#Magicians Writing Event

[sixlane]

tricks up sleeves and all that

rosekiller microfic | 1,180 words | magician Barty, single dad Evan

The first thing Evan thought when his daughter told him she wanted a magician at her birthday party was how did I raise a child who enjoys close-up magic? It wouldn’t have been his first choice, probably wouldn’t have even been his last. He would’ve gone with something classier, more elegant, like a tea party or a day at the museum. Something to live up to the extravagance of previous years. Sure, Eleanor is only seven but that doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy the finer things. 

So, in between meetings and phone calls, Evan researched children’s birthday party magicians, and as you’d expect, not much was living up to his standards. After days of sifting through resumes and background checks, he was eventually able to find a well-designed website with good reviews and speak to a representative who promised to send their best.

This is why Evan is so confused when he opens his front door to find a tall, lanky man in ripped jeans and a worn out t-shirt, his look complete with ruffled hair, an eyebrow piercing, and excessive amounts of tattoos. 

“You must have the wrong house,” Evan says. He thinks he should probably close the door but something about this man is intriguing. He wants to look for just a second longer.

The man leans back to check the address beside the door. “You’re Mr. Rosier, right? I’m here for the birthday party. I’m Barty, the magician.” 

Evan raises a brow. “You don’t look like a magician.”

“Were you expecting a full tuxedo? It’s like 95 degrees out.” A tilted grin spreads over his face, showing off a pointy canine. “Here let me show you.” Before Evan can back away, Barty is reaching behind his ear and producing a shiny quarter, flipping it between his fingers confidently. “Ta da.”

“That’s hardly magic,” Evan says, crossing his arms. He better get a full refund if this is the best they had.

“No, you’re right. That’s just the decoy.” He raises his left hand, and between his thumb and pointer finger he holds Evan’s watch, which had previously been secured to his wrist.

Evan’s mouth drops open slightly. He hadn’t even felt it. “That’s not magic either, that is literally stealing.” He snatches the watch back, putting it on.

“It’s the art of misdirection,” Barty explains. “I do a dumb coin trick, and while you’re paying attention to that, I do something more impressive. It’s like, the basis of all magic.”

Evan doesn’t even know what to say. This man has just pickpocketed him on his own front porch and now he wants Evan to let him into his house? 

At the same time Evan is getting ready to slam the door in Barty’s face, Eleanor appears at his hip, smile wider than a mile across her face.

“Is this the magician, Dad?” she asks, tugging at his shirt while she bounces up and down.

“You must be Eleanor,” Barty says, squatting down so they’re at eye level. He’s performing now, Evan can tell. He lights up and his smugness from before is washed away. “Would you like to pick a card?” 

Eleanor nods enthusiastically.

Barty pulls a deck out of his back pocket and starts shuffling. Evan watches the way his fingers move deftly around the cards. Bending and flipping them expertly before fanning them out in front of her.

“Okay, go ahead. But don’t tell me what your card is, just show it to your dad and put it back anywhere in the deck.”

Eleanor does as instructed and shows Evan the card, ace of hearts, before sliding it back in.

“Thanks Eleanor, that’s great.” He starts shuffling the cards again, adding in flourishes here and there. Evan watches intently, trying to track his every move, see where he might be switching cards out or taking a peek, but he moves too quickly for Evan to stay on top of everything. “Now Ellie, can I call you Ellie?” Eleanor giggles and nods her head. “Your dad here,” he tilts his head up at Evan, “has already seen me do a trick similar to this, but I think I can put a new spin on it, what do you say?” 

Eleanor looks up at Evan, affronted. “Dad! You’ve been playing with the magician without me?”

Evan hears Barty try to stifle a laugh and feels the beginning of a tension headache spreading behind his eyes. “I was just making sure he was up to our standards,” he grits out.

“Don’t worry Ellie, your dad was just doing his due diligence.” Eleanor looks appeased and waves her hand in a motion that tells Barty to continue. He does one last shuffle and then reaches behind Eleanor’s ear. When he pulls back, he has the ace of spades in between his pointer and middle fingers. “So Ellie, was this your card?” 

She looks confused and a little disappointed. Evan holds himself back from kicking Barty directly in the face. “Um… close,” she says. “Mine had hearts on it.”

Barty looks at the card. “Huh. You know, sometimes the cards don’t always do what we want them to so we have to shake some sense into them. He starts waving the card quickly back and forth. When it comes to a stop, Barty holds the ace of hearts where the ace of spades had previously been. He smiles in triumph. Evan still kind of wants to kick him in the face.

Eleanor lets out an excited squeal and rushes forward to tackle Barty into a hug. “Can we keep him, Dad?” she screams directly in Barty’s ear. He doesn’t even flinch.

Evan lets out a resigned sigh. He’s really never been able to deny Eleanor anything, so he steps to the side, opening the door wider, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. “Of course Eleanor. Go gather your friends in the living room. Barty will be right in.” He places a hand on her head as she runs by.

Barty stands up and straightens his pants out, sliding the deck back into his pocket. “Good enough?” he asks, shrugging a shoulder.

Evan scrutinizes him for a second, running his eyes over every inch of the man. The line of his cheekbone, the curve of his neck, the way his thumb rubs a circle into the side of his pointer finger. There’s something about him. Evan hasn’t heard Eleanor scream that loud since Pandora got her a bug collection kit for Christmas last year. 

“I want you to know that I keep a detailed inventory of everything in my home, so if you steal something I will find out, and you won't be happy about the consequences.”

Barty smiles, something mischievous glinting in his eye. “We’ll see about that,” he says brushing past Evan to make his way into the living room. Evan closes the door behind him. Right before Barty turns the corner, he throws something over his shoulder. Without thinking, Evan catches it. His wallet. With the ace of hearts sticking mockingly out of the top.

[wipbigbang]

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[cryptotheism]

When Christ died, early Christians didn’t really know what to do with themselves. They figured the crucifixion was probably the most important thing to happen in the history of the world, an event of titanic cosmological significance. But what exactly did it mean for folks on the ground? Well that was up for debate. Quite a bit of debate. 

What exactly was Christ? Was he just a guy? Was he a demigod like how the Greeks had? Was he literally God, or just an aspect of God? Did he even have a body? If he didn’t have a body what did it mean for him to suffer? Maybe he was some kind of energy ghost who didn’t have a real body? Was he a magician? Can we learn to do all that stuff? Can women be priests? The next 300 years of Christianity would hash out these questions in a no-holds-barred free-for-all theology deathmatch. The grand prize? The right to determine what exactly Christianity means. 

Bishops everywhere would write letter after letter, arguing that their interpretation of Christ is the real, true, inarguable Christianity, and everyone who disagrees with them is a false teacher with dangerous and worthless opinions that are so obviously wrong they require an entire book to debunk how wrong they are. 

So-called Gnosticism, today on patreon.

[odoraful]

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐋 𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔?

wanderer would prefer not to be stopped on his way home, especially when he's had a hard few days

content: wanderer x gn!reader; established relationship; 'kuni' nickname; pure fluff; just wanderer lowkey being a pathetic lover boy for you; 1.9k words

a/n: nothing else to say here besides i had a lot of fun writing this !! pls enjoy clingy wanderer !!

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“Hat Guy! Do yo-”

“Nope.”

Wanderer deadpanned, not even sparing a look at the scholar who addressed him as he walked past. It was at this point where most people would give up. Students of the Akademiya found that you had to catch the snarky scholar on a good day to strike up a casual conversation with him outside of the classroom. Unfortunately, this person was tenacious enough to not even let such an outright rejection faze him. Wanderer walked faster, only for his peer to match his stride.

“Hold on!” They cried out, slightly breathless from having to speed up. “You’re really not going to let me finish what I’m saying first?”

Wanderer scoffed. “What gave you that impression? My visible irritation? Or the fact that I’m actively trying to outpace you?”

“Hey! You don’t have to be so rude…” They frowned, voice trailing off in disappointment.

Finally giving the person a side-eyed glance, he recognised them to be a fellow Vahumana scholar named Mir. Whilst Wanderer could acknowledge Mir’s intelligence, he was far too soft-hearted for how stubborn he was. At that deflated comment, Wanderer stopped dead in his tracks. Mir wobbled, skidding on his feet to stop as well.

He considered using his flying abilities to leave Mir in the dust. However, this plan was only a fleeting thought as he recalled a stern meeting he had with staff at the Akademiya. They scolded that he wasn’t allowed to use his powers to avoid interaction with his peers. Something about misconduct and lacking etiquette that Wanderer half-remembered, choosing to nod along rather than actually listen to the prattle from the professors.

“Mir.”

He perked up. Wanderer could see his self-esteem reassemble at the mere fact that his name was remembered.

“What do you want?” Wanderer seethed, each word punctuated through gritted teeth.

If Mir felt intimidated at all by Wanderer’s ire, it showed little on his face. He only brightened further, seizing his chance to speak.

“I wanted to see whether you wanted to go to a social event later tonight at Lambad’s! There’ll be free drinks and food, and it’s really just a friendly get together to boost morale. It’s meant to be for us Vahumana scholars to catch each other up on the work we’re doing, and on what’s been going on in our lives,” he rambled.

What could simply be said in a few words Mir incredibly managed to do in multiple sentences. Wanderer let out a loud sigh.

“Mir,” he began, folding his arms. “Let’s say, hypothetically, you’ve just returned from a long and arduous trip from the desert where you’ve used all your energy up to explore ruins. Would you want to spend what little time off you have for the day going to a crowded tavern with people you only barely know?”

Mir stuttered. It was the most Wanderer had spoken to him in one go.

“W-well, that’s a good question! I guess it depends on what kind of-”

“Just answer it.”

Wanderer interrupted, dismissing Mir’s frivolous technicalities with a wave of his hand.

“Alright! Probably not! I’d just want to go home and relax.”

“And there it is,” Wanderer opened his arms wide, like a magician revealing their latest trick, “my response to your invitation.”

He turned smoothly on his heel and walked off. Mir opened his mouth to protest, but none came out. He stood there slack-jawed at his own words being used against him. Fortunately, he didn’t follow any longer.

Wanderer would probably short circuit if he bumped into anyone else right now. What he had told Mir was the truth. He was on his way home from the Akademiya just after returning from a 2 day trip in the desert. He would have enjoyed the expedition far more if his professor hadn’t dragged him out on such short notice. Most likely, she had seen that his schedule wasn’t as busy for the next few days and roped him into a project of ‘great academic importance’. Time that would have been spent doing whatever he wanted to at home had been replaced by sweltering weathers and endless scribing of ancient tomes.

Fate was a truly cruel force. Especially so when it separated him from you without warning. At the thought of his partner, he recalled how he announced his departure. He had to leave that same day, and you had already left for work, so he scrawled a note and left it on the table for you to look at when you returned.

My professor has taken me on an research expedition last minute. I’ll be back in 2 days time. I’ll make it up to you.

Kuni.

Perhaps he would come back to see the same annoyance he had when dealing with Mir on your face at such a lukewarm message.

There was an inexplicable weight in his body when he walked. A dragging emotion that humans would probably label as tiredness. He needed to get home and fast. If he did arrive to a grumpy partner, he wouldn’t mind it. You were the only person who was actually worth dealing with in his eyes.

He looked around. The sun had retreated behind the horizon, and there were only a few people mingling around the street he was on. Perfect. It was empty enough for him to not cause a spectacle. Wind kicked up around him as he swiftly launched upwards, flying high above roofs. This would certainly cut his commute time in half. Quietly, he navigated the familiar streets towards home.

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Dots of yellow emerged below from hanging lamps across the city. The residents of Sumeru were preparing for the night, whether in revelry or idleness. The latter suited you more, as you began to unwind from a day of work and waited for Wanderer to arrive. The news that he needed to leave had surprised and saddened you a little. You were looking forward to spending more time with him over these few days when he wasn’t so busy with classes. If he kept to the words he wrote on that note, however, he would somehow make it up to you.

You held onto that hope as you folded clothes to be put away in the bedroom. Lost in your own thoughts, you didn’t notice movement outside as Wanderer approached the window on the second storey. Putting his face closer to the stained glass, your figure was rendered in an orange hue as he peered in. He tapped against the window with a finger.

You jumped with a yelp, turning towards the source of the disruption.

Honestly, you would have welcomed his arrival more warmly if the sight before you wasn’t so unexpected. Now, you couldn’t help but let out an incredulous laugh. Your boyfriend was hovering outside your bedroom window, staring at you like a rain-soaked cat waiting to be let inside.

You hurried towards the window, but didn’t reach out to open it just yet. Instead, you placed your hands on your hips, cocking your head to the side.

“We have a front door for a reason, you know.”

Even though your voice was muffled, he heard how you spoke in a sing-song manner.

“Well, I’m not at the front door now, am I?” He replied, matter-of-factly. “Mind opening up?”

Gesturing for him to step away a little, you unlatched the window and swung the glass outwards. Cool air immediately washed over your face, tickling your skin. He could hear the mild offense in your voice crystal clear now,

“I cannot believe this is how I’m being greeted after such a sudden departure-“

Your sentence cut off short as the wind got knocked out you.

Your boyfriend crashing into you mid-flight was a quick way to shut you up.

The force caused you to stumble back, falling to sit on the edge of the bed. Only then did the surprise settle in at what he was doing.

Wanderer had you in a tight hug.

Somewhat awkwardly, he was half-sitting in your lap, half-sitting on the bed. Shaking out of your stupor, you encircled your arms around his shoulders. Wanderer let his body fall limp, his feet now on solid ground. He buried his face in your neck.

“A-are you-”

“Don’t say a single word.” He said, voice low in warning. Though, the threat had little weight behind it with how he nuzzled into the hug.

Wanderer didn’t need to breathe to survive, but he had learned to inhale and exhale largely so that others wouldn’t gawk at him for his lack of breathing (he had honestly stopped doing it because of how bothersome it was to keep such a façade. However, after some convincing from Nahida about the necessity to get along with his peers, he begrudgingly adopted the habit once again). For you, it served another purpose. Clearly something or someone had riled him up earlier because his breathing had initially been huffed and short. Now, as he settled against your body, you felt the steady rise and fall of his chest, breaths slow and intentional.

“It’s only been 2 days, Kuni,” you pointed out with a soft chuckle.

His violet hair tickled your skin as he shifted his head, propping his chin up on your shoulder. Perhaps it was intentional that he kept his face out of your line of sight.

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, “I know.”

“Then why are you acting like you haven’t seen me in months?”

Wanderer scoffed loudly. “Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

It was a shame you couldn’t see his face, for the way he closed his eyes and scrunched his nose in embarrassment at his own clinginess would’ve given you weeks of material to poke fun at him for.

“I think you do because I haven’t the faintest idea why you’re acting like this.”

There was no way he was falling for the fake, sugary innocence in your tone. You were an unstoppable force and he an immovable object. He chose to remain silent as you continued,

“Oh well, I guess I should go and finish folding these clothes if it’s nothing important.”

Abruptly, you removed your arms from him and went to stand. However, the grasp Wanderer had around your waist meant you could barely even move. Even bending over proved to be fruitless for you.

“Those chores can wait,” he muttered, interlocking his fingers together to hold you in place.

Despite knowing that you were messing with him, a small part of him was irritated that you even considered putting such a menial task above him.

You giggled at how touchy he was being. Your boyfriend could hardly come up with a word of affection without looking like he was going to combust, but would stop at nothing at the chance to hold you. You raised a hand to pat his head, smoothing his hair down. Every grievance he had over the past 2 days melted away with each pass of your hand. Archons, he even started to feel like he went a bit too harsh on Mir.

“Don’t worry,” Wanderer could hear the smile on your face as you began gently combing his hair between your fingertips. “I missed you too.”

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[elixirfromthestars]

Tangled Up In You

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Avenger!Reader

Summary: When you and Steve get tasked with decorating the living room of the Avengers Compound, it seems like the perfect opportunity to spend some time with your crush. However, a certain tangled mess of lights would prove to make decorating a bit more difficult than you had anticipated.

Word Count: 1.5k

Warning(s): none. pure fluff. established nickname -> angel

Prompt/Event: @the-slumberparty december daze -> putting up christmas lights isn't as easy as it looks

a/n: And the secret is out! ₊˚⊹☆ This little winter drabble event was started because I wanted to do some gift giving for the holiday season. ˚୨୧⋆｡ So this fluffy fic is my holiday gift to you my dear Jo!! @neverthatsirius-jo ♡ I know how much you adore Steve, so I knew I had to write something for him just for you!! Thank you for reading! ₊˚⊹♡ Likes, comments, and reblogs are much appreciated!! ♡♡♡

main masterlist ♡ || fluffy winter drabbles masterlist ❆

You grumble an incoherence under your breath, stepping back and looking at the piles of cardboard boxes littering the living room of the Avengers Compound. Each one is filled with various holiday decorations you and Steve have been “tasked” adorning the living room with. 

Last night, during the team’s weekly game night, it was decided that the two people who lost the most games by the end of the night would be stuck with the responsibility of decorating the only undecorated room left in the Compound—the living room. 

Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately for you—you and Steve were the two losers of the night. You didn’t mind having to decorate on your day off, and you certainly didn’t mind spending the afternoon with Steve. He was one of your closest friends—a friend you have been secretly crushing on for months. You were hoping that this time together could help you muster up the courage to finally ask him out on a date.

Fingers crossed that, unlike last night, luck would be on your side when asking him. 

While Steve brought in the remaining boxes from the storage room, you were going through each of the cardboard boxes to try and get an idea of what you had to work with. This was your first holiday season at the Compound, so you didn’t have last year's decor to reference back on.

You make your way over to one of the larger cardboard boxes, one whose height goes up to your waist. You notice the word lights scribbled on the side of it in black permanent marker before you open it. Inside, as you expected, are an abundance of Christmas lights. All an extensive tangled web of cords and bulbs. You couldn’t tell how many sets of lights were inside, but you did know whoever stored them previously did so without a care in the world. Now, they were left in a mangled knot you’d have to find the patience to undo.

Maybe luck wasn’t on your side today…

You huff as you begin pulling the strands of lights out of the box. Your eyes go wider by the second as they appear to be never-ending. Almost as if you were pulling the lights from a magician’s hat, yards upon yards of string poured out. It made you wonder if Wanda had enchanted the box for it to have been able to fit so much.

By the time the box was empty, you were in the midst of the pile of lights, carefully trying to make a path by sweeping the cords on the ground with your foot. This backfires on you quickly as the cords end up around your ankles. When you try to free them, your wrists somehow end up joining in on the vine-like restriction.

The pattern of you trying to free yourself from the web of lights only to end up getting more entrapped by them continues until you can no longer discern where you start and where the lights end. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the ridiculous situation you have gotten yourself into.

“I think there’s only—” Steve's words freeze in midair along with himself as he walks into the living room and sees the predicament you’re in. The Christmas lights cover you from head to toe as if you had been decorating yourself in them. His eyes sparkle with amusement, but he keeps his lips in a tight line to stop himself from laughing. 

“Y/n, how did you…?”

“Please help.” 

Embarrassment bubbles within every ounce of you—to say the least—and with no dignified explanation of how you got like this, you look everywhere but at Steve. Staring intently at the ground when he sets down the boxes in his arms and carefully makes his way over to you. 

“I think you took out the lights Tony used last year to outline the roof. That’s why there’s so many of them,” Steve explains kindly as a way to make you feel better, delicately pulling at the lights around your body to find the ones easiest to take off of you first. Your eyes slowly make their way to meet his baby blue ones. Your embarrassment melts away at the gentle way he’s staring at you—no judgment in sight. However, you don’t miss the way the corners of his lips twitch as he holds back a smile.

“You can laugh, it's okay. This is pretty funny.”

“I’m not going to laugh at you, angel.” 

“Laugh with me then.”

The nickname he uses only for you is enough to bring a smile to your face, but when a few light chuckles leave his lips at your permission—your smile widens until your soft laughter joins his.

What happens next will forever be unexplainable to both of you. Somehow, in the midst of trying to untangle you, the string of lights find themselves around Steve’s chest constricting his movement. You try to help him, but you’re not in the best position to. So from here on out, you go back and forth trying to help one another only to end up enveloped further by the lights. 

You both laugh it off until you realize how close the lights have tangled you to each other. If you step any closer you’d be pressed up against Steve, the mere possibility sends your heart racing. Your nerves get the better of you, attempting to step back only to almost slip backward if it weren’t for Steve reaching out to catch you before you did. 

Ultimately, pressing you up against him so you wouldn’t fall. 

“You alright, angel?” He asks you tentatively, scanning you over as if you had fallen. 

You nod slowly, the words getting caught in your throat at his proximity. The scent of his cologne, an earthy spice that is mixed with something that is entirely him fills your senses, causing the butterflies in your stomach to flutter dreamily.

Your eyes gravitate to his lips and when they do his breath hitches. Your gaze shoots up to meet his and in his pretty blues you swear you see the same desire you hold. 

You’re dying to kiss him, and you think he is too.

Steve’s eyes lock on your lips, and that’s all the confirmation you need to gather the courage to pull him in for a kiss. It starts hesitant, yet sweet, both of you testing the waters of what it feels like to kiss one another. It doesn’t take long for Steve to deepen the kiss, wanting to pour his feelings for you out in the open. The dilemma of the lights is long forgotten as the kiss consumes all of your thoughts. 

The snapping sound of a phone camera isn’t enough to break the kiss, but the flash that follows it is. You look over to see Bucky smirking proudly at the sight of his best friend kissing you and Sam making fun of Bucky for not knowing how to take a photo without the flash on. 

“Seriously, you two?” Steve shakes his head at his friends, his cheeks rosy with a hint of bashfulness at the way his best friends are acting. You can feel your face getting hot as well, knowing there was no way you were ever going to live down getting tangled up in Christmas lights with Steve. 

As for the picture of the kiss…you were definitely going to ask Bucky for a copy later.

When you tune back into their conversation, Sam has a shit-eating grin on his face, “You should make that this year's Christmas card.” 

“Sam!”

You giggle at Sam’s teasing and at Steve’s attempt at scolding him. Steve seems mortified until he notices the way you don’t seem to mind the teasing. He stares at you with a fond expression, wanting more than anything to be alone with you again.

“Don’t you two have chores to do? Y/n and I are kind of busy here,” Steve motions to the web of lights that cover you and him from head to toe. Despite that, the twinkle of mischief in Sam’s eyes tells you he’s not done with either of you yet. 

“Kissing or decorating?”

“Sam!”

After a few more rounds of teasing that leave Steve wondering when the earth will swallow him whole, Sam and Bucky finally retreat—leaving him alone with you once more.

“I’m sorry about that. I’ll make it up to you angel—I promise,” Steve apologizes to you, an endearing embarrassment on his features. You shake your head with a soft smile, intending to tell him not to worry about it until an idea pops into your head. 

“How about you make it up to me tomorrow? We can check out that new coffee place down on Orchard if you’d like,” you suggest, your heart beating wildly in your chest as you await his answer. He lights up at your suggestion, “I’d love to. It’s a date then?” That last part comes out as a whispered question, wondering if you’d see it the same way he did. 

“It’s a date,” you confirm, moving against the restricting lights enough to place a soft kiss on his cheek. 

So it seems luck was on your side all along after all.

[365runesoftheamalgamations]

hello and how are you?

I am glad to have been tagged for this question and I will be happy to answer this!

I think I will be focusing on A Magician and A Curse, and doing this question for all of the characters within the story, considering I am doing some plotting and planning for this story!

Intro Post | Writing Tag

Within the Storyverse, Magicks hold themselves to a certain color that best represents both the Magicks and the person who wields them. I think that those colors tend to represent the person best, even if they hold their own personal opinions on the matter.

Rune Fiducia | The Magician

Her Magicks are a deep purple, the kind that you find trapped within an amethyst or ones that blend into raven's wings alongside indigo. Rune holds her own opinions about her Magicks, but she does not mind their color. She actually likes to display the colors within the forests.

Elios Aeterna | The Guardian

Their Magicks are a summer orange, more resembling the fruit or the haze that shifts the Golden Hours into Twilight. They do not hold that much preference for the color though; their Magicks are those of a Pyromancer - wielding fire and flames - and they find the color of their Magicks showing off their inexperience. So it is good color to represent them; they do not enjoy it when it is displayed.

Gregory Wilkins | The Guildmaster

His Magicks are the color of a deep red, maybe one that would be as dark and pure as blood or the heated hearts of embers and coal used within furnaces. He takes deep pride in the color of his Magicks; his flames burn hot and fast, cleansing the Witches and putting the Blight to rest.

Martin Atwood | The Hunter

His Magicks are grey and cloudy, as if he is more smoke and fog than any real and pure flame. I would more compare him to smoking kindling or leaves / firewood that smokes instead of burns. He does not really hold that much of an opinion on his grey Magicks; it holds both good and bad connotations, not holding a more stable form of flames as other Pyromancers.

Happy Blorbo Blursday! Feel free to join in on the fun! :D

🪷 Neal Anderson, the Natsume Rune System

Blorbo Blursday #4

What color represents your character best? Is this their favorite color or something completely different?

[thanergetic-hyperlinks]

Tamsyn Muir's writing beyond The Locked Tomb

Y'all, turns out there's lots of imagery and themes in TLT that Muir was already playing with in her earlier fiction. A lot of it is easily available online, in which case I'll link to it. (The short stories that aren't can also be easily read if googled, to be quite honest—that's how I read The Deepwater Bride and Why the Mermaids Left Boralus). • The House That Made the Sixteen Loops of Time (2011)

5K. Short sort-of-cozy romance (?) with (you guessed it) a time travel loop. Explores a very queer potential relationship. CamPal enjoyers might find a similar sweetness.

• The Magician's Apprentice (2012, Lightspeed Magazine)

5K. This is the one that stopped me dead on my tracks. It features an older, male mentor figure called John (a “very ordinary man” with “dark eyes”) who introduces the young, female main character to magic that has a terrible cost—and to literature such as Lolita. This excellent post by @familyabolisher does an incredible job of analyzing the very deliberate intertextual links between TLT and Lolita.

• The Woman in the Hill (2015, Lightspeed Magazine, originally for Dreams From the Witch House anthology of Lovecraftian horror by women)

4K. Possibly my favorite! It's a straightforward Lovecraftian horror, centered on the image of the woman (is it human though?) trapped in an unnatural pool inside a cursed cave. Chain imagery too. It does something different from Alecto, mind, but you can see links, ways of playing with facets of a strong central image. It's fun to consider how reliable the two narrators are. Here's an analysis and afterthought from Reactor Mag.

• Chew (2013) 4K. Zombie abuse and cannibalistic revenge story ft. an uncanny woman revenant, told from the eyes of a traumatized German boy. I was strongly reminded of Harrow's conversations with the Body. Tamsyn gave an interview on the themes and her intentions. Interesting to read in light of Alecto, I think, although I don't think she's going the same route in TLT: “the idea of post-war rebuilding connecting to rebuilding the body of the zombie; a Frankenstein who once rebuilt doesn’t act as planned or desired. […] I love cannibalism […] it’s innately spiritual […] any afterlife she goes to, he’s going too.”

• Apothecia (2014, published on Tumblr and tapas.io)

Short webcomic where an alien monster tries to corrupt the ruthless human girl who holds it captive. Musings on responsibility and murder, mention of child abuse. The alien's speech patterns remind me of a Resurrection Beast. You get wonderful dialogue like “Murder is a profession. Job. Employment, you tiny leg dog. There you are, walking along. Walk walk walk. Now you are a walker. Good job. Special child. Murder is like this.” Art by Shelby Cragg.

• The Deepwater Bride (2015, Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine)

The opening line is: “In the time of our crawling Night Lord's ascendancy, foretold by exodus of starlight into his sucking astral wounds, I turned sixteen and received Barbie's Dream Car.” Need I say more? Extremely fun. A novelette where a young queer girl from a clairvoyant family struggles with an apocalyptic event while being annoyed by another very plucky girl. Lots of descriptions with nerdy marine zoology terms. Close in tone to Gideon. In the background, someone dies EXACTLY like that one death at the end of Gideon, which makes me wonder what happened to make Tamsyn interested in this particular image. I also liked that Tamsyn is aware of Nightwish. No link, but you'll get a PDF immediately if you Google.

• Union (2015, Clarkesworld Magazine)

5.5K. Very weird, extremely Kiwi story about a town that gets sent lab-grown wives by the government, but they're not made the usual way so they're Weird and people have feelings about it. Fascinating and eerie description of non-human (in some people's eyes, sub-human) women (?) who cannot be observed to have recognizable feelings or thoughts, yet have some sort of inner life. Quite touching, very uncanny.

• Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower (2020)

Short novel (~200 pages). Very funny. I was reminded of Coronabeth because the whole plot is “princess finds herself branching out into decidedly non-princess-like activities”, but other than that—this is a fairytale for adults about people who make eachother worse. No particular links to TLT but a very fun read with some gut punches. Extremely Tamsyn through and through, what with the dubious morality and all.

• Why the Mermaids Left Boralus (2021, in Folk & Fairy Tales of Azeroth by Blizzard Entertainment)

Set in the World of Warcraft universe. Haven't read this one yet, will report back lmao. As with The Deepwater Bride, no link but I easily found a PDF of the entire compilation. It's illustrated!

• Undercover (2022, from Into Shadow, Amazon Original Collection)

Haven't read it either. Will edit once I do.

[tigerpearlsworld]

Pick a card

Who is coming towards you in love?

Before you choose a pile, take a moment to breathe deeply and connect with your intuition. This is a general pick-a-card reading, where the universe's infinite energies align with your path to bring you the guidance you need.

Know that you can only choose one pile. The message you receive is not just for you to resonate with, but for you to realize in time as the truth unfolds in your journey. To truly receive your message, you must follow your heart’s instinct, not your expectations. Look beyond the surface and see what your soul is trying to reveal to you.

How to choose your card:

Breathe in deeply. Breathe out slowly.

Light a candle or incense and clear your mind.

Meditate on the beating of your heart, allow your thoughts to flow naturally.

Let go of doubts, and trust what your heart is guiding you towards.

Close your eyes,visualise a light forming in your heart and feel it's pull.

When you open your eyes choose the image that your heart calls to the most.

For some of you maybe number, colour or image will help.

A final message for you: Your heart is your guide, not your mind. Surrender to the wisdom that lies within you.

And for those who are seeking answers about love, fate, and destiny, I send my prayers to the stars to bless you with clarity, strength, and the energy to embrace your path.

May you receive what you meant to know.

( Choose the pile: )

Pile 1:

Pile 2:

Pile 3:

The reading starts. . .

Pile 1:

Cards: ( 8 of Wands, 7 of Cups, the Magician, 9 of Wands, the Star )

Message: Restoring faith in love

love is coming in swiftly, possibly through online communication or unexpected events. I see that the person coming in may have many options or be a bit idealistic in love and like that they might also bring an element of fantasy or confusion in your life. I also feel this group has manifested this person and that this person who is coming toward you is charismatic, skilled at communication, and knows how to make things happen. They might be very confident, persuasive, or even a little bit mysterious.

But what I also feel for this person is that while this person may be coming in fast and with playful energy, they could also have been through challenges in love and may be somewhat defensive or cautious.yk.

It's weird to say this but I've mentioned this before and I just get this strong sense of manifestation, divine blessing and I feel this connection you'll have this person is something which is meant to happen...yk? And like this connection is very fated.

So basically who is coming towards you in love?

The person who is coming towards you in love is likely to be exciting and charismatic, but .....but...they may also have moments of indecision or be slightly guarded due to past experiences. Their presence in your life seems significant and this connection with them will be fated...its something which has been weaved by the threads of destiny itself and has the potential in helping to restore your faith in love.

*such a beautiful reading (ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ)*

A song for you:

Pile 2:

Cards: ( seven of swords, three of cups, queen of swords, the star, queen of cups )

Message: intense and passionate

I see that the person coming could be someone who is very intense, passionate, and often carries a deep emotional undercurrent inside them....there is something....hmm...very scorpionic about them tbh. I see they might have a mysterious aura, strong personal boundaries, and a past emotional wound that still influences and haunts them. I see this person has gone through a lot of difficult and traumatic relationships, making them both deeply transformative, introspective, selective and guarded.

Now I also see that when this person enters your life be careful because..... Because!! This person.....THIS PERSON will not reveal their true intentions right away to you and with you 👏👏👏Write it down.note it down.they won't. They will be careful with you....with what they said...their words ....there is this sort of like.... hesitation I feel to fully open up.

Now I also wanna add up that there is this..... social connection or friendship aspect in how they enter your life tbh. Like ....I see you might meet this person through mutual friends, social events, or an environment where there is some sort of celebration or occasion idk...but you get my point ☝️

I see this person who is coming towards you to have a sharp mind, strong communication skills and a direct approach to relationships when they reach that point of wanting it that is. I also see they don’t tolerate dishonesty, any sort of bullshit, lies and are clear-headed and logical in love. Like they can play games sometimes just to test you but don't you play games with them....Cuz like if they see you lying they're gonna dip....it's like for them:

But hear me out I feel like again this connection is something significant for both of you....I feel that although there will be some and by some I mean a lot of heat in the relationship but I feel like this connection will ultimately bring emotional renewal and clarity in maybe yours or theirs or maybe both of yours....but I see that.

But ayyy....listen despite this person's sharp, guarded exterior....I see this person is just a big softie inside lol like they idk why but I'm remembering (Aquarius/Capricorn/Virgo/Scorpio and Cancer energy also gemini for some but the dominant is Scorpio lol also add aries cuz I remembered out of the blue ik.....) anyway as I was saying they have a deeply emotional and loving side but.....BUT!!!! It only comes out when trust is established. And baby 🤣🤣 they're gonna dragggggg your ass to hell and heaven to see if you're fit for that trust lol. So take how you wanna take.

I also wanna say something it's random but like this person could be bipolar Af too....ikik random also just the energy yk.... But Like people or you may think this person to be involved when actually they're not but it's just ig misunderstanding??? Due to how aloof and secretive and hidden and lets think ...hm..... Just guarded they are

So basically who is coming towards you in love?

I see this person is someone who is logical and detached on the surface but deeply emotional underneath. I also see this person to be someone who has learned to protect themselves due to past experiences but has a loving and caring heart once they feel safe. Also get ready to get your patience tested. So yep. Goodluck lol.

I got two songs for you....as the energy was a bit divided and so....ye...

Also Brooklyn baby- Lana del Rey but I couldn't upload that song for some weird reason... anyway yea

Pile 3:

Cards: ( Knight of Pentacles, the Hierophant, 9 of Cups, 10 of Cups, 10 of Wands )

Message: Taking time to open up

First of all I see this person is someone who is slow-moving, reliable, and serious about commitments. Okay and like this person Is someone who takes their sweet ass time in love but BUT!!! They do this because .....BCUZ!! They are incredibly loyal and dependable and solid when they do commit.

Like if I have to put words to describe this person....this is someone who is resilient, independent, self-sufficient, and spiritually strong.

I see they also are someone who is tad bit traditional and values tradition, stability, and commitment. I see this person who is coming towards you is someone who is looking for something serious, long-term and don't want anything casual.

I also see you and this person could have a strong spiritual or cultural connection ....random but ye (⁠─⁠.⁠─⁠|⁠|⁠）

Now I also wanna say this person who is coming towards you is definitely single as a pringle or maybe you were super single for sometimes....but the point is....there is this long term....single single energy coming. Anyway this person who is coming towards you is someone I feel will bring a sense of emotional satisfaction and happiness into your life. Yk. *It's so cute* like I feel like this is the kinda person who will give you a huge bouquet of flowers just because they felt like it lol ....like how do I say this ....this is the kinda person who if they love you will play the entire garden with your favourite flowers lol

I feel in this connection you will be very emotionally fulfilled,....I see long-term happiness, and I also see possibly....like possibly even a future family or deep emotional bond. This relationship can lead to lasting love and stability that is ....if you don't self sabotage it tbh.

I also wanna say that this person has carried a lot of burdens in their life and that they might have had a difficult past, taking on too many responsibilities.hm....i feel that...if something is wrong in the relationship or if this person feels hurt they will hide it ...and won't come clean...until they burst Outta nowhere and you'll feel wtf just happened....because I see for them they could be someone who dont for ask for help easily but just works hard for those who they love. And so I feel like at times this person may just burn themself and also get easily exploited and used and abused.....I see the person's family/ friends....could be...like use them yk.... because of their giving nature so... ye.

*now I feel bad such a sweet person (T_T)*

Also um....imm also getting like they might judge a lot and that if things don't align or just hm....if they feel stressed out from you or the relationship with you not helping or supporting them and just giving them headaches after headaches just to act cute don't be surprise if they leave. Because I see this person doesn't play games and just wants a plain old simple living yk. So yea...just a warning. Like don't push this person a lot.

So basically who is coming towards you in love?

I see the person who is coming towards you in love is someone who is serious,stable person who is looking for real commitment. Like this person has a quiet strength about them and like they deep wisdom, and a slow but steady approach to love. Also this person is not someone who rushes into romance, but when they do, they are in it for the long haul. Their past burdens have made them strong, and they seek a fulfilling and deeply emotional connection. Like they may take time to open up, but once they do, they will provide the most truly lasting, stable, and fulfilling relationship you'll ever have. So ye. Good reading.

A song which came for you

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Magic-Related Vocabulary

for your next poem/story

Amulet: An object worn, carried or placed to guard against negativity or other vibrations. A protective object.

Astral Projection: The practice of separating the consciousness from the physical body so that the former may move about unhindered by time, space or gravity.

Bane: A poison; that which destroys life. "Henbane" is poisonous to hens.

Banish: To drive away evil, negativity or spirits.

Beltane: An ancient folk-festival day observed by Witches that celebrates the fully blossomed spring. April 30 or May 1.

Censer: A vessel of metal or earthenware in which incense is burned. An incense burner.

Chaplet: A garland or wreath of flowers or leaves worn on the head, as in the chaplets given to classical Greek heroes as symbols of honor.

Clairvoyance: Literally "clear seeing." The ability to perceive facts, events and other data by other than the five "normal" senses, unaided by tools.

Curse: A concentration of negative and destructive energy, deliberately formed and directed toward a person, place or thing.

Divination: The art of finding things out through means other than the five senses, using tools such as tarot cards, crystal balls, and so on.

Enchant: "Sing to." Magically speaking, a procedure whereby herbs are aligned with your magical need prior to their use.

Evil Eye, The: Supposed glance capable of causing great harm or fear, once almost universally feared.

Fascination: The art of placing other people under one's power through sounds, gazes, colors, etc.

Hex: An evil spell; a curse.

Incubus: A male demon or spirit which was believed to sexually tempt and abuse women; the succubus was the corresponding female demon.

Infusion: An herbal tea.

Lughnasadh: An old harvest festival celebrated on August 1st or 2nd in Europe, reverencing the abundant (harvested) fruits of the Earth. It is still observed by Wicca.

Magic: The practice of causing needed change through the use of powers as yet undefined and unaccepted by science.

Magic Circle: A ritually-created circle (or sphere) that offers protection to the magician during magical rites.

Magician: A person of either sex who practices magic.

Magus: A magician.

Midsummer: The Summer Solstice, usually on or near June 21st, one of the Wiccan festival days and an excellent time to practice magic.

Pendulum: A tool of divination which consists of a heavy object suspended from a string or cord. The end of the cord is held between the thumb and forefinger; questions are asked and their answers divided by the movements of the pendulum.

Pentagram: A five-pointed star which has been used in magic for centuries. Highly symbolic, it is also a protective device.

Poppet: A small doll made of various substances to influence a person's fife. In herb magic, either a carved root or a cloth image stuffed with herbs. The use of poppets is known as "image magic."

Power Hand, The: The hand you write with; the dominant hand. This is a magically potent hand.

Samhain: An ancient festival day marking the beginning of winter. Also known as "Halloween" and All Hallows Eve. It is observed by Wicca with religious ceremonies.

Scry: To gaze into a pool of ink, fire, crystal ball, etc. to awaken and summon psychic powers.

Spell: A magical rite.

Talisman: An object worn or carried to attract a specific influence, such as love, luck, money, health; as opposed to an amulet which keeps forces from its bearer.

Wicca: A contemporary religion with spiritual roots in prehistory that worships the life-force of the universe as personified as a God and Goddess. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as "witchcraft."

Witch Bottle: A bottle or jar containing herbs, pins, shards of glass and other objects, designed to protect a person or area from evil and curses. Usually buried or placed in a window.

Witchcraft: The practice of natural magic, as that of herbs, stones, and candles. Spell-casting. Still used by some to refer to the religion of Wicca.

Wort: An old word meaning "herb." Mugwort preserves the term.

Excerpt from Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs More: Word Lists ⚜ Esoteric Vocabulary ⚜ On Magic

[fishnapple]

Use your 3rd house & Mercury for manifestation

Finding your own manifestation method that gives consistent results, at a consistent frequency is peak life magic for me.

My manifestation method is called "Written coloured words on calendar". I have a theory that since Mercury is associated with The Magician in Tarot, it has something to do with manifesting, especially by using verbal or written words. Mercury will help manifesting the themes of the house that it rules. While the energy of the planet that rules your 3rd house will be the tool to communicate and express your messages.

Do give it a try and tell me if it's effective for you too. If you have your own manifestation method, feel free to spread the magic.

1. What you need

Coloured pens (the colour of the ink of the pen or the lead if you are using pencils, not the colour of the case)

A calendar that has space to write on (other things like a piece of paper or notebook don't work)

Basic astrology knowledge & your chart: you should know what planet rules your 3rd house and what house does Mercury rule in your chart

2. How I do it

The colour: Choose the pen with the colour that matches the colour associated with the planet that rules your 3rd house.

The phrase: I write "I want/need change" with that coloured pen around the space of the present day on the calendar. The phrase should be short, with a broad meaning, conveys the matters related to the house that Mercury rules in your chart. Don't be too specific like I want a red dress or I want 100$, start with general terms like asking for changes, surprises, chances, opportunities, helps, guidance.

Timing: the manifestation will happen within the next week, without fail, this is how it worked for me, the speed might depend on the planet that rules your 3rd house.

Example of how it works: I have Mercury rules my 3rd house & 6th house so it can be straightforward, whenever I wrote "I want change" with green (colour of Mercury) pen on the calendar, within the next week, a new business partnership/offer & more works (3rd & 6th house matters) appeared, I met someone new who would have Gemini or Virgo or both placements in their chart, who I would do business with, work with, travel with or became my friend (3rd & 6th house matters).

*Notes:

So you won't be able to manifest other things related to different houses & planets other than 3rd house and Mercury? → Most likely, I've tried with different houses & planets but it usually had short-term effect or no observable effect, while 3rd house and Mercury gave more long-term effects.

Each manifestation works only once, if you want it to happen again, you will need to write again.

3. Colours associated with each planet & their effect

Here is the list of effects I have observed through the years practising this. It can change depending on your chart though, try to experiment with each one yourself.

Yellow - Sun: Joyful events

Grey - Moon: No observable effect

Green - Mercury: Business, friendships, partnerships (strongest manifestation power, at least for me)

Pink - Venus: Interactions, pleasant exchanges

Red - Mars, Black - Pluto: Immediate unpleasant effects like traffic problems, meeting people in bad moods, troubles with machines, things become more hectic

Navy - Saturn, Blue - Uranus, Teal - Neptune : No observable effect

Purple - Neptune/Jupiter : Increase or decrease of interactions with people, can give rise to popularity but can also slow down your progress (I haven't really figured out this one yet)

Orange - Jupiter: Chances to expand your perspective, be more brave, test your resolution and faith. Some events can be negative at first but will turn out alright, after that you will learn some valuable lessons.

About me | Masterpost

[livelaughlovesubs]

hello hello!!! as for the event can i ask lyney (if you write for him, ofc!!) with "making them perfom tricks" plus "begging"? i thought about him right when i read the first prompt. 😭

hope you have a nice day!!! :D

Thank you :] I was a little lost on what to do as ‘tricks’ but @illustrious-ia helped me brainstorm

Dom!reader x sub!lyney - reader is GN

Warning: strip tease, anal play, dildo & bullet vibrator, teasing, voyeur (?)

Anniversary event

The click of the door, loud footsteps as he walks up the stairs, a heavy sigh before he enters your room, all blushy already when you two locked eyes. “How did your performance go?” You stared up from the bed, sitting up, smiling softly. “Everything went well, you’d expect nothing less from the greatest magician.” Lyney said, ruffling one hand through his dirty-blond hair. “A shame you weren’t there to watch me.”

Slowly, he got closer to you, kneeling down at the bed post, looking at you with such adoration. “You are right, so, won’t you give me a private performance?” His eyes lit up at that, and he smirked mischievously, “my pleasure.” Afterward, he stood up again, undressing himself with a teasingly slow pace, feeling your gaze on his body. “Please watch me carefully.” The boy mumbled, untying every single ribbon on his body. This was a game he enjoyed to play, to test your patience and to egg you on.

“You shouldn’t let your audience wait so long, they might get bored and leave you know?” You said, hinting at something, though you knew he wouldn’t fall for that. “I have no need for an audience who can’t appreciate the art of waiting.” Lyney answered you confidently, now taking off his gloves and peeling off his leg wear. The way he did it was provoking, wriggling his hips around, doing his best to show you his chocolate side. Seeing how much effort he was putting in, you decided to give up, “mhm, is that so? Fine, I’ll wait.”

Once he was entirely stripped of his clothes, he did a little twirl as if to showcase a pretty dress, though he wasn’t wearing one. He let you take a good look at his body, not an ounce of shame present in his actions. You clapped sarcastically, saying, “oh lyney, our greatest magician, please show us a worthwhile trick~” he bowed at your two faced compliment, replying with, “why of course, I’m sure the next act will be splendid!”

Then, to your surprise, he grabbed a nearby chair and put it in front of you, so that you’d have a good view of the object. After that, he grabbed his black hat and continued his little show. “Next, my lovely audience, I’ll pull an item out of my hat~” he kept going with this persona of his, acting as if he was searching for something with an arm completely buried in that hat of his. “Ahh, my apologies, it seems it’s quite cramped in here.” You waited with bated breath, staring at him intensely as he pulled out… some cards, some tape, a plushy, a rose bouquet that he drew at you, some vibrators and a suction dildo.

“Haha, sorry for the long wait, there it is, what I was looking for.” Now he was grinning all excited, pressing the toy against the chair, strapping the vibrators to his chest and already fully erect member. Once he was done, he hovered above the silicon toy, using the tip to poke at his entrance, before slowly taking the gland in. He didn’t use lube nor did he prepare himself, and with one swift motion he sat down completely. “Nghh~ w-what do you think, y/n? Pretty impressive, huh?” Finally he broke his facade, one hand clenching the edge of the chair, the other one holding a book.

You caught the bouquet with a confused look, wondering if it was a part of the show. It must be, considering he doesn’t do useless things. When you looked closely at the bouquet, you found remotes in it, which were probably for the vibrators on his nipples. With a big grin, you turned it on, listening to the low vibration sound and his lustful gasps. He was withering, an aroused look across his features as his insides tightened around the toy. You stared at the way his small body eagerly swallowed the huge toy, clenching around it with such fever. “Yes, I am enjoying myself. Go on, mr. Magician.”

He took a while until he could maintain eye contact with you, then declared with a shaky voice, “n-now, I’ll read you a s-story, hnnGggh.. while riding this, ah, toy.” So, basically he was saying, ‘watch me while I become a needy bitch for you’. You wanted to comment on it, to maybe stand up and ‘help him’ as an assistant, but he continued his speech with, “p-please stay seated until the end. When I’m done, we can gladly do some fan meetings ♥︎”

[cheriladycl01]

Hi!

Could you please write something for whichever f1 driver you want with a reader who's a children's books illustrator and author? Maybe they get to know each other because his niece is obsessed with her books and he took her to one of her events.

I'd like to see how the grid and the media would react to someone so bubbly, kind, and creative!

Thnx!! <3

My sunshine - Lewis Hamilton x ChildrensAuthor! Reader

Plot: Lewis comes home to find his niece and nephew obsessed with one lady’s books! Little did he know you’d end up being his whole future!

“What you reading there?” Lewis asked as he grabbed some fruit from the fridge and started to cut it up. Babysitting was one of his favourite free time activities.

“MAE THE MAGICIAN” they both yell at him, making him pause cutting the fruit. He knew his niece really enjoyed reading but to see his nephew so excited about this book was odd.

“Mmmm what’s it about?” Lewis asks as he starts to make little snack boxes for the two, ready to take them out to the park.

“This girl called Mae, and she helps Gaia and George using her Magic tricks, she’s funny” the girl describes to her favourite Uncle.

“Woah, what kind of magic tricks does she do?” He asks.

“She makes sure their homework is complete and their beds are made for when their mum gets home!” His nephew explains.

“Oh and then this book is good to. Can we show you our library uncle Lewis” his nephew begs looking up at him with those puppy dog eyes that he couldn’t say no too!

He follows them up, being taken to one of the smaller bedrooms that was being used as as playroom/ library. There was an expanse of books, but what caught his eye was how many of the same author there were.

It was the same one as the book they were reading from earlier. It seemed she had lots of kids books varying in ages from very young, basically just pictures books, to a series of books which reminded him of the Rainbow Magic Series that his brothers girlfriend had read when she was younger.

They all had titles of careers with a matching name. Both boys and girls.

Alex the Astrologist

Bianca the Brain Surgeon

Colin the Conductor

Daisy the Dragon Tamer

Ethan the Ecologist

Freya the F1 Driver

Who?

That intrigued him.

“Have you guys read all of these?” He asks with wide eyes.

“Of course! She’s the best! Our favourite” one of them exclaims as they re-order books that had been misplaced.

“Which ones your favourite?” He asks his nephew.

“She wrote one about me! Called Kaiden the Karate Master” he exclaims making chopping actions with his hands.

“And you?” He asks Willow.

“She wrote one about me to called Willow the Writer” she says shoving the book at him happily to which he looks through looking at all the cute little illustrations to which he later researched that they were actually drawn by the author as well.

Upon doing further research and trying to get some of her latest books on pre-order he went down a rabbit hole, finding her instagram which was incredibly cozy and just what he expected from an author.

There was a few posts of her charity work and what she did around her community. The links led him to her official website where she had her various charities, an about her page that he couldn’t help but browse but he also saw a part where it showed up and coming events.

“Willow? Kaiden? How would you feel about going to meet Y/N Y/L/N, maybe get a few books signed?” He asks the next morning, wondering whether that would be something they were into.

“YES!” They’d both screamed.

He sent you a DM on Instagram explaining that he was planning on bringing his niece and nephew to your book signing in London. You replied immediately which shocked him, explaining you’d be more than happy to do a private signing afterwards for him and his family and how you were a huge fan of his.

At the book signing.

You were pretty exhausted after the public signing and needed to have a break and just grab a drink where your throat was on fire for talking as much as you had.

But within the hour you were ready to see Lewis and his niece and nephew. They were so polite to you when you stood up to greet them and what shocked Lewis even more is how easily you communicated to the younger kids.. It was like second nature to you how you used your hands to basically animate everything you say to make you seem so youthful and energetic.

“Hi I’m Lewis and this is Willow and Kaiden” he introduced and from after that he was insanely smitten with you, everything you did he would watch with wide eyes.

You spent the time interacting with the kids and signing the copious amounts of books that they had bought for you to sign. You also talked to them about upcoming stuff that they would enjoy where they had really liked your career series for young children.

“Hey I know you might think this is a little soon but I’d really like to take you out some time, for dinner” he asked one his sibling had taken the kids outside to the car say that he could ask you some more personal questions. They ranged from what you enjoyed to how you got into writing children’s books specifically.”

“Well, I think I would really like that, I don’t think I’ve ever been out on a proper date” she smiles looking down and blushing lightly at the comment.

”Never been on a proper date, I’ll have to treat you right then?” he smirks looking over you.

“Where would we go?” You ask politely starting to collect the books left over from the signing.

“Out to a restaurant or a movie, maybe a picnic at some point when it’s warmer the weather isn’t great right now” he says stepping closer to her.

After the book signing you and Lewis went on dates, lots of them and to say his niece and nephew were excited was an understatement you would randomly turn up to family events and they’d start to get your books early and not published Waterstones versions that normally were gifted to them.

“Baby I really want you to come to a race with me, I want to show you off to everyone there and how cute you are. I bet the grid will love you just as much as I do. Actually scrap that, that’s impossible” he smiles and you can’t help but giggle.

“Of course I’ll come with you Lew” you smile leaning across him and kissing his check, before gripping his hands and holding them.

“You ready to meet everyone?” He asks with that soft chocolaty voice that could make you melt.

“I think so, I’m just kind of nervous what they’ll think” you say a light blush forming into your face wondering if you’d embarrass yourself on camera, or if they’d ask you questions … it was hard.

“Well, for the record I know they’ll love you. You want a run down?” And you of course nod wanting to know as much as possible.

“Well, there’s my teammate Charles who you’ll probably meet first in the garage. You’ll love his girlfriend Alex she’s a diamond and you’ll talk about fashion no doubt!” He grins and you not trying to take in the names knowing more are to come.

He talks about his ex team-mates George and Valtteri and how you’d get on with both of them pretty well. He also knew Lando and Daniel would love you, as you all had very similar bubbly people personality’s.

He was excited to show you off to not just them but everyone, you weren’t like the other Hollywood Stars and actresses you were just so … normal? NOT that he would ever describe you as that, because that almost felt like an insult to you.

“Are you nervous baby?” He asks looking over to you as he pulls into the paddock.

“A little, I’ve never been around this many people here before” you say looking over to him, grabbing onto his hand on the gear stick.

“You’ll be fine, and you’ll finally get to watch me in my job. I love watching you write and draw but I want you to see what I do” he nods and you smile, loving this side of Lewis.

He had this intimacy that you’d never experienced with anyone else. Little things he appreciated knowing that you’d never had with anyone else.

You walked through the paddock together scanning your little pass on the thing seeing an awful picture of you come up that Lewis must have submitted.

“Lewis what the hell!” You asked gazing at the picture he’d chosen.

“What! I love that photo of you!” He smiles happily gazing at you looking at the picture that slowly disappears.

“Come on, let’s get you to the garage so you can get familiar with everything” he smiles a hand sneaking round your waist as he guides you through the bustling paddock.

When you enter Ferrari Garage your greeted by all the mechanics, a lot of them with young children knowing exactly who you are and wanting pictures to show their kids when they got home.

Charles and Alexandra greeted you only 30 minutes later and you and Alex got along great, taking Roscoe and Leo for walks around the paddock while she tried to help you adjust to all the hustle and bustle of life in motorsport.

“So how long have you and Lewis been together now?” Alex asked with a small polite smile.

“Oh! It feels like forever! He’s only been so sweet and like to me” you grin, your voice getting louder and louder as you talk about Lewis. Alex notices and can’t help but smile at how you’re talking about Lewis.

After meeting Alex and Charles the next people you ended up meeting was Lando and Oscar. Lewis had asked you to grab his water bottle from the car which he’d left behind and you got lost on your way back the two McLaren drivers immediately noticing and recognising you.

They helped you back to the garage just as they were being called for the race and that they needed to get into the car.

Then next thing you knew as you were watching Lewis come round a corner, a little drift as skidded in the gravel but caught himself well enough that it didn’t lessen his time too much.

Then you were casted on the TV screens and you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

You gave a polite little wave and grin to the camera before it panned off of you and back onto the race.

“And that’s Y/N Y/L/N she’s the current partner of Lewis Hamilton and she’s a very well known author of children’s books, ones that actually my own children read and I just know they are going to be kicking their feet that I got to meet her today” the commentator offers with a little chuckle.

“Yeah what did you think of her?” The other commentator for Sky Sports asks.

“Ah she’s just so sweet, she wouldn’t stop talking about her writing and I was more than happy to listen and she was so polite and happy and god’s I want her in the paddock more often, she’s such a little ray of sunshine”

After all the excitement, you had this energy around you that you couldn’t describe and it gave you loads of writing juices. You got home to the hotel that night and you wrote down all your ideas, sat in Lewis lap.

You knew for sure you’d be coming back to way more races and you’d been missing out!

Taglist:

@littlebitchsposts @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @daemyratwst @lauralarsen @the-untamed-soul @thewulf @itsjustkhaos @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @summissss @gulphulp @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhhhh @georgeparisole @youcannotcancelquidditch @tallbrownhairsarcastic @ourteenagetragedy @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @eiraethh @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @dark-night-sky-99 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @laneyspaulding19 @malynn @viennakarma @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @yourbane @teamnovalak @nikfigueiredo @fionaschicken @0picels0 @tinydeskwriter @ironmaiden1313 @splaterparty0-0 @formula1mount

[mikashisus]

WALTZ INTO THE HEART

SYNOPSIS: fate seems to keep bringing fontaine’s most famed magician into your life, even when you swore you’d never fall in love again. but when you see how he handles your daughter and how her eyes light up with joy whenever he’s around, you cave and allow him into your heart.

PAIRING: lyney x single mother!reader

TAGLIST ! @pixelcafe-network @wystiix

warnings: mentions of teen (19) pregnancy, hurt/comfort, family issues, mc has a mom bod, suggestive comments

wc: 6k

notes: feeding the lyney enjoyers (yona). i started this literal months ago and im so glad it’s finally finished and out of the way. i had sm fun writing the last few scenes! anyw i hope u guys enjoy!

As a performer on the streets of Fontaine, Lyney was more than familiar with the fact that his tricks were more popular with young children. 

Their eyes would light up in childlike awe as they watched him closely, trying to find a flaw in his tricks that they could call him out on while simultaneously wondering how the trick was even performed in the first place. 

He was no stranger to their yells, begging him to do it again so they could watch his every little movement and find that flaw. But Lyney was perfect at hiding the secrets behind his magic. Years of practice led him up to this moment. 

He was also no stranger to kids who had run off from their parents to look for him. Many, many times children have come up to him and asked him to do a trick for them, their parents arriving about ten minutes later, out of breath and a frown on their lips as they berated their children for suddenly running off. 

Today was no different. 

He stood in the center plaza of the city, underneath the hydro-powered machine that made an eerie whirring noise if you stood too close. 

He ended his last trick of the night by telling a small boy to touch the back of his ear. The boy did so, flipping it over to show the contents: an ace of spades. 

“Is that your card?” Lyney questioned with a smile, watching as the boy’s face lit up with joy. 

“Wow!!” The kid exclaimed excitedly. “It is! How’d you do that, Mr. Lyney!?” 

Lyney took the card from the boy’s hands and tossed it into his hat before placing his hat back onto his head. The hat rocked side to side vigorously as a star shaped eye of a grinmalkin cat peeked out from underneath. 

“Shoo!” 

Lyney gently brushed the cat away. In a flurry of confetti, the cat disappeared back under the hat, letting out a tiny purr that sounded like a rebuttal. With a sigh, Lyney shook his head. The kids that were gathered around him laughed at the interaction. 

He opened his eyes and knelt down so that he was eye level with all of them. He winked and placed a finger over his lips. “A magician never reveals their secrets! After all, it’s not really magic if you know how it’s done!” 

Disappointed “aww”s fell from the children’s mouths, though they weren’t seriously saddened. They perked up at the sounds of their parents’ voices, rushing over to them and grabbing their hands as they recited the events of the mini magic show. 

A fond smile graced Lyney’s lips as he waved goodbye to the children and their parents. This was what he loved most about his job: bringing smiles to everyone’s faces. 

“There you are, brother.” 

The soft voice of his sister ripped him from his thoughts. She walked up to him slowly, tiredness reflecting in her purple eyes as she sent him a small smile. “Should we get dinner?” 

Lyney shook his head. “I think Freminet is cooking seafood soup tonight, so we should wait until we get back to the House. Besides, Father is coming home tonight. We should be there to welcome her home.” 

A frown erupted onto Lynette’s face at the mention of waiting. A complaint was ready on her lips, when a small voice called out to Lyney from ten feet away. He abruptly turned, watching as a little girl wearing a sky blue dress ran towards him with a beaming smile on her face. 

“Mr. Lyney!” 

He replaced his frown with a polite smile and knelt down, placing an arm on his knee. “Well hello there! What can I do for you?” 

The girl suddenly grew nervous. She shyly played with the ends of her dress, averting her gaze to the ground as she muttered out a response. “I was watching your magic show, but I was too scared to come closer…” 

Lyney raised a brow in concern. “Oh? Why is that?” 

“B-Because there were tons of people!” 

In reality, there had only been about eight kids and five adults, but kids were known to greatly exaggerate situations. He gave her a kind smile as she anxiously looked up at him once more. He placed a hand on her head. 

“I understand what it’s like to be nervous in a crowd of strangers. In fact, I have stage fright.” 

“He does.” Lynette confirmed, a small smirk pulling at her lips as Lyney sent her a fleeting glare. 

The little girl’s eyes widened in shock. “You do?” 

With a nod, Lyney hummed. “Yep, I do. Sometimes I have to perform in front of crowds ten times bigger than the one you saw. It can be scary, but with my sister by my side, all that fear goes away.” 

“Really?” With another nod, Lyney hummed. The little girl’s eyes flickered to Lynette, before they rested on the ground again. “But I don’t have a sister…” 

“That’s alright. There are other ways you can counteract your anxiety. Like… Oh! You can try talking to the other kids. I’m sure they’d love to be friends with you!” 

The little girl bit her lip nervously. She sure was shy. It was silent for a few moments. Lyney opened his mouth to speak, when the girl suddenly grabbed onto his hand. “Can you—” 

“Lilia!” A feminine voice called, attracting the attention of the young girl standing in front of Lyney. 

You were completely out of breath as you came to a stop in front of the two magicians. Immediately, you focused your attention on your five year old daughter, who had run off on you a half hour ago. 

“Lilia, I was looking everywhere for you!” The concern in your tone and your expression made the weight of your scolding feel extremely light. “If you go running off on me again like that, young lady, you won’t be able to go to that magic show I got us tickets to.” 

“But mommy!” She whined, tugging on the sleeves of your blouse. 

You looked up from her to turn to the two magicians who were watching the scene with amused looks in their eyes. You stood up and apologized. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lyney, Ms. Lynette. I hope she wasn’t too much of a hassle. She has a lot of energy.” You couldn’t hide your smile as you looked down at your daughter. 

There was no way you could stay mad at her for long. Though, you were serious when you said you wouldn’t let her go to that magic show if she kept disobeying you. 

You gently ran your fingers through your daughter’s hair as Lyney smiled. “It was no trouble at all!” 

He took off his hat. “I believe I left something in here,” he muttered, his nose scrunching up as his hand rummaged around in his hat. His face lit up a moment later. “Aha! Got it!” 

With a flourish, and a sudden burst of confetti, he pulled a beautiful bouquet of rainbow roses out of his hat and bowed as he held it out towards you. 

“Rainbow roses as beautiful as the lady standing before my very eyes. How enchanting you are, ma cherie.” 

The sudden gesture was extremely flattering. You haven’t been openly hit on in quite a while. It had nothing to do with your looks or your age, but rather, the fact that you had a daughter. You were still young— twenty-four —so it was quite the shocker when you mentioned to other people that you had a daughter. 

Not many were willing to date someone who already had a child. It was hard to find someone who was, which eventually made you give up. You came to terms with being single, and told yourself it was better that way— that your household was better with just you and your little carbon copy. 

Lyney’s eyes were expressive and sly. Underneath his charm, there was a clear nervousness. He fidgeted in his spot, waiting with bated breath to see if you’d really take the bouquet from his hands.

A new, panicked thought ran through his head. You had a daughter… Did that mean you were married too!? 

Uh oh, he thought, swallowing the lump in his throat, did I overstep? 

He breathed a long silent sigh of relief when you took the bouquet, your fingers brushing over his gloved ones. The smile on your face was one of pure happiness, albeit a bit bashful. Eagerly, you brought the roses up to your nose. They were fresh, as if they had been picked just that day. 

“Thank you,” you said wholeheartedly, “these are gorgeous. We’ll put them in our windowsill for the whole neighborhood to see. Right, Lilia?” 

You sent your daughter a smile, to which she returned with a big one of her own.

A week later, you were attending Lyney’s magic show with your daughter and your best friend, Erika. The show ran smoothly and was absolutely flawless. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of them for one second. Even after the show, you sat in awe, wondering just how in the world those tricks were performed. 

Erika stood up from her seat, stretching her arms above her head. She sighed in relief as she lowered her arms back to her sides and grabbed her purse. 

“That show was amazing! I think my favorite was that last trick with the knives…” she rambled, “Shit, I have to go to the bathroom. Do you guys need to go?”

You sent her a small glare. You told her countless times not to use curse words in front of your daughter, yet she kept forgetting. Thanks to her, your daughter would blurt them out at random moments, causing you to scold her. Erika would apologize profusely every time it happened when she was present. 

Shaking your head, you turned to Lilia. “Do you need to go, sweetie?” 

She nodded, already searching for your hand. Erika picked her up with ease. “I can take her, since you don’t have to go. Just wait for us by the Fountain of Lucine. We shouldn’t be long, right Lily?” 

Erika was great with kids. On days that you needed a babysitter, she jumped at the opportunity. She was fun, loving, and an overall joy to be around. She lit up every room she entered, and she knew how to handle your rascal of a daughter. You were more than thankful for not only her help, but her friendship. 

The two of you have been friends ever since you were children. She was the lively, extroverted class clown that loved to be friends with everyone, while you were the quiet, shy kid that preferred to keep to herself in the back of the classroom. The two of you were polar opposites, yet as soon as she laid her eyes on you and asked to be friends, you were inseparable. 

Years later, nothing changed. The two of you were still the same as you once were. In a way, that felt comforting. 

She bid you a quick goodbye as she raced off to the bathrooms with Lilia in her arms. You slung your purse over your shoulder and began to head towards the exit, running your fingers over the playbill in your hand. You would put this one right next to all the others you had on your bedroom wall. 

Lost in your thoughts, you failed to notice someone walking towards you. It wasn’t until you heard their voice that you looked up. 

“Looks like fate wishes for us to meet again, ma cherie!” 

You couldn’t help the wide smile that pulled at your lips. “Mr. Lyney! Your show was magnificent!” 

Not expecting such high praise, the man laughed softly, his cheeks a rosy red. “T-Thank you!” 

He didn’t know what else to say. Usually, he was adept at making conversation. He had no problem charming his way into the hearts of others, yet whenever he saw you, his words seemed to fail him. 

He cleared his throat. “May I walk you out?” He offered up his arm, which you took almost instantly. 

Your smile never wavered as you linked your arm with his. “Lilia loves magic,” you began, admiring the architecture and decor in the opera house, “she always tells me how she wants to be a magician someday too… or a mage in a mountainside cottage with a cat familiar.” 

Lyney listened closely, a small chuckle leaving his lips. “Sounds imaginative.” 

“It is,” you agreed, “I’ve always nurtured that imagination of hers, and I’ll continue to do so. Children need to be creative and have lots of imagination. That’s something my own mother could not understand.” 

“I want her to know that it’s okay to be more into fantasy things like becoming a mage and living in a cottage, because I know it’s possible. If she sets her heart on that, then she’ll achieve it. I have full faith in her.” 

“You’re a good mother.” Lyney said after a few moments of silence; and he meant it. Another round of silence passed between you as he gathered the courage to ask the question that’s been on his mind ever since he met you a week ago. 

“Is her father in the picture?” He looked down at your left hand, only to see no ring in sight.

You shook your head with a frown. “No. He never was. He didn’t even know about her. We broke up before I found out I was pregnant. But it’s alright, because she has me, and she has her aunt, and that’s all she needs.” 

Lyney hummed. “Sounds like a quaint little family.” 

“We are.” You smiled and let out a sigh as you spotted Erika and Lilia waiting by the Fountain of Lucine. 

Erika noticed you first. Her mouth opened as if she was about to call for you, before her eyes landed on Lyney. A knowing smirk pulled at her lips, and she sent you a wink before turning to distract Lilia. 

Your eye twitched, though you found you didn’t mind her actions. It left you with more time to talk to Lyney. 

“Are you perhaps free this week?” Lyney questioned, a hint of nervousness in his tone. 

You turned to face him. “Well, it depends on the day, but I should be. Fridays tend to be my most free days.” 

You worked at a small cafe in the city three times a week. It wasn’t the best in hours, but the pay was great. It was a step up from your last job, at least. 

A mischievous glint sparkled in Lyney’s eyes. He slipped his arm from yours and brought your hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of your hand. “Then I shall see you on Friday at Hotel Debord,” he winked, “It’s a date.” 

You stared after him with your mouth open like a loser, completely taken aback by his forwardness. When you regrouped with Erika and Lilia, your best friend was hounding you with question after question. 

“So? What’d he say!?” 

“I don’t know why you think something happened, we were just talking.” You tried to change the subject, feeling your face heat up in not only embarrassment, but because of the charming magician who caught your eye. 

“Lies!” Erika exclaimed, pointing a finger in your face. “I saw him kiss your hand! That’s not ‘just talking’ to me!” 

You slapped her finger out of your face. “Alright fine! He asked me out, so what?” You crossed your arms over your chest. 

Erika squealed in delight, jumping up and down. She seemed to be more excited about this than you. You could feel your heartbeat race the more you thought about your upcoming date. 

“(Name), I’m so happy for you!” Erika shook your shoulders.

“He– I didn’t want to be with someone anymore,” you said quietly, “I wasn’t planning on it. I just wanted to continue with our little family.” 

Sensing your fear, Erika wrapped you up in a hug. “I know you’re scared to enter the dating scene again, but Lyney seems like a genuinely sweet guy. He’s nothing like he who must not be named. I’ll be here with you every step of the way, okay? I’m right here, like I’ve always been.” 

You hugged her back tightly, shoving your face into her shoulder. “What if he’s not good with Lilia? What if she doesn’t like him?” 

Erika squeezed you. “Are you joking?” she laughed, “do you hear yourself? We’re talking about a man who mostly performs magic shows for children. Have you seen the way he interacts with them? Dare I say that man is ready to have one of his own.” 

A laugh fell from your lips as you thought back to the day you met him. Him and his sister were entertaining your daughter. You could still remember the soft look in their eyes as they spoke with her. 

“You’re right,” you sighed and took hold of Lilia’s hand, “I’ll give him a chance.” 

“That’s the spirit! Let’s get ice cream to celebrate!” Erika shouted, throwing a fist into the air. 

“Ice cream!” Lilia giggled, copying Erika’s actions. 

You watched the two of them race to the aquabus and smiled fondly. “What am I going to do with you two?” 

The week went by smoothly, and with each day that passed, you grew more and more anxious for your date with Lyney. Of course, you were excited, but you were mostly nervous. You haven’t been on a date in years, so you didn’t know how this one would go. You hoped it would be much different from your last one. 

The day before your date, you were working as usual. The sun was beginning to set over the Court of Fontaine, and you were counting down the minutes until you’d be able to clock out and head home to Lilia. You hummed the tune of the song that was currently playing on the cafe’s speakers, Le Souvenir avec le crepuscule, and watched the sky turn into a mix of pinks and oranges. 

Sunsets in the Court of Fontaine were your favorite. Watching the sun fall over the high walls while the cafe played that old tune your grandmother used to sing to you made you feel as if you were living in a fairytale. 

Someone cleared their throat, drawing you out of your stupor. You drew your attention to the customer standing before you. “Apologies for the wait,” you said, “what can I— Oh! Miss Lynette!” 

Standing before you was Lyney’s twin sister and assistant, Lynette. Although the bags under her eyes revealed her exhaustion, her violet eyes sparkled with excitement. She sent you a small, barely noticeable smile. 

“You can drop the formalities. Just Lynette is fine.” She assured you, waving a hand dismissively. “A coffee, please. Just a bit of creamer and one scoop of sugar.” 

You returned her smile and got to work. Humming along to the song on the speakers again, you could feel Lynette’s eyes on you as you worked. It sent a shiver down your spine picturing her calculating gaze in your head. 

Was there something else she wanted? Surely she would’ve already asked for another thing off the menu if that was the case. 

Out of nervousness, you fiddled with the lid to the cup as you brought it to the counter, accidentally spilling some of her hot coffee all over your hand. Crying out in pain, you dropped the cup and clutched your hand. 

Lynette hopped behind the counter at your cry and guided you over to the sink. “Try not to panic.” She gently eased your hand under the faucet. “Keep your hand here for about twenty minutes and keep the water lukewarm.” She instructed, moving away from you. 

Idiot! You scolded yourself. How could you embarrass yourself in front of his sister? And spill her order, of all things!

“Do you have any plant-based ointments at home?” She asked, turning to you with a brand new cup of coffee in her hand. 

You pushed down the feeling of guilt and nodded. “Yes. Lilia has gotten a few burns like this before after I told her not to touch the stove and she did so anyway.” You let out a sigh at the memory. At least she knew not to go and touch things that were hot ever again. 

Lynette let out a soft laugh. “Lyney did that once when we were kids, too. One of our older sisters was cooking, and without thinking, Lyney went up to the stove and grabbed the pot. He cried for a while, and our poor sister was blaming herself for it. Father had always told us not to go near the stove, yet he didn’t listen.”

You let out a loud laugh. “Every child learns. Even we adults learn simple lessons. It’s a part of being human.” 

She hummed in agreement and turned off the faucet. “Thank you for the coffee.” You opened your mouth to protest, when she sent you a sharp look. Understanding the message, you closed your mouth and nodded. 

She let out a content sigh. “I sincerely hope your date with my brother goes well tomorrow.” Ah… So she heard word through the grapevine, did she? “I know he can be a bit much, but he means well. I think you’re just what he needs.” 

If she meant anything by those words, she didn’t elaborate. Instead, she sent you one final smile and left the cafe— not before abruptly stopping to turn around and give you one final message, “Oh, and he asked me to tell you to wear something formal. Have fun.” 

Finding a formal outfit was harder than you initially thought. You couldn’t remember the last time you owned a formal dress or dress suit, and the most “formal” article of clothing you owned was the bridesmaid dress from a friend’s wedding and a sundress that Erika bought you for your birthday while you were still pregnant with Lilia. 

You searched your closet high and low— tearing apart your entire room in the process —to look for anything formal. Yet, you came up empty, and you had approximately two hours before you had to be at Hotel Debord. 

To say you were panicking was an understatement. Erika’s younger sister offered to watch Lilia for you as you and Erika tried to come up with an alternative. 

“I have a ton of formal dresses,” she said, “you know, from all those parties my ex would drag me to? How about one of those?” 

You sent her a look. “Erika, I would not be able to fit into those dresses even if I tried. I lost that ability after having Lilia.” 

“Right, um…” She sent you an apologetic look and hummed in thought. She snapped her fingers. “How about we ask that fashion designer? Chiori, I think? I’m sure she could help!” 

“We have two hours!” You yelled. 

“I’m running out of ideas!” She yelled back defensively.

Now, you were in complete panic mode, pacing around your room with your hands covering your face. “What if I just call it off…” 

Erika’s eyes widened. “No! Are you kidding!? This is your first date in ages, don’t you even dare think about calling it off!” 

She shot up from her spot on your bed and grabbed your shoulders, halting your movements. She squeezed you reassuringly, her expression sincere as she watched tears roll down your cheeks. “We’ll find something, okay? I’m not about to give up, and you shouldn’t either.” 

Bringing you into a tight hug, she revisited her earlier idea. “I have an idea. While I’m gone, you doll yourself up, okay? I shouldn’t be too long.” She grabbed her purse and placed a kiss on your cheek. 

“Don’t worry!” She pointed a finger at you from the doorway. “Erika’s on the case!” 

With a flourish, she slammed the door. 

Finding Lynette was easy. She was occupying a table at the same cafe you worked at, sipping idly on a cup of tea. 

“Miss Lynette!” Erika called, waving a hand in the air as she approached the rather unsociable magician. “Do you have a moment?” 

Lynette sighed disinterestedly. “If you have work related inquiries, please ask Lyney. If you have questions related to seeing a magic show, please ask the ticket office.” 

Erika sat down in the seat next to Lynette. “This isn’t about either. This is about (Name).” 

Lynette’s ears perked up at the mention of your name. “Has something happened?” 

“Not any medical emergencies!” Erika assured. “It’s just… she realized she didn’t have a formal outfit for tonight, and she can’t exactly wear any of my dresses. I was hoping you could pull some strings and get us in with Chiori.”

With another sigh, Lynette opened her mouth. “Please!” Erika quipped, folding her hands together. “I know it’s last minute, but please.” 

A few moments of silence passed. Lynette finished her tea and stood up. “Alright. I’ll try my best, but I can’t guarantee anything.” 

You had just finished doing your hair when the front door to your apartment opened and you heard Erika animatedly talking, followed by two other voices. 

There was a knock on your bedroom door, before Erika swung the door open and beamed at you. You were about to scold her for the intrusion, when the Chiori— famous Inazuman fashion designer Chiori who you always wanted a dress from but you couldn’t afford her services —waltzed in behind her. 

She cringed at the ransacked room. “Ugh, this place looks awful. Did the Gardes run through here?” She clicked her tongue and turned to you. “Stand up, we’re running on— how long again?” 

“An hour.” Erika answered, throwing her purse elsewhere and beginning to clean up your room. 

Lynette entered a moment later, carrying three large boxes. As Erika quickly shoved everything off your bed, Lynette placed the boxes down and opened them. 

Chiori grabbed hold of you and pulled you up from your vanity chair. “Do you mind taking the robe off for me? I need to take your measurements.” 

You did as told and placed your robe on the back of your vanity chair, allowing Chiori to quickly gather your measurements. She hummed in thought, turning to the three boxes sitting on your bed. 

“I brought three sizes. Your usual, a size up, and a size down.” She rummaged through the middle box, pulling out a navy blue dress. “Try this on.” 

She circled you, her eyes calculating as you slipped into the dress and Erika zipped it up in the back. It was flowy, like a ballgown, with a modest front. 

Chiori made a face. “This is atrocious on you. You need something else— something that’ll accentuate your figure and your chest. Strip.” 

She searched through the box on the right, pulling out a blood red dress and handing it to you. “Here. I think this’ll do just that.” 

This dress was a bit looser, but it was perfect. You could freely move your limbs and although it was form-fitting, you could still breathe properly. It cascaded down in a mermaid-like fashion, and there was a slit in the left side of the dress, revealing your thigh. There was lace on the top in a flowery pattern. 

It wasn’t the sort of dress you’d ever wear, but turning to look at yourself in your full length mirror, you gasped as you immediately fell in love with it. 

Chiori smirked smugly. “Now this is perfect. Does the front feel okay?” She tugged at one of the thin straps and pushed the lace down in the front. 

“No, it’s… it’s perfect,” you said breathlessly, placing your hands on your hips. “Are we sure this is me?” 

Erika whistled. “Damn, Lyney’s lucky. And that neckline— your tits have never looked this great! Dare I say this is a baby-making dress, because he’s definitely gonna want to give you another after tonight.” 

You shoved her for that comment. 

Lynette smiled. “You look breathtaking, (Name). Knowing my brother, he’ll be speechless once he sees you. How much time do we have?” 

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Erika cheered. “Five minutes! Just in time! Are there heels to match?” 

“Right here.” 

Chiori pulled a pair of heels out of the box and guided you to your vanity chair. She knelt down, gently taking your calf into her hand and resting your foot on her thigh as slipped your heels on. 

You felt like a princess with all this special treatment. Lynette tugged a black shawl around your shoulders to keep you warm and helped you to your feet. 

Just as you stood up, there was a knock on the front door. Erika squealed, pushing you out of your bedroom. “Now, don’t worry about the mess in your room, I’ll clean it, and Amélia is watching Lilia so there’s no need to worry about her, either.” 

“What about the—“ 

“It’s free of charge,” Chiori interrupted, “I owed Lynette a favor, anyway, since she modeled for me in my last show.” 

You sent her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Chiori. Truly.” 

She sent you a curt nod, though there was a small, barely noticeable smile pulling at her lips.

With a deep breath, you opened the front door, seeing a nervous Lyney standing on the other side. He was wearing a suit, the tie a similar shade of red to your dress, and the hat covered in sparkles. 

He was holding a bouquet of rainbow roses, the same flowers he had given you on your first meeting. As soon as he heard the door open, he looked up, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. His mouth dropped open in shock, and he almost dropped the bouquet in his hands. 

“Mon amour, you look stunning.” He stuttered over his words a little, his cheeks tomato red. 

You felt your cheeks grow warm as he handed you the bouquet. “Thank you. Um… shall we go?” You cleared your throat, handing the flowers off to Erika to put in a vase. 

“Of course.” He offered you his arm, and you took it eagerly. 

The whole night was filled with laughter and wonder, as he continued to surprise you with tricks of charm and awe. He pulled a rose from behind your ear, snapped his fingers and turned the flowers on the table into doves, and turned your cup of juice into wine. 

Being with Lyney felt like you were a teenager again, experiencing young love for the first time. It was invigorating, like free-falling from a mountain peak. 

It was over too quickly. Soon, you had to leave, and he was walking you back home. The streetlamps provided just enough light for you to see in the dark, yet they didn’t outshine the light of the moon over the Court of Fontaine. 

It was a cloudless night. The stars were shining brighter than they have in a long time, and you could’ve sworn you saw a shooting star. Maybe that was just wishful thinking. 

You haven’t seen the sky this clear in years. Has your judgment really clouded your vision this badly? Or has Lyney just brightened up your life without you noticing? 

He bid you farewell at your doorstep, pressing a chaste kiss to the back of your hand. As soon as you stepped inside, you were bombarded with questions from Erika. 

The two of you had a sleepover in your room, wherein you talked her ear off the whole rest of the night. 

The weeks came and went, and the more that time passed, the more Lyney had become integrated into your little family. 

First, it was showing up at your workplace unannounced to bring you lunch (a gesture you found incredibly sweet, but unnecessary since you always packed your own). Then, it was the offer to babysit Lilia for you while you were at work. And of course, your daughter was never going to pass up the chance to watch Lyney’s magic tricks. 

After that, it was fighting with Erika as if she were another one of his sisters. As soon as the two of them began to form a friendship, your heart swelled with affection. 

If your best friend approved of him and considered him one of her friends, you knew he was someone worthy of your time. 

Lynette eventually started coming around too, showing up at your apartment for tea parties and even going as far as playing dolls and dress-up with Lilia. Even Freminet, a sweet boy and the twins’ younger brother, was dragged along to your place too. 

Your little family was growing bigger by the day. It was a tad overwhelming to have so many people in your house again after years of only sharing it with two other people, but at the same time, it felt… revitalizing. You had a family once more. 

And then… the fateful day came. 

As you were tucking Lilia into bed, humming her the same lullaby your grandmother once sung to you, she grabbed your hand and began playing with your fingers. 

“Mama?” 

“Yes sweetheart?” You brushed her hair out of her face and handed her her teddy bear. 

“Can Mr. Lyney be my daddy?” 

In pure shock, your mouth fell open and you struggled to form an answer. You knew Lilia had formed an attachment to him, but you weren’t expecting her to outright ask you if he could be her father. 

You wouldn’t mind it. You’d love for him to be her father. He was already helping you care for her, there just wasn’t an official label on your relationship yet. 

“How about you ask him the next time he visits?” You told her, sending her a smile and placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’m sure he’d love to.” 

That’s exactly what she did. The next time Lyney came over to babysit, Lilia asked him the same question she asked you. And just like you, he had been rendered speechless. 

He never answered her question directly. He was way too shocked to do so, but he did take her words into consideration as he sought out his Father. 

Arlecchino was a stoic faced woman who wasn’t  exactly the best caretaker, but she was making it work in her own way. Although some of her methods of parenting were unusual, they ultimately helped her children prepare for the outside world and to stay unwavering in their resolve. 

She wasn’t forthcoming with her affection for her children. There were roundabout ways she went about showing it, often through gifts. She wasn’t exactly a loving Father nor a parental figure her children needed, but she was enough for them. For now, at least. 

There was a compassion underneath her hard exterior, though it was never obvious with her words. She preferred to let her actions speak for her. 

And by giving the ring her old lover once owned over to Lyney, that same compassion revealed itself. “I wish you luck in your endeavors,” she said, a hint of sincerity peeking through in her voice, “but I hope you understand that by extension, you will be dragging your newfound family into our affairs.” 

Lyney’s frown deepened. “I know. But (Name) is already aware of this, and we had a serious talk about it. She understands.” 

Arlecchino stared at him, her gaze unwavering. “And her daughter?” 

He stiffened. “I don’t want Lilia to be a part of our work. She shouldn’t have to deal with that burden. She deserves a normal childhood.” 

“I trust you will tell her when she’s old enough, then.” 

With a nod, Lyney swallowed the lump in his throat. “I will. Just… not now. She’s too young.” 

Arlecchino let out a satisfied sigh and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Then I give you my blessing.” 

That was all he needed to hear before he bolted out the door, his heart racing with excitement as he ran to you and Lilia.

To home.

notes: the parts with chiori were by far my favorite to write. also, the dress i was picturing was the red version of this one (but in a bigger size obvi). i think we as a society need to appreciate mom bods more. we as a society need to appreciate all body types more. also shoutout to single mothers who do everything they can to make their child(ren) happy while also taking care of themselves too. i have sm respect for them.

© 2024 mikashisus. do not plagiarize, copy, repost, feed to ai, or translate my works to any other platforms.

[floylia]

# MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE ⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾

13. In shades of orange and blue 💌

Comfort hides behind the monsters under our bed, the gust of afternoon wind, the giggles of playing hide-and-seek, and the vivid blue sky locked behind childhood memories.

You watch these scenes play out in front of you at the orphanage you visit every year. The house stays the same, while the kids get older.

“Am I the asshole for laughing at that kid falling face-flat on the pavement?” Lyney asks with a lollipop in his mouth. Your friend is dressed up in his magician costume, adorning a red top-hat, polka-dot tie, a mask that covers his right eye, and a deck of cards he uses to impress the children.

“Did it cry?” You say, emphasizing the “it” in your response.

“Almost, but I gave it candy,” Lyney shrugs, playing along.

“They’re not dogs,” Lynette mumbles.

While the other twin accessorized himself in red hues, Lynette, is wearing light blue in the same magician theme–only she’s wearing a skirt with the back trailing along the floor. Nonetheless, she wears it with class.

“One of them was barking at me.” You declare.

Freminet sneaks around the corner in a blue shark onesie, hugging a large pumpkin with two eye sockets in mismatched carving, “Father wants us to set up the pumpkin carving and face painting station out here, while someone needs to keep an eye in the cafeteria.”

Lyney grabs the pumpkin from Freminet, “Me and Freminet can start with the pumpkin, while [Y/N] can take over the face painting station and Lynette… you can go inside.”

“Finally,” Lynette whispers as she begins heading inside–her small celebration earns you a chuckle.

You trail the group’s footsteps, scanning the backyard of the orphanage, “I thought there were more volunteers coming,”

Lyney exhales a vulgar whine, “Supposedly, but I’m not sure where they are.”

“The event is starting soon though, and there’s still a lot to do,” Freminet reminds.

You arrive inside. Kids are chasing one another and helpers are going in and out the kitchen. It’s an overwhelming view–the type of chaos you should be able to handle after working with children for so long–but this is different.

A kid in a witch costume holding her basket bumps into you without forgetting to say a soft, “sorry.”

Another child wearing an inflatable dinosaur slips next to you.

“I like your bunny ears, Ms. [Y/N]!” One of them shouts from behind.

“Are you supposed to be Judy Hopps?” You blink once, and twice–and the asker is gone.

You do your best to follow Freminet and Lyney’s voices and tune out the screaming and screeching of voices and footsteps.

It’s distant–everything is.

Far away like the pair of eyes staring at you, in shades of orange and blue

NOTES:

another cliffhanger mb

things will start picking up again - next chapter is childe’s pov

SYNOPSIS: There’s a line Childe knows he shouldn’t cross; A line built on years of friendship; A line that happens to cross you, his best friend’s younger sister, grieving her first love; A line where he plays savior, wears a halo, then feign ignorance, because love is a game for fools—and he happens to be the biggest idiot when it comes to love.

When a new stranger invades your life and an old poet writes back

CHILDE x FEM!READER

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[peachesandplumsbigbang]

WELCOME TO THE INAUGURAL PEACHES AND PLUMS BIG BANG EVENT!

What does that mean?  Well, the short answer is a Magician’s Big Bang.  The longer answer is probably best answered in our Rules and FAQ page.  That’s where you’ll find all the details on what a Big Bang means, at least in this context.  Other fandoms and events may have different interpretations, so please, really, check out the FAQ.

There, now that you’ve done that and have some idea what THIS Big Bang is about, in general terms, we can get into the smaller details.

For our opening we’ve decided to run a Reverse Bang.  There are several reasons for that, most of which fall on the modding side of things, but also because it’s a smaller commitment which makes it great for a starter.  What that actually means is that artists will sign up first.  They will submit between one and two new original works.  Each work will go into a list of works for the event, and then writers will sign up and submit a list of which works they would like to write a 10k+ work inspired by.  Artists and writers will then be paired up based on those selections.  Now, Artists, this doesn’t mean that you can’t submit more art for your writer's work, if you so choose, but it isn’t required.  Just the original work, which can be tweaked with the writer's work if so desired, but again, isn’t required.  You could technically be done once your art is submitted to the selection pool.  It is lovely community, though, to be around for your writer to at the very least toss some ideas at, or pick your brain about your artwork.  And just to chat with other creators in general.

Writers, your job, once you’ve been given a partner, is to create a fic inspired by that piece of art.  For a Reverse Bang we’ve lowered the required word count to a 10k minimum, which is a large part of why we decided to start with a Reverse Bang.  Something a little smaller to let everyone get the feel for the event.

We will set up lines of communication between each set of partners for this event, be that email or discord.  So please be prepared to offer up one if not both of those methods of communication for your partner.

And that’s about it.  As the FAQ says, if you have any other questions please reach out, either here on tumblr or by emailing the mods at peachesandplumsbigbang @ gmail.com .

(Below you will find the schedule for this year’s Peaches and Plums Reverse Bang)

Artist sign-ups open - May 5 2025 (Monday)

Author sign-ups open - June 2 2025 (Monday)

Artist sign-ups close - June 30 2025 (Monday)

Art drafts due - July 2 2025 (Wednesday)

Art drafts available for preview - July 9 2025 (Wednesday)

Author sign-ups close - July 14 2025 (Monday)

Claims open - July 16 2025 (Wednesday)

Check-in 1, 50% of fic complete - September 1 2025 (Monday)

Check-in 2, 80% of fic complete - September 29 2025 (Monday)

Final Due Date - October 13 2025 (Monday)

Posting period - October 20 2025 (Monday) until out of works

[tswhiisftteedr]

Hiya!! I was wondering if I could ask for some nsfw fem reader x husk (hazbin hotel) where husk basically just eating reader out, face sitting etc.

Also keep up the good writing!! I love your writing from what I’ve seen and i hope you do well with your other requests too!!

Don’t worry, I’m right here with you. ☆ Oneshot

Soft Dom!Husk x Sub!Hotel Resident!Fem!Reader:

After spending quite sometimes getting to know each other, you and husk finally begin dating. Anyways, today Lucifer came to the hotel for the first time and that was a super, but it wasn’t the main event of yours and husk’s days. So after an altercation with Alastor, husk seek solace in you for comfort, which you give, and he decides to thank you in his own special way for it.

Warnings: Mature Content, Not Proofread, Drinking, that scene where alastor uses husk soul chain and threatens him, Unspecified Vices, Mutual Pinning, Cunnilingus, Fingering, Soft Husk, Sorta Bad Written Comfort.

Words: 10567

Note: There is smut, BUT, beside the intro which is just suggestive, the smut will be at the end, so If you don’t want smut and just fluff you can just not read it. It’s the same with my last Zestial work, it’s like 3/4 sfw and 1/5 smut. Btw Antonio Esfandiar aka "The Magician" is a professional poker player and former professional magician, known for his elaborate chip tricks. That’s the only reason I mentioned him if you were curious about that lol.

☆ more under the cut. ☆

Honestly, you had attempted to question how things had ended up like that—

“Ah, fuck, Husk, it's too much!” You cried out in overstimulation.

“Shh, it's okay, baby, I know you can handle it,” he reassured, softly stroking the underside of your right thigh to offer comfort.

— But truthfully, every train of thought you’d tried to start would derail quicker than the previous one. Without doubt, that man, Husk— he would be the end of you.

Yet, no need for worry as, I, your illustrious ‘historian,’ am here to recount the tale of how you found yourself in this predicament; as you're obviously too preoccupied getting your brains fucked out by Antonio Esfandiari over there to form any sort of recollection, or even a coherent thought for that matter.

Now, let’s backpedal four months ago, shall we?

You had been in the infernal realm for a little while, precisely half a year. You managed to secure a job and a place to stay, but ‘living’ down here was anything but easy.

To survive, you had to stretch your earnings, rationing food and water to make them last longer than they should, leaving you hungry more than once.

And when you were really desperate for cash—well, let's just say you had to resort to some unsavory means to get your hands on it.

Additionally, it had been a month since Princess Morningstar introduced her hotel to the public of the hell on 666 news. As expected, the masses of sinners inhabiting the pride ring ridiculed the princess and her redemption-themed endeavors.

Initially, the idea seemed far-fetched, as if redemption were truly an option — Why hadn't anybody else proposed it before?

That's what you and your friends had agreed upon when first watching the interview. But as time passed, you began to reconsider your friend group's shared consensus. Perhaps, just maybe, ‘redemption wasn't such a crazy concept after all.’

That's why you now found yourself standing in front of the princess's Hazbin Hotel, formerly known as Happy Hotel, nervous and with slightly sweaty palms.

Summoning all the courage you could muster, you knocked on the large, stained glass-filled windows, as ‘it was now or never’.

After waiting patiently for about five minutes, just as you were about to turn away—possibly never to return—as the building seemed vacant. The large doors swung open, revealing the princess herself standing before you.

"Um, is this the redemption hotel from the news?" you inquired, even though it was plain as day from the building's illuminated 'Hazbin Hotel' sign and the fact that the princess, the one who pitched the hotel on 666 news, was literally standing in front of you.

With the brightest and most joyful smile you'd seen down here, she opened her mouth to speak. "Oh mygod!Ohmygod!Ohmygod!Areyousomeonewho’sactuallyinterestedinthehotel???likeyougenuinelywanttotryandgiveredemptionashot???!!!Holyshit,thisisthehotel’sgreatestsinceSirPentioushasjoined!!!!" Princess Morningstar blurted out in a rush, as if she didn't deliver the information fast enough, you would leave.

As you tried to make sense of her rapid jumble of words—something about 'actually wanting to be redeemed' and someone named 'Sir Righteous' or was it 'Sir Delicious'?—you also noticed a crowd of individuals walking closer to the doors.

The group consisted of six people: A woman with an X over her eye, wielding an angelic weapon—'Delightful,' you sarcastically thought.

A grumpy tuxedo cat man with a red bow, his fur acting as some sort of substitute for his lack of shirt; he was also 'sort of handsome, y'know?'.

Then there was a snake man that screamed steampunk; he seemed sort of familiar, but you didn’t remember where you’d seen his slithery mug before.

There was also a tiny woman with one eye; she seemed full of energy and sorta stabby.

Then, second to last, we had—Unholy hell! It’s the porn actor Angel Dust! You remembered the princess mentioning him as a patron here, but you hadn’t expected to encounter him in the flesh and fur.

He seemed to notice the starstruck gaze in your eyes caused by his presence, so he shot you a wink. With a bit of internal fangirling along the way, you finally managed to get your heart rate to go back down.

You then shift your attention back to the rest of the crowd and notice the final person standing there, and HOLY SHIT, THE RADIO DEMON IS THERE—!

Your heart rate shoots back up, and you take a step back in fear, causing you to stumble over a pebble and fall on your ass. You curse yourself for being too engrossed in the sight of a celebrity to ignore the immense danger that is literally right there in front of you.

"Why, hello there, and who might you be, you wayward soul? It’s not often that we see sinners seeking out redemption." the Radio Demon inquired, accompanied by what you could only assume was his ‘iconic smile’.

You obviously didn’t know firsthand, as, for one, you hadn’t met the demon before, and for another, he was apparently in the sixth year and a half of his seven-year getaway when you manifested.

But you had heard the stories, and they were enough to make you absolutely petrified at the sight of that grin plastered on his face.

He seemed to rather enjoy your pitiful display, while you only grew more terrified.

“Oh no, are you okay? Didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” The princess asked, breaking you away from your scared state and extending her hand.

With a bit of hesitation, you took it. “Uh, no. No, I’m okay, it was just a little fall.” you told her.

“Oh, okay, I’m glad it was nothing. Anyways, welcome to the Hazbin Hotel, we are so glad to have you here!” She said as she began to lead you inside, and the others followed, each finding their place within the hotel;

The cat man heading to the bar, Angel Dust lounging on one of the couches, the little woman chasing bugs around, and both the radio demon and the spear-wielding woman following you and Charlie.

Once she had you comfortably seated on one of the lounge's couches, she began to introduce herself and everyone present. “Sooo, hi. I’m Charlie, the owner and founder of this hotel.”

“I think she already knows who you are, princess” the cat man interjected. “Oh, right,” she realized.

While all you could think upon hearing him speak was, 'Fuck. Even his voice is sexy.'

“Anywho, this is Alastor, our gracious facility manager.” Charlie said, pointing at the Radio Demon. “Your pleasure to meet.” he told you.

“And this is Vaggie, the co-founder and my girlfriend.” Charlie continued. Vaggie approached you, and you shook hands. “Nice to meet you.” she said. “Likewise.” you responded.

“Next up, we have Husk, our bartender, and Niffty, our cleaning staff.” she gestures towards the bar. “Nice to meet you.” Husk offers, while Niffty chimes in with a big, eccentric “Hello!”

“And lastly, we have our residents and your potential fellow guests if you decide to stay.” she adds with a slightly unsure chuckle. “Angel and Sir Pentious!”

“No offense, Charls, but the broad probably knew who I was, no need for an intro.” Angel quips teasingly before approaching you. “But anyways, it’s good to see a new face around here, so welcome, toots.” he says, extending his hand, which you shake. “Thanks for your hospitality.” you reply.

Feeling a little less on edge, you approach the final resident. “Sir Pentious, right? It’s nice to meet you.” you say, extending your hand. “Oh, no, darling, the pleasurrre izzz all mine.” he replies, shaking your hand. Just as you finish, you hear a small gasp from Charlie.

You turn to look at her, and she says apologetically, "I totally forgot to ask you for your name! I am so sorry for that." With a comforting smile, you tell her, "It’s no worries, really. I’m Y/N, Y/N L/N. Nice to meet you again, I guess."

“Nice to meet you again too, Y/N,” she says with a giggle. Then she adds, “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what brought you to the hotel? I mean, what led you our way?”

“I saw your interview on 666 news with Katie Killjoy a month ago.” you tell her.

“Oh, you did? Um, did you see alllll of it?” Charlie asks, momentarily shocked and a little nervous afterward, but you understood why.

“If you’re talking about the fist fight and the news anchor on fire, yes, I did. It’s probably the thing most people remember from that news segment.” you answer her, confirming her assumptions.

“Oh, right.” Charlie says, a little embarrassed.

“Well, if you saw that, then why are you here? Are you trying to mock us in person?” Vaggie asks you, getting slightly defensive as the interview was not the best display of the hotel.

“No, nothing like that.” you reassure at first. Then you continue, “Well, actually, at first when I saw it on the news, I definitely laughed at the idea of a redemption hotel. So did my friends. Actually, I think everyone did. I heard from one of my imp friends that even in the other rings, people were making fun of it.” You say, deflating Charlie further and further with each word.

"But," you begin once more, bringing back some sort of hope to her,

"The more I thought about it, the less crazy stupid it all seemed. I mean, at first, I was like, 'If it's such a good idea, why didn't anyone think of it before?'.

Then, with more reflection, I realized that even if someone had pitched something like it before, there wouldn't be a big trace of it anyways.

I mean, you saw how people reacted when you presented it; it was made fun of and forgotten by most.

Also, considering the fact that the powerhouses of our ring profit from the fact that there are people down here to exploit, even if someone had the same idea and people to back them up, it would definitely have been shut down and covered up.

Because if people get redeemed and get out of hell, the big fishes don’t make as much profit anymore." You explain, and this seemed to reason with Charlie and the others around.

“Honestly, I think the only reason you don’t have people directly targeting you and your hotel is because you’re the princess. I mean, sure, people can make fun of you, but actually attacking you, well, that’s a no-go territory,” you add on.

And everyone, even Charlie, who seemed to like staying in the delusion that ‘in every demon there is a rainbow,’ couldn’t help but agree. If she wasn’t the princess, there was sure to be some people coming by and hurting everyone here, ‘just because.’

“Anyways, when I made peace with the concept, I thought, why not me when it came to redemption. I mean, sure, I did some unsavory things to end up down here, but I wasn’t some serial killer or sex trafficker either,” you explain further.

“Plus, I have all eternity, well, unless an exorcist’s blade or some Carmine weapon-wielding freak comes my way—“ you slightly deviate but remember to get back on track,

“Anyways, the point is if I can do whatever for ‘basically forever,’ why not give redemption a shot. I mean, worst-case scenario, I just avoid doing bad stuff for nothing, but at least that simultaneously keeps me out of trouble, so it’s not ‘that bad,’ you know?” You finish your explanation and look back at Charlie to see the immense joy in her eyes caused by someone actually taking a full interest in being part of her project.

“Well, I am so glad you think that way, Y/N. And the fact that you decided to come here even though your entourage still thinks, well, that the hotel is a joke, was very brave of you.

Also, just letting you know, as you may not be aware since it was not mentioned during the interview you watched, but here at the Hazbin Hotel, we offer free rooms, food, electricity, and if you're feeling like it, from time to time alcohol, though moderation is more than encouraged.” she informed.

“Well, that’s great. I mean, I didn’t really think about the fact that you may have asked for cash for staying here, but as it is some sort of a ‘nonprofit,’ it does make sense that you don’t.” you tell her in a relieved manner.

“Of course, we want to help people here. It wouldn’t be fair for us to ask money from our guests. Anyways, why don’t I go over what would be your weekly schedule, hotel-wise, as a resident, and then I can show you to your room?” she asked.

“That would be wonderful.” you tell her.

It had been a couple of weeks since you joined the hotel, and you would say that things have been going ‘alright.’

I mean, Charlie’s ‘activities’ were more often silly than not, but they didn’t necessarily do any harm. The hardest part was staying away from your vices—‘that was the real kicker’.

Which brings us to why you were currently seated on a bar stool, gradually drowning yourself in alcohol as Husk poured drink after drink at your request.

"You know, if you keep pushing away your vices but then return here every time instead, you're just fostering a dependence on booze," Husk cautioned, sliding your fifth Midori Sour over to you. "And when you finally have to cut out drinking altogether, you'll likely revert to your old habits. You're turning this ‘rehabilitation thing’ into a sort of yo-yo diet, if you ask me.”

You stared at the drink after finishing your previous one.

— You had first tasted something like it when you went out for your first legal drink at 21, asking for something sweet with a bit of a kick alcohol-wise.

The bartender had recommended it to you, then as you drank it, he went on a rant about how it was "made with Midori melon liqueur, lemon juice, and simple syrup" and that "It's sweet, refreshing, and has a medium alcoholic content" — the “perfect drink for you”.

He was good-looking, like the current bartender in front of you, so you had let him talk—just like you let Husk talk.

Sure, having spent a considerable amount of time down here and living well beyond his twenties, you could acknowledge that Husk did have some wisdom to himself.

However, there were moments — particularly when he embarked on his tangents about how "you won’t find your answers at the bottom of a bottle,"— then, you simply wanted to shut him up.

Whether it was by pointing out that while he might be correct in his assessment, he failed to offer real advice on how to find those answers. Saying shit like "don’t do that, there are better ways to deal with your issues" yet always neglecting to explain what those "other ways" might be — frankly, it was all quite frustrating.

But each time it occurred, you chose to keep your mouth shut to avoid any conflict. After all, from what you had observed, you genuinely liked Husk as a person and didn’t want any tension between the two of you.

Nevertheless, despite your growing frustration with the men, your mind couldn’t help but entertain the other option that would allow you to ‘catch the cat’s tongue’; wondering how quickly he would stop talking if you pressed your lips to his.

Yet, ultimately, it remained a mere fantasy, something confined to the realm of imagination, one never to enter reality. —

“Thanks, Husk,” was all you said as you took the glass and downed your goddamn Midori Sour.

Several hours had passed since your fifth drink, and more than one other had entered your system by now. You and Husk were now discussing on a more personal level.

“It’s all so weird, you know. It’s not like my soul is trapped in a contract like yours or Angel’s,” Husk’s face slightly winced at the reminder that he, in fact, didn’t own his own soul. However, he stayed quiet and let you talk without interjecting, as he respected you and you were pouring your heart out. “Yet, I can’t help but feel like it is,” you told him. “I try to be better, I really do, but it’s so, so hard not to do the bad things I’m not supposed to do when they all feel so fun and right to me in the moment. I mean, I do regret them afterward, but I keep wanting to do them anyway.”

You take a sip of your drink, and Husk follows suit. “You know, you would think the moment I feel the most trapped is right after I’ve done what I wasn’t supposed to,” you muse, contemplating the complexities of your situation. “I had my fun, and as I suffer the consequences, I feel encaged. But it’s not. It’s actually right before I even do it. I feel it in my whole body—a feeling that this is the only way for me, that I can never let go of this high.

No matter how hard I push myself to get better, to be better, I’m not really leaving the cage. I’m just pacing around in circles, pretending that the loop isn’t there and I’m actually getting away.

I just want to run, but I’m afraid that if I actually try, I’ll probably just hit my head against the cage’s bars,” you confess, tears of anxiety welling in your eyes as you begin to sniffle.

With that, Husk grabs your hand and begins to rub soothing circles on it with his thumb, offering comfort in his touch as he speaks up. “Listen, I can’t say that everything will be alright. That's bullshit, and that saying has always been bullshit, but it’s even more full of holes down here,” he pauses to take another sip of his drink, collecting his thoughts. “And I personally know firsthand how it feels to be where you are right now. And I mean it, even without the whole Alastor thing, though it is a big part of it.”

Pausing once more, then taking a big breath, “You know, I used to be an overlord once,” he reveals, capturing your attention even further. “Yeah, and it was nice to have that power. But when you’re dealing with souls while also being a gambler, the stakes are pretty high. And losing a few hands can be more than a little dangerous. So when you’re down on your luck, you turn to anything to keep you afloat, even making deals yourself.”

Husk continued his story, delving into his past life before he was sent to the underworld. “But even before that shit show, I had another for me up there. Back when I was alive, I was a magician, a pretty big one at that. But at some point, I got into booze. It wasn’t a big issue at first, but it soon spiraled out of control after some other bad choices.

You see, a buddy of mine, another magician, had a gig at Caesars Palace. Being the good friend he was, he invited me along to party with him after his show. And party we did. It was one wild night—we drank, got plastered, enjoyed the company of some lovely ladies and fellas, and, most importantly, we played games.

That night marked my first taste of gambling, and it was exhilarating. I decided to play it safe and not bet too much, but it turned out Lady Luck was on my side. I won big, about two thousand dollars, while only betting twenty bucks.”

Husk paused, reflecting on those memories. “After that, I couldn’t help but come back the next day. Call it beginner's luck or whatever, but I was on a roll. In the span of two weeks, I had made enough money to last me two lifetimes.

But back then, it didn’t satisfy me, and it still didn’t when I first got down here either. Anyways, even after hitting such a big jackpot, I didn’t stop. I actually stopped magic altogether and fully transitioned to being a full-time gambler.

And for a while, it worked. But money wasn’t the only thing I got greedy with.

The amount of alcohol became too much for my body to take, and one day, I just dropped dead. A cardiac arrest was all it took to end me, while at the time it happened, I was convinced I was on top of the world.

Then I ended up down here. So, after spending quite some time just drowning myself in alcohol, only to make my alcoholism worse, I sort of got back on my feet. I became powerful and an overlord, but you already know how that went.

The both times I thought I was indestructible were also the both times when I was the reason behind why I got destroyed.”

You took hold of Husk's hand back, no longer content to simply let him hold yours.

“So now, every time I'm about to take a swig or play a game, while I may be confident in my skills, I can't shake the feeling that if I wanted to seek something else out, a different career path or way of life, I just couldn’t — that I've already burned those bridges for myself for all of eternity.

I feel trapped by my own actions and technically am too, but the worst part is that I don’t know if I’ll ever break free. But you, as you said, still have your soul. So maybe, even if it feels insurmountable right now, you can find the key to your cage and finally step out of it. And maybe, if you’re feeling generous, you can come by and try to find mine with me.”

Husk's way of speaking offered a different kind of comfort compared to Charlie's approach. Yet, it somehow brought you closure. It was honest and reliable, two things hard to find down here.

You gently squeeze his hand in a gesture of support before speaking up, "If I manage to find that key and finally step out of my cage, I promise you'll be the first person I’ll help find theirs, Husk." Your words are accompanied by a warm smile, which he reciprocates.

"Well, if you're the type to make empty promises, then I'm afraid to tell you but you're stuck with that one now, sweetheart. I'll hold you to it.” he teasingly responds, lightening the mood. "You wouldn't back out after giving a poor old soul like myself hope, now would you?"

"Never!" you assure him, the tears now long gone.

Following that evening, you and Husk grew closer, engaging in deeper conversations with each other than with the other residents.

It proved surprisingly effortless to open up to him once he shed his ‘old wise bartender’ persona. Despite the decades that separated you, both of you felt understood by the other.

Thus, when you began suggesting to Husk that you hang out together outside of the hotel, it didn't take much persuasion to get him on board. You believed it would be beneficial for him to step outside the confines of the hotel, considering it was in some part the physical manifestation entrapment.

Additionally, you planned to avoid places like casinos or bars to help both of you steer clear of your vices.

You envisioned a delightful day filled with laughter and happiness, far from anything that could potentially cause harm to either of you.

That's why you found yourselves in the fourth clothing store of the day. While you had picked up a few items from each previous store after some browsing, Husk had merely glanced around without finding anything to pique his interest.

As you perused the winter section, you stumbled upon the perfect ensemble: a charming white knitted skirt adorned with two small fluffy pompons, complemented by a matching top and a white bubble coat trimmed with fur.

Knowing you already had the perfect shoes to complete the look at home, you approached Husk with the outfit in hand.

"Soooo, what do you think of this one?" you inquired, prompting him to turn away from whatever had captured his attention to inspect your find.

"Hmm, well, it doesn't seem like it covers much. Are you sure you found it in the ‘winter section’? You'd probably freeze your ass off wearing that in the winter cold," he teased with a playful comment.

With an exaggerated sigh and a playful hip pop, you quip, "You just don’t understand, it's all about the 'aesthetic'," adding a fake tone of disdain that prompts both of you to burst into laughter at your absurdity.

Returning to a more serious tone, you inquire, "But really, aside from the fact that it's not exactly suitable for cold weather, what do you think of it?"

"Well, if we overlook the fact that you'd freeze solid walking outside in this, I have to admit the outfit is pretty nice. I think it would suit you," he replies earnestly before adding with a teasing voice, "and your aesthetic," eliciting more laughter from both of you.

You then notice something in his hands and ask, "Anywho, what do you have there?"

"Oh, it's nothing, just a little trinket that caught my eye. I probably won't buy it, though," he says, showing you the item—a watch with a roulette pattern on it. It was a bit pricey, but not overly extravagant. It looked cute and suited him well.

"It looks really nice. It would suit you very nicely," you tell him, and he smiles sheepishly in response.

"You think so? Thanks. Well, I'm going to put it back. You seem to be done with this store, so I shouldn't keep it in my hands. Wouldn't want to walk out of the store with it without paying," he says, trying to act nonchalant, but it's obvious he's a bit disappointed.

As you consider his situation, you realize that the hotel doesn't really pay Husk to work there, and all the money he used to make was based on gambling.

By staying away from it, he's basically broke now. With that realization, you make up your mind;

"Oh, wait. If you're not going to buy it, you won't mind if I do," you tell him, the gears turning in your head.

"Oh, yeah, no problem," he says as he passes the watch in its box to you.

You then proceed to the checkout and pay your dues. You ask for a separate bag for the watch, which earns you a slightly confused glance from Husk, but you don't mind. As you step out of the store, you suggest going out for ice cream to finish your outing, and he has no problem with it.

As you both enjoy your dessert, you pause to retrieve the bag containing the watch. "Here, this is for you," you tell him, offering the gift.

"Gosh, Y/N, I can't accept that. It's a very nice gift and all, but I can't just take it for nothing. I really appreciate it, really, but I don't deserve it," he rambles to you. Before he could delve further into why he possibly 'didn't deserve it,' you stop him.

"Listen, Husk, it's no problem. I have the money, so it's no big deal for me. Plus, you've become a dear friend of mine by now. Is it that bad for me to want my friends to have nice things?" you ask him.

"No, but I don't think such pricey things should be handed out to anybody just because 'you have the money,'" he states.

"But Husk, you're not just anybody, you're someone dear to me, someone I care about. When I saw the watch, I could only picture it on your wrist. I bought that watch for you and you only.

Also, before you mention returns, that store has a no-return policy.

And lastly, if you feel that bad about it, telling yourself you don’t deserve it, which is not true, you’re a wonderful man who deserves to have nice things— anyways, I interjected, my point is if you feel bad just take it as; this is a gift from me to you, for spending the day shopping around with me even though you weren’t interested in the stores we were going to,” you tell him kindly. As you see him still hesitating, you add one more thing, “Also, you can just not keep it and sell it if you really don’t want it that badly.” That breaks him away from the self-loathing he was internally building.

“Of course not, I’m not going to sell it. It’s a gift from you, a very nice gift at that, and I would never think of selling it,” he tells you, a bit protective of the gift now, which is what you wanted.

“So, looks like you’re keeping it after all.” you tell him, noticing a slight pout on his face as he realizes his words, but then he playfully rolls his eyes and now has a grin on his face. ‘Looks like he has finally accepted the gift.’

"Anyway, thanks for the watch. I’ll make sure to start wearing it as soon as we get to the hotel.” he tells you with that charming smile of his.

"I told you it was no problem." you reply, your face mirroring his.

"Also, if you're comfortable with buying me watches out of the blue, does that mean you would be into being my full-time sugar mommy—" he jokes, which you quickly shut down with a "Not even in your dreams." making both of you laugh once more.

Hangouts like this one continued, ranging from outings to different venues like theaters and restaurants to engaging in activities at the hotel.

For instance, Husk took it upon himself to teach you poker once you mentioned your lack of knowledge in the game.

It was a fun experience, filled with laughter. Turns out, you were quite good at it, although never as skilled as Husk, which occasionally led to moments of rage on your part. However, these instances always ended in laughter.

Currently, you were enjoying a drink with both Husk and Angel at the lounge’s bar;

“You’d think with all that money, he would be able to buy prescription glasses that looked like his current sunglasses,” you commented after Angel mentioned his boss, Valentino's poor eyesight.

“That's what I said! Like, if you're going to be a horrible piece of shit who literally built his empire off being one, you could at least get custom glasses so you could stop looking like an absolute moron when you read or count money. He quite literally spent half an hour counting three bills! How ridiculous is that?” Angel exclaimed, his voice fluctuating in pitch due to the alcohol.

In fact, all of you were a bit tipsy. Each of you displayed it differently—Angel was very excitable and giggly, you felt more sleepy, inclined to lie down, and Husk was more tactile, currently holding one of your hands while using the other to pet your head between sips of his drink.

That last part finally seemed to dawn on Angel, and he couldn’t help but point it out to both of you.

“So, did y’all fuck?” The effeminate fellow inquired.

“What?” You and Husk asked simultaneously, both of you pulling away from each other, visibly flustered.

“I mean, you’ve been getting cozy since we sat down, and I get that you two are ‘friends,’” Angel sarcastically emphasized the word 'friends' with air quotes, “but honestly, every time we get together and drink, you two are always holding each other. Sure, you're not openly cuddling and all, but I can’t remember the last time you weren’t holding hands when drinking. So, I think it’s reasonable for me to ask if you two are fucking” Angel explained his logic, leaving both you and Husk to face the current situation.

Despite Husk initiating the physical contact himself and you allowing it, as well as both of you holding hands, neither of you were aware of how intimate your actions appeared until Angel mentioned it.

It seems somewhat unbelievable, but it’s true.

Neither of you were consciously planning it; your bodies simply expressed your subconscious desire to be close to each other without either of you realizing it.

“Um, no, we didn’t,” you tell Angel, your voice quieter than before out of embarrassment.

“Yeah, we haven’t done anything like that,” Husk admits, matching your tone. Usually, even when talking to Angel, who was a dear friend to both of you, Husk would be more closed off about the sexual or romantic aspect of his afterlife. But the alcohol and the close proximity to you—his comfort person—seemed to have helped him be more open.

Taking a gulp of his drink and finishing it, Angel then speaks up once more. “Then do y’all wanna hook up?” he asks nonchalantly, to which both of you reply with a simultaneous “Angel!”

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," he says, accompanied by a laugh. The conversation is dropped, yet both you and Husk couldn't help but still glance at one another throughout the night, sometimes even making eye contact, which left both of you further flustered.

After Angel's comment, the next few days between you and Husk were awkward as both of you became more aware of each other's thoughts.

Neither of you outright rejected the idea of sexual attraction, and to be honest, you both had a feeling that the other felt similarly when it came to romance.

It was just awkward to actually express it, so for about a week or so, you avoided each other.

But soon the awkward tension began to dissipate. You were just more aware of each other's and your own actions, so if someone did something that crossed the lines of just being friendly, both of you would be aware of it being intentional.

For example, just like now as Husk is teaching you how to play pool;

There's nothing wrong or inappropriate about teaching your friend pool. Even when your friend corrects your form, it's still an innocent action to help you enjoy the game further as you learn the proper way to play.

However, Husk didn’t just show you how to score and watched what you did then correct your flawed form.

No, no, no, Mr. Husk over there didn’t even bother showing you beforehand how to score. He just directly positioned himself behind you, grabbed your hands, and guided you to grab the cue stick, all the while softly whispering in your ear as he directed your movements, explaining what he was doing and how it affects gameplay.

As to why Husk became so bold after a week of avoiding each other, you weren’t sure. And truth be told, he was just tired of burying his feelings deep down to avoid ruining your friendship, especially now that he knew you felt the same way he did.

That day, when you first opened up about your struggles, he felt a deep connection to you.

And when you bought him the watch, it struck a chord with him. Although he wasn’t usually one to focus on material possessions, the fact that you had spent so much on him so effortlessly meant a lot.

Especially when you insisted on him keeping it, expressing that you wanted him to have something nice.

In that moment, he felt deeply cared for, his heart racing as you assured him he deserved it and that he was dear to you.

So today, he decided to take matters into his own hands. If he had misinterpreted your signals and you rejected him, at least he would have tried, rather than spending eternity wondering ‘what if?’

"Then you do it like this," he says as he guides your hands through the motion, and you score. "You’re doing so good.” he murmurs softly near your ear. You'd like to think about the fact that praise wasn't necessary since he was literally guiding your movements, but all you could think about now is; how nice it feels to be so close to Husk. The warmth of his body against yours, how good his voice sounded so close to your ear—it's overwhelming.

Feeling like you might lose yourself if you don't act, you release the pool cue and turn to face him. Well, by facing him, I mean doing so while nearly touching faces due to how close you were to begin with. It stuns both of you for a moment, but you refuse to back down.

Leaning against the pool table for support, you muster the courage to address Husk. "Husk, um, you're really close right now..." you start, but instead of moving away, he questions, "Do you not like it?"

Feeling even more nervous, you realize lying won't work. You couldn't keep up a falsehood when it would be so obviously untruthful, and you didn't want him to get the wrong idea. "No, I like it," you admit.

"Is that all you like?" he probes further, his boldness surprising you. Before you can formulate a response, he adds, "Because I not only like being this close to you, but I also absolutely adore you." simultaneously softly caressing your cheek.

You're left breathless, muttering a quiet "fuck.." because what else could you say in this moment, besides confessing the to the man you've been attracted to since day one of meeting each other and felled in love with only a couple of months into knowing him.

But before Husk could misinterpret your use of a swear as you not being into him, you summoned all your courage and spoke out, "I also like you, Husk. Like, a lot. I found you hot since I first saw you, and soon after, I started falling for you, it’s an ‘in love-type’ of like you."

"Shit," he exclaimed, covering his mouth in disbelief. "I've also found you attractive since day one, and I think I've been in love with you since you gave me that watch," he continued, lifting the arm wearing it to showcase it. "More specifically, how you were acting towards me when you did it."

You paused for a moment, unsure of what to do next. "So, what do you want to do now?" you asked him.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Right now, all I want is to be as close as possible to you, which is far from my usual way of behaving; I'm usually more planned and collected, but when I'm with you now, I feel like I've lost my compass. Yet instead of being anxious, I feel safe and comfortable. Isn't that weird?" he mused.

"I'm not sure if it is, but if it were, would it be weirder if I felt the same way?" you asked him, to which he chuckled.

"No, I don't think it would be weirder," he replied, his hand still resting on your cheek, which you leaned into it, almost resting your head's weight completely on it.

You gazed longingly at each other for about a minute or two until you broke the silence. "So, do you want to make out?" you asked, with ‘that’ slight goofiness in your voice that Husk had come to love.

"Fuck yeah!" Husk exclaimed, mirroring your tone of voice.

His hands transitioned from holding your face and the cue stick to one of them softly gripping your hair from the back of your head —pulling you in— while the other rested on the small of your back for support.

Then your lips finally connected:

As your lips met, you felt an explosion of passion and chemistry that you had never experienced before. Your heart raced, and your pulse pounded in your ears as your mouths danced.

You couldn't believe this was happening. Husk, the gruff and often apathetic demon you befriended, was kissing you with so much intensity and desire. It was as if all his pent-up emotions and feelings were released in that single moment.

His grip on your hair tightened slightly, pulling you even closer to him, and you could feel his heart beating just as fast as mine. You kissed hungrily like your (after)lives depended on it, your tongues entwining in a dance that made you shiver — especially the texture of your companion’s.

His tongue was in between one of a human and one of cat, it wasn’t unpleasant, quite the opposite actually. It did make you wonder how it would feel on other areas of your body. Also, something else to note was that he tasted like whiskey and smoke and honestly —you couldn't get enough.

Continuing on your movements, you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer, wanting every inch of him. He groaned softly against your lips at that, breaking the kiss for a moment, and you could see the ‘need’ and ‘want’ in his eyes. They were filled with passion and affection, just like yours. He moved to kiss your jawline, trailing kisses down your neck, and you gasped softly, feeling his warm breath against your skin.

After a quick swipe at your collarbones, Husk's lips returned to yours, this time with even more fervor.

His kiss was deep and intense, as if he was trying to consume every part of you.

Your hands slid down his back, feeling his soft fur under your fingers. You could feel his muscles through it, and you loved the feeling. His hands shifted from the small of your back to my waist, pulling you closer to him, your bodies pressed tightly together.

The heat from your bodies mingled, creating an intoxicating warmth between you — a warmth you never wanted to ever quit.

As the intensity of the kiss lessened, your lips started to meet in smaller, delicate pecks. These little kisses were just as passionate as the previous ones, but they carried a different kind of emotion—endearment and love.

Each kiss was more intimate and loving than the last, sealing your connection in a way that words could never explain. Your hands still roamed each other, exploring, but with a gentleness to them.

Husk's hands moved from your waist to your sides, and you could feel his thumbs softly tracing circles on your waist. One of your hand still rested on his back, stroking softly, feeling every muscle, while the other was somewhat on his shoulder.

Finally, breaking the sweet pecks, you pulled away slightly, both panting and slightly out of breath. Your eyes locked, filled with a feelings so profound it was evident you had fallen hard for each other.

Husk gently grabbed the hand that was in his shoulder, pressing it to his lips with a soft kiss. His gaze met yours once again, and you could see the love and adoration shining in his eyes.

"You're so beautiful." Husk whispered, reaching out and gently cupping your face once more.

"Thanks, Husk. You're quite handsome yourself," you tell him with a smile. Then you add, "Anywho, does that mean we're dating now?"

"I'd like that, if you'll have me," he responds.

"There isn't anybody else I'd rather be with." you assure him.

After placing one last kiss on your lips, Husk says, "Same here."

It had been around two weeks since your mutual confession of feelings. Initially, you attempted to keep things low-key by staying in your separate rooms.

However, the amount of time spent together and the display of affection made it evident to everyone in the hotel that you were now a couple.

So, after just a week of attempting to maintain the facade, you both gave up and you moved into Husk's room.

Fast forward to today, the morning had been bustling with preparations for the arrival of Charlie's father, Lucifer, the King of Hell, after she received a call from him.

You pitched in with baking cookies and tidying up, alongside the other residents, to ensure the hotel looked presentable.

Unfortunately, given the hotel's initial state, it wasn't entirely surprising when the chandelier unexpectedly crashed from the ceiling.

What did caught you off guard was the sudden musical performance by the King of Hell, which Alastor swiftly joined, leading to an impromptu song battle between them. Though, the outcome remained undecided, as the duel was interrupted by Mimzy —apparently one of Alastor’s acquaintance— as she introduced herself.

Later down the road, after bothering your boyfriend at the bar, calling him ‘whiskers’, etc., Mimzy then engaged Angel, Pentious, and you in conversation about Alastor and her relationship with him.

But you found yourself more focused on your boyfriend slipping away than on her anecdotes. Consequently, instead of remaining there to listen to her babble, you decided to discreetly follow your boyfriend.

And now, you found yourself hiding around the corner, eavesdropping on the ongoing conversations;

"So once we have proof of redemption as possible, this whole hotel will be full of demons wanting to check out into heaven. We just need a little more time to prove it," you overhear Charlie say, but the voices grow distant, making it hard to catch the rest.

What you do clearly hear is a "Hey boss" from Husk, followed by a questioning hum from Alastor. Then Husk adds, "Can I have a word?"

"What is it?" Alastor responds.

"You and I both know Mimzy only shows up when she needs something, that bitch is trouble. And who knows what kind of demon she fucked with to come running into you this time." Husk points out.

"It's nothing I can't handle. Don't worry, Husker. Who in their right mind would cross me?" Alastor replies.

"I mean, you've been gone a while, and it's not like anybody knows why," Husk states.

"They don't need to know, and don't you worry your fuzzy head about it," Alastor dismisses.

"You may own my soul, but I ain’t your pet," Husk asserts.

Following a giggle, Alastor tells Husk, "But you are."

You're about to jump out to defend Husk, but after husk retorted with “Big talk for someone who is also on a leash.“, the atmosphere shifts, with lights flickering, leaving you petrified, especially after hearing a threatening "What did you say?"

You hear the sounds of chains and a thud, and you can only assume Alastor has dragged Husk to the floor.

"Nothing, I, um," your heart sinks at the panic in his voice, but it drops deeper once you hear Alastor's venomous words: "If you ever say that again, I will tear your soul apart and broadcast your screams for every other disrespectful wretch who dares to question me."

Husk lets out a very quiet "Understood," and Alastor replies, "Lovely," then some subdued show tunes music starts playing, then Alastor added a "Good talk, my good man. Always nice to catch up."

After the radio demon's steps fade into silence, you finally step out of your hiding spot and rush to a trembling Husk on the floor. The first thing you do is give him a tight hug and whisper softly, "It’s going to be okay, baby. I’m here with you, Husk."

In that moment, you feel a plethora of emotions—concern and worry for Husk, fear because of Alastor, and guilt due to the fact you had stayed hidden while Husk faced Alastor alone, which makes you feel really shitty. But before guilt can consume you, you focus on getting Husk to somewhere secured, like your shared room. Once he's in a safe place, you can apologize.

With your help, Husk manages to stand up, but he's still too shaken up to walk alone. You guide him to the room, and once inside, you help him onto the bed, both of you holding each other tightly.

You softly stroked the back of his head while placing gentle kisses on his forehead. As you do, you can hear him slightly sniffle, holding back tears. It's obvious he's scared, and it's completely understandable.

You kiss his closed eyelids, and finally, the dam broke. He buries his face into your chest, and by the sounds and the wet feeling of your top, you can tell he's crying. He usually handles Alastor’s antics well, but having his soul threatened like that was just too much for him. You squeeze him tighter, whispering sweet nothings and comforting words.

“You’re going to be okay. I know it was terrifying, what you had to face. It would be for anyone. But it’s going to be okay,” you assure him, stroking his fur. Then you speak out once more, “I am so, so sorry, my love. I should have faced him with you, but I was too much of a coward to do so, so I just stayed hidden.” you apologize, and for the first time since burying himself in your chest, Husk peeks his head out. His face looks puffy from the tears, but what stands out is the empathetic look in his eyes.

“It’s… it’s okay, Y/N. Alastor—that guy, he’s terrifying. I don’t blame you for not jumping in when he got all crazy like that.” he reassures, but you can't rid yourself of the remorse.

“But I should have! That's my duty as your partner, to stand by you! What if he had snapped, and… and,” you say, strong but full of guilt. As you reach the last part, you start to stutter as thoughts rush into your head, and quieter you say, “and he had acted out on those threats.”

As Husk listened to you apologize, he couldn't help but pull you closer, his heart aching for the pain you knew you felt. His fingers traced gently along your soft skin, trying to soothe the distress within you. "Y/N, it's alright... I understand why you didn't intervene," He whispered, trying to make you feel better. His gaze fell upon your damp eyes, and he felt a surge of protectiveness wash over him. "Alastor has a way of intimidating even the strongest of us, and you're no exception."

"I've been dealing with him for years, and it's taken a toll on me," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t expect you do anything in that moment, it would have potentially put you in harms way if you did. But know this, I appreciate that you came to comfort me when I needed it most." He could feel your heart pounding against his, and he held you tighter, hoping to ease your anxiety.

"I won’t get into that creepy smiling freak’s way, so he won’t do anything to me, I promise," Husk added, offering a small smile.

As you and him embraced, you felt your hearts beat in sync. Your love for each other was strong, and you knew that together, you could weather any storm.

"Mm, I guess you’re right, Husk," you said softly, your hand stroking his back in a comforting motion. "Despite my guilt, I know we’re both doing the best we can, and I'll always support you no matter what." Your words filled him with a sense of security, knowing that you were there for him through thick and thin.

"I'm glad we're in this together," he replied, his tone soft and grateful. "Even if I wasn't there for you when you needed me today, remember that I'll always have your back, no matter what Alastor throws your and our way." You tell him.

Slowly, you began to ease the tension between us by changing the subject. "Hey, do you remember that time we went to that haunted carnival in the outskirts of Hell for one of Charlie’s activity? And we got stuck on that horribly broken down Ferris wheel?" you chuckled, thinking back to the ridiculous adventure we embarked on. "We were both terrified, but we laughed our asses off, eventually.”

As he recalled the haunted carnival adventure, a soft smile formed on his face, and you couldn't help but join in his laughter. "Oh, that was a nightmare! The way we clung to each other while trying to escape that damned Ferris wheel, and we still ended up covered in cotton candy," he said, shaking his head in amusement. "I thought we'd never make it out alive."

"And don't forget about the ghostly fortune teller who told us we would be together forever," he added, giggling. "I mean, look at us now – ‘living’ proof that she was right!"

Your shared memories brought a warmth to your hearts, and tou continued to laugh about your past misadventures, pushing away the shadows of your current worries. Together, you found solace in the lightness of laughter and the strength of your bond. As you reminisced, he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, his heart overflowing with gratitude for this moment.

"You know, Y/N," he said, my voice warm and filled with love, "I wouldn't want to face any challenge with anyone else by my side.”

The warmth of his words washed over you, and he knew that he wanted to show you how much he appreciated your unwavering support. Leaning in, he whispered softly, "I'm glad you were here to comfort me. To show my appreciation, I want to give you something in return – a little treat for being there when I needed it most."

“Husk, baby, you know I didn’t do it for a reward.” You argue

“But I want to.” He tells you, with a look full of passion, his eyes drifted lower, taking in the sight of your delicate shorts, and he knew what he wanted to do next. And that made you weak, and you sorta blanked.

Gently, he untangled the fabric from your legs, revealing your soft, inviting skin. "Please, let me make you feel loved and appreciated too," he said, his voice low and full of desire.

As he next removed your underwear, he could feel your protests beginning to fade under the intensity of my gaze. With a determined smile, he leaned in close, pressing his lips to your skin. "I want to reward you, Y/N," he explained, his breath warm against your sensitive flesh. "Let me show you how much your support means to me."

Husk, typically recognized for his gruff exterior, revealed a tender side as he concentrated on satisfying you. His lips delicately trailed along the sensitive skin of your inner thigh, eliciting shivers down your spine.

Understanding the necessity of getting your mind off things if you wanted to get better —as dwelling only exacerbates the pain— he found solace in showering his beloved girlfriend with feelings of desire and appreciation. In his view, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, serving to uplift both of your spirits, a win-win per say;

Gently, folding your legs and pushing on your thighs to stabilize you, Husk then parted your folds with his free hand, his eyes locked on the sight before him. He took a deep breath, inhaling your sweet scent, which only intensified his desire. With a purposeful hunger, he removed his hand and opted to substitute it with his tongue.

He leaned in and licked you, his tongue exploring every inch of your folds, the sensation was supreme, especially with that unusual tongue of his. As the wet muscle adventures further in your nether’s, its odd texture only becomes more pleasurable.

Especially when he would suck at your clit and let the tip of his tongue dance around it as he did. Every stroke, every caress; they spoke volumes of his appreciation for your unwavering support.

Your breath hitched as pleasure slowlybegin to build into something bigger. The intensity of Husk's actions were overwhelming, and you couldn't help but moan in response.

"Husk, I..." you murmured, uncertain if you should continue, your voice trembling with a mix of lust, love, and ‘the obvious fact that he was making you feel too good to speak normally’. But before you could protest or anything like that, he silenced you with another expert stroke of his tongue, his eyes meeting yours with determination and love.

As Husk continued to pleasure you, he knew his actions were doing more than just giving you physical gratification; they were conveying his appreciation for your presence in his life—and that sentiment was mutually understood. And he loved that he could do it that way and you would both comprehend it.

Bringing back his hand into the mix , his skilled fingers—carefully used not to scratch you— and tongue worked in harmony, driving you towards a climax that mirrored the depth of his feelings. Your moans grew louder, filling the room with the sound of your pleasure, and he couldn’t help but relish in ‘those lovely noises of yours’.

With a final flick of his tongue, Husk drew you to the edge, your body arching in response. "That's it, baby" he whispered, his voice low and seductive, yet still comforting. "Let go for me, let me see you shine."

In that moment, you surrendered to the sensations coursing through you, your body trembling and your last scream of pleasure echoing in the room. Husk watched as you reached your peak, his heart swelling with pride…

As you begin to come down from your high but not quite over it yet, Husk couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful state your real ease had caused. His heart continued to race as he regained steady breathing after momentarily being out of air while devouring you, he couldn’t help but want to experience it again. Softly, he lifted your legs and placed them on his shoulders, giving himself better access to your glistening hole and folds.

“Wait, husk I-“ you begin after realizing the change in position but you were promptly cut off as husk begin to lap at your essence directly from the source.

"You deserve this, my love," he whispered, his voice hoarse with lust. "I want to make you feel good, as much as you've made me feel supported."

With renewed vigor, Husk dove in once more, his tongue tracing familiar paths and exploring new ones. Your breath jiggered, and your back arched as he took you on another sensual journey that started in overstimulation. His grip on your thighs tightened, his fingers digging into your skin, taking full control—you couldn’t run even if you want to.

He aims directly at your weak spot, and way he was sucking at your clit was just driving you absolutely mad. You gripped at his head, still unsure if you wanted to pull him away or bring him closer. He was precise and targeting but there was some hungry sloppiness to his technique.

As your second climax approached, Husk could feel your body tense, and he knew that he was about to witness something truly beautiful once more. Your cries of pleasure grew louder, and just as promised, the way your body convulsed and your face contorted was marvellous, what was not expected but still welcome was the fact that you had squirted, causing your arousal to coat his face and chest.

His eyes widened in awe, and he couldn't help but smirk at the sight. "Damn, you're something else." he said, his voice filled with want but also a little teasing tone to it.

Even as you settled back onto the bed flat, Husk couldn't shake off the image of squirting. His eyes locked on your glistening skin, and he knew that he wanted to see it again. His hand travel to your face, thumb brushing lips sensually, a longing look in his eyes "One more, my love," he whispered, his voice filled with determination. "I want to taste you again and see that beauty of yours unfold once more."

With a hunger that rivalled the one he had when bringing you to your first two climaxes, Husk dove in for the third time, his tongue seeking out your sensitive spots.

He craved the taste of your essence, the sound of your cries, and the sight of your strong release. You soon begin to trembled beneath him, quicker than previously but it was understandable, two orgasm in a row was about to make extra sensitive.

“Ah, fuck, Husk, it's too much!” You cried out in overstimulation.

“Shh, it's okay, baby, I know you can handle it,” he reassured, softly stroking the underside of your right thigh to offer comfort before getting his strong grip back on it.

As Husk continued to stimulate you, drawing you closer to nirvana, you found yourself liberated from all worries. In that moment, there was nowhere else you'd rather be.

As your third orgasm of the night peaked, you let out a final cry, your body convulsing with overwhelming euphoria. Once more, you squirted, coating Husk's face with your essence. This time, however, he caught most of your fluid in his moth and swallowed them, and the drops that didn’t make, he licked them off of you, his eyes close for an instances as he savoured your liquid arousal, then his eyes locked back on you.

"Oh, Husk," you breathed, your voice ragged with pleasure and emotion. "That was incredible."

He wiped the remaining droplets from his face with a satisfied grin and licked at it to make sure he gotten everything, his eyes never leaving yours. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said, his voice filled with love and satisfaction.

As you lay there, breathless and spent, Husk pulled you into his arms, his heart beating in his chest. Regaining back some of your sense, this scenery confused you a bit:

“What about you?” You inquired as he had yet to get release himself.

“Honestly the emotions and the time I spent between those sexy thighs of yours got me to tired to want anything more than to cuddle you right now.” he admired with a tired smile, which made giggle.

Your bodies still entwined, Husk leaned in and pressed his lips gently against yours. The kiss was soft, filled with love and appreciation, and it left you both feeling even more connected than before. Right here and there, you knew that despite the challenges you faced further down the road, you were in this together.

Slowly, Husk wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer to his chest. The warmth of his embrace enveloped you, and you felt safe and loved in his arms. "Thank you, Y/N," he whispered, his breath warm against your skin. "The cuddling, reassuring words, and this; they really help me calm down and feel better. I know I can rely on you when you do these things, and I strongly hope you can on me."

You nestled your head against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "Of course I do, and don’t forget—I'll always be here for you, Husk," you promised, your voice filled with reassurance. "No matter what comes our way, I'll have your back, just like you do for me."

As the two cuddled and basking in the afterglow of your shared euphoria, you knew that your bond had grown stronger. Nothing could bother the two of you right now—except perhaps the fact that you would have to get up to bathe and change the sheets soon, but that was a problem for the ‘30 minutes to one hour future yous.’

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