half tired. Vax heard the rustling of clothes and then her soft, “You can turn now,” and when he looked, she had also removed her pants and was standing in just his t-shirt that fell just at the top of her hips. Vax’s face heated, but he tried to play it cool and gestured at his bed. Keyleth didn’t wait to be told twice. She pulled back his blankets and laid with her back to the wall.

“Good girl,” Vax smirked. Keyleth blushed slightly at that. “I’ll be right back.”

Vax returned a few minutes later, after finding Percy and letting him and Vex know what happened with Keyleth. She was still awake, lying on her side with her knees pulled high to her stomach, but she didn’t speak, nor did she move when Vax started undressing with no reservations.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen me shirtless before,” Vax said, dropping his shirt in the hamper. He unbuttoned and unzipped his pants but looked at Keyleth before he took them off. “Don’t get any funny ideas,” He dropped his pants to his ankles and took them off, then added, “You need to sleep.”

“Can you stay like that?” Keyleth asked bashfully. Vax cocked his head inquisitively, and she explained, “Skin-to-skin contact helps me calm. Can we do that?”

“If you’re comfortable with that,” Vax replied, lying next to Keyleth, wearing only his boxers. Keyleth covered him and then sat up on the bed. Vax tried to keep his gaze away while she undressed, but he could still see her from the corner of his eyes.

“Will you hold me?” Keyleth asked in a whisper once she was lying back on the bed. Vax swallowed hard and nodded, opening his arms. “Come here.” Keyleth laid her head on his shoulder and nuzzled her nose against him. The rest of her body was pressed against Vax’s, their legs entangled. Vax kissed the tip of her head as he wrapped an arm around her waist, doing his best to avoid thinking about the fact that they were touching from head to toe.

“Does this help?” He asked. Keyleth nodded. “Okay. Get some sleep. I’m right here.”

Keyleth was fast asleep within three heartbeats, but Vax remained awake for a while longer, watching the soft movement of her shoulders rise and fall against his chest, taking in her warmth and the softness of her skin against his body. His heart was both happy and sad. Sad because Keyleth was suffering so much from finals, but happy that she trusted him enough to let him in. In her panic-filled mind, Keyleth saw him and held onto him like a lifeline. She trusted Vax to bring her back because she knew he wouldn’t rest until she was safe.

—

Keyleth woke up confused, not knowing if what she remembered from the previous night had been a dream or real. The first thing that allowed her to discern reality was the headache that always appeared after a panic attack; the second thing was the fact that she had an arm wrapped around her waist with a hand splayed on her stomach and a warm breath on her nape. The final proof Keyleth needed was the fact that she was half-naked in someone’s bed—a man, from the pressure she felt on her behind. A small moment of panic made her turn around in bed, but then she sighed in relief when she saw raven-colored hair half-covering the tanned face of Vax’ildan, who, she realized, was also half-naked. The panic eased when Keyleth remembered everything that had happened. Even though she still had some gaps in her memory, at least she knew she had asked Vax to stay like that and remembered taking off the t-shirt he had given her. 

It didn’t matter that her underwear didn’t match (or that Vax saw her bare like that). Vax had seen her at her worst last night and hadn’t been scared like everyone else. Keyleth still remembered the times her panic attacks drove people away. She still heard what people called her and told her that day when she had to get dragged to the hospital by the school’s director. From that moment on, Keyleth refused to let anyone else see that vulnerable side of her, including her father (especially her father). Korrin had more things to worry about than her stupid crisis.

But Vax found her curled on the floor and helped her. The way he guided her through the panic attack with breathing and exercises made her want to cry from gratitude. No one had ever bothered to learn those to help her before, and if they knew those exercises, no one spared a second glance her way when she started choking on her breathing. The fact that Vax did that for her and forced her to rest when he knew she would drive herself to an early grave because of exams meant more than Keyleth could describe. 

Everything was easier with Vax. Coming home after late classes and finding dinner ready; having company for late-night study sessions, but at the same time someone who would remind her—and force her—to take breaks and take care of her needs; having someone to relax with, to laugh and talk and cry over her problems. Someone who would hug her and take her in no matter what or how bad her moods were. Vax was patient with her, always willing to listen, to wait, to care for her. He never once asked for more than Keyleth was willing to give and never took without asking first. Every kiss they shared was either initiated by her or after Keyleth gave her consent; every hug was respectful, and even the previous night, when Keyleth undressed without saying anything, Vax had looked away out of respect. Keyleth was the luckiest woman in the world for having Vax as her friend, and she would be even luckier if she had him as her boyfriend.

Keyleth turned in bed, facing Vax, who was still sound asleep. Even with the curtains closed, she could tell dawn would break soon, which meant she didn’t have much time left in the comfortable warmth of Vax’s bed. Vax’s bed. The idea of sharing a bed with Vax didn’t scare her, nor did the sight of his body pressed hard against hers underneath the blankets. Truth be told, thinking of Vax as more than a friend made Keyleth feel butterflies in her stomach, but more than that, Keyleth felt like she needed that, the easiness of not having to remind herself that she couldn’t kiss Vax willy-nilly, that she needed a reason to hold his hand (which wasn’t actually true). Keyleth wanted all of him, especially after knowing he wasn’t scared of her panic attacks, and this time, she was sure Vax felt the same way.

Even though Keyleth had only shared a bed (and a couch) with Vax a handful of times, she loved waking up before him and seeing him sleep. Vax had told her he often had nightmares, but every time they slept together, Vax was always relaxed. Keyleth never thought much of it, but considering that sleeping at Vax’s side eased her own nightmares, maybe her being there also did the same for him. Yet another sign that dating Vax could be a good thing.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Vax grumbled as a way of greeting. Keyleth turned her head to see a smile that made her melt in place. Vax’s eyes were still half-closed and crusted with sleep, his voice was hoarse, and his hair completely disheveled on his pillow (someone forgot to braid his hair the previous night). 

“Good morning,” Keyleth greeted, turning to kiss the tip of his nose. Vax opened his eyes, giving her a look and a smile that made her toes curl. He slid his hand up to the middle of her back, underneath the band of her bra, and pulled her closer to him, kissing the tip of her nose, then one cheek, the other, and, when he was about to pull away, Keyleth brought his face in to kiss him slowly on the lips.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” Vax asked, rubbing his nose against hers. Keyleth shrugged, “I just felt like it.”

“Did you sleep well?” Vax asked her, scratching his nails up and down her spine. Keyleth squirmed with the feeling, getting closer to him, and nodded. “Me too,” He said. 

“I don’t want to get up, but I have to study before the exam today.”

“No studying, Kiki. You’ve done all you could. Studying today will not help any more than the rest of the month.”

“I need to review every—”

“No,” Vax stopped Keyleth by turning her on her back and straddling her hips. “Absolutely not. I’m going to make sure you do nothing but relax until your exam later, even if I have to stay up here all day.”

Keyleth’s entire body flushed red. She could feel him pressing against her like this, even more when he supported his weight on his hands at each side of her head and bent over to bring his face close to hers. They were painfully close and in a very suggestive position.

“What’s it going to be, Kiki? Are you going to do as I say, or do I have to make sure you—” Vax leaned further down, supporting himself on his elbows now. “—don’t go anywhere?”

“I–I don’t know,” Keyleth mumbled softly. Two could play the game. “I really need to study.” Just as she intended, Vax fully lowered himself on top of her, completely locking her in place. Keyleth couldn’t even move her hands as they were pinned to her sides by his arms.

“Keyleth…” Keyleth’s body turned gooseflesh with Vax’s sultry voice and look. Her cheeks were burning and her chest was as red as a tomato.

“C–can I at least go to classes?”

Vax glared at her for a moment, then sat up straight and said, “Only if you promise you will not study anymore.”

As much as it hurt her, Keyleth knew Vax was right. A few more hours of studying wouldn’t make a difference, so she might as well try to relax. “I promise.”

Vax nodded, seemingly satisfied with it, and started to get up, but, as he did, he turned his head over his shoulder to look at Keyleth and said, “If you’re a good girl and keep your promise, I’ll reward you after dinner.”

Maybe it was because they slept so close and bare, or maybe it was the wink that Vax gave her, but Keyleth felt her entire body burn like it was about to combust into fire, and before Vax gave her a second glance, she was hiding underneath the covers, trying to keep herself from squealing.

Vax was very keen on making sure Keyleth kept her promise, either by walking her to class or meeting her at lunchtime. Keyleth knew he didn’t do it because he didn’t trust her but because Vax wanted to make sure she wasn’t overexerting herself (and also because he wanted to spend time with her). They sat at an isolated table in the cafeteria, watching the snow falling outside as they ate in silence. Keyleth almost grabbed her books out of her backpack by instinct once she was done eating her sandwich, but she stopped herself and grabbed her laptop instead.

“When are you going home?” Vax asked, looking at Keyleth above the screen of her computer.

“My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon,” Keyleth still had to pack when she got home. She somehow had to find time to do it during the party Scanlan wanted to throw before they broke for the holidays.

“I’ll take you to the airport,” Vax said nonchalantly.

Keyleth stopped typing to stare in shock at Vax. “You don’t have to. I can take a taxi.”

“I want to spend as much time as I can with you before I have to lose you for an entire month.”

Valid argument. Keyleth blushed. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“It’s still going to be torture,” Vax sighed. He leaned back on his chair, staring her in the eyes. Keyleth kept her gaze locked on his. Ever since their date to the botanical garden, Vax had been more open about his feelings, not thinking twice or measuring his words of affection towards her. The only thing he avoided saying was the three words Keyleth was starved to hear, but, to his defense, she had been pretty clear about not being ready, and Vax was nothing if not respectful.

“I’ll call you every day. You’re going to be so tired of me, you’ll end up blocking my number,” Keyleth joked. She looked at the clock and groaned. She finished typing the edits and delivered her last essay due later. 

“I’m never going to be tired of you, Kiki,” Vax said, getting up and standing behind her chair. Keyleth put her laptop back in her backpack and got to her feet, being immediately swept by an arm around her waist and a kiss on her cheek. “The day I grow tired of you is the day I die.”

Keyleth melted into his chest. Her heart was racing with an aching need to say what was on her mind, of what she almost blurted, but it wasn’t the right time, and it certainly wasn’t the right place. “I have something to tell you later,” She mustered. Vax looked at her in concern and tensed. Keyleth knew he was running every bad scenario in his mind because she certainly would be if he had told her that. “It’s nothing bad, relax,” She reassured him. Vax’s shoulders slumped and he finally let go of her waist.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Kiki.” Vax pulled away. They started heading out, not before Keyleth joked, “For my sake, I sure hope not.”

—

The party was blasting in the living room, but Keyleth took a moment of distraction from her friends to sneak back into her bedroom. Her suitcase was open on her bed, clothes strewn on every empty spot on the blanket. Most of her late autumn and early winter clothes were already packed and ready, but Keyleth still had a few things to sort through. Winter in Emon was harsher than she expected, and some of her clothes weren’t warm enough for the winter, but she had to decide if they would be good enough for Spring. She had been rummaging through her clean laundry basket for clothes to pack when she found something that didn’t belong and knew it wasn’t hers from the color alone: Vax’s black hoodie, the one with the silver wings on the back and the three daggers on the sleeve. Keyleth would recognize the sweatshirt anywhere just by the smell of the twins’ laundry detergent.

Even though black was not her color—or any color at all, in Keyleth’s opinion—and that common sense dictated that she shouldn’t steal her roommate’s clothes, the urge to put on Vax’s hoodie was stronger than any argument Keyleth could come up with, so, instead of setting the hoodie aside to give it back to its rightful owner, Keyleth pulled it over her head. 

The sweatshirt was soft and comfortable, and the familiar smell made Keyleth feel like she was burrowing into Vax’s embrace, which brought back memories from the nights they shared together. Blush crept up her cheek when Keyleth imagined it was Vax’s arms that were holding her and not her own, and that it was his chest she was nuzzling, and not the neckline of the hoodie. Keyleth felt so cozy and safe that she knew she could easily fall asleep wearing the sweatshirt, no matter where she was.

Keyleth was so entranced in the feeling that she didn’t hear the door to her bedroom open and close and the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Kiki?” Vax called her. Keyleth jumped in place, realizing she hadn’t heard Vax walk in. The music and voices in the living room were still loud enough to let her know everyone else was still partying.

“Vax!”

“Are you wearing my hoodie?” Vax asked with a smirk. Keyleth’s eyes widened and she took a step back, nervously playing with the strings of the hoodie.

“I–Maybe?”

“It looks good on you,” Vax cocked his head. 

“I’m sorry. It was in my laundry and I–” Keyleth looked down, trying to hide her embarrassment. “It smelled like you and it’s so cozy.”

Vax closed the distance between them, asking, “Do you want it?”

Yes. Keyleth wanted to say. When she looked up at him, she saw the same look in his eyes he always had when he wanted nothing more but to kiss her. “No,” Keyleth replied instead. She knew Vax didn’t have many clothes and she felt bad for taking his only—and favorite—hoodie. She could not take something so important from him when he had already given her so much of himself.

“Are you sure? I can buy another one.” Vax insisted, grabbing at the fabric of the pocket on her stomach. 

No, you can’t. Keyleth thought. The twins’ finances were getting worse and worse by the day. Vax had told her that he and Vex would have to work the entire winter break to save up some money for the next semester. Vax could not afford another hoodie, and to be honest, Keyleth wasn’t sure if he could find one. The one she was wearing already looked like one of its kind. “I’m sure,” She said, smiling lovingly at him. 

“You can borrow it then. Just make sure you bring it back when you return,” Vax offered. He tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I promise it’s okay if you change your mind.”

“I won’t,” Keyleth answered quickly. Vax merely smirked and winked at her knowingly. 

“You said you had something to tell me?”

Keyleth bit her lip. She had wanted to tell him her feelings, but now that time had finally come, she was shaking with fear that it would be too late. “I–I’ve been thinking,” Keyleth said shakily. “About what you told me that day… that you l–”

Vax smiled at her hesitation and finished her thought, “That I love you, yes.”

“Yeah,” Keyleth’s face felt too warm, her chest was too tight and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. 

“Keyleth, breathe,” Vax reminded her. Keyleth’s eyes were wide open in his direction. He brought her hand to his chest, under his shirt like he had done the previous night, and started taking long, slow breaths for her to follow. Keyleth did, and when her heart rate decreased enough that she could breathe normally again, Vax reassured her, “No matter what you have to tell me, I’m not going anywhere Kiki. I’m right here. I promise I’m not leaving.”

“I know,” Keyleth replied, still shakily. Some tears appeared in the corners of her eyes, but Vax wiped them with his thumbs. “I love you, Vax. I have never felt so safe with anyone before. I’ve never felt so sure of my feelings. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. Last night, you showed me you weren’t scared of me and my existential crisis like everyone else is. You didn’t run away like everyone… you stayed and helped me. I don’t want to go through all that alone ever again.”

“You won’t have to, Kiki. I’ll always be with you,” Vax said, hugging her tightly. “I love you so much, Keyleth. I just want to make you happy, even if that means we’ll remain as friends.”

Keyleth pulled away to look Vax in the eyes and said, “I don’t want to be just your friend anymore.” This time, it was Keyleth’s turn to wipe the tears forming in the corner of Vax’s eyes. “Unless you changed your mind about—”

“Shut up,” He interrupted her with a kiss. Keyleth chuckled against his lips, then returned the kiss. 

“Can we keep it between us until I tell my dad?” Keyleth asked when she pulled away.

“I can try, but I’m pretty sure my sister will smell it a mile away.” Keyleth snorted and turned back to her suitcase, resuming her packing. Vax waited, hemming and hawing at something and biting his lip until he finally blurted out, “Do you want to sleep with me tonight? Just sleep, I promise.”

Percy had left for the airport soon after Keyleth got home, having waited only long enough to say goodbye to her. She had cried a bit on his shoulder for already missing her best friend, but she understood his need to go home to his younger sister as soon as he could, but not before Percy promised Keyleth to bring her something from Whitestone. Sleeping with Vax would not be a problem without Percy to worry about, and, to be honest, Keyleth knew if she slept on her bed, she would probably stay awake all night, tossing and turning with anxiety. Really there were more pros about the invitation than cons. 

“Just sleep?” Keyleth asked. Vax nodded, biting his lip nervously. “I think that’s a good idea. I sleep better when I’m with you and I need to rest for the flight tomorrow.”

“Yes, of course. That’s the only reason why I asked…” Vax teased, wrapping his arms around her waist from the back. 

“Mhm. You’re so concerned about me, aren’t you?” Keyleth teased back, looking over her shoulder. Vax smirked at her, gave her a soft peck on the lips, and said, “Of course. It has nothing to do with the fact that I just want to sleep with my girlfriend.”

Keyleth turned around in Vax’s arms and wrapped hers around his neck. Her smile was so big her cheeks hurt. “Call me that again, please.”

“Girlfriend,” Vax whispered against her lips and kissed her. Keyleth hummed, still smiling as they kissed, and when they broke apart, she pushed Vax away with a chuckle and said, “Alright. You need to leave because I have to finish packing.”

“But–” Vax pouted, trying to grab her again.

“No buts,” Keyleth put her hand on Vax’s shoulders, turned him away and guided him to her bedroom door. “You are a very yummy distraction, but the faster I pack, the faster I’ll go back to the party.” Vax stood outside Keyleth’s bedroom door, staring agape at her. Keyleth blew him a kiss before she closed the door and returned to her packing with the biggest smile and feeling of lightness she had ever felt in her life.

Vax was her boyfriend.

—

Vax was an idiot. A fool in love. And against all odds, the one he loved loved him back. For most of his life, Vax had heard all about how useless he was, how he would never amount to anything, how no one would ever love him, so much so that he believed it with his own heart. Vax never thought he would be in this situation when he started having feelings for Keyleth, he never thought he was deserving of anyone’s love, much less hers, but here he was, lying in bed with a halo of wildfire hair spread on his pillow, Keyleth’s cheek pressing warmly against his chest, and her long and nimble fingers spread out on his bare stomach. Vax was a selfish man because even though he had to wake Keyleth up soon, he wanted to steal these last moments of quiet and safety with her. The early hours of the rest of the morning would be reserved for silent breakfasts and last-minute packing and double-checking of luggage, then they would both catch a taxi to the airport, where Vax would finally let Keyleth go. 

No. Vax would steal these last precious moments with his girlfriend. But because all good things must come to an end, the alarm clock destroyed those final moments. Keyleth sat up on the bed, still half-asleep, but already half-anxious. The blankets pooled on her lap revealed the soft blue workout bra she had picked for the night and the flight (Vax hadn’t complained when Keyleth started taking her clothes off and dove under his blankets, and he certainly didn’t complain when he followed her in just his underwear. She was right, after all. Skin-to-skin contact was more relaxing than just cuddling), and when Keyleth pulled them away, Vax mustered all his self-control to not follow the lines of her back down to where her hips raised from the bed as Keyleth crawled over his legs.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Keyleth swore as she started putting on the clothes she left prepared on Percy’s bed. Vax remained in bed, lying on his side, watching her flutter around the room with a smile. “I still have to pack all my toiletries and brush my hair. I forgot to put it in a braid last night–” Vax didn’t say anything. Keyleth was mostly talking to herself rather than with him, and he let her be. It helped her to go through her to-do list out loud.

“Ugh. My hair is a mess,” Keyleth cried, combing her fingers through her locks, getting them tangled in the knots. She turned to Vax, who was still smiling fondly, and cocked her head to one side. “What are you smiling about?”

“You,” Vax said, sitting up. He stretched his arms high above his head and saw the way Keyleth’s eyes dropped from his face to his torso. “You’re adorable. You still have plenty of time. Grab your hairbrush and come here.” Vax said, leaning back against his headboard and patting the blanket between his legs. Keyleth rolled her eyes but did as he said, so Vax started combing and braiding her hair for her. When he finished tying the braid with an elastic, he pulled it softly and kissed Keyleth’s neck. 

“Stop it,” she scolded him playfully but turned away to face him and kiss him passionately. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, my love.” 

“I’m going to finish packing now,” Keyleth said, giving him a sad look before she got up and headed out of the bedroom. Vax stretched again (it didn’t feel as satisfying without Keyleth ogling him) and started getting dressed. He knew Keyleth wouldn’t make herself anything to eat before her flight, so he headed into the kitchen where he brewed a pot of coffee (which surely all his other roommates would be happy for since most of them were leaving, too), and prepared Keyleth and himself a quick breakfast. By the time Keyleth arrived in the kitchen with her fully packed suitcase and backpack, Vax was leaning against the counter, stirring a bowl of apple, cinnamon oatmeal with honey and walnuts.

“I made you breakfast,” He announced. Keyleth grimaced, but Vax said he wouldn’t take a no for an answer before she opened her mouth to reject the meal. They ate in silence, sitting next to each other at the table. Vax’s free hand rested on Keyleth’s knee the entire time, rubbing circles with his thumb with the intent to help her relax. Keyleth was wearing his hoodie (which Vax was trying to ignore because it made him want to hold her hostage and not let her go back home), but it was missing something. 

“Kiki, can you take that off?” He asked her. Keyleth gave him a look as if to say there’s no way I’m taking this sweater off ever in my life, but Vax insisted, wiggling his fingers, “Please? I’ll bring it right back.” She finally complied, so Vax ran to his bedroom, where he sprayed it with his cologne, and ran back to the kitchen, handing it back to Keyleth.

“Here, I think you’ll like it better,” He said as Keyleth put the sweatshirt back on. He was right because Keyleth buried deeper into it with a pleased smile. 

“Thank you,” Keyleth said, getting up. She fumbled slightly with the strings, hesitating for a moment, then finally found the courage to pull Vax by the opening of his jacket and kiss him. “This will make it slightly more bearable.”

“I figured it would,” Vax said, brushing her cheek. “We have to go. Are you ready?” Keyleth nodded. Vax placed the dirty dishes in the sink to wash later and helped Keyleth with her suitcase and backpack. 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much traffic on the way to the airport, so the ride was short. Vax kept Keyleth’s hand in his the entire ride, only letting go of it when they arrived so she could pay for the taxi and when she checked into her flight. They still had a few minutes before she had to go through security, which Vax decided to spend glued to his girlfriend. 

“I’ll call you every day,” Keyleth promised. Vax nodded. He tried to keep his sadness down, but it was hard. This was the first time he and Keyleth would be apart for so long, and it was especially hard because they hadn’t had the chance to be boyfriend and girlfriend for long. 

“I’ll call you if you don’t call me. And I’m going to text you all the time so you don’t forget me.” Vax teased her.

“Oh, please. You’re unforgettable,” Keyleth teased back and kissed him, but then her smile faded. “Unless you’re the one who’s going to forget me…”

“Do you really think so?” Keyleth shook her head, but she still bit her lip nervously. “Of course not. I’m going to be here when you come back. In fact, I might stay and sleep at the airport to make sure I’m here on time for when you return.” 

Keyleth laughed. They both knew there was some truth behind the joke. Vax really would do something like that. “I’ll be back before you know it,” She said, hugging him tightly. Vax squeezed her as hard as his heart was breaking. His eyes were warming with tears, his throat was closing, he couldn’t swallow anymore, and his vision started darkening. Vax wasn’t ready to let go of Keyleth yet, not when he had just finally gotten her. The week they were apart as friends had already been horrible for both, and Vax knew this time would only be worse. 

“I already miss you,” He confessed. “You’ve been my girlfriend for twelve hours and I already have to say goodbye to you… it’s not fair.”

“I’m sorry,” Keyleth swallowed hard. Vax saw she was suffering just as much as he was. “I’ve had this trip booked since the beginning of the semester, otherwise I would stay with you.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just grumpy.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my ass,” Keyleth’s eyes were starting to fill with tears, but Vax wiped them before they could fall. 

“I would have waited all my life. I will wait all my life for you, Keyleth, and if I die without you by my side, then I will wait in the afterlife for as long as it takes until we’re finally together.”

“Vax–”

“I love you, my sunshine.”

“I love you too, my grumpy raven,” Keyleth whispered against Vax’s lips before she kissed him longingly. “I have to go now,” She said, adjusting the straps on her shoulder.”

“Text me when you land?”

“Of course. I’ll miss you.”

“I’m right here with you,” Vax pulled the drawstrings of her hoodie. “I’ll always be with you, love.” Keyleth nodded. Neither could stop their tears from falling anymore, no matter how much they wiped at their eyes. 

“I’ll always be with you, too, Vax. I’m yours, forever and ever, and always.”

“And I’m yours, Keyleth. Forever and ever, and always.”

In hindsight, Vax should have known it would be the last time he kissed his girlfriend for a while, and Keyleth should have taken the five extra minutes to savor the taste of Vax’s tongue on hers. In retrospect, things could have been so much different than they were, had either of them known what would be waiting on the other side. But something deep inside Vax, a dark pitch that he had been trying to escape for years and that he finally thought he had gotten rid of with the help of Keyleth, crept closer and closer until, eventually, it swallowed Vax’ildan whole.

That is the problem with last kisses. Opposite of first kisses, last kisses aren’t usually memorable because one doesn’t always know it happened until it’s too late, and when one is finally faced with the truth, one can’t stop wishing they had just five more minutes of it. 

Just five more minutes with her. Just five more minutes with him.

Wishing they had just five more minutes together.

[gay-dorito-dust]

How about 29. actions to make them happy for Vox Machina?

Keyleth took immense pride in her upkeep of her botanical greenery within the gardens of the keep and the potted vegetation on her window sill; she’d rise early in the morning to water them, moving the plants that needed the most light whilst keeping others in the more shaded areas of the room.

So when she awoke one morning to start watering her plants, the watering can she kept on the bedside table had been taken and before her thoughts could grow to harbour thoughts like ‘did I misplace it by accident?’ Or ‘did Scanlan have one too many and thought to use it as a toilet?’ The sound of your humming and the sprinkle of water from her watering can filled her ears.

Keyleth couldn’t restrain the tired smile that graced her face as she pulled herself out of bed, uncaring of her subsequent bedhead as she pulled open her widow and looked down to see you tending to her peonies, marigolds, daisies and Lily of the valley. “What’re you doing up so early?” She asked, curiously but the smile never left her freckled face.

“You looked a little out of it after the mission yesterday so I decided to take it up myself to take care of your flowers in your stead so that you may get some extra shut eye.” You told her as you sat the watering can down by your feet before your eyes widened in realisation before looking back up at Keyleth.

“Oh! In the kitchen I made you some food. I’m not great at cooking but I hope it’s to your liking, chuck it away if not, it won’t hurt my feelings in the slightest.” The more you talked the more Keyleth’s emerald green eyes glowed with love and affection at your kindness and selflessness to take up some of her tasks so that she recover as much energy as she could.

It may seem small to others but to the Druid, it meant everything and her heart couldn’t take how happy your actions made her day all the more better and it hadn’t even started.

Vax’ildan only ever had his sister for as long as he could remember. She was the only one whom he truly trusted wholeheartedly and he was content with that being his truth. He didn’t feel the need to hide whom he’d rather save in a heartbeat.

However he had yet to realises that his sister can’t be for him for every goings on in his life as Vex herself had her own life to navigate, she couldn’t keep holding his hand to guide him out of the dark that he got lost within every time either. So whenever he couldn’t find his twin, he would spend his time with the second closest person to him; you.

“Lost in your thoughts again, lil magpie?” You teased as you joined the rouge half-elf on the roof of the keep, seeing how his eyes were seemingly transfixed on the stars above. He scoffs halfheartedly at the nickname you’ve chosen for him. “Why’re you stilling calling me that? I thought we already discussed that I’m nothing like a magpie.”

“Yeah, you talked -well more like ranted- and I was relegated to the listening.” You retorted, shoving him by the shoulder, “and my reasoning for calling you that is because magipies are attracted to shiny, valuable things, they’ve got an eye for those things.” You look at Vax with soft eyes as you uttered your next words, “and so do you.” You broke eye contact with him and chose to look up at the stars instead.

“Look I don’t act like I know you and I don’t because your only showing what you want to show but some parts of me likes to think I do.” You chuckled, amused at your own delusion. “I know it’s stupid to think that but I’d really like to know the real Vax under this facade you’ve placed yourself in.” You spoke softly as you looked into his eyes again.

“It doesn’t matter how long I have to wait in order to see that side of you but I’m willing to wait for as long as you need me to. Try to push me away as much as you want, I don’t care because I’ll keep coming back.”

“Why?” Vax asked, unable to comprehend what you were saying, “why would you do that to yourself?” You shrugged, “your my friend and friend’s have each other’s backs even if the other doesn’t want it. You have my shoulder to cry on whenever you need to vent, cry, scream or just someone to talk to. I’m not that hard to find.” You told him and as you were about to leave him to his own devices, Vax reached out and grasped your hand, preventing you from taking another step.

“You’re not going to leave me out on my own in the cold are you? Besides I could use your company.” He said as he looked up at you with pleading eyes, squeezing your hand tightly like a lost child. “Of course buddy, of course.” You replied, squeezing his hand back as you sat yourself down by his side but neither one of you decided to let go of the others hand. Not just yet.

(Honestly didn’t know what to do for him so I thought, why not give him a friend whom he could open up to.)

Percy didn’t have the best track effort in looking after himself, seeing as he spent so much of his time in his workshop, tinkering, melding, wiring his newest invention together; completely devoid of any sort of awareness of the passage of time.

He frequently ignores his bodily needs and needs someone reminding him almost on an daily basis that he has to eat, hydrate and sleep if he wished to continue his little projects. In due to his bad habit, you took it upon yourself to be the designated person to go up to Percy’s workshop and drag him out by the ear to eat, drink, sleep or just to get a bit of fresh air.

You highly doubted being tucked away in that room with all his inventions certainly weren’t good for his lungs; especially when some of his mechanical works relied on highly reactive and or explosive substances such a gun powder to properly fulfil their function.

“Percy?” You knocked on the door, “just a minute.” Came his muffled reply, followed by some scuffling and before you could blink, the door opened to reveal the gunslinger. “You called?” Percy asked and from the smudge of soot across the brim of his nose, he was in the middle of some tinkering. Typical Percival behaviour.

“I just wanted to ask whether you’d wanna go on a walk with me through town you know? Just to get some fresh air and possibly to clear your mind?” You suggested, clearing your throat halfway through your words, as you now stood awaiting Percy’s answer. He seemed to contemplate on it for quite a bit, looking over his shoulder and back into the room then looking back at you before he sighed in definitive defeat.

“I guess I can accompany you as I have been in the midst of a struggle as of recently and I could sure use a change of scenery.” This was partially a lie, yes he was struggling with some aspects of his recent invention but overall he was just using that as an excuse to indulge you.

Percy wasn’t stupid, he knew what you were doing and for that he found you endearing. He knew his tendencies often caused him greater issues for future him to deal with but right now? a walk in town with you sounded like a great idea. He could even use this as an attempt to thank you for looking out for him, his bodily needs and mental health.

Percy truly didn’t know what he would do without you pestering him to take a break and eat but he’s sure a hell willing to make up for the hassle you put yourself through for him by making something truly as unique as you for he knew he was stubborn but he was happy that you hadn’t given up on him just yet.

Vex’ahlia as Vox Machina’s unspoken leader of sorts had put so much pressure on her aching shoulders. Nobody said being a leader was easy and she wasn’t saying it was easy either but still it didn’t make the cluster of thoughts within her head any more easier to navigate.

With some help from the rest of Vox Machina, you managed to get set up an archery range for Vex’ahlia to use whenever she felt pent up about anything in particular. You even enlisted the help of Trinket to lure her to the archery range as a surprise, also with the added fact that the half elf couldn’t stay as mad at Trinket for very long in comparison to how she’d get when the rest of you came across her at a very bad time.

“Why are we heading so far out trinket? Did you spot something?” You heard trinket grunt in response but you didn’t know whether it was an indication for you that they were here or a response to Vex’s question. It didn’t matter as you were already finished with the preparations by the time you visibly saw the bear and half elf.

“What’re you doing out here? Did something happen?” Vex asked once she saw you and all you did was move aside to show her the archery range you, Percy, Keyleth and Vax put up. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been a lot more pent up lately in, due to everything that has been happening so far, and decided that what’s a better way then to resolve that pent up anger then by shooting some targets as therapy.” You answered back honestly, watching on with bated breath at Vex’ahlia observed the archery with a observant eye.

“This is all for me?” She asked, already knowing the answer but the fact that someone did this for her benefit felt foreign to her. Needless to say she was skeptical but that didn’t meant she was going to look a gift in the eye. “Who else in vox machina is skilled enough to use a bow and arrow if not yourself?” You rhetorically asked as the edges of a smile appeared on the half-elf’s lips but quickly disappeared soon after.

“You didn’t have to go this far.” Vex told you, “but I thank you for having me in mind when coming up with this. I appreciate it.”

Pike was often left exhausted after combat but even more so after having to do double duty as one of Vox Machina’s pivotal healer besides Keyleth. So when she came over to finally heal your wounds, you immediately noticed the fatigue upon her face and immediately began to decline her aid.

“You’re hurt aren’t you?” She asked you, confused, her eyes locked on the wounds littering your skin. “Let me heal you and be done with it before they get worse.” You took a step back when she attempted to get closer to you again, causing the cleric to grunt. “What the hells wrong now?”

“I just don’t want you pushing yourself into healing me, your obviously exhausted from healing the others and besides from the lessons I’ve been taking from Kiki, I’ve managed to nail down some basic healing spells. The rest of my wounds will just have to heal the regular way.” You explained and just as you saw her face turn into one of dishearten, you immediately reached out to touch her shoulder.

“It’s not like I don’t want your help Pike, it’s just. I figured that we’ve come to expect so much of you that we haven’t seen the stress you’ve been under in order to continue meeting our standards when you shouldn’t.” You smiled softly at her as you continued. “So please if not for me then for yourself, take a fucking break. You deserve it more then anyone and if anyone needs you I’ll tell them to wait until you better rested.”

“Are you sure you don’t need me to heal anything-“ “Pike!” “Fine, I’m going I’m going!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air as she walked back to her room to replenish her magic.

(I didn’t know what to do for her either but I thought that she’d needed a break from her constant overexertion of her magic. She needs a definitive break.)

Scanlan groaned as he opened his eyes to you letting in the golden light of the morning, shielding his eyes by burying himself deeper into his bed. “What the fuck happened last night.” He whined out to no one in particular.

You set down a glass of water along with a bacon and egg sandwich to help him with his predicament that you seemed to be responsible for resolving periodically that it had just became routine at this point. “Where do I start? You thought that I wanted to sleep with you-“

“Did you?”

“-no, stop interrupting. Now where was I? Oh yeah! You then proceeded to puke on an unsuspecting tavern patron and I had to haul out asses back to the keep, which leads us up to the here and now.” You finished explaining.

“Oh.”

“Yeah oh. Now eat up, we’ve got things to do today and-“ “thank you.” You looked over at Scanlan who was already halfway through his bacon and egg sand which and looking a lot better then he did a couple of seconds ago. “Whatever for?” You asked, “all I did was make sure you were in the right state of mind for the day ahead.”

“That’s exactly what I want to thank you for.” Scanlan said, “you didn’t have to do this but you do. Everything and I think it’s about time I speak my thanks to you. It’s nice to be cared for once in a while.” Neither of you said anything for a while but soon enough one of you had to speak. “It’s nothing to thank me for Scanlan, what’re friends for?” You told him softly as you left his room.

Unaware of the small smile on his face as he looked down at your bacon and egg sandwich that you’ve prepped for him. “Yeah…what’re friends for.” He uttered softly to himself as he continued to eat the rest of his sandwich.

Grog’s beard belt had been damaged in battle which upset the Goliath who had been grumpy for the remainder of the day, rubbing his fingers against his bare chin muttering, “naked, I feel naked.”

So in order to cheer him up, you took the belt to Percy in hopes that he could in the very least repair it and thankfully he could but voiced his disparity about the whole magic beard aspect of the belt; Saying that he wasn’t certain that even after he fixed it that Grog would never retain his beard ever again as magic wasn’t his field of expertise.

“We’ll have to take the risk.” Was all you told him in response.

Once the belt was properly fixed, you quickly rushed to place it back into Grog’s room before anyone could spot you of suspicious behaviour and the next morning, everyone was awoken by the Goliath’s bellows of. “MY BEARD IS BACK, MY BEARD IS BACK!”

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

this is for @somethingpoeticiguess thank you so much for submitting information for my marketing project!

Prompt: Percy h/c with vex in the broadway au

By the time Percy’s face is clean of makeup, he’s taken a shower, and changed into his street clothes, most everyone has headed home for the night. Keyleth left a while ago, popping her head through the doorway of his dressing room with a smile to tell him she was picking up takeout on the way home. Where she plans on getting food this late at night, he has no idea, but he is very much looking forward to a meal.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame has by far been the most draining show for all of them, emotionally and physically so some greasy take out sounds perfect right now. Plus he can guarantee when he gets back to the apartment, Pike and Keyleth will be fast asleep on the couch. And it’s his job to make sure that they don’t wake up with sore necks and backs. 

But as he’s jogging down the stairs towards the stage door, he hears someone talking. No one should be in these dressing rooms at this time of night, all the other cast members having headed home shortly after the show ended. With a frown, Percy turns down the hallway. Bulletin boards and posters line the hallway in addition to the dressing room doors, declaring whose they are with colorful signs. All of the doors are closed except for one, Vex’s. 

He can see a light on inside and as he gets closer, he can hear her talking.

“You didn’t see the way he looked at me, Vax.” Vex’s voice is thick with tears. The sound makes Percy’s heart ache. He’s never heard her sound like this, so distressed and upset. There’s a long pause where Vex sniffs and then, “I-I know. I’m coming home soon, it’s just-”

Percy peers through the open door and sees Vex sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch. Her knees are pulled to her chest, tears running down her cheeks. She’s dressed in her street clothes, a thick sweater and leggings, her hair is still done up how she does it for the show but she’s taken her makeup off.

Vex turns and looks at him, eyes widening in shock. “Vax, I’ll call you on my way home, okay? Love you.” 

As Vex sets her phone on the floor beside her, she wipes her eyes on her sleeve, “I thought you left already.”

Percy shakes his head, walking in, “I’m always last out. I like to take a shower here to avoid the stage door. May I?” He nods to the empty space beside her. Vex sighs but nods, moving over slightly. Percy sits down beside her, extending his legs out. “What happened?”

“My father came to the show tonight,” she tells him, voice thick with tears. Vaguely Percy remembers that Vax sent him a text about it a few weeks back. “He came backstage and he…he took one look at me and said I looked just like my mother. And the way he said it…I just knew that he didn’t mean that in a good way. He-He looked at me with such disgust and I-” Vex breaks off with a sob, covering her mouth with her hand. 

Percy immediately pulls her into a hug. He’s not good with affection, he’s not good with comfort, but when it comes to Vex, he can’t just watch her cry. He and Vex have been together for a few months now, it’s been absolutely wonderful, but he knows she’s been keeping him at arm's length. And he understood, it’s not easy to be vulnerable in front of your partner. He’s no hypocrite, about this at least, he’s hard pressed to share much about his past at all. 

Percy holds her close, but gives her space to pull away if the affection is unwelcome. It must have been the right thing to do because Vex presses her face into his shoulder, clinging to him tightly as she cries.

Percy just rubs her back for a moment before saying, “He’s a bastard.” Vex laughs wetly, lifting a hand up to wipe her eyes. “I’m serious, Vex’ahlia.”

She lifts her head, swallowing thickly, “I know. I’ve just…I’ve always wanted to make him proud, to do something worthy of him claiming me as his daughter but nothing I do is ever good enough.” Her words are filled with venom.

“You are more than enough,” Percy tells her, his voice full of conviction. “You have nothing to prove, you deserve far more than him.” He reaches out and touches her cheek, moving her hair from her face. “But your father was right about one thing.” Immediately her face fills with hurt and she starts to pull away, but before she can, he says, “You do look just like your mother.” He nods to the picture of Elaina pinned to her dressing room mirror. 

Vex wipes her eyes again and looks at the picture too. In it, Elania is sitting on a porch swing, her thick and coily hair pulled into a bun on her head. She’s wearing a dark purple dress, the same color as the one Vex wears in the show. And she’s smiling at the camera, looking so incredibly happy, crinkles at the corners of her eyes. 

Vex smiles sadly, “I guess I do.” Then she shakes her head. “And because of that, he will always see me as scum on his fucking boot.” 

Percy takes her hand, “And your brother will always see you as his strong twin sister and Velora sees you as her amazingly cool big sister,” Vex laughs a little. “And-”

“And you?” Vex asks, looking at him with those beautiful, tear filled brown eyes. There is such vulnerability in her face that Percy’s heart aches and he knows he will be able to tell her nothing but the truth.

Percy smiles, “You are utterly charming,” Vex laughs, “and witty and brilliant.” Percy touches her cheek, “And as beautiful as your mother.” 

Vex’s bottom lip wobbles for a split second before he suddenly finds her in his lap, kissing him. Her tears are salty between their lips, but he doesn’t mind. He just holds her as close as she needs, hoping with each press of his lips to reassure her of how absolutely wonderful she is.

[blorbologist]

33, Vax and Percy (gen), please? (also your writing is excellent)

33. Power Word Pain.

"You speak a word of power that causes waves of intense pain to assail one creature you can see within range. If the target has 100 hit points or fewer, it is subject to crippling pain. Otherwise, the spell has no effect on it. A target is also unaffected if it is immune to being charmed.

While the target is affected by crippling pain, any speed it has can be no higher than 10 feet. The target also has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, other than Constitution saving throws. Finally, if the target tries to cast a spell, it must first succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or the casting fails and the spell is wasted."

[This one hardly followed the prompt - sorry! My main thought was either Power Word Pain killed him, and the fact that these words hurt.]

[TW: Temporary character death]

It’s no end. This much Percival knows. 

It was just a little outing to stay sharp - perhaps spurred on by an offhand comment about his aim being off from Scanlan. 

Pike is here - there - besides. And gods know Vex’ahlia will not let him leave so soon. Especially not with a fourth child on the way; he wouldn’t dream of it. Dearly, he hopes this does not give her a fright so early.

Well. Either way, he is coming back. He knows this. It isn’t his time. 

Which is why the sight (you are dead, fool, you can’t see anything) the presence of a figure in this not-space is startling. And, immediately, terrifying. He knows well he deserves death, yes, but he won’t go quietly this time, not with Vex - 

“I do not accept this.”

“At ease, Lord de Rolo,” rasps the quiet. 

Oh. Oh dear, that’s worse. 

“I hope,” says Percival, “you are not here to escort me to your Matron. Your sister would not be happy.”

What should be a little shake of his head is made ample. Excessive, even: the beaked mask swings wide, his hair echoes the movement like a snake. 

“No - merely here to calm you,” says the Champion of Ravens. “There is nothing to fear, contrary to your… ordeals prior.”

Yes, he remembers. Smoke, Percy learned, can have teeth and claws. It can chew, if you give it enough to work with. It’s not particularly good at it - which mattered little, when Orthax had an eternity ahead to eat him alive. 

Percy shivers. The feathers of - his - mantle do, too. A bird, bristling against the cold. 

“She wants to name one after you,” Percival offers, suddenly. On impulse, because who knows how much time they have. Pike usually works quickly. Then again, what is time to a dead brain? He’d have to look into it later. (There will be a later.) 

He swallows. “I - I don’t think it’s a good idea. For her, or for Keyleth.” Scrutinizing the Champion, he finds - there - a jerk, a puppet string pulled too quickly, at the name. “But I want you to know she wants, so badly.”

“Are they well?”

That’s a relief, that he cares to ask. Whatever he is, what’s left of him, or diluted, or parceled out.

“Yes,” Percy replies. The growths from the shoulder are bleached antler one moment, tender enoki another. “As well as I can keep them. They can laugh about your stupid jokes again, you know. Vesper thinks a few are a riot.”

There’s a pause he hastens to fill. Usually he would consider his words more carefully, but he lets his mouth run, lead by what his heart has wondered countless sleepless nights: “Is there - could there be any way, to undo this now? Any true hope? I couldn’t give them false hope, but I have to know. If you want to come back -”

“Wanting is… beyond me.” Said slowly, because of course he has all the time in the world. “Because it has not been long enough to miss my love, my sister - you, my brother.” 

“I will see you soon. I will see them all soon. And yet not for ages yet. There are countless more for me to guide, and yet I recall their faces clear as the last.”

“So that’s a no?”

“Indeed.”

There’s a tug, where his heart should be. Percy glances down to behold gold - a thread, so beautiful it should inspire tears. He hadn’t - hadn’t expected to see it whole, unfrayed. 

Apparently he is wanted elsewhere. Good. Good.

It feels like a waste. All this - whatever earful he will be in for when he returns, the stress to his friends and wife, the tailoring on his fucking coat - and he can hardly come away with reassurance. A cheap death - at least with his last he helped kill a dragon. At least with his first he learned to forgive. 

He sighs. Glances about, in the vain hope that the Matron watches him. There is no seamstress working at his thread - only Pike, he knows, on the other side. Only everyone but this man, whoever he still is.

“I do not accept this.”

The Champion smiles. “Still sticking to indignant and irritated, Percival?”

Percy barks out a laugh. “Oh, screw you, Vax. That was a callback, you shit.”

[thessalian]

Thess vs TLOVM S3, Ep 4

It's still mostly been Wildermyth today, but of course yesterday was the day the next few episodes of TLOVM dropped. So here we go with Ep 4, still rationing episodes so there's not too long to wait between drops.

C'mon, Pike. get it togeth-- oh. Oooooooh. This ... is a bad bad thing. Especially since I read the episode teasers and for someone who needs to treat her soul as precious ... using it as a bargaining chip in a card game feels like not the best call.

I know that Matt's voice is in that chorus of damned souls ... but I'm pretty sure at least some of the others are in there too.

...So do we know when the S3 soundtrack is going to drop? I looked it up on Spotify but there was a random playlist under that name so either they're holding that name for the time being or someone was an absolute asshole. Anyway, point is, that one belongs right up there with "Mighty Scanlan, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise!" as something that just needs to randomly turn up on my Liked Songs playlist-- Um. What is Keyleth supposed to be, exactly?

Closest Google gives me is a wendigo. I doubt they looked all that closely, though - they just needed something creepy-looking with antlers, because Keyleth always has antlers.

Okay, dunno what's calling for Pike at this point but it ain't good.

"Lots of people have told me to come here". Oh, Grog, never change.

Oh, Keyleth, EWWWWWWWW.

The second-hand embarrassment is strooooong.

Wait. Is Zerxus the one calling Pike?!?

Oh, Vax. Oh, Vax, you are going to look back on that and ask Percy to return that punch in the face you gave him after the Deathwalker's Ward Incident because you have earned it.

Vex, Percy, you two are still so adorable.

Oh. Oh Vorugal, you have no idea who you pissed off.

Pike. Pike NO. ...Oh, honey...

So it is Zerxus calling to Pike.

Why. Did. You. Not. Keep. FLYING?!?

Ah, I was right! Now. Luis Carazo. Who he? Well, he was in Calamity, that's a start. Candela Obscura ... EXU as Zerxus himself, so I no longer feel bad about spoilers because any of you who watched EXU probably already knew from the voice ... clearly a WoD fan... Cool. Moving on.

Ah. J'mon Sa Ord not always the honest type.

Oh. Oh, she is using her soul as a precious thing. If only an exquisite offer would get them the Plate, that's exactly how she's treating her soul.

Zerxus, I know you're a devil and everything, but you are also, for all your manners and not immediately going to the murder, an asshole.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have read what happened in EXU, but ... that explains a lot. He's looking for redemption and ... I wonder if he thinks she can really give it to him. And if she really can, whatever he believes she can or not.

Pike, the fuck?!?

Pike, the fuck?!?

PIKE, FOR PITY'S SAKE; ASK HIM SOMETHING NOT ABOUT THE CARDS!

THANK YOU.

Aaaaand they're using the art style of the EXU opening credits.

Took you long enough, Pike.

And there's his tell.

YEEEEEENK! ...He's not losing graciously, is he.

Noooooooope. Though I do wonder whether, when he says "His ascension is at hand, we are of his blood", he means Thordak through the gem in his chest or ... possibly the Whispered One. Vox Machina have been a barrier to the plans of both parties, after all, and the Whispered One has ... ambitions.

Huh. Different simplified art style in the end credits. Neat.

That's a cliffhanger I can leave it on, definitely. I didn't remember the details of the whole trip to the hells (partly because it was seriously de-emphasised in the campaign and mostly I remember Vex buying a couple of aasimar children to free them from slavery, which I think bumped her to either Chaotic Good or Neutral Good from True Neutral but I'm not entirely sure; set the stage for her being a champion of the Dawnfather, anyway), but those details were obviously changed to fit Zerxus into it anyway, as well as weaving it into how Yenk ends up beating on Vorugal, so works for me. Honestly, I think the way they're reorganising the campaign to fit a shorter episodic structure (both shorter in terms of number of episodes and length of the episodes themselves) with the addition of stuff from other campaigns works remarkably well.

So more of that in a couple of days, and for now ... decisions about dinner. I am still fucking tired, and don't feel like cooking. *whine*

[timaeusterrored]

(A Sweet Disaster)

((Tw: mentions of the Suicide ending))

Vex and Vax haven’t been brother and sister since they were 16, but that didn’t make Vax’s death any less painful at 28. When she heard the news, she had been glad Victoria was staying with her friend that night because she was inconsolable. And the same friend’s mother offered to watch her so Vex could attend his funeral.

Vik had approached her first, the man was clearly heartbroken and had been crying earlier. He was more of a father to Vax than he ever was Vex, but that was mostly her fault. And he was still here when she needed him.

“I’m… I’m so sorry, Vex… I tried so hard to save him-“ Vex hugged Vik close, feeling his arms come around her eventually. No matter what, he’d be the only father she ever knew.

When she pulled back, felt more tears coming on and cleared her throat. She couldn’t breathe. She had heard losing a twin was like losing an arm, but she hadn’t thought that was a serious thing. But she believed losing her arm would feel better.

She stepped outside to calm herself, wiping her eyes and fixing her dress in an attempt to look like she wasn’t falling apart with guilt. She was so caught up in her thoughts and emotions that she had failed to realize who was standing against the wall, smoking a cigarette with a bottle in his hand.

“Holy shit-“ Vex startled when she turned, hand over her heart. “You stare at women- Kerry Eurodyne?” The fuck was he doing here? Looking worse than she did?

His hair was messed up, like he had ran his fingers through it too many times, dark circles under his eyes, and his face completely blank. Like seeing Vex had completely unphased him.

He just offered her a cigarette instead, which she gladly took. She could use a cigarette.

“Didn’t know he had a sister until today.” Vex didn’t know he knew Kerry at all. What the fuck had he been up too?

“Didn’t know he knew you.” Kerry huffed a laugh when she said it, putting the bottle down. “Seriously, though we haven’t talked in a while so I’m not shocked you don’t know me.” She’d be surprised anyone knew of her from Vax.

“Not like we got a lot of time to get into the nitty gritty anyway. He was my… he was my input.”

Vex choked on her smoke, making Kerry let out a small laugh and watched her cough.

“MY brother was your input? How- Why- What?” Vex sputtered out finally, Kerry taking a long swig from the bottle as if thinking about it hurt, maybe it did.

“Broke into my house actually. Esated from there… apparently I was his last phone call.” Vex could hear the anger and guilt rising in his voice, how angry he was at Vax but at the same time, she could tell he missed him.

The two sat in silence, Vex with her cigarette and Kerry with the bottle. Vik came to get them when it was time for speeches, in which neither had said a word, Vex didn’t know Vax well enough now and Kerry… well Kerry was getting drunk and probably wanted to keep his image around here clean.

The night came to a close around midnight, and the only ones left were Vex, Vik, Misty, and Mama Welles. Vik and Guadeloupe said if Vex needed anything, they were both just a phone call away. Misty hugged her like they had known each other forever, and she realized this was the family her and Victoria could have had if she hadn’t run.

Vex was texting on her way out, making sure Victoria was okay before she went home. God she didn’t want to be along tonight… but Victoria couldn’t see her like this.

She put her phone away with a huff and rubbed her eyes, not caring about makeup in that moment, and found Kerry sitting on the curb still, head in his hands. He wasn’t moving, no shake of his shoulders, no nothing. For a moment she thought he was dead, but he looked over when he heard her heels clicking.

“Your brother was a real piece of work…” in Kerry’s hand was a handwritten not… Vax’s note. Tears stained the rocker’s cheeks, and he looked like he was ready for another round. “A serious asshole sometimes…” he looked down at the note, then looked away from Vex.

“…can I have your number?” Vex blurted before she could take it back. Kerry looked back at her in confusion.

“I just… I don’t want you to be alone. And I know these people about as well as you do. Figured we could help each other out.”

“…you’re not like, some psycho fan are you?” Kerry’s words slurred together a bit, but Vex got the gist.

“No… you’d be in my trunk by now if I was.”

Now that got a laugh out of Kerry, it was quiet but she heard it.

“Fair enough.” His eyes glowed, and he sent her his deets. “Call me if you need anything okay? Heard you got a little girl at home too, you don’t need to be doing all that alone right now.” Kerry stood, then stumbled a bit, Vex reached forward to steady him.

“Yeah… you too, Kerry.”

They bid each other good night as a Del came by for Kerry, and Vex walked to her car alone.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

go on, claim my heart: chapter twenty-nine

see my masterpost for what came before this.

Vax stands there, frozen, as Percy falls apart in his sister's arms. His blood still pumps deafeningly in his ears, yet he feels cold, ice and marble instead of flesh and bone. This, his mind tells him dimly, is a preservation strategy; by becoming inanimate, he cannot feel, and if he cannot feel, he cannot explode, cannot shatter into shrapnel and tear this man, his friend, and an innocent teenage girl to shreds.

Because mere moments ago, his daughter was here. He heard her cries, saw her balled fists wave through the air. He was so godsdamned close to having his hands on her, to pulling her into his chest like a dragon jealously guarding its hoard, and once again he failed to save her. So he stands here, not breathing, not blinking, not feeling, because though his mind knows well that this moment is earth-shattering for Percy, his heart wants little more than to rip the two on the floor from their embrace and force them forward, to scream into Percy's face about why they are here, about what they still have left to do.

His sister, his wonderful other half, who knows him better than he knows himself, steps forward and places a hand on his shoulder, and it is only then that he realizes he's trembling. "Percival," she says quietly, "we have to go."

Percy looks up from Cassandra's shoulder, face red and eyes narrowed into slits. Vax sees the outrage and is more than ready to counter it with his own, but Cassandra speaks first, wiping at her wet face. "She's right, brother. You're needed with them. The baby—Vilya. she needs you."

"I cannot let you from my sight," Percy whispers, his voice cracking, and all at once, the fight is sapped from Vax's muscles. Of course he knows Percy's terror; it has been the only thing animating his body from the moment he awoke nearly a week ago. Percy has dealt with this horror for so many years, and Vax cannot begrudge him his reluctance to leave.

"Grog, Scanlan." Vax turns to face the men in question, who blink in surprise. "Take Cassandra into the woods. Guard her with your lives. Find a tree on the western edge of the grounds large enough for us to use to get home. We will find you when we..." He can't finish the thought.

He doesn't have to. Scanlan nods. "We'll take care of her," he says to Percy, and Vax cannot believe how sure he is that they will. Percy stands, pulling his sister up with him, and after one more bone-crushing hug, he nudges her toward the guard and the jester.

Just then, the massive white tiger with them in the hall snarls viciously and breaks into a run, tearing off toward the front entrance to the castle. Vax sighs—she has waited long enough—and sprints after her, not even bothering to see if the others are following suit. Keyleth's feline limbs are long and powerful, and it takes all of his strength to push on after her, to not let her get too far ahead. She bursts through the massive front doors as if they weren't imposing slabs of thick oak and presses forward down the steps and onto the front lawns.

"KEYLETH!" he calls after her, and her head twists to growl at him, her gait not slowing at all. "I KNOW THE WAY!"

That, at least, slows her a bit, giving him the space to catch up. He looks over his shoulder to see Percy and Vex giving chase, poor Pike struggling to catch up. He stops and shouts for Keyleth to do the same. Miraculously, she listens, and when the others arrive, Vax scoops Pike up to sit on Keyleth's back. "Hang on," he warns her, and then he sets off at a run again, charging toward the entrance to the Briarwoods' underground operation.

Keyleth keeps abreast of him as they dart across the lawn, shrouded in the darkness of night as they close in on their target. Vax's stomach sinks when he spies a line of guards around the storm cellar entrance. He starts to slow his pace, preparing to confer with the others about a plan of attack, but then he notices Keyleth gaining speed, charging the guards without an ounce of hesitation. It is hard not to notice the rapid approach of a thundering tiger, gleaming white in the moonlight, but they offer little resistance as she cuts through them like butter, all teeth and claws against their paltry swords and armor.

Vax skids to a startled halt to watch; the night air soon smells of blood, which coats her muzzle and paws, dripping and vulgar. Still, he cannot be horrified by the sight; he thinks of all the times he's failed her, of all the ways her nation's enemies have sought to strike her down, and there is nothing but relief at the notion that this ferocity, this savagery exists within her, that when he is unable to do so, she will be able to put her teeth to her foes' throats and tear their heads from their shoulders.

His wife, a princess, a beast, clears the way, and Vax leads them down into the tunnels. As they run, Vax can hear them, the distant cries of his daughter. He pumps his legs harder, and the group tumbles into the first cavern, which is now empty, any workers gone for the night. Vax thanks the Raven Queen for the good fortune and motions for the others to follow him forward into the tunnel that leads to the chamber with the altar. There is no time for caution, for stealth; the group spills out into the cavern, heaving chests and darting eyes, and Vax's attention is first drawn to the shrouded cage in the corner, where the victims he'd failed to free shout and scream.

Vax's eyes follow their flailing arms up to the altar, where they land on a sight that makes his heart stop. Up on the dais, behind the altar of green glass, an older man, slightly hunched over, holds his daughter in both hands, barely cradling her head as he lays her down on the hard surface. His breath catches in his throat as this man picks up an object from the altar, just above Vilya's head, and as he twists his wrist to examine it, the light from the torches reflects off of the blade of a long, black-handled athame.

One ear is rocked by deafening booms while the other can just barely make out the whisper of two arrows as both Percy and Vex fire at the man from behind Vax's shoulders. The party gasps in horror as their projectiles suddenly curve away just a second or two later, as if ricocheted off of an invisible wall. Vax looks to the others, confused, but it is Pike, still astride Keyleth's back, who points behind them and shouts, "Look!"

Vax whips around, daggers in hand. There, stepping from the shadows toward them, a manic grin on her face, is a woman in a dress the color of a bruise and long gloves the color of moonlight. Her spidery fingers are curled open in the air, and as she steps closer, the villain Vax instinctively knows to be Lady Delilah Briarwood coos, "There you are, Percival. We've been waiting for you to come home."

[tameila]

if the story's over, why am i still writing pages.... i am 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Ah, this is an AU that is very near and dear to my heart. It's a high school Pikelan AU based off of this prompt that I answered.

The main premise is that, at the end of junior year, right before summer break, Scanlan wrote a letter of confession to Pike. She did not have the time before he left all summer to answer him, but, honestly? She doesn't know if she would have had an answer even if she'd had all the time in the world.

Now, it's senior year, and Pike is taking a creative writing elective...inspired by a certain letter, mayhaps? and Scanlan is in her class. She keeps trying to confess to him via poem. Scanlan keeps thinking that she's asking him to proofread up until he wrongly assumes that she's writing them for someone else.

It's a whole thing.

Can she properly convey her feelings before high school is over? If she confesses, will it even matter as her and all her friends drift in different directions? Why does anything have to change? Pike doesn't want anything to change.

....It is absolutely on the same level of TSAR in the sense that I'm like,"hehe teehee here's a cute lil teenaged romp" and then once I've lulled you into a false sense of security...WA-BAM!!! The grief of growing up, of "leaving" childhood behind, of loving people so much that you may inevitably lose to distance and time. It won't be your fault. It won't be theirs. That's just life. Why does anything have to change? How do you hold on when there's no way to stop it?

As I mentioned, it's a WIP that I cradle very fondly and that I have mostly plotted out in bullet points.

Here's some scenes:

SCENE FIVE (Homecoming week, mid-October)

In middle school, the girls always went as a group to dances. Then, freshman year, Vex started dating and, since then, has never gone to a dance without a date. Pike would have been happy to just go with Keyleth as a dynamic duo, but Vax asked her. As friends. Though there was a whole drama when apparently he hadn’t wanted to go as friends and Keyleth started dating Kash two weeks after Homecoming. But - That’s a whole other thing. With Vex and Keyleth all dated up, Pike agreed to go as friends with Scanlan when he asked.

Some details about her ridiculous hair she got done and the dress she bought

A sense of childhood being “lost”/”left behind” as they ditched the sleepover and girl’s day that Homecoming used to be

Since then, she’s always gone to any dance with Scanlan as friends. It’s an unspoken agreement. Grog tagging along with them if he’s not currently hooking up with someone.

Pike figured this year would be no different.

A naive thought, in retrospect.

In years before, he’s always asked. Even though they're only going as friends, Scanlan loves the theatrics and planning of The Asking. Still, it's an unspoken thing. Pike assumes he’s just been busy.

The girls went dress shopping over the weekend and Pike sends a picture of her dress to Scanlan. He answers in his usual poetic manner. Pike replies back something about what color bowtie/tie she thinks would look best and Scanlan comes back with: “Oh. We’re going together?”

It’s a whole back and forth.

“You don’t want to go?” “I think there’s somebody else you need to ask.” He sends a few more encouraging texts. Pike throws her phone aside, curls up in bed, and has a good ol’ fashion cry about it. Boys are dumb.

[POEM FIFTEEN]

SCENE SIX (night of Homecoming)

Pike does not ask anyone, and no one asks her. An unsurprising fact. Despite the fact that Scanlan and her have always made it clear that they’re only friends, the rumor mill will say what it pleases. She’s lost out on a couple dates because of it. Like, when she had a crush on that girl in her sophomore year, the one with the colored skinny jeans and colored highlights, who later admitted (long after Pike’s crush had gone) that she’d wanted to ask Pike to the dance but thought she was with Scanlan.

She almost doesn’t want to go anymore, figures she can save the dress for something else, but! Scanlan says he’ll be going, so she goes.

She dresses up, meeting with Keyleth and Vex at Vex’s house. She poses for pictures, alone. Stands awkwardly to the side of her friends as they dance with their dates. She constantly checks her phone. Eventually, she ends up on a stone bench at the front of the school, calling him.

Scanlan says that his mom wasn’t feeling well. He stayed home to take care of her and didn’t think anyone would miss him.

“I always miss you, Scanlan.”

A long, emotionally charged pause.

She says she’ll walk over. Scanlan says he’ll come get her. Pike sneaks out some food and gets into the car when Scanlan rolls up

Pike brushes his hair away from his eyes, taking in his haggard appearance. She asks him if he wants to go get some Dairy Queen sundaes - her treat. Scanlan shakes his head. His mom still needs him back at home. She understands.

Scanlan goes to pull away from the curb but stops one last time to tell her how beautiful she looks. Another pause. Pike almost begs him to just DRIVE, but after another second with no answer, he does on his own.

SCENE EIGHT (Friday before Scanlan’s show?, sleepover)

Keyleth’s house. A bit about Keyleth’s house and living situation.

Some dumb sleepover shenanigans

But also getting real talk. Talking about college. Percy’s guaranteed some full ride to somewhere and a spot in his family’s company. Vex plans to go there too. She dreams about leaving her father’s house and the big fluffy dog she’s gonna adopt when she does.

Keyleth remarks that her and Kash are breaking up. Probably. Differing priorities. She’s not sad, really.

Pike thinks about Scanlan. Even if she tells him how she feels, would they endure? It feels like everything’s moving and changing and they’re all gonna forget about each other.

As they lay there in the dark, quietening, Pike shudders a sob

Keyleth and Vex propose a cuddle pile

Pike doesn’t want them to move on