#Whirl pattern
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uwmspeccoll · 1 year ago
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Marbled Monday
This Marbled Monday we return to the publications of the Trianon Press and their editions of English poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake's (1957-1827) works. Why so much Trianon Press and William Blake lately? Well, because we had a whole bunch of it out recently and couldn't pass up the opportunity to post the beautiful marbling used in binding each volume. This is Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell in a facsimile edition published by the Trianon Press in 1960 for the William Blake Trust.
The marbling is the same pattern used for Trianon Press's edition of Visions of the Daughters of Albion, but in a green color palette instead of orange. This pattern can be called Octopus or Whirl and was likely not created until the 20th century.
View more posts about Trianon Press publications.
View more Marbled Monday posts.
-- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager
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belovedhades · 4 months ago
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hello :) I love your cross stitch medieval bat. is there a pattern for it or did you make it with stitch fiddle or something similar? we have made the same peruvian cat and I have an extreme urge to make this bat
hi thank you i'm glad you like my little guy!! i think i found the gridded out pattern on the cross stitch subreddit a few years ago where someone made it and was unable to find the original but i DID make a chart of it for my own personal use!
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the colors are totally up to you that's just what i ended up having on hand and used! I considered using a metallic gold with the 3820 but ended up passing on that to avoid dealing with metallic thread lmao. i used an 18ct oatmeal aida to kinda get that old parchment look and he same out so bitty!
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mathysphere · 7 months ago
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I've been eagerly anticipating the second half of the first round. I've checked for it every day, even though I knew when it was due. And then I opened tumblr this evening and there it was! Thank you <3
Oh!! I'm so glad to receive this! Thank you, I'm so glad you're enjoying the tournament! :D
And yes, sorry, it is a bit late going up ���-- the busyness et cetera of this time of year-- some of the other rounds may go up a little late, too, but I do believe I can keep them from being impossibly so. :)
Thank you very much for your kind ask!
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whats-in-a-sentence · 1 year ago
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In the center stood a great tower of burnished gold, catching the sunlight and throwing it back in whirling, sparkling patterns that gave the tower life.
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"DragonLance Chronicles: Dragons of Autumn Twilight" - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
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iydiamartinx · 2 months ago
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RIDDLE ME THIS, HOODS GOT A GIRL?
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Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader
divider by: cafekitsune & omi-resources & thecutestgrotto word count: 1.7k synopsis: The Bats need information, Jason has an informant...who might also be more. a/n: I feel so utterly single writing these imagines, but I only want one of the bat boys 😭
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The night sky over Gotham shone with its usual smog-streaked clouds faintly glowing orange from the city’s lights.
Inside the Batcave, it was a whirl of activity as the team tried to figure out the Riddler's location.
“We need someone who knows Riddler’s movements—someone who’s worked with his patterns recently,” Bruce said, gaze narrowed on the glowing map display.
Jason leaned against the edge of the table, arms crossed over his chest, helmet tucked under one arm. “I’ve got someone.”
Tim paused mid-keystroke. “You’ve got someone?”
Dick raised a brow. “Someone you’re willing to share with the class?”
“She’s not exactly a people person,” Jason said with a lazy shrug, already turning to leave. “But she’s solid. I’ll get the info.”
“No way,” Damian said flatly. “If there’s an informant involved, we’re all going.”
Jason sighed. “She’s not exactly an informant.”
“But she has intel,” Dick added, voice teasing. “And you just happen to be the one she’s willing to talk to? Sounds suspicious.”
Jason shot him a look that could’ve cracked concrete. “Just stay out of the way.”
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They met you beneath the derelict train yard off Kane Street—barely lit, long forgotten, and exactly the kind of place no one stumbled into by accident. The rusted metal groaned in the breeze, and the distant hum of Gotham felt muted here, swallowed by shadows and silence. You were already waiting, perched atop a decaying train car like a sentinel, one leg bent, the other dangling with casual ease.
The moment they stepped into view, you jumped down with fluid grace, boots landing soundlessly on the gravel below. The black and steel tactical gear you wore clung to every sharp line of your body, outlining lethal efficiency. Twin pistols were strapped tight against your thighs, and the half-raised hood left your expression mostly concealed—save for the sharp glint of your eyes.
“You’re late,” You said, voice low and smooth.
Jason smirked beneath the helmet. “Traffic.”
“Uh-huh.” You didn’t sound convinced.
That was when Nightwing stepped forward, all charm and sunshine grins, as if that smile of his could melt any armour. “And who might you be, gorgeous?”
Your eyes flicked to him, unimpressed. “Not interested.”
Tim coughed into his hand, clearly trying to hide a laugh. Damian smirked, crossing his arms with a tilt of smug satisfaction. Both of them had encountered you before—brief run-ins during missions that didn’t last long. You were direct. Cold. All business. No patience for pleasantries or ego-stroking.
It was one of the reasons Bruce was even considering pulling you into the fold. Claiming, he needed more serious people but everyone was sure he needed someone who brooded as much as him. But tonight you didn’t seem as broody.
Jason tilted his head. “Play nice.”
“I am,” You shot back, then turned back to him—and your tone shifted. 
You took a few deliberate steps forward, closing the distance between you and Jason until the toe of your boot nearly touched his. Your fingers reached out, grazing the edge of his chest armour.
“You look good, Hood,” you said, voice low and sly. “Still wearing red for me?”
Jason’s head tilted slightly, the faintest smirk pulling beneath his helmet. “Figured it hides the blood.”
Your lips curved into dark dangerous amusement. “You always did bleed pretty.”
A cough from behind broke the charged silence.
“I didn’t know you two had met,” Tim said, cautious, eyes flicking between the two of you.
“We’ve crossed paths,” you replied smoothly, gaze still locked on Red Hood like no one else existed. “Several times.”
Jason crossed his arms over his chest, his stance loose but alert. “She saved my ass once.”
“And he returned the favour,” You replied.
“You got something for me?” he asked, jumping into business.
You reached into her jacket, producing a drive between two gloved fingers, holding it just out of his reach. “Maybe. Depends.”
“On what?”
“You know what I want,” You crooned.
Jason’s reply was steady, unwavering. “You know I always deliver.”
That earned a smirk from you. You leaned in just a touch more, voice a soft purr. “You gonna say please, Hood?”
Jason reached out, his hand closing lightly around your wrist. The grip was firm, a warning more than a threat. “Don’t push.”
Your eyes sparked with interest—delight, even. “Oh, but it’s so fun.”
Still, this time, you relented. Slowly, purposefully, you stepped closer and tucked the drive into the utility pouch strapped at his hip. Your hand lingered there longer than necessary, fingers brushing over the gear, grazing the curve of his waist.
“Under Tricorner,” you said quietly, close enough now your breath warmed the space beneath his helmet. “He’s nesting under the old cathedral ruins. You’ll want to take the west tunnel—avoid the gas traps.”
“Appreciate it,” he replied, but his voice was a little rougher now.
You smiled, slow and wicked. “You always know how to say thank you.”
And then, with the same casual audacity you wielded like a blade, you leaned up and pressed your lips to the underside of his helmet leaving behind the faintest mark of your lipstick
Backing away, you turned on your heel, already fading into the fog that clung to the edges of the train yard. But your parting words were clear. “You know how to find me… to pay up, Hood.”
Then you were gone, swallowed by the dark as if you’d never been there at all.
The boys stared at Jason in stunned silence.
He turned slowly, expression unreadable beneath the helmet, and said dryly, “What?”
Dick blinked, visibly thrown. “You and her?”
“I told you she’s not a people person and…” Jason shrugged, the picture of nonchalance. “We’ve got history.”
“I—how long has this been happening?” Tim asked, looking genuinely lost.
Jason was already walking past them, shoulders relaxed, “Long enough.” 
Damian narrowed his eyes, trailing behind. “What kind of payment is she demanding from you?”
Jason didn’t even look back.
“None of your business, Demon Spawn.”
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LATER THAT NIGHT
Riddler had been taken care of and Jason was finally off the clock. But instead of heading to his apartment, he headed over to another.
He slipped through the open window, careful not to get tangled in the curtains as they fluttered in the warm breeze. The light in the kitchen dimmed low. The soft trace of gunmetal and something sweeter, like vanilla lingered in the air.
His armour peeled off piece by piece, left in a silent trail across the hardwood. Chest plate. Gloves. Utility belt. Boots. Until he was left in nothing but his boxers.
The bedroom door was cracked. Light from the street spilled across the bed in thin golden ribbons, illuminating the figure curled beneath the sheets.
She was there. Tucked into the centre of the mattress, tangled in a nest of linen and shadows. His shirt—an old, faded thing he’d once bled in and meant to throw out—was all she wore, slipping off one shoulder and riding high on her thighs.
She always looked like a contradiction like that. Sharp in every moment of the night—cold eyes, cutting voice, touch like a weapon—and soft here, in the early mornings. Laid bare and defenceless in the place no one else got to see.
Jason paused in the doorway, his breath catching for reasons he didn’t want to name. He didn’t get softness often. He didn’t let himself want it. But here… here it waited for him.
Her breathing was slow and even, lashes fanned against her cheeks, one hand curled beneath her chin.
He moved quietly, the mattress dipping beneath his weight as he settled behind her. She stirred—just a little—but didn’t open her eyes. Didn’t need to. Her body curved instinctively back into his.
“Mm,” You murmured, barely a whisper. “Thought I felt you…”
Jason’s voice was rough, low against your ear. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Liar.” Your voice was sleep-drenched, teasing. “You always do.”
He let his arm curl around your waist, pulling you close until your back was flush against his chest, his nose brushing against the curve of your neck.
“Riddler’s out of the picture,” he murmured, lips brushing the shell of your ear. “Gotham’s quiet… for now.”
You smiled against the pillow, but it was fleeting—because a heartbeat later, you moved.
With a slow arch of your spine and a shift of muscle, you rolled, tossing your leg over his hip in one fluid, practiced motion that had him flat on his back before he could blink. You were straddling him now, perched above with that smug, lazy grin he’d come to recognize—and maybe dread just a little.
“Which means,” you purred, voice low and velvet-rich, “it’s time for you to pay up.”
Jason huffed out a breath that was half laugh, half groan. “You made that up,” he muttered, eyes narrowing like he was trying not to smile. “You spun that whole ‘transactional intel’ stuff just so my brothers wouldn’t find out about us.”
You tilted your head, feigning innocence as your fingertips ghosted over his chest—trailing from the dip of his collarbone to the ridges of muscle, your nails skimming along the old scar just over his heart, making him twitch. “Doesn’t matter,” you whispered, leaning down so your lips brushed the corner of his jaw. “You agreed to the terms.”
Your voice dropped to a sultry murmur, wicked with promise. “And what I want… is you. All to myself. For the next few days. No patrol. No Bat drama. Just you. That’s how this works, baby.”
His arms encircled you before you could fully retreat, keeping you flush against him. One hand tangled into your hair, possessive and grounding, while the other slid along your thigh, reverent and slow, stopping just beneath the hem of his shirt that barely covered you.
“You’re a menace,” he murmured, voice husky now, low and warm.
“Guilty,” you breathed, lips brushing against his.
And then he pulled you down.
The kiss wasn’t hurried. Deep and warm, burning slow and sure as his hand tightened in your hair and yours slid along his ribs. You melted into him like you always did.
When he finally pulled back, it was only far enough to press his forehead against yours. His voice was barely more than a breath.
“You know you always have me to yourself.”
You smiled, brushing your thumb along his jaw. “Good. Because I don’t share.”
Jason smirked, voice low and rough. “Wouldn’t let you if you tried.”
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prntsystm · 1 year ago
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Inkwhirl 01 pattern by @prntsystm
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zyafics · 2 months ago
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thinking about fuck buddy!rafe with a cross back tattoo…
You drew patterns across his inked skin after a hookup, his back slightly arched, his posture never perfect. Your nails dragged, marking him with the right amount of pressure. Hesitating, you opened your mouth to say something, to cross an unspoken line beyond your fuck buddies agreement.
“I didn’t know you’re religious,” you said fondly.
“I’m not,” He answered, before quickly whirling his head around. His gaze met yours. “But I can be. Are you?”
You were surprised by his warm reciprocation. Your mouth lifted with a small smile, and you shook your head softly. “No.”
“Good,” he exhaled a sigh of relief. His hand dropped to your naked hip and pulled you onto his lap. “I wouldn’t know what to do in church.”
“I don’t think we’re allowed in.”
“Why not?”
Your gaze dropped south to the shameless display of his body. “Premarital sex.”
He barked out a laugh. “Are you asking me to marry you?” he asked. “Because I’m crazy enough to do it.” His hot mouth met the curve of your ear. “And you’re crazy enough to say yes.”
@inthelibrarybtw & @promiscuousg1rl who saw it first <3
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sp0o0kylights · 4 months ago
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Steve Harrington showing up to Hellfire made sense.
He knew the kids. After The Incident of which they Do Not Speak Of, he knew Eddie. There was a friendship there that was pulling him into Hellfire’s orbit, and the elder members followed their leader's cues when it came to jocks who had decided to redeem themselves and evolve into beloved town hall heroes. 
Showing up to Corroded Coffin’s recently restarted band practice required a bit more adjusting, but it was fine. 
Everything was fine.
Steve showing up in the middle of a heated, completely nonsensical argument with Eddie, was also, unfortunately, growing to be something normal and fine--but arguing over Jeff specifically?
That was a little harder to ignore. 
“That’s my Robin.”  Eddie had started, pointing sternly towards Jeff as he marched up Gareth’s driveway. 
Steve rolled his eyes. 
“You already claimed Gareth as your Robin, you can't also claim Jeff.”
Yes I can! Because I have two--no, no, three!” Eddie counted on waiving fingers, “I have three Robin's, Grant’s one too!
Jeff blinked, before turning to his other bandmates. “Any idea about what this is about or…”
Nope.” Gareth refused to even look at the duo arguing. “And I don't want to know.”
“Okay then.” 
“They each have different specialties,” Eddie was animatedly arguing, having stopped in the center of the garage to square up to Steve. “So combined they make up one Robin.” 
“That's not how that works!” Steve loudly scoffed, arms winging out in a way that disturbingly, looked like a move he had copied from Eddie. 
He got a smirk in return. “Don't  be mad because I'm more popular than you are these days, Steven.” 
Oh now they were approaching dangerous territory-- Eddie was getting smug.
A smug Eddie, Jeff knew, was an obnoxious Eddie. The kind of obnoxious that refused to let things go and claimed victory over random bullshit. The type of obnoxious that would take weeks to kill, with them all suffering through Eddie’s crowing in the meantime.
Given the look on Steve’s face, he knew it too.
There was only one way to prevent the monster known as Smug Eddie, and that was to cut him at the knees before he properly got started. 
Something no member of Hellfire had ever before managed to accomplish--on purpose.
Steve, Jeff thought, was not a member of Hellfire. 
With a sudden and distrustworthy narrowing of his eyes, the ex-jock asked. “Didn't you say Jeff bakes?”
“No--” Eddie spat instantly but it was too late, Steve was already turning and--oh God, trying to pull Jeff into this shit. 
“Yes--hey Jeff, man, do you bake?”
“Uh…”
Grant looked between Steve, Eddie and Jeff, before taking one giant step to the right of them all.
The traitor. 
“Don't answer that!” Eddie commanded, stalking around to put himself between Jeff and Steve. “Do not answer that!” 
“I--yeah?” Jeff answered anyway, confused to hell but choosing to trust Steve on this one.   
Unfortunately for Corroded Coffin as a whole, and Jeff specifically, what they were missing was the fact that Steve could be a downright petty bitch. 
“What’s the hardest thing you can reliably bake?” 
It took a moment for Jeff to realize Steve was still talking to him, given his eyes were locked onto Eddie’s. 
“I like doing those kind complicated swirls with frosting sometimes?” Realizing how that sounded he quickly added; “To make cool patterns and shit!”
Steve nodded once, before boldly declaring: “I'm taking Jeff.” 
Eddie sputtered. 
“No you are not--” 
“That way,” Steve said, steamrolling right over, “you have two and I have two.”  
“Were not sharing cookies here, Steve!” 
“I know,” Steve retorted and oh God, now he sounded smug, “because Jeff and I haven't baked them yet.
“No--no! Jeff, Jeffery look at me.” The older teen whirled around to face Jeff, face serious. “You are forbidden to bake with this heathen.” 
“Wow, controlling much?” Steve drawled, moving fluidly around to stand shoulder to shoulder with Eddie, facing Jeff. With a weighty sincerity, he said, “I would never tell you what to do.”
“Yes he would! Yes He absolutely would! 
“What the fuck.” Jeff muttered, as they both continued to stare at him while maintaining their argument with each other. 
“You made eye contact, this is on you.” Grant told him. 
20 minutes later and Jeff would finally announce he was not going to do anything with anyone until after band practice. 
20 hours later, Steve would invite himself into Jeff’s house with a bag full of baking ingredients and a look in his eye that terrified Jeff more than Jason ever had. 
2 days later, Eddie would loudly declare Jeff’s status as a traitor, only to renounce it five seconds later after Gareth shoved one of the cookies they baked in his mouth mid rant. Only then would he agree that Steve could have Jeff as “his second Robin.” 
Unfortunately, he did this in front of the real Robin, who, as it turns out, can give one hell of a rant. 
(Later, Jeff, Grant and Gareth would loudly declare Robin their Queen and expert in all things Steve and Eddie, going so far as to present her with a Burger King crown to seal the deal. 
She would proudly wear it, despite all the bitching it caused from Steve and Eddie.) 
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thyme-in-a-bubble · 5 months ago
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something in return
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a/n: tbh i didn't intend for all of the moments in this instalment to fit into the same pattern, but hey, i won't complain when my geniusness unintentionally slips out... sometimes my big beautiful brain just can't help it lol
summary: “if you want them back so badly, then I think you’d have to work for it,” Steve cockily crossed his brawny arms. 
warnings: frat!bucky barnes x innocent!reader x stepbro!steve rogers, professor!peter parker, professor!reed richards, smut, dark content, college au, polyamory, kissing, virgin!reader, corruption kink, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, dirty talk, size kink, pain kink, spit kink, masturbation, fingering, anal, squirting, impact play, dry humping, thighjob, pussyjob, cumplay
word count: 5606
∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽
take her under your wing au masterlist | 101, intro to the au
masterlist | join my taglist 
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You didn’t recognise the room that you woke up in. All you could hope for was that you were still in the frat house after the previous night’s rager. 
Though when you blinked around the unfamiliar space from your horizontal position, your eyes soon landed on the inked arm draped over your waist. Heartbeat promptly picking up, you slowly glanced back over your shoulder to discover Bucky sprawled out behind you and still fast asleep. 
Carefully, you tried to twist out from under his burly arm and slip out of bed, but though your movement was cautious, it still managed to stir him. 
“Morning,” he hummed groggily, his sleepy voice deeper than you’d ever heard before. 
Sucking in a breath as you sat balanced on the edge of the mattress, you refused to whirl around to meet his eye, “uhm, hi… how–, uh,” you coughed, “why am I in your bed?” 
“How the hell should I know,” he uttered through a yawn, “you were already here when I eventually went to bed.” 
“Oh…” you breathed, and as you then shifted slightly, you noticed the lack of fabric beneath your skirt as nothing seemed to cling around your core, “uh–, did anything–,” you finally glanced back at him in alarm, “nothing happened, right?” 
And as he stared back at you, his head cocked against the plush pillow, a smirk slowly began to bloom on his lips, “are you asking if we fucked last night?” he teased, “I am hurt that your brain would even dare to block such a magical night of lovemaking out of your memory.”
“What?” your eyes grew. 
“Kidding! Nothing happened, I promise,” both of his palms promptly floated up, “or, nothing happened between us,” he pointed out with a tilt of his head as he lowered his hands once more, “from what I heard you and Steve had quite the night…”
“I-I–,” you averted your gaze, swiftly scrambling to get up, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
“Sure you don’t,” he uttered smugly, “but just so you know, there isn’t much he and I don’t share, secrets or otherwise…”
Glancing around the room for your phone, you soon spotted it on the windowsill, “…I gotta go, I’ve got freshman orientation to get to,” you grabbed the device. Crisp morning air caressed your bare core with every shy step and prompted you to briefly sputter, “you wouldn’t happen to know where my–, never mind…” utterly mortified, you swiftly dropped the subject once more. 
“Oh, you’ve still got some time,” Bucky glanced to the ticking clock on his bedside table, “why don’t you hang around here a bit longer?”
“I really should be going–” 
But your words then ceased as the door abruptly swung open and in waltzed none other than your stepbrother. 
“Hey, dude, do you know where–, oh,” as Steve’s eyes landed upon you, his feet swiftly came to a stop, “well,” and a grin lit up his features, “good morning.” 
“Steve, will you please help me out here?” Bucky looked to his friend, “your stepsister is being a boring little brat.” 
“I’m sorry, but I do really need to go.”
“What, to freshman orientation? You’ve still got plenty of time before it begins,” Steve used the mass of his body to slyly block your passage as he kicked the door shut behind him. 
“That’s what I said!” Bucky pointed out with a short chuckle. 
“Well, I wanna get there extra early,” you tilted your head. 
“For what?” your stepbrother furrowed his brow, “so that you can get a seat in the very front row?” 
“Steve, just stop, just let me do it my way, okay?” you groaned, “I don’t wanna be anymore stressed this morning than I already am, so yeah, I’m going there early and you’re not gonna stop me.” 
Staring back at you, a slow exhale seeped from his lungs before he eventually muttered, “…alright.”
“Great!” you then pushed past him, but just as your fingers grasped the door handle, your frame froze up, “…hey,” your words then came out as barely a whisper, “you wouldn’t happen to know where my–”
“Where your panties are?” he swiftly cut in, “yeah, I do.” 
Twisting around, you met his smug features with a gentle furrow to your brow, “okay, where are they?” 
“Hmm…” a smirk began to tug at his lips before he uttered, “I–, uh… I don’t think you deserve to know that.” 
“Seriously?” you exclaimed, “Steve, just give them back, what use could you even have with them?”
“Oh, I could think of a few,” Bucky murmured from the bed, his arms comfortably curled back behind his head. 
“If you want them back so badly, then I think you’d have to work for it,” Steve cockily crossed his brawny arms. 
Melting with a sigh, you gave in, “alright, fine, what do you want?” fully expecting him to suggest that you should clean his room or something along those lines. 
But instead, you heard him utter, “I wanna stretch that little virgin pussy out,” his tone casually smooth as his gaze drifted down your frame, “see how many fingers she can take.”
Glancing nervously to Bucky behind him, you coughed, “you wanna–, w-what?”
“Come on,” he took a step closer to you, “just let me pick the lessons back up from last night,” before he briefly cast his vision over his broad shoulder to the man still in bed, “you wanna join in? Help show her the ropes?”
“Oh, fuck yeah,” Bucky sat up more. 
“You can’t be serious,” your chest heaved with every laboured breath, “are you still drunk?” 
“No,” he simply shook his head as his feet continued to shuffle closer to where you stood. 
“But Steve–”
“Shh, it’s okay,” his hands then grabbed each side of your face before he bent down and kissed you in an attempt to snuff out your worries. 
And when he slowly retracted, the simple peck had managed to make your knees go wobbly as you now hazily blinked back at him, “…you sure?” 
“Yeah,” he smiled as his thumb caressed your cheekbone. 
Crawling out of bed, Bucky then asked one finally time, “so, you want your panties back or not?”
And as your eyes drifted to him as he slowly stalked closer to the both of you, a faint nod found your head, “…alright,” before a shiver ran down your spin at the deal you’d just made, “but just–, fuck…”
“We’ll be gentle,” Steve uttered before Bucky’s head tilted at his vow. 
“Will we?” he knowingly scoffed at his friend. 
“Well, we’ll try, let’s just promise that,” Steve chuckled as he corrected himself. 
Slowly cascading down your inner thighs was not only the wet and sticky remnant of last night, but also the embarrassing reaction that fused with the terrifying nerves that now buzzed in your belly. 
“H-how–,” you fumbled, faintly gesturing before trailing off, “uh…”
Still keeping his eye locked upon you, Steve murmured, “sit down on the bed,” as his head nodded back in that direction.  
And slowly, you did so, all the while with your wild eyes trained on the pair of them.  
“Lean back,” Bucky urged as he stepped closer, and you tilted further back against the pillows piled up against the wall that the bed stood against. 
Firmly, you tried to keep your legs clambered shut as you watched them both kneel down on the floor at your feet, though as they pried your thighs apart, a shaky gasp rippled through your body. 
“Fuck, look at that little pussy…” Bucky groaned as he reached out to be the first to graze his touch against your folds, still all messy as it glistened back at him, “how is she even better than you described? 
“No fucking clue,” Steve chuckled as his own fingers slithered up to tickle at your clit. 
They went on teasing your puffy pearl for much longer than you’d thought, as they kept going and didn’t change their maddening pattern till you were close to cumming. And as your cunt clenched around nothing, winking up at them, it was finally filled up by one of Steve’s thick fingers as he gradually pressed it inside, though barely past the first knuckle.
“O-oh my god,” you gasped shakily at the unfamiliar sensation and cast your glance down at the digit your pussy slowly swallowed. 
“Shit…” your stepbrother’s mouth hung agape as he felt your tight hole struggle to stretch around him, “I really thought getting you close would have relaxed you more than this, but damn, baby…” he then retracked his finger only to nudge his friend beside him, “feel her, dude.”
“Wow,” Bucky chuckled darkly as he pressed in much deeper than Steve had, “we really gotta loosen you up before you have any chance of taking something real up here.”
You tried to keep your eyes open, tried to keep your gaze locked upon their overwhelming actions, though as the digit inside of you then carefully slide against your velvety walls and another’s touch reunited with your clit, you had no choice but to tumble over the edge, eyes screwing shut as your pussy clambered down around Bucky’s finger. 
“Oh fuck, I can’t wait to feel that around my cock,” Bucky’s voice barely managed to seep through your haze as he stilled his shallow motions. 
“Patience,” Steve’s words too sounded far away, like you were underwater as you came down from the high, barely registering as they both rapidly stripped you of your clothing, “if you try now, then you’ll just break her in two.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Bucky shot back as they both smiled. 
A part of you thought that they were done, that they’d had their fill, but little did you know it was only the very beginning. 
The finger still within you once again began to move, ripping a whimper out of your lungs as it slowly dragged back out, “wait, it’s too much–”
“What, are you sensitive?” Bucky’s steely gaze found yours as his touch made you squirm, “does it maybe hurt a little bit?” 
“Hey,” Steve then tapped his friend’s wrist as he stared up at you, “hold her still,” before Bucky’s touch faded and traded in with Steve’s, gently circling your entrance as the other man bent up your legs, caught both of your wrists in one broad palm, before he locked the same inked arm over your folded frame and squished you further down into the mattress.
It took some effort, but eventually Steve managed to sink not only one, but two of his thick fingers into your dripping core, making you wiggle beneath Bucky’s hold as you felt your poor pussy be stretched. 
“Oh, there you go,” your stepbrother chuckled as your tiny hole clung around his digits, forcing his pace to slow as you hugged onto him too tightly for him to fuck you at the pace he desired.
“H-how much is that?” you whimpered as your legs now obscured your view. 
“Just two fingers,” Bucky pressed a peck to your inner thigh before elbowing his friend gently, “dude, you can go deeper than that.” 
And as Steve sank his digits so deep that his palm rutted against you with each rock, you gasped, “seriously? It feels like it’s your whole fucking hand.” 
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Steve grinned as he kept up his ruthless pattern, “might be a bit unrealistic for today, but we could certainly work you up to that.” 
“No, I didn’t–, oh fuck–,” you tried to counter, though swiftly began to tremble once again, all of your vigour flying out of the window at the anticipation of yet another orgasm. 
With Bucky’s free hand, it floated up to trace your stretched entrance clinging around his friend’s digits, only for Steve to then slip one of his fingers out to make room for one of Bucky’s to press in and plug you up beside the one remaining. 
And as you tried to stifle your moans, Steve’s palm swatted down over your ass, “don’t you dare hold back those filthy noises.”
“Yeah,” Bucky’s finger rocked in tandem inside of you as you felt yourself tumble over the edge, “be a good girl and wake up the entire house,” his filthy commands urged you in your foggy state to let go even further and comply to their wish, “be loud enough for everyone to discover just exactly what a little slut Steve’s innocent little stepsister is.” 
And as the intense wave of ecstasy washed over you, the pace of their fingers didn’t slow in the slightest, but grew rougher as their caresses began to overstimulate you. Squirming and whimpering beneath his touch, Steve continued in a gravelly tone, “yeah, they’re probably jerking it with their ears pressed up against the walls,” he tried to force a third digit inside, though both his and his friend’s attempts failed, try as they might, “wishing it was their fingers getting soaked by your sweet pussy.” 
“What do you think,” Bucky’s pinkie then traced the cream that had leaked down from your stuffed pussy, south over your little rosebud, till it dripped onto the mattress below. Tracing your other little hole, glistening from the way they had you leaking, he simply couldn’t help himself and slipped just the very tip inside, “maybe that could happen one day…” 
“If she’s good, sure,” Steve quit trying to work another finger inside, “can you do that, baby?” he asked as the rocking motion the two separate fingers in your cunt kept up and conjured a sloppy melody to slosh throughout the room, “can you be good for me, and then maybe one day I’ll open up the invitation to more than just my best friend?” 
“Pass you around like a fucking joint, keeping us all warm and happy…” Bucky smirked as he gazed down at how they each greedily played with both of your holes, “yeah, look at her, she’d fucking love that…” 
If it wasn’t for the loud curses both men then let out as they once more shoved you over the edge, you wouldn’t have noticed how your pussy began to cry around their digits, gushing fiercely as they then withdrew their touch, only to land a vicious row of smacks against your puffy petals, causing your overly sensitive pussy to squirt even further. 
They kept on occasionally tapping their broad palms over your swollen cunt as you forgot what your own name was, their lips twisting up into a grin each time your frame jumped at the light impacts. 
It took a long while for you to realise what the low grunts and the slick sounds were, though even when you finally heard them, you still didn’t have any clue just how long the two men had been stroking themselves, kneeled before your tempting haven. Perhaps it was a new development or maybe they had stopped resisting the second they began to play with you, reliving themselves to the front row seat they gave themselves. 
And as they slowly rose up to stand before you, like towering boulders at the foot of the bed you layed melted against, all of the air escaped your lungs as your hazy gaze landed upon the cocks in their hands. 
First, your eyes landed upon Steve, his throbbing girth enveloped in the missing panties he’d promised to return to you, as he squeezed them tighter around his dick with every stroke. But then when your stare drifted to Bucky, a smirk swiftly bloomed on his face at the way your jaw hit the floor. To say that he was large was the understatement of the century as the frat boy himself knew that if he wanted to have an easy career, then he could just become a pornstar and skyrocket to a legendary status overnight, simply because of his monstrously blessed equipment. 
“So,” Bucky grunted as Steve beside him adjusted his grip and began to slip your messy panties back on and up your quivering legs, “who are you gonna pick to pop your cherry?” he briefly reached down to aid his friend before the cotton snapped back into place over your sensitive cunt. 
“That’s not even a question,” Steve scoffed as he only let the underwear stay in its place for a second before his grip caught the waistband and yanked it down to flash your pussy once more, “it will be me.”
And as they both soon unravelled before you, each of them purposefully aimed at the exposed inner side of your underwear, their cum painting the soft cotton white, before Steve let go and it snapped back into place against your skin. 
“There,” Steve smiled as he caught his breath, “now you can go to freshman orientation.”
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As you scurried down the gothic halls of the university’s science building, your eyes drifted from door to door as you passed dozens of lecture halls, labs and offices. You weren’t even really sure if you were in the right building for what you were on the hunt for. 
“You lost?” a voice then suddenly found you as you peeked your head into an empty classroom. 
Spinning around, you saw an older man, surely a faculty member, paused in his leisurely stride and glancing up from the papers in his hand to gaze at you. 
“I–, uhm, maybe,” you admitted, suddenly overcome with the fear that you had accidentally wandered into a restricted area, “you wouldn’t happen to know where Professor Parker’s office is–, unless of course, that’s you.”
Shaking his head, he said, “no, I’m Dr. Richards.” 
“As in Dr. Reed Richards?” your eyes began to grow in admiration as you blinked back at the doctor, “the neurosurgeon who worked on that famous Alzheimer’s clinical trial a few years back?” 
“Guilty as charged,” he smiled, shifting the papers in his hand to slot them under his arm. 
“Oh wow,” you giggled, “I mean, I knew that you started teaching a course here, that’s actually part of the reason why I chose this school, but I just didn’t expect to–, I’m sorry, I’m just a big fan. I mean, you’re a rockstar,” you timidly gestured to him, “I hope to get into your class next semester, I’ve heard it fills up quite quickly.” 
“Well,” he tilted his head, “maybe you could swing by my office one day and perhaps we could figure out a way for one of the spots to be reserved for you.”
“Seriously?” his obvious flirting flew straight over your head as you didn’t yet know of his rakish reputation, “that would be amazing.” 
“Yeah, no problem,” the professor then turned to walk away, “and it’s the last office at the end of the hall, by the way.”
“What?”
“You were looking for Parker?” he reminded your starstruck mind, “end of the hall.” 
“Oh, right,” you breathed and glanced in the direction his finger briefly pointed, “thank you.”
“No problem,” he smiled before disappearing around a corner. 
As you neared the door, it stood slightly ajar, lending you to hear a deep voice quietly talking on the other side. Softly, you landed a few knocks before you carefully pushed it open. 
Standing behind the desk in the middle of the room and illuminated by the tall window behind him, stood the bespectacled professor you searched for, with a phone pressed up against his ear as he murmured into it. 
“Mhm, but it would just be Friday night,” he twisted around as he heard the threshold creak beneath your shoe. Briefly raising up a hand, he momentarily tilted the phone away from his lips to utter, “one moment, you can just have a seat,” he gestured to the chair on your side of the table before he then returned to the call, “are you sure? Okay, well, I’ll figure something else out… no, it’s alright, I get it,” he exhaled, “yeah, talk soon, bye,” before he hung up and sank down into his seat with a sigh, “sorry about that. Babysitter just cancelled on me.”
“Oh, it’s alright,” you waved a hand, “I’m sorry for just barging in, Professor Parker–, I mean doctor–, I mean–, uh…”
“Professor is fine,” he offered you a gentle smile to sooth your nerves, “what can I do for you?” 
“Well, it’s about your class…” you slowly began, “I know that I’m technically too late to sign up, but I just wanted to see if there was any possible way there might be one last slot left that I could fill.” 
“Oh,” he breathed in response. 
“Really, I’d do anything,” you stated before then detouring to a different tactic, “you said something about needing a babysitter? Maybe I could help,” you offered your services, “I used to do it for many years, all the way through my teens till I started here, so maybe I could lend a hand.” 
“I, uh…” his eyes narrowed as he thought it over. 
“Please?” your lips couldn’t help but press together in a pout, “I’ve dreamt about taking your class on medical history for years and years. You’d be like a genie granting me a wish.”
And as he blinked back at you, the luck that evidently was on your side shocked you to your very core as he unexpectedly uttered, “…alright.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he slowly nodded, “but if there aren’t any seats left–”
“Then I’ll happily sit on the floor or stand in the very back,” you beamed, “thank you so much, sir.”
“Of course,” he exhaled before opening up a drawer in his desk and plucking out a piece of paper, “this is the list of the required books,” he pushed it across the table before your eyes began to scan the titles, “I’m not sure if there are any copies left at the library, but maybe you can talk to some students, who has previously taken the course, if they bought a copy that you could borrow.” 
“I’ll make sure I have them, even if I’d have to steal them,” you jested. 
“Well, I don’t think I should sit here and encourage you to commit a felony, but I guess if you do get arrested, I can be your one phone-call,” he chuckled and went along with your joke, “so, about the other thing.”
“Yes,” you exhaled, both of your palms floating down to rest atop your thighs, “the kid–, kids?” 
“Just one, Benjamin, he’s six.” 
“Oh, that’s a fun age,” you smiled, “so, was it Friday?”
“Yeah, I have to attend this thing that I can’t get out of and it’s my turn to have him this week, but my ex is also busy that day, so yeah,” he sighed, “how about you just come over here after your classes that day and then we’ll hash out the rest?” 
“I will be there.”
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“What are you doing here?” you grumbled as you opened the door to your dorm room. 
“Well hello to you too, sunshine,” Bucky scoffed through a smile. 
“What do you want?” you held your grip on the edge of the door. 
“A thank you would suffice,” he tilted his head. 
Squinting your eyes at the lack of context, you muttered, “what?” 
“A little birdy told me you were looking for this?” he held up the book in his hand for you to spot, which just so happened to be the exact one you hadn’t been able to track down for Professor Parker’s class. 
“Blood, Phlegm, Yellow and Black Bile: A Brief History of the Four Humors by Helen Grey?” you swiftly snatch it from his fingers with a gasp, “where did you find it? I thought there weren’t any copies left at the library!” 
“There wasn’t,” he tilted his head, “I had a short stint back in my freshman year where I flirted with the fantasy of becoming a doctor, that was until I fell madly and deeply in love with journalism.” 
Glancing down at the cover, you uttered, “can I borrow it?”
But instead, to your surprise, Bucky countered, “you can have it. It’s yours, I don’t have any use for it, except if I suddenly got a burning desire to press some flowers,” he jested about the thickness of the tome.  
“Thank you, Bucky,” you blinked up at him with a smile before throwing your arms around his broad frame. Though as you hugged him, it didn’t take long before you pushed back to utter, “wait, this isn’t just some weird trick like last time, is it? Are you gonna make me do something dirty in return for the book?”
“I thought about it,” he admitted with a smirk, his gaze briefly dipping down your form, “but then I decided to just be nice.”
“What a foreign concept that must be for you…” you teased with the faint shake of your head, “glad you’re finally trying it out.” 
“Oh yeah, I’m terrified I’ll break out into hives,” he chuckled, leaning against the doorframe, “don’t tell anyone else, I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” 
And as you smiled back at him, you noticed how gratitude wasn’t the only sensation stirring in your soul, as a warm and fuzzy feeling began to flicker throughout your frame from the genuine gesture.
“So…” his eyes briefly trailed around the room behind you, “where’s your roommate at?” 
“At Delta Phi, hanging out with her girlfriend,” you murmured, “why?” 
And as his glance landed on you once again and the corners of his lips twitched, you heard him ask, “can I come in?” 
Sucking in a breath, you felt lightheaded as you uttered, “sure,” before stepping aside for him to enter. 
And that was how your stepbrother’s best friend ended up sitting on your tiny bed, his back pressed up against the wall, as he drew you further down in his lap and let his tongue dance against your own in a heated kiss. 
“I’m sorry, what?” you foggily tilted back as his muffled words flew over your head. 
“Move your hips,” he repeated, both of his palms denting your sides, “Steve said you have a habit of humping your cute little teddy bears and pillows and such,” his eyes briefly flickered to the plushies on the mattress beside him, “so just pretend that I am one, use me to make yourself feel good.” 
Blinking back at him a moment, it took you a while before you actually managed to make your pelvis move as the flabbergasted trance was harder to snap out of than you’d expected. Though as your hips cautiously rolled against his lap, a shaky breath slipped from your lungs as the friction of his palpable hardness nudging against your core caused you to shiver. It surely didn’t help matters either that the only thing shielding you from the sensation was the panties beneath your dress, which was quickly becoming so embarrassingly soaked that your want slowly began to stain the tent in his trousers. 
“That’s it,” he groaned as he leaned back to watch your timid efforts, “fuck…” 
At first, he let you steer the ship, carefully rocking down against him for an ounce of relief, but then when you tilted forward to capture his ravenous lips once again, his wide hands on your hips flexed before they took over your movements, instead rendering you just a puppet in his grasp as he grinded you down much more roughly than you’d dared to do on your own. 
“Shit, I don’t get you… how could this be enough for you?” he grunted as he grew impatient, “isn’t every molecule in your body screaming for you to get railed right now? Doesn’t this little pussy finally wanna get used?” 
“Buck, I–,” you panted as he nibbled against your neck, “I don’t know…” 
“Oh, you don’t know?” he couldn’t help but mock. 
“This feels r-really good to me,” your eyes fluttered as he kept on rocking you in his lap. 
“Well, it’s not good enough for me,” he growled before finally snapping and flipping you onto your back. Hovering above you as you collapsed on the small bed, he began to unbuckle his belt.
“I-I–, Bucky, I don’t think I’m ready for that–,” your eyes went wide as you watched him free his intimidatingly giant cock. 
“You sure? Not even a little bit?” he slowly began to twist his fist up and down the fat length, “it could just be the tip.”
Blinking down at the bulbous head, glistening with precum, you hazily shook your head, “n-no, it’s too big…” 
“Oh, I know it is,” he then reached out to shift your legs, slotting his dick in between your soft thighs before he paused to let a dollop of spit drop down from his lips and add some slickness before he slowly began to move, “is it because of Steve? Because I can keep a secret… I won’t tell if you don’t…”
Your eyes flickered down to his fat girth as he slid it between your thighs that he pressed together, “I thought you two told each other everything.”
“Well,” he smirked as he ripped his stare away to glance to your fuzzy expression, “I’m willing to make an exception…” 
Reaching down, he greedily squeezed your tits through the thin fabric of your dress, even catching your pebbly nipples in a pinch that caused you to gasp, before he slid his touch back down to either side of your legs. 
“What are you doing Friday night?” 
“Huh?” you panted as you were unable to tear your eyes away from his cock, slick between your trembling thighs. 
“Come over, the frat’s throwing another party,” he uttered from above you, “maybe we could sneak away when everyone else is hammered enough…” 
“I can’t, I have to babysit.” 
“Really?” he chuckled as his efforts migrated so far south that the heavy weight of him came to rest against your covered core, each greedy thrust now sliding against the soaked cotton and making you whimper, “I didn’t know you were into daddies…” 
“What?” you fought to comprehend his words as his fat girth skimmed across your clit, throbbing beneath the thin fabric of your underwear. 
“Never mind, sweetie,” he gave up with a slight laugh. 
Though as he stared down at your quivering form beneath him, his grip on the outside of your thighs tightened before he suddenly began to part them like the pages of a book.
“Oh, would you look at this…” he groaned as he revealed your sodden panties beneath his big cock, “you’ve fucking ruined these, haven’t you?” a teasing finger crept down to snap the waistband back against your skin, “you wanna feel me, huh? You wanna feel me right here?” he peered down at you as he tapped the heavy weight of himself against your covered centre. 
“I–…”
Hooking his thumb in the side of the gusset, he peeled your panties to the side, “do you?” shiny strings clung to the fabric as he kept it trapped in his grasp. 
“Yes,” you then uttered, surprising yourself as the only thing you could feel in this moment was your thumping heartbeat between your thighs. 
“Atta girl,” he grinned before lowering the length in his grip down against your glistening pussy. 
Trailing the bulbous tip through your wetness, he repeatedly parted your petals with his thick girth, the jarring comparison of his size directly against you making you dizzy. Though when his sweeping motion suddenly strayed further than before and he briefly held the entire length of him against, not only your cunt, but also your belly, then you feared you might actually faint beneath him. 
“See that?” he smirked as his heavy sack nuzzled against your quivering entrance while the tip of him reached all the way up to cover your bellybutton, “that’s how deep I’m gonna get when you finally let me inside…” groaning as he finally swept back down to flick his hardness through your sobbing petals, he cocked his head, “might break you, rearranging your guts like that, but fuck will it feel good…” 
And as you felt the world around you threaten to melt away in that blissful eruption you were slowly becoming more acquainted with, Bucky abruptly tore the intoxicating contact of his cock away from you. Though before you could part your lips in a complaint, your body instead quaked as he then tapped the hefty weight of himself repeatedly down against your puffy pearl, keeping the bullying up till you were writhing in pleasure beneath him. 
You thought you’d only blinked your eyes shut for a moment in the fog of it all, but when they fluttered back open, Bucky’s hot load decorated your messy pussy as he kneeled by you, panting as he offered his length one last squeeze. 
But just as you thought he’d let your panties snap back into place as a closing curtain to the show, he instead reached down to bully your tender core even further, smearing his cum against your aching clit before he swept his coated fingers down to tickle your leaky entrance in an attempt at stuffing as much of his load into your little hole as possible, though his greedy efforts eventually derailed when his fingers were stuffed so deep inside of you that you could barely breath at all, your nails digging into his forearm as he made you squirt all over your bed and the adorable teddy bears that layed scattered. 
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© 2025 thyme-in-a-bubble 
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anantaru · 1 year ago
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synopsis. boothill wants to know how many of his fingers you can take — one? two? or three? <3
cw. metal fingers (they're cold & vibrate), fingering + clit rubbing, calls you baby, fem! reader
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"no, no, no," boothill mutters underneath his drawn out exhale as his digits trace soft patterns over your achy clit, "don't buck back, baby, you're already so sensitive, aren't you?" as a grateful hum whirls against your temperate neck.
his eyes scan over your bare body— your tits showing erected nipples, your thighs so prettily soft and your ass, ugh, all for him to look at with your dress pulled up your waist.
naked, you're completely naked and it only made him delve deeper into his want, his need and the desire to crowd you with him.
it's all he wants, everything he needs.
you're so messy, so wet, just perfect. and boothill wonders how more messed up he could get you if he was to insert a finger inside. after all, currently he only rubbed on your clit, pulling on the hood of your pearl and playfully tugging it, surging warm curls into the reactive nerves as you're repeatedly bucking into his hand.
"you want a finger, hm?" he probs at your hole, his voice sounding so handsome, so desperately hot that in truth, you wanted him to fuck you right here and there, skip all of this and grace you with the thick press of his cock stretching you nicely, "just one now?" he winks smugly from behind as he pulls one finger in, leisurely, pressing back and forth to his knuckle and back.
you wince at the coldness immediately, the metal slipping within your temperate walls as you were already pretty much riding the finger. the clear contrast of hot walls and cold finger made you moan his name, moan it wetly and scream it even filthier as you arch your back, your ass rubbing back into his palm as he fingerfucks you.
"hey not yet, don't get too excited, gonna put two fingers in now," he groans quietly, kissing along your neck, rubbing your wet walls with one digit, "need to see you get excited for my cock later, you think you can take two though?" you're beyond overwhelmed by the single one, does he really believe the combination of one finger would give him such a reaction from you if not due to the fact that his digit was vibrating almost cruely.
a cold metal, spilling in and out, vibrating, the quivers and judders of strong sparks reaching all into the blood in your body, rushing through your weeping pussy as you slick him up with your wetness.
you nod eagerly, part your legs for him just a little more as he inserts the second— and this time, the stretch was already burning, a plenitude of pleasure melting into your sensitivity, riveting over your dazed mind. you felt a new sense of excitement enter your psyche, it's dangerous but you do not mind, and as you pull your head back to look at your boyfriend, you see bliss in his own expression, tented in the shadows of his eyes as he licks his lips.
in the most intimate sense, your budding cunt clenches down and shakes at the vibrations of his fingers adding an uncountable amount of new pleasure, the vibration like silent promises, promising you that they'll make you cum and cum all over his hand, right here and there, high on the sensation of the freezing steel entering you this filthily.
"you're so wet for me, oh, oh ugh," boothill bites down on your neck to hide his moans, but his fingers fuck you without pause, so lecherous with their precise thrusts entering your lust-filled body.
"it's so easy for me to just slide in, don't you feel it? you've been waiting for this, didn't you?"
"waiting for me to make you feel good,"
seeing your slick all over him so deviously decadent, made his heart skip a beat and cock hard, all the blood rushing to his erection— fuck, he's so hard and thick, his shaft pushing messily against your plush ass from under his boxers, the girth and length coaxing a thrilling shiver from your body.
"you want me to try three now?" your cunt sucks him in at his words, squelching noises buzzing over your ears in an embarrassing orchestra as you nod your head at him, loved to get stuffed on all ends, with all of him entering you.
"yeah? you want it? gotta be wide open for me, for later," abruptly, he adds the third and the stretch funnily enough— didn't feel too painful, which was due to the fact that you were already wet for him, soaking the insides of your thighs and your ass.
you're gasping, twitching, you're so hungry and bending around his fingers like you're made for him— as if boothill was always supposed to pleasure you this way. the compelling, pressuring thrusts of his digits rocking into your hole was enough for you to become overwhelmed by all the sensations happening at the same time.
sudden warmth fills your belly as you release all over his hand, the sparks of his fingers exuding the vibrations had turned stronger, harder and ruthless to the point where you could feel them attack your sweet, little clit, begging for mercy.
"ohh, yeah, just like that," he places a kiss on your neck, "let me see it, cum for me, pleaseplease," breathing heavily when he broke away to prolong your orgasm, "see? i told you baby, you could take three fingers, maybe more?"
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©2024 anantaru do not repost, copy, translate, modify
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aeralux · 8 months ago
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"My Sweet Little Niece" - Daemon Targaryen
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Summary: You foolishly thought that no one would find you pleasuring yourself in the midnight hours...
Warnings: SMUT; typical targcest (reader is Daemon's niece and it is mentioned a LOT); use of the terms 'uncle' and 'niece' during sex; degradation (slut, whore etc.); light spanking (like one/two spanks); doggy style; quite rough sex (but both like it); breeding kink (Daemon finishes inside reader); dirty talk (use of the words cunt and such)
Notes: Reader is Daemon's niece (Rhaenyra's sister) and has white hair, but nothing else is specified. No specific time frame or mention of marriages/other relationships.
Words: 4.2k
-- aera xx
As Daemon Targaryen paces the cold, stone floors of the council room in Dragonstone, his footsteps echo softly against the walls, a rhythmic cadence that punctuates the heavy silence of the chamber. The room is austere yet grand, its walls adorned with tapestries depicting the sigil of House Targaryen — a three-headed dragon — woven in threads of crimson and gold. Tall windows line one side of the chamber, their panes frosted with a thin layer of ice, allowing slivers of pale winter moonlight to filter into the room and cast ethereal patterns upon the floor.
As Daemon's thoughts whirl in the chill air, his attention is suddenly drawn to quiet sighs and moans from a nearby bedchamber.
The castle was asleep at this hour, and it possibly couldn’t be a maid. Curiousness got the better of Daemon, and he went to investigate against his better judgment.
Once he reached the source of the sound, he smirked to himself. Of course. Who else could it be besides his sweet niece? Acting all innocent and loving before the eyes of the court and making sounds like a whore from the Silk Streets during the night.
He wondered who the lucky man between her plush thighs could be. Was it Aemond, or perhaps Aegon? What if it was Helaena, and this was the only time the two girls could show their desire for one another?
Already starting to walk away, something stopped him. The hardness in his breeches made it uncomfortable to move. He sighed and wiped across his face to compose himself.
Daemon needed to see. He needed to see his niece being pleasured by whoever it was. Be it a knight or a maid. Agonisingly slowly, he pulled open your door. Making sure no sounds betrayed his presence.
At first, you didn’t even notice his intrusion, too lost in the pleasure of two fingers circling your clit and two in your tight hole knuckles deep. But once you heard the familiar creak of the venerable wooden door, its aged hinges announcing a timeless entrance, your head instinctively snapped up. The air around you shifted, thick with expectation.
"Uncle Daemon!" you exclaimed, hastily pulling the sheets up to cover your bare form beneath. "I…I didn't expect you!"
You could feel the heat of embarrassment rising to your cheeks, mixed with a twinge of annoyance at having your private moment interrupted. Your long silver-white hair was tousled against the pillow, strands clinging to your sweat-dampened skin.
"I was just…" you fumbled for an excuse, your voice trailing off lamely. There was no hiding the truth - you had been caught in the throes of self-indulgence, fingers buried knuckle-deep inside your dripping cunny as you imagined being taken roughly by one of the handsome young knights in service to the crown.
Your mind raced as you tried to find the right words to explain yourself, but your tongue felt heavy and clumsy in your mouth. You knew that your actions were scandalous, especially for a highborn lady of House Targaryen, but you couldn't help the thrill of excitement that ran down your spine at the thought of being caught in such a compromising position.
Your fingers were still buried deep inside your sopping wet cunny, the evidence of your shameful desires dripping down your thighs and staining the fine silk sheets beneath you. The air was thick with the musky scent of your arousal, mingling with the faint smell of lavender that clung to your skin from your earlier bath.
Daemon's eyes widened slightly at the sight before him, his gaze flickering over your dishevelled form and the obvious signs of your recent activities. For a moment, he was struck dumb, caught off guard by the raw, primal desire that radiated from his niece's body like a physical force. He could feel his cock stirring to life in his breeches, thickening and hardening as he drank at the sight of you.
But then his training kicked in, and Daemon schooled his features into a mask of stern disapproval. He crossed the room in a few long strides, the heavy tread of his boots muffled by the plush carpet. Leaning down, he grasped your wrist firmly and withdrew your fingers from between your thighs, ignoring the way you gasped at the sudden loss of stimulation.
"Darling," he said, his voice low and cold. "What in the seven hells are you doing, girl? Playing with yourself like some common whore? Is this how you spend your nights, indulging in base carnal desires?"
His grip on your wrist tightened, and he brought your hand up to his face, pressing your fingers against his lips. The taste of your arousal exploded on his tongue, sweet and musky and utterly intoxicating. Daemon's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, savouring the flavour of his niece's essence.
"You're a Targaryen," he growled, releasing her wrist and straightening up. "You should know better than to give in to such shameful appetites. Especially not with your uncle standing right outside your door."
Despite his harsh words, there was an undercurrent of something else in Daemon's tone - a dark, simmering heat that belied his stern exterior. He could feel the pulse of his own need, throbbing in his loins and demanding to be satisfied. The sight of you sprawled out across her bed, flushed and wanton and ready to be taken, was almost more than he could bear.
Daemon took a step back, putting some distance between them. He raked a hand through his golden locks, trying to calm his growing hunger for you.
Your heart raced as you watched Daemon lick your essence from his fingers, his eyes closing in bliss as he savoured the taste. The sight sent a fresh wave of heat coursing through your veins, and you couldn't help but spread your thighs wider, inviting him to take a closer look at your dripping cunny.
The guilt that churned in your stomach was nothing compared to the raw, primal desire that consumed you. You had done far worse things behind closed doors, indulged in darker, more forbidden pleasures. This was merely a taste of the debauchery that coursed through your veins.
“Daemon," you breathed, your voice trembling with a mix of fear and anticipation. "Please, don't be angry with me. I… I couldn't help myself. The need was too great, too overwhelming to ignore."
You batted your eyelashes at him, hoping to soften his stern demeanour with an innocent, pleading look. You knew the power of your beauty, the way men were drawn to you like moths to a flame. It was a gift, one you had learned to wield like a weapon.
"You're the only one who truly understands me," you continued, your words dripping with honey.
As you spoke, you reached out with trembling fingers, tracing the hard planes of Daemon's chest through his shirt. You could feel the heat of his skin beneath the fabric, the steady thrum of his heartbeat. It called to you, urging you to press herself against him.
Your heart pounded in your chest as you awaited Daemon's response, your dripping sex exposed to his piercing gaze. You could feel the weight of his stare like a physical touch, sending shivers of anticipation down your spine. The vulnerability you felt at that moment was both terrifying and exhilarating, a heady mix of fear and desire that made your head spin.
Daemon's eyes darkened as he drank in the sight of your glistening folds, his nostrils flaring as he caught the intoxicating scent of your arousal. He could feel his cock straining against the confines of his breeches, throbbing with the need to bury itself inside your tight, wet heat.
He took a step closer, looming over your prone form on the bed. "You're playing a dangerous game, little one," he growled, his voice low and rough with barely contained lust. "Teasing me like this, exposing yourself to me. Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?"
Your breath caught in your throat as Daemon reached out, his fingers grazing along the soft skin of your inner thigh. You could feel the calluses on his hands, the strength in his grasp as he slowly inched higher and higher, until his touch was mere inches away from your aching core.
"I… I wanted you to see," you whispered, your voice trembling with need. Although it wasn’t entirely true, you did still however want him to take you. And with these sweet words, he would cave in no time.
Daemon's eyes flashed with a dangerous light, his jaw clenching as he fought to maintain control over his raging desires. He knew that what he was about to do was wrong, a betrayal of every moral code. But the temptation was too great to resist, the allure of his niece's forbidden fruit too powerful to deny.
With a low, animalistic growl, Daemon surged forward, capturing your lips in a bruising kiss. He plundered your mouth with his tongue, claiming you, possessing you, marking you as his own. One hand tangled in your long, silver hair, tugging it.
You moaned into the kiss. It was like a siren's call, luring Daemon further into the depths of depravity. With a growl, he allowed himself to be pulled onto the bed, his muscular body covering yours as he claimed your mouth with renewed hunger. His hands roamed over your curves, squeezing and kneading the soft flesh like a man possessed.
Your fingers scrabbled at Daemon's linen shirt, desperate to feel the heat of his skin. You tugged impatiently at the fabric, breaking the kiss just long enough to yank the garment over his head and toss it aside. Your eyes widened at the sight of his toned chest, marred only by a few silvery scars from battles long past.
"By the gods, Uncle," she gasped, your hands greedily exploring the planes of his back and shoulders. "You're so strong."
Daemon's lips curled into a smirk as he ground his hips against yours, letting you feel the hard length of his cock straining against the confines of his breeches. "And you, my little girl, are a temptress beyond compare," he growled, nipping at your earlobe. "So soft, so ripe, so ready to be plucked."
Your back arched off the bed as Daemon trailed his lips down the column of your throat, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin just above your collarbone. You could feel the heat pooling in your belly, the ache between your thighs growing more intense with each passing second.
"Please, Daemon," you whimpered, your hips rocking against his in a primal rhythm. "I need you, I need to feel you inside me, filling me, claiming me."
Daemon's eyes flashed with a dangerous light, his control hanging by a thread. With a low growl, he captured your lips once more, swallowing your moans as he reached down and tore at the laces of his breeches. His cock sprang free, thick and hard and throbbing with need.
Your eyes widened as you took in the impressive sight of Daemon's manhood, your breath catching in your throat at the sheer size of him. You had always known that your uncle was a proud, confident man, but now you understood the true source of his cockiness. His cock was a work of art, thick and veiny and pulsing with an almost palpable hunger.
Unable to resist, you reached out with a shaking hand, wrapping your fingers around the hot, velvety length. You licked your palm, spitting into it to provide some lubrication as you began to stroke him slowly, marvelling at the weight of him in your grasp.
Daemon let out a low, guttural moan as your hand moved along his shaft, his hips rocking into your touch. "Fuck, that's it," he growled, his voice rough with desire. "Stroke me, princess. Show me what that clever little hand can do."
You smiled up at him, your eyes shining with wicked delight. You shimmied closer to him on the bed, watching with rapt attention as Daemon stood before you, his cock extending out obscenely from between his legs.
The blood coursed hot and heavy through Daemon's veins as you worked his shaft, your delicate fingers gliding over his throbbing flesh in a slow, torturous rhythm. He could feel every nerve ending screaming for more, for the tight, wet heat of your cunt wrapped around him.
"You like that, don't you?" You purred, your hand pumping faster, twisting your wrist on the upstroke. "You like feeling my hand on your big, hard cock. I bet you've dreamed of this, of fucking your sweet little niece, filling her up with your seed."
Daemon let out a feral snarl, his hips snapping forward as he fucked your hand, chasing the pleasure that only you could give him. "You have no idea what I've dreamed of," he growled, his eyes burning into yours. "What I've planned, what I'm going to do to this tight little body of yours."
"Mmh, yeah? Why don’t you tell me then?” Your words and actions grew bolder as you saw his reaction to your touch, your arousal gushing out of you at the erotic sight.
Your daring words and bold actions ignited a fire in Daemon's loins that threatened to consume you both. His cock throbbed and pulsed in your grasp as you started to tease the tip with your tongue, your lips forming a tight seal around his engorged head. The sight of his niece's pretty mouth stretched obscenely around his shaft sent a fresh surge of heat straight to his groin.
"Fuck, you filthy little minx," Daemon growled, his fingers tangling in your long silver hair. He tugged at it roughly, forcing you to take more of him into your hot, wet mouth. "You want to know what I'm going to do to you? I'm going to ruin you for any other man. I'm going to fuck you so hard, so deep, that you'll never be able to forget the feel of my cock inside you."
You moaned around his length, the vibrations sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing through Daemon's body. You could feel the sticky wetness of her arousal coating your thighs, the musky scent of her desire mingling with the taste of his pre-cum on her tongue.
"Mmmph, yes Uncle Daemon," you slurred, your words muffled by his thick cock filling your mouth. "Ruin me, use me, make me yours. I want to feel you in every inch of me."
"That's it," he growled, his hips snapping forward, driving his cock deeper into your warm mouth, throbbing. "Take it all, baby girl. Take every inch of your uncle's big, hard cock."
You moaned around him, the sound sending shivers down Daemon's spine. You relaxed your throat, allowing him to slide deeper until the head of his cock was bumping against the back of your throat. Your nose nestled in the thick, wiry curls at the base of his shaft, inhaling the musky, masculine scent of him.
"Gods, you're a natural," Daemon praised, his voice strained with the effort of holding back his release. "Such a good little cocksucker, so eager to please your uncle."
Your eyes fluttered closed, lost in the haze of pleasure as you worked Daemon's cock with your mouth and hand. You could feel the heavy weight of it on your tongue, the pulsing heat of it against the roof of your mouth.
Daemon's eyes flashed with a dangerous light, his breath coming in short, sharp pants as he fought to maintain control. He could feel the pressure building in his balls, the urge to bury himself to the hilt in your tight, dripping cunt becoming more and more overwhelming with each passing second.
"Enough," he snarled, yanking you off his cock with a lewd pop. "I can't take it anymore. I need to be inside you, need to feel you wrapped around me like a vice."
With a swift, brutal movement, Daemon flipped you onto your hands and knees, kicking your legs apart to expose the glistening folds of your sex.
The sudden shift in position caused you to let out a surprised yelp. You felt Daemon's strong hands grip your hips, lifting your rear end high in the air. You instinctively arched your back, presenting yourself to him like a bitch in heat. The cool air of the bedchamber kissed your bare flesh, sending goosebumps racing across your skin.
The depraved display sent a bolt of pure lust through Daemon's veins, his cock twitching with the need to claim you, to make you his in the most primal way possible.
"Gods, you're a vision," Daemon growled appreciatively, his emerald eyes roaming hungrily over your upturned ass and dripping cunny. "So wet and ready for me already."
He gave you a sharp smack on the rump, relishing the way you jolted and let out a gasp. The reddening handprint on your skin looked deliciously obscene.
"That's it, present yourself to your uncle like a good little whore," he commanded, lining up his swollen cockhead with your entrance. "Show me how much you need my cock filling this greedy little cunt."
You moaned wantonly, reaching back with one hand to spread herself open for him. Your puffy folds glistened with arousal, practically begging to be stuffed full. The shame of what you were doing only served to heighten your arousal, the taboo nature of your relationship sending electric thrills down your spine.
"Please, Uncle Daemon," you begged, your voice high and needy. "I need you inside me, stretching me, filling me up. I'll do anything, be anything you want me to be."
Daemon let out a low, appreciative chuckle as he stepped up behind you, his large hands gripping your hips with bruising force. "Anything, hmm? We'll see about that."
Without warning, he slammed his cock into you, burying himself to the hilt in one brutal thrust. You screamed in ecstasy, your walls clenching around him like a vice as he filled you.
"Fuck, you're tight," Daemon grunted, his hips snapping against your ass as he set a punishing pace. "So fucking tight and wet for me, baby girl. Your little cunt was made for my cock."
You could only moan in response, your body rocking forward with each powerful thrust of Daemon's hips. The obscene sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the room, mingling with your cries of pleasure and Daemon's grunts of exertion.
As Daemon pounded into you, one hand snaked around your waist, his fingers finding your swollen clit. He rubbed it roughly, the calloused pads of his fingers sending jolts of electricity through your body.
A broken sob escaped your lips as you felt his fingers rub tight circles around your swollen clit. Hips jerking from the stimulation.
"There she goes," Daemon growled, his fingers working your clit with merciless precision. "My sweet little niece, so responsive, so desperate for her uncle's touch."
You could only moan in response, your head hanging down, your long silver hair cascading over your shoulders. The wet, obscene sounds of your coupling filled the room, a lewd symphony of flesh slapping against flesh and the squelch of your dripping arousal.
You shivered at his praise, your body still humming with pleasure. Despite the shame that threatened to overwhelm you, you couldn't deny how much you had enjoyed being used so thoroughly.
Daemon angled his hips, hitting that sweet spot inside you with each powerful thrust. He could feel your velvety walls rippling around him, milking his cock for all it was worth.
As he looked down he could see a ring of white cream coating the base of his cock, your arousal so evident. He smirked to himself and sped up his pace, fucking you almost brutally.
Daemon's brutal pace showed no signs of slowing, his hips pistoning in and out of your tight heat with relentless force. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoed off the stone walls, mingling with your wanton moans and whimpers.
"Look at you," Daemon growled, his voice rough with lust. "My sweet little niece reduced to a mewling, cock-hungry slut. You love this, don't you? Love being used like a cheap whore, love having your uncle's cock stuffing your needy cunt."
You couldn't deny it, not with the way your body was responding to his harsh words and even harsher thrusts. Your back arched, pushing your hips back to meet him thrust for thrust, your nails digging into the fine linens beneath you.
Daemon's hand left your clit, moving up to fist a handful of your long silver hair. He yanked your head back, forcing you to look at him over your shoulder. His eyes were wild, burning with a primal hunger that sent shivers down your spine.
"Who does this cunt belong to?" he snarled, his voice a dark promise. "Who owns your pretty little body, baby girl?"
"You do," you gasped out, the words spilling from your lips unbidden. "It's all yours, Uncle Daemon. I'm yours."
"Damn right, you are," Daemon growled, releasing his grip on your hair to wrap his arms around your waist. He pushed you down onto your stomach and lifted your hips, shifting the angle of his thrusts to strike even deeper, harder, faster.
The new position had you seeing stars, your cries of pleasure resonating off the stone walls. Each thrust sent ripples of ecstasy through your body, your muscles clenching around him like a vice.
"Say it again," Daemon demanded, his voice strained. "Tell me who this pussy belongs to."
"You," you sobbed, your voice high and breathy. "It's yours, Daemon. All yours."
"That's right, baby girl," Daemon growled, his hips slamming into you with renewed vigour.
Your body was trembling beneath him on the silky sheets of your bed. Your tight hole spasming around Daemon's big cock, creaming all over his length. Like a bitch in heat you screamed in pleasure below him, cunt gripping him in a vice.
Daemon's grip tightened on your hips as he drove into you with pure animalistic lust, your cries of pleasure mixing with his grunts of exertion. Bed creaking beneath you, the headboard slamming against the wall with each violent thrust. The feeling of your tight, dripping cunt spasming around him was almost too much to bear. Daemon could feel his release barreling towards him like a freight train, his balls drawing up tight against his body. The filthy sounds of your cries and the obscene squelch of your arousal filling the room only served to heighten his lust.
"That's it, princess," Daemon growled, his hand coming down on your ass in a sharp smack. "Take it all, take every inch of your uncle's big, hard cock."
You moaned wantonly, your hips bucking as he hit that sweet spot deep inside you. Your juices coated his shaft, easing the way as he pounded into you relentlessly.
"Uncle Daemon," you gasped, your voice strained with pleasure. "It's so good, so deep. Don't stop, please don't stop."
Daemon grinned savagely, his hips snapping forward with renewed vigour. He could feel the tension building in his lower belly, the tell-tale tingle in his spine that signalled his impending release.
"Oh, Gods! I'm gonna cum!" You managed to squeal into the sheets, tears starting to stream down your face from the intensity of his thrusts.
"Aw, fuck yes, you are," Daemon growled, his voice a dark promise. "Cum for me, baby girl. Cum all over your uncle's big, hard cock."
His hips snapped forward, driving his cock deep into your convulsing channel. Your cries of ecstasy filled the room, your body shaking with the force of your release.
You could feel your juices squirting out around Daemon's shaft, your inner muscles clenching and fluttering as you rode out the waves of your orgasm. It seemed to go on forever, your vision blurring at the edges, your mind numb from the sheer intensity of it all.
Daemon held you close, his arms wrapping around your trembling form as he continued to thrust into you, prolonging your pleasure. His release was fast approaching, his balls drawing up tight against his body.
"Fuck," he gasped, his voice strained. "Gonna fill you up, gonna pump you full of my seed. Gonna make you mine in every fucking way."
With a final, brutal thrust, Daemon buried himself to the hilt inside you, his cock pulsing as he spilt his hot seed deep within your womb. You could feel it, the way his thick, potent cum coated your inner walls, marking you as his.
As you both came down from your high, Daemon pulled out of you with a lewd pop. He flopped down onto the bed beside you, gathering you into his arms and pulling you close.
You rested your head on his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat as you basked in the afterglow. Despite the taboo nature of your relationship, there was a rightness to being here with Daemon, a sense of belonging that you had never felt with anyone else.
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writingsoftarnishedsilver · 5 months ago
Note
anything you want i did see a video where he was saying you hurt my darling to Rockwood and my did things to my heart
By Right of Blood | Sebastian Sallow x Reader
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RAHHHH THIS WAS FUN. I LOVE PROTECTIVE SEB. I HOPE YOU ENJOY. I admit, I got carried away and this ended up longer than I anticipated which is why it took me a hot minute to get to this but I hope it was worth it!
Fair warning: this fic is realllllly just a lot of angry, protective seb + fighting/action; very little fluff/romance/etc until the very end
A very special thank you to @newdreamlove95 for reading this over and helping me revise before posting! <3
Words: ~13,000
Tags: Violence, Trauma, Reader Insert, Female MC, No Y/N, No Hogwarts House, Canon Divergence, Post Hogwarts, Auror Seb, Auror MC, Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Romance, Confessions
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The ruin was ancient—far older than the maps suggested.
You exhaled, the sound swallowed by the dense, humid air of the underground chamber. The magic here was thick, pressing against your skin like something alive. It whispered at the edges of your mind, hinting at an enchantment cast long ago.
Your wand's light flickered against the damp stone as you stepped forward, careful, methodical. Runes lined the archways, warnings etched in a dialect you barely recognized. You traced your fingers over them, murmuring a translation under your breath.
Do not enter. Do not disturb what has been sealed.
A warning, not unlike many you had seen before.
You had been breaking curses for years, navigating the remnants of forgotten civilizations, dismantling traps left behind by those who feared their own creations. It was dirty, dangerous work—but it suited you, kept you sharp, fulfilled your unquenchable need for adventure.
This ruin was no different.
The patterns in the stone, the way the air hummed—there was something familiar about it.
Ancient magic.
You stepped toward the center of the chamber, fingers brushing the edges of an inscription half-buried beneath the dust of centuries.
Then, you heard a sound.
Faint, but unmistakable. Not a ghost. Not an animal. Not the whisper of long-dead magic. It was the slow, deliberate scuff of boots against stone.
Someone was here.
You whirled around, wand gripped tightly, heart immediately hammering against your ribs, adrenaline spiking.
"Identify yourself."
The laugh that followed was slow, low at first but rising, curling around you like smoke.
You recognized it immediately. It was a sound that haunted your nightmares, woven into memories you had long tried to bury. The echo of it sent something sharp and cold twisting in your gut.
From the darkness, a figure stepped into the dim glow of your wandlight.
“Hello, love.”
Your grip on your wand tightened.
“I have to say,” the man mused, tilting his head as though appraising you, “I was beginning to think I’d never get the chance to see you again. You’ve been quite the slippery little thing, haven’t you?”
Your blood ran cold, but you kept your stance firm, refusing to let him see the way his presence set every nerve in your body alight with warning.
“You should be dead,” you said evenly.
“Should be,” he echoed, almost lazily. “But I’ve always been a difficult man to kill.”
His eyes flickered over you, and something dark and satisfied curled at the edges of his expression.
“And you—still sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.” His gaze drifted to the ruins around you. “I wonder… is it curiosity that brought you here? Or instinct?”
Your pulse roared in your ears, but you held steady.
“You’re a fool if you think you’ll walk away from this,” you said, voice low, dangerous. “The Ministry has been hunting you for years. You won’t leave these ruins alive.”
Another laugh.
“Oh, I rather think I will,” he replied, tipping his head in amusement. “And you, my dear, will be coming with me, in due time of course.”
The words had barely left his mouth before you moved.
Your wand cut through the air, the incantation forming on your lips—but the curse never left your tongue, because he was faster:
"Crucio."
Pain exploded through you, tremendous and searing. Your knees buckled. Your wand slipped from your fingers, clattering uselessly against the stone as your body hit the ground. Every muscle seized, your spine arching against the agony as if to escape the pain.
The world blurred, your vision tunneling as your screams echoed off the cavern walls.
It felt endless.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
Your breath came in ragged gasps, your body trembling, nerves raw and burning in the aftermath. The cold stone beneath you did nothing to ground you, nothing to dull the lingering agony that curled through every inch of you like a live wire.
Boots scraped against stone.
Through the haze, you saw a second figure step beside you. You tried to move. To reach for your wand. To fight. But before you could, a boot connected with your face and pain erupted again—sharp and immediate, snapping your head to the side.
A burst of light—too bright, too fast—as your skull cracked against the stone.
The last thing you heard before everything plunged into darkness was a voice, smooth and satisfied.
"Sleep tight, love."
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Victor Rookwood was a ghost story.
A name spoken in hushed tones, a shadow that stretched long over the years, fading in and out of whispered rumors like a specter that refused to be laid to rest. He had haunted the edges of Ministry investigations, slipping through the cracks, a vanishing act so seamless that some believed he had died in hiding. Others swore he had fled the country, abandoning his tattered empire to rot. There were even those who claimed he had gone mad—driven into the depths of some forsaken ruin, a king without a throne, wasting away in solitude.
But Sebastian Sallow knew better.
Rookwood was too proud, too vain, too damn angry to let himself rot in obscurity. He had spent a lifetime clawing his way into power—he would not fade quietly into the dark.
Sebastian told you once, in passing, that the Ministry still had a standing order to find him. That somewhere, someone was always searching. But he never told you that he was the one leading the hunt. That it was his team tracking every cold lead, every whispered sighting, every scrap of intelligence that might finally drag the bastard into the light. He never told you that he had spent every fucking year since leaving Hogwarts with a singular purpose: to make sure the ghosts that haunted you never had the chance to crawl out of the dark.
Because no matter how many years passed, no matter how much you tried to leave it behind, there was one person tied to Rookwood’s downfall more than anyone else:
You.
It was why Sebastian had never questioned your decision to become a cursebreaker instead of an Auror, even when others did. Even when they called it a waste of talent. He knew why. Knew what the rebellion had taken from you—what ancient magic had cost you.
And it was why he hadn’t wanted you going alone.
Southern Scotland. Uncharted ruins. A job you couldn’t pass up.
“I don’t like it,” he had told you before you left, arms crossed, jaw tight with unease.
“You don’t like anything that involves me going anywhere alone,” you had pointed out, amused, packing your satchel with methodical efficiency.
Sebastian’s scowl had deepened. “And for good reason.”
He wasn’t wrong. Cursebreaking was dangerous by nature.
And what you didn't know was that to Sebastian, this wasn’t just another expedition. He had waded through enough bodies in his time as an Auror to recognize a pattern when he saw one, and of one thing he was certain: Rookwood’s activities had increased lately.
Small things, at first—whispers in Knockturn Alley, Ministry research going missing. Then the disappearances started. Then the unsolved cases, scattered across the country, all tied together by the same faint, rotten thread. His team of Aurors was finding bodies again, burned and mutilated in ways that were too familiar. The signs were all there—Rookwood was growing bolder, the noose of his ambition tightening.
And now you were gone.
A simple owl was all Sebastian had asked for. A brief message—I’m fine. Don’t worry. Still working. It was the bare minimum, a compromise between his paranoia and your stubborn insistence that you could take care of yourself.
But the hours stretched long, the silence thickening into something unbearable.
No owl. No sign of you. And Sebastian knew. Fuck, he knew.
Victor Rookwood had you.
He'd gone through every logical excuse—maybe you’d finished late, maybe found something interesting in the ruins and got sidetracked. You had taken worse risks before, pushed the limits of your own survival in ways that made him grit his teeth and call you reckless. But you were also experienced. Brilliant. And you knew the weight of promises made to the people who worried about you.
You wouldn’t forget to owl him.
Sebastian shot up from his chair so violently that it scraped across the floor, nearly toppling over. Across the room, a few of his fellow Aurors glanced up from their desks, but no one said anything. They had learned by now that when Sebastian moved with that particular kind of urgency, it was better to stay out of his way.
He stormed through the office, his mind already sharpening, already forming the next steps: he needed resources. He needed names. He needed your fucking location.
Sebastian tore through the corridors of the Ministry, moving fast enough to nearly knock over a passing file clerk. Papers went flying, a startled protest rose behind him, but he barely muttered an apology before pressing forward, his pulse a sharp, insistent drumbeat in his ears.
The Department of Cursebreaking was quieter than his own, filled with scholars and field researchers instead of hardened Aurors. Less war, more history. It had always suited Ominis.
Sebastian stepped into his friend's office without knocking.
Ominis was already standing, his chair pushed back, his posture rigid.
Sebastian exhaled sharply through his nose. “She’s missing.”
“I know. I tried contacting her this morning,” Ominis replied, his voice tight, each syllable measured, controlled. “No response. And there were traces of magical interference, which means whatever happened to her—” He cut himself off, his hands curling into fists at his sides. His breath came a little too sharply through his nose. “It wasn’t an accident.”
Sebastian already knew that.
"Not shit," he snapped, voice raw, hoarse. His hands curled into fists at his sides, shaking with barely restrained fury. "Rookwood has her."
Ominis exhaled sharply through his nose, unreadable behind the usual mask of quiet control—but Sebastian knew him too well. He saw the tension in the way he stood, the way his fingers twitched at his sides, the way his jaw clenched just a fraction tighter. Ominis was worried.
Good. He should be.
Still, when he spoke, his voice was measured, deliberate. "Sebastian—"
"Don’t tell me to calm down," Sebastian cut in, already knowing what was coming. "Don’t—don’t say that I should sit tight and be rational and fucking wait while Rookwood—" His breath hitched, and he turned away sharply, hands raking through his hair. "Fuck."
Ominis’ shoulders stiffened, but his voice remained level. "I'm worried too," he said, quieter this time, as if the weight of the words might reach Sebastian through the haze of his anger. "But we can’t do anything rash. You don’t know what you’re walking into, and—"
"Rookwood has her, Ominis." Sebastian turned back to him, his gaze wild and desperate. "You know what that means."
Ominis did know. Knew it all too well. Knew what Rookwood was capable of. Knew what he had done to people before. Knew what he would do now, given the chance.
And worst of all—knew exactly what you meant to Sebastian.
He had always known.
Had seen it written in every unspoken word, every sharp breath, every stupid reckless thing Sebastian had done for you since they were teenagers. It was in the way he watched you when you weren’t looking, the way he always reached for his wand at the first sign of trouble, the way his whole world seemed to orient around you without him even realizing it.
And now you were gone.
"Sebastian—"
"We don't have time to wait!" Sebastian interrupted, his voice raw, shaking. "We don't even know how long she's been missing. She could’ve been taken yesterday, she could be—" His throat tightened, something painful lodging there. "We don’t know, Ominis. And you’re asking me to fucking wait?!"
Ominis exhaled through his nose, struggling for calm. "Your team is in the field," he pointed out, even, steady. "They need to be here. You need them."
Sebastian shook his head, laughing bitterly. "I need to go. Now. Before it's too late."
"You’re talking about storming into a situation blind. Without backup. Without a plan. Do you hear yourself?" Ominis’ voice sharpened. "Do you even care if you survive this?"
Sebastian stilled.
And that—that—was what made Ominis go still, too.
Because Sebastian didn’t answer. His breathing was too fast, his fists still clenched at his sides, and in his silence, Ominis knew.
Sebastian wasn’t thinking about himself at all.
Sebastian had never been good at restraint, had never known how to stop when it came to the people he loved. He had already proven, again and again, that there was nothing—nothing—he wouldn’t do if someone he loved was in danger. And you—
You were everything.
"Sebastian, please," Ominis tried again, softer this time, stepping closer. "You going in alone is exactly what Rookwood would want."
Sebastian let out a sharp, bitter exhale. "Rookwood wants her, Ominis," he spat, voice hoarse. "And I’ll be damned if I let him have her."
Ominis hesitated. Because the truth was, Sebastian was right. They didn’t have time.
But Ominis also knew, with every shred of certainty in his body, that if Sebastian went now—alone, reckless, half-mad with fury—he might never come back.
But the Auror was already moving.
"Owl my team," he said, reaching for the door and ignoring Ominis's protests. "But I'm not waiting for them."
He stormed into the hallway, his mind a razor-sharp edge of focus. He didn’t know where you were, but he knew where to start.
The ruins. That was where Rookwood had found you. But Sebastian had never seen the ruins himself, had never been there. He couldn't apparate to a place he didn’t know.
Which meant he needed someone who did: your apprentice, Elias Vane.
Sebastian found him in the far corner of the Cursebreaking Department, hunched over a desk littered with notes, open grimoires, and a cup of tea, long forgotten.
Vane was young—barely out of Hogwarts—but sharp. Talented. You had spoken well of him before, praised his instinct, his skill. Reckless, yes, but capable. A good cursebreaker.
And right now, Sebastian needed him.
He didn’t slow as he approached, didn’t stop. His hands slammed against the desk with enough force to rattle the inkpot and send a loose parchment fluttering to the floor.
Vane jolted, eyes snapping up in alarm. “Shit—”
“You’re coming with me,” Sebastian said, voice cold, clipped. His pulse roared in his ears. No time. No patience. “Now.”
Vane blinked, still disoriented. “What—?”
“The ruins,” Sebastian snapped. “The ones she went to. You’ve been there, haven’t you?”
Vane’s expression flickered with confusion, then something like wariness. “Y-yeah, once, during the initial survey, but—”
“Then you’re taking me there.”
Vane frowned, still catching up. “Wait—why? Where’s—”
“She’s missing,” Sebastian cut in, his voice like flint. “No owl. No sign of her.” He straightened, shoving back from the desk. “We need to leave. Now.”
Vane paled. He scrambled to his feet, knocking over the inkpot in the process, but didn’t even glance at it. “She—she’s missing? But—” His voice dropped to something unsure, something unsteady. “She’s good at this, Sallow. If something happened—”
Sebastian’s jaw clenched. His breath came sharp through his nose.
“She didn’t just get lost,” he said, voice dangerously low. “She was taken.”
Vane hesitated, but whatever he saw in Sebastian’s expression had him snapping his mouth shut and nodding. “Alright. But if she’s just holed up in some side chamber taking notes, she’s going to kill us both for interrupting her.”
Sebastian didn’t respond.
He prayed to every god he didn’t believe in that was the case, but the dread clawing at his chest told him otherwise.
He stepped closer, gripping Vane’s arm.
“Hold tight,” Vane murmured before twisting his wand.
The world cracked apart, then Sebastian’s boots hit the stone with a sharp thud.
The ruins loomed before him, vast and desolate, and he felt it. Something was wrong.
Sebastian had been in enough places touched by dark magic to recognize the suffocating stillness that hung in the air. It was the kind of silence that only followed violence. The kind that made the hair on the back of his neck rise.
He turned in a slow circle, scanning the surroundings while Vane exhaled beside him, eyes sweeping over the ruins. “She's supposed to be here,” he murmured. “She would have left something behind. Campfire. Equipment. A bloody note.”
Sebastian was already moving toward the mouth of the cave, his boots crunching over loose gravel as he walked. His pulse pounded, his grip tightening on his wand.
Then he saw it.
Boot prints. Many boot prints.
His stomach twisted as he crouched, fingers brushing over the disturbed earth.
Vane stepped up behind him. “What is it?”
Sebastian didn’t answer. A sick feeling clawed up his throat. The confirmation of what he already knew. You'd been ambushed. The evidence was right in front of him.
Victor Rookwood had been here.
Sebastian turned to Vane, voice tight with barely restrained fury. “Tell me everything she was researching.”
Vane swallowed. “Uh, ancient warding magic. Something about sealed vaults. She was trying to cross-reference Keeper records with—”
Ancient warding magic. The same damn thing Rookwood had been stealing from Ministry archives for months.
“Fuck.” Sebastian dragged a hand through his hair, his pulse roaring.
He knew what Rookwood wanted, and it wasn’t just revenge. It was your magic—the same power you had buried, the same magic Victor had lost in the rebellion. The bastard had played a long game. He had waited, plotted, and then, the moment you had gotten too close—
He had taken you.
Sebastian turned to Vane, who was still pale, eyes darting to the boot prints in the dirt. The young cursebreaker swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably under his unwavering stare.
“You’re going back to the Ministry,” Sebastian ordered.
Vane blinked. “What? No, I—”
“Go back,” Sebastian repeated, stepping closer, his grip tightening around his wand. “Go to Ominis. Tell him everything we saw here. He’ll know what to do.”
“But—”
Sebastian didn’t have time for hesitation. “You’ll just get in my way.”
Vane recoiled slightly, offense flashing across his face, but Sebastian didn’t let up.
"This isn’t some damn expedition," his voice was low, razor-sharp. "Do you honestly believe that when it comes down to it, you can make the call? That you can put someone in the ground before they do the same to you?" He stepped closer, eyes burning with intensity. "Because that’s what this is. It’s not research. It’s war. And I don’t have time to babysit you."
Vane opened his mouth, but no words came out. He swallowed hard, something in his face crumbling as the weight of reality settled in.
Sebastian exhaled sharply, forcing himself to pull back. His voice, when he spoke again, was quieter.
“You want to help? Find Ominis.”
Vane hesitated for only a second longer before nodding, his face grim. “What are you going to do?”
Sebastian barely hesitated. “I’m going after her.”
Vane’s frown deepened. “You can’t just—”
“I can,” Sebastian cut him off, his voice low, lethal. “And I will.”
Something in his expression must have made it clear that there was no point arguing, because Vane exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “You’re mad.”
Sebastian didn’t bother denying it. Instead, he turned his back on the younger man and stalked toward the deeper ruins, the weight of his purpose pressing like a blade against his ribs.
Behind him, he heard Vane mutter a curse before taking out his wand. “If you get yourself killed, I’m not explaining it to Gaunt.”
Sebastian didn’t answer.
With a sharp crack, Vane disapparated, leaving Sebastian alone.
The silence pressed in immediately, thick and smothering as he moved deeper. He took a slow breath, centering himself. He had to think. Had to move quickly.
Rookwood had taken you, that much was clear. But where?
His eyes swept over the ruined chamber, cataloging every detail with a hunter’s precision. The boot prints led toward the collapsed corridor ahead, vanishing deeper into the tunnel. There were too many to count—at least half a dozen men. Maybe more.
Sebastian followed them without hesitation, his movements sure.
The ruins stretched ahead, the air thick with humidity and the musty scent of mildew. Ancient carvings lined the stone, half-obscured by moss and time. The dampness clung to his skin, the scent of earth and decay filling his lungs.
Then, as he stepped into a large cavern, he stopped abruptly, his breath catching.
Blood.
It wasn’t a lot—just a smear, a faint streak against the stone floor—but it was enough.
He dropped to a knee. There were boot prints everywhere, some overlapping, some leading deeper into the ruins. And the blood... he ran a finger through the smear. Still tacky. It was fresh. Recent.
Yours?
His gut roared at the thought, a sickening, lurching thing as he forced himself to breathe.
Every instinct screamed at him to run, to tear through these tunnels and hunt them down—but he couldn’t afford recklessness. Not yet, anyway.
Instead, he straightened, rolling his shoulders back, steadying the fire burning in his chest. His wand was firm in his grip, his fingers still slick with the tacky smear of blood. He wiped them against his coat absently, his mind already working through the possibilities.
There were too many boot prints to count, but the path was clear. They hadn’t been subtle—there was no need. No one else was supposed to be here. No one was supposed to find you.
And yet, here he was.
Sebastian followed the trail. The air grew colder the deeper he went, the damp walls pressing inward like silent sentinels. The corridor narrowed, the carved runes along the stone becoming more intricate.
He stiffened at the echo of a sound ahead.
Low voices, faint but distinct. Men speaking in hushed tones as they walked, their words carried along the tunnel by the damp echo of stone.
Sebastian pressed himself against the wall, listening.
“—still unconscious. Probably won’t wake for a while.”
A rush of relief nearly buckled his knees. Unconscious. That meant you were still alive.
Another voice scoffed, rough and unimpressed. “You kicked her too hard. The boss wanted her awake.”
Sebastian’s grip on his wand turned to iron.
They had hit you.
A red haze crawled up the edges of his vision, something sharp and vicious curling in his gut, coiling around his ribs like a beast that had been waiting for the right moment to sink its teeth in.
Sebastian had never been afraid of the dark.
And he had never been afraid to become it.
He inhaled, long and slow, pushing the fire in his chest into something controlled, something sharp, then he moved. Silent. Swift. A shadow among the ruins.
The two men were just ahead, walking side by side, their pace easy, relaxed—unaware. Their figures flickered in the dim torchlight, heavy boots scuffing against the stone floor, their cloaks shifting with the movement.
Sebastian didn’t hesitate.
A flick of his wand, and the first man barely had time to choke before he collapsed, soundlessly paralyzed, his body hitting the ground in a dead weight.
Sebastian was already moving onto the next one.
The second man turned, mouth opening to shout, but Sebastian was faster. His wand slashed through the air.
"Diffindo."
The spell tore through the air. The man barely had time to gasp before a deep, jagged gash split across his chest, blooming red.
Sebastian stepped forward, pressing his boot against the man’s throat as he writhed, choking on his own blood. The dying wizard’s fingers scrabbled weakly against the stone, his panicked eyes meeting Sebastian’s.
Sebastian knelt over him, his wand pressed hard beneath his chin.
“Where is she?”
The man’s mouth opened, but only a wet, gurgling sound escaped.
Sebastian lifted his foot just slightly, allowing the man just enough space to take a breath. “Where. Is. She?” he repeated.
The man clawed weakly at his boot, his breath rattling in his chest.
Sebastian sighed, almost disappointed. He lifted his wand, tilting his head slightly. Then, without a flicker of hesitation—
"Petrificus Totalus."
The man’s body went rigid in an instant, his limbs locking at unnatural angles as the spell took hold. His eyes, wide and frantic, remained the only thing still able to move.
Sebastian watched, impassive, as blood continued to seep from the wound at the man’s side, pooling beneath him, soaking into the cracks of the ancient stone.
Helpless. Still.
The man would bleed out, unable to move, unable to take any action to save himself. And Sebastian didn’t care.
He moved deeper into the cave, following the footsteps. All the while, his sense of dread only grew, thrumming in the walls, in the air, in his bones, suffocating, unnatural, and reeking of something vile.
Then Sebastian heard it.
Laughter.
Low, amused voices, men speaking in tones that dripped with cruel delight. The sound sent ice through Sebastian’s veins. He pressed forward, inching closer to the chamber ahead. The tunnel widened into an open space, wandlight flickering against damp stone.
He counted five—no, six men, their postures relaxed, cocky. Unbothered.
Then he saw you.
Chained to a crumbling stone pillar, arms bound above your head, wrists rubbed raw and bloody against thick iron cuffs. Your head hung forward, temple bleeding, dark streaks cutting across the bruised, pallid skin of your face. Your breathing was slow, shallow. Unconscious.
Sebastian clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached.
One of the men—tall, broad-shouldered, his cloak hanging open over grimy leathers—stepped closer to where you hung limp against the pillar, head tilted at a sickeningly casual angle. His wand was holstered, his hands free, because why would he need his wand for this?
His fingers found your jaw, tilting your head up so he could get a better look.
"Such a pretty little thing, eh?"
For a moment, Sebastian couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
His entire body was coiled so tightly with rage that he thought he might shatter from it, might detonate with the sheer force of it.
Another man scoffed, rolling his shoulders. “Wouldn’t give the likes of us a second look, though,” he muttered. “Fucking arrogant bitch."
The first man’s fingers drifted lower, tracing the delicate curve of your throat, brushing past your collarbone, slow and deliberate.
"Doesn’t matter, does it?" Another man chuckled. "She ain't gonna fight back. And the boss ain’t ready for her yet."
A smirk.
"So, boys—who wants a turn first?"
Sebastian moved.
No thought. No hesitation. Only rage.
The first man—the one touching you—never stood a chance.
A bolt of magic ripped through his chest, so fast, so brutal, that he didn’t even have time to scream. The impact shattered his ribs, the sickening crunch of bone echoing through the chamber as his body crumpled, folding in on itself before it hit the ground.
The second man turned, his mouth opening in shock, powerless as Sebastian twisted his wand and sent a curse flying.
It struck the man mid-turn, his body arching backward, spine bending at a grotesque, impossible angle. He let out a choked, gurgling wheeze before collapsing in a twitching, broken heap.
Then the chamber erupted.
Shouts. The sharp scrape of boots against stone. Panicked movement.
Sebastian was still moving, weaving between them like death incarnate.
A man raised his wand, but Sebastian didn’t let him speak.
"Confringo."
A scream tore through the cavern, raw and agonized as fire consumed him. He collapsed against the stone, his fingers clawing at his skin like he could rip the pain out of himself.
Sebastian turned, already raising his wand for the next.
Another man lunged, his own wand slashing through the air, but Sebastian deflected him effortlessly, stepping into his guard before driving his knee hard into his gut. The man doubled over with a strangled grunt, but Sebastian wasn’t done—he slammed the hilt of his wand against the side of his skull, sending him sprawling.
A sharp movement to his left—
Sebastian pivoted, casting Expulso with enough force to send the next man flying into the cavern wall.
The impact was sickening. A wet, meaty sound, bones crunching on impact. Blood smeared against the stone as the man slumped, unmoving.
The chamber fell into silence.
Heavy. Dripping.
Sebastian was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling in sharp, furious bursts. His wand was still raised, fingers tight around the handle. The taste of iron burned at the back of his throat, the air thick with the stench of sweat and blood and fire.
And yet it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.
His gaze snapped to the last man, who was trembling now, wand unsteady in his grip, eyes darting toward the exit, toward the ruins of his comrades, and then to Sebastian.
Sebastian took a slow, measured step forward.
The man sucked in a breath, his grip tightening on his wand, and then he moved.
Not toward Sebastian. Not to fight.
To you.
Sebastian’s blood ran cold. He saw it—the way the man lunged, wand flicking upward at just the right angle—
Apparition.
Sebastian didn’t think. He lunged, too.
His fingers snatched at the bastard’s cloak, curling tight in the fabric just as the magic took hold.
The world twisted. Everything spun, a brutal, suffocating force yanking him forward, ripping him from solid ground and into the crushing void of nonexistence.
Then, as suddenly as it started, the world righted itself.
Sebastian’s boots slammed onto solid ground. Cold air hit his face. The scent of damp earth, of moss and rain, filled his lungs.
They were outside.
Deep in the woods, far from the ruins. The sky overhead was dark, moonlight barely slipping through the heavy canopy of trees.
The man who had taken you staggered forward, thrown off balance by the rough landing. Sebastian wasted no time. His wand was already raised, his fury razor-sharp.
"Bombarda!"
The spell struck the man mid-turn, ripping him off his feet and sending him crashing into the nearest tree. His body crumpled to the ground, unmoving.
Then silence.
Sebastian stood in the stillness, his breath coming in sharp, ragged pulls, his wand still raised, his fingers locked in a death grip around the handle. His heart was a drumbeat in his ears, fast and erratic, each pulse laced with fury, with need.
The bastard was dead. Good.
He turned.
His stomach plummeted.
You were in a heap on the ground, crumpled atop a bed of damp, decaying leaves. Your body was limp, your arms still bound, your deathly skin pale beneath the bruises and blood smeared across your face. The rise and fall of your chest was slow—too slow.
Sebastian’s fury shattered, replaced instantly by fear.
“Fuck, no, no, no—”
He dropped to his knees beside you.
“Come on, love,” he muttered, his voice shaking despite himself. “You’re alright. You have to be alright.”
He swore, frustration thick in his throat, turning his attention to the shackles. He had to get these off you.
His wand cut through the air again—Finite Incantatem. No reaction. Alohomora. Not even a flicker.
Sebastian’s jaw locked. Fuck magic, then.
He tossed his wand aside and lunged for the shackles, fingers digging into the rusted iron, trying to pry them off with brute strength alone.
The moment his skin touched the metal, a biting cold leached into him, unnatural and parasitic.
Sebastian gasped, his muscles seizing, his breath hitching as a sickly, creeping energy seeped into his fingertips, curling through his veins like poison. It crawled up his arms, pulling, draining—a deep, gnawing hunger that seemed to suck the very life from his bones.
Cursed. It was cursed.
Sebastian ripped his hands away, staggering backward, his breath coming too fast, too shallow. His fingers tingled where they had touched the shackles, as if something had tried to stay inside him, tried to take root.
“Fuck,” he swore again, running a trembling hand through his hair, trying to clear the dizzy haze the metal had left behind.
Then—
A twig snapped.
Sebastian froze.
“Well, well,” a voice drawled. “Isn’t this touching?”
Sebastian turned slowly, wand raised, heart pounding in his chest like war drums.
Victor Rookwood stood at the edge of the clearing, half-shrouded in shadow, his coat hanging open over the fine but worn layers beneath.
“You certainly do make things interesting, Mr. Sallow.” His tone was almost amused, but his eyes burned with something colder. “I do wonder, though—was it bravery or foolishness that brought you here? Love certainly makes people do strange things.”
Sebastian didn’t answer.
He stood, wand still raised. His heart was a hammer in his chest, the weight of it crushing against his ribs, but his grip remained steady, his fingers curled tight around his wand.
Rookwood was watching him like a cat might watch a cornered mouse. His posture was relaxed, his stance loose, his wand held low like it was barely worth lifting. A show of control. A show of patience.
Sebastian had seen men like him before.
Men who spoke in honeyed words while they bled people dry. Men who lied with a smile, who thrived on games, on power, on knowing they were one step ahead.
Sebastian exhaled slowly through his nose, forcing himself to think.
He hasn’t killed her. That was the first fact that mattered. If Rookwood wanted you dead, you would already be gone. Instead, you were here, bound and unconscious, but alive.
Which meant Rookwood needed you. And if he needed you—then he wasn’t as in control as he wanted Sebastian to think.
Rookwood’s smirk deepened, as if he could see the thoughts forming in real-time. “Not even a word?” He tsked softly, shaking his head. “I must say, Sallow, I expected more given your reputation."
Sebastian didn't falter. “Let her go.”
Rookwood let out a quiet, breathy chuckle. “Ah. Straight to business.” His gaze flicked toward you, still slumped in the dirt, before returning to Sebastian. “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”
Sebastian’s grip on his wand tightened. “Then I'll kill you where you stand.”
Rookwood actually laughed at that. A slow, smug sound, low and indulgent. “Oh, you could.” He gestured vaguely, as if the idea was nothing more than a passing thought. “But let’s be realistic, shall we? You and I both know it’s not that simple. The curse on those shackles won’t lift without me.”
Sebastian stiffened. Shit.
"So tell me, Sallow," Rookwood’s voice was unhurried, easy, as if they were discussing the weather over tea. "What’s the play here?”
Sebastian didn’t answer. Didn’t shift. Didn’t so much as breathe the wrong way.
It was obvious now.
This wasn’t just a fight. This was a game. A dangerous, calculated game, and if Sebastian wanted to win, if he wanted to get you out of here alive, then he had to play it right.
Rookwood watched him, eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “Do you even know what those shackles are doing to her?” His tone was conversational. “I imagine you’ve already felt it yourself. That creeping little rot in your bones.” He tsked, shaking his head. “Must be excruciating, hm?”
Sebastian barely stopped himself from looking at you. Because that was what Rookwood wanted, wasn’t it? To make him look. To make him see how helpless you were, to force him to feel that panic tighten around his throat like a noose.
But the problem was Rookwood wasn’t lying. You were dying. Slowly, yes, but it was happening. So what the fuck was the right move here?
Every instinct in Sebastian's body screamed to attack, to kill him where he stood, but if the curse needed to be lifted manually, then Sebastian might as well carve your fucking tombstone himself.
His fingers twitched. He forced himself to breathe.
“Fine,” he bit out. “What do you want?”
Rookwood’s smirk deepened, his eyes glittering with amusement. “Now you’re speaking my language.” He took a slow step forward, watching Sebastian like a cat toying with a mouse. “It’s simple, really. You’ve been such a thorn in my side. Constantly investigating me, tracking me down, sending your little Auror friends after me." His expression darkened, the amusement fading into something more calculating. "So, here’s my offer: you leave. You walk away. You stop chasing me, stop meddling in my affairs, and, most importantly—” His gaze flicked toward you, still slumped and dying in the dirt. “—you forget you ever saw me. And when I'm finished with her, you'll get her back alive."
The words slithered through the cold night air, wrapping around Sebastian like a chokehold. His stomach twisted, nausea curling tight beneath his ribs, but his face remained unreadable.
“I think,” Sebastian said slowly, voice even, steady, “that you have me confused with someone who bargains.”
Rookwood’s smirk didn’t falter, but there was something else beneath it now. A flicker of something colder.
“Oh?” he mused, tilting his head, as if truly considering. “Then I suppose I'll just need to persuade you."
A curse slammed into Sebastian’s chest before he could react.
Pain exploded through his ribs, knocking the breath from his lungs in a sharp, violent burst. The force of the spell sent him flying, his body crashing against the damp earth, his wand slipping from his grip and skidding across the forest floor.
For a moment, his vision swam—dark spots blooming at the edges, the world tilting on its axis. Cold night air bit at his skin, but his chest burned, ribs screaming with each ragged inhale.
Rookwood was on him in an instant.
A boot slammed down against Sebastian’s wrist, grinding it into the dirt, keeping him pinned, helpless, his wand just out of reach.
“I should’ve known better than to waste time talking,” Rookwood muttered, his voice low, almost disappointed. "Men like you—"
Sebastian moved. Fast.
Before Rookwood could finish his sentence, Sebastian wrenched his body to the side, twisting hard despite the searing pain in his ribs. He gritted his teeth, ignored the screaming protest of his muscles, and lunged—
His hand snatched at Rookwood’s ankle, yanking with every ounce of strength he had. The older man staggered, his balance thrown, his weight shifting just enough—
Sebastian ripped himself free, shoving himself up from the ground in a single fluid motion. His shoulder slammed into Rookwood’s torso, driving him backward, but the older man recovered fast.
Rookwood’s wand snapped up. Sebastian ducked. A jet of red light seared past his ear, narrowly missing him, splintering the bark of a nearby tree.
Sebastian didn’t let him cast again.
He surged forward, slamming into him, sending them both sprawling into the dirt in a brutal scramble.
A sharp crack echoed through the clearing as Sebastian's his fist connected with Rookwood’s face. Blood smeared across his knuckles, and Sebastian pressed forward, his other hand grappling for Victor’s wand, fingers brushing against the handle.
Then pain erupted through his side.
Sebastian gasped, his body jerking as something hot and burning sliced through his ribs.
Rookwood had a knife. A dirty, wicked-looking thing that he'd hidden beneath his coat.
Sebastian’s chest rose and fell in sharp, heaving breaths, his ribs screaming, his side burning where the knife had carved through him. His wand was still somewhere in the dirt, just out of reach. He shoved Rookwood back and forced himself upright, muscles trembling from the effort.
Rookwood now stood a few feet away, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
And he was grinning.
“That’s quite the right hook you’ve got there,” he mused, flexing his jaw. “And here I was beginning to think the Ministry had gone soft.”
Sebastian said nothing. His breath came slow and deliberate, fingers twitching for his wand—
Rookwood smirked.
“Eight years,” he mused, pacing leisurely in front of him. "It took you eight years to finally come face to face with me. Your entire career’s work—tracking me, investigating me, sending your little Auror friends after me.” He sighed, shaking his head. “And yet, despite all that effort, here we are. And I must say—” He tutted, tilting his head. “It’s a bit of a shame, isn’t it? That you're just so bloody weak."
Sebastian clenched his jaw so tight it ached.
Rookwood continued, his voice smooth, almost pitying. “The Ministry is so slow, isn’t it? Always a step behind. Always cleaning up messes instead of preventing them.” His smile widened. “It took you eight years to catch up to me. And now you’re here. Wandless. Bleeding. Powerless.”
Sebastian’s fingers curled into fists.
“You talk too much,” he rasped, his voice raw.
Rookwood chuckled. "Personally, I think I'm being quite charitable, Sebastian. Your life is about to end, surely you want to know what it is I've been working towards all this time, hm?"
Sebastian swallowed against the sharp taste of blood at the back of his throat.
“Ancient magic is such a fascinating thing, don’t you think?” Rookwood mused. "Older than the Ministry. Older than the Hogwarts founders. Power that predates our understanding of what magic even is.”
Sebastian didn’t move. Didn’t speak. He was listening. Because that was the thing about men like Rookwood, they always wanted an audience, and right now, every second he spent talking was another second Sebastian had to think.
Rookwood exhaled, long and thoughtful, tilting his head. “You know, the real shame of it is that she never even stopped to consider what that power could do if properly harnessed." His gaze flicked toward you, still unmoving in the dirt. “She feels it. Wields it. And yet was still too much of a coward to reach for its full potential."
Sebastian forced himself to breathe, slow and steady. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Rookwood tutted, shaking his head. “Come now, you already know.” He gestured broadly, as if to the very world around them. “The Repository. Sealed. Hidden away. Even though ancient magic is my goddamn birthright.” He clicked his tongue. “The Ministry likes to pretend she warded it off for good. How naive."
Sebastian inconspicuously scanned the forest floor for his wand, finally locating the green and black handle laying a couple meters to his right.
“The problem, of course,” Rookwood went on, “is that the only one who can open it is her."
His gaze flicked toward you again.
“Because she’s special. I imagine you’ve known that for a long time." Rookwood's smirk deepened.
“So what?” Sebastian spat. “You think she’s just going to help you?”
Rookwood chuckled. “Oh, Sebastian.”
Sebastian hated how easily he said his name.
“She doesn’t need to help me," Rookwood continued. "She simply needs to be there.”
A cold dread curled at the base of Sebastian’s spine. “What the fuck are you saying?”
Rookwood hummed. “I’m saying that she is the key. Quite literally. You see, I don’t need her consent. I don’t need her to willingly give me anything." He tilted his head. "I just need her alive long enough to get me in."
Sebastian’s vision went red. His mind screamed for him to move. To lunge. To tear Rookwood apart.
Eight years ago, before Auror training, before he had learned restraint, he would have. He would have thrown himself at Rookwood with all the reckless fury he had in him, would have clawed and ripped and killed him with his bare hands if he had to.
And it would have gotten him killed.
But now—
Now, something cold settled into his chest. Not quieting his rage. Not taming it, but focusing it.
Sebastian couldn’t afford to be reckless, not while he was wandless and bleeding and Rookwood held a winning hand. He just needed to break Rookwood’s composure. Needed to goad him into making a mistake.
Then he’d gut him.
Sebastian exhaled slowly through his nose. His gaze flicked toward his wand, half-buried in damp earth.
"Must be exhausting," Sebastian said, forcing a breath past the sharp pain in his ribs. "Still clinging to old failures, knowing you were bested by a fifteen-year-old all those years ago."
Rookwood’s jaw tensed. Sebastian smirked.
"You’re desperate," Sebastian continued breathlessly. "That’s why you need her. Ancient magic is beyond you, and you know it. You’re just a desperate, pathetic bastard trying to steal power he doesn’t understand."
That did it.
Rookwood’s eyes darkened with something dangerous.
Sebastian had seconds. Maybe less.
Rookwood lunged, knife in hand—but this time, Sebastian was ready. His heel dug into the dirt, and he dove sideways, landing with a heavy thud.
His fingers wrapped around his wand, and before Rookwood could even think, Sebastian flicked his wand, "Depulso!"
The force of the spell slammed into Rookwood’s chest, sending him staggering back. He barely had time to recover before Sebastian staggered to his feet.
"Expelliarmus!"
Rookwood’s blade flew from his grasp, falling to the ground, and for the first time, Rookwood looked genuinely surprised.
But Sebastian wasn’t finished.
"Bombarda!"
The force of the blast sent Rookwood hurtling backward, his body slamming into a tree. Leaves floated down around him, and he collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.
Sebastian stalked toward him, wand steady, fury burning white-hot through his veins.
"Like I said, you talk too much," he growled.
Rookwood lifted his head, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, his smirk weak but still present. "And you… are entirely too predictable."
Before Sebastian could react, Rookwood’s fingers barely twitched with wandless magic—and you flew across the clearing. The air whooshed past, and in an instant, you were wrenched from where you lay and pulled into Rookwood’s grasp like a ragdoll.
No.
No, no, no.
Sebastian's fingers flexed around his wand, and the rest of him—his body, his mind, his fury—all locked into place, caged by the sight of you limp in Rookwood’s arms, unconscious, barely breathing.
Rookwood smirked, his hand curling around your throat—not tightly, not choking, but firm enough to send a clear message.
Sebastian's mind raced, working through every possible scenario, every hex, every fucking spell that could fix this—
But there was nothing. Not while Rookwood held you like a human fucking shield.
Sebastian’s grip on his wand tightened. "You're going to let her go."
Rookwood smirked, tilting his head. "And what, pray tell, will you do if I don’t?"
Sebastian gritted his teeth. He forced himself to breathe, to keep his expression blank, to push back the fear clawing at his throat. He couldn’t show weakness. Couldn’t give Rookwood anything.
"I'll kill you with my bare hands."
Rookwood laughed a full-bodied laugh, low and indulgent, like this was entertainment to him.
“You are delightful,” he mused. "Truly."
Sebastian’s pulse was a steady, furious drumbeat in his ears. He needed a plan. Needed to separate you from him.
Rookwood adjusted his grip on you, keeping you firmly between himself and Sebastian. "Tell me—are you willing to gamble with her life?" He hummed, considering. “Because I will snap her neck if you make a single wrong move."
Sebastian felt sick. His muscles were coiled tight, his every instinct screaming to act, to fight, to rip Rookwood apart piece by piece—
He forced himself to exhale slowly through his nose. He's bluffing.
"You won't do it," he said, voice low, razor-sharp.
Rookwood lifted a brow. "And what makes you so sure of that?"
"Because you need her alive. You said it yourself."
Rookwood hummed, tilting his head as if considering. "That’s true. I do need her."
Sebastian could feel the shift, the subtle tug-of-war, the way Rookwood was toying with him.
"But you—" he tightened his grip around throat. "—you need her more."
Sebastian’s wand was steady, unwavering, but inside—inside, something cracked.
The bastard would kill you.
Because the game had changed.
This was no longer about Rookwood getting you to the Repository.
No.
This was about Rookwood staying alive.
Sebastian hadn’t realized it at first, hadn’t put the pieces together because of the rage clouding his vision. But now, with Rookwood wandless, his weapon gone, his body pressed against the bark of a tree with you limp in his grasp—
Now, Sebastian saw it.
Rookwood wasn’t in control anymore. He was stalling. Because of course he was. He was self-important, arrogant, an entitled little bastard who thought the world owed him its power. Your death would be an inconvenience to him, yes—a massive fucking setback to his ambitions—but between your death and his?
There was no question which life he valued more.
Sebastian swallowed against the raw fury pressing against his throat.
“You’re scared,” he said.
Rookwood’s smirk twitched, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Sebastian took a slow step forward.
“You should be.”
Rookwood adjusted his grip on you slightly, shifting his stance. “Bold of you to say, given the circumstances.”
Sebastian tilted his head just slightly, eyes locked onto his. “Is it?”
Rookwood’s fingers flexed against your throat, as if he thought the subtle pressure might rattle Sebastian. Might make him desperate.
But Sebastian didn’t react. Didn’t move. Didn’t so much as flinch. Instead, he let his gaze flick—just for a second—toward Rookwood’s empty hands. Just a cornered rat, grasping for anything to keep himself from getting eaten alive.
“Do you know what I think, Rookwood?”
The bastard said nothing. Sebastian smiled. Just a little. Just enough to make it mocking.
“I think you know you’re already dead.”
He could see the moment Rookwood understood. The moment his arrogance cracked, the moment he finally saw the board for what it was, and realized he was out of moves.
Sebastian lunged forward, his hands fisting into the fabric of Rookwoods coat in a white-knuckled grip as he dragged him forward and apparated.
The world lurched.
Magic pulled tight around Sebastian’s ribs, wrapping around him like a vice as the weight of Apparition crashed over them both. He pulled Rookwood with him, his grip unbreakable. 
And then they landed. 
The world snapped back into focus. The bright light, the desks, the walls lined with maps and case files. The scent of ink, parchment, and freshly brewed tea clashed violently with the blood and dirt smeared across his skin.
The Auror Department had been buzzing before—anxious, tense conversation rippling through the air as Sebastian’s team and Ominis scrambled to form a plan to go after him.
But now? The second they appeared—Sebastian, you, and Rookwood—
Silence.
Total. Utter. Fucking. Silence.
And then—
Chaos. Pandemonium.
A crash of chairs and desks as Aurors surged forward, wands raised.
"GET HIM RESTRAINED!"
"WHAT THE FUCK—"
"IS THAT—? THAT'S ROOKWOOD!"
Sebastian staggered, his grip ripping away from Rookwood as Aurors descended on the bastard like a pack of wolves, yanking his arms behind his back, forcing him to his knees as enchanted restraints snapped tight around his wrists.
Sebastian's breath was ragged, his chest rising and falling in sharp, furious bursts, his fingers shaking from the adrenaline still thrumming through his veins.
Then Rookwood laughed. A slow, breathy chuckle, low and condescending, even now, even fucking now, after everything.
Sebastian's wand clattered to the ground as his rage overcame him, his fist connecting with Rookwood’s face before anyone could react.
The impact was brutal. A sickening crack as knuckles met bone, as Rookwood’s head snapped to the side. Blood splattered against the Auror Department’s pristine floors.
Another hit. Another.
Sebastian didn’t stop. Didn’t think. Just swung.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"You filthy fucking bastard!" Sebastian roared. His voice was hoarse, frantic, furious. His hands ached, knuckles split and raw from the force of his own rage.
Rookwood spat blood, still grinning, his lips split, his nose crooked from the sheer force of Sebastian’s attack.
"Struck a nerve, did I?" he rasped, voice wheezing from the damage.
A snarl ripped from Sebastian’s throat as he drove his fists into Rookwood’s face, over and over. Blood splattered across his knuckles, staining his skin, but it wasn’t enough. The world had narrowed into a singular, blistering point of rage—a fire that burned so hot it consumed everything else.
Because Rookwood took you. He hurt you. He was going to kill you.
And Sebastian couldn’t fucking stand it.
The room around him was filled with shouts and barked orders and hands gripping at his coat, but none of it registered.
All he could see was Rookwood. Bloodied. Laughing.
Even as multiple sets of hands dragged him backward, it didn’t matter. Sebastian fought against them with everything he had, his body twisting, muscles coiled tight with rage, his knuckles dripping with blood—his own, Rookwood’s, he didn’t fucking care.
"Get off me!" he snarled, wrenching free for just a second—just enough to grab the bastard by the collar and slam his head back against the floor, hard enough to hear the crack of impact.
Rookwood let out a wet, choking sound, blood bubbling between his teeth, but that smirk—that fucking smirk was still there.
“Sebastian, enough!” Ominis yelled—but even he didn’t sound convinced it would work.
Sebastian twisted, his hand snapping toward his wand on the floor, fingers closing around the handle, the weight of it grounding him, feeding into the burning need.
"Crucio."
Rookwood screamed.
A raw, inhuman sound, his back arching violently, his limbs spasming against the enchanted restraints, his body writhing in agony as the curse took hold.
Sebastian watched. Breathing heavy. Eyes dark. Hands steady. And fuck, it was satisfying.
No one moved. No one dared move.
Aurors, seasoned war-hardened witches and wizards, stood still, stunned into silence, their wands raised but motionless.
Ominis—Ominis—was silent.
Sebastian didn’t care. Didn’t feel a damn thing beyond the pure, burning relief of watching Rookwood suffer. Of watching him break. Of making sure the last thing this filthy fucking bastard felt before he died was pain.
When he finally dropped the curse, the silence was suffocating.
The only sound left was Rookwood’s ragged, shaking breath, the way his body twitched, the way he tried and failed to push himself upright.
Sebastian crouched low, gripping Rookwood’s collar in his fists, jerking him just slightly forward—enough to make sure he was listening.
And then, voice low, voice calm, voice filled with everything he meant—
"You were dead the second you laid a fucking finger on her."
Rookwood’s eyes barely flickered. His mouth opened, but whatever smug retort had been forming died the second he saw the way Sebastian lifted his wand.
A breath. A heartbeat. Then—
"Avada Kedavra."
A flash of green light.
Rookwood’s body jerked and then stilled. Lifeless. Dead.
The room remained silent. No one moved. No one spoke.
Sebastian didn’t feel an ounce of fucking regret.
And then—
"Sebastian."
Ominis’ voice cut through the silence like a blade.
Sebastian turned, slow, sluggish, like his body hadn’t quite caught up to the sheer finality of what had just happened.
His gaze landed on you.
Still on the floor. Still unconscious. Still dying.
"Fuck—" He dropped to his knees beside you so fast the impact jarred through his bones, but he didn’t care, couldn’t care—his hands were already reaching, shaking, desperate as they curled around your wrists, your shoulders, cupping your face, tilting your head back slightly, searching for any sign—anything—that you were still with him.
"Come on, love," he muttered, barely aware of his own voice, the way it cracked, the way his breath came too fast, too sharp. His thumb brushed against your cheek, tracing the bruises, the cold sweat on your skin. "You’re alright. You’re gonna be alright."
No reaction. His heart slammed against his ribs.
"Ominis—" his voice cracked, breath hitching, and then he was looking up, wild-eyed, desperate. "Ominis."
Ominis was still standing in place, his wand gripped tight in his hands, the only sign that he was even processing what had just happened.
Sebastian didn’t have time for that.
"The shackles," he rushed, words tumbling out too fast, too frantic. "They’re cursed. They’re killing her—I tried to take them off, and I—" He swallowed, shaking his head. "Do something!"
Ominis hesitated.
Sebastian saw it. Saw the way his lips parted, saw the way his fingers twitched, the uncertainty bleeding into his normally measured expression.
Sebastian lost it.
"You’re a fucking Cursebreaker, Ominis!" he roared, his voice cracking with something raw and ragged. "So do something!"
Ominis' mouth pressed into a thin line, his expression grim, but finally—finally—he moved.
He dropped beside Sebastian, already drawing his wand, already tracing over the metal shackles with precise, practiced movements. His lips moved in near-silent incantations, magic thrumming low and steady through the air, golden light weaving intricate, delicate patterns against the iron.
Meanwhile, Sebastian snapped his head up, wild, furious, helpless.
"Someone get the fucking Healers!" he barked, his voice a whip crack in the stunned silence. "NOW!"
Aurors scrambled. People rushed, bodies moving too slow, too fucking slow, and Sebastian turned back to you, his fingers ghosting over your cheek, your jaw, pleading.
"Come on, love," he whispered, his hands shaking as they hovered over your body. "Come back to me."
Ominis was still working, his wand tracing over the metal in sharp, methodical movements, his brows furrowed in deep concentration.
"I need time," Ominis muttered, his voice tight. "It’s layered magic—whoever did this knew what they were doing."
"We don’t have time!" Sebastian snapped. "She doesn’t have time!"
And he didn’t mean to—he didn’t mean to lash out at Ominis, but fuck, he was drowning in this, the weight of everything crushing him, suffocating him. Because he had been here before. Kneeling over someone he loved, begging the universe to give him one more chance.
Anne, after she was cursed—her body wracked with pain, her screams tearing through his skull, his useless hands gripping hers as she trembled beneath his touch.
His parents—dead before he even got to try to save them.
And now you.
The realization hit him, slamming into his ribs like a blade—sharp, vicious, undeniable.
You were everything. Had always been everything.
Ten years.
Ten fucking years of standing beside you, watching you grow into the force you were now. Ten years of chasing the same battles, fighting the same wars, of laughing together, bleeding together, of existing in a world where, no matter what happened, no matter who came after you, he had always been there. You had always been there.
And not once—not once—had he ever fucking said it. Not once had he looked at you and admitted what had been rotting inside of him since the day he met you.
That he loved you. Had always loved you.
And now, when you were slipping away from him—when your body was cold beneath his hands, when your lips were parted but there was no sound, no whisper of recognition, no sign that you even knew he was there—
Sebastian realized he might never get the fucking chance.
His jaw locked. His breath hitched.
"Ominis," he said again, voice raw, pleading, his entire body vibrating with the weight of everything he never said. "Please—"
"I'm working as fast as I can," Ominis snapped, but even he sounded frayed at the edges, his voice tighter than usual, his magic straining against the curse.
Sebastian gritted his teeth, fingers clenching around your wrist, grounding himself in the weak, faint pulse beneath your skin.
Still there. Still beating.
But for how long?
"She's dying," Sebastian whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "She’s dying, and I can’t—I can’t fucking—" His voice broke, sharp and raw, and fuck—he wasn’t even sure if he was breathing anymore.
Ominis’ jaw tightened, his wand moving faster, the golden light flaring brighter against the rusted iron of the shackles.
Sebastian’s stomach twisted.
Because Ominis could feel it too.
The same dread. The same fear.
Sebastian swallowed, his throat aching, his lungs burning with every sharp inhale. He wanted to scream. Wanted to fight something, wanted to rip the world apart until it gave you back to him.
But he couldn’t.
All he could do was sit there, gripping your hand too tight, his fingers threading through yours as if holding you hard enough would tether you here, force you to stay.
"Please," he murmured, barely a whisper, forehead pressed against your temple, pleading into your skin. "I need you."
More than he had ever needed anything.
Ominis swore under his breath, shifting as the shackles clicked, magic flaring violently before it shattered, sending a wave of heat pulsing outward, knocking dust from the ceiling.
The spell broke.
Sebastian jerked forward, pulling you into him as life snapped back into your body. Your limbs twitched. Your breath hitched. Your pulse jumped beneath his fingertips.
"Thank fuck—" Sebastian’s grip tightened, his body curling around you, anchoring you against him like he could force your soul to stay inside your fucking body.
"Sebastian," Ominis muttered, voice thick, tired. "She still needs—"
Finally, the Healers rushed in.
Sebastian barely registered them. His arms were still locked around you, his body curled over yours, keeping you anchored against him like some desperate, helpless thing.
"Sir," a sharp voice cut through the air, firm but cautious. "We need to assess her condition."
Sebastian didn’t move. Didn’t even acknowledge them. One of the Healers reached for his shoulder, intending to physically pry him off—
"Don’t bother." Ominis's voice was sharp. A clear warning.
The Healers hesitated.
"He’s not going to let go," Ominis said, voice resigned. "So don’t waste time arguing. Just work around him."
Sebastian heard that. Felt it. But his grip didn’t loosen. Not even as hands moved over your body, casting diagnostic spells, pressing against your ribs, checking for internal damage. Not even as a warm glow filled the air, as magic hummed through you, as one of the Healers sighed in relief and muttered something about stabilization.
Another set of hands pressed against him this time—his ribs, his chest, fuck—he barely managed to bite back a hiss when something sharp burned at his side.
Right. He’d been stabbed.
Healers were already diagnosing him, murmuring between themselves, muttering about blood loss and fractured ribs.
Sebastian barely processed it. His eyes were on you. Only on you. The rise and fall of your chest.
"You’re gonna be fine," he whispered against your temple, barely audible, his voice still raw, still thick with something unbearable. "You’re okay."
The Healers worked. The Aurors still lingered. The world around him was moving, spinning, shifting—
"Sebastian."
Sebastian finally looked up.
Ominis was standing now, his wand gripped in one hand, his face carved from stone, but Sebastian knew him too well.
There was tension there. A weight behind his expression that was dangerous.
"I’m going to fix this," Ominis said simply.
Sebastian frowned, his mind still sluggish, too caught up in you, in keeping you here, to fully process what he meant.
Then it hit him.
Crucio.Avada Kedavra.
Sebastian had cast two Unforgivables in the middle of the fucking Auror Department.
Ominis sighed, running a hand down his face before muttering, "Merlin, you make my life impossible."
Sebastian managed a short, breathless laugh.
"Don’t move," Ominis said. "Stay with her."
Sebastian didn’t plan on going anywhere.
Ominis exhaled through his nose, turning on his heel, and then he was gone, already making his way across the room, already stepping into whatever bureaucratic fucking mess Sebastian had left behind, already handling it.
One of the Healers, still somewhat exasperated by the fact that Sebastian refused to let go of you, sighed. "Sir, can you stand?"
Sebastian barely glanced up. His fingers were still curled around yours, tightly, like if he so much as loosened his grip, you’d disappear.
"Yes."
The Healers exchanged looks, clearly unconvinced. One of them muttered something under her breath, but aloud, she only said:
"Then follow us. She’s stable, but both of you need to be under observation. And we’ll need to speak with her when she wakes."
Sebastian forced himself to his feet, his body screaming in protest, his ribs aching, his knuckles raw, his vision swimming for just a second before he locked his knees and shoved through the pain so he could carry you down the hall.
He hardly remembered the walk to the Hospital Wing.
All he knew was that the moment you were in a bed, he was there. Hovering. Watching. And when they tried leading him to another bed across the room, he tugged his own bed directly next to yours.
The Healers sighed. One pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering, "For the love of Merlin—"
But they let him.
They moved around him, murmuring amongst themselves as they worked—closing the gash along his ribs with precise, practiced wand movements, mending the bruised muscle beneath his skin, forcing him to drink something vile that numbed the throbbing pain in his knuckles. Someone cast a spell to soothe the soreness weighing down his body. Someone else checked his vitals.
It all blurred together.
Finally, after what felt like hours, the room settled into silence.
The Healers left.
The heavy weight of magic in the air dissipated, leaving behind only the dim glow of the lanterns and the quiet hum of distant voices from the hall.
Sebastian lay still. Exhausted. Sore.
His body felt like it had been dragged through hell. Every inch of him ached, the phantom pain of adrenaline still lingering in his bones, his knuckles still raw despite the Healers' best efforts. But his mind—
His mind wouldn’t stop.
He stared at the ceiling, watching the patterns in the stone swirl and shift under the flickering light, but all he could see was you.
The moment he realized you were gone. The blood smeared across the ruins. The way your body looked lifeless under the weight of those cursed shackles. The fucking fear. How close he had come to losing you.
Sebastian’s fingers curled into the sheets, his nails digging into the fabric as his chest tightened with something raw, something suffocating.
He was never going to let this happen again. Never. He would never go another day without telling you the truth: that he loved you. That he had always loved you. That you were the only thing in this godforsaken world that mattered.
His head turned, gaze drifting to you. Still asleep. Still too pale.
But alive.
The breath that left his lungs was shaky, uneven. A ghost of a thing. Then—
A movement. A stir.
Sebastian’s eyes snapped to your hand, watching as your fingers twitched against the blankets.
He shot up immediately, the sudden movement making his ribs scream in protest, but he ignored it, pushing himself onto his elbows, heart slamming against his ribs as he watched you.
Your eyelashes fluttered. Your head shifted slightly against the pillow. And then your eyes opened.
Sebastian froze.
For a moment, his brain refused to process what was happening. He had spent the last eternity—hours but what felt like years—trapped in a suffocating haze of fear, pain, and fury. But then your eyes opened.
His chest caved in.
"Fuck—" The word barely left his lips, broken and shaky, a raw, wrecked thing. He hadn’t even realized he was gripping the sheets, white-knuckled, his entire body locked so tightly with tension that now—now that you were looking at him, alive, breathing—he thought he might actually fall apart.
He swallowed hard, forcing down the lump clawing up his throat. He had to keep his voice steady. He had to.
"Hey, sweetheart," he rasped, and fuck—he wasn’t doing a good job of it, wasn’t doing a good job of anything, because his breath shook the second the words left him, and suddenly it was taking every bit of strength in his body to keep himself together.
Your brow furrowed, your eyes dazed, unfocused, barely tracking his face as you blinked sluggishly.
"Sebastian?" Your voice was hoarse, raw from disuse, but it was you. It was your voice, alive, and he nearly lost himself right then and there.
"Yeah, love," he breathed, nodding quickly, reaching for your hand as if trying to ground himself, as if trying to make sure you stayed here, tethered, with him. "I’m here."
You exhaled a slow, uneven breath, eyes darting around the unfamiliar room, blinking as you tried to place yourself. "Where—" A pause. A slow inhale. "What happened?"
Sebastian opened his mouth, then shut it, his throat tightening.
Where the fuck did he start? How did he say it? That you had been taken, that you had been chained up and cursed and dying in his arms, that he had nearly lost you—
That he had murdered a man because of it.
"You—" His voice cracked. He sucked in a sharp breath, exhaling through his nose, forcing himself to steady. "You scared the shit out of me, that’s what happened."
Your brow furrowed again, still groggy, still trying to process. Then, after a long pause, you sighed, your voice scratchy.
"You look like shit."
A wet, breathless laugh punched out of him before he could stop it, something caught between relief and absolute fucking devastation.
Before he even realized what he was doing, Sebastian moved, shifting onto his knees, ignoring the way his ribs screamed in protest, the way his body ached from the fight, from the blood loss, from every single fucking injury he had ignored.
It didn’t matter. Nothing fucking mattered except you.
Sebastian climbed over the narrow gap between the beds and into yours.
"Seb—"
You barely had time to react before he was pulling you into him, wrapping his arms around you, pressing himself against you.
His body curled over yours, his fingers clutching too tight, his face burying into the crook of your neck.
"You scared me," he whispered against your skin, voice wrecked, trembling. "You scared me so fucking bad."
You shifted slightly beside him, your body still sluggish, still weak from everything, but your hand moved, sliding up to rest against the back of his neck, fingers threading into his hair, your touch so fucking gentle it made his chest ache.
"I’m here, Sebastian," you murmured.
His breath hitched. Then he broke.
A sharp, ragged inhale. A violent, shuddering exhale. His fingers fisted into your clothes, gripping so tightly it felt like he was holding on for dear life.
And then the first tear slipped free.
It hit the bare skin of your shoulder, vanishing into the fabric of your hospital gown, but another followed. And another. His face twisted, his breath coming uneven, shaky—his entire body trembling with the force of what he had been holding back for hours.
His chest ached, physically ached, with the sheer weight of it all. With the terror. With the helplessness. With the image of you—chained, barely breathing, slipping away from him—burned into the back of his skull like a nightmare that would never fade.
A choked, wrecked sound clawed its way up his throat, something between a sob and a breathless gasp, and fuck—he couldn’t stop it.
His shoulders shook as more tears spilled over, hot and unchecked, his face pressing into the crook of your neck as he cried.
He hadn’t cried in years.
Not when he had stood over Solomon’s lifeless body. Not when he had nearly lost himself to grief, to rage, to everything wrong inside him. But this—
His breath stuttered again, a broken, gasping thing, his tears falling freely now, soaking into your skin as he held you so tightly it should have hurt, but you didn’t pull away.
You didn’t tell him to stop. You just let him.
"I love you," he whispered, voice cracked, wrecked, barely more than a breath against your shoulder. "I love you so fucking much. I’m sorry I never said it sooner."
His entire body shuddered with the weight of it. With the relief. With the fear. With the unbearable, suffocating truth of how close he had come to never being able to say it at all.
He felt your fingers twitch against his back, hesitant but there, like you weren’t sure what to do with him like this—because this was something no one had ever seen.
Sebastian breaking. Sebastian weeping. Sebastian, who had spent years hiding behind sharp grins and reckless bravado, now unraveling, falling apart in your arms.
And he didn’t care, because fuck hiding. You had almost died, and he had almost never gotten the chance to tell you.
So he did. Again.
"I love you."
He had never meant anything more in his entire fucking life.
Sebastian felt your fingers tighten against his back, your grip weak but still there, still trying. It was barely anything, just the faintest pressure against his spine, but it sent something wrecked and aching curling through his chest, something raw and unbearable.
You were holding him.
And after a beat, after a long, quiet moment, you pulled back ever so slightly, just enough to meet his gaze.
There were tears in your eyes. Not from pain, not from fear—but something else. Something that made his pulse trip over itself, something raw, something knowing.
Your lips parted, voice hoarse, cracked, still heavy with exhaustion.
"I remember now," you murmured, blinking slowly, your expression distant for a moment as if piecing it together in real-time. "It was Rookwood."
Sebastian exhaled sharply, something tight in his chest releasing at your words—relief, fury, heartbreak, he wasn’t even sure what the fuck it was. He just knew he never wanted to hear that fucking name again.
His hand came up, his fingers ghosting over your cheek, his touch almost desperate in its gentleness,
"He’s dead."
You blinked at him, your breath hitching just slightly as his words settled over you. Then something shifted in your expression. Not relief, not satisfaction, but a quiet, unshaken certainty.
Because of course he was.
Your lips curled—just barely, wobbly and weak and so fucking beautiful it made his chest ache.
"You came after me," you murmured, like it was something you’d just now realized, something that settled over you like a slow-burning warmth.
Sebastian let out a sharp, breathless laugh, shaking his head slightly, his lips pressing together for a moment before he said, "Of course I did." His voice was still hoarse, still raw from everything, but there was something steady beneath it. Something true. "I’d follow you anywhere."
Your breath hitched, and for a moment, you just looked at him. Really looked at him.
"I love you too."
Sebastian swore the entire fucking world stopped. His breath caught in his throat, his pulse stuttering violently in his chest, his entire body locking up because—
You loved him too.
His eyes burned, his throat tightened, his fingers shook where they were still clutching onto you.
And then—he was kissing you.
Soft, desperate, aching.
His hands cupped your face like you were something holy, something irreplaceable, his lips pressing against yours like he was trying to carve himself into your very fucking soul.
It was a kiss that held everything—the fear, the relief, the love neither of you had spoken aloud until now. It was unsteady, a little broken, but it was real.
When he finally pulled back, it was only because you both needed air, his forehead pressing against yours, his breath still uneven. His thumb brushed against your cheek, so painfully gentle it made something deep inside you ache.
“You’re still shaking,” you whispered.
Sebastian let out a soft, breathless laugh, one that barely even sounded like him. “Yeah,” he admitted, voice raw. “I think I’m gonna be shaking for a while.”
For a long moment, neither of you said anything. It was just the sound of your breathing, the distant murmur of voices outside the infirmary walls, the rhythmic, steadying beat of your heart against his. The world had been so loud—so chaotic, so terrifying—but here, in this fragile, stolen moment, there was only silence. Only you and him.
Then, softly, you said, “I’m okay.”
Sebastian exhaled sharply, like he wasn’t sure he believed you, like he wasn’t sure he ever would, but his fingers tightened against your back, and after a moment, he just nodded.
“Yeah. But I’m still never letting you out of my sight again.”
A weak laugh tumbled from your lips, breathless and exhausted, but real. “I figured.”
Sebastian huffed, but there was something warm beneath the sound, something a little less raw now, a little less wrecked. He leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss against your temple, letting it rest there, like a silent promise.
“You’re stuck with me now,” he muttered against your skin.
Your fingers curled in his shirt again, holding him close, feeling the steady, unshaken certainty in his words.
“Good.”
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baby-yongbok · 9 months ago
Text
This is How It Feels
Bang Chan Soft Thought
WC - 675 ✧ Masterlist ✧
a/n - This was typed based off of an overwhelming feeling I got while listening to This is How It Feels by d4vd and Laufey so I'm sorry if it's kinda messy. Hope you enjoy!
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Chan has been dreaming of you again.
He has for a while. He's found that it gets more painful with the frequency of frames that pass his still lids in the night.
He can only describe it as an act of masochism. The epitome of pleasure and pain intertwining to create what we've all come to know as love. But Chan didn't always love you, not like this. He was able to keep you in a lighter gaze. He was able to separate you from his desires until you became the center of them all. 
It was 3:30 am when he first noticed it. He was on the phone with you, something that the two of you do when he can't sleep. You had passed out an hour ago but he stayed on the call. He listened to the soft sound of your breathing and memorized the pattern of your snores. 
You groaned and turned in your sleep and he heard it all. For a second, he held his arms open for you to slot between them. He held himself open to embrace your absent figure before he could even realize it. 
Chan stood awake that night. Staring at the ceiling with the sweet sounds of you creating storms in his busy mind. You've unearthed something new in him. His heart turned and he found something underneath.
He found love.
He was content on dry drowning through his emotions after that night. He was okay with taking the bare minimum from your soft and generous hands just to imagine that it could be more one day.
It took another night of listening to you sigh and snore through the night for him to realize that this is just a pain he'll have to deal with. Confessing is not an option in his busy mind. It would be the introduction to the end, and that would kill him. Though, he is sure that you’ll be the death of him either way.
Chan convinced himself that he's content with these phone calls. The act of falling into a deep peace beside you felt natural for him. It felt right. 
When 3:30 am snuck up on him during this call he sighed as the whirlwind picked up in his chest. 
The thoughts
The desires
The pain
The love
It all belongs to you, and you'll never know it. 
The warm and erratic fluttering against a rib cage too small to contain the swelling of his heart has become a familiar sensation on nights like these. The shadow of swirling rose colored smoke that he's been desperate to pass to you is something that he'll have to inhale by himself. 
You. This atmosphere that the two of you have created. This connection that vibrates strong through time and space has metamorphosed him in the dark hours of the night like magic.
And suddenly, he feels it spilling over. Bubbling tall and staining the fabric of his sanity. 
"You always fall asleep first..." Chan whispers into the receiver as he turns to face his phone. To face you. "I'm jealous."
He chuckles, closing his eyes as the whirling in his chest gets lighter with each word he speaks. 
"I wish I could join you... or maybe you join me. I wish you were.. here. I wish you were here." He's whispering, his heart pounding loud in his ears. Parts of him dissolve in the quiet night, he wishes you were here to fill in the gaps. 
"While you're sleeping I'm falling in love." He smiles to himself. "I never knew that this is how it would feel to fall for you."
He sighs, laying on his back now. He stares at the ceiling, imagining constellations that should have your name. 
"It's hopeless." Chan looks back over to his phone. Your soft breathing has slowed. It's quiet, and for a second, he convinces himself that he doesn't care if you hear him. He takes a leap of faith and says it. Simple and soft.
"I love you so much."
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covenofagatha · 7 months ago
Text
A dance with death (and her wife) (Part 1)
@lanfear-is-my-darkmistress
You are a profiler for the FBI when you get called to help catch a serial killer in Westview. (Killing Eve/Hannibal AU)
Word count: 4200
Warnings: descriptions of violence, fear
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The phone rings at 7:30 in the morning on your day off and you want to throw it against the wall. 
You had been sleeping – having a very good dream, actually – when the harsh ringtone roughly jolts you out of your slumber. 
“Hello?” you answer groggily, rubbing your face with your hand. If it’s a spam call, you think you might lose your mind. 
“Is this Agent Y/L/N?” A gruff voice asks and you shoot up out of bed into the sitting position. 
You clear your throat and try to sound professional. “Um, yes, this is she. Who am I speaking with?”
“This is Director Hayward,” the man says, and your eyes widen. The head of the FBI is calling you. “Have you heard of the town of Westview?” 
Your forehead wrinkles while you rack your brain for anything that sounds familiar. “No, sir, I don’t think so.” 
There’s muffled sounds from the other side of the phone and then you can hear Director Hayward clearly. “It’s a small town in New Jersey. Nothing special, nothing too out of the ordinary.” He pauses like you’re supposed to recognize it, but after a moment of silence he sighs and continues. “About seven months ago, we believe a pair of serial killers moved into town. Bodies started piling up, seemingly no rhyme or reason to who was killed, only that the victims were all female.” 
“Okay,” you say slowly, trying to wrap your head around all this. If it’s been going on for this long, why haven’t you heard about it? “Are we sure they’re connected if there’s no pattern of victim? Usually men have a type when they do this kind of thing; the women usually look like an ex-lover who broke their heart, or their mom.” 
You can practically hear him roll his eyes through the phone. “They were all killed the same way: poison to sedate them and then their hearts were carved out. And there was a purple azalea left in every single one of the victims’ chest cavities. So we’re pretty sure they’re connected.” Sarcasm drips copiously from his tone and you wince. Way to make a good first impression on the director of the FBI. “And it’s not a man. It’s a woman.” 
This makes you perk up with interest. “Oh?” As a profiler for a branch of the FBI in Miami, you’ve handled your fair share of serial killers. It may make you sound insensitive, but you were only really interested in the female ones. Men were so boring and predictable. Women knew how to make it a challenge, and there was always some deep, underlying motive for why they did it. There was nothing you enjoyed more than piecing together that puzzle. 
“They’re calling her The Witch. The poison used on the victims is like nothing we’ve ever seen before, so we think she must be making it herself. But since female serial killers are kind of your thing–” 
You cut him off before you can think twice, thoughts whirling through your head. “How do you know it’s a woman? Cutting out a heart, that takes a lot of strength. Most female serial killers tend to use gentler methods, like poison, so it makes sense that there’s at least one woman involved. Are you sure she isn’t working with someone though? Lavinia Fisher would poison her victims and then her husband would finish the job.” 
“How quickly can you get to Westview?” He asks, completely ignoring your question. 
“Oh, you want me to go there?” 
He scoffs. “Yes, Agent, we want you to go there. I’ve already informed your boss and he’s given his approval. No one has been better at catching the female killers than you, so we really need you on this. You can take the Miami jet as soon as you’re ready, but they want you there as soon as possible.” 
“Will I be working with the Trenton branch?” 
“Just the Westview PD for now. They’ve assured us that they have their best detectives on the case. But if you need backup, let us know and we can send in some more profilers. Whatever it takes to bring this woman to justice.” He hangs up without another word and you grab your to-go suitcase that you keep packed for times like these. You throw in a few extra sets of clothes just in case it takes longer than expected, and then you’re out the door, driving to Headquarters. 
You walk into your boss’s office and knock on the door. The director of the Miami branch, Tony Stark, looks up at you. “Hope you packed some warm clothes,” he says and you chuckle. You definitely did not.
“Hayward said I could take the jet?”
Tony nods. “It’s out back and already fueled up. Good luck, kid. Be careful, okay?” 
You scoff. “Careful? I’m always careful.” He fixes you with a stern look and you acquiesce. “I promise.” 
“I don’t need to remind you what happened last time you worked on a case like this, do I?” 
It hits you like a punch to the gut and you shake your head. “No, sir, you do not.” But you know he’s going to tell you anyway. 
“That woman destroyed you,” he hisses. “You got so focused on finding her that you stopped eating and sleeping. The obsession completely consumed you.” 
“I caught her, didn’t I?” You mutter, knowing full well that isn’t his point. He slams his hands down on his desk and you jump. 
“She almost killed you,” he almost yells and your face twists at the memory. 
The Scarlet Killer terrorized Miami about three years ago before you finally brought her down. At first, she would sneak into houses of families with twins and slit the parents’ throats and kidnap the kids, but the twins would always resist so she would end up killing them too. 
After a while, she stopped caring about the twin aspect and started killing anyone with children. 
You had spent days in the office, pacing and pouring over the evidence board, trying to make sense of it. There was no DNA anywhere, but there was also no sign of forced entry, so you figured that she was invited into the house somehow. The hunt for children made you think she had lost her own, or had some sort of abusive childhood that made her want to protect kids. She was possibly a twin as well, and very amicable if people were having her over willingly. 
It took two months before you figured out the perimeter of her murders. She was making a hexagon shape with the houses of the victims. Hexagons can represent balance, so you figured she felt as if she was balancing out some score with the universe for something that had happened to her. 
And then one fateful night, you realized where her next target was. A family had just moved into a house perfectly on the border of the hex, as people around the office started calling it, and they had twins. 
You spent almost an entire week camped out in front of their house waiting for the Scarlet Killer to strike. You think during that time, you slept a total of ten hours. Hallucinations plagued you and you would doze off and then wake up babbling something about catching her. Agents would bring food by your car and beg you to take a break, but you kept your eyes strained on the house, determined that you wouldn’t let her get away with it again, determined to prove that you were right about where she’d be.
And you were. 
Except the knocking that should’ve been on the front door of the house, the knocking that would inevitably lead to more death, was on your car window. 
You had jolted awake to find a redheaded woman standing there, looking worried. You opened the door and got out to help her when she had pulled a knife out and stabbed you in the stomach. 
Thank god she didn’t go for her usual M.O. of slitting throats. 
You were able to weakly unholster your gun and take a shot at her as she was running away and by the yelp, you knew you had hit her. A consolation prize as your vision faded to black. 
Somehow, you woke up two days later in a hospital room, Director Tony Stark by your bedside. They had caught the killer a block away thanks to the appendix your bullet had ruptured that rendered her unconscious, a woman named Wanda Maximoff, who had lost her twins in a horrible house fire, and made it a mission to try and replace them.
And her knife had missed anything important, and all you had was a nasty scar and the weariness from everyone else whenever there was a new female serial killer to catch. 
“She didn’t kill me though,” you tell Tony, who rolls his eyes. “I’ll be careful. I won’t get too involved this time.”
He slides open a drawer and takes out a file and a business card that he holds out to you. You reach across the desk to grab the two and you scan the card. 
Rio Vidal, Therapist, Westview. With an email and phone number. 
You hold it up and raise an eyebrow. “You want me to see a shrink?” You already completed your mandated fifteen hours of therapy after the Maximoff incident and you weren’t eager to go back. 
“You don’t have to, it’s just so you have an option. In case you feel yourself becoming too ‘involved.’” 
You purse your lips but you slip it into your pocket and tighten your grip on the file. “Guess I’ll see you whenever we catch her.” 
He salutes you and you make your way to the jet out back. 
It’s a three hour flight and you spend your entire time pouring over the case file. You know there’s still some information that you’ll have to get from the Westview PD, like witness statements and exclusive photos that haven’t been released yet, but what you do have is brutal. 
Photos of shriveled up bodies with barely any skin still on their bones, their cheeks hollowed out, like something sucked the life out of them. Not to be sexist, but you can tell why Director Hayward thought it was a woman. 
Although there’s a gaping hole in their chests where a heart used to be, the cuts are neat, precise. And the blood has been completely cleaned up. What should be the bloodiest crime scene you’ve ever seen is void of any fluid, like the killer methodically mopped and bleached and cleansed the scene of everything. But this also means that the victims are dead before the heart is cut out, from the poison. 
The most chilling thing is the singular, perfect flower placed in the cavity of their chest.
You flip through the toxicology reports but can’t really make sense of anything. One report says one chemical was the cause of death, another report says another. The levels of chemicals in the bloodstream are also different from victim to victim. 
It reminds you of Jolly Jane Toppan, who would experiment with different medicines and chemicals to murder patients at hospitals. 
Is the killer a nurse? A chemist? You’re able to figure out why she’s called The Witch, because it’s like she’s brewing up potions of sorts, but you have no idea why she would bother cutting their hearts out if she’s killing them with poison. 
The precision of the blade also means that her hands are steady. Another reason she could be a nurse. 
You flip through the pictures of all the victims – eleven, so far – and the first victim’s cut is just as accurate as the last victim. This woman is either a natural, or this isn’t the first time she’s killed. 
Pulling out your computer, you search the database for any serial killer cases that match this same type of crime, male or female. You’re still not entirely convinced she’s working alone. 
But there’s nothing. No cold cases, no open cases. She has truly shown up out of nowhere. 
You tap your fingers to the tray table, your mind trying to make sense of the details for the rest of the flight. 
When the plane lands, you’re ushered into an uber and taken to the motel where you’ll be staying. Your rental car is already in the parking lot. Even though Westview is a small town, it means a lot that they’re giving you all these accommodations. 
Your room is complete with a kitchenette, a queen sized bed, and a good sized bathroom. You drop the files on the table, throw your suitcase in the bedroom, and grab your work bag before locking the door behind you. 
The rental car is a small sedan that has a strange smell, but it does the job and you drive through the quaint twisting roads to get to the police station. You park up front, take a deep breath, and walk in. 
No one stops you or asks what you’re doing here (no wonder this case hasn’t been solved yet) so you make your way to the back where you find the Chief’s office. 
He’s a skinny man with a mustache, spots of something that looks like mustard on his shirt, talking to a woman with her back to you. All you can tell is that she has long, dark hair that flows down your back.
“Hi, excuse me?” You say, knocking on the glass door. The Chief stops and the woman turns around to face you and you’re momentarily struck by how attractive she is. “I’m Agent Y/N? The, uh, criminal profiler from Miami? The FBI sent me to help with The Witch case.” 
“Oh, shoot, that’s right,” the man says, wiping his hands on his jacket before standing up. “Chief Phil Jones. This is Detective Agatha Harkness–” He motions to the woman standing there who smiles knowingly, raking her eyes up and down your body. “– our best. She’s been working this case day and night.” 
“Any leads so far?” You ask her. 
“Why don’t I show you what we have so far?” She offers and you nod, following her out of the office and trying not to look at her ass. She takes you into  a different room with a bulletin board filled with pictures and string and post-it notes. You squint at it, trying to take everything in, while you hear more people enter the room behind you. 
“So, Miami, what do you think?” A man taunts and a few others snicker at him. You ignore him, you’ve been used to this your entire career. 
You’re still scanning the board when something catches your eye. The witness statements. They don’t corroborate with each other. From the six people that have seen something, they all agree that the killer had dark hair. But some say it was long, others say just past her shoulders. Some think she was taller and lean, others say shorter and just a little more filled out. There’s a detail from two witnesses that gives you pause though: they say the woman had a mask of sorts on the bottom of her face, almost like a skeleton. The other witnesses make no mention of not being able to see the killer’s entire face. 
You tap the papers. “Why don’t the statements line up?” 
“Surely you know how unreliable eyewitness testimony is,” Agatha drawls, and when you turn around, she’s watching you carefully. 
You frown. “I do know, but it seems like there’s two different people here. So either we have a copycat, which would be unlikely due to there being no change in the level of detailedness from murder to murder, or–” You trail off, chewing on your lip. You’re waiting for someone, Agatha maybe, to finish the sentence, or to tell you you’re being crazy. 
“Or?” She prompts like she’s daring you to go on. There’s a look in her eyes, a look you don’t quite recognize. 
You give the men in the room a glance. Will they laugh? “I really think we’re dealing with two killers here. Working together. One poisons the victims, the other cuts out the heart. I thought it was a man and a woman, but it seems like two women. They’re obviously very close to each other, and they’ve got it down to an easy routine.” 
“Why hasn’t anyone seen two women then?” Agatha asks, but you feel like she’s just guiding you to a realization, rather than criticizing your theory. 
You hum, tossing the question around in your head. “Maybe…maybe because they want us to think there’s only one killer? They’ve fooled everyone, even the FBI. Easy to chalk it up to faulty witness statements.” 
“Why wouldn’t they try to look alike then?” Agatha presses, and your brow furrows. It’s a good point. 
The pictures of the mutilated victims on the board stare back at you while you look for anything you could’ve missed. “Are they toying with us? Do they want us confused? The poison, the cut-out heart, the flower left behind, the different descriptions, it’s like this is a game to them. They’re cocky, they feel confident that they can’t get caught. Maybe both of them are narcissists, but definitely are on the Antisocial Personality Disorder spectrum.” 
“Why do you think they do it?” Agatha says in a hushed voice. You can’t help but notice that she seems excited. 
Is that because she finally might be getting a break in her case? 
“I don’t know,” you admit and she looks disappointed. You spin to face the board again. “There’s no obvious connection or pattern between the victims, so it doesn’t seem like there’s a personal vendetta against them. Nothing stands out about the locations either. It seems like they’re just killing for fun, right now.” 
“That’s pretty dangerous,” she says, and you can feel the front of her body brush against your back. You’ve been so entranced that you didn’t even hear her notice her coming over. “That means anyone could be next.” 
Goosebumps spread over your body at her hot breath on your neck, but her words sober you up. She’s right. You’re not able to rule out potential victims based on how many kids they have or don’t have, like with Wanda, or what they look like or don’t look like. 
“Okay,” you say, nodding your head. “We need to send out a BOLO for two women with dark hair now. Put these descriptions out, tell them to keep an eye out for a skeleton mask? Hopefully we can get some tips and put a stop to this before anyone else gets hurt.” 
“What should we call the other woman?” One of the male officers speaks up and you’re surprised that it’s an actual question. 
Agatha watches you with interest while you think about it. “How about…Lady Death?” You offer and she gives a nod of approval. “Put a BOLO out for Lady Death and The Witch.” 
You make copies of everything that’s on the board and paper clip them together to put in your bag. As you’re packing everything up to go back and leave to the motel (Tony would be proud of you for leaving the station at an acceptable time), Agatha comes over and leans on the table. 
“What do you think their relationship is? Lady Death and The Witch,” she says, amusement lacing her tone when she says their nicknames. 
You shrug. “Sisters, friends, wives? Maybe they’re just two crazy people who met each other and want to kill people.” She chuckles and studies you curiously. 
��You know, we’ve had some other profilers come in, but none of them have been like you. You know your stuff.” 
“Female serial killers are kind of my thing,” you say. “There’s just something about untangling the mystery that’s so much sweeter. Makes me feel…alive. Which I know sounds bad, because so many people have died, and I’m sorry.” 
Agatha looks like she knows exactly what you’re talking about. “No, don’t apologize. It’s exciting, isn’t it? The exhilaration, the moment when you finally get what you want, what you’ve been working toward.” Her voice is low and you nod, leaning in before you can realize what you’re doing. Your gaze drops down to her smirk and then back to her blown-out pupils. “Do you think you’ll be able to find them?” 
“Yeah, I do,” you breathe, and she looks positively delighted. Out of nowhere, the scar on your stomach stings and you grimace. Agatha looks at you, concerned but you brush it off. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?” You ask, standing up and slinging your bag onto your shoulder. 
“See you then, superstar,” she says with a grin and watches you leave. 
When you get back to the motel, you spread all the pictures and notes out, trying to connect some dots. You scribble down Friends? Sisters? Lovers? on a sticky note and press it to the wall. 
Why do you think they do it? Agatha’s question still haunts you. You don’t want to believe that it’s just for fun, there has to be some meaning, some motive for poisoning and then physically removing hearts. There has to be some significance to the flower left behind. 
But what is it? 
Your stomach grumbles so you decide to take a step back and go pick up food from a restaurant in town. As you’re pulling out of the parking lot to come back to the motel with wings and french fries, you get a call from Tony Stark. You accept it, taking a sip from your cup quickly. 
“Hey, Director,” you say. 
“There she is! How’s it going?” 
You shrug even though he can’t see you. “Not too bad. Just went and got dinner. See, I’m taking care of myself.” 
He laughs like it’s the funniest joke he’s heard. “Glad to hear it. Any new leads in the case?” 
“There’s two women, not one. They’re working together.” There’s silence on his end of the line for a second and you wonder if he heard you. “Did you–?
“Yeah, I got that. Shit, so you think you’re looking for partners? I don’t like this,” he says. 
“I’m okay, I promise. What happened with Wanda won’t happen this time,” you reassure him as you turn back into the motel lot. “I’ll check in with you whenever you want. I’ll go see that shrink. I’ll be careful.” You’re worried that he’ll pull you off the case if he thinks you’re too obsessed. Your hyperfixation tendencies almost cost you your life, and you know Tony doesn’t want that to happen to you again. He’s become somewhat of a father figure to you since you started working there, and it’s touching how much he cares.
He hums in satisfaction. “I expect you to eat three meals a day and get at least five hours of sleep.” Before you can protest, he continues. “And I want you to make an appointment with that therapist. Just get ahead of your spiral, maybe talking about the case with someone removed will help you be more level-headed.” 
“I will,” you vow. “Okay, just got back to the motel, I’ll talk to you later.” He says goodbye and hangs up. When you get out of the car with your food, the hair on the back of your neck stands up and your scar tingles. 
Something feels off. 
You get to your door to find it slightly ajar and you frown. You remember locking it. Maybe room service cleans at night? 
“Hello?” You call, pushing it open. Taking a few cautious steps into the room, you scan from wall to wall looking for anything or anyone.
There’s no one there, nothing seems out of place except for your suitcase that is now on your bed. You tentatively walk over to it and unzip it, jumping back like you’re expecting something to pop out. Inside, you find all the clothes you packed gone, and entirely replaced by a new wardrobe. Pulling them out, you gasp when you find cashmere sweaters and silky blouses and comfortable but professional looking pants. There’s a bottle of perfume with the word “Thanatos” printed in perfect calligraphy and you take a whiff. It smells like flowers and wood at the same time and it makes you think of a forest. 
So someone broke into your motel room just to give you some new clothes and perfume? You rustle through the rest of the suitcase and a piece of paper flutters to the floor. 
Heart pounding, you lean down to pick it up. It’s the same sticky note that you put on your wall before you left to get food. 
Friends? Sisters? Lovers? 
Only now, the word ‘lovers’ is circled, with a small heart drawn. You drop the paper like you’ve been burned and run over to where all your case information is and you feel nauseous. 
Nothing has been touched. Nothing is out of place. 
Except for the single purple azalea resting on the middle of the table. 
They were here. 
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starkeysmoon · 8 months ago
Text
TEMPTING FATE
pairing: mattheo riddle x fem!reader
summary: years of tension between you and mattheo riddle ignite during a field trip, where sharing a room and one bed leads to fiery encounters and confessions, turning desire into a promise of something more.
warnings: enemies to lovers (very brief), one bed trope, smut including unprotected p in v, light teasing, use of "good girl" like once, sexual tension, fluff, and aftercare at the end. overall, very vanilla!!
words: 1.8k!
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the air was thick with anticipation as snape called out the room assignments for the field trip. 
"riddle and y/l/n," he announced, his voice laced with a sneer. 
your stomach sank, disbelief washing over you. of all people—him? how had fate, or snape's twisted sense of humor, led to this?
mattheo riddle. the boy you loathed. your sworn enemy for the past five years. every interaction between you two was a battlefield of sharp words and icy glares. how could snape do this? worse still, why now?
as you dragged your luggage to the assigned room, your heart sank. the room was quaint, lit by flickering firelight from an old-fashioned hearth. one bed.
"guess we'll share then, darling," mattheo drawled from behind, his voice smooth as silk but laced with venom.
you turned to glare at him. "this is going to be the worst night of my life."
his grin was wolfish, his scar twisting under the amber glow. "oh, you have no idea."
he tossed his bag onto the bed and sat down, pulling at the buttons of his shirt.
"you're really going to sleep shirtless?" you asked, unable to keep the disdain from your voice.
he smirked, pausing just before the last button. "what's the matter, love? afraid you won't be able to keep your eyes to yourself?"
"hardly. there's nothing worth looking at," you shot back, crossing your arms.
his grin widened as he shrugged the shirt off, revealing a torso littered with scars. each one was a testament to his wicked parents and the dark past he couldn't escape, their jagged edges contrasting sharply with the smooth, chiseled lines of his muscles.
"nothing worth looking at, huh?" he taunted, his tone dripping with amusement.
you hated the way your breath hitched. hated the way your gaze lingered for just a second too long.
 "i’ve seen better," you muttered, turning away to hide the flush creeping up your neck.
but mattheo wasn’t done. he moved closer, his footsteps silent on the wooden floor. "careful, darling. your words say one thing, but your eyes tell a different story."
you whirled to face him, your anger flaring. "don’t flatter yourself, riddle."
he leaned in, his proximity overwhelming. his voice dropped to a whisper, each word brushing against your skin like a challenge. "prove me wrong."
before you could think, your lips crashed against his. the kiss was electric, a whirlwind of years of pent-up tension, anger, and something else you didn’t want to name. his hands found your waist, pulling you closer, while yours tangled in his hair.
when you broke apart, breathless, he rested his forehead against yours, his voice husky. "you’ve no idea how long i’ve wanted to do that."
"shut up," you murmured, pulling him back in.
and just like that, the hatred dissolved into something far more dangerous. something neither of you were prepared for.
"i need you," you whisper against his mouth, the words spilling out between heated kisses.
his body stills for a heartbeat, his breath hitching as the reality of your actions sinks in. pulling back slightly, his eyes lock onto yours, searching, burning.
"you asked for it," he growls, low and dangerous, before pulling you into his lap with possessive ease.
his lips claim yours again, the kiss deep and all-consuming, a battle for dominance neither of you intend to lose. your pulse races as his hands grip your hips, grounding you against him.
breaking away, you trail your lips down his neck, tasting the salt of his skin, planting kisses along the way. your tongue lingers, painting invisible patterns until you find his sweet spot. when you suck gently, his sharp inhale and the tightening of his grip fuel your boldness.
"mark me," he groans, his voice raw, desperate. "please."
"getting needy now, aren’t we, riddle?" you chuckle, but your lips obey his plea, sucking at his skin until a dark bruise blooms under your touch.
his fingers tangle in your hair, his groans vibrating against your lips. "fuck..." he breathes, his hips bucking involuntarily. pulling back, his eyes are darker now, filled with a primal hunger. "my turn."
you giggle softly, your eyes gleaming with anticipation. "all yours," you purr, surrendering to him completely.
he lays you back, his body hovering over yours. his lips find your neck, tracing a path with tongue and teeth that leaves your skin alight.
your moans spill out, unrestrained. "just like that," you manage, your voice trembling.
his chuckle is dark and low, the vibrations sending a shiver down your spine. "you’re not ready for what’s next," he warns, his hand trailing down to your hip, fingers brushing the edge of your waistband.
your whimper betrays your need, your body arching into his touch. "then show me," you whisper, your voice heavy with challenge.
his grin turns feral, his eyes locking onto yours with laser focus. "oh, i will, sweetheart," he murmurs, his lips capturing yours again, leaving no room for doubt.
you whimper at his promise, your breath hitching. “like i said,” you murmur, your voice trembling with anticipation. “i’m all yours.”
his eyes darken with a primal hunger, a feral grin curling at the corners of his mouth. he captures your lips in a fiery kiss—raw, unyielding, and possessive. his hands roam your body like he’s trying to commit every curve to memory, squeezing and caressing with deliberate intensity.
you kiss him back with equal fervor, your lips parting to let his tongue slide in, the dance between you turning hotter by the second. your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer, as though you could fuse together.
 “you might just be the death of me, riddle,” you whisper breathlessly.
he growls low in his throat, his teeth grazing your bottom lip before releasing it. 
“and you’ll die happy, won’t you?” his voice is a purr, equal parts promise and tease. 
his hands slide down to your thighs, spreading them apart with effortless dominance. he settles between them, his hips pressing against yours with an agonizingly slow grind. “i’ll make sure of it.”
a whimper escapes you at the contact, your hands trailing up the back of his neck to tangle in his dark curls. they’re softer than you expected, like silk between your fingers. fuck, he feels too good—his weight, his warmth, the sheer size of him against you. you bite your lip, desperate for relief.
he smirks at your neediness, his movements deliberate as he grinds again, slower this time. 
“wrap your legs around me,” he commands, his voice rough and possessive. “good girl.”
you comply without hesitation, wrapping your legs around his waist. “need you,” you whisper, desperation dripping from your voice. “need you right now.”
his lips find your jawline, nipping gently before trailing down your neck. his hands move with purpose, slipping between you to unfasten his pants. he pulls back slightly, his gaze locking onto yours, dark and demanding. 
“look at me,” he orders, his voice a low rasp. “look at me while i take you.”
you nod, your eyes never leaving his as he positions his cock along the entrance to your core, as your heart pounds against your chest.
his grin turns predatory, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. with agonizing slowness, he pushes into you, his face contorting in pleasure. 
“fuck,” he hisses, his hands gripping your hips like a lifeline. “you’re... so... tight, love.”
a loud moan tears from your lips as he fills you completely. you rock against him slowly, savoring every inch. 
“feels so good,” you murmur, your head falling back as heat coils low in your belly.
his groan is deep, primal, as he meets your movements, his hips snapping in perfect rhythm. his eyes flutter shut briefly, only to reopen and pin you with a heated gaze. 
“yes,” he growls. “just like that. take every inch of me.”
a sly smirk tugs at your lips as you pick up the pace, rocking harder and faster, desperate for release.
he matches your intensity, his breathing turning ragged as sweat beads along his brow.
 “fuck, you’re incredible,” he gasps, his control slipping. his hands tighten on your hips, guiding you. “don’t stop.”
“so are you, love,” you breathe, your moans spilling freely now as the heat within you builds, threatening to consume you.
his grin is wicked, his pace quickening as he leans down to claim your lips in another scorching kiss. his hand trails down, finding your most sensitive spot and teasing it with precision. 
“come for me,” he murmurs, his lips brushing yours. “come for me, my love.”
within a few more movements, the tension inside you snaps, and you cry out as waves of release crash over you, your body trembling beneath him.
he feels you shatter around him, and it’s his undoing. with a final deep thrust, he buries himself fully, his body shuddering as he lets go. 
“fuck,” he groans, his voice raw as he presses his forehead to yours, his breathing uneven. “you’re perfect.”
you wrap your arms around him, holding him close as your hearts race in unison.
after a moment, he slowly pulls out, his touch gentle as he disappears into the bathroom.
 “don’t move,” he calls over his shoulder. “i’ll be right back.”
you catch your breath, a soft smile tugging at your lips. when he returns with a damp cloth, he tends to you with surprising tenderness, cleaning you up before tossing the cloth aside and pulling you into his arms.
“you okay?” he asks softly, his fingers brushing your cheek.
“more than okay,” you reply, your smile widening as you place a kiss on his lips.
his gaze softens, his thumb tracing the curve of your jaw.
 “you’re something else, you know that?” he murmurs. “and i don’t just mean in bed.”
you chuckle, raising an eyebrow. “oh? then why’ve you spent the last five years fighting against me, mattheo?”
he sighs, pulling you closer, his arms wrapping around you protectively. “can we... start over?” he asks quietly. “forget the past five years? please.”
you tilt your head, a teasing smile on your lips. “i might need a little more convincing than that, love.”
his lips twitch into a rueful smile. “i know,” he admits. 
“i’ve been a stubborn idiot. but... give me a chance? no games, no fights. just us.”
“just us?” you echo, your voice softer now.
he nods, his expression earnest. “let me take you out tomorrow. a real date. no drama, no distractions. just me, trying to win the heart of the woman i’ve loved since i was fifteen.”
a giggle escapes you as you press a kiss to his chest. “i’d love that, mattheo.”
his grin is dazzling, his excitement palpable. “really? i was thinking we could go to that little french place downtown. sneak away from professor snape and the others, while they’re off sight seeing. maybe take a walk by the river after?”
“sounds perfect,” you whisper, feeling your heart swell.
he holds you tightly, kissing the top of your head. “tomorrow can’t come soon enough,” he murmurs. then, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he adds, “and for the record, you can kiss me anywhere you please.”
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eph3meraaa · 15 days ago
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𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.
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𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 "A girl who feeds off of love, but gives it away for free"
𝖲𝗒𝗇𝗈𝗉𝗌𝗂𝗌:In a glittering world where fame sparkles brighter than the truth, former Huntr/x member RELLE reigns as the world's sweetheart, a K-pop soloist adored by millions, envied for her talent, and worshipped for her charm. But when she crosses paths with the Saja Boys, a rising idol group with secrets as dark as her own, what will Relle do when given a choice between protecting the world that loves her, and giving in to the ones that truly know her.
𝖶𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌:Emotional trauma, identity struggles (including self-worth, shame, secrecy), mild violence/ fantasy fight scenes, Blood, Grief and abandonment, Fame-related isolation, complex female friendships, demon lore, morally grey characters, reverse harem elements.
Word Count: 643
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The crowd was still screaming her name when the lights dimmed.
From the edge of the stage, where the air still shimmered with gold confetti and the bass thrum echoed in her ribs, Relle lifted her hand for one last wave. Fingers still trembling with adrenaline, sweat cooling on the back of her neck, she smiled so hard her jaw ached. But it wasn’t forced. It never was.
They loved her.
And for a few hours—glowing under lights, drenched in applause—she loved herself, too.
Backstage was chaos in the best way. Staff whirled around her like satellites, headphones chirping, cameras clicking. Her manager was somewhere nearby, scolding someone about schedule delays, but she barely heard it. Her ears still rang with chants of her name.
RELLE. RELLE. RELLE.
She laughed, light and melodic, as someone handed her a bottle of water and someone else pulled a glitter-dusted mic from her hand. Her silver corset pinched just beneath her ribs. She didn’t care. She felt electric.
“Did you see them during Silver Lining?” she chuckled breathlessly to no one in particular, letting her head lean backwards in relaxation.
“I think the guy in the second row actually cried.”
One of the stylists wheezed from behind a makeup kit.
“Re sweetie, I'm pretty sure that everyone in the second row was crying.”
after that more giggles and hollers were heard from the backstage.
By the time she reached her dressing room, the silence hit like a soft exhale. Cozy. Familiar.
That was intense
She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, eyes fluttering closed for a moment. The muffled sound of the crowd still rang like a phantom heartbeat in the walls. Slowly, she peeled off her earrings, dropping them into the little crystal tray on the vanity. Her hands were still shaking.
The room smelled like perfume and setting spray. A tower of gift bags stood near the corner—stuffed animals, fan letters, bouquets tied with glittery ribbon. Her team would go through them tomorrow, but our pop star would still peek through when no one was looking. She always did.
She turned toward the full-length mirror.
Costumes shimmered around her—lace, sequins, silk, rhinestones. Versions of herself frozen on hangers. The glitter still clung to her collarbones, her thighs. Her smile had faded now, but it didn’t fall.
Just… softened.
What a night, she thought. What a life.
She stepped closer to the mirror. Alone. Just her reflection now—barefoot, breathing, and real. Slowly, deliberately, she let the illusion drop.
Her demon patterns surfaced like ink in water—delicate black markings curling up her arms, faintly glowing across her ribs, painting her collarbone like a whispered secret. They shimmered in the low vanity light, alive and ancient.
She stared at them in silence.
Not ashamed. Nor afraid.
Just… present.
“Hey,” she whispered. “I'm back”
It wasn’t sad. It wasn’t heavy. It was just true.
And for a second—just a second—it tugged at her chest. A gentle little ache. Not loneliness, exactly. Just that small reminder.
The person she was in this mirror was only for her.
A knock.
Her demon markings faded instantly.
“You’ve got three gift bags that are literally glowing,” her manager called from the other side. “Also, someone sent you a love letter in blood again.”
Relle huffed a laugh and turned back toward the door.
“Tell them to use glitter pens next time. I’m a pop star, not a sacrifice.”
She pulled her sweatshirt over her costume, ran a hand through her tangled hair, and opened the door with her usual teasing grin.
The lights in the hallway were bright. The hallway was loud again.
She stepped back into the world with all the sparkle they expected—her patterns buried beneath skin, her ache folded quiet in her chest.
They think they know me.
And maybe one day… someone actually will.
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That is it for the prologue!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter following many, as much as I loved writing it. I wanted the OC to have a little bit of a Sabrina Carpenter vibe because she is one of my favourite artist.
The next chapter should be posted by tmrw since i need to tweak a couple of things still. Have a wonderful day my lovelies MWAH <3
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