#to gather energy to go make a Real Meal
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Growing up is realizing you, fundamentally, still have the same needs as a toddler, just with a better sense of time and a more trained ability to hold back in public. Why am I crying right now? Because I'm hungry and I didn't get much sleep. I need a fucken. Nap and a snackie that's literally it. Chances are you also need a nap and a snackie, or a drink of water and some playtime, or to go apologize or do a coloring sheet. We had it right the first time actually. Go forth with this knowledge and prosper
#voidrambles#i COULD be overanalyzing my last 5 social interactions right now trying to figure out What's Wrong With Me#but I am so smart and full of big brain so instead i am sitting on the floor eating chips#to gather energy to go make a Real Meal#because i also slept 6 hours and walked like 10000 steps today because i missed my bus again lmao and guess what kids#even if I'm not feelin it Actively right now that stuff does pile up on you in the background#so. if the sky feels like it's falling maybe check which fundamental support beams are missing first#if that makes any sense#good luck everyone go take a nap and a snackie <3
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ok i dont have the energy to put this into a fic rn but i CANT stop thinking about college au! childe almost walking in on you while you're getting yourself off.
like he'd still knock of course, but it would scare the absolute shit out of you. instead of hanging out with your roommates that he's friends with (who are most certainly NOT gathered in your room) he'd be all "hey pookie can i come bother you I'm bored," while you're fully sat on a dildo.
and bc you wouldnt want to seem suspicious, you'd say sure, just a sec! and immediately run to throw the sopping wet toy into your bathroom sink before letting him in.
and he's just too observant for his own good. "hey you ok? you seem out of breath" yeah because you were.... working out! "really? you're not sweating though?" CHILDE DROP IT OMFG but he wouldn't. he just asks so many goddamn questions and you honestly can't tell if he's just fuckign with you or if he's just genuinely concerned for you. what were you doing? pilates? so thats why you're walking a bit weird? how tf were you not sweating after pilates? oh you just started? well sorry to interrupt!
yeah.... you're sorry too -_-
but hes here now so you offer to watch a movie and hang out, nevermind the cum threatening to run down your leg. "sure! you pick smth out and ill go to the bathroom real quick!" he says and curse your post-orgasm clouded mind for not being quick enough to warn him bc now he's standing in front of you, dildo in his hand, looking at you knowingly.
youre mortified obviously. the two of you are cordial but not THAT close and god you can almost picture the slick and cum that's smearing all over his hand now. why is he holding it for fucks sake???
childe wouldnt be merciful either -- this is a fucking gold mine for him. "well, i guess this is a workout" and you would like the earth to swallow you up so that you don't have to look at him with that shit-eating grin that's creeping up his face.
hed switch the dildo to his other hand and start opening and closing his fingers together, making webs of cum string in between. "you said you just started?" no, you'd have to refute, that part was a lie.
"and you were getting off with this?" and now WHAT was that supposed to mean bc there was truly nothing wrong with the dildo size!!! it was perfectly fine, it did its job. sure it could be a tad bit longer, but you had bills to pay. he lets it go (with a judgemental eyebrow raise), but when he opens his mouth again to ask "what were you doing?" you almost wish he had kept making fun of your tiny ass toy. "were you using your hands or the suction cup?"
god he'd have a dangerous look on his face by now, lidded eyes looking at you like you were gonna be his next meal; pitching his voice just a tad bit lower just to see you squirm.
"you don't have to answer, but i would really, really like to know." aaaaaand there it goes. there's goes the last bit of your sanity bc huhh?? huuuuhh??? dear lord i would fully melt into a puddle we love a man that can make consent sexy.
fuck it, right? yeah, you were using the suction cup. "yeah? you like riding dick?" SHFBAN;DNSJF;F GODDDD
"you got any other toys?" yes sirrr yes I do, got a vibrator right over there in the nightstand. and duh now he's gotta follow up with "ever use both?"
which you have. who hasn't? but you usually only use it for quickies, you say. don't want it to be over too fast, ya know?
but then. thennnnnn he'd hit you with this: "you still horny?"
lorddddd you have NO idea, but you don't say that lest it get to his head (but lets be honest, he knows what he's doing; he knows how desperate he's making you). so he walks up to you, finally, and hands you your dildo, all sticky and starting to dry by now.
"well don't stop on my account."
and he plops down on your bed, manspreading just the tiiiiiniest bit to where you can see the tent in his pants.
which is how you find yourself back in your desk chair, thighs burning from fucking yourself on a dildo you now know is much smaller than whatever childe is packing while he just watches, palming his cock over his pants.
anyways gonna go work on my wips now lolololololololoolo
#snail.writes#snai.rambles#childe x reader#childe#tartaglia x reader#tartaglia#genshin impact x reader#genshin impact#childe smut#tartaglia smut#genshin impact smut
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Daddy stucky x little reader x little Peter where the reader is in a very young headspace and took a nap but when she woke up she was all alone in the bed and want to be with her daddies and Peter so she try to crawl off the bed but fell and hurt herself and daddy rushed in the room seeing little one crying and after he ask why she crawl off the bed she's like "I wan be wif daddies n pweti"
MUCH COMFORT PLEASE 🥺💞
Comfort
Word Count: 800
A/N: Ahh what a precious idea!! I really really love the big brother Peter dynamic hehe 💕 also this fic is so me bc every time I wake up my first thoughts before I get my bearings are usually "wheres dadaaaa" 💕 enjoy!
It was typical for you to regress even smaller during the course of your afternoon nap, usually leading to a wonderfully cozy evening. After a day of playing, Bucky would put you down in your crib with the lights dimmed to replenish your energy while Steve cooked the family meal. Peter was always a bit older than you, so his afternoon nap was optional. Today he opted to help out Daddy in the kitchen while you slept.
Bucky returned from your nursery to see his two best boys working hard in the kitchen. Peter was dutifully stirring a big bowl of ingredients while Steve carefully cut vegetables and dropped them into the mix. Bucky made absolutely sure they didn’t need any extra help before he retreated to the living room to put on a record. Soft jazz music filled the house, and Bucky picked a book to pass the time before supper was ready. Settling into a soft armchair, one where the kitchen was still within view, he started to lose himself in the peaceful moment, the ambiance only interrupted with the turning of each page.
Until he heard the thud.
You weren’t sure how long you’d been asleep. You weren’t sure what was dream and what was real. You were stuck in a prison cell, your family on the other side. You reached out for them, desperate arms restrained by the bars. When you opened your eyes, the bars were real.
You caught your breath slowly as you took in your surroundings. It was just a dream. You told yourself that over and over again like a meditation, but it didn’t make it any more believable to your babified brain. You had to see for yourself that your family was still there. You needed to feel your Baba’s strong arms hold you against his chest, to hear Daddy’s soft voice humming a lullaby as he played with your hair, to stretch out your hand and immediately have it met with Peter’s, reassuring you that your big sibby was always there.
But you were so, so tiny. You could hardly balance on two legs, gripping tight to the railing of your crib as you tried to hold yourself up. Falling back onto your hands and knees, you gathered up all your stuffies and piled them all into one corner, forming a makeshift ramp. Scurrying up like a squirrel on a tree trunk, you pulled yourself over the top rail, but you hadn’t planned this far ahead. You fell to the carpeted floor, right on your padded bottom.
Bucky was pushing through the doorway before you even had time to cry. He picked you up and held you tight against him, softly bouncing you up and down as he patted your back.
“I’ve got you, baby, I’ve got you.” He whispered with his rumbly voice. “Shhh…”
You grabbed him tightly, his clutch pulling you back from the verge of tears. You took fistfuls of his soft t-shirt in your hands, the fabric more comforting to you than any blankie.
“What got you all worked up huh? Bad dream?”
Without moving much, you nodded into his chest. You didn’t have the energy to tell him about it, but as usual you didn’t need to. Bucky had a way of reading your little mind.
“How about we go cuddle out in the living room, okay babydoll?”
“‘N daddy ‘n Petie?” You mumbled in your little baby way that your Baba could always understand.
You could hear their voices as Bucky carried you out of your nursery and into the main foyer.
“Is that my baby?” Peter asked.
The excitement evident in his voice at the thought of getting to see his best playmate again. It had only been a little more than an hour that you’d been asleep, but he loved you that much. Your head perked up at that, and your bleary eyes blinked to see Steve carrying Peter out of the kitchen, mirroring you and Bucky as you met at the living room couch.
“There’s still a few minutes on the timer for dinner.” Steve said. “Does anybody know what we could possibly do to pass the time?”
“Cuddles please please please!!” Peter cheered, and you clapped in agreement.
“What a great idea! What smart babies we have, don’t we Buck?”
“I think we might have the smartest, cutest babies in the whole wide world!”
Each man sat on the couch with their respective babies in their arms, but as soon as they were seated, you and Peter started crawling all over each of them, lapping up as much love as you could before the oven timer went off. Even when it did, you weren’t too disappointed; you knew once supper was over you’d be right back to cuddling your family again.
#little!reader#stucky x little!reader#daddy!stucky x little!reader#daddy!stucky#daddy!bucky#bucky x little!reader#daddy!steve#stucky x little!peter#steve x little!reader#steve rogers x little!reader#marvel agere#agere fic#little!peter x little!reader#chloe's fic
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"you can't eat blueberries for dinner."
the berry pinched between your thumb and forefinger pauses just at the threshold of your parted lips, your eyes flickering up to the man before you who watches you with his hands on his hips. you hold eye contact as you pop it into your mouth, something almost smug in the deliberate maintenance of his stare.
"god gave me free will and a chequing account, so actually i can do whatever i want."
rintarou doesn't find this funny–he does actually, but he refuses to give you the satisfaction of knowing that–and his expression stays passive as he watches you pop another little blue fruit into your waiting mouth. he continues to stare, and you continue to eat (ignoring him) until finally he sighs and shuffles away.
you have very little time to appreciate your victory before you hear a racket coming from the kitchen.
you wouldn't consider yourself a particularly intrusive person, by nature. you're generally happy to live and let live, especially when it comes to your longterm, live-in boyfriend: oftentimes it's better not knowing what suna's up to, for your own sanity. but your nosiness, and his noisiness, soon gets the better of you, and you shuffle over to the kitchen with your little bowl of blueberries in tow.
"what are you doing?" you ask, watching as rintarou rifles through the refrigerator in a crouch. there's something very primitive about his stance, hunter-gatherer even–though you know enough about him to know that were he a hunter-gatherer he'd be unlikely to survive a winter.
suna rises from his stoop with a strange assortment of ingredients in his arms, none of which really go together, and he looks at you proudly.
"i'm making you dinner."
you scrunch up your nose.
"uhhhhh-" you draw out the noise as your brain struggles for a proper response. "i'm not hungry."
he might even have believed you, if you hadn't popped a handful of blueberries into your mouth just after saying it.
rintarou drops his armful of ingredients onto the counter, looking at you pointedly.
"you can't eat blueberries for dinner," he repeats his earlier point firmly.
"why not?" you parry petulantly.
"blueberries aren't a meal. they're a fruit."
"they have antioxidants. they're anti-aging."
suna pinches the bridge of his nose and breathes out a long, aggrieved breath. "you're the most pro-aging thing in my life."
you waggle a finger at him accusatorially. "don't blame me for your grey hairs. if anything blame atsumu–he beat me to you by like three years."
rintarou places his palms flat on the counter and leans towards you on the other side. "baby, let me make you dinner."
he's changed his tactic now, playing a different angle in his effort to persuade you. he's softened his tone, lets his lashes flutter in a demure blink, his lower lip pouts slightly. in any other argument it may have been enough to sway you.
there's just one problem:
suna rintarou cannot cook to save his own life.
this is not to say that rintarou can't feed himself, or relies on you to take care of him in that regard. suna's happy to eat whatever he manages to scrape (or singe) together for his own consumption, and does it without complaint. it's just that, in all the time the two of you've been together, you can count on your own ten fingers the number of times he's made a meal that could be considered edible (and that's under relatively lenient terms.)
it really only becomes an issue at times like these.
"rin," you start, choosing your words very carefully, "i'm really not that hungry."
"it's the first night all week you've been home in time for dinner," he argues, "shouldn't you eat a real meal?"
he's not necessarily wrong–much to your eternal dismay. you've been working late all week, and it's the first evening you've made it home while the sun is still up, let alone at an hour that could be considered a normal meal-time. but as a result of your long work days, you're left with no energy to even think about what you might want to eat, let alone prepare something. even just ordering takeout seems too involved for the meagre amount of brainpower you have.
ergo, blueberries.
"i'm too tired," you say, your shoulders slumping slightly. you set your (mostly eaten) bowl of blueberries down on the countertop in front of you.
suna watches your body language shift, sees the visible deflation of your frame. he approaches you, slinking up alongside and pressing himself into you, an arm snaking around your waist. it's comforting, protective even. it makes you feel nice.
suna tugs you into him a little bit further, and you don't have the energy (or the desire) to fight him off. you let him pull you into his arms, burrowing your face in the front of his t-shirt, and you feel his palms brushing comfortingly along your back.
"long week?" he murmurs into the top of your hair after a moment of letting him hold you. you nod as much as you can, squished against his chest. his hands stop patting along your spine, and (mortifyingly) you let out an involuntary sound of displeasure, he chuckles lightly and then resumes the motions, swaying you gently while he's at it.
it's kind of nice, just letting him hold you like that.
you might even call it romantic if you could ever consider yourself so sentimental.
emphasis on might though, because your stomach chooses that exact moment to rumble, shattering any semblance of ambiance that may have existed.
rintarou laughs, really laughs, when it happens. it's the kind of laugh where you know if you were to look at him his teeth would be bared and his eyes would be crinkling, his head tipped back in his mirth. but you don't look up at him, instead you groan and press your face even further into his chest to hide your shame.
suna's arms wrap around your waist, squeezing you tightly before hoisting you up–still laughing as he plunks you down onto the kitchen counter right between his forgotten ingredients and your abandoned blueberries, slotting himself between your legs.
he takes your chin in his hand and tilts your face up to meet his, your nose scrunched up in embarrassed indignity. he kisses your cheek, but he's grinning, so you mostly just feel the press of his teeth.
"at least one part of you is honest," he teases.
you can't really even argue with him, given the circumstances.
suna steps away for a moment, reaching up to the top of the refrigerator and snatching the stack of takeout menus to nagano's finest(-ish) eating establishments (at least within 6 blocks) that the two of you have collected over the years. he fans them out between his fingers and totes them over to you, slipping back between your thighs and holding them up in front of your nose.
"pick one," he says.
"rin, i'm too tired to-"
"just pick a menu and i'll do the rest," he assures you gently. "i'll order, pick up, and hand deliver it right to you on that couch,"–he nods his head over your shoulder in the direction of your living room–"all you have to do is pick one."
you peer at him for a moment, a little shocked–a little moved–by his thoughtfulness.
you place a hand over his and gently lower the fan of takeout menus between you, craning up to press your mouth to his. he seems a little bit surprised by the gesture, but happily reciprocates, parting his lips against your own and tilting his head to deepen the kiss.
you pull away before anything gets too heated, plucking a menu at random from his hand.
"this one," you say, clearing your throat and looking away coyly, a heat prickling through your cheeks.
rintarou laughs lightly, taking the menu you've chosen with a nod. he kisses your cheek again.
"whatever you want," he agrees, turning the menu over to see which restaurant you've chosen for your evening's meal.
"you're being really nice to me," you say to him quietly, appreciatively, as close to proper thanks as the two of you usually ever get.
he lifts his gaze from the menu to peek at you.
"duh," he replies, "i love you."
the heat in your cheeks intensifies, and you can't blame the feeling in your stomach on a pang of hunger.
you can't help but laugh at how plainly he says it.
"besides," he goes on to add, setting the menu down under his palm on the kitchen counter, dipping down until the two of you are nose to nose and your lips are almost brushing, "i'm getting dinner, so that means you're responsible for dessert."
#suna x reader#suna x you#suna rintarou x reader#suna rintarou x you#suna rintarou#suna drabble#hq drabble#hq writing#writing
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Burnin' On - Firefighter!Chris x Reader (2 am)
A/N: Okay it was no secret that I absolutely love these two and I couldn't stop writing them! So here's the extensions series! There's no real over-arching plot, just interconnected one-shots as and when I think of them! This will contain spoilers to the original series so go check that out of you haven't already
Summary: After a very long day you return home surprised to find Chris had waited for you
Word Count: 1k
Warnings: Fluff!
Dividers by @firefly-graphics
Meet the Characters!
Burnin' Up Masterlist / Series Masterlist / Masterlist
2 am
Your eyelids felt heavy as you finally pulled up outside the house. You let out a long sigh as you dragged your hands down your face before glancing at the time.
It was well past 2 am.
Glancing back up at the house you could see no lights were on. You had texted Chris the code to tell him it was going to be a late one so he no doubt had gone to bed hours ago. There was nothing you wanted more than to climb into bed and snuggle up next to him, if Dodger had left you any space that is.
Even though you were exhausted you remained sat in your car for another couple of minutes just gathering the energy to move. It had been an exhausting day, not just physically but emotionally too.
Eventually, you did manage to bring yourself to climb out of the car and head inside. You made sure you were as quiet as possible as you closed the door, took off your shoes and jacket. You didn’t want to accidentally wake Chris.
Even though you didn’t have much of an appetite you knew you needed to have something to eat. The last proper meal you had was lunch and that was over twelve hours ago. You also knew you’d just wake up hungry again in a couple hours if you didn’t and you really wanted to sleep for hours after today.
Walking into the living room you flicked on the light only to be startled by Chris startling awake from his spot on the couch. You clutched your chest as you tried to get your breathing back under control.
“Chris what the hell? You scared the shit out of me!” You complained as your heart rate finally returned to normal.
“Sorry,” he said rubbing the sleep from his eyes “I didn’t mean to scare you, or fall asleep, I was trying to stay awake until you got home” he explained.
“Why? I texted to say I’d be home late so you didn’t need to stay up” you told him, pulling out your phone to double-check you’d actually sent the code.
“I know” Chris said pushing himself up from the couch and walking over to you “I also knew tonight was gonna be a hard night and I didn’t like the idea of you getting home and being alone” he explained placing his hands on your arms.
You instantly softened hearing his reason, stepping into his embrace, burying your head in his chest as you let out a shaky breath. Chris instantly wrapped his arm around you pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head.
“Wanna talk about it?” He asked softly, rubbing your soothingly.
“Not yet, I think I’m still processing it all, I just wanna sleep but I should eat first” you sighed pulling away enough to look up at him.
“Okay, I saved you a plate so I’ll go warm it up, make yourself comfortable” Chris smiled softly, nodding to the couch.
“Not too comfortable otherwise I’ll be asleep before you even get into the kitchen” you pointed out.
Chris lets out a small snort of laughter “Okay make yourself uncomfortable” he chuckled.
You give him a tired smile as you sit down on the couch, sitting on the edge as you knew that if you sat too far back sleep would be too inviting. Thankfully it wasn’t long until Chris returned with a plateful of food for you, and a smaller plate for himself.
The two of you sat in comfortable silence as you ate. Once you were finished you set your plate down on the coffee table and let out a long sigh.
“We found the body,” you told Chris.
You heard him let out a long sigh as he put his hand on the small of your back. He didn’t say anything though, he knew to just give you time to talk it all through.
“We still have to confirm it's her because there was a lot of decay but she was in the exact spot he said she was” You continued rubbing your hand over your forehead “I just… I feel so sorry for the families…. Both of them… one lost their daughter and the other has just found out their son isn’t who they thought he was”
Chris let out another sigh as he shifted closer to you, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you closer into his side. He knew exactly where your mind was going, it hadn’t been that long since you found out your own father wasn’t who you thought he was.
You let out a shuddering sigh as you wiped away the stray tears that fell “Sorry” you muttered.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Chris said shaking his head “You have nothing to apologise for”
“I shouldn’t be thinking of him though” you pointed out looking up at him.
“It's okay, it’s natural and you always will it’ll just be easier to move on” Chris reassured you “And I know it sucks and it hurts but it means you understand what they’re going through and feeling and you’ll be able to provide them the correct support”
You sighed nodding your head “Yeah you’re right, thank you” you say looking up at him.
Chris gave you a soft smile “It’s nothing, now let's get you up to bed, you deserve it” he said as he pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead.
“I don’t think I have the energy to stand” you admitted making Chris chuckle.
“Don’t you worry about that” he said with a lopsided smile before he stood up, hooked his arms around you and lifted you into his arms.
You let out a squeak of surprise before quickly snuggling into his arms. You smiled up at him forever grateful that you had him in your life to look after you after tough shifts, providing you a safe space that you never had before. He hadn’t even made it all the way upstairs before you fell asleep in his arms.
Sharing is caring so please reblog if you enjoyed this and maybe even leave a comment to make my day!
This series has no schedule, please don’t ask when it will be updated!
Burnin' Up Masterlist / Series Masterlist / Masterlist
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#niamhwrites#Burnin' On#Burnin' Up Series#firefighter!au#Firefighter!Chris#Chris Evans#Chris Evans x Reader#Chris Evans x You#Chris Evans x Y/N
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🏎️ My F1 RPF Masterpost 🏎️
In honor of my newly-minted F1 sideblog, just thought I'd gather all of my recent F1 fics into one place here on tumblr -- all were fills for the fabulous (and still ongoing, so go read/write/prompt!!) F1 Kink Meme and have recently been de-anoned:
Delicacy (🍣 Carlando sushi fic - 6.5k words, rated E)
“I thought you were going to be good for me,” said Carlos, his voice pitching low in a way he knew made Lando shiver. He ran one of his thumbs gently along Lando’s lower lip, smiling a little at how his eyelashes fluttered in response. “You want to get your reward, no?”
“Well, yeah. But I thought ‘being good’ would mean, like… sucking you off while you pull my hair, or letting you, I dunno, spank me or something. Not having to eat a frickin’ fish.”
You can be the poet (I'll be the song) (🎧 Landoscar DJ Lando AU - 9.5k words, rated E)
“You’re the F1 driver who will be up there with me tonight, right? Oscar…?”
“Piastri, yeah. And you’re, er… LN4, I presume?”
“Yeah, but you can just call me Lando. It’s my actual name.”
“Like from Star Wars,” Oscar said, like an idiot. LN4 – Lando – thankfully laughed.
“Exactly.”
I've got some real estate here in my bag (🚗 Loscar road trip fic - 28k words, rated E)
They decide to start in New York – Oscar’s never been, and it feels like a high-energy place to begin, before they’re suffering from highway hypnosis and potentially sick of the sight of one another – then to make their way south along I-95, through DC and the Carolinas and eventually down the long stretch of Florida to Fort Lauderdale, where Logan’s mom will be waiting with hugs and home-cooked meals for both of them. It feels like a nice little spread of Americana, Logan thinks. They’ll rent a car, and book the hotels as they go, and stop where they want to stop when they feel like stopping, just soaking in the fleeting and wonderful freedom of not having to adhere to a strictly regimented schedule of driving and training and press for the first time in months.
#formula 1#f1 kinkmeme#f1 fanfic#f1 fic#formula 1 rpf#smut#carlando#landoscar#loscar#carlos sainz#lando norris#oscar piastri#logan sargeant
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☆☆ Pairing: sick!Toji x Reader ( afab )
☆☆ Content: domestic relationship, domestic fluff, oral ( female receiving ), Toji recovers from being sick and takes full advantage of it
☆☆ Warning: M/18+. MINORS DNI. explicit language
☆☆ insp/fic recommendation
He’s become so temperamental and unbearably curt over the last two days, though it’s hard to take him seriously when he punctuated his gripes with congested sniffs. The worst of his cold had passed when his fever finally broke and his appetite gradually returned in full swing. Whatever he caught had run its course, but it hadn’t yet improved his foul mood. Toji just didn’t seem to let his pout go, stubbornly holding onto it until he could get around as he pleased again unburdened by the aches and chills tiring him and your “nagging” keeping him lying around in bed. He didn’t care much for being too idle for too long. It gave him too much to think about.
As he got better you were relieved in the shifts of his tone, the softer he spoke and the less he kept trying to brush you off. In his own way, Toji began to embrace your tender love and care with his teasing little quips. Referring to you as too doting over a little sniffle and fever but done so with his suave grin. It got him an eye roll in return and he didn’t overlook the way you bit your lip to contain the smile it brought out of you. But you were not deterred in urging him to eat the soup you brought with you.
The warm smell found his nose long before you came into the room with it and he would be lying if it didn’t get his stomach growling. With his appetite restored he was in the mood for a real meal now, not soup. Definitely something hot and meaty, dripping with sauce and fully loaded with all the trimmings. He openly turned down your soup and made his craving known in great detail to you. Such a request was well received with a grin for his restored appetite, but when you told him something that heavy would clash with his antibiotics, his annoyed pout returned. Toji glowered, sucked his teeth and turned over in bed with his back to you.
In response, you frowned and sucked your teeth back at him followed with an exasperated huff. You’ve never known a more brattier man. While he’s never delved into where he came from, the repeated snuffs like that leads you to believe it must be from somewhere pompous and acceptable to reject free food. His attitude— as annoying as it may be— is still a reassurance of his improved health. If he had enough energy to make that big a fuss, he was well on his way to getting that meal sooner than he thought.
“Would you please just eat the soup?” You would like to say you were trying to reason with him, but your miffed tone didn’t get the message across. “You’ll be eating the way you want by dinner tomorrow, at the earliest. Come on, Toji.” His head tilts back lazily, letting his green eyes peer over his shoulder at you. “...Please?” You try to take the sharpness out of your tone, moving closer to the bed and holding out the bowl of soup. Toji’s eyes flick between you and the bowl once, then he rolls back over and extends his hand to take it without a word of fuss.
However, it’s a fake out! In a swift motion, your body bounced against the mattress and you found yourself on your back where the sheets and pillows were still warm from his body. Your head turns hearing the soup bowl safely placed on the nightstand among his emptied water bottles gathered over the last couple of days. Toji lets out a soft huff above you, hungry eyes darkening under his messy bangs. His tongue peaks from between his lips as it slid from one corner to the other of his smirk.
“Toji!” You cried out in surprise when he easily slipped your bottoms off and tossed it without care. “Toji, wait—”
Another reflection of his improved health was his display of swiftness and strength. You were yanked down away from the pillows in a single strong pull effortlessly and your knees were pinned back to your chest, completely exposing you to his lustful intentions.
“Look at that.” His hot mouth pressed into the warmth of your folds, giving an affectionate kiss. His voice vibrates in between with an approving hum at the taste on his lips. “Dinner’s served.” He wasn't going to waste another day in this bed living off soup, tea, and bitter pills. The taste of your clit between his lips prompts him to hold your thighs in his large hands, an appreciative squeeze at the flesh as he holds your legs apart to fit his head in between.
Your delicate whine fuels him to wash between your folds with his tongue until you shudder under his hands. His heated mouth engulfed you and you gasp feeling his tongue penetrate you, lapping for more of your aroused flavor. You can feel how much he was getting into it by how fervently he breathed through his nose and groaned as he drank in your essence.
Toji pulled back with a husky breath as he licked his lips, feeling you tremble again under his hold at the loss. “Think a damn cold is gonna keep me away from this, huh?” He taunted as he looked up at you through his bangs taking in your crumbling disposition. His hands give you a squeeze, pulling your pussy back up to his mouth to dine on you, feeding into your squirms and helpless moans until you arched in desperation.
“T-Toji, please. You…shouldn't!” You whined out loud, your willpower weak. Hands finding a handful of sheets in one grasp and black hair in the other.
His response is a deep chuckle into your pussy. “No turning back now.” Toji further encourages your submission, flicking your sensitive clit with his tongue until your insides twitch and leak to his delight. He went on like this until you came twice in his mouth and he just couldn't take the lack of friction between his own legs.
With your legs against his shoulders, Toji gripped your hips, fitting your tight and sensitive hole around his cock and enthralled with the way your legs continued to shake. He couldn’t resist popping your ass and the side of your thigh before bouncing you off his hips in deep, quick thrusts. You arched further at the sensation of your insides opening up further as his tip kissed that sweet spot, naturally eating away at your ability to think and building you up for that third orgasm. You bit into your bottom lip just trying to keep your wits intact and breathe, your eyes finding his smug smirk above you when you could open them.
His name was a breathless and broken sound leaving your lips and when you thought you felt all of him inside, he adjusted and moved his closer, shallow thrusts filling you with his entire girth and leaving your mouth hung open in a silent whine. Your legs wanted to squeeze him, trembling even more and he groaned with his mischievous glint watching you come undo before his eyes at the tremulous spasms around his cock.
Badly he wanted to kiss that pretty, howling mouth of yours but he restrained that much at least, antibiotics or not. He lowered your legs to hang open around his waist giving you back some freedom. His warm chest pressed to yours and your arms wrapped around his wide back to pull him in. Toji grinds into you as you bury your face into his neck, which you found more hot than usual either due to his waning fever or just the way his body heated up as it craved to cum.
As much as he wanted to test every limit per his norm with you, there was that uncomfortable heat building back up inside him. He was sweating more than he usually would be by now and even found himself panting the longer he fucked you, that sickly chill snaking up his spine. Rather than admit you were right to push for this, he adhered to his own stubborn words and continued to pump into you with longer thrusts. His momentum was steady and everything around him was squeezing just right from your suckling pussy to the clinging of your hands in his back and legs around his waist.
You rocked beneath him with your voice crying out, tensing up suddenly as the waves of your orgasm took hold and pushed Toji over the edge along with you. You were pushed further into the bed with his ragged thrusts and shivering pants. The sensation felt endless, even after he slowed down upon filling you up with his seed and his cock still holding it in.
Then, he suddenly felt heavy on top of you, his hands up flat upon the bed by his head and yours. His face was flushed and sweaty, resting beside yours as you lifted your face over his shoulder. He doesn’t seem to be moving away, the heated skin of his body beginning to become unbearable against you.
You swallowed, finding your voice again as you took in a deep breath. “...Toji?”
“Hm?” Toji's voice was slightly muffled in the cool, untouched sections of the sheets.
“You okay?”
“...No.” He admitted to the downfall of his hubris. His special body was not yet freed of this infection to consider himself invincible once again. A reassuring hand brushed down his nape.
“So…soup.”
Toji turned his head to you, a gentle nuzzle as he rested his face against your cheek. Grumpy, but needy. “...Yeah.”
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Mommy, Sorry, Mommy
Natasha Romanoff x plus size reader
Sleep deprivation and a very attractive assassin do not mix
Warnings: sleep deprivation, implied smut, mommy kink, d/s dynamics, crack fic
A/N: Take this poll to help me rewrite the MCU!
WC: 883
Minors DNI
Your brain felt like TV static to say the least. The math on the whiteboard in front of you had become some kind of hieroglyph about an hour ago but you were still downing energy drink after energy drink in some vain attempt to get the symbols to make sense.
Bruce was dead asleep at the desk next to you as Scott and Tony were arguing about god knows what. The team had found a mysterious compound in the safe of an arm’s dealer in Russia a few days before, so naturally, the smartest people they could think of, were gathered together to figure out what it was.
As the Avenger’s leading virologist, you were first on the list. Now, three days later, you weren’t any closer to figuring out what it was. You only knew that you hadn’t yet hit your body’s limit for caffeine. The neon blue liquid seemed to taunt you as it sat in the triple reinforced glass case next to the whiteboard.
“Can’t we call Dr Strange to help us out?” Your head lolled to glare at Tony as you downed the last of the fluorescent green drink, throwing the empty can into the overflowing trash in the corner of the room. “Because!” He shouted back. “Because what?!” You hissed, pushing the black frames of your glasses back up your nose.
“Because he called me a ripoff batman. So I will not be indulging that behaviour anymore.” “Jesus Christ.” Just as you were about to berate the billionaire, you saw the glass doors of the lab slide open in your peripheral vision. And in walked the single most beautiful creature that has ever existed. Natasha Romanoff.
When you first joined the Avengers, she had immediately taken you in, smothering you with gifts and girls nights with Wanda. She was sweet and thoughtful, and by far the most amazing person you had ever met. It had been too easy to fall completely in love with the Black Widow, and fall you did.
Your breath caught in your throat as you looked at her. The blood red satin dress was practically a second skin, clinging to her smooth curves and billowing around her as she moved. A double slit exposed both her long pale legs and the deep v-cut gave a hint of cleavage. High black heels and red lips completed the look.
Whatever thoughts you had left in your brain after the copious amounts of energy drink you had ingested and the almost 72 hours without sleep, immediately left your mind as the former assassin turned her gaze on you, giving you a smile that sent a shiver down your spine. She gracefully crossed the messy room, coming to stand in front of you.
“When was the last time you ate, princess?” The look of concern that marred her beautiful face was enough to make you melt. “Dunno mommy.” You froze, your entire body going ramrod straight as you realised what you said. “I mean mommy. No, mommy. Mommy. Oh fuck.” You buried your face in your hands. “I’m sorry.”
Instead of the disgusted scoff you expected from calling the woman of your dreams a very suggestive moniker, one that you had fantasised about calling her before, a manicured hand cupped your chubby cheek to bring your gaze back up to meet her striking green eyes, which were sparkling with joy and dare you say it, lust. Her thumb gently stroked the apple of your cheek as she gazed down at you, a single strand of her red hair hanging down over her face, having fallen from the complicated updo she put her hair in.
“You really need to take care of yourself, little one. When I get back from this mission, I expect you in my bed having showered and eaten a proper meal. Then I’m going to take real good care of you.” The dominance in Natasha’s tone made your shoulders fall in submission. “Am I understood?” “Yes.” You whimpered.
Her hand tightened around your face. “Yes what?” She cooed, not breaking eye contact with you. “Yes mommy.” “Good girl.” Leaning down, she pressed a light kiss to your forehead, which made your insides flutter with happiness. “My good girl.” She whispered as she pulled her hand away, not missing the way you whined when she withdrew her touch.
Without another word, she glided back out of the room, sending you a wink before she turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.
Scott’s mouth was hanging open so wide, it looked like his jaw was about to fall off, and Tony looked like he was either going to faint or throw a tantrum. Bruce, of course, was still asleep. You shakily stood from your stool, attempting to straighten yourself out but having no success with the way your hands were trembling. “I think, um yeah. I’m just gonna-“
That was all you could stammer out before you sprinted from the room, tripping over your own feet in your hurry to follow her orders.
The two men remained in place, thoroughly confused as to what just happened. “What’d I miss?” Bruce asked blearily as his head rose from the table, drool still clinging to the side of his face. “I have no fucking clue.” Tony responded.
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HB: Well, there are Yahwehs—just as I say there are seven versions at least of Jesus or Jesus Christ, or Jesus and Jesus Christ, in the Greek New Testament, there are innumerable versions of God in Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, but the one who interests me and always has and always will, is the original one, the first Straha, traditionally called J or the Yahwist, probably written as early as the reign of Solomon, 3,000 years ago, in which most certainly he is as I say a stern imp, up to a lot of mischief, something of a trickster God—human all too human: he's always walking around on the ground; he isn't flying up in the air—he's walking around on the ground in order to make personal, you know, sort of on the job inspections of how things are going. He closes the door of the ark—of Noah's ark with his own hands; he even more memorably buries Moses in an unmarked grave, with his own hands; he is very fond of picnics; thus at Mamre he sits beneath the terapim trees because he always likes to be in the shade rather than the sun, thus he walks we are told in Eden in the cool of the day, at Mamre, with two of the Elohim who are his angels he sits beneath the terapim trees, and he has a sumptuous rather full-scale luncheon prepared by Sarah—roast veal and whey and freshly baked sort-of cakes. And how is one to put it—he on Sinai, on the side of Sinai, he sits there and shares a meal with 73 elders of Israel. They stare at him and he stares at them and that's it. He doesn't say a word and they don't say a word, but there he is. And according to Kabbalistic tradition, from the Merkavah thing on, he's enormous, he is I say the King Kong of deities, he is of enormous size.
LQ: What leads you to think of this God as more than an exceptional fiction?
HB: Well, his metaphysical density, his ferocious and vivid personality, his intensely human traits—I gather you're not going to eat that so I'm going to put it back in there—
LQ: One more bite.
HB: Go ahead, go ahead. He is . . . he is a . . . the reason why I keep invoking Shakespearean characters like King Lear, who is I think Shakespeare's version of Yahweh, or Hamlet, who has a very complex relation I think to Mark's Jesus, is that Yahweh, Mark's Jesus, Hamlet, King Lear, Falstaff, Cleopatra, Iago—they are all more real than you are, whoever you are, and yes, they are fictions, but if they're fictions, what are we? Since they are livelier than we are, exceed us in energy and in dynamism, as Yahweh does also. [...] he's quite a fiction, he's very persuasive and as I keep saying in the book I wish he would go away. I don't like him. I don't feel anybody can like him. His famous definition when Moses asks him his name—his famous self-definition is ehyeh asher ehyeh, translated by William Tyndale as "I am that I am" and that's kept in the Authorized Version of the English Bible. The Hebrew "ehyeh asher ehyeh" actually means "I will be, I will be;" "I will be that I will be," or to make it into better English "I will be present wherever and whenever I choose to be present," but I say throughout the book that also means "And I will be absent wherever and whenever I choose to be absent." And he is very distinguished by his absences, it seems to me. But if he is just a literary character—well first of all I don't recognize any distinction between literary and human characters; I mean I'm notorious for that, and why not be notorious for that—it seems to me that the sacred Bloomstaff, as I call him, is at least as real as old Bloom—Sir John Falstaff, of course. But not even kidding, I mean what can you say about the Yahweh of the J writer? He is endlessly memorable, he is endlessly unreliable. [Pause.] But he gets inside you. I repeat I would like him to go away, but he doesn't seem to go away.
LQ: Why doesn't he go away?
HB: Well, because I'm pretty sure he is our equivalent—I mean, our equivalent for him now is what our Uncle Siggy Freud called "reality testing" and the Reality Principle. Freud says that reality testing means that you have to "make friends with the necessity of dying."
LQ: So he's the name of everything that opposes our will.
HB: Yeah, he is . . . [...] But since I don't think there's any distinction whatsoever between sacred and secular texts, there's only great writing and bad writing (or good writing in between I suppose or fair writing) then it's natural to speak of—in fact, remember what Blake says; he says religion is just choosing forms of worship from poetic tales, and then he adds—this is The Marriage of Heaven and Hell — "Thus men forgot that all Deities reside in the human breast." But that doesn't mean that they don't reside there.
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hiii ingrid. do you have any headcanons about mandalore cuisine and/or bo-katan's relationship to mando cuisine. what are her favorite dishes, etc ... ❤️
Omg what a great ask, thank you!!!!!!
This post (and this person's blog in general) is a super cool writeup about mandalorian cuisine and I feel like it reflects most of my headcanons. I imagine overall that their food would be spicy, aromatic, hearty, and utilitarian. Lots of stews and soups and things like that, dishes that take one pot to cook and one bowl to consume.
I'm sure in the modern era they probably eat MREs in the field (we do see Bo make instant soup, etc.) but I also feel like they're the type of culture who, even nomadic groups or those on war campaigns, would prioritize cooking large meals with real ingredients as much as possible, as something to gather around communally and boost morale, etc.
I envision that Sundari under the new mandos was more of a global city without a huge focus on traditional food or culture in general, rather a mix of (mostly core world) fare from around the gffa. I could see trad mando food becoming something that's mostly eaten on occasions and holidays, for example, whereas most of the restaurants or what people eat day to day is imported/loaned cuisine from other cultures or "fusion" type fare.
Bo would've grown up eating mostly this— or really in my headcanons, mostly junk food and energy drinks, the depressed weirdgirl diet— so I could totally see her getting way into trad mando cuisine from a reactionary standpoint once she starts going down that path, lol.
I envision Concordia being much more traditional— obviously— and less modernized, so I'm sure they tend to still eat trad cuisine as their actual staple diet. I feel like one of her favorite parts of visiting there, even before getting sucked into death watch, would've been enjoying all this exciting and delicious ✨truly mandalorian✨ food (and getting immersed in the old culture she's so obsessed with in general, honestly.)
For her favorite foods— definitely uj cake, I headcanon her to be big into sweets and comfort food (the blogger above has a great recipe btw!)
I feel like she would love tiingilar too (which *I* have a great recipe for that I'm going to post soon!) It's probably the most iconic mandalorian dish— I could see it being considered very patriotic, especially by the more uh, nationalist types lol.
I do headcanon that Bo herself would be a terrible cook— growing up with palace chefs making all your food that isn't packaged snacks and then going straight into nomadic militia life will do that to you 😂
#thank you for this!!!!! it was so fun omg#sorry it's long.... i'm too autistic abt star wars AND food lol#headcanons#mandalore politics#(kinda)#bo katan kryze
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Ramble about my own practice and thoughts incoming:
I woke up thinking about spirituality sterility this morning. Mostly because my altar is right next to my bed so I see it first thing, and also cause I hung out with my bestie last night and it reminded of things.
So what I mean by spiritual sterility is condition settings. Is making the set up and tools and rituals 'spiritually sterile'. Like you would for medical procedures or in the kitchen. You make sure everything is clean, including you, before getting started. This looks in witchcraft like cleansing all your tools, ingredients, space and self before casting.
So heres my thoughts. It's such overkill most of the time. I can think of only (1) ritual I've done, where I planned for months, it was a triple pronged spell, and involved very real life consequences for other people. People who are not blind to spirituality and witchcraft. So I needed to be careful, and thorough. I simply could not risk any energetic influences but my own. The flip side is that I almost never do full cleansing without need. I cleanse myself regularly and my tools when they feel off. But otherwise I work in the open. I have worked hard to cultivate the energy I use, what's already in my space, and who has access to that energy. So I dont think its necessary to make all my work sterile. And I mostly cast whenever it feels right with not a huge amount of prep.
For example, I've slowly been building a spell for the past month. Honestly longer in my head but in physical terms, most of the ingredients and tools are just out, chillin on my altar right now while I wait for practical and metaphysical timing and gather what I need. And I'm unconcerned about it being, 'touched' by anything else.
Obviously this is affected by your own energy (mine is very strong and flows outwards so its easy for me to manipulate personally) and your home (I'm in a safe place with people who love and accept me, including this facet of my life). So that sterility feels like a lot of excessive energy draining barriers, when I can also just pick up the energy that already exists in the space and items, if I dont cleanse it all away, rather than having to work it back up and use SO much more energy for the whole thing, just for the sale of sterility.
Things I think about when we give the advice to beginners to always cleanse themselves, their tools/ingredients, and space, plus cast a circle around all your workings. Those are for sure important skills to have, and there are times where its needed.
To return to the kitchen metaphor, you keep ya raw meats separate until cooked. Or, medically, you can be grimey in general, but should wash a fresh wound. I feel like that concept applies to spirituality and we shouldnt always be reinforcing the idea that everything needs to be sterile all of the time. That is, again, so energy and time consuming. When not every spell is on that level. Some are just like opening the box of crackers and going to town, some are rinse your fruit before you eat it, some are maintain cleanly divided areas for frying your chicken katsu, some are kosher (as an example of a more detailed and specific process for both physical and metaphysical cleanliness) processes for a large and inclusive meal, and most are just wash your hands when you get started. We should just as much be talking about HOW and WHY we distinguish things so witches can apply the most appropriate and resource effective methods for their work. Especially those of us who are neurodivergant and/or disabled, chronically I'll etc.
Anyway, chime in if you have thoughts on the topic. Be warned I'm more likely to ignore or block intentionally inflammatory stuff.
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next up on fragments from the google docs: my damas and jak mom backstory, featuring: policial machinations, damas's father being a bastard with style, complex damas backstory, enemies to (eventual, not currently pictured) lovers, the tiniest implication of samos hagai being a decent person if you squint
The guttering squeaks in protest as Sia inches along it. The window, however, opens with no more sound than the practised fall of her feet onto the carpet. Thank you once again, Karl’s Auto Oil; good for more than just cars.
Haven is never quite pitch black. Even in the dead zone between ‘far too late’ and ‘far too early’, there is a buzz and glow of neon on the streets below. Closer to home, the palace itself is alight; hard to see an intruder in the dark, after all, and the palace guard are nothing if not conscientious. Sia would take it out of their hides if they weren’t.
Real wisdom, however, is leaving herself a path between the lights for these late night trips that nobody else needs to know about. For that reason, no light shines directly into Sia’s room in the barracks… but the general glow is enough to see by, and she knows the room by touch anyway.
Boots off and jacket over the back of a chair, but that’s all she manages. The blinking lights on her alarm clock say it’s already two; she’ll get maybe four hours sleep if she’s lucky. Sia crawls into bed with a groan, half-asleep before her head hits the pillow. Four hours. She’s had worse nights.
----
As usual, it’s an early start. Emeris is a habitual early riser and likes to slot in a briefing before breakfast is served. For a time (before her time), Sia hears it was during breakfast, until the queen put her foot down and insisted on her husband being mentally as well as physically present for family meals.
True to form, Emeris is already entrenched at his desk when Sia walks in; he glances up and catches her eye with a slight smile before returning his attention to Clement’s run-through of the day’s schedule. Sia takes her place at the back of the study, ears pricked for any mention of new or rescheduled public appearances that will require input from the royal guard on security, but otherwise her energy is going towards looking more awake than she feels. Still, her job description is to stand guard over the royal family regardless of how much or how little sleep she’s had, so she stands to attention and flicks her eyes over the gathering in the room.
Clement, the king’s secretary, is as much a part of the palace as the walls themselves. His age is almost impossible to determine; he doesn’t look any different now than the first time Sia laid eyes on him. Pale blonde hair thinning but not yet balding; crow’s feet and frown lines but no deep wrinkles; pince-nez in place and tasteful clothing pressed to within an inch of its life. He drones through the day’s agenda without ever apparently pausing for breath, and Sia finds her eyelids drooping just listening to him.
Baron Praxis, by contrast, makes for a much more vigorous presence. The young baron (in the context of a broadly middle-aged aristocracy), he has been chafing at the bit to make his mark on Haven ever since his father’s death two years ago, leaving Praxis to inherit both the barony and command of the Krimzon Guard. Even when ostensibly at rest, he exudes an aura of impatience; fingers tapping on his crossed arms and beady eyes moving constantly around the room. Their eyes meet for a moment; Praxis clicks his tongue dismissively and looks away.
Well, fuck him too. He’ll likely have another disappointing day; his manifesto for the past month has been to convince Emeris to authorise a raid of a suspected metal head nest. Which would make sense, except that this supposed nest is still not confirmed to even exist and, even if it does, is miles away from the city; a thing to be wary of, for sure, but nothing to waste good lives on just because some young idiot wants to earn his stripes in a blaze of glory.
The final person in the room is the king’s younger -- only -- son, Prince Damas. A recent addition to the morning briefings, as Emeris has begun grooming him in earnest to inherit. Sia is still uncomfortable seeing him there, standing behind his father’s chair and leaning in periodically to ask a question or offer a comment. Not because Damas himself is so very objectionable (although he’s not entirely unobjectionable, either), but because Sia is increasingly worried about what this means for Emeris. The king seems as healthy as ever…
Still, Sia supposes he’s not getting any younger. While Emeris is still vigorous enough - these pre-dawn meetings are proof enough of that - there’s more grey than black in his hair and beard these days, and the wrinkles are settling deeper into his face. Even if he’s not ill, nobody lives forever (and don't they all know that all too fucking well nowadays)… but for now that’s an aspect of the future Sia would rather not focus on.
Count Veger is notable by his absence. His son is not yet ready to fill the space. Pity for him: there’s another one in the good baron’s mold; a man ready for his father to shake off the mortal coil and start making his own mark, but then even the neatest suicides leave at least a little mess behind. Still, the family’s close ties to the religious institutes in Haven should ensure the stubborn old goat’s spiritual affairs are tidy, even if the earthly ones require more attention.
And how does Sia herself stack up against this masculine hoard?
Young, that’s generally the first thing people notice about her; there’s a steeliness in her blue eyes that challenges anyone to put a definite number to her age, but it’s safe to say she’s past twenty and a ways off forty. Neat and presentable without being vain: green-blonde hair cropped boyishly short to her face (harder to grab in a fight that way), uniform pressed, boots shined. Average height, athletic build, more muscular than most women who aren’t in the military.
More often serious than smiling and more often quiet than outspoken, though most people who work with her for any length of time will say that she is conscientious, fair, and prepared for almost anything. She inspires respect in her subordinates and trust in her betters.
In short, Genessia Sartok is a near perfect example of a royal bodyguard, to the point where some (most notably the new Baron Praxis) have taken to referring to her, in often insufficiently hushed tones, as the king’s prize bitch. If Emeris hears this insult, he gives no indication of it, and so Sia follows his example despite how badly her fists itch to dole out a few sharp blows.
“...and finally, sir, dinner will be served at nine o’clock,” Clement finishes, drawing Sia back to the moment.
“So early?” Emeris quips. “Ah, you keep me working hard, Clement.”
The king stretches, muscles straining under the silk shirt and tailored jacket. Sia hears something in his neck pop from across the room. He sighs, shifts in his seat; his head rests against the back of his chair and his eyes flicked closed. It suddenly occurs to Sia that he does look older lately, in a way that has more to do with a heaviness of his gaze and a palpable weight on his shoulders than lines and grey hairs.
Clement seems to be thinking the same thing. With a slight frown, he flicks through the schedule, humming to himself.
“We could trim down this evening’s reception at the Eco Society?” he offers uncertainly. “It would net us perhaps half an hour back.”
“Half an hour,” Emeris mutters. He opens his eyes again, although the action seems to cost him some effort. “Well, we take what we can get, do we not? Genessia, do you suppose half an hour will sufficiently make or break the plans of any assassins lurking outside the Eco Society?”
It’s a joke, but Sia isn’t offended. She can be aware of how tiring Emeris finds the constant security while also knowing it’s her one goal to keep him alive.
“I don’t foresee a problem.” Sia nods to Clement and he begins annotating the schedule. Even if there were any problems, she’d surmount them to give Emeris the break he clearly needs and would never ask for.
Indeed, true to form, Emeris is already shaking off his momentary - well, Sia isn’t sure what to call it, after finding herself vehemently opposed to the word weakness - and his well-worn, slightly sardonic smile is back in place.
“If your foresight changes before this afternoon rolls around, we’ll proceed as scheduled. Jauniz will only complain that we’re upsetting the kitchen by ordering dinner early anyway.”
“It won’t kill you to take a break now and then, Father,” Damas interjects. “Even if it’s only half an hour.”
“Oh, no, no, don’t start treating me like an old man,” Emeris complains. “Not while I’ve still got some colour in my hair. Poor Clement and I are already becoming outnumbered by you young whippersnappers.”
Damas rolls his eyes, his expression a picture worth a thousand words. He catches Sia looking at him and winks at her. It is a wink that has reduced more than a few individuals at court to weakened knees. Sia makes damn sure she isn’t one of them.
The stately grandfather clock next to Sia chimes seven and Emeris holds his hands up in mock distress.
“And now look at the time! We’re late for breakfast. Your mother will be furious. The entire day is ruined.”
Sia lets out the obligatory hum of laughter at the king’s joke, echoed by Damas. Clement makes a noise that could be a polite chortle or just clearing his throat. Only Baron Praxis is decidedly unamused. As Emeris gets to his feet, clapping Damas on the shoulder and heading out of the study, the baron clears his throat pointedly.
“A word, if you don’t mind, sir.”
Emeris is far too in control of himself to do anything as obvious as sigh, but Sia detects the minute tightening in his posture as he turns to face Praxis.
“I’m sure it can wait until after breakfast.” Emeris’s tone is pleasant as he clasps the recalcitrant Baron on the shoulder in much the same fatherly gesture he’s just given to his son. “Speaking of which, have you eaten yet? No, of course not; join us, please. You can tell me about how your daughter is getting on. Ashelin must be getting ready for the schoolroom by now, eh? They grow up so quickly, you’ll blink once and she’ll be a teenager...”
Praxis is carried along on a wave of smalltalk and, from the look on his face, he is perfectly aware that this is only a distraction from a conversation Emeris does not want to have.
Still, Sia thinks as she watches their retreating backs, you have to give Emeris credit for sheer charisma.
----
While there is a guard presence even at breakfast, Sia delegates that task for today and retreats to her office with a pot of coffee.
For once, she doesn’t have much in the way of paperwork; the rotas for the next fortnight are drawn up, including the delegation for the appointment at the Eco Society that evening. Speaking of which: the file she requested on the star of the show has arrived on her desk. Now here is a decent read over her morning coffee.
The Eco Society was once a cornerstone of Haven’s governance; half-academy, half-barracks for citizens who showed a proficiency for channelling. They were taught how to use their powers and, in return for a roof over their heads and material comforts, were expected to put those skills to use in aid of the city. It was the early scions of the Eco Society, alongside Mar himself, who installed the eco grid that powers the city to this day.
As time went by, however, channellers became rarer and technological advancements rendered many of their contributions moot. Nowadays, the Eco Society boasts few members who can be considered channellers of any notable ability, and has stagnated into something more closely resembling a member’s club. Most of the aristocratic families can trace a lineage to the old eco-rich bloodlines and like to make sure everyone remembers it, but they usually accomplish that by just throwing a dinner every now and then.
Until now: now, it seems, they finally have a genuine candidate for a Sage again.
Samos Hagai. Sia can’t help but smile as she reads through the file. The man sounds like a hippie, which she can only imagine is going down splendidly with the old guard. Spends more time in the forests outside the city than in the Society’s hallowed halls, communes with rocks and trees more easily than people… and a fantastically powerful channeler of green eco.
Gods, the things that could do for the city. For the farms that were currently pumped full of pesticides and still straining to generate a sufficient crop for the city; for the hospitals full of doctors who nevertheless got patients they could not treat. If Samos could just find an untapped well of green eco, it would be an enormous boon, even if he never lifted a finger again for the rest of his life.
Sia is not a sentimental woman, but (blame it on lack of sleep) for a moment she lets herself hope - truly, fervently hope - that Samos Hagai is as much of a blessing as he seems.
----
Five o’clock comes around too quickly and Sia makes sure she is at Emeris’s side as the news of Count Veger’s death officially breaks. The city’s journalists are no more known for their sentimentality than Sia herself is, but there is an unspoken agreement on such matters; some consideration is granted for a prominent family to control the narrative.
A sudden illness. Details unspecified, but the late Count was not a young man; unless some particularly intrepid journalist takes it into their head to steal post-mortem reports, there will probably be an assumption of a stroke or heart attack. Too bad, so sad, but life moves on.
Veger’s widow is closeted at home, but the son is here to release a brief statement. The old count was a man built like a brick shithouse; the son must have inherited his knobbly knees and skinny wrists from his mother’s side of the family. According to Sia’s reports, he also inherited his maternal family’s unfashionably robust piety, which should make him a counterbalance to Praxis’s steamrolling towards modernity. No blind fervour evident here and now, though. Despite all the right words about a peaceful passing coming out of his mouth, Sia spies a definite shrewdness in the new Veger’s eyes. Yes, almost certainly a man who will have some fellow-feeling with Praxis, though he is the stiletto knife to the baron’s sledgehammer.
Apropos of nothing, despite the clement spring day, Sia feels a chill.
They have about ten minutes between the press announcement and leaving for the Eco Society. Sia uses five of them tracking down and collaring one of the agents Emeris has given her charge of.
“Count Veger. The new one. I need everything you can get.”
The man raises his eyebrows. “I thought we already did a file on him.”
“Did I stutter?” Sia snaps, which is unlike her. She sighs, counts to three, shakes her head. “Sorry. Long night. But yes. Everything. Any holes, fill them. Any questions, answer them. Associations. Vices. If he kicked a cat when he was eight, I want to know about it.”
The agent shrugs in acquiescence. “Your wish is our command and all of that. I can tell you one thing right away -- the man’s a few monks short of a choir.”
Sia snorts because isn’t everyone in this fucking city? “I’ll bear it in mind. Full docket. As soon as you can.”
----
The joy of having the palace as the central structure of Haven City is that nothing is ever too far of a journey. Nevertheless, the royal family seldom wander around on foot, especially when on official business. The palace garages host a small fleet of hovercrafts of various levels of grandeur, manoeuvrability, and firepower.
Today they’re going low on the firepower, high on the grandeur: Emeris has strong opinions about being as visible to the public as is safe, and Sia can’t really fault his politics even when she wishes he was more inclined to self-preservation.
She also can’t fault him for taking his son and heir with him on official business, but that doesn’t stop her mood immediately souring when she sees Damas tagging along at Emeris’s heels. As commander of the royal guard, Sia is usually the one closest to the king and she takes a particular pleasure in the privilege of being able to talk freely with Emeris during these hovercraft rides.
With Damas in the picture, however, she resolves to keep her eyes forward and her mouth shut.
He’s just so… annoying. Frivolous. Never taking anything too seriously, and always with that hint of a sardonic smirk on his face. Granted, Emeris goes heavy on the sarcastic facial expressions too but that’s different. Emeris is older, more experienced - he’s world-weary enough to have earned that outlook.
What has Damas ever had to deal with? A hangnail? One of his seemingly dozens of crocadogs pissing in his handmade shoes? The man (he’s past thirty now, he’s left boy in the dust and even young man is becoming less applicable) has never even served time in the army! Say what you will about Praxis - and oh, what Sia could say about Praxis - at least the good Baron knows how to hold a fucking gun.
Damas is also a dire politician with a severely lacking ability to cover his feelings, as evidenced by the fact he looks as pleased to see Sia as Sia is to see him - the key difference being that Damas wears his heart on his sleeve and Sia keeps hers under lock and key.
----
“I’m so pleased,” Emeris remarks lightly (and even Sia, who knows him so well, almost misses the sarcasm behind his genial tone), “To see you young people getting along so well.”
Sia glares at Damas. Damas glares at Sia. The king’s crooked smile deepens.
----
“In future, Damas, can you please refrain from making enemies of the security staff?”
The comment is tossed out deceptively casually, in true Emeris style. Damas fights to keep his face clear, knowing that allowing the glare he wants to shoot at his father’s back free rein will only prove his point.
“I don’t trust Sartok,” he replies - quietly, for he has at least that much sense, regardless of what Emeris thinks. “Father, truly, the rumours about her--”
“Genessia,” Emeris interrupts him, ”Is the single most trustworthy person you will ever meet, if you can bring yourself to treat her with respect.”
Damas snorts. “Try telling her the same thing. The woman looks at me like I’m dirt on her boots.”
“No, she doesn’t, she has far too much self-control to let you see that even if she thought it.”
“I see it,” Damas insists, because he does. Oh, Sartok keeps a straight face around him, but that in itself is a giveaway when he sees her so open and engaged with his father only to shut down as soon as she sees Damas.
Emeris sighs. It is a long-suffering sound. Damas wonders which of them suffers longer and harder for this mutually unsatisfactory familial tie.
“Then give her a reason to respect you.”
“That isn’t enough?” Damas asks, gesturing to the crown on his father’s head. He’s being more sarcastic than serious -- Damas himself doesn’t like to rely on his royal blood to get what he wants -- but he’s unprepared for the flash of true fury in his father’s eyes.
“For one thing, Damas, the crown is not yet yours,” Emeris hisses. “For another, unless you learn, and learn quickly, then you may not have long to enjoy it.”
Before Damas can think of a response, Emeris -- quicksilver incarnate -- locks away his anger and smooths his expression back to amiability. Even his tone is smooth as a bolt of silk.
“Take it as a challenge, eh? Your first serious political manoeuvring. Secure Genessia as an ally in your own right, not just as the heir to the throne. Perhaps then,” Emeris adds, “I can trust you with something else.”
Always the woodbee sting following the honey, Damas reflects grimly as he drains his champagne.
“Fine. By the end of the night?”
“Ah, Haven wasn’t built in a day…. But I’d like to see progress by the time this party finishes, if you can manage it.”
----
The prince surveys her more seriously, his head slightly tilted to one side. At this angle, the jewels in his crown catch the light; Genessia is struck by the thought that they don’t look any more impressive than the glass in his hand.
“You don’t respect me at all, do you?”
Genessia stiffens, trying not to show that the bottom has dropped out of her stomach. She’d thought she was keeping within the acceptable boundaries with their banter.
“Of course I respect you, Your Highness.”
Damas rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes, you respect the prince, you respect the crown, and gods know you’re as loyal as a dog to my father--” Genessia narrows her eyes and Damas smirks as if she’s proving his point. “--but for myself, if I was just a stranger on the street? Admit it, you wouldn’t respect me at all.”
Doesn’t it make you wonder why? Genessia can’t help but think, though she does her best to shove the sentiment away before it shows on her face. She’s already in a big enough mess without digging her grave any deeper.
Damas sighs, the blatant antagonism easing out of him, replaced by - what? Sia can’t quite tell.
“I suppose what I’m trying to ask is - why do you respect my father and not me? Is it simply because he is the king and I am not?”
Can that possibly be a question he expects her to answer honestly? Sia eyes the prince warily. She thinks she can place the emotion on his face now; exhaustion, bafflement, and something - unexpectedly - very earnest.
Sia isn’t even sure how to answer. It’s difficult to put into words, even in her own thoughts, just why Emeris has her respect and Damas doesn’t.
“If it helps,” he adds, “I… apologise for my earlier behaviour.”
“If it helps?” Sia echoes. “Well, are you sorry or not?”
Damas groans; holds up a hand. “I am sorry! I just meant -- I wasn’t sure if the apology was welcome… Gods be good, Genessia, you have to admit you’re rather prickly.” He grimaces. “Case in point.”
“I’m overcome by your flattery and charisma.”
“Thanks.” Damas lets out a sound that might be a laugh or just another groan. “Precursors. I wish Jakon were here--”
The words drop like a bomb between them, destroying the conversation. It takes Damas a moment to realise what he’s said; when he does, his eyes widen and his lips part, as if he might take it back -- but he doesn’t. He ducks his head, and laughs, very softly.
“I do,” he murmurs. “I do wish he was here. I… was never meant for this, and I fear it shows.”
“I’m sorry.” The words are trite, but Genessia offers them with genuine feeling. “We all miss him. Very much.”
“Did you get along better with him?”
“...Yes. I suppose. We had -- common ground.”
Damas raises his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“I had a younger brother too. Have,” Sia corrects herself when she sees the blossoming look of shock and sympathy on Damas’s face. She hesitates before plunging onwards. “We’re -- estranged. Still. I knew something of what it’s like. The responsibility, and--”
“And?”
Sia glances away. Says, quietly: “And the love.”
#fragments from the google docs#jak and daxter#damas#jak mom#samos hagai#yes samos did name baby jak after damas's dead older brother#i have so many goddamn half-written bits and pieces for these two#sia is one of those ocs i never talk about but she is dear to my heart and i love her to death#my beautiful daughter with a disorder (or ten)#genessia sartok
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Meeting A Magical Man Pt. 22
Part 1: Link Prev: Link Next: Link
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Marvin woke alone in bed, which had his thoughts racing. Did the potion not work? Did Chase wake not too long after falling asleep? Did it hurt him? Chase usually would just stay in bed to not risk waking Marvin up whenever they did sleep together, was something wrong that changed that?
“Chase?” Marvin called out as he climbed out of bed.
“Kitchen,” Chase called back.
“Kitchen?” Marvin repeated to himself, and when he got to the kitchen, Chase was indeed in there and was cooking pancakes on the stovetop. “How are you feeling?” He saw how Chase was dressed in his clothing from the previous night, meaning he got them, and the few pieces of clothing Marvin had tossed in to justify using the washer and dryer were folded up neatly on the table.
“I feel great!” Chase was practically radiating happy energy, adding the newest pancake to the pile on the counter. “I forgot how good it felt to wake up actually rested. I feel like I could take on the world.”
“I’m really glad to hear that.” Marvin smiled and picked up his clothing. “By chance, do you recall anything that happened after you took the potion?”
“Nope.” Chase carried the plate of pancakes over to the table, setting them where the clothing had been. “Was I like goofy or something?”
“A little.” Marvin hugged his clothes a bit. “I had to help get you ready for bed, is all.”
“Thanks.” Chase chuckled. “I bet that was interesting.”
“It was.” Marvin’s voice was soft. “I’m going to put these away real quick and then join you for breakfast.”
“Sounds good.” Chase went back to gathering everything for the meal.
“Good.” Marvin turned and made a face at himself. That didn’t sound awkward at all. But thankfully, Chase was too buzzed up with joy to notice Marvin was off.
Marvin went back into his room and put his clothing where they belonged, finding himself thinking some more while he was alone.
The potion seemed to cause mild memory loss, or Chase was so drowsy that his brain couldn’t hold on to anything. Much like being drunk or under the influence of anything. Marvin could probably tell Chase anything when he was like that, and he wouldn’t remember it the next day. He could tell him anything.
Don’t.
Marvin stopped himself and shook that thought out of his head. He had his moment last night, he had work to do today. Just push it down and move on.
“I made normal and chocolate pancakes,” Chase said when Marvin returned, already eating away.
“You’re spoiling me, darling.” Marvin smiled as he joined Chase at the table.
“I’m paying you back for making me finally get some good-ass sleep.” Chase chuckled. “Although I am using your food but let me have this.” He laughed some more at that.
“I’m not going to complain.” Marvin giggled and got himself a plate of food ready. He took his first bite and moaned. “I forgot how nice chocolate pancakes are.”
“Note taken to make them for you more. Guess you’ll be stuck with me in the mornings more often, too.” Chase smiled at Marvin, that same smile that was now becoming more obvious that it got Marvin’s heart to flutter. He really needed all of this to be over with so he could process his feelings. But again…now’s not the time.
“Is that you saying you’d like to spend more time in my bed~?” Marvin practically purred. “How forward of you, Mr. Brody.”
“I mean-that I-that I um-” Chase’s face went red, and he cleared his throat.
Back to where they should be. No worries, no complicated feelings, just some fun, and heavy flirting.
“You are just too cute, baby.” Marvin giggled, and his eyes went over to the folder still sitting on the table in the same spot he had placed it the previous day. “And I should finally look at this damn thing, figure out the first step.” He added with a sigh.
“I’ll be right here for you.” Chase reached over and placed a hand on top of Marvin’s.
“Thank you.” Marvin noticed how Chase’s touch seem to be…warmer than before. It likely wasn’t actually warmer temperature-wise, but Marvin could still feel a difference.
“It’s what bodyguards do, right?” Chase squeezed Marvin’s hand before taking it back and returning to his food.
“Right,” Marvin repeated very softly to himself before opening the folder and reading all the information gathered for him.
Marvin read and read and read. Finishing his food and barely noticing Chase taking his plate and cleaning everything up. Chase cleaned the whole kitchen and finally sat back down when Marvin was getting to the end of the folder, and he made a face.
“The fuck?”
“The fuck?” Chase echoed, leaning over in his seat to try to look at the papers.
“One of these ‘suspected addresses’ are circled.” Marvin laid the paper down and turned it to Chase. “That’s not a printed circle. Someone took a pen to this. This is the only time something not printed is in this. Dark’s too much of a neat freak to let something like this be in his paperwork unless it’s a draft.”
“So someone other than Dark did that? Didn’t Phantom have it when he dropped our stuff off here?” Chase chewed the inside of his cheek.
“He did…why would he know where one of Actor’s places is?” Marvin put the paper back with the others.
“Did those papers say who this apprentice is? Maybe he knows them? Like he’s been doing work behind the scenes but doesn’t want Dark to know?”
“Unless it’s not Dark he’s hiding from.”
“Who would he…from Actor?” Chase scratched at his cheek. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if you’re right about him having a connection to the apprentice.” Marvin gathered the papers into the folder and stood up. “Looks like our first step is to check out this place and see what we can find. Even if the apprentice isn’t there, surely something in that house will give us a clue.”
“We’re going on a stakeout?”
“We’re going on a stakeout.”
x~x~x
Chase popped another gummy bear into his mouth, he and Marvin watching the door of the house that matched the address. They’d only been sitting there for an hour, and Chase was already on his third bag of gummies. Chase’s car was tucked between two trees, making it almost impossible for someone to see it unless they were searching for it.
“I swear you are an endless pit.” Marvin teased.
“Need plenty of fuel for the engine.” Chase chuckled.
“Keep it up, and we’ll have to go to the back of the car and use up some of that energy of yours~” Marvin grinned when that got Chase to pause mid-chew and blush, eyes widening slightly. “Oh? It looks like someone likes that idea~”
“I mean…I’ve never gotten to do…that.” Chase said with a little chuckle.
“Really?” Marvin turned in his seat and leaned toward Chase. “Well, I am more than happy to help you.” He hummed as he started kissing Chase’s neck. “It’ll have to be quick, though.”
“I can do that.” Chase placed a hand on Marvin’s cheek and tilted his head up for a kiss on the lips. Marvin softly gasped when Chase removed his mask and kissed him between the eyes before catching him in another kiss.
That should not have been as hot as it was.
“Someone’s getting more confident.”
“Guess you’re rubbing off on me.”
“Give me a minute, and I’ll be rubbing something else.” Marvin crawled over and sat on Chase’s lap. He went back to Chase’s neck, playfully nipping at it but making sure not to leave any markings…at least not yet.
Chase tilted his head and placed his hands on Marvin’s hips, happily letting him do as he pleased. He let out a heavy breath and was about to move his hands lower when he noticed someone heading for the house.
“Is that him?”
“Him?” Marvin pulled away enough to look over his shoulder, and he cursed. “Holy shit that’s Actor.”
“Is he wearing a suit?” Chase squinted to see the man better, even though the red suit stood out like a sore thumb.
“He is definitely Dark’s mentor.” Marvin rolled his eyes and got off of Chase. “And that confirms this is one of Actor’s places.”
“What now? Do we wait till it’s dark and sneak in? That’s only a few hours from now.”
“If this is one of Actor’s sleeping places, we’d be fucked if we try breaking in while he’s there.”
“So, how do we get in during the day?”
“We’d need a distraction…” Marvin’s voice trailed off in thought, thinking back to what he had read in the folder before looking at Chase. “How good are you at improv?”
“Why?”
“You’re going to be the distraction.”
“I’m going to be the what?” Chase watched Marvin reach over and turn the ignition on.
“Pull out and go down to the end of the block.”
“Am I going to get some details here?” Chase asked as he did as Marvin said.
“Dark wrote down that Actor has a hero complex of sorts. Meaning if some poor soul’s car breaks down and begs for help, he can’t resist.” Marvin explained, waiting until Chase stopped the car before putting his mask on and getting out of it.
“So we’re going to pretend my car’s busted?” Chase followed Marvin out.
“You’re going to pretend that your car is busted while I go into the house and see if I can find anything useful.” Marvin popped open the hood of the car, reaching in and messing with the engine. He didn’t like the idea of having Chase with Actor, but with them being out in public, Actor wouldn’t do anything to Chase, and if one of them got caught inside the home, he’d rather it be himself.
“You’re going to go in alone?” Chase’s voice was thick with worry.
“It’s safer this way. If I think anything’s up, I can get out of there in a snap, plus you have that natural school-boy himbo charm. Now take off your shirt.” Marvin got some grease on his hands.
“I…okay.” Chase didn’t bother questioning it.
“Helpless and sexy is going to be a great double whammy.” Marvin smeared some of the grease on Chase’s cheek and chest. “And if you’re not his type, you’ll look a little more believable at least.” He added as he got some of the grease on Chase’s hands as well. “Jog to the house and try to get yourself a little out of breath. Remember, you’re helpless and need a hero.”
“So when he looks at my car, do I start singing Grease Lightning?” Chase asked with a grin, laying his shirt across his shoulder.
“If this works out perfectly, we’ll be singing Summer Loving when we get back to my place~” Marvin winked, and then in a blink, was gone. “Alright. I’m helpless. I need help. I need a hero.” He hyped himself up as he jogged over to the house. “Should I have a fake name? Maybe I should put on an accent. I’m shit at accents.” Chase talked to himself some more before giving his own face a little slap and then knocking on the door.
There was a good pause, one long enough that Chase sounded to feel that rush of anxiety, a realization of what he was doing. He was about to distract someone who was apparently very dangerous. Then that anxiety turned into pure adrenaline.
Chase Brody was a badass!
“Hello?” The man, Actor, opened the door.
Chase Brody was terrified!
“H-Hey. I-uh-my car-um…my car broke down.” Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “I could really use some help with it. I’m kind of helpless when it comes to cars. That was my dad’s thing, and I’m rambling right now…sorry.” He wasn’t sure how much of that was acting. There was a pause as Actor looked Chase up and down, seeming to be digesting his words before putting on a charming smile.
“Of course. Let me see what I can do.”
“Thanks, man. It’s right over here.” Chase pointed with his thumb and took a step back, seeing Marvin appear in the room behind Actor before the door was shut. Looks like everything was going to plan so far. “Honestly, I might have fucked it up more since I was playing with it.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing too bad off. I’m fairly…talented with my hands.” Actor chuckled deeply.
“Here it is.” Chase awkwardly chuckled as well. “Hood’s popped and everything.”
“I see.” Actor leaned over and looked into the car. “I think you managed to pull apart a bit of your engine.”
“Knowing me, I probably did. Let me go get the light so you can see better.” Chase offered and went to the passenger side of the car, needing a moment away, and he paused when he heard snapping of fingers. Actor used magic, Chase wasn’t sure why he knew that, but he just did.
“No need. It was a very simple fix.”
“Really? That’s awesome.” Chase played up his excitement and went back to the front of the car. “I guess next time my old man offers to teach me a few things, I’ll take it.”
“Never anything wrong with learning from a master.” Actor closed the hood and leaned a hand against it, looking at Chase with that same charming smile on his face. “Everything is always more fun when it’s done with someone that knows what they’re doing.” His eyes were also, once more, looking along Chase’s body. “Normally, when you want someone’s attention, you ask for their number at a bar or sit with them at a park, not pretend that your car is broken.”
“Pretend? Wh-What do you mean?” Chase could feel his heart racing.
“I wasn’t born yesterday.” Actor pulled his handkerchief out of his blazer pocket and started wiping off Chase’s chest. “But I will say this is one of the more creative ways I’ve been flirted with.”
“Flirted?” Chase looked at his chest, back to Actor, to his chest again, and then it clicked. “I-I uh-I was just…um…”
“I will also say that you are quite adorable.” Actor was now cleaning off Chase’s face, stepping in closer.
“I’ve been told that.” Chase’s voice came out as a squeak. This was so not the plan. “I was just…” Chase stopped when he saw Marvin appearing next to the house and fumbling a bit, showing he left in a hurry. Actor seemed to have noticed Chase staring off at something and started to turn to look for himself. In a moment of panic, Chase quickly grabbed Actor’s face and yanked him into a kiss. Neither of them saw Marvin’s face of pain and how he made himself disappear again.
“Actor!” A voice called out from the house, but it soon turned into a gasp. “There…there was someone in the house.”
“What?” Actor covered Chase’s eyes with a hand and he turned him away. Chase shook his head and blinked his eyes, trying to get his vision to refocus, and could eventually see Actor back at the house, talking to another man. “Are you hurt?”
“Like you care.” The other man shoved Actor away and stormed into the house.
“Mike?” Actor closed the door and cut off the rest of the conversation.
“Mike?” Chase echoed the name.
Was he the apprentice?
If he was…wouldn’t he have taken care of Marvin himself?
Wait.
Where was Marvin?
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Tags: @brokentimewatch @bookwormscififan @d-structive @rainymae523 @ashtonisvibing
#meeting a magical man#trickshot#veggie writes#oh yeah#for those who know how i write actor and mike#hehehehehe#also enjoy the mega chapter#and that ending~
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An Adeptus' Last Wish- Zhongchi fic
(17/30)
More chapters here!<33
Summary-
After the Gnosis incident, Childe decides to take a much-needed break away from Zhongli.
However, how was he supposed to react, when all of a sudden Lumine showed up outside his apartment sounding terribly mortified, "Childe......Zhongli.......Zhongli....is in grave danger."
Of course, he was going to do anything to help the dying man.
Sure, he still felt a lot of contempt for him, after what he did, but his heart still loved him.....
But, what he hadn't expected was the sudden wisp of golden light that somehow transported him during the times of the Archon War?!
What the FUCK?!
____________________
Chapter 17: Mending Spirits, Uncertain Feelings, and the Taste of Freedom Pt. 1
The plan was set.
They were all to split up into smaller groups and then go on the offensive and strike the opposing side back, until they were all nothing but piles of mangled limbs and internal organs.
However, nothing could have ever anticipated him from the sight that was about to grace his eyes.
As they were passing the woods to get to the main point, there were many bodies strayed about throughout them. They were all swelling up with miasma, and that made something in Childe rattle and eagerly attempt to lap up the sweet energy that was ever so slightly calling out to him.
Childe however, did not have any time spared for him to properly savor the miasma, and he didn’t want to waste his breath on such morsels of energy when he had such a big feast waiting for him.
And so, he held back his instinct that drove him to gather the energy and ingest it into his body, and the delicious burn that would come to consume such a corrupt energy. He couldn’t do it now, he would have to wait.
And so, his nails gripped his palms, until blood drew and he carried on with the rest of the group; watching curiously as a few stared at him as if he was a ravenous animal.
He ignored it and pressed on.
After they had passed through the woods, the scene was not like anything he had ever expected.
A lain battleground, covered with grime, soot, blood, and other unpleasant bodily fluids sprayed freely onto the dirt ground. It was a macabre sight, utter debauchery, and the smell was terrible to anyone’s noses.
But it was far from the real place, the real battle. It was merely the aftereffect of what Cloud Retainer had come to report. It had to be.
And the promise of an even bigger and plentiful meal made his excitement burn.
It sent shivers of anticipation down Ajax’s spine, the energy would most likely burn, but oh , it would be so pleasant. So, painfully sweet, as it entered his nostrils and mouth and burned his palates, and his olfactory bulb, and then slowly sent shivers down his spine as he collected the energy that would make him stronger.
His Foul Legacy had gone without sustenance, for a long time.
Ever since he had been basically chained to the bed because of his damn impending transformation, he was not allowed to swallow and sip on the abyssal energy that erupted from all of the other abyssal creatures.
Because of his lack of food, his abyssal form had weakened his form a bit, even if his transformation had made him have the strength of an adeptus.
But, even as he ignored the creature inside of him rattle and shook with enthusiasm as it smelt the wonderful scent of pure miasma. It was not abyssal energy, but it would most likely be enough for him to sustain himself for a little longer.
But, he had no time to dwell on the sheer excitement he felt.
Before he could blink, he saw something hurling towards them, it was a figure of some sort.
It landed, splat in front of them, and upon closer inspection it was…Sky Bracer.
He was in worse wear than ever, bruises, cuts covered his entire body, alongside a huge gash across his right arm. He seemed to be unconscious, and seemed to be roughed up significantly.
Guizhong gasped as she ran to his side and scooped him up in her arms, before she motioned towards Cloud Retainer.
She did not need to be told twice as she rushed towards him.
Cloud Retainer seemed to be distressed as she bent down and pressed two fingers to his wrist, and after a few more seconds, all of the tension left her face. She relaxed and even let out a small sigh of omission, “His meridians are normal, they are just dried up. One should be able to fill them up using one’s own reserves.”
Morax stared at her for a bit before he shook his head, “Cloud Retainer, your reserves are weakened and depleted. It will be worse for you if you gave him your adeptal energy as it is. Hand him to me.”
He spoke with pure conviction, and Ajax was sure he would be able to coerce anyone into doing anything with the amount of power behind his deep voice.
She complied and the moment he was handed to Morax, he placed his hand on Sky Bracer and immediately, his hair started to glow as a warm energy was produced by his palm. The gentle light poured into Sky Bracer’s palm a second later, and he opened his eyes in a frenzy.
His distress seemed to die out once he saw everyone and he let out a small sigh, “Lord Lapis….I have failed you…I let the enemy get the best of me….I do not deserve to be guided by you, My Lord.”
Morax glanced towards Ajax and then back to Sky Bracer, and for a strange reason he looked upset.
He did not say anything and placed his palm on his mouth, “Do not speak, your body is weak. Do not waste energy and stand up if you wish to fight.”
Morax did not spare him another look as he got up and marched towards the direction of the terrible energy along with Cloud Retainer and the others.
Sky Bracer’s eyes softened significantly, and they got slightly glassy as he stood up, his legs wobbling as he did so. Guizhong came to hold him up, but he slightly declined her offer and pushed her off gently, “No need, my Lady. I am well now, do not worry.”
He offered her a gentle smile, but she did not buy it.
She stared at Ajax, who seemed to take the message and moved to hold him up. Guizhong sent him a small smile as she hurried off to catch up with Madam Ping who was waiting for her. From the look in her eyes, she seemed to have known that they needed a bit of privacy.
That was the thing with Guizhong, she always knew.
He tried to push off Ajax but he shook his head, “Don’t be stubborn, Da-ge. It’ll only be worse for you, please go back home.”
Sky Bracer shook his head and gazed at Ajax with such earnest fondness in his eyes, before he cupped his jaw and gently stroked it. He let out a small chuckle, deep and rich to his ears, causing waves of nostalgia to swell up in Ajax, “Did I worry you, shidi?.... There is no need for you to worry about me. I am alright now, Shizun has helped me already. I can fight with you all once again, I promise to not hold you all back.”
His manner and the small smile on his face caused emotions to well up in Ajax, as he stared at the man back, but he swallowed whatever he felt, forced it down and sighed.
He couldn’t do this to him, especially when he had a feeling the man before him felt too much for him. Feelings that were obvious to Ajax, feelings that were written all over his face.
But he couldn’t, he already had his own love.
And he hoped Sky Bracer would one day find his own.
But, Ajax knew that he was not the one for Sky Bracer.
They needed to have a proper conversation about this.
He placed his hand on Sky Bracer’s and withdrew it from his jaw, “Then, stand up and fight with us, Da-ge.”
Sky Bracer seemed taken aback from his subtle rejection but took it elegantly as he let out a small chuckle and ruffled Ajax’s hair, “You’ve found your love and purpose haven’t you, shidi? I can see it in the way you gaze upon him , I can see it in the way you smile so earnestly towards him, the way you seem to brighten up whenever he is mentioned. I am…sorry for imposing on you for so long. You….just seemed to captivate me, pull me in with your being…..I am not the one for you, am I?”
Ajax stared back at Sky Bracer and felt his chest tighten up.
He was gazing towards the sky, golden tears falling freely down his eyes, a heartbroken smile on his face as he attempted to do his best to not cry.
Ajax pulled him into a hug, feeling the adepti’s tears fall onto his shirt as the man seemed to almost breathe him in desperately. Sky Bracer held him in a tight embrace, tight and almost suffocating, but just as warm as ever.
“I can never be the one for you, can I?......I….was never supposed to be, I knew that. I knew it from the moment I saw you, and yet, I couldn’t help the way my heart jumped with joy as I was bewitched by your smile….”
The man said, his voice stained with grief and heartbreak as he did his best to contain his tears and make his voice even through his tears.
Ajax rubbed soothing circles onto his back, giving the slightest modicum of comfort to someone who was irrevocably in love with him. Someone he would never truly love.
He wished he would be able to, but he couldn’t.
And that hurt him deeply.
But somewhere in the depths of his mind, he couldn’t help but think that it was strangely nostalgic. The way he traced imaginary circles and shapes onto his back, just like he had done in that dream of his.
A dream that felt too real.
Too much.
Too painful.
To be false.
Sky Bracer pulled from his embrace a couple of seconds later, as the sound of the wind brushed by their ears and by the leafy trees creating a soothing breeze.
His tears had dried up, leaving slightly puffy and red eyes in their wake. Ajax wiped off the excess tears that desperately clung onto his lashes, and Sky Bracer let him, leaning into the touch, allowing it.
Then, he grabbed Ajax’s wrist and brought it up to his lips before he placed a chaste kiss to his knuckles. Ajax felt his heart in his throat and he motioned to go and pull the man in an embrace, but he pushed Ajax away, shaking his head, “Thank you, Ajax….you have given me enough…I don’t know how much my heart could bear if we continued…..I…..am…glad you have found your happiness in him , he is worthy and noble….There is no doubt in my mind that he will treasure you well.”
Ajax frowned, at the way he seemed to force the words out of his mouth and sighed, “He is, thank you, Sky Bracer….But I don’t have to be the only one with someone by my side, you deserve to find your own as well…..And I will help you find one. That is the promise I will give to you.”
Sky Bracer’s eyes widened as he took in the earnest promise and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he leaned back and let out a true laugh for the first time, unrestrained and free.
The tension seemed to leave his shoulders, and he seemed relieved.
He gazed at Ajax, with slight mirth and smiled, toothy and wide, “Of course, shidi. I believe you will….Now, let’s carry on, shall we. The others are waiting for us now.”
_________________________
They rushed towards where the energy signature was the most prevalent and it was certainly better than Ajax had anticipated.
There were plenty of monsters, all those he had never seen before with their own weapons and they were absolutely merciless.
If they were all humans fighting against those things, Ajax knew they would have been dead already.
Morax had dived straight first into battle, garnishing his signature spear as he slashed, swiped, and killed everyone, rough and brutal in his style. He was a far cry from the more subdued and elegant Zhongli, who carried his spear with practiced elegance and focused more on defending himself and giving precise and powerful strikes towards his enemy to subdue rather than to kill them.
However, this form of him was ruthless.
Power seemed to surge through his every strike as he slashed and gutted enemies before he used their own entrails to suffocate the next set of them, not because he needed too, but simply because he wanted too. He even snapped one of the monster’s jaws in half after grabbing both sides of their jaw and splitting it right in the center, as they lay whimpering in death.
He was drenched in blood as he fought mercilessly, and a small amount of primal fear rose up in Ajax, as he gazed at how his Morax fought to kill every single one of them.
Was this what they had always meant by: The Wrath of the Rock.
Was this what they had meant whenever he heard it being written in historical textbooks and all of those Rex Incognito books he had read and was this sheer brutality spoken about in those plays Zhongli and he attended to.
No wonder, everyone always obeyed, no questions asked.
Just how the heck Guizhong stared at him and decided to approach such a brutal man was beyond Ajax.
But then again, even though Morax was brutal and absolutely merciless in battle, he was never fond of killing people. Ajax had surmised as much as Zhongli had always winced when he was ever being threatened by a hilichurl or one of those Treasure Hoarders, he would always just subdue them and bring them to the Qixing.
He would never once even kill any creature that ever dared to fight him.
Not at all.
And even now, as merciless as he was, the look in his eye was not one of enjoyment. It was one of pure possessiveness over his land, his rage at their reckless actions, and a subtle tinge of disgust as he practically dismembered every single one of them.
Even if Morax was the God of War, he did not wish to be.
Even if he was brutal and absolute in his strikes, he did not wish to fight, and looked more annoyed at them infringing on his territory than anything else.
The rest of the adepti were holding up their own, but they weren’t as brutal as Morax. But even they did not seem to be enjoying seeing their enemies slaughtered right in front of them and even seemed disgusted by the utter display of violence in front of them.
Cloud Retainer was more subdued in her skill as she just did the bare minimum to get their lives over with and not waste her energy longer than she had to, she was quick and speedy on her feet as she brought her opponents down in a flash.
Moon Carver was more powerful in his strikes but he was just as subdued as Cloud Retainer and he used a more brute force approach in his fighting style, using a broadsword. Mountain Shaper seemed to take strategy into account as he moved fast and diligently and instantly knew his opponents weaknesses and used it against them, as he used his bow effectively and efficiently.
They were almost the opposite of each other, complimenting each other and making up what the other lacked in skill.
Hmm.
Madam Ping was more absolute in her strikes and preferred to use her spear to strike her opponents fast and effectively, just like Cloud Retainer. However, her skills were a bit rough compared to Cloud Retainer’s smooth elegance, but it was to be expected with the amount of years Cloud Retainer had of experience. Guizhong however, took a more far ranged style of combat and unlike Mountain Shaper who used his sword when his enemies got too close, she would prefer to stay far away and would help her fellow adepti out whenever the enemy got too close to them.
But none of them seemed the slightest bit pleased whenever someone’s blood and miasma sprayed all over their faces….
What a peculiar bunch.
Now, while Ajax at his core liked to see people suffering (Celestia knows he was not as crazy as Dotorre when it came to that ), he did enjoy the thrill of battle and if that meant having to kill someone to get that pump of adrenaline or getting stronger, than he was alright with it.
And while some had deemed him bloodthirsty, he often objected to this notion.
Sure, he could get a little overboard with his methods and sure, he enjoyed towering over his opponents and harshly beating them in battle, he did not enjoy killing innocent lives. He never did.
However, these demons and monsters were hardly considered anything but innocent. They intended on killing and doing unspeakable things to the people of this village and the next if they had won.
So, excuse him if he preferred if they were all dead beneath him.
And besides that, that thing inside of them was largely to blame for the way he went overboard, that and the immediate fight or flight instinct that rose up in him whenever he came across those things.
Sky Bracer rushed into action as he similarly used a sword to lay his enemies down to rest, and his own style was elegant and smooth, yet he also preferred to defend rather than rush in for the kill.
Childe’s own excitement went into overdrive as the smell of miasma coated his lungs, the burn was even greater here. And the smattering of the black miasma covering the ground and onto the surrounding air, was delicious.
He went over and consumed the energy, calling it all over to him before he inhaled and swallowed it, feeling it burn and although the taste was bitter, there was a slight sweetness covering it. And unlike abyssal energy, it was much stronger, and it felt a bit more heavy in his lungs, but it was nothing he could not handle.
The demons seemed to stop in their tracks as they felt him calling their energy towards him, and their eyes all intensely stared at him, and he felt their rage simmering just under their skin. They were enraged, angry that Childe had practically consumed the last bit of their fellow comrade’s life.
They all rushed forwards and went straight at him, while Childe grinned, mad with joy as he felt his Foul Legacy start to come out to play.
It had been a while, and he felt as if though, the creature had every right to enjoy its meal properly.
He felt his limbs start to dislocate and relocate and his very tendons and muscles stretch to fit such a huge form before he felt himself tower over the trees themselves. He grinned and let out an inhumane chuckle, as he walked over to them and saw how their very puny bodies shivered with fear.
He withdrew his sword, feeling his delusion bursting into life as he formed his weapon, and grinned.
Before they knew it, he had slashed their bodies right in half, watching as their life drained from their faces and swiftly caught up to those who foolishly attempted to get away.
He saw as heads rolled off, as limbs were discarded and thrown across recklessly with abandon as he went over and consumed the miasma, and the taste was definitely better in this form. It was much sweeter and denser in this form.
If only his master could see him now, she would be proud and would join him happily in such an abundant meal.
Waves upon waves of them arrived as he slashed right through them, joining Morax in his pursuit and slashed everyone who got in his way.
Eventually, the god himself came out, and instantly his excitement grew even stronger.
As the god before him was covered with miasma, in fact, he was made out of the ugly thing. Completely drenching and infecting everything that he touched, from the air to the ground.
Childe felt a shiver run down his back, he would have never had to feed for months on end if he had a go at that thing.
Morax pointed his spear at the man, “How dare you trespass on my land! You are a fool to think you would get away with such a foolish act, untouched! You have suffered Celestia’s punishment, and yet you continue to plague everything you touch! Parasite!”
The God blinked at Morax before he grinned, “Rex Lapis, we meet once again….After everything you’ve done, I did not expect you to remember me…”
Morax did not twitch and instead raised his spear up towards the man’s throat, “It matters not to me that we have met. You trespassed on my land! Therefore, you shall suffer the wrath of the rock!”
The God’s grin before larger, “My, my, Rex Lapis. How cruel have we become, ey?...Leaving a friend behind, after so long. Leaving a friend behind to fall into such despair and agony….do you have any idea what it feels like to be consumed and spit out by miasma, feeling your skin dissolve and become reborn and your every muscle being stretched and reworked all over again…”
Morax seemed to hesitate but he did not back down, as his eyes continued to glow, “We were never friends, we were simply allies. I owe you not one thing, you decided to get yourself drowned in that pit.”
The God let out a large chuckle, bordering on hysterical, “It was your fault! It was your fault! You pushed me in! Do not lie to me, Morax! Do not lie to me! You did it! It was your fault! It was your fault! Why did Celestia save you and not me! Why did she have mercy on you and not me! Am I not worthy enough! TELL ME! ”
Morax pressed his spear further into his throat, a single push and it would go straight into it, “You decided to lose yourself in madness, do not drag me into it. Stop this, at once.”
Morax withdrew his spear and let it come to his side.
He was being benevolent.
He was allowing the God to go freely.
The God laughed further as he drew his own weapon and held it in his hand, “You still remain the same, don’t you, Morax? Always so high and mighty, acting benevolent even as I have watched you take and take from the world, take goods and murder innocent people for the sake of power…ha…ha…ha.. ”
The God pointed it straight at his own throat before he brought it down. Everyone watched in shock as the God slouched down, and life drained out of his tainted eyes.
His energy was dispersed, and he fell apart completely.
Morax’s eyes seemed to fill with what seemed to be guilt, before it was gone and he turned away towards Cloud Retainer.
Guizhong turned towards him, and something in her eyes seemed to be imploring him to do something. He did not question her about it, knowing what she wanted to say already.
Cloud Retainer gave a curt nod, “Make sure there are no survivors.”
Everyone followed her orders and they all went towards different directions to look for any remaining survivors.
Childe hastily scarfed down the excess energy, and felt his previous lost energy be regained once more, as he turned back to his normal form and he chased after Morax.
_________________________
He was in his domain as usual, and it was uncharacteristically left wide open, the seals having been broken but not redone.
As if he had been in a haste and had gone in without thinking about the potential way someone could come in and steal his treasures.
He went over to check if the man was still there but he wasn’t. There was little to no trace of him, the only trace being a trail of blood and his leftover clothes thrown carelessly all over the floor.
It did not take him long enough to find the man.
He merely needed to follow the trail of blood as he found himself in the public bathhouse once more.
In it, he found the man in it, scrubbing recklessly at his skin.
The closer Ajax got to him, the more he saw exactly what he was doing.
He was scrubbing with abandon at his skin, his long sharp nails marring his skin open and making more and more blood fall into the hot water below, as blood washed all over him.
He rushed over to the man in an instant as he grabbed at his wrist, “Don’t do that! You’re hurting yourself!”
But the man did not listen, and continued to scratch himself recklessly, as he continued. Ajax felt his panic increase as he grabbed his other wrist and snatched them from his skin, “Stop that, Shizun! You are only hurting yourself!”
The adeptus merely froze at his words, face blank, as he gazed blankly at Ajax. It was like he was not there anymore, as if he was somehow looking at something else instead of Ajax entirely.
It was horrifying.
Ajax felt his heart stammer in his chest.
Just what in the abyss was going on?
Morax finally seemed to have a moment of clarity, as instead he grabbed at Ajax’s own wrists and his grip was bruising in its strength making Ajax cry out in pain. However, he did not loosen up his grip and instead tightened it up further, before he dragged Ajax inside of the water.
Ajax was surprised at first, and was submerged in the warm water, but quickly rose up to the surface to meet Morax’s intense stare.
It was burning, intense, and it sent shivers down Ajax’s spine.
Before Ajax could react, Morax grabbed him by the neck, “Why have you come here?”
His grip on his neck was not tight at all, and it was surprisingly familiar. However, it seemed to be a threat given the way Morax snarled out the words with such poison.
And yet, Ajax knew he did not mean to harm him at all.
He was scared, and looked fragile, as if one sligh movement would tear the man into pieces. Ajax had never seen the man look so torn up before, he had always seen him so put together so steady, so firm, as if nothing could deter him anymore.
But, he guessed it wasn’t the case here.
This man was much more vulnerable, more susceptible to falling down, more fragile. He was unsure how to handle his feelings, especially these.
Anger.
Fear.
Guilt.
He placed his hand on Morax’s cheek and nearly smiled when the man allowed him too, “..What is wrong, Shizun?”
Morax seemed surprised by his words and flinched, retreating his own hands from Ajax’s neck as if he had been burned. He shook his head and looked away, “You…should…leave…”
Ajax was confused by his words and shook his own head, going closer towards him, “No. I-I wish to help you. I want to help you….What’s wrong?”
Morax seemed to hesitate before he shook his head stubbornly once more, “No! You should leave….You…do not understand…I…”
“You’ve helped me before! Why shouldn’t I do the same! Tell me, Shizun, why shouldn’t I?”
Morax looked down towards the water, growing still as he closed his eyes and contemplated for a bit before he said, “You…are not like me….I…am undeserving of your help…it was a mistake to take it in the first place.”
Ajax shook his head, “Don’t tell me such words, Shizun! Do not tell me you are undeserving to someone like me!”
Morax shook his head, “No…you deserve…everything…I do not deserve your help…you…are too good for me..”
Ajax felt himself grow even more outraged at whatever he was spewing. It was utterly ridiculous.
He was far more worthy than Ajax would ever be.
He was everything Ajax would never be.
He was forgiving and kind-hearted, a soft hearted person with a heart made up of pure gold. Unlike Ajax, he would never hold a grudge against anyone, nor make someone else suffer purely out of enjoyment or even power. He was noble and fair when it came to fights, he was a better man than Ajax could ever be. He was not power hungry, and wanted the best when it came to his people and although greedy, he never took anything that wasn’t rightly earned.
“No…you are wrong. It is you who is too good for me. If it weren’t for you, I’d….I would have already lost myself a long time ago, you…saved me.”
It was true.
If it wasn’t for Zhongli, Ajax would have lost himself to his power-hungry drive, would have probably gotten himself killed while he was on the quest for greater power. He would have been dead if it wasn’t for Zhongli.
Zhongli brought the best out in him, made him be better for himself and for Zhongli. Made him want to improve and work on himself, made him open up to people once more, made him know what love was, how it felt like to be cared for so deeply, to be taken care of even in your weakest moments. He taught him how to be human again.
He taught him how to be someone he believed was long dead, again.
He had believed he had killed off Ajax in his mind ages ago, killed him off and locked him away under the cold waters of Snezhnaya, along with Skirk and her brutal beatings of the kid. He believed that Ajax had already died, that he was nothing more than just Tartaglia, Her Majesty’s favorite and esteemed vanguard, or even Childe, the charming man from Snezhnaya with nothing but pretty lies under his sharp smile.
Zhongli had been his rock, someone who had taught him how to love again. Taught him just exactly how it felt like to be appreciated by someone, to be treasured, to be adored so sweetly. He had treated him like shiny rubies, as if he had been priceless, as if nothing in the entire universe could ever compare to him.
He had made Ajax believe that he was worth something.
Even when he knew he wasn’t.
He had made him believe he was special , and treated him like the human he was.
Not a monster, not a Vanguard, not a Harbinger, not a Fatui, not a toy salesman from Snezhnaya.
But a human.
Someone with thoughts and ideas, brimming and urging to come out if given the opportunities. Just another living being with fears, morals, wishes, desires, and ideas.
He had given Ajax the sanity of what it felt like to live a simple and earnest life, what it felt like to be normal; when he had nothing like normality in his life.
He was not worthy to be with Zhongli, in this life or the next.
He was a pitiful creature from the Abyss, someone who was abandoned by his own family, left to die in the cold and foxholes of war, someone who was used like a pawn over and over again by his own Tsaritsa, someone who was easily replaceable.
He was just a dirty monster from a small village, he was nowhere near worthy to be with someone so grand like a God.
Especially if the God in question dazzled like gleaming gems whenever light him, illuminating everything in his path as he lay hope and determination in all those who listened. Especially if the God himself had even paid him any modicum of attention, even if he did not deserve such a thing.
He had been blessed by Celestia, had been blessed with fate for having such a person by his side.
And yet, he had foolishly let go.
Morax stared back at Ajax, wide-eyed and in stern denial as his hair glowed, lighting the water below lightly, like Xiao Lanterns.
It was an incredibly endearing sight, especially as the man blinked and his lips lay parted slightly. His long hair was down messily sprawled across his shoulders, glowing just as his eyes did, and his skin slightly flushed from the heat from the water. The moles on his clavicle looked just as attractive as they did the first time he had seen them, and the way water slid down his tan skin, down every curve and dip of his muscles and strong arms, down towards his well-built abs.
Ajax leaned in forwards, feeling the heat from the steam get to him, making his judgment cloudy and his impulsivity at full drive.
He loved this man in front of him more than words could ever know. More than the world could ever know, more than fate itself would ever know.
He leaned in, the smell of osmanthus, sandalwood, incense and silk-flowers fanned at his face, it was nostalgic, and yet slightly altered by the oils poured into the water. The heat pooled into his cheeks as he leaned in further, hearing faintly as the water splashed around him, and his heart beat sporadically in his chest.
Before he knew it, he was mere inches from Morax’s face, feeling his warm breath tickle his cheek, and saw the water dripping slightly from his long eyelashes, his eyeliner running down messily down his eyes, and the slope of his nose as well as the curve of his lips.
Before he knew it, Morax’s pupils dilated, before they retracted once more into slits, changing rapidly as he stared at Ajax.
His hand came up and cupped Ajax’s face roughly, his nails lightly scratching at his cheeks. It stung, but he did not seem to mind it, as the excitement swelled up inside of him.
Morax’s eyes dilated once more, before he yanked Ajax’s face up, presenting his neck right towards him.
Ajax inhaled sharply, surprised, but did not move as Morax leaned down.
His lips touched the skin of his neck softly, sending a violent shiver down Ajax’s whole being, jerking him upright a bit. Morax did not mention it, and instead went down his neck, inhaling deeply, as if Ajax was a stick of incense.
He seemed pleased at this and hummed, before he licked a stripe down Ajax’s neck, causing Ajax to yelp in surprise.
Morax ignored this and continued to lick Ajax’s neck, as if he was a delicacy. And Ajax suppressed the shivers that went through him as the man’s warm breath tickled his breath.
And before he could even start to wonder what was happening, the man grabbed him by wrist and yanked him around.
Ajax yelled in surprise at this once more, but Morax ignored this as he began to smell and lick at the back of Ajax’s neck, humming contently more than ever, grabbing Ajax’s neck and starting to strangely massage it with his left hand. His other hand is still on his wrist, holding it tightly.
It was a bit strange, at first, but Ajax found it quite pleasant after a while, and all of the tension left his muscles and he leaned into the man. However, before he knew it, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck.
He winced a bit, before he turned his head to the side and saw that Morax had bitten the side of his neck. It was oozing blood lazily as the man leaned in and scooped up the blood from the wound with his tongue before he began to suck on it as well.
Ajax groaned at the sight, feeling his cheeks burn up.
The way the adeptus had bitten him, was possessive in its nature, a way of marking up something that he deemed his.
It was utterly possessive.
But before he could say anything else, he felt the man pull away.
He glanced back at the man, whose mouth was stained with his own blood, and he saw his pupils go back to normal as he gazed at Ajax surprised.
He glanced at himself, before he glanced at Ajax and his eyes widened in surprise as he let go of Ajax.
“I am…sorry…”
And he was gone.
_____________________________
Morax avoided him as if he had a terrible disease afterwards, not daring to even speak to Ajax, even as he desperately attempted to speak to the adepti.
Ever since he had been left alone to simmer about what had transpired, he had never been able to let go of what happened fully.
His mind had been on auto-pilot and before he knew it, the full extent of what had happened rushed into him, and it hit him hard .
Just what the fuck had he done!
He had let temptation get the best of him and apparently, so had Morax…
Although, he was not entirely sure it was desire, or even lust for Morax. As the man had seemed more hungry-ridden when he made his move on Ajax. It had not been a romantic thing, or even a sexual thing, it looked as if he was starving . As if he was going to devour Ajax whole.
That was definitely not romantic or even desire laid bare before Ajax.
It was pure hunger.
But even that, he had a hard time believing?
Had Rex Lapis been known to eat humans before?
No.
He had not.
In all of the history books he had read, there was never any accounts of Rex Lapis ever feasting on humans, much rather it seemed he adored eating human meals and his diet consisted of a large amount of protein and vegetables (?).
He was definitely not hungry in the eating sense.
Then, what was that then?
This weird realization had his mind reeling, as he had no idea what to make of what the man had done.
Was it a....possessive thing?
Had he done it solely to mark Ajax up as his own possession?
Had he overheard his conversation with Sky Bracer and become jealous?
Had his instincts just taken over him and he had not been aware of what he had been doing?
Just what the fuck had happened?
The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.
And so, he resigned himself to equally ignoring the man during dinner and making sure to cover the mark that was on his nape.
Everyone did not seem to notice their strange behavior, at least not caring enough to even address it.
Or perhaps they just decided to feign ignorance on the matter, in order to spare their pride?
Well, either way, Guizhong had not been in on the plan (if they even had one). As she kept throwing strange looks his way.
However, she seemed to respect his silence, and did not question him about it. And would silently stay by his side during midnight strolls and during spars she would indulge him and would be the one to talk instead. And then after a short while, he would spill his heart out to welcoming arms, all while excluding the truth.
But, eventually, the truth he had been safely guarding in his arms, all came spilling out from its tightly sealed container.
All during an awkward run inside of the bathhouse.
____________________________
It had been his mistake.
And now, Guizhong was cornering him, and was barraging him with question after question about just what in Teyvat had bitten him on the neck.
“Seriously, shidi. You could be seriously infected with miasma if one of the demons bit you back there! Why didn’t you mention it when we talked!” She frowned, finding no problem whatsoever that she was merely in a towel…or that he was entirely naked and inside of the water.
Guizhong had no problem bathing in the same area as him, and neither did he, since he respected and only viewed Guizhong as his family more than anything. But, rather it was entirely because he did consider her family, that was the problem.
It was very uncomfortable seeing a friend you consider a family member bathing in front of you, so he was not comfortable bathing right in front of Guizhong. Especially because she would always ask him questions upon questions about how human anatomy looked like. He knew it was done out of innocent curiosity, but either way, he did not want her to ask if his pubic hairs were the same as his hair….for the sake of his sanity and dignity.
Their times had coincided, purely because Ajax had been reckless and too caught up with Morax and he had not checked who would be bathing around that time. And so, one thing led to another and an awkward encounter later, here he was.
Usually, he would make sure everyone was gone before he bathed himself, but sometimes he would be caught awkwardly scrubbing himself and washing his hair with the soap provided while either Sky Bracer or Mountain Shaper stared back at him.
Usually, Sky Bracer would avoid looking at him, but would be blushing regardless. Mountain Shaper always looked utterly disgusted whenever he would have to bathe with Ajax, and would glare daggers at him while he hurriedly washed himself.
He sighed and covered the mark on instinct, already feeling his cheeks heat up from embarrassment, “Ah…no…this is…not what you uhhm think..”
He had no idea what to tell her?
Oh yeah, sorry dear Goddess of Dust but this here mark of mine is from our beloved Shizun, who bit me on my neck, when we were both naked and in the bathhouse. That is all. Have a good rest of your night!
Yeah right.
He was definitely not going to tell her that. Unless he either wanted his head to get sawed off by Cloud Retainer once she heard of it, or Guizhong’s excited screams as she would beg him for answers and would tease him relentlessly about it.
And he definitely did not want to deal with Madam Ping’s sex talk, which she had shortly after she found out about his crush. A talk in which she went into full detail about safety and ‘how to properly prepare oneself before penetrative sex’, her words, definitely not his.
Nor did he wish to deal with Mountain Shaper’s attitude or his light jabs at his sex life or Moon Carver’s judgemental stares.
Neither did he wish to see how Sky Bracer would react to the news….yikes.
The poor adeptus would probably flush before he would avoid the topic entirely.
And he most certainly did not want Cloud Retainer’s judgment nor her own sex talk that she would certainly give after she got over the initial shock.
No thank you, he would rather not deal with any of that.
For now.
Guizhong eyed him suspiciously, before she stared intently at his bite wound, then after a moment her eyes widened, and her mouth opened.
Fuck!
How in Celestia was she so damn sharp!
He was so screwed!
“Did Shiz-”
He rushed and covered her mouth, stopping her from finishing her sentence.
He shook his head, “No! No, it's not! What made you think that, hahahaha...”
His nervous laughter had him wincing, but he continued it as Guizhong stared at him unbelieving. After a few long while, he felt dread seeping into him, as he realized that his shijie was never going to let this one down on him.
He couldn’t lie to her, even if he wanted to.
He let go of her, and sighed.
Guizhong huffed a chuckle before she continued, thankfully quieter this time around, “So…it is…isn’t it..”
He nodded, giving up.
She stared at him for a bit before she gave her own sigh, “I should have known he was part of why you were acting that way. I should have known he would not be able to control that side of him any longer…it was my mistake for thinking that he would be able to.”
What?
What did she mean?
His face seemed to convey the same thing as she chuckled before she continued, “Morax…can be possessive over the things he deems treasures to him, I’m sure you’ve noticed…and that can get out of hand if it's with other living things….Celestia knows how many times I’ve had to withhold that silly dragon from killing anyone that was even daring to lay their hands on me…”
Ajax felt something in him deflate slightly, at the confession. So, although his deduction had not been incorrect, it made him feel a bit strange. Morax also felt that way towards Guizhong, so it didn't mean anything, he wasn't special.
She noticed his expression and patted his shoulder, “But…even if he acts that way around me….It’s…different….with you…you know. With me he acts that way because I am like family towards him, someone that he deems to be his own flesh and blood….But with you, he acts that way because…I don’t know how to say this, shidi. But, I’m getting tired of seeing you two waltz around each other…But he…he…”
There was a loud sound coming from the other side of town, as screams and shouts were heard.
He glanced towards Guizhong, before he felt a massive surge of miasma rush through the air and come straight at her.
It was stronger than any he had seen before in his life.
And, it seemed to have a mind of its own, and Ajax pushed her out of the way, taking the energy in his hands and feeling it.
It was violent, ugly, and inside of it, there were screams. Screams of pain, suffering, and once Ajax felt it fill into his lungs, it was putrid.
Ajax felt his own abyssal energy come out and felt as it fought desperately with the other invading energy. It was extremely corrupt, a raw form of pure terror and calamity.
He groaned in pain as he fell to his knees as he faintly heard Guizhong’s own panicked voice, “No! Don’t come any closer!”
He managed to yell out, before he felt himself fight the energy that was attempting to take control over him. He felt it intrude and attempt to change his every tendon, attempt to break his mind, shatter it and worm its way into his memories.
But he did not let it.
And then, after a long struggle, he managed to smash it and tasted it.
It was overwhelmingly sweet.
Like distant wishes, fleeting joy, bubbling laughter, and then a strong sense of nostalgia washed over him like tidal waves.
He spat it out once more.
But this time, it was a warm amber color, similar to adeptal energy, yet it was less brighter. He held it in his arms, and inspected it fleetingly.
It seemed to be….someone’s memories?
As if someone else had taken a snapshot of someone’s memory and kept it inside of this small glowing orb.
Ajax was stunned, yet strangely fascinated at what it might be. He attempted to inspect it again, but it seemed like the glowing thing did not want to be handled by Ajax any longer, as it rattled in his hands, before it flew out.
He attempted to catch it, but the thing was far too quick for him.
However, it seemed as if he did not need to worry about it because he saw as the thing darted straight into Guizhong’s arms.
Guizhong let out a gasp as she caught it, before she carefully cradled it as if it were something precious, “It’s a…dream!”
What?
________________________
“What?...What do you mean it's a dream shijie? ”
Ajax glanced towards the shiny orb being carried in Guizhong arms. It seemed oddly still in her arms, a sharp contrast to how unsettled it had been in his own.
But then again, he guessed that everything seemed to calm down in Guizhong’s arms.
She took the dream into her hand before she seemingly widened the dream, making it so that it was visible to the eye.
It looked to be someone happily strolling through a large garden, frolicking through the many leaves and flowery fields, laughing whilst making small flower crowns as many large fish flew through the surrounding air. The person in them smiled at the fish before they got on them and began to fly through the skies.
It was…interesting.
Ajax has never had such imaginative dreams.
But then again, he guessed that had to do with his lack of imagination, or perhaps that was due to the black and white view he had of the world, preferring to stick to what he had seen rather than what he had not.
Before arriving in the new world he was in, his dreams mostly consisted of childhood memories, his younger siblings, Zhongli, finally dueling with Capitano, fighting and occasionally they even incorporated his close acquaintances…which just consisted of Paimon, Lumine, and Katya.
Now, his dreams were mostly of the adepti, with many of them depicting Zhongli.
However, although he did dream, he mostly had nightmares.
Call it a character flaw, but ever since the Abyss, Ajax would not stop having nightmares about being stuck down there again. Those nightmares always started off generally normal, before he would sink into the ground and end up stuck in the Abyss with no vision, no delusion, weak and fragile.
However, compared to how his younger self used to deal with them (preferring to go out and kill something to calm himself down), he now just woke up and went out and trained. And, when he was with Zhongli, he would usually just sneak through an open window (which Ajax knew Zhongli left specifically for him), before he would slip inside of the bed and snuggle into his arms on the days where he foolishly stayed in his own apartment.
Guizhong closed the dream, gathering it up in her hands, familiar adeptal energy leaving her fingertips as she did so.
Ajax had never seen her use her powers so brazenly before, but then again. He had never truly read about what the Goddess of Dust Guizhong could do and what she couldn’t. In terms of what her abilities were, but then again, if he thought about it…there weren’t many records about them.
The only history textbooks that ever mentioned her, had to do with the Archon War, Rex Lapis, or about the Adepti.
They never truly went in depth about her.
And if he thought about it further, he was sure that about 40% of what he knew about her, he had learned from Zhongli himself, and the remaining 60% he had learned from Guizhong herself.
So, perhaps he had been naive as to what exactly she was able to do.
She inspected the dream for a bit before she looked back at Ajax, “Yes, this here is a dream.”
“Ok…but aren’t those supposed to be in someone’s head, and not sort of floating out in the open?”
Guizhong shook her head, “No, you are mistaken….Dreams are amalgamations of people’s hopes, fears, and wild imaginations.…They are forms of energy, just like elemental or even adeptal energy are. However, unlike those, they are not made to be cultivated or harvested… Shidi, are you familiar with dream demons?”
Ajax was sure he had heard them briefly mentioned before in one of the many excursions with Zhongli. They were one of the many vermin that were involved during the times of the Archon War, but he did not really know how they worked.
Ajax shook his head, “No, I’m not really all that familiar with them…What are they?”
Guizhong nodded, “Well, dream demons are specialized demons that harvest the energy from human beings and other living things, which are many times in the form of their dreams. However, since normal dreams are unable to be harvested, they have since developed the ability to corrupt dreams. They damage dreams, and turn them into extremely strong and oftentimes violent nightmares, which are then easier to harvest for the dream demon. However, the side-effect of such a process causes their unfortunate victims to…..lose their sanity.”
Oh.
Guizhong’s expression then turned contemplative as she stared at the dream; similar to all those times she had attempted to figure out how to make a new contraption work (Ajax swears he could still hear the scratching of her pencil as she reworked and reworked her newest design of her brand new machinery).
“However, this particular dream…has not been harvested yet, as you can see….which is…rather odd.”
Ajax raised an eyebrow, “Odd in what way, shijie? ”
Guizhong paused before she continued, “It is odd because dream demons are rather notorious for being thorough and efficient when looking for energy to feast on…I have never seen a dream demon leave potential food behind, especially since there are many other demons willing to feast on whatever energy they can get their hands on.”
That made sense.
If the dream demons were so notorious for being so efficient and thorough then why did this particular one leave the dream be? Why not ingest the energy and move on? Why did it leave it?
Did it perhaps run away because of something else? Or could it be…something else? Something neither of them knew about?
“...So, you think there is something else going on here, shijie? ”
Guizhong nodded, “Precisely…..However, it's a bit more than that. I think that whoever left this dream here, did it on purpose.”
Okay, what?!
“A dream demon left it here…on purpose?”
“Yes…it may sound quite outlandish, but I believe this to be the case…A dream demon no matter how powerless it may be to another foe or outside force would never leave behind potential nutrients. They are known to be very greedy, to the extent where they would rather let themselves be killed than waste a perfectly good meal.”
“Alright, then why do you think they left the dream here then?”
Guizhong paused for a bit, before she stared at the dream. After a few seconds she took out a familiar pouch (it was the money pouch that was elegantly embroidered by Madam Ping) and carefully stuffed the dream inside of it, “..That’s what I would like to find out as well, shidi…Now, let’s carry on and report this to Shizun…I fear that this may get out of hand, so we might as well report it now…”
Ajax nodded, “Lead the way then, shijie.”
She grinned before she grabbed his hand and intertwined it with her own dainty fingers. Guizhong’s hand no longer felt as soft as they used to, and now it felt rough with calluses made from wielding her sword so often.
Ever since the invasions had become more prevalent, as the war was starting to reel its ugly head to them, she had been using it far more often than before.
Which ended in her hands forming ugly and painful looking blisters, which were then taken care of, via a salve made from herbs, from which Cloud Retainer slathered on thick onto Guizhong’s hands. Causing the poor goddess to yelp and bite a cloth to withstand the pain, which hardly helped as she was forced to feel the already painful blisters being popped and then smothered with herbs and wrapped tightly with a new cloth.
Ajax knew how painful Cloud Retainer’s medicines and many ointments could be. And he dreaded going to her for any type of salve, anticipating the burning sensation of the salve on his wound before she even put it on. And well, it was not as if she was gentle about it either, preferring to just smooth it on roughly before tying the bandages around it.
And Celestia knows how many times Ajax begged for her to be gentler, only for her to scoff and say, “If you are already surrendering yourself to such a miniscule amount of pain, then one thinks that perhaps you are not worthy to be a warrior.”
Which would promptly have him quiet and pliable in her hands.
But ever since then, Guizhong has also gotten stronger and far more skilled.
Ajax sparred with her shortly and saw fist-hand at how skilled she had become.
_________________________
It was midnight, past the hour to even train properly, past the hour to even be out, past the hour to fight, but Ajax did not care.
He put on his old uniform, putting on layer after layer. After so long without the itchy fabric against his skin, it was quite uncomfortable, but familiar. He wrapped his torn scarf around his neck, feeling the fabric brush up against his skin, it was the last gift he had ever received from his mother.
She had gifted it to him when he was around 7 or 8.
Then after, when there were more and more children, there were no more gifts.
His family never truly said him the same way again.
He was merely Ajax’s replacement.
An empty husk that stood in Ajax’s place, with his face, his voice, and his body.
Only his younger siblings would ever consider him family after that, but he guessed it had to do with the fact that they had not fully remembered what he was like before falling down into the Abyss. So, to them, his odd behavior was just how he normally was and had always been.
But to the rest of his family, he was unrecognizable, a ghost, a stranger inside of their house. He acted nothing like the Ajax they had known, he was different. As if he was a foreign entity attempting to pass off as human, trying to pass off like Ajax.
He held the scarf near and dear to him because of that.
It was the last time his mother would ever regard him with warmth and mirth in her eyes as she wrapped the scarf around him, chuckling slightly when Ajax snuggled into it on instinct.
It was the last time he had ever truly been loved.
And then shortly afterwards, at 14 years old during a quiet family dinner, it was the last time he had ever felt like himself.
Until Zhongli that was.
But even then, Ajax never truly felt like himself.
Even now, he felt as if he had come and replaced Ajax back in the Abyss, and had now become quite talented at impersonating Ajax.
So in a way, he wanted to feel like Childe all over again.
The person he used to act like before landing in this world, the person he used to be before Zhongli had ruined it.
He wanted to feel what it was like to not have a care in the world, to not be in this nightmarish situation all over again, to a time where he was nothing but a loyal dog to his Tsaritsa. A time where he would do nothing but kill and go on diplomatic missions for Her Majesty.
A time where his only worries would be what magical story he would come up with in his letters to his siblings, and what treats and souvenirs he should get for them. Where he would do nothing but check in with Ekaterina and encourage her to take a break every once and a while, much to her refusal and denial.
It was much simpler back then.
He did not have to deal with these sudden barrages of emotions. He did not have to deal with a life or death mission laid upon his shoulders, one that could very well cost him the adepti’s lives.
Back then, his life was much more mundane, a simple thing, insignificant, and perhaps even worthless.
But even so, perhaps he wanted that worthless life back.
If it meant that he could leave this fucked up place, then he would take it in a heartbeat.
But, he couldn’t.
He had promised Zhongli, he had promised himself.
He had made a vow with himself, he had given his word to Morax and the rest of the adepti to fight alongside them until his very last breath. He had signed a contract with them.
He had formed an unshakeable bond with all of them.
He loved them.
He cared for them.
He couldn’t leave them behind.
But even so, he wanted to.
So, he allowed this momentary slip of weakness, and pretended it was all fine.
He pretended to believe that his strange encounter with Morax was nothing but a slip of judgment on his own part. He pretended that he didn’t feel a certain way when he looked at Morax. He pretended that Zhongli was not dying back home. He pretended that they were not on the verge of war.
Now, times were fine.
They were calm, and peaceful like they always were.
He could happily march into town and chat with the locals like it was just another day. He could stroll alongside Guizhong and Madam Ping and talk about the new season that was steadily approaching. He was able to bicker with Cloud Retainer about the intricacies of weaving and how it should be properly done. He was able to stress about where Ganyu had found herself yet again alongside an equally worried Sky Bracer. He was able to train alongside Morax and sneak small peaks at his perfect form and the way his shuhe sticked slightly onto his sweaty body, giving away each individual muscle that was mostly hidden beneath layers of clothes. The days where he was allowed to train with Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver, days which would always end with them going out on a walk through the forest to forage for ingredients, all while silently pretending not to hear their ongoing bickering.
It was all fine.
He could go and do as he pleased, even if deep down he knew it wasn’t like that.
Pretty soon they would enter a war, pretty soon he would have to complete his plan. Pretty soon he would have to meet Xiao, that insufferable brat. Pretty soon he would have to figure out a way to save all of the adepti, and how to save Guizhong. How to save Zhongli.
So, with all of that in mind, he went out to relieve pent up stress in the best way he knew how to. The only way he knew how to.
Fight.
He was going to fight, whatever creature decided to cross his path, whether it be rift-hound or even those atrocious slimes. Whatever it was, he would fight it.
He slipped his mask on carefully, recalling the very moment the mask had materialized out of thin air the moment he had transformed. He recalled the way she slowly picked it up after he had turned back and the way her frosty fingertips passed through his hair when she laid it upon his head, after he had transformed the first time. And the way she smiled sinisterly once she saw him eagerly grab at it and closely inspect it.
Sometimes, Childe wondered just what exactly had happened with his master, Skirk.
Had she fully escaped or had she still remained down there?
Had her appearance changed, or was she still the same as he had remembered?
Has she died already?
Has she missed his presence ever since he left? Or was she somewhat glad for him deep down? Or did she want to drag him back by his legs in order to curb her own loneliness?
He did not know, and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to either.
But anyhow, in no time he saw a group of slimes, and off he went, carrying his hydro dual swords and got rid of each one in no time, ignoring the slime they left behind. But, it wasn’t a challenge enough for him, they were too easy.
He cleared about 50 more slimes before he even began to break out a sweat, apparently his newly founded adeptal energy granted him more stamina then he had previously thought.
There were no hilichurls in this world, a fact that did not surprise him.
While he was not from Khaenri’ah, he somewhat felt connected to the place. They had granted him his Foul Legacy, they were the people who built them. He knew of the tale of the misfortuned people who had found themselves being on the end of Celestia’s wrath themselves. He knew of their eagerness to rule over themselves, to be just as powerful as the Gods themselves, to be just as powerful as an Archon, and were ambitious in their research on various topics.
But Celestia was not fond of them, she was not glad they were ambitiously reaching for the stars themselves, as it was against her heavenly principles. She vanquished the researchers and royalty down beneath the earth and into the place where all of her previously discarded monsters roamed, The Abyss. As for the civilians, she infected them with something and caused their very minds and bodies to begin to decay, until they were nothing but mindless hilichurls. And caused every single one of their ingenious inventions to go rogue and kill everything in their tracks.
And as the forbidden records hidden in Dotorre’s library explained, only 2 survivors are known to originate from the place, someone he had met briefly a few years back and someone he knew nothing of.
But even then, the infection had not passed by them, as was shown in the way they deliberately chose to cover their faces.
But even if that was the horrible truth, that was so foolishly hidden from everyone, he still chose to kill them. A mercy kill, as they no longer had to go on as mindless hilichurls and in a way get their dignity back instead of suffering through the humiliation of being trapped in a body they had no control over. Nobody knew how to liberate them from their shackles any other way, and although Dotorre had attempted to figure it out, experiment after experiment, it merely killed them.
He hoped that this time around, they would be granted mercy. But, even then, he was not entirely sure if he would be able to stick around to even meet them. The Archon War and The Cataclysm were decades apart from each other, and his mission only required a gnosis in return for Zhongli’s life.
He knew that, and yet he felt pity for them.
Ambition can be deadly, he presumed.
As his own ambition grew stronger and stronger, he knew in the bottom of his heart that if he continued to harvest it, it would eventually end in his own demise.
So perhaps, he was more like them than he had thought.
Too ambitious, too greedy for power, too eager for all that the world had to offer.
He found another rip, and from out there came out a few riftwolves, eager to be slain by his spear no doubt. He slain them a bit more, all whilst eagerly soaking in their abyssal energy, feeling his body shiver as he swallowed it down.
But as he swallowed the last of the energy, and felt his body repair itself from any minor injuries he might have gotten, he felt someone behind him.
Driven by pure instinct, and adrenaline, he turned around and pointed the end of his spear towards the direction of whoever was behind him.
The person flinched, and a calm hand settled on the spear’s blade, “Shidi! It is just me!”
His pupils settled on the figure before him.
It was Guizhong.
Her hand was slightly cut open, and had a surprised expression on her face, her warm eyes blown open.
And as he stared at her, he noticed that the tip of his spear’s blade was pressed up against her throat.
He recoiled back in a panic, and instantly withdrew his spear from her throat.
One small movement and her throat would be slashed open with his spear, one small movement, and he would be stained with her warm blood as she lay dying on the floor.
She huffed, and went closer towards him, frowning deeper when he took a step back.
“Shidi! I’m fine! It was just a small cut. Look,” she showed her bleeding palm, it was indeed a small cut, not enough to need any severe medical attention, but just a bandage would suffice.
He still was unconvinced as he shook his head, guilt starting to sink in. Even if it was a small cut, he had still injured her, he had hurt someone who had taken him in. Someone he loved dearly. Someone he looked up too, someone he cared about so much.
Her frown became deeper as she sighed and reached her hand out. He flinched but relaxed once it landed in his hair, and he let out a small sigh as she began to card her fingers through his hair, “It’s all right, shidi. It’s not like I’m a delicate porcelain plate, I can withstand small cuts like this and still stay in one piece. Besides, it was my fault I snuck up on you like that…I should’ve said something.”
He shook his head, taking her hand from his hair and into his own, “No. It was my own fault, shijie. I’m sorry…I…should've been more careful…Let’s get you bandaged up, I have some supplies back at my house.”
He grabbed her hand in his and was about to turn back to his house, when he saw Guizhong still.
He was about to ask what was wrong, when he saw a large grin begin to form on her face. And before he knew it she had enveloped him in a tight hug, “That’s the first time I’ve heard you speak so much in weeks! I was beginning to worry you were taking too much after Shizun and becoming a silent dragon! He’s not the best influence when it comes to effective communication you know!”
Each and every day that went by, he was reminded of Hu Tao when he spoke to Guizhong.
They were eerily similar, perhaps that's why Zhongli took up a job at that Funeral Parlour. Perhaps the way the fire-cracker of a boss that was Hu Tao reminded him of Guizhong, perhaps that’s why he tolerated her antics so much. Maybe that’s why he looked so fond of the kid…
He felt all of the tension leave his body and snorted, “You are exaggerating. I do talk, it's just that, a lot has been going through my mind…”
Guizhong finally heaved a sigh and Ajax shivered when he felt her breathe tickle his neck, “I could tell....that’s why I came to your house to get you to go on a stroll with me…But then I noticed you were missing and so I looked everywhere, until I found you here.”
She finally pulled away, before she grabbed his face, surprising Ajax. She stared deeply into his eyes, before she said, “What is wrong, shidi? What has that old dragon done yet again? Hm? Why have you been so deflated lately, while the rest of the adepti had not said anything. They are worried about you, Cloud Retainer even asked me to check in with you….in her own unique way of asking for things. Everyone misses you, I miss you. What’s going on?”
She quieted down, and stroked his cheek gently, “Will you tell me…Ajax ”
He closed his eyes, gathered all of the air his lungs desperately needed before he sighed, “I…It’s my own problem to deal with, shijie… But I can assure you it has nothing to do with Shizun , he hasn’t done anything to me. It’s my own internal feelings…about my old life.”
It was not a lie, and yet it was not the full truth either.
Her eyes sparkled, as a deep understanding plagued her eyes, “I…see..”
She looked at him once more before she let go of his face and grabbed his hand, a steely unshakeable determination swelled up in her eyes, “Let’s go sit down, we may talk more there, alright?”
He nodded, and let himself be guided once more by her warm hand.
Eventually, they came across the Huaguang Stone Forest lake, and sat down by a small clearing. Ajax felt the cold air sweep past his hair and watched as the tall grass seemed to dance freely, waving its hands around elegantly, as if doing an elaborate dance, doing every single movement with fluidity and sheer elegance.
Her gaze fell upon the vast lake before them, and that’s when she began to speak, “I…have always wondered how you are always so put together despite having landed in such a foreign place, far away from your homeland, far away from those you loved. And I was so fascinated by how even if you fell down, you always seem to pick yourself up, with more strength and willpower than before. But despite everything that’s happened, I was struck by how little you seemed to miss your old life, how quickly you adapted to this place and accepted everything that was thrown before you with open arms and an open mind. Ever since you came here, I have seen you as someone so undoubtedly strong, so untouchable, someone with steel nerves, who can conquer anything….And yet, now I see that is not the case….I have been blinded by how you portray yourself from the outside to see that even despite all of your glory, you are human. You are a living being, with feelings and emotions, just like all of us. I have failed you, and for that I am deeply sorry.”
She moved before he knew it and gave him a small bow, causing the guilt to become bigger.
He moved towards her and shook his head, and saw her blood drip down her fingers.
He kow-towed before her, keeping his head down as he said, “No! You haven’t failed me, shijie! I’m the one who is failing you! Please, don’t apologize! As I said, it is my own problem, there is no need to apologize!”
He felt her hand on his shoulder, attempting to bring him back up, but he shrugged her off causing her to scold him, “Shidi! Do not bow down before me! Do not do such a thing! Stop it!”
He shook his head, “No! I have taken advantage of your kindness for so long, shijie…You deserve better than a monster like me. I can’t even deal with this on my own, how am I supposed to serve you if I can’t even do this!”
He felt a hard strike at his head and he stilled.
He looked up to see Guizhong, absolutely fuming.
It was the angriest he had ever seen her, her face was scrunched up, her teeth were bared, and were sharper than before.
And for the first time since he had gotten there, on top of her head were a set of strange looking feather-like appendages, that were a plethora of different colors, that strangely glowed like fire. Her ears were sharper than they were, and from her back there sprouted two large wings that glowed like flames, as well as strange red markings that looked like scratches on either side of her face and her eyes were glowing reddish-orange. The moonlight hit down, highlighting the color of her wings even more.
It was fascinating, and even the slightest bit intimidating. And it was like nothing he had seen before.
This was his shijie’s half-adeptal form.
Her face contorted even more before he swore he could see tears in her eyes, and before he knew it they fell from her face, golden as they went down her face. But it wasn’t sadness, it was pure anger and fury, “Do not ever say that again, shidi . Do not say that about yourself, ever again. You are not a monster, you are my shidi , my family, my friend. You are anything but a monster, understand that please. Do not think of yourself that way, you are so much greater than you think.”
He sat still, struck with her new form and her words.
But he shook his head, stubborn as ever, “No. No! I am not worthy of your kindness shijie! I am a monster from the Abyss, and yet I dare to go towards the light that I am banished from touching! I am not worth it! I never was, I don’t understand why y-why she sent me here, why you accept me so easily! I don’t…I don’t get it.. ”
He trailed off as he felt his emotions mix up inside of his chest. And he felt his own tears prickle and sting at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall down.
Her eyes softened, as she saw him and he finally let out a sigh, before she rushed to embrace him in her arms once more. And he felt as her wings brushed up against his side, they were soft and slightly warm, “You were sent here for a purpose, Ajax. If she sent you here, then she knows you are worthy, that you are meant to be here. She trusted you, and so I do as well. We all do, why can’t you understand that?”
He shut his eyes and shook his head, but did not say anything.
She didn’t either.
Afterwards, it became a regular thing for Guizhong to come along with him during those odd hours at night, and together they would come and train on most days, and on occasion they would talk afterwards about small things.
He enjoyed it, and even got to grow closer to Guizhong even more than before.
He corrected her form when she used a sword against the training targets they had, and sparred with her on occasion.
And when they talked, he found out more about her.
Her favorite food was Lotus-Flower Crisps, because she enjoyed the crispiness of it once you bit down, the lightness of the dish as well as the subtly sweet flavor. He found out that she did not really enjoy hearty meals with lots of meat, and was a big fan of vegetables and fruit.
He found out that she was a huang , a phoenix, and that although she was originally born as an adeptus, she did not really enjoy her true form as much as the one she had made herself (she did not say who she based it off, and Ajax did not have the heart to ask). She said that in the early years of their settlements, before Ajax or even any of the other adepti, when it was just Morax and her, she took the form of the phoenix often. But, said that she stopped appearing as such, due to the amount of humans that would either attempt to kill her for her feathers and the amount that ran away in terror at her form; she had helped them with harvesting and taught them how to grow their own crops. She also mentioned that she used to have a sibling, a brother she had called him, he was a feng , a powerful phoenix who was one of the first to figure out how to turn human. She did not mention how he died, and Ajax did not dare to ask her.
She said that she ascended and became a Goddess, shortly after meeting Morax, and had been granted that power, for a reason she was not entirely aware of.
She loved her people, even if they hated her or even attempted to hurt her, and admitted so with a heavy heart and a dismayed expression. She truly was a benevolent Goddess, no wonder he had heard her being referred to as a compassionate Bodhisattva.
She also mentioned that when she had first met Morax, he had almost killed her. She recalled with a wistful smile, and she told of how even if she felt great fear at him, she could see his reluctance as he attempted to end her life. He did not and let her go, which encouraged her to keep on attempting to befriend him.
She recalled how even if her life was long, she had many things she wanted to do, and how she regrets many of her choices.
He listened to her, and told her about his siblings, his family and how lost he had felt before he found someone that changed that for him.
She listened carefully, and smiled when he mentioned that person who was special to him.
It was as though she knew whom he was talking to.
And yet, she did not say anything about it.
__________________________
They arrived at Morax's domain in no time, and after a soft knock from Guizhong, the sealed door sprung open, the golden light dispersing as it did.
They rushed inside, and saw Morax laying down, twiddling with something inside of his arms. The closer they inspected, they noticed it to be a small geo crystal fly, that was slightly fluttering about and around his arms.
He clutched the small geo butterfly before he crushed it in his palm, and out from his palm there scattered dust onto the floor.
Ajax could not stop himself from feeling pity for the small creature.
Morax looked lazily at them, his gaze sharp and unreadable, he glanced towards them, “Guizhong…” he looked towards Ajax, and for a split second he could swear he saw his gaze flash with something akin to regret, “Ajax.....What business do you have with me?”
Guizhong looked the slightest bit irritated, if not annoyed and she crossed her arms, “Don’t give me that distant attitude, Morax. We are closer than that, stupid dragon! Ever since you ran into your old pal you’ve been acting so distant and cold, quit it. You can talk to us if it was bothering you, didn’t I tell you that communication is important!”
His seemingly nonchalant expression faltered as his eyes widened ever so slightly as Ajax attempted to not think that it was the cutest thing he had ever seen him do.
He was just so caught off guard, so much so that it was plainly adorable.
Guizhong continued, “I can lecture you about it afterwards, but I digress. That is not why we are here. We have to tell you something important, alright? So quit acting like that, silly dragon.”
Morax’s eyes were still widened but he gave a curt nod to continue.
Guizhong gestured towards him and Ajax nodded.
Fuck, how should he explain this, without it sounding awkward…
“We were uhh…”
He looked at Guizhong for help, and she nodded before she said, “Right! We were bathing together when we heard some screams coming from town.”
Ajax felt his will to live slip past his fingers as she said that, ahh….his dignity and pride was gone…noo…
Just why did she have to word it like that, now Morax was sure to kill one of them. Just he wasn’t entirely sure who, but he hoped it would be him.
He pretended to not sense the burning stare that was directed his way and merely looked at Guizhong as she continued, “Then, something strange was rushing towards me. And then my poor shidi rushed in and fought against it and he cleared the corrupted energy off of it! And it turned out to be a…” she reached towards her bag and grabbed the dream before she held it up in her arms.
The dream was exactly like how he remembered it looked, and Morax’s eyes grew into slits and he went forward and inspected it.
“A dream? Extracted from its host….The dream demon, have you found it?”
Guizhong shook her head, “No, we have not. Which is why we have come to you. We are not aware if there are more out there, and this one seems to come from our own people. This could get out of hand if we are not careful, Shizun.”
He nodded, “Mn…I-”
In an instant, there rushed a familiar face inside, carrying something in her arms.
It was Madam Ping.
She was carrying a similar corrupted dream in her arms, she bowed down before him, “My Lord! This is urgent! I-”
She stopped when she saw Guizhong and Ajax and blinked, once, twice, but before she could respond, Guizhong went on, “It’s another dream? There are more?”
Madam Ping nodded, “Yes, my lady! There are many more all around the town square, they are all being fend off by the rest of us……what is that in your arms?”
Guizhong giggled a bit before showing it to Madam Ping, “It’s a normal dream! Our shidi has cleared it up, isn’t he awesome! He did it so quickly too! Much quicker than we are able to!”
Madam Ping blinked, before she turned to look at Ajax, “You were able to turn them back to normal that quickly?”
He nodded, feeling eyes on him once more, “Y-yeah, I was able to.”
She nodded, “How interesting, so your abilities are far more than I had first assessed…I wonder if you are able to clear up any sort of corruption using your abyssal energy? Have you experienced any side-effects yet, shidi? ”
He shook his head, “Not that I have noticed, no.”
She seemed to take in this information before she nodded, “I see. Well, even so, make sure to not ingest so much of it at once, we do not know what the side-effects could be, or how dangerous they could be. But even so, we could use this to our advantage.”
He wasn’t sure what to say so he didn’t, so he just nodded, “Sure, I’ll help with anything, Da-jie just tell me what and I’ll do it.”
Her gaze softened and she smiled, “Alright, shidi.”
The corrupted dream rattled in her hold, and he reached out to get it, “Give it to me, Da-jie. I’ll clear it right up.”
She hesitated a bit but eventually reached out to give it to him. He accepted it in his own arms and repeated the process he had before, and felt the energy coat his lungs as he inhaled it and tasted the subtle flavor.
Once it was done, the dream was just like the other one, and this time it depicted something…interesting.
It was a.......
....Wet dream.
In it it depicted a man laid on his back whilst another man licked a stripe down from his nape to his stomach, where he went down further, as the other man writhed underneath him.
While it wasn’t the most explicit and risque thing that Ajax had ever seen, it was certainly quite the spectacle, as it appeared to be the beginning of such an act.
The entire room went silent, and Guizhong quietly closed the dream up, hurriedly.
Ajax swallowed nervously, feeling his adrenaline pumping and his heartbeat being able to be heard inside of his eardrums.
Guizhong glanced towards Ajax nervously before she coughed, “Well…that was certainly…something..”
Ajax nodded, “Yeah….it was..”
Madam Ping went still and Ajax could see how the tips of her ears went pink as she looked away pointedly. Guizhong’s own face was slightly pink as she stared at the dream in surprise.
Whilst, Morax looked…fascinated and even intrigued as he still stared at the dream, even in its orb-like form. And out of the four of them, he seemed to be the least flustered.
Ajax guessed that he must be beet-red, as he felt his own cheeks heat up.
There was another awkward silence, and Ajax nearly choked when he saw Morax turn towards him.
Morax’s gaze then suddenly ripped from the orb to Ajax, and suddenly he felt the heat spread all over his body.
Morax’s pupils were blown out as his gaze raked Ajax’s body up and down, slowly and tantalizingly so.
Guizhong and Ajax had not had enough time to dress properly, so Ajax had strapped on his old uniform, and well….looking at it closely, he noticed that he had not put it on full.
His top jacket was missing, and in its stead was his sole undershirt, which just had his chest harness, alongside that intricate and purposely done cut that showed off his abdomen. Which now in hindsight, was a lot more inappropriate than he had remembered it being. And his pants were no better since there was strategic leather that wrapped around one of his thighs and his waist, which somehow accentuated it.
Whoever designed his uniform was definitely a pervert…
He felt his cheeks heat up even more as he swore he could see Morax moving closer towards him. His uniform was so revealing, and it showcased every dip and curve of Ajax’s body, and Morax seemed to know that as he drank in everything he had to offer.
Ajax swallowed and warning bells rang inside of his head as he told himself that he would have to do something to get Morax back to normal.
Thankfully, Guizhong interrupted them and yanked Morax back by his hand, before she brought his head down and whispered something unintelligible to him.
His pupils turned back to normal as his expression turned less primal and the same nonchalance took over in place, “Let us go and find the dream demon.”
They all awkwardly nodded as they barrelled out of Morax’s domain.
_________________________
The scene before them was pure chaos, as the adepti captured each dream inside of a strange bag that had presumably been made by them.
Cloud Retainer looked irritated as she forced each dream to enter the bag, but she managed to give a short bow before she said, “My Lord. You have arrived, one sees that you have brought the rest.”
Morax nodded, “Mn…Where is...the dream demon?”
“One has not found it yet, the rest are looking for it…However, it is not as easy as one had previously anticipated it.”
Morax raised an eyebrow, and Cloud Retainer nodded before she continued, “The rest have conversed with the humans that have not been affected, and they say that there have been reports of an unknown god who has been sending dream demons to corrupt humans to take their energy for himself….My Lord, forgive this one, as one has not found out who this unknown god might be.”
He shook his head, “No need for apologies. You have said enough.”
She gave another curt bow before she finished gathering the remaining dreams into the bag, and she swiftly closed it.
Madam Ping sighed, “There seems to be another god, this all has gotten more complicated than I had anticipated to be.”
Cloud Retainer pecked her on the head, “Foolish child. It would never be that simple, there is always a bigger fish at the end of the small pond.”
Madam Ping sighed once more, “You are right, it was foolish of me to presume it would be that simple. But even so, do we even know where this god is headed, or where he went off to?”
Cloud Retainer turned back into her human form and shook her head, “No, whilst there have been reports of this god going south, there are also many humans who say that he went north. There is no way to tell the true direction of where he went off to? We may only now follow the trail of corruption that has been laid down before us all, only then would we find what awaits us.”
There was a small bout of silence, as the realization of yet another battle and yet more brutality shed upon everyone.
Ajax gave a small huff, “Da-yi , could you explain that again? I didn’t quite understand it, with all of the metaphors and stuff.”
Cloud Retainer’s eyes seemed to sparkle with fury as she smacked the back of his head with her palm and huffed, “Insolent child! Who is your oldest auntie? If one does not get what one means then it is not worth explaining. Stop your dilly-dallying and your disrespect and help bring this bag all the way to one’s domain.”
He gave a small laugh but was glad the tense atmosphere had cleared up, “Alright! Alright! I’m sorry…Da-yi.”
Cloud Retainer glared daggers at him, but did not say anything as she huffed and wordlessly grabbed the bag at one end, and waited until Ajax grabbed on himself.
And up they went, the rest of the adepti trailing behind as Guizhong attempted to stifle her own giggles inside of Madam Ping’s shoulder as they walked up and heard Cloud Retainer arguing with Ajax.
All while Morax followed behind them all, silent and observant.
There was something else with them.
__________________________
Morax noticed amidst the banter, a quick shadow darting out of sight as soon as he turned around, before it had dissipated into a cloud of dark-greenish energy.
And yet, as he gazed at the spot where it had disappeared, he couldn’t help but feel as if the shadow was not hostile, but instead, curious.
Curious at the rest of the adepti, curious to see what they were doing.
But careful to not interrupt, careful to not trespass, careful to not interact with them.
How curious.
__________________________
A day later, they had all gathered supplies and were all ready to go towards the direction of the last sighting of the god and his dream demons (after they had painstakingly asked some of the locals).
Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, and Sky Bracer had all left before them, to scout out the area before fully alerting the rest of them. While the rest of them stayed behind and gathered up enough supplies and tools to go out and look for the god.
Ajax had cleaned many of the corrupted dreams with the help of Cloud Retainer, and soon enough everyone’s dreams were back to normal. Guizhong then gathered up the dreams and returned them to their rightful owners, earning the many thanks and offerings of her newly-loyal followers as they bowed to her (causing Guizhong to shake them off and pick them up).
For whatever reason, Guizhong seemed to despise people bowing down to her (that much was evident with how upset she looked when Ajax did it).
She wanted her people to interact with her just like they did to everyone else, but a part of Ajax knew that besides her wanting to get closer to them that way…Guizhong did not think she was worth all of the praise and offerings, and even seemed slightly embarrassed whenever someone revered her so greatly.
Ajax stifled a chuckle when he remembered just how alarmed Guizhong had seemed as she attempted to get the people who had kow-towed in front of her to get up, panicking when they refused to get up.
She was a great adeptus, a Goddess of Dust, someone who had so much unconditional love for her people, and yet, she clearly did not want to be any of those things. Ajax knew just how much she wanted to hold rancor and hatred in her heart, but could not, even to those who had hurt her in the worst possible ways.
She carried her love around for everyone, even to those who did not deserve such a blessing.
She always thanked her followers more than anything and bashfully accepted each and every single one of their offerings with as much care as the next.
Celestia knows just how many times Ajax had seen her cradling something even as insignificant as a small flower in her hand with so much care and love. And Lord knows how many times he had seen her cast a special protective barrier around the new thing that was gifted to her, before she would display it proudly around her domain, keeping each and every offering and sharing every single story with such great fondness in her expression as she recalled them.
Ajax wished he could be a fraction as humble as she, but he was an arrogant bastard. An arrogant bastard with an ego that superseded everything in the universe.
He sighed and saw as Cloud Retainer grumbled complaints as she sat down and begrudgingly let Ganyu braid flowers into her long hair. Quietly complaining that it had been Guizhong and Ajax’s fault for teaching her this strange torture method.
Ajax muffled a chuckle behind his palm as he attempted to not see how despite her complaints she was enjoying Ganyu’s attention, and even relaxing more than he had ever seen her do….she had even braided A-Yu’s own hair…although her braid had been messy and lop-sided.
She had been in charge of ‘watching over the helpless and useless child’, her words.
But, even if she said that with dread, he could tell she had warmed up to the child a bit.
She had been sent to get rest after having overexerted herself over the past few days, and after Madam Ping checked her meridians.
Apparently, after she had helped Ajax clear up the dreams, she had used up most of the energy inside of her meridians, yet according to her it was nothing but a minor inconvenience.
But a glare from Madam Ping, and a quick jab at one of her pressure points had her in bed for a few hours, much to her dismay. And after that, Cloud Retainer hesitantly obeyed, yet with many complaints.
Ping could be quite the scary person, when she wanted to be. She was usually a very quiet if not calm person, so seeing her get mad was just as terrifying as Guizhong…although, Guizhong was much more petrifying.
And Ajax made a silent vow to never get on their bad side, ever.
It had been awkward spending time with Morax ever since…whatever that was. And whenever they had found themselves in the same place, their eyes always refused to even look at the other.
But then again, Morax always seemed to be distracted by…something .
Always looking towards the corners of every single tree, and at the side of every mountaintop and cliff. As if he was looking and waiting for something to pop out of them, and yet, nothing ever did.
It raised more questions than he bargained for, but he didn’t dare to ask him why.
Their relationship was fragile and rocky at the moment, going through a turbulent storm. It was muddy, messy, and all over the place. He feared if he attempted to poke at it, it would come crashing down.
They both needed some time apart, to come to terms with their own things.
And besides that, Ajax needed to get on his task, he had no time to dilly dally with some god, not here. He had his own god he could do that with, he just needed to get to him.
So, although many questions had been racing through his mind about the bite, the strange looks after looking at that dream, after all of the strange encounters. He had no clue as to what to make of it.
Did the Archon….no.
It was unlikely.
And even if he did, he was too delved deep into his own admission of denial and was unsure about how to navigate his own feelings. He did not even feel as if he deserved Ajax, but Ajax wasn’t sure exactly what that meant.
Did he mean in a friendship? Or was it something more intimate?
But even if it was the latter, he couldn’t have something like that here. Not in this condition, not in the middle of a war. Not when he had his own love to get back to.
It was a whole web of complicated circumstances, a web of his own complicated feelings on the matter.
He sighed deeply, as he gathered a sack filled with different healing salves and ointments. Cloud Retainer had sent him to gather some of them up, and had told him where to find them. Even if she was not coming alongside them, she was just as demanding as ever.
He scooped them up and neatly placed them inside of the sack, making sure to get some bandages up as well, in case one of them got injured.
He was concentrating on gathering up the supplies and he did not hear the sound of someone approaching behind him.
He jolted up and faced Madam Ping.
Her face was pensive as she stared at him, her own sack neatly strapped across her shoulders, “Are you ready, shidi? ”
He grinned at her, before he closed his sack up, “Yep, I’m all done, dajie….Why have you come here? Is there anything else you need?”
“No, I….heard from shijie…about what happened with your…neck..” She looked flustered as she gazed to the side, her face slightly pink.
Ah…
So, Guizhong had told her…fuck.
Had she told anyone else about it?
He trusted her enough to not blab about to everyone, but she and Ping always were close, so it would make sense for them to talk about these things.
He nodded, “Oh…”
She tore her gaze from him and sat her bag down onto the desk of Cloud Retainer’s office before she retrieved a small vial of something. It was a strange looking liquid that seemed to shine slightly.
“This is uhh…supposed to help with minor wounds…I made it myself out of some of the crops I harvested from Shigu's garden….Here.”
She handed it to him, and he awkwardly caught it before he examined it, “Ah…thank you..”
She nodded, before she closed her bag and slapped it back on across her shoulders. Her face went pensive again, as she stared at him. She then retrieved something from her sleeve, it was a sigil of sorts, “...You’ll tell me if it gets out of hand, okay?.....I have witnessed Shizun get…out of control. I know what he is like when he is not in his right mind…call me over if it gets bad, alright?”
He gave a weak smile, as he stared at the sigil she had placed in his hands, it was glowing slightly and the penmanship was elegantly done as each stroke was done with dark ink; it was no doubt made by her.
“...I…thank you, da-jie. I appreciate the sentiment…But…I think I have it under control myself. And besides, it’s not what you think it is….it’s…complicated. ”
She stared at him a bit before she gave a soft nod, “Even so, you have my sigil…If you ever require my assistance, use this…alright?”
He stared at the sigil before he placed it carefully inside of his sleeves, heart heavy.
He let out a long sigh before he gave her a large grin, “Alright, I promise…But other than that, was there any other reason you came here to see me, da-jie?”
She gave a stiff nod, “Yes, we have received word from the rest….There are other adepti.”
He paused.
What?
Ever since he had come to this world, he had believed that the only adepti were only born out of that mountain. If there were other adepti, then, what did that mean?
“What do you mean?”
Her face grew solemn, as she frowned, “They…are all imprisoned, enslaved by that god….held against their own wills and forced to commit atrocities…”, her hands shook as she clenched her fists.
He did not know of Madam Ping’s past, but he knew it was not the greatest either. She refused to talk about it, and never fully explained to everyone else what had happened.
She had been born out of the same mountain as everyone else, but had gone off on her own, and nobody knows what she had done during those primitive years. But, ever since she had come back, she had silently devoted herself to serving Morax and served him with ferocious loyalty.
And according to what he had heard from some of the adepti, Cloud Retainer had found her a while ago, badly beaten and bruised, almost to the point of death. She took her in, and she never left afterwards.
There had been gossip around the real reason she had stayed, but the general consensus was that she did because of someone special. That she had simply found her true purpose, and had devoted herself blindly.
Ajax had a suspicion it had to do with a certain Goddess, but he never inquired about it.
While they were close, he had no need to find out what her past was, and what she did and didn’t do. The thing that mattered to him was who she was and their bond, not what she used to be like. If Madam Ping did not wish to share her past to him, then he did not need to know it.
She closed her eyes, and sighed, “No matter. I mustn’t dwell on this longer….it’ll only upset me further.”
He reached out and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat, “Hey, it’s gonna be fine, da-jie…we will free them. I know we will.”
She placed her hand on his own, and gave it a firm squeeze, “...Yeah…we will,” she gave a soft smile before grabbing his hand and taking it off her shoulder.
She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath before she said, “The others are waiting for us down at the mountain, let us go now.”
Ajax nodded, threw his bag over his shoulder and followed Madam Ping out of the door.
________________________
They met up with the others, who were waiting with their own supplies and weapons at the ready. Most of them seemed to be caught up in conversation with each other, but even as their conversations were lively, there was a strange tension in the air.
It did not wash past Ajax, and recalling what exactly Madam Ping had told him, he knew why it was so tense.
Guizhong attempted to light it up, as she always did and was busy talking with Ganyu while they both eagerly decorated Cloud Retainer’s hair, which was now elegantly braided (Guizhong had most likely redone the braid when Ganyu was distracted) while Cloud Retainer pouted and read a book on what appeared to be about apothecary.
Morax was the only was who was silent, as he remained quiet, pensive as ever.
Guizhong spotted them first and waved them over, “Shimei, Shizun, are you both ready? We’ve been waiting for you!”
Madam Ping gave a curt nod, which seemed to widen Guizhong’s smile.
Ajax also nodded but said, “Yes…Did we take too long?”
She shook her head, “No, not at all. We just finished packing up as well, you’ve arrived just on time.”
Cloud Retainer huffed, “That is all wrong…insolent brats! One has been waiting for you to give one's blessings but, it seems as if you do not need my blessings after all.”
Madam Ping shook her head, “Not all all. We were just caught up in an important conversation, s’all…we will be honored to receive your blessing.”
Ajax nodded, “Yes, we would be honored, Da-yi.”
Cloud Retainer seemed annoyed but nodded and waved them over. Once they were over there, she placed her hands onto their temples, and Ajax felt warm as a glowing light entered his forehead. He felt slightly dizzy as she retrieved her hand, but comforted.
It was rare for Cloud Retainer to show affection (at least gentle affection), even if it was in the form of a blessing, as she seemed to avoid touching others for too long. And she herself seemed to detest physical affection, for reasons that Ajax did not know.
However, when she did touch you gently, it felt like it was a gift from above. Her touches were the most gentle thing Ajax had ever felt, careful and warm as if she was afraid that you would break if she were to touch you too roughly.
He glanced over at Madam Ping, who had a small almost swirl-like red pattern right in the center of her forehead, from once Cloud Retainer’s hand had touched. He looked over to see that Guizhong also curiously had one on herself, but instead of being a swirl it was in the shade of a flower.
Ajax wondered what his might look like, and decided to look into the water to see what it might look like, later on.
She gave them a firm pat on their shoulders before she sighed, “It is a shame that one has not been given the honor to fight alongside you both on this particular mission….Nonetheless, with this token on your foreheads, you are sure to have one's blessing wherever you go.”
Madam Ping gave her a deep bow before she pressed both of her hands together, “Thank you, for this blessing…I will treasure it wherever I go, Shigu.”
She nodded passively at her, and waved her off.
Ajax grinned at Cloud Retainer before he gave a bow as well, “Thank you for your blessing, Da-yi! I’ll make sure to take care of it for you!”
Cloud Retainer frowned at his choice of words before she playfully slapped the side of his head, “Insufferable brat!”
Ajax only laughed as he rubbed the side of his head, earning a chuckle from Guizhong.
Their voyage would be a long one.
He was certain, as the direction of the God was a long way from their small settlement.
But although it would be lengthy, he knew they would get there in no time.
__________________________
Yet, amidst the lively chatter as they walked out of their growing nation, they missed someone curiously peaking at them from amongst the shadows.
He had never seen anything like them before, and their warmth beckoned him, even as he was cursed to forever roam in the shadows, cursed for eternity to forcefully serve someone he did not like.
Freedom was a distant word, foreign to his mouth.
His shackles itched, as he saw the ugly marks on his wrists from the metal, and felt the voice demand him to head back.
He darted from their view, once he saw golden eyes stare holes from the shadows he hid behind.
Freedom was a distant word, foreign to his mouth.
He would never attain it, it was not his to attain.
He heard the voice yell out for him, and he listened.
The shadow was gone in a wisp of dark green air, and it was no more.
#childe x zhongli#zhongli#zhongchi#childe tartaglia ajax#my fic writing#my fic#my fanfiction#my fanfic#genshin impact#tartali#morax#angst with a happy ending#fluff#eventual happy ending#Kinda slow burn#slow burn#time travel#genshin liyue#geo archon#reconciliation#grieving#character death#original character#chili
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Old man Terry crying in grief for the lack of time he has with a youthful, vibrant beloved? 🥺💔
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In 1985, after a trial regarding the displacement of an Amazonian rainforest native tribe in order to discard three hundred tonnes of toxic, residue oil on the newly cleared out grounds was won in his and Dynatox's favor, rendering all charges absolutely obsolete, the crowds gathered in front of the steps of Metropolitan courthouse in LA to protest the damn thing. Of course, Terry waved and smiled at the three huggers, posed for the cameras, provoking them only a little bit. Let them get a nice shot, he thought, dodging, with a chuckle, when one of the gathered mob tried to throw a black bucket of tar on his new suit. Armani. Custom made. Sheer white. Terry could've looked like he was going to his own wedding, but really, he was playing a practical joke. White for innocence and purity. What a riot. He giggled in delight even as his stylists put together the ensemble at his explicit request. It was just too good. It would look delectable in the tabloids, practically mocking everyone reading it. Of course, the regional judge was his associate and friend, closely affiliated with Willie Cole, so that helped the issue along just as smoothly as planned. What left that day firmly lodged in his mind was of course someone, some nameless person shouting something he found baffling and laughable from the sidelines. Lowbrow and tacky. 'Don't worry! Karma will get his ass!' How helpless. Nobody could do anything on their own against him when he was at the top of the world, so they were willing to rely on a make-belief force. Terry cackled in a roar at that, all the way to his tinted glass, armored Rolls Royce.
Driving away, finding particular amusement in the statement.
He lit a celebratory Cohiba.
Later that night, the better half of the Hills was jubilantly socializing in his mansion.
Thirty three years later, it is the anniversary of that very court victory. Naturally, a private thing only he privately remember so many decades in the past, back when he didn't have you, as he sits with you, sharing a meal, sharing drinks, making small talk concerning franchising out his new Cobra Kai dojos, maybe outside the country --- anything to keep himself from going insane. His birthday was coming up. It is your own he focuses on, though; you were only just entering your late twenties and early thirties. Fear strikes in, acutely, like a stealthy knife between his ribs. It twists. Discipline, he reminders himself, without any mercy towards the issue or towards himself. After a warm bath together and so many small deaths twisted in his black satin sheets, your body contorting like an instrument in his arms, Terry ponders the real thing. Actual death. He doesn't have time, he doesn't have time, he doesn't have time. He doesn't even have to take to inebriation to start losing his composure. Whenever this happens, Terry makes himself deliberately overtly busy to avoid being controlled or distracted by his own inner musings, but as he works up a sweat in his private gym, the heat of the moment, his own Kata and workout routine mixing with chagrined teeth, he finds all the pent up energy coming out his own eyes. He cries. Terry cries in anger. John's words come to mind, that day at the dojo, when they were reunited. You're just an old man, in the last stages of his life.
He cries. In wrath. Kill. Kill. Kill.
That's how you find him, pacing, like a caged animal. Snake on the prowl.
He wants to ram his fist into a nearby wall, bloodshed bubbling up.
Even the look of concern on your face is beautiful, all shapes and love. He wants to strangle you. Why do you even exist? How dare you not exist sooner? Why do you exist? How dare you not... -"Terry…"- You trail off in your own worry, hands hovering and shaking around his shoulders, daring to embrace. You hold him and there's warmth in the act. Karma will get his ass. He ponders all the time wasted, all the times he wanted you. All the times he didn't have you because you weren't even born yet, an uncontrollable fact of age differences. You can have everything in life, but never at the same time or whatever bullshit, right?
Whoever came up with that proverb should've been hunted for sport.
Why not, though? Indignation.
Terry singlehandedly smashes a training dummy made out of concrete blocks as you try to hold him and prevent him from doing so. Your desperation feels good. Everything about you does, like an addictive drug. He feels no pain. And then he falls back and sinks into you, taking you against the wall, sweaty and salty, surrounded by exercise equipment and making you sob and seethe with him, pleasure diluting grief as he ruts into you, rough and fast. There was no time, except the now. So, he had to possess and possess. Terry laughs hysterically as he cums inside of you. No, no, he would make time. Invent more, if he had to. All the time he needed to consume you.
#terry silver#kk3#cobra kai#old man terry#tw; tragedy#tw; age differences#tw; angst#tw; hurt and comfort#fluff#terry silver x reader#terry silver x beloved
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bab april ! bab april ! bab april ! bab april ! bab april ! bab april ! bab april ! bab april ! bab april ! bab april !
april
okay
so april comes into the boys lives when leo puts out an add for a babysitter when they get to new york. which is a thing he'd done before but it always ended in whoever answered the add realizing that they were the escaped creatures from the lab they came from and calling them in
april was different though
while leo and mikey's method of picking her up from where they told her to meet them was definately unconventional [kidnapping is wrong kids even if you let them go later] she doesn't have any reason to call them in.
she sees them for what they are
a small family just trying to survive and get by
she continues to come back everyday even if she isn't exactly needed just so she can help in any way
leo can't pay her. she doesn't care
she has a full time job and is making her way through college and any money she has left over she uses to help her boys
she buys all kinds of toys for the tinies. no matter how many donnie shreds she is determined to find something he can't rip apart. and raph never takes to them that much but he will cuddle the odd stuffie from her every now and then and she'll considder that a win for now [she tried getting a new unicorn for donnie when he got to big for his to be easily cuddled but it was shredded about a week after she gave it to him]
april also regularly takes donnie to the park so he can get the room to run he doesn't get as easily at home. she tried with raph but he just wasn't interested
some days leo just doesn't have the energy to do much. these days had been full of no effort meals and the tinies set in front of some device to keep them enertained before they met april
after april will take the tinies out so they are out of the house and leo can just chill without having to worry about them. apeil does call in regularly to make sure leo is taking care of himself those days. he still needs to eat after all
april doesn't interact with mikey that much. he is cold and standoffish toward her. only in emergency situations does she even have remotely real conversations with him. she does try to be there for him though
when splinter tries to force his way back into the boys lives she is the one who watches as mikey breaks. the only one of her boys she hadn't thought cried at anything. was in hysterics because none of them wanted to leave. and convincing raph that they had to leave had completely broken him
that's when she remembers her family's old farmhouse. she could give her boys a place to stay and they would still be able to see her regularly
they gathered the few things they absolutely could not leave without and off they went. april would bring the rest of their things over later
they all get to the farmhouse and start the process of settling the boys in.
and raph is in a crap mood the whole time. by the end of the day raph is crying and inconsolable
leo realizes that raph's mouse stuffie is missing. april offers to go get it and bring it back. but raph refuses
his stuffie might have looked a little too much like their newly mutated father. and while he wants it, he doesn't want to see it at that moment
april takes a trip to a small store a few miles away and grabs a new stuffie. this one isn't a mouse but it's the best thing at the moment. because he doesn't want the mouse at the moment anyway
and that's all for now.
you gor me rambling pretty good with this one
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