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lucienarcheron · 10 months

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Tales of the Fox & the Fawn - XV

Season I - A series of short snippets to fill my Elucien heart.

Masterlist

Only the Beginning

Elain hummed quietly to herself, adjusting the flower crown on her head as she waited for Lucien to come home. He had noticed something had been off about her lately and while he hadn’t pushed her to share, Elain knew it was bothering him not to know.

Nothing was wrong, of course. Elain was just trying to surprise him and he was terrible at waiting to be surprised. She was also terrible at hiding surprises.

Elain was seated by their little patio table in the garden and she tapped it for Cinnamon to climb up and settle next to the gift beautifully wrapped on the table.

“Now sit still, Cinnamon. This has to be perfect.” Elain mumbled to their cat who only meowed in response as Elain settled a custom-made flower crown on the cat’s head. By now, Cinnamon knew better than to rip it off —Elain had trained her well.

The two waited, Elain closing her eyes, letting the afternoon sun wash over her. Moments later, Lucien’s voice called out.

“Elain?”

“In the garden, love.” she replied and turned to face him when he neared, smiling. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips then paused.

“What’s this?” he asked, his gaze shifting curiously between the wrapped box to Cinnamon and her flower crown.

Suddenly nervous, Elain fiddled with her own. “It’s a surprise. Cinnamon and I put it together for you.” she replied and Lucien chuckled.

“You and Cinnamon, hm?”

“We’re a team.” Elain said, petting the cat slowly. “Open it.”

Lucien met her gaze and she knew he could see how nervous she was. Though she had no reason to be. There was nothing to be nervous about, that much she knew. Still.

His hand came to rest over hers. “You alright? Things have been odd for a few days…is there anything you want to talk about it?” he asked her quietly and she shook her head with a chuckle.

“No. I want you to open your gift. I — you’ll understand when you open it.”

Lucien looked at her for another heartbeat then brought her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. “Alright.”

She smiled at him and gently pushed the box towards him. Lucien opened the lid and then looked at her curiously.

“You’re this nervous to give me a flower crown?” he asked and she rolled her eyes.

“There’s more under it! Put it on then look again!” She urged him and he immediately obeyed, adjusting his own flower crown on his head and then he paused.

Lucien paused and Elain bit her lip, holding her breath.

It was like time had stopped and Elain’s heart was beating way too fast for it to be alright, her eyes never wavering off her mate, who was still staring inside the box.

“Well?” she finally whispered after a lifetime of silence and Lucien slowly looked up at her.

“This is real?” he asked her in a hoarse whisper and she nodded, beaming.

“Real.”

For inside the box, Elain had placed an additional flower crown. A smaller one. With a card settled in the middle of the crown that said: Roses are red, violets are blue. Inside me, beats two hearts for you.

“We’re having a baby.” Lucien stated and Elain nodded.

“Yes.”

“We’re having a baby.” he repeated, a finger pointing between the two of them, and Elain nodded again with a laugh.

“Yes!”

“We’re having a baby!” Lucien exclaimed, shooting out of his seat, causing Cinnamon to dart off the patio table with a screech.

“Yes!” Elain confirmed with a laugh, happy tears lining her eyes and Lucien let out a noise of disbelief before falling to his knees in front of his wife. He leaned in, cupping her face, and kissed her furiously then pulled back, still holding her face.

“You’re pregnant with our baby.” he whispered to her, his face lit with joy and she sniffled with a watery smile, her hands coming over his.

“I found out last week but swore Madja to secrecy.” Elain whispered in response. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“I — I am so happy. I don’t think words could — Elain — a baby — “ he stuttered and she giggled, leaning in to kiss his lips softly.

“I know…I know.” she replied, words failing both of them at the moment.

The two could only gaze at each other, eyes full of love, hope, excitement, and joy all in one.

“I am so in love with you. And thrilled for our future.”

“Good, because there’s more.”

“More?”

“I had a vision a few days ago.” she said slowly and Lucien’s back straightened.

“And?”

“Our dream of a house full of bouncy, beautiful kids?”

“Yes?” he asked breathlessly.

“It’s going to come true.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

“Are they happy?”

“All I saw was laughter and love.” she answered softly. “But I didn’t need a vision to tell me that’s how it’ll be.”

And Lucien couldn’t hold back anymore. He rested his head in his wife’s lap and broke down in tears. Tears of joy, that he was going to be given such a beautiful gift. A chance to have a family. A family that will only know love.

And this was only the beginning.

#elucien #elucien fanfics #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #acotar fanfiction #fic: ff #gfics #fic: only the beginning #end of season one!#are y'all sick of me yet lol

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disastersareajoy · 3 months

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Pussy Drunk Thomas Hewitt - Drabble

Thomas Hewitt x FEM!Reader

Tags: established relationship, cunnilingus, forced orgasms, talk of bruises, wet and messy, squirting, dacryphilia, overstimulation

Word count: 1.1k

fucking obsessed with the idea of Thomas getting absolutely, down bad, pussy-drunk as soon as he gets a taste

like his virgin-ass being too afraid of hurting you to fuck you at first and getting on his knees for you. he gets a taste, kind of pulls back and licks his lips and you can see his pupils dilate and his eyes fucking glaze over and he just falls face first into your pussy

sloppy, wet, spit slick, hungry oral from that man. his teeth bump into you in all the right ways sometimes. one moment he's whimpering into you and the next he's grumbling and trying to get his tongue deeper and deeper into you to taste more

and it does not matter to him when you beg for him to slow down and how you can't cum anymore. because you keep dripping on his face and tongue and making wonderful noises and you just taste so fucking good, how could he stop??

his arms wrap around your thighs and he holds onto them hard and firm and keeps you pulled close to his face. you can feel that it's gonna bruise and you're going to cherish those bruises for days

he doesn't even notice how hard he's gripping you because he's trying to get all of his senses filled with you. he tastes, smells and feels nothing but you. the only thing his ears can focus on are your moans and whimpers. his hands massage your thighs periodically and when he opens his eyes it's just to look at your face, thrown back in pleasure. the only thing better is when you're looking down at him with tears in your eyes, still moaning for him

Tommy is completely drunk off your taste. he loves the feeling of your pussy on his tongue and he loves the little whining groan you let out when he sucks on your clit

now, when he keeps going and going and your hand in his hair trying to push him away finally falls to your side, he doesn't even realize what he's doing next. it's all out of instinct when his hands readjust so his arms stay wrapped around your thighs but his thumbs are spreading open your folds. that's when he really loses it

because he can get his tongue even deeper like that. he can bury it inside you and find the spot that makes you drip a little more and that makes you moan all broken and needy. once he finds it he abuses the fuck out of it. keeps licking over it, poking at it with his tongue and savoring every drop of you that spills into his mouth

and then. his holy grail. you grab his hair again and moan louder. you're sobbing and begging him to slow down because it feels different this time. he doesn't listen of course. all he knows is you're about to do that thing again where he can feel your pussy flutter and twitch and your thighs squeeze around him and your moans get all whimpery

he keeps going until your hips lift up into him. he stays attached to your pussy and keeps doing what he's doing, knowing he can't stop. needs to keep going to get you to do that thing

suddenly you gasp and go completely quiet. then you moan so loud it's almost a scream. a sobbing sort of thing that's absolutely gorgeous to him. on top of that your hips start wildly shaking along with your legs and your pleasure starts gushing out of you

Tommy moans into your juices and gets closer if that's even possible at that point. he shakes his head so he rubs over your clit side to side while he keeps his tongue abusing that spot inside you. and fuck does he get drenched. he swallows down as much as he can of you and whimpers into it. anything he can't get, drips down his face and drenches his shirt and lap

once you come down you realize he's still going and you can't handle it anymore. you start crying more and weakly kicking your legs out which finally makes Tommy look up. he sees your devastated face and while he thinks the sweat mixed with tears and drool, as well as the tortured pleasure in your eyes is a heavenly sight, he listens to your weak pleas

he finally pulls away and you sigh in relief. Tommy stays away from your pussy (as much as he hates it) and spends his time licking your thighs clean. just a minute away from your pussy makes him whimper and look up at you pleadingly. your legs are still shaking and you shake your head at him

so Tommy whines and starts biting your thighs instead, getting closer and closer to your pussy until he's mouthing right next to it. you're shaking and sweating and still losing a coupe tears when he licks flat over your clit once. then your back arches and you gasp, trying not to make too loud a noise

you know if you moan he's gonna start again and you think he might actually kill you that time. he softly licks over your clit again, wraps his lips around it and you slap a hand over your mouth. but Tommy sees your lack of noise as a sign to keep going and starts sucking on your clit. when his teeth graze over it your hand whips away from your mouth to his hair and you yell out a moan that ends with a broken whine

immediately you know you're in for it. Tommy moans happily and grabs your thighs hard once more. he dives into you again and gets back to his sloppy, needy and enthusiastic pace without hesitation. all you can do is moan, whimper and whine as Tommy makes you see stars over and over again

he's obsessed with making you squirt on his face and listening to your whimpers as he tastes you. he loves the feeling of your heartbeat in your clit, pounding against his tongue

sometimes you can't get him off of your pussy until he's had at least a couple hours of his way with you. he's obsessed with your pussy and a single taste makes him entirely lose his mind. he'd do anything to fall to his knees in front of you

he would spend forever between your thighs if it was up to him

your pussy is his paradise and his salvation. every gush of your juices is a baptism of wonder. you are his goddess and he worships you at every turn

#thomas hewitt x reader #thomas hewitt #TCM #texas chainsaw massacre #texas chainsaw the beginning #thomas hewitt smut #texas chainsaw smut #DisastersAreAJoyDrabbles #this was supposed to be a short idea #and then i just couldn't stop #Tommy has been haunting me lately and this just wouldn't stop playing over in my mind #if literally anyone wants this idea more fleshed out and an actual fic lmk #will absolutely write it if only one person says yes #ill probably write it anyways #HES HAUNTING ME AND I LOVE IT

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lucradiss · 1 month

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“Oh the age gap was too big I aged one of them up/down so they’re the same age”

YOU HAVE SHOWN YOUR WEAKNESS! YOU ROLL ON YOUR SPINELESS BACK AND EXPOSE YOUR COWARD BELLY IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY! I DONT HAVE A SHIP WITH AN AGE GAP OF LESS THAN A DECADE! GIVE THESE MIDDLE AGED MEN A TWINK AND SOME VIAGRA AND THEYRE READY TO GO!

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itshype · 1 year

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As a fandom Vet please, please back up your fanfiction. I see so many fics posted exclusively to tumblr and it scares me.

I've seen so many tumblr purges, I've seen staff delete blogs irreparably by accident, I've seen cyberbullying involving reporting a blog so many times it's taken down and all the posts are lost.

All these new baby fandom accounts who are writing tens of thousands of words of fic (in a readmore so not even reblogs work to save it if your blog is lost) and not backing it up are causing me anxiety. Please, I'm so worried for you all.

#If my only copy of a 10k fic had been deleted towards the beginning of my career #idk if i'd be writing now #idc if it's 500 words of notfic or a 15k x reader thing #please at least consider saving it to Ao3 #it's an ARCHIVE #it's what it's there FOR #personal #fandom

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novelconcepts · 10 months

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So ready to go absolutely feral for all the women of Usher.

Hair!

Vibes!

GAYS!

Look at how hot they all are, I can’t wait to be emotionally devastated beyond repair AGAIN.

#the fall of the house of usher #fall of the house of usher spoilers #y’all I am so pumped I can’t focus #I mean yes I am also trying to finish a fic over here but like. LOOK AT THEM.#and this is only the BEGINNING

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1doesnotsimplyhavejust1fandam · 2 months

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Watching Eddie Begins with Buddie-colored glasses on is already crazy enough, but I just caught something that I never really thought about before. Athena tells Bobby that the news crews showing up before she leaves for another call might turn the call into a nationwide story. And then Buck absolutely LOSES it when 30 feet of wet earth falls on top of Eddie. So yeah, maybe Bobby pulls Buck away to stop him from futilely digging for Eddie with his hands, but maybe he also does it because he doesn’t want his kid’s grief and fear and love for Eddie being broadcast across the country. Especially not when Bobby thinks that Eddie’s probably already dead. And not only does Bobby pull Buck away from the well, he pulls back right into his lap. This is the closest we get to Bobby cradling Buck in his arms until the lightning strike, and it’s because he doesn’t want Buck to be in pain, and he most certainly does NOT want the tragedy of Eddie’s death to be made even worse by Buck’s pain over it being broadcast to the entire country.

#bobby is buck's dad #911 #9-1-1 #911 abc #9-1-1 abc #buddie #bobby nash #eddie diaz #evan buckley #athena grant #also #just because I’ve never really posted meta about Eddie begins before #we REALLY need to talk about the fact that Buck’s reaction to Eddie’s potential demise is the ONLY reaction show live and in color #season 3 buddie was NOT subtle in the slightest y’all #I know there’s so many fics out there about Eddie finding a video of Buck’s reaction to him being trapped but I want one where he watches #and is ALSO so fucking grateful for Bobby pulling Buck away from where he was buried #for taking care of his partner when he wasn’t topside to do it himself #that still of Bobby and eddie talking for s7 reallyyyy has me in my feels about these three men and their incredible dynamic #well scene #you will always be famous #fuck the writers for this actually #(affectionate)

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justaz · 26 days

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post magic reveal, post magic ban lifted, arthur gets to see merlin in all his glory and somehow falls deeper in love with him than he ever thought possible. merlin who is free and accepted and loved and ecstatic by it all, but there's that thought lingering in the back of his mind that only half of their destiny has been fulfilled. magic has returned to camelot but albion is still fractured in many different kingdoms, many of which are still holding onto the hate that uther spread which is seeping into the very fabric of the earth itself. druids and magic users and even magic creatures are still persecuted all across the realm and yeah camelot opened her arms to them but not everyone trusts it (justifiably).

arthur who is choking on the sheer amount of love he has for merlin and promising himself that he'll tell merlin, he'll confess, even if he feelings aren't reciprocated. merlin will know. merlin who has been chewing on an idea for some time now and is planning on bringing it up to arthur. its night as merlin is dressing arthur for bed and they're both quiet and tense. they break at the same time and end up speaking over one another. arthur allows merlin to go first since his nerves are eating away at him. then merlin speaks of leaving.

arthur feels his nerves rot and decay and fall into a bottomless pit. merlin is rambling about how every magical being in albion is still being targeting by various kingdoms and as the prophesied emrys, magic incarnate, druid king, should he not be doing more to help? he doesn't want to leave arthur's side, but he does want to help his people. he's seen only a fraction of the atrocities committed against them and he wishes to protect them, give them somewhere completely safe, a kingdom of magic so to speak. he promises that he'll only be gone for as long as it takes to establish a kingdom (a year? two? three?) but he promises to write and visit often...as long as arthur gives him permission and allows him to leave his service for the time being.

arthur of course agrees, half unhappy about it but completely understanding. surely, out of everyone, he is the one who can understand the weight of responsibility weighing on merlin's shoulders. he mentions that merlin will need someone with experience wearing the crown to guide him. plus, balance. merlin was always there for arthur, guiding him on how to be a better man, a great king, someone worthy of the praise he constantly spewed. it's only right that arthur gets to return that by helping merlin establish a safe haven and home for his people. and politically, camelot being the first kingdom to recognize merlin's and establish some trade agreement or treaty with them will strengthen merlin's kingdom's status and send a message that camelot stands with magic.

merlin smiles wide and asks what arthur was going to say. the king hesitates before biting his tongue and requesting that merlin bring up the honey cakes that had been prepared earlier that night. two of them. since merlin was no longer in his service, he didn't have to stand by and watch arthur eat - not that he ever did, the idiot loved to steal his food. shamelessly!! he never even tried to hide it. they both sat at the table in his chambers until late in the night, nibbling away at the sweets, chasing it down with wine, and chatting away.

arthur wasn't able to confess, but it did not change his feelings. if anything, merlin's heart and the decision he made only added fuel to the raging inferno of love and devotion within arthur. he knows that merlin will keep in contact and will return to his side one day. he gets through the tough days/nights by rereading merlin's letters and imagining seeing him again in royal garb and donning a crown.

#when they finally wed it completely solidifies that camelot is a safe space for magical beings #camelot and whatever name merlin settled on for his kingdom sort of merge together with the marriage as well #which is only the beginning to the prophesied unified albion that they were meant to build together #i just think that merlin shouldve built something for his people #like theyre being prosecuted at every turn #theres no safe place for any of them to reside #theyre always looking over their shoulder #merlin aka emrys aka magic itself should've looked out for his people #his devotion to arthur got in the way of that tho which ig is romantic but also like bro. cmon now.#plus king merlin>>>>#bbc merlin #merlin emrys #arthur pendragon #merthur #angst sort of #its a happy ending if you read my tags LMAO #fic ideas #fanfic #fanfiction #headcanon #head canon #hc

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kakooshi · 3 months

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I feel like enough time has passed...

#dbh #detroit become human #connor rk800 #gavin reed #convin #reed800 #my first controversial opinion in years #i must be the only person in the planet who thinks this fhdjndjsj #tbh i wish i could get into reed//900 cuz its shippers are so spoiled with content but I CANT #not even the fan films got me interested #reed800 and reed//900 actually have the same tropes but the difference is that the former actually has history...#so its more fun to explore that in fanon i think #with how gavin treated connor its always interesting to see how fic writers would develop their relationship #esp if connor puts gavin in his place at the beginning

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legendofzeldasilentprincess · 8 months

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after knowing the whole story of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, I still can't believe Nintendo really went for the Princess and the Knight trope

#and i love it #zelink #botw #totk #breath of the wild #tears of the kingdom #cause I mean sometimes I think about the story #and I just wonder was it a fic that I read??#did the calamity really happen and zelda and link went through all that shit and lost ppl they loved?#and link wakes up 100 years later with no memories?#but then only hears a voice of a woman to help him find his memories and learn that he's the one who has to defeat the calamity #plus how they didn't get along at the beginning #and somehow also became a 'from enemies to lovers' trope #then with tears of the kingdom the whole story just shows about the LEGEND of ZELDA #and the things she went through and what she had to do to save Hyrule #and link's whole mission for the entire game was to find her #screw defeating ganondorf he just wants his wife back #honestly best zelda and link by far in the zelda series #like what would the next zelda game be like??#plus the game director himself is zelink shipper so 👀#okay ill shutup now lol

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aureli-us · 2 months

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i can't tell if i want to be master chief or be with him. is halo about to become a new hyperfixation? my guess is NO but i could be open..........

#halo #master chief #halo 2 anniversary #halo reach #those are the only two i've played #and barely any of reach except the beginning #and abt half of halo 2 #but im going back to school so i cant finish it 😭😭😭#BUT THERE'S SO LITTLE FIC OF JOHN.......

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be-bi-do-crime · 5 months

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watching ajtl is like being told that you will be kicked down the stairs of a 500 story building, accepting that you will be kicked down the stairs of a 500 story building, then getting kicked down the stairs of a 500 story building, screaming crying and throwing up while tumbling all the way down, and finally arriving at the bottom to get a pat on the shoulder and a bandaid that says "congratulations for surviving" 😊

#a journey to love #一念关山 #unpopular opinion maybe but actually the ending wasn't that bad since the narrative was doomed from the beginning. i cried a lot but i had #a good agonizing time. i only wish we had a special ep to show us yizhou with their kids & explain how tf they survived their BRUTAL deaths #also i will not lie i needed more of ltg and yy #show me their 10 year timeskip selves!!#all in all its a great drama that i recommend!! i rated it 8.5/10 and i havent rated a drama in a while so that says a lot #i miss my ruyi already... ill see if i can finish that fic im working on for her

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addisonstars · 5 months

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"staring"

written for day 20 of december for @jegulus-microfic with the prompt "table" totaling 123 words

“James” Sirius waved a hand in front of his face. “James, James, Jamess.” He sang.

“Huh.” He looked around, only to find all of his friends giving him odd looks. “Yeah mate?”

Sirius glanced at the rest of the gang, then turned back to James. “What's so interesting over there at the slytherin table mate?” He shoved James' shoulder, “is there a girl or something over there that caught your eye, eh?”

Remus laughed, “No, no, there couldn't be, he swore off girls after Lily rejected him a couple months ago, remember?”

James swore off girls, but he didn’t swear off blokes. And there was one over there with black hair, grey eyes, a sharp smile that may have caught his eye instead.

11 days to finish my reading goal. i can do it!! (i say as i have to read 10 books in 11 days to fill my goal of 150 HELP)

-a.s.

#james potter #regulus black #jegulus #sunseeker #starchaser #james x regulus #regulus x james #james is in love regulus #and this is only the beginning #jegulus fic #jegulus microfic #table #addisonstars #addisonstars mircofic tag #addisonstars jegulus microfic tag:

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adrift-in-thyme · 8 months

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Whumptober Day 2: Delirium

Read it on Ao3

- Time, Twilight, & Wild

- Summary: Time comes down with an illness and takes a turn for the worse

CW for delirium, illness and fever, mentions of holding a character down (no one actually gets held down), and a character getting punched

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Twilight sighs as he tugs the blanket a little higher over Time’s shoulder. The older hero shudders, teeth clacking together so hard it’s audible. When the rancher presses a hand to his head, it’s dangerously warm. He pulls away, lips set in a grim line.

“How’s he doing?” Comes Wild’s hushed voice from where he sits by the fire.

Twilight shakes his head. “No better. I think he’s getting worse.”

He sighs again, pressing his fingertips to his temples.

“There’s no need to fuss over me,” Time had assured the two of them only that morning. “I’m alright. It’s likely a cold, nothing more.”

And though his voice had sounded a bit hoarse and he was a little paler than usual, besides that he had seemed like his normal self. So, Twilight had taken him at his word.

…and had had to watch as his condition steadily declined throughout the day. He had tried to make more rest stops and urged the old man to drink during every one. Wild had even offered him a potion, though he had refused it. But their efforts hadn’t been enough. By the time they had found a good stopping place for the night, Time’s gaze had been bleary and unfocused, skin clammy and pale, steps stumbling and heavy.

When Twilight had pulled out his bed mat and ordered him to lie down before he could collapse, his attempts at arguing had fallen pathetically flat. And it hadn’t taken much convincing to get him to let the rancher guide him over to his bed mat. After that, he had swallowed the potion Wild had given him without much complaint.

Since then, he has been sleeping, though restlessly. And with each passing hour, Twilight’s worry has only grown.

Time shifts now, mumbling something about protecting cows and fighting off aliens. Another series of shivers run through him.

Twilight gnaws his lip for a moment, then looks over his shoulder at Wild.

“Hey, do we have any spare rags? I need something cool to put on his head.”

“Yeah, hold on.”

Wild searches in his pouch for a moment, then with a triumphant sound produces a small, worn cloth. Rising, he walks to the nearby stream. When he returns, the cloth is sopping wet with chilled water.

“Thanks,” Twilight says, taking it from him. Gently brushing Time’s hair back, he lays it over his forehead.

The hero shudders at the cool touch and his eye flutters open.

“What…” His gaze flits about the clearing, taking in everything but seeing nothing. “Is-is it time?”

Twilight exchanges an uneasy glance with Wild. Time for what, he isn’t certain. But he shakes his head anyway.

“No, not yet, old man. Go back to sleep.”

Time looks at him, his expression almost pleading. “Why…it-it’s so cold.”

He brings up a hand to pull weakly at the cloth. Twilight grasps his wrist before he can manage to fling it off. Carefully, he guides his hand back down to his side.

“You’ve got a fever. That’s gonna help us break it. So, just leave it there, alright?”

“No, I don’t want to,” Time slurs, stubbornly reaching for it again. “I’s too cold. And it’s wet.”

With an effort, Twilight suppresses a sigh. Little had he thought that caring for his mentor would ever be like caring for the village children.

“Here!” Wild shows up by his side with a bowl of stew in hand. Twilight hadn’t even realized that he had left. “I made dinner. This’ll warm you up!”

With a look of gratitude, Twilight takes the bowl from him. “Yeah, how about you have something to eat? It’ll help you get your strength back too.”

Though Time still looks less than pleased with the whole situation, the promise of warmth seems enough to convince him. He allows them to sit him up and spoon the food into his mouth, swallowing each bite dutifully. But even after he has eaten, he seems little improved. Shivers still rip through his body, his skin is hot to the touch, and he hardly seems aware of what is happening around him.

There is nothing more they can do, however, so Twilight helps him lie back down. Within moments, his eye slides shut and he is asleep once more.

-----------

Twilight volunteers to take the first watch. Wild needs his rest after the difficult day they have endured. Besides, he wants to keep a close eye on his mentor. So, he settles down beneath the shade of a tree a short distance away. And he waits for morning.

The moon is still high in the sky when he hears it. Someone is moving about behind him. The telltale clank of armor plates reaches his ears and he whips around, sword in hand. But there is no monster there. The sight that greets him, however, doesn’t calm him one bit.

Time is sitting upright on a nearby log, trembling fingers working to pull on his gauntlets. His abandoned bed mat lies not far away, masked by a heap of tangled blankets.

Twilight sheaths his sword with a sigh. He had worried something like this might happen. The old man’s fever is dangerously high, after all. But he had dared hope it would break before the inevitable occurred.

“Hey, old man,” he says, gently, and Time’s head jerks upward.

Even in the dim light of the dying fire, his cheeks look flushed, his face pallid. His gaze is as glossy as ever, yet when it meets Twilight’s the intensity of it is almost enough to make him pause.

“He’s coming,” he croaks, in a voice so hoarse Twilight cringes. His throat must be on fire right now.

He takes another step toward him, careful to keep his movements slow.

“Who’s coming?”

Time’s expression hardens further. A shiver tears through him with such intensity that his gauntlet slips from his fingertips and hits the ground. He retrieves it with a growl of frustration.

“Have to prepare…”

“For what?”

“Not what–who.”

Twilight swallows. “Okay, then, who?”

A short way away Wild stirs. With a groan he sits up, rubbing at his bleary eyes.

“What’s goin’ on Twi?”

At the sound of his voice, Time leaps to his feet, looking wildly about the clearing. Twilight rushes forward to catch him before he topples. The older hero tries to shove him off, but he holds on.

“Whoa, take it easy,” he says, patting his arm. “That��s just Wild.”

Time drags in a breath that rattles in his lungs. He looks down at Twilight, an almost crazed look in his eye.

“You must run – both of you. He-he’s coming! I’ll only be able to ho-hold him off for s-so long and…”

He trails off as his words dissolve in a hacking cough.

Wild is on his feet now, fear in his eyes.

“Potion,” Twilight mouths and he nods. Immediately, he ducks down and begins rifling through his pouch.

Twilight turns back to Time, who is still wavering in his grasp. “Whoever it is, we’ll get him, okay? Now, how about you just sit down? You can’t defeat him if you’re flat on your face.”

As gently as possible he pushes Time back onto the log, even as the older hero tries to wrench himself out of his grip. Twilight can feel the panic building steadily within him like water boiling in a kettle. If he can just get him to settle down before it grows out of control…

“You can’t–” The old man gasps, breathless and trembling. “Twi..Twilight…I have to…No!”

Abruptly, he reels back. Before Twilight can react, a fist collides with his face. The rancher stumbles. His grasp slips. With surprising speed, Time lunges for his sword.

“Ganondorf is coming!”

The fear is blatantly visible on his face now, terror audible in his voice. Twilight freezes, hand stopping halfway through its journey to touch his newly bruised cheek.

He’s not the only one with the arm strength of a moblin, apparently.

“Sweet Ordona…”

Time whirls and the rancher is forced to leap out of the way of his sword’s reach.

“Have to get the sages, have to save Zelda…” He takes a stumbling step forward. A particularly violent shudder races through him and the weapon slips from his grip to land with a dull thump on the earthen ground. “Get to the castle….can’t lose this time–all going to die…what a terrible fate…”

Twilight ducks down and snatches Time’s claymore before he can reach for it again. At that moment, Wild scrambles up to his side.

“Here!” He grabs the sword and presses a potion into Twilight’s hands instead. “Lemme get this out of reach and I’ll come help you hold him down.”

Twilight nods. He clenches his hand around the bottle, forcing an inhale through his nose. Time’s words have cut him straight to the core and left him winded and shaky. Never before has he seen the old man this vulnerable, this scared. It just isn’t right, to see his mentor gaze at him like a child seeking refuge from the monsters that stalk the night.

…a child with the world on his small shoulders.

“Time.” His voice trembles the slightest bit and he clears his throat. “I need you to trust me.”

Time freezes before him, teeth chattering, breath coming on haggard half-gasps. He crosses his arms tightly over his chest.

“N-no.” He shakes his head. “Only have three days. The clock resets — e-everything’s over. Have to sta…start again and I can’t…please don’t make me.”

He’s speaking pure nonsense now — at least Twilight desperately hopes that’s what this is — but it’s enough to shatter his heart. What nightmares has the hero endured to inspire a plea like this? What secrets haunt him?

…what regrets?

“Twi,” Wild says from beside him and Twilight forces himself to inhale the breath he had been holding.

“We won’t make you start again,” he says, quietly. “I promise.” Carefully, he holds out the bottle. “But we need you to drink this. It…it will give you strength for the battle.”

The lie tastes ashen in his mouth. He has no other choice though. It’s either this or pin the old man to the ground and by Hylia, he doesn’t want it to come to that.

Time’s eye flits between the proffered bottle and the two heroes in front of him. He shudders again, stumbling a bit.

Twilight dares to take a slow step forward. “Trust us.”

“We only want to help,” Wild chimes in, though his voice is unusually quiet. “You don’t have to fight anyone alone.”

For a long moment, Time merely gazes at them, resigned exhaustion and terror warring across his face. Twilight holds his breath.

And then, slowly, he reaches out. Grasping the bottle, he tips it back. No sooner has he downed the crimson liquid than the tension bleeds from his shoulders. The bottle slips from his hand at the same time that he slumps bonelessly forward.

Twilight is just in time to catch him.

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