#Cause Luda WANTS to do it

[asingingpenguin]

Going through the CR tag is a nightmare right now

[impeakcharacterdesign]

Just the Tip

— Thomas Hewitt x Fem!Reader —

MDNI!!!

Summary: It’s the 1960s and Luda Mae frowns upon premarital sex like any good Christian woman. You and Tommy are young, hot, and in love but the only problem is that Tommy was raised to wait until marriage and never lets you two go any further than kissing and some groping.

But the devil lives in the hot Texan sun and even God takes a break from the summer heat.

Notes: this is super short, just pure smut, self indulgent I’m obsessed with big boy Tommy 😭😭😭 i swear I’m working on part 2 of my sister Sinclair fic but Tommy has me in a choke hold and I needed an outlet.

No TW that I can think of other than bad smut and maybe ??? Coercion??? Cause Tommy wants to be a good boy and stop before y’all go too far but you flash him and then he’s absolutely 100% in. A bit of religious stuff, period typical sexism but vaguely. Let me know if I should add anything else and I’ll get right on it. Reader isn’t ever referred to using “she/her” pronouns but is described as having breasts and does have female genitalia so I tagged it fem reader to be safe

Enjoy!!!

The early morning sun burned, chasing away what little cool air remained of the night before. While the barn shaded you from the unforgiving sun and hid you from disapproving eyes — or lecherous in the case of the older men of the family — it also trapped in the heat your two bodies gave off.

Thomas pressed his open mouth to your own, tongue swiping over your teeth eager to taste you. Your hands gripped his dark hair, ruining any half-effort attempt he had made earlier in the day to smooth down his unruly hair. He held you in his arms, body pressed tightly against him in an attempt to get as close as possible, his large frame hiding you even further from prying eyes than the shadowed corners of the old barn. The kiss was deep and hungry and served as a brief respite from Luda Maes ever watching eyes. While she had been fine with you living with the family before you and Tommy were married, she forbade you from sharing a room or being intimate, a rule she absolutely refused to budge on and one that Uncle Charlie took a strange glee in ribbing you about. But much like the Texan heat, the heated looks you gave each other were unavoidable and only grew hotter as the summer days went on. Luda Mae wanted to wait until the following spring to make your union official but at the rate the town was drying up, there wouldn't even be a priest to officiate the ceremony, much less any guest to attend. You highly doubted anyone outside of the family would want to witness your union anyway but still, Luda Mae didn't want the few who would to get wise and start counting months.

These stolen moments in the barn were as good as you could get — and by god were they good.

Tommy’s large hands groped at your breasts, pawing roughy at your nipples through the worn fabric of your old dress. It wasn’t long before you found yourself in the familiar position of being sprawled out on the barn floor, coarse hay a discomfort you had long learned to endure for the sake of pleasure.

You desperately thrust your sex up onto his growing bulge, whining when he groaned and pinned your hips with his own, preventing you from getting your desired stimulation. “Please Tommy,” you beg, lips separating, “We don’t have to do too much, I just wanna touch you.” You press open-mouthed kisses to his neck, pulling softly at the flesh with your teeth and tongue dragging across the bites to taste the salt on his skin. Your hands eagerly worked to untuck his faded green shirt and wrap around him, roaming the vast expanse of his back. His whole body shuddered in your arms, an attempt to hold back from eating you whole.

You know Thomas will put an end to your romp soon, the tense lines of his shoulders and the way he shuts his eyes a sign that he's reaching his limit, that if you two don't stop now you won't be able to stop — but that’s exactly what you want.

You're tired of holding back, of this constant edging you have to endure when you’re in his presence and it gets harder every day. Just yesterday afternoon, Uncle Charlie sprayed Tommy with the hose, telling him that he was filthy and needed to get out of those clothes before he went inside. Watching as he undressed by the back door so that you could put his clothes on the line to dry had nearly given you a heatstroke — and if Charlie’s leering grin was any clue, you swear he did it on purpose in an attempt to rile you up. You ran off before you sinned right there in the yard, the memory of Thomas's shirt clinging to his arms, his chest glistening with water had kept you company well into the night.

So before Tommy puts a stop to your roll in the hay you make your move. You lift your dress up past your breast and expose yourself to him, you can see his breath stutter in his chest, this was quickly becoming the farthest you two had ever gone.

“Just watch me, Tommy, watch me,” you say breathlessly.

And he does, he sits on his haunches like a predator, his engorged cock straining against his pants and imagining just a taste has your tongue darting out to wet your lips, his gaze fixated on the movement.

Sliding your panties off your legs, your fingers dip briefly into your wet hole, gathering slick to rub onto your clit. At the very first touch, you let out a shuddering breath and you watch as his shoulders heave.

You begin rubbing your clit at an intense pace already turned on from the earlier heavy petting, not once breaking eye contact with Thomas as you do. With each moan you muffle you see his eyes grow darker with desire breathing with his mouth open as though he could taste your scent in the air. When he finally lets his cock spring free you let out your loudest moan yet. It’s better than you ever thought. His cock is thick and heavy, drooping slightly under its own weight but still undeniably firm. It curves slightly and you imagine that if it was inside you it would scrape against your walls in a way you've never been able to do with just your fingers.

Thomas grips his cock firmly and gives it a few tugs, eyes alternating between hungrily drinking in the sight of your blissed-out expression and your dripping pussy. You buck your hips, desperate to press your clit against your fingers and Thomas jerks his length even faster, rubbing his tip and spreading his precum on his hand.

God, you wished it was you that was touching him.

Thomas settles onto his knees and after a brief hesitation begins to shuffle closer to you. The sight of him crawling to you on his knees with his dripping length in hand made your pussy clench around nothing and you let out a whimper. You remove your fingers from your clit, feeling the heat radiating from his cock as he settles on top of you, legs spreading around his waist, your hips slightly raised and resting on his thighs.

The tip hesitantly pressed against your clit and your moan fills the small space before you can suppress it. This was better than you were hoping and it felt as though you were pressing against the boundaries the lord had set for you. Tommy’s eyes find yours looking for reassurance, asking without words, “Do you think this is okay?”

You find enough comprehension in your lust-addled brain to come up with a coherent answer, “It should be fine, I think,” you stammer out, “I mean, it’s not like — not like you’re putting it in so, it should be fine.”

You’re not overly familiar with the word of God outside of Sunday services and Luda Mae’s lectures, both of which you were forced to attend and spent tuning out in favor of watching the sweat build on Tommy’s brow while he worked through the window.

You think that if God could feel the weight of Thomas like you did, feel the heat like you could, you think he’d forgive the sin of your act.

It seems like that was all the reassurance that Thomas needed because no sooner than the words fumbled their way out of your mouth that he begins to drag the length of his cock against your slit.

God, if this is what hell was supposed to be like, burning and full of decadence, then perhaps you didn’t mind being a sinner.

The way he ruts against you is euphoric. Heavy breaths escape you both and you can’t help the words that spill from your lips.

“God, Tommy, I wish you would put it inside me,” you whine out “‘wanna feel your fat cock in my pussy, wanna get filled,” you might as well be begging at this point, and Tommy's increases his pace to the point that you think he wants the same thing, that he’s desperate to thrust into you rather than against you and —

And then the tip of his cock catches on your entrance and you both stop breathing.

“Maybe — Maybe it doesn’t count.” You stammer out, “It didn’t go in and it’s just the tip, and I don’t think that the tip counts” With the slightest twitch of his hips the tip of his cock has slipped inside.

"It's - it's just the tip it's fine” Your words sound empty even to you but the reassurance is all Tommy needs to push forward and let the head of his cock slide into your welcoming heat

His soul nearly leaves his body when he feels your raw pussy on the head of his cock. He jerks his length furiously and your fingers begin to move against your clit again, eager to meet your high with Thomas.

But it’s not enough. He was right there, right there just one push of his hips he’d be right where you needed him

“Please Tommy” Canting your hips slightly so the tip begins to dig deeper into you, you begin to plead once more, “wanna feel you fill me up, wanna remember the shape of your cock please”

Thomas feels years of control break at your words and with one swing of his hips, he bottoms out instantly. You feel like you've been punched in the gut as the air rushes out of you and you let out a sound like a wounded animal. Tommy stays still deep inside you, shaking and heaving, absolutely drunk on the feeling of your soaked walls clenching vigorously around his length.

You feel full in a way you've never thought possible. His length throbs, its girth stretching you in a way that burns.

When he finally starts thrusting, you’re not ready. He’s like a man possessed, solely focused on the feel of you around him, your skin pressed against his, his blood pounding in his ears.

“Wait— Tommy, ah, slow — slow down, oh god!” You can’t hold back your moans and he can’t stop, both fully engrossed in the feel of each other with no control over your own lust. Thomas crashes his lips onto yours in a halfhearted attempt to keep down your moans, it’s sloppy, clashing teeth and drooling tongues, spit escaping your lips, unlike any you’ve shared before.

This is completely different from what you’ve imagined your first time together would be like. It’s not your wedding night, you're laying on the dirty barn floor and there’s absolutely nothing gentle about the way Tommy is ravaging you. Your pussy is sopping wet and with every thrust, it lets out an embarrassing squelch, your juices and Tommy’s pre-cum leak down your ass and make a sticky mess in his dark pubes.

He doesn’t stop even as your walls spasm around him, cumming on his cock and digging your nails into his strong back. He works you through your orgasm even as your mouth clumsily forms the words to beg for him to slow down or to give you a moment. It’s too much, the sensations completely overloading your brain and all you can do is hold on tightly to him, lost in the ecstasy of your release.

Thomas lets out a deep, guttural groan as he cums, hips stuttering as he bullies his fat cock into the deepest part of your sex, filling you to the brim and your vision goes white.

Boneless, neither one of you makes a move to separate from the other, so thoroughly satisfied and content to lie where you are holding each other, Thomas’s softening cocking slipping out of you and spilling his release onto the ground.

His weight on you is comforting, you gently press kisses to his face and bask in the way his heavy breaths caress your sweaty skin.

“I love you.” You whisper into the shell of his ear and he squeezes you against him, repeating the words in his garbled voice the best he could. Your love is just for the two of you, no one else had a place in your world, no one else had the right to peak in on your affection or gawk at your differences.

This moment in time was just for the two of you.

“Thomas! Where the hell are ya, boy!”

Well, until Uncle Charlie’s voice brought you back down to reality.

[lace-coffin]

Hi! Can I ask how the slashers would feel if they ever accidentally hurt their s/o? Gender and everything is up to you!

How slashers would react to Accidently hurting their S/O

Thank you so much for my first ever request ah! I hope you enjoy 💖

Requests are open!

Warning for blood/injury - mild sexual content/reference to sexual activity and power dynamics -unhealthy relationships (I think?)

Reader is gender neutral!

Bubba sawyer

Most likely happened via Bubba playing too hard and Accidently pushing you over or being a bit too heavy handed with you. If it’s a case of them mistaking you for a victim and catching you with their chainsaw before being able to stop then they’ll be even more in inconsolable : (

Stops and stares for a minute to process what’s happened before devolving into full blown panic.

She’ll drop whatever she’s doing to carry you back to the house, even if that means letting the victim escape and having Drayton yell at her.

Will hurriedly explain in rushed sign to either Choptop or Nubbins to go take care of the victim as he’s busy caring for you.

Checks you over frantically. Please explain you’re going to be ok and help them calm down.

Once he knows you’re not in any danger he’ll feel absolutely awful about it and whine apologies to you even if you tell him that it’s ok and it wasn’t their fault.

Please comfort them once you feel better and reassure them.

Will insist you come up with a verbal and nonverbal sign to give if they’re accidently messing around to hard.

Will make you agree to stay in the house out of the way when victims are around so you don’t Accidently get hurt again.

Thomas Hewitt

After another night of Hoyt berating him for things out of his control, Tommy storms off to the basement to cool off. You follow after him, intending to comfort and wanting to help. You place a hand on his shoulder without thinking, forgetting he doesn’t enjoy physical touch without warning, thinking it might help. Whipping around he grabs your wrist a little too hard, causing you to wince.

He snatches his hand back as soon as he realises what he’s done.

Tommy will bring you to Luda may to have her check you over and assess the damage.

Once he knows you’re safe he’ll confine himself to the basement for a few days, only coming out to eat but even then it’s tense.

He’s truly sorry and feels like all those people who called him a monster and an animal were right, he hurt the one he cares about most, after all.

After a few days apart, a lot of hushed words of affirmation and kisses/nose bumps he’ll feel comfortable being with you again.

You know to let him cool off by himself and come to you when he’s ready after a heated argument now.

Michale Myers

You jump out at Michael thinking it would be funny to catch the shape off guard for once and not the other way around. Unfortunately this backfires and he swings his knife at you, thinking it may be an intruder since you’ve never pulled something like this before, You manage to jolt out of the way but the knife still catches you in the shoulder. Thankfully, it’s only superficial and will heal, but it still looks like it needs medical attention.

Initially Michael looks at you unamused, granted it’s hard to tell what he’s feeling underneath the mask. He gives you a kind of “well If you weren’t being dumb this wouldn’t have happened” attitude. However this is a front for the actual panic he refuses to show on the surface.

Having a few cuts and scratches isn’t super uncommon when your with Michael considering his tastes involving knives in bed ; )

Usually hurting others comes naturally and without remorse to Michael, so it shakes him to his core that he’s actively worrying about your wellbeing instead of feeling the usual indifference.

It disturbs him that he actually cares about someone enough to feel remorse for his actions.

After unceremoniously pulling your shirt off and looking the wound over he forces you go to A&E, practically marching your ass out the door.

Since he’s basically an escaped criminal he can’t exactly casually walk in the hospital with you, however he will stalk you the entire time, lurking close by to make sure you arrive and leave safely.

Although he usually has his guard up he vows to try be a little less bristly with you from now on if it means he doesn’t have to see you hurt and feel that awful tug of regret/worry in his chest.

Jason voorhees

You went out looking for Jason one night after he hadn’t returned to the cabin by his usual time. You were worried he’d been overpowered by a group of trespassers or caught in a trap and didn’t have any way to communicate that to you. The woods were beautiful but so dense and vast, getting lost or injured in the thick of them may as well be a death sentence.

Whilst searching for your missing partner you get your leg snagged in a bear trap he had set out previously for the trespassers. You howl in pain as you hear the sickening snap of your ankle between the traps jaws.

Jason was trudging his way back to the cabin when he heard it. Knowing that wasn’t a rougue teen as he’d cleared them out already, alarm bells went off in his head. He stormed to scene as fast as he could.

He could have sworn his undead heart stopped for the second time as he saw you sitting there in agony, murky blood seeping into the forest floor.

He rushes to your side and looks frantically between the trap and your teary face, he knows he’s going to have to disengage the traps and for you it’s going to be..less than pleasent.

He signs for you to grip onto his arm for support. Since he’s already dead and regenerates fairly quickly he feels it’s the least he can do to let you grip his arm for dear life as he wrenches the trap from your shattered ankle. If you cause any damage to his arm (which is very unlikely) it will heal up in no time anyway.

Once he’s carried you back to the cabin he’ll be frantically following Pamela’s directions in his head for what to do and how to clean/ wrap it.

If the damage is extensive he’ll relent and let you go to the hospital, only if a trusted friend takes you though, he’ll be sitting by the window of your shared cabin every minute until you return back to him.

You’re no longer aloud to be out in the woods after dark alone if he’s set traps. You both carry whistles now so if he’s not home and you need to know he’s safe you can whistle to each other and feel more at ease.

Billy Lenz

Interacting with Billy when he’s having an episode is never a good idea. You thought it would be fine to just be in the room though, providing you stay out of his way. As you enter, Billy is in the midst of trashing his attic once again, the disgusting feelings bubbling in his chest too much to bear. You enter just as he’s angrily thrown an old glass christmas ornament at the floor that the sorority had kept in storage. It shatters and flecks of sparkling glass scatter along the floor. One piece catching you in the hand in a nasty glass splinter. You swear under your breath and rush off to take care of it.

Billy doesn’t even realise what’s happened until you return to him, him now having exhausted himself and you knowing it’s safe to try do some damage control. You bring him a sandwich and juice knowing he’ll need it after all the energy and tears he just used up.

Your hands touch as he’s accepting the plate from you with a muted “thank you” and he notices the bandage.

Billy essentially bristles up like an angry cat at the idea of someone hurting his piggy and demands to know who did it and what happened.

Once you tell him it was actually from the ornament he feels horrible. He doesn’t even remember it happening with the state he was in.

He snuggles into the crook of your neck and mumbles apologies into your skin.

Billy will place sloppy kisses over it as an apology until you forgive him. (Not exactly hygenic since it’s an open wound but i mean…you’re dating the attic rat)

Brahms Heelshire

When living with Brahms there isn’t usually much to injure yourself on considering the estate is fairly out of the way from the rest of the village. You most likely caught yourself on a pair of sheers. Brahms is being stubborn about you being out of the house and slings the sheers in your general direction from the door frame when you ask for them. You don’t even notice you sliced your hand when catching them until you see a patch of blood soaking through your gardening gloves about ten minutes later.

You come in to grab a tea towel to wrap your bleeding finger in, not really fazed as it’s only a small cut. Brahms was lurking from the window as you tended to the hedges, not wanting to be away from you but not yet brave enough to tempt leaving the house he’s been in all these years.

As soon as he sees it he’s panicking, it’s only a little cut and you’re not concerned in the slightest but to Brahms you may as well have just came in with an arm missing. He’s instantly flittering around you asking if you’re ok and if you need a hospital.

You stifle your laugh at his over the top concern, you find it rather sweet, it’s not his fault he’s a little bit sheltered.

After cleaning the cut and bandaging it, it’s totally fine. If anything Brahms needs more reassuring and coddling than you do to get him to settle.

He apologises a thousand times for his attitude because he knows If he hadn’t been stroppy about you leaving the house and passed the sheers nicely then you wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place. He promises to try be more composed when he starts getting antsy.

He may need some ✨punishment✨ in order to encourage his behaviour change and to feel forgiven.

He begrudgingly lets you back outside to garden after about a week.

Asa Emory

If you’re the pet of Asa then it’s likely that most of your injuries are purposefully given from him and are no mistake. You’re poked and prodded often considering your residency in the collection. Wounds from experiments and correctional punishments when you disobey or refuse to submit are not uncommon at all. So it doesn’t bother him since he inflicted them. This also assures he cleans them with clinical precision. If you were anyone else he would leave the wounds to fester, if you died from a complication then that was just inconvenient. Not you though, you’ve caught his attention and heart. He loves you in his own domineering way.

If the wound was created by him on accident then he would give himself a hard time, chastising himself for his carelessness.

For example, if he had more trouble with law enforcement than he thought and that led to you to spending way more time in the trunk than you usually do, causing you to develop a sore from sitting in one cramped position for too long.

Asa would realise you’re injured once you’re let out of the trunk, hissing in pain as you stretch. He makes you show him where you’re hurting so he can inspect over it.

Despite Asa’s stony face his stomach is actively sinking. He knows you’re hurt because of him and it wasn’t purposeful or measured like it would be during a punishment. He sees this as failure in his pet care and it takes a blow to his god complex. Gods don’t make mistakes, but here he is, hurting his dolly by being so out of it.

He’ll make sure to clean it for you and even stop putting you in the trunk for a while. This does however still mean you’ll be attached to him via leash or chain connected to the ring sitting on his belt. Just because you’re hurt and his favourite toy, doesn’t mean he will except anything less than your complete and total submission.

He’ll be more tender and soft handed with you than usual for a while after. Punishments will be withheld until you heal. Then it’s back to normal routine as expected.

Predator/yautja

You were wearing a new perfume you’d picked up at the market during the day, You were only supposed to be getting meats and maybe a new fur for the bed but once the alien at the stand had convinced you to sample it you fell in love with it.

Your mate picks up on an unknown scent entering the house, hackles raising and stalking towards it. As soon as they catch the heat signature they throw a wrist blade in warning.

Their eyes widen in horror, rushing to the door as they catch scent of your tangly blood dripping onto the hardwood floor of your shared home.

The new perfume masked your familiar scent from them, making them believe the house was in danger and being intruded on. If their face could loose colour it would, cringing as they see the wrist blade sticking through your palm, groceries discarded at the door.

They start talking at you in rapid clicks before they realise you can’t actually understand. After making sure to keep the object in your hand so you don’t bleed out and that you’re not going to pass out on them, they insist on carrying you their medic instead of going to an ooman one.

They argue that their medicine is far more advanced and will heal your wound much more efficiently then your “ primitive ooman medicine”

Thanks to yautja medicine being far more advanced, It will heal like nothing ever happened in around two weeks. The wound stitched shut and given some kind of injection.

Your mate purrs and clicks for you deep from their chest the entire time you’re having the blade removed to try calm you.

They beg for forgiveness despite it literally being an accident and will need some reassurance that they haven’t failed you as a mate. Once you’re all healed up they’ll bring back an impressive skull from a hunt as an apology even if you’ve already forgiven them.

Whilst it’s healing you’re probably going be kept in the nest of furs and pulled tightly against them whilst they purr and sooth you.

My requests are open if you’d like to send any prompts or ideas for me to write!

[slashed2death]

Hii! I hope this is okay to ask, but do you have any hcs for slashers and their s/o's who are sensitive to loud noise? Like people shouting, loud music/partying, fireworks; etc. S/O covering their ears or shaking a bit cause the loud noise is just too much for them? It could be cause of past trauma with loud noises or their ears just being a bit on the sensitive side! How do you think the slashers would react/comfort them? I hope that makes sense :'') Currently so obsessed with RZ Micheal and Thomas Hewitt, you can include any of the other slashers too if you want!! :D

hi hi!!! of course id be happy to write this! i find myself experiencing similar issues so this is largely based off my own experience. added some of my comfort slashers (hannibal and jason) as well!

warnings: mentions of panic attack/ptsd/undisclosed past trauma. general warnings for murder/violence (not inflicted upon reader ofc) if i forgot anything please let me know <3

RZ! MICHAEL MYERS

- you typically don't have to worry about loud parties or things of that nature with michael. he isn't the sort to throw a party like that, for obvious reasons

- but lets say your 'friends' peer pressured you into going to one.

You didn't want to be here, but when you agreed your supposed friends had promised it was just a small get together. Nothing to worry about! Things wouldn't be too loud, so you thought maybe you'd have a fun night out, right?

But you were wrong. So very wrong. The music was so loud and overstimulating - you'd managed to lock yourself in some random bedroom wher the music and laughing wasn't a bit muffled. Back sliding down the door, you cover your ears and feel a few stray tears go down your cheeks. You should never have agreed to this. You should have just stayed home with Michael. And lord knows the taller man wanted you too. It took forever to convince him it was just a small get together for your friends birthday; you wouldn’t be gone for too long. You promised him you would be okay.

In your panicked crying you hadn't noticed the music stop, or the screams of terror that turned to silence. The panic attack too strong for you to really perceive anything other than your stress. That is, at least, until the door behind you swings open.

You quickly wipe your eyes, glancing up to see your boyfriend in all his bloody glory.

Covered in blood, he stares down at you, lightly tilting his head. You don't really care though, rushing toward him and enveloping him in your arms as you cried into his chest. It takes a second for him to register that you're hugging him before he slowly, yet protectively, wraps his arms around your smaller frame.

"Y-you were right Michael-" You sobbed out, "I-I shouldn't have gone... t-they made me feel like I had to go b-but-" Your sobs are cut off by his grip possessively tightening around you.

"Can we go home...?" You look up at him, large (E/C) eyes glancing up into the seemingly empty holes of his mask. He slowly nods, picking you up and walking out the house, keeping your face hidden in his shoulder so your eyes avoided the bloodshed.

- safe to say he's not letting you go out to a party ever again.

- the night afterward is spent with you huddled into his side watching a horror movie as you fall asleep.

THOMAS HEWITT

- there aren't really any crazy parties or fireworks where the hewitt's residence is.

- but that doesn't mean it doesnt get loud!

- anytime a new victim strolls through, things get quite loud and messy.

It was summer, sunlight pouring through the windows of the kitchen as you lightly hummed to yourself. At the moment you were doing your chores; that of which were assigned by Luda Mae. Normally she would be here helping you, however she had to take care of some business back at the gas station. The house was quiet, safe for the tunes flowing out of the radio sitting on the counter. That was, until the front door slammed open, loudly hitting the wall and startling you.

You flinched so hard you dropped a plate, but did not have much time to react before a man you'd never seen before comes barging into the kitchen screaming obscenities as he ran from what you presumed to be your boyfriend.

"HELP- FUCK HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!" He exclaims, grabbing you by the shoulders. You freeze up; his loud voice and the previous loud thumps of his footsteps reminding you of... unpleasant moments from your childhood. You try to free yourself from his grasp, only for his expression to turn angry and his grip to tighten.

"YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE FUCKING KILLER FREAKS TOO AREN'T YOU?! I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL-" His voice is cut off, however, by an axe being thrown and landing itself in the back of his skull. His grip loosens from your shoulders, fortunately. Unfortunately his larger frame, now deceased, falls ontop of you. You scream, starting to hyperventilate as tears start pouring from your eyes.

As quickly as he fell, he is pulled off of you. You're gently pulled up and escorted into the living room. Thomas sits you down on the couch before cupping your cheek in his palm. He runs his thumbs under your eyes, wiping away any stray tears before pulling you into his chest until your breathing starts to even out.

Once you calm down a bit more, you relax into his arms.

"Sorry Tommy... I didn't mean to freak out so bad- He just scared me so much," You say, looking up at him before he shakes his head as if to say Don't apologize.

- after this incident, thomas does his best to keep you in your shared bedroom whenever a victim is near. he does everything he can to keep you away from any and all murder business the family participates in.

- if you do ever have any panic attacks, trust and believe the larger man will be there to bear hug you into calming down.

JASON VOORHEES

- jason does everything he can to keep you away from any trespassers looking to party.

- he views you as an angel- something pure and innocent. he doesn't want them to taint you in any way.

- if, however, you do get caught up in some of their unsightly activities, jason is there to take care of it.

You smiled as you sat on the dock, basking in the warmth of the sun as the calming sound of the water beneath you lulled you into a relaxed state.

Jason was doing his rounds, making sure no trespassers had encroached upon the camp. He knew you'd be here, as you so often were. You'd made it a habit to read by the docks.

Your peace was short lived by the sounds of whooping and laughter, music emitting from a loud radio as a group of teens ran toward the dock, presumably to do things you knew Jason would not approve of.

You start quickly packing away your things, trying your best to get out before they reached you or noticed your presence. Before you can make a break for it, an aggressive and presumably intoxicated male grabs your arm roughly.

"Where ya goin' pretty thing? Not gonna have some fun with us?" He says with a smirk, you try to get your arm back but his grip tightens.

The music is blaring now, causing your heart to race even more. What makes it worse is some of the guys in the group are whistling at you and making crude comments.

They're expecting a response it seems, yet you can't quite get the words out of your throat. You'd never been good at any kind of confrontation, and apparently you trying to pull away wasn't enough of a response.

Theyre laughing at your attempts to get away- so loudly, and the music is too loud, and it feels like the world is spinning around you, and its too much-

Then suddenly the man is torn off of you, machete portruding through his chest. He doesn't even scream- just gargles on his own blood as he limply falls to the ground. The two other males try to run, only for two throwing axes to meet the back of their skulls. The girl holding the radio has her face slammed into a tree repeatedly. The radio is crushed. The only sounds now are the waves gently hitting the shore and cicadas crowing in the grass.

You don't even realize you fallen to you knees crying until Jason gently scoops you up in his much stronger arms. He's caged you into his broad chest, shielding you from the grotesque scene behind him. Between the sounds of nature and the gentle footsteps he took toward your cabin, you had tremendously calmed down.

"Thanks for saving me, Jay," You say, nuzzling your head closer to his chest.

- he'd do anything to keep you safe.

HANNIBAL LECTER

- most days in the lecter household are calm and quiet, just how you like it. hannibal knows of your fear and past trauma, and takes great care to make your shared home a safe environment.

- he takes your safety rather seriously, you've got this man wrapped around your finger, as he does with you.

- but once a patient got rather ballsy.

It was mid-afternoon. You had come to Hannibal's office to surprise him with lunch. He'd been getting a bit overloaded with work as of late, both with patients and the FBI. It started to put a strain on how much you saw him. You figured he would appreciate the gesture.

You get out of your car, grabbing the small containers of lunch from your backseat before locking your car doors. Approaching the double doors to his office, you feel in your stomach that something isn't right. But you reasoned with yourself you were just being paranoid, after all you'd experience anxiety like this before.

Walking into his waiting room you hear muffled yelling and a crash, before the doors to his office are slammed open and a man comes storming out, still yelling obscenities.

He roughly shoulder checks you as he storms out, slamming the doors to the building behind him. All the chaos triggers a panic attack to form in your chest as your breathing quickens. Your hands shake so much you drop the containers of food you had brought in. Walking out of his office, Hannibal quickly notices your shaking and anxious figure and rushes toward you.

"My dear, come sit down," He coaxes you to one of the chairs in his waiting room "There we go, dearest," He smiles gently as you look up at him; tears rimming your lash line.

"Breathe with me," He says, placing his hand on your shoulder as he takes a deep breathe with you. Then releasing his breath as you shakily breathe out. He makes you repeat the process until your breathing has calmed down. His hand reaches up to gently lay against your cheek, and his thumb brushes away the stray tears left on your face.

"There, much better. May I ask what brought you here, my love?" He asks gently, eyeing the now discarded food containers on the ground before he smiles at you again.

"Were you trying to surprise me with lunch?" You nodded shakily, and his smile grows.

"Don't worry dear, I won't let this moment go to waste. And don't worry about that man, you know how much I detest the rude,"

- that night you had pig for dinner.

[angelbarelywritesslashers]

♡ tommy gets jealous | oneshot

♡ fandom; Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003/2006)

♡ characters; Thomas Hewitt

♡ reader; gender neutral

♡cw; mentions of kidnapping and violence, don’t date people who want to slash you irl not a good foundation for a relationship

♡notes; I put on my big boy panties and wrote something other than a bulleted list!!

I just love a good “i trust you but i sure as fuck don’t trust anybody else” type jealously trope. Also some Tommy doing ASL!! We love a (selectively?) mute king.

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

You were an oblivious person. Most of the time, anyways. You’d been totally shocked when Luda Mae didn’t let you leave the night you arrived at the Hewitt house, totally shocked when Charlie told you Thomas was obsessed with you, and more surprised still that Charlie had been right.

You weren’t stupid— you put two and two together that these folks were cannibals as soon as you saw the basement. You nearly talked Monty into letting you go, and you slipped your restraints a couple times before you were settled in. You’d done well in school and still could read a book in one sitting.

Maybe… socially inept was a better word, harsh as it sounded. It was only people that you had a such a hard time with. You trusted them, but you could almost never wrap your head around what they were thinking.

Like the customers that stayed too long . It happened a lot. Bikers and tourists and all sorts of folks would stop in when you were working in the convenience store, and usually more than once a day a man would stay leaned on the counter, chatting away until his buddies were about to leave him. Sometimes they’d be alone, and Luda would give you a break early and they’d go off looking all huffy.

It very rarely occurred to you that the men were trying to flirt. You didn’t think of yourself as someone that happened to- and treated all customers the same. Why would they think you wanted to bang em when all you did was smile? Being nice was part of your job.

Luda Mae payed no mind to the men or your conversations. If there’d been any cause for concern, she’d be able to quash it very easily. But she found it endearing, especially your confusion and apathy when they did get balls enough to be blunt . In her mind you were so devoted to Thomas that other men were just nuisances.

That’s why no one had mentioned it to Thomas. He rarely came up to help now that you were there to help Luda Mae, but today there was extra stock, and her joints had been aching from the weather. You were on register, Luda Mae relaxed in a rocker on the porch, and Tommy stalked the aisles and put out trinkets and canned food and all the other junk you sold. You were trying not to go distract him and stood leaned over the counter, doodling on some scrap paper between customers.

“Well hello darlin,” A man drawled, hands on his belt buckle. He was trying too hard to be a real Texan, but he wasn’t from up North like you. “You got any cigarettes back there?”

“Sure do! Let’s see… got Camels, Lucky Strike- I really like these ones, the Salems, they’re menthol-“

“You look too sweet to smoke. I’ll take the Camels,”

“Well, only do it on special occasions,” you shrugged, not paying much attention as Thomas stalked towards the front “Anything else?”

“Well. That depends.”

“On?”

“If you’re free or not tonight.”

You blinked, then furrowed your brow “You tryna ask me out?”

“Well I- oho shit!” The man laughed uncomfortably as he noticed Thomas right behind him “You scared me there big guy-“

He huffed and slunk behind the counter as the man nervously tried to get back on topic “Anyways… ahem…so about that date-?”

You huffed and out a hand on your hip “Well, depends?”

He perked up a bit “On what?”

“If you can beat my boyfriend in a fight.” On cue Thomas wrapped his arms around you from behind, growling as he hooked his chin on your head.

The man quickly turned tail and mumbled something about being out of practice, forgetting the cigarettes completely. You could feel Tommy relax and turned to let him pick you up and set you on the counter. Even then you weren’t eye to eye with the giant of a man…but it was closer, and you liked feeling tiny anyway.

“…hi baby.” You cooed and loosely wrapped your arms around his neck. He huffed and nuzzled you, as he often did as a form of reassurance. You giggled and pecked his mask “Annoying, right?”

He nodded and scowled, keeping his grip tight on your hips

“…what’s wrong?”

He hesitated but pulled back to sign ‘Mine. All mine. Right?’

You giggled again “Of course! All yours- always.”

He smiled softly- the sort of expression only you could coax out of him ‘Always’

[ccscocoapuffs]

Thomas Hewitt NSFW Alphabet

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) Tommy is the absolute sweetest boy you could ask for when it comes to aftercare. Though he doesn't understand the full concept in a complex manner he understands the need to take care of you. He will pull you close to him and rub his hand through your hair while he gives little soft kisses to you. Though if you want him to clean you up he prefers to do so with his tongue if you catch my drift.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) Tommy loves everything about you, he thinks you're perfect in every single way imaginable, however he certainly has a thing for thighs, he's far to shy to admit about the dirty thoughts that cross his mind that involve yours wrapped around his head. As for his personal favorite of himself, He doesn't have one. Thomas struggles with a lot of insecurity towards his looks but if you were to praise a certain feature of his he would start to gain confidence and eventually start to love that part of himself.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) Thomas is actually a little shy about finishing. He doesn't like making a mess on you cause it makes him feel as though he has done something wrong. He prefers to cum inside you in general though as he feels sex is for making a baby. Luda is obviously the one who taught him that sex is strictly for marriage and procreating and he will respect his mama's teachings.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) Tommy is secretly a bit of a risk taker, though he would have to have a large amount of trust with you before that side of him would show.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) Thomas has zero experience before you mostly because of most of the towns people being afraid of him. He certainly will learn most things from what you two engage in together. Thomas does know a few things from a magazine he got ahold of once from Hoyt's room.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) Finding a position to accommodate Thomas's size is slightly difficult, Thomas is very tall and is of a heavier build in general, he isn't very flexible at all so super complicated is out of the question for him. He has two favorites though, cowgirl and doggy style. Doggystyle is probably his ultimate favorite though because he likes to grab you by the neck and pull you up to his chest.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) Thomas prefers to remain serious during sex but afterword's when you two are cuddling and calming down from your high he likes to pamper you with soft kisses that make you both chuckle.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) Look at the man. He has a damn bush.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) He is very romantic, having sex to Thomas is one of the most romantic feelings possible in a relationship. Intimacy is something that he struggled with at first mostly because of his insecurities in himself, though if you show him pure love and build a bond with him then you with have very intimate moments with him.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) Thomas really doesn't jack off, he feels its a waste because he prefers to spend that time with you and make it mean something.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) Thomas has a few kinks, size kink, breeding kink, and a slight choking kink. He can be a little hesitant to try them though.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do) He prefers the bedroom of course but he won't say no to you no matter where you are. Hoyt has definitely walked in on yall inside the barn a few times.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) The sheer fact that you love him for him is enough for Thomas.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) Hurt you. Thomas accidentally gave you a bruise once from gripping your hips so tightly while he was lost in the feeling of thrusting into you and the poor boy sobbed. He is terrified of hurting you.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) Now you may think that he wouldn't go down on you because of his mask, you'd be wrong. Thomas loves to go down on you, though he will take of his mask he wants to eat you out underneath the covers. He actually is pretty damn good at it. He definitely is a giver.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) He really doesn't care about the pace but he for sure goes deep and hard.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) He doesn't mind them at all, he actually really likes the thrill of the risk.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) As previously mentioned if Thomas is very comfortable with you and ready to fully open up then he definitely will be more risky with you. He will bend you over anything and anywhere and hope you two can finish quick enough before someone walks in.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) He can last usually 2 rounds, he lasts not all that long though, considering he doesn't really have experience this is something that really isn't all that surprising.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) No Thomas doesn't own toys, if you have them then he may be interested in trying them with you. If you have a bullet vibrator that is very beginner friendly then he down for letting you run it up and down him.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) Thomas doesn't tease at all, he gets straight to the point and wants to enjoy the time he has with you to the full extent.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) Thomas can be much louder than one might think. He tends to let out very long and deep groans as he throws his head back.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) Thomas secretly likes when Hoyt walks in and starts cussing at you two about being damn rabbits. It gives him a bit of confidence in the fact that you chose thomas out of everyone and you aren't embarrassed to please your man.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) He THICC. Thomas is roughly 8 inches in length but damn that girth is hella big. Thomas never thought much of how big he actually was until he got with you and heard how loud you moaned when he slipped inside.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) Surprisingly high, he loves the fact that you love him and considers it a privilege that he gets to fuck you so he wants to cherish it as many times as he possibly can.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) Pretty quickly, he works all day at the factory then around the house. Then he comes to you and gives you his all, the poor boy is hard fucking worker and deserves his sleepy time.

[love-toxin]

The way you write Tommy is just UUGH

I just wanna pin him down and ride him until he has nothing left to give :((( like gimme his chunky babies!! 😭🙏

oh noooooooo........my gears are turning......tommy with an obsessed s/o that wants to bump uglies constantly......MMMRRRROOWWWW!!!

he's so flattered, but so edgy about it cause momma can't overhear him engaging in premarital sex!!! especially not the type you like where it's just messy and raw and rough and you leave spit and slick everywhere, all over his hairy chest and his lap and your clothes. you have to do it in the barn in the hayloft and its STILL loud, still so sloppy he has to carry you in the house just so none of his family notice the dark stains on your clothes.

but can he complain? no. cause you're the only one who's ever seen him as a man and not just a mistake, and it's not like he doesn't like seeing you so needy all the time. you could be doing this to any other guy but you wanna do it to him--him! a nobody, a wretched defect like him! you must be an angel. or maybe you're a devil cause you fuck as nasty as one. he loves the scrape of your nails through his hair as you drag them down his sweaty chest, when you're perched like a pretty sculpture on his lap. his thighs jiggle every time you bounce on it--his cock, that's what you call it--and you can't help but grip them, squeeze them for balance but also cause you just love the feel of him everywhere. his belly doesn't bother you nor does the grime and sweat caking his skin, nor the dirt under his fingernails or his maddening, untrimmed bush that radiates out to his thighs like a curly black cloud.

it doesn't matter if he's been working in the slaughterhouse all day, shoveling pig shit, or doing any of his other messy chores. when you give him that look like you wanna eat him right up, he's completely at your mercy and he loves every fucking minute of it. you look at him like he's a piña colada in the desert and you'll die if you don't get a sip.

and that's before you start getting hit with baby fever. suddenly, almost out of the blue, you're picking through baby clothes in the trunks upstairs and finding old rattles and toys that are barely holding together. Tommy's baby bottles that Luda Mae kept and never threw away cause she could never bear to part with her sweet baby's things, even after he'd grown up and out of them. it's the sentiment that really gets you and then you're stuck thinking about babies, not just about what Tommy was like when he was that young, but what your babies together might look like. would they have his nice dark hair? his height? would they be hardworking and loyal like he is? would they be so committed to their family they would...

well, that part isn't important right at the moment. you're more concerned with making the babies than anything else--that's the fun part, after all. you keep dropping hints here and there but it's when Tommy finds you sewing together a stuffed bear he loved as a boy that he really starts thinking. you're so gentle with it. you clean him up and polish his little button eyes and patch up a hole on the arm where Hoyt 'accidentally' burned it with a cigarette while he was drunk. you put him back together and he looks almost brand new, newer than when he first had it and Luda Mae tenderly plucked it out of the dumpster to give to him for his birthday.

he gets it then. that night is deplorable when you two sneak out to the barn. Tommy's just as riled up as you are and when you realize he's not just fucking you for pleasure--this time, he's fucking to breed--your sobs and choked-up squeals have to be muffled by his thick fingers stuffed in your mouth. he hooks them and drags your face closer to his chest for you to suffocate between his pecs, cause he needs both hands to grip your waist and jam you down on his cock like he's shoving a cork back in a wine bottle. you're just so little compared to him and such a tight squeeze, he can't help getting a little rough when he wants in! it's just prepping you for birth. you're gonna need to squeeze out plenty of kids for him after this, and with his size? they're gonna be little monsters to try and deliver, just like he was.

but you love him and that's why you're doing this. that's why you let his nuts drag down your ass on every deep, near-painful thrust, and why you let him beat your cunt like he hates you when there's nothing but pure love and possessiveness in his eyes. that's why, when you squirm to get away, he knows you don't really mean it and slams your hips back down for you to howl like a cat in heat. that's why he can't let you sleep until sunrise, when you're half-conscious and spasming with leg twitches, cause the seed pooling in your tummy hasn't stopped leaking out from every time he's planted his roots into your squishy womb. he's gotta make sure it takes just in case you change your mind. once you get pregnant, then you really are part of the family--you'll be a Hewitt just like all the rest of them, birthing the next generation of Hewitts to keep the family roots strong <3

[nerdyhamster]

OKAY TOMMY ASKS >:3

How do you think it was like for him when he was a kid in school?

What music do you think he listens to?

What shows/movies would he like?

1. He got bullied a lot. We know that much from Hoyt when he tries egg Thomas on

He got held back a lot and really stood out in the class. Also I drew him here in oversized clothes because he grew so quickly Luda May had to keep making him clothes that would fit, so sometimes he would wear Hoyt's old clothes, which were still too big.

2. Anything Hoyt Listens too XD

He doesn't have much opportunities to listen to music on his own XD so usually he listens to whatever Hoyt listens to Country, lynyrd skynyrd, etc... but I feel like he has a preference for rock XD

3. Hmmm maybe cartoons? XD someone was watching those old black and white cartoons before those dang hippies broke into his house.

He might like horror movies ^^ but he doesn't watch TV much. When he does he just mindlessly stares at it for awhile, sometimes he'll watch TV shows with mama Luda.

Thank you soooooo much for the asks!!! ^^

Here are the first round of answers I got them out a bit later than I wanted cause I got sick 😭 but hopefully I'll be able to answer more soon ^^

[demphen]

breaking down the texas chainsaw massacre: the beginning (2006) opening credits

as i promised, here's a post going through tcm 2006's beginning credits frame-by-frame. buckle up, this is pretty damn long.

[3:59] first shot is one of thomas’ baby photos, it’s in black-and-white and very blurry and there’s no date provided, but it looks like he has a unilateral cleft lip on the left side of his mouth (his left, our right).

remember to take this with a grain of salt due to the fact that the fucked-up cgi baby that luda mae picks up out of the dumpster doesn’t seem to have a cleft lip, and his face reveal in the 2003 movie seems to be lacking one too. so this is something that you can choose to include or exclude from your writing imo.

there seems to be a dark line going down from the left corner of his mouth and down his face??? but it could be something superficial on the photo itself.

[4:01] the same photo of thomas shown previously. here the cleft lip is shown in much better detail, and as you can see, it doesn’t extend up to his nostril. this implies that his particular birth defect isn’t all that extreme, which is why i headcanon him to have a unilateral incomplete cleft lip.

looks like he has his “skin disease” by this point, judging by the markings around his mouth. he looks to be merely an infant in this photo, maybe less than one year old.

that mysterious dark scar (?) remains.

[4:05] thomas’ first medical files are shown, unknown date. the text is partially cut off, but i can make out “deteriorating flesh” and “disfigurement” written with circles drawn around the lower left half of his face.

“disfigurement” can be referring to both his cleft lip and whatever birth defect his affecting his lower left jaw.

[4:09] a picture of an older thomas, i’d say between the ages of 3–5. his face is being covered completely by someone else. i’d argue that those are “man hands”, but honestly, it could go either way. i doubt it’s luda mae, due to her fondness towards thomas, but i do believe it’s a hewitt. this would imply that at least one hewitt was ashamed of thomas in his younger years, and didn’t want him to be visible in pictures.

[4:13] more medical files. roughly reads “patient: thomas hewitt, age: 3, [date of] examination: 7/20/??”

if thomas is three years old, it can be assumed that the year is 1942.

[4:15] another picture of thomas, but this time he’s hiding his face on his own. age is harder to discern here, but he’s definitely under 8–10 years old. he’s already learned to be ashamed of his face.

“age: 6” flashes on screen at [4:19], which can imply that thomas was six years old at the time that the previous photo was taken.

[4:20] first live action shot. thomas is touching his face, which looks to have an open, bleeding wound. initially, this shot looked like some sort of scrape or even bite to me (with the torn skin and all), but it may be psoriasis that’s been scratched at, causing the wounds to reopen over and over and become more severe. this would be the beginning of thomas’ self-harming behavior.

[4:24] yet another photo of thomas, older and with his face uncovered. cleft lip doesn’t look present but as i stated, the filmmakers seem to forget about that fact every now and again. he does, however, seem to have scarring on his left cheek from his skin condition. he’s looking away from the camera.

[4:26] more medical files. from what i can make out, they say “… boy suffers from a degenerative facial disease. … birth defect”

[4:29] shot of thomas picking up some sort of blade with the words “tedency towards self-mutilation” popping up on screen. this seems pretty self-explanatory.

[4:37] longer shot of thomas raising the blade to his face and slicing into the flesh of his cheek.

from [4:41] to [4:51], you can see thomas’ face being wrapped up in some sort of guaze/bandage. due to the bandages covering nearly his entire head, i believe that his wounds were far more extreme than the footage actually shows.

during this time, you can here a voice (presumably charlie’s, though r lee ermy also played what we can assume to be luda mae’s husband in the very beginning of the film) telling thomas “don’t worry about it, tommy. you don’t have to look pretty to work down at the slaughterhouse.” this tells me a couple of things: 1.) if this is charlie, this is the first instance of him comforting thomas, which he continues to do throughout the film (while still manipulating him). this shows that charlie, from at least this point on, is a kind older brother figure to thomas. 2.) it’s already being ingrained in thomas that he isn’t pretty, even if that fact is being delivered through reassurance. 3.) he’s already being set up to work at the slaughterhouse, somewhat implying that he drops out of school to start working. with the hewitts’ poverty, i wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.

[4:58] shot of an empty road. “age 9” is overlayed on top of this image, implying that thomas was no older than nine years old when he injured himself and presumably got drawn out of school.

[5:00] very very quick snapshot of a dog (?) carcass, looks like roadkill. thomas is then shown to take interest in the corpse, dragging it away by its tail.

from [5:07] to [5:26], you can see thomas going through the process of creating his first leather mask out of that roadkill. he moves with intention, he doesn’t seem to be skittish or queasy when it comes to corpses and death. there’s a shot of his reflection at [5:20], with only his nose and eyes being visible. they look pretty normal, and you can see that he’s out of his bandages by this point.

[5:28] “12 yrs. old” flashes on screen, again implying that thomas was no older than twelve when he began wearing masks to cover his face.

the frames between [5:31] and [5:37] are hard for me to fully make out, but there looks to be a blade, some sort of flesh, and machinery.

i believe he’s already started working at the slaughterhouse by this point, as at [5:38], you can see thomas trace his fingers over the still blade of a chainsaw—something he later steals from his job in 1969.

his fingers look like they belong to his older self, but i can’t tell exactly when this takes place.

[5:43] thomas takes his apron off of a rack in what i can assume is the slaughterhouse. he’s in his older teens or beyond at this point, i think—his forearms are thick and hairy here, so it’s clear he’s aged significantly.

[5:47] newspaper dated friday, june 9, 1967 flashes on screen, followed by an outside shot of the lee bros meat plant. thomas would be 28 by this point in time.

the meat plant processes not only cows but poultry as well, and was established in 1929.

[5:50] friday, june 9, 1969. exactly two years after the last shot (though in reality, june 9th was a monday that year, but it’s a simple error). here’s what i can read:

MEAT PLANT CONDEMNED, HUNDREDS LEFT JOBLESS

lee bros. meats, fixture (?) of fuller for forty years

unemployment rate near 76% according to mayor clayton

devastating three-year drought has far reaching consequences. some proclaim “second dust bowl”

CLOSED FOR GOOD lee brothers processing plant was … by … on wednesday and forced to suspend all activity on thursday. drought related illness in cattle is sited as the cause of stomach ailments throughout west texas

note: travis county is closer to central-east texas than west texas, so that’s another inconsistency… at this point i don’t know where exactly fuller is.

from what i can understand, a drought had been affecting fuller since 1966. this drought brought sickness to the cattle and other livestock, likely due to undernourishment. this meant less business for the slaughterhouse, which meant less work for the people who worked there, which meant mass unemployment. by the time we reach 1969, there’s over 75% unemployment in fuller and the meat plant finally shuts down.

the article also mentions the meat plant being condemned, which implies that there were underlying safety issues within the building that contributed to its closure.

a dead cow flashes on screen shortly after the shot of the newspaper.

[5:54] okay, this is where the timeline starts jumping around and i don’t like it. according to the friday, march 9, 1968 article of “the fuller bee”, the meat plant is condemned and the town has offically DIED in big, capital letters. this doesn’t make sense, given the article shown literally seconds before and the fact that the audience knows thomas is dismissed from his job in 1969, so i’m choosing to believe this is merely a mistake.

[5:57] newspaper with no date provided, with the headline “DRAFT MORE TROOPS”, likely in reference to the war in vietnam.

shortly after, another headline flashes on screen: “REINSTATED FOR VIETNAM CONFLICT”. this article is dated saturday, december 1, 1969. this is a historical error, as i can’t find anything about the draft being reinstated in 1969. according to wikipedia, the deferment of married men ended suddenly on august 26th, 1965, but that’s the only big change to the draft that i know of around that time. also, if the article was accurate, then it would be reciting events after the film, which takes place in july 1969. you can see why this doesn’t make sense.

from [5:58] to [6:33], thomas can be seen slamming his fist against his baby photos before going on to burn them, with his diagnosis of mental deterioration flashing on screen. i believe this implies that he volunteered for the army, which i already wrote a whole post about here.

these shots are also spliced with scenes of thomas making what i assume to be a new mask. it’s very obviously raw flesh, which by now i know that’s not how leather is Made, but he’s a little freak so what can you expect. maybe this is meant to show thomas leaning in to his shame after being rejected from the army.

this is the longest “scene” by far, showing how the writers really wanted us to know just how much thomas hates himself.

and that’s the end of the opening credits, cutting to july, 1969.

OKAY SO, what have we learned??? here’s a rudimentary tl;dr—

thomas is born 1939 with a cleft lip and possibly an additional birthmark/defect. his “skin disease” looks to be present at birth/in his infancy.

he is diagnosed with “deteriorating flesh” and “disfigurement” by the time he is three years old.

by the age of six, thomas begins showing signs of self-consciousness and low self-esteem.

by the age of nine, thomas has begun engaging in self harm and cuts into his face with a blade, leading to him presumably dropping out of school to work at lee bros. meat processing plant.

by the age of twelve, thomas has begun to use the flesh of roadkill to craft leather masks for himself. i believe he’s also confirmed to be working at the slaughterhouse by this point in time.

a drought hits fuller in 1966 and lasts for at least three years. this drought causes the livestock to become ill, which leads to the closure of the slaughterhouse in 1969. other safety concerns also factor into this closure.

sometime between 1965–1969, thomas volunteers to fight in vietnam but is denied due to his “mental deterioration”. he burns his baby pictures in response.

as we all know, thomas is formally fired in july of 1969. he looks to be the last one left at the slaughterhouse, clinging to the job he’s had for almost twenty years.

i literally went through this fucking film frame-by-frame for this info. i hope this helps at least one of you in your writing!

[bustedcartire]

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓬 𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝓝𝓼𝓯𝔀 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓒𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓷𝓼

(This is all very olden based so aka the time these movies have came out so around 1939 so these will be more oldern southern type head canons)

𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓼 𝓗𝓮𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓽

Size- 5 inches when soft, 7 1/2 inches when hard

Grooming- He doesn’t really groom himself below the belt. The only thing he does is trim a bit when it’s irritating him from sweat (he shaved one time with ludas razor and got in trouble because he literally didn’t clean the razor and it was still in the bath so since then he just let it grow)

What’s it look like…?- He isn’t circumcised. He was born in a slaughter house and Luda didn’t bring him to get him circumcised and she wouldn’t have the money for it anyways.

Sound- He’s decently loud. The first time you two had sex he was kinda confused and thought you were hurt but once he caught on he started to make a bit of sounds

Would he bottom?- I think he would definitely have you ride him if he was too tired and the first time you do it make sure the house is empty because the boy will moan and groan like crazy.

Favorite position- missionary, G- whiz, leapfrog, the seashell but the table top it the easiest for him so the bed doesn’t bang against the walls that much and since he’s taller it’s like having a alligator ontop of you so the tabletop position lets you breathe, and cowgirl but you two only do it when he’s tired cause he kinda feels bad cause your doing all the work while you shouldn’t have to worry about it and he should have to be the one that makes you squirm and whine under him.

Head- He doesn’t really care about head…though he does like it when he’s feeling a bit insecure…to have you- a beautiful being- on your knees taking him in your mouth always made him want it more.

| | \/

Giver- He will definitely give you head. He would anytime anywhere aslong as he can get a taste.

How does he like you groomed- He honestly grew up thinking girls didn’t grow hair so if he saw pubic hair he would be a bit confused but would still eat you like his last meal.

Virgin- Definitely. This man in a strong believer in celibacy from his mama saying that’s the right thing.

Safe-word- He just wants you to say stop or no if you don’t want something. Things like yellow or pineapple just confused him too much and a strong or small no would make him stop completely and he would use stop or no aswell

kinks- size kink, Thomas is a big boy and he knows it. He likes knowing that he can manhandle you and make you scream and cream like crazy.

breeding kink, of course he wants kids but everytime isn’t because of that. He just likes knowing that he’s the only one that can do that to you and usually he’ll just finish on you but to him it’s close enough.

praise kink, he is constantly mocked or put down so being told he feels good or that he’s big or that he’s doing good will make him the happiest man ever.

Lactophilia, to him it’s more like a comfort thing and since you don’t produce breast milk yet he’ll just usually do it when he’s overwhelmed or if he just needs extra lovin

𝓑𝓾𝓫𝓫𝓪 𝓢��𝔀𝔂𝓮𝓻

Size- about 4 1/2 soft but about 6 1/2 hard.

Grooming- He is a hairy man. Just like Thomas so he will be hairy and a bit more hairy then Thomas is.

What’s it look like…?- He is also uncircumcised. He is more thick and while he is a bigger size he makes up for the extra inch by his thickness.

Sound- He would grunt at first but when he heard you making sound he thought he was doing it wrong so he started to mimic you and would squeal when you squealed and would grunt when you moaned until you told him he doesn’t have to mimic you.

Would he bottom?- He is home a good bit compared to his brothers so he would be more free with positions unless it scared him.

Favorite Position- table top, missionary, spooning, and cowgirl but when you do cowgirl get used to him helping because this boy would thrust up randomly before bottoming out and just lay out until you got tired then he’ll take control

Head- At first kinda thought you were trying to bite his dick off so he was very freaked out until you explained it’ll feel good and he could control the pace and after 30 seconds he was already sprawled out on the mattress seeing stars while you moved your mouth against him.

| | \/

Giver- He would only if you shaved. He has texture issues so that would just make him gag and nothing against you it’s just the poor boy would feel like he had hair in his teeth but he would eat you out daily if you’d let him.

How does he like you groomed- Like I said he liked you shaved before oral but for normal sex he doesn’t care. You could be hairy and he would still wanna be balls deep in you and have his face buried in your neck whining.

Virgin- He never gotten close to it and the closest he’s gotten to seeing a naked girl was when he found one of draytons crappy porn magazines and those were just girls cleaning cars.

Safe-word-You would have to have a long conversation about safe words and that’s it’s okay to not want certain things in sex and he decided his safe word was ‘click’ cause he could say it easily.

kinks- heavy on the praise kink. This poor boy is constantly abused emotionally and physically so a simple good boy or saying how good he is will make him feel like he’s in heaven.

(I would say size kink but he only likes the size difference cause it makes him feel more manly and protective and not a ‘he could ravish you’ way)

voyeurism, He walked in on you playing with yourself once and that left him hot and bothered for days making him blush like crazy just looking at you.

Lactophilia, he also sees it as a comfort thing and would usually do it when he was overstimulated or pissed. He was kinda confused on why you didn’t already have breast milk and that night he figured out you needed a baby to do it and he was instantly asking to have a baby like it was simple.

[dogboytim]

hey can you write a story about Thomas Hewitt getting jealous when a man is talking to his S/O

OH BOY CAN I. ANON IM GONNA SMOOCH YOU FOR THIS.

This is more fluff than anything because I need this scenario out of my head.

It wasn’t very often Thomas got jealous. There was nothing for him to be jealous of most times. Nobody really came out that far unless that got lost. A similar situation to how you ended up here but obviously you had a more happy ending compared to most.

The Texas heat was rarely friendly, especially on days like today when you and Thomas were cooped up in Luda Mae’s shop. The small desk fan did nothing to cool the two of you down but they didn’t exactly have money for a good AC unit.

“Hey, sweetheart.” A thick southern drawl came from the door, causing both you and Thomas to look. The man definitely wasn’t from here. That wasn’t a Texan accent at all. It was clear from the way Thomas clenched his jaw that the pet name didn’t sit right with him.

“Can I help you?” You tried your best to sound polite but it came out more passive aggressive. You watched as the man strolled in, head held high like he owned the whole damn state. Thomas didn’t care much for people in general but this man was pushing his limits by just existing.

The man leaned over the counter, eyes looking you up and down like a stray dog eyeing a piece of meat. “I’m a bit lost and I was wondering if you had a map or something.” He moved closer, the top half of his body nearly over the counter. You opened your mouth to speak but you were quickly silenced when Thomas slammed a map down on the counter.

He had officially had enough.

The man took the map and gave your boyfriend a glare. You could see that if you didn’t get Thomas out of here soon, he was going to snap. You wished the man the best of luck and told Luda Mae that you and Thomas were headed home to cool off.

“Thomas, you do I love you and only you right?”

No answer. Not that you expected one anyway.

You sighed, pulling into the driveway. It was likely Hoyt would bring the man back for supper. You knew Thomas would enjoy killing him but right now you had to focus on reminding him that you loved him.

“Tommy.” That got his attention. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking what you wanted. Your hands found their way to his face, thumbs running over his cheeks. Gently, you lowered his mask. This was something he only let you do.

You kissed him.

That kiss made his heart flutter. Oh how he loved the way your lips melted against his. If this was what he got for being jealous, you can bet it’ll happen more often.

[whatyadrawin]

The Fruit After The Flesh 18+ -Chapter 18

Minors DNI!

Masterlist

Approximately 3,470 words

Pairing: Thomas Hewitt (Headcanon) x AFAB reader

This chapters Warnings:  Foul language, mention of violent acts and cannibalism. This is Slasher smut, be mindful of that and use your discretion.

A/n: I am so sorry to everyone for how long this took me, I just have been stressed out after my courses finished. I applied to the major medical course that I have been working towards and straight up been waitlisted, there's SO MANY APPLICANTS! Anyway, I really hope I get called into the September intake... if not then I apply again because I REFUSE TO GIVE UP! Let me know if you want to be in the tag list. I update chapter progress on the masterlist whenever something changes.

Please enjoy this chapter! I worked very hard on it so reblogs, comments, and likes are appreciated very much.

Tag List: @fan-goddess , @artxasa , @baybaybear1 , @amour-tae , @dij-ology , @jillian-mill , @littlelovebug98 , @hrefna-the-raven

Chapter 18

                After unearthing so much truth out of Tommy, you decided to stay away from the Hewitts for a few days just to get your head right. The things Tommy spoke about were heinous and unforgivable, you felt you could cope with the growing guilt in your chest that hovered around your love for that family but, when you heard all of it spoken out loud in earnest… you felt more conflicted than ever.

You started ruminating in your headspace for so long that time lost its meaning.

-They were desperate, it was eat or die- You paced in your living room circling aimlessly.

-Luda Mae and Tommy were tricked into it! Yes, they are victims! They were coerced by Charlie!- you sat with that thought, it was a recurring excuse you gave them to ease your mind. It was true, Tommy never chose to do it, he was pushed into it by hunger and familial pressure from Charlie. You wondered how he managed to continue his cannibal acts for so long with how sensitive he really is.

-Tommy must have learned to dissociate, similar to what I saw when he killed Dover, there was no one behind those eyes that night- The memory of Tommys vacant, feral expression sent shivers up your spine.

-He isn’t like that, he is different, and he would never do anything to hurt or upset me, he’s proved that-

You love Tommy, and he would do anything for you. You kept racing through all the excuses you could conjure.

-He killed a man for me, I’m still complicit in a murder so no matter what I can’t leave… I will just have to learn to look past it-

You didn’t feel good about staying because of legal liability, it made you feel trapped and phony. You leaned back on the living room sofa and began to tear up. The overwhelming feeling of a powerful bond with such a loving family made your heart ache. Tommy is the only man you ever truly loved, and the only man who ever returned that love.

-Am I really so above them for sticking around for so long? For agreeing to marry Luda Maes son? For inheriting their home? They want to give me everything I ever dreamed of I just have to accept their past… So why can’t I do it?-

You held your head in your hands and sobbed; you didn’t want this ride to be over but morally there is no way you could justify staying. You had been able to set aside your morals when you only assumed they committed those crimes. What brought back up the concerning transgressions was the answers you sought, and were given in full.

-I slept with a cannibal killer, I slept with him and I love him… What does this make me?-

The work your mind was doing caused you to be exhausted, your thoughts had trailed on too long and your head was hurting from crying and stressing out for so many days. Tommy had spilled his guts to you that day, he spoke the truth to you in the hopes that you would see his remorse, and you just hid away… and he left you alone the whole time out of respect.

You got up and ran out the door, you made a sprint for the Hewitt house.

-I need him- Tommy is your comfort, his big strong body was a place of refuge when you felt out of your mind.

As you jogged up the dirt road you began to run out of stamina and ended up gasping for air as you walked the rest of the way to the driveway entrance. You were frozen at the gate, you were a mess of conflicting emotions that you were determined to figure out.

A wash of anxiety fell over you and made you spin around to head back home, the fact that you waited so long probably upset them and you were too scared to face it. Your feet dragged behind as you slinked back to your home with your tail between your legs. When you got to your driveway you see Charlie’s truck parked in front of the house but no one was in the cab.

You look around but saw no one, so you made your way to your backyard to find Charlie standing at the fence staring off at the view of the Hewitt property. You open the gate to get in and he slowly turns and gives you a half smile and tipped his old dirty ballcap to politely acknowledge your presence.

“What are you doing here?” you wonder if he was coming from the station with how you didn’t see his truck pass you. Charlie folds his arms and sucks his teeth,

“Tryin’ to figure out what you think yer doin.” He says confidently.

You feel confused and ask, “What do you mean by that?”

Charlie smirks and leans on the fence, he looks back over at the view from over his shoulder and says,

“Tilly always loved keepin’ tabs on us, she was nosey in the best way, that woman.” He turns to look down to you “Seems the apple don’t fall far from the tree in this orchard.”

You sigh, he is being cryptic and it’s making you tired. You head to the white wicker bench and take a seat.

“Charlie, if you want to say something to me just say it, please. I’m not exactly in the best state of mind right now.”

He laughs, “Girlie are you hellbent on upsetting us all with keepin’ away so long? Why’d you go up and leave and say nothin’ like that-and for so long?” he sounded angry but you could hear a bit of worry in his words like a father scolding their child for putting themselves in danger.

You lean back and hold your hands on your lap, “I didn’t really intend to stay away so long, I’ve just been trying to think some things over.”

Charlie rolls his eyes, “You women and yer damn thinking.” You give him an annoyed look but couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous statement.

“Yeah, go on n’ laugh while poor Luda n’ Tommy been sick with worry” he was starting to pace.

You are taken back by his words and ask, “Are they ok?”

“No, they AIN’T” he snaps.

You soften, “I didn’t know, I’m sorry.”

He stops pacing and lets out a sigh, he comes over and sits next to you bringing the smell of an old brand of aftershave with him.

“I know you asked Tommy questions about the past, hell, he ain’t talked none since y’didn’t come back the day after you up n’ left.” He leans back and crosses his arms and continues,

“Well… did you make up yer mind to stay away then?”

You jerk your head to look at him, you never ended up coming to a decision and you didn’t like the sound of never coming back. You respond,

“I didn’t really conclude what my next move would be, I’m too stuck on trying to figure out how I feel.”

Charlie groans and stares up at the sky before he speaks,

“For the love of- you gotta be shittin’ me with that.”

“What? It’s not exactly easy deciding if you can live with such a horrendous secret like that!” you felt dismissed.

“Looky here missy, y’already been made part of the family. Shit, you fucked one of us fer one thing, and y’got a dirty secret of yer own with Dover bein’ dead, so get off yer high horse with that morality crap and just accept a lovin’ family. Hell, those two dummies down at the house been carryin’ on about thinkin’ they fucked up n’ y’hate ‘em.” He pauses and moves your shoulder to face him, “Do you hate them?”

“No! I love them!” you feel tears sting your eyes

“Then what’s the goddamn issue girlie? You feelin’ like yer gonna get judged?” he asks.

You nod your head and he laughs, “Dang, who the hell’s comin’ down to Fuller that’s gonna know ‘bout this?” he pats your back with a heavy hand and continues to laugh. You hadn’t thought about it like that before but the big splint in your mind was about how you judged yourself.

Charlie could see you were distraught and conflicted; he hushed his laughter and put his arm around your shoulders.

“Ah, worried about your own judgment.” You were surprised he could understand your thoughts and you looked up at him and nodded with a confused look on your face.

“Don’t look shocked now, I ain’t got tumbleweed for brains, I had to understand the human mind to hunt ‘em.” He gives an evil grin that looked sincere to the mentioned point, he starts laughing,

“Don’t worry yourself none, I ain’t killed no one in a long time. Luda n’ Tommy are good people; you don’t got to go feel stricken with guilt bein’ ‘round them- it’s me you should feel guilty ‘bout.”

You try to get up but he swiftly grabs you and sits you back down roughly,

“Now I ain’t gonna let you get up n’ run off while I tell you like it is.” You feel a tinge of fear from his domineering actions, you begin to stiffen as he slowly puts his arm back over your shoulders he notices and huffs at it, “Relax little lady I ain’t gon’ hurt ya none, I just told y’how I ain’t killed in a long time now didn’t I?” you nod and ease up a bit despite not fully believing his word, he continues,

“If you can’t get past yer feelins then stay here n’ we ain’t gon bother you no more… if y’can find it in yerself to get past the stupid guilt then come on back to the family n’ move past this shit. No one wants to be rememberin’ the past, especially those two back home; Shit… the fact that you got it out of them in the first place is impressive.” He stands up and walks over to the gate to the driveway, he stops and turns to you,

“I’ll give you one day to think on this, if y’don’t come down by the next day then y’don’t get to come on back, and believe me girlie, I’ll make sure of that.” He turned and walked out of the backyard leaving the gate open.

You hear his truck start and listen as it rolls down the driveway, you let out a sigh of relief. Charlie was intimidating and you didn’t exactly like being alone with him but you couldn’t help but appreciate the blunt nature of his personality. You stand up off the bench and close the gate he left open then head inside the house, you lean on the kitchen counter and stare out the window. -I think I need to sleep on it and decide tomorrow- You didn’t like ultimatums but, in this case, it really was helpful and you felt a little more confident that you would figure it out.

--

The next day you woke up late, the birds were no longer singing outside your window but you felt light as air from the good sleep. -I’m going to get over it, this is ridiculous. People can change-.  You get out of bed and wash yourself; you couldn’t stop smiling the entire time. You put on some makeup and get into a cute yellow summer dress that matched the yellow purse you owned that had a white daisy pattern on it.

-I’m going to go back there and lift the clouds, this is my new home, they are my new family and they love me.-

You slip on some white sandals and walk toward the Hewitt house; it seemed like a cooling wind followed you as you made your way there. With your newfound relief, the Hewitt property looked a little less dark and run down to you and instead seemed full of potential for wiping it’s slate clean to start a new future.

You see Charlie in the barn pitching hay into the cow feeder, he looks up at you and gives a smug smirk followed by a wink and he continues feeding the cows. You make your way up to the front door with no sign of Luda Mae or Tommy anywhere which you found odd. You open the front door and walk inside heading towards the kitchen where Luda Mae is often found but there is no sign of her. You head into your old room and see Luda Mae on the bed curled up.

“Luda Mae? Is everything alright?” you ask.

She jolts up and turns to look at you, she has an expression of bewilderment,

“Y/N?” she uttered to herself.

You smile and she gets up and runs over to you, she gives you a hug and nearly knocks you over,

“Oh my lord, I can’t believe you’re really here!” She releases you from the hug and holds your hands in hers,

“Are you decided then? I got real upset when Charlie said he’d gone and meddled but I couldn’t help feel a bit of hope from what he’d went and done.” She looks into your eyes and waits for a response,

“I am yes. I realized that its ridiculous to be hung up over something so far in the past and that people change. I won’t be bringing it up again.” You see her eyes well up with tears and a smile emerge on her lips.

“Oh, I’m just so happy!” she squeals as she hugs you again a second time.

You hug her back tightly; she had such a way of hugging that just made you feel at ease and cared for. After a minute or two she lets you out of the hug.

“Where’s Tommy?” you ask.

She looks down and begins to fiddle with your dress, trying to flatten the creases she smushed into it,

“Dear, he has been keepin’ real quiet lately, I reckon he ain’t so great to talk to just yet.”

“I need to see him.” You said in a serious tone, she nods understandingly,

“Well, he’s been spendin’ a lot of time in the forest area, mopin’ about when he ain’t busy with chores. You might be able to find him out there.”

“Thank you” you give her a quick hug and turn away to head towards the forest, Luda Mae grabs your hand and says,

“Be real gentle with him dear, he’s been taking it hard.”

You nod and walk out to make your way to find him.

The sun was low and draped everything in a golden hue on the farm, lacing the edge of everything with a warm glow, you hurried along to find Tommy. You were so excited to see him but you were also feeling scared with him possibly being upset with you.

You make your way past the vehicle graveyard and find yourself in the cool shade of the forest, leaves hung down low and the setting sun shimmered in hushed rays through the branches making the area seem magical with deep golden hues dancing in the air.

You look around and call out for Tommy but there was no response, you spent a while searching the whole perimeter for him, he was not at the pond and he wasn’t near the cow meadow. You head back to the house but hear some tinkering noises in the mess of old cars littered across the dried grass.

As you moved closer toward the noise, you see a massive man bending over a large truck’s engine bay, it was Tommy. You smile and run over to him,

“Tommy! It’s me, I came back!” you cheer

He doesn’t turn to look at you, he just remained still, frozen under the hood of the truck. You slow yourself down and your smile dims,

“I… I know you must be upset. I shouldn’t have stayed away after I said I would be back next day, I’m sorry I hurt you.”

He doesn’t say a word and continues clinking away, you feel discouraged but you continue,

“It wasn’t fair of me to do that and I know you must feel a bit betrayed. I didn’t mean to hurt you or Luda Mae by keeping away, I was just really struggling to figure out my emotions.”

Still, he doesn’t respond. You go up close to him and touch his arm gently, he doesn’t acknowledge your attempt to connect and seems fixated on the engine. You aren’t sure what to say next, of course he would be mad at you, especially after you told him you would come back the next day, this man feared being abandoned by you and you broke his trust.

You take your hand off his arm and step back a bit, “You must hate me after I hurt you so bad, I truly didn’t want to cause any harm Tommy, please believe me.” You plead.

Tommy closes his eyes and sighs through his mask; he wipes his hands with an oily looking rag and sets down his tools on the ground. He leans his head back and stares into the trees,

“No” he says quietly

You move closer to him, “No?”

He shuts the hood of the truck and turns to look at you, he widened his eyes for a split second but quickly controlled himself from the overwhelming adoration he got when he saw you looking cute in your dress. He held the rag tightly up to his abdomen, his jeans were pale with black engine oil marks all over them, his old torn up shirt had the sleeves cut off to fit his huge arms through, it was once white but clearly was used for work which made it change to a dusty gray.

You felt a warm sensation of joy when he looked at you with his deep blue eyes, his expression softened when you blushed and smiled.

“I don’t hate ya.” He mumbles.

You smile at him and you feel tears begin to well up in your eyes,

“I promise I will never do that again Tommy, I swear it.” You say with conviction.

He nods his head and puts the rag in his back pocket; he reaches out and holds his hand out to you. You place your hand in his and he pulls you in and lifts you into a bear hug. You giggle and hug him back as your feet dangle from being lifted up so high,

“I missed you so much Tommy, I just knew there was no way I could live without you, it all became so clear to me.”

He let out a low laugh and squeezed you tightly, you managed to get your arms around his shoulders and squeeze back. The familiar scent of his fresh earthy tones wafted into your nose making you feel even happier to be back in his arms. You kiss all over his face and he laughs with joy while you pepper the uncovered skin on his face with love.

Tommy sits you on top of the trucks hood, it was an old F250 and the hood was massive so you tried to splay out the skirt of the dress to not get dirty. Tommy took off his mask revealing that he had a heavy amount of stubble growing underneath, he looked even more manly than usual and it left you feeling a bit giddy.

He leaned in over you and held himself up by putting his arms on either side of you blocking any way out, you felt like you were in a cozy nook, protected from any outside threats. He gazed lovingly into your eyes,

“I sure did miss my baby.” His soft baritone voice left you feeling butterflies flutter fiercely in your stomach. He leaned in really close to you and smiled, you felt like you were bewitched by him and couldn’t move or breathe. He carefully placed his lips gently onto yours and you felt yourself melt underneath him; you closed your eyes and held onto his thickly muscled arm as you felt a deep connection spark back up. Being back with Tommy and feeling his love and warmth was more than enough reason to keep you from staying away. You hadn’t realized how badly you missed everything about him, from his strong protective arms, to his honey sweet voice, you knew you made the right decision. How could anyone stay away from a life rich with love and loyalty. You were sure to erase any doubts in your mind, the longer he kissed you, the more your fears washed away.

[calmcoldevening]

• Thomas hewitt (dating)- So Reader knows Thomas like we were born in the same town or were neighbors something of the sorts. And we hear rumors about how the Hewitt family are murders,/cannibals. But we remind our business cause we're like, nah cause they didn't hurt me or I haven't seen anything, They're just a little quirky, We defend their family. But for some reason Luda tells us not to go in the basement, We're like okay, whatever it's not my business. Reader is like a, 'idc not my business type.' Until one day reader hears noises or something, so we get curiousand go down there. But this is where we enter the angst, Cause Thomas or someone hears movement in the basement and thinks a victim is trying to escape. So they do something to us which makes us scared of them (torture or something) and it can end with like fluff or something, Because im pretty sure reader would forgive them.

Thomas Hewitt x reader, who knew out he's a cannibal and murderer

Tw: cannibalism, murdering, blood, violence (well, it's the TCM)

Texas was your home, you loved everything about it, from the picturesque meadows filled with yellow buttercups to the dusty city road. These beautiful orange and scarlet sunsets and golden sunrises reflected in a small lake fifteen minutes walk from your house looked like the most real picturesque paintings. It was hot and humid during the day, and cool enough at night. The air was filled with dust and dry grass. Birds were rustling in the distance.

You liked everything here, because you grew up in this place. Your parents moved to Texas before you were born, so this was the only place you'd ever seen in your life. But it was heaven for you. The city you lived in was relatively small, so everyone knew each other.

You've always been sweet and kind, perhaps even a naive child with a soul too pure for this world. Maybe that's why all the neighbors in the neighborhood loved you. The children played with you, and the kind grandmothers often treated you to sweets or pies. Your face has always been decorated with a satisfied smile and cookie crumbs.

Everyone was surprised when they found out about your friendship with the "strange boy". His name was Thomas, he was one of your neighbors down the road. You called him Tommy. His face was covered with a decent layer of bandages, which he kept awkwardly adjusting with his small hands. You always giggled with that cute gesture, but not out of malice, but in a kind way. After that, you went up to him and gently helped him cope with his little problem. You combed his hair and put his hands in order. The boy always had short-cropped nails with dirt under them and dry palms, probably from housework. But apart from his oddities and inability to talk, and he was quite an ordinary child.

Almost.

Sometimes you'd find him somewhere in the backyard or in the field. He stood there, deep in thought. Next to him, you noticed a small fluffy body and a crimson puddle. Sometimes you were scared of his violence against animals, but Thomas was always in a hurry to calm you down. He caressed your cheek and explained with gestures that he had only found the animal just like that. And you always believed him out of your stupid childish naivety. Time passed, and you got closer. The Hewitt family has always been kind to you. Sometimes, they were even more attentive and caring towards you than your own parents. Even grumpy Charlie. Sometimes a man intervened in disputes if you were molested by local hooligans. He could even punch them in their pretty faces, as long as they didn't touch you, the little girl of this family. Luda has always wanted a daughter, and now you have appeared. The woman was more than happy when she found out how close you are with her son. That's why it was no secret that you and Tommy were dating. On the contrary, Luda helped Thomas in every possible way to impress you, she helped him make gifts for you and told him how to take care of the girls. Charlie just turned on his adult film cassettes, that's all his support.

You really loved each other. You were the only one who really understood and cared about Tommy, despite his appearance. You loved his long dark hair, which you often so gently washed and combed. You loved those frosty blue eyes, like two big deep lakes full of love for you. You loved his masks, and tenderly kissed every scar on Thomas's face and hands. You were perfect. Tommy's heart belonged entirely to you.

And now you're 24. Thomas was a little older, but it was never a problem. The man was still very attentive and caring.

But gradually the city emptied with the closure of the slaughterhouse. It was a big blow for most of the residents of the city, because there were no other ways to earn money here. You turned out to be one of the few who stayed. Maybe you just didn't want to leave your home. Or maybe you didn't want to leave Thomas and his family. Anyway, it wasn't easy for all of you, at least because basically there wasn't a lot of food and all that.

But after a while, surprisingly, everything got better. Not really, of course, but old Charlie started getting meat from somewhere. It wasn't as tender as some beef used to be, but it's better than nothing. Although you weren't a big fan of meat before, so you almost didn't care about it. You helped Luda in her shop at the gas station, and at home in your free time you even grew some vegetables, which also helped the Hewitt family a lot. In general, everything was more than good, and yet, the atmosphere in the house was different now.

There have always been some strange rumors around the Hewitt family, sometimes even terrible ones. And yet, you loved Tommy no matter what. The whole family was kind to you, so you had no reason to doubt them, right? Thomas has always been nice to you. You often walked on cool evenings, just holding hands. You were talking about your day, and he just listened with a smile on his lips. You were the only person he trusted and loved. The guy liked your voice, your way of talking and your laugh. Undoubtedly, in his eyes you were damn beautiful, but it seemed that he was forever looking through your appearance, into your very soul. It was so sweet. You couldn't help but fall in love with him even more.

You were in the kitchen at the Hewitt house making a pumpkin pie. Luda has always been surprised by your wonderful cooking skills, so she wasn't afraid to leave you alone. He needed to go back to the store for a while, where Hoyt had taken her. So you're left alone. Humming to yourself, you swayed your hips to the beat of your made-up song. It's good that no one was watching you now and you could do anything. Finally, you put the pie in the oven and wiped your hands on the fabric of your apron with a victorious smile. After removing all the ingredients and washing the dishes, you sat down on a chair and just began to wait. Hundreds of different thoughts flashed through your head, from this very pie to the little ring you noticed in Tommy's room. You were filled with excitement, which made you happily bite your lip. Could it be...?

Your thoughts were interrupted by some kind of thud from somewhere below. Your body instantly tensed up. It was scary to hear something like that when you were alone at home.

You slowly got up from your chair. The sound seemed to come from the basement. But you clearly remembered that Luda, and the rest of the Hewitt family, told you not to go into the basement under any circumstances. It's strange, isn't it? Of course, you always followed this strange rule, but now that you were alone at home, you were scared of what might be there. You didn't find any better options than just going down to the basement and taking a peek. You're fast, no one will notice. What can happen?

The floorboards creaked unpleasantly under your careful steps. The unpleasantly cold water has touched your ankles.

Your eyes widened in horror, and you covered your mouth in fear. There was a man sitting at the other end of the basement, although he could hardly be called such anymore. His face was disfigured, and his arm and part of his leg were missing. His whole body was covered in scarlet blood. The victim's mouth was gagged and his eyes were painfully closed. There was an old bucket lying nearby. So that's what it was... The man was chained to the wall, and there was a massive hole from a meat hook on his shoulder.

"God.." the only thing that came out of your mouth was when you slowly backed away. My mouth was dry, and an unpleasant feeling of nausea was slowly rising in my stomach. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

You took one hesitant step, then another. Finally, your back hit something massive. In the blink of an eye, a huge hand was placed on your mouth, and then darkness.

Thomas's mind was racing. You've seen their secret. Are you afraid now? Of course you're afraid. The moment he found you in the basement, your body was shaking in fear and your eyes were full of horror. But it's all for the family, you have to understand. Sure, Hoyt said to kill anyone who found out about their family secret, but Thomas couldn't kill you. You were his happiness, his light in life, his beloved. Therefore, he gently picked up your unconscious body in his arms, protectively hugging it to himself. It's just a misunderstanding, isn't it? Thomas left the basement, closing the metal door behind him, and headed for his bedroom. He put you on the bed, trying to make sure that you would be comfortable. You should get some sleep, then you can understand him. It's all for the family, for you. He wanted so much to see you as his little wife, to protect you and your possible children, he wanted it so much. But now his dreams were more fragile than ever.

You woke up in a dark room. It must have been Tommy's bedroom, judging by the big bed. You slowly sat up in bed, feeling a dull ache in your head. After a couple of moments, these horrible images of a corpse in the basement popped up in your head. You instantly wanted to empty your stomach. You put your hand over your mouth, feeling hot tears on your cheeks. Your head was throbbing painfully, and nothing came out of your chest except a long-drawn-out cheekbone. You slid down the bed to the floor, pressing your back against the wall in the corner of the room. Your body was shaking in terror, and your mind was full of vile, terrifying thoughts. I wanted to scream, but it felt like your tongue had been ripped out. You covered your head with your hands, tucking your knees in. You need to get out of here, run. Away from this house, away from this city, away from these people.

Your mental reverie was interrupted by the sudden creak of the door. The dark room was slightly illuminated by warm light from the corridor, the doorway was soon blocked by a tall bulky figure. You instinctively cringed, afraid of the consequences.

Thomas's heart ached as he watched you crawl away from him in fear. As his victims. He carefully closed the door and slowly approached you. You looked like a cornered animal. Thomas didn't like that feeling. He gently grabbed your hand, pulling you onto his lap. You resisted and tried to break free, your mind was racing wildly. But he didn't stop. He took you on his lap, holding you gently against his strong chest. You struggled and cried, afraid that you would be hurt. Thomas felt like his whole world was collapsing seeing you like this. You pounded his chest with your hands, muttering some words, but he wouldn't let go, Thomas just held you closer to him, stroking your back and trying to calm you down. You were afraid of him. It was like that.. wrong.

Finally, you were exhausted, hanging limply in his arms. Your head is on his chest, and only long sobs come out of your mouth. Thomas kisses you briefly on the forehead.

"No harm.." He mutters in a rough voice. He rarely talked, but it seemed like the best option right now, "..love Y/N."

You didn't answer. Your head ached, and your mind was empty, the animal fear in your body gradually subsided, replaced by fatigue. You fell asleep in his arms. Thomas sat there with you all night, afraid that something might happen to you.

In the days that followed, he took care of you and tried in every possible way to show that he would not harm you in any way. He'd rather kill himself if he hurt you. Thomas came into the room and fed you with a spoon. At first you refused and resisted in every possible way, but gradually, because of hunger, you simply did not have the strength left. Thomas brought you something that didn't have meat in it, he knew that meat could upset you. Stewed vegetables, your pumpkin pie, some snacks. Thomas wouldn't let anyone into this room, not even his mom. He had to make sure you were going to be okay. You are his sun, his reason to live.

Over time, it seemed that you had thawed out. It wasn't like you were completely resigned to the fact that the Hewitts were murderers and cannibals. But you realized they wouldn't hurt you, Tommy wouldn't let you. He explained to you that it's for survival. In a way, you realized that this was just the only way out, and yet it was still disgusting and disgusting for you. But Thomas didn't do it because he likes it. He did it for the sake of the family, protected it and fed it. It's necessary.

After a while, you even left the room, although you no longer looked towards the basement. Gradually, everything returned to normal. You even started living at the Hewitt house, Monty made sure to bring all your stuff here. You became the second mistress of Hewitt, Tommy's wife. He finally put the ring on your finger, and you realized all his warm love for you. Luda was glad that her boy had really found his happiness. Now you were sleeping together, giving each other love. You even went down to the basement if Thomas forgot to eat. Ignoring the screams of another victim, you placed the food tray on Thomas's workbench and gently touched his shoulder. The man turned around and wrapped you in a hot kiss. You had a strange feeling when you kissed so strangely to the screams of desperate victims. But it didn't matter. At that moment, it was just you and him, your husband Tommy.

[lace-coffin]

Heyo friendo, can I perhaps request headcannons for Bubba, Tommy, Asa, and RZ Mikey when giving and receiving comfort from their s/o? Bonus points if male or ftm reader cause we don’t have enough ;-;

Thank you 🩵🩵

How would slashers comfort their S/O on a bad day?

Absolutely, MWAH

Reader is ftm 💖

Trigger warning mainly for Asa- power dynamics/exchange (probably) toxic relationships, the usual for him lol

Also tw for raw meat/hacking at meat/blood

Requests are open!

Bubba Sawyer

Giving

Bubba notices you haven’t been yourself today. Usually he’s the first one up at the crack of dawn, busy tending to the small farm you’ve accrued over time on the sawyer family property. He returns back once the errands are done to find you still in bed, which is unusual for you by this time.

Bubba runs their hands over your cheek softly, murmuring to you quietly, prompting you to get out of bed, only to be met with a groan and the duvet being pulled back over your head. After several minutes of looking around nervously and playing with her fingers anxiously deciding what to do she hauls you over her shoulder.

They are absolutely about to traipse you into the dining room in your boxers and sleep vest in your full glory. He places you down gently on your chair and goes to fetch your food.

Drayton eyes you wearily, wondering why bubba just dumped their boyfriend at the dinner table clad in only boxers. Choptop and nubbins however find it hilarious and snicker until Drayton hollers for them to shut up.

If you’re not feeling up to eating then bubba will encourage you by feeding you smaller bites with the fork. Of course this isn’t without chop and nubbins making gagging noises at the display of public affection. Bubba groans in embarrassment but it’s enough to make you laugh and cheer up a little.

She’ll help you do your daily tasks if your finding it difficult, for example they’ll wash you gently and make sure to give you a nice scalp massage whilst washing your hair if your struggling with hygiene.

They’ll try involve you in activities to take your mind off how your feeling, making bone crafts with her and her siblings and even cuddling their favourite pet chicken.

Receiving

If bubba is having a bad day you’ll definitely know about it. They tend to wear their heart on their sleeve and are open with their emotions.

He’ll come to you as his boyfriend first. If she’s really upset and actively crying please hold them and give them a while to calm down before trying to ask what’s up.

Stimming! Please stim with them, it helps them feel better to shake it out by flapping their hands and making fists. They feel more comfortable and accepted if you join in. Mirroring and doing the same activities is one of their love languages.

Staying with them whilst they do their daily tasks is helpful, feed the chickens with them and the pigs. Maybe have a little cuddle session with the piggies.

If she feels particularly insecure that day then you can help do her makeup and dress up with her. Once he’s donned his favourite yellow dress and you your fanciest suit/button up you can have a little tea party or picnic now you’re both feeling cute.

Choptop and nubbins will complain that it’s lame but still insist in coming (they think it’s fun but are to stubborn to admit it)

Thomas Hewitt

Giving

Tommy spends most of his time either in the basement or out chasing victims so he may not be the best at noticing your upset since he’s absent frequently until the end of the day.

Luda may is confused but slightly honoured when Tommy’s boyfriend came to her teary eyed looking for comfort and advice, not wanting to bother Tommy whilst he’s working.

Luda will slip off later and give Tommy a heads up that you need looking after today. As soon as he finds out he cuts his work short, slamming his cleaver into the table and washing the excess blood from his hands before making his way up to you.

Tommy will try help by giving you deep pressure. Laying his weight on your chest to ground you. He traces his fingers over your palm in little shapes and letters, spelling out words of affirmation and hearts to let you know he loves you in a way he can’t verbalise. However if you’re lucky he may whisper a few raspy words of adoration into your chest as you pet his hair.

If it helps you blow off steam he might let you hack at some of the meat in basement with his cleaver, however only under his watchful eye. Your already upset, he doesn’t need you loosing a finger to.

Tommy will make an extra effort to keep you distracted and away from Hoyt since he can be..snappy to say the least. This can mean your spending time with Tommy on the swing out front or reading to him.

Receiving

Tommy is difficult when it comes to emotions. Years of hiding behind a steely facade as he’s taunted by mean kids or even Hoyt has left him closed off and unsure about being vulnerable.

When Tommy is having a bad day it’s more likely to come out as anger, he finds this easier to channel and disperse since he spends a lot of his time running on agression towards victims and knows how to handle it better than sadness.

The first sign things aren’t right is when he’s not back from his basement work for hours after he usually finishes up. Please go drag him out of there or he’ll work until he exhausts himself.

Having a tender hand and giving him room to vulnerable is the best thing you can do for Tommy.

Let him sign to you what the problem is when he’s ready and try help best you can.

He loves it when you let him snuggle into your chest on your shared bed, your fingers threading through his hair, lovingly detangling any knots or snags in his hair. His mask discarded on the bedside table so he can be skin to skin with you.

Spending time with you and Luda may will be therapeutic for him, he may be grown now but he still loves spending quality time with his mama, and with his boyfriend there it’s even more enjoyable. Play a board game together or cards. (Luda will let Tommy win a few rounds because he’s still her baby, but don’t let him know that :’)

RZ! Michale Myers

Giving

Michael will probably know when your having a tough day before you even do considering he spends most of his time silently observing you, he knows your emotions and habits like the back of his (giant ass) hand.

Mikey makes a point of trying to show his concern via acts of service since verbal and physical emotional aren’t his strong suits. This might mean the covers are pulled back from your bed and your handed a slightly burnt grilled cheese for breakfast. It’s not amazing but he tried lol.

Michael knows you struggle with taking care of yourself on these days and encourages you the best way he knows how. Guiding you to the room you need to be in and standing and staring until you do the task, you can try move past him but he’s like a brick wall in coveralls.

He knows when it’s time for you to take off your binder and let yourself relax. Either he tries his tried and true method of stubbornly staring and insisting you do it or he’ll unceremoniously man handle it off you and throw it aside. He’s not complaining about the view either.

Receiving

Michael tends to stay out for longer if he’s not feeling good. The need to shed blood hitting a peak, eating away at his insides and clouding his mind until he can satisfy it. He’ll return home more dirtied up than usual, caked in slowly drying blood and maybe even dirt if he gets into a scuffle with a hardheaded victim.

Mikey dumps his knife in the sink and shrugs off his dirty coveralls in the laundry room, throwing on some comfy gray sweats and a loose white T-shirt. Adorning his favourite paper pumpkin mask.

He’ll seek you out even if he’s still covered in splats of darkening blood and flop onto you with his full weight, demanding your attention. He’s clingier than usual, this gives you leeway to pamper him.

After a round of cuddles try get Michael into the bathroom to clean him up, despite his preference towards gore he doesn’t actually like feeling grimy, not being able to cope with the sensory issues it brings.

He would feel very cared for if you clean his wounds before getting him in the bath. Run your fingers over his scars and marks from past victims, tenderly kiss his top surgery scars.Mikey will melt under your hands if you detangled and wash his hair for him, especially if you tie it into a bun or ponytail for him to keep it off his neck and face, preventing the sensory issues mentioned earlier.

Asa Emory

Giving

Asa knows some days can be more taxing than others, especially in the situation you two share. Anyones mental health would be fragile considering your literally being kept as a pet to a serial killer. He can see during training that you blindly follow along with instructions with a glassy far away look in your eyes. This won’t do, he needs your full attention. He hates to admit it but your his little bug and he hates to see you hurting when he’s not the one responsible for it.

On days when you feel particularly hopeless about your situation or self he’ll be softer on you. Do not misunderstand, he will still demand your cooperation and obedience/submission but the consequences will be lessened or saved for later when you have the energy and attention to react accordingly.

Asa will bring you with him about his day. Sitting you under his desk with the chain from your collar wrapped around the desk leg. Running his hands through your hair and patting your head as he works. After a while you let your eyes flutter shut as you rest your head on his thigh, drifting off to the sound of his pen scratching along paper.

If you’re lacking in energy or unwilling to eat you will be promoted to his lap instead of your usual spot on the floor at your metal bowl. Asa will hand feed you, insuring you get enough nutrients and prying your mouth open with his nitrile gloves to ensure you’ve swallowed it all.

Asa will take you to his bed instead of your trunk or cage/room.

Receiving

After a long week of experiments succumbing to their wounds and dying on him and finicky traps failing, Asa is more than in a shitty mood. After snapping off his gloves and cleaning himself of any lingering viscera he makes his way over to your room.

His eyes crinkle highlighting his crows feet as he unclasps the trunk your contorted into, happier than ever to see his cricket after the day he’s had.

You know he’s had a bad day as it’s much later than his usual visit and he’s lacking the domineering energy he always exudes, to tired and trodden down to be strict.

Asa finds it therapeutic to do your makeup and dress you up (much like the implications with Abby in the collection)

You’ve learned in your years here it’s wise to be on your best behaviour when he gets this way. Being submissive and compliant is a great relief to him when he feels bad as he doesn’t have the energy to argue with you and will just storm out.

Using more honourifics like “sir” or “master” will get you brownie points and help boost his ego. Use “daddy” if your willing to finish what you started 👀

Curling up on him is ensured to pull at his heart strings and help calm him down. Tell him what a wonderful owner he is and how well he takes care of you. Feed into his god complex and worship him. let him know you’re only committed to him and him alone, you don’t need the outside or anyone else, just his attention. Assert his full control over your being and heart.

Not double checked bc eyes feel like they’re bleeding lmao

[marvelmusing]

Starlight, Star Bright

Pairing: Darklina x Fem!Star Summoner!Reader

Summary: The arrival of the sun summoner - your darling Alina - changes everything for you and Aleksander.

Warnings [18+]: canon level violence and death, mentions of death, nightmares, use of sleeping tonics, anxiety, mentions of Luda x Reader x Aleksander, angst, smut, oral (fem receiving), fingering, mentions of masturbation, smidge of corruption/innocence kink, Alina had a strict and conservative upbringing

My Masterlist

Alina’s concentration face is rather adorable. Dark brows furrowed together, pink lips parted, and a tiny peek of her tongue can be seen at the corner of her mouth. It hadn’t been intentional - watching her like this. But the library at the Little Palace is one of your favourite places to hide from your duties and seeing her here feels like an unexpected treat.

Her concentration dissolves into frustration, plush lips pressing into a firm line, then emotion seems to overwhelm her. A redness has crept over her throat which bobs rapidly and her dark eyes blink in an embarrassed flurry. When you realise she’s holding back tears, you move towards her without thinking.

It’s only once you spot the mountain of books surrounding her, piled up over the desk in heaps, that you begin to suspect what has caused her distress.

“Good evening, Miss Starkov,” you say softly.

She looks up at you hurriedly and the action has tears filling her waterline which she quickly attempts blink away. A piece of your heart snaps away, quivering in your chest, aching at the thought of seeing tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Good evening, Lieutenant.”

“Shu isn’t the easiest language to learn, but once you understand the basics the rest will follow.”

A bright blush spreads over her cheeks and her gaze lowers to the open book in front of her. When you see her chin wobble slightly, your stomach twists, and you add,

“Can I offer you a recommendation?”

She looks up at you again, nodding slowly.

Moving over towards a nearby shelf, you search for a particular book, pulling it carefully from its place and settling it down in Alina’s lap.

“It’s a book of fables,” you explain quietly. She tilts her head, eyeing the cover. “It might seem a little childish, but I find it to be one of the best ways to introduce someone to a new language.”

She begins to turn the pages with infinite care, her delicate fingers tracing over the illustrations inside.

“Would-”

Her words falter.

“Yes?”

She shakes her head, a pretty blush warming her cheeks.

“No. It’s silly.”

“Alina-” Her eyes snap up to yours at the sound of her name from your lips and your own voice falters. “May I call you Alina?” She nods and you smile softly. “I want you to feel at home here, in the Little Palace. There’s nothing you can’t ask of me.”

From what you’ve heard from her tutors, Alina has been struggling with Grisha theory, alongside her physical training. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes and the way she pushes her food around her plate at dinner every night, she hasn’t been able to summon very well either.

Anything you can do to make her feel better, you vow to do it. Particular memories have concerns stirring in your stomach. For centuries, you had been by Aleksander’s side, masquerading as the Darkling’s otkazat’sya wife.

It was only when Aleksander presented his newest alias at court, General Kirigan, that you revealed your power to the world - Ravka’s only star summoner. The sudden pressure you felt to help your country, alongside the expectations of your fellow Grisha, had made you almost ill with worry. Everyone had hoped your light would have been able to destroy the Fold.

Alina squares her shoulders a little, seemingly drawing some confidence from your encouragement.

“Would you read it to me?” she asks.

There’s a small pause as you look at her, your expression softening at the sight of her looking so flustered.

“I’d love to.”

She smiles and the sight has the breath halting in your lungs. She shuffles back slightly as you sit down beside her, your fingers brushing against her clothed knee as you take the book from her lap.

“Each of the stories are only a handful of pages in length. I could read them in Shu first, then again in Ravkan - if you would like that?”

Her eyes widen, something hopeful glimmering in their dark depths.

“You don’t mind?” she asks shyly. You shake your head.

“Not at all.”

»»---------------------►

Reading to Alina soon becomes one of your favourite things in the world - a guilty pleasure of sorts to escape from the stress of helping Aleksander run the Second Army.

One night, she comes to your door with the book of Shu fables in her arms tucked against her chest.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she admits in a hoarse whisper and you wonder whether she has nightmares too. Instantly you take her hand, pulling her gently into your bedroom.

She settles at the head of your bed, plush pillows and velvet cushions bundled up around the two of you. With a flick of your fingers, you summon enough light to read by. Alina is entranced by your starlight, eyes wide as she stares up at the miniature constellations swirling above your heads.

As you read stories aloud in her mother’s language, Alina slowly inches her head down onto your lap so that she can watch the tiny stars shining down on you both. This provides you with the perfect opportunity to thread your fingers lightly through her hair. At your request, Genya has been taking care of Alina and her hair is much softer and fuller than when she first arrived at the Little Palace.

The darkness of her eyes offers a perfect reflection of your stars and every time you risk a glance at her you’re captivated by the sight. Some of the tension slips away from her body and a low, sleepy sigh falls from her lips. Her eyes flutter closed.

»»---------------------►

It isn’t surprising that the sun summoner loves to sit in the sunlight. After all, even before you could summon, you’ve always adored a starry night sky. But seeing Alina soak up the sun, her head tilted back, eyes closed, has your steps faltering as you watch her. She’s so beautiful like this, waiting for you at the foot of an oak tree in the grounds.

Aleksander is nearby, tending to the horses used by the two of them on their morning ride. Alina is sitting on his kefta, using it as a blanket to shield her legs from the cool dew of the grass beneath her.

When she notices your presence, a luminous smile brightens up her features. It isn’t long before the two of you have settled into your familiar rhythm. Alina lies down with her head in your lap whilst you read to her. The story you’ve selected for today is an unacknowledged favourite of Alina’s.

Once you’ve finished the story, you take a moment to admire Alina. Her eyes remain closed, lashes fanned over her cheekbones. There’s a sun kissed glow over her cheeks, her skin tone revitalised by her time in the sun - and her increase in summoning.

When her eyes open slowly, she blinks up at you, though you don’t shy away from her gaze. She smiles softly, sitting up slowly to face you.

“Can I ask you something?” she asks quietly, tucking a stray hair back from her face as the breeze drags at her dark locks.

Tilting your head aside, you study the nervous press of her lips and the way her eyes shift over the grass, avoiding your gaze. Then you nod slowly.

“In the story,” she begins, head inclined towards the book lying open in your lap. “The princess and the fairy… they get married.”

A subtle frown creases at your brows before you nod again.

“They… I’m not getting the translation wrong, am I? They’re both girls.”

“Yes, Alya. They’re both girls.”

“And that’s allowed?”

“I’m sure a few more conservative members of the nobility might have something to say about it, but yes, it’s allowed.”

Alina seems deep in thought, staring at a particular leaf as it is carried away by the breeze.

“Nadia flirts with girls,” she states.

“She does,” you agree.

“Sometimes, when I was in the First Army, someone would make a joke about two girls tumbling each other…” Her voice trails off slightly, her cheeks glowing a rosy pink with embarrassment as she adds, “But I didn’t know… girls actually do that with each other.”

You nod with a small smile, a knowing glimmer in your eyes.

“They do.”

The pink on her cheeks burns to a deep red, her mouth open with a question poised on her tongue. She’s adorable, innocent and flustered and curious. The sound of long grass rustling draws your attention over to Aleksander, who seems to be making his way towards you and Alina.

“Enjoying yourselves?” he asks with a tender smile, the affection in his gaze is obvious to you after years of learning to decipher his emotions.

When you glance back at Alina, there’s a spark of alarm in her eyes, widened as she looks almost pleadingly at you.

“I was just telling Alina about the trail around the lake,” you inform Aleksander. There’s a questioning tilt to his head, observing your lie instantly. Nevertheless, he nods and turns his attention onto her.

“Perhaps we could take that route on our next ride around the grounds.”

She smiles softly, shooting you a grateful look before she glances at Aleksander. Her smile widens when their eyes meet and she nods bashfully.

“I’d like that.”

»»---------------------►

“Healer! Is there a healer here!?”

Aleksander’s voice is hoarse, a guttural cry for help that has you stumbling to your feet, hurrying through the makeshift rooms of the Grisha sanctuary. Voices and the sound of frantic movement aid you in your search for him, your heart pounding in your chest as fright fills you.

“The best we have is a tailor,” someone says. “We were waiting for Luda.”

At the mention of your other lover’s name, the tidemaker’s words falter and you rush quickly towards them. Luda is lying limply in Aleksander’s arms, blood staining her clothing. He places her on a cot, smoothing her hair back once she’s settled.

“Luda,” you cry. “No.”

At the sound of your voice, Aleksander stands back, attempting to grasp your arm as you approach - to shield you from seeing her state. His hold is weak and you slip by him easily, sinking yourself onto the bed beside her.

Luda’s eyes flutter, the pain limiting her awareness, though she manages to hold your hand weakly. There’s a sickening twist in your stomach when you see the wound, blood flowing at a frightening speed. Tears fill your eyes as you smile softly at her, trying your hardest to be brave for her.

There are no other healers in the sanctuary. Even if you could staunch the bleeding, she has already lost too much blood and the damage looks too deep for a tailor to fix.

“It isn’t bad, milaya,” you assure her. “You just need some rest.”

Leaning forward, you press a gentle kiss to her forehead, cool to the touch yet damp with perspiration. Hovering over her, you wait for the sound of her next breath. It doesn’t come.

A broken cry catches in your throat, the beginning of a sob, as you sink onto the cold stone floor beside the cot. Hot tears spill over your cheeks, dripping down onto your lap as you curl in on yourself, shoulders shaking with the weight of your anguish.

The two of you had grown up in the same village. She had been the first person to see your starlight. Your first kiss. She’s the one who always soothes your heartbeat when it quickens with anxiety.

Luda had been the one to nudge you towards the mysterious Darkling, stating with flushed cheeks that she would not mind sharing you with such a handsome man. Innocently, you had laughed and shaken your head at her, completely unaware of Aleksander’s eyes on you both.

She had been so determined to gain an amplifier, to stay with you and Aleksander for as long as she could. Deep down, you know some part of her had craved a forever with you both. To see that slip away so quickly has your throat closing up with emotion.

“Just mortal,” Aleksander murmurs quietly.

Lifting your head, you manage to meet his gaze. He looks just as broken as you feel, his eyes filled with a grief so tangible you want to grasp hold of it, take it by the throat and throttle it. A wounded cry escapes you as Aleksander curls his hand around your wrist and you begin to sob in earnest.

Aleksander wakes you, fingers curling firmly around your wrists when you begin to struggle in his arms, still in the throes of your anxious slumber. When you realise where you are, and who is holding you, your body slumps defeatedly against him.

Aleksander lets you cry, allowing your grief to course through your body as you sob. He keeps you close, stroking a hand down your side as he murmurs gentle reminders to you - to continue breathing through your tears and that he’s here for you.

When your sobs relent, you manage to sit up beside him, the two of you leaning against the headboard.

“I’m sorry for waking you,” you sniffle. He retrieves a handkerchief for you, smoothing the soft cotton over your damp cheeks.

“Don’t be.” He pauses, eyeing your features with concern before he asks softly, “Luda?”

Closing your eyes, your expression crumples as you nod.

“First love always leaves it’s scars,” he murmurs, tracing his finger over the jagged skin tissue that curls over the slope of your shoulder - from the tip of your shoulder blade through your collarbone. The scar from the volcra, when you had escaped the Fold during its creation.

There’s a small scar at the corner of Aleksander’s eyebrow, one that you reach for now. He had gained it when he was thirteen, and he still rubs at the spot when he’s been working too long. There’s another scar, from the same incident, that runs over the length of his calf.

“Let me fetch you a sleeping draught.”

“Aleksander, I don’t need-”

“You look tired, my love.”

The concern in his voice has your hand lowering to your lap, your gaze following it as you remark quietly,

“You know I don’t like taking tonics.”

He nods. Aleksander rarely suggests such a solution, since the sleeping draughts put you in an immobilised state, where your limbs become too heavy to move. He knows you hate the lack of control, and the alarming decrease in your awareness.

“I know. But your nerves are overwrought, and a deep dreamless sleep will fix that.” He strokes your cheek gently. “I will watch over you, I promise. We’re safe. No one will hurt us here.”

A warm tear spills down your cheek, which he brushes away tenderly with the pad of his thumb. Breathing in shakily, you nod in consent. As Aleksander leaves the bed, the mattress dips and you bite back a whimper at the loss of his warm presence.

Leaning your head back against the headboard, you allow your heavy eyes to flutter closed as the sound of pouring liquid reaches your ears. Metal clinks lightly against porcelain as he stirs the sleeping draught for you.

He stokes the fire, encouraging a little more warmth into the room, before scooping up some burning coals to fill the warming pan.

With a tender smile at you, he lifts the covers at the foot of the bed, slotting the pan between the sheets to keep you cosy. Affection buzzes in your chest, an adoring smile quirking at your lips as you watch him.

He rounds the bed, sitting down by your side with a tea cup in his hands which he holds out for you to drink from.

“A few sips will suffice,” he says in a low voice.

Holding his gaze, you swallow down a small mouthful of the bitter liquid. He smiles softly when he sees your nose wrinkle at the taste. Aleksander hooks a finger under your chin, keeping your mouth close to the lip of the cup.

“Just a little more, my love.”

Somewhat reluctantly, you drink another mouthful and Aleksander casts the cup aside.

He settles you in his lap, tucking you against his chest as the draught begins to take effect. A haze clouds over your thoughts, filling your body with a limp heaviness. When you whimper quietly, Aleksander strokes a hand down your spine, pressing a reassuring kiss to your forehead as he hushes you. He continues murmuring comforting words to you.

As your eyelids flutter, your breathing shifting into something more heavy and rhythmic, Aleksander pulls the two of you down under the covers.

»»---------------------►

“Aleksander!” you hiss quietly. He slows his pace slightly, turning back to reach for your hand. “I think you’re forgetting I can’t see in the dark as well as you can.”

“Then summon some light.”

“What if someone sees?”

“No one is awake at this hour.”

Sighing, you summon a low twinkle of starlight, faint galaxies billowing like wisps of smoke around your ankles to light your way. Aided by your stars, you follow Aleksander through the darkened corridors of the Little Palace. He stops at a familiar room, releasing your hand as he turns to look at you.

Quietly, you knock against Alina’s door.

There’s a beat of silence and you both strain your ears, listening for any sound of movement from within her room. Slowly, Alina seems to rouse herself from her bed, moving towards the door. Her eyes widen as she looks at you and Aleksander, a frown creasing at the space between her brows.

“Um, hello?”

“I know you were upset that you couldn’t join your friends at the banya,” you say in a low voice.

Her gaze lowers, her feet shifting in her slippers as a subconscious pout puckers at her lips.

“It’s fine,” she says quietly. “I know you were both just concerned about my safety.”

Despite the guilt stirring in your stomach at the thought of Alina missing out on time with her friends, the smile growing on your face is hard to suppress as you consider the idea you’re about to propose to her.

“Well, we were thinking…” you trail off, looking expectantly at Aleksander. He smiles indulgently.

“That there is no one safer for you to be with than us.” Her eyes widen with excitement at Aleksander’s words and you add,

“It’s a warm night and the water at the lake will be the perfect temperature for a swim.”

“You mean…” Her smile is infectious and you’re smiling too as you ask her,

“Where’s your bathing dress?”

She frowns.

“My what?”

“Bathing dress. Genya told me you have one.”

She glances back into her room, eyes darting between her cabinet, vanity table, and her wardrobe.

“Would you like me to help you find it?” you ask. She nods.

It doesn’t take you long to locate the garment, folded carefully in the bottom drawer of the cabinet beside the window. Aleksander sits at her vanity table and you perch yourself on the end of the bed whilst Alina changes behind the folding screen in the corner of her room.

She steps out rather shyly, fidgeting with the hem of the dress while you and Aleksander stare, captivated by her.

The skirt of Alina’s bathing dress stops mid thigh and the neckline dips enough for you to catch a glimpse of her cleavage despite the modest capped sleeves which cover her shoulders. The fabric hugs her body comfortably, though you’re certain once the water has soaked through the material it will cling sinfully to her every curve.

Her cheeks are flushed, her gaze lowered to avoid your gaze as her fingers graze over the hemline of the dress, fingers playing nervously with the fabric. When she finally finds the courage to meet Aleksander’s eyes - then your own - her blush deepens.

Saving her from further embarrassment, you extend a hand out towards her which she takes instantly. A smile spreads over your features as her fingers curl around yours.

“Let’s go for a swim.”

»»---------------------►

Alina’s head lifts the moment she hears her door open. The smile that spreads over her features has your stomach flipping and she lowers her pen to give you her full attention from where she’s sitting at her vanity table.

“Good evening, Alina.”

Her smile brightens as she wraps her bath robe tighter around her body.

“Good evening.”

There’s ink smudges on her fingertips and your eyes peek around her to examine the pieces of parchment strewn over the table. When she catches your gaze, you lift a brow questioningly.

“Drawing?”

She shakes her head.

“I was just writing another letter for Mal.”

Sadness creeps into her expression and guilt stirs in your stomach.

“Alina-”

At the sound of her name on your lips, she lifts her head, eyes scouring over your face and your words fade as you lose your courage. But Alina deserves the truth.

“All letters that leave the Little Palace are read by either myself or Aleksander, to ensure that no important information falls into the wrong hands.”

She stiffens slightly, embarrassment touching her features.

“You mean you’ve read my letters to Mal?”

Guilt settles in your stomach as you shake your head.

“No.” She frowns, then you pull out a bundle of letters from the pocket of your kefta. “They haven’t been sent.”

She remains still, eyes fixed on the stack in your hand.

“I haven’t opened them. I wanted to tell you that Aleksander and I check letters so that you wouldn’t be uncomfortable. I was going to tell you… but the days went by and I just kept forgetting.”

Every word is the truth. Though it isn’t the whole truth. In all honesty, your reluctance to tell her about the letters is most likely an attempt at keeping her for yourself. Tears glimmer in her eyes and it sickens you that your selfishness is the reason for her distress. She shifts away from you and there’s a physical pain in your chest.

“I told you he hadn’t written back,” she says quietly, a quiver in her voice as she stares down at the envelopes. “You said he would soon. You told me there had been problems with the mail carriers. You lied to me.”

“Alina-”

She shakes her head, stepping away again, and you force your features to harden, shoving the hurt in your chest deep down. It twists inside you, making you step towards her and place the letters down on her table.

“I thought I should give these back to you. I’m certain you will choose your words more carefully, now that you know Aleksander and I will read every word that you write.”

It’s cruel, throwing the feelings you know she has for you and Aleksander in her face. Her cheeks flush red, anger and embarrassment flashing over her features as she looks away from you. The beginning of tears glisten in the corner of her eyes and you turn towards the door before you can see them fall.

»»---------------------►

A familiar presence lingers at the open doorway to your bedroom as you continue folding your trousers up, placing them in your trunk for the third time this morning.

“Sasha, would you pass me the…”

As you turn, your words are halted by the sight of Alina hesitating at the threshold of your room. She hasn’t spoken to you since that night in her rooms, turning away when she sees you in the grounds and keeping her gaze lowered when she passes you in the corridors.

“Alina.”

“You’re leaving.”

You nod.

“I’m going to oversee the new campaign on the Fjerdan frontlines.”

Aleksander had only casually suggested it but you had leapt at the opportunity, believing you need some fresh air and a chance to use your power productively.

There’s a pause as Alina steps towards you, almost cautiously. Her gaze is lowered, searching over your belongings that have been strewn across your bed.

“Can I write to you?” she asks.

There’s a twinge of guilt in your chest at the mention of letters, though the softness of Alina’s features express no ill will in regards to her unsent letters to Mal.

“Of course. I can’t promise my replies will be detailed or lengthy, but I would love to hear from you, Alina.”

She fidgets with her fingers, nails picking at her cuticles.

“How long will you be gone for?”

“I plan to return just before the Winter Fete.”

Her eyes widen.

“That long?”

“It’s only a few months. I’ll be back before you know it.”

»»---------------------►

The problem with being the person who censors letters within the Second Army is that you find it all too easy to remove what has been written on the page.

»»---------------------►

Alina,

I should have told you about the letters. I know this is a cowardly way to apologise, but seeing so many casualties today - knowing there will be more tomorrow - has made me reflective as it always does.

Please forgive me. I don’t want to lose you.

»»---------------------►

Moi Sashenka,

My official report on the front has been sent and hopefully you will have received it by the time this letter reaches you.

Fjerda is as cold as it always is and I hate being so far from you. Too many times I find myself longing for your advice or your embrace. I miss you, Sasha.

I miss Alina too. How is Alina? I hope her lessons have improved and that she’s feeling more settled. Could you remind her that she can write to me? I’m afraid I’ve ruined us.

Take care, as always

Forever yours

»»---------------------►

One particular letter you set alight with your starlight, watching the paper crumble as the flames remove your words from existence. That night you sleep curled in on yourself, old grief burrowing it’s way into your chest as you remember a girl with hopeful eyes the same colour as the sky.

She slips into your dreams, gentle hands holding you. The bed is warm, soft sheets caressing your naked bodies. Aleksander’s touch is familiar, like being welcomed home. He kisses you. She kisses you. A featherlight brush of her lips, before you’re sinking a hand into her hair to deepen the kiss with a fierce longing to keep her like this. It feels so real.

The tears have scarcely dried over your cheeks as you wake. The sounds of your army rousing itself from slumber draws you out of your bittersweet state, grounding you as you stare up at the cloth ceiling of your tent.

»»---------------------►

Aleksander folds his arms over his chest, drawing his bath robe tighter around his body as he looks over the map on his table. A chill brushes over his skin when his eyes land on the collection of figures placed by the Fjerdan border. Immediately his thoughts fall onto you.

The two of you aren’t often parted from each other; you’ve been one another’s constant companion for the last few centuries and he feels the temporary loss of you in his chest.

It appears he isn’t the only one who feels your absence. He turns at the sight of movement in the corner of his eye, shoulders tensing as the shadows stir at his subconscious command. They dissolve the moment his gaze falls onto her face.

“Alina.”

She tucks her hair back shyly.

“Am I disturbing you?”

He shakes his head.

“Not at all. Come in, please.”

He watches Alina’s eyes bounce over the contents of his table and can’t help but notice that she also lingers on the spot where your camp is. As she approaches him, she keeps her gaze lowered, looking over the pages in front of him.

Then she spies your letters.

“Is this from-”

Aleksander says your name softly, nodding as his fingers trace affectionately over the loops of your handwriting. His eyes skim over the words, reading between the lines of your ink in a manner only he can.

“She misses you.”

“I miss her too,” she admits in a whisper.

He gestures for her to sit in the armchair by the fire which she does, quietly tucking her knees beneath herself, bundling the fabric of her night robe closer around her body. Aleksander watches her, leaning back against the war table, his palms splayed over maps and papers.

He looks at her for a long moment, admiring her features as the firelight dances over them. There’s a contemplative furrow to his brows as he thinks of a promise he made to you before you left for the frontlines.

“Alina, I have something to tell you but I want you to make me a promise first.”

She eyes him somewhat warily. In your absence, the two of them have grown considerably closer, but you had been the one to coax Alina out of her shell.

“What’s the promise?” she asks.

“That you won’t leave.”

Her expression softens.

“Aleksander-”

“I want you to give me your word, that you will listen to everything I have to say tonight. Afterwards, if you would like to leave I will provide you with whatever resources I can to ensure you a safe journey.”

She’s frighteningly still, wide eyed like a rabbit weighing up the threat of a potential predator. He watches her swallow, steeling herself before she nods curtly in agreement. The knot in his chest begins to loosen slightly, though he dreads her reaction to what he’s about to tell her. He can only hope that you are right.

»»---------------------►

Dear Alina,

I know winter has already arrived for you in the capital. Whenever I begin to fear that frostbite has taken my toes, I picture you curled up by the fire with Aleksander. Home has never felt further from me, even as the date of my return inches closer.

I hope you will be happy to see me. I long for you. The silence has been torture.

I have enclosed another letter, which I hope you might be able to pass along to Aleksander. There has been little time to write these days and ink is scarce. Give him my love. I hope you have a happy Yuletide.

»»---------------------►

Sasha,

There is a Yuletide gift for you underneath your bed. Alina’s gift is under my bed. Kiss her under the mistletoe for me.

All my love

»»---------------------►

My dearest Alya,

Fjerda is cold and I miss your warmth.

I hope that I reach you before this letter does. We begin our return to Os Alta today. I’m coming home.

»»---------------------►

As soon as you arrive back at the Little Palace, you find yourself drawn to Aleksander’s room, abandoning your trunk in your bedroom and seeking solace in the war room. The moment you set your eyes on him, the months-long tension leaves your shoulders and you stumble into his open arms.

Aleksander doesn’t have an opportunity to speak, as you grasp hold of his hair and drag his mouth down to yours. As soon as your lips meet, the leftover strain in your body and mind melts. The sigh that leaves you is fuelled by relief.

“Sasha,” you whine against his lips, unable to articulate anything else.

His hands cup your face, mouth moving eagerly against your own. After months of not being able to see one another, without touching one another, you’re both desperate.

“I forbid you from leaving the Little Palace for the foreseeable future,” he says, an edge of command in his tone.

“Yes, moi soverenyi,” you breathe against his lips.

A growl catches in the back of his throat and you squeeze your thighs together at the sound as white hot arousal coils in your stomach. He tugs you closer, hooking his hands beneath your legs to hoist you up into his arms. His next words are breathless, interrupted by your hurried kisses as he carries you into the bedroom.

“If it weren’t for the damned fete tomorrow, I would forbid you from leaving this bed.”

His mouth trails down your body, pressing hot kisses over your skin. A simmering tingle of pleasure shudders down your spine with each firm brush of his lips or stroke of his tongue. Heat creeps over your cheeks, as you realise your moans are getting louder and more desperate.

Once his mouth finally reaches your cunt, a sharp yelp falls from your lips. Holding onto his hair always encourages Aleksander, so your attempts to ground yourself only entice him further into your cunt. Slick arousal smears over his lips and chin as he devours you, leaving no inch of you untouched by his tongue.

He holds each of your hands in his as he works your body into a quivering climax that has tears spilling down your cheeks, relief soaking into your skin now that you’re finally home.

Aleksander’s expression softens as he observes your pitiful state. There’s a tremor in your legs that he attempts to coax out of you, smoothing his palms firmly over your thighs, his fingers squeezing at the sore muscle of your calves.

“Oh my love,” he coos. “You didn’t touch yourself at all while you were gone, did you?”

You shake your head.

“Didn’t feel right without you,” you admit, wiping the tears from your cheeks as they continue to pour. “Didn’t feel safe enough.”

A soft sigh heaves at his shoulders as he lowers himself over you, kissing his way up your body. He knows that feeling all too well, something he had hoped you would never experience again.

He sheds the rest of your clothing, tossing his own down onto the floor until your bare skin meets his. Sheer pleasure prickles through your body at the opportunity to feel his body against yours. Smooth skin, both of you marred with callouses and scars. The trail of hair down his stomach. Lean muscle and soft flesh. A soft moan escapes from your lips as his hips grind gently into yours.

“I have you now, my love,” he breathes out against your collarbone, mouthing over your throat. “You’re safe.” He reinforces his words with a firm kiss to the underside of your jaw. “You’re home.” Another kiss, a little higher. “Let me take care of you.”

“How is Alina?” you ask breathlessly.

He smiles down at you.

“She can summon at will now.” His mouth moves along your jawline. “For her Winter Fete display she plans to split sunbeams.”

He parts your thighs, positioning the head of his cock at your entrance before he eases himself forwards. A rough moan tears itself from the back of your throat as the feeling of Aleksander stretching you open floods through your body.

“She sleeps with your letters under her pillow each night.”

His words make your heart ache and your cunt clench around his cock, drawing a small hiss of surprise from him.

“I’ve missed her. I’ve missed you, Sasha.”

“I know, my love. I’ve missed you too,” he breathes out against your neck. “We talk about you all the time.”

He bites down on the juncture of your neck, teeth dragging on your skin before he strokes his tongue over the mark blooming there.

“You do?”

There’s a shy naivety in your voice, as if you can barely believe that the two people you adore most in the world would spend their time talking about you.

“She- she isn’t mad at me… is she?”

He kisses your cheek, his forehead pressing against your temple.

“No, my love. She isn’t mad at you.”

He moans quietly as your nails bite into his hips, clinging to him with an intensity that has you shaking. Aleksander kisses you, his mouth moving leisurely against yours. There is hardly a moment to breathe, with the head of Aleksander’s cock nudging against that sweet, sensitive spot inside you and the way he occupies your mouth.

Pleasure spirals in your stomach, as your cunt clenches tightly around his cock. Aleksander cries out a deep, startled sound. He grits his teeth, pressing his body directly into yours. Arching your back against the mattress, you grip onto Aleksander, writhing as your mind fights tooth and nail to resist the climax that your body is dragging you towards.

“Let go, my love,” he whispers, warm mouth suckling gently on your earlobe. “You’re safe, I have you. I promise.”

The next wave of pleasure that runs through you completely shatters whatever resolve had been subconsciously established in your mind. Another, rather unexpected, bout of tears trace down your cheeks and a small sob catches in the back of your throat as your climax peaks.

Aleksander continues his motions, thrusting into you as he cradles your face between his hands. He kisses your tears away as best he can whilst chasing his own climax. The shaky gasps of his name only entice him further, drawing a wrecked moan from his lips as he pulls out, spilling his sticky spend over your thighs.

The two of you remain in one another’s arms as you catch your breath, trading slow kisses and gentle touches. Aleksander’s fingers dance along the curves and dips of your body, following the path he knows by heart. As your eyes flutter closed, you link your fingers with his, giving them a gentle squeeze which he returns without hesitation.

Aleksander inhales sharply as you press a delicate kiss to his knuckles. In the absence of one another, it has been all too easy to forget the luxury of tender touches. There’s a softness to his features as he looks at you, tilting his head slightly to watch as you continue to kiss over each of his fingers.

“I told Alina about our past,” Aleksander confesses quietly. That has you freezing for a moment, eyes flickering up to study his face.

“How did she take it?”

His gaze lowers, his hand flexing slightly in your hold.

“She looked frightened at first. She had promised to listen to me, but I could see she was waiting to run.”

“What changed her mind?”

“You.”

A frown creases at your brows.

“I told her about you, about everything we’ve been through together. Everything we’ve lost over the years.” Emotion hardens in your throat, though you do your best to swallow it down. His tone grows regretful. “Even after everything I’ve done, you’ve remained by my side.”

“Because I love you,” you say quietly, pressing another kiss to his knuckles, squeezing his digits affectionately. “Because I know that everything you’ve done has been to keep us safe and keep our Grisha safe.” Tears well in Aleksander’s dark eyes. “How could I ever leave you - knowing that?”

He leans forward, cupping the back of your head to kiss you soundly.

»»---------------------►

Alina looks magnificent in black. The colour belongs to you as much as it belongs to Aleksander. To see her wearing your colour, her kefta perfectly moulded to her figure, drives the air from your lungs. She had been pale and gaunt when she first arrived at the Little Palace; it seems that your sun summoner has blossomed in your absence.

Aleksander moves towards her first, the crowd parting instantly for the three of you to meet.

“You were supposed to enter accompanied by palace guards,” he says in a low voice.

She blushes, her eyes bouncing between you and Aleksander.

“I’m sorry. I just… I wanted to see you.”

Her tone is shy, as if she truly hadn’t intended on diverting from Aleksander’s strict schedule for her safety. Aleksander blinks slowly, the corner of his lips twitching into a hint of a smile. His voice softens as he murmurs,

“You look lovely, by the way.”

The blush spreads down her neck and you lick your lips at the sight.

“Beautiful,” you add softly.

Her eyes darken as she meets your gaze and your stomach flips. She inclines her head demurely, a brief curtesy as she stares, seemingly drinking in the sight of you.

“Lieutenant.”

The only response you provide her is a brief tilt of your head.

“Miss Starkov.”

The urge to kiss her claws fiercely inside you, so strong that your lips tingle with a phantom anticipation. Her skin is glowing under the light of the chandeliers, her cheeks flushed prettily. Her lips have been coloured with a dewy layer of gloss that you want to feel smeared over your own mouth. Instead, you say,

“I look forward to your demonstration.”

She worries her lower lip between her teeth, brows furrowed slightly with concern before she manages to smile, somewhat distractedly. Her gaze lowers to the front of her kefta, as she begins to pick at the delicate embroidery there. Instantly, you curl your fingers around hers, halting her nervous fidgeting.

“I am certain it will be wonderful.”

Her inhale is sudden, her lips parted, eyes widened as they flicker rapidly between yours. Taking her hand to your lips, you press a gentle kiss to her knuckles. She swallows hard.

Inferni flame illuminates her features as Polina and Pavel begin their demonstration, fire arching over your heads. As the deep orange flickers over her face, you keep your eyes on her, admiring the soft glow of her skin.

There’s a knowing glimmer in Aleksander’s eyes as he looks at you. He smiles, ducking his head down to murmur quietly against Alina’s ear,

“Let’s give them a real show.”

His lips graze her temple and she shivers.

»»---------------------►

“I have something to confess,” Aleksander murmurs quietly against your ear.

With the demonstrations and dinner done, the royals have long since left the party, as have the majority of the nobility. Now, the people surrounding you are Grisha, which means you feel comfortable enough to sit in Aleksander’s lap. His chest is pressed against your back, the heat of his body warming your spine.

A minute frown creases at the space between your brows, though your eyes don’t stray from where Alina is standing, hiding behind a column with Genya, a flute of sparkling wine in her hand. She giggles and you drink in the sight of her flushed cheeks and bright eyes.

“Confess?”

His hands graze over your sides, his shadows slipping beneath your kefta to caress your body.

“I have been… tutoring Alina. Teaching her how to pleasure herself.”

You blink at him.

“Truly?”

He nods.

“She wants to touch you.”

“She does?”

He nods again, the bulge in his trousers hardening.

“Our darling Alya is rather shy. It took until she was bone limp with pleasure for her to admit it, but yes, she wants you.”

“You’ve touched her?”

“Not intimately.”

His answer has your frown returning.

“The poor girl can’t seem to relax enough without my touch to soothe her. A hand around her wrist, guiding her. Or a gentle pressure against her thighs. It took quite some time to convince her that she was allowed to touch herself.”

“From what she’s told me, the orphanage she grew up in was a conservative household. No doubt she feels embarrassed at the thought of wanting someone.”

From Aleksander’s expression, it’s clear that he is in agreement with you. Then the corner of his mouth lifts, a familiar darkness twinkling in his gaze.

“Now that she is aware of her desires, she is somewhat insatiable.”

The thought of innocent, wide eyed Alina throwing herself at your unflappable Aleksander is equal parts arousing and amusing. Thoughts of Alina touching herself, growing frustrated without him, and seeking out Aleksander to help her has a coil of need curling in your abdomen.

Aleksander smirks, lowering his mouth to graze against the shell of your ear, his voice dropping low so that no one but you can hear him.

“I’ve seen her touching herself, and with the pretty shade of crimson her cheeks gain, I’m certain her fantasies verge on obscene.”

“She’s perfect,” you whisper.

He presses a kiss to the sensitive skin of your earlobe.

“She is.”

His lips lower, trailing down your throat.

“Tonight?” you ask in a soft gasp.

“If you wish so,” he murmurs against your thundering pulse.

“I do. Sasha, I want her so badly.”

“I know.” He kisses your cheek softly. “Would you like her to yourself first?”

“I want her to come undone over my hand, while you watch us.”

He smiles widely.

“One condition.” You nod. “Afterwards, I want to teach Alina how to kiss your cunt.”

At the thought of them both between your thighs, trading slow kisses as they take turns licking and mouthing at your cunt, a small moan catches in the back of your throat. Aleksander curls his hand around your neck.

“She’s watching us.”

The inhale you take is shaky as you flutter your lashes.

“Now?”

He nods, squeezing at your throat gently. His nose brushes against yours delicately as he smiles indulgently at you as he whispers,

“Go to her.”

He releases his hold on you and warmth rushes to your cheeks as you wobble on unsteady feet. There’s a few eyes on you whilst making your way towards Alina, though they look away quickly after one glance in Aleksander’s direction.

Genya’s hazel eyes land on you, pink dusting over the porcelain skin of her cheeks when she sees how your gaze is fixed on Alina. She takes your sun summoner’s empty glass from her, making herself scarce with a knowing smile as you approach.

“Alina.” Her eyes widen, her gaze wandering from your lips downwards, lingering on the loosened neckline of your kefta, and your stomach flips. “I have a gift for you.”

She blinks in surprise.

“You do?”

A smile spreads over your face as you nod.

“Come see me later tonight, in Aleksander’s rooms. I will give it to you then.”

»»---------------------►

Aleksander’s footsteps are smooth and confident as he walks through the war room, his boots echoing over the polished wood. It’s only once he reaches the threshold of his bedroom that his gait falters.

“Where in the name of all saints did you get that?”

Turning from your reflection in the mirror above his vanity table, a coy smile curls at your lips as you smooth down the sheer lace of nightgown.

“To your liking, General?”

He breathes out a sharp laugh.

“Poor Alina won’t know where to look.”

“And you know exactly where to look,” you remark teasingly, adjusting the belt so that the length of your bare leg is on display.

His smile is wide and dazzling as he steps purposefully forward towards you.

“I do.”

Lowering himself onto his knees, Aleksander parts your nightgown, ducking his head between your thighs to kiss over your lace clad mound. A sound of surprise catches in the back of your throat, which dissolves into a moan when his tongue traces eagerly over the crease between your thighs and your hips.

He chuckles when you squirm, his warm hands settling over each of your knees to hold you in place as his mouth moves over your skin.

“Sasha,” you gasp. He smirks teasingly, eyes darkened as he looks up from between your thighs.

“My love, we’ve barely begun.”

There’s a tentative knock at the door.

Aleksander releases his hold on you, smoothing his hands over the knees of his trousers as he stands in one fluid motion. He strolls over towards the door, threading a hand through his hair as he does so. Suddenly conscious of your appearance, you brush down the fabric of your night robe to preserve your modesty.

“Alina,” he says softly.

There’s a small pause, and you know the sight in front of Alina will have her blushing already - Aleksander with bright eyes and flushed cheeks, his hair perfectly disheveled from delving between your thighs.

“Hello.”

“Please, come in.”

She’s dressed in her night dress, silk and lace clinging to her curves, with a velvet robe thrown over her shoulders. Her gaze bounces over the entirety of your body, unable to fix on any particular aspect before another steals her attention. She smiles as she approaches you.

“I actually have a gift for you as well.”

Rather shyly, she hands you a painted wooden box, wrapped in a sleek black ribbon. At the edge of the room, Aleksander circles around the two of you, watching silently.

The box is made of a wholesome wood, carved around the edge of the lid and along the sides. On every side, a detailed scene has been depicted in paint. The Little Palace, the True Sea, Morozova’s stag grazing in a sunlit meadow. Each brushstroke has been created with care and a skill you can only marvel at.

“Alina,” you whisper in awe.

She blushes.

“I painted it myself.”

Opening up the box, you stare at the contents for a long moment. Countless papers. Folded with care. Some of them are in envelopes, sealed with a rosy pink wax. Alina’s handwriting is instantly recognisable, looping ink on the creamy parchment.

“Are these-?”

“I didn’t want anyone but you to read them.” There’s a pause which weighs heavy over the room and Alina grows nervous. “If you don’t like it-”

“No. Alya, I love it,” you insist earnestly, tucking your hands around it protectively. Rather bashfully, you look down, tracing your fingers over the delicate brushstrokes. “My gift feels somewhat lacking now.”

“What… what is it?”

There’s a curious gleam in her eyes as she looks around you. Nervously, she tucks a stray hair back behind her ear as she sits tentatively at the foot of Aleksander’s bed. Slowly, you place her gift on the vanity table, your eyes examining her expression when you ask,

“Can I kiss you, Alina?”

Her eyes widen, and she blushes a bright shade of scarlet, then nods.

“I haven’t done this before,” she admits, a touch of worry spilling into her eyes. You smile at her.

“I know.” Inhaling slowly, you stand and walk over towards her. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like this.”

Taking her chin between your fingers, you guide her mouth to yours for a tender kiss. The soft press of her lips against yours is better than you could have imagined. Gentle and warm and the shimmering gloss tastes sweet like strawberries.

She gasps out a little sound of pleasure as you cradle the back of her head, while your other hand strokes along her jawline, encouraging the steady motion of her lips. Without thinking, your hands wander down her body, grasping at the silky fabric covering her. She’s panting for breath as you cup her breasts, mapping the curves of her waist with each of your palms.

With little effort, you move her backwards and she sinks down onto the mattress with ease. It’s only after several more kisses that she seems to realise she’s lying on her back, in your bed, with your body attempting to nestle between her thighs.

“Would you part your legs for me?” you ask against her mouth.

She complies slowly, a smidge of embarrassed hesitation in her movement. Instantly, you begin to move downwards, pushing the velvet robe aside before you slide the silk of her nightdress up over her waist.

“Good girl.” She whines at your praise, which only encourages you further. “What a good girl you are, Alya.”

Her hands cover her face, as you lick a stripe over her bare thigh, heading towards the apex of her legs. As your nose nudges against her clothed mound, your mouth waters at the heady scent of her arousal.

“Has Aleksander ever touched you here?” She peeks at you from between her fingers and you raise a brow at her, a wicked smile tugging at your lips when she nods. “He has?” She nods again, breathless already as you laugh teasingly. “Does he touch you with or without your underwear in the way?”

Her cheeks are inflamed, you can feel the heat of her body burning with arousal against your lips as you kiss across her hips and thighs.

“W- with my underwear on,” she stammers bashfully. “Always with it on.”

“Would you like me to take it off?” She stares at you wide eyed, as if she hadn’t even imagined you wanting to touch her so intimately. “Would you like me to stroke your bare cunt?”

She whimpers your name, dropping her head back against the pillow and you grin at the sight of her so disheveled already - from a few heated kisses and some dirty words.

“I-” She worries her lower lip between her teeth. “Are you sure you want to?”

That has you growing still.

“Alina. Can I show you something?”

She nods hesitantly. Taking her hand, you entwine her fingers with yours. Slowly, you slide your joined hands down your body, slipping beneath the fabric of your night robe. Her eyes widen, lips parted in shock as her cheeks burn bright, though she doesn’t pull away even when you press her fingertips against your dripping entrance.

“Can you feel how much I want to, sweet girl?”

She nods.

“So soft.”

There’s a slight slur to her words, as if feeling your arousal has pushed her into a daze, and the temptation to push her fingers inside you prickles over your skin in a burning need. Her hand moves curiously, dipping into your centre, and you groan quietly at her hesitant touch.

Her gaze wanders down your body, before she becomes fixated on the spot between your legs.

“Yours is prettier than mine.”

“Alina,” Aleksander says sternly from where he’s seated himself at his vanity table. His tone has you clenching around nothing and a small pout puckers at her lips in response to his admonishment. “What have I told you about comparing yourself to others?”

Her pout deepens.

“Not to.”

“And why is that?”

She mumbles an answer that you can hardly hear, her cheeks inflamed with an embarrassed heat. Aleksander raises a brow, before prompting her to repeat herself, his tone remaining firm.

“Alina.”

“Because I’m beautiful,” she whispers, her voice wavering as she squeezes her eyes shut.

The smile you share with Aleksander, unseen by Alina, is devious. It seems you are no longer alone in your mission to improve Alina’s sense of self-worth.

Unable to stop yourself, you reward her with a kiss. Her robe slips easily from her shoulders, pooling over the mattress as you grasp at her body. She gasps at the feeling of your hands wandering, squirming beneath you with small sounds of pleasure that she breathes against your lips.

“Aleksander tells me he’s been tutoring you.”

The hint of a whine catches in the back of her throat, her cheeks hot with embarrassment at your words. She nods.

“Will you tell me what you’ve learnt? Will you tell me what you like, sweet girl?”

She bites down on her lip, the plush skin breaking between her teeth. Instantly, you lean forwards, suckling her lower lip to soothe the sting of her bite. The coppery taste of her blood touches the tip of your tongue and she moans louder when you lick over the sensitive spot.

“Tell me, Alina. Let me pleasure you.”

She whines again, a sweet noise that you want to tease out of her over and over again. Taking her hand again, you splay it between her breasts, using your own hand to smooth it down her body. Her thighs tremble.

“Tell me, sweet girl.”

“I- I like it gentle at first,” she stammers quietly, which has a smile quirking at the corner of your mouth as you slip your hand beneath the waistband of her panties.

“Hm? Like this?”

Her lips fall open into a perfect circle as you dip your finger between her soaked folds.

“Oh,” she breathes out, dropping her head back onto the pillow. “Yes.”

The base of your finger nudges against her clit and she writhes beneath you. Her hand curls around your wrist, squeezing as she pleads softly,

“Faster, please.”

Her hips jerk as you begin to circle her clit with the pad of your finger, your thumb hooked over her mound, the digit buried amongst the dark curls there. Alina squeezes her eyes shut, brows scrunching adorably as she gasps.

“Can I stretch your little cunt open now, sweet girl?” She whimpers, nodding fervently.

Her eyes meet yours, an endless darkness of desire spiralling in her blown pupils. Ducking your head down, you allow saliva to pool in your mouth before letting it drop down onto where your finger is pressing against her entrance. Her mouth drops open at the vulgar action, red blossoming down her neck and chest as it heaves with a shaky breath.

The mattress dips as Aleksander sits down at the foot of bed, his eyes fixed on where your hands explore Alina’s body. With the mess of her arousal and the added lubrication of your saliva, you slide your finger inside her. The heat of her cunt clings to your digit, dragging you in greedily and the feeling makes you groan against her neck.

“Alya, fuck, you’re so tight. Such a warm, pretty, little cunt.”

She shudders beneath you, whining your name as she grasps at the fabric of your night robe. With a few deft motions, you untie the belt and reveal your bare chest to her. A desperate noise catches in the back of her throat, her eyes wide and round as she stares at your breasts.

Curling your finger, you search for the spot that makes her clench harder than ever, stroking her quivering walls as you begin to speak.

“You can touch, Alya.”

“W-what?”

“You can touch me. Anywhere you want. Everywhere you want.”

Expecting hesitation from her, the feeling of her hands on your breasts, squeezing the flesh and tugging experimentally on your nipples, has you gasping in surprise. A soft groan escapes you, as the repression inside Alina seems to break. She grasps at you eagerly, perfectly trimmed nails digging into your skin.

Tenderly, you nuzzle your face into the crook of her neck, kissing over her collarbones.

“Let go, sweet girl. I have you.”

She gasps, her grip on you tightening as she bucks her hips upwards, chasing the motion of your hand. Sweat glosses over her body, her power shimmering beneath her skin. Light dances at the edge of the room, but all you can focus on is Alina as she reaches the peak of her pleasure.

Her back arches away from the mattress, dark eyes widened as she cries out your name, body succumbing to her climax. Her cunt twitches around your finger, pulsing violently around your digit. With her head thrown backwards, you can see each frantic beat of her heart thrumming in the veins across her throat, bared vulnerable to your hungry eyes.

She breathes heavily, pupils wide and sparkling with pleasure as she stares at you, her gaze flickering between your face and your body. Her smile is almost shy now, as she tucks a stray hair behind her ear with a shaky hand.

Aleksander’s hand curls around your throat, squeezing softly as he directs your head backward towards his mouth. It’s easy and well-practised, the way he moves your body so that you’re lying on your back with him nestled perfectly between your thighs.

“Remember what we agreed on, my love?”

“Sasha,” you whine against his lips, imagining Aleksander and Alina kissing between your thighs, their lips smeared with your arousal.

His hands are well acquainted with your body, paying attention to every dip and curve that he knows by heart. He squeezes the softest areas, blunt nails dragging purposefully over the spots that make you shudder as he works his way downwards. He kisses over your hip bones, tongue laving over the sensitive skin there as he traces his way down your thighs.

Aleksander retracts onto the balls of his heels, parting your folds smoothly with his fingers and your body burns at the feeling of being so observed as your arousal sticks to his digits. He leans over to kiss Alina’s flushed cheek, his lips grazing her ear as he speaks in a low voice.

“Kiss her here, just like you’d kiss her mouth,” he instructs Alina.

She takes your hand, brushing her thumb over your knuckles and a previously unnoticed tension slips from your shoulders, allowing you to settle comfortably on the mattress. There’s a determined set to her jaw, enthusiasm glimmering in her eyes as if she has been wanting for months to taste you. Slowly, she leans forwards.

The soft press of her lips against your cunt has you squirming, a keening whine slipping from your lips as her tongue darts out tentatively to lick up your arousal. She hums and your stomach flips at the thought of her enjoying the feeling of your cunt against her tongue.

Aleksander smiles at you both, squeezing your thigh as he pets the back of her head.

“Very good, Alinochka.”

The praise makes her sigh against your cunt and you clench around nothing, wishing she would slip her tongue inside you. Aleksander traces his fingers over your mound, drawing a shiver from you as he directs Alina’s attention to your clit.

“Watch carefully,” he tells her.

He ducks his head down, taking the swollen nub of your clit into his mouth. Instantly, you cry out, writhing over the mattress as you grasp at his hair, tugging on it with carnal need.

When he releases you, Alina is eager to take his place, mimicking the pressure of his mouth whilst lapping at your clit with her tongue. Breathless, you moan brokenly. The two of them are taking you apart, piece by piece, stealing the fractured shards of you for themselves.

Nerves stir in your stomach as your pleasure begins to sharpen into something tangible, almost within your grasp. Nevertheless, your climax evades you, until you can feel your sweat soaking the sheets and glossing at your forehead.

“Sasha, I can’t,” you whisper weakly.

“You can, my love.” He kisses your temple. “You’re doing so well.”

He strokes your hair back gently, reaching out to cup your breast comfortingly as he lies at your side. His thumb circles over your nipple in a soothing motion and you press your forehead against his shoulder as you whine. Taking your chin between his fingers, he turns you so that you’re looking down at Alina.

“Doesn’t she look beautiful like this? Our darling Alina.” At the sound of her name, her eyes flicker up to meet yours, a lustful sheen in her gaze that fills her features as she looks between you and Aleksander. “Don’t you want to spill yourself over her pretty face?”

She seems captivated by you, an awestruck expression glimmering in her eyes. Innocent little Alina, staring openly at you - as you lie splayed over Aleksander’s bed, almost completely unraveled by her mouth.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck- Alina.”

As your climax hits, your curses turn into frantic whines and your hips jerk against Alina’s face. Pleasure blooms beneath your skin, prickling down your spine as your cunt clenches a rapid rhythm that sends you spiralling into bliss.

Eyes fluttering closed, you drop your head back against the pillow, turning to press your forehead onto Aleksander’s shoulder. Each breath you take is a desperate heave of air, your body warm and sated with a blissful satisfaction as your pulse gallops a steady rhythm beneath your skin.

Alina stares at you, pink tongue tracing her lower lip as your eyes lock for a heated moment. Then she scrambles up your body, straddling your waist eagerly as she leans down to kiss you, smearing the remnants of your orgasm from her mouth to yours. Aleksander breathes out a soft groan at the sight of you both as you kiss lazily.

“Sasha,” you murmur against Alina’s lips, reaching downwards with the intention to grasp at his still-clothed cock.

His hand curls around your wrist to stop you.

“I want a clear head tonight,” he says when you meet his gaze.

On occasion, Aleksander denies himself a climax in order to stay fully aware of his surroundings, particularly when he’s feeling anxious about your safety. A rebuke is on the tip of your tongue - after all, the Little Palace is one of the safest places in the world. You and Aleksander ensured it. But with Alina here in your bed for the first time, you can understand why he would be concerned.

Pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, you whisper,

“Thank you, Sasha.”

He smiles, stroking your cheek affectionately with his knuckles.

“Anything for you, my love.”

“Can I wake you with a treat tomorrow morning?”

His smile widens.

“A treat?”

As you settle down by his side, curling up beneath his outstretched arm, you nod.

“Hm. I want to teach Alina how to suck your cock.”

Alina stifles a gasp. The apple of his throat bobs, a muscle in his jaw flaring as his eyes darken.

“My love,” he says warningly. “Your proposition isn’t helping my current issue.”

Biting down on your lip, you feel a touch of guilt as he shifts his hips, breathing deeply through his nose as he attempts to rein in his arousal.

“Sorry, Sasha.”

He hums with a smile, clearly unconvinced by your apology. Then he cups the back of your head, sinking his fingers into your hair as he kisses you.

“Let me clean the two of you up,” he suggests.

He glances at Alina in a silent question, requesting her consent which she gives with a soft smile and a small nod. Leisurely, you stretch out over the mattress as Aleksander stands to retrieve a wash cloth and basin full of water.

Alina breathes out a sigh and your eyes flutter open to admire her form draped beside you. Candlelight flickers over her skin, your fingers following the shadows that dip into the curves of her body as you reach out to trace over her figure with a featherlight touch. She hums quietly, eyes heavy-lidded as she looks at you. When your eyes meet, the smile that spreads across her face is luminous.

She blushes when Aleksander parts her legs, wiping a warm cloth over the space between her thighs. Once he’s done, you kiss her lips as a reward. He tells her that she can wear anything she likes to bed and she immediately moves towards your wardrobe as Aleksander’s attention moves to you.

He kisses you softly, hands cradling your face as you both smile at one another. He cleans you with the same care given to Alina, and once he’s done, you retrieve one of his night shirts to sleep in. As you shrug the garment over your shoulders, you turn your attention back to Alina.

She’s wearing one of your cosiest night robes, the soft fabric bundled around her frame. It drags over the floor as she moves towards you and Aleksander, climbing into bed between you both - where she belongs.

Finally having her in your bed seems to be quite the distraction for you and Aleksander; neither of you can keep your hands off her, taking turns to kiss her lips.

Alina giggles breathlessly.

“Aren’t we going to sleep?” she remarks teasingly, gnawing on her lower lip. The sight of her, dark curls askew and flushed cheeks, makes you and Aleksander both sigh.

“Yes, milaya,” Aleksander says decidedly as he reaches for the lantern on his bedside. “We’re going to sleep.”

He lifts the glass, blowing out the candle, and the room descends into darkness. Slipping your arms around Alina’s waist, you pull her backwards and she slots perfectly against your front. Aleksander drapes his arm over Alina, encaging her between you both as he reaches for you. He strokes a hand over your bicep, languid petting as the three of you fall asleep.

»»---------------------►

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch @jane-arthur @ilikefictionmen @budugu @watersquirtpewpewboomm @mysweetlittledesire

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AO3

First <<Prev Next>>

Chapter 4- Being Different Ain’t a Bad Thing

Kori hopped around Kakariko with Rela leading the way. It was morning and Kori was excited to explore the village. Though he’d been there several times, there was always something new going on, particularly the clothes shop that just opened. The rest of the group dispersed, Beth and Colin were with Talo while they waited for Luda to get done with whatever she was doing, Malo was checking on his shop that had apparently been open for years, and his father and grandpa were looking for Renado. Kori wanted to talk to Renado and Luda, being some of his favorite people outside of Ordon, but since they were busy, Kori and Rela decided to check the stores. Despite Rela’s protests, he headed straight to the clothes store.

The sun in Kakariko was always strong, and it agitated Kori, so he was glad to be in some shade as he reached the door to the shop. But when he went to open it, it was locked. He frowned, trying a couple more times, but finally stopped. He looked at Rela who had her brows pinched in confusion as well.

“Maybe they’re still setting things up?” Rela suggested, and Kori shrugged.

“Maybe it’s too early in the morning for them,” he also suggested.

“Actually, no one’s here.”

The two kids looked up at Barnes who stared at the locked shop with a concerned look. Kori frowned and tilted his head.

“What do you mean?”

Barnes crossed his arms and pursed his lips. “The owner of this shop, Beverly I think her name was, isn’t here.”

“Where is she?”

“I dunno, she went to visit her parents in castle town and never came back.”

Rela gasped. “Why didn’t she come back? Is she ok?”

“I wish I knew. She apparently never showed up at castle town, her parents sent a letter to Renado askin’ about her. Some folks tried lookin’ for her in the field, but not even her carriage and horse were spotted. It’s almost as if she disappeared without a trace.”

Kori felt a chill go up his spine and he whimpered a bit. That was scary, that she left and never came back, just when she opened up her shop too!

“There’s somethin’ out in Hyrule field,” Barnes continued, staring at the entrance of Kakariko. “There’s been disappearances all throughout Hyrule, a few days after this lady disappeared, a Goron left for Zora’s domain and also never returned. Somethin’ is causin’ this, but what it is, I don’t know.”

Kori looked at Rela worried, who surprisingly didn’t look scared.

“It’s probably a bunch of monsters making a mess of things!!” She said, crossing her arms and resting her weight on one leg. “They’re probably bokoblins, I could wack them upside the head and save everyone!”

Barnes chuckled, and the two started chatting about it while Kori still stared at the entrance with unease. Was there really a monster out there taking people? His father didn’t seem too worried when they traveled here, running as fast as Epona could and splashing in water, but maybe he didn’t know about any of this.

He walked closer to the entrance so that he could see Hyrule field. There didn’t seem to be anything dangerous out there, but he felt unsettled at the thought of something hiding, waiting to grab him any second. He stared at the rocks around him and whimpered, backing up so he was around people. He didn’t want to get taken by a monster.

He spun around and walked quickly towards the village, staring at the ground until he bumped into someone. A woman spun around and glared at Kori, but then she took a step back, holding her basket of clothes protectively.

“Good goddesses!” She exclaimed, backing away from. “Get away from me you… you fiend!”

Kori looked around, shaking from fear now. Was she talking to him?

“I—I’m sorry—“

“Get away from me!” She yelled again, swatting her hand around violently, causing Kori to jump back, tears forming in his eyes.

“Hey! What’s your deal?”

Kori looked to see Barnes and Rela walking towards them, both looking upset.

“What’s my deal? This thing here just attacked me!”

Kori looked at her in shock. “I— I didn’t—“

Barnes stepped in front of Kori, blocking his vision. “Let’s get one thing straight, Kori is not a thing, he’s a little boy! And he didn’t attack you! I saw, he just bumped into you! I will not tolerate that type of language towards him!”

The woman scoffed, leaning over to see Kori, but Barnes moved so her vision was still blocked.

“Hey lady!” Rela started, “why don’t you just mind your own business and leave him alone!”

“Well he ran into me! I at least expect an apology!”

Kori stared hard at the ground, trying to control his emotions.

“I—I did— I did apologize,” he said quietly.

“Excuse me? Are you sassing me now?” She shrieked, causing Kori to flinch. He didn’t look at her though, he was too scared. “Look at me when I’m talking to you! If you want to be a human so bad, act like it, you freak!”

“That’s enough!” Barnes yelled, leading her away from him. “You, go continue on with your business!”

She huffed and looked back at the group. “If you keep letting creatures like him in here, more people will disappear! It’s only a matter of time!”

“Kori has been comin’ here longer than you have, I think I’ll take my chances,” Barnes said coolly, and the woman stormed off, almost ramming into Renado who looked concerned. He looked at Barnes, then at Kori, and from behind him, his grandpa and father emerged, and Kori couldn’t stop the tears from falling. He jogged over to his father and buried his face in legs.

“Oh Kori,” his father said softly, rubbing his back as he cried. He heard Rela storm past them and yell out a cuss word at the woman, being pulled back by Rusl.

“Thank you for handling that Barnes,” Renado said, and the man waved the thanks away.

“No one messes with the Ordon kids. Not on my watch anyways.”

Kori turned and looked at Barnes.

“T-thank you,” he mumbled, and Barnes ruffled his hair.

“You take care of yourself Kori. I’m gonna go back to my shop, but you folks let me know if you need anythin’. If ya want, I can give you one of my new types of bombs.”

Kori looked at his father who had both a small smile and an annoyed look on his face.

“Right, not old enough for bombs. Well, my shop is open so stop by if you need anythin’.”

“Of course, Barnes, thank you,” his father said.

“Happy birthday Kori,” Barnes muttered before walking away.

Renado watched him for a moment, then looked back at Kori, giving him a sad smile.

“I’m sorry that happened, Kori. There’s been some newcomers and… well… they’re not used to people who are different.”

Kori looked down, then walked over to Renado, giving him a hug. The man chuckled and rubbed his head.

“Do you want to go to the sanctuary? Luda is there and I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

Kori sniffed and nodded, clinging onto Renado as he walked to the sanctuary, with his father following closely behind.

He heard his dad and grandpa talking quietly, but there was a hint of anger in their voices. Rela walked on his other side, her hand resting on his back. He felt relieved when they got close to the sanctuary, glad to be out of the sun and away from strangers. They quickly headed inside, and the smell of cinnamon filled the air. There seemed to be one patient lying on a cot sleeping, but Luda, Beth, Colin, and Talo were all huddled in a corner on the opposite side. They all smiled when they entered, but they picked up on the tense energy, and Talo was at Kori’s side in seconds.

“What’s with the puffy eyes, kiddo?” He asked, and Kori shrugged silently.

“Oh, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Luda came up behind Talo.

“Um, I…” with all eyes on him, he shrunk back, and Renado nudged him towards them.

“Rela, go sit down with Kori,” he said, giving the others a look. As Kori sat down, he heard Renado explaining the situation to the others, and he just stared at the wall. His father sat on the other side from Rela, and he rubbed his back, which felt nice from what happened before.

The woman’s yelling wouldn’t leave his mind, her raised voice, her red face, the things she said, it all reminded Kori too much of Sera and Jaggle. He was no stranger to that type of behavior towards him, but it still hurt. Everyone came by where he was sitting after the quick explanation, giving him small hugs and words of affirmation.

“That sounded like Vanessa, she’s kind of a grump,” Luda said, giving him a tight squeeze.

“Oh I can think of a different word for her,” Talo grumbled, and Luda gave him a look.

“Not in front of the kids, Tal.”

Link chuckled and gave Kori a kiss on the head. “A big meanie is more like it.”

Kori gave a small smile. “She was a big meanie.”

Everyone chuckled.

“You know the things she said to you aren’t true, right?” Rela said in a soft and caring voice.

“Oh… yeah, yeah,” Kori said quickly, but her stare got more firm.

“Rela’s right, Kori,” his grandpa knelt in front of him. “You’re not a fiend, or a thing, or whatever she called you. You are Kori, a sweet kid who just turned ten and loves animals and soup!”

Kori smiled slightly, feeling his cheeks go warm from the attention. His father gave him a big squeeze.

“You’re my son, Kori. You always will be.”

“Yeah! I’m proud to have you as my nephew!” Rela cheered.

“Me too!” Colin said.

“And I’m proud to have you as my grandson,” his grandpa smiled.

“And I’m proud to have you as my favorite little guy!” Talo exclaimed, and the others agreed.

“They just don’t know you like we do, and we know that you’re amazing, Kori,” Luda reassured. Kori lowered his head, his face growing more and more warm. The group all huddled around him, giving him hugs and talking about how amazing he was.

“Oy.”

The group stopped their love-bombing and looked at the patient on the other side of the room.

“Don’t let that lady get you down, little man,” he said, pointing his finger at him.

Kori giggled and rubbed the back of his head.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Now, if you don’t mind, it’s a little loud in here and I’m trying to listen to Miss Luda’s instructions and sleep.”

“Oh!” Luda stood up and bowed. “Apologies, we’ll quiet down for you.”

The man waved her apology away and closed his eyes.

“We weren’t going to stay anyways,” Renado said, giving Kori’s father and grandfather a look. They both nodded and stood up.

“Woah, where are y’all going?” Talo asked.

“Boring adult stuff,” Rusl joked, “it’ll bore you to tears.”

“Uh, I am an adult. We’re all adults, except for Kori and Rela and Malo. Speaking of which, where is Malo?”

Rusl shrugged. “I never know where that kid is. Anyways, we’re gonna do top secret boring super adult stuff, so you kids have fun.”

Everyone waved and Kori’s father gave him a kiss on the head. “We’ll hang out tomorrow, ok? I love you son.”

“I love you too papa.”

He smiled and ruffled his hair, leaving the sanctuary with his grandpa and Renado. When they left, Talo sighed.

“Well, what do we do now?”

“We could look at the shops,” Beth suggested, “that’s why we’re here anyways.”

Kori looked down, he didn’t want to be out there, especially with that lady there. Even if it meant looking at the shops.

“Do you want to do that Kori?” Colin asked, picking up on his hesitation.

“I—I don’t… I don’t know.”

“Let’s go to the hot spring!” Rela shouted, causing Luda to shoot her a glare.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Luda said more quietly, gesturing to the sleeping patient. “That oughta help us relax!”

Kori looked down again, staring at his clasped hands.

“What is it, Kori?” His uncle asked.

“I don’t wanna see that lady again,” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry, Kori! I’ll protect you!” Talo said enthusiastically. “With me by your side, you’ll never feel unsafe again! I’ll give all your enemies a wham! And a pow! And a whack!”

Kori giggled as Talo pretended to be fighting someone, dramatically acting out being punched. Colin joined the pretend battle, both giving dramatic wails as one fell and acted as if he was hurt. Beth sat down next to Kori and rested her hand on his shoulder.

“We got your back, Kori,” she assured, and Kori smiled.

“Thank you. I’m… I’m glad you’re my friends,” he said, staring at his wringing hands.

“Aww,” Talo smiled at him and gestured to the door with his head. “Shall we find my dumb brother and hang out at the hot springs then?”

Kori smiled and nodded.

“Then let’s go!” Talo shouted, causing Luda to scold him, and the group laughed as they all clambered to the door, excited to relax in the hot spring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was dark inside the abandoned clothing shop, and dust caused Rusl to cough slightly.

“Goddesses, how long had she been gone?” He asked, waving the dust away from his face.

“A little over a week. I knew she was going to be gone for a while, so her not being here for a couple of days didn’t concern me,” Renado looked around, a worried expression on his face, “but the letter from her parents did.” He sighed sadly, staring at all the clothes left on dummies and table tops. “She was going to officially open it two days ago, everyone’s been looking forward to it.”

Rusl looked sadly at the store. It was a cute little shop, with purple walls and colorful fabrics all over it. Clearly she worked hard at achieving this dream, and it made Rusl want to find her even faster. Renado let out a sigh and turned to the two men.

“I suppose I’ll leave you two be, I’ll be sure to report whatever you find to Sheik, I know how much he likes things written down,” he said, heading to the door. “Do let me know if you need anything.”

Rusl smiled and nodded at his old friend. He shut the door gently, and Rusl turned to his son, who was fiddling with what he called a shadow crystal. Apparently it was how he was able to turn into a wolf, despite twilight no longer existing in Hyrule.

“Alright, go crazy,” he said, and Link unwrapped it, darkness encasing him as he went on all fours. Rusl took a step back, watching him with awe. He rarely saw him as a wolf, but the fact that he was able to do it was incredible to him. Link sniffed around the store, occasionally knocking over a box or two, and Rusl groaned. “Hey, try not to make a mess, alright?”

Link gave Rusl a look, and he almost snorted. The expressions he had as a wolf were admittedly hilarious. Link sniffed around for a while until he concentrated on a spot, and he jumped, looking around frantically.

“What is it? Did you find her scent?”

Link made a noise which Rusl assumed was “yes”, and he jumped onto a table pushing a window open.

“Woah, woah Link, what are you doing?” He ran over to his son who was sticking his head out the window. “People are gonna see you! Can’t you just turn back into a human and then go hunting for her?”

Link gave him a look and he jumped out the window, hanging onto a windowsill and climbing onto the roof. Rusl groaned and followed him.

Link stayed near the rocky walls surrounding the village, being careful as to not be spotted, meanwhile Rusl did everything he could to block everyone’s view from his son. Luckily no one seemed to notice the man and the wolf on top of the roof, all except Renado and Barnes who looked at them weirdly. Rusl forced a smile and waved at the two casually, then returned to his investigation. When they reached the end, Link hopped down and hid behind the house, looking for an opening to run to the entrance. Rusl hopped down behind him, and Link was already sprinting towards the entrance.

“Link!” He hissed after him, but he was hidden behind the rocky walls. Rusl groaned and jogged where he went. He was patiently waiting for Rusl behind a rock, and when he took off running again, Rusl wished he grabbed his horse. They were running across the big field where bulblins used to roam, and Link was traveling on the path to Hyrule castle, but he stopped abruptly past a pond, right before the bridge to Castle Town. He sniffed for a moment, then turned and ran for the Bridge of Eldin.

“Ah, Link,” Rusl panted, catching his breath before running after him. As he ran, the field looked normal for there being so many disappearances. There weren’t any scuff marks, any signs of struggles, and no debris and lost belongings. But the new path Link was taking was strange. If she was heading to Castle Town, then why was her scent taking them to the Bridge of Eldin? The two crossed the bridge to Rusl’s surprise, Link turning sharply when they reached the end, but when Rusl caught up to him, he was sniffing around frantically, spinning around and eyeing the field in front of him. Rusl frowned at his reaction. They were near a cliff side, tucked away behind the bridge, but there was nothing here. He got a sinking feeling as Link sat down, letting out a huff.

“Link? What is it?”

His son was surrounded by darkness, and his Hylian form started to stand up, his face twisted in confusion.

“The scent ends here.”

Rusl frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Like, it ends here. It doesn’t continue.”

Rusl looked down, dread resting in his stomach. “Is she… is she dead?”

Link shrugged. “I don’t know. If she was, I would've still been able to smell her.”

“I’m confused.”

Link let out a frustrated sigh and gestured to the cliff in front of him. “It’s hard to explain, but as a wolf, I can almost see smell, if she was buried under ground, I would’ve been able to see the scent go underground. If she went over the cliff, I would’ve been able to see the scent over the cliff. But that’s not what happened here, the scent just ends. It doesn’t go anywhere. Almost as if she…” Link trailed off, staring at the ground.

“What?”

Link pursed his lips. “Almost as if she doesn’t exist anymore.”

Rusl stood there staring at him, and Link let out a bitter laugh.

“I don’t know, pa. I know this is weird but that’s all I can really explain.”

Rusl sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Alright, alright. Did you happen to… lose the scent?”

“I mean,” Link huffed, “it doesn’t feel like it. It ends too abruptly.”

Rusl pursed his lips. “Maybe whatever took her hid her scent or something? Is there a new scent?”

“There’s a lot of scents, pa.”

“Ok, maybe you just lost the scent or something, let’s head back and tell Renado what happened before it gets dark, ok?”

Link sighed and nodded, heading towards the bridge.

“And Link?”

His son turned around and looked at Rusl intently.

“Let me get my horse next time? You’re a little too fast for me.”

He grinned and rolled his eyes, turning again towards the bridge and walking to Kakariko, which Rusl was grateful for. He may be well fit and could run well, but age had started to catch up to him, and Kori constantly ramming into his knees certainly didn’t help.

It was almost surreal being in Hyrule field with no monsters looking to attack them. Sure, there were a few, but they kept their distance from the two men as they walked on the trail. He remembered days of constantly shooting and fighting monsters that ambushed him, with it only getting worse with the twilight invasion. But it all slowly went away with time, with peace actually feeling possible to Rusl. Well, almost possible. There was still the missing people situation.

The sun was beginning to set when they came back to Kakariko, and Renado looked relieved when he saw them.

“I was starting to get worried,” he said. “I saw you on the roof and then you were both gone. What happened?”

Rusl gave Link a look who pursed his lips.

“I’m… not sure.”

Renado looked at Rusl confused and he shrugged. “We’ll explain it to you inside. Where’s the kids?”

Renado gestured to the horse stable with his head, and Rusl grinned. “Taking care of the horses huh?”

“They love doing it.”

The two men laughed, and Link stepped up, a more serious look on his face.

“How’s Kori?”

Renado looked at him, then back at the stable. “From what I’ve seen, he’s been having a lot of fun.”

Link smiled slightly, and he headed for the stables where his son was. Rusl stayed back and talked to Renado for a bit, then the large group of kids exited the horse stable. The group all went and got supper, relaxing from what seemed to be an eventful day for the kids. Rusl was grateful for the break, the running across Hyrule field took him out, and before he knew it, he and Link were fast asleep after they ate.

They both woke up early in the morning as everyone else stayed asleep, and Link gave him a teasing smile.

“Did all that running tire you out, old man?”

“Oh hush up, it got to you too.”

“Not as bad as you,” Link sighed and stared at the ceiling. “We’ll just have more running today.”

“No, you will have more running. I’ll be on my horse.”

Link grinned and got up, staring at his sleeping son with love in his eyes. He stooped down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

“You have a good day, Kori,” he whispered, and got his boots on. “We should beat the crowd if we leave right now.”

Rusl gave him a nod and got ready himself. The sky was a beautiful lavender color when they started climbing death mountain, turning darker from the smoke the volcano emitted. The climb up the mountain was anything but pleasant, but he was relieved when they found the chief by the hot springs, not having to climb anymore. Link spoke to him about the missing Goron, and after being given an item, they took off once again.

Unfortunately, their investigation of the missing Goron ended the same as the missing woman. Link would turn into a wolf, smell the scent off an item, then take a path that made sense to Rusl. They were on their way to Zora’s domain (thankfully Rusl had his horse this time around) and then the path once again took a strange turn away from the destination, and then the scent ended, according to Link. It all became more and more baffling to Rusl, and it began to freak him out just a bit. But he still tried to make sense of it. Though Link’s wolf abilities were incredible, they weren’t perfect, and there was a good chance that he simply lost the scent, or it was replaced. That had to be it.

After heading back to Kakariko and explaining the situation to the Goron chief and Renado, they decided to finally rest and spend the rest of the day with the kids. Kori grew impatient and wanted to go to the toy store to finally get his gift, and Link happily obliged. But Rusl couldn’t help but notice Kori’s gaze on the clothes shop, a somber look on his face.

“So where did you and Link go?” Colin asked while Link and Kori headed inside, leaving the rest to loiter outside.

“Oh, we uh…” Rusl got close and kept his voice low. “There’s been some disappearances and the resistance is trying to look for clues.”

Colin’s eyes widened and he nodded. Not many people knew about the resistance, but Colin was one of the few who knew. Being his own son, Rusl trusted him with such a secret.

“Did you… find anything?” Colin asked after a moment of silence, worry apparent on his face.

“No, we didn’t find anything. No tracks, no lost items, nothing. Even Link’s wolf senses couldn’t find anything.”

Colin frowned and glanced at Rela, who was sneaking up behind a cuccoo.

“Try to keep this to yourself, I don’t want to scare anyone,” Rusl said, and Colin snorted.

“Well Barnes told Rela and Kori about the disappearances so…”

Rusl scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Of course he did.”

Colin smiled and chuckled a little. “He doesn’t think about that type of stuff. But don’t worry, the secret is safe with me.”

Rusl smiled and gave him a little squeeze. “I know it is.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Link watched as Kori looked around the shop, the shopkeepers watching him with pleasant looks in their eyes. They were a couple, relatively new to Kakariko, but they’ve seen Kori enough times to grow fond of him.

“What’s the occasion?” The woman behind the counter asked as Kori excitedly looked at the new line of toys.

“It was his birthday a couple of days ago,” Link said, ruffling his hair as he eyed toy soldiers. “He gets a new gift for making it to ten years!”

“Oh my!” The man who was her husband exclaimed, setting down a crate of toys next to an empty shelf. “That’s a big deal!”

“Well happy birthday young one,” the one behind the counter said with a smile. “Why don’t we give you a thirty percent discount just for that!”

Link looked at her in shock. “Oh you— you don’t have to do that!”

“No, we insist! It’s a special occasion!” Her husband said excitedly. “You’re always so well behaved anyways!”

Kori glanced at Link, excitement apparent on his face, but not quite understanding what a discount was. Link smiled and looked at the two shopkeepers.

“Y’all are awfully sweet, thank you.”

The two grinned at him as Kori gently played with the different toys. He made small talk with the two shopkeepers until Kori finally ran up to Link, clutching a cat stuffed animal in his arms, a big toothy grin on his face.

“A stuffed animal? You already have Billy the Goat!” Link said lightheartedly, and Kori frowned.

“But… he needs a friend!”

“Don’t you want a different type of toy? A toy Gramma can’t make on her own?”

“But, but I want Jasper!” Kori cried.

“Jasper?”

“Jasper the cat!”

Link, stared at him for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, alright, but only since you already named it.”

Kori squealed with glee and hugged Jasper as Link paid for the new toy. He once again thanked the kind shopkeepers and they started to head to the door.

“Is that a good enough toy for the big ten years?” He asked as he rested his hand on the handle, and Kori’s gaze turned blank.

“Well, I think I want one more thing,” he muttered, hugging the cat plushie to his chest. Link tilted his head.

“What could that be?”

Kori pursed his lips and glanced at the wall, a worried look on his face. “I want the missing people to come back home, like that lady who owns the clothing shop. I want her home safely.”

Link’s eyes widened, his concern and desire for such a thing at his age shocking him. He smiled and ruffled his hair. “Is it ‘cause you want the stuff from her store?” He teased slightly, and Kori looked up at him.

“No! I’m just… if I was her family, I would be sad that she’s gone. If you or mommy disappeared… I’d be really sad, and scared.”

Link’s teasing manner dropped immediately, and he pulled him close.

“Oh Kori,” He muttered, “you sweet thing.” He hugged him for a moment, frowning at the wall. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that Kori… But I’ll do my best.”

Kori pouted slightly and buried his face in Link’s leg, and the two left the shop with the new birthday present in his arms.