#wheezing at that longest tag

[crossbackpoke-check]

it’s all the rest of what i want with you

connor dewar/brandon duhaime :: 8k

Summary:

“Brandon,” Connor says with a sigh. “There’s no baby in there.”

“Not yet,” Brandon says. Connor feels his stomach twist, almost like what he would imagine a baby kicking to feel like.

in these trying times of dewvorce, may i offer you 8k of pwp inspired by @stillfertile’s wonderful art which i had. several breakdowns about 🫶 anyway please enjoy!!!

[ayyyyysexual]

I posted 19,817 times in 2022

That's 3,774 more posts than 2021!

61 posts created (0%)

19,756 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pinkyshy101

@borkthemork

@moonsinkfoxgirl

@darubyprincxx

@astro-inthestars

I tagged 2,978 of my posts in 2022

#mutuals :d - 217 posts

#amphibiapocalypse - 108 posts

#☀️💣 - 101 posts

#amphibia - 61 posts

#amphibia spoilers - 58 posts

#help - 39 posts

#@ prev - 32 posts

#so true - 29 posts

#<3 - 28 posts

#/j - 19 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#also hayasaka and prez like... there's that one au but there's also a lesbian au in the same series and i don't see anyone shipping that 😔

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

My final fic for Lightcannon week (Day 7 - Fake Dating/Hanahaki)

Also, I did some art for this chapter because it's my favourite and the image was stuck in my head, so:

68 notes - Posted June 20, 2022

#4

The way half of us have just immediately migrated to Tumblr after discord went down....

101 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

#3

Don't talk to me or my daughter ever again

193 notes - Posted November 19, 2022

#2

ship dynamic ever:

the one who rolls their pant legs up to wade into water and the one who doesn't

209 notes - Posted July 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

In “The Hardest Thing”, Sasha Waybright is revealed to be attracted to women,

724 notes - Posted May 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[samodivaa]

║drool on dog tags║

Bucky x Reader : They sway in your face during sex... (smut) {request}

There’s nothing more dangerous than a man with charm—and Bucky looks like a deity—a small smile tips up one corner of your mouth as you look in his eyes which are powder-blue and still rimmed with the longest lashes you have ever seen on a man. His mouth comes down on yours without further warning. Not hard or violently or forcefully. But fully, with complete contact. He comes directly to you, seizing your face between his hands, and capturing your mouth beneath his. “I am going to shower, Bucky" 

"Is that an initiation? We can shower later” 

He cajoles, hoping he sounds convincing rather than needy. Tortuously slow, Bucky licks his lips, rolling his hips fluidly against yours. It’s a struggle to swallow back a groan when you bite his lower lip slightly. You are covered only by a towel, his mind running amuck over what the towel is hiding—sexual perversions mix with lust as his mind sees in scattered images of varying vulgarity. Bucky grips your waist and lifts you off the ground with ease, dropping you softly on the luxurious white linen bed, your body fully exposed to him. You lick your lips at the sight of his broad shoulders and an athletic physique that even a jacket cannot hide. Your eyes continue their upward travel to his strong square-shaped face, framed with short brown hair that falls to his shoulders and deep, blue eyes. He disrupts your thoughts by stripping his shirt off, shorts, boxers—letting only the dog tags trail over his chest.

He then craws on top of you and he cannot articulate a word, capable only of an animal sound, a strangulated wheeze that shocks him deeply, enraging him, this sudden loss of the faculty of speech that feels somehow bestial and forgotten. His body hovers above you as he leans down to kiss you. You're perfect when you're underneath him, it's where you belong, beautiful face and pretty eyes lock onto his—your warmth cushioning him, your obedient body lush, your eyes flashing—and all he wants is to ruin you. His lips are once again on your skin, devouring everything he can—licking, sucking, and kissing. He drags his lips up your throat, along your jaw, back toward your mouth before leaning back to let his hips slowly rut against you, length parting your folds and rubbing over your clit, dragging his pre-come up between your lips. You simultaneously release a harsh moan as he buries himself deep with an upward thrust. You are grateful that he doesn't start slow, but slams into you with no remorse, the need for fucking poisoning his mind. Bucky brings both of your wrists above your head and grips them in his metal arm, restraining them from moving—It's a sinful sight each time he buries the length of his cock all the way inside you, shaft slick and wet and glistening when he pulls it out. He loves watching it happen. You make the prettiest noises when he shoves in deep only to pull out and slam himself back inside, his eyes roll backwards as the dog tags make melodious ringing sounds right above your face with every thrust.

“Can you feel my cock slipping in and out…feels good, doesn’t it?”

When you don’t answer in time, he stops and lifts his gaze towards yours. You feel a jolt of some foreign but not unwelcome sensation piercing your body. You look so—slutty. There is something raw and pleading in his eyes that surpasses sexual desire, these fleeting moments of carnal craving—his dog tags continue to whirl in your hot mouth, drool dribbles from your corners on your lips—but your greedy tongue is always ravenous…for anything. It is the dirty, sinful element that gives pleasure to the act of lust, then the dirtier it is, the more pleasurable it is bound to be. He pulls out, only the tip remains inside. 

“Don’t-” you whimper desperately. Without warning, he pushes his whole length. He focuses his attention on your lips. His trusts are slow and his stare makes your walls clench around him.

“Don’t stop?” He chuckles softly, voice going deeper as he picks up the pace and fucks you into the mattress, his thrusts only getting rougher. “Is that what you want? Need me to fuck you till you come, baby?” he mumbles, not looking away from your lips, his gaze devouring you.

He has to take a deep breath. He tries to breathe, trying to avoid cumming, but your filthy mouth rips his soul and hypnotizes his brain—and your eyes, eyes that bare into his heart, making his dick twitch. The wet squelching, your shy moans, the way your walls tighten around cock is enough to make him cum. His dick keeps on slamming into you, the sight of his well-muscled body, covered in a thin layer of sweat, invites you to utter depravity, it is what drives you over the edge. You whimper and screw your eyes tight as another wave of pleasure spreads throughout your body in orgasmic tingles as he pulls his own climax with you. He finally presses his face against your neck as his hips lose any and all sense of tempo and when he finally stills, he holds himself deep inside as he leans back—with every breath, your bust heaves, sweat droplets running between them and attracting his gaze.  But what pollutes his mind even more—is when he pulls the dog tags away from your mouth, sticky strands of spit spilling between your lips and the small metal plates as you share collective gasps of breath. Sometimes, to regain sanity, one has to acknowledge and embrace the madness.

[cheollipop]

one more rep

navi | taglist

pairing: jung wooyoung x model fem!reader x choi san

w.c.: 6.9k

tags: smut, some fluff, friends to lovers, woosan are reader's personal trainers

san got a little too excited watching you exercise in purple – his favourite colour – and wooyoung was nothing if not a tease. turning their attention back to you, they didn't expect to see you equally worked-up.

warnings: mean dom!wooyoung, soft dom!san, they're switches for each other though, wooyoung has a nipple piercing + a tramp stamp (hehe), san has finger tattoos, degradation (a little bit; reader gets called a slut/cockslut), praise (a lot), so much dirty talk, a hint of dacryphilia, nipple play (m & f), face sitting, oral sex (m & f receiving), face fucking, fingering (f), squirting, pussy slapping, overstimulation, handjob, mxm, spit kink (so much spit...), snowballing, cum eating/swallowing, unprotected sex (👎), multiple creampies, multiple orgasms, some humping, aftercare, nicknames (youngie, good boy; sannie; baby, pretty girl, good girl, sweetheart, darling), they're all idiots in love <3

A/N: so this has been brewing in my little kettle for a while and bam! my longest fic yet, and probably the filthiest... I put my heart and soul into this one, so I really hope you enjoy! ^^ (pls ignore any inaccuracies in the exercises,, I start wheezing after one flight of stairs)

nsfw under the cut - minors dni!! 🔞

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

San’s knees dug into the yoga mat under him, his hands – decorated with the black ink of his tattoos – secured around your calves, holding them in place while you finished up your last set of sit-ups. He could feel your muscles contract every time you pushed yourself up, relaxing momentarily as you laid back down on the mat. He often found his eyes wandering over the purple material hugging your figure, the way your shorts rode up your thighs each time you pushed yourself off the mat. With every powerful sit-up, he held his breath at how close your face would get to his – enough for him to breathe in the sweet scent of your perfume mixed in with the tanginess of your sweat, your soft exhale blowing over his face.

It had been years since your agency reached out to San’s company, hiring him and Wooyoung as your personal trainers. The three of you had developed an easy friendship, your sessions now packed with inside jokes and banter. Recently, however, you often found yourself looking at them differently – your heart racing whenever San’s hands brushed over your skin, skipping a beat at Wooyoung’s never-ending praise. As a model, you were required to remain fit, and despite the torturous exercises the pair put you through, you were glad you were able to see them regularly.

A gentle squeeze to San’s nape caught his attention, Wooyoung hovering over him with a coy smile on his face. One look over his shoulder and he could see the weights for the next exercise set up neatly in the corner.

“What’s got you so distracted? Can’t you see she’s barely making it halfway up?” Wooyoung’s tone was playful, but both your face and San’s flushed at his comment – you, because he’d caught you slacking off, and San, because he’d called him out for not paying attention.

You propped yourself up on your elbows, your chest heaving as the past two hours of taxing exercises caught up with you, sweat trickling down your temples.

“Cut me some slack, Youngie, I’m tiiired!” You whined, letting your head fall back, eyes shut while you caught your breath.

Wooyoung kneeled beside you, running his hand over the top of your head gently. “Yeah, yeah, take five minutes to rest then we’ll move on.” He smirked when you began complaining, pinching your cheek and pulling at the skin teasingly.

Looking back at San, Wooyoung’s smirk widened, teeth peeking out from between his lips when he caught sight of the man’s demeanour – his eyes moving between the two of you, hands still holding your legs, albeit slightly tighter than he had been earlier, his veins popping out while he shifted uncomfortably on his knees. Wooyoung’s eyes trailed further down, noticing the forming tent in San’s dark sweatpants, a scoff escaping his lips.

“What’s got our Sannie so excited?”

San’s whole body jerked at Wooyoung’s mocking tone – and the innuendo behind it – instinctively pulling his hands closer to his body and dragging your legs with them. You sucked in a breath when San’s hips pressed against you before immediately drawing them back, abruptly standing up and turning away from the two of you. You could see the bright red creeping up the back of his neck, San’s shaky hands scratching nervously at the heated skin.

“I-I-” San stuttered, roughly clearing his throat while he took quick peeks over his shoulder to attempt eye contact. “I-I’m so sorry- I don’t know why-”

Wooyoung chuckled, standing up and wrapping an arm around San’s shoulders, his eyes flitting down to his concealed bulge before he looked back up to speak. “Don’t worry about it, dude. I’m sure our (Y/n) understands, right?” They both looked back at you expectantly, and you nodded your head quickly. “See? Just take a walk and calm down. I’ll continue the session with (Y/n).”

Wooyoung let go of the flustered man, giving him a playful pat on his ass before turning around to face you again. His eyebrows shot up at the sight of you, taking in the way your thighs rubbed against each other, your eyes glazed over and fixed on San’s back. Wooyoung cleared his throat, startling you back to reality, and you instinctively relaxed your legs, giving him a full view of the darkened material at your crotch.

A wave of heat rushed to your face upon noticing Wooyoung’s gaze slipping down to your core, squeezing your thighs together again and sitting up. His head tilted to the side amusingly, a sly smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He reached back to grab San’s arm before he had the chance to leave, twisting him around to face you.

“Or… Would our precious (Y/n) like to help Sannie out instead?”

--

You rolled your hips over Wooyoung’s face, gasping around San’s cock when the tip of his nose brushed against your clit. It took the man under you a few seconds to notice you grinding on his nose, soft whimpers vibrating over San’s cock as you took him in deeper, swallowing around his cockhead and revelling in the groans you drew out of him.

Wooyoung’s hands slipped under your ass, his biceps bulging as he adjusted your position until your clit was directly over his nose and his tongue at your entrance. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head when Wooyoung slipped his tongue inside you, curving it along your walls to press against the spongy spot that made your back arch. He could feel your thighs shaking around his face, moving it from side to side to nuzzle his nose against your clit, drinking up your arousal as it gushed into his open mouth.  

He pulled away, sliding his tongue over his bottom lip before speaking. “I know you love my nose on your pussy, but don’t you dare cum before San does.”

You hummed around San, hearing him grunt above you as he slid his cock over your tongue, a shallow thrust to remind you of his presence, but you couldn’t process the action when Wooyoung’s tongue was back inside you, mercilessly pushing into your g-spot, your orgasm rapidly building up in your lower belly. So you just sat there, rutting over Wooyoung’s face with your mouth stretched open around San’s throbbing cock.

San’s hands reached into your hair, the strands draping over his tattooed fingers as he gently tugged at the roots, throwing his head back when your moans vibrated against his length. He held your face and pulled you off him, bending at the waist to look at you with desperate eyes.

“(Y/n), darling, fuck- can I fuck your mouth? Please, I’ll be gentle, please-”

Yes, you wanted to say, but all that came out were gargled moans as Wooyoung tongued at your entrance, teasing your hole with the wet muscle, slipping it in and out as he pleased. He pulled off your cunt to speak, holding you over his face.

“You’ll let Sannie fuck your throat, right?” Wooyoung smirked against your skin when he saw you nodding frantically above him, San’s hands cupping your cheeks and his cock jumping in your mouth. “Be a good girl and open up then,” he tapped your thigh, bringing you back down on his face.

Between Wooyoung’s tongue ruthlessly prodding against your g-spot, your hips moving on their own to grind against the curve of his nose, and San’s heavy cock fucking into your mouth, you were left an incoherent, moaning mess with drool streaming down your chin.

“Fuuuck, baby, you feel so good-” A throaty moan ripped out of San, his fingers tugging on your hair to push you all the way down his length, his jaw slack as he watched your eyes well up with tears while you held back from gagging. “Shit- I’m not gonna last.”

You were a breath away from tumbling over the edge, thighs burning as you rode Wooyoung’s face, his tongue sending shocks of pleasure soaring through your abdomen. Strong hands wrapped around your hips, bringing you down on his face and wrapping his lips around your clit. It took two harsh sucks for you to fall apart, your whole body shaking with the force of your orgasm. You felt Wooyoung’s teeth brushing over your clit, giving the swollen bud a small nibble before pulling away and slipping out from under you.

San was in heaven, his cock twitching on your tongue as your soft moans sent waves of ecstasy up his spine. But then Wooyoung’s hands were slapping his off you, pulling you away from him to lay you down on the mat.

“W-wait! I was so close!” San complained, reaching his hand towards you only to have it brushed away again. “Just a little more, p-please-“

“You’ll have her back later,” Wooyoung gave him a stern look, and San backed away, wrapping his hand around the base of his cock with a defeated exhale. He settled down on his knees, watching as Wooyoung turned his attention back to you, your thighs still twitching with the force of your orgasm. His cock throbbed when he saw Wooyoung’s face, drenched in your arousal, his eyes ablaze with the purest forms of lust. San’s eyes moved to Wooyoung’s hand, veins protruding from the skin as he sunk two fingers into your sopping heat, leaning down to whisper in your ear. “You just had to be a little slut didn’t you? Was my mouth on your pussy and Sannie’s cock down your throat not enough for you?”

“F-felt too good, Youngie, I couldn’t help it!” You writhed under him, his long fingers ruthlessly pounding into you and building you up to a second orgasm.

“Aw, you couldn’t help cum before Sannie? All because my tongue felt too good in your cunt?”

“Uh-huuh- s-so good!”

Your eyes rolled back when Wooyoung’s other hand reached for your clit, rolling it between two fingers while he continued his tormenting.

“But I wanted to see you choke on Sannie’s cum,” he bit down on your jaw, slipping his fingers out as soon as your walls began clamping down on them, smirking when you looked up at him in shock.

“Youngiee, ‘wanna cum!”

You were too focused on Wooyoung’s face to notice his hand coming down on your cunt, the sharp slap reverberating in the empty gym. Your hips jolted off the mat when he landed another slap on your clit, your hole clenching around air.

“I don’t think you deserve it, though,” Wooyoung jutted out his lips in a faux pout, quickly turning into a smile when he saw tears running down the sides of your face. “Aww, you wanna cum that bad?”

You nodded desperately, angling your hips towards him, only to be met with another harsh slap to your cunt, letting out a strangled cry that bled into moan when Wooyoung’s fingers sunk into you again, continuing their rough pace. You felt pressure building in your lower belly, flashes of heat rushing through your body as Wooyoung drew out desperate whimpers from your lips, leaning down to press wet kisses to your skin. He trailed his tongue over the sides of your face, licking away your tears as you finally came undone on his fingers.

Wooyoung sat back on his heels, pulling his fingers out to watch as clear liquid squirted out your fluttering hole, your thighs shaking uncontrollably as you gushed all over the mat and Wooyoung’s clothed thighs. He couldn’t help himself, bringing four fingers down on your clit, delivering a sharp slap to your cunt, then again, until you were convulsing under him, pushing his hands off you as the overstimulation became too much.

Wooyoung pulled back, watching violent tremors pass through your body, your eyes shut as you basked in the aftershocks of your orgasm. His eyes moved to San, bending at the waist beside you to press a chaste kiss to your cheek, pausing to gauge your reaction before placing another on your forehead. The scene in front of him was sweet, intimate – despite San being naked from the waist down – and Wooyoung felt the insatiable need to disturb it.

San flinched when Wooyoung pressed himself to his back – so close he could feel the metal bar piercing one of his nipples brush against his clothed spine – hooking his chin over his shoulder and wrapping his arm around his small waist to press his palm to San’s hard abdomen.

“What are you doing?” San tried to ignore the shakiness of his voice, hoping Wooyoung didn’t notice, though the grin on the other man’s face told him he did.

“You said you were close,” Wooyoung sounded, his fingers toying with the hem of San’s compression shirt before sliding down to rest over his snail trail, the barely-there touch making the hair on San’s arms stand. “I thought you might need a helping hand.”

San didn’t reply, only sucked in a breath once Wooyoung’s fingers wrapped around the base of his cock, his eyes half-shut as he revelled in the friction the other man provided. He angled his head downwards, moving his tongue around in his mouth before letting it roll out, a line of his spit steaming down to meet Wooyoung’s hand, easing the slide over his leaking cock. San’s head lolled back onto the younger man’s shoulder, soft moans slipping through his lips while Wooyoung built a steady pace, squeezing around his base every time he drew his hand back.

“A-ah, fuck, ‘gonna cum,” San’s voice was strained, his chest rapidly rising and falling as Wooyoung twisted his hand around his cockhead, collecting the absurd amount of precum leaking from the tip and coating the rest of his shaft with it. “Don’t stop, I’m so close-”

“I didn’t know you could make cute noises like this, Sannie,” Wooyoung purred, his lips pressed to the shell of his ear, smirking when he felt San’s dick twitch in his hand. “Careful, I might end up making you squirt too.”

With Wooyoung’s hand avidly pumping his length, his warm breath blowing against his ear, the raspiness of his voice echoing in his head, San’s whole body shuddered as his high washed over him, hot ropes of cum painting your chest, some of it falling on your neck and chin. His heavy grunts were like music to Wooyoung’s ears, his hand squeezing out every last drop of San’s release until the older man was an overstimulated, whimpering mess, pushing him away from his softening member.

Falling limp on his knees, it only took San a couple seconds to zero in on your tits, following the cum sliding down their slope and leaving a translucent tint on your nipples. With two fingers, he smeared his release over your perked-up buds, taking one between his pointer and thumb and tweaking it until you were whining under him. San was awestruck, his body moving on its own, scooping up some of the cum on his fingers and bringing it up to your mouth – already open and waiting. He nearly moaned at the way your tongue circled his tattooed digits, your cheeks hollowing to suck them clean, prompting him to pull out only to collect more of his release and feed it to you.

Just as you were about to gulp down the bitter liquid, Wooyoung’s voice reminded you of his presence. A simple, “Don’t swallow,” and you were frozen in place, your mouth remaining open even after San pulled his fingers out.

Wooyoung was back on his knees beside you, leaning down to press his lips to yours, his tongue slipping inside to lick up San’s release, collecting it in his mouth before sitting back up. Twisting his body to face the older man, he grabbed his jaw firmly, squeezing it until his cheeks squished together and his lips parted. It happened in slow motion – Wooyoung’s lips pursing, tongue moving around as he collected the mixture of liquids before spitting it directly into San’s mouth and leaning down to connect their lips. San couldn’t process what had happened, but Wooyoung kissing him left him breathless, his eyes fluttering shut as he felt him graze the roof of his mouth. It was only when the other man’s tongue pushed the compound of spit and cum down his throat that his eyes snapped open, instantly meeting Wooyoung’s – already agape, lidded as they watched his blissed-out face.

Wooyoung’s other hand wrapped loosely around San’s neck, keeping his eyes fixed on his face, his teeth nipping at his bottom lip. Knowing exactly what the younger man wanted, San swallowed down his cum, maintaining a neutral expression as the tangy liquid washed down his throat. Wooyoung’s lips lifted after he felt his Adam’s apple bob under his palm, pulling away from San and letting his arm fall to his side, a triumphant smirk gracing his features.  

It was as if they had forgotten about your presence, emitting a small noise to draw their attention back to you. Two heads twisted to face you, eyebrows raising and eyes following your fingers as they carried San’s cum to your mouth, your tongue licking them clean. Your gaze was fixed on Wooyoung, taking in the sweat shining on his temples, his slightly parted lips – glossy from San’s spit – and finally, the tent in his sweatpants, throbbing at the sight of you. Your free hand reached for his shirt and tugged at the dark material, pulling your fingers out of your mouth to speak.

“Please, Youngie, w-want you,” you pulled at his shirt, finally breaking Wooyoung out of the trance he was in.

Throwing his shirt off, Wooyoung fitted himself between your legs, leaning down to mouth against your neck, the metal bar piercing his nipple cold where it pressed into your heated skin. “Did one little kiss make our pretty slut wet again?” He scoffed at the shy nod you gave in response, trailing his lips down to your chest and taking one of your nipples into his mouth, licking off the remnants of San’s cum. You arched your back, pushing your tits further into Wooyoung’s mouth and whimpering when he slid his leaking tip through your folds. “You’re so cute,” he brought his face back up to yours, the corners of his lips curled into an impish smile. “You want Youngie’s cock that bad?”

Just as you were about to stutter out a response, Wooyoung pushed his cock past your entrance, sheathing his whole length between your pulsating walls and groaning into your neck. “Fuuuck, you’re so tight for me, darling.”

Wooyoung gave you two seconds to adjust to the stretch before he began pounding into your sopping heat, his hands gripping your waist and his face buried into the crook of your neck.

“W-wait- hnnngh!” Your hands flew to his back, nails digging into the skin whole your body jolted upwards on the mat every time he slammed his hips into you. “S-slow down!”

“I thought you wanted me?” Wooyoung pulled away to take in your fucked-out expression, broken moans making his cock twitch inside you as he drove it directly into your g-spot.

“Y-yes, but-”

“So you’ll shut up and take me,” he held your jaw firmly, his other hand sliding down to your hip. “You’ll be my pretty little cocksleeve from now on, won’t you?” You felt a flash of heat shooting down to your core, your thighs twitching around Wooyoung, moans muffled as he squished your cheeks together, your lips parting as you stared into his eyes pleadingly. He used the hand on your face to give your head a curt shake, his chest heaving despite the stern look on his face. “I asked you a question.”

You nodded desperately, crying out a quick succession of yes and please. Wooyoung eased his grip on your jaw before pulling his hand away entirely, eying your parted lips momentarily before shoving two of his fingers into your mouth and hooking them behind your bottom teeth to open them further. You felt the hot wad of spit land on your tongue, mewling as it trickled down your throat, Wooyoung’s cock sliding against your walls deliciously, making the room around you blur so all your attention could go to the man ravishing you as though you were his last meal.

Knowing Wooyoung wouldn’t relent, you looked up at the man who would. San stared right back at you, his cock already half hard and twitching at the sight of you – thighs shaking violently around Wooyoung, sweat reflecting off your flushed skin, tears pooling in your eyes as he relentlessly fucked himself into you. San spotted the slight wobbling of your bottom lip, your tears now flowing down the sides of your face while broken moans and cries ripped through your chest, Wooyoung thrusting into you like an animal in heat, his own grunts muffled by your skin.

San slid himself behind Wooyoung and cupped his hips, hooking his chin over the other man’s shoulder to eye the drool leaking out the corner of your mouth.

“Look at her, all fucked out and sensitive,” San spoke softly, his hot breath blowing against Wooyoung’s ear, a shiver shaking the latter’s body. “Slow down a little-”

“Get off me, ‘don’t wanna slow down,” he interrupted, pressing his cockhead into your sweet spot and rolling his hips to drag his length further into you before returning to his unrelenting pace.

“But you have to, Youngie. You can’t break her yet, not before I’ve had my turn with her pretty cunt.” San’s fingers dug into the younger man’s hips, his biceps flexing as he used his strength to slow him down. Wooyoung resisted at first, but his eyes caught the way San’s hands gripped his hips – veins popping out and fingers turning white, making his tattoos look more prominent – and allowed him to guide his cock into you. “There we go,” San leaned forward to press a faint kiss to his jaw. “Good boy.”

His hands eased their hold on Wooyoung’s hips to travel up his body, feeling the muscles tense under his warm touch. San slid his cock over his perky ass, eyebrows raising and when he noticed the dainty butterfly tattooed over his tailbone, sensing himself getting harder. His fingers tweaked Wooyoung’s nipple, tugging at the metal bar until he was whimpering on top of you, biting down on his bottom lip while grinding into your clenching cunt. San brushed his thumb over the tramp stamp, smearing the precum that leaked from his tip over the black ink while rutting on Wooyoung’s ass.

The visual of San licking up the sweat off Wooyoung’s neck paired with the younger man’s heavy cock grinding into you was enough to push you over the edge again, your walls clamping down on him as black dots danced in your vision. You grabbed onto Wooyoung’s biceps, your hips frantically rolling to meet his languid thrusts while you begged him to fuck you through your high, breathing out a series of please and faster. Wooyoung’s hips picked up their pace, fucking into you as his own desperate moans escaped through his lips.

Your nails dug into Wooyoung’s skin when pleasure faded into pain from overstimulation, your toes curling and tears staining your skin, your body jerking every time he drove his cock into you.

“Just a little longer, shit, I’m so fucking close-”

San pressed himself to Wooyoung’s back, sliding his cock down his ass to brush over his perky hole, his cockhead pressing into the fluttering entrance – but not quite breaching it – while harshly tugging on his nipple. Wooyoung nearly saw stars, his eyes rolling back when he finally emptied inside you, warmth spreading through your abdomen as his hot cum filled you up, some of it leaking out while his cock was still inside you. He pulled his softening member out and flopped down on the mat beside you, his chest heaving as he recovered from his orgasm. Twisting his head to look at you, Wooyoung brushed a knuckle over your cheekbone to wipe away a stray tear, the fondness lacing his expression so gentle it sent a wave of warmth to your cheeks. Wooyoung looked like he was about to say something, but San was wrapping you up in his arms, and the words died on his tongue.

Gentle fingers smoothed down your hair and soft lips peppered feathery kisses over the tears drying on your cheeks. San’s hands slid over your arms, gentle fingers massaging the tense muscles. “You’re okay,” he muttered against your skin, “I’m here.” He brushed back the hair matted to your forehead, pressing a kiss to the slick skin before drawing back to study your face. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth at the peacefulness of your features, leaning back down to slot his lips against yours, fitting himself against your body – his shirt already off and thrown to the side – humming when your fingers ran through his hair. You parted your lips for him, allowing his tongue access to slip into your mouth, sliding over your front teeth before pushing against your own. You caged his hips in with your thighs, locking your ankles behind his knees to bring him closer, releasing breathy moans that San happily swallowed up.

“Sannie, ‘want you…” you mumbled against his lips, his own traveling down to press wet kisses over your chin and jawline.

“Are you sure, baby? You don’t need more time?”

Despite his concern, his tone was breathy, a subtle whine to his voice. Looking down between your bodies, you glanced at San’s cock – the tip red and angry, twitching when he caught you looking at it. So you shook your head, perhaps a little too eager.

“Want you now,” you insisted, sliding your hand down to grab him at the base, squeezing your fingers around him and relishing the groan it pulled out of the man on top of you.

San allowed you to guide him to your fluttering hole, dipping his cockhead into the stream of cum still leaking out of you before brushing it over your clit, your whole body shuddering under him. He angled his head down and spat on his cock, watching your ephemeral shock shift into arousal, coating his length with his saliva before dragging it back down to your hole. San’s mind fogged up when he finally pushed into you, his mouth hanging open as your searing heat enveloped him. Your sharp hiss brought him back to the present, promptly cupping your cheek and examining your face, landing one kiss after the other onto the flushed skin.

“I’m here, baby, does it hurt? Do you want to stop?” He glided his hand over your thigh, fingers digging into the plush skin before releasing it, his eyes soft as they took in your reactions.

You shook your head, using your legs – still locked at the ankles behind his knees – to push him further into you. “No, ‘feels good, Sannie,” you assured him, your nails scratching at his scalp.

“Yeah?” Aside from the cocky smirk curling the corner of his mouth, San looked absolutely fucked – lidded eyes, glazed over with lust, red spread out in splotches over his chest, heaving as he resisted the urge to thrust into you. “Am I making my pretty girl feel good?”

You nodded and rolled your hips into his, silently begging him to move. And taking one look at your teary eyes, San couldn’t help but oblige, drawing his hips back and thrusting into your heat, a harmony of moans ripping through the both of you. San felt so good, his cock brushing over your walls just right with every languid grind, fleeting touches to your skin only adding fuel to the fire burning within you. Using the hand in his hair, you pulled him down to close the gap between you, your tongues dancing in the middle before you began taking turns sucking them into each other’s mouths, slobber dripping down the sides of your face.

Firm fingers grasped your chin, startling you away from San and twisting your face to the side. Wooyoung was propped up on his elbow, looking down at you with a hooded eyes while he swiped away the spit leaking from your mouth.

“Look at our pretty cockslut taking Sannie so well… I bet he’s been waiting so long to have you, haven’t you, loverboy?” Wooyoung cooed, directing his gaze to the man on top of you and blinking innocently, a wicked smile on his lips.

It took San a few seconds to process what the man had said, the haze of pleasure clouding his brain. His hands flew to your ears when the words became coherent – an attempt to shield you from the feelings he had repressed behind locked doors, feelings he was willing to shroud so long as he was by your side, content to simply exist in your presence. His ears turned bright red, the tint spreading to his face and all the way down his chest. San’s heart slammed against his chest and into yours, its rapid pace almost alarming.

“Ya! S-shut up!”

“What? You don’t think everyone already knows about your little crush?” Wooyoung twirled a strand of San’s hair around his finger, mockingly pouting his lips at the flustered man.

Just before San could retaliate, delicate hands cradled his face and brought his gaze back to you. He nearly melted into the floor, mooning over the softness in your eyes – wide and glimmering – as they looked up at him. Mouthing “it’s okay,” you gave him quick, reassuring nod, a certain promise cloaked behind the glint in your eyes.

It was as though the weight of the world had lifted off San’s chest, his eyebrows raising as he fully took in the insinuation in your expression, eyes tearing up for a few seconds before he dropped his head down to connect your lips once again. The kiss was desperate but gentle, soft nibbling on your bottom lip, San’s hot tongue pressing against your own before pulling away to trail his lips down your face to your neck.

“You’re so perfect,” he mumbled against your pulse point, “so beautiful.” He revelled in the airy moans you breathed out while he sucked a bruise into your skin, then another, before licking a stripe up your neck to lightly sink his teeth into your jaw.  “Want everyone to know we’re the only ones who can have you like this.”

We – the pluralism sent the butterflies in your stomach on a rampage. Before your attention could shift to the neglected man to your side, San drew his length out until only the tip was left inside you, your walls desperately clenching down on it while you whined at the loss. But then he was pushing back in, finally fucking himself into your weeping cunt, your arousal mixed with Wooyoung’s cum squelching every time San’s cock pumped into you.

“Let me know if it’s too much, sweetheart,” San’s tone was so gentle, and yet you couldn’t ignore the growl in his voice while he basked in the flaring heat of your walls, his attentive eyes full of want.

“More,” you pleaded, your eyes never leaving San’s while he adjusted his position.

Wooyoung’s hand suddenly gripped the underside of your thigh and pulled it towards him to spread you out for San, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to your cheekbone. San dug his knees into the mat, pushing further into you and remaining still for a few seconds until you began whining again. With a breathy chuckle, he began pistoning his hips into you, praise rolling off his tongue as your walls contracted around him. The world around him faded away until only you remained – the sweet succession of his name, the pleasure painting your features, the gentle tugging against his scalp where your fingers tangled in his hair. San couldn’t focus on anything else.

Until rough fingers made their way between your bodies, sliding his arm behind your knee to reach the place where you were connected. Making a ‘v’ shape with his fingers, Wooyoung hooked them around San’s cock, nearly moaning when he felt the way it stretched you open. A rough “ah” ripped through San’s throat, thrusting inside you to feel your cunt squeezing down on him then pulling out to revel in the glide of Wooyoung’s fingers around his slick base.

When he thought he couldn’t get any harder, Wooyoung leaned in to whisper in his ear – low and sultry while his fingers dipped lower to cup his balls. “How does it feel to fuck my load into her, Sannie?”

With a flabby squeeze to his sack, Wooyoung felt it empty as San finally came, his whole body shuddering as his orgasm washed over him, emptying his load deep inside you. San cursed under his breath, slowly fucking his cum into your used cunt while it spurted out of him, his cock throbbing at the sight of you writhing with the need to come. Wooyoung’s hand slipped off San when he moved to pull out, moving to spread you out again and watching the other man’s cum mix with his own while it leaked out of your gaping hole. He eyed how you clenched around nothing for a few seconds before San’s fingers slipped back inside you, the black ink adoring them turning glossy with your arousal.

“I’ve got you, darling,” he leaned down to pepper your face with soft pecks, his fingers hammering into you and curling into your g-spot. “Will our sweet girl give us one more?”

You nodded desperately, tears streaking down your face and moans slipping through your lips without restraint. Wooyoung’s hand kneaded your thigh, his eyes fixed on your swollen clit, visibly contemplating something in his head. You were too busy relishing the tender kisses San dropped on your heated skin to notice Wooyoung’s hand dropping on your pussy, the sharp sting making your body jolt under San. The pain from Wooyoung’s slap paired with San’s fingers mercilessly hammering into your cunt made your eyes roll to the back of your head, your thighs shaking rabidly as the pressure building in your lower belly released, sending you tumbling into your orgasm. You nails dug into San’s biceps and your hips simultaneously pushed to meet his thrusts and pulled away from them, delirious after being dragged over the edge so many times.

San’s fingers slowed as you came down from your high, tapping against the spongy spot along your walls and taking in how your hips jerked at his ministrations. Just as he pulled out of you, Wooyoung’s hand landed another sharp slap to your clit, making you cry out from the overstimulation. But before San could berate him for it, it was like a dam broke within you, hot liquid squirting out of your fluttering hole.

The two men simply watched the scene unfold before them for a few moments before San's body began moving on its own. With a hand to the back of his head, San dragged Wooyoung down to your cunt, taking in how his mouth opened on its own to catch everything you had to give him. San’s fingers tugged at the younger man’s hair, pushing his head into your mound and observing how his tongue rolled out to lick over your entrance, taking the concoction of San’s cum and his own into his mouth and swallowing it down.

You watched as Wooyoung sat back up, taking San’s hands and slipping the fingers that had been fucking into you inside his mouth, hollowing his cheeks and sucking them clean. San eyed him with lidded eyes, studying the slide of the younger man's tongue over his trimmed nails. Before he could process Wooyoung’s head moving closer, he had already sealed his lips against San’s, sliding his tongue into his mouth to give him a taste of all of you combined. An unpleased whine rumbled through San’s chest when Woooyoung pulled away, his glossy lips forming a pout when he gave the tip of San’s nose a kitten lick and shot him a playful wink.

Wooyoung’s attention was back on you before San could even blink, spreading out beside your worn-down body and gliding a gentle palm down your side. San did the same, flopping down opposite to Wooyoung and brushing the hair off your face, leaning over you to press a tender kiss to your forehead.

“Is a five minute break enough before we start the next rep?” Wooyoung joked, giggling when you swung a limp arm into his chest.

“You’re insufferable,” you laughed, noting how San’s chest vibrated against your shoulder with his own giggles.

Wooyoung pressed his lips to your cheek, holding them in place for a few seconds before drawing back, only to plant a series of kisses down your neck and to your collarbones. “Are you feeling okay? Was it too much? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Your eyes softened at the concern lacing Wooyoung’s tone and you smoothed down the furrow of his eyebrows with a gentle thumb. Shaking your head, you brushed the hair off his face and spoke. “You didn’t hurt me, Youngie. I-I really liked it... all of it,” you mumbled the last part, a faint blush warming your cheeks at the admission. You could see Wooyoung's worry dissipating, a witty comeback at the tip of his tongue.

“(Y/n),” San drew your attention back to him before Wooyoung could tease you, noticing his burning ears and the fiddling of his fingers at your waist. “Earlier, you…” he cleared his throat, and you fought the smile off your lips while watching him struggle to express himself. You saw him gather up the courage to pry open the door he’d welded shut long ago. “I want you,” he blurted out, “a-and I don’t mean only in this way,” he flailed his hands between your bodies before reaching down to lock his fingers with yours, his anxiety turning into panic and making your heart swell with fondness. “I want all of you, I want to make you happy and-” he sucked in a deep breath before continuing. “I-I guess, all I’m asking for is a chance.”

“San-”

“You’re playing dirty, you dickhead!” Wooyoung interrupted, wrapping a protective arm around your waist. “Don’t try to steal her away for yourself!”

Your eyebrows raised in shock, trying to process the situation brought on by the two men bickering on either side of you, arguing about who would get the princess when the princess herself was unsure of what she wanted. Your infatuation with San was undeniable, every fleeting touch left your skin burning for days, every smile directed towards you had the butterflies in your stomach going rabid, eating at the insides of your stomach. Everything about Choi San was warm – his eyes, his words, his expression, all were laced with scotching heat, leaving you burning from within.

Whatever it was you felt towards Wooyoung was fiery, fervent, leaving you dazed and confused – what was it about him that drew you in? Perhaps it was his playfulness, or was it the way he changed up on you? One second Wooyoung was a friend and the other he was dropping subtle hints – a flirtatious wink, or a hand on your hip that held its place for a second too long for it to be friendly. You’d simply assumed him to be a flirt by nature, though one peek at his interactions with other women and you were proven wrong: Jung Wooyoung only treated you this way – as though you painted the clouds on the blue sky with your bare hands – and you found yourself rejoicing in that fact. Perhaps you’d already made up your mind, and it was simply your denial and cowardice that had held you back this whole time.

“What if-” you began, both men ceasing their banter and turning to look at you. You swallowed nervously, your mouth dry and your heart beating wildly against your ribcage. “What if I wanted… both of you?” You looked between their shocked faces, your voice small as you uttered the next question. “Is that too much to ask?”

“No!” They replied in unison, the intensity of their voices startling you.

Relief rushed through you and you closed your eyes to revel in the moment, the two men back to speaking over each other, going on about how they would do anything make you happy – “happier than a child at Disneyland,” San specified. The squabbling persisted even while they cleaned you up and helped you into your clothes, San shouting back at Wooyoung while he guided you through your cool-down stretches, the other man cleaning up the floor and wiping down the equipment.

As boisterous as they were, you found yourself smiling adoringly at the two men fighting over who would drive you home – matters that were trivial to you, but somehow meant the world to them. In the back of your mind, you knew you had a lot to talk about and discuss to ensure everyone was content, but right now, you couldn’t help but savour the pleasant feeling in your stomach, the soft fluttering of butterflies as two men you thought the world of doted on you. Their eyes were full of adoration, fingers twitching with the urge to hand-pick the stars from the night sky to make into a necklace for you, hoping it would come close to shining as bright as you do.

apply for my tag list here (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

[emeraldbabygirl]

Hi :) it’s been awhile since I’ve actually had conversations with my mutuals here and I feel bad about it as always but I just wanted to post and say hi and that I think about my oldest mutuals often and hope y’all are still alive and well no matter where you are on your life journey. I know well all busy with jobs and finding what we want to do in life and that’s okay but I just wanted to say that I miss you all and miss all our cute talks and I appreciate you guys coming into my life when you did and meeting you all and sometimes I see you liked a post and I see your username in my notifications and it makes me smile. I miss you guys and I’m sorry I never reached out :( I’ve become bad at keeping connected to people but I want you all to know that I appreciate you all being in my life and I hope sometime we can have our fun conversations again. I hope what I said makes sense, it always sounds better in my head. I just hope y’all are well and if you ever come back to tumblr sometime you can say hi or leave a message even if it’s small, I enjoy the surprises and idk hi :) I miss my mutuals you guys were my first friends when I started building my blog up and I just really appreciate all the kind words and everything you’ve done for me and I wanted to say something even if I couldn’t message you individually. Sometimes it’s easier for me to make a post like this. I still think about you all and wonder how things are and I remember your usernames and pfps and it brings back memories, even if we didn’t talk a lot, maybe I mentioned you in some tag games or I popped in to say hi.

I wanna make something for you all as a thank you for just being a part of my experience here on tumblr even if we don’t talk anymore I want to do something to show my appreciation so I recently fiddled around and made some lil collage/edits and I want to make some for you guys if you’ll let me. Just tell me some things you like, like an actor or singer or animal and some colors and anything and I wanna put something together as a thank you for talking to me when I was still a young blog? Does that make sense? Cause I didn’t have a lot of followers just a couple mutuals and some of you became really close friends and I appreciate you for that.

Of course now I wanna make something for everyone but I’ll just tags the people I’ve known on here the longest and if you want me to make you something please let me know or you don’t have to. I like making things for people and stuff. Ok tagging @excindrela @yovibeispretty @seoulmates98 @ithinkilikeit-reactions @yuta-the-mountain-man @cherryeoo @uwunnie @thirdxporsche @dmbjwhxre ..I think I’ll just tag everyone that I’ve felt something special with, people that I’ve had come into my blog and played games with and stuff like that cause I really think about all of you and wish you all the best :) @wh0sthe5pecial0ne @wheezing-pterodactyl @bandluvr97 @chrismequick @despairvb @impeachybabie @atinystaypixie @princessjazzyjazz @juicylivy @boxyg28 @lowavocado4701 @witchy-weve-monbebe @ateezaligned @henlex @rai-scutum @khathastrophe @kidinthemoonlight @pleasemeosaur @moonlight--cafe @the-moon-baby @axelwolf8109 @dreamlesswonder86 @axishonor @7zenisss @straysugzhpe @halalhyungwon @elenilote @ninamarie1994 @gungumeloh @jaejoongs-nipple-piercing @dungbeatposse @hyugaruma @awritersstuff @star2fishmeg @starstruckforyou @belphies--pillow @sleepystrawberrybunny @khami-143 @simpforchuchu @thistaleisabloodyone

Even if we don’t talk a lot or anymore I see some of your posts on my dash and I’m like ‘I rember you omg’ and I get a little happy. Ok enough yapping I just wanted to say some stuff and I hope all of you are doing well and if not I’m sorry :( I hope things get better for you! Have a good day or night or evening wherever you are <3

[streets-in-paradise]

Loving in the Shadows

Troy (2004) Reader insert fanfiction / Achilles x Mycenaean Princess! Reader - Part 24

Word Count 14 K

Warnings: Stalk(ish) behavior, unwanted posessive thoughts driven by anger. Possibly bad geography (I needed it for plot reasons).

Summary: During the absense of men, the women waiting in Ithaca find themselves fearing the presence of a mysterious shape that had apparently managed to abduct the visitant princess.

Playing with the two halfs of himself to keep the locals unsuspectfull, Achilles has secretly returned for his loved one in an improvised visit of uncertain motives driven by longing and a partial awareness of the difficult context she faces as he deals with his feelings regarding it.

Tags: @yerevasunclair @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @spideyanakin @spideyanakin-interacts @awakenedevildays @alaysha-of-middle-earth @zoegarfield @helie-brain

Awakening late in a palace temporally led by women, the young girl discussed with her handmaid the events of the previous night. The tale ended with the details of her talk with the seer. Despite she couldn't be as honest and precise as she would have liked to be, Polydamas was still convinced that her dream had been divine Intervention.

 The maternal aura mixed with marriage related symbology made him suspect it was the work of Hera, but the princess wasn't convinced of that. The approach of the divinity was too humble for the queen of the gods, who would have never accepted to take the form of a deceased mortal that once was a cheater queen. On top of that, it would be expected from Hera to simply deliver strict commands meant to be obeyed instead of testing the suitability for marriage of some mortal girl. 

It didn't make sense, but it wasn't his fault. She wasn't honest with him, or otherwise she would have seen herself forced to tell the great friend of Hector about her feelings for Achilles. He was a seer, but also a rival of her interests who wished to watch her rule Troy. 

Ereny was her best friend and longest term confident, together they could create their own conclusions. 

" isn't it obvious? ... You have survived your first encounter with your mother in law!" Was the girl's conclusion. " Cheer yourself, my friend.  Maybe you won her blessing. " 

The princess stopped searching on her things to decide the dress she wanted to wear that day in order to turn back and face her. 

" The Nereid Thetis ... Do you think it could be her? I suspected it, but I thought it was giving myself too much importance. She is his mother, she wouldn't visit me unless ... " 

The dress she had picked fell on the floor, a sudden surprise made her drop it. 

" ... Unless her son is thinking of making it official" Her friend finished the sentence for her. " Maybe Achilles is one of those men who secretly consult their mothers for everything. Wouldn't that be sweet? He is the most feared greek warrior, but he just has to know what she thinks before taking any big steps ... And maybe he has been telling her all wonderful things about you! He wants her to love you like a daughter because he is so in love with you ... " 

" Or maybe she has heard me talk about him, I have prayed near the sea quite a few times. " The lady corrected. " I don't want to have high hopes yet. " 

Ereny picked the clothes and handed those to her.

" I bet he misses you as much as you miss him. " She sweetly comforted her. " The borrowed clothes you sleep on need washing. " 

The lady chuckled and threw the garment on the bed. 

" I'm very careful ... Of all the times I had it on, only once I was naked underneath. "

The servant girl wheezed and it took her an instant to recover. 

" Behave like a wife washing his clothes. Why wait until being back when it's safer to do it here? " 

She had a great point, in the domains of her relatives she couldn't be seen washing men's clothing that didn't belong to her father and they had a perfect excuse to do the task without delayments.

" Alright, I'm going to offer Polydamas fresh clothes as payment for his services before he could suggest making me go on a date with Hector ... That should be enough to disguise it, trojans wear a lot of blue. "

It was a beautiful day, ideal to spend time outside. With the sun shining so tenderly clothes would dry perfectly and they would have plenty of time for relaxing activities. Penelope had the kindness of offering her a group of her own maids to accompany them and the princess allowed Ereny to select them by herself among her freshly made friendships in the palace. 

Lucky for her, Polydamas was among the trojans that remained in Ithaca while the princes were gone. His insistence regarding her must have upsetted Hector or perhaps he chose to stay because of not being well rested after she woke him up in the middle of the night. The offer for payment surprised him, but he didn't refuse and handed the handmaid the clothes he preferred to get washed. With their baskets full and in a great mood, the girls left the palace searching for the rivershore.

Only then the princess realized that she missed the chance to make connections with noble girls of the area. Meeting the trojans had completely distracted her from that goal and she have been spending more time dealing with problems that didn't concern her than actively helping herself. Perceiving the practical effects of her rank in her interactions with the servants made her realize her mistake. While Ereny moved with complete naturality around them, the maids of Penelope would distance themselves from her. Although understandable, their attitude was making her feel out of place. She was almost like a mere observant of the work they were doing for her.

She missed the disruptiveness of Melantho, that little girl wouldn't doubt in coming to her as a friend careless for sounding improper. Favorite of the queen, she was a slave girl with the mindset of princess somewhat stuck in between the two worlds through her privileged position. Her absolute lack of humility was concerning and could reach annoying límits, but at least she was fun to be around.

The silent humility of the eldests was a boring extreme, guessing that it wouldn't be like that for all the royals they served but the specifical weight of her crown was the cause of the awkwardness. Mycenaeans were guests to handle with caution, even if she had proven to be nicer than the king. Her personal choice of doing the walk to the river instead of requesting for a charriot that the slaves would have to follow on foot already showed she was a grounded woman. However, the bits of her personality they knew weren't enough to make her fully approachable in that particular context.

Waiting for the clothes to dry was going to take forever, not because of the weather but due to the odd interpersonal climate. Despite she insisted on washing the men's clothing by herself, leaving them space to work on some of her dresses, the girls hanged everything all by themselves on the rope they had securely tied from its extremes to two threes. Doing so, they noticed some oddities worthy of being questioned that Ereny couldn't explain.

" Do you happen to know by chance why has Polydamas handed us the clothes of two different men, if your debt is exclusively with him ? " She shamelessly asked her, taking the initative for the group hoping the princess will know how to cover her tracks better than what she could cover for her. " The girls may be a bit shy, but notice details."

Noticing that she wasn't angry when presented with such singular question relaxed them out of their initial fright and at least one of them dared to speak up.

" The seer is not broad shouldered. " Cora pointed out. " Well, he is, but not enough for that. "

The connotations in the comment expressed more than the simple meaning of the words.

" Not at least to nicely fit in that. " Lena added, testing waters with more mischievousness. " I don't doubt the trojans must be formidable warriors, but only Prince Hector has a matching physique."

It was the worst possible guess, but unfortunately a very sensical claim despite being far from the truth.

" Don't slander our new friends, trojans are fascinating." Ereny corrected, trying to deviate the speculation. " They have this weird accent, i think Hesione must have lost a bit of it with the years. It's very thick in some of them and they minspronounce my name but it sounds so fancy. "

The princess chuckled at the observation and followed her.

" Sounds more like Eirini . "

" It's fabulous! " She agreed. " I love it, wish i could keep it."

" I have been told by the man himself that I mispronounce his a little bit sometimes. " The lady confessed. " Specially when I'm angry or just want to piss him off, the continental greek accent makes it a bit stronger. More like Hek-tor, Hektor .... but he said i have a musical tone, so i think he likes it. "

Some of the ithacan maids giggled, slowly loosing the shyness.

" Is that what you want to believe? Fine, I don't mind. " The princess simply replicated. " I have nothing to prove, rumours only increase my fame. Penelope says that if people choose to assume the prince wants me, that will attract good prospects in the country even if it's just to assure the mycenaean throne stays greek."

" You won't find someone better, such man doesn't exist at least in this country. " Lena teased her." I know every greek prince, they all come here sooner or later, and they are all rubbish compared to Hector. If you don't want to marry him … Who are you waiting for, princess? A god to come down and impregnate you? "

It was such a well crafted joke that she couldn't get angry.

" It's hard to tell, I just don't think he is the one. "

An autentical disbelief reigned among them, so great that it compensated for their initial shyness.

" What's left for you to consider?" Clio asked, with surprising honesty. " Your highness, he is the perfect husband! Hector is handsome, brave and strong, but soft tempered when he has to … "

" … Incredibly rich, of a good family and you have already dominated his only brother. " Someone else followed. " He is also the miracle of a man that, having a recognizable advantage as a warrior, still chooses to behave like a polítician when the chance is given to him."

They had made an interesting point. It wouldn't work as intended, but she wanted to admit it was a good one.

" He has the power to get whatever he wants, but chooses not to. " The mycenaean recalled, with certain wonder. " If you put it in that perspective … I have never meet a man like him, that's for sure."

The girls got a bit excited for the wrong reasons and their approbal began to flow inmediately.

" Just for that?" Alaia interrupted, curious judging in her wondering tone. "If you grant us the pleasure, Hector would be one mycenaean king I would gladly kneel for. "

" … The most beautifull brown eyes I have ever seen. " Lena admitted, deep admiration slipping away in her slightly inconected words. " Imagine waking up every morning to find him staring back at you. "

The comment became a startpoint for a full conversation collectively constructing ideas for hours. Sitting in a round where the princess remained as center, the servants were doing their best to tempt her through their own romantic ideals. Unattachable for them, but a believed posibility for her.

Excited girls that didn't turst in her negatory, they believed to be helping her case.

" Horseback ridding through the trojan landscape! " Clio imagined out loud for her. " I bet that would be fantastic. "

" Or watching sunsets on the beach. " Cora corrected her. "That would be so romantic! I have heard their shores are magnificent. "

" Forget the shores! … Princess, think of the wedding night! " Lena shamelessly remarked, making many of the rest giggle. " I can't imagine a better way to spend it than giving yourself to him. Prince Hector respects slave girls, in all his time here he hasn't seeked to sleep with any of us. He must be of the rare kind of man that reserves all his passion for the wife. I bet he would love you like no mycenaean queen has ever been loved. "

A choir of complicit chuckling followed, but she remained unaffected.

" Regarding Hector I have only one curiosity and it is that I want to see his loose hair. "

The strange claim caused a bit of dissapointment, but all the questioning glances were begging her to explain it further.

" He is always wearing that wonderfullly crafted hairstyle, you never see him looking casual. It shows that he can't relax, he can't breathe. The ties are allways there, even if battle gets those a bit loose. "

Her eyes deviated from the group, staring in direction to the river before she would deliver her self reinforced conclussion.

" I don't want to marry him, I don't want to bed him. I just want to untie his hair. Metaphorically, I want to see how a carefree Hector would be like and nothing would change from that. Just two good friends sharing understandment of the represive nature within their roles in a world that constantly pushes them against themselves. "

Teasing stares followed her, proving the audience remained skeptical.

" Don't worry, my friend. I believe you. " Ereny rescued her while standing up to go check the drying of the clothes. " I know how you act when you have a crush, nothing like this. The mycenaean lioness turns into a kitten for the one she fancies. "

The accuracy of her words made her chuckle, since her servant was the only one there who had a precise idea of how to spot her feelings for a man.

" Take it from me, girls. If she still has the energy and focus for clever comebacks, he hasn't impressed her enough. "

And with that being said, Ereny patted her on the shoulder as she passed by. Little did she know that the cheerfull spirits were soon to fade.

An horrifying discovering surprised her as she intended to fullfill the task, the two companions she had on that had ran for the fear of it.

Behind the extended clothes, lurking between some trees, they believed to have seen a misterious masculine figure stalking all of them.

Panick took over and only the lady had remained calm.

" Maybe it's the god who came down to impregnate me. " She sarcastically teased the servants. " Any wanderer coming down from the hills can cross our path, we can't control it. "

" But it could be a satyr attracted by the sound of girls laughing carelessly. " Ereny theorized out loud. "… maybe hoping to get one away from the group. A dark cloak kept the face hidden and i didn't look down, but i don't want to risk it. "

Normally, the princess would have remained skeptical. However, the amount of strange events pilling up made her reconsider it.

" Fine, let me see by myself if the clothes have already dried, or you will have to carry the extra weight if there are still wet. "

Things got considerably worse once she raised up to finish the checking and ended up discovering an actual proof of their tale.

The garments of Achilles were gone and whoever scared the servant girls was the only possible thief.

" Man, satyr or olimpian god, he will have to get back what he stole. " The lady concluded, her fury beating the chances for developing panick. " I'm not leaving without it and, ríght now, I don't care what any of you have to say against that."

Silence reigned among the scared ithacans, warning her that she wouldn't count with any help from them.

" Fair enough, I'll get it back by myself. "

Her loyal servant intended to follow her, not only out of brave will to share the danger but because she knew what she meant. Those clothes were the reminder of her distant lover and the promise of seeing him again to return the borrowed item. Recklessness was an unusual attitude on her lady, allways measuring the costs before venturing into anything, but in that moment she was willing to risk herself for that simbolical meaning.

The princess was already running in the described direction and her friend felt powerless to make her stop.

" PLEASE, GET BACK!"

" I have to do this. " The lady explained herself. " Stay with the girls, Eny. If something happens to me, I want you to tell Achilles and Agamemnon to join forces in vengeance on my name. "

The joke wasn't nearly as funny as she thought she was making it sound in order to tranquilize her.

" I'm SERIOUS! " Ereny insisted. " Don't do this, he will understand. "

" We are on Ithaca, nothing ever happens here! " The lady replicated. " Why do you think Odysseus goes to create chaos in other kingdoms? He rules a happy, quiet island were he gets bored. "

A cracking sound got her wary, suspecting it could be the footsteps of the nameless shape she was chasing. She followed it on a rush, smirking with triumphal satisfaction.

The atmosphere got thetric enough as she advanced, increasing the sensation of being watched in a game of cat and mouse where she wasn't sure of really being the chaser. Thinking the shadow couldn't be far, but was yet nowhere to be seen made her feel uneased.

" Show yourself!" The princess demmanded in a slowly shaky tone. " It's me who you want, I feel it. You stole something I care about, you knew I would follow you for it."

She swallowed hard, then concluded.

" That belongs to the man I love. If you hurt me, you will have to face him. He fears no one, men or gods equally … and I trust no one to avenge me like I trust in his rage."

Inmediately afterwards she was looking arround in search for any sort of reaction to her threat. Nothing happened, and just when she was starting to accept the posibility of being alone, the misterious stranger emerged from behind with an overpowering grip.

The young mycenaean tried to scream, but a hand pressed against her mouth had silenced her.

Her eyes went wide when she recognized the metalic wristband of the kidnapper.

" Got you. " He taunted her, whispering close to her ear. " Miss me, princess? I couldn't wait any longer to be with you."

That husky voice, she would recognize anywhere. Part of her wondered if it was trully happening or a supernatural being had assumed the shape of Achilles for her. Both posibilities seemed equally unrealistic, but she had no way to explain it.

His hand stopped the pressure to keep her mouth shut, tracing her lips with his fingertips instead. Within the same action she felt him sniffing the scent of her hair and as he captured it, his exploring touch began travelling down to caress her neck.

" My love … " She purred, ecstatic like in a trance. " Is this some sort of illusion? Last night i dreamed of being in your arms. "

Her confession didn't seen to surprise him as much as it should.

" Was it a good dream? "

Telling him about it would have pushed the topic of comitement too soon, since in her dream she was about to get betrothed to him. Despite she remembered very well her conversation with Penelope and intended to follow her advice, she simply couldn't admit to him ríght there that she dreamed of being his wife.

Even less she could question him regarding the divine inspiration she suspected it had. If it was trully a visit of his mother, he may not know it or wouldn't admit it.

" A very good one. " She vaguely told him, with sweet excitement. " My mom was there, I remembered of her face! And she was approving our relationship! It was like if you were plotting to convince father of something ... "

Achilles turned her over so she could watch the dark hood of his cloak fall back, revealing his face.

" That sounds wonderfull. "

They remained in silence for an instant, just gazing into each other's eyes. He dedicated her his most charming smile and she returned the gesture.

Her beauty grew with each reunion, his imagínation was never enough to capture it completely. Time and separation had increased his desire, but that wasn't affecting his perception. He did find her even more breathtaking than the last time he saw her.

Achilles would never understand the country's obsession with Helen, when her lovely niece was ríght beside her. She was an underrated gem, and if other men would ever discover it, they were too late already because she was his.

The sweet confussion in her eyes made him melt. His lovely princess was looking at him as if she still wondered if he was real. He would have gladly provided a proof she wouldn't easily forgot, but she searched for it herself.

The mycenaean pushed him against a tree, taking her turn of trapping him with her body as she crashed her lips against his. The passionate kiss released all her longing, her hunger almost knocked him over. Such intensity was surprising coming from her, even for him.

Her ferocity was protective, as if she feared she could loose him at any moment. He sensed it, but tried to limit himself on just enjoying of it.

Blessed he would be of being kissed like that on every welcome back from war, he couldn't wait to have that.

She took his breath away, metaphorically and literally.

" It's me, i'm here. " He calmed her once he recovered. " I'm feeling we have learned a lot from each other. Your strategic mindset to twist rules brought me here, listening has taught me of your tricks … Did I teach you to kiss like that? "

She gave him a few more pecks on the lips as inmediate response.

" I must have learned with you, there is no one else who had ever given me mind blowing kisses like yours … among other things I never did with anyone else. "

He smirked to her subtle provocation.

" Do you think I haven't thought of loving you? Context is very tempting, here we don't have to worry about your father discovering us. "

Her glance adquired a glimpse of pretended innocence, acting as she didn't mean to hint that.

Achilles grabbed her hips to emphasize his point and keep her still, struggling to not ruin the moment.

" You said I couldn't follow you to Ithaca because he would suspect of us, but nobody knows I have arrived. "

Proud of himself as always, he revealed his clever twist on their problem thinking it would impress her.

" Who would believe it? Mighty Achilles, harvester of death, doing a secret appearance just for me? " She teased him, evidently flatered. " Some say you can't go anywhere without causing a scandall because you can't stand being unnoticed. Staying hidden, keeping a lower profile, is almost like torture to you. "

" Not a worst one than being without you for so long. " He simply confessed, making her heart race. " And in this way my presence will not outshine you … I heard men had started fighting over you. "

The specifical tease didn't sound like a jealous reproach, but she was worried for the transgiversed information he may had get from the people.

" Has your own fame never taught you that you must not believe everything you hear? A lot has happened, but new suitors aren't part of that despite how badly Odysseus wants it. He tricked me and i'm dealing with the consecuencies, but good things are coming out from that."

" I'll deal with that treacherous bastard later. " Achilles promised to himself out loud. " Can't say I'm not proud of you for cultivating your fame, I love that. I want the world to see how wonderfull you are, to overhear fools believing they have a chance with you … but they are saying the princes of Troy have came to dispute who will marry you. "

" I'm attending a diplomatical meeting, Ithaca is representing the greek islands regarding some commercial tensions with Troy. " She attempted to explain him what he already knew. " Odysseus has deceived my father and me, he kept hidden his real political and personal reasons. "

She removed his hands from her body to hold both with hers.

"I have nothing to do with that, I won't allow it. "

" Neither will I … and you are coming with me. "

Tables turned once more as he picked her up and started walking in an unknown direction.

" Are you insane? We can't just leave like this!!" She sensically protested. " This counts as an act of kidnap, even if i'm not resisting it. "

His childhish side emerged, refusing to admit jealousy but acting under its influence.

" Then those maids can go cry for Hector to save you." He mocked her in return, proving to have heard at least part of the conversation she had earlier with the servants of Penelope. " I'm glad to know Ereny is still loyal to me, scaring her wasn't my intention. I was aiming for the others."

" Turn back and apologise yourself. " She intentionally suggested. " You will make her suffer if i dissapear. "

" Don't worry, we won't leave without her. " Achilles tranquilized her. " … She is my gift for Eudorus. "

Being in his arms again in such unexpected way was like a dream come true, but that didn't make the situation less frustrating.

" STOP!!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!! WHO DO YOU THINK FATHER IS GOING TO BLAME IF I GO MISSING? "

" Your dear friends the trojans will be alright, they have a plausible excuse to get away. "

" Agamemnon will call it a complot under the complicity of Odysseus. He would seek to destroy Ithaca and Troy alike! … He has once attacked Phtia for way less."

Achilles stopped in his tracks, but still refused to release her.

" I didn't tell you about that for you to use it against me. "

" I had to find out through Hector that you were born a prince, your father was friends with his." She quickly replicated. " You clearly haven't told me everything. "

" So you have been talking about me. " He teased her, deviating the topic. " That's sweet, you take our deal very seriously. "

" Why didn't you tell me that, Achilles?? " She insisted. " Were you afraid it would have given me vain hopes? "

The snarky reproach hitted him, but not as the callout she intended it to be.

" I feared you would have rejected me." Achilles confessed, not with ease to talk about such intimate fear. " … I don't care about that damn throne, I want you, but you could have believed otherwise. Experience has made you cautious, you have been hearing for so long about the traitor that seduced the queen. I didn't want you to see me as that man, to push me away thinking I'm with you because I want to get back the crown that Agamemnon stole from my father. He can keep it, I rather steal you from him to make amends."

Concious as she was of how things had once trully played out, the mere comparison felt disgustingly wrong to her.

" You are nothing like Aegisthus, i'm perfectly aware of that. " She conforted him. " You would have killed that despicable man if you would have meet him because that's how you are. Protective, ferocious … And i'm proud of you, proud of loving you."

" Yet we are loving in the shadows … and i'm growing sick of it." He admitted, then concluded. " I want the world to know you are mine. "

She caressed his cheek, then softly lifted his chin and gave him a peck on the lips.

" And you know how I wish to be forever yours! But trojans don't deserve to be blamed, neither ithacans pay for the trickery of their king going wrong. "

The warning didn't matter to him, used as he was to shred blood to get what he wanted, but he understood it was a limit she wanted to avoid. Still, that wasn't enough to stop him from resuming the march in the direction he had previously settled.

" People will keep dying anyways, you know it." He corrected her. " Where did this sudden strike of righteousness came from? Perhaps an active concience is what you get for spending too much time with Hector."

She didn't fall for the provocation, but teased its intentionality instead.

" He has the habit of accidentally inspiring people into doing the right thing. That's exactly why your friend has picked him for me behind my back."

Temporarily careless for the protests and attempts of persuation, Achilles kept advancing with his precious load in arms. Unlike she kept stating, kidnapping her ríght then wasn't his inmediate intention. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't going to steal her away for a while and he had yet to decide what was he going to do with her.

Impulsiveness brought him to the shores of Odysseus' kingdom. He needed to see her and they were not going to have a better chance for safe encounters any soon. The father wasn't there to get in his way, and his soldiers were easy to fool. His mother had brought him the news of the trojan presence, but he didn't mind about that untill circunstancies changed his mind.

He was taking her deep into the wild. There he had improvised a temporal hideout in the deepness of a cavern that looked like a tent of war camp in peacefull times. Once they arrived, he placed her on top of some extended furs on the ground while briefly admiring her understandable cluelessness. Vulnerability was bringing back some of the innocence that he stole and she looked lovely.

So dreamy that it was simply impossible not to kiss her before any glimpse of explanation would start to flow.

" Odysseus showed me this place, we stayed here when bad weather ruined our hunting. " He said ríght afterwards. " Not good enough for a princess, but is the best I found to secure some privacy."

She was looking at him attentively, reflecting great curiosity.

" How did you find me? You couldn't possibly know I was going to be outside washing clothes. "

Achilles took off his upper garments as if he considered to change back into the freshly dried ones she provided.

" Thanks for cleaning it, … but I do wonder why you had to. "

Some more sweetly delightfull shame got painted on her face.

" I wore those to sleep many times, hoping to dream of you. " She simply stated. " Don't try to distract me, you know what I mean. Eny thinks I have been visited by your mother last night. "

" She wants me to settle down, but she never says it. " Was his vague reply. " Seeing me get commited to a stable relationship has made her very happy. "

She attempted to hide her excitement with her typical jokes.

" I think my father would die on the spot after hearing about us."

He sat close to her while following the joke.

" One more reason to do it as fast as we can. "

She gave him a reprobatory look while also stiffling some chuckles and he exposed his back to her in a playfull way.

" Mind giving my sore muscles some attention? Besides from carrying you all the way here so you won't escape me, I had a few adventures on my way to you. "

The sample of her post battle cares he received in Mycenae had clearly stiked with him.

" If we would have stayed like i told you, the girls would have reached me scented oils to work on your skin. " She commented, tracing patterns on his shoulder with her fingertips. " Here i have nothing i could use to give you a proper massage. "

" Don't be so sure of that, I have something you will like. " He purred in response, pointing in the contrary direction . " Over there, in that vessel. "

The princess followed his instructions and found a small amphora containing perfumed oil of a foreign fragance.

" Where did you get this? "

" During my adventure. " He innocently recalled. " I had to take a bath afterwards so you wouldn't see me all messed up. "

He felt her pressing soft pecks on the back of his neck as fast as she returned to his side.

" Not like I haven't noticed how you enjoy of your warrior freshly arrived from the fight, but I thought my special girl deserves more of my effort in looking good for her. "

He almost had her exactly where he wanted her and she seemed so happy about that.

" You are effortlessly handsome, but I appreciate. " His princess thanked, before starting whispering close to his ear. " Now lay on your stomach and start telling me all about that while I fix you up. "

The occurence surprised him even more.

" Is that how you want to do it? "

Achilles smirked as he obbeyed her command, very satisfied with the outcome of his mischief that was about to get even better.

In order to perform the task, she got on top of him and straddled him with her legs.

The hero groaned at the sensation and she started rubbing his shoulders, slowly working all the way down to his back.

" I think I dreamed of this before. " He seductively confessed. " Only your hands were on my chest … and you were completely naked. "

She chuckled and pressed a bit harsher.

" Is that all you think about? How dissapointing. "

Achilles grunted in response to the touch and words and she kept laughing.

" You know that's not true. " He sweetly corrected her. " … But you also must be aware that being without that for so long has its hardships. "

She caressed the sides of his abdomen before keeping the focus on his back.

" I don't know, I have been without it my whole life. "

The innocent sounding comment was a total tease.

" Don't taunt me. You are barely a maiden and I'm unused to abstinences of any kind. "

She reclined enough to place a few kisses.

" I know, the sacrifice you are making Is more than what any woman could ask from you. No other man would have done such promise to me. "

She dared to take her confession a bit further.

" It does make me feel special when I think about it, you know ? « Achilles refuses to have any other woman on his bed because of me » Who am I to get such honor? "

" The one I love. " He sweetly answered. " … I bet you wish you could brag. "

The hero closed his eyes, allowing her to relax him with her so longed touch.

" So, aren't you going to brag about your feats? " The girl reminded him. " How was the journey? "

" I took a secretive route, so I expected dangers stumbling with bandits. " Her beloved began his tale. " My intention was not to leave trails, but things got complicated. "

She reapplied on him more of the absorbed oil to make the caressing more effective.

" How much? Did those fools hoped they could capture you and sell you as a slave because they didn't know who you were? "

His princess sounded like an excited little girl awaiting for the details of some epic story and he feared the reality would dissapoint her.

" They enraged me and i lost patience. " The myrmidon admitted. " Contrabandists, very eager to get rid of the evidence of their lootings in asian shores because the trojans were too close. I gave them a chance thinking I could get something nice for you, but part of their sale strategy was telling me that the princes were not going to interfere because they were too bussy with the pretty princess brought from the continent for them. "

She stopped the massage out of sudden, spontaneous reaction to realizing of the terrible coincidence.

" … You didn't kill them, ríght? "

Achilles noticed the change in her attitude with subtle concern.

" I let them talk, they were worried that the outcome would let them out of business. " He continued, forcing himself to adopt a cassual tone. " Those men were completely sure that the heir Prince of Troy would want to take that girl for himself, because only a few of them had seen her and they kindly described her to me with lascivious adjectives. That, I didn't mind. I had a few I could think about, but what I couldn't tolerate were their metaphores for the fear of commercial and political penetration of trojans in greek land. "

Time to fool arround was over, so she released him to clean her hands and lay down beside him.

" My love, you already know I don't have interest in that route. "

He refused to look at her for a instant, keeping himself still in the previous position.

" I didn't care, hearing them suggesting it made me loose judgement … My mother warned me about insulting the goddess of marriage and in their mocks I felt the threat of punishment. "

The princess touched his arm to get his attention back at her.

" Do you really think Hera could make Hector want to marry me just to curse you?" She stopped his trail of thinking. "Only unless she would want me in an unhappy marriage with a man nice enough to not be cheated on free of guilt. My bloodline is stained, two generations of cheater queens preceed me and everyone wonders who is going to be the next one. "

Achilles rolled over to face her and embraced her by the waist.

" No one will take you away from me. "

She smiled and snuggled against him.

" Trust me, he won't. I got him on our side. " She reasured him, then sniffed the scent of his skin. " You smell nice. We are going to need more of that. "

His criptic answer came on the form of a dubious mock.

" Sorry, love. I believe they will be unavailable for a while. "

She looked up in shock.

" Are you telling me you did kill them over those stupid comments? "

The ask left him feeling helpless, and very surprised of her reaction.

" I wanted to fight only two, but all the rest would have joined in aid of them. " The warrior defended himself. " They were despicable anyways, not a big loose you should take sorrow in. "

Her initial excitement transformed into frustration, but he could not find the reason for her to be upset.

" I didn't think you would care … Is there something I missed? "

" They were the lead Hector has been chazing since he got here and I intended to help him track, now we have nothing. " She confessed, with resignation. " We were close to discovering a thread of the network that has been threatening the Route of Copper, what could have been greater for the bilateral relationships than a stupid marriage."

He started to play with her hair before she could began to loose her temper.

" Don't worry, I bet some must have escaped. " He sweetly tried to comfort her. " I couldn't have killed everyone, could I? If the prince is smart enough without you, he would find them. And if he isn't, we will get rid of him. "

His calm tone only upsetted her more.

" I have goals of my own too, Achilles. I'm working hard settling political bridges. "

He would never display any sort of open jealousy, but what he had to point out was a logical concern from his perspective.

" I can't believe you are being so naive. What do you think is going to happen afterwards? They will demmand a wedding to close the deal, they allways do. "

" The would love to, but it won't work because in Hector's eyes i'm no different from a diplomat. " She insisted. " He doesn't have the slightest regard for my womanhood! I won his respects in the way a prince does in the council, not a princess in the feast, and that's hard to understand for many. "

For a brief moment he had a half smile of approval.

" I admire you as a strategist and as a woman … I love all of you. "

Her temper got slightly softened, but she had found a practical use for the advice she had received earlier and she was going to try it.

Behaving like a wife could sometimes mean to call him out.

" Could you then respect my work even when it doesn't serve you? I have enough of that in home and I know that's not what we want for us. "

She caressed his cheek to soften the blow.

" I won't blame you for what happened, there was no way for you to tell those men were of any importance … but I will, if from now on you try something on purpose. "

Achilles gave her his most innocent smile.

" I won't bother him, I promise. "

She tried to cheer him up pointing out her findings in his field.

" … Aren't you curious for other sorts of information I got for you? When I tell him about what you can do, he believes i'm exagerating, and he is the best warrior among the trojans. My father will never be able to replace you with him, no matter how badly he may want it. Hector thinks that your feats are impossible, the fantastical descriptions of a girl who doesn't understand how fighting works. "

She gave him a peck on the lips ríght before the conclussion.

" You are the best fíghter in the world, no man alive compares to you and your legend will outshine his. "

Achilles seemed lethargic to the good news.

" That won't matter if I end up under his command, and wanting his wife as if I needed her like the air I breathe. "

Even after all the lovefull words and sweet moments they shared, he still had the hability to surprise her like the first time.

" I know how important it is to you, but if peace with the trojans comes on the price of letting you go, then I don't want it. " The blond demigod concluded. " I will fight as many combats as it would be enough to keep you by my side. "

She leaned her head against his shoulder while giving him her sweetest look.

" You won't need that: Hector wants to go back home to his princess and this time I feel no amount of political pressure would be enough for him to accept sacrificing himself. "

" He clearly doesn't know of how persistent Agamemnon can be. " The myrmidon pointed out, speaking from his experience. " When I was a lad I despised the idea of fighting for him, yet here I am. "

It made her chuckle, probably remembering similar examples in her own past.

" For once, we will have a victory of mine to celebrate. Think about that" She recalled, changing the angle of the topic. " If i help Ithaca to get a good deal with the trojans, that would prove my father I'm not useless and Hesione will see i'm not failing her cause. For me, that's the equivalent to when you make entire armies surrender showing off your talent in the art of giving death. "

The description got his attention and he didn't let it pass.

" The muses would have a lot to say in your definition of art."

" Giving a good death takes skill, precision, and even kindness. " She cutted him off. " You are not a fighter known for leaving your enemies agonizing, or their corpses disfigured in grotesque scenes. In war, you kill to win, and that makes you the most lethal. While others paint messages on the bodies of the defeated like begginers, you mastered the most effective fíghting tecniques to reach the highest numbers in the shortests spans. Being killed by you is an honor, this balance between brutality and care is an art you have perfected like no one. "

She was once more about to trap him in his own words.

" I too love all of you: the fighter and the man. "

" Arguing with you is very frustrating, so I think I will grant you the win again. " Achilles concluded while caressing the side of her hip. " I will not try to force an encounter that could possibly ruin your mission just to brag, even tho I would love to present myself in front of that trojan prince and prove I'm the best. "

The sincere claims could not be not followed by some teasing.

" I shall let him enjoy of what he will never have " The warrior said, in a lower tone that sounded almost like whispers. " Although I have to admit I'm dissapointed of him. Part of me hoped you would have to break Hector's heart with your love for me. "

She followed his game, trying to figure out if the jokes trully masqueraded some jealousy.

" Seriously? It didn't sound like that to me a while ago, when you confessed you killed some men for doing vulgar metaphores about Troy dominating Greece that had me on the bed of Hector. "

" That's wasn't jealousy, I was sending a message to every mortal and inmortal considering standing in my way. " He defended himself. " I always knew Odysseus wouldn't support me inmediately, but now he acts as if he is trying to shield you from me. That means I'm running out of political allies, but I hope my old friend will get the message and change his mind. "

It sounded insane, but it made perfect sense to her and she was amazed. As a warrior, the only source of political pressure Achilles had was the sword, so in that improvised massacre he was subtly telling Odysseus to stop his scheme because he wanted her for wife.

" Don't play with me! I'm a silly girl in love that would hold on to the slightest hope, and you couldn't have figured out what you want so clearly this fast. "

Achilles had only to answer her with the simple discovery he had arrived to in his homeland.

" I can't stand returning from war and not find you there … Something is missing, for the first time ever I came back home and didn't feel fulfilled. "

The short moment of autentical vulnerability led to a sweet request. He couldn't keep talking, not at least without exposing himself too far, so he encouraged her to share instead.

" Tell me about your victories. I want to know everything."

While she understood the need to temporally close the topic, his demeanour reminded her of an encouraging detail. He valued his capacity to keep himself unpredictable knowing her as a perceptive behavioral reader. If he would ever seek to propose, he would want to do it in the most surprising cricunstancies. Signals showing he wasn't against the idea were given to her, but Achilles would only confess clearly a desire of making her his wife at the precise moment he would pick to make it real.

Not too soon to keep her in a frustrating waiting, neither too late when some suitor could get the upper hand.

In a matter of instants the dynamic of their encounter changed completely as he prepared to become a listener of her tales. Initially, she intended to emphasize the points of her political labour that were benefitial to both. For so, she started telling of the long whiles trojans would stay after dinner hearing her share his stories presented as harmless entertainment. In the response of the new public there was a profile being shaped that they needed to discuss, given how she was already working on a design that would better respond the objectives he settled. However, the warrior insisted on how he wanted her to speak of herself and the trojan reaction to meeting her.

Getting in details about the pointless pursuiment attempt of Paris happening at their time of meeting was a waste of time, so she only narrated the warning phrank on Odysseus' welcome knowing that would make him laugh. After that, she confidently admitted to have charmed the crew while keeping a friendly and respectfull approach of its leader.

All her anecdotes gave him the impression of hearing she was like fish under water arround the people of Hector. Everything Mycenae kept banned for her, they encouraged. From them she was receiving the kind of admiration she deserved, judged as herself and not as an extention of her father with nothing remarkable to present.

It was her big moment obtaining good fame on her own and even when he was very proud, his heart secretly broke a bit hearing her. Insisting on keeping her for himself sounded like a harmfull whim when Troy was offering her everything she ever wanted before meeting him. The prince didn't love her, but his city wanted her, and among them she had a chance to shine the way she deserved.

Her feelings for him were as strong as allways, but Achilles started fearing their love could be an obstacle in her own road to greatness. How could he, of all men, ask her to leave her ambitions behind to follow him? Him, crownless prince of a wild kingdom fighting his way into history. How could she still pick him over the chance of being the mighty queen she was born to be?

And yet, there was no glimpse of doubt in her choice of the path to pursue. When speaking of her businesses with Troy, it was always implied she was helping to clear the way for negociations others would have develop further. Falling víctim of the process escaped her thoughts, always keeping the hope of creating alliances that would make of those people their friends.

The invincible warrior could tell by the phrasing that his princess kept him in her dreams of all kinds. She was thinking of xenia bonding visits to the city where the two greatest heros in the world could befriend each other. Of meeting Hector's wife as the woman who already belonged to the rumored demigod and strategically befriending the couple meant to become the next royal marriage of Troy.

There was no thought escenario where he wasn't the man of her life, where they wouldn't be together sharing triumphs.

Before sunset would ruin their chances to move anywhere else, he had to accede in taking her back to a populated area and he did under the promise of sneaking to see her later as soon as possible. What he trully craved was to get at least one more night before safely deliver her back to the palace, but such prolongated absense would raise questions that she wouldn't be able to answer. If escaping with her wasn't a viable option, then he had to start serously thinking what was he going to do.

Returning to his homeland alone knowing what had been going on wasn't even considered. He could always show up to receive the hospitality of his friend, pretend his presence was a coincidence and claiming himself the author of the slaughter to frighten the trojans a right amount without ruining the political labour that have been made. It seemed a good idea, untill he considered he wouldn't stand the enviroment of the palace without succumbing to a possesive breakdown.

Having to endure constant irruptions of unaware people claiming she was the perfect match for Hector, teasing from his friends and other forms of harmless insistence while pretending to be an outsider neutral in the matter would make him loose his mind. He would recklessly throw away the secrecy out of pure rage, just to shut their mouths, kissing her roughly or pulling her to his lap. Any resemblance of self control would abandon him and he would end up ruining everything by sneaking into her room to take her like a desperate madman, spilling her virginal blood over foreign sheets with no honor.

Following her like a ghost untill the danger would pass and they could get at least a few quiet days to be together before her inevitable return to Mycenae was the best option. Untill he would get what he needed to make the impossible plead to Agamemnon, that was still better than seeing her so close to his vigilance.

However, that didnt mean he was going to let her go completely clean. Once they finished discussing the serious matters, speeches were replaced by a passionate silence. Achilles took his time to taste her with all his senses untill getting drunk of her to temporally saciate his own longing. The smell of her hair, the softness of her skin, the taste of her kisses and the sight of her beauty all combined to calm the beast inside of him. His extended teasing was followed by some carefully crafted marks he purposedly left on the side of her neck. Her loose hair would be enough to cover the evidence in case of trouble, but it was his peculiar way of self expression.

Achilles was self confident to the point of arrogance, no man was capable of making him feel threatened. Nevertheless, the situation was an increasing source of jealousy. He hated having to hide his love for her while hearing that the prince was receiving her on a silver plate and yet dared to reject her. If at least Hector showed signs of wanting her, he could just come out from the shadows and face him to compete for her like heroes were meant to. It would be a legendary contest that would put to shame the one once developed for Helen's hand. Something bards could sing about, but the trojan had no interest in competing against him.

Not even for the glory or his spot of stardom would the son of Priam react the way greeks expected from him. He simply didn't care despite the comparisons between them must have reached him too. He never intended to get in his way, not even to prove himself the best. For that, he was leaving him without reasons to justify his feelings of unease whenever it was being implied he could wed his princess. Could he be blamed for gossips working in functionality with the political needs? Even if an arrangement would be made later between the kings behind his back, the man did nothing wrong.

Precisely because he couldn't simply blame him and fight his way out of the problem, the righteouness of Hector made the situation very frustrating. Achilles felt jealous of his position as a prince finding such easy public and possibly familiar approval, but not entirely of him. He secretly wished for the gossipers to discover her marks with no possible explanations linking those to the Prince of Troy, even risking the sort of questioning that could raise.

His anger was with the world surrounding them, and his circunstantial powerlessness to let them all know that girl was his in a context where he couldn't just conquer her by the sword.

They pretended to part ways in public, but he still kept watching her movements from afar to make sure she would arrive safe. The citadel was not that far from the place in which he acted as he was leaving her, so her walk should have been an easy one. For most, it was, untill a small escort of magnificently dressed warriors intercepted her.

Trojans, he could tell by the foreign aspect of their armors. One of them, a lad of smaller frame, rushed to hug her enthusiastically. Achilles had no idea of what they were talking about, but the young man seemed very happy to see her.

Out of sudden, her route changed as that stranger guided her somewhere else with all the other men behind them. The myrmidon had no option but following them out of protectiveness, even despite she seemed trustfull of them.

The way in which the warriors obbeyed him implied that man had some sort of power over them, but he didn't look like he could be their leader. Guiding them inside a tavern, he made them look like security escort.

The warrior in disguise entered subtly after them and picked a solitary table with a good spot to watch his encounter with the lady. A closer viewpoint revealed the delicate features of a face never touched by war blatantly contrasting with the military uniform. A wearing for appearances, since he wasn't even carrying any visible weapons.

That had to be Paris, he thought, the useless little brother of Hector. His attention was completely focused on the princess, keeping a body language that invited closeness without being necesarily flirty, yet still touching her more than he was used to see. She didn't seem to mind, chuckling from time to time to his comments. The relaxed scene was of two friends sharing the latest news outside the límitations of the palace, nothing that should annoy him, but he simply disliked him.

Focused as he was, Achilles didn't realize he was staring too intensely at them as he cassually drank the wine brought for him. While the dark cloak offered some coverage, it also gave him a mysterious feeling that fed curiosity on the trojan once becoming aware.

She tried to stop her contextual companion from approaching, but he finally stood up and confidently walked towards the watcher.

In his perspective, the flamboyant attitude of the presumpted prince was hilarious. Achilles had the impression of being in front a peacock showing off his feathers, a man whose self determination was focused on keeping a royal appearance reflecting a nobility that was performative. It was a sad attempt to compensate for his lack of trully noble qualities, a spectacle.

" I must ask … Which one of us have you been looking with such intense interest? The lady, or me? " The trojan whispered with discretion, taking the empty seat in front of him without asking. " … I would understand if it was me. I have the blood of Ganymedes, so that's an expected price to pay for my flawless face. "

The eyes of Achilles were turbulent water burning with anger.

" Don't make me punch you, that girl looks stronger than you. " He warned at the provocation. " … Is she with you? "

The brunet smirked with complicity, quickly overcoming the fright.

" Wish she was, but we are just friends. " He confessed. " Are you not from here? That's not a mere merchant's daughter, she is the princess of Mycenae … "

Achilles simulated a mild surprise and sipped from his drink before replying.

" Mycenae? I pay my taxes to them, so maybe I have the ríght to a little peek. "

" I suppose that's true, but I have been looking for free. " The young man added, feeling at ease. " Courtesy of King Odysseus, since i'm staying in his palace."

The bragging inspired in the hero a way to give back some of the effort his princess was putting into the shaping of his legend.

" Lucky of you. I have never seen beauty like hers, and I have been in Sparta. " He cassually commented. " Trust me, the saids about their queen are a magnified fame. Menelaus exposes his wife everywhere, but Agamemnon doesn't let his daughter leave his palace often … Now I see why. "

His criptic phrasing intrigued the prince, but he reacted quick on trying to dissapoint him.

" Her shine is gelid, like the gold the Atreide hoards. " Paris warned through metaphoric language that Achilles found useless. " Never before I have been rejected so coldly and I doubt you could succeed from the ashes of my failure. "

The prince gave him a path on the shoulder, as if he seeked to comfort him.

" She is far away from your reach, don't expect much from a lady who has remained careless in front of the most beautifull man in Troy. "

Achilles gave him a taunting skeptical glance , then charmingly smiled for her as she arrived among them.

" I'm not sure of what you are doing, but I beg you to end it now. " She kindly scolded Paris, indirectly extending the warning to Achilles as well. " Stop fooling arround, we should be in the palace. "

Paris took the warning too lightly.

" We don't have to, I'm trying to escape from Hector. " He reminded her. " He has lost his mind when we arrived back only to find out that you were missing. Penelope is dealing with him because Odysseus requested us to stay out of the matter, and he has valid reasons. Something out of our understanding has infested this lands, all travellers must beware. "

The grim warning clearly incluided the man of the dark cloack and piercing blue eyes, but he seemed as careless for danger as Paris was of responsability.

" I shall not get intimidated by the colorfull tales of a pretty boy prince. "

" You should, some speak of an angry god claiming lives. " The trojan insisted. " We found an entire pirate crew slaughtered in one of the neighbor islands, no initial sight of survivors untill we did an extended search. "

The princess, still standing i'm front of the middle of table and in between them, managed to notice a strange change on his voice. For the first time since she meet him, the youngest son of Priam was speaking in a dark tone, as if he shared an horror tale.

" A wounded criminal embraced my brother's knees begging for protection of the very same people he was escaping from in the first place. He claimed the massacre was done by just one man, and King Odysseus mysteriously supports this theory … Some of my men, and so do I, believe no mortal could have done it. How could a single warrior attack with the ferocity of an army? "

It took a great effort for Achilles to turn his pridefull smirk into a fake expression of intrigue. His pride was raising to the sky hearing trojans could be mistaking him for a god.

Unstopable cockiness elevated his provocations.

" If I was a god coming down here, I would do it only to put some demigods in her. "

He glanced in her direction bitting his bottom lip, and she skillfully pretended to be disgusted.

" Unforgivable! What kind of man would do such vulgar claims for a woman that could easily get him beheaded? "

The glimpses of masculine complicity in the behavior of the trojan temporally faded as he protectively pulled his friend to his side. That action secretly granted him a bit of respect from the warrior, who expected him to drag her away.

Yet, the prince got a better idea than simply leaving the place to avoid the discomfort.

" In fact, we can properly judge that. "

She realized that he spoke of submitting him to the Judgement, but she couldn't do that to him the way she wouldn't hesitate with any other man. He was the onlyone whose answer she didn't want to know, partially because she was almost sure of knowing it. The riddle weaponized as test to know the priorities of a man between the most common masculine ambitions could reveal that Achilles would choose war over her.

It would prove Odysseus ríght about him, even despite that wouldn't be enough to completely break her heart. She knew him as a warrior, never expecting he would have to change for her. However, not wanting to get in the middle of his dreams with eternal glory wasn't the same as being ignorant of what those implied. If she would get told in the face that there will be something else always above her that would hurt her, even if she wouldn't mean to feel hurt. Aware from childhood that her father would allways pick his thirst for power over her, she didn't want to find herself repeating the cycle with the man she fell for.

" Paris, it's a game to play in feasts. Helen and I conceived it to cheat noblemen into revealing their truest ambitions so other girls of nobility would stay warned. " She recalled, trying to stop her friend while pretending she wasn't invested in the matter. " It looses its purpose being used like a simple game for the tavern, wasting it on vulgar men. I don't need to know the answer of this nameless errant traveller. "

Over time with her, Achilles learned to recognize patterns of her lies. Exagerating her royal demeanour was one.

" Don't need or don't want?" He teased her. " Are you afraid this vulgar man may surprise you? "

She kept the arrogance as an acting, but also as a shield for her fears.

" I already know what you will answer, so it would be a waste of time. "

Catching glimpses of the strange tension going on in front of him, Paris decided for them.

" I'm up to waste time, so let's play! "

Achilles finished the rest of his wine in one long take and raised up in acceptance of the challenge. The three went to the table that the royals shared, but the feeling of surveilance coming from the foreigner didn't allow the greek lovers any secretive exchange.

By indication of Paris, the princess sat in the chair placed at the center and each man took an extreme of the space. Then, the trojan prince assumed the role of narrator, commanding the mycenaean to play the voices of the goddesses describing their gifts. Hera, offering a throne of limitless power; Athena presenting her bliss to triumph in all battles. The myrmidon noticed how the girl changed manners, phrasing and voice tone matching her mental image of each deity.

For an instant, he found it increíbly cute. Even tho he never thought much about it before, he couldn't help imagining her acting like that for her children at storytelling time. Their children, if he would get to be with her.

Distraction out of the sweet thought happened when she represented Aphrodite seductively claiming she would give him the love of the most beautifull woman in the world. Exactly as beautifull as she herself was.

He chuckled to himself, aware of what she meant with that.

" Would I get to choose who that woman is, or would Aphrodite pick her for me? As a judge of beauty, I should be able to extend this faculty on mortals. "

Impressed by the clever move, Paris banged the table with his fist in frustration.

" That's not how it works! It was never said you could choose! "

The princess tried hard not to laugh to stay in character.

" Silence, mortal! The bargain is still on going. "

Eyes settled on the warrior once more, she put on her most charming expression for him while twirling strands of her hair.

" So, who do you think that woman would be? "

He smiled, resisting the impulse of chuckling a bit for her exagerated flirty mannerisms in the impersonation.

" The princess of Mycenae, only her I would take. "

Sticking the the role, she pretended dissapointment.

" Well, it's not of my concern if you would rather go for a lesser prize. " She mocked herself, in fake annoyance. " Fine, she would be yours as long as you choose me. "

Paris was mad with himself because that flirtatious twist didn't occured to him before.

" Who would you choose? " He asked directly. " That's what the riddle is about, and remember that the justification matters as much as the choice itself.

Achilles stared at the side in contemplative silence, carefully calculating his response. Guesing the purpose that the creators had given it, the game was pretty revealing on itself. Clever masterwork from the women of the Atreides, but he had the advantage of knowing them quite well.

" It's alright, you can say Athena and I won't get mad. " The princess interrupted his thinking. " I see it in the bright of your eyes, you appear to me as a man who craves glory above anything and wouldn't give it away for a wife. "

The conclussion confused Paris, who was thinking the opposite based ln the lustfull commentary that the stranger had made about her.

" Would Athena make me the next Achilles? " The cloaked man asked in a provocative tone. " Or Hera turn me into Agamemnon? Do the ones that choose Aphrodite get in the same box as Menelaus, who gave up his ríght to question his brother for the pretty wife he got him? The problem you present is too simplistic. Did it never occured to you that one man could want two gifts exactly as badly? "

The question raised an alarm in her.

" Life forces us to choose, so the rule is taking only one. "

" I want it all. " Achilles cutted her off with passionate arrogance. " Except for the throne, at least. Tell Athena and Aphrodite that I find them both equally beautifull because endless victory in battle leaves you empty if you loose love as a result of it once you already found it. No amount of wine and lust unions with beautifull concubines obtained in war would fill that void. "

The answer broke the rules, but he was staying true to himself and his rule breaker nature. She shouldn't have expected otherwise, but the well thought and heartfelt argumentation remembered her once more of exactly how she fell for him.

On the opposite perspective, Paris started to perceive there was something greater hidding in the strange appearance of that mysterious man who didn't even bothered in telling him his name.

His thoughts were deep, and he didn't speak like the brute he appeared to be moments before. The youngest son of Priam felt a weird fright believing he was coming out to them, and specially to her, as someone or something else.

" Who are you?" He interrupted them before she could comment anything on the given answer, visibly amazed. " I feel as if my eyes have been tricked by a spell all along just of listening to your reasoning. "

Achilles suddenly remembered of his existence.

" Carefull, Prince of Troy. Chasing reflections keeps deceiving you." He mocked him. " Now, if you excuse me, I would like to answer further to the lady with another riddle. "

Inmediately afterwards, his attention was fully back with her.

" Imagine you are commanded in a divine mission to judge who is the strongest of the gods. " Achilles started twisting the format of her game into a new reverse version where the judge would be a woman. " Three gods come down as contestants for the title and, given that you are a mortal, they compete bribing you with gifts. "

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, believing his try was pointless.

" That makes no sense, everyone knows Zeus is the strongest of the gods. "

" That's precisely why he shows up first to defend his title. " The warrior corrected her. " He tells you that if you choose him, you would get the chance to be the mother of a new bloodline, the most magnificent royal house the world has ever seen. Given that your family already has ancestry in him, this doesn't imply he would make you the children. He would find for you a perfect king, and together you would raise blessed princes for a new powerfull kingdom. This would make you a legendary queen, remembered by your glorious descendants shaping the world. "

She smirked, getting a precise idea of where he was going with that option.

Hector, her politically choosen perfect king.

" Next comes Apollo, offering the gift of prophecy. Highest power a woman can have over men. " Achilles continued, not missing her reaction. " Unlike the crown of Queen, this is one you can weild on your own. Kings, warriors and heroes would come to you consulting their fates; asking you what they should do with their lives. You would get to live free from men, but influencing their choices as a virgin oracle. "

His way to make each gift sound tempting was excellent, and she couldn't deny it showed great understandment of certain feminine sensibilities.

" Last, but not least, Ares appears knowing his typical gifts don't appeal to many women. "

Pretending that the hood of the cloak was starting to annoy him, Achilles tossed it behind to expose his face before continuing.

" Because of this, the god of war gives you an instant to admire him in all his glory before announcing he would find for you the mortal who resembles him the most. A blood thirsty beast, irascible and whimsical, but passionate for you as he is for Aphrodite. "

Emotional investment made him break character, explaining himself deeper than what was contextually necesary.

" … A man that would give it all to you, warrior that would make of you his inspiration to fight. When he will be at your side, you will be fill of affections and the treasures of his conquests. Without a throne, you would still be a Queen, because he would make the men he commands see you as one. When he would be away leading them, he would lay alone in his tent on long nights thinking about you. His every victory will be glory that will raise you up among the women of lesser husbands. Yours will be the strongest, most manly out there, yet he would never forget his softness with you. "

It made her blush furiously at the speed of a sweet embarasement impossible to hide.

Achilles saw his mission accomplished, but provoked her even more.

" What do you say now, princess ? Whose offer would you take? "

She appeared to be speechless, but her answer began with a simple critic.

" Well done, but you failed to acknowledge that an essential part of the Judgement implies the options you reject would later become your punishments. " She tecnically corrected him. " There are two levels of reasoning to consider in your answer: what would you wish to obtain from your choice and how would you rather your doom to be seiled."

Her cleverness would never stop amazing him.

" What a wicked sense of fun you have … "

" I come from the House of Atreus. " Was her simple reply. " I have seen how a royal house born under the bliss of Zeus can corrupt itself on human action, so i'm not really invested in that. Despite it's true that oracles are the only women of true power, they have no one to look after. More powerfull and free than Queens, but their lifestyle is even more isolating. Being courted by a warrior, on the other hand, seems the merriest and less determinating out of the three fates."

Her efforts to make the theorization feel autentically rational, as if she would be playing with a stranger that had just challenged her, were flawless.

" Now, at the next level, we have the punishments. If Apollo gives me the prophecy, Zeus could easily take away my capacity for persuasion and my gift would be useless. If I take his gift instead, Ares could feed the flames of war before the perfect kingdom promised to me would get its chance to raise and my perfect king would despise me for that. The offer of the god of war would make me loose my position of royal, and walk into an uncertain fate, but I would be doing it following a man of intense feelings who wants me at his side above any other. "

The lady made a brief pause, merely to tease her hero.

" … I would definitely pick Ares and his short-tempered, hot blooded warrior husband. "

Before the trojan prince could cheer victory and mock her claiming she had picked the equivalent of the same path he took, the course of events took a twist he found unexplainable.

Suddenly, the stranger raised from his seat and headed towards her. Without any explanations beyond the overwhelming force of his glance, he took her hand and pressed one harsh kiss on her knuckles ríght before leaving.

Passionate twist of a respectfull gesture, so intense that it perfectly replaced a full mouth kiss. Her lips parted slightly within the action, as if she would have instinctively responded like that could have been about to happen.

A miracle has been performed in front of his eyes: caught in her own game, the cold minded princess of the mycenaeans was left burning from inside out. For as much as he wanted to mock her about it, Paris was still trying to understand what had just happened.

By the time they were back at the palace, he had enough to present a working theory to his brother.

" Worry no more, Paris has saved the day! Ahhh, i love how that sounds, so comforting. Turns out I got the answer to all riddles! " He arrogantly claimed as he approached him. " She got lost and I found her safe, you can follow me ríght now to see her if you wish. It was definitely an accident, but I believe hers and ours are connected. "

Hector sighed with relief, yet remained cautious of the observation.

" What are you talking about? "

" Ares took down our enemies from one strike to show he is stronger than you because he wants to have her first, and the wedding rumours may have angered him. " His brother informed. " … I think the god of war is flirting with our beautifull friend. "

[nerdieforpedro]

Beginners Guide to your Fanfic Tag game

I was tagged by @wannab-urs and @magpiepills

I didn't forget, I just had to write it down and save it in drafts because sometimes Tumblr will let me do stuff and other times not. 👀

Anyway, you pick however many of your fics you think readers should read first to get to know your work or what you would recommend to them. I think the two lovelies above picked five each so I'll do the same. 🫡 I put in bold themes that can be found in each fic, but do check the warnings. You picks as many as you like. 😄

Drops of Sugar - This ongoing series started with a two part fic that I wrote with Joel Miller (no outbreak - he deserves to be happy especially in my delusions) and Layla (OFC). It morphed into vignettes that I started writing about different points in their relationship. It's easy, breezy and beautiful. Domestic fluff and some smut.

Pleasure Principle - This was my first series (still ongoing) Dave York and Kiara were drawn to each other, have a lot of sex and are trying to figure out feelings. This series in particular had readers point out things that I didn't realize I included. 👀 Like not only a B&E but also that she was not mad at it. Which should indicate how twisted these two are. Also a domestic Dave, but manipulative with groceries and laundry? Smut, angst and feelings.

The Long Road to Together - My longest one shot (16k people like hydrate and have a bathroom break) to date. It features Tommy Miller (no outbreak) and Velora (OFC). My take on a friends to lovers trope that had a few twists because they're both messy. They need Joel and Sarah to be the voices of reason. Joel also has his own sub-plot, becuase Tess. Smut, fluff and angst.

Sard'ika Sessions - My neat six sexy sessions the reader has with Din Djarin, The Mandalorian. Is there smut in every session? Yes. Did I make it gradually increase? Sure and added some non-canon Mandalorian lore that I'm sure is true (in my delusions) which would be in chapter four. There are feelings because sometimes I stick feelings in between the sweaty bits. One thing in this series I did focus on was communication between Din and the reader given how their relationship starts and progresses. I was really happy when people commented and picked up on that aspect. Also a lot of beskar and hands. I in particular enjoyed writing the final session for the cameos I wove in, the blindfold, Din being a complete menace (Maker Yes!! 🙌) and a phrase I didn't realize I stuck in there, "not giving two wookies about what they said or did." 🤣 SMUT, feelings, dash of angst, fluff. (in that order)

Weddings 101 with Dieter - This is neck and neck with Sard'ika Sessions as my favorite. I enjoy all my work (why else would I write it?) But this holds a special place because it's ridiculous, the premise is flimsy and it's just fun. Maya (OFC) needs a lift, Dieter gives her one, there a villa. The goat is a supporting character and has Dieter's back no matter what. Oscar Isaac is slandered and injured (I'm sorry, but I was giggle wheezing while writing his parts it only gets worse) might be an enemy of Dieter's at this point. Oh and there's a wedding? Did we mention that? It's not that important. The weird cloud drum sexy dream I wrote for Dieter is what matters. Priorities people! I envisioned this as the rom-com that I've never seen Pedro in. That's why I wrote it. Not that all this would ever make it into one such movie. 🤓 My attempts at comedy, fluffy as a cloud or a goat, eventual smut, some drug use, future Oscar Isaac mishaps/slander, Dieter's MOUTH AND HANDS. Whatever else I think to put in this thing.

No pressure tags: @musings-of-a-rose @rhoorl @morallyinept @trulybetty @pedroshotwifey @megamindsecretlair @maggiemayhemnj @pamasaur @linzels-blog @avastrasposts @secretelephanttattoo @legendary-pink-dot @i-own-loki @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @gasolinerainbowpuddles @gwendibleywrites @undercoverpena @sin-djarin @soft-persephone @soft-girl-musings @theywhowriteandknowthings

My bad I tagged so many of you, I wanna know about all your stuff. I'm greedy! 😆

@angelofsmalldeath-codeine I know what you're gonna say, but I'm curious what you think of this list. 👀

[pastafossa]

I posted 2,096 times in 2022

That's 139 more posts than 2021!

1,161 posts created (55%)

935 posts reblogged (45%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pastafossa

@briefcasejuicee

@charliethomascoxuniverse

@wonderlandmind4

@mattmurdockspainkink

I tagged 1,950 of my posts in 2022

Only 7% of my posts had no tags

#daredevil - 539 posts

#matt murdock - 508 posts

#ask response - 485 posts

#the red thread - 373 posts

#charlie cox - 334 posts

#pasta life update - 166 posts

#she hulk attorney at law spoilers - 69 posts

#she hulk attorney at law - 69 posts

#pasta talks to friends - 63 posts

#my darling my love my life - 61 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#ţ̵̨͉̌͆̀͝ȃ̴̬͈̠̭̕͠g̶̢͕͇̩̈́̅͒̉ ̷̩̝̳̎p̴̯̄̿̽r̴̪̒͗i̶̮̬͉͊̾͘v̶͚̮͝i̴̧̩̗̐̓̚l̷͕̼̾̃͑̈́e̷̤̪͑̓͆̈́g̴̹͚̖̊̽s̷̹̫̿̋͊ ̷̯̗̃̐́͘ř̵̖̘̤̄̉̓e̶̺͗͘̕v̵̩͙̑͝ó̷͍̻̫ͅk̶

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

This Is A Code F (fic; matt murdock x reader; rated T)

this is fluffy nonsense but wheezy sick devil is an idea I’ve had for a bit now and finally delivered. May it be an appropriate apology for the angst in TRT rn.

Ship: Matt Murdock x Reader Rating: T. Some swearing and some nude shenanigans but nothing major.

Summary:

You’ve never seen Matt get the flu before, but despite Foggy’s warnings, you’re not all that worried. Matt’s sick. How difficult could it be to look after him?

Really difficult, as it turns out, because Matt Murdock does not do anything by halves, whether it’s attacking mobsters or feverishly perching on the banister like a wheezing gargoyle.

Time to get the cough syrup. 

Wordcount: 4,507

Warnings for this chapter: language, nudity, sickness. You know what you’re in for. This is true love, in sickness and in health. Let’s do this.

You’d never actually seen Matt get sick.

It never seemed to matter how busy he was or how many sick people he was around. He never hesitated, either, to care for you when you were sick. Regardless of your level of contagion, you could count on him to be nearby, hovering and eager to provide whatever hot soup, warm tea, and sick-day cuddling you needed. At this point, you were pretty sure he used some sort of secret meditation trick to turn his antibodies into miniature Hulks. His body laughed in the face of the common cold, turned its nose up at the stomach flu, likely because it got stabbed on the weekly and anything less seemed a bit underwhelming in comparison.

That was why you knew something was off when you woke to find Matt standing beside the bed, swaying and soaked in sweat.

“Matt?” you asked warily, furrowing your brow.

He shivered, swinging his head back and forth. It was a clear attempt to orient, and an attempt that didn’t seem to do him much good based on the way he almost stumbled as he stepped away from the bed.

Matt didn’t stumble. Not unless he was hurt.

“Matt, Matt!” You scrambled out from under the blankets and over to his side of the bed, already rolling through a list of possible injuries—another gunshot to the head, hit by a car, internal bleeding, bitten by a diseased raccoon while defending a citizen, picked a fight with a Much Larger Bad Dude. You’d learned by now never to rule anything out when it came to Matt. Had he slipped up yesterday, gotten hit maybe? He had been unusually tired last night, but ‘tired’ was more of a default state for Matt than an outlier, and you had a feeling he slept standing up more times than he’d admit, using his red shades as cover while he catnapped.

It would be just your luck if he’d added another head injury to the mix.

“Matt, hey, you ok?”

“Don’t… feel right,” he said thickly, sounding so congested you probably could have walked him past the fish market without so much as a wrinkled nose. He took another uneven step towards the doorway. “Need… Just need… tea. ‘M fine.”

You quickly threw your legs over the side of the bed, reaching for him. “Matt, wait, you’re gonna hit the—”

“Fine,” he slurred insistently, before promptly running into the doorframe.

That was the start of your morning, and it only got worse from there.

“I was hoping it would never come to this again,” Foggy said grimly over the phone. “Should have known we’d have another Code F eventually.”

“Code F?”

“F is for Flu. Or ‘fuck, this is a nightmare’. Take your pick. I’ve done this three times with him, and you figure out pretty quick that Matt doesn’t get the flu like… a normal person, especially once the fever really hits and he might… uh, start hallucinating a bit. I’m gonna give you some rules and some stuff you’ll need to order for delivery if he doesn’t have them in the apartment. He—wait. Are the doors locked?”

“I’m not sure. I think so?”

“Go check. Lock them and then keep the keys on you at all times. Flu-Matt alternates between a sick indoor puppy who needs soft blankets, and an outdoor cat convinced staying inside will lead to him being murdered. Check the door. Trust me.”

“I really don’t think he’s—Jesus Christ, Matt, get back inside—”

“So it begins…”

-x-

See the full post

2,465 notes - Posted February 10, 2022

#4

Matt really said he was gonna go out there with two little sticks and practically offer up his ass while smugly taunting She Hulk to spank him into next week

Matt, baby, you cocky masochistic fuck, she's gonna roll you like a goddamn barrel, I love you so much.

2,661 notes - Posted October 5, 2022

#3

Based on a discussion between me and my mother.

3,043 notes - Posted August 5, 2022

#2

Not me like a frail, melancholy widow waiting by the shore for her Daredevil Husband for four years, standing watch, peering out into the mists as the lighthouse’s watery light fails to pierce the darkened fog upon the sea.

All the townsfolk cluck their tongues and say, “still she waits and pines for her dead husband, lost beneath the fandom seas all those years ago. Ridiculous woman, to have such hopes.”

But lo, upon the horizon at last...

His ship.

He has come home.

3,544 notes - Posted July 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Was having a discussion about fic with a friend and needed to make this. Please enjoy.

9,765 notes - Posted June 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[dragonoffantasyandreality]

I posted 5,488 times in 2022

That's 969 more posts than 2021!

116 posts created (2%)

5,372 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@janetm74

@captaindibbzy

@myladykayo

@squiddokiddo

@flyboytracy

I tagged 5,449 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#thunderbirds - 1,596 posts

#art - 1,499 posts

#thunderbirds are go - 1,081 posts

#thunderfam - 818 posts

#thunderbirds 1965 - 663 posts

#kamen rider - 608 posts

#scott tracy - 530 posts

#important - 491 posts

#thunderbirds fanart - 459 posts

#virgil tracy - 419 posts

Longest Tag: 128 characters

#fruit jesus i remember seeing weird worm/orb things in my sight when i was younger. i did not know it was relating to my autism!

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hey guys. Does anyone have pictures (or fics) of TOS Scott and Alan? I really need those boys rn cause I'm feeling frustrated today. (Long story short: I'm just tired of being dragged outside as if I'm an abled person and being told I'm just using Autism as an excuse for being "lazy") -_-

57 notes - Posted September 21, 2022

#4

Charles: “Why am I doing this?! I don’t like this! I feel like a peasant!”

Sam: *Wheezing and laughing his gills off*

Charles: “SAMMIE! ITS NOT FUNNY!”

Jeff: *Amused sigh*

I think I am having way too much fun with these three. Sorry Charles XD

@janetm74 @myladykayo @uniwolfcorn @willow-salix @dreamycloud @the-original-sineater @avengedbiologist @tikatu

58 notes - Posted April 28, 2022

#3

"Some things don't change..."

Happy Gerry Anderson Day!🤍🤍🤍

70 notes - Posted April 14, 2022

#2

💚🎉 Happy Birthday Virgil Tracy🎉💚

(@gumnut-logic @myladykayo @cg29 @womble1 @skymaiden32 @uniwolfcorn @flyboytracy @janetm74 @the-original-sineater @willow-salix @alexthefly @misstb2)

72 notes - Posted August 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

🧡💛❤️💚💙✨Happy Thunderbirds Day!✨💙💚❤️💛🧡

(@uniwolfcorn @inertplanetary @skymaiden32 @janetm74 @the-original-sineater @jacksonstarkiller @willow-salix @myladykayo @teapotteringabout @mothmannerly @dreamycloud @godsliltippy @thundergeek59 @cg29)

114 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[kaydeefalls]

I posted 1,240 times in 2022

124 posts created (10%)

1,116 posts reblogged (90%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@raedear

@rhubarbdreams

@ladynox

@lindstrom2020

@captivamoon

I tagged 1,217 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#the old guard - 152 posts

#ask me anything - 107 posts

#fandom - 95 posts

#fanart - 79 posts

#laugh rule - 79 posts

#our flag means death - 65 posts

#the truest of facts - 61 posts

#always a sucker for an askmeme - 60 posts

#joe x nicky - 49 posts

#yes good - 33 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#when i actively and regularly trawl through every fic my fave authors have written in the hopes of reading that exact thing except different

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, POV Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Historical, 14th Century, Reunions, Canon-Typical Violence, Light Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, This is a love story Summary:

Yusuf hates resurrecting alone.

(In which Yusuf falls off a cliff into a river and has to find his way back again. Like you do.)

66 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

#4

"Tell me what happened. Don't be modest."

"Tell me what happened. Don't be modest." Joe's eyes are twinkling in a manner that Nile does not find endearing in the slightest.

She heaves out a sigh. "Look, I don't know why it matters."

"It was very impressive," Nicky says, the corners of his mouth twitching suspiciously. "I have truly never seen the like."

Nile glares at him. "Et tu, Nicolò?"

"Come, it can't be so very terrible," Joe coaxes. "I promise you I have seen worse."

"Worse?" Nile gestures down at herself. "Are you kidding me, this is a brand new sweater, I really liked this sweater. Do you know how hard it is to get bloodstains out of white cashmere?"

"Yes, actually, quite intimately," Joe says. "Although I'm still not sure how you managed--"

"Head wounds," Nicky says sagely. "They bleed a lot."

"Right, but I thought you were teaching her how to win at darts. Even Booker could not manage to injure himself on a pub dart."

Nile puts her head in her hands. "It wasn't a dart."

"Nile," Nicky says cheerfully, "has been learning knife tricks from Andy."

"Oh, no," Joe says, badly concealing his grin.

"Oh, yes," Nile grumbles. "You know that thing, with the pocketknife, where you give it that twirl as you throw it--"

"And it goes ping! into the target," Nicky agrees. "Much more fun than those blunt little darts."

"I take it your knife did not go ping into the target," Joe says kindly.

"It bounced right off it," Nile says, dully, resigned to her fate. "And I was standing a little too close to it when I threw. So then--"

Nicky grins outright. "I think the word you are looking for is boomerang."

"Right into my fucking skull. Oh, my god, if you don't stop laughing, Joe, I am gonna--"

"Oh, Nile," Joe wheezes out, when he can catch his breath. "You are going to fit right in."

73 notes - Posted October 30, 2022

#3

Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Characters: Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Andy | Andromache of Scythia, strong cameos from all the usual suspects Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Football | Soccer, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, POV Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, they're idiots your honor, Misunderstandings, Minor Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Everyone Is Gay, working title was "gay kickball fake dating" and i stand by that, past joe/omc and nicky/omc Summary:

In which Nicky joins a queer football club, makes some new friends, and offers to help Joe piss off his ex by pretending to be his new boyfriend. This is a very reasonable scheme that will definitely not lead to any feelings whatsoever.

(a.k.a. gay kickball fake dating)

79 notes - Posted September 3, 2022

#2

my wife accidentally spilled a bunch of hamster food in his habitat and it is the best goddamn night of Hamlet’s life

186 notes - Posted July 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

When your hamster shoves an entire stick of zucchini in his cheek and then goes about his day. 🤣

104,359 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[moo-moo-meadows]

I posted 7,126 times in 2022

546 posts created (8%)

6,580 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@tmmyhug

@electracraft

@napsapnapsap-archive

@phobiium

@lilacandladybugs

I tagged 5,146 of my posts in 2022

Only 28% of my posts had no tags

#rb.art - 3,859 posts

#mm.queue - 3,741 posts

#mm.txt - 308 posts

#mm.asks - 197 posts

#personal.tag - 125 posts

#not mcyt - 124 posts

#rb.clips - 85 posts

#zip dont look - 58 posts

#zip.tag - 40 posts

#mm.lbs - 36 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i’m not calling anyone here out especially bc i really see myself in dnf’s relationship and wilbur and tommy’s just with like. the unbridled

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

do you have links for the poems you mentioned in the tags of that one post? tried to look them up but couldnt find :(

oh yes absolutely! the OCD poem is actually a piece of slam poetry by neil hilborn it’s probably my favorite piece of spoken art out there.

here is the “you’re in the car with a beautiful boy” poem which is one part (part 24) of Richard Siken’s “you are jeff” poem (im not sure if it’s a compilation of poetry?) it’s quite famous cause it’s used in quite a few fanfictions. kinda just a staple for the gays.

here is not a girl by ashe vernon which is the “all that rage is so ugly and god isn’t it mine” which i paraphrased POORLY by the way.

and finally this is the “you are not allowed to save him” poem! which, i just realized has the same author as the “please let him be happy” poem which is one of my favorites as well

29 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

#4

i didn’t realize the “im getting too comfortable in my own skin again” song was an actual song and not some unreleased snippet and just listened to the full thing and now i’m crying

37 notes - Posted March 19, 2022

#3

Ranboo’s getting kicked out of the dsmp after this one that’s why he’s wheezing

93 notes - Posted July 9, 2022

#2

it doesn’t feel real that we know his face now

130 notes - Posted October 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

1,159 notes - Posted January 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[welcometotheunknownlosers]

I posted 1,535 times in 2022

That's 1,021 more posts than 2021!

229 posts created (15%)

1,306 posts reblogged (85%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@the-gayest-sky-kid

@professor-rizomata

@village-for-rambles

@daily-scara-until-hes-home

@floryeet

I tagged 861 of my posts in 2022

Only 44% of my posts had no tags

#genshin - 61 posts

#scaramouche - 61 posts

#genshin impact - 34 posts

#he - 19 posts

#me - 17 posts

#lol - 15 posts

#wheeze - 13 posts

#scaramouche genshin - 13 posts

#the owl house - 11 posts

#genshin spoilers - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#so i did what anyone respectful would do is remove both my like and my reblog and just block them because if they don’t want me (the fandom)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

50 notes - Posted September 29, 2022

#4

Me, joking that I’m going to make Scara fight himself when i get him:

Genshin: 

84 notes - Posted November 25, 2022

#3

Lore reason why scara is a catalyst and not any other weapon totally true

Sword: his mom has a sword

Polearm: his mom has a polearm

Claymore: his friend was killed by a claymore

Bow: childe uses a bow really poorly and he doesnt want to be lumped in with him

198 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

#2

Epiphany 

800 notes - Posted October 31, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I still stand by the “Scara has parental controls locked and thus can never swear” headcanon and personally i think its funnier than him swearing at us

Scara, dropping something fragile: fUDGE

Anyone within hearing range: *doubles down in laughter*

926 notes - Posted November 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[just-horrible-things]

I posted 451 times in 2022

That's 81 more posts than 2021!

188 posts created (42%)

263 posts reblogged (58%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@jaws-and-canines

@ashintheairlikesnow

@justplainwhump

@whumpsday

@magnificenthurt

I tagged 433 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#others' writing - 156 posts

#my writing - 124 posts

#meta - 38 posts

#au: chewtoy - 36 posts

#verse: resistance - 36 posts

#prompts and ideas - 31 posts

#others' stuff - 30 posts

#chewtoy!ariadne - 29 posts

#ariadne milonas - 28 posts

#unlikely salvation - 25 posts

Longest Tag: 112 characters

#wanted to try and convey night time with the colours but i'm honestly not sure if this works or is just too dark

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

They gasp and shudder in her arms, fingers clinging feebly to her shirt. When they look up at her, their eyes barely stay open. There's a smear of blood across their cheek. 

"Did…" they rasp weakly, "Did I do… a good job?"

She looks around at the carnage on every side. The strewn wreckage. The flames still roaring, close enough that the pair of them feel the heat. 

She looks down at their injuries, their torn clothes, the exhausted heave of their chest. 

She takes a deep breath. 

"No," she says. "You really screwed this one up." Against her shoulder, they wheeze a thready laugh. "Yeah," they agree, eyelids fluttering. "I guess… I really did."

85 notes - Posted August 13, 2022

#4

“What are you giving me?” the prisoner asks. The fever distorts his voice, makes it unfamiliar, like someone else is speaking from his throat. “It is called terizocam.” The mask and goggles and hairnet make the doctor seem scarcely human, but her hands are gentle. “I think it will make you better.”

He barely feels the needle. The drug stings a little as it goes in, but not a lot. Almost more an itch than a pain.

“... you think? You don’t know?” “Maybe it will harm you. I do not think it will harm you.”

The needle goes into a bag marked BIOHAZARD. The doctor puts a little fabric plaster over the injection site, as if the prisoner is a child.

“You don’t know,” he repeats. His thoughts move like oil. “This is… I’m a guinea pig.” “I am afraid so.” “You can’t do that,” he protests weakly. “It’s not… it’s illegal…” “Someone must be the ‘guinea pig’,” the doctor says. “You are very sick. With no medicine, I think you will die. This drug might help you.” “Or it might kill me.” “I do not think it will kill you. It has not killed anyone else.”

The prisoner shudders as the room flips from unbearably hot to freezing cold once again. He has been shivering so long that it hurts.

“I don’t want to be a lab rat,” he whispers. “If the drug makes you more sick,” says the doctor, “you tell me. If there are side effects, I will help you. I do not want to harm you. I want you to get well.” “But I don’t get a choice.” “No,” she agrees. “I am sorry.”

104 notes - Posted July 16, 2022

#3

Sources

Magic always has a price, and most often that price is measured in suffering.

The first of the sorcerers used their own pain, in rites of scarification and coal-walking, of harrowing and mortification of the flesh.

But magicians are enterprising creatures, and soon turned to sources outside of themselves.

The courtly mages use condemned criminals.

Any city of sufficient size produces a steady supply of miscreants. While lesser criminals go to the gallows, the most reviled vanish into the deep labyrinths beneath the palaces to fuel the great works of their betters.

Out here in the hills, life doesn't come so cheap. How often do you see a murder out here? Not in my lifetime.

Our mages take familiars for their sources, and never will you see such a miserable creature under the sun.

Some familiars are condemned, like their shorter-lived cousins beneath the courts -- sentenced by a magistrate, or purchased from a city dungeon and dragged out here to the hills.

Some are debt-slaves, paying off with blood and misery the debts they could not pay with coin.

Some are even apprentices, enticed with promises of power to call their own some day -- if they survive the demands of the master long enough to see it. Whether any ever graduate from such wretched tutelage, well, who can say.

Magicians are crafty creatures, and not renowned for kindness.

The wise make no bargains with them, and keep well away from the places where magicians make their lairs.

Who is to say whether the scarred creatures that creep at their heels were ever given fair trial, whether they owe a rightful debt, or whether they were simply snatched from shaded woods and lonely mountain trails?

We don't travel alone, up here in the hills, and we don't trust lightly.

178 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

#2

"See, you're worth a pretty penny, but not nearly as much as I'll get for bringing in the rest of your little nest. So I'm willing to cut you a deal -- you lead me to your hidey-hole, and I'll let you slip the net."

267 notes - Posted July 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Today's mood: gloves.

Stylish black leather gloves, fitted as close as a second skin.

Gloved fingers gliding over bare, vulnerable skin. Tipping a chin up. Gloved hands wrapped lovingly around a throat.

Fingerless gloves. Gloves with hard plastic reinforcement over the knuckles for more effective beatings.

Tough work gloves. Wear-resistant fibres rough and abrasive against narrow, bruised wrists. Gloved hands dragging a struggling body.

Black gloves, knuckles cracking before they get to work.

Bright coloured gloves, a distinctive splash of colour that will always remind the victim of their attacker's hands.

Gloved hands cupping the side of the face. A gloved thumb digging in under the jaw, digging into a bruise. Gloved fingers tracing over the marks left by the whip.

Gloves protecting the torturer's hands from their tools -- barbed wire, sharp metal, a hot brand.

Prison guards wearing gloves rather than deign to touch the prisoners they manhandle.

Latex or nitrile gloves suggesting that the subject is contaminated, too filthy to touch. Or that it's not safe to touch whatever substance they are about to be introduced to.

Surgical gloves.

Delicate formal gloves on a villain who doesn't like to get their hands dirty. Silk clad fingers elegantly curled round the stem of a glass, watching an underling carry out their will.

And then of course, the moment when their temper snaps and the gloves come off.

272 notes - Posted June 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[whumpasaurus101]

I posted 529 times in 2022

219 posts created (41%)

310 posts reblogged (59%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@shywhumpauthor

@painsandconfusion

@whumpasaurus101

@kaleidoscope-of-thoughts

I tagged 446 of my posts in 2022

Only 16% of my posts had no tags

#whump - 66 posts

#lee wrote something :o - 56 posts

#whump drabble - 52 posts

#whumpee - 51 posts

#whumper - 47 posts

#whumperflies 101 - 35 posts

#next day rb - 27 posts

#whumpblr - 23 posts

#whump writing - 21 posts

#alicia - 19 posts

Longest Tag: 119 characters

#hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Whumper cuddling Whumpee after hours of pain, whispering how they did so well for whumper while Whumper runs their fingers through Whumpee's hair, smiling as Whumpee means into all the soft touches.

372 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

#4

Whumpee being so tired that they fall asleep against Whumper, making Whumper smile and run their hand through Whumpee's hair and Whumpee just not being able to pull away because sleep is the only thing on their mind right now.

(bonus points if its a defiant whumpee)

406 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

#3

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," A voice echoed through the hallway, its tone dripping with playfulness but a shiver rippled down Whumpee's spine as they pushed themself further against the corner of the cabinet.

"You can't hide forever, little one." Whumpee squeezed their eyes shut tight, as tight as they could. Their body shook as they hugged their knees closer to their chest.

Footsteps echoed through the hallway as they grew closer,

Thud, thud, thud, thud, ......

Silence.

Whumpee shot a hand over their mouth, desperate to keep in any sounds but it was no use. The door of the cabinet slowly creaked open and Whumpee shook with sobs. A warm hand cupped their cheek, turning their head to look at Whumper, "Oh little one," They hummed, their thumb gently brushing along Whumpee's cheekbone, "I could smell your fear from miles away."

448 notes - Posted October 23, 2022

#2

"How long?"

Whumpee was far from caring how weak they sounded. The rasp- the shake in their voice. Whumper's eyes lifted, looking at Whumpee over their glasses, "Speak up, dove."

dove...

Whumpee shivered as an ice-cold rush rippled up their spine. Not dove, they were Whumpee they were going to be free and-

"Ho-how long have I b-been here...with you?"

The corner of Whumper's mouth curled up in a grin- as if tugged by a string. "Two years, darling. I can't believe you remembered our anniversary!!!"

Whumpee's heart stopped, all the air felt as if it was knocked out of them as the room suddenly felt cold. They could feel their heartbeat pounding in their ears.

Two years...

They felt a heavy weight against their shoulder, instantly flinching away. A hand closed in their hair. Whumpee cried out as their head was yanked with full force backwards, Whumper growled in their ear, "But clearly two years isn't enough, is it?"

470 notes - Posted November 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Underrated trope:

Whumpee just lying on the ground after all the pain they've been through. Their shaky and wheezed breaths echoing through the room.

Them just trying to process what just happened.

And then

The sound of Whumper's heavy footsteps as they leave the room. Making Whumpee flinch from the loud bang when they close the door.

721 notes - Posted September 8, 2022

[like-rain-or-confetti]

I looked at my year in review...

Ooft.

Tbh I'm not surprised about these blogs. I'm obsessed with @thehauntingsource and @mikeflanaganuniverse

@volturgeist is so loveable that I melt every three seconds.

@finniestoncrane my wee finnie has me sobbing all day long and I love my wee finnie.

That like-rain-or-confetti person is a bitch though...fuck that one.

LMAO NOT ME ANSWERING HATE MAIL AND IT GOT NOTED FOR THE LONGEST TAG. IM WHEEZING. 😂 😂 😂 😂

[iviarellereads]

Nona the Ninth, Chapter 13

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Third House icon) In which we see an old... friend?

Crown stands, bows, taps her chest thrice with an open palm in the BOE way, and then untapes Pyrrha from her seat. Nona hears the bodyguard ask to leave, because the "package is late for work."(1) As Crown escorts Nona to the bathroom, Nona asks why Pash hates them so much.

Crown was so startled that her jaw relaxed. “How could you have known that was Our Lady of the Passion?”(2) “It’s … it’s bones,” said Nona, struggling to articulate. “Beneath her clothes. The way she moves her bones,”(3) and Camilla looked at her for the longest time.

Crown says Pash is the product of nepotism and bullshit, and gets defensive over her hair's natural manageability.

While Nona's in the bathroom, Cam asks to see "her". Crown says it's not a good day, but Cam insists she can help. Crown agrees as long as Pyrrha doesn't tag along. When Cam gives Nona a choice between coming for the visit or staying in a waiting room, Nona chooses the visit. She hates how she always falls for those choices. If Cam offers her cereal or eggs, she'll choose cereal, despite wanting to choose nothing.(4)

At any rate, as they go down the elevator, Cam and Crown discuss how the depth does or doesn't help, considering "the creature" isn't fully instantiated(5), or they'd know it. Shortly, Nona realizes they're visiting the Captain, cheerfully. When the lift stops, they go down some corridors, and Crown dismisses the guard on the room.

Nona hasn't seen the Captain since before Varun appeared. Pal banned Nona from seeing her altogether. She's laying on her back on the bed, an IV in her arm. Crown has them all use antibacterial gel, as Judith gets sick easily.(6) Judith herself looks very thin, and ill. Cam and Crown discuss her care.

Nona peeked around Camilla’s arm. The Captain’s black brows drew together, and her face took on a hideous expression: a flat tangle of features that scared Nona so badly that she wanted to go to the bathroom again, right until the Captain opened her mouth and droned, punctuated by huge wheezing lungfuls of air: “Dust of my dust—such similar star salt—what they did to you and what they wrung from you and what shape they made you fill—we see you still—we seek you still—we murdered—we who murder—you inadvertent tool—you misused green thing—come back to us—take vengeance for us—we saw you—we see you—I see you.”(7)

Judith starts thrashing, as if in a seizure. Pal does some healing, and Crown calls him out on existence. She knew when she called Cam "Millie", because Cam hates that name but Pal didn't react. She's known for a long time that Pal wasn't in the bones that Harrow expanded, despite Cam not saying anything. This was just confirmation. She knew, really, because Cam was no longer perpetually unhappy. They were stuck together a long time, so Crown knew something had changed.

Judith stirs, wakes, enough to do a bit more healing of her own. She's not quite mentally stable in time and space. Her mind seems to wander back and forth in time, and she only sometimes seems to understand where she is, though she always recognizes Crown.(8)

The Captain broke off and said, “You think you’re walking the tightrope with fast talking and your face … steeled myself to the talking long ago. But you’re slipping, Princess … can’t save you from that … Hect, my hands are too filthy to save you…” It was funny to think of anyone wanting to save Camilla. The Captain’s eyes restlessly passed to Nona. Sweat was beading on her temples. The Captain focused, and said hoarsely, “Ninth, where is the mercy of the Tomb? Where is your sword in the coffin? Who are your masters now, and who do you master? Where is my cavalier, Reverend Daughter? Where is yours?” Her voice rose. “Because I saw her in the waves—she was there in the grey water—I saw them all—they hurt me—where is my hunger? I eat and eat and eat without surcease, my green thing, my green-and-breathing thing…”

Pal does some magic to put Judith to sleep, and says his time's up. Cam comes to, and Nona tells her what occurred. Cam asks Crown if she'll blab, but Crown swears on her sister, she won't, it's not her secret to tell.

Cam suggests Crown come back with them, but Crown brushes off the idea. Cam says Crown isn't a good woman, but Crown says none of them are, except Nona, who takes this as high flattery. Crown hugs Cam, and then they set out for the transport home. Crown tells Cam to be careful around Pyrrha, there's much Cam doesn't know about her.

Nona hated anyone criticising Pyrrha and cast about for a change in topic. She said, “What was the Captain talking about before she fell asleep, and when we came into the room? What’s the water? What’s the hunger, and the green thing?” When Camilla and Crown looked at her, she realised she could not have said anything worse. Crown looked at her with open bewilderment, and Camilla looked at her with an expression that Nona hated instantly. She looked over at Nona with her big, borrowed grey eyes, so clean and clear—Nona always thought if soap could be grey her eyes would be grey like soap—and she was unsure. She was, Nona realised with a pang that made it all the way down her spine, frightened. “Nona,” Crown said slowly, “The Captain didn’t say anything when you came into the room. She only screamed.”(9)

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(1) What package? Or, perhaps, who could this "package" be? (2) Not a lot of direct quotes on the whole phrase, but Mary, mother of Jesus, is often referred to in flowery terms as Our Lady of [something], and at least one painting of her and baby Jesus is known as Our Lady of the Passion. In it, angels are holding the future tools of Jesus's torture, as he learns that he is destined to suffer greatly. Side note, "Pash" as the nickname, is also slang in some regions for making out, noun and verb. (3) Nona knows the language of the body, how each person carries themself. She can tell Cam from Pal when she's paying attention, without even seeing their eyes. Why not able to tell one person inside layers of armour and disguise, by the way they stand, walk, move, hold still. (4) A classic trick with kids. Offer choices, to give them a sense of control over their lives, but limit those choices to only things you can/want to offer. Cereal or eggs for breakfast? Mac and cheese or rice for lunch? Brush teeth before or after bath? Little choices can make a big difference to a person's confidence in their life as they grow up. (This trick also works for a lot of adult neurodivergent folks, who get overwhelmed by too many options.) (5) You may recognize the same roots as "instance" in this one, but it's not exactly in the usual usage. "Instantiated" basically, as you might grasp from context, means present, physical, real. (The etymology is interesting to look at, "instance" has quite a word-legacy.) (6) Still not fully recovered. Makes sense, I suppose, it's only been… a year and a half. Or perhaps it's Varun's influence that set her back. (7) There's a whole, whole lot of information in there. Do you see any of it, without my pointing at the specific words? Who is Judith speaking for, and who is she speaking to? (8) That's love for you. (9) And here... why did Nona understand the screams as words? Why didn't the others? What makes her different? (Do you know who she is yet?)