#elastic easing save me. save me elastic easing
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exporting this as a gif was maybe the most daunting task ive faced in my art career thus far. so its a regular video now. anyways mizuki
#project sekai#mizuki akiyama#project sekai fanart#nightcord at 25:00#elastic easing save me. save me elastic easing
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many are asking can you wag the dog
#flatmate agrees i’d make a good spin doctor. i agree said flatmate would make a (frighteningly) good politician.#we both understand that as we intend to remain human beings we will not pursue said ventures#he would be though. especially with the right media management…..#i’d kill to see that man in an interview. he’ll make such a marvellous lawyer#i don’t know if i have natural gifts that would predispose me towards that in any particular way. but i could turn my hand to it#if i was a(n even) less principled person + cared about power + wasn’t so set on academia…. save me academia#but apparently i’m quite good at public speaking— i am at least the best i’ve ever been— and i seem to have a knack for convincing#people. i come across as put-together. i hear i’m personable / i put people at ease#i have an obsessive relationship with the elastic reality of ‘truth’ and ‘lies’. i spin in my head all the time
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Miguel's Pick up Lines
Just fluff and nerd talk✨
Flirting wasn't something he was good for, it wasn't etched in his dna. His pasts attempts in your early stage of relationship always ended up as awkward or in a laughing fit your way.
But far from making you uncomfortable, it always ended up in you kissing the daylights our of him, appreciating his effort to keep the spark alive.
Miguel wouldn't admit it, but he was practicing his own rizz. A term he internally chuckled every time Gabriella mentioned it.
He wanted to surprise you with his art de la séduction, cause in truth he missed your flustered expression. He needed to see that sweet and lovely face of yours going through so many emotions again.
It was one of those days he'd be stuck in the lab, mentoring the new employees in their induction to Alchemax's Research Department.
In his break, he took his phone and walked to a more private area to then video calling you.
It took the connection to stablish after a couple of rings, your face appearing in the lower corner of the screen with sweet smile and a couple of flour blotches on your face. Rosie on your hip.
"Say hi to Papa, Rosie."
Rosie blabbed while agitating the spoon
"She's gonna be a good chef." you smiled ad you wiped the flour off, "Everything alright, mi amor?"
"Yeah. I'm nearly done with the induction. Can't wait to go home."
He could hear Benjamin's excited squeals as he watched the TV and Gabriella helped with food in the opposite shelf.
"I made some horchata, Gabibi's helping me here."
"I learned how to make tortillas, Papa!"
Gabi's enthusiasm brought a smile on his face
"Save me some, Solecito."
You then moved to place Rosie on her floor playground. Then went to the bathroom and closed the door.
"What are you doing?" His eyes narrowed as you smirked and pulled out the silky elastic band of your bra. Eyes widened while his tongue swept over his plump lips
"Got a surprise for you, Papa. Can't wait for you to come home."
"Too bad you're not in my lab."
"Why? Wanna show me a theory, Dr. O'Hara?" you smirked and he followed
"Would prove my Big Bang into you."
A flush crept your cheeks as your eyes widened softly at the sudden comeback, not really expecting such comment.
His chest constricted with pride on your current state.
"I think I often forget I married a hot nerd."
"I'll remind you when I get home." He chuckled when you squealed internally.
"Can't wait. See you later, Dr. O'Hara." You blew him a kiss and returned to finishing meal prepping.
You had finished your indoor workout, sweat etched to your flushed skin. Miguel leaned against the door frame, an arm raised above him.
"Did you know that high intensity workouts increases your endorphin release but it's actually the cardiovascular exercises that gives you the major boost?"
"Oh really?"
He nodded while approaching and taking a hold of your waist. Gaze raking over your sweaty look. Your pheromones tickling his nose and brain.
"Yeah" He nuzzled your neck and you squealed in between giggles while he kissed your jaw
"Don't! Let me go shower first!."
He shook his head.
"We gotta do some cardio first, mi reina. Wanna have you extra happy today"
He threw you over his shoulder and walked back to the master bedroom.
And as good as some days passed, the bad ones were always in the lurk, waiting for you to fall into their claws to not let you go until tears rolled down your cheeks.
And after thirteen years of marriage it was impossible for Miguel to not know and recognize the signs of a bad day.
You'd barely talk, and if you did, it was usually short and monosyllabic replies. You'd go into a cleaning spree, walk around the neighborhood to try and ease your mind.
He stepped in when he saw the inner corner of your lids turn red, eyes bloodshot and a quivering lip as you tried to ease a fussy and wailing Rosie. Miguel pried Rosie from your hands carefully and rubbed her back in soothing circles, to then kiss the top of your forehead.
"I'll take it from here, mi reina. Go rest up."
His heart wrenched upon seeing you sniffing and rubbing your eyes while you went up the stairs.
Miguel arrived an hour later with a tray of freshly made food, a steaming cup of hot cocoa and some tissues.
"Do you want me to keep you company?"
You nodded, teary eyed. He sat next to you and put the tray on your thighs.
"Wanna share what's up there?"
He kissed the side of your head again and begun feeding you.
"I don't know how to explain it. It's weird. All I know is that I feel exhausted and sad. I feel so useless."
"Useless?" he frowned as he fed you another spoonful to then wipe your mouth, "Decaffeinated coffee is useless. A cordless jump rope is useless."
That made you chuckle and he smiled to give you another bite of food.
"I could list a shit ton of things that are useless, but you? No, mi amor. You're the main pillar of this family. Without you everything collapses within. Like a black hole."
His arm went around your shoulders and kissed your head softly.
"But you ain't a black hole, preciosa. Like... You're so complex, beautiful and amazing. No wonder why the universe copies you and tries to demand our attention with stars and stuff."
He smiled upon your reaction.
"I love you, okay?" He finished feeding you to then massage your feet and shoulders.
Miguel walked into your room after you were done feeding Rosie and putting her into her crib.
He removed the bedsheets out of you to replace them with his frame, sprawled ontop of you. His head resting ontop of your chest.
Your hands immediately caressed his hair, earning a lovely purr from him, melting under your touch
"You know? Your digits got me feeling a strong exponential attraction. Wanna multiply?"
Your brow quirked with a goof smile on his words as he tittered silently.
"Forget I said that."
His airy laugh got your shoulders shaking with the same amount of fun.
"I didn't understand a peep. I sucked at math, mi amor."
He took your hand and kissed the inside of your wrist.
"But... I understood the last part though."
His head snapped immediately to you and smirked.
"Rosie is asleep" you scolded between hushed laughs as he swallowed you in his arms and pecked your lips repeatedly as you giggled and squealed softly
"Let's decrease the space between our organelles, shall we?"
#t writes✨#miguel o'hara#miguel o'hara x reader#soccer family ⚽🕷️#miguel o'hara x you#atsv miguel#mama o'hara#miguel ohara fluff#miguel ohara fanfiction
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Can you believe it? 20dollarlolita Pattern School Step 2!
Only took me a year and a half. For people who don't remember a year and a half ago, we've started a project about learning to sew from patterns. The eventual goal is to help people become proficient enough at reading patterns to be able to tell what's going on in a pattern with instructions in another language, taking a pattern that doesn't fit and resizing it so that it does, and taking a pattern that isn't technically lolita and make it work in lolita fashion.
Step 1 was to make a non-fitted item from a commercial pattern. There were two goals of step 1: first to ensure that everyone was familiar with notches, grainlines, and other pattern markings; second was to give people experience with selecting fabric and trims to help give a non-lolita pattern a more lolita feeling.
For step 2, we're modifying a commercial pajama pants pattern into bloomers. In this step, we're going to become familiar with how to prepare a commercial pattern for modification, to compare pattern size to body size and to use your tape measure to judge added fullness, and how to do some basic flat pattern manipulation to add in style ease. Bloomers are a great first manipulation/fitted project due to the loose fit and the fact that, in most lolita applications, the vast majority of it is under your skirt and therefore invisible.
For this specific sample, I'm going to use Gertie's Harlow Pajama Pants pattern for this. I'm doing this because I bought a commercial pattern from Green Store and then promptly lost it, and these pajama pants are a free download. If you are printing the tiled version on your home computer printer, you only need pages 41-52 and 58-71, which will save you about 40 pages of printing.
I highly recommed doing some research and having a good idea of how long the bloomers you want to make should be, as well as how they are decorated. This is my research board.
You can use any pajama pants pattern that has a casing (elastic or drawstring) at the top, and no zipper. In this case, pants with a looser fit are going to be easier to turn into bloomers. If you like wearing your pants at a certain point on your body, I'd check for pajama pants that are at that waistline. The pants that I'm using are designed to sit at your natural waist, which might be too high for some people.
Your first step is to assemble and fortify your pattern. If you're printing this on copy paper, it's going to be strong enough, provided you use enough tape when tiling your pattern. If you're using a tissue paper pattern, like the kind you'd buy at the craft store, it helps to fuse some inexpensive interfacing onto the back of the pattern. We're going to work with these patterns a lot, so it's important to make them a little bit stronger.
Now, you are going to need to go into your pattern instructions and find two important things. The first is your overall seam allowance. In most commercial patterns, this is 5/8 of an inch. Some other patterns might have different seam allowance.
The second is how big your elastic casing at the top will be. In this case, my seam allowance is 5/8" of an inch. Because my hem casing is .25"+1.25" (the amount you turn up plus them amount you turn up the second time), I know that my elastic casing will take up 1.5".
You're now going to mark on your pattern what the stitching line is. Your pattern has seam allowance included. This is very useful for when you cut out the pattern. However, if we take our pattern measurements with seam allowance, we won't have accurate numbers. So we have to clarify where the seam allowance is.
The first thing that I do (not pictured) is to write how much I'm removing along each line. In this case, I write 5/8" along the side and crotch seams, and "1+1/2" at the top where the casing is. Since we're going to drastically shorten these pants, it doesn't matter what the hem allowance is.
Then, I take my ruler, and I mark my stitching line. I do it in pencil, check that I'm correct, and then go back and re-draw it with a red marker. This helps me make sure that I'm following the correct lines.
Make sure you transfer your notches onto your new stitching line. You can see in the picture above how I'm using the ruler to measure where the notch is going to go.
The next step, walking the pattern, is a little tricky to explain. Here's a post that goes into it in great detail.
Basically, you're going to overlap the seam lines, to make sure they line up. The only problem with doing this is that both seam lines are curved. So, instead of lining it all up at once, you're going to go about an inch at a time, letting the pattern rotate so that it stays flat on the table. At any given point, you're only going to have an inch or so of the line overlapping, but that's all you need. If you run into notches that don't line up, cross one out and re-draw it so that it matches the other notch.
If this seems really complicated, you don't really need to do that on this project. It just is a good practice to have.
So you now should have a pattern with all the commercial markings, but where you've drawn the stitching line.
So now, you're going to put your two pieces together along the outseam. Since this is a pretty straight part of a pajama pant, it shouldn't be too difficult to get them to line up. Remember to overlap them on your stitching line, and not on the edge of the pattern.
We're putting them together so that you can measure them both at the same time. it saves us some math.
In bloomers, there are three major measurements to take into consideration. You need to know how big you want the leg to be, how big you want the booty to be, and how long you want the leg of the bloomer to be. In addition, you need to make sure that the waist of your pants will be big enough to fit your waist. In most pajama pants patterns, this isn't a problem, but checking it is good practice.
So, in this picture, you can see that I've measured the cuff of the pants. These two pieces together make up one pant leg, so I just need to measure the two pieces to know how big the pant leg will be.
I then take my tape measure and hold it around my leg at the same size that the pattern is at that point. I just use my eyes and judge if I think that'll be enough room to make my bloomers nice and poofy.
If your pattern doesn't tell you your hip line (mine didn't), it's usually at the point where the two notches on the crotch curve are. One of the reasons why we're doing this on a commercial pattern is that someone did the work for us and put those notches where they should be.
Now, remember, these two pieces are only half of the pant pattern. When we measure the hips of the pattern, we have to multiply this measurement by 2. Half the hip measurement x 2 is the full hip measurement.
Once again, hold this out next to your body and make sure that you like how much fullness you need. Remember that, in addition to having extra fullness because bloomers are poofy, you need room to be able to move and sit down. This measure between the size of my body and the size of the pattern looked pretty good to me. I could definitely have gone a little bit bigger.
The pant leg measurement is okay to be a little bit too long. You can always make it shorter. However, feel free to chop about 18" off the bottom of a full length pant leg. This just makes things a little easier.
Now, we're going to move the two pattern pieces until they're the size we like. If both the hip measurement and the leg measurement are too small, we're going to move both pattern pieces apart. To turn pajama pants into bloomers, this is likely to be the most common adjustment.
If the hip measurement is pretty okay, but the cuff measurement is too small, you're just going to move the bottom part of the pattern apart.
You'll notice that this is still enlarging the hip measurement a little bit. This is fine for bloomers since the style is for a lot of fullness in that area.
And if your cuff is the correct size, but your hip measure is too big, you can keep the cuff size the same and move the hip line apart until it's the size you want.
This technique of lining up the pattern pieces, and then moving them until they're the size you want, is the basics of flat patterning. As long as you follow the philosophy of keeping the measurements you like roughly the same, and moving the areas that you don't like until they measure what you need, you can easily resize a pattern without having to re-draw everything.
If you had to spread your pieces apart, tape some paper underneath the gap. This piece of paper should bridge the gap between the two pieces, turning them into one piece. Really quickly double-check that these pieces measure how you want. Then, mark a line in the middle of the paper bridge. Draw your notches onto the cut line. Cut the two pieces apart on that line. You've now made both pieces bigger. Tape another little piece of paper onto the cut edge of each piece, mark out your seam allowance, and cut that off.
Bonus points: swap the position of the pattern pieces, so that the crotch curve is one continuous line. Measure the length of that. Then, hold your tape measure along where the crotch curve of your pants will fit, and make sure that you have clearance there. I'm not going to photograph that, andi t's not super necessary with most pajama patterns.
Go ahead and cut your pieces out.Even though I'd shortened the pattern, mine were still too long to fit on a 2-yard cut of fabric. Since I knew that my pants were a little long, I just let the end hang off the edge of the fabric.
Here's the really magical part about this. Even though you've resized your pattern, you still have all your seam allowance, notches, grainlines, and your pattern instructions. Since you kept all your pattern markings consistent, you can now follow the instructions that came with your pattern. Go up until it tells you to hem the pants, and then try them on.
In my case, my pants were way too long to be bloomers. I knew that I wanted to do a casing with a heading, which does use s pretty big hem allowance, but even so, I'd need to shorten them.
Check out your bloomer research board to see how long you want them to be. I wanted some long ones that did the old-school bloomer peek, so I made them on the longer side. I also didn't want them to ride up into my butt when sitting in a wheelchair.
So, time to fold up the bottoms, add my elastic, and call the basic construction finished.
I looked up on my research board to try to find a good way to decorate these. One of the nice things about bloomers is that you can wear them with a wide variety of coords. This makes them one of those items where you can add some extra lace, and then use that lace in multiple coords. I feel like, since these bloomers are a good way of adding detail in multiple coords, it's a good excuse to add a little bit extra lace. You can see how much of a difference it makes in this picture. It really turns them from baggy shorts into real bloomers. I really recommend sometimes investing in a couple of big purchases of lace. If you have lots of lace on hand, you're more likely to include it in your projects, which can really help push a meh project into proper lolita fashion territory. I have a rule that I don't spend more than $1.50 a yard on lace unless it's really fantastic, and I manage to find things at that point on Aliexpress and sites like Cheeptrims.
Now go on and let them peek out of your favorite skirt. And remember, definitely don't press that skirt before putting this picture in your tutorial.
#20dollarlolita#dollar chan's pattern school#step 2#lolita fashion#patternmaking#handmade lolita#lolita bloomers#sewing tutorial#hey guys look i actually made somethign#long post
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Fic: Bare
Fandom: The Quarry
Pairing: Travis Hackett/Laura Kearney
Rating: EXPLICIT
Summary: Travis discovers Laura has a surprise.
Warning(s): SEX. Creampie. Waxed body parts. Rough sex. Language.
Notes: While technically this falls within 'The Full Deck series' it is probably the least connected one - i.e., anyone could read this without having read anything else in the series.
Travis would never dream of taking advantage of his fiancée.
...that being said.
It's hard to resist the temptation Laura presents, especially when she's asleep. It's in the very early hours of the morning and Travis had actually been enjoying some time off. The new sheriff of North Kill has been so busy with his re-election campaign and not wanting Travis to be a part of it, that he approved of Travis having a little leave with pay.
Travis isn't going to complain. He deserves the rest, never mind it's only being given to him because Sheriff Malloy doesn't want to remind the townsfolk of who used to be in his position - as if seeing Travis will cause them to riot and ask for his reinstatement. Travis isn't interested in being reinstated. He isn't interested in anything save the lovely young blonde currently sleeping in his bed - their bed.
The thought warms his heart and he recognizes how watching her in this moment is probably creepy, but - again - hard not to. His future wife, Laura Kearney, adorable and vulnerable in sleep.
She worked a hard, late shift last night and she's clearly exhausted. He didn't even feel her get into bed with him, just woke up to find her next to him - deliciously unclothed save a pair of red and black plaid boy shorts on. It was tempting this morning to wake her (in a sexy fashion) but his need for the restroom and breakfast had taken over. So, Travis got up and did his normal morning routine.
Now?
Now he can get back to his original idea - after all, he's still in his pajamas - no reason not to crawl right back into bed with her. He carefully pulls back the sheets enough to climb under, kissing her naked left shoulder as he does so.
Laura murmurs in her sleep, but doesn't wake and Travis is gentle as he eases the curves of her body up against his, cuddling her close. Again, slight noises from deep within her throat, but nothing to signal her as fully conscious.
Travis's lips rest against the nape of her neck, tiny golden curls tickling his nose as one of his hands spans over her left hip, squeezing it with the breadth of his palm before his clever fingers ease their way down the front elastic of her underwear, his hand intent on cupping her sex.
Only as his fingers descend downwards, he finds an unexpected path of smooth skin. Very smooth skin. His eyes widen and a startled gasp escapes him. It's not terribly loud, but between the gasp and his actions, he feels Laura go stiff in his grip and hears her loud intake of breath as she fully wakens, "Travis?"
"Laura, what-?"
"Um, remember when my old school friend Becky visited last week?"
It's an odd transition, but he allows it, "Yeah?"
"Well-?" He can hear her licking her lips nervously, "Like I told you, we went to a spa in Gravestone and got all these fancy treatments done and one of the ones they offered was waxing so I-? Um? Got waxed?"
It's stated as a question, but there's no question about it - Laura got waxed. Down there. 'There' being said body part he has in one hand. Her pussy...it's been waxed, it's hairless.
Gravestone, the next town over, has always offered more than North Kill. They used to be considered 'the big city' in some ways, boasting a mall, a movie theater, and all kinds of entertainment venues long before North Kill did. Travis didn't know they had a spa until Laura told him.
And now, touching what he is, he's glad they do as he slowly removes his hand, as he husks, "I have to see it. Let me see..."
He urges her to roll over on to her back as he quickly slides down the length of her, intent on removing her underwear. He does so easily and is greeted by an unbelievably erotic sight.
Laura naked is always a joy to behold - but right now...
Her eyelids are still heavy from sleep and her gorgeous, small breasts are on full display - their pink tips beckoning him as always, but for once he shuns them in favor of something far more enticing. His eyes scan down her midriff, her soft belly, the little dip of her navel and the width of her hips, eyes going lower and lower until he can feast on the sight of her bare cunt.
Travis remembers the hair from before - well trimmed, almost a landing strip, but this...
Laura presses her thighs closer together, as if embarrassed, but he lets out shushing sounds, the same way he would if he was trying to calm a wary animal. He reaches out and draws his fingertips lightly over the tops of her thighs, running them up and down reassuringly before going to her knees, gently tapping them in a silent request for her to lift them up, for her to bend her legs, and while he notices her idly chewing on one of her thumbnails, she does as asked.
Travis recognizes her anxious habit, but there's no reason for her to be, as he darkly intones, "You're so beautiful. So goddamn lovely..."
Laura draws in a loud breath, but doesn't respond, at least not with words. Instead she lets her legs fall open more and he groans, "Fuck, sweetheart...how did I get so lucky?"
It's a question he's asked himself more than once, but especially now as he gets a full view of her rosy pussy. He's heard all the flowery descriptors - calling it a peach, the lips petals, and so on and now he understands them. Mainly from the sweet gentle colors - mixtures of pink and violet and he reaches out to trace one exposed lip with his right forefinger, moaning at the feeling, "So soft..."
Laura whispers his name, her tone tremulous, but he's too lost in his own world as he traces the other lip. Then, as carefully as he can, he uses his thumbs to part them, to look deeper. She squirms beneath him, clearly a little disconcerted by his open perusal of such a sensitive and secret part of her.
Granted, Travis has buried his face between her legs more times than he can count, but he understands her hesitation. After all, he's never just stared at her before. But how can he not? With her hair gone, it's almost like he's witnessing something new. An unknown facet of her body, one he thought he had mapped out so well.
A nervous, giddy sound escapes Laura as she mumbles something under her breath and he releases his hold as he asks her to repeat it. She blushes even as she says, "Becky said you'd like it. This was my first time, but she's done it before. Said guys love it and she said you wouldn't be able to get enough of, um, my 'shiny, new pussy'."
The last is said with no small amount of embarrassment on Laura's part, but it just makes him grin wickedly, "Did she now?"
Laura simply hums and Travis tilts his head in assent, "Smart girl."
"So...you like it?" Laura asks, an uncharacteristically self-conscious vibe around her, "It-? It was supposed to be a surprise-"
"It was." He promises, but she rolls her eyes, clearly not done, "-but not yet. I had it all planned out. Besides, I know this isn't what you're used to."
His eyebrows rise, his confusion obvious, only for her to sigh, "I've seen your Playboys, remember? The women of your fantasies had bush and I imagine the other women you were with had-!"
"I don't care about that." He answers succinctly, even as he starts using his thumbs to tenderly stroke the outer folds of her downy cunt, "I don't care about them. Only you. I love you."
Laura's nostrils flare, her pupils dilating at his actions as he whispers, "And you can have as much or as little hair down here as you like...so long as you'll still let me in."
His hands move to grasp her beneath her knees, lifting her slim legs so that they fall over his shoulders as he lowers himself, his eyes level with her pussy as he rasps, "Please, Laura. Can I come in?"
Travis moves his mouth closer to her bare, quivering mound, his breath caressing her intimately, "Can I taste you?"
Laura whimpers 'Yes' even as Travis's tongue slickly parts her folds. He delves the silken point of it deep into her and god. He's done this before, but somehow this feels as if it's his first time. With so much of her exposed it feels easier to go lower, to sink deeper, to draw her pussy farther into his mouth, to pull it against his tongue, his lips. He's both openly kissing and devouring her, and she's crying out, back arching at the contact.
Each flick of his tongue seems wired to some electrical nerve ending in her body that makes her gasp, makes her jerk, but never once does he let up. Fuck, she tastes so good. Better than ever - succulent and sweet and he could happily drown in her juices. The scent of her arousal is strong and floral, the aroma of it filling his lungs, his dick - cock hard and trapped beneath him and his own hips thrust against the mattress in an effort to alleviate some of the ache building there and in his balls.
Travis stops kissing and licking at her only so he can press one finger up into her - or, better to say - so he can watch himself press one finger up into her and it glides in and out so easily, her channel wet and warm as he growls, "Jesus...I can see you so much better now. Can watch you taking me so well."
Laura can only answer with a whine before she turns over to tortured cries, his actions becoming rabid as he starts fucking her in earnest with that finger, as she starts riding it, her hips pressing downwards. But it's even better seeing it.
Without the hair, at his current vantage point, Travis can actually watch as her body swallows that finger whole. He adds another, carefully stretching her and her inner walls are drawing him in so lovingly. Travis lets out another desperate moan, the visual so heartbreakingly stunning as to make him feel as if he can cum from this alone. As if just watching her ride on two of his fingers with her shiny new pussy will take him there.
As a younger man, it no doubt would have. Thankfully age does have some benefits as he's able to easily hold out, able to add his tongue back into the equation enough to tickle it across the tender nub of her clit, making her shriek as an orgasm rolls through her. Her nails tear at his shoulder blades, his back, his hair, and Travis treasures every sharp scratch as she undulates beneath him, her climax a long, toe-curling one.
Satisfaction coils in his belly as he hears her wild wails slowly fall in volume, as she shudders beautifully beneath him and he withdraws his soaking hands, his sopping wet mouth. No doubt his chin and the tip of his nose are glistening just as much as his lips from his delectable mouthful and he cautiously rises up, his back not what it used to be.
In one of his few sexual fails, he'd actually pulled a muscle in his back one time when she'd been on top of him. It had been both humbling and humiliating. Laura, for her part, was equal parts amused and worried and while she'd assured him it was no big deal, he’s still sensitive about the issue.
Thus, he's begun to take more care when it comes to their lovemaking, especially in regard to his own movements. He moves leisurely to his knees on the mattress as he draws off his shirt, as he removes his underwear and pj's. Once he's as naked as she is, he looks down at her in admiration. She's glowing from head to toe - the expanse of her skin delightfully bright as he openly stares at her once more.
Her heavy breathing has dwindled since her release, but it still holds a breathless, smoky quality, "You really do like it, huh?"
He nods and physically draws her towards him, urging her legs to wrap up around his hips. She does so without pause, her heels pressing against his bare ass even though he has had yet to enter her. And he's going to, but Jesus fucking Christ, the sight of his dick near her bald pussy…
It's practically unbearable.
He takes himself in hand and rubs the plush head of his dick along her slit, then each lip, the feeling exquisite. Laura whines his name - twisty and impatient - and she's biting her bottom lip with her cute little white teeth and he lets out a hefty sigh, "Pretty sure this is how I'm going to die someday."
"That a bad thing?" She asks it with such naughty delight it's hard not to laugh, so he does, a rumbling sound that's always such a surprise to him. Only she can make him laugh now. After everything he'd been through, he thought he'd never laugh again. So the action always surprises him, always comes across as rusty.
But Laura is making it less so each time she manages to bring it forth and he kisses her quickly, before intoning, "Think you might have to keep it like this. Naked-"
Travis snaps his hips forward, his cock surging into her without mercy making her shout even as he growls, “-filled with my dick. Would you like that, baby?”
Her head tosses, blonde hair a cloud, her mouth hanging open as she pants, and Travis has never seen a more beautiful sight in all his life. Yet it miraculously grows in beauty as he begins drilling her with force and he watches her petite breasts jiggle with movement.
He feels unhinged as he finds the right rhythm, the perfect tempo, his speed neigh brutal and Laura’s features are twisted between pleasure and pain as she answers him, as she arches her back and draws him in deeper.
They’ve had sex multiple times, yet somehow she remains so hot, so tight, so perfect. Her inner walls pulse around him, drag on him as if trying to keep him inside, and that only spurs him on, only makes him fuck her with more ferocity. Especially when he looks down and sees the hot, sweet spot where they’re connected.
The sight of her bare cunt swallowing him, taking every single thick inch of him again and again is more than he can handle. His grip on her hips is punishing and he can hear a wet, slick sound that isn’t just that of their bodies meeting, but of his balls slapping against her ass and the sheer filthy knowledge of it knocks him over the edge.
Travis’s slamming, heavy thrusts stop as he goes rigid, as he lets out a gut-wrenching groan and starts spilling into her. A spill that seems endless as her body responds with an answering stiffness, her second climax making Laura shudder, his name a teeth clenching, high-pitched hiss. They both unravel against one another, in one another.
Eventually some of Travis’s sanity returns, but only some, because as he pulls his cock from the trembling sheath of her body, he goes back to lowering himself between her legs once more. His mouth returns to her mound, returns to her well used pussy and he can taste his release and hers and he’s ravenous as he kisses and licks at her.
Laura's a shivering, overstimulated mess beneath him and her fingers curl like claws into Travis’s shoulders as she begs for mercy. A cruel, slightly sadistic streak runs through him as he continues, even despite her pleas. Travis can bring her off again. He knows he can.
But while it’s tempting to truly tear her apart, at the end of the day, he can never deny Laura anything she wants, so he carefully pulls away, carefully rises up and kisses her trembling mouth. Laura truly is the most gorgeous girl on the planet to him - she looks so well used, so well loved.
Which is fitting, considering Travis has never loved nor will he ever love, anyone as much as he loves, Laura. His future wife...
Feeling dopey with the knowledge and the gentle hum of his afterglow, Travis kisses each of her cheeks, her lips, his voice crushed glass on asphalt, “Too much?”
Her blue eyes flash and he can’t help but give a truly malicious grin as he knows the answer all too well. Travis kisses the tip of Laura's nose as an apology, “T’be fair – you started it.”
Blonde eyebrows rise incredulously, and he brushes some fingers lightly over her plush sex, “Keeping this a secret from me.”
“Told you…” Her voice is a whisper, her vocal chords clearly recovering from her screams of ecstasy, “Was supposed to be a surprise.”
“Hmm, 's a good one.”
Suddenly she looks a little cagey and Travis zeroes in on it as any good cop would, “What?”
“Um – well? There is a bit more to it.”
“Yeah?” It’s asked harmlessly, but Laura is suddenly scarlet red, and Travis has no idea why until she manages a weak, “They also waxed my, um-?”
Her hips make a weak rise and Travis is lost, confused. What? They waxed her legs too? That doesn’t seem very-?
Then Travis’s eyes go wide. Large. Dinner plate sized. She lifted her hips specifically. He knows her pussy has been waxed. She can’t possibly mean…
“It’s-? My-? Ah-?” Laura ducks her head and she’s so quiet as to be nearly silent. But he hears it.
‘Other hole’.
…her other…
Travis didn’t think it was possible, yet, apparently it is.
He’s hard again.
Fully.
Laura. Bare. At both ends.
This truly is how he’s going to die. But what a way to go…
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Midnight Snack
Summary: A sequel to The Blood and The Heart, where Freya learns just how much Tav trusts Astarion.
Trigger warning: fearplay, vore mention, mentions of murder/death, dehumanizing language, mentions of blood drinking, and Alcohol.
The Night grew quiet once Tav fell asleep, leaving Freya alone to her thoughts. It's strange, this was the perfect opportunity to slip away yet Freya felt no desire to do such a thing. Tav was an interesting person who seemed to put her at ease, maybe it was only because they were a halfling and thus were less intimidating to talk to despite being a larger being or maybe Freya is just starstruck by them after they saved her from that vampire. Whatever the case, Freya was not going to make an attempt at escaping.
She'd much rather sift through the stuff Tav had given her, which was quite an abundance for her! They had all sorts of cloth and trinkets that didn't provide them with much use for their group, but Freya could take this stuff back to their cousin and they could get lost in their tinkering projects for hours! However there was one thing that caught her eye, a rope-like substance that seemed to stretch further than Freya could fathom, yet it would snap back into its original form. Tav mentioned they snagged it from a mad alchemist's lair, said it was called elastic. Freya gave the rope a tug as ideas swirled in her head. This may be the perfect thing to help her make the weapon she and her cousin were trying to come up with. Inspiration hit her and she got up to scavenge around the edge of the woods that was near the campsite, scanning the ground for sticks until she found the perfect one; it was Y-shaped and somewhat sturdy. Although some of the ends were a little jagged, but this was just a prototype, if this works, Freya can go home and show her cousin this and they can really improve it. She began with tying the elastic around the tip of the Y part of the stick, then tugged on the rope a few times before determining it wouldn't break from the tension. Now she just needed some ammo, fortunately the ground has an abundance of tiny pebbles that Freya could use on the new device.
Freya looked over the prototype, she had just made a handheld catapult- or a peashooter as her cousin had coined. A sense of pride filled the borrower. “Kes is gonna love this!” She smiled and aimed the peashooter in random directions as she headed back to camp. She just needed a target to practice on and she could confidently call this project a success!
Freya went to return to where Tav was sleeping when she laid her eyes upon a horrific sight. She froze as she spotted Astarion prowling towards Tav. He knelt down by their face, hunger flickered in those crimson eyes as he caressed Tav's cheek, his hand gently traced down their neck. He drew closer to them with a sinister smile, he opened his mouth wide, letting his fangs come closer to his next meal.
“No!” In a fluid motion, Freya scooped up a pebble off the ground, and catapulted it towards the vampire with the peashooter. It whistled in the air and hit the ground near where his hand rested, a tiny dust cloud stirred in the air.
“What?!” Astarion broke away from Tav and snapped his gaze over to Freya. “You again?!” A mixture of shock and anger laced his voice.
Freya didn't have time to think about a plan before she swiped another pebble from the ground and aimed her weapon at Astarion. “Stay back.”
Astarion let out a cold chuckle. “What do you possibly think you can do with that miniscule weapon?”
“Take one bite out of Tav, and you'll find out!”
Astarion let out a mocking gasp. “Oh no, the little mouse is going to throw a pebble at me.” He dramatically draped his arm over his head, then immediately dropped the mockery to shoot a deathly glare at the borrower. “In case you've forgotten darling, I can bite your head off with no effort, which I might do if you deprive me from my meal!”
Instinct told her to run, to not risk her life for a halfling she just met. It would be ease to just say this was Tav's own fault for letting a vampire run around the camp, but when she looked at their sleeping form, she couldn't let them get hurt. Freya steeled her nerves, refusing to break eye contact with him. “I won't ask again!”
A groan came from Tav. “What's going on?”
“Oh now you've done it.” Astarion said, rolling his eyes.
“Tav get up!” Freya shouted. “You're in danger!”
“What?!” Tav shot up and rolled away from their bedroll, pushing themselves on their feet and holding out their fists in defense. “What's going on?!”
“Your vampire friend was about to drain you of your blood.” Freya exclaimed.
Tav let their guard down, looking down at the borrower with sympathy. “Oh Freya…”
“Did you not hear what I said?”
Astarion's face lit up with a smirk. “Aww, did Tav forget to mention that they let me drink their blood?”
“You're lying!” Freya snapped. “Only a bloody idiot would do that!”
The vampire stifled a laugh. “Then I guess you don't know Tav very well. I have probably had more blood than you have if you were double your height.”
Freya stared back at Tav, hoping this was a joke but they just gave a sheepish smile. She lowered the peashooter and broke eye contact from Tav. “You've gotta be kidding me…”
“What's with all the racket?”
Freya snapped her attention to the new voice that approached. A tiefling woman that towered above Tav and Astarion walked up to them, she had shorter black hair with horns curling above her head yet one horn was broken off. Interestingly, her dark red skin seemed to burn like embers in the night. Before anyone could answer the Tiefling, more people showed up with confusing murmurs and annoyance over the commotion the three had made. Freya counted five new faces approaching the campfire, five new larger folks that were now circled around Freya. There was no way to slip away without at least one of them noticing her.
“What is that?” Said a feminine voice belonging to a half elf with dark braided hair as she stared down at the borrower, soon more eyes followed the woman's gaze and locked on to Freya, making her feel smaller than she truly was.
“I believe that is a borrower.” Said a bearded man with shoulder length brown hair. “They usually live in your walls to survive.”
“Aww, she's adorable!” shouted the tiefling.
Freya swore her heart could be heard pounding against her chest by everyone around the campfire, she wanted to scream but her throat closed up; all she could do was freeze up.
Pale fingers quickly wrapped around Freya's waist and plucked her from the ground, forcing a yelp out of her. She twisted herself to see her captor and saw Astarion wearing a cheeky smile on his lips. “Everyone, meet Freya, the newest stray that wandered into camp!” His voice dripped with a sickly sweet mockery.
“Astarion, knock it off.” Tav hissed through their teeth.
“Don't worry, Tav. I'm just making formal introductions.” The vampire brushed a slender finger through her blonde curls, sending shivers down Freya's spine. “We don't wanna be rude.”
“Come now, Astarion, put the borrower down.” Said a man with horns protruding out of his forehead. “She looks absolutely terrified.”
“Yes,” Tav urged, the patience in their voice was waning thin. “Let's put her down.”
“Chk, I've heard of these tiny istiks.” The Githyanki woman said, narrowing her eyes. “Whenever the githyanki found them, they always crushed them for trying to steal from us.”
Freya sucked in a gasp, it felt as though lead had formed in the pit of her stomach trying to weigh her down. She tried to keep her head cool under the spotlight, but her heart threatened to explode! But what made everything worse was when she felt a muscle in Astarion's hand twitch, Freya didn't dare glance over to him, she didn't need to when she could feel the sneer that radiated from him.
“Oh do tell, Lae'zel.” He inched closer to the gith. “And don't leave out any gorey details.”
“That's enough!” Tav snapped.
“I will not partake in your petty mockery.” Lae'zel glared up at Astarion. “Either kill the creature or let it go, I do not care.”
Panic settled into Freya, causing her breathing to grow shaky. Her eyes darted from each person, some watched with pity, others disgust, but they were watching her terror like it was a play. What happened to that fearless borrower from earlier?
“Oh come now, I'm only trying to bond with our guest by telling some ghost stories around the campfire.” The vampire brought Freya closer to his face, giving her a hungry stare; he was enjoying the fear he was putting her through. “I could always tell her about the things Cazador used to do to borrowers….”
“ASTARION!” Tav's voice bellowed like a crack of thunder, breaking Astarion away from Freya. That was all she needed to aim her peashooter at the vampire, in a second the pebble she still held in her hand was already flung out of the elastic and lobbing towards his eye.
“ACK!” Astarion flinched back, his grip on Freya loosened and she easily slipped through his fingers. There was only a moment where she could lock eyes with a horrified Tav as she began her descent to the ground. Freya had no choice but to accept her fate, she closed her eyes one last time to give a silent prayer to the gods that her death would be swift.
A male voice shouted out something in a language Freya was not familiar with. A cold rush of wind brushed under her and she suddenly wasn't falling anymore. Her eyes flew open to see a disembodied blue hand had broken her fall. The feeling was even more surreal than being in an actual person's hands, there was a chilling breeze that flowed around her, yet the translucent limb was solid to the touch.
The bearded man stepped forward and knelt down to be more eye level with the borrower. Upon closer inspection, Freya could see the man had brown eyes that looked at her softly. She also noticed these strange faded markings sat under his left eye and snaked their way down to his neck and chest, if there was more to those markings, they were hidden away by the purple velvet tunic he wore. “Are you alright?” He asked with a warm smile.
Is she alright? She had just had her fears exploited by a vampire and almost fell to her death in front of seven larger beings before the sun even rose, of course she's not alright! Tears threatened to fall from her face but Freya did her best to push those overwhelming feelings aside; the last thing she needed was to cry in front of that vampire bastard.
“Put me down, please…” Her voice trembled along with the rest of her body.
The bearded man never said a word, he just nodded and motioned the ghastly hand to descend to the ground, letting her gently slide off. Freya's legs felt like jelly on solid ground, she dropped to her knees, her heavy breaths being the only thing that kept the night from being silent; eyes were like arrows shooting through the cowering borrower. The only thing Freya could do was silently hope for this night to end quickly.
“I need everyone to leave!” Tav's voice carried around the camp. “Go back to your tents and give her some space!”
The adventurers began to shuffle away, curiosity still written on their faces. The one tiefling woman passes by Freya, giving her a thumbs up. “Nice shot, back there.” She said before walking away. As the crowd dispersed, Freya found the nerve to look around, only Tav and Astarion remained, his left eye was squeezed shut.
“When I say everyone, I mean everyone.” Tav ordered.
“Oh come now, Darling. I was just having a bit of fun.” He said nonchalantly.
“A bit of fun?” Tav blurted out. “You nearly killed her!”
“After she shot my eye!” Astarion scoffed. “I think we're even now.”
“Leave now.” Tav's voice was quiet and firm, yet anger boiled at the edge. It drove a chill down Freya's spine, Astarion must have felt the same way because she watched him back away from the halfling. There was a flicker of bitterness in his eyes as he glanced over at the borrower but then the vampire mostly seemed hurt when he looked back over to Tav. He didn't breathe a word as he wandered back to his tent.
Once the vampire stalked off, Freya could no longer hold back tears, they streamed down her cheeks.
“Gods Freya, I'm so sorry.” Tav knelt down to the borrower and slowly reached out for her.
Freya flinched. “Please don't…. I've had enough of giant hands for one night.”
“I understand.” They pulled their hand back and shifted to sit in a more criss-cross position, giving Freya the space she needed. It took a minute for her to compose herself and finally look up at the halfling.
“Do you actually let him bite you?” Freya asked, wiping her tears away.
“Yeah, I do sometimes.” Tav's face grew red. “I kind of forgot that I agreed to let him do it for tonight. Sorry, I would have warned you otherwise.”
Freya's jaw went slack. “Why would you agree to something like that?”
They gave a soft smile. “It's a rather long story, but I trust him quite a lot… despite his more abrasive tendencies.”
“That's insane…” Was all Freya could say, she tried to rack her brain with any logical reason someone would do such a thing. Was she just biased or did everyone in this camp let the vampire drink their blood?
“Funny, I think we all said the same thing.” A feminine voice caused Freya to jolt out of her thoughts. She locked onto the source and saw the half-elf with the dark hair a few feet away. “Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.”
“I thought I told everyone to back off.” Tav sighed.
“You did, but I couldn't help myself.” The woman smiled and sat down on her knees, she had a bottle of wine and a silver goblet in hand. “I was most curious about our new guest.”
Freya took a moment to analyze the woman. Her dark hair was long and braided in a high ponytail, with bangs that fit nicely around the frame of her face; she had a scar that ran across her right cheek, she offered a warm smile but her forest green eyes seemed to calculate Freya's every move. Maybe it was the nerves, but she felt an ominous presence around the woman.
“Don't worry, I'm not going to grab you like Astarion did.” The woman chuckled softly. “If anything, I could actually help if he hurt you at all.”
“Shadowheart is our cleric.” Tav explained. “You can trust her, if you feel comfortable enough.”
“I…I'm alright… thank you.” Freya took a shaky breath. “I'm just not used to… being the center of attention.”
“I'm sure.” Shadowheart took a sip of her wine before glancing back at Freya. “You look like you could use a drink.”
There was no holding back the smile that spread across the borrower's face. “I definitely could use one.”
“Do you have a preference?”
The borrower sighed. “At this point, I'll take whatever you got.”
“Well, I didn't take you for a drinker, Freya.” Tav teased.
“There's a lot you don't know about me.” She retorted. “Much like I don't know much about you.”
“Fair point.” Tav chuckled and rubbed the back of their neck, before glancing over at the wine bottle. “I guess we should find something small enough to drink out of.”
“A thimble will work well enough.” Freya said.
“I think I have one back at my tent.” Shadowheart smiled. “If you want, we can drink there. It would offer you more privacy.”
“I appreciate it.”
Shadowheart stood up and started to walk away.“Perfect, follow me.”
Tav locked eyes with Freya and moved their hand next to her, awaiting for her response. It was a simple gesture but one that Freya greatly appreciated. She gave Tav a nod and they carefully scooped her up into their hands. It was still odd to just let a larger being pick her up so easily, but Freya found a sense of comfort when Tav held her, they were so gentle with her. If Freya wasn't too careful, she could find herself getting used to be handled by this charming halfling.
#tiny female#giant male#giant nb#giantess#borrowers#writing#mine#bg3 g/t#bg3#gianttiny#giant tiny#giant#tiny#giant/tiny#g/t writing#g/t community#g/t fluff#g/t fearplay#g/t angst#g/t#g/t talk#gt#Astarion#bg3 fanfiction#baulders gate 3#shadowheart#lae'zel#karlach#wyll ravengard#gale of waterdeep
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Elastic Heart Ch 5 (Linked Universe story)
Summary: When Sky goes missing, the Chain scrambles to figure out where he is and what happened before it's too late.
AO3 link
First chapter
<<Previous // Next>>
Chapter 5: Arbiter's Grounds
Link’s patience was at its limit as he stared dully at the two soldiers in front of him. “Let. Me. Through.”
“We were specifically notified that the queen would be sending a Hero with her guards,” one of the soldiers said, though with less hostility than before as Link glared at him. “T-that’s the order.”
“I made my own way here,” Link explained curtly. He was far too exhausted for this nonsense. Just how idiotic were the knights in this land? It was no wonder Twilight held them in such low regard.
Thinking about Twilight made his stomach twist. Thinking about any of them made his stomach twist.
He had to hurry up.
As the soldier came up with some other feeble excuse, there was a screech from the sky, making all three of the men turn to see a monster flying through the air. Link watched it warily, wondering if the Shadow had sent a black blooded beast there or if it was common for the area. The petrified reaction from the guards was of little help or use - he figured they’d squeal over a critter let alone a monster.
It was fairly large, though.
Glancing at his surroundings, Link saw the flying creature, the pathway ahead beyond the sealed gate, and some cliffs. With a quick fortifying breath, he pulled out his clawshots and aimed for some ivy on the cliffside, giving himself a higher vantage point as the beast swept in to dive for the ground. The soldiers squealed, abandoning their post.
That could be his opportunity, honestly. But that would leave them to fend off the beast, which was unlikely to end well in their favor.
Goddesses above, he was growing tired of having to save everyone. Couldn’t they at least handle the small matters so he could focus on Demise?
Link shook his head. Focus. You know they can’t help it.
Well. The knights should be able to help it. The longer he watched them run around the more irritated he became. He shook his head, watching the beast instead. There was a way to handle both matters and get him to his destination faster.
Waiting for the right moment as the beast flew just beneath him, ready to climb and gain altitude, Link leapt off the cliffside, angling his body so he collided right into the monster. The winged creature cried out, dipping down a little and then flailing like an enraged loftwing. Link held on tightly, his stomach somersaulting from the thrill of it.
This wasn’t his first time taming a flying beast, after all. Some loftwings when their partners died would be enraged or go insane for a few days. They were a danger to themselves and others. Link had done this song and dance before.
He wrapped his arms around the beast’s neck, twisting his shoulders so his elbows could guide it at the wing joints. The creature shrieked in protest but obeyed to ease the pressure, climbing over the sealed gate and leaving the knights far behind. The land quickly shifted from greens and blues of the field and lake to the familiar terrain of Lanayru Desert.
Wait. No. Gerudo Desert. Whatever. A desert was a desert, anyway. What mattered more was what and who he would find within it.
The creature became further enraged and began to buck wildly, sending them both careening. It was time to get off.
Releasing his grip, Link felt gravity take hold as he free fell to the ground below. The beast twisted away to reorient itself, and he untied his sailcloth to soften his landing. Turning as he heard the monster scream again, he pulled out his bow and arrow, aiming for its eyes. The beast let out a choked cry before it finally crashed into the sand, sliding to a halt in front of him and kicking up a dust cloud.
Link watched it a moment longer, a strange melancholy pulling at his exhausted heart, and then he sighed, turning to face the desert. The sun was fairly high in the sky, but it was beginning to teeter downward for the afternoon. He shielded his gaze with his hand, looking into the wavy air and seeing structures in the distance.
Monster encampments, possibly. Either way, it was a landmark. He’d take it.
Steeling himself, Link marched forward. One way or another, this should be his final battle. Zelda had indicated as such. It was the last horde in the land, after all.
I’m coming for you, Demise.
XXX
The tranquility of Hyrule Field on an overcast afternoon was shredded with the sound of hooves and snarls as a wolf led a pack of heroes riding on horseback. They were all going at a full gallop, the wolf somehow managing to stay ahead of the rest despite bearing the smallest member of the group.
A few monsters littered the area, and the troupe quickly attracted their attention. Wild grabbed an arrow and let it loose, having pulled it back so taut that he nearly snapped the bowstring. It hit a monster in midair with ease, sending it to the ground. The pronounced thud that echoed across the field gave Wild little satisfaction, but at least it gave him some assurance that the others wouldn’t be bothered.
Wild’s deft movements weren’t the only ones as other members of the group swiftly eliminated targets without batting an eye. Warriors decapitated a bokoblin as he passed, Four shot a few with his bow and arrows before Twilight trampled right over them with a snarl. Nothing was going to slow them down at this point.
After they’d eaten, Twilight had asked his Zelda for some steeds to expedite matters (and had to finagle his way around Zelda’s idea that he’d somehow sent Sky to defeat the monsters). Wild and Wind rode Epona together, Four was with Twilight, and the rest were provided horses from the royal stables. The mood of the group had become serious the instant they’d left the tavern; Twilight had headed for the castle while others had stocked up on what supplies they could get (Legend was still seething that potions weren’t available in the city, which meant they were limited to what they already had - Twilight pointed out that they could restock in Faron Woods or Kakariko, but no one was keen on backtracking at this point).
Thankfully, according to Twilight, Lake Hylia was just to the west of the city, so it wouldn’t take them long to reach it. Wild certainly hoped that was the case; once they began to ride no one had said a word, and though Wild wasn’t the most empathetic of the group even he could sense everyone was on edge just as much as he was. Wind’s death grip on him tightened as he encouraged Epona to move faster, and he could faintly see the glistening lake in the distance.
When they finally arrived, Time tersely divided them into pairs so they could search the perimeter.
“We know he’s heading for the desert; this is a waste of time!” Legend argued.
“We just got here within less than half the time it would take him to go on foot,” Four fired back. “He has to be somewhere close. What if we blow right by him?”
“That’s enough,” Warriors snapped. “Pair up and move out.”
Wind and Wild quietly stayed together on Epona, trotting around the lakeshore with their eyes peeled. The Champion was just as eager to push ahead, but he also didn’t want to risk overtaking Sky. Still… it should be obvious fairly quickly if Sky wasn’t here.
His mind couldn’t help but wander in a million different directions, anxiety sealing his lips and opening his thoughts. None of it made sense, and it was making even less sense now. Wild’s main suspicion had been that Sky had been tracking the enemy and accidentally fallen through the gate. He would have to fight the horde at that point, and then he would probably head for the nearest landmark, namely Castle Town and Hyrule Castle. It would then logically make sense for him to be in the city, for Telma to possibly find him and help him until he could reunite with the group.
Except he didn’t wait.
Wild didn’t understand. He just didn’t understand . It was now obvious more than ever that Sky was actively avoiding them.
The champion shook his head. We don’t know that. He may not even know we’re here. But that Telma lady wrote to Rusl, which means she must have told Sky we were looking for him, right? Right?
Right?
Wild didn’t know what was happening anymore, but a panic was seizing at his throat, goading him to move faster and find him before it was too late.
Pulling out a telescope, Wind squinted through the lens with a sigh. “Where is he? Surely he can’t be moving that fast? There were knights escorting him, weren’t there?”
Wild shook his head, unable to reply. He didn’t know anything anymore, just that he had to find him.
By the time they had even begun their search, the sun was already dipping towards the horizon. Lake Hylia reflected its bright rays, the sky stained golden and rose, a painting that was reflected with the stretches and pulls of the water’s lapping. It prevented anyone from seeing under its depths, and it made Wild shield his eyes from the glare as he paused, staring at a gateway just ahead.
There were guards flanking it.
Furrowing his brow, he tapped lightly on Epona with his heels, goading her forward.
The guards immediately crossed their spears over each other to prevent his entry. “Only those with the Queen’s permission may pass into the Gerudo Desert.”
Wind huffed. “We’re on a mission for her! Have you seen the Hero she sent this way?”
Wild bit his lip as the guards looked at each other uneasily. He wasn’t entirely sure why they hadn’t just asked them in the first place, but as he turned, he saw everyone converging on their location.
He supposed that meant they hadn’t had any luck. His heart raced in his chest, his anxiety spiking.
Twilight, who had turned back to his Hylian form upon reaching the lake since there were people around, came to the front. “My name’s Link. I have something from Her Majesty. She sent me to aid the Hero of Legend on his quest.”
The guards blubbered a second longer, awestruck, and Warriors finally snapped, “Get to it, then! Tell us what you know! What sort of pathetic excuse for soldiers are you?”
Time laid a hand on the captain’s shoulder, and Warriors’ face, already curled in a snarl, immediately tightened and settled into a dull, cold glare.
Wild shriveled further into Epona’s harness as Wind squirmed irritably behind him.
“He didn’t pass through here,” one of the guards finally remarked. “We’ve, uh–we’ve been waiting for him.”
“He—what?” Legend stammered. “That’s—we didn’t actually pass him did we?”
“What if he’s still in Castle Town?” Wind worried.
“That place is huge,” Hyrule added.
Warriors took a step towards the guards. “You’re lying. I can tell.”
The guards immediately took a hesitant step away from the captain.
“Tell us where he is,” Time intoned, crossing his arms. His voice was certainly the most even of the group’s, but his withering glare was more terrifying than any of the yelling had been.
“Or we gut you like a fish!” Wind added, pointing accusingly at them.
“Sailor,” Warriors and Twilight immediately warned together.
“What, I wasn’t actually— ”
“It was a monster!” one of the guards finally burst out. “We–we didn’t know if he had access or not, so at first we–well… we… but a flying monster came and he–he climbed the wall and jumped on it and rode it over the gate!”
“Sky flew on a monster ?” Wind repeated. “That’s freaking amazing!”
“Maybe we should try it!” Hyrule intoned thoughtfully, looking around.
“Let us through,” Warriors ground out instead.
Twilight turned sharply and walked away as the others started frantically speaking over one another. Wild dismounted Epona to follow him.
“They’re going to let us through, right?” Wild asked, wondering why Twilight was giving up on the matter already. “I can get the gate open without their permission, the slate—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight interrupted as he stared at a wooden structure in the center of the lake. “I have a way that can get us in and maybe give us a head start.”
Wild watched him confusedly. “What is it?”
“Get the others,” Twilight said as he ran towards a boardwalk.
Meanwhile, over by the gate, the Hero of Warriors was steadily losing his patience. He and Time both were steadily feeling increasing dread over the situation; they could sense that time was running out to reach their friend and family, and these guards were one more obstacle and insult to everything Warriors stood for.
Despite the captain’s desire to verbally tear the pitiful excuses for knights apart, his rage was interrupted by both the objective and the champion’s frantic waving.
“What is it?” Hyrule asked before anyone else could. Time, who still had a hand on Warriors’ shoulder to keep him from completely losing it, turned to halfway face Wild.
“Rancher wants everyone,” Wild choked out, his eyes glittering with a familiar panic. Warriors had seen it on his face when Twilight had been hurt.
It wasn’t like Wild really knew how to hide it or process it, after all. The captain was waiting for the champion to finally snap and start disobeying orders like on the battlefield a month ago.
They were all beginning to fray at the seams. What had been a bizarre and unsettling search and rescue had turned into something far more involved and worrying. Sky should have been found easily, yet here they were.
At least Warriors knew he was still alive. But the true matter now was, why was he running so desperately? Was he running towards something or from it?
An old paranoia crept up from his gut into his skull, icy and chilling and terrifying, reigniting thoughts he had already dismissed yesterday.
No , he shook his head as he walked with the others to the boardwalk where Twilight awaited them. I know Sky. He wouldn’t. Something else is going on.
Originally the captain had thought Sky was simply being foolish, following his apparently-faulty intuition rather than his head. It would fit for a teenage hero to do so, even though in all their time together Sky had generally demonstrated more maturity than the others.
Well. On and off, at least. Sky’s seeming laziness had gotten Hyrule and Warriors hurt when he couldn’t keep up with them. He dozed off all the time, dragged his feet with chores… it had never particularly bothered the captain, except the one time they ran into a monster camp and could have used his help. He still held the slightest annoyance over that matter. But… none of that coalesced into a logical explanation for what was happening now. Sky was slow and steady, this panicked rush of his was completely against his nature as Warriors understood it.
Maybe you don’t understand him, then, the paranoid voice whispered.
“For Hylia’s sake,” he muttered under his breath. That’s enough. Sky isn’t a traitor, there is a rational explanation for this and I will figure it out.
At this rate he felt like he and Time were the only ones thinking rationally. Well, and perhaps Twilight.
Twilight watched their approach, arms crossed. He jerked his head behind him. “I found us a way in that’ll help us catch up quickly.”
Time raised a questioning eyebrow as he glanced beyond the Ordonian. “I’m assuming you’re going to explain, then?”
“It’s a, uh…” Twilight faltered and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Then he sighed. “It’s a cannon.”
Legend’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You want us to blast our way through the gate?” Warriors asked confusedly. Great Farore, he didn’t hate the guards that much.
“No. Over it.” Twilight explained. “This is how I always got to the Gerudo Desert.”
Wind gasped. “Oh! I’ve done that before! Let’s go!”
Hyrule watched Wind rush ahead, bewildered. “You… were blasted out of…what??”
“Am I the only one worrying about the landing part ?” Legend threw his hands up in the air.
“No, you’re not,” Warriors remarked, raising an eyebrow at Twilight. “How did you land?”
Twilight shrugged. “Fyer knows where to aim so you land in a soft space. I swear the sand there is like a pillow, it’s like the one place where you’ll be fine. Just, uh, be sure you roll.”
Warriors cocked his head to the side as he scrutinized the Ordonian hero. “So you just got launched in the air and prayed you didn’t die.”
“Yeah, basically.”
Mentally, Warriors scratched Twilight off his still a rational member of the group list.
The captain groaned, pinching his nose. “How did anyone ever assume you were the responsible one?”
Four and Wind rushed ahead as if this were a normal occurrence, making the captain debate if Four was still rational as well. Wild was already anxiously waiting by the entrance, where a strangely dressed man was eying the group warily.
“Fyer,” Twilight greeted as he approached the man. “We need a lift to Gerudo Desert.”
“All of you?” the fellow questioned. “That’ll cost you extra, you know.”
Warriors unclasped his wallet and dropped it into the man’s hands. “Hope this suffices. Let us pass.”
Fyer stared at the pouch with surprise, stammering a response and opening the door for them. Wind easily swiped some rupees back as he passed. When Warriors raised an eyebrow in the sailor’s direction, the kid shrugged. “He doesn’t need all of them.”
“How do you keep getting so much money, anyway?” Four asked, squinting at him. “I remember when we were at that inn you couldn’t buy anything because you’d paid for our room and board.”
“The room full of pots, of course,” Warriors answered easily.
Wind gasped. “Yours had rupees?!”
“What did yours have?”
“...More arrows. A lot of them didn’t even have anything! It was so disappointing!”
“Mine had a frog in it.”
“Oh, one of mine—”
“Focus.” Time interrupted.
“Does this hurt?” Legend asked uneasily. “It usually hurts on the receiving end.”
“Protect your neck,” Twilight advised. “The whiplash isn’t fun. Beyond that… as long as you land well, it’s fine.”
“As long as you—”
The doors slammed shut, drowning them in darkness. Warriors instinctively huddled closer to his brothers, bumping shoulders with Time.
“This wasn’t exactly how I was expecting this day to go,” he said quietly.
“At this rate, is there even a point to having an expectation for any given day?” Time countered, his usual gentle mischief absent in his tone.
The captain sighed, and the cannon fired.
XXX
Four really wished he had Ezlo. It would make landings much easier.
At least, he figured that’s why he missed Ezlo. Strangely he didn’t remember landing, but he was lying in the sand nonetheless.
What…?
“Well maybe you should’ve mentioned that!” some voice over him hissed as he was slightly propped up by arms.
“I don’t think he’s ever fired that many people together…”
“That’s enough! Cut it out, all of you!”
“Hey, he’s waking up!”
Four groaned as orange light pierced into his vision when he fluttered his eyelids open. Legend was directly over him, holding him gently, eyes filled with worry. Twilight was across from him, also supporting him, and Wild was peeking over his shoulder. Wind was at his feet, expressive face pinched in concern as Time stood behind him with Hyrule. Warriors was directly over him, seemingly kneeling behind his head.
“Hey, Smithy, you with us?” Twilight asked gently.
“Mm,” Four replied, trying to figure out what in the world happened.
“Here,” Legend offered, holding a bottle to his lips. “It’ll at least make sure nothing’s broken while you get your head on straight.”
Four sipped the potion reluctantly, coughing a little at the bitterness as it went down. His world came into better clarity, aches he hadn’t noticed dissipating entirely.
“What happened?” he asked blearily, sitting up of his own volition as the other heroes hovered over him.
“A few of us crashed into each other before the landing,” Warriors noted, and Four saw that the captain was sporting a small cut by his left temple. “Nothing too terrible, but it threw you off balance and you got knocked out on impact.”
Oh. That was probably why Ezlo had come to mind. Maybe he should have shrunk down for the launch, it might have at least reduced his speed and made him less likely to hit anyone.
“How long was I out?” he continued, slowly standing and testing out his body.
“A few minutes, nothing major,” the captain answered dismissively.
“He could have died!” Legend snapped.
Another argument broke out between Legend and Warriors, with Twilight trying and failing to play mediator, garnering Wind’s ire while Wild and Hyrule watched hesitantly. Four rubbed his temples at the oncoming headache, growing steadily more irritated.
“Boys!” Time finally yelled, silencing everyone. When they all stared at him, he crossed his arms, holding their gaze. “Get yourselves together. Every second we stand here arguing, Sky gets farther away. No more talking for a while unless a pertinent question is being addressed.” Directing his attention to Four, he asked, “Smithy, are you able to walk now?”
Four nodded, grateful for the silence.
“Good. Ranch hand, you lead.”
Twilight, sufficiently schooled and looking very small under his elder’s gaze, slowly got to his feet. Four felt a little bad for his friend, who clearly felt guilty over what had happened. He would reassure him if he wasn’t convinced Time would incinerate him right there with his glare the instant he uttered a sound.
Shifting into his beast form, Twilight led the group carefully, sniffing the ground every few paces. Four could see Legend, Wild, and Hyrule all growing impatient, with Legend stiffening while Wild and Hyrule grew fidgety. Eventually, the traveler pointed ahead. “Look!”
Everyone whirled on him, ready to hiss for his silence before Time could get a hold of him. The traveler was unperturbed, huffing, “I see a trail!”
“A trail?” Four repeated, following Hyrule’s finger. Trail was a strong word for what he saw - there were divots in the sand, like a little stream had carved a path, but its lingering imprint was being quickly overrun by wind pushing sand into the crevices.
“You think Sky’s wind item could make such a trail?” Time asked the group as a whole.
“Probably,” Legend answered. “Which means he had to be here recently - the sand will cover it up soon enough.”
Four perked up. That meant Sky was very close!
The group picked up their pace, Twilight still at the lead to confirm Sky had indeed passed through. The silence gave Four time to think and center himself, which he appreciated since his mind had been whirling since this entire ordeal had started.
After all, none of it made sense. Initially, Four had assumed Sky was captured. It was what made the most sense - everyone knew that if they were on watch they were supposed to awaken the group if there were monsters. There had to be some kind of miscalculation on Sky’s part, and somehow he’d ended up in danger and unable to alert them. He’d probably gone to investigate a noise and only discovered too late that the horde was unnervingly close to camp.
At least, that had been the initial assumption. Four had seemed to be the only one thinking it, which was frustrating, but he’d kept his mouth shut. Hearing in that letter that Sky was safe and resting at that tavern had reassured him greatly, but it had also made him start to question things.
Did Sky get himself out of trouble? Was he never in trouble in the first place? If so, what in the world would compel him to do what he had done? Four still had an inkling that his dear friend was hurt somehow, maybe was addled from his experience and trying to find his way back to the others.
What if the Shadow had managed to corrupt him somehow? What if he’d tortured him during his capture? What if Sky was part of the horde now?
Four shook his head, trying to shove the terrifying thoughts out of his mind. It didn’t quite fit the objective details, at least.
That still didn’t stay the worries in his heart that Sky had been captured, though. That somehow Sky had escaped and was trying to find them as desperately as they were trying to find him. That the longer it took them to get to him the more likely he was going to get captured again.
Though the blacksmith was on the quieter side in the group, he wished they’d taken some time to discuss this issue. Outside of the initial concern when they’d found the gate, the group had been treating this situation like a regular mission when it was, in fact, so much more.
Their brother was missing.
Frustrated tears stung in his eyes, and he balled his fists tight enough to dig his nails into skin and distract himself. He absentmindedly followed his brothers, praying that Sky would be fine when they found him. Because they would find him. They were close, as Legend pointed out.
Four nearly crashed into Wolfie, yelping a little as he stopped abruptly. The shadows that encased the wolf were nearly imperceptible in the oncoming darkness as the sun finally hid its shining face behind the dunes. When Twilight emerged from the darkness, he was stiff and very closed off. Four was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed they had ended up at a structure of some sort.
“What is this place?” Wind asked quietly.
Twilight didn’t speak.
“He’s asking you, wolf brain,” Legend grumbled as he stepped forward to investigate the area. “We don’t know this land, remember?”
“Is it a Gerudo fortress?” Warriors questioned.
“N-no,” Twilight finally answered, his voice barely a whisper in the wind. “He… he’s inside.”
“Sky?” Time confirmed.
“Yeah.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Hyrule piped up, catching everyone off guard. “Let’s go.”
The sailor and the traveler moved ahead quickly with Wild on their heels. Warriors paused for a moment and then followed alongside Four.
Twilight stood still, the long shadows of the building consuming him.
Time approached his pup slowly. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Twilight sighed, shaking his head. “We shouldn’t let them get too far ahead, there’s a dungeon in there.”
“I figured, just based on the appearance. Where are we?”
“This… this place is called Arbiter’s Grounds,” Twilight explained as the pair walked together to catch up. “It was once a… well, I guess a prison for Hyrule. It’s been abandoned for a long time.”
Time glanced back at the building thoughtfully. A Hyrule prison in Gerudo territory? Had they formed some kind of alliance? “I suppose the Gerudo are farther into the desert.”
Twilight glanced at Time from the side of his eyes, saying nothing.
That… didn’t make the eldest Link feel pacified on the matter.
When the two reached the rest of the group at the entrance to the dilapidated building, Time glanced around at the surroundings. The architecture looked… vaguely familiar. And not in a Hylian way.
Wonderful. As if his unease at Sky’s situation wasn’t bad enough at this point.
“Be on your guard,” he advised everyone as a slight breeze blew in their faces. “This place will likely have infected beasts.”
“And Sky’s swimming in them,” Legend added worriedly. “So let’s go.”
The veteran hero was right. The longer they lingered, the more likely they were to lose him again. Time wasn’t repeating that error. Whatever was wrong with the young knight, they had to find him before it got worse.
At this point that was what he was convincing himself. Nothing else really made sense. Sky had interacted with the people of Castle Town, even the queen , and instead of hunkering down to wait for them, or even trying to return to where the dark portal had been (was it still there? Time didn’t recall seeing it when they’d passed through the field again), Sky had continued on to hunt more beasts.
For whatever reason, the seemingly sweet and gentle knight had gone rogue.
Given Time’s understanding of the Skyloftian, it made little sense, but at this point nothing else made any sense. He knew all his boys were capable of being reckless; Sky was simply a late bloomer.
And of all the ways to bloom… Time was going to have grey hair by the time this was over. He was certainly going to demand an explanation out of the boy when he found him.
That was that. Sky was being a reckless teenager. There was no possibility that he’d decided to leave the group, to leave all of them, to leave—
Time shook his head. Projecting his old wounds onto this situation was not going to do him any favors. The longer Sky was missing, the worse it got. He felt angry at himself for even making this about himself in the first place, and it was certainly decreasing his tolerance for the others’ outbursts. They needed to find the boy. Time was growing more concerned by the moment. If his main theory was true, after all, then Sky was likely to get himself killed.
Well, honestly, no matter the theory, Sky was likely to get himself killed. They needed to move.
“Stay together,” he advised the group as he led them into the dungeon.
The instant they walked into the entranceway, Time knew this was going to be an unpleasant dungeon. The stifling air held a stench to it that was pungent and uncomfortably familiar. Time was instantly reminded of the well in Kakariko and the Shadow Temple, the smell of brittle old bones and flesh turned to dust. Back home it had been punctuated with a moldy, earthy scent, moisture and soil trapped in a manner that made him feel like he was going through more graves. The dryness of the air here sped the rotting process, making the actual scent of decay lesser while also making the entire place far more stifling.
He couldn’t imagine any of this was pleasant on Twilight’s heightened senses.
He also could quickly figure out what might have happened here. Warriors’ grim, knowing expression implied the captain knew as well.
Time scanned the room and quickly saw a purchase for his hookshot. Leading the group, he held on to Wind as the pair let the item pull them to nearby sturdy ground, avoiding the quick sand that was consuming flesh and bone alike. Once they passed a whirlpool of sand, they were left with what looked like the remains of a cell to the left and a sealed gate that blocked their progress.
Warriors glared at the door. “There has to be another way in. If Sky came through here it wouldn’t still be locked, unless it’s a facade. Or there’s a way to get overtop it.”
“It probably is locked,” Wind surmised, jiggling the large bars. “Just means it had time to reset. But I swear we were catching up to Sky. We’re sure he’s in here?”
“Reset?” Warriors repeated. “What are you talking about?”
“We need to find the dungeon map,” Legend interrupted. “We’ll waste less time that way.”
Four glanced at Twilight. “Where do we find it?”
The young man shifted awkwardly, rubbing his sweaty palms on his tunic. “I… don’t remember.”
Wind’s eyes widened. “How could you not remember where the map is? You’ve been through this dungeon!”
Wild looked between the pair confusedly. “There are maps?”
Warriors glanced at Time questioningly, equally lost.
The champion then turned to Legend. “Is that why you’re always so insistent on having a map?”
Hyrule shrugged, eyes trained on the floor. “I don’t get the fuss, I get by without them.”
“The point is ,” Time interrupted before this deteriorated further. “We need to find it.”
Hyrule looked at the hero, brow furrowing in frustration. “But—”
“No , we’re not proceeding without a map. It’ll waste too much time,” their leader insisted, agreeing with the veteran.
“Can’t you just follow his scent, though?” Warriors asked, looking at Twilight.
Twilight ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “I wish it was that simple, but these places require a certain order of events to progress. If I just follow Sky’s scent, we’ll end up in front of locked doors with no way through, like this. We have to do this the old-fashioned way.”
“I still can’t believe you don’t remember where the map is ,” Legend grumbled.
“It’s been a while, okay? A lot has happened since then, I can’t possibly remember all the details of every dungeon!” Twilight finally snapped, losing his patience.
“The good news is that the closer we get to Sky, the less likely it’ll be a problem,” Wind thought aloud, staring at the locked door. “Because if we catch up to him, he’ll still be solving things and we’ll get through them before they can reset.”
“How long is that?” the captain questioned.
“Don’t know. Never timed it.”
“Usually if you get knocked out it resets,” Time offered.
“Look, I may not be as experienced as you all,” Hyrule interrupted. “But I can still follow clues. The key to this door is over there.”
Everyone followed the traveler as he pointed towards a chain coming out of the wall with a handle attached.
Twilight blinked. “Ah. Right.”
Legend gestured dramatically towards the chain. “This is literally the only thing in this room and you didn’t even remember that?!”
“I didn’t see you noticing it, Vet!”
Wind rolled his eyes, rolling through the quicksand to get to the chain as another argument started. Just as he hit solid ground, the ground shifted, and two gibdos dragged their bony bodies out of the earth, spears at the ready. Wind yelped briefly before quickly slashing through them.
“Great,” the sailor said with a quivering tone. “This is one of those dungeons.”
Time looked back at the traveler, who still hadn’t taken his eyes off the ground aside from pointing out the pulley. When he traced the teenager’s stare, he saw what had tipped Hyrule off in the first place.
Specks of blood trailed intermittently from the gate to the pulley that Wind was desperately yanking.
There was still a touch of moisture to them, their innermost circle sitting atop the stone rather than having crusted into it.
Sky was close, but they could lose him if they stalled any longer.
Twilight quickly joined Wind and grabbed the handle, pulling the chain with a sharp jerk, and the gate split and opened, granting them access. Time didn’t comment on the blood, but it was evident who had and hadn’t noticed. Hyrule was already filling up empty bottles with lantern oil and shoving them into people’s hands, face set in determination. Twilight was a shade paler than usual, Four looked terrified, eyes frantically scouring the earth for more signs of Sky’s injuries.
Wild immediately went for the solitary treasure chest in the other corner, pulling out a key. No one needed to comment on it as there was only one locked door in the room.
Time glanced at Twilight questioningly. This dungeon was unusually simple.
Then again, it could be because Sky was already clearing it.
Legend froze in mid-step, making Four yelp as he crashed into him. The veteran didn’t seem to notice, crouching down with his lantern in the darkness of the next room. Twilight stiffened, clearly on edge, and Time detected movement in the room.
“Vet, watch it!” Wind chided as he squinted into the darkness.
“There’s blood on the floor ,” Legend said, his voice worriedly rising in pitch. “Sky’s hurt! What if he’s dying, what if–”
Twilight and Time swung their swords in unison as otherworldly shrieks filled the air, their blades chopping through a wave of gibdos that had emerged from the quicksand. The rest of the group jumped as Warriors pulled out his borrowed fire rod, and Time and Twilight hastily ducked out of the way as he dispatched the rest and simultaneously lit the torches on the other side of the room.
The bars over the door on the far side of the room opened, and everyone tore ahead wordlessly. Legend reached the next place first, pausing in the center of the large room. Time took in the sights, seeing four stone stands around a large staircase. There were several entrances, he could tell from a swift glance and from changes in air pressure moving throughout the room. The stairs led to a closed door, and two out of the four posts had blue fires lit on them.
In the center of the room was a large cloak and hood, and a broken lantern.
“A poe,” Time surmised aloud. Larger than one he’d ever seen, but it seemed a fair guess.
“Yeah,” Twilight said slowly, looking ahead. “Of course they took the flames again.”
Time was reminded abruptly of the Forest Temple in the Lost Woods, and he looked at the two flames again.
Two flames. For four posts.
“Sky’s halfway solved it,” he whispered.
Wild, with his sharp hearing, turned to look at him. “Solved what?”
“You need the flames to open the gates,” Twilight explained. “And the poes steal the flames. If there are two lit, then he’s defeated two poes.”
Legend toed the tunic hesitantly, sword at the ready. “Uh, yeah. I can tell. But where are the others? This place just got a lot bigger.”
“I remember where the map is,” Twilight said flatly, catching everyone’s attention.
Time glanced at him, confused by his tone. “Where?”
Twilight pointed to an already open chest. Its contents had already been taken.
“Sky has it!” Wind realized.
“Great,” Legend groaned. “That just gives him the advantage.”
“Are we going to talk about why Sky’s actively going through this dungeon instead of trying to find us?” Four piped up, crossing his arms and looking ready to start another fight.
Wind whirled on him. “You want to do this now ? You think we haven’t been wondering that too? Something obviously has to be wrong!”
“Or maybe he’s on to something,” Hyrule offered. “Could be trying to puzzle something out.”
“Only you would assume it’s reasonable to just abandon the group to solve a puzzle.” Four sighed heavily.
“Look, what matters right now is that Sky’s actively hunting the poes,” Twilight said, waving his arm to get them to pay attention. “Which means all we have to do is track them . We can find him!”
“How do we track the poes?” Warriors questioned as he stared at the tattered remains of the fallen ghost.
Twilight shifted into his wolf form wordlessly, sniffing the large robe.
“Okay, but if they’re ghosts how do they even have a scent?” Wild wondered.
“The cloth should,” Four surmised with a shrug, a little put out over how quickly his discussion had been terminated.
“Do ghosts all wear the same cloth, though?”
“Is there a guide to poe fashion we need to know about?” Warriors muttered absentmindedly.
“Bet it smells like crap, though,” Wind said with a shudder. “Yuck.”
Time watched his pup sniff in circles a moment before charging through a door to the side, and everyone followed hastily.
Legend froze yet again just as he looked up at the platform ahead. Time was about to finally get on the veteran hero’s case when Legend’s entire body went rigid before he drew in a deep breath. “SKY!!”
The entire group whirled , and, sure enough, their brother-in-arms was on the platform, sword drawn and stained in black blood, ready to head to the next room. He barely moved, standing in profile to them as if he’d been in the motion of leaving when Legend had yelled at him.
Time felt the steadily growing suffocating knot in his chest loosen, though it didn’t release entirely. Sky was there, alive and within such close reach, and Time felt like he’d never had so much solace seeing one of his wayward boys.
“Sky! You’re okay!” Twilight exclaimed, relieved.
Sky swallowed thickly, his face pale and worn thin. In the lighting he looked almost gaunt, like one of the beasts crawling through this dungeon. Based on the amount of blood on his blade, it seemed Sky was the reason the others had met such little resistance so far, as Time had unfortunately suspected.
The young knight shook his head at the group, seemingly unable to speak, and just as Warriors was about to ask something, he rushed through the door.
“Wait! Sky, what are you doing?” Four called after him.
Legend was the closest and immediately pulled out his hookshot, looking for a perch since there wasn’t a clear path between the stairwell to the platform and the other side of the fallen chandelier that blocked the walkway to where Sky was. When neither the veteran nor Time could find a place for their respective hookshots to latch on, Wild ran ahead, clambering up the rock itself, though he slid quite a bit in his attempt to climb it. Legend sprang forward, using Wild as a step off to jump up to the platform, and Wild groaned, falling to the ground level just as Twilight reached out to catch him.
“Thanks, Vet!” Wild grumbled as he started to climb again.
Legend’s voice echoed from the next room. “Sky, get your sorry ass back heeeaaaaaAAAAYYYYY GIBDOS GIBDOS SHIT SHIT SHIT—”
“Come on!” Twilight called, already pulling a lever attached to yet another chain. “Let’s go!”
The group waited as Twilight hoisted the chandelier into the air, and the instant there was enough clearance they started to tear through. Wind was first, eyes fierce, and Time brought up the rear alongside Twilight. Despite their haste, the large wooden beams with spikes on them didn’t escape Time’s notice.
This place was like the Shadow Temple, then.
Pushing the thought aside, he focused on getting to Sky, and Legend’s yells were easy enough to follow. By the time they reached the veteran, the gibdos were disintegrating into ash and dust.
Legend didn’t spare them a glance, running ahead when a scream tore through the air, chilling them to their cores and making them freeze .
It wasn’t as if fear had stopped them in place. It was… well, it was fear, but a different kind, one that sank into one’s very soul and shook it with dark magic.
ReDeads.
Wind let out a whimper, stumbling backwards when he could use his legs once more, and Warriors reached out to catch him. Twilight immediately transformed again and tore ahead on all fours, teeth bared as he leapt cleanly into the air and slammed one of the beasts (were they always that short? Or was it just that Time was taller now? They still were easily a head higher than him, but…) into the ground. Its claymore clattered on the stone and Legend sank his tempered sword into the beast’s head.
Time quickly dispatched the other ReDead with fire blessed arrows, leaving an uneasy silence in the air.
“Where the hell did he go?!” Legend snapped. “Damn it!”
“Why is he doing this? He just—did he just run through the monsters and leave them to us?” Four asked the room, eyes filled with hurt.
“I don’t understand,” Wind muttered, huddled near Warriors, who had his hands on the sailor’s shoulders. “He—this doesn’t—did he—?”
Warriors’ grip tightened on the youngest Link, knuckles white. He was looking down at the ground, his eyes dark, face stony.
The entire group felt lost, standing in a haze of confusion and pain, and Twilight looked at Time helplessly.
Time tried to organize his thoughts as best as possible. They would all be looking to him for guidance.
He didn’t have any to give.
But what he did know was that he needed answers . Sky’s behavior had gone from erratic to downright dangerous. Time tried to parse it out as best he could, but the more he examined it the more he recognized that he really didn’t understand that boy. Termina had taught him to recognize that everyone had a story of their own that guided their actions, but he was only just realizing that he truly didn’t know Sky’s story at all.
Did any of them know Sky’s story? Wild was like an open book with his wounds, Warriors’ stories and remarks were always carefully interwoven with key details missing, Twilight and Hyrule’s dismissal of the importance of their adventures often left more questions than answers, Wind’s exuberance was shadowed by his very apt ability with the sword for such a young man, Legend’s knowledge spoke for itself most of the time, Four’s face spoke more than his words yet—
Time knew so little about all his boys, but he still knew something about each of them. He had slowly become the secret keeper of the group, sharp enough to catch little hints and private matters they tried to keep to themselves, understanding enough to keep his mouth shut. Some trusted him with secrets, such as Twilight and Four, others danced around the issue but didn’t deny what he might or might not have seen and heard. A silent understanding lingered between him and his boys, an understanding that he knew more than he let on but wouldn’t approach the subject until they were ready to do so.
Well. That understanding was with almost all his boys. He’d never quite had such an understanding with Sky.
The Skyloftian knight had always been warm and welcoming, kind and empathetic. Everyone went to him with their hurts, and he always seemed to know when he was needed. He was among the first to defend those who were injured, he was the first to speak up to soothe tears and anger alike.
But Time knew next to nothing about him, except that he had made that cursed blade, he was blessed to have never dealt with Ganon, and that he was in love with his Zelda. He had made those aspects of his story known.
But that was it. A person’s story was far more than three facts.
So what was Sky hiding?
A door slammed somewhere in the far distance, echoing with a haunting reverberation around the room.
“We need to keep moving,” Time finally said.
Slowly, the group came alive again, following Time with a somberness that hung heavily in the air. Twilight quietly trotted ahead, sniffing hesitantly, when he froze and started growling.
“What is it?” Wild asked, stepping forward before yelping and ducking as a blade came out of the darkness to try and take his head off his shoulders.
A bokoblin, clearly from Wind’s world based on its attire, came screaming out of the darkness alongside a lizalfos and a wolfos. Warriors quickly went to the lizalfos while the champion began to fight the ‘blin. Twilight went toe to toe with the wolfos, both snarling at each other. Time assisted his pup, helping him corner the beast while others jumped in to assist their brothers. The beasts fell quickly enough, and Time’s trained eyes noticed more signs of battle, as if these were stragglers from another fight.
“Sky’s not in league with them,” Warriors muttered with what seemed to almost be a sigh of relief .
Legend turned slowly, eyes alight with fire and bewilderment, aghast at the implications of such a statement. Twilight barked loudly just as the veteran opened his mouth, and Wind stomped his foot.
“This is stupid!” the sailor pronounced. “This is so stupid ! Why is this happening?! What’s Sky thinking?!”
Hyrule ran ahead without a word, making everyone yell after him and hastily follow. Time felt his own control of the situation quickly slipping, and it was making him extremely agitated. One of his boys was already in danger; he didn’t need the rest of them putting themselves in perilous situations.
This group was slowly falling apart, and Time felt powerless to stop it. The soothing, quiet, constant, and gentle seam that weaved between all of them and bound them together was fraying apart and rushing ahead into danger, making the rest of them unravel.
They reentered the large chamber that held the torches and sealed gate only to find that the gate was now open, with all the torches lit brightly.
“How did he—?!”
Hyrule’s question was interrupted as enemies pulled themselves out of the quicksand flanking the staircase, and before Time knew it, they were surrounded.
Wild stared ahead at the stairs and the open gate, eyes desperate.
“Champion, no!” Time called, but it was too late. The scarred hero rushed ahead, though his progress was halted by a large moblin bringing its weapon down to bear on him. Warriors helped block the attack, knocking him off balance enough that an arrow grazed his leg. He hissed and Legend froze the moblin in place with his ice rod just as Wild shattered a blade against its legs, crippling it. Time was too preoccupied with the two lizalfos in front of him, gritting his teeth as they moved with more speed than should have been possible.
Hyrule sent a sword beam flying towards one of the lizalfos, knocking down the beast when the blow really should have gutted it.
Wind let out a battle cry as he leapt off the stone railing of the stairs, getting an aerial advantage and sinking his blade into one of the lizalfos’ heads with deadly accuracy. The beast fell, and the sailor bashed the other away with his shield. Behind him, Time heard Twilight yelp, and he whirled to see the wolf get cut deeply into his right shoulder by a stalfos. He quickly pulled out his bow and fired an arrow between the creature’s humeral head and elbow joint, temporarily pausing its attack and preventing its arm from moving, giving Twilight time to limp backwards and regroup with his ancestor. Time swept his large blade up diagonally, shattering bones and armor alike, and the stalfos clattered to the ground in pieces, giving him a moment to appraise the situation.
The group was chaotic and uncoordinated, anger evident on some faces while others continued to be distracted by the obvious path Sky had taken. Four rolled between two bokoblins to avoid an attack, slicing one of the ‘blins while doing so. Warriors had managed to get a few more cuts but was fighting well enough, back-to-back with Wild, who now seemed to be fixated on protecting the captain after getting him hurt. Though Wild’s expertise with the blade was more than proficient, archery was his main specialty, and being so close to the captain in the center of the action was wearing him down quickly. Hyrule was halfway up the stairs, watching the situation while holding his blade tightly in his hands, face focused, making Time uneasy. Legend had swapped weapons and was instead fighting with his blade once more, yelling a curse at the lizalfos that was slowly cornering him as keese began to fly over everyone. Wind was—
Wind was about to get hit .
“Sailor!” Time shouted in warning as he rushed to the boy’s aid. Wind was too busy eliminating a flock of keese to notice the bokoblin behind him, ready to strike—
Warriors yelled as Wind turned, but it was too late. The blow made contact, and Wind went flying across the room, out cold.
The room broke into pandemonium now. Hyrule cried out, his blade set ablaze with magic, and he easily felled the swarms of keese, making fire and small burnt bodies shower down on everyone. Time raised his shield to block the grisly precipitation while Legend swatted them away instead, distracted and getting punched clearly in the gut with a bokoblin club. Warriors killed the beast in retaliation, turning to run towards Wind as Wild covered the veteran while he regained his breath. Twilight was also tearing towards their youngest, his limp slowing him considerably, and Time turned to face the last large foe alongside Four, who was patting flames on his tunic and hissing.
Four dove ahead before Time, attracting the enemy moblin’s attention and giving Time an opportunity to dive in. The beast had bent downward to reach its small opponent, exposing its neck to Time’s blade. As the two leapt out of the way of the beast’s crumbling form after the blow, they saw that the others were picking off the remainders of the horde with a fair amount of ease.
Time rushed to where Twilight was guarding Wind, bending over Warriors, who was tending to the sailor. Wind’s hair and half his face were stained with blood, and despite the captain’s gentle nudges, he remained motionless. More blood stained his cheek as Warriors tapped it lightly, and Time saw that their captain had a not only acquired more injuries, some were deep enough to break his armor. He held his shield arm to his chest protectively.
“Captain—”
“He needs a fairy,” Warriors interrupted. “We don’t have time sit around and wait for him to recover.”
“Or you,” Time added as he pulled out the last of his fairies. “Rancher, help me sit him up.”
Twilight shifted back into Hylian form, kneeling beside Wind and propping him up. The Ordonian’s own shoulder wound was far more evident now, staining his tunic red. Time uncorked the bottle with the precious healing gift, and the fairy hovered between Twilight, Warriors, and Wind before the elder heroes motioned towards the sailor. The pink light brightened around the fairy as it worked its magic around Wind’s head, and the sailor stirred.
Legend walked over, his feet shuffling as he downed half a potion and took a deep breath, the first Time had seen him take since the hit to his chest and gut. Then the veteran held out the remainder to Warriors. He gave a sharp command before the captain could even get a word in, and Time’s stern look was enough impetus to push him into compliance.
Wind groaned, rubbing his head wearily as he opened his eyes. “What happened…?”
Warriors quickly went to the boy’s side as Time replaced Twilight in supporting him. “You took a bit of a hit there, kid.”
Wind soured at the nickname, but was apparently too woozy to argue. Time gave him a reassuring smile before glancing at his descendant. “You should—”
“We need to preserve what potions we have left,” Twilight interrupted immediately, having predicted what Time was going to say. “We were already running low on supplies—”
“We just stocked up in Ordon Village,” Time reminded him.
“We stocked up on some supplies in the village,” Twilight fired back. “We don’t have potions in Ordon.”
“There’s milk.”
Twilight bit the inside of his cheek, clearly trying to come up with an argument before sighing in defeat. “Fine. I’ll drink some milk.”
“Does anybody wonder if that stuff ever goes bad…?” Four asked in the background as the Ordonian downed half a bottle.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Time said with a half smile.
“You drink poes. Your opinion is invalid on the matter.”
Wind giggled, still a little addled. “Why couldn’t you drink the big poes here?”
“Maybe next time,” the eldest Link replied, brushing sweaty hair out of the boy's face. “Think you can stand?”
Wind huffed proudly. “Of course I can stand! I’ve had much worse!”
To prove his point, the sailor leapt to his feet with gusto, and then hastily stumbled backwards into the wall.
“We have to go!” Legend called. “Some of us aren’t waiting!”
Time turned and saw Hyrule and Wild already running up the stairs, and he bit back a groan. There was no stopping them at this point. Warriors steadied Wind and the rest of the heroes rushed after their impatient friends.
“I remember this part,” Twilight muttered. “If Sky didn’t get too far ahead, we can—”
“Sky, wait!!” Wild cried up ahead. “Guys, help!”
Everyone doubled their speed only to find themselves caught in a new horde of monsters, with Sky in the center, bathed in black and red blood alike. The room was filled with stalfos, gibdos, keese, bokoblins, skulltullas, and lizalfos. A few were slain on the ground, but most were converging on Sky, while Wild immediately brought out three bomb arrows at once.
Time held out a hand, alarmed. “Champion—!”
Wild aimed straight for a large skulltulla, loosing the arrows. Time immediately dove for Sky, knocking the young knight to the ground just as the arrows made impact. The blast temporarily blew out his hearing, making the world seem vaguely distant while a high pitch ringing drove him insane. Time groaned, coughing and gasping when Hyrule’s boot slammed into his vision as the traveler blocked a monster attack that would have likely crippled him. Sky squirmed under him, clamoring for an escape route. Time pushed himself up, hastily moving aside as Sky shot out from underneath him. He managed to snag the boy by his sailcloth just as his hearing returned, sending him crashing back into reality.
Everyone was in the room now, fighting and pushing monsters away from the center where Time and Sky stood. Worried glances were thrown their way, but now that they had all regrouped and Sky was seemingly alive and okay, everyone was finally on their game once more.
Well, except for Sky himself.
The teenager twirled, turning himself around to face Time, knocking his hand off his sailcloth, but Time grabbed him by the wrists.
“Please,” Sky wheezed a frantic, tear filled plea. “Please, you have to leave.”
Time furrowed his brow. Of all the different scenarios running through his head, the boy begging them to get away was not the first one that had come to mind upon their reunion.
The sharp interrogation that had been brewing inside of him fizzed out like water escaping a dam, and instead his heart filled with worry. Sky’s eyes were wild, his face sweaty, his body trembling with exhaustion. Time had never seen the boy this frantic and unwell. “Sky… what’s wrong ? Let us help you.”
“You can’t help!” Sky replied, twisting his wrist so much he was likely hurting himself to get out of Time’s grip. “Please, I—”
Wind suddenly used his wind waker to blast a flock of keese into the wall, and the force of the air sent Time and Sky flying right into a half crumbled wall. The stones gave way when they slammed their shoulders into it, and Time felt pain shoot from his shoulder blade all the way into his fingertips.
It’s a good thing I wear armor , he thought dully as he groaned. His mind reoriented quickly, a frantic sense of urgency pushing him to look for Sky, who had fallen entirely into the room beyond the wall. It was a large circular area, covered in sand except for a platform in the center.
The monsters slowly seemed to be pushing the others towards the room as well, and Time hastily sprang to his feet to stop a lizalfos strike from tearing into his already injured shoulder. His body was not happy with the overhead maneuver. When he glanced back, Sky was finally pushing himself into a standing position once more.
Something dark materialized between Time and Sky, and the eldest Link felt his blood run cold.
“Sky!” he cried out in warning, garnering everyone’s attention, but the one person who needed to hear him was distracted, and the dark shadow rammed into the teenager, who stumbled right into the center platform.
As soon as Sky fell backwards onto it, the Shadow coalesced into a figure, walking towards him slowly as the platform rose into the air.
“No!” Time yelled alongside Twilight, who tore ahead, pulling out a bizarre looking device and slamming it into some grooves in the wall. He hopped onto it, and the strange spinning top started to ascend the wall alongside a cut out path. There was the remains of a stairway jutting out in the wall, and Twilight seemed to be heading for it so he could leap off and get to the centerpiece, but skulltullas were crawling to that point as well. Time felt his heart in his throat, terrified at both what the Shadow could do to Sky and that Twilight might get injured again. He pulled out his bow and arrows to assist the rancher when a lizalfos from behind drew his attention instead. One of Wild’s bomb arrows blew by him to eliminate the skulltulla, and Twilight yelped, leaping off the spinner just as the arrows killed the skulltulla… and the platform Twilight had been heading for.
Time turned to yell at Wild (mainly for almost blowing Twilight up… a selfish part of Time was thankful his descendant couldn’t reach the Shadow alone now), but the champion was already watching sheepishly in realization. He held up an appeasing hand as he put his bomb arrows away.
“We have to find a way to get up there,” Time said loudly over the din as the champion examined the room. “The Shadow has Sky pinned down.”
“The Shadow?!” Wild repeated.
“Damn it, Champ!” Twilight swore uncharacteristically, face pale with worry. “Sky’s up there!”
“What?! Sky’s up there?” Four yelled as he leapt off a wall to give himself some extra speed and height, driving his blade through a moblin’s heart.
Legend rushed over, an unfamiliar cane in his hands. “Get me up there. I’ll protect him.”
“That’s just it , I can’t get up there with if Champion keeps blowing up the platforms— ”
“Solutions now, blaming later!” Warriors barked from the other side of the room.
The monsters all stopped fighting. Everyone froze in mid parry or attack, confused.
What were they…?
There was a harsh, dark laugh that echoed around the area, making everyone look up at the platform. Sky was barely visible, staring at something they couldn’t see.
“What’s happening?” Wind asked slowly.
Legend groaned. “Oh, no. He’s about to monologue, isn’t he?”
“Let him,” Warriors muttered. “It gives us time to find a way up there.”
“Not so loudly, though!” Wind hissed. “What if he can hear us?”
“There’s no way he can hear us all the way down here,” Wild pointed out.
“I can hear you,” a voice echoed down to them.
“WELL THAT’S GREAT BECAUSE YOU’RE A COWARD!” Wind suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs. “GET YOUR SORRY SHADOWY BUTT DOWN HERE AND FIGHT US LIKE AN ACTUAL WARRIOR!”
Twilight and Warriors were both eying the path that his spinner had climbed. The two slowly crept towards the wall.
Footsteps bounced around the area, building a strange dread in Time’s chest as he looked up and felt his heart stop.
His own face was looking back at him, eyes red and skin grey, as if he had been rotting away in the Water Temple for years.
The Water Temple.
This shadow… was his?!
“You…” he muttered.
His Shadow smiled. “Me? Don’t make too many assumptions yet. Now excuse me. I have someone to talk to, and your noise was far too deafening for a civil conversation.”
“Just get out of here!” Sky suddenly yelled, rushing to the edge of the platform. “I’ve got this!”
“Try anything foolish and my beasts will finish you off,” the Shadow advised before swiping at Sky with his blade, making the knight disappear as he jumped back to dodge it. Time snapped back into focus, stepping forward with alarm, as the Shadow walked away.
“So, uh… should we just kill the monsters while they’re not attacking?” Wild offered.
“That doesn’t seem right…” Hyrule noted uneasily. Lowering his tone, he said, “Besides, if he thinks we’re just stuck down here, then we can sneak up. If we attack them they’ll just start fighting back, and then it’ll take longer to get to Sky.”
“He definitely can’t hear us saying that, right?” Wind whispered.
The group waited. There was silence.
Time glanced upward. At least that meant the pair wasn’t fighting yet. He didn’t know how that shadow version of himself from decades ago had managed to grow so powerful, but…
Goddesses above. It had almost killed Twilight. It was going to kill Sky.
“Whatever we’re figuring out, we need to do so quickly,” he said softly.
Hang in there, Sky. We’re coming.
#wow this chapter is long#Wild hates spiders in case it wasn't apparent#Legend has dealt with too many villain monologues#I was going for a serious tone and the boys kept making it silly#but whatever I just rolled with it#with Sky gone they're all slowly unraveling anyway#Sky is too tired for this nonsense#he has hit apathy levels in the beginning#also he's a speedrunner for dungeons because Shadow wanted to get him to a certain point#and because I didn't want to rewrite the entire freaking dungeon#that was a huge part of the delay in this chapter#so I focused on characters instead#anyway it's almost 8am and I haven't gone to bed so I should probably do that now XD#writing#linkeduniverse#linked universe#lu sky#and all the boys#Legend's reaction to gibdos is my reaction to gibdos#elastic heart
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this is so weirdly specific and you don’t need to respond if it doesn’t tickle your fancy but i am just so obsessed with james taking r’s pants off ???? like she’s getting undressed and he’s all “lemme do it for you” either in a sexual or just casual situation .. both are so 😵💫😵💫
hi i see u sent a second one after this and i added it in at the end because it was so cute this concept is insane and it deserves more than i gave 18+ please for suggestive theme! tysm for ur request
You like fucking James but you're just as happy to lie beside him and watch the TV, read a book, whatever it is. He's usually pretty loud about when he's in the mood and you've learned to be the same so it surprises you when he offers to take your jeans off for you.
"Can I?" he asks, reaching out.
You must've missed the signs, you think, curious and quickly happy. His fingertips replace yours, cold against the stretch of your abdomen where they slide under the fabric of your jeans. He pops the buttons with his thumbs and then unzips, pulling your trousers down methodically, kindly. You step out and he folds them up, and you wait to see if he's going to do anything, excited.
To your disappointment he goes back to what he was doing, fiddling with the TV.
You're confused but don't really mind, knowing that if you asked him for a tumble he'd likely say yes. You're not that wound up and you're pretty tired, so you climb in bed and forget all about it.
You remember quickly a few days later.
"These jeans are digging into me," you whine to yourself in the living room. You undo the button and start to shimmy out of them, find your hands quickly batted away by your boyfriend's.
His fingers leave a trail of goosebumps where they run down your legs, tugging your jeans off quickly. He leans down to kiss a random patch of skin of your thigh and you don't trick yourself into getting excited this time, though your tummy feels warm.
"Why…"
"Hm?" he asks, settling back down into his seat.
You bite your lip. "Nothing."
"Whatever you say, angel."
The next time, you bite. James has beat you to it, big hands pulling the strings on your soft sweatpants. You stop him before he takes them off.
"Jamie," you begin fondly, "I can take my own trousers off, you know?"
He smiles, brown eyes clear and bright, a quizzical pout on his lips. "I know?"
"S'why do you insist?"
"Well." He shrugs his shoulders. "Why should you?"
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Feels like my job."
"But, you never…"
"Never what?"
"Never fuck me, after."
His lips part and then quickly press closed. He blinks his thick, dark lashes at you, a picture of confusion and then, alarmingly, mischief.
"Aw, poor girl. Have I been teasing you without knowing?"
You try to save yourself. "No! No, I was just. Okay, the first time I thought- but. You didn't. Uh?"
He walks towards you slowly. You take a deep breath as he tilts your head back, controlled in his expression though there's a hint of heat in his deep brown eyes. James leans in until his mouth is by your ear. You swallow nothing.
His fingers push under your shirt. First, his hand presses flat to your naval. "You thought I was…" his hand moves down, slow, until his fingertips tease the elastics of your trousers, "playing with you?"
You catch his wrist as his fingers push under and he's quick to pull back in case it's not what you want. It is what you want, you just have something to say first.
"Careful, loverboy. I'll never undress myself ever again."
He grins, pulling you towards him by the small of your back, the other hand slowly easing your waistband over the curve of your hip. "That's the plan," he murmurs smugly, just before he catches your mouth with his.
You get pretty used to him taking your trousers off after that, though it takes a while for the memory to fade, for you to let him without heat rising madly to your cheeks.
So used to it that when he goes away for a rugby match and you can't, you get whiny.
"What's the matter?" he asks earnestly over the phone.
You've just huffed to yourself. You feel both shy and annoyed when you confess, "I really did get used to it."
"To what?" he asks, though the lilt of his voice has you picturing him in your mind, handsome and smirking.
"T'you taking my clothes off for me."
He chuckles, a chest deep thing that has you missing him more. "Sorry, sweetness. I'll make it up to you when I get back, yeah? Take off a little more than your trousers." You're smiling, about to say something cheeky when you hear laughter.
"James, are you at the pub?"
"That is accurate."
You'll kill him. "You've ruined me for life and now you're dirty talking me in public?"
"You think this is fun for me, imagining you taking off your trousers when I'm not around?"
"James!"
"Learn how to take them off again, then, angel," he advises in a hurried whisper, "best not be wearing any when I get home."
You fling your phone across the bed and try to suffocate yourself. He's awful.
#james potter fic#james potter#marauders era#marauders#james potter x reader#james potter x y/n#james potter x you#james potter fluff#james potter blurb#james potter drabble
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There is one dear topic, however, on which my memory fails me not. It is the person of Ligeia. In stature she was tall, somewhat slender, and in her latter days, even emaciated. I would in vain attempt to portray the majesty, the quiet ease of her demeanor, or the incomprehensible lightness and elasticity of her footfall. She came and departed as a shadow. I was never made aware of her entrance into my closed study, save by the dear music of her low sweet voice, as she placed her marble hand upon my shoulder. In beauty of face no maiden ever equalled her. It was the radiance of an opium-dream — an airy and spirit-lifting vision move wildly divine than the phantasies which hovered about the slumbering souls of the daughters of Delos. Yet her features were not of that regular mould which we have been falsely taught to worship in the classical labors of the heathers. “There is no exquisite beauty,” says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of beauty, “without some strangeness in the proportion.” Yet, although I saw that the features of Ligeia were not of a classic regularity — although I perceived that her loveliness was indeed “exquisite,” and felt that there was much of “strangeness” pervading it, yet I have tried in vain to detect the irregularity and to trace home my own perception of “the strange.” I examined the contour of the lofty and pale forehead — it was faultless — how cold indeed that word when applied to a majesty so divine! — the skin rivalling the purest ivory, the commanding extent and repose, the gentle prominence of the regions above the temples; and then the raven-black, the glossy, the luxuriant, and naturally-curling tresses, setting forth the full force the Homeric epithet, “hyacinthine!” I looked at the delicate outlines of the nose — and nowhere but in the graceful medallions of the Hebrews had I beheld the a similar perfection. There were the same luxurious smoothness of surface, the same scarcely perceptible tendency to the aquiline, the same harmoniously curved nostrils speaking the free spirit. I regarded the sweet mouth. Here was indeed the triumph of all things heavenly — the magnificent turn of the short upper lip — the soft, voluptuous slumber of the under — the dimples which sported, and the color which spoke — the teeth glancing back, with a brilliancy almost startling, every ray of the holy light which fell upon them in her serene and placid yet most exultingly radiant of all smiles. I scrutinized the formation of the chin — and here too, I found the gentleness of breadth, the softness and the majesty, the fulness and the spirituality, of the Greek — the contour which the god Apollo revealed but in a dream, to Cleomenes, the son of the Athenian. And then I peered into the large eyes of Ligeia.
— Edgar Allan Poe, Ligeia, second paragraph
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Zero waste bag quilt
Summary:
Leftover threads, yarn, waste fabric and fabric scraps too small to be usable get cut up to form the quilt filling. (If you are recycling previously used fabric, make sure it’s thoroughly washed and dried before you cut it up.)
Fabric waste and leftovers of a useable size are cut into regular size rectangles or squares (the book recommends 5-6 inches by 3 inches).
The rectangles are sewn on three sides, filled to about a third and no more than half, and then closed up.
The quilt itself is comprised of these small bags joined into a large rectangle.
Because it will be heavier and denser than a contemporary ready-made, store bought polyester quilt, make sure to shake and air the quilt regularly.
Source: Needlework Economies: A Book of Mending and Making with Oddments and Scraps, edited by Flora Klickmann. Available at gutenberg.org
Full excerpt below the cut.
The Economy Quilt.
Bedclothes become an expensive item when there are several beds for young people to be made up, as well as those for their elders. Yet warmth is essential, if their health is to be maintained.
In the winter, there usually comes a night of sudden cold, so raw and so intense, that it seems next to impossible to put too much on the beds. Every spare blanket is turned out, and every eider-down, and still there is not enough! Next morning someone is sure to say they never got warm all night!
Of course, eider-downs are ideal. They are warm without being heavy. But real eider-downs are expensive. Here is a substitute that was popular in our grandmothers’ day. It is simply a quilt formed of small bags, sewn together like patchwork, each bag containing a certain amount of snippets and clippings. Very simple, isn’t it? And yet these quilts, that cost practically nothing, are invaluable in the cold weather. Put one of these over the outside of the bed, and the sleeper keeps as snug and warm as though under a couple of down quilts.
One great advantage of this quilt is the ease with which it can be made. A child can always run up a little bag; a child can also cut up snippets, if it is old enough to be allowed to use a scissors. Mother can run round a few bags with her sewing machine, just before putting it away after doing needlework. In this way the bags accumulate in a surprising manner; and joining them together, a few at a time, either by hand or with the machine, is not laborious or brain-wearing work.
The Method I Always Adopt.
For some years now, I have made it a rule always to have one of these quilts on hand. If I do not need it myself, when it is finished, I always know someone who can put it to good use. Any woman who has an elastic family and a non-elastic purse, is glad of one for a gift.
I save every scrap of material that would otherwise be wasted. If it is not new, I have it washed and thoroughly dried. All this waste goes into a bag that I keep hanging up in a cupboard in my bedroom. I never allow a large amount to accumulate, lest moth should get at it. I have seldom more than a couple of handfuls at one time waiting to be dealt with.
On my chest of drawers I keep a box. In this there is always a pair of sharp scissors. When I have a few moments idle—between the lights when it is too dark to see much else, or when my eyes are too tired to do work requiring close attention—I cut up a few of the scraps from the bag into snippets about an inch square sometimes smaller, never larger. I put these in the box.
Worked in Sections.
Then again, whenever I have any bits from dressmaking, or mending, or darning, it has become second nature with me to cut them up there and then into snippets, and put them in the box. In fact, I always have the snippet box on the table beside my work box when I am sewing, and the bits go in as a matter of course as I go along. It keeps me so tidy. Everything comes in useful, even fragments of darning wool, ravellings and basting threads!
I save any scraps of material large enough to make the bags; a useful size is five or six inches by three inches. I run up three sides of these when I have a spare moment; put in a small handful of snippets, and close up the end. These I put in a drawer till I have time to join them together. I always machine mine together, as it is the quickest way.
Do not fill the bags anything like full, or the quilt will be impossibly heavy. If you fill the bag about a third full, or at most a very loose half-full, that will be quite enough. Each little bag just wants a slight thickness inside, to give the extra warmth, much the same as we sometimes line quilts with a layer of cotton wool between two cotton covers.
The reason we put the clippings in little bags, instead of into one bag, is to keep the stuff evenly distributed over the surface of the bed. Otherwise, every time the sleeper turned over, or disarranged the coverings, there would be the chance of all the clippings slipping over, and collecting themselves on the one side or the other of the bed, or possibly all falling to the foot of the bed.
A quilt made of the bags, not too full, can be shaken and kept thoroughly aired.
Almost any sort of material can be used for the bags, provided it is not too delicate in colour, as one does not want to have a quilt of this sort frequently going to the cleaners. Strong stuffs are best, such as cretonne, serge, stout print, sateen—anything in fact that will stand some wear.
Mix cotton clippings with wool clippings in each bag. Obviously the quilt will not need any lining, as the back will be fairly neat. If you like, you can finish the edge with a cord; but I myself always aim to get the outside bags all of one colour scheme; this in itself makes a certain finish—a kind of border—and I just leave it at that. After all, these quilts are not for ornament so much as stern utility; nevertheless, they can be made to look really pretty, if a little care and taste is expended on the placing of the various colours and designs.
#zero waste crafts#finally a solution to my fabric waste collection#one of the biggest barriers to sewing my own things was not having a responsible way to deal with the waste#now there is no waste only future quilt!
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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Marble blue and white mesh set sz M.
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Each afternoon, I pick out up my two children, ages 4 and seven, on our ebike. The second one their ft hit the bottom at our area, their palms right away move to the chin straps conserving their helmets on their heads. Earlier than I will dive and rescue them—crash! Ruin! They’ve whipped their helmets off. The delicate, protecting headgear hits the bottom with a crack.I do my easiest to prevent them, however it’s arduous accountable them. Helmets can considerably reduce your risk of injury, however they're additionally tense. I might by no means believe driving a motorbike with out one (neatly, almost never), however nearly every helmet I’ve attempted is very large and clunky, each to put on and to hold. They have got to suit exactly. They’re pricey, and, maximum necessary, they’re single-use items.Maximum motorbike helmets are produced from a stiff, expanded polystyrene foam. To give protection to your noggin, the froth absorbs the drive of the crash affect by means of shattering. Now not best do you need to exchange them after a crash, a 4-year-old smashing his helmet again and again into the wall can compromise their protection. And should you’re going through an extended stroll house and wish to hire a handy escooter or ebike as an alternative of taking a Lyft? Overlook about it. Head, meet pavement.However what should you had a handy, at ease helmet that didn’t make you are feeling like a dork whilst dressed in it? The Newton-Rider N1 helmet has elicited compliments from nearly everybody who has observed me dressed in it. It’s compact and classy and about part the thickness of a typical helmet. It sits on best of your head like a beanie, as an alternative of being dialed tightly round your scalp. We’ve observed different answers to this drawback prior to, however at $300, airbag helmets just like the Hövding aren’t in particular available. They have additionally been round for a number of years now and have not begun to look common adoption. The N1, on the other hand, costs $99.If you purchase one thing the usage of hyperlinks in our tales, we would possibly earn a fee. This is helping enhance our journalism. Learn more.Head ToolsPhotograph: Newton-RiderThe Newton-Rider N1 folds to suit with ease to your bag and is designed to offer protection to your head in opposition to a couple of affects, no longer only one. That reduces waste and saves you cash.The helmet’s coverage comes from a chain of panels, hooked up to one another with stretchy, sturdy material. Each and every panel is composed of 3 layers of coverage: a difficult polycarbonate shell, a shock-absorbing elastic polyurethane foam, and an internal core made up of what Newton-Rider phrases “supermolecules,” made from a proprietary non-Newtonian thermoplastic elastomer.
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#NewtonRider #Motorbike #Helmet #Folds #Have compatibility #Bag
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Sweatshirts Should Be Owned By Everyone || OhCanadaShop
A long-sleeved pullover garment made of thick, typically cotton fabric is referred to as a cool sweatshirt. The majority of the time, cool sweatshirts are worn casually, making them less formal than some sweaters. There may or may not be a hood on cool hoodies. Although more formal media still uses the word "hooded Cool sweatshirt," the term "hoodie" is now frequently used to refer to a Cool sweatshirt with a hood.
if I had to live my entire existence wearing just one piece of clothing. I think it's safe to assume that I'd go with sweatpants. I say this because. I've compiled a list of the top reasons why I believe everyone should have at least one set of sweatshirts, sweatpants shorts, fleece shorts, or whatever name you prefer to give them.
The continuous chafing and itching that the Alabama Crimson Tide football team's wool uniforms caused in 1920 got quarterback Benjamin Russell Jr. to collaborate with his father, a manufacturer, to develop a superior solution. At the period, Russell Manufacturing Company produced knit shirts and underwear for women and kids.
Knowing how long-lasting and comfortable cotton is, they modified a ladies' union suit top to make a new practice jersey out of the thick cotton that was made throughout the factory. These oversized, collarless pullovers, which were created from women's underwear and used as men's football uniforms, would later become a classic Cool sweatshirt. Russell later established the Russell Athletic Company, a new division of his factory that was exclusively dedicated to the manufacturing of Cool sweatshirts.
When American colleges started printing their names on the Cool sweatshirt in the 1960s, the sweatshirt's potential as a portable advertising tool became clear. University names on Cool sweatshirts became the go-to casual attire for showing school loyalty among both students and parents. Along with the T-shirt, the Cool hoodie offered a simple and efficient means of mass information distribution. Sweatshirts with cool slogans were an inevitable result of the 1970s T-shirt craze. Recognizing the relative ease of customization and the potency of clever graphics mixed with catchphrases, Cool sweatshirts evolved into a platform for both the wearer and the creator to express their unique personalities.
Sweatpants can be worn for exercise or for casual attire. It makes sense to wear sweatpants while working out. They are ideal for working out because the majority are made of airy materials like Cool sweatshirt fleece or french terry. With this stretchy material, you can get low like Lil Jon and rule leg day. Additionally, it aids in evaporation, which keeps your body fresh. So start working hard and working up perspiration. I suggest wearing black perspiration shorts if you perspire a lot. They conceal perspiration stains better than grey does.
The fact that sweat shorts are comfy is the main reason I wear them. Sweat shorts are typically constructed from Cool sweatshirt fabric. Typically, cotton and polyester are blended to create this cloth, making it soft and flexible. Fleece is a soft material that feels amazing against your legs. Sweat shorts are a necessity for both men and women due to the elastic waist and open fit. If you've never worn sweatpants, let me explain. Please. Give yourself a break.
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"Waves In The Sand" furry m/m
Part 1 of 5
Check out the PDF on Fur Affinity https://www.furaffinity.net/user/ondynmael
Auxwald (Aux) - Harbor seal - 36
“The Try-Hards” band
Sand - Kangaroo - 28 (drummer)
Shredder - Fox - 26 (lead vocals and guitar)
Taylor - Red-tailed Hawk - 25 (base and backing vocals)
Paulo - salamander - 24 (keyboard and other stuff)
“Holy shit,” Shredder murmured. “Sand, you awake?” He leaned forward in the lounge chair, pointed red ears pricked forward. He slid his sunglasses down his long snout, staring at something across the hotel pool.
“What is it?” I asked, struggling to sit up as well. I was reluctant to move. The late morning sun was brutal, sapping strength and tension from my muscles and converting into a glaze of sweat that slicked my chest and long kangaroo tail, and glued my back to the plastic slats of the chair. I tried to follow the fox’s gaze.
I spotted the guy he was looking at right away. There weren’t many people staying at the pool besides Shredder and I and the rest of the band. It was too early in the season for any ocean goers save the surfers. And this guy was definitely not a surfer, though he may have been once. He was wearing a speedo with a top that looked sort of like a kimono, silk, baggy short sleeves, no buttons, just a sash tying it underneath his ample gut. His body was smooth and grey mottled with white, like most seals, but he was chubby even for a marine animal.
Before I could stop myself, Iet out a low “woah.”
I was glad Shredder didn’t hear it.
“Check out his tattoos,” I said.
“Yah, that’s how I recognized him,” said Shredder. “The crazy hand tats, like lightning bolts? It’s Auxwald, this writer I’m, like, obsessed with.”
The seal had his back to us as he set up a fluffy towel, a book, and a huge water bottle on the table beside his chair of choice. It was hard for me to take my eyes off the beefcake, taking in his round, powerful thighs. When he dropped a bottle of sunblock and bent to pick it up, At the sight of his butt cheeks, two round pink and cerulean bubbles barely squeezed into his XXL speedo, I crossed my legs. Just in case something between them got a little too excited.
Then what Shredder had said hit home.
“Bruh, you read books?”
Shredder licked his nose, a familiar gesture that meant he had a secret he was dying to tell. His golden eyes glittered in the shade of his umbrella.
“Only the kind with a really good climax, you know what I’m saying?” he said quietly. When he saw my dumb expression, he snapped the waistband of his trunks to emphasis his point.
I laughed hesitantly. “Like… erotic literature?”
“M slash m, my guy.”
“Dude, that’s gay as fuck.”
“Yah, which is why I’m surprised you don’t know him, pretty boy,” Shredder laughed. “Biggest man slut in the world, over here.”
“Hey, woah,” I said. “Maybe in the band, not the world.”
“Nah, Taylor’s definitely stroked more dicks than you. You can tell by the way he holds his bass.”
I fell back onto my chair again. “He’d knock your teeth out if he heard that one.”
“Nah, I need those for singing.” Shredder pushed his sunglasses up. “Besides, I probably got more pull than all of you. That’s why I share a room with Paulo, I can kick the kid out when I bring a dude back after the show.”
“The frontman is the sexiest member, how basic.”
“Well, we all know it’s never the drummer.”
“Fuck off,” I said distractedly. I was trying to get a better look at this Auxwald guy -- was that really his name? Fucking writers. They were always weirdos. He was sitting away from anyone else, face partially hidden behind sleek aviators. His broad, silvery marine mammal body lay gleaming in the sun, the silk sash undone for his protruding belly to bask in the sun, rudder-like tail curled in the shade. His weight caused the elastic slats of the pool chair to sag low beneath his girth. He looked totally relaxed, thick arms behind his smooth head and legs spread wide, at ease in his body, like he was unconcerned with anyone passing by thinking “a guy that fat should be covered up”. I didn’t have confidence like that, despite my muscular arms and legs. This was a guy in his element. I felt the space between my own legs get hotter than even the sun could make it.
As I watched, a red and black snake in a polo and boating shorts approached him with a small tray. Auxwald took the icy drink off it and patted his chest with a fist. The server gave a thumbs up sign and walked away as Auxwald took out the paper umbrella and sipped his drink with no straw.
What was that? The heat made me feel stupid but confounded by the exchange. Neither had spoken a word, so they clearly were familiar with one another. Was Auxwald a regular at this hotel?
One of the sparse, fast-moving clouds darted briefly in front of the sun. Shredder rubbed his furry thighs anxiously. “I kinda want to say hello to him.”
“You should,” I nodded, and felt a little twinge of sympathetic anxiety.
“No, I don’t wanna bother him.”
“Do it, dude. I bet he loves guys with shredder-ed bodies like you.”
“Good one, dad,” he said, smiling patronizingly at my worn-out joke.
But it was true. Shredder was six feet and cut as fuck, a dark, handsome fox with a body like a god of fire and shadow. Between his look, his lyrics, and his showmanship, he’d become an instant icon in the queer punk scene. When I’d joined The Try-Hards three years ago, he was already able to whip the packs at concerts into a frenzy, and his charisma had only grown since. Everyone loves foxes.
I was more intimidating looking: eyebrow and septum piercings, husky, possessed of that classic brute-ish look most kangaroos have. I was the oldest member of the band and looked like it. I was also the newest, and with Shredder in the spotlight and Paulo and Taylor close behind, sometimes I felt like I was fading into the background, metaphorically and literally.
But that suited me fine. Behind the drumset was where I belonged. Sometimes I wished I could get the same level of attention as Shred, but if I was feeling really horny before a show, there was usually someone working at the venue who wanted to suck the dick of a band member in a backroom. That was enough for me.
Shredder jumped off of his lounge chair. “Ok, I’ve got the perfect plan.”
“Plan?”
“To get Auxwald to sleep with me, dumbass.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Really? You’re gonna land the erotica fiction writer? How old is he anyway?”
“Mid-thirties, but whatever, that’ll just make it easier. Think about it: someone who has to write erotica probably isn’t getting any in real life, right?”
In fact, I figured it was probably the opposite, but I kept my mouth closed. Auxwald was pretty fat – maybe he did have trouble finding partners who were into.
Shredder tightened the drawstring of his trunks, baggy around his toned hips, and wagged his tail. He took off his sunglasses and put them on the side table. “Wish me luck.”
“No,” I said. I stood up too, grabbing the sunglasses and putting them on my own face.
I headed to the pool edge and sat down, watching through shaded lenses as Shredder strolled to the deep end. The cold water was magical on my feet, and I slumped forward with relief, curling my tail around so the end could dangle into the pool as well.
And then I sat up again, arching my back as straight as possible. I had never had a six pack my whole life, and a few years ago I’d given up trying for them, dropping the stupid diets and quickly getting even softer around the middle. I did have rock-hard abs! They were just covered in several pounds of chub that bulged out when I sat down. My six pack insurance protection, Taylor called it. I tried to lean back, eliminate the paunch. Probably just made it worse. But there weren't many people sitting around the pool anyway.
Shredder was shaking his whole body and slapping his sides like a professional swimmer. Was he? I didn’t think so. He danced back and forth, tucked his ears back, did a few quick squats, the fucking drama queen. Finally, with an audible gasp, he did a fairly impressive dive into the eight foot depth of the pool.
I glanced at Auxwald, not turning my head, just using my eyes, concealed behind Shredder’s sunglasses. I wasn’t sure if he had seen the dive or not, but he did look when Shredder came up for air and started a powerful but splashy front crawl. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or amused. Maybe both. With a body like Shredder’s, all feats of athleticism, even those poorly executed, looked pretty sexy.
Auxwald was definitely looking now as Shredder clumsily pushed off the far wall and turned around for a second lap. He covered the distance twice more, but by this point, two older men were stepping into the shallow end, and Auxwald had picked up his book.
You’re losing ‘em, bro, I thought.
Shredder finally stopped, panting heavily, flicking water off his ears. He paddled over to a ladder on Auxwald’s side of the pool and, in one swift motion, heaved himself out of the water. He shook himself vigorously, whipping his tail, and stood up to his full height. On land the fox cut a much more impressive figure. The red highlights in the closely-cropped fur on his head and broad shoulder shone brilliantly in the mid-afternoon sun, and his toned chest heaved as he caught his breath. His trunks clung to his thighs and groin, showing the silhouette of his impressive penis. I’d had a taste of it before, sucking each other off at orgies or when we got drunk and stoned and bored enough. Approached by a guy that looked like Shredder, nobody was going to say no.
“Whatcha drinkin’?” Shredder’s powerful alto carried clear across the pool. I swung my big feet lazily in the water and watched Auxwald closely.
The chunky seal turned to check out the person blocking his sunlight. Shredder popped one hip out and wrapped his tail around to the front of his body to squeeze out the water.
“Mai tai,” Auxwald replied at last. I strained to hear his softer voice over the background noise of distant ocean waves. “The bartender makes a killer. Tell him Aux sent you and he’ll make it a double on the house.”
“Sounds good.”
“I was wondering when you were gonna come over,” Auxwald said suddenly.
Shredder blinked in surprise, but that fucking player, he covered his shock instantly with a sheepish grin.
“I made it that obvious, huh?”
“That clumsy dive sure wasn’t practice for the swim meet. Seems like you’re looking for something in particular.”
“You caught me,” Shredder said. “I actually recognized you.”
At last, Auxwald set down his book. “Is that so?”
Shredder wagged his tail. “Yah. You’re that writer of the ‘Bridge Boys’ series. I’m a… huge fan.” And on these last words, Shredder put hand on his waist, letting it pull down on his shorts to reveal the sharp V cut into his lower abs, as if pointing to his dick. I watched Auxwald closely to see if his eyes followed the gesture.
They did, and lingered there..
Maybe it didn’t mean much. This guy wrote erotic literature for a living: he probably spent half his free time studying people, research on his novels. And the other half he spent online, watching porn. But he probably conducted research offline, as well.
“Happy to hear you’ve enjoyed my work. You should check out my more recent stuff.”
“I’d love to check out more than that. Maybe get a personal interview.” Shredder sideled a little closer, and I found myself wishing I was over there, standing by that powerhouse of a man. Sitting down next to him, my short fur touching his sleek marine animal skin, sweat mixing in the blazing heat of early summer.
Fuck. I was kinda down bad. Well, it wouldn't be the first time I was jealous of Shredder.
And then I noticed Auxwald was looking at me.
“Who’s your friend?” he asked nonchalantly.
Shredder glanced at me. “That’s my bro Sand. He plays drums.”
I tried to look casual as I raised a three-fingered peace sign. “‘Sup?”
Auxwald turned back to Shredder and I felt myself start breathing again. “You guys are in a band?” he said.
“Yah, I’m Shredder, guitars and vocals, and Sand, with two other guys. The Try-Hards.”
“Mm. Certainly looks like you do, gym rat.”
Shredder laughed. “Damn, ok. I totally deserved that. But hey, you should come see us perform tonight. We play punk pop, surf rock, a little hardcore, a LOT of gay shit. It’s the first night of this queer music festival going all weekend.”
“Oh, believe me, I’d love to watch you two performing.” The innocuous comment sounded dirty as fuck coming from him, and I felt the blood rush to my face. “But,” Auxwald went on, raising his drink for another sip, “I’ve got shooting tonight. Maybe another time, hot stuff.”
Shredder's ears pricked at the complement. He stepped even closer and placed a hand on the back of Auxwald’s chair. “Free tickets on me. And,” he added, practically pushing his groin in the writer’s face, “I can get you a private interview with the lead singer after the show.”
“Sounds like a fun time,” Auxwald said, and now I could hear a touch of impatience entering his voice. “But like I said, I’m busy. Break a leg, though.” He said this last thing while looking at me. Then picked up his book again.
Shredder was clearly being dismissed, but he wasn’t getting the message. He wasn’t used to being turned down so he never knew when to quit. I caught his eye and made a slashing gesture. Shredder heaved a deep breath, his muscular pecs rising and flexing as if in one final peacocking gesture to retain Auxwald’s attention. But then he just said, “could I get an autograph, at least?”
“You’ll be here tomorrow?” Auxwald said without looking up.
“For sure.”
“You can find me in the dining area around noon.”
“Absolutely, man. Maybe we can chat more then.”
“Maybe we can,” Auxwald replied. I couldn’t tell if he was teasing the poor guy or being genuine.
As Shredder hopped back in the pool, I followed suit, and we play wrestled like dumb kids for the remaining half hour before our early dinner plans with the other band members and a few friend. In that time, the waiter brought Auxwald two more Mai Tais, though I never saw him actually order anything. He just sat there, quietly, the sun gleaming off his hefty forearms with those wild tattoos, and his big belly, and knocked back drinks like he owned the place.
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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: ZARA Asymmetric Black and White Pencil Midi Striped Skirt Medium.
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