#... usually not distinctly but I can occasionally make things out if respective doors are still open

[regallibellbright]

Both my brother and father are frequent GMs for the ttrpgers in our social circle. They also each play in the other’s game.

This leads to fun situations like a week or two ago when my brother brought up giant undersea scorpions being a thing that exists in casual conversation.

Dad: That’s coming up in a game.

Bro: (His girlfriend, who plays in Bro’s) already forbade them.

Mom: *laughing* I love that you both went straight there. You and she just knew he’d do that.

Me: Who do you think he learned from? And who plays in his games and therefore KNOWS exactly what he’d do?

Bro is, I believe, the one who suggested to Dad back when we were still kids the phrase “carnivorous crickets,” before realizing he was giving the GM ideas. Horrifying arthropods are in fact part of his GMing style.

So anyway, Dad’s the GM tonight, Bro’s visiting his girlfriend, so I just heard the alarm go off and Dad go “time to go kill some adventurers.”

I told him to have fun.

[summonerscenarios]

Hello I was wondering if it would be okay if you can write headcanons on how Hephaestus, Kurogane, and Takemaru would react to body swapping with reader and since they're all hard muscle how would they feel about having a soft chubby body. Sorry if this is a weird ask I just think this fanfic trope is funny. By the way I want to say that like your work. You have such a way with words it's actually really impressive on how you can capture a scene. I hope I can be that good! 😊

sdfgghgfd time for some fun shenanigans to spice things up lmao. Thank you so much for the kind words! it really means a lot to know that I do an okay job with these lil ideas that you all take the time to come up with~! And I’ve got all the faith in you hun, I hope your writing endeavors go well~!

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Hephaestus

Hephaestus’ reaction to swapping bodies with you is probably what any child’s reaction would be to getting tossed into their parents body. Pure panic. He’s suddenly incredibly conscious of everything that’s going on as soon as he wakes up, and once he catches sight of ‘his’ hands, the realization that he is in fact not in his body hits him like a freight train. His shout of surprise is what jolts you awake as well, and at the sight of Heph’s own body standing up and looking around about as confused as he is, he just about wants to faint right there and then.

You’re perplexed about the sudden change of events, more surprised than anything about how strong this different body feels. Heph’s incredibly muscular, you can feel as much in his arms never mind the rest of his body, but with how meek and reserved he can be sometimes it’s easy to forget, so being in his body now is a reminder of just how tempered his body is. The first words out of your mouth are about how cool this is, as your hands squeeze your arms and pat down your new chest, thoroughly entertained by the hard muscle that you’re greeted with as you survey all the little details that come with Hephaestus’ body. You don’t think poor Heph could make your bodys face look any redder than it already is as he tries in vain to silence the praises, stammering over his words each time you voice out another detail about his body that you’d never noticed before.

One of the first actions that Hephaestus takes once things have calmed down (and he’s got you to stop messing around), is instructing Talos to take care of you and stay by your side the whole time that you’ve swapped bodies. However, that order soon becomes conflicting once he realizes that while you may be in his body, he’s in yours, so he’s either asking Talos to choose whether to watch over your body or your consciousness when both need protecting. The solution is an easy one however - so long as the two of you stick together Talos can take care of both, right?

If he had his way, Heph’s more than happy to hole the three of you in his workshop away from everyone else until you’re able to switch back into the correct bodies. You, on the other hand, are already halfway out of the door and striding up the stairs eager to test out some of the things you can do in this body. The flames take some getting used to - you’ve figured out that they flare up and ease down in response to your emotions, so with how excitable you are as you dip from room to room, you two end up with more than a few close calls with the fire as he chases behind you.

The Crafters, needless to say, get quite a shock at how lively ‘Heph’ seems to be as they spot the commotion. You don’t think to tell them what’s happened, instead excitedly greeting them with pats to the back and shoulder squeezes as you go, leaving them all slack jawed and trying to wrap their heads over what’s just happened. Thankfully, Talos at least lets them know what’s happened, as Hephaestus is too preoccupied trying to convince you to slow down (and failing miserably while he’s at it because you’d be damned if you didn’t at least try and test these muscles out).

Kurogane

All things considered, Kurogane takes the whole body swap issue in stride - it’s actually kind of amusing just how readily he accepts that this has actually happened once he comes to and realizes that he’s looking at his own body through your eyes. Maybe it’s because of how chill he is about it that you don’t find yourself panicking either, at least not at first; however the panic does set in a little later once you realize that you don’t have much of an idea about how you’re even going to switch back with him. That worry gets put on the backburner for now, namely because you’re quickly swept up in Kurogane’s excitement over the current predicament - if you have to wait to fix this, then what’s the harm in testing out everything that swapping bodies entails!

The first thing on either of your agendas is figuring out exactly how much of you swapped with one another - is it just physical appearances? Or did your powers swap over too? Your rule and role? Can you summon your sacred artifact while in his body and vice versa? Can you still feel everything from your original body? It becomes a rather entertaining science project, one that all too quickly devolves from a serious question to fun tests that get progressively sillier whenever one of you comes up with a new one. 

The other Crafters are confused seeing the pair of you running around together, but that’s only because in your rush, neither you nor Kurogane filled them in on the fact that you had swapped bodies. The ensuing conversations as each of the Crafters come to the realization that something’s amiss is a mixed barrel of reactions. Some of them take it in stride (Amatsumara); others have got more than few questions about what the hell you two got into this time (Takemaru and Tvastar); and others give none-too subtle warnings for Kurogane to take absolute care of your body while he’s in it to make sure you’re safe(Heph). 

Just because the pair of you have swapped bodies doesn’t mean Kurogane gets out of his usual tasks - you find that out when Amatsumara’s clapping a hand onto ‘your’ shoulder and steering you off to join in on his and Kurogane’s training. On the bright side, being in Kurogane’s body, you’re able to keep up a lot better than you thought you would. Bad side? In your body, Kurogane fares a lot worse than you do. It turns out his endurance didn’t cross over into your body, and by the time the two of you are about halfway through he’s leaning on the nearest solid surface, panting up a storm and nearly keeled over trying to catch his breath. You try not to laugh at how his overeagerness got the best of him, gently patting ‘his’ back as you assure him that, hey, at least he knows what your body’s limits are now!

Kurogane really doesn’t mind swapping bodies with you, though the loss of muscles does prove to have a couple setbacks, more than he anticipated - but he’s nothing if not adaptable! And it’s actually rather fun for him to find workarounds to some of his usual solutions for things! Plus it makes him think outside of the box, which to Kurogane is always important. You’ve got similar feelings about everything going on; once the initial shock wears off, having all of the extra muscle proves to be way more fun than you’d thought it would be. The only real thing that you have to be mindful of when it comes to Kurogane’s body is his arm - you can still feel everything through it, but at the same time you can distinctly recognize that it feels different. Fortunately, any time the limb needs maintenance Kurogane’s nearby to take care of it; watching him leaning over his arm, tinkering away with expert skill even in the new body, gives you a new kind of respect for just how much work goes into all the details that go into his craft.

Takemaru

Switching bodies with Takemaru was definitely an experience. For one, there wasn’t any kind of grand flare about it - no blaring noise or warning signal to let you know that something was going to happen. Instead, it was just a sudden flash of light, and in the next second you were coming back to a body that most definitely wasn’t your own. You’d taken a couple seconds to look yourself over, feeling ‘your’ face and running your hands through your hair only to be greeted by horns - if it wasn’t the body that gave it away, the horns definitely confirmed that this was Takemaru’s body. You hear Takemaru shout in surprise when he comes to too, and you don’t know what’s weirder - hearing your own voice, or watching as your own body stood up in front of you, looking up at you with a dawning horror that suggested Tak’s far less used to these kinds of situations than you are.

Takemaru’s absolutely baffled, even more so by how relaxed you’re taking all of this in - the carefree smile and relaxed demeanor coming from his own body makes the whole thing even more bizarre, and for a hot second he has to just stand there and let his brain catch up on everything that’s happening. He paces the room, rubbing circles into ‘his’ temples to alleviate the headache that he can feel coming on just trying to wrap his head around what was going on. Occasionally he looks over at you, as though to make sure that you are in fact in his body and this isn’t just some wild dream that’s gotten out of hand, and when he sees you waving nonchalantly back at him each time, you can practically see the cogs in his head overworking all over again.

Being in a body of pure muscle is, in all honesty, an entertaining change. The physique definitely takes some getting used to, but to top it all off you had a lot of Takemaru’s physical powers as well, namely the pure strength that he’s got both from being an oni and from years of hard manual labor that comes with being a carpenter. You’re living for this honestly, and you’re eager to test out all of the cool things you can do while you can. Carrying increasingly heavy objects, seeing if Tak’s carpentry skill carries over (he’s got the memory in his fingertips, but you’ve found that it, unfortunately, doesn’t carry over) are just a few of the things that you try. The horns are the only real problem you have - with the shape of them, it’s easy to forget about them until you’re squeezing through a narrow gap or ducking under something, only to get yanked back because they’ve gotten snagged on something. (It’s like getting your sleeve or earphones caught on a door handle, except having your head tugged back over and over again gets really damn annoying after a while.)

With Takemaru on the other hand, it’s a learning curve that takes a little getting used to. Your physique is still strong and you’ve got more than a bit of energy that makes him wonder if this is why you’re so energetic, but even with your abilities and strengths you’ve still got human limits, and he feels like your body is a lot more fragile than his is now that he’s actually living in it. The softness though is what really catches his attention while you’ve switched bodies - when he brings a hand up to ‘his’ cheeks, the skin beneath his fingers is soft to the touch and it’s...a surprisingly nice change. The lack of solid muscle on your body compared to his own makes him acutely aware of just how soft and squishy humans can be, and he admittedly gets caught up in feeling this new body that Tak doesn’t quite realize exactly whose body he’s touching. 

At least not until he hears you clear your throat and stick him with a pointed look, brow raised as you watch the realization dawn on his expression - you have to admit it’s funny watching your own face turning beet red as Tak practically chokes trying to explain that he wasn’t up to anything - he was just curious, he swears! Needless to say, you get a significantly bigger kick out of the body swap than Takemaru does, and he’s more than a little relieved once the two of you are actually able to switch back into the right bodies.

[rohad93]

Worth the Fight

Medival Au, cause i am nothing if not predictable in what i like to write about. dont expect these updates as quickly as MM. im still working out the plot.

Trees, fields, and more, big surprise, more fields. Sometimes she spotted the occasional wild animal scampering through the grass, though that was the most interesting thing she’d seen so far.

”Are we there yet?” Luz asked for the third time in an hour as she and Eda trudged along the dirt road they had been following for two days as it wound through the fields and forests of the countryside.

“Do you see the city?” Eda asked as she glanced at her apprentice out of the corner of her eye.

“No…”

“Then we’re not there yet!” Eda threw up her arms. “Kid, relax, we’ll get there when we get there, I know you’re tired, I’m tired, hell, King is tired.” She gestured to the demonic dire wolf trotting along beside them, tongue lolling out of his mouth. His black fur shined in the sun but was near blinding against the white fur on the top of his head that created a distinct skull-like pattern across the top of his face.

“Poor baby…,” Luz cooed as she reached out and scratched the space between his horns, making his tail wag.

“He’ll live….” Eda rolled her eyes. “but you might not if you ask me if ‘we’re there yet’ one more time,” she grumbled, adjusting the light plate armor on her shoulders. It was the height of summer and as used to traveling in the stuff as she was, she was still baking under the sweltering midday sun.

Luz just pouted as they walked along. The leather of her boots was rubbing raw spots on the soles of her feet with each mile they walked.

Two days ago Eda had shaken her awake from where she and King had been lying curled up in a pile of hay. The seventeen-year-old had been half asleep and had missed most of what the older woman had been saying to her, just trying to keep her eyes open as Eda rambled on and shoved their meager belongings into an old rucksack.

What she managed to glean from the rapid-paced, one-sided conversation was something about a job, money, and leaving town, which did catch her attention.

They had been to a lot of towns over the years she had been training under Eda, and some were definitely better than others in terms of how the locals treated humans, but the one they had been staying in for the last year was probably the worst of them all. It got to the point that when Eda went to meet potential clients for jobs, Luz had to stay behind because they would take one look at Luz trailing behind her and decide that no matter the older woman’s reputation with a blade, they didn’t want the human girl around.

They’d see her rounded ears and sneer, glaring down their noses at her. Surely any self-respecting witch or sell-sword worth her salt wouldn’t be letting a human follow her around. Eda would say something snarky that almost always resulted in a near brawl and Luz would stick her tongue out at them as Eda stomped away, grumbling colorful words under her breath.

Eda was on her side, but it eventually boiled down to being able to eat and Luz decided it was best to just stay behind, even though it meant she wouldn’t get much in the way of training in swordsmanship or the combat magic that went along with it, not that she could actually do the same kind of combat magic that was natural to Witch’s anyway, being human.

As Eda had once explained it to her, witches had an extra organ, a bile sac, she wasn't entirely sure that's what it was actually called, she learned a long time ago that Eda had a tendency to make things up if she didn't know the answer. Supposedly it was an extra organ that allowed witches to absorb the natural magical energy of their world and use it to add powerful effects to items, especially weapons. Those that did were witch knights, the strongest and some of the most respected members of society, and Luz wanted so badly to be one, to prove that she was worth something, human or not, but without a bile sac, she was lacking the magical aspect, which left her at a distinct disadvantage. Heck, she didn’t even have a real sword, so she couldn’t even do the most basic jobs to help Eda feed the three of them, King alone ate like a horse, with Luz trailing behind him. She was a growing girl after all! Eda always said she’d get one when she thought she was ready, not before.

She’d usually just use the dull-practice blade Eda had given her to work on her stances and strikes, beating the living tar out of whatever trees she happened to come across in the woods while she waited for her to come back with King trailing along behind her.

To say she was glad to be out of that town though was an understatement, even if Eda still hadn’t told her where they were going, and as glad as she was to have left the dreary little town of Beldville, she was so tired of walking!

She pulled at the collar of her violet-colored tunic, sweat was making it stick to her clammy skin, but she knew better than to say anything, they were both hot and tired.

They continued the silent trudge beneath the sun, which thankfully was slowly, but surely sinking closer and closer toward the horizon, though it didn’t lessen the heat any. Eventually, the sun had moved to dip just below the horizon, nearly blinding her with its bright orange rays, as it sank and dark blues were starting to rise up over the horizon line in response to the waning light.

Luz shielded her eyes with a hand and glanced into the distance. The dark smudge in the distance was slowly growing into the silhouettes of buildings and she grinned.

“Is that it?” she pointed excitedly toward the end of the road.

"Nope," Eda said, popping the 'p'.

"Whadda ya mean 'nope'?" Luz whined. "That's a town!"

"It's a town, and we're going to spend the night there, but that's not where we're going," she informed her and Luz groaned, shoulder slumping.

"Where ARE we going?" she huffed.

"Patience, apprentice." Eda wagged a finger and grinned at her, making Luz grumble.

Eda always said that when she didn’t feel like explaining herself, which was often.

It was a small town, and although it was nearly dark there were still a number of people milling about the streets.

A few people glanced at her and Luz frowned, pulling up her hood to cover her distinctly rounded ears from view. There was no need to draw any unneeded trouble when they were only going to stay one night.

Eda noticed the motion but said nothing as she dug through a pouch on her belt.

"Here, Kid." She held her hand out to Luz, who held up her upturned palm as Eda dropped a handful of coins into it. "Go get yourself something to eat and I'll meet you back here at this inn." she hooked the thumb over her shoulder to the worn building behind her.

Luz broke out into a wide smile at the silver coins in her hand.

“Thanks, Eda!” She turned and dashed off down the road with King hot on her heels. Eda just smiled as she watched her disappear around the corner.

Luz trotted down the street, she didn’t know this place, but she knew most towns had pretty similar layouts and the market was always at the center of town, and sure enough, she soon found herself walking through the market with King at her side, most people gave the cloaked girl and the demonic creature a wide breadth, understandably. Usually, creatures like King were wild, bloodthirsty monsters that would just as soon rip off your arm, and she’d seen him do it the last time she’d been attacked by a villager with a human problem.

Luz had never feared him, he’s always just been Eda’s silent companion and her big baby ever since she’d started traveling with the gray-maned sell-sword.

She reached over and scratched that certain spot behind his right ear that made him let out a low growl that almost sounded like a happy hum to her.

“Hungry buddy?” she asked, smiling as they walked and he snorted.

There were days Luz was almost sure he understood every word she said. There was just a certain, almost intelligent look in his rusty, red-colored eyes when he looked at her.

“Let’s get some food then!”

She glanced around at the different shops and a few stalls before her eyes fell on a storefront and lit up.

‘Tomes and manuscripts’

“Book shop!” Luz whispered excitedly to herself and made a beeline for it. “Wait here, King.” She turned to the beast, who snorted and plopped himself onto the ground outside the shop. She pushed the door open and grinned as the smell of ink and old parchment filled her nose.

Luz loved books, though she rarely had access to them. Having to carry everything you owned with you at all times meant that you just couldn’t have some things, and books were heavy and took up space that could be put to better use, for food or supplies, that’s what Eda said anyway. Luz would reluctantly admit she was right, but she didn’t have to like it!

“Welcome!” a voice called from her left. She looked over at the old witch peering at her over his spectacles at her. “Can I help you find anything?”

“Uh, thank you, just looking.” she waved a hand.

He nodded and she walked down the many shelves packed with worn leather-bound tomes, grinning to herself as she ran her fingers over their spines, feeling the smooth, cool bindings beneath her fingertips. So many stories, knowledge, and wild adventures aplenty crammed between two hard leather covers. Luz adored books, a lifelong love affair lit aflame by her mother, who had taught her to read and write at a young age. Something uncommon among the lower classes of witches and unheard of for humans in the Empire of the Boiling Isles, who were the lowest class citizens of them all, but her mother hadn’t been from the Isles. She’d always told Luz about a beautiful place across the sea, with fine grain, white sand beaches, and tall trees very unlike the ones here, that dipped and swayed with the wind, their leaves long and few, but still perfect for blocking out the strong rays of sunlight on a clear day.

Luz sometimes wondered what it might actually be like to see it with her own eyes, she doubted she ever would, her mother had always told her it was far away and she’d left to escape a war, bringing only her native tongue and a sack of food.

Luz hummed to herself as she continued browsing up and down the dimly lit rows of books with rapt interest. She turned a corner and glimpsed a small table covered in old, worn books, and felt drawn to them.

They were all hefty tomes and she flipped through the first few on the stack, nothing of any real interest, some play scripts, and something about treaties on the great war. She set them aside and picked up the last one in the stack. It had a dark brown cover with gold inlay around the corners and spine. It’s worn leather bindings were pockmarked with scratches and divots, some worse than others. She flipped it open and found some of the pages were yellowed and crinkled in places as though they had gotten wet and been left out in the sun to dry at some point.

The pages were full of runic writing that she couldn’t even begin to guess at, but as she flipped through the pages she stopped on one with a drawing, a perfect circle with several lines that made up some kind of symbol.

There was very little text in the book that she understood but one set of runes did stand out, the symbols meaning ‘light’. She’d learned them years ago when her mother had told her that her name meant light.

She ran a finger over the crisp, inked lines of the glyph.

They glowed.

“Augh!” she nearly tossed the book across the room, it clattered across the floor with a heavy thump and she grimaced as it landed on the wooden floor. She held her arms up in defense, but the book only continued to lie there.

After a moment quickly scooped it up and gazed at its gold bindings before she flipped it back open to the page with the illustration. She hesitated a moment, hand hovering over the illustration before pressing her fingers over it, skin running across the rough parchment beneath.

The lines began to give off a pale light as she traced them, till eventually, the entire thing was awash in soft glimmering light.

Luz stared at the glowing drawing with open awe and wonder.

“Magic…,” she breathed.

She’d done magic, she wasn’t sure what kind or even what it was supposed to do, but for the first time in her life, magic!"

She needed to look through this, all of it.

"I'll be closing shop in a few minutes!" The shop keeps voice carried out through the store making Luz jerk.

A few minutes wasn't nearly enough time! Her mind raced with thoughts before finally deciding as she slapped the book closed and hurried to the front counter where the shopkeep was still standing.

“How many snails for this book?” she set it on the counter and he eyed it for a moment.

"This? Bah, ten snails, it has little value to any witch, merely theories on old magic.

"I'll take it!" She slapped half the money Eda had given her on the counter.

Only King would be eating tonight it seemed, but the chance at magic? Worth a hungry night.

He nodded and accepted the coins as he pushed the book back toward her, but as he did, got a glimpse under her hood and spotted her rounded ears.

Luz knew what happened the second it happened. His brows crinkled between his eyes and his once, disarming smile, curled into a sneer.

"A human, in my shop!?"

Luz snatched the book off the counter and bolted for the door.

"No take backs!" she squealed as she burst out the door, making King jump up as she did.

She dashed back the way they had come, the black beast loping along behind her with an excited, rumbling bark.

It didn't take long for them to get out of sight, turning the corner and ducking into an alley.

She pressed her back to the wall, clutching the book to her chest, and waited until it finally seemed like she wasn't being chased; she peeked her head out and found the street clear.

She turned back to look at the worn leather-bound book in her hands and grinned.

She couldn't wait to look at it better later.

King whined at her side, scratching at her with his paw.

"Ah, right, right. Let's get you some food, buddy." She smiled at him and snuck toward the other end of the market, spending the rest of the money Eda had given her to buy meat for the beast, who wolfed it down in record time, practically swallowing it whole before they made their way back to the Inn.

"Get some grub?" Eda asked from her place sitting in one of the beds when they walked into their rented room. King immediately trotting over to the empty bed and jumping up on it and curling up into a massive black ball of fur.

"Fed King, yea." She nodded, pulling off her cloak and kicking off her boots before she climbed into bed, shoving King over.

He growled at her but she just shoved harder till there was space for her to lay. He snorted in response but never lifted his head as she laid next to him, book in hand.

“What about you?” Eda narrowed her amber eyes at her, noticing how she only mentioned king. “And where’d you get the book?”

“Uh…” Luz stalled and Eda sighed.

You bought the book instead of eating, didn’t you?” It wasn’t really a question.

“Yeah…,” Luz mumbled and Eda sighed.

"Well, what was so much more important than eating? If it's another flowery love story, kid, I swear…," she trailed off, rolling her eyes.

"It's not!" she insisted. "It's a book about magic!" She flipped it open and opened to the diagram and ran her hands over it, creating the same glow as it had in the bookshop, which made Eda sit up.

"Well, look at that…" she tilted her head. "What's it do?" She looked back up at Luz.

"I'm… not sure yet…" She shrugged. “I need more time to read it." Eda hummed, looking at the glowing glyph on the paper before shrugging and plopping back down on her bed.

“Whatever kid, just don’t stay up all night looking at it,” she grumbled, rolling over and pulling the blanket up over her head.

“You go it, teach!” Luz promised as she snuggled back against King and flipped through the pages.

She really wished she could read any of the writing around it other than the runes for light. She flipped some more pages and found another diagram, a sketch of a sconce, or something similar with a circle drawn above it and little lines indicating rays of light. She hummed to herself.

She had only the basic knowledge of how Eda did magic. She could just kind of think about what kind of effect she wanted to apply to an object and would press her hand to the blade of her sword and it would glow for a second before taking effect, she’d made her show her enough times to know.

Luz pursed her lips and leaned over to her satchel sitting on the floor by her bed and dug out a piece of charcoal she liked to use to draw when they were on the road or she was waiting around on Eda, ignoring the angry rumbling of her empty stomach. She pulled her training sword out of its sheath and looked at the blunt, reflective weapon for a long minute before carefully drawing out the glyph across the flat of the blade.

she glanced back and forth between the book and her blade, humming to herself when the last line was completed. She hesitated a second before pressing a fingertip to it and the glyph glowed before the bright light spread across the entire length of the blade, lighting the room up.

Luz stared at it in awe, before a bright grin stretched across her face, empty stomach forgotten.

She’d done it.

She’d done magic!

[trainthief]

hello james hope you’re staying safe and healthy!! i’m moving to colorado next year (got my dream job :’)) and i’m really excited to spend a lot of time outdoors!! i’ve skied and snowshoed a ton, but i’m hoping to expand my repertoire. what resources/tips do you recommend for a beginner hoping to safely enjoy the rocky mountains?

First of all, congraturitos on the dream job! Very happy to hear some good news is happening to someone. Second of all, I’m happy to help, let me make you a list of suggestions: 

It sounds like you’ve got a solid amount of outdoors knowledge already, but if you’re not from the American West I would very much prepare yourself for a completely different experience. Colorado is a bit more tame than many of the states that surround it, but the intermountain west is where most of the public lands are, as you can see above. What this means is that your access to trails isn’t just limited to groomed out-and-back walks to a single viewpoint located on a contained plot of government-maintained land, although we do have those out here. Additionally, though, there’s tens of thousands of acres of unmaintained actual wilderness that you are allowed access to.  You should be aware of the risks you assume any time you step into the backcountry, because these are the last truly wild places left in North America, and at any given point you can assume you’re an entire mountain or two removed from the closest person who could offer help. But if you ask me it’s so much more thrilling to go out into the unknown where you’re not likely to see a single sign of human activity, and the views out there are so much better. 

Building off of that, you should familiarize yourself with the dangers of the area. Colorado has elk, moose, deer, a few bison, and plenty other of the more charismatic megafauna everyone wants to spot. They don’t have grizzlies, lucky for you, except the few that occasionally wander over the borders. But they do have black bears, cougars, and a wolf population that’s starting to re-establish itself. Of the ungulates above, I wouldn’t be too deeply afraid of any of them except bison. A bull moose or elk during rutting season might get pissed off by your proximity and charge you if you’re not careful, but at worst it will give you a good beating that you’ll still be able to walk away from. Bison are unpredictable and much more dangerous, but as I understand it Colorado has very very few in the wild, and coming across one by accident is extremely unlikely. As for the predators, a quick overview is that for grizzlies you’ll want to hit them with bear spray before dropping and covering your head and neck, for black bears you’re going to want to stand your ground and make it clear you’ll give them a tough time if they try to mess with you. Cougars I hardly feel like it’s worth worrying about, because they’re so secretive it’s tough to figure out where they are, and if one is in your vicinity you’re very likely not to know. But if one is stalking you and you manage to catch it, make yourself big, speak calmly but firmly, don’t retreat, let it leave the area and then go the opposite direction. For wolves, do the same but do retreat, as they don’t tend to get aggressive with humans and are likely acting territorial if they do. Never turn your back on any prey animal. Research these ideas in more depth, because I’ve really only given the basics here. Keep an eye out for tracks and scat and any other signs that an animal might have been around recently. I don’t tell you any of this to scare you off, and in fact one of my favorite pastimes is going off trail in search of some of these guys. But there are real dangers out there, and it’s been my experience that people who move west for better access to nature will often refuse to believe that they really are heading out into completely unmaintained territory, with all the dangers that come with it, and they tend to pay for that lack of respect sooner or later. At the end of the day, going into the backcountry means you’re going to have some close calls of some sort or another, and there’s no amount of learning about a situation that will make you fully equipped to handle it in real life. Things never go exactly the way they’re supposed to, I know a guy who fought off a grizzly with a trekking pole somehow, and while I personally have never gotten lost enough that search and rescue had to come after me I’ve got plenty of friends who have. Stuff happens, but having a baseline of knowledge you can rely on when it does means that you’re much more likely to live long enough to head back out into the wilderness again.

In addition to wildlife concerns, you should also stay aware of the natural dangers of the area. Download an avalanche tracking app and stay smart about what places you choose to venture into. Learn how to respond to avalanches as well, and consider dropping money on an avalanche beacon. I don’t have one, because they’re expensive, but that means if I ever get caught in an avalanche I’m pretty much toast. 

Try to make some friends who want to be outdoors, and have them show you the ropes of the area. It’s not recommended you ever hike alone, because it’s much more dangerous for a variety of reasons, but I have to admit I do most of my outdoor activities - including hiking and even backpacking - solo. The solitude and silence is part of the overall experience for me, as it might be for you. If that’s the case, be extra knowledgable, bring a backpack with emergency items, make noise along the trail so you don’t startle any wildlife (I will usually sing or whistle, anything to let animals know theres something distinctly human in the area), and always tell someone where you’re going. I’ve got more tips for solo hiking somewhere on my blog, so I won’t go on about it any more. 

If you’re looking for other excuses to get outdoors, you’re very likely to find some bouldering fanatics in Colorado, so that will be an option. This time of year the deer, moose, and elk are all shedding their antlers, so antler shed hunting is also one of my favorite activities. Here in Utah you need a license to go during the prime season, but I don’t know the restrictions in Colorado. There’s also mushroom hunting a bit later into the year, which is fun, as well as the more basic stuff like fishing, backcountry skiing, resort skiing, ATVing and snowmobiling, etc etc etc. Any excuse to get outdoors is always a good one. 

If it happens that where you’re moving is Denver, I should warn you that - while the coffee culture there is awesome - it’s significantly further from nature than even most people who live there think. You’re likely to be an hour’s drive away from the mountains, which isn’t insurmountable, and it’s very possible I’m spoiled by the fact that I live right in the middle of a mountain range and have the wilderness in my backyard…. But even so, make sure you commit yourself to getting outside, because working up the effort to get out the front door can sometimes be a lot, even for me. You should definitely try to avoid turning into the Denver stereotype the rest of the intermountain west likes to make fun of, because so many people there like to buy the latest Cotopaxi jacket and wear it to a million dollar cabin in the mountains that they rent on AirBnB, where they will never actually end up going outside. 

More basic pieces of advice: buy crampons, hike early in the morning or late in the afternoon to see more animals, wash your glasses with soap before you head out to keep them from fogging, the best trail mix is the cheap bulk stuff and not the fancy REI stuff you get for $15 a pound, the best hot chocolate for backpacking is and always will be Swiss miss, download the alltrails app and check it frequently to see if there’s anything to worry about on your favorite trails, always carry a knife with you because a knife is 20 tools in one, buy bear spray

Have fun out there!

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Love in the Highlands

Summary: In Lochdubh, Hamish acts as self-appointed matchmaker to newcomer Belle as she tries to make sense of her feelings for taciturn landlord Gold. Hamish Macbeth/Once Upon A Time fusion: rumbelle, bellish / Isobel&Belle broship.

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling prompt: “AU: Fusion”

Rated: T

=====

Love in the Highlands

Small, isolated communities like Lochdubh were naturally suspicious of incomers, especially if they came from anywhere further afield than Glasgow and even more so if they came from the other side of the world entirely. Belle had been prepared for more than a few strange looks when she had first moved to town and started to work at the newly opened bookshop slash library slash local information office slash community centre slash back-up post office. 

Once she’d made it clear in a firm but friendly manner that she wasn’t going anywhere and that she was going to try and fit in with the local customs as much as possible, people started to be more accepting, and now the locals would smile at her in the pub and would only express incredulity that someone would ever want to move from somewhere like Australia to the middle of nowhere in the Scottish Highlands. 

There was only one person left in the town whom Belle had yet to win over, and, considering the way that the rest of the locals gave him a somewhat wide berth, she thought that this was something to be proud of.

Ciaran Gold was Belle’s landlord, and he owned the village antique shop; how he managed to stay in business in a place as small as Lochdubh was anyone’s guess and theories among the town varied wildly: from him being a vampire, to him being a mob boss, to him running an underground moonshine operation to rival Lachlan McCrae’s. 

He was also the most reticent and surly man that Belle had ever met, keeping to himself for the most part and barely ever leaving his dusty shop. He hardly spoke two words together to her when she ventured into his lair to bring him her rent, and although she would have loved to stay a while and browse the veritable Aladdin’s cave of treasures in the shop, she always received the impression that her presence was unwelcome, and he was shooing her out of the place with his aura alone. 

“He’s like that with everyone,” Hamish assured her when she was lamenting her lack of cordial relations with her landlord in the pub one evening. The local policeman and his girlfriend had welcomed her from the very first and it was largely due to Hamish and Isobel’s practical common sense that Belle’s popularity was increasing, and the library was gaining in foot traffic daily. (The fact she’d started bringing in cake probably helped as well.)

“But why?” Belle pressed. “No one’s naturally that miserable, something has to have happened to make him that way.”

Hamish made a face and pointedly changed the subject by announcing that he was going to get another round in. Belle waited until he was out of earshot and turned to Isobel. 

“There is a reason, isn’t there?”

Isobel nodded and leaned in over the table. 

“It’s a bit of a local gossip legend,” she said. “Gold left Lochdubh for the bright lights of Glasgow, married a city girl who then left him and took their wee son with her. He came back to Lochdubh a broken man. Hamish doesn’t like it talked about; Gold’s a cousin on his mother’s side and even if they’re not incredibly close, he’s still family.”

Now that Belle knew the connection, she could see the resemblance. Gold’s face was older and worn with life’s hardships, his hair greyer, but the familial traces were there. Isobel’s words had only served to make him seem even more mysterious in her eyes, and she wondered if perhaps she could be the one to bring him out of his shell of hurt…

X

Armed with the admittedly scant knowledge that she had gleaned from Isobel, Belle decided that she would take a different approach the next time she tackled Gold. She would simply refuse to be cowed by him. If he wanted to be left alone, then he shouldn’t have a shop open to the public. 

So, on the next rent day, when Belle went into the antique shop with her cheque, she didn’t go up to the counter straight away. She was determined to look around and browse with the proper respect that a lifetime of collecting all in one place deserved. 

Gold was watching her as she moved around the shop taking in the veritable Aladdin’s Cave of treasures there, and occasionally, their eyes would meet. At first he seemed to be in just as much of a foul mood as usual, but the longer that Belle stayed, the more he seemed to become used to her presence and relax in it. When he finally spoke, Belle was so surprised that she startled out of her perusal of a delicate tea set. 

“Do you see something you like the look of? Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he added when Belle jumped. 

To Belle, those few words - spoken in complete earnest, she could tell - were incredibly revealing. He didn’t mean to scare her. All the other times she had been in the shop, something about him had given off a fearmongering aura. Now, he was a little different. As she glanced over at him, she saw that there was a slight shy smile on his face. 

She pointed out the tea set. “This is beautiful.”

He came around the counter and crouched down beside her to open the display cabinet, taking out one of the cups and handing it to her. This was certainly unprecedented. Everything about the shop had a general air of ‘do not touch’ around it, and now Belle was being allowed to handle the goods. 

The bell over the door went, and this time they both jumped, with Belle losing her grip on the cup. Gold’s hands shot out to catch it and ended up cradling hers as she regained her hold. She looked up at him, suddenly aware that she was blushing furiously, and noticing that Gold had gone distinctly pink around the ears as well. 

Belle glanced over her shoulder to see who had come in, finding Hamish standing in the doorway. He was looking rather amused at the scene he’d just interrupted. 

“Can I help you?” Gold asked coolly.

“No, no. As you were.”

Hamish backed out of the door and closed it behind him, leaving Belle and Gold standing in the middle of the shop. The moment had become awkward now thanks to Hamish’s inadvertent intervention. 

“I think you’d better take that back,” Belle said hastily, handing over the cup. “And this.” She put the rent cheque down on the side and almost ran out of the shop, glad to be out in the cold air so that she had an excuse for her flaming cheeks. Oh, this was bad. She definitely wasn’t supposed to be developing a crush on the landlord when she’d set about trying to ingratiate herself with him. Now what was she supposed to do?

X

Ever since Isobel had moved into the police house, she’d extended an open invitation to Gold to join her and Hamish for Sunday lunch, doing her best to give him some familial contact. So far, she’d been incredibly pleased with her efforts. He generally came about once every two months, which was about as much as his introversion could handle. When he came this week, however, Isobel was quite certain that he’d never come again. 

Ever since Hamish had walked in on Gold and Belle’s ‘little moment’ in the antique shop, he’d been determined to matchmake.

“Hamish, you know your cousin better than anyone else in the village, but even I know that he’s not going to welcome you interfering in his love life, no matter how honourable your intentions might be. Besides, you don’t even know that they like each other, let alone want to get to know each other more intimately.”

“Iz, if you had been there, you would know that they definitely like each other. I think ‘smitten’ is the word.”

When Hamish, on learning that Gold would be joining them on Sunday, had suggested inviting Belle as well, Isobel considered putting her foot down for all of ten minutes before she realised that if she did, Hamish would simply resort to more drastic measures to get the two of them in a room together. His enthusiasm was borne out of a simple desire to see his closest relative happy, and all Isobel could do was try to temper him for fear of him doing more harm than good. 

Although she wouldn’t interfere in Hamish and Gold’s relationship more than she already had done by extending the lunch invite in the first place, Isobel felt that it was only fair to let Belle know what she was letting herself in for in accepting Hamish’s invitation. 

On learning that Gold would be present, Belle had just given a little smile, quickly covered it with a cough, and said that it wouldn’t be a problem. 

Reluctantly, Isobel had accepted that maybe there was something in Hamish’s observations. 

Now Sunday was here, and they were all sitting around the table with anticipation hanging heavy in the air. So far, Belle and Gold had been perfectly civil to each other and shown no signs of mutual attraction, and Hamish was thinking of increasingly ridiculous methods of trying to leave them alone together. It was painfully obvious to all parties what he was trying to do, and now he’d dragged Isobel into the kitchen on the pretence of getting her to help make custard.

“Hamish, if you keep this up then neither of them will ever come here again.”

“We have to give them a chance!”

“We’ve given them several chances, now be reasonable. These things don’t happen overnight. Look how long it took us to get together.”

“That was different.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

Whilst this argument was continuing in the kitchen. Belle and Gold were still left to their devices in the other room. Belle couldn’t help continuing to sneak little glances at Gold. She’d been doing it ever since she’d arrived, and sometimes she caught him doing the same. This was one such occasion. He gave a little smile, although it was becoming clear that he was getting increasingly stressed by the whole situation. 

Figuring that conversation was better than awkward silence, Belle decided to start talking. 

“Are they doing this on purpose?”

Gold shook his head. “No. Hamish is doing this on purpose and Isobel is probably giving him grief for it as we speak.”

“I think he just wants us to get to know each other a little better.” Belle inched her chair a little closer around the table. Since she’d been given this opportunity, however contrived, she might as well make use of it. “I mean, I’d like to get to know you better, if I can.”

Gold’s expression was a strange one, part hope and part disbelief. “There’s not much to know,” he mumbled. “Not much good, at least. I’d rather talk about you.”

“If that’s what you want, I’m sure that I can be persuaded, Mr Gold.”

“Please, call me Ciaran. If we’re getting to know each other better then maybe first name terms would be a start.”

“As you wish, Ciaran.”

She didn’t realise how long they continued to talk for, but by the time Hamish, looking somewhat smug, and Isobel, looking somewhat exasperated, returned to the room, the custard was stone cold and had set into a solid lump in the jug, and the apple pie that it was supposed to accompany had burned to a cinder. Isobel got out some ice-cream instead, and the ruined dessert was tactfully not mentioned in the hope of avoiding breaking the proverbial fourth wall that had sprung up around the table and Hamish and Isobel’s prolonged absences from it. Still, conversation seemed to flow much more easily now that Hamish had achieved his goal, and Belle was almost disappointed when the time came for her and Gold to leave. Not too disappointed though. They walked along in the late afternoon sun together until it was time for them to part and go their separate ways to their respective homes. 

“It was nice to get to know you, Ciaran,” she said. “Perhaps we could get to know each other a little better over lunch again. Without an audience, this time.”

Gold smiled, and his ears had gone rather pink again. 

“I would like that very much, Belle.”

“I could bring a picnic to the shop tomorrow?”

“That sounds perfect.”

As they said their goodbyes and continued down their different roads, Belle couldn’t help but grin. It turned out that Hamish’s interference had done the trick after all, and if he was attempting to play matchmaker like this, then he obviously approved of her interest in his cousin. 

Belle couldn’t wait for their next date. 

(But she probably wouldn’t tell Hamish about it.)

[liketolaugh-writes]

Reasonable Expectations

Author: liketolaugh Summary: As it turns out, there is only one person in London who can deal with Sebastian in a temper. (Sebastian/Agni.)

“Sebastian seems scarier than usual today,” Soma confided to Agni, voice hushed into a stage whisper as if he thought Sebastian was listening just outside the door. Perhaps he did; Soma was occasionally quite funny.

Agni nodded to his prince’s words, absently refilling his cup of chai. (Soma had been feeling homesick this morning.) “He did seem in quite a temper this morning,” he frowned.

Bard had attempted to make breakfast that morning, causing a localized explosion in the kitchen and waking both Soma and Ciel over an hour early. Sebastian had then banned Bard from the kitchen for the rest of the day, and his tone had been such that Bard had not dared even stay in the house. He was currently lurking outside, weeding the herb garden for lack of anything better.

And then later, Mey-rin had attempted to dust a bookshelf in the library, but had been startled by the sudden appearance of one of Snake’s smaller and more innocuous friends, resulting in her flailing in shock and colliding with the unfortunately unsecured bookshelf behind her. Were it not for Sebastian’s timely appearance, it would have fallen into the bookshelf behind it, possibly downing half the column.

Mey-rin had then been banished to her room (outside of which Agni had actually spent some time comforting her) and Snake had been frightened into near-complete silence, making himself quite scarce.

Agni shook himself, realizing he had been silent for quite a while, and Prince Soma was looking at him apprehensively. “Would you prefer for me to stay especially close today?” While Agni did not believe that Sebastian would harm Soma, his prince was frightened of the British butler and he knew some reassurance would not be amiss.

Soma appeared to consider that for a long moment, but then he smiled, a small and gentle look that accompanied many of his kindest decisions.

“I’ll stay with Ciel today,” Soma declared confidently, rolling his cup between his hands. “He’ll yell at Sebastian if he gets too scary.” He tipped his head to meet Agni’s gaze, tawny eyes warm and bright. “You want to talk to him, right?”

Agni started, and then smiled as a deep and grateful warmth spread through his chest – he would support Soma in whatever he chose to do, but his prince’s thoughtfulness never failed to amaze him. Unable to find his voice, he nodded.

Soma grinned at him, leaning forward against the table. “If anyone can calm him down, you can,” he said fondly. “But don’t let him yell at you, okay, Agni?”

“Jo aagyaa,” Agni chuckled, and at Soma’s shooing motions, he bowed shallowly and turned to leave, seeking out his colleague with all speed.

He found him near a supply closet, a scathing snarl on his face and eyes seeming to gleam ruby red in his anger, tearing into Finny in a voice that was barely raised but carried all the way down the hall; Agni had heard him before he saw him.

“-most basic of self-control. Byy now you ought to be more than capable of such elementary feats of restraint, and the fact that you simply are not amounts to nothing less than a complete and utter failure on your part.”

Finny, Agni found, was hunched in on himself in front of the irate butler, clutching two halves of a broken shovel to his chest and trembling visibly. His eyes gleamed with badly suppressed tears, and he wasn’t even attempting to defend himself, mouth shut tight.

In a single, fluid motion, Agni inserted himself between the two Phantomhive servants, and reached back to gently grasp Finny’s free hand. He gave Sebastian a disarming smile, and the British man stopped speaking immediately, though his displeasure seemed to ratchet up noticeably.

“I’m sure the young man has learned his lesson,” Agni cajoled. It was difficult, Agni knew from experience, to master such strength; Finny was doing his best, which Sebastian knew full well. “There is no need to denigrate him so, Mister Sebastian. Would it be acceptable to embrace this as a mistake and allow him on his way?”

Sebastian glowered at him for another long moment, with more blistering irritation than he had ever directed at Agni before. Agni held his gentle smile, patiently waiting the other man out, and behind him, Finny let out a desperate, breathy whimper. Finally, Sebastian held out one gloved hand.

It took a light squeeze from Agni before Finny yelped and jolted into action, placing the pieces ever-so-carefully in Sebastian’s outstretched hand. Agni gave Sebastian a grateful smile, and Sebastian nodded curtly before turning away and taking off at a brisk walk.

Agni intended to follow him, of course – such uncharacteristic fits of temper did not come without reason, and Agni was quite concerned – but first, to mind the distraught boy behind him.

When Agni turned around, Finny was sniffling, reaching up to rub fervently at his wet eyes.

“I’m s-s-sorry,” Finny croaked, voice tiny. “I-I didn’t mean to!”

“Of course not, my boy,” Agni soothed, gently wiping some of the tears off his cheek with the edge of his bandaged palm. “You’ve been doing admirably this past week, but mistakes will happen.” Finny hiccupped, and Agni continued, brushing the boy’s hair back behind his ear, “I have had my strength for years. It is not so great as yours, but I still break things by accident on occasion.”

Finny’s eyes widened, his breath steadying a little. “You, Mister Agni? But even Mister Sebastian admires you!”

Agni tried to ignore the heat that rose to his cheeks at that and smiled. “And yet, I still make mistakes. To err is human, after all. Do not worry; you will learn and it will get easier.”

Finny gave Agni a watery smile and bobbed his head. “I’ll learn! I’ll get better, I promise!” His smile fell. “But Mister Sebastian was really angry this time…”

“I will speak with him,” Agni promised, and Finny’s smile returned. “My boy, do you know what might have upset him so? He has seemed quite mercurial all day.”

Finny bit the inside of his cheek, frowning in thought. “I don’t really know,” he admitted, ducking his head. “He gets like this sometimes, but Mister Sebastian never says anything about it.” He shrugged helplessly. “He’ll calm down tomorrow, I think, but he’s scary like this.” He shivered, huddling in on himself again.

“Ah,” Agni sighed, and reached out to squeeze Finny’s hand again, swift and light. “Well, I will see if I can calm him sooner, eh?” He smiled reassuringly. “Now, my boy, in the meantime, would you mind checking on Miss Maid for me? She seemed quite upset earlier. And then you could perhaps keep Mister Footman company.”

Finny nodded quickly, and Agni was gratified to see him straighten with shaky determination. “I will!”

Agni smiled as Finny took off down the hall, and then turned to pursue Sebastian, his smile fading as concern rose to the surface.

Sebastian was a perfectionist of the highest degree, it was true, and his temper tended to lurk just beneath the surface. But such harshness was usually beyond Sebastian, so his behavior today was quite worrying.

Sebastian was returning inside when Agni found him again, hands free of the broken shovel and still radiating nothing but cold hostility. The last thing the man wanted, it seemed, was conversation.

Keeping this in mind, Agni cleared his throat, and Sebastian immediately turned a sharp glare on him, discouraging any overtures. Agni offered him a gentle smile, trying to smooth the man’s ruffled feathers.

“Would you accept my help with today’s chores?” Agni asked, voice soft and carefully inoffensive, palms open and relaxed. “Taking them on alone would surely be tedious and lonely.”

At first, it looked as if Sebastian would lash out at him too. His harsh expression did not budge from his face, his stance deceptively loose and distinctly predatory, and his teeth beginning to bare in the trappings of a renewed snarl.

And then Sebastian closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath, and nodded once.

“If you insist,” Sebastian said curtly. “I intend to polish the staircase next. It still has traces of shoe polish on it.”

“Then I will help you,” Agni replied firmly.

Sebastian’s expression pinched in apparent displeasure, but he simply turned away and started walking, aiming for the supply closet from which wood polish and wax could be retrieved.

In quiet cooperation, the two of them cleaned and waxed the staircase, and then dusted the library, brushing away residue from books and shelves and paintings, and then moved on to the kitchen. When they had finished cleaning the ash from the kitchen, they started tea, working alongside each other but not together. It was then that Agni decided to approach Sebastian, who had calmed somewhat with the silent work.

“You never speak of home,” Agni pointed out mildly, stirring a bowl of batter with care.

Sebastian’s lips thinned, and he cast Agni an unamused, warning look. “It has never been relevant.”

Sebastian’s motions were stiff but flawless. Russet eyes refocused on his work even as he scowled faintly. Agni considered him, a small, concerned frown on his face.

Everyone got homesick sometimes.

“You place great value on precision, honesty, and patience,” Agni mused aloud, treading carefully. Sebastian actually glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow, and Agni offered him a small, commiserating smile. “Are these your own virtues, or did you learn them from your homeland?” While it was easy to assume that Sebastian was British born-and-raised, there were some behaviors of his that did not quite fit.

Sebastian scoffed. Something about the sound made Agni’s heart clench; derision decorated Sebastian’s face. “Nothing so respectable could ever come from such a place,” he muttered, draining his pan into another bowl.

“You did,” Agni said easily. Sebastian did not reply, expression still stormy and motions becoming somehow sharper, so Agni persevered. “You’ve learned much since you came here, haven’t you? So have I, and so have your coworkers.” He turned a smile on Sebastian, now more sure of the source of his problem. (Why did all of Lord Ciel’s servants seem to have such unfortunate histories?) Sebastian went briefly still, cocking a weary, skeptical eyebrow at Agni, who finished, “I expect we all have more to learn yet, as humans do.”

Sebastian did not immediately reply, but neither did his ire spike again. He simply gazed at Agni, expression unreadable, with much of the tension gone from his shoulders. Recognizing the look, Agni gave him a bright grin and returned to the final touches of Soma’s afternoon meal.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Sebastian spoke. The tightness was gone from his voice, leaving a tired, almost contrite tone. “We should not keep our masters waiting. Children become bad-tempered when hungry.”

Agni relaxed and cast Sebastian a teasing smile. “They are not the only ones.”

Sebastian smirked back, his hand brushing lightly across Agni’s shoulders as he moved past, plate in hand. “I suppose not.”

[kitashiwrites]

Seven - A High Lady Reveal Fic

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas Characters: Feyre, Tamlin, Rhysand (with cameos by Lucien and Cassian) POV: Feyre Rating: T Word Count: 3076 Ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10531557

Summary: Feyre has been in the Spring Court, and now it’s finally time to leave. And she plans to reveal herself to its High Lord in the most dramatic way possible.

Comments: First off, I know this isn’t the fourth and final chapter of my Tarquin fic, & for that, I am very sorry. It’s almost done though, I promise!

This one came to me suddenly on my way to work on Friday, and I just couldn’t get it out of my head. This fic is inspired by @blogtealdeal‘s amazing art of Feyre on the Spring Court throne (see here). Seriously Nicole, your art is a blessing to this fandom.

Thank you to @illyriantremors, my most favorite favorite, for always indulging me and reading over these fics and keeping me going, and to @gekigami98, my beloved real life sister who helped me fix my issues with this when canon got in the way of my plans lol I’m blessed to have both of you in my life.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

—–

Tomorrow.

The letter with that single word had lain in the middle of my bed, rolled up with my star sapphire ring used as its seal. If the note, written in my mate’s handwriting, hadn’t spoken for itself, the ring screamed it. I hadn’t seen it since the night before we went to Hybern. The night before I became so many things to my true home, to my Court, and to my mate.

My mate.

I had missed Rhys more than I could say. The occasional notes back and forth in the middle of the night were balm for my soul during these many weeks, usually while I watched from my window seat as Tamlin lay on my bed living out a daemati woven fantasy that involved us. It was almost amusing to see him writhing on the bed by himself, but the fact that he truly believed that I was his after everything that had happened—after everything and everyone he had sacrificed to Hybern without a thought to get me back—

I shook my head, trying to think of something else, anything else. I looked at the ring in my hands and ran my finger over the sparkling sapphire and pearls lovingly. I wanted to put it on right now. I wanted to march down the stairs, and show Tamlin before I spun on my heel and left. Before I went home.

But these sort of games were best played with more… finesse.

A grin spread across my face as my plan began to form.

~~~

I walked down the stairs to lunch the next afternoon in the high collared—but somehow still low cut and revealing—pink dress that Alis had said that Tamlin requested. It wasn’t the least bit comfortable, and my hair was pulled back with a matching ribbon band before letting it fall in curls at my shoulders. Another of Tamlin’s requests. I felt the weight of my ring on my left hand, glamoured to look like the gaudy emerald and gold engagement ring that Tamlin had bestowed upon me within days of my return—almost an exact copy of the first one I’d destroyed in my panic at being trapped in the manor. I was nervous. Rhys hadn’t given me any indication of when he was coming or what exactly he was going to do to get me out of here, but the prospect of seeing my mate again was making it difficult to act natural. I had planted the idea in Alis’s head with ease to make an impromptu overnight visit to the village hours ago. Lucien and Tamlin sat in their usual places at the table, and Tamlin gave me a loving smile as I approached, holding his hand out to me. I pasted a somehow believable smile on my face and willed myself to blush as he kissed my hand.

“You look lovely today, Feyre.”

“She looks like a cake,” Lucien muttered before shoving a forkful of food in his mouth. I felt the corner of my mouth twitch as I fought back a smile at the look Tamlin gave him as I sat down.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything, Feyre?” Lucien asked, noting my empty plate. I clenched my fist underneath the table and shook my head.

“No, I’m not really—”

A piece of paper suddenly appeared in the middle of my plate. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lucien frozen, his fork halfway to his mouth, and Tamlin with his brow furrowed in confusion. Again, only one word was on the paper.

Now.

A guard burst into the dining hall, panicked.

“Lord Tamlin,” he panted. “Intruders! The Night Court—” Tamlin was on his feet before the guard finished his sentence and looked at Lucien with a wordless command that Lucien bowed his head to and quickly left the room. Tamlin looked at me.

“Feyre, hide somewhere safe. I will come and get you once it’s clear.” He turned to the guard. “Protect her,” he ordered.

I creased my brow into the best act of worry I could muster. “But Tam—”

“Go!” he roared. Before I could argue, he was gone. I turned to the guard, who looked extremely nervous and very determined to please his High Lord. A minor inconvenience at worst.

“You can leave,” I said to him after a moment of staring at him. “I can take care of myself.”

He shook his head. “Lady, Lord Tamlin said—”

His mental shields were like wet paper. “You will leave,” I said to him authoritatively. “You got me somewhere safe. You followed your High Lord’s orders.” His face relaxed and he smiled as the new order settled into his mind. I almost felt sorry for him as I strode past him into the foyer.

A battle waged between Illyrian warriors and Spring Court sentinels in front of me that extended outside to the front drive. To my relief, the Illyrians seemed to be winning. I wove quickly through the chaos, with no one so much as sparing me a glance. But no one would stop me. The Spring Court soldiers wouldn’t dare risk hurting their High Lord’s chosen bride, and the Illyrians or anyone from the Night Court hurting me was utterly laughable. As I rounded the corner to the hall outside of where I had planned, I noticed a familiar hulking frame out of the corner of my eye and stopped. Cassian was battling a sentinel, but judging from his stance, he almost seemed to be toying with him. His wings looked to be patched all over with something that made the membrane shine silvery through the red-gold I’d come to expect, but I was relieved to see that they seemed to be fine. Without missing a beat as he knocked out the man in front of him, he turned towards me. His hazel eyes lit up and he gave me a roguish grin as he looked me over.

“Your taste in clothes needs some improvement, Feyre,” he called as he threw another brazen soldier back with a Siphon shield without even looking, knocking him out cold against the wall. I flashed a rude gesture at him that only made his grin grow wider.

“Say that again once we’re home, Cassian, and we’ll talk about my wardrobe and yours.” He laughed and gave me a respectful nod before heading back into the fray. I kept moving, avoiding the soldiers where I could, and threw open a set of gilded doors. For my plan to go the way I wanted, I needed to go to the one place that Tamlin would try to protect if the battle got too intense—here.

The throne before me was much like its master—golden, flowery, with many hidden thorns. The roses that adorned the top seemed so innocent. Perfect for the image I wanted to portray. I moved across the room, climbed the raised dais, and settled onto the throne, which was uncomfortable to say the least. Even the one in the Court of Nightmares was more comfortable. I ignored the inner voice in my head that suggested that it had less to do with the throne, and more with who I’d been sitting on.

I waited. Hours passed, and my back began to hurt from the throne arm digging into it. I had forgone sitting properly a while ago, and had pulled the what seemed to be never ending piles of restrictive pink fabric, revealing the short white petticoats underneath, up over my crossed legs that now dangled over the other side of the throne. In my boredom, I had created a water wolf to sit next to me, to add to the image I wanted to portray, but even it seemed bored waiting for Tamlin, now lying at the foot of the dias, occasionally letting out a distinctly canine yawn as it dozed. I began wondering if Tamlin had fled his court. It seemed like something he would do.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps in the hallway outside. I mentally felt for the person’s mind and, to my delight, came into contact with a wall of thorns and roses. As he came closer, I made myself more comfortable on the throne, though I didn’t bother to sit properly.

In here, I whispered into Tamlin’s mind as I slipped past his shields with ease.

He walked into the throne room almost hesitantly, a sword in his hand. He straightened.

“Feyre, you need to get somewhere safe,” he hissed. “That monster thinks he is going to take you again, but I won’t let him.”

I almost felt a twinge of pity for him. He truly believed that he was doing what was right. Suddenly, he seemed to register where I was. “Feyre, why are you sitting on my throne?”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “I figured there is no place safer than the heart of the Spring Court.”

Tamlin took a step towards me, but was stopped by a growling sound at my feet. I looked down to see my water wolf in a low, defensive position, hackles up as he looked straight at Tamlin.

“Feyre, what the hell is that?” His eyes were locked on the watery beast before him.

I smirked. “I believe it’s a wolf, Tamlin.”

He scowled. “I can see that. But what’s it made of?”

“I thought it was pretty obvious, but when I died—” I saw him flinch at the word choice. Perfect. “I gained a little more than was probably intended. So I guess he would best be described as a gift from the Summer Court.”

Tamlin eyed the wolf warily, though I could tell from his stance he was just looking for a weak spot—a way to get past it to me. “Feyre, call him off. You are in no danger with me. You know that.”

“No, Tamlin, I don’t know that.” The wolf’s growl got louder as Tamlin took another step towards it and me. He angled his sword, and almost too fast, swung.

Before he could complete the arc and actually hit something, Tamlin dropped his sword with a yelp of pain and a loud clatter, the handle now glowing red on the floor a few feet from him—closer to the wolf now. He held his hand with a wince and I could see now that the burn had been worse than I intended—not so bad that fae healing wouldn’t fix it, but I could tell it hurt.

“Ouch, that looks bad,” I simpered. “Too bad you don’t have someone from the Dawn Court to heal it. Of course, there is also me, but I don’t really feel like giving you my blood.” Tamlin moved towards me again, and this time, the wolf launched at him, knocking him to the ground. With a wave of my hand, the wolf lost its form, drenching Tamlin in water. As he crawled onto his knees, coughing from the sudden splash, I froze his hands and feet to the floor in thick shackles of ice. He pulled at them futilely, and looked at me in shock.

“Gifts from Autumn and Winter.” I rolled a ball of fire from the top of one hand to the other, juggling it with practiced ease and grinned at him as he looked at me with genuine fear. “Are you having fun yet, Tamlin?” I asked, splitting the fireball into three and rotating them in my hand. “Because I certainly am.” I let the fire disappear.

“Someone will notice I’m gone,” he said defiantly.

“No one is coming, Tamlin.” I swept my hand towards the doors. “At least, not for awhile. They have enough to worry about outside.”

“What is that on your finger,” he asked suddenly. “Where is your ring?” So he’d noticed. I smiled and held the star sapphire up to the light, admiring the way the it sparkled.

“Do you like it? I got it from the Weaver of the Wood.” I heard him inhale sharply. “She had been keeping it safe at a brave and innocent woman’s request. Only someone who could retrieve it and live would survive being married to her son.” I could tell my references were lost on Tamlin. Not that it mattered.

“You are marrying me,” he argued. He was still watching me warily.

“No, I’m not.” He looked stunned, as though he’d been slapped across the face. I smiled.

“But you know, this ring is not the only thing I got while I was away.” I let a large pair of Illyrian wings manifest behind me, the tip of one scraping the floor, and finally removed the glamour from the tattoo on my right hand. “Do you like them?”

“What did he do to you?” Tamlin asked in horror. I narrowed my eyes.

“My mate has a name, Tamlin. Rhys saved me. But these—” I gestured to the membranous wings over my shoulder. “These are from you actually. Shifting is such a useful ability. And this—” I held up my arm, twisting it so he could see the marks clearer. “Well, I think High Lady of the Night Court has a nice ring to it, don’t you?”

“There are no such thing as High Ladies.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Must you insist on being so backwards?”

“He isn’t your mate, Feyre,” Tamlin pleaded, as though he thought he would make some sort of breakthrough with me. “He only made you believe he was. The King took care of—”

“The King of Hybern is an arrogant fool who can’t tell the difference between a bargain and a mate bond,” I snapped. “And you—I’m not even sure I have words to describe what I think of you.”

“Feyre, this—”

“This is who I am, Tamlin.” I let the comfort of Rhys’s darkness—my darkness—that I had kept locked away wash over me, and watched his eyes widen as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. Suddenly, his expression hardened.

“If you’re going to kill me, you had better do it quickly,” he said stiffly. I rolled my eyes.

“I’m not going to kill you, Tamlin.”

“Then why are you doing this?” he asked. I shrugged.

“I was torn from my human life because of a curse, for trying to keep my family alive. I was killed for freeing you and your court. I almost died again because I suffered from what being Under the Mountain did to me. And you ignored it.” I closed my eyes and let out a shuddering breath. “You ignored it, and were willing to let me waste away, if it meant I was safe.”

“I was trying to protect you,” he insisted. “I love—”

“Too much love can be a poison, Tamlin. In an effort to protect me, you smothered any light that was left in me. And I should probably thank you.” I let a tendril of shadow snake its way across the floor towards Tamlin, who tugged on his restraints trying to get away from it. “By doing what you did, you helped me to find that my strength comes from the comfort found in the solace of Night.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment. Finally, he asked, “What is number seven?” I raised an eyebrow, not following him.

“That’s six courts you’ve shown gifts for.” He narrowed his eyes. “What did you get from the Day Court?”

Clearly his curiosity had gotten the better of him. I stared at him coolly. “Something that you will never see, because I no longer feel anything for you.” I felt a tug on the bond—oh how I had missed that feeling—inquiring where I was. I sent back a loving caress. “And there’s my cue. But before I go…” I wiped his mind of all the powers he’d seen, but left the feelings attached with his reactions to them. “After all, I can’t have you telling Hybern what to expect when I finally meet him on the battlefield. And I will.” I wiggled my tattooed fingers in a mocking goodbye and strode for the gilded doors once more.

“You’re not just going to leave me here, are you?”

I stopped next to him, looking into his green eyes. There was a time that I would have willingly drowned myself in that gaze. I shook my head and patted his cheek condescendingly.

“I’m sure someone will come eventually. After all, you said yourself that someone is bound to notice you are missing. Otherwise, the ice should melt after a while.” I walked past him without another glance. “Goodbye, Tamlin.” I winnowed away.

I squinted as I was on the rolling hills outside the manor, the orange-gold of the sunset too sudden of a change, too bright after being inside. I looked around. I was near the cave from Calanmai.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you,” a midnight voice said from behind me. My heart skipped a beat, and I turned around to see my mate only feet away from me, taking me in—a thrill of questioning excitement crossing the bond as he beheld the wings I still had out. I smirked at him.

“Hello, Rhysand darling,” I said in my best imitation of him. His violet eyes lit up, dancing.

“Only my enemies call me Rhysand,” he answered teasingly.

“Prick,” I said, tears suddenly choking my voice and blurring my vision. I desperately tried to blink them away. His expression softened and he crossed the distance between us in mere steps, gathering me up in his arms and enveloping me in citrus, jasmine, and the sea.

“That’s more like it,” Rhys murmured softly, stroking my hair as I clung to his shirt with one hand, feeling the steady, grounding beat in his chest that told me I wasn’t imagining things. He really was here. I wasn’t alone anymore. My heart was full to bursting at the thought. I felt a chuckle rumble in his chest beneath my ear.

“As much as this boosts my ego, darling, you’re going to give us away.” I looked up at him, to see his face glowing in the growing darkness around us.

Glowing.

I looked down at my hands, and realized they were glowing, just like the rest of me.

“Seven,” I whispered almost to myself. He tilted his head.

“What was that?”

I shook my head and smiled radiantly at him. “Nothing. Let’s go home.”

[jbankai89]

Never Let Me Go [25/37]

A/N: As of next week I will be back in school. While this shouldn't affect my updates at all, the date of posting might change again. So for right now, the next update will be January 26th, although it is subject to change, it will for sure not be any later than that.

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains scenes of sexual assault, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and implied/referenced human euthanasia.

Chapter Twenty-Four – Survival

As time passed and his incarceration under the tyrannical rule of the trainer extended, Yuri began to truly believe that he had gone blind.

Perhaps they had done something to mess up his eyes, Yuri guessed, or poisoned him, but as Yuri tried to keep track of the days, he never saw a thing, save the occasional glint of his trainer's night vision goggles—which Yuri was beginning to believe it was actually a hallucination of some kind.

Yuri was only aware of the passage from one day to the next by the slow but steady progression of his pregnancy. First, in the form of deep hunger, satiated by the bread and vitamin water he was fed, and second by a near-constant nausea that made it difficult to keep anything down. Every time he vomited his trainer would punish him painfully, and by the middle of his second trimester, six of his fingers were in splints, for his trainer had decided that the most ideal form of punishment for his mess was breaking his fingers, rather than make him eat his own vomit—bad for the Alpha's Gift, he would say.

Yuri thanked his trainer with every new injury he gifted him with, as he wept through the excruciating pain.

Time was meaningless to the omega, who lay in darkness and silence, and tried to remember who he was in between session with his trainer. Saline tear tracks clung to his cheeks, and he no longer bothered to brush them away. His name was harder and harder to remember, worse after a session where he was addressed solely as Omega, and was forced to repeat over and over the mantra, I am no one.

He brushed a hand across his belly, which was now distinctly rounded. He sniffled, and stroked the skin like one might caress a beloved pet.

I will survive this, for you. My precious child. Regardless what they might say to my alpha, regardless what they try to make me believe, you protect me as much as I want to protect you. Somehow, I'll make sure that they don't take you away from me.

Yuri hoped that the growing fœtus could not hear the doubt in his thoughts.

~*~

A slamming door woke the omega.

Yuri, he thought to himself, I am Yuri Plisetsky. My grandfather's name is Nikolai, and my alpha is Otabek Altin. My best friends are Minami Kenjirou and Yuuri Katsuki.

The mantra rang through his head like an automated message. It had not changed in the months since he had begun it, but it no longer felt wholly accurate in his own mind.

When he woke, it was to nothing. The room was still black as pitch, and though still terrifying in many ways, he also felt as though his hearing had improved because of it.

The moment the belief materialized in his mind however, a hand ghosted across his thigh, and Yuri whimpered meekly, for he had not heard the trainer approach.  

“Please...” Yuri whispered softly before he could think better of it, “please, don't...”

The moment the words slipped past his lips, a hand closed around one of his injured fingers, and tugged it back, making him cry out in pain.

“You know better, Omega,” the trainer murmured over Yuri's whimpers, his sour breath brushing over Yuri's cheek as he spoke, “who are you?”

“N-no one. I am no one.”

“Who owns you?”

“My alpha.”

“Do you have an alpha?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“B-because I am a whore omega, and I manipulated my alpha into touching me. I used my heat to trick him. Omegas like me do not deserve the attention of an alpha.”

“Good, Omega.”

A hand fell to his hair, now a few inches past his shoulders, and the trainer stroked him like a cat.

“You have changed so much in so little time, Omega,” the trainer said approvingly, and Yuri felt his insides tingle with pleasure at the warm praise. “Do you know how long you have been here? A mere seven months. One like you usually takes years to properly break, but you learnt how an omega must conduct themselves in so short a time.”

“Alpha Otabek tried to train me,” Yuri offered in a small and meek tone of voice, and he prayed that he would not be punished for his brazenness. “But I did not wish to listen. Do you think his methods had something to do with it?”

“It is possible, Omega,” the trainer said as he continued to stroke his hair, “his methods were heavy-handed, yes, but if you had not bewitched him, perhaps you would not be here now.”

And if you knew the truth of how little your so-called methods have affected me, I'd never leave, Yuri thought, but did not allow his anger to show on his face as he leant into the touch with a soft catlike purr. He shut his eyes, though it made no difference, and acted as though there was nowhere in the world that he'd rather be.

A soft rustling sounded, and Yuri shivered a little as the trainer lay down with him, and spooned at his back. Immediately the trainer struck him sharply, and Yuri hissed as his face seemed to explode with pain, and he lifted a hand to his cheek as he tried to keep from crying out, though a string of pained whimpers still managed to slip past his lips.

“You must always welcome the touch of your alpha, Omega,” the trainer chastised, “you know that.”

“I'm sorry, Alpha,” Yuri said softly, and forced his body to still as he lay down again, and pressed one hand to the small swell of his stomach. “I...forgot myself.”

“It is only the gift of Alpha Otabek that saves you from a proper punishment, Omega,” the trainer reminded him as he pushed up Yuri's shirt and caressed his bare stomach. “Remember that.”

“Thank you, Alpha Otabek,” Yuri whispered aloud, and his trainer chuckled softly.

“Yes, good boy.”

For what felt like hours the trainer held him, childlike, and stroked the swell of Yuri's belly. As he did so, he whispered poisonous words into Yuri's ear, while Yuri struggled to remind himself of the untruth of them.

“We are beginning to narrow down the list of candidates for your adoption,” he purred, and Yuri bit his lip to stifle a whine of anguish. His hands tensed into fists as he struggled to keep still. “I have some applicants coming in as far away as India, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand...even a few local petitioners within the city and surrounding areas. Not to worry, regardless what your child is born as—alpha, omega, or beta—it will know its place, just as you are now learning your place. Do you remember your place, Omega?”

“My place...is where an alpha tells me to be,” Yuri mumbled, his voice shaking a little with disgust at himself as he spoke.

I don't believe it, Yuri thought fiercely as he clenched his eyes shut. No matter how broken they think I am, I know that that isn't true. I am worth more than my ability to reproduce.

“Good, Omega,” the trainer praised, and Yuri felt himself shiver, this time with pride at the trainer's extolment. “Yes indeed, your place is wherever an alpha wishes it to be. So if they want you on your back, or on the floor, or in their bed, or at their dinner table, it is right. You are as important to us as a household appliance, or book on a shelf—you are there for us to use, at our discretion.”

Yuri fought a shudder at the painful words. To be viewed with the same respect as a toaster made him feel sick to his stomach. He knew he was more than that—wasn't he? Had he not spent the last months vehemently reminding himself that he did have worth? Was it true? Was he worthless after all?

No, I'm not, Yuri thought fiercely as he tried to block out the words of the trainer. I have worth. Otabek cares for me, and I'll get to him again...somehow.

“We also have people beginning to line up, so to speak, for you,” the trainer continued, his hand trailing down Yuri's side as he spoke, finally resting on Yuri's ass, and he gave it a firm squeeze. Yuri did his best to suppress a shiver of disgust at the familiar touch. “A few local alphas who know of you, and even one who has an omega harem licence...I think the harem life would be best for you, don't you agree? You can slut your ass around all you want...isn't that what you like, Omega?”

Yuri bit his lip and bowed his head, and did not answer. The hand cupping his ass squeezed harder, to the point where it was almost painful.

“I asked you a question, Omega,” the trainer said with a sickly false kindness, and Yuri whimpered. “The polite thing to do would be to answer me. Would the harem life suit you?”

“Yes,” Yuri replied brokenly, a sob in his voice, “yes, Alpha, it would.”

The alpha planted a kiss to the side of Yuri's throat, and again he struggled with the urge to shiver.

“Good boy.”

~*~

Yuri woke to noise.

He did not know what time it was, or even what day it was, and he was surprised to find himself alone.

Where is Alpha? Yuri wondered, his stomach turning over with nervousness, then he shook his head violently. No, no, the trainer. Not Alpha.

The sound increased, and Yuri realized that it was coming from outside. He had never heard external noise before, and it took him a moment to work through his surprise enough to shift from his mattress and feel his way over to the door, where he pressed his ear to the wood, and listened.

“This is such bullshit!” the trainer cried, “we can't move him now, I'm not finished with him yet, and he is still weeks away from giving birth!”

“This is not my call, Bohuslav!” yelled the other person, “these are orders from above. Omega Yuri Plisetsky is to be moved to another retraining facility in St. Petersburg. Trainer Popovich will be picking him up in two weeks, and so we need to begin reintroducing him to light. They were quite adamant that we do it slowly, so as to not mess up his sight.”

“Did you mention that pulling omegas out of retraining to set them up with another trainer almost always yields poorer results?” his trainer asked. “We may as well euthanize him.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Bohuslav,” the other man admonished. “You know that this country no longer culls its omegas. Even a broken toy has its uses. Go, don't make me tell you twice.”

Yuri listened to the trainer stomp off, grumbling the whole way. He inched back from the door and stood slowly. With one hand resting protectively on his baby bump, Yuri padded quietly back to his mattress and laid down on his side.

So I'm being moved, Yuri thought as he clenched his eyes shut. Why? Was it my fault? Or was it something Alp—the trainer did? Would it be safe to try and run like this? What if I fall and hurt the baby?

Yuri shivered, and tears stung his eyes. He didn't know what to do. He rubbed his hand across the small swell of his stomach. It was so much smaller than he remembered Yuuri's to be. He didn't know if that was good or bad.

My absolute top priority is protecting this child, Yuri thought as his fingers tensed against his belly. No matter what, I will not fail them. I know that somehow, we will get out of here, and I will find your father, and we will watch you grow up. Not some stranger.

A faint flutter in Yuri's stomach of gentle movement, and he smiled.

“Don't worry, baby,” Yuri whispered as softly as he dared, “I will keep you safe.”

An hour after Yuri had nodded off, he was awoken abruptly to the sound of the door of his room slamming open. Even through his shut eyelids the dim light of the hall made his eyes ache, and he let out a whine as he tried to shield his gaze from it. Another crash and the light disappeared as Yuri sat up, shaking a little from shock while he listened to his trainer huff with annoyance.

“Get up, Omega,” he snapped, the anger and impatience in his tone making Yuri even more nervous than usual.

What did I do? Yuri wondered as he stood up as quickly as he could, and a wave of dizziness washed over him as he tried to reign in his panic. Why is he angry with me?

Wait, no, no, Yuri shook his head a little, this is not my fault. He's just mad because I'm being moved. Even if he blames me for this, it's not my fault.

Yuri wished he could believe it.

“Show me your hands, Omega,” the trainer commanded, and Yuri extended the requested limbs towards the sound of the trainer's voice without question. He grimaced as he pawed at four of the broken fingers, and removed the splints from two of them.

“Does this hurt, Omega?” he asked, bending the fingers he'd freed roughly, and Yuri winced as the stiff digits ached dully.

“A little, Alpha,” he replied, then tensed, bracing himself for pain, and was shocked when none came. Instead he released Yuri's hands and jammed something against his face, and it took Yuri a moment to realize that it was a pair of some sort of glasses. Yuri was almost tempted to ask what they were for, but curbed the impulse, instead choosing to bow his head and wait for whatever training was to come during this session.

Click.

A dim light filtered through tiny pinholes in the blackout glasses, and Yuri squinted as his eyes stung.

“Alpha, what...?” Yuri broke off abruptly as he remembered the conversation he'd overheard.

“Trainer Popovich will be picking him up in two weeks, and so we need to begin reintroducing him to light.”

Oh.

“We are to prepare you for transport,” the trainer said sourly, and dropped something near Yuri's bed with a loud albeit familiar clatter. Without another word the trainer turned and stormed from the room, leaving the light on, and slamming the door so hard it almost felt as though the room shook from it.

Yuri dropped back down onto his mattress and pawed at the ground by his bed, scooping up the bottled water and now-familiar loaf of bread. He wanted to look for it, and use his eyes for the first time in months, but staring into the dim light hurt, and still he was restricted to using his other senses to get around. He could not decide whether or not this was supposed to help him or yet another torture, but either way he did not even think to remove the glasses—something told him it would hurt more if he did.

Yuri bit into the seed-studded loaf, and chased down the large mouthfuls with the lemon-flavoured water. As he sat there, he tried to draw his legs to his chest, but his pregnant belly got in the way of him accomplishing the task. With a small sigh of defeat Yuri stretched out his legs again, and tried to look through the pinholes, only to grimace in pain again and look away from the tiny beams of light.

What is going to happen now? Yuri wondered as he took another bite of the loaf, ripping a chunk of it away from the whole with more ferocity than was probably necessary. Another trainer...what is this Popovich like? Will he hurt me? Will he scare me? Will he really take my baby away?

Yuri whimpered as he dropped his food and water, his appetite gone, and he wrapped his arms compulsively around his middle. The idea of losing this child was almost too much for Yuri to bear. When it happened—if it happened, Yuri was quite certain he would truly break down.

“I promise to protect you, my child,” Yuri whispered, his voice weak as the water from his bottle gurgled out of the bottle, across the floor, and soaked into the mattress. “I won't let anyone ever hurt you, I swear it.”

A tear trickled from Yuri's eye, and he lifted a hand to wipe it away. The move caused him to dislodge the glasses, and the light that filtered in made his eyes sear painfully. Quickly, he fixed the glasses on his face, and returned his hands to his middle, almost as though he intended to rock his unborn child to sleep.

Sniffling, Yuri laid back down and clenched his eyes shut. Fantasies of Otabek, of their little family reunited filled his mind, and slowly lulled him to sleep.

A/N: If you like my work, please consider throwing a few bucks into my Digital Tip Jar. I am a starving artist, and I like not actually starving to death :P

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