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#the stray inn
renofmanyalts · 9 months
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Fact for fact: Merces is an adequate cook if he is given clear instructions or a recipe to follow. If he is told to improvise... well, the result is edible but not very delicious (spices, how do they work?).
Fact for fact: Tell me a fact about your OC and I will respond with a semi-related fact about mine.
Prompt 4: Off the Hook
Who: Zhah'ra Savaptha and Merces Ninthstar (belongs to @ever-searching)
What: Extenuating circumstances leave Zhah'ra and Merces in charge of dinner.
Where: The Stray Inn, South Shroud
When: some time ago, in autumn, soon after the cold room had been installed
Content notes: food, obviously
Music: "Into the Light" by Off the Hook (Splatoon 2) (YouTube, lyrics, such as they are); bonus: "Soup Song" performed by Cisco Houston (YouTube, lyrics)
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Zhah'ra stopped short in the doorway to the Stray Inn's kitchens, tail swaying uncertainly as he surveyed the bowls and baskets arrayed on the table. When Ulfric, the innkeeper, had been called away on an emergency, Zhah'ra hadn't thought twice about agreeing to help finish assembling dinner, especially when Ulfric had reassured him that it was all gathered together, and basically all he and Merces would need to do was cut up the ingredients and throw them in a pot. The broth was already simmering on the stove, even.
But this was... a lot of ingredients.
At least the things themselves were familiar enough. He recognized the unavoidable apples from the inn's orchard, and a few pumpkins with their ribbed green-and-orange skins. White beans sat soaking in a bowl. A double handful of celery stalks were arranged in a jar of water like the star's crunchiest flower arrangement. Beside them, a veritable mountain of some green, leafy something — two different green, leafy somethings? — stood heaped on a stack of towelling, still glistening with moisture. Lastly, there was a bundle of what Zhah'ra was pretty sure were leeks, with their thick, white stems and dark green tops. Maayan's exasperated recounting of too many bowls of the sandy, fibrous vegetables played in his mind.
It was just the two of them. The inn had no guests at the moment, and most of the residents were away. He glanced over the intimidating pile of produce, trying to imagine how it might fit together into a cohesive dish.
"Merces..." he said slowly, turning to look at his erstwhile brother-in-arms. "What would you say to having bread and butter for dinner?"
Zhah'ra can generally manage to competently get nourishment into himself, if not with very much flair. At this point in time, he had really only recently begun learning to cook, so he had little confidence in his skills when it came to making food others would find palatable.
On top of that, while he's not a strict carnivore, he does feel much better when his diet has higher proportions of meat and fish. He is... markedly unenthused about plain vegetable stew — especially after his stint in Rhalgr's Reach, where a pottage of greens was the usual fare from the communal cookpot. Ulfric's cooking typically circumvents this objection, but "having a bowl of delicious something placed in front of you" and "having to get there yourself from raw ingredients" are two very different propositions!
Apparently the perfectionism-busting exercise for me this year is being gentle about artificial deadlines. I started trying to write this soon after prompt 6 came out on Wednesday (i.e., right on schedule for my modified challenge), but I was struggling so much with my usual nonsense that I kept having to go rest. Maybe 2-3 prompt fills a week is too ambitious? (When I ask myself this, my immediate internal response is "well, yeah, that sounds like a lot?") I'm having fun, though! >:(
As an aside, the intended end point for all of those ingredients was pumpkin soup with leeks and white beans. I've never made this particular recipe, but I think it sounds delicious. (I have made this one, beans omitted, and it is.)
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ghost-proofbaby · 4 months
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Not to indulge the BG3 " brain rot " but.... can we see what your tav looks like? Maybe hear a little bit about them? Sorry I'm just also on a BG3 kick right now
sure! don't apologize for that <3
this is my first tav, for my only currently completed playthrough. named her seraphina, she was a wild magic sorcerer elf and she romanced astarion, and she was 100% a goody two shoes. not to flex or anything. always gonna hold a special place in my heart. kinda sad i don't have more screenshots of her. also, i went through this playthrough without any mods!
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and then my current playthrough is actually my first durge! i've made a couple so far (my bad), but this is going to be a redeemed/resisting the urges playthrough. her name is aruna, and she's also romancing astarion (what a shocker). she's a storm sorcerer elf you can tell i have a preferred class and race huh. i also caught the wonderful lil sideye exchanged during the gur encounter between her and astarion which i laughed at for a good five minutes. so far, this playthrough has been 100x more chaotic, and is definitely giving her and astarion sharing a brain cell (the blood of lathander quest is still a sensitive topic for our dear pale elf womp womp). she's simply bhaal's god's favorite princess with her crew of scary dog privilege while she fights the voices. (and yes, this playthrough i am using mods. sue me.)
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i also have two bard durge playthroughs (one as a tiefling, one as a half-elf), and one of them in a multiplayer campaign with my friend in which uh.... we're gonna do full on evil ! wish me luck !
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maegalkarven · 8 months
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I love how they both look at Mol like "You mind? We were planning to fight each other to death."
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reobsessed · 8 months
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Unfamiliar Waters
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Pairing: Tav X Astarion, Reader X Astarion. Gender neutral. Content: Bathing, kissing, hair washing, fluff, comfort, slight conflict that gets resolved immediately, no sex, minor mention of torture. 1500 Words. Summary: You were in dire need of a bath after a harrowing fight outside the inn you were staying at. Unfortunately you find the tub already occupied by Astarion. In an attempt to bond with and get him out of there, you offer to wash his hair. Another short Astarion fic I started a while ago. Wanted to do something fluffy and intimate without any sex. Thanks again to Suri for edits and help with lines and the title!
You flung open the wooden doors, uncaring as wood chipped against lavender painted walls. Just as you were halfway through discarding your shirt, an indignant cry caught you off guard.
“What in the sweet hells, do you mind?!” The towel and toiletries fell from your hands. You’d never been very perceptive and today was no exception. Already fully submerged in the tub was Astarion; chest bare slumped over the side, a dripping copy of the Baldur’s Mouth Gazette in hand.
“Astarion?! I haven’t seen you in hours, is this where you’ve been?” You spluttered. “We really could have used your help. There was a fight right outside the inn. There’s absolutely no way you didn’t hear the commotion.”
“Some of us take pride in our appearances and besides, I needed time away from that festering group of ingrates.” As if to emphasise his point he shuddered. “You know, you could all learn a lot from me, starting with regular bathing.”
“And how exactly are any of us meant to bathe when you’re in the bathroom four hours every day?”
“Oh I don’t know, Baldur’s Gate has plenty of scenic rivers and lakes. I’m sure the bear has no problem leading each of you to nature’s finest bathhouse.”
You rubbed your temples with a freehand. As much as you loved this man, he could really start to grate on your nerves after a while. You scooped up your belongings and made your way over to him, arranging your towel neatly on the floor beside you.
He looked up from the paper disinterestedly. “As much as I love your company, dear, I hope you’re not planning on joining me. I hardly think this,” he gestured disapprovingly at the tub, “can fit us both.”
“Astarion, if there’s anything I can do to cut this exceedingly long bath short, I would be more than happy to assist.”
His eyes widened momentarily. How stupid of you, you hadn’t considered the implications of what you’d said. 
“No, no, that's quite alright. I’ve still got my hair to wash and that’ll take at least another half an hour.”
Perching yourself on the edge of the tub beside him, you began rolling up your sleeves.
“Then allow me.” You smirked.
He flung the sodden paper to the floor and stared at you dumbfounded. “You mean you- wash my hair. I’m sitting here naked, dripping and gorgeous and all you want to do is ‘wash my hair’?”
“Couples do things for each other. Things outside of sex and combat, I might add,” you sniped back. Using your fingers, you began combing through his dampened locks.
“Without the sex, I suppose that leaves only the one thing we do together then.”
“That’s true.” His body tensed. “No, no wait- '' Flustered, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and pressed your forehead against the back of his head. A feeble gesture, intended to soothe him and buy you enough time to explain.
“Just kidding,” you could hear the smirk in his voice, but you knew it wasn’t genuine.
“I like doing other things with you,” you mumbled into his curls. “I don’t care about the sex.” You relaxed your hold, allowing him to turn around to face you. Delicately, you reached out and wiped a stray piece of hair from his forehead. As you did so, his unnaturally pale cheeks took on a darker hue, perhaps from the heat or from your touch, you weren’t sure.
He cleared his throat and turned away again. “I see then. Well, this is as good a time as any to try something new.” 
“Really?!” your head perked up. “I’m so excited, haven’t washed anyone else's hair since I left home.” You began swirling a hand in the tepid water, carefully choosing a spot faraway from where Astarion sat. “Did you and your siblings ever do this for each other? Like my family did,” you asked without thinking.
He shot you an incredulous glare, which soon contorted into sarcastic glee. “Oh, of course we did! And then in between our torture sessions we’d paint each others’ nails! What good fun it was.” His smile dropped and he fell backwards into the bath, splashing you in the process.
You scratched the back of your head. “Sorry I-”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Leave it, my love. No use dwelling on all that now.” You nodded your head in agreement, not that he could see you. “Come now, we don’t have all day.” 
You hummed in agreement, looking over the various bottles that sat on a shelf beside the bath. Astarion was a very particular man and you didn’t wish to upset him by, god’s forbid, using the wrong fragrance. You gestured towards the selection of shampoo. “What’s your poison?”
“Hmm, I think today I‘m in the mood for jasmine- no wait- night orchid and ginseng- actually, that honey shampoo sounds positively delicious.”
“Might net you some unwanted attention from our camp bear,” you joked, hands sifting through the knots in his hair.
“Fair point. Alright then, I think I’d like to try that raspberry one, the one you got from that dear little market stall.” 
The same one you liked to use.
With a gentle firmness you cupped the sides of his head. You hoped it was enough to stop him from turning around and seeing the pure glee etched onto your face.
“Alright, I need to get it wet, lean back,” you instructed, as you scooped up a handful of water.
He did as he was told and reclined backwards, eyes closed and squinted, anticipating the stream of water. Doing this for your brothers and sisters had been easy. Hells, you could get away with lobbing them in the river and they’d be just fine. Astarion, on the other hand, required a more delicate touch (even if he’d never admit to it) and you were more than happy to cater towards him.
With slow precision you poured the cooling water over his scalp, immediately pushing back any stray drops that threatened to drip down into his eyes. 
Gods, how was it possible for such a man to be so beautiful and how was it that such a man had chosen you as his partner? Your hands stopped and your gaze lingered, as you took in his picturesque features.
An eyelash heavy with steam peeled open, giving you an inquisitive look.
“Enjoying the show, darling?” A thick, humid heat bloomed across your cheeks. “By all means, keep admiring me.”
“Shut up and close your eyes!” You grabbed the bottle from the side and began lathering it in your hands. The familiar fragrance filled your nostrils and despite having grown accustomed to having it as your own scent, you were looking forward to how it smelt on him.
You rubbed the foam through your fingers, fully enveloping his hair in a thick mousse. As your nails dragged across his scalp you heard him moan. 
“That feels positively wonderful.”
“Oh yeah, like this?” you asked, repeating the same motions as before. He mmm-ed softly, sinking further into your hold. You paused for a second, this might be the most satisfied sound you’d ever heard coming from his lips, not a bad thing of course, given his past experiences. 
His eyes were open again, staring up at you, face awash with bliss. 
“Itching for a taste are we?” he goaded lightly.
There was no use dignifying that with a response. You brought your lips down upon his, his head still clasped in your hands. It was brief and sweet, reminiscent of those first kisses you’d once shared with young lovers. Unthinkable that such innocent yearning could be reclaimed so late in life. 
Reluctantly you broke the kiss and pulled away.
“I do rather like that, you know…”
“I know and so do I.” You beamed. “Okay now can you please hurry up so I can have a bath,” you pleaded, peppering his mouth with more kisses.
“Always so demanding,” came his curt reply (the audacity). Nonetheless, he complied and finished up. 
A deep sigh of relief escaped your lips after finally lowering yourself into freshly ran water. About halfway through wetting your hair, a freezing pair of hands on your shoulders caught you off guard.
“Astarion!” you shrieked. The little rogue had snuck up behind you.
“Oh, do be quiet, and don’t splash me. Wouldn’t do to get me wet again.” You watched as he rifled through the shampoo bottles disapprovingly. “We must go to the market together again soon, darling, just the two of us. I know just the product that’s perfect for your hair type, might do something about that helmet musk too.”
You opted to ignore that last dig, instead choosing to relish in the satisfaction of a warm bath and your lover threading his fingers through your hair. “I’d like that,” you hummed happily. 
A contented silence descended over the room. You felt at peace and when you saw him hovering above you with that serene grin on his face, you knew he felt the same.
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lendeah · 3 months
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Wounded Love
Summary: Astarion and Tav are both struggling with their emotions as they journey through the Shadowlands. When Astarion gets injured, Tav takes it upon herself to nurse him back to health, in more ways than one.
Pairing: Astarion x Fem!Reader.
Word Count: 5.3k
Tags: Astarion gets hurt, Emotional Constipation, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Massage, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Tav takes care of Astarion, sub!Atarion, Light Dom/sub, bordering minimal really, Porn With Plot, Biting, Blood.
a/n: this is an old draft, so forgive me if there are any typos! Love ya🤍
WARNING! +18 CONTENT, MINORS DNI
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It had been a stray hex, a capricious twist of magic that had hurt him, as told by the doctor responsible for his care in the Last Light Inn. The tendrils of the hex had woven an intricate spell, rendering him unconscious. Right now, as his chest rises and falls rhythmically, you feel something like pain and protectiveness stir in your chest. Although you are aware that your connection is currently purely physical, you can't help but feel a flutter every time your eyes meet or a tightening in your chest whenever he faces danger.
Looking at his peaceful sleeping form, you reach out to touch his hair, keeping it out of the way of his eyes. Your fingers trace the contours of his face and down his jawline. You wonder what kind of dreams come to him in these tender moments. Dreams you would love to share. To know all the things that go through the elf's mind.
His eyes suddenly open, and you get slightly startled, your hand hanging mid-air.
"What are you doing?" He raises one judging eyebrow, and squints at you through his eyelashes, but doesn't move out of your touch. His lips are curled into a small, tight grimace, probably still in pain from his recent wound.
You reach for the mug of water near the bed. "You look so peaceful when you sleep. Maybe you should spend more time like that. I like you way more when you are quiet," you say, a teasing tone lacing your words.
Astarion rolls his eyes, but he's also smiling a little.
"Yeah? Well, if you're so keen on me sleeping why not do me a favor and knock me out? The pain is unbearable as of right now," he says, but his voice is still soft and quiet, almost as if talking is painful You know there is a bit of truth there. He takes the mug and gulps down the water, then sets the piece back down on the bedside table.
He does appear miserable, even though his beauty remains as striking as ever. His eyes, usually filled with energy and mirth, seem drained of life, carrying heavy bags underneath. Though he is already pale, right now he looks paler than ever, and even his distinctive white locks, typically immaculate, fall disheveled and unkempt over his shoulders.
Your chest tightens at the sight, a vivid flashback of watching him fall during the combat flooding your mind. One moment, he was bravely battling alongside Karlach and the next, he was sprawled on the ground, so unnaturally still that it hinted at something had gone fatally wrong. The memory of that moment lingers—the scream tearing from your throat, the frantic dash to reach him—where the world outside, the lurking shadow monsters, and your companions; all became a blur, drowned out by the overwhelming fear of losing him.
You release a shaky breath, and try to appear nonchalant "Well, I happened to leave my Warhammer outside, but if you give me a moment, we could arrange it," you say, a hint of playful sarcasm masking the genuine worry beneath.
Astarion snorts. "Please, I don't need the Warhammer. Just a firm slap should do it." He says while shifting on his bed.
The movement makes the bedsheets rustle and reveals the bandages encasing his torso. His chest had sustained the most damage, with a deep cut that refused to heal and oozed a dark, murky liquid.
"You were out for a tenday," you inform him. "A stray hex hit you during combat and left you out cold. The wound didn't close, even with your vampiric and elf powers, so it had to be taken care of manually."
"Well, that's just great." Astarion mutters. Then, he speaks up again, this time seemingly with some concern, "I'm alright, right? I'm not going to die? I mean, I know I can't die, but..."
You chuckle softly at his words, a mix of fondness and relief washing over you. "Not under my watch. I am an incredible healer, after all".
"And quite humble, at that," Astarion mutters, but there is a small smile on his face. Then, there is a beat of silence, as both of you take a moment to collect your thoughts.
Astarion's smile fades, and his eyes search yours for something, a reassurance perhaps. You can see the vulnerability hidden beneath his usual facade of confidence and charm. It's rare to see him like this, stripped of his usual bravado. Leaning closer, you reach out again to gently brush a strand of white hair behind his pointy ear.
"Hey," you say softly, placing your hand on his cheek. "You're going to be alright. We took care of your wounds, and Halsin says you just need some time to recover." You take a deep breath, trying to steady yourself as you reach out and gently grasp his hand, intertwining your fingers. "You scared me, you know," you admit softly. "Seeing you fall like that... I thought I had lost you."
Astarion seems to freeze in place at that, as if he is unsure of how to react. You chuckle nervously, realizing you may have unintentionally crossed an unspoken boundary. Emotions are not your forte, after all. For a moment he simply stares at your intertwined hands. Then, he looks up to meet your gaze, and you see a flicker of some unreadable emotion there.
"Lost me? Come now, you should know by now it takes more than a measly hex to finish me off." His tone aims for nonchalance, but there is an edge to it that gives away his vulnerability. You offer a small, sheepish smile.
"Yes, well, you didn't die. So quit that moping and drink your water, or I'll let Shadowheart take a crack at healing you."
"From my point of view, this just means you just have to keep a closer eye on me from now on,"
You let out a small sigh and give him an exasperated look "I think I have done my fair share of caring for some time."
A look of realization crosses his face as if a puzzle piece has finally fallen into place. "Wait, did you stay here for the entire tenday?" he murmurs, his eyes widening with surprise and curiosity.
You clear your throat awkwardly "I mean, you were unconscious. Somebody had to keep guard, keep tabs on you, change your bandages..." you say, with a casual wave of your hand "Plus, I wanted to make sure you were alright. I'm not a complete monster."
But you are aware that it's not the whole truth. The real reason is that the thought of him lying in bed, wounded and vulnerable, causes a pain in your chest that you don't want to acknowledge.
Astarion's eyes widen slightly at your words, surprise mingling with something else. Gratitude, perhaps? It's hard to tell with him sometimes, but there's a softness in his gaze that tells you he appreciates your presence more than he lets on.
"Well, I suppose I should thank you then," he says, his voice softer than before. "I wouldn't have expected you to stick around."
You shrug nonchalantly "Had to make sure you didn't get yourself killed again," You reply teasingly, attempting to lighten the mood.
Astarion chuckles a sound that warms your chest. "Ah, so it was purely for selfish reasons then."
"Of course, can't have our token charming vampire biting the dust just yet"
Astarion rolls his eyes, a smile on his face "Charming vampire, am I? You really know just how to flatter someone."
"You're also our only rogue," you reply.
Astarion smiles. "So not only am I charming, but I'm essential too. Guess the group just couldn't do without me. Perhaps you should write me a thank you note instead."
You raise an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corners of your lips. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be sure to draft up a heartfelt ode to your indispensability."
His smile widens, the playful back and forth easing the tension that lingered between you. It feels good to see him like this, even if he's still recovering from his injuries.
You've been through so much together, fighting against the darkness that threatens your world. And in those moments of battle and chaos, there's a strange comfort in he familiarity of this banter, with its playful jabs and sly remarks. You do this routine a hundred times, dancing around each other's feelings and skirting the edges of any true intimacy. And yet, it's still nice to pretend sometimes. Still nice to pretend there's nothing underneath all the playful words, that maybe this is all you need. But for once, when you are looking at him, you want to reach out to him. To tenderly kiss his forehead, rest your head on his strong shoulders, and be enveloped in his embrace and not just for physical pleasure. But you know better than to act on those desires. He has been so wounded in the past and it's not just the physical scars that linger. His past is a complicated web of pain, betrayal, and mistrust. You've seen the way his eyes darken when certain topics are brought up or how he flinches away from certain touches. So you will wait patiently until he opens up when he is ready, relishing in these small moments in the meantime.
"Well, charming vampire, it looks like I'll have to find some more enemies for you to sink your fangs into for breakfast," you say with a mischievous glint in your eyes.
Astarion grins, a little wolfishly with his fangs on display, "Oh, I think I know just who to take my fangs to," he says, his eyes appraising your neck.
You feel a shiver run down your spine at the intensity of his gaze. You roll your eyes and smirk. "Oh please, Astarion. I'm not that easy to sink your fangs into."
He leans forward, with a wicked smile on his lips "Oh, is that so?" Astarion says smoothly. A twinkle of desire flashes in his red eyes as he speaks, which only ignites your own thirst. You feel your heartbeat quickening, breath hitching in your chest. "You want to put that to the test?" His voice is lower now, a bit of a growl starting to creep into his tone.
You can feel the bed's cool, smooth sheets against your skin as you lean forward, your chest brushing against Astarion's. The energy between your bodies feels like a tangible force, one that you can almost reach out and touch. His face is so close, his red eyes bright and mouth slightly open, showing off two sharp fangs that would terrify most people but only send shivers of anticipation down your spine. There's something primal in the way you're looking at each other, and you can't help but feel a familiar wave of excitement and fear wash over you. Astarion's eyes flicker to your lips for a moment. You are waiting, wanting him to make the first move, your breath shallow and quick.
"Well? Still think you can bite me that easily?" you quip, teasingly, although your heart is pounding so loud you are sure it's deafening for him.
A mischievous smirk plays on Astarion's lips, his red eyes sparkling with amusement. Despite his injury, he moves gracefully and with supernatural quickness, catching you off guard. In the blink of an eye, you are pinned to the bed beneath him. Your back sinks into the soft mattress as Astarion's weight presses down on your body. His left arm is pressing into the skin of your collarbones, as his other hand holds your wrists above your head. Every touch from him sends electric jolts through your body.
Astarion's breath is hot against your skin as he leans in closer, his lips grazing your ear. "Oh, I am more than capable of biting you," he whispers, his voice husky with desire. "I might even leave you with a few bruises," he adds, his voice an intimate rasp that sends shivers down your spine.
Your heart races at his words and the thought of what he could do to you, at the weight pressing down on you.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Astarion murmurs against your skin, his lips trailing down your neck and leaving a trail of fire in their wake.
You let out a soft gasp as he nibbles on your skin, causing goosebumps to rise along your arms. His touch is electric and every nerve in your body feels like it's on fire. Without hesitation, Astarion's fangs sink into the soft flesh of your neck, and you let out a gasp as a mix of pleasure and sharp icy pain courses through you. You can feel yourself growing lightheaded as he feeds from you, his fangs sinking deeper and his grip on your wrists loosening as he savors the taste of your blood. The sensation sends waves of ecstasy coursing through your veins.
Time seems to stand still as you remain locked in his embrace, your bodies tangled together on the bed. As he finally withdraws his fangs from your neck, he lingers for a moment, his lips brushing against the wounds he's left behind. You can feel the slight throbbing where his teeth had punctured skin seconds ago. A soft sigh escapes your lips as you feel him press his forehead against yours, his breath fanning against your skin.
You giggle a little, still coming down from the high of vampire venom.
"I will never get tired of that," The words slipped from his lips in a breathy murmur, one that was filled with awe and contentment.
"All it takes is a little blood to make our wounded vampire happy," You tease, giving him a small peck. His lips still taste a bit metallic, but you don't care in the slightest.
Astarion chuckles, "Ah, darling, we both know I am not the only one who enjoys that…"
He presses his body against your own, his lips suddenly ravishing yours with an intensity that steals your breath. The heat of his mouth sears through you, igniting every nerve and sending primal shivers down your spine. You cling to him desperately, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him closer until your bodies meld into one and your hands tangle in the soft curls of his hair. At this moment, nothing else exists except for the electric chemistry between you, overwhelming and all-consuming.
Out of nowhere, he recoils and lets out a sharp hiss. Concerned, you examine the bandage on his chest and notice a small black spot forming. "Oh shit," you curse under your breath.
You quickly slide out from under him and stand next to the bed. "Lie down," you tell him firmly, "I'll take care of it."
"I'm okay," Astarion lies, but complies, lying down on the bed with a sense of resignation. The soft sheets crinkle beneath his weight as he settles into a comfortable position. You hurriedly gather supplies before returning to his side, adrenaline and concern fueling your actions. With skilled hands, you begin tending to his wound as Astarion watches on with curious eyes.
"If you keep ogling me like that, I may just end up with a hole in my head," you quip.
The corners of both your mouths turn up in matching grins. The intensity of your gaze locks and it feels like the air is alive with electricity. With precision and care, you unwrap the bandage and clean the wound, hands steady despite your worry. As you finish dressing the wound, you can't help letting out a sigh of relief after realizing it was just a small tear, nothing too serious.
It's then that you notice you have been straddling his body over the crisp white sheets of the hospital bed and your cheeks flush furiously.
Astarion looks at you with a cheeky smirk, "Something the matter, dear?" he asks, his voice low and sultry.
You can feel your face turning even brighter red, but you try to shrug it off. "No, nothing's wrong."
Astarion lets out a low laugh, enjoying your flustered state. "Oh, I beg to differ," he teases, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.
"Shut up," you mutter, trying to keep your embarrassment at bay.
Astarion chuckles softly, a warm sound that makes your heart flutter. Why does he always make your heart flutter?
"Well, I have seen you in way more compromised positions than the one you are in right now," he says, a hint of mischief in his tone. "You're not one to be shy."
You can't help but blush even more at his words. His hand starts caressing your thigh, and your breath hitches slightly.
"I must say," Astarion continues with a sly grin, "I've never had such skilled hands tending to me before."
You roll your eyes at his flirting. "Well, I have been trained in basic care since I was young," you reply with a smile playing on your lips.
He raises an eyebrow in surprise. "And how else are you planning on taking care of me, exactly? Because I remain deeply wounded." he says with a mock pout.
A mischievous smirk tugs at the corners of your mouth as you reply, "You'll just have to wait and see."
Meeting his intense gaze, you can feel the heat rising to your cheeks. A sudden spark of inspiration ignites within you and you eagerly suggest, "How about a massage? I have been told I am really good at those."
He raises an eyebrow, "A massage, huh? It doesn't sound too bad."
A chuckle bubbles up from your chest and you swat him lightly on the shoulder. "Only 'not too bad'? I'll have you know, I'm excellent."
Astarion smirks, "Prove it then," he challenges, stretching back onto the bed, arms folded behind his head in a display of pure ease.
Squaring your shoulders in determination, you stand from the bed and walk to the other side of the room. You rummage through a drawer filled with various herbs and oils until you find what you're looking for - a small vial of calming lavender oil you had seen Halsin storing a few days ago. You just hope he won't miss it too much.
"You better not fall asleep on me," you call out teasingly as you make your way back towards him, shaking the vial in your hand for emphasis.
In response, Astarion chuckles lowly and flips onto his stomach without a word, waiting for your touch. The scent of lavender fills the room as you rub your hands together, warming up the oil before applying it to his skin.
As your hands start kneading into his tight shoulder muscles, he releases a sigh that is half groan, half purr. "Your touch is simply divine," he moans, his voice low and husky. "You really do possess a gift for caressing."
With a proud smile, you continue to massage his shoulders and neck, feeling the tension ease away. His eyes are closed, lost in the pleasure of the moment. Your heart swells with happiness to see him so content and relaxed.
You lower your hands slowly, massaging along the curve of his spine and drawing another low moan from him. The rhythm of your touch, the scent of lavender, and the quiet of the room come together to create a sense of calm and tranquility. You let your fingers brush against the edges of his scars, caressing them tenderly. Instead of flinching away, he leans into your touch, allowing you to continue your gentle exploration.
You continue to knead his muscles, working out any remaining knots and tension. And then, you lower your head and press a soft kiss to the bare skin of his shoulder, right above the bandage. Astarion lets out a surprised gasp at the unexpected touch of your lips. He turns his head slightly, his eyes opening to meet yours.
"Can't resist taking advantage, can you?" he teases with a small grin.
"I simply relish having you at my mercy for once," you whisper against his spine, taking in the sweet scent of lavender oil on his skin.
Astarion's lips curve into a playful smirk at your words. "Oh, do you now?" he asks in a husky voice, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
You nod confidently, trailing light kisses down his spine and leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. "I always enjoy being in control," you reply, your tone laced with teasing.
He lets out a low chuckle, "And I always relish when you take charge," he purrs, his eyes closing in satisfaction.
With a last kiss, you gently pat his side.
"Now you turn for me."
Astarion eagerly flips onto his back, his eyes shining with anticipation. As you straddle him, you notice he has been affected by your previous ministrations, his hardness pressing against your core. A triumphant smile tugs at your lips. Astarion merely smirks up at you, not bothering to hide his interest.
"Seems like your skills extend beyond basic care," he teases, his voice dropping to a husky whisper.
You choose to ignore his comment and instead focus on the task at hand. Pouring more lavender oil onto your hands, you begin to knead his pectoral muscles, applying firm and steady pressure, avoiding the bandage covering it. Your hands roam over his chest with practiced ease until they find their way to his abdomen. You glide your fingers over each taut muscle, taking delight in the way his body responds under your touch.
"Enjoying yourself?" Astarion teases with a smirk.
A warm rush of joy spreads through you as you trace your fingers along the curves of his navel, softly giggling. His hands instinctively tighten around your hips, a desperate attempt to regain some control of the situation. A sly, self-satisfied smirk spreads across your lips as you slowly slip your hand lower down, teasing the sensitive skin just beneath the waistband of his trousers, towards the source of his growing excitement.
His breath hitches at your touch, his eyes now wide with surprise. "Oh, I see what's happening here," he says, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "You're getting into this caretaker role, aren't you?"
Your smirk deepens as you gently massage his hips, ignoring the suggestive implications of his words.
"I did say I'd take good care of you, didn't I?" you reply nonchalantly, as I continue with my performance.
Astarion lets out a soft chuckle and reaches up to cup your cheek affectionately.
"You certainly did," he murmurs, gazing up at you in admiration. "But what about you? Who takes care of you, dear?" he mumbles.
Your heart fills with sadness, at the thought of him only thinking of sex as an exchange, more than a pleasurable thing. You lean in to press a soft kiss into his neck, feeling his skin cold under your touch.
"Just trust me," you whisper, voice low and sultry, "I want to make you feel good." His breath hitches again, and you can feel him growing harder beneath your touch. "Trust me," you repeat softly.
You press your lips against his, softly at first, then deeper as he responds with equal fervor. Your hand swiftly opens his trousers, digging inside to grab his hardness, and starts a rhythmic movement, gliding up and down the full length of his member. As it reaches the tip, you twist your wrist slightly, eliciting a whine from deep within his chest. It's a sound you've never heard from him before, one that sends shivers down your and makes your core throb.
His body tenses beneath you, the feeling of your hand wrapped around him drawing a low curse from his lips. He arches into your touch, his grip on your hips tightening as he struggles to remain composed. He presses his lips against yours, the kiss becoming more fervent and demanding. His hands grip your hips tightly, pulling you closer to him, as if he can't get enough.
"Easy," you coo softly against his ear, an intimate tone wrapped around the single word as if it were a promise. Astarion's hands flex on your hips repeatedly, fingers digging into your flesh in a bid to ground himself. "Let me take good care of you," you assure him again, your voice low and breathy against his skin. His body tenses under your touch as he lets out a groan.
His breaths come in ragged gasps, punctuated by small moans of pleasure. "Faster," he pleads with a desperation that ignites a fire within you.
"My beautiful baby, so good for me," you murmur into his ear, your voice rough with desire and adoration. Without hesitation, you bring the pointed tip of his ear between your lips, savoring the delicate contours as you run your tongue along its edges. His body shudders in response, a high whine escaping from his throat as he gives in to your touch.
"Oh, sweet hells," he breathes, his voice barely a whisper.
You release his ear and lay back to take a good look at him, and you smile to yourself when you see his disveleshed hair, and red eyes hooded. And then, without hesitation, you sink down between his parted legs as your lips part and encircle his throbbing member. The taste of him fills your mouth, a mixture of salt and skin and something uniquely his. You take him fully into your mouth, relishing the sounds of his moans and gasps as you move your lips up and down his length. You swirl your tongue around him, teasing and coaxing every delicious sensation from him. His hips thrust upward, and his hands grip your hair, pulling you closer, but you resist, teasing him with your tongue. Your own body is humming with need and desire, but you push it aside to focus completely on him.
You slowly remove him from your mouth, teasingly drawing out the moment. "Beg for me," you whisper seductively, reveling in the power you hold over him.
Astarion's breath hitches as you pull away, and he meets your eyes with a mix of surprise and desire. He moans a deep, guttural sound that vibrates through you, and his hips buck upward, thrusting into the air. His hardness stands tall and proud against your palm, straining for release. It’s slick with your spit, and with a reddish hue that reveals his recent feeding. So damn beautiful.
"Please," he pleads "Please, please," he tries to repeat, but his words come out in a garbled, unintelligible moan as you take him deep into your throat and swallow hard, feeling his member pulse and throb slightly in your mouth.
His entire body trembles, his breaths quickening to the point where they are almost non-existent. His hands clamp onto your hair, yanking you towards him with a savage strength as he thrusts relentlessly, pushing himself deeper and deeper inside of you until it feels like he might tear you apart.
"Oh gods," he cries, arching his back and groaning in a way that makes you want to keep going. "That's so good, hells."
His words only drive you further, and you begin to pick up the pace, slobbering and sucking on him like a starving man to a feast. His body tenses as his release approaches, and you can feel him pulsing in your mouth.
"Please, please, oh my god" His words are now a jumbled mess, spewing out of his mouth in a frenzied stream. His eyes roll back into his head, a sign that he is close to releasing everything he has been holding in. "I can't... I can't take much more," he whispers hoarsely, "Please, please, let me cum. Fuck, I need to cum."
With this plea, you can feel the surge of his release, and your body responds with an exhilaration that threatens to overwhelm you. You can feel your body responding to his, your own arousal growing, and you rub yourself through your clothes, imagining the feel of him inside you. But that can wait - right now he needs you to take care of him. It's clear he's getting close now - his breaths are shallow, his moans low and desperate, his hips thrusting upwards in short, sharp jerks. With a final cry, you feel him tense, his entire body convulsing under your touch. You swallow hard, feeling the hot liquid spurt into your mouth, coating your tongue and throat in his essence. You can't help but groan in pleasure as it fills you, and you continue to suck and slurp, greedily devouring every drop he has to offer. His hips thrust upwards, bucking wildly as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him. You continue to suck and stroke him, milking every last drop from his throbbing length.
Finally, he goes lax, his body slack and exhausted while his breath comes in ragged gasps. You gently remove his now limp member from your mouth, wiping the remnants of him from the corners with your thumb. As he comes down from his high, his body relaxes onto the pillow, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. You lay next to him, your heart filled with a sense of contentment and satisfaction. You trace patterns on his chest with your fingertips, feeling the rise and fall of his breaths as he continues to recover from his release.
A spark ignites in his eyes as they lock onto yours, and for the first time, you see a glimmer of something. There is a tenderness and adoration in his gaze as if you are the most precious and captivating being in all of Faerûn. You smile and sprawl over his healthy shoulder, looking up at him.
"And here I thought I was the master at lovemaking," he teases. "Ever so surprising, my dear."
"Oh, you're easy to please, my love. But I do admit, you taste absolutely divine." You giggle and place a soft kiss on his lips.
He chuckles deeply, running his fingers through your hair. A moment of silence passes between you before you find the courage to break it with a quiet question, "Did you truly enjoy it?"
Conversation after sex is rare for you, but something about today feels different, almost intimate. Like something has shifted, an unspoken understanding or connection.
There is a pause, and Astarion looks at you, seeming a bit awkward. He appears to be having some sort of internal struggle at the moment. But then, he relaxes a bit and nods his head.
"Yes, I did," he says. He smiles at you. "It was... mediocre. Which is quite good for your usual performance"
You raise an eyebrow in mock offense. "Excuse me? You were practically begging me to cum moments ago!"
"Was that begging?" he asks innocently, "I thought I was just doing a demonstration" His eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked at you, his lips curling up into a smirk.
"Oh, really?" You raise an eyebrow playfully. "Well, you sure seemed to be enjoying it"
Astarion chuckled lightly, running his fingers through your hair. "I suppose I did, you know me, I can't resist a good show. And in case you're wondering, that was definitely begging. You just have a unique way of making me forget my manners."
You snuggle closer to him, basking in the softness of his skin. "I'm glad I can keep things interesting for you."
And then, to your surprise, he silently embraces you in a warm hug, pulling you close to his chest. The feeling of his strong arms encircling your frame is unfamiliar but comforting at the same time. You have never held each other in such an intimate way before, but in this moment it feels like the most natural thing in the world.
As the two of you lay intertwined and content, you can feel a sense of peace wash over both of you. For once, no worries or fears are clouding your minds - just the simple pleasure of being together in this moment. You close your eyes and let out a satisfied sigh, wondering if this newfound closeness is a sign of things to come, and the thought brings a smile to your lips, before drifting off into a peaceful sleep wrapped in each other's embrace.
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acourtofwhatthefuck · 2 months
Text
Bluebird — Azriel x Reader — Part VIII
Hey! Sorry for the wait on this one, it’s a big one and took me longer than I anticipated! I haven’t had the chance to properly proofread so sorry for any mistakes! Hope you enjoy all the same 💕
Summary: Forced to go on the road with her father, Reader gets a rude awakening that starts to play on her mind. But Azriel’s not willing to let go so easily.
Click here to be added to the Bluebird taglist! Please remember to check your settings and make sure you can be tagged! 💕
Word count: 8.7k
Warnings: Pretty gruesome descriptions of violence and injury. Masturbation. Nsfw, 18+, minors dni!
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The curtains were drawn.
To superior fae sight, nothing lay behind them besides darkness. Not even the flickering of a candle.
Azriel waited. And waited, and waited. His eyes did not once stray from the window, and hope burned fierce in him that those curtains would suddenly part, that a beautiful human face would appear that made his heart race and his skin feel too taut on his bones.
The fabric didn’t even twitch.
He knew, after a couple of hours, that he would not be seeing his Bluebird tonight. He tried not to feel too disappointed as he flew back towards the wall, the comfort of the fae realm. Such was the nature of their…relationship. It was clandestine and risky, and sometimes things would come up. Sometimes, one or both of them would be unavailable.
But as he stripped off his leathers and fell into his huge bed, he couldn’t tear his thoughts from her. Thoughts of where she was, what she was doing, what had rendered her unavailable to meet — whether she was safe.
Too many thoughts like that would do him no good. Would only worsen this…this alien sensation, of needing her with him all the time. Needing to have her in sight. Needing to have her at all.
He could only pray to the Mother that the next week pedalled on fast.
That he’d see his Bluebird soon.
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It had been the most uncomfortable day of your life.
A monotonous day on horseback, one landscape blurring into another. The village you were travelling to seemed like worlds away — and the journey was only made worse by the sticky summer heat, and the fact that you rode with Devin, slotted between the tight press of his muscled thighs.
Still, you were unflinching in your resolve that while you may not have been able to wriggle out of sharing a horse with him, you weren’t going to talk to him, no matter how much he tried to ply you with conversation.
It was his fault you had to come on this trip in the first damn place.
You tried your hardest to while away the time by sinking into your thoughts. It seemed that with each hour that passed, those thoughts became more vibrant, more longing. Thoughts of you, Azriel, a wildflower meadow. The ability to just…be in each other’s arms.
The ability to kiss him. Touch him.
Those thoughts didn’t help at all. It was an effort to keep them at bay, lest you make the ride even more uncomfortable.
But eventually — thankfully — you and your father’s group had arrived in the target village, just as the sun had been setting. News of your father’s cause had spread wide enough that it seemed his presence was expected. And very much welcomed.
You’d been ushered into the village tavern and supplied with more food and drinks than any of you needed. The feast kept you occupied while your father was absent awhile, apparently visiting a few villagers he was familiar with. And when he’d returned, it was there, that evening, nestled at the very back of the old, crumbling building, that you’d watched your his passionate presentation.
You’d heard the words spoken numerous times, of course. To his friends, and to anyone at the Bluebird Inn who would listen. But this was more than just a speech. This was an entire damn performance.
And it surprised you, how uncomfortable it made you to watch.
For all your father was quiet, brooding, sometimes soft-spoken, he commanded the tavern with a voice louder than you’d ever heard come out of him. His cheeks had grown ruddier as his own words riled him up. Spittle accompanied the angered, venomous words that left his mouth.
And it was all you could do to watch, your dinner feeling leaden in your stomach as you listened to the words — listened to him reel off a list of people he, personally, had met, who had suffered at the hands of the fae. As he told the story of your mother’s brutal death, and the details formed a lump in your throat, never lessening in impact. As he presented his ideas, his plans, in a way that was so refined, so expert, that it almost had you considering that they were the best course of action.
But you knew Azriel. You knew Azriel. These faeries that your father raged about were not his brethren. Azriel himself would abhor their actions.
You repeated that to yourself in your head, like a chant. Azriel was not like them. Azriel was good. Azriel cared for you.
Two whole hours, you had to sit there and listen to your father talk about frightening creatures who stole babies from their bassinets, who brutalised young girls, who tore families apart. Two whole hours, and your muscles were stiff and aching. Your head throbbing. Your body and mind desperate for the oblivion of sleep. A respite away from the pang in your gut.
Azriel was not like them. Azriel was good. Azriel cared for you.
The sight of your father and his men traipsing around the room with rolls of parchment and gathering signatures was a relief — only because you knew this would soon be over.
You sighed softly to yourself, slumping back in your chair and absentmindedly rubbing a hand over your stomach. As though it would somehow ease the complicated feelings that twisted it so violently.
“Impactful.” The chair beside you was pulled out, and Devin lowered himself into it. “Don’t you think?”
You gave the slightest dip of your chin. Couldn’t deny that your father had a way with words.
Devin pursed his lips, his eyes skating over you. “We have a long ride home, Y/N. Are you going to ignore me the whole way back, too?”
“Yes,” you hissed. “Because you had no right to talk to my father on my behalf.”
He folded his arms, appearing unflinching and unbothered by what he’d done. You may have thought he was in the wrong, but he certainly didn’t.
“I did so out of concern for you,” he replied. “Because what you said about the fae was wrong. None of them are good. The sooner you see that, the better.”
You bit inside of your cheek, simply to prevent yourself from arguing. But gods, you wanted to contest the statement. You wished you could tell him that you had cold, hard, beautiful evidence that he was wrong.
But doing so would only make things worse for you.
So you merely folded your own arms, and focused your gaze on the men weaving in and out of tables, gathering signatures, clapping supporters on the back and parting with well wishes. You stared and stared until the sight of them blurred.
And then Devin said, “You haven’t been yourself recently.”
You whipped your head around to look at him — gape at him. “You don’t know me well enough to say that.”
“I know you were acting shifty as fuck the night I came to check on you during the Summer Festival. You couldn’t get rid of me quick enough. I’d be forgiven for thinking you had someone there with you.”
“Who would I possibly have at my house?” you narrowed your eyes. “I’m not allowed to make friends, to form connections.”
His gaze softened. “I’m your friend.”
It wasn’t that long ago that you’d fantasised about him being more than that. He’d seemed so incredible, so gallant — a young man who could sweep you off your feet, and protect you while he guarded an entire village. You’d wondered if there was ever any likelihood of him being drawn to you, instead of one of the many other beautiful girls within proximity. You’d wanted to impress him.
Now, you just wanted him out of your fucking sight before you said something that would land you in more shit.
“You—”
The tavern’s front door flung open, hard enough to slam against the wall, abruptly severing your sentence.
All fell still and silent as every face looked up to take in the man who entered. Hair ripped from the knot at the back of his neck, and he was drenched in sweat, clothes rumpled and—
And saturated with blood.
There was a beat, and then everyone who crowded the small space appeared to collectively clock what they were seeing. A wave of gasps rippled through the room like a breeze.
“I—” the man’s eyes immediately landed on your father, as though it were him he searched for. “I tried to do something, but I was too late. I couldn’t—”
“What has happened?” Your father strode forward.
“I was too late,” he repeated. “I…I think you need to see this.”
Just like that, every member of your group was readying themselves to leave — to throw themselves straight into the unknown. Devin, too, rose.
But your father was wrenching round to face them, shaking his head. “I’ll take only a couple of you with me. The rest of you should stay here until I send word,” he angled himself towards your table. “Devin, Y/N — you’ll join me.”
“Me?” Your eyes widened. Granted, you didn’t know what, exactly, you’d be facing, but one look at the blood-drenched man at the entrance told you it was bad. You didn’t know nearly enough about fighting, or defending, or healing—
“Yes.” Your father’s tone brooked no room for argument. “You.”
There was no chance to protest as you were yanked out of your seat by Devin and pulled along with him while your father headed out of the door. Your heart raced in your chest as Devin helped you up onto his horse, and you were lurched into action.
All you could think was that you wished — so badly wished — to be back in the safety of the Bluebird Inn. And Azriel’s arms.
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You didn’t travel far. A few dirty, dusty roads brought you straight to a house that was mostly unassuming, no different to the houses in your village.
But the similarities stopped at the first scream that ripped through the night and had you violently flinching, had the horses panicking.
Devin dismounted with ease and promptly lifted you off, setting you on your feet at the exact same moment another scream sounded, thinning out into a strangled sob.
“Come.” Your father beckoned to you as Devin made quick work of tying the horses up.
But you couldn’t get your feet to move. You stayed firmly rooted to the spot as you shook your head. “I can’t go in there.”
“You can and you will,” he beckoned again. “Don’t let me down.”
With him in front of you and Devin now at your back, you felt you had no choice but to follow. The man that had burst into the tavern held the front door open, increasing the volume of what now seemed to be wailing sobs.
“I’ve heard of your cause,” he said quietly as your father stepped in first. “Which is why I think you should see this. So you can report back firsthand to the Queens.”
The entryway was just light enough to catch the incline of your father’s head. He said nothing as you were led through—
You stopped dead in the doorway of what seemed to be a dining room. So abruptly that Devin’s front collided with your back.
“Her name is — was — Dahlia.” The man inched towards the table, balling his fists at his sides. “She was only fourteen years old.”
“What happened?” Those two little words came from you — and you didn’t even realise it.
Because lying motionless on the table was the body of a young girl — from what you could make out beneath the injuries that covered her skin, anyway.
Her pallor was such a deathly white that you knew she was long gone. Her clothes were dirty, ripped…by what looked like claws. Chunks of flesh had been gouged out, her throat cut—
Your ears were ringing too loudly for you to think. But as your heart beat at a gallop, another cry rent the air, stealing your attention to the corner of the room.
“This is Marin,” the man breathed, moving closer to the woman who sat curled up and distraught in the corner. “Dahlia’s mother. She saw the attack with her own eyes.”
“Oh, gods,” you whispered. Devin’s hand landed on your shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.
Your father took slow, careful footsteps towards the grieving mother. And the softness with which he knelt before her, laying a tentative hand atop of hers…it had your eyes stinging.
“My name is Marschal,” he introduced himself quietly. “I’m so sorry for what those monsters have taken from you. Your beautiful daughter is safe in the Beyond now. The fae can hurt her no more.”
Another soft cry shuddered out of Marin. But she nodded her head and answered, her voice watery, “I know who you are. What…what you do.”
“Then you’ll know why I’ve been brought here. What happened…it’s something I believe our queens should know about,” he paused. “If you’re able, I’d like to know exactly what it was you witnessed. As much as you can manage, of course.”
The request almost made you flinch. It seemed callous, somehow, when her child’s body was still right there on the table and hadn’t yet been sent back to the earth. But after a beat of Marin staring at your father through her tear-filled eyes, she offered the slightest dip of her chin.
“I…” Her voice wobbled. “I’ll try.”
“Devin,” your father murmured over his shoulder. “Fetch her a drink to steady her nerves.”
You were jostled ever so slightly forward as Devin slipped past you — too close to Dahlia’s poor, broken body than you could handle. You turned away, your feet numbly carrying you to Marin’s side. You took her hand into your own, and she didn’t object to the comfort.
In fact, her voice was a little steadier as she said, “It was just me and my Dahlia.” She inhaled slowly through her nose, steeling herself. Her eyes fluttered shut for the briefest second before they opened again. “We were returning home from visiting my sister in another village. It was such a nice night that we decided not to spend coin on transport. The walk was a bit lengthy, but we’d made it before. We knew which way to go.”
The story was momentarily interrupted by Devin re-entering the room and handing a glass of amber liquid to Marin. Her free hand trembled as she took it and lifted it to her lips. Beads of dark liquid coloured her pale lips as she swallowed it down and continued.
“Only, Dahlia insisted on cutting through a forest to look at some plants,” she whispered. “She’s into botany, you see — she was into botany.” A fresh wave of shuddering sobs threatened to overpower her, but somehow, she found the strength to tamp down on them. “So we went into the forest, but Dahlia, she…she had a habit of wandering off, and I got separated from her. It wasn’t for long. But when I found her again, she was with a man.”
Your father repeatedly softly, “A man?”
“I knew at once that it was a faerie. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. And Dahlia thought so, too. He was talking to her, and she had this glazed look in her eyes like she was somewhere else. He offered her his hand, and she took it. I knew in my bones that he was going to take her away from me, so I stepped forward, announced myself. I told Dahlia to come, that we were going home. The man answered for her in a voice like music.”
“What did he say?” you rasped.
“He said — he said that Dahlia would make a pretty wife for a faerie. That faerie men liked human brides. He said that she was coming back with him, across the wall. He asked her if she wanted to do that, and she said yes. I think he had her under some sort of spell. I could tell that it wasn’t my Dahlia talking. And I panicked. I stepped forward to grab her out of his arms, and he attacked. Immediately. It was all so quick, I couldn’t register what he was doing. But then he was disappearing before my eyes, and Dahlia was crumpling to the floor, and I knew…I could see she was gone.”
A keening, horrendous wail left her, and she was curling herself up so tightly — like she was trying to hold herself together. It was all you could do to grip onto her hand as she rocked back and forth and cried over and over and over, my Dahlia, my Dahlia, my Dahlia.
You waited for your father to say something else — to come up with an answer as to what might ease her suffering, if anything at all could.
But it was Devin who lowered himself to one knee before her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his face gentle, open.
“Madam, the last thing I wish to do is cause you any more distress at such an awful time.” He spoke in the calm, sure way that all village guards did. “But I am a guard of the village from which my companions and I hail. Our girls have been suffering attacks at the hands of the fae, also. If, perhaps, you could describe the faerie you saw…who hurt your child…”
“He was beautiful, as I said,” Marin snivelled. “So beautiful, it almost hurt to look at him. Dark hair and golden-brown skin. Eyes that seemed to glow. That beauty made him easy for Dahlia to trust. He seemed kind. His voice was just as stunning as he was.”
“Their beauty,” your father supplied sympathetically, “is a calculated part of their thrall. Do not blame yourself nor your daughter for being allured by it. The fae know what they are doing.”
You did not hear whether the reassurance brought Marin any comfort. You didn’t catch what Devin then said to her, despite you looking right at him, watching his lips move.
Your mind was roaring, ears screaming. You felt…panic.
Their beauty is a calculated part of their thrall.
The fae know what they are doing.
So beautiful, it almost hurt to look at him.
Dark hair and golden-brown skin. Eyes that seemed to glow. He seemed kind. His voice was just as stunning as he was.
Faerie men like human brides.
You felt like you were going to be sick.
Was it so easy to be lured by the mere beauty of the fae?
Was that what Azriel had done to you?
Dahlia’s attacker had seemed nice to her…just as Azriel seemed nice to you.
And Dahlia was now lying lifeless and brutalised just inches away. Allured by a beautiful faerie. Like the other village girls. Like your mother. Like you—
You launched up, nausea turning your stomach. This was too much. If all fae were the same…if all of them were capable of this…
“What is it?” Devin asked. Your father didn’t speak; merely stared at you with an indiscernible expression.
“I need some fresh air, I’m sorry.” Feeling as though you were gasping for breath, you pushed through them, stumbled clumsily past Dahlia’s body and out of the room before they could stop you. You focused on forcing your legs forward, finding your way out of the house. Balmy summer air coaxed you towards it and had you practically falling out of the door.
What had you been thinking, having regular, secret meetings with a faerie who could tear you apart with his bare hands? Inviting him into your village, your home? Allowing yourself to think that he was somehow different? Finding ways to justify your involvement with him?
Azriel may not have been responsible for the attacks himself, but his kind were. You didn’t know him. Didn’t know what he was capable of. For all you were aware, your warming to him had been carefully manipulated by him, by magic. For all you were aware, he could have an extensive list of human girls that he’d softened and lured. He could be using you for something.
You didn’t want to think about what. Didn’t want to know.
What you did know was that you couldn’t see him anymore. Dahlia was some sort of sign that your dealings with the fae had to stop. What you had with Azriel needed to stop—
“It hits a little close to home, doesn’t it?” Your father’s soft voice reached you from the doorway. Amidst your reeling thoughts, you hadn’t heard him follow you out.
You sucked in a huge gulp of fresh air and pivoted to face him. “It does,” you agreed. “I’m sorry if I disappointed you by running out of there.”
He shook his head, took a step closer. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I felt it was necessary for you to see just what a single faerie was capable of. That doesn’t mean I expect you to be unfeeling and unaffected. That sight in there is…it’s terrifying. And gods, if it were you lying on that table—” he cut himself off, swallowing hard. It was a rare thing for him to share such sentiments with you. That was as close as he’d allow himself to get.
So you nodded, letting him know that you got it. He was terrified of you meeting the same fate that poor Dahlia had.
The moment hung between you, thick as the sticky night air. And then you were taking the plunge and asking the question that lived somewhere deep and heavy inside you, trying to claw its way out.
“Was it like that when Mama was attacked?” you studied your father, waiting for him to flinch, grimace, something. “When she was attacked by a faerie, did she…did she look much like Dahlia does?”
A gruesome question, and perhaps an unfair one.
But for the first time in your life, you needed to know — the gory details. How bad it had been.
Your father pursed his lips, staring back at you. For a moment, you thought he might not answer.
But then he shook his head. Shoved his hands into his pockets. He looked…vulnerable.
“No,” he answered, his voice laced with something you couldn’t grasp. “No. There was far less left of your mother after her attack. Nothing of the woman I had loved.”
Before you could answer, he turned and trudged back inside.
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Three weeks in a row.
Three weeks in a damn row, the curtains had remained shut at Y/N’s bedroom window.
Azriel thought his need to see her was starting to eat him alive.
But gods, he missed her. He missed her curiosity, that she did not seem to fear him. Missed that he could lose hours talking to her about everything and nothing. Missed her scent, the taste and feel of her lips—
He heaved a sigh, sprawling back in his bed and running a hand over the panes of his bare stomach. His blood thudded and thrummed in his veins. Burned too hot.
He knew, at least, that she was well, only from the rare glances he caught of her from the sky above the village. Seeing her and not being able to swoop down and speak to her was a whole torture of its own. But if the curtains were closed, that meant it wasn’t safe. The last thing he wanted was to get her into trouble.
Still, that didn’t stop his bones from feeling too hot with need, his heart too heavy—
Another quiet sight escaped him, the pads of his fingers stroking absentmindedly over his abdomen. It felt entirely out his control that his thoughts quickly ventured down the same avenue they’d been walking for three weeks, now. Yet again recalling that conversation he and Y/N had had when he’d last been with her. The broadened confidence that had lain within her actions.
She’d asked him about lovers. She’d kissed him deeply, yearningly, and had he not stopped her, she would have taken it further. He knew she would have — knew it from the way her scent had changed.
Gods, that scent. He was sure it had followed him everywhere these past weeks. It would drive him mad yet. The scent of fresh summer air and sweet, ripe apples. It was perfect, and mouthwatering, and Cauldron boil him, Azriel wanted more. A touch. A taste—
A low noise rumbled in his chest as his cock instantly hardened. This was why it was best to keep his mind occupied. Because as time went on, so too did his growing, strengthening, snowballing attraction for the human woman.
She was likely unaware of what affect she truly had on him.
With only the covers draped over his naked body, the light brush of the fabric against his hardened length was too much. He kicked them away, glancing down at his body’s reaction to the mere thought of Y/N. Nothing to do with him not having had sex for a while now.
All to do with the fact that he wanted Y/N. Badly.
He wrapped a hand around his cock, releasing a hushed moan at the touch. And as his thumb mopped up the precum at the head, and he began to pump slowly, languidly, he closed his eyes and imagined it was her hand that touched him.
That mental image threw the unhurried pace straight out of the window. Fantasies swarmed him as he writhed on the mattress and bit down on his husky, growling moans. Thoughts of Y/N stroking and squeezing and licking him, of her guiding him through his pleasure with filthy words and promises. Watching his length disappear between those perfect, full lips—
A shout shuddered out of him that he was too slow to suppress, his chest heaving as he emptied his cock onto his stomach. The pleasure was too much. He couldn’t think around it, couldn’t see anything but the stars that burst in his vision.
He didn’t know when he’d last cum so fast, so hard.
But somehow, he did know that no other woman, female, whatever, would ever be enough again. Only Y/N. He wanted Y/N.
He needed to find a way to see her.
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Resolving to have nothing more to do with Azriel did not, unfortunately, banish thoughts of him. Nor did it banish the feeling of missing him, missing what you’d grown comfortable with.
It was hard to go from looking forward to weekly rendezvous to just…nothing. No social interaction, besides what you got from behind the bar of the inn. No personal connections.
It was for the best, you told yourself. In the three weeks since you’d been on the road with your father and his men, those images of Dahlia’s broken body had not left your mind. They haunted you as thoroughly as the sounds of Marin’s cries and wails. As thoroughly as those words she’d spoken.
The most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
Azriel was the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. And while he may not have been responsible for Dahlia’s attack, or the attacks on the girls in your village…that didn’t mean he wasn’t capable.
The fae were a violent people. There was no getting around that. And you…you could not take that risk. No matter how much your heart yearned to do so, just to feel the touch of Azriel’s hands and hear the smooth lilt of his voice.
He was fae. You were human. It could never work.
So you kept your curtains closed, and you kept yourself busy. You knew Azriel must have wondered what was going on, why you’d been unavailable three weeks in a row. Soon enough, you told yourself, he was bound to get bored and seek connection with somebody else, and your brief brush with the fae would become a bizarre, distant memory.
You hoped.
Perhaps if you chanted it to yourself enough, it would come true.
But gods, you’d become so comfortable with him. Had found what felt like a real, genuine bond with somebody, like nothing you’d been able to experience before. It was no easy thing to return to loneliness, just you and the inn and your piano. Everything was suddenly too dull, too quiet.
At least your father hadn’t asked you to come on the road with him again.
His trips were getting longer, the further he ventured. Two days had stretched to four. You were more alone than ever.
Tonight, when the last of your customers had filed through the door, you were not in the mood to play piano, nor to read a book. Your frame of mind was a tricky one. You felt…restless and misplaced. Tired in your bones and yet wide awake and longing.
You tossed and you turned, kicking your sheets, writhing against your mattress until you were sticky with sweat. You wanted to pull back the curtains and wrench open the window, but…not at this hour. Not while Azriel might still be circling above, searching to see if you were available.
So in the dark, you let the hours tick by, waited for sleep to find you or…some semblance of peace. You listened to each chime of the village’s clock tower, making you aware of every hour you’d lain awake; one o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock. No passing time made a difference. Restlessness still commanded your body until finally, you’d had enough.
It was nearing four o’clock by the time you threw your sheets off you and stormed out of your bed, exasperated and fed up — by your constant thoughts that would not leave you alone, and how they seemed to control everything. What were you to do without the few hours of oblivion that sleep afforded you?
Was even this some power of the fae…to command your mind and drive you mad with sleeplessness and restlessness until you were losing yourself entirely, becoming an empty shell who lived only to harbour feelings for an ethereal being who saw you as some sort of toy? Was your longing even real, or just the product of magic?
You weren’t sure of anything anymore.
Though still very much night, the darkness had lifted just slightly over the village with another summer morning rapidly approaching. Birds were beginning to wake and sing their songs. It wouldn’t be too long before the milkman ventured through the village with his wagon, leaving bottles at the residents’ doors.
If Azriel had tried to visit, he certainly wouldn’t be around any longer — not with the world waking up.
So you resigned yourself to the fact that you wouldn’t be sleeping. You threw a robe over your nightgown and trudged down the stairs, irritated and ill at ease. You headed straight for the back door, to your small yard that was just as grey and dull as everything else. At least the air would be fresh. Somewhat.
Though tinged with the smells of the countryside, it was nice to feel it wash over you. Cool, in the absence of the sun, and yet not cold. You slumped down onto the wooden bench against the wall and rested your head back, closing your eyes.
How, you wondered, had you been foolish enough to land yourself in such a predicament? How had you gone from being some human, village nobody, to brushing arms with the very beings you’d been raised to despise? It had to be magic that had weaved its way into your mind. Perhaps Azriel hadn’t meant to bewitch you, but he had. Perhaps it was some natural facet of his kind that he had no control over, that you’d fallen victim to. You’d heard stories of the kinds of fae who were love talkers — Gancanagh — whose sole magic was to pour sweetened words into women’s ears and so thoroughly seduce them until they were nothing more than their feelings. Could that be what Azriel was? Could he have—
A thud ripped you from your thoughts so abruptly that you jolted, your eyes flying open.
Just in time to see Azriel jump down from the opposite wall, feet landing smoothly on the cracked concrete ground of the yard.
You stared at him, knocked speechless, for a moment, by the mere sight of him. You couldn’t deny that you’d missed gazing upon his brilliance. The dark leathers and flawless appearance. The shadows.
But you quickly yanked yourself out of it, shaking your head. You would not be bewitched or love-talked or…whatever. Not again.
“It’s so good to see you,” Azriel breathed, cleaving the silence.
But you were up on your feet, still shaking your head, suddenly cold all over. “You can’t be here.”
“I checked the village before I came down,” he stepped closer. “All is fine—”
“No,” you interrupted. “You need to leave.”
He paused, seeming to take his time studying you. His brow furrowed at your guardedness, the way you crossed your arms over your chest and eyed the distance between yourself and the door.
“I don’t understand…” he murmured, taking a step closer. “Where have you been? What’s happened?”
The backs of your legs hit the bench in your attempt to back up. “None of that matters. You just need to stay away from me. Leave, and don’t come back.”
Surprise seemed to steal him so suddenly that it gave you an opening the move. You made to cross your way back to the door, to get yourself inside. Locks were no use against his ability to winnow, but at least you could find a weapon in there, should you need it.
But Azriel was stepping closer just as fast, his warm hand closing around your elbow in a gentle yet firm touch. Gods, you’d missed that touch—
“Don’t,” you snapped, recoiling. “Do not touch me—”
“Y/N, just look at me. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Why?” Pivoting to face him didn’t ease his grip even a little. “So you can charm me into believing you’re not dangerous?”
A muscle in his jaw ticked, his eyes blazing. “I never claimed not to be dangerous. But I am not a danger to you.”
A brusque, almost hysterical laugh broke from you. “Resorting to faerie riddles? How convenient—”
“Y/N—”
“Let me go.”
This time, when you yanked your arm back, his hand fell. You didn’t wait around to see his reaction as you darted through the door and slammed it shut, locking it with trembling hands.
But when you turned, he was right there in front of you, in your fucking house. You backed yourself up against the door to stop your body colliding with his.
“Get out,” you breathed. “I mean it. Get away from me.”
Slowly, he rose his hands in a placating manner. There was pleading in his tone as he carefully bit out, “I just want to talk to you. Please. Tell me what I’ve done.”
You stared at him, pressing your palms flat against the door. It hurt so, so badly that you wanted to hear him out. Wanted to wipe that crestfallen, devastated expression from his face and hold his hand and talk to him and kiss him—
No, no, no. You shook your head, shook the thoughts away. Azriel watched with wide eyes.
“I am not a danger to you,” he said again, slowly lowering his hands. “But if that’s what you’re worried about…” smooth as a damn waltz, he unsheathed a blade, sharp enough to slice through the sky itself. He gripped the hilt, holding the beautiful weapon out to you. “Take this. It is the only thing I am currently armed with, and if at any point you feel in danger, you have my permission to stab me with it. I just want to talk.”
Your gaze flicked between the blade and his face, unsure and upset. Upset, because you knew that the longer you spent in his presence, spent listening to his voice, the harder it would be to remember the driving force behind your hostility. The harder it would be to convince him to leave and never return.
But perhaps the key to that was not being hostile towards him, but rather, making him hostile towards you. That would be easier. You had never been completely honest with him — about who your father was. Maybe fessing up to the fact that you’d joined him in his campaign would be enough to anger Azriel into leaving.
You jerked your chin at the blade, squaring your shoulders. “Place it on the floor and step away.”
He didn’t hesitate. A shadow snaked out, coiling around the dagger and easing it to the floor with barely a noise. And then Azriel stepped back, and back, and back. Until he was pressed against the wall opposite you.
He didn’t move an inch as you reached for the knife and took it into your hand. The feel of it was weighty and foreign — and beautiful.
“I just want to talk to you,” Azriel said again, his voice gritty. “Tell me what happened. Tell me what…what’s changed.”
You met his eyes, squaring your shoulders as you admitted, “I wasn’t completely honest with you.”
His face showed no reaction. He didn’t even stir. Just stared back at you and spoke clearly, carefully. “Alright. Talk me through that.”
“We once discussed a band of humans who are raising a cause against the fae. Do you remember?”
“I do.”
“I never told you that it is my father who set up the cause. He is the one behind the campaigns. He is the one who takes his men village to village and spreads word of the evil deeds of the fae. He’s behind it all.”
A heavy silence filled the space between you. Azriel stared at you, his expression unreadable. This was the moment he would curse you for keeping the truth from him. The moment he would leave and never look back.
Except, all he did was nod his head once. Like you’d merely offered him a droll comment about the weather.
“Do you not understand what I’m telling you?” you pushed. “I sat up on that hill with you and discussed the matter when I knew the entire time who you were talking about. What they were doing. I deceived you. Kept it from you.”
“There are things you don’t know about me, too,” he answered quietly. “Things that I, for certain reasons, have not told you yet. I would be foolish to assume the same wouldn’t be the case for you,” he stared at you, head-on. Unflinching. “I know better than anybody, Y/N, that you cannot help who or what you come from. I won’t judge you for it, just as I’ve asked you not to judge me.”
Gods, he was so damn reasonable. So much more…worldly and mature, than the human men you knew in the village.
Then again, Azriel had centuries of life on them.
“I’m not angry that you didn’t tell me,” he studied you. “I can understand why you’d be cautious—”
“My father took me on his campaign three weeks ago. Took me on the road with him and his men.”
 It was that which seemed to really stop Azriel in his tracks. Something — the slightest thing, a tiny reaction — flared in his eyes. You weren’t sure what it was.
Good. This was good. Maybe now he would get the point, that you and he needed to stop seeing each other.
“Night after night, I sat and listened to what my father had to say. To what he knows,” your hand gripped hard at the knife’s hilt, like it was the only thing grounding you and making you able to speak. “None of it was stuff I hadn’t heard before. I even resented listening to it. I curled myself up in a corner and repeated to myself over and over that whatever was being said, you were not like that. You were not the kind of fae of which my father spoke.”
Azriel’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I am not. Just as I told you.”
“I found it frustrating to hear him tarnish all of your people with the same stories when you had proved to me otherwise. That some fae could be good. That I had been ignorant. And then,” a short laugh rasped out of you, “and then, as if the universe was trying to send me some sort of message, a man came looking for us and said we needed to accompany him somewhere. And we did. My father, a member of his group, and myself. We followed this man to a house in that village, and I knew it was bad from the other end of the street. I could hear the cries coming from within that house, the wailing.”
That information was met with a wall of silence — as though Azriel was biting back his words and waiting for you to finish your story before he would deign to speak. Even if the rigid set of his shoulders told you he desperately wanted to do otherwise.
“There was a girl’s body in that house.” Merely recalling the image of Dahlia had a lump rising in your throat. You silently begged your eyes not to tear up. “The body of a fourteen-year-old girl. A child. A fae male had attacked her, and her poor mother had seen the entire thing.”
Azriel swallowed. “That’s awful—”
“She told us exactly what she saw. Described the faerie to us. How he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, with dark eyes and golden skin and such a charming demeanour. How her daughter hadn’t stood a chance, because he was already weaving his way into her mind and appealing himself to her. Making her think that he was no threat. Because his beauty, his allure, was above anything else.”
“And…what are you saying?” Azriel asked bleakly. “That you think it was I who attacked that girl—?”
“No, but it was a faerie! It’s always the fucking fae!”
The words left you so angrily, so loudly, that you realised you’d been waiting for someone to yell them at. That they burned inside you, and they hurt. You felt…foolish. Betrayed.
And Azriel appeared to read all of that on your face. He swallowed again, hard, balling his fists at his sides like it took everything in his power to hold himself back and not approach you.
“I never once denied that faeries are capable of such atrocities,” he stared at you. “Not once. I simply asked you to acknowledge that there is good and bad in all people, whatever we are. It’s not as black and white as the fae just being bad.”
“And yet,” your voice was cold, “I haven’t been presented with anything to say otherwise.”
That might have been a low blow. You were guessing it was, from the way Azriel physically flinched, before schooling his features.
Because he…he was evidence of good, wasn’t he? He certainly had been, before the situation with poor Dahlia. He’d shown you that he was tender and soft, patient and kind. It had been enough for a while.
But you had more or less just said that it had never been enough at all. And that seemed to bother him more than anything else.
“You and I are worlds apart,” you added, sounding weaker. “Whatever or whoever you are…we simply have no business getting involved with one another.”
“That’s bullshit.” In a flash, Azriel was pushing off the wall. He strode forward a couple of steps, before thinking better of it and stopping in his tracks. Ferocity turned his golden skin a ruddy hue. “I don’t care what sides of the wall either of us fall on. What matters is that I feel right around you. I feel alive because of you. If we have no business getting involved, tell me why I cannot sleep for having constant thoughts about you. Tell me why you have consumed me as though you have bewitched me.”
You blinked, almost — almost — wanting to laugh. The description was one you absolutely had fitted to him. To consider that he’d come to the same conclusion about you—
“I swear to you that I have never used any sort of faerie sway to appeal myself to you,” he continued. “What we feel for one another is genuine. I keep coming back to you because I ache for you. And I don’t judge you one bit for thinking badly of my kind — especially after what you saw on your father’s trip. It’s awful, and I abhor what was done to that girl. But I beg of you, Y/N — please. Do not paint me in the same light.”
Each word pelted you like hailstones, the impact of them sending a shiver coursing down your spine. So quickly, your body wanted to falter, to fold, to go marching over to him. It took every shred of effort to stand your ground and grip onto the knife as though your life depended on it.
“I’m not trying to invalidate what you’ve seen, what you’ve experienced.” Azriel took another slight step forward. “I would never. I just…I ask you to give me one more chance to prove that there is another side to the coin. That good can exist as well as bad.”
You pointed the blade towards him, stopping him in his tracks. But you lifted your chin as you asked, “How? How would you prove that? I don’t want any faerie trickery.”
“And there would be none. I want to show you…for you to see with your own eyes…”
“…see what?”
“The good that I know. The good that I live amongst.” Pleading lay within his eyes. “Just give me one more night. One more night of your time to take you into my world. To show you more of myself. And if you still want nothing more to do with me…” Slowly, he shook his head, as though he could hardly bear the thought. “Then I will find a way to accept it, and you will never have to see me again.”
You shook — trembled — with the effort to rein yourself in. You didn’t understand this carnal…thing, deep inside you, that was drawing you to him. Like a thread in your body, connected to one in his, begging you to close the gap and go to him.
You rocked on your feet, eyeing him with none of the anger you’d felt moments before, and all of the caution at how he so often made you feel. Like you wanted to be in front of him. To touch him.
“I don’t…understand what you’re suggesting,” you said slowly.
Azriel took a single, tiny step closer. You didn’t stop him. “Let me take you across The Wall for one night. A few hours, if that’s all you’re willing to give. To my city, my home. Let me introduce you to my family. To everyone and everything that reminds me how much good exists amongst my kind, even when I sometimes doubt it myself.”
“Across The Wall—?”
“It would be entirely safe.” Another step, closing that gap between you. “I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you. And if we get there and you don’t even want to talk to me, you don’t have to. I just…I just want you to see. You deserve to see the good.”
So many feelings warred inside you at once. Intrigue, curiosity, fear — such raging fear. Excitement. Maybe…maybe a little bit of hope.
Hope that you could still be proved wrong. Because you still wanted to be proved wrong.
You didn’t want to let Azriel go.
Swallowing hard, your eyes shuttered. What he was asking of you was huge, and that wasn’t even considering the logistics of how you would do it. “I don’t…know if I could.”
With another step, Azriel was close enough to touch. The familiar scent of him was almost enough, alone, for you to fold. The hand that held the blade lowered entirely without your willing.
“Why don’t you take the day to think about it?” Hazel eyes were a long-awaited caress against your face. “Your father is away for another night yet, isn’t he?”
Your gaze clashed with his abruptly. “How do you know that?”
Quickly, he held his hands up. “Just going by the pattern of his previous trips, that’s all. He doesn’t usually return until the weekend.”
Right. Perhaps you were being a little bit paranoid. You forced yourself to relax a little.
“Yes,” you concurred. “He’s away for another night.”
Azriel’s chin dipped. “So…how about this? You take the day to think my offer over. If you decide you want to accept and come with me, I’ll be waiting for you above. At midnight, on the dot. If you decide you don’t, and you do not want anything else to do with me…well, like I said, I’ll find a way to accept it somehow.”
You knew your resolve was already slipping, leaning more towards what felt right, rather than…that what you’d been raised to believe was right.
And it wasn’t as though it was an unreasonable offer. You believed that Azriel could keep you safe either side of The Wall. Your wellbeing wasn’t what concerned you in the slightest.
You supposed that it was that if you were to go along with this…there would likely be no turning back. You’d so far merely dipped your toe into the world of the fae.
Crossing The Wall would be like submerging yourself in it.
“Take the day to think about it,” Azriel said again, studying you closely. “All I ask is that you do think about it…properly. Don’t just…don’t just write me off. Please, Y/N. I couldn’t bear it.”
Something in his voice smothered that last shred of doubt that tried to hold you back. Your own voice was quiet as you replied, “Alright. I’ll think about it.”
In front of you, his shoulders seemed to slump with something like relief. Pleading still lay within his eyes. You weren’t sure, in that moment, if you could handle staring back at it.
So you instead held the knife out to him, ripping your gaze away. “You can have this back.”
“Don’t want to stab me?” he said, and your lips threatened to quirk up. You forced the smile away as he took the weapon back and sheathed it.
“I’ve yet to decide. I’ll spend the day contemplating that, too.”
So easy, to fall back into the natural rapport you had with him. Azriel didn’t bother to bite down on his smile.
But the smile then faltered, and worry clouded his eyes. “I really do hope you’ll give me another chance.”
“Why?” you blurted. “Why me?”
For a moment, he didn’t respond. And then he stepped away from you. Something in his stance told you he was readying himself to disappear.
“I’ll tell you why, if you come across the wall with me,” he said, his eyes meeting yours. “I want to be transparent with you. But I have to protect my heart, too.”
“You—”
“Just think on it,” he spoke softer, gentler. “And get some sleep, Y/N.”
Before you could respond, a breeze rippled through the room, tinged with the smells of winter.
And just like that, you were alone.
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snitling · 2 years
Text
Customer at the New Inn: aw, what a gorgeous cat! What's his name?
Hob: oh, I don't know. He's not my cat, he just turns up here sometimes
Customer: oh, feeding strays, that's good
Hob: actually, he never touches anything I put out for him. I think he just likes the company---hmm...
(Later)
Hob, crouching down to look in the cat's face, 90% joking: all right Dream, it's over. I know it's you. Mew twice if I'm right
Dream: I do not have to mew, Hob Gadling
Hob: FUCK!!! JESUS MOTHER FUCKING----!!
Dream: you appear to have fallen over
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bratphilia · 6 months
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note ✩ 🎀°。‎  no thoughts just teacher student relationship with mikey. my last completely self indulgent fic before i actually get back to answering requests, i promise!! got this idea from this post by @harry1simp
pairing ✩ 🎀°。‎‎ mike schmidt x reader
cw ✩ 🎀°。‎‎ professor!mike x student!reader, reader is college aged, age difference, blow jobs, riding, unprotected sex
taglist ✩ 🎀°。‎ @dilfity@iikyutee@kissingrhi@jen-parker@kathxstuff@papyrus-the-poet@lowballbread@cecelovesbooks@bluebearieally@cybunii@van-van@iamunabletothinkofablogname @1ncidentdropout @ice-echo26@officially-a-simp13@all4kura@el-sol-sale-de-nuevo@littlexstarlightx@samlow23
synopsis ✩ 🎀°。 you notice your endearing, but bashful, classic literature teacher can't keep his eyes off of you and you decide to do something about it
baby, you might need a seatbelt when i ride it ‎ / ‎ i'mma leave it open like a door, come inside it
strawberry lip gloss (m. schmidt x reader)
you casually stride into your classic lit class, messenger bag swung on your shoulder, wearing tight-fitting leggings and a cropped jacket. it wouldn't be a big deal to you if a shiver didn't shoot up your spine; you felt like you were being watched. it wasn't abnormal for your peers in your classes to cast you glances. instinctively you turn to the podium; it's professor schmidt staring at you.
he's an awkward guy, to be honest, in the sense that he's not very charismatic or expressive. very standoffish, like there's certain things he wants to stray away from. you never really put much thought into it, though, he's very much just someone in the background of your life.
when your eyes meet his face, he's definitely not looking into yours. instead, his eyes are trained on your ass. you stop and clear your throat quietly, grabbing his attention. he immediately flusters and gulps, blinking a couple times to gather his thoughts and snap out of it. internally, you're not disgusted — you're honestly intrigued. brushing all thoughts aside, you take a seat and the lecture starts.
the lecture is about shakespearian works. he talks of hamlet, macbeth, and, interestingly enough (to you, at least), romeo and juliet. he assigns a broad topic essay on picking a play and writing a theme from said play. which is, again, weirdly broad, but you get an idea from the predicament he unintentionally put you in.
somewhere along the way during class, while you're reapplying your lip gloss — strawberry scented with a sheer, light pink tint to it — the two of you make eye contact. you pull the tube away from your glossed lips as he stares at you, and only for the briefest moment, he stops talking. you feel like a spotlight is on you, but everyone else around you disappears, and it's just you and him in that room. then he clears his throat, apologizes, and continues on explaining his expectations for the assignment.
the gears in your head turn. you torture him and you know it. with your pretty outfits and your pretty glossed lips.
the next class is fun, to say the least. you wear a v-neck top with a lace bra peaking under it, paired with bell bottom jeans that, again, hug your ass in a delicious way that catches your professor's gaze. you make eye contact with him like before, and this time, you smile politely and take the initiative to approach him.
he looks the other way for a moment, unsure and nervous, then looks back at you. "hi," you say in a voice that only the two of you could hear. "i was wondering if i could meet with you about my essay sometime."
he inhales. "sure thing," he says, not returning your smile. of course he wanted to help you, you were such a cute little thing, lips shiny and donned in a beautiful outfit that showed off all the right places to make him absolutely weak in the knees. "how about tomorrow evening during my office hours?"
you didn't any classes tomorrow and the only work you had to do was his essay. perfect. "sounds good to me," you say, containing your excitement enough to look innocent.
before you know it, the next evening arrives and you're making your way to the building his office resides in. it's not like you're wearing anything special. just an oversized, forest green campus sweatshirt with shorts underneath. your sweatshirt covers most of the shorts, only showing off your legs, paired with some sneakers. in your opinion, it's a typical outfit; not like you went searching through your closet for something "sexy" to wear to office hours. and yet, your professor still seems to have quite the staring problem. you bite back a smile.
"i wanted help on the essay you assigned," you tell him gingerly. "specifically on how to go about it."
mike inhales through his nose. "right, okay." he pulls a seat up in front of his desk for you and sits down in his respective chair. you promptly take the seat in front of his desk and cross your legs. "do you have an idea of what you want to write for the prompt?"
you, once again, bite back a smile. "i wanted to write about forbidden love between romeo and juliet..." you trail off when he drops his head slightly, breathing a sigh and your name.
you look at him, confused. "i just don't get it," he says, running a hand through his hair. "i just get this vibe from you that—"
"from me?" you say, furrowing your brow, tone accusatory and knowingly. you couldn't believe he was putting this on you. "you're the one with the staring problem!"
he looks at you blankly from your outburst. "you're right... it was totally inappropriate of me," he says with a sigh. "i don't know what's wrong with me."
"nothing's wrong with you," you say softly. you try to offer him a smile and stand up. as you walk over to his side of the desk, he watches you curiously but doesn't stop you. he swivels his chair around to face your direction, creating the perfect opportunity for you to sink down to your knees. you take note of the tent in his pants and allow yourself to smile. you hate to sound like a pornstar — because this situation is starting to turn out like a home movie — but you reach forward and he watches you intently. "if it helps... i'm into it too. can i?"
mike gulps. "please."
you reach forward to unzip his pants. he helps you free his cock from his boxers. the tip is swollen and red, pulsating. you lick your lips and look up at him with doe eyes. mike swallows yet again, adam's apple bobbing. you give him a slow, long lick up his cock. he throws his head back instantly, running a hand across his face in disbelief that this was actually happening. "fuck..." he whispers.
you slide your mouth up and down, eyes trained on his face, his reactions of pleasure. you learn quickly what makes him tick: paying attention to the tip of his cock. you lick around the slit and grasp his dick with your hand to pump as you suck him off. he's writhing and breathing your name, encouraging your movements even more.
when he looks down at you and the two of you make eye contact is when he starts to utter somewhat coherent sentences. "look at you — ngh — lips all glossy on my cock. so fucking — fuck! — sexy, shit."
you can sense that he's close but before he spills into your mouth, he nudging you by your hair to stop. "stop," he breathes, "hey.. stop, stop."
you let him go and remove your hands, head tilted with a frown. he wordlessly grasps you by your waist and pulls you to your feet. "come sit on my lap. can you do that?"
you give him a weak, knowing smile, jaw still tired. before you can hop on, he's undoing the clasp keeping your shorts together and you kick it down your legs. no panties — you have no idea what you do to him. you climb onto his lap, the chair tilting backward ever so slightly to support the weight of both of you. your legs swing over his lap and you rest on one of his thighs. he cradles your face gently and kisses the top of your head. it's surprisingly affectionate.
you're suddenly acutely aware of his hard length prodding against your clothed stomach. you lift your hips and put your hands on his shoulders as he watches you, and sink down onto his cock. the both of you moan in unison.
as you ride him, he can't take his eyes off you, and for once, looking at him is too much to bear. your eyes are shut in pleasure as you moan open-mouthed. all you can hear is the plopping noises of you bouncing up and down and his grunting.
he grasps at your ass and pulls you down so that his cock fits snug inside of you. "come for me me, baby," he whispers. "come on, you can do it. just let go."
"fuck," you groan, tears pricking at your eyes. he comes almost instantly after you, the both of you pulsating in the aftermath of your orgasms.
he keeps himself seated inside of you, once again craddling your face. "did so well f'me, my good girl." you embrace him back, holding onto him tightly.
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teejaystumbles · 3 months
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Against all odds (a dreamling drabble)
(a 1989 comics AU where Dream does not go meet Hob despite being free)
Dream stares at the sleeping form of Hob Gadling and feels guilty.
He hadn’t gone to their centennial meeting. Despite having escaped Burgess’ cage and having recovered his tools, Dream has not met Hob at their appointed date at the White Horse.
He knows Hob waited for him. Waited until the day had gone and turned to night, after the clock had struck midnight and announced their date over. Dream knows this because he had stood, watching, for as long as the man waited inside the White Horse Inn.
He is not proud of this.
If he examines his reasons for not entering the Inn, keeping watch from the other side of the street instead, he draws a blank. 
Dream does not know why he did not go inside, he knows he froze at the sight of the closed door, the cramped space indoors he could see through the glass (glass, why so much glass everywhere). He had stepped back and waited for his unease to lift, and when that did not happen he had waited for Hob to leave so Dream might meet him outside, but the man did not leave the Inn until the owner practically threw him out on the street, long after midnight. Dream had stepped forward then, only to watch his old acquaintance break down against the building wall and sob. 
Why did Dream not go to him then? Why did he step back into the shadows and watch Hob drag himself up to his feet with a whimper and stumble down the street, hand trailing the wall for support. The only answer Dream can come up with is a supremely uncomfortable one.
He is a coward.
When it comes to relationships, Dream’s track record is disastrous, a fact that he is very aware of. He left Hob in 1889 with cutting words and no promise to return. Hob should by rights be angry at Dream, should be less trusting that he would show. But still the man waited for him at their next appointment, as if he had known Dream’s words to be products of his rage and not vows he would keep. Even if he doesn’t know it, Hob was right to expect Dream to not simply terminate their arrangement. Because here Dream stands, at the foot of Hob’s bed, watching the man sleep, too scared of a smug ‘I-knew-you’d-see-sense’ to dare approach him while awake.
Hob had slowly made his way home, unaware of Dream following him, drawn to him like there was a string tying them to each other. By then Dream felt like the point where he could make himself known had passed, but he hadn’t been able to leave. He kept trailing after Hob, into his small two-room apartment; had watched him shed only his shoes and then stood in the shadows of his curtains while Hob took out a small leather-bound book and pen and started to write. Dream had felt like a ghost, a nightmare watcher haunting his victim. He had carefully reigned in any stray trickles of his power to not make himself known or Hob uncomfortable in his invisible presence. After a few minutes Hob had stopped writing and sighed. Then he wiped his hands over his face tiredly and went to bed, not bothering to get out of his clothes.
Dream stands beside the table with the book now. The pages are still open. His eyes seek out the words unbidden, unable to resist the pull of the written word. He knows he is breaking a lot of taboos this evening. He is invading his friend’s privacy most thoroughly. The knowledge does not stop him from reading what Hob has written.
June 7th 8th, 1989
He didn’t come. The bastard really didn’t come. I can’t believe it. I was so sure he would show. That he was just angry, prideful and stubborn as he is, but surely a hundred years would be long enough to calm down?
Apparently they weren’t. I sat there, at our table at the White Horse, drinking one whiskey after the other, waiting like an idiot until they threw me out, and he didn’t show.
Do you even remember me? Or did you cut me from your memory, like you promised to cut all our ties, the night you left me standing in the rain? Have I left any impact at all on your immortal life that is probably much longer than my own? Surely it must be obvious to you that you have impacted my life more than anyone else. You are the only one who knows me, who knows Hob Gadling, the rough, foolish mercenary who bragged about never dying. Who raised himself from the dirt of the poor just to fall back down again, deeper than ever before. Rise and fall, and rise again only to be put in my place by you again - and rightfully so. 
In 1889 I had finally managed to find some middle ground, feeling safe enough to finally be honest with you - at least partially. And it all blew up in my face.
I should have known, really. Your relaxed smiles for the last centuries were too good to be true. I shouldn’t have trusted my gut and spilled some of the beans. But it had been lonely the last few decades and I thought we had reached an understanding. I thought I knew you, if not as well as you have to know me by now, but enough to take that leap of faith.
I leapt. And you let me fall I fell again. I should be used to it by now, one might think. But when it’s you nothing is simple and the stakes are so much higher.Do you know what you mean to me? Your name is written on a wall inside my heart and I don’t think that any amount of alcohol can wash it away. And I don’t even know it. I don’t know your name but it’s in there, and it’s not coming off. I know. I tried. Although it hurts that you stood me up, I believe that you’ll come back to meet me one day. I will believe in you, no matter what. I have to, for there is no other constant in my life but you. I have to hope.
‘You’re the only one who really knew me at all, and you coming back to me is against all odds, but it’s a chance I’ve got to take’, like Phil says.
Dream does not know who Phil is, but a quick glance at the general human subconscious reveals the quoted words as part of a song by an artist Hob seems to be referring to. Dream perceives the song’s lyrics and its general feeling and swallows heavily. It appears to be an apt choice for Hob’s current emotional state. He reads the last few words while the notes of the song linger in his mind.
So I’ll be here when you’re ready. I hope you know how to find me when they inevitably tear the old place down, but I guess you do. I hope so. I really hope so. I just want to know that you’re okay. I need to know that I’m not alone. There are others like me, I’ve met some. But it’s not the same. No one is like you. No one is as
Please come back
The words cut off abruptly, Hob having clearly been too tired to write more. Dream’s newly reclaimed powers put everything in much sharper relief. Shutting off the flow of emotions from the subconscious comes both easier and harder somehow. Pulling himself back into this singular humanoid shape at Hob’s bedside takes a particular effort he had forgotten since he furnished his ruby. It is not hard, but a task he has to accustom himself to again. Dream pauses for several minutes, quite literally collecting himself, unsure of his next actions.
He looks at Hob again. His face is slack in his sleep, relaxed and calm. Dream only glances at Hob’s dreams to ascertain if they are calm or troubled but finds nothing too upsetting. He does not want to intrude further than he already has so he keeps himself from viewing his friend’s dreams. 
His friend. Friend. The word that had sent Dream running in affront a century ago. Despite himself, struck by a sudden urge to talk to Hob, Dream inhales sharply and silently sits down on the chair in front of the open notebook. He carefully picks up the pen and sets it to the empty paper below Hob’s own words.
My friend.
I apologise for missing our meeting 
I owe you more than one apology. You were correct in your assessment the last time we met. I was am lonely. With one word you dismantled my defences and left me too vulnerable to bear at the time. I was rude to you, and I regretted my words as soon as I had left you. However, as you well know, I am a prideful, stubborn being. Strange, to be able to admit it so easily now. I’ve always known it, and you’re not the first to call me out on it, but of course I would never have allowed anyone who talked to me like that to speak to me again. So I told you I’d leave you, not able to accept that you were, ARE, my friend.
And that I need you, like you need me
I have not forgotten you, Hob Gadling. I do not forget anyone. You are cradled in the vastness of my being like every other mind, your story preserved for all time. This, of course, you cannot know, as I have never introduced myself to you. Again, something I’d like to apologise for. I will, however, endeavour to give you my name in person, and soon.
I would have done so today yesterday, but. For some reason I cannot name I felt unable to approach you or enter our usual meeting place. I know you waited and I am deeply sorry for troubling you.
You have indeed made an impact on my life. Maybe not in the same way I did on yours, but nonetheless our meetings have become something I look forward to. You surely wonder why I never told you who I am. I was not able to admit it a hundred years ago, but to meet you, who knows nothing of my role and my duties, is freeing in a way nothing else is in my existence. You look upon me as your friend, and nothing else. You cannot imagine how much I enjoy the time spent in your presence, listening to your accounts of the last century.
I could not
I was unable to experience much of human history over the last century. This has left me with a certain uneasiness in regards to humanity. I would humbly ask for your patience, once again. As I am trying to gather the courage find the time to gather the courage to meet you in person. Perhaps this book can provide a form of communication, for the time being.
Sincerely, your old friend
Dream drops the pen like it’s burning his fingers and rises swiftly, stepping back from the table and notebook before he can rip out the page he has written in a fit of panic. He has revealed far more than he intended to but it is only fair to leave Hob these words, after what he has put him through.
Dream allows himself one last look at Hob, still sleeping peacefully, before returning back to the Dreaming. There is much to think about. His reluctance to interact with humanity cannot stand if he is to perform his function. Walking with Death has helped him put things in perspective again but he still fears. What? What does he have to fear? He has no need for humans liking him. As he examines his feelings and his earlier short interactions with humans on his way to the White Horse, Dream realises that he does not care about all humans. He only cares about how Hob perceives him. 
Perhaps knowing that he had to introduce himself this time, clearly owing it to his friend, Dream had been afraid of losing Hob’s easy camaraderie. Surely exposing himself as Endless will have a pruning effect on Hob’s relaxed and friendly demeanour. Dream does not want that. But perhaps… No. He will wait for Hob’s reply in his notebook, if it comes. Should he choose to answer Dream, he will then decide how to proceed further. Surely any speculation right now is fruitless.
Trying to put the matter out of his mind for now, Dream goes to resume his work. He is aware enough to know that fear of Hob’s reaction was not the only reason he didn’t enter the White Horse. He needs to work through some things. Perhaps some new nightmares made of planes of suffocating glass will help him put some things behind him.
[Spoiler: of course they won’t, oh honey 🥺]
Part 2
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mellifluouaamor · 2 months
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TANJIROU KAMADO ⍣ FEMALE READER
synopsis. tanjirou thinks you're like a flower.
you're just like a wisteria flower, TANJIROU would always think to himself. beautiful and elegant, kind yet resilient - and your beauty was akin to that of a blooming flower. there's an air of tranquility around you whenever you're on the battlefield, the smile you'd wear soothing your frazzled teammates and reassuring them that everything will be okay.
tanjirou never regretted meeting you that day - the day he saved you from being devoured. you were the only survivor of the squad that was sent to the inn infested by a formidable demon, and he clearly remembered witnessing you struggle to live as you fought with a breath style that he had never seen before: the breath of ayatori style. it appeared to branch off from the breath of love style as it heavily involved agility and flexibility, and the blade of your nichirin sword was also identical to the love pillar's. watching you fight was like watching a dancer perform, and he had never been so mesmerised by graceful movements meant to kill.
after his first meeting with you, the two of you grew closer to each other, and slowly but surely, stronger feelings blossomed in your hearts.
when the sun rose from the horizon, marking the break of dawn, tanjirou was prompted to pick up his pace and ended up jogging the rest of the way to the butterfly estate. he had received worrying news of you returning from a mission severely injured just as he completed his, and he wanted to check up on you as soon as possible.
as he approached the familiar gates of the butterfly estate, he spotted a particular flower growing amongst yellow daffodils. its striking purple colour reminded him of you, causing him to stop in his tracks. would you like this? he could bring it as a small gift since he didn't think of bringing anything for you until this moment.
without another second to waste, tanjirou knelt down and plucked the sweet violet.
tanjirou spotted you lying on your side on the veranda. you were fast asleep, eyelids drawn shut and lips slightly parted as soft breaths slipped past them. traversing the garden, he soon came to a stop in front of your resting form before reaching out to brush away the stray strands of hair covering your face.
he hesitated to wake you up because of how peaceful you looked. although he could have just left the violet for you to wake up to, he wanted to give it to you in person, all so he could see your expression light up like the sky at dawn. tanjirou released a long, drawn-out sigh and then lowered himself on his knees, eyes never leaving you. he subconsciously moved his free hand to cup your face, his thumb tenderly caressing your cheek.
as if on cue, you drifted out of your slumber, your eyelashes fluttering against the tops of your cheeks. a slight frown etched itself onto your countenance when you tried to figure out who was in front of you.
"tanjirou...?" you mumbled, recognising his scarlet hair, "what are you doing here?" stifling a yawn, you carefully propped yourself up on your elbow, kneading one eye with a fist.
"why are you sleeping out here?" he asked, chuckling, "the mornings are still cold."
"i was stargazing last night... i guess i accidentally fell asleep," you replied, scratching your lower cheek sheepishly. you then gave tanjirou your signature smile and added, "welcome back by the way! you must be tired from your mission."
he beamed. "thank you! but i'm probably not as tired as you. you should sleep on a proper bed since you're still healing from your injuries..." his gaze swept over the bandages on your body as his red hues flashed with concern. "how are you feeling?"
"some parts of my body are sore, but i'm generally feeling okay. kochou-san said i should avoid strenuous work for now," you said, shifting your body to sit properly.
suddenly remembering the flower in his grasp, tanjirou presented you with the sweet violet he had intended to give you, making your eyes widen.
"it's for you!" he chirped, "i found a flower that reminded me of you on my way here. i... think it suits you."
your cheeks heated up at his remark. with a shy "thank you", you happily accepted the flower and inhaled its sweet scent. "it smells nice... and it's so pretty."
"just like you," tanjirou blurted out before covering his mouth upon realising what he just said.
instead of getting embarrassed, you surprised him by leaning over to kiss his cheek, eliciting a blush from him.
"you're so cute~" you cooed, giggling.
tanjirou let out a huff. before your brain could register what was happening, you found yourself being carried like a princess in his strong arms. you immediately clung to his shoulders with a squeal, afraid that he might drop you (even though you knew that he wouldn't) as he strode away.
"h-hey! put me down!" you exclaimed, kicking your legs.
feeling a bit bold, tanjirou leaned towards your face and lightly bumped your nose with his, smiling. your breath hitched in your throat; that little gesture was effective in silencing you as he brought you inside the infirmary and tucked you in bed.
truly, you're a flower he wants to protect with his life.
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History Repeats Itself
masterlist
note: first jess one-shot!!! (and i'm actually proud of it???) also i say their baby is one but i don't know babies to well so if she's too advanced for a one year old, just cut me some slack
warnings: teen pregnancy, food/eating
word count: 4.7 k
♡ summary: Being a teen mom is hard but without any help it's even harder, after saving up enough she can finally move to Stars Hollow to be closer to her baby's father
♡ Jess Mariano x reader
request ✓
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The bus ride down was long, and it only got worse as 1-year-old Caroline woke up from her nap and decided to let everyone know of the inconvenience. Finally after the long months of working and saving up she had enough to move to Stars Hollow, unlike Jess who had a parent to send them and an uncle to stay with, she saved up and made it happen. She wanted Caroline to be around her father, and she wanted to be close to Jess.
And Y/n’s always loved the idea of a small town, a place where you felt safe, a place she would feel safe raising her child in, a place that wasn’t $2,500 a month for a closet. Here she could give her daughter a lot more, here she would have a support system in Jess and Luke. Unlike what her parents would give her.
By this point in the bus route it was only the mother and daughter and a couple strays, she saw the messy haired boy sitting on a park bench close to the bus stop, of course he had his nose in a book. She started packing up Caroline’s stuff, tucking her blanket and toys in the basket of the stroller.
When she got to the bus doors, Jess quickly made his way to help her lift the stroller down the steps, when the stroller was once again on the ground Jess squats down getting face to face with his little girl, “Hey, Care!” “Daddy!” He lifted her up by her armpits. When the little girl was out of her seat and in her dad’s arms, her mom stacked their bags on the seat.
“Hi! You’re so big! Really she is. She’s growing up so fast.” “Well she can walk way more stable now. No more scaring, mommy that you’ll fall if I look away for a second.” She says the last sentence in baby voice while she tickles the girl’s belly to make her giggle and their foreheads to rest on each other’s.  
“So you gonna show us around?!” “‘Around’?” They continued their walk around the gazebo area, walking towards Luke’s. 
“This is it, that's the record shop, that’s the bookstore, that's Luke’s, and that’s all you need to know.” “Well where’s the bank, I might need to rob it later.” “You’ll find a job. And if you don’t then work at Luke’s, he could do with the time off then maybe he’d get off everyone’s backs.” “He’s probably stressed with you always causing trouble.” “Me? Trouble? Nooo, I’m a peach.”
-
Jess had the baby today since Y/n was off to find a job, her first stop was the most promising. Luke let her know that a friend of his needed extra staff at their Inn for an event that was coming up, someone who could be an assistant of sorts. So after wearing her most capable looking top, and best fitting jeans. She kissed Caroline’s check and yelled goodbye to Luke and Jess as she began her walk.
When she walked inside she saw a man at the front desk on the phone. Waiting to ask for directions, she hung around the man’s desk, busying herself with some pamphlet. She couldn't help but listen to the man’s angry English in his french accent.
Suddenly he hung up the phone and got back to writing whatever he was writing, without looking up and with an annoyed tone said, “Yes?” “I was looking for Lorelei, I’m here for-” “The assistant job, yes.. Follow me.” He walked quickly to wherever it was they were going, mumbling along the way, “Of course, an assistant. Just what we need around here. Not like I don’t already do most of the work around here.”
He opened the door for them, it ended up being the kitchen they were now in. A tall woman holding a to-go coffee cup that said ‘Luke’s’ on it and a shorter woman in an apron fighting with a scruffy man about vegetables, which look to be parsnips. 
“The mini-you is here.” “One little comment, Micheal. I’m not saying you’re incapable. I just want more help with organising events so I focus on planning!” “Whatever.” Turning on his heels, Micheal walked out the doors making his way back to his desk. 
“So you’ve met Micheal! Sorry, we usually don’t let him around the new people but we're a little short-staffed. Let’s head to the dining room.”
They sat down at a table in the dining room, Lorelei asked all the important questions, and Y/n was perfect, now she was just asking the things she’ll tell Sookie later when the woman asks about the new hire.
Taking a sip of her sixth coffee this morning Lorelei asked, “So, are you new to town? I haven’t seen you around before.” The girl was stirring milk into her second coffee as she responded, “Yeah, I am. I just moved here with my um- my daughter, closer to her dad so…” 
Since it was of course the time most adults got horrified, thought she was a bad kid, and though she didn’t get that vibe from Lorelei, it was at least bound to shock her. “You’re daughter? How old are you? Wait- I know, it’s on your resume. I mean- I’m, deja vu y’know? Abba did say ‘the history books on the shelf are always repeating themselves’.” 
She must have seen the confused look on the young girl and explained, “I had my daughter when I was sixteen.. And came here to get a job, so just getting major deja vu. Well then, since I know what you’re going through, I won’t put you through the short mental torture of waiting for a call I was gonna do and just tell you you got the job.” “Oh, thank you! I really need this, I can’t thank you enough.” “Just change her name to Lorelei and we’ll call it even.” “deal.” Those two would get along great, much to Luke’s misfortune.
-
Y/n sat at the counter with Caroline in front of her sitting on the counter while she played with her mother’s hair. Jess was filling up cups of coffee and serving customers while he listened to Y/n’s words.
“So until you go back to school, you’ll have Caroline during the day here and when I’m done work I’ll take her.” “No, you’ll never have a break. After work you go to your house, relax then grab her after dinner.” 
Jess may have this ‘I only care about myself’ attitude but that never included Caroline and Y/n, he’d kill for either of them at any given moment. He always put them first. If thought Y/n needed a break, she was getting a break whether she wanted it or not. 
Just as the girl was going to thank him she was interrupted by another girl around their age coming to sit down at the counter, two over from her. 
“I have the book you lent me.” She said, unknowingly interrupting the conversation since Jess was facing the coffee machine to make a new batch when she sat down. “Oh, thanks.” He muttered, notably not turning to face her.
On the inside Jess felt guilty. Why did he feel guilty? He didn’t do anything, he and Y/n weren’t together, nevermind the fact that all he did was lend Rory a book. As friends. Because they’re friends. But nonetheless it almost felt like cheating. Jess and Y/n may not be together officially but that didn’t mean that they both didn’t love each other. And not just because they were the parents to a beautiful little girl. Jess had always wanted more, he’d let the girl know that more than a handful of times, and she let him know it wasn’t unrequited, yet something always came between them.
You’d think having a baby together would bring them closer, and in some ways it did; they trusted each other more. But they also fought more and being the dumb teenagers they were, they didn’t have the emotional ability to move past that and build the relationship they both wanted. And then when they felt they were ready to, Jess was sent to live with his uncle. Just another fork in the road. But now they were living in the same town and had a good system, and people to support them. It was the perfect time, everything was going right, they could feel all the feelings that never really left resurfacing.
“Okay, I have to get to work. You’ve got her?” “Yeah.” “Bye, baby, I love you. I’ll see you in a little bit, but you get to spend all day with daddy.” “Bye-bye, mommy!” 
She said bye to Jess after she walked around the counter and handed him Caroline, muttering a small ‘go see, daddy’ that Rory most definitely heard.
When the door finally chimed shut Rory shot up to follow Jess to the table he was now setting Caroline up at. She watched his gentle movements as he readjusts her shirt and places crayons and paper in front of her, which she got right into scriballing away. 
“She’s yours?” “Yeah.” “.. So that girl is your girlfri-" "I’ve got work to do.” 
-
The warm atmosphere of the dinner is a stark contrast to the cold winter air. Noticing Jess and Caroline are nowhere to be seen she assumes they were upstairs and makes her way up the stairs. Half-way up the flight of stairs she could hear her little girl’s loud giggles. She quietly opens the door to see Jess holding Caroline above his head, as if she was flying.
When she first got pregnant everyone told her Jess wouldn’t be a good dad, that she can’t rely on him for anything. God were they wrong. She doesn’t think it’s possible for her baby to have a better person as a dad. She sadly doesn’t get to watch the scene for much longer as she’s spotted by little Caroline.
“Mommy! I see daddy ‘morrow?” “Yes, you get to be with daddy all day tomorrow too.” “Yay!”
As the conversation between them goes on, Jess lets his little girl plant her feet back on the ground and starts collecting some things she’ll need during the night before she comes back here tomorrow, he then starts getting Caroline’s shoes on her feet. While Y/n sits on the couch next to their little girl.
“So who was that girl this morning?” “Who?” 
Jess always did this, it was a tell tale sign that he didn’t want to talk about it, but that’s never stopped Y/n before. “You know who.” Of course having to be difficult, Jess gives her a fake confused look, as if he’s never met another girl in his life. 
“The one returning your book.” “Oh, that girl.” “Yeah, that girl.” “She’s nobody.” “So you just lend books to ‘nobody’s now?” “Care, where’s Mr.Wiggle?” The girl lets out a gasp and reaches out for Jess to help her off the couch, when he does she runs into the closet where she previously hid while playing hide and seek a couple hours earlier. 
“What? Don’t want Care to hear about her new step-mom?” “Don’t call her that.” “What? Care? Only you can call her that?” “No, don’t call Rory Care’s ‘step-mom’.” “Rory! I get her name!” 
Jess was a quiet guy, but not this quiet, especially not with Y/n. He didn’t want to talk about Rory, maybe because it was weird talking about another girl with your baby momma. And yes it was weird for Y/n too, but for a completely different reason, she assumes. She liked Jess, and has since before she even knew about Caroline.
“C’mon, Jess, it’s me. I want you to be happy.” Sure Rory made him happy, but only because she was the only friend he had here, it wasn’t the way Y/n made him happy. Before he could deny for words again Caroline came back running into the room with her stuffie in her hands. Having already said her goodbyes, she opened the door and walked out.
“Caroline, wait hun! I think you should go for it Jess.”
She walked out the door, closing it behind her, leaving Jess to stare at where she disappeared. He decided to take her advice, just maybe not the way she meant it
-
Y/n helped Caroline pack more snow onto their snowman. Caroline wanted to do it after she heard Luke complaining about town events again, he stopped complaining when he saw how excited the girl was. They had Mr.Wiggles off the side learning against the tree, using him as a reference. 
“Mommy, no. Mr.Wiggles has more hair.” 
Caroline was getting very comfortable ordering her mother around, but in this instance Y/n let it slide, poking more sticks on the top of the snowman’s head to mimic Mr.Wiggle’s spiky hair. 
“That’s good!”
Lorelei and Rory were just one snowman down, both told Caroline they thought she would win and encouraged her before she even started. Since they were so close, they could hear the scene that had just played out. 
“Tough age, wait till you get to the terrible twos. ‘No’ is all you’ll hear.” Lorelei said, kindly as her and her own daughter walked past them. Y/n let out a laugh at the comment before she asks, “You guys done already?” “No, but after Michelangelo over there busted out the power buffer, and when Caroline busts out her cuteness, what chance do we have?” “I see your point.” “So off to Luke’s we go.” “We’ll see you there in a bit.”
-
Y/n was standing talking to one of the decorators when she saw Lorelei and Sookie step out of the kitchen, quickly finishing her directions she wrote down a note on her clipboard then made her way to meet them at the entrance of the dining room.
When Sookie sees her, she asks, “What’re we looking at today?” Sookie was really fun to work with, like Lorelei she was very chill as a boss, but Sookie was also so kind and always took it upon herself to make sure Y/n has eaten and that her and Caroline are taken care of. She could tell the woman was going to make an amazing mother.
“This is last on the list.” She replied, after she took a quick glance at her clipboard, then continued, “We’ve got trumpets, the madrigal singers-” “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m not playing squire of Bracebridge.” 
Sookie and Lorelei must have finally told Jackson to play the squire, they told her earlier in the week that they were playing to ask at the last moments so he had to. It was a flawless plan, especially when Jackson can’t say no to Sookie.
She saw that Lorelei and Sookie were just ignoring him, so she played along and continued down her list, “All the servers are lined up. This is just for the recorder players and harpists.” She stopped at the recorder players and let Lorelei talk to them, “Hi. Lay some on us, guys.” 
The two recorder players played the soft tube they were going to come accustomed to in the next few days. The three of them shared positive looks and when their playing came to an end, Sookie said, “Hey, you cats really know how to blow those things.” Lorelei continued Sookie’s comment by saying, “You’ve got the gig. Y/n here will call you later with the details. Thanks.” 
Recorder players started packing their things, Jackson started again on the fact that he wouldn’t play the squire, and the three women continued to ignore him.
“When do the quests arrive?” “Thursday at four on their own jet.” “After buying out the whole inn.”
“Must be nice to have money.” Y/n added, checking off and writing down more notes on her clipboard.
“You know what struck me today?” “-Was it the fact that I am not the squire?-""We’re crazy for doing this.” “We’re beyond crazy.” It did feel crazy, Lorelei told her they’d never done a function this big before and that’s the reason they hired more help. Like her, but also that they were planning to do a lot more big things like this, more weddings, and such. 
“We’re ‘Anne Heche speaking her secret language to god and looking for the spaceship in Fresno’ kinda crazy.” “Oquinis no-goodo noto.” Sookie said, causing Y/n add, “Il ecnatra dos guidan.”
Their nonsense was once again interrupted by Jackson, “And spring this on me at the last minute too. I mean, that’s just manipulative.” Suddenly a cook pops his head out of the kitchen, saying calmly, “Sookie- fire!”
Sookie rolled her eyes softly, this happened far too often, before saying, “I gotta get back in the kitchen. You guys handle the harps?” Both women nodded and replied in unison, “You got it.” 
“Alright. I’ll do it. I’ll play squire Bracebridge if that’s what you want.” Everyone knew he would cave eventually. Sookie patted his arm and said a quick, “Thanks, sweetie.” before walking back into the kitchen to hopefully deal with the fire. “As long as it’s not just because I fit the costume.” Jackson looked back at Lorelei and Y/n, Lorelei had a grin on her face while Y/n wore a tight-lipped smile. “It’s because I fit the costume, isn’t it?” He followed after Sookie.
Lorelei put her arm around Y/n and led them to the harpist, “Go ahead.” The harpist played the same tune as the two recorder players. But just as the woman started, Lorelei got a call. She patted Y/n’s arm, “I have to take this, you handle the harpist.”
The girl tried to stay calm, nodding her head and going back to listening to the music. Lorelei trusted her, yes it wasn’t a big job by any means, but still it was a step into a bigger role down the line.
-
The next day, Sookie and Y/n had all the waiters/performers in the dining room going over what their job was. And teaching them the old English words to use for things.
Sookie was just telling Rune that he couldn’t just talk like an old man whe Lorelei came in with a disappointed look on her face, and let them know the dinner was off.
The three women, as well as Rory and Caroline were now sitting at a table at Luke’s, Caroline was happily eating her pancakes, plain just as she liked and completely unaware of the collective disappointment of the group.
Lorelei has really welcomed Y/n into her life. She may not be Jess’s biggest fan, but she would always help another teen mom out. Especially since she sees so much of herself in Y/n. She’s grown to really love the girl in the short time they’ve known each other. And aftering hearing Y/n didn’t have her family in her life she was more than happy to help and maybe become that family for her one day. Just like Mia did for her.
“I’ve got 30 pounds of aged beef, trays and trays of trout, mountains of prune tarts. I diced pumpkins until my hands turned orange. I’ve got pumpkin hands!” Sookie showed the table her hands, it apparently caught Caroline’s attention since she grabbed Sookie’s right hand and held it in her left while she continued eating. Sookie lets her hand rest in the little girl’s while she freaks out more and asks Lorelei, “How can you stay so calm?” “There’s nothing we can do about it.” 
Rory was just as upset, mostly because she knew how hard her mother worked on the planning, “I can’t believe they got snowed in.” Y/n hasn’t told Jess, but she’s become pretty close to Rory, the girl sometimes comes to the Inn and helps around and Rory’s become kinda her only friend, that was until Rory invited her to the record store with Lane. After that day she had two friends. 
After knowing Rory more, she realised how much she and Jess have in common, and even though Rory has a boyfriend she can tell there’s an attraction to Jess she’s trying so hard to hide. 
Y/n zoned out for a moment, looking outside, she was upset that the first event she helped organise wouldn’t even happen. She was broken from her stare out the window from Caroline jumping in place while sitting on her mom’s lap, the cause of which was Luke coming to the table. 
“You girls want anything besides coffee?” He asked, adding on with a pat on the girl’s head, “Or pancakes?” “Hey, what about Luke?” “What about him?” “He eats, and Jess eats. Doesn’t Jess eat?” Sookie directs the question at Y/n, before the girl could say anything Luke cuts her off, “What’s she doing?” “I think she’s inviting you for dinner.”
Getting distracted while trying to convince Luke to come to dinner, the four decide to still put on the dinner for the town. Like an out of control slumber-party.
-
The dinner was going great, the secret amazing part of inviting the town was that Y/n and Caroline could actually meet everyone. Miss. Patty and Babette loved Y/n and Caroline (mostly Caroline), Caroline loved Kirk, and everyone loved that Caroline could do whatever she wanted and Talor wouldn’t say anything. And Y/n got to meet Paris after all the stories she’s heard.
Caroline and Y/n were in line for the horse drawn carriage rides, when Caroline saw her favourite person, Lane. “Laney! I ride with you!” Lane, before agreeing, made eye contact with Y/n to make sure it was okay. Y/n gave them the go ahead and helped Caroline get settled. After their carriage left she made her way to the next one. Telling the driver it’s just her.
It was nice to get a break from everything. It was quiet and peaceful. Well that was until Jess ran up and hopped on the carriage next to her. Without a word he put the blanket that was over the girl’s legs on his too. 
“I thought you and Care were going together.” “She’s one ahead, with Lane.” “Ahhh. Well it’s two to a sleigh no more, no less. So you were breaking the rules, you're welcome for saving you.” “You could have hurt yourself.” “Aw, you care about me.” “You are my baby's father.” 
She wished she just agreed with him. She didn’t just care for him because he was Caroline’s dad, and she doesn’t think she says it enough. But then again, maybe it would mess things up if she admitted that. But that decision was made for her.
“I’m touched.” “Jess. I don’t mean it like that. I care about you, Caroline or not.” 
Trying to change the topic to something she thought was more lighthearted, she says, “So, how are things with Rory?” “There are no things with Rory.” “C’mon, Jess, we can talk about this stuff-” “Why are you so insistent that I date Rory?” 
She wasn’t expecting that outburst. Not from Jess. He rarely ever yelled at her, and when he did it was always misplaced anger, never actually angry at her. This time it was her, it was what she said.
“I just want you to be happy-” “C’mon, Y/n. Be serious.” “I am. I want-” “If you want me to be happy so bad, why won’t you give me a chance?!” 
He turned his face to her, looking right into her eyes, she could see the hurt in his. Did she put it there?
“What’re you-” “Since we found out about Caroline, I’ve tried and tried to help you realise that I love you. And not how you mean ‘I love you’. I don’t love and care for you because we have a family and I have to. I love you, because I want to. I want to be with you. And I know it will be hard, but I’ll do the work.” 
If she had more social awareness at the pent she would have hated that the coachman heard all of that. But after what Jess said, the look in his eyes; that was so full of love. She felt like it was just them two in the world. No, that it was just their little family in the whole world. He and Caroline were all she would ever need.
“I love you too, Jess. I have for so long, long before Caroline, but I thought you wouldn’t want to be tied down to me, especially after I had Caroline, that any sign I thought you gave me was all in my head.” “It’s not.” 
He brought her in closer to him, an arm around her shoulders and when her arms wrapped around his waist he left a kiss on the crown of her head. The small kiss brought her eyes up to him, which led to their first real kiss in one year and nine months. 
His lips were softer than she remembered, but they still fit into hers as if they never left.
She broke away from their reuniting kiss to place her head in the crook of his neck, wanting nothing more than to be close to him.
“My mom didn’t want me to come home.” She took her head out of his neck to look at him fully. They were always that person for each other, the one you can tell your problem to and they knew when to help and when listening was enough. Right now, she knew listening was enough.
“I’m sorry, Jess.” “It’s fine. Just sucks.” “I know. Well, Care and I will always want you to come home.” After her words, he brought her closer than before. She was always just what he needed. 
Wanting to change the subject, Jess nodded his head to the snowman Y/n and Caroline built. “It’s good.” “What?” “Your snowman, well Caroline’s snowman I'm sure she’d want me to say.” “You know which one’s ours?” “Definitely shows her personality… It kinda looks like Mr.Wiggles.” “That’s what we were going for. But everyone thinks the one on the end is going to win.” “Really? It’s so overdone.” “I agree.” “You and Care’s should win.” “Agree again.”
-
The dinner was filled with Jess and Luke confused at what exactly was in the food, Jess and Y/n trying their best to keep Caroline sat which about half an hour in they gave up and just let her walk around the lobby, as well as saying hello and talking to everyone at the table. Having an interesting conversation with Mrs.Kim about grace, ‘helping’ Kirk by sitting on his rolling food cart, and even talking with Paris for a while. 
Overall it was a great night. Even better when Jess, Y/n, and Caroline got to their shared room, putting Caroline asleep together for the first time in a while. And falling to sleep in the same bed together, holding each other, listening to each other’s breaths, as well as Caroline’s. Everything was just how they both always secretly wanted. And now get to have openly and freely. 
In the morning Y/n got up early since she was technically working, and she still was when Luke, Jess, and Caroline left to open the diner for the day. It was around noon when Y/n finally left, walking to Luke’s to spend the day with her two favourite people. Which was when she saw Michelangelo’s snowman fallen to a large pile of snow on the ground.
She didn’t even have to think for a second to know that Jess did it. Sometimes he did the weirdest things to show his love.
The bell rang as she pushed open the door, she sat down next to Caroline, saying ‘good morning’ and getting one back before she made her way to the counter.
“I saw what you did.” “What’d I do?” “Caroline will be happy she won.” “Anything if my girl’s win.”
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amaiaqt · 10 months
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤミㅤthe cold has never been so niceㅤ⋆ 。˚ㅤ♡ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤspending cold evenings with them ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤventi, xiao, kazuha, heizou, wanderer !
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"anonymous order; ...could i have lovey dovey + 5wirl + warm milk vs. hot chocolate ? — message cut."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤthese guys are in high demand esp for lovey dovey LMAO ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤthank you and please enjoy, xoxo ♡
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ。゚ ⊹ㅤventi !ㅤ
sometimes the wind can be cold, and those are the times that venti uses to his advantage as an excuse to coddle - or to be coddled by - you.
and in his defense, it's not much. since it's not everyday and night that he has your undivided attention after all. so he wants to make the most of this evening with you, even if it means refusing to let you get out of bed.
"windblume don't leave the bed ~" he pleaded, hand tugging on your clothes to hold you back, though it wasn't really effective. you stood up from the bed despite your boyfriend's protests, slightly dragging him with you by the arm that still refused to let go.
"i'll be right back, promise ! i'm just gonna go make us hot chocolate." you took the hand that tugged on your shirt in yours, chuckling at the childish huffs your boyfriend let out. he begrudgingly got up, rubbing his eyes and choosing to follow you instead. "i'll just . . go with you." "i said i'll be right back ?" "it'll be cold without you either way !"
"alright, alright, if you say so."
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ。゚ ⊹ㅤalatus xiao !
he believes he's adapted to the cold, both figuratively and literally. but even a yaksha can't deny the comforting warmth that shields against the harsh breeze.
here he is, sitting by his now favored spot on the balcony of the inn, across from you. the makeshift coffee table you had borrowed from downstairs sat between the two of you, with the tea set you had oh so excitedly showed him the other day set out.
as you poured the newly boiled water into the cups, xiao sighed as the steam warmed him up. "i think it's strange how instead of making tea with this set, you're brewing up milk instead." he commented, bringing the cup closer to his face to further warm himself up with the steam. "well we don't have tea now do we ?" "couldn't you have asked smiley yanxiao ?" "i did, he didn't have any." "i see,"
the wind on the balcony brought a sudden breeze, and xiao reached over to tuck some stray strands away from your face for you.
"do you like the cold, xiao ?" "i like it better with you."
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ。゚ ⊹ㅤkaedehara kazuha !ㅤ
the winds were feeling generous today, he hummed to himself as he chose to redo his low ponytail, brushing back most of his bangs as he tied it back up, slowly growing inconvenience by how the wind blew his hair into his line of sight.
kazuha took a deep breathe as he admired the moon, illuminating the water in a way you'd see in a painting.
"kazu, come down would you ?" he whipped his head around to see you below, taking note of the two cups in your hands. he smiled softly as he used the ropes to glide down to the deck. "sorry darling, did you get cold without me ?" he asked, taking the cup you offered him and breathing in the scent of the cocoa. "i did actually, but i figured to make some hot chocolate before coming out for you." he chuckled, pulling you in as you two now sat on a nearby bench, his hand resting on your waist as he blew softly on his cup.
"the moon is beautiful, isn't it ?" he leaned his head on your shoulder, while yours leaned on his. "it is, but that's no excuse for you to be staying up so late." you flicked his forehead lightly, laughing along with him.
"i know, i know. besides," he looked up at you, "i have my own moon already."
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ。゚ ⊹ㅤshikanoin heizou !ㅤ
soft lips trailed kisses all over your collarbone as heizou laid on your chest, the pitter patter of the rain on the windows fading into somewhat of a melody.
he sighed whenever your fingertips would massage his scalp lightly before brushing through his burgundy locks. "mhmm, if only we could be like this more often." he huffed, nuzzling his face further into your chest as his arms comfortably wrapped around you.
you chuckled, "yeah, but a great detective is always needed, otherwise, cases aren't going to solve themselves are they ?" this earned a scoff from the detective. "but you need a great boyfriend too, am i right ?" he smiled up at you, now leaning up on his elbows.
you shook your head with an ear to ear smile on your face, reaching over for the cup of hot chocolate left on the table, with heizou mimicking you and reaching for his own.
"but seriously, i do wish we could do this more often too." you whispered, leaning back on his shoulder as heizou nodded. "and i promise you, we'll do this as much as we want soon enough." he smiled, both for you and himself.
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ。゚ ⊹ㅤwanderer !ㅤ
he's never felt the cold before, nor has he ever felt the warmth. he can't, really.
but he can at least imagine what it feels like. and this, the way your face nuzzled into the crook of his neck with your arms around his shoulders, breathes tickling his skin. this is what he imagines warmth to feel like.
he felt everytime you blew the cup of warm milk in your hands before taking a sip, while he instead would drink straight up while it was steaming. as a matter of fact, this is what he hopes warmth feels like.
"kuni, you seem lost in thought again." you shifted back, looking at him with a concerned hint in your eyes. he shook his head, mustering the most genuine smile he can. "i am, but don't worry, they're not bad thoughts." you nodded, "if you say so."
his gaze shifts around the room, then back to you. "can i . . can i ask you something ?" he hesitated, but relaxed when you hummed so patiently. "this, like this," he set his cup down on the table next to the two of you and pulled you closer by the waist, "is this what warmth should feel like ?" he looks up at you, looking for every hint he may find, the way your face heated up, is that warmth too ?
"well, warmth can be felt in many ways," you tried to explain, with kuni nodding on, listening. "but this is one of my favorite ways to feel it." he blinked, "so, yes ?" "yeah, yes." . . .
"then, this is my favorite warmth too."
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ© amaiaqt, 2023 ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤdo not plagiarize !
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ratcash-wasgud · 4 months
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CAN WE PLS PLS PLS GET A PT2 TO NEKO OF THE WEST OMG!!!!
mdni :p
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ℕ𝕖𝕜𝕠 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕀𝕀.
When Ringo arrives back from the town, he finds Mizu curnsing under her breath and slashing trees in half.
"Master! What's the matter? And where is-" He looks around, rubbing his nibs together nervously.
"Oh, the stray cat is gone. But she left me with everything I need." Lies. She needed you too. "I'm gonna get going tomorrow." She sneers. She now has two goals. Slaying the white men, and showing you your place. You can't just leave like that after she has been so vulnerable with you! Ungrateful little bitch. Mizu is seething. She knows it probably ment nothing to you. It was just a slip up for Mizu too, she just got lost in the moment. It's just that she haven't felt human touch for years now, and you looked so pretty panting, and out of breath, looking at her in suuuch a cocky way with her blade to your throat... Oh, she'll show you.
She'll defeat you, have you at her feet, then beg her to spare you, crawling back to her lap, like a good little domestic kitten would. Yeah. Then she'll let you play with Fowler's head. She'll fucking show you.
She leaves Ringo at an inn, and she follows your instructions to find Fowler's castle. She gets through the tunnel, and starts slashing soldiers left and right. The traps are fucking cruel though and she ends up with a stick through her foot. She gets through everything, even drug monkeys, undead prisoners, and a whole ass giant. In the end though, she is met with...Taigen. Bloody, barely alive, tied to a chair in the middle of a room. She rushes to his side, hurrying to untie him. "Taigen-"
"Mizu..." Taigen croacks out, his eyes fluttering open. "N-no, run it's a-"
"Trap?" She hears a familiar voice from behind her as the door shuts. She turns around, her eyes meet yours in a glare. "Look who the cat dragged in!" She grin into her face. "Glad you could make it." You say, your eyes dripping with that fucking sly mischief.
"Wouldn't miss it." Mizu basically barks at you. "So you did come back to that dickhead? Pathetic." She says, holding up her makeshift sword she got from one of the soldiers.
You shrug, as you spin your gun on your finger. "Hey, what's home's home." You say and shoot her a shiteating grin.
"I pity you if this is home for you." Mizu says right back, glaring through your soul, as if you even have one.
"Ey, atleast I have one." You say, and quickly fire at her, the bullet shooting right next to her head, biting through a single strand of hair.
Mizu reacts quickly, attacking you withouth hesitation. You dodge, making her weaping slice through the wall. You turn, grabbing her wrist for a second, pushing her against the wall, and slamming her head against it. But the determined bitch she is, Mizu ignores the pain, and heabutts you in response. You two keep being at eachother's throats with Taigen barely not passing out in the chair, until Mizu overpowers you, and pins you down, with her sword at your throat.
"What a familiar situation." You grin at her, and she pushes her blade into your collarbone, drawing blood.
"Drop the fucking act already." Mizu barks into your face. "Just tell me which room he's in and I'll spare you."
You scoff. "Yeah, turns out, I kinda don't want you to kill him." You pout, as if it's a light thing. It makes Mizu's blood boil. "I kinda need him for like...a couple weeks more until he kills the shogun." You shrug. Lies, by the way. You don't give a fuck if when he dies, or if the shogun dies, you just don't want her to attemp to murder him.
Why? Simple. He'll kill her, you're sure.
"You don't have a choice." Mizu says, her eyes cold, but insides she's burning with rage. Was this all a damn game to you? Was she a joke? Was her moaning under you, moaning with you meant fucking nothing?
"Yeaaaah," Suddenly she feels the familiar cold of your gun, She turns her head, and see it pointed at Taigen's unmoving form. "I kinda do." You say, your eyes narrowing.
That's the moment Mizu realizes, she can't tame you. She can't make a house kitten out of you. You'll never stick by her side. Or anyone's for the matter. So...she'll need to keep you on a leash. She'll put so much catnip in your mouth you won't be able to bite, she'll cut your nails so you won't scratch, and she'll tear your whiskers out so you won't be able to run straight. Alone, that is. It'll hurt, but it will be worth it.
She then, with one small movement of her wrist, cuts through your shoulder, not deep enough to make you actually bleed out, but enough to make you weak. She gets off you, leaving you there, whimpering. "F-Fuckin' b-bitch...G-Go and d-die then! G-Go and fuckin'...die by his greasy hands...ugh!" You keep moaning in pain, depserately pushing your palm against your bleeding wound.
Mizu looks at you, wanting nothing more than to comfort you, but she knows that'll do her no good in the long run, so she just picks up Taigen, and leaves the room. She'll come back for you when you're unconcious if she's lucky.
It takes her a long while to get to and find Fowler's room all while carrying the deadweight of Taigen, but still, she does. After the fight, she does not have time to go back for you though, since she's fallen into the ice cold river along with that fat bastard.
Ringo rescues her and Taigen, bringing them back to master Eiji. The time she spends there while she recovers can only be described as a storm. She's mad. Her sword is broken, she didn't kill Fowler, and she left you there too. Ugh, what a failiure.
"So," Mizu lazily sits next to Taigen inside the little house, staring at the fire. "How did you...keep Akemi?" She mumbles under her nose, Taigen almost not even hearing it.
"Hm?" Taigen reaises an eyebrow. "Jealous?" He says with a smug smirk and Mizu groans loudly.
"Fuck no." She says, shooting him a glare and then rolling her eyes. "It's just seems...hard, to tie a woman down." She shrugs.
Everyone left Mizu when they had a chance, so this time, she won't take chances. She won't give you one. You left her once already, and to your own shit-luck, she wan't you to stay more that she realizes.
"You can't really tie a woman down, only with marriage." Taigen answers simply. "But before that, you have to convince her that you're worth it. That you can give her a good life."
"Well that's not really an option for me, is it?" Mizu groans. What a useless answer.
"Wait...you wanna catch a wife?" Taigen's eyes widen. "Oh, don't tell me, you already have someone you want? Oh, that's funny!" He snickers.
"You're fucking annoying. I don't even know why I was asking you." She grumbles, ready to stand up, but Taigen stops him. "Wait, no. Okay." Taigen steadies himself, putting on a straight face. "I'm sure if you keep your glasses on, and keep your mouth shut all the time, she'll like you." He finishes with that bitch-ass smirk.
Mizu just yanks her arm away and walks off, grumbling. Taigen is stupid. She'll show him too. She'll show everyone. She'll slay down Flower, then she'll walk away with you, crying for her in her arms. Great plan.
You even accidentaly told her that he's planning on killing the shogun, so she'll know where to go. You're already playing right into her hands. Yeah, maybe she's obsessing over you a little, and yeah, it's probably unhealthy, but do you really expect any healthy emotions from that woman? No, the answer should be no.
So, on the day when she meets Fowler again, she marches into the room he's in with the Shogun, but when she gets there, the Shogun and his family are already gone, and she's met with Fowler's gun to your forehead, yours to his heart with Heiji Shindo's body still fresh on the ground. She gasps out your name.
Fowler's head turns to her, and Mizu glares. "Hm? Ye two know eachother?" He asks casually, motioning between you two. "So that's why yer betraying me, eh? Foolish little girl." He scoffs.
You just roll your eyes. "I'm not betraying you, dumbass." You say, liglty poking his chest with your gun. "I'm simply dethroning you."
"And you wanted the help of this demon right 'ere?" He nods towards Mizu. "Is that why ya were gone for days? Ya were with the guy tryin' to kill me? Pffft!" He says with mock offense.
"No, he just happens to be here." The banter between you two is amusing to Mizu. You're talking to this piece of shit while holding eachother at gunpoint like you'd talk to an old friend after they stole your lunch.
"Hey, demon," Fowler says to Mizu, getting her attention. "Ya don' wanna team up with this girl right 'ere. See? She's betraying me too, she'd do the same to you."
"Oh, shut up." You roll your eyes. "First of all, I'm not teaming up with him. Second of all...can you butt out of my personal relatinships?"
"She's not even from 'round here. Found her back in London." Fowler says casually, ligtly poking your head with his gun. "Is' true. Her parents are japanese though, they got captured during the war, but couldn't help but fuck like bunnies in their cell and make this lil' bitch."
"Ugh, that was unnecessary." You say, fireing a shot into the wall to silence him. "Next one's gonna be in your heart, shithead."
"Now now, let daddy handle stuff." He says with a chuckle.
"You're not my fucki-" but before you could protest any further, Fowler's other hand swings up, hitting you in the head, almost crushing your skull, making you lose conciousness.
The next time you wake up, the harsh sun invades your eyeballs, making you groan. When you finally manage to accommodate your inveroment, you look around. You're on a ship, which is definetly moving. You see a siluette in the sun, and as it notices that you're awake, it walks closer. It's Mizu. She looks different though. She looks a lot more...relaxed. She has her bangs down, and she's wearing a simple kimono. She looks...very feminine. And beautiful, if you do say so yourself. You understand why you lost control and slept with her that night.
"Hey," You squint at her. "Can I ask, if it's like, not too much...what the fuck is going on?" You sit up hazily.
"We're leaving. To London." She says casually, sitting down next to you. Your eyes snap wide opening, shining in the bright sun.
"Are fucking serious?" That's wha Mizu wnated to see. You lighting up, eating all of her words up.
"Yeah...Fowler's tied up down there, but he'll help me. He'll help me find the other white men." She says, looking ahead to the seemingly endless water.
"And you're taking me...with you. To London. I can finally leave." Your smile becomes bright, almost more blinding that the sun. It's the first truly genuine smile Mizu saw from you. And fuck, it does things to her.
"Mhm...you're not leaving my side after this." Mizu breathes out, leaning back on her hands, turning her attention to the cloud.
Your eyebrows knot together. "What? I'm not gonna stick around to watch your boring ass quest. I wanna find my own path."
"Yeah, no...you're not doing that. You're gonna stay by my side, and you're gonna love it." She says like it's a well known fact. And to her, it is. She's not letting you leave her, and wander off again. Not on her watch.
"What the fuck do you think I am? Your pet?" You scoff.
"You could be. But no, I'm being nice right now." She says with a small smile, still staying completely calm about the subject. "And when I'm done, you will come back to Japan with me. And then we'll live peacefully, and you'll help me forget about how much of a terrible person I am." Mizu shrugs, but you just rolls your eyes.
"As if. I'll tell you everyday that you're a shitty person." You can barely finish the sentence before Mizu gets on top of you with one swift motion, straddling your lap.
"Yeah? You're gonna tell me how much you hate me?" Mizu whispers, her breath hitting your face, but the only thing you can do right now is just stare at her, not even blinking. "What? Cat's got your tongue?" She teases you, running a finger along your lower lip.
You gulp. "What...are you even doing? What we had was just...a one time thing." You say, averting your gaze finally.
"You think that?" Mizu says as she harshly grabs your jaw, forcing you to look at her. "You must be confused then." She says, her voice now lower with more edge. "Because that day, whether you like it or not, you tied yourself down. You became mine. You can try to run though, but I'll find you eventually." She slowly leans down, breathing right against your lips. "Take your little fuckface of a man, Fowler for example. He couldn't hide, so why could you?"
You can't even respond as she firmly kisses you, pushing her tongue down your thoat, one hand gripping your jaw, the other harhsly undoing your clothes.
"F-fuck, Mizu, wait a second-" You try to croak out, but her hands are already all over you, and you love it. It's just...so damn sudden. And it feels different from last time. It's as if this time, her touches have more emotion. More want, more need.
"No. I waited enough." Mizu murmurs into the kiss, her hands kneading your breasts. The last time, you fought for and kinda even won dominance, but now you can't even try and enter the competition for some reason, and to Mizu's liking.
"Ugh...you're an asshole, you know that?" You back arches into her touch as you feel her start pinching your nipples. "I...I'm still mad at you though...for cutting my shoulder. That hurt...like a bitch." You mumble, feeling your whole body heat up under her touch.
Mizu can feel her head reeling. She finally done it. She has you under her fingertips again, and she won't let go ever again. And this time, you look different too. You look more vulnerable, your eyes narrowing and becoming hazy, you cheeks flushing as you lips part. You look vulnerable, and very fucking cute. The fact that she knows what you're capable of, and still managing to have you in this position is...enthralling. She loves it. If she'd feel this everyday, her sould would be at peace.
"Not my fault you only respond to violence." Mizu says, pulling away from your mouth to place her lips in your nipple, which you reward with a small moan, which makes Mizu's nerves dart to all one place between her legs.
Her tounge swirls around your sensitive little bud, all while her hand sneeks between your thighs, feeling around your underwear, which is now slowly turning wet.
"You want more?" Mizu whispers as she switches to the other nipple. "Tell me you want more...say it. Use your pretty little voice, and ask me nicely."
"Fuck...fuck why are you like this?" You croak out, your thighs closing around her hand, letting out another moan as she starts rubbing you through the thin cloth. "O-Okay, fine fuck, I want more...p-please, just...do more." You say, covering your face with your arm in shame. "Mizu..."
And she fucking snaps. How could she hold back after that? She rips down your last remaining clothing, which happens to be your underwear, and her lips latch around your clit. Oh, it tastes so good. She didn't have the chance to taste it last time, what a shame. But knows she knows how your slick tastes, and it's honestly perfect. She makes sure her tongue hits every spot it can reach atleast once before she plunges her fingers deep inside you.
"Fuck...I missed you fucking much...come on, show me you missed me too. Grind on my lips and fingers." Mizu demands against your clit which you reward in a drawn out moan. You slowly obey, grinding weakly against her. "Take it...take all of me." She pushes knuckle deep. "Your pussy loves me...it fucking wants me. It's...fuck, it's sucking me in." Mizu slurs between slurps, getting lost in the moment and just mindlessly rambling. She loves this. She loves feeling you at two points on herself: her fingertips and her tongue. She wants you to moan louder, to squirm and beg more, to arch your back and grind harder...
"Gonna cum...f-fuck, I can't...slow the fuck down..." You whimper out,hands feeling around on the floor, looking for anything to grab for support, but meeting nothing but Mizu.
"Yeah? Cum then. Do it...doitdoitdoit, I want it, come on..." Mizu doesn't even notice that she begs, but she doesn't even fucking care. As she feels you spill your climax into her mouth, her mind flashes white, eagerly driking everything up. After you come down from your high and lay in the afterglow, Mizu stays in pleace, cleaning your innerthighs while softly humming.
"You did so good...you're so pretty when you cum. I wanna see it again." She murmurs, fingers trailing back to your folds, but you groan and push her away.
"F-Fuck off..." You say weakly, eyes slowly fluttering closed. Mizu smirks and climbs up to cuddle you, her arms thighly around you, and her legs keeping you in a lock.
"I love you." She says casually. "You'll stay with me forever, okay? I'll hunt you down if you don't. You're my sepcial girl...you'll see me succeed."
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Text
Icarus
Okay, so my yandere kick may be lasting a little longer than expected. Though, I do have an idea for a series (?) now. It'll be a story focusing on each of the boys and letting them have their time to shine in their, ahem, devotion. Although he's not my fav boy of the bunch (still love him though), Sky's story came to me first and it came in swingin'. It's a little shorter than my previous posts but I hope you all enjoy!
TW: Yandere themes, blood, gore, descriptions of torture, a lot of talk about harm by fire, Sky goes off the deep end
The chunk of wood in his hands was unassuming. It was light, partly sanded, and cut from a stray piece of driftwood. Unlike logs or planks used in building houses or inns, this wood was soft. So when his knife began to scratch and peel at it, the wood offered no resistance. With nimble and trained fingers, Sky carved away at the wood. His motions were fluid and he showed no fear of nicking himself on the sharp blade of his carving knife. Even as the wood started to form into a recognizable shape, Sky did not pause. Every cut was nearly rhythmic- musical if the wood could sing.
Eventually, Sky sets down his blade and picks up a finer tool. He starts carving out a set of small eyes and then a little, pointed beak. He begins to sharpen the outlines of plumage on the carving’s chest and adds tiny details to its folded wings. The petite talons come next and are shortly followed by refining the tail feathers. Finally, Sky pauses to wipe off the carving and looks at the little bird now resting in his palm. It was a plump little finch that looked absolutely adorable.
The smile on Sky’s face when he stares at his creation is large and blissful. Gently, he brings it up to his lips and kisses the wooden figure. The kiss lasts for a few seconds before Sky pulls his newest creation away.
“My little songbird…” Sky sighs with content. He continues to give the figure doe eyes full of nothing but admiration and love as if the chunk of wood hung the very sun up in the sky. His vision is suddenly blocked as hands cover his eyes. The hands are gentle and soft as not to accidentally hurt the Skyloftian. Even before they speak, Sky knows exactly who this is.
“Guess who~”
“Hmm… did you get a new callous on your hands, Time? I though we told you to take better care of your hands?” Sky jests.
“Wha- hey! There’s no way my hands are anything like that of the Old Man’s!” You gawk as you pull away from Sky. He laughs, light and carefree as the breeze. Before you can back away any further, he grabs you and pulls you down to the ground with him. His smile is blinding as he stares at your pouting face. He resists the urge to pinch or pull at your puffed up cheeks even if he finds your mock annoyance to be irresistible.
“Ah, lighten up! Here, look at what I made!” Sky giggles as he shows you the little finch carving in his hand. The sour look is immediately replaced by something gentle and sweet that has Sky practically puffing up his chest. Like it was made of glass, you take the carving from Sky and observe his craftsmanship. You run your fingers across every notch and groove, engrossed with every detail.
“It’s so cute, Sky! It’s a finch, right?” You ask as you continue to examine the bird.
“Yup! Aaaaaaannnnndddd… it’s yours. I already have enough wooden carvings as is and I know how much you love anything related to animals,” Sky announces. He feels his heart melt as your smile widens even further. You hold it close to your chest and Sky does everything he can to not think about how his lips had just touched the carving. How the wood he had kissed was now flush against your bare skin.
“If you keep making little figurines for me, the rest of the boys will think you have a favorite among us,” You warn with a light hearted tone.
“But what if you are my favorite person? I’ve no problem with letting anyone know that, you know. If they want to be jealous, let them. I’ve no time to deal with their pettiness,” Sky counters. You roll your eyes at him, not taking the comment seriously. You lean forward and place a quick kiss to Sky’s cheek. He suddenly finds himself incapable of breathing as his cheek burns from the action.
“Anyway, Wild wanted me to stop by and tell you that lunch is almost ready. Venison and cabbage stew,” You state before walking away. Sky doesn’t respond or even react to let you know that he heard you. After a few more moments, Sky’s body finally draws breath and he’s left panting against the tree he had been sitting against. His eyes are barely open and are dilated to the fullest degree possible. His grin was loopy and loose like he was buzzed out on the best drug in all the realms. And he was.
And it was called obsession love.
The love he felt was like the sun itself. It was blinding as he registered nothing but you whenever you were around. It was full of life as everything seemed a little more lively when you were near it. It was immense as his senses were overwhelmed by you, you, you.
And by the stars above did it burn.
Any touch from you felt like it would scald his skin in the best way possible. He waited patiently for the day to come that your touch would finally leave a mark. That his body would become a tapestry for you to torch with your gentle hands and sweet words. When his patience ran thin on certain days, he considered asking the Smithy for a hot rod of iron so you could finally brand him. Brand him as yours and yours alone.
But you would never do that- not even if Sky pleaded with you to do so. Even though he and everyone else were broken and battered souls, victims of a vicious cycle he started, you handled them like they were priceless. You would hold them during rough nights as their demons clawed at their minds. You’d do your best to rock them in your grip like they were no more than babes out of the crib. Your whispered praises and hummed lullabies were sweet and addictive like honey straight from the pot. You had to know the affect you had on him and the others.
And if you didn’t, Sky would have to remedy that immediately.
He would sing songs of your kindness until his lips went dry and his throat bled and cracked. He would write pages of poetry in your name until his hands gave out and even then he wouldn’t stop. He would slay monsters and men alike and serve you only the best pieces of them on a silver platter as tribute. He’d parade through the streets of towns and settlements with nothing but word of you on his tongue so others may know of true divinity and not the falsehoods that were practiced in their churches. He’d get down to the very ground like a worm, a maggot, a bug and kiss the soles of your feet with more reverence than Hylia herself has ever seen. Whatever it took, he would do.
“Oi, Airhead. You done spacing out?” Legend jabs as he pokes Sky’s side. Sky blinks a little and realizes that he’s back at camp. When did he get here? For how long has he been zoning out? He hadn’t made a fool of himself in front of you, had he? Would you like that, if he did? Would you want that?
“I’m here,” Sky coughs as he goes back to eating the soup served to him by Wild. He looks around the camp for you and finds that you’re sitting in between Wind and Hyrule. From what he can hear, you’re telling them a story about something that once happened to you. Just a random and wacky tale about an event in your life, but Wind is absolutely enraptured by it and Sky believes Hyrule’s eyes are a blink away from turning into hearts. He smiles at the sight, happy that his brothers know to look at you with nothing less than pure devotion and admiration at your every word and action.
He didn’t bother to butt in, though. He was perfectly content with observing your brilliance from where he was sitting. Your exaggerated movements, your lopsided grin, your inability to stop yourself from chuckling before any punchlines were delivered- it was all so divine. Even with the noon sun shining down on the group, you shined brighter. It was as if you were the Goddess of Light, not Hylia. And you were, he knew you were. She was little more than a fraud compared to you. Her light was cold and unwelcoming. Your light was warm and comfortable and gentle and beautiful and addicting and so much more than Sky could ever hope to describe.
But there were also times Sky believed you were a divine being of fire.
While Sky wanted to keep you away from the battlefield at all times, he couldn’t deny the presence you had on the field. You were quick to find out you had a stronger arm than you realized and wanted to put it to good use. Unlike the rest of them, you preferred the blunt and brutals ways of a mace over a blade any day. Slowly, you began to armor yourself in metal plate and padding. It wasn’t long until you looked nothing less than knightly when on the field. Sky had to praise Four for crafting the armor you wore as it did its job and did it well. Stars above, did you wear it well.
He would never not be in awe of you when you took to the field. You never bothered to hesitate when faced with monsters- not anymore, at least. You were fast, accurate, and deadly. Your silver armor would always be quick to be coated in red and black ichor. Despite the gore that would surround you or cling to you, you never stopped being in the spotlight. Even when the days were cloudy or dark, Sky could always see you shining and shimmering amidst all the chaos. It was only more proof that you really were the light in his life.
And when the battle was done? He’d stay back and let Hyrule heal you before letting someone shortly scold you for your “reckless” behavior. When the crowd would let up, Sky would swoop in and sing his poetic praises until you and he were red in the face. Even if your hands were still armored and bloody from battle, he would still seek out their touch- to feel that burn he was addicted to. There was something about them, fresh from the violence and gore, still taut and heavy from adrenaline, that made him feel like he’d be scorched into cinders. He loved it, adored it, yearned for it, needed it, and couldn’t survive without it.
He would do anything for it.
“Sky… what did you do?”
But he never stopped to realize how you could make him freeze.
It was supposed to be a fun night at the town. Maybe enjoy a few rounds of cards with his brothers or a mug or two of warm ale. For once, he wasn’t glued by your side as you had gone out window shopping for some new clothes with some extra rupees you had. You had taken Wind with you for company and so the adults could be, well, adults. Sky didn’t realize how badly he needed to unwind until he was laughing and joking with his brothers at the table. He was also happy that his bad luck wasn’t his bad luck anymore.
“For fuck’s sake…” Wild grumbled as he nearly threw his rupees at Sky. Sky only laughed at him as Time began to collect the cards and shuffle them.
“If you want, we can play a different game,” Wars offers as he slings an arm over Wild’s shoulders. “How about… Old Maid or Go Fish?”
“How about you choke on your own dick and die?” Wild growls as he takes a swig from his mug. Instead of being reprimanded for his crude words, everyone at the table simply laughs at tonight’s sore loser. To rub salt in the wound, Sky loudly kisses one of the rupees Wild had coughed up. Wild’s glowering stare made it clear that Sky’s days were on the thin line of being numbered.
The picture of an ideal night was shattered when the doors to the inn flew open. Your feet seemed to barely touch the ground as you sprinted up to your room. While Sky stumbled to get out of his seat, the rest of his brothers were quick to follow you. As he hurried to catch up, his heart twisted and shattered as he heard your muffled cries. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t get past Time and Twilight as they guarded your room. Sky could vaguely see Hyrule, Wars, and Wild comforting you. You were frazzled and hiding your face with your hands. His sun was hiding behind clouds of gray and he desperately wanted to know what he could do to make you shine again.
He listened as you blubbered about being harassed by a handful of hooligans on some street corner. How they had nitpicked everything about you from your looks to what you were wearing. At how they had followed you around and called you every name under the sun even as both you and Wind told them to stop. The nail in the coffin- their coffins- was when you said that they had attempted to hit you during their verbal assault.
Sky suddenly found himself thinking clearer than he had in awhile.
It wasn’t hard to track down the vermin wenches. They were loud and obnoxious as they stumbled around town. It was clear they were all intoxicated to hell and back. He himself wanted to laugh, but not because of their drunken state. No, it was laughable as to how easy this was about to be.
“Weeellll heeelllooo there, good looking. Out for some fun tonight?” One of the ladies asked with a loopy smile. The alcohol on her breath combined with her abundant use of perfume made her positively pungent. Sky hid the curl of his nose under pretending to wipe it before giving the trio his best smile.
“Well, it depends on your version of fun,” Sky chuckled as he took her hand. It was thin and weak. Breaking it wouldn’t take much force, but that could come later. Sky needed to corner these heretics before he could punish them.
“Oh, we can give you some great fun, mister~. Far greater than whatever that thing is that you were traveling with,” another chimes in as she wraps her arms around his torso. It takes every ounce of willpower Sky has not to tear them all in two right then and there as he knows she’s referring to you. That means that they had seen you and the group walk into town earlier. That means that they’ve likely been waiting to pounce on you for the past few hours now. Oh, their punishment was surely going to be rough for their wicked planning.
It didn’t take much to herd them into a quieter part of town. He nearly pushed them all into the first abandoned building he found. He lead them further and further into the building until he was sure than not even the loudest scream would be heard by any guard or citizen. Now, all that needed to be done was bring these sheep to the slaughter.
He was quick to take away their chances of escaping as he swung the Master Sword at their legs. He hacked at them until not a single one of the swine before him could stand. His sudden assault was quick to sober them up as they all started to shriek in a horrible symphony of noise. Sky thought of going for the throat to shut them up but that would kill them and he didn’t want to grant them that relief just yet.
His next target was their hands. The very hands that had attempted to harm you earlier. Had they been reaching for you in admiration, he may have been a little bit more gentle as he understood the desire well. But no- they wanted to hurt you. Perfect, divine you. Such blatant heresy made his mouth bitter.
Lastly, he carved into their flesh. His letters were shaky as the sinners thrashed around under his grip and that he wasn’t used to carving with his trusty sword. He wished that he had the foresight to bring his tools with him so that the words would look a little neater. Oh well, as long as their sins were visible, it was enough for him.
“May you plead for forgiveness on your judgment day. Pray to whatever gods and goddesses that you believe in for mercy as I am fresh out,” Sky growled at the bodies at his feet. With precision, Sky plunged the tip of his sword into each of their chests. For a moment, he was tempted to carve out their hearts and present them to you. Would you take his bloody offering? It was something all gods and goddesses were accustomed to, so surely you’d praise Sky for his devotion. You always did light up when he handed you his wood carvings, so perhaps you’d love these carvings all the same?
It was a shame, then, that Sky’s anger didn’t die down once your aggressors were dead. He continued to maim the bodies until they were but mush and sinew surrounding him. Their blood seemed even more putrid than that of the black blooded monsters he and his brothers would slay beside you. He couldn’t be seen near you in his current state- no, not at all. He was a mess and positively filthy. You had dealt with those sinners enough tonight so he wouldn’t dare make you even see the sight of their rotten blood.
If only luck continued to remain on his side, in that matter.
“Sky… What. Did. You. Do,” You repeat as you stare down the man before you. How had you known he was here? How did you sneak away from his brothers? What were you thinking of him, at the moment? Were you disgusted with him? He could understand that, this was easily the dirtiest he’s been all his life. Were you angry with him? That’s okay, if you were- you could take it out on him. And don’t worry about holding back, he could take it. But… were you scared of him? Oh please, please don’t be scared of him. He couldn’t fathom what he would do if you were to view or even think of him in terror. Don’t think of him as a monster, please don’t. He’s your knight! Your hero! Your ever loyal follower!
The emotion in your eyes was something Sky couldn’t place. It wasn’t warm, it wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t sour, it wasn’t anything he had seen before. All he could call it was cold. Cold, cold, cold, cold. The blood in his veins slowed as it seemed to freeze into slush. The sweat and gore on his body was cold as ice and Sky found himself shivering. With a shaking hand, he sheathed the Master Sword and fell to the ground.
And he prayed.
“Please, (Name), please forgive me. Forgive me for my actions and transgressions. Know that what I did tonight was to defend your honor. Know that everything I do is for you and never against you. Please, have mercy on my soul and forgive me of my sins. Only through you can I ever be cleansed. Please… please… I’m sorry, so… so sorry…” Sky sobbed against the stone floor. His hands were clasped before him as he pleaded for your forgiveness. Would you be kind and forgive him? Wash away his sins with your sweet words? Or would you be rough with him? Deny him of salvation and leave him to languish in his mess? Make him plead and pray just like those he fell moments ago.
“Link, look at me.”
Sky snapped to attention as you used his name. You got on your knees before him and acted slowly as if he were a feral animal. You brought a handkerchief to his face as you wiped off all the grime and the tears.
“I’ve never seen you make such a mess before, Sky. This isn’t like you,” You sigh as you continue to wipe down his face. Whatever chill that had been in your eyes and tone was gone now- slowly melting away. Sky was thankful as he was sure he was about to be frozen solid.
“They were sinners. Heretics. Vermin. They made you cry, made you doubt yourself. I hate seeing you cry so I had to deal with what made you upset. If they were taken care of, then… then you’d be happy again, right? Now that they’re gone?” Sky whimpers as he looks at you for even a hair of acceptance. Even a sliver of praise that made it clear he had done right. Just… anything.
“While I would have used different methods, there’s no use in crying over it. I can’t change what’s been done- not this,” You mumble as you pull away. Fear grips Sky again and he grabs onto your retreating hands. In an act of selfishness, he presses them against his face and feels. Feels that tell tale burn he craves as it penetrates his skin. Feels you instinctively flex your fingers and barely dig your nails into his face. Feels your very pulse pump through your veins.
You free a hand from his grasp and dig it into his hair. He whines as you tug at his locks and he finds it in himself crawls towards you. He lays his head against your lap and pants from the heat they give off. Your touch is nothing short of blazing as you run your fingers through his hair and down his neck. He hopes you leave red in your wake as you rub his shoulders. He hopes that finally, finally, he’s done enough to earn your mark.
“My sun… oh my sun. Burn me, please. Scald me, burn me, torch me, melt me… please oh please. Burn your handprints into my skin and brand me with you lips. Let me know the fire of your touch for now and forever more. Melt away my legs so that I may forever kneel at your feet. Turn me to ash in the pyre of your soul so that I may know what it’s like to live,” Sky confesses as he clings to your lap. He smiles as his shoulders seem to be relieved of a burden he was unaware he was carrying. His every want and desire that’s festered in him since he saw you for the deity you are has finally been laid bare.
Soft and featherlight was the kiss you planted on his ear. It twitched and fluttered as your hot breath fanned across it. Sky whimpered as he felt your teeth graze the fragile flesh, as if looking for the best spot to bite. He did his best to muffle his whines and pleas but he couldn’t help his excitement- not when he was so certain he would finally be awarded with your claim on him.
His joy falters when you pull away and leave his ear aching. You help him stand and begin to walk him away from the bloody scene. He apologizes profusely for getting blood on your clothes but you tell him to shut it or else. He listens without further complaint.
Getting him into the bath house without being noticed is far from easy but you were never one to turn away a challenge. Once inside, you strip Sky of his linens and discard them. Where, he doesn’t know. He does know you though and knows that the blood soaked clothing will be well hidden enough to not be found for a few days. Long enough for you all to pack up your things and leave before the stench gets bad enough that they’re discovered. And even longer still until what’s left of the sinners is found. Though, Sky believes scavengers will sooner be attracted to the feast before any guard is.
Sky scrubs himself down and tints the bath water pink while you fetch him new clothes. He scrubs until he’s sure his skin will fall off as he knows you’ll scold him if you see even a single drop of blood left on his person. As quickly as he’s in the water, he’s out and getting dressed. You offer a quick and believable excuse to the innkeeper as you drag the stumbling man up the stairs and to his room. Wars raises a brow when you bring Sky to the room and nearly shoves the knight into the captain’s face.
“Keep any eye on him- please. I’ve had enough trouble tonight,” You groan before promptly leaving and shutting the door behind you. Sky ignores Wars’ stare and gets into his bed.
“Do I want to know?” Wars eventually asks as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m forgiven and the sinners are dead. Nothing more to tell,” Sky states cryptically. He settles in and doesn’t even care that his damp mop of hair wets the pillow beneath his head. Even with the lackluster response, Wars understands the scenario well enough.
“Never imagined you to be the one to get sloppy…” Wars mumbles as he gets back in his own bed. “I’m sure the Old Man will tan your hide come tomorrow, but that’s, well, for tomorrow. Though… I gotta ask; What did you get out of it?”
“I got to confess my sins and I was forgiven for them. Even if it were not done to me physically, I’ve finally been branded by our deity,” Sky sighs dreamily as he hugs his pillow tightly.
“Finally got close enough to get burned?”
“Yes. And I can’t describe how much I enjoyed the fall.”
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sfehvn · 7 months
Text
intruder part 3
Part 1 | Part 2
Description: A year has since came and went following Astarion's ascension ritual. He is no longer himself, but then... Where is he? A/N: This part is a lot of lore-building so no actual Astarion appearances but I hope it's enjoyable all the same! Rating: M (18+ minors DNI) Word count: 1,820 Characters: Characters: ascended!Astarion x Tav
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 ─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
  The forest of Emerald Grove manifests around you. Thick trees and rocky precipices grace your views, abruptly causing a wistful awareness to settle into your mind. The odd situation you were currently in aside, you never dreamed you would yearn to return to such a time. Memories flooded your head. Your very first encounter with the man who had so gracefully held a knife to your throat out of fear and turmoil. The very first time you had welcomed him with open arms and a profound desire between these very trees. Despite the rockiness your relationship had survived through at the time, you remember how heartbroken you felt when Astarion revealed his true motives of gaining security out of you through bedding you. At the leading edge, though, you recall his admission of falling for you.
  “How-” You struggle to find the words as you turn to stare at the man who had approached you in the Elfsong Tavern, “What are you doing?”
  Your query was disregarded as the man spoke, “You wish for your lover to be restored.” It was a matter-of-fact statement, the corners of his lips turning up into a  smile. “Ah, but you have said lover.” The man pointed his words.
  Alarm bells rang through your skull. You took a moment to survey your surroundings and breathe in the familiar fresh air, glancing at the shimmering moon. Were you actually here? Or was this all an illusion? You let your eyes falter back to the man whose name you still had no clue of. “How do you know this?” No good could come from this particular situation, you knew. “Why are we here?” Your intimidation ultimately failed, causing your voice to crack and waver. 
  “My apologies. I can take us somewhere more suited to your tastes. Where would you prefer?” His hand raised, and with a quick snap of his fingers, you are transported to the Last Light Inn. It is empty and void of life. “Or would you choose not to stray too far from home?” Another snap, and you’re back on the streets of Baldur’s Gate, the dead city a stark contrast from your walk to the tavern. “Where is comfortable for you, dear?”
  You close your eyes tightly for a moment before reopening them. You knew better than to entertain this man; the last time you had made good with someone who miraculously appeared before you with offers of fixed problems, it had not worked out for you or Astarion. While eager for some sort of answer to your dire questions, for a fix of the situation at hand, the red flags rang. You had never told this man your problems, yet here he was, claiming it to be destiny bringing the two together to fix them. “I am not interested. Return me to the tavern at once.” It was a demand.
  “As you wish.” His smile is sly as he brings his hand up once more, transporting you two back to your previous spots seated at the table in Elfsong. This time, not a soul resides in the tavern. You take note that the barkeep, Alan, was also gone.
“Where is everyone?” In bewilderment, you look back at the strange man.
  “The apparitions are a bit much to maintain for long. Suppose if that makes you comfortable, though. It shall be done.” Another snap, and the small, jovial crowd is back once more. Alan is back behind the bar, shining glasses, a grin large enough to make you uneasy stretched onto his lips.
  “What is this?” The defeat was thick in your cadence. You return your anguished glare to the man. You scanned him for a break in facade, but there was none. He just- well, he looked like any other man you may have come across. Looks could be deceiving; a lesson learned many times.
  “You can provide me with something I want.” His response was quick, with no hesitation. “In turn, I will return your lover to you. As he was before.” Your brows furrowed in indignation. While your entire body screamed at you to take the deal, no questions asked, trepidation stopped you from responding too hungrily.
  “I will be making no deals with devils. I’ve come to understand it could never end well for the one who is not the devil.” Despite this man seeming to be your only option with the watchful eye of Astarion on you at what feels like all times, you couldn’t risk making the situation any worse. Could it get much worse? Your subconscious nagged. “Besides, I would still like to know how you’ve found me.”
  The man let out a howl of laughter, throwing his head back in amusement. “I am no devil, Tav.” He shifts forward, hands clasped before him and coming to rest on the table. “Though I can understand it may be hard to discern given our meeting. However, I did not have much opportunity for a natural one since you are under lock and key at all times.” You recall the trance-like state in which you left the palace and come to realize it must have been every bit a trance. “I am but a humble sorcerer. As for how I found you, well, it seems we share a common enemy. Though, I could feel your heartache dimensions away.” His head quirks, and it feels as if he is boring into your very soul.
  Unprompted, the man continues. “Your lover, Astarion, opened himself up to the very demons that reside in the hells during his ascension ritual. Now, stay with me because this is going to get complicated.” He glances around the room before snapping the apparitions away. You hadn’t even realized how disfigured the residents in the tavern had become. “I hope you don’t mind. As I said, the apparitions can be daunting.” He clears his throat.
  “Are you insinuating a demon resides within Astarion’s body? Demons are physical beings.” You dig your mind for anything you may have heard about demonic possessions, but none come to mind. Sure, you’ve seen your fair share of ghost possessions among mortals, but this was not what was being implied. A demon could impose a sort of mind control, but the soul would still be active and aware. Not pushed deep into the darkness of its own body. The demon must also be present for such a thing to occur.
  “Precisely. Demons are physical beings, but are you familiar with the apothecary swindlers that reside in the hells?” A slow shake of your head urges the sorcerer to continue. “This covenant has made enough gold to fill all of the pockets of Faerûn with their scheming. A truly unfounded market, I’ll give them that.” He chortles lightly before continuing, “Anyhow, they slay these demons, extract, and capture their very essence to be repurposed as a medicine for all ailments. Most folks are smart enough to steer clear, but you will always have your bold noblemen and ladies who strive for the power and fame that these apothecaries promise.”
“So Astarion-” You start but are cut off.
  “Your lover did not seek these services, no.” He states quickly. “This is where things get a bit tricky. These very regular people oftentimes do not end up with precisely what they’ve paid for. The essence of these demons seeks power, a vessel in which they can reign in a new physical form and physically rebuild themselves. The process is slow; it can take centuries for this transformation to occur. Most mortal bodies will not even make it to see this through, as the demon residing within them does not grant the vessel immortality.”
“But an ascended vampire…” You trail, the dots connecting in your mind.
  “An ascension ritual such as the one Astarion partook is exactly the thing to send the dinner bells ringing to a demon’s essence.” The man confirms. “The most plausible explanation is one had been freed from its confinements and made its way into your lover’s body. After a few hundred years, his form will take on the one of the demon who controls his vessel- erm, body.” He corrected after your pointed glare was received.
“What exactly do you get out of this?” You ask quickly, the suspicion in your voice evident.
  “While I would love to say I’m doing this solely to save your and your lover’s tortured souls, that would be a blatant lie.” There is the faintest pause in his words. “The demon Elralluun rules his body. In his prime, he was known for brutalizing hundreds of villages. Would kill men, women, and children all the same.” You sense a deep tinge of sorrow masked in the man’s words and decide you won’t pry further. “I’ve thought him dead until recently. I felt him. The heat of rage and hatred lit afire in my bones. One that left my being the second he was slain. I felt it all.”
  You nod numbly in understanding. “How do we free Astarion?”
There’s silence as you watch the man find the words to say. “To destroy the vessel is to free the soul.”
“Absolutely not.” You snapped, heart sinking to your toes. You could never kill Astarion knowing he was still in there somewhere.
  “Tav, think this over. He will be gone anyway once the transformation has taken hold. I understand this is a tough decision, but his sacrifice may even save him from total damnation. This is the only way. I do not have the power to defeat him. You do. You are a hero, through and through.” The man’s words struck your chest, causing you to gulp in a large, unneeded breath. Tears pooled in your eyes and you feverishly wiped at them, standing from your seat.
“Well, find another way.” Your voice was raised, eyes shooting daggers into the still-sitting man.
  “There is no other way.” Each word was emphasized, with a look of empathy but seriousness on his features. “Think this through. I will find you again soon, and you can give me your answer then. You may come to see this to be the most merciful outcome for you and your companion.” He stands from his seated position, giving you one last look of sympathy before departing the Tavern.
-
  Disoriented, you raise your head from the oak desk, acting as a pillow for your rest. You couldn’t discern if the encounter had happened in reality or not as you shifted your head to see the tower of books beside you, exactly where you had left them before making your exit from the manor. You were back in the library. A note scrawled in careful penmanship sat on the desk that had not been there before.
‘I will continue to search for an alternative. I will return in seven days time for an answer regardless. I trust you will make the right choice. 
Leif’
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anystalker707 · 7 months
Text
Only for me us
Pairing: Trafalgar Law x [gn, afab] Reader x Eustass Kid Kinktober prompt: cucking Tags: Transmasc friendly / use of 'pussy' / Penetration / Exhibitionism
KINKTOBER LIST MASTERLIST
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          A sigh escaped your lips as you scratched your head, looking around. That city felt like a fucking maze—was that what Zoro felt like? You’d not seen anyone known for a while, so when you ran into Kid, there wasn’t much choice aside from going with him. He raised an eyebrow when seeing you approach, hands on his hips.
“Oh, look at who we have here!” He chuckled, raising an eyebrow.
You narrowed your eyes, twisting your mouth. It wasn’t even worth arguing. “Shut up. I’m lost.”
“Lost? I bet that’s an excuse to see m—”
“Seen Law?” You raised an eyebrow, crossing your arms over your chest. A smile threatened to tug on your lips when Kid’s face fell, but you held it.
“Haven’t seen anyone, actually,” Kid sighed in frustration as he looked around. “Almost feels like something is wrong, but…” He shrugged and turned back to you. “This city feels like a maze. I couldn’t find the docks either, and the people aren’t much useful.”
You pressed your lips together and looked up at the sky, seeing the first stars start to shine in the darkening blue sky, with some dark gray clouds in the distance. “Got any money on you, big guy? I don’t promise to return it, but I don’t think you’d have trouble doing me a favor, hm? A cheap room will do.”
There was a glare in response, unamused, but you just grinned in response, wriggling your eyebrows. Kid scoffed.
“A cheap room? You want me back that much?” He mirrored your grin, though it dropped quickly with how you kicked his shin. “What’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with you?” You clicked your tongue, shaking your head. “I’m just asking for a favor, idiot. If I die, it’ll be your fault! Then, Law will find out and fucking obliterate you, you hear me? He will leave each part of your body in a different place in the world. Do you want that? Are you really leaving me to die?”
Something about your words made Kid laugh before he shook his thoughts away and looked at you. “I don’t care about what that loser will do, actually, but I will do you a favor because I’m a good person.”
You couldn’t help but snicker, nodding sarcastically, as the two of you looked around the place. The street was growing a little less agitated with the fall of the night, and some stores seemed to be getting ready to close, while some restaurants and bars were getting ready to open. Either way, you could already feel your limbs get heavier. It’d be better to look for the others tomorrow, in daylight. If you didn’t know where you were going during the day, it wouldn’t get any easier during the night.
“There,” Kid’s voice cut through your mind; he pointed to an inn with his metal hand. Thank hell.
“Seems good enough.” You nodded, rubbing the back of your neck with a sigh as you walked to the inn with Kid.
The person behind the counter kept their eyes on the magazine in their hand even after the two of you approached, making you stand there for a second before deciding to catch their attention.
“Two rooms, please,” you tried, hoping they’d look up, but the moment they opened their mouth to answer, your head was turned to look in the other direction. You hissed at the way Kid’s fingers hurt your scalp lightly. “Fuck you, Kid, I— Oh, it’s Law!” Your eyes widened at the sight of the familiar figure with his back turned to the entrance of the place, trying to talk to someone, and the receptionist didn’t really matter anymore as you ran to Law before he walked away. “Law!”
Both of you sighed in relief once he turned to you, dropping the scowl he had on his face. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“Yeah, I—”
“Maybe you shouldn’t even have strayed away alone in the first place,” Kid cut in.
You slowly turned around and glared; Kid stood behind you, arms crossed over his chest. “You’re still here?”
Kid clicked his tongue. “Don’t act like that! We were talking just a second ago!"
Before you could retort anything, Law raised an eyebrow, looking at Kid from under the brim of his hat. “And what are you doing here, Eustass-ya?”
Kid scoffed, shaking his head as he looked away. “Well, someone had to help (y/n).”
“I manipulated him into paying for a room for me,” you said simply, stifling a laugh at the glare you received from Kid. Law flashed a grin, but it was short-lived, replaced by a tired expression—one slightly different from his usual one. “Come on.” You hooked your arm with Law’s to bring him with you to the inn. “I’m still tired. This place makes me want to throw up.”
Whatever Kid complained about, it was ignored. He fell silent either way when you reached the counter again.
“Two rooms, please,” you told the receptionist.
They raised their eyebrows, twisting their mouth as they put the magazine away and checked a scribbled page of a notebook. “Two—”
“Only one, actually,” Law cut in, receiving questioning looks from you and Kid while he grabbed the key from the receptionist. He smirked a little, in that menacing way that made you start questioning things. “Y’know, maybe Eustass-ya would like to join us for a little something.”
           The room wasn’t great, but it had a couch and a wide bed, aside from a desk, and it was also clean. Nothing significant to complain about.
With a sigh, you left your shoes by the door and took a seat with your legs crossed on the bed, unpocketing your weapons to let them on the bedside table near Law’s hat, and he left his sword against the wall. Kid just hung his coat, muttering something under his breath as he sat on the couch, letting his arms over the backrest. Your attempts to understand what he said were in vain, and your attention turned to Law as he sat down next to you.
“I see you’ve been a little too daring, Eustass-ya.” Law raised an eyebrow. “Or maybe your memory ran a little short, don’t you think?” There was an arm around your shoulders, with a little more pressure than usual.
Kid furrowed his eyebrows, scoffing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Law clicked his tongue. “I don’t see why you act as if you need to take care of (y/n). Don’t you see I’m right here?” He sighed, nuzzling the side of your face and giving it a kiss, slowly going down to your neck; you hummed as your cheeks heated up. “Right, love?”
It was like Law was giving you a cue to say the safe word if you needed to, but you really didn’t. Your eyes traveled to Kid, watching his glare fixed on you while he pursed his lips, Adam's apple bobbing with a dry swallow. That could be fun. A sigh escaped your lips, and you let your tongue poke out to wet them. You decided to keep your thoughts to yourself, shrugging a little in response.
“I don’t see why there’s so much confusion, since it’s been a while since you two parted ways.” Law’s eyes were on Kid right before he leaned in and started kissing more along your neck.
Your eyes were still in Kid’s as Law kept the kisses going, but they averted to the ground the moment there was biting among the kisses; your breath hitched, and it turned each time more difficult to hold back your sounds. Damn it. Your face was all hot when Law finally pulled away to take a good look at the hickey he’d left behind.
Kid sighed as he rolled his shoulders back, and his lips parted into a grin. “A shock of reality is good once in a while, isn’t it?”
Fuck.
Law pulled you to your lap, his chest firm against your back as your legs were spread open by Law’s hands. He kissed your neck, running his hands along the inner side of your thighs. All of that was making you so hot, so easily—you gulped, holding on to his forearms as his hands kept moving up. Eventually, they were unbuttoning your pants, slipping in.
“Fuck,” you breathed, trying to keep your sounds to yourself. Both of them had heard it, many times each, but something about having the two in the same room as that… It’d take you a while.
A soft hiss escaped your lips as fingers pressed right to your folds through your underwear; Law hummed in approval before he started moving his fingers, keeping rubbing his fingertips into your clit until you finally cracked.
“Mmph,” you whimpered, rolling your hips into his hand.
Your gaze met Kid’s for a second, but you couldn’t hold his gaze. His pupils were blown, eyes narrowed, and focused on you.
“Feels good?” Law whispered into your ear, and with the way two of his fingers started slipping into… Hell, it was impossible to keep quiet.
“Yeah,” you breathed with a moan, squirming as his fingers slipped in deeper whilst his palm messily pressed to your clit. It only took him a moment, pressing around until he found your sweet spot; your toes curled, and a louder moan spilled from your lips. “Please, please,” you gasped, arching your back against him. Your grip tightened around his forearms, leaving behind bright red crescents on the skin.
Law smirked a little, holding Kid’s gaze for a moment before he pulled his hand out of your pants, licking his fingers clean so that he could start undressing you. He started with your shirt. You could feel Kid’s eyes on the marks that already covered your skin, all left by Law on previous nights. His eyes continued on you once your pants and underwear came off, but something else grew in him. Kid’s veins were more noticeable now as his hands balled into fists, and he swallowed dryly.
“Damn it,” Law whispered, needing a little help so he could lower his pants, and seeing his cock curving up against your pussy once you sat back down made you throb more in need. “So wet for me already,” he sighed, parting your folds with his fingers—Kid’s breath hitched. Law sighed as he guided himself into you gently, letting his cock slowly stretch you open. “Fuck,” he gasped. “You take me in so well, you know that? Only me. Built for me,” he whispered.
Kid’s lips twisted a little as he watched you, shifting a little to adjust his position on the couch, never letting his eyes away from your pussy, all open around a cock that wasn’t his. Maybe he’d never feel it around him again.
“Move your hips, sweetheart,” Law whispered into your year, suppressing a moan at the way you clenched around him and held his forearms again. You were so tight and wetter than usual, and Law would’ve mentioned it if it didn’t imply the fact Kid being there was having any positive influence on you. He held your hips, hissing softly. “You feel so good around me,” he groaned, “so tight.”
Law’s hands went down to your thighs firmly, spreading them open further so that he could show Kid the way your pussy could take him so well. Remind Kid that he wasn’t able to be in his place anymore, and he was the only one to fuck you so deliciously like that, having your juices all over his cock, sending that obscene squelching sound through the room.
The growing bulge in Kid’s pants was evident, but he didn’t give it any attention. He kept his eyes trained on you, sometimes widening his eyes a little, but he wasn’t missing any second of that.
“Nngh, Law,” You gasped, whining. Law’s fingers were across your clit, messily rubbing circles into it while you kept riding him, though it made your pace falter. You didn’t know whether you were supposed to push into his fingers or back into his cock, whimpering with his touches, and it didn’t help any better when your eyes met Kid’s again. You felt so raw like that, so vulnerable, all in such a good way.
“You feel good?” Law whispered against your skin, kissing from your neck to your shoulder, where he started nibbling. “So tight around me… You clench around me so, so good…”
You couldn’t help the louder moan that escaped your lips, clenching more around Law as you felt your orgasm approaching. Your whimpers filled the room as your movements stuttered, but Law didn’t stop stroking your clit, making you quickly cream all over his cock, gasping for air as you rocked your hips messily to get through your high. It felt so good, making your pussy spasm around his cock as the pleasure slowly eased, and Law’s fingers slowly stopped, returning to your thigh.
“You did such a good job, my love,” he whispered with a groan. “But I didn’t cum yet… And I think Eustass-ya is feeling a little too lonely, hm?”
.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.
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