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notchesandbullets · 4 years ago

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Tangy Starfruit and White Sea Foam (Tiger!Todoroki x Reader)

Warnings: none, unless you count ridiculous amounts of fluff and shenanigans (oh and cursing). hints of BKDK and Kami x Jirou, pro-hero AU, aged-up!AU, Todoroki’s a tiger as a result of a quirk accident that happened on the job. Todoroki and reader are in a established relationship. Bakugou gets tied to a tree, Shinsou and Tsuyu are good friends, you and Todoroki may have a mishap on your hands in the near future. Featuring the rest of class A + Shinsou.

A/N: third and final piece for @ultimate-astridwriting ‘s hybrid collab!! i had an entirely different thing written out for tiger todoroki, it was 2.5k words full of angst bc real life is shitty atm but then bam, i got an idea while eating dinner and now here we are xD. get ready for sun and sand at the beach with a graduated class A!!

Words: 7k

Golden sun raised high in the sky scorched the earth below, turning the pristine white sand into scalding hot lava. But that didn’t hold back the group of 22 from surging forth.

Happy squeals that tumbled from the girls as they caught sight of the sparkling blue waves dancing on the horizon turned into wheezing laughs and yelps as the sand burned their bare feet.

Jirou whooped, a wide smile stretched across her face as she grabbed Yaoyorozu’s hand. “Last one in is a rotten egg!!”

“No fair, Kyoka-chan!!” Uraraka huffed as she pumped her short legs to go faster and catch up.

Kaminari hollered obnoxiously, screaming all the way into the ocean as he tore right past you.

“Do not run!!!!” Iida yelled, trying to make himself be heard above the clamor but to no avail.

You smiled at him sympathetically but he merely shook his head and followed after them to make sure none of his former classmates hurt themselves.

They’re lucky to have you… You thought to yourself, clapping a hand over your mouth when the sound of him scolding Mina and Sero reached your ears from all the way across the deserted beach.

You had found this isolated spot a long time ago, back when you lived on your own and had yet the privilege of calling anyone family. This was a place of comfort for you, a gem hidden away from the greedy eyes of the world looking to corrupt anything and everything that was pure.

Here, you found solace. You found peace.

After you graduated from UA and everyone was giving each other teary goodbye hugs in the common floor filled with all the boxes of things they all had to move into moving trucks, you offered up one day. One day, if everyone wanted to come, you would show them a place very special to you.

The girls had a vague idea of where you guys were going based on the swimsuit dress code. In all honesty, maybe you should’ve made it a little harder for them, but they were your friends. And you were too excited.

Here, on this beach hidden by dense foliage and sheer cliffs, your little piece of paradise remained a secret. Until now.

“Y/N, come on!!!” Hagakure shouted, waving excitedly for you to join them.

“In a minute!!” You yelled back, looking back to see if your boyfriend was following. “Shouto?”

You spun around in a full circle when you couldn’t find him, a frown twisting your features until Shoji came up behind you and tapped you on the shoulder.

“He’s coming.” He told you, jerking his chin back a few paces the way you guys came to signal where he last saw him.

You shot him a look of relief for his well-timed reassurance. “Thanks.”

Shoji dipped his head, hoisting the basket slung over his shoulder higher as he motioned for Tokoyami to pass you. “No problem.”

A skeptical Tokoyami followed the gentle giant, muttering under his breath why the use of quirks had to be banned for today. Koda waved to you shyly and you smiled.

Iida had made it a rule for the day that no quirks were allowed to be used unless in case of an emergency. This was to do damage control and hopefully prevent a fight between Bakugou and literally anyone else.

No one had any arguments. They were all here to relax, not think about their work life. All villains and life outside of this paradise was put on hold until tomorrow came.

You decided to wait until Todoroki caught up with you, and since everyone had raced on ahead, eager to soak up as much sun as they could on the one off day they were all able to get off together, you leaned back against the rough rock and tilted your head up to the sky.

Sighing wistfully, your eyes fluttered shut as the sun’s blazing afternoon rays warmed your body.

You knew what showing them this place meant, and you knew that your friends were fully aware of it. It had been something so special to you for so long that you sharing it with them meant that you trusted them a great deal.

They were honored.

As rising pro-heroes in the world, they were constantly swamped with malicious villains, endless paperwork, press conferences and training the next generation. There was no time for rest.

But your former classmates were insistent that time be taken out for that purpose amidst all the craziness, especially Bakugou.

Down time was important. It was necessary. Or else you all would burnout and then none of you would be any good to save anybody.

This is why you chose this place.

It was secluded enough where there was no paparazzi, no cameras, no exposure and no one was the wiser. Here, you guys could be as loud and as free as you wanted because there was no one around to threaten that fragile bubble of happiness.

Heaving the bulging bag full of food and other amenities that you had swiped from Yaoyorozu as soon as you guys arrived higher on your shoulder, you wiped the bead of sweat from your forehead as it started to drip down your face.

“Shouto, c’mon!!” You encouraged aimlessly, since you didn’t know where he was. “Don’t you want to join the others?”

A faint rustle came from the bush a yard away from you and then it stilled. “No.”

You fought back a smile at the curt reply. You could almost envision that pout on his lips. Cheeky boy.

“Shouto~” You sang, fishing out a piece of his favorite food and waving it in the air, knowing that he could smell it. “I have a present for you…”

A beat of silence passed, and then two fluffy ears, one white and one red, poked out from the brush.

You suppressed a smile, knowing that would only make him leave in a huff and then his stubbornness wouldn’t let him come out and joy you for another hour. You couldn’t do that, he would miss all the fun!!

Waving it a bit more so that the enticing scent of the delectable food encouraged him out of his hiding place, you opted to hold your ground. “C’mon, Shouto. I promise, no tricks.”

His facial expression didn’t change but his ears perked up a bit and you couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped you. He was adorable.

Todoroki’s face fell the second he heard you laugh. “You’re laughing at me.”

You stopped immediately and straightened up, shaking your head. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” He pushed back, crossing his arms over his chest as he stepped out of the bush with stray leaves clinging to his fur and branches sticking out of his head. Plopping down on the dirt, he puffed out his cheeks.

Your eyes softened and you set down the heavy bag, keeping your form relaxed as you tuned out the splashing and shrieks of laughter coming from the ocean.

“I’m sorry I laughed.” You apologized sincerely, never once breaking eye contact with your boyfriend. “I just thought you were very cute.”

Todoroki snorted, a sound so unlike his normally stoic and guarded demeanor, burrowing his face into his arms resting atop of the knees tucked into his chest. “That’s not funny…”

Your smile saddened a fraction as a memory washed over you as though it just happened yesterday.

Trouble had a habit of finding your beloved boyfriend and last week was no different.

The villain he was fighting against had a particularly interesting quirk, since he could manifest certain traits of people into their animal counterpart based solely on their personalities.

Todoroki wasn’t put off until someone pointed out that he must have rage like a tiger, making him internalize everything and now a good seven days later, he still had yet to come to terms with his appearance and strange habits involving a diet of primarily meat.

Fuyumi had sobbed how grateful she was that you were willing to take care of her brother in your apartment until the effects of the quirk dissipated. He was arguing with his father a lot more than usual and the tension in the Todoroki home had skyrocketed.

You brushed it off, merely telling her it was the least that you could do.

Your boyfriend had a tough time adjusting to his new normal. Things were hard for him to grab and he couldn’t cuddle you like he was used to. He liked walking on all fours since he found he could go a lot faster when he used all his appendages instead of only half.

His quirk, however, had been giving him a particularly rough time and the finesse he had honed of over the years disappeared overnight.

To say that Todoroki was upset about it was an understatement.

He would do nothing else but sit in his room for days when you brought him home with you, refusing to let you in unless you came with a peace offering.

That always smoothed things enough for you to talk to him and you were hoping it wouldn’t fail you now.

Todoroki eyed the fish skeptically, tilting his head curiously when you offered it up to him once more. With the pace of a snail, he uncurled from his protective ball and padded forward slowly, raising his nose in the air to sniff.

“Hungry?” You asked sympathetically.

Todoroki hesitated a second before nodding slowly.

Your shoulders dropped and you knelt down, holding it out to him. “Here.”

His eyes lit up and his tail flicked back and forth, gaze darting to you instinctively as though to ask if it really was okay.

You bit back a smile but the corners of your eyes still crinkled and you inclined your head to give him the go ahead.

Before you could blink, the fish was swiped from your hand and as soon as your eyes focused, you burst out laughing.

There, Todoroki crouched on the ground, chomping on the tasty treat.

Wiping off the palm of your hands on your hiking shorts, you beamed down at him, offering out your hand for him to take. “Feel better now?”

“Maybe…” He mumbled quietly as he polished it off before reluctantly accepting the invitation.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love you or love to shower you with affection, it was just that he was used to doing all of that when he was fully a human, not a hybrid.

It was weird.

He found himself clinging desperately to your old t-shirts when you left the home to go on patrol, waiting around for you to come back. He heard when your heartbeat would speed up whenever he was around and how your breath hitched when he leaned in to kiss you goodnight.

Ever since the start of your relationship, he had been the one to take care of you. And he liked it that way.

This dynamic was foreign to him. And he wasn’t sure if it was because he truly disliked you taking care of him, or if it was because of something else.

Todoroki was broken out of his deep thoughts the instant you came to stand right next to Iida.

Before he knew what he was doing, the edges of his mouth pulled back in a menacing snarl and he pounced.

The unsuspecting Iida landed hard on the white sands with an ‘oomph’.

“Todoroki-kun!! Please control yourself!!” Iida shouted, doing his best not to hurt him as the tiger hybrid clawed at him.

You gasped. “Shouto!! Oh my gosh, Iida, I’m so sorry!!”

Pulling him off of the other, you went rigid as your boyfriend whined in your ear. The sound was too low for anyone else to pick up on, but you heard it.

“What’s wrong?” You whispered as Iida brushed off his swim shorts, thrusting his hand straight up into the air to stop Kaminari from drowning himself in an attempt to prove to Sero and Mina that he could hold his breath longer than they could.

Todoroki wrapped his arms around your waist, mouth pressed in a thin line as he buried his face into the crook of your neck.

You allowed yourself to relax against him as he pawed feebly at your sides, getting as close to him as possible.

With the increase in physical contact, the tension melted away from Todoroki’s broad form and you heaved a sigh of relief.

“Awwwww~” You cooed teasingly, reaching behind you to pinch his cheek gently and tugging until his smile morphed into a scowl. “Who’s the big scary tiger?”

Todoroki swatted you away, scrambling back until he was free from your affectionate hold on him. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t control his protective instincts and it certainly wasn’t his fault for reacting the way that he did when he smelled Iida’s scent all over you. You were his.

Of course he was going to protect you.

Baring his teeth at the tease, he hissed, tiny fangs on display.

You shouldn’t have found that as cute as you did.

Two more bodies shouldered their way past you and you grinned.

“Took you two long enough.” You smirked, wrangling your boyfriend back when he struggled in the firm grip you had around his arms to prevent him from knocking another person over.

The power couple had a habit of falling behind their ranks while getting lost in their own world. It was disgustingly cute.

Bakugou rolled his eyes angrily and gnashed his teeth. “Now you’re counting, dumbass? You’re worse than the shitty nerd.”

Midoriya ignored that comment as he sidled past you warily, forest green eyes sympathetic once they fell on your significant other. “Todoroki-kun still hasn’t changed back yet?”

He had seen the news coverage on it when the incident happened. Luckily, he wasn’t physically harmed, just physically altered, but it didn’t look like it was going away anytime soon.

Planting your hands on your hips, you yelped as Todoroki ripped himself from your grasp to tear off after Shinsou and tackled him next when he got too close to you. “No, not yet.”

Spraying white sand everywhere with his hind legs, it was almost endearing how his head raised and heterochromic eyes blinked back at you as soon as your voice sounded, silently begging for permission.

You followed his gaze to the ocean spray behind you and shook your head fondly, suppressing a smile as you jerked your head in Yaoyorozu’s direction. She would watch over him and make sure none of the other boys bullied him.

“Go on.” You encouraged softly, and that was all he needed.

While Bakugou set up the tent for him and his boyfriend so that Midoriya wouldn't get sunburnt, not that he would ever admit to doing it for that reason, your best friend eagerly asked for updates on all the latest changes.

Whipping out his hero notebook, his eyes shone with enthusiasm. “What has he been eating?! Does he prefer tuna or white cod? Oh, oh, oh, is there a difference in his quirk?! How does it impact his—”

Midoriya’s endless and excited rambling was cut off by his fuming boyfriend as he smacked him over the head and he cried out in pain, clutching his head. “Wahhhhh, Kacchan!!!”

“Shut the hell up, Deku.” Bakugou snarled, stomping past him to throw a bottle of sunscreen at you. “Put this on, shitty woman.”

You grinned, already squeezing the tube to squirt some onto your hand and slathered it on your arms. “Aw, you do care.”

“Go die.” He hissed, turning on his heel so abruptly that he almost slipped.

You refrained from giggling as he furiously, yet meticulously, took out various food items from the picnic basket that he had brought with. No matter how much he claimed he didn’t care about any of you, actions sure spoke louder than words.

Class A had graduated from UA all together and each and every one of you had secured a spot as a sidekick for many top pro-heroes all around the country. Before a year had even passed, all 22 of you had made a name for yourself, so much so that you were all almost as famous as the pros.

Midoriya was the first one to start his own agency, no surprise there. But what was a surprise was Bakugou following right after to build one right next to his.

The general public suspected it was because that area where their agencies were was riddled with violent crime, but you knew better. You all did, really.

How could anyone miss the lingering gazes filled with adoration and passion?

“Y/N, come on!!” Shinsou hollered, ducking under Shoji’s arm to sprint back towards you. “You’re missing all the fun!!”

“Be right there!!” You shouted back, rearranging the tablecloth on the ground so that it would lay flat.

You still needed to grab the bag you left at the foot of the cliffs because it was getting too heavy for you to carry. But you chanced a glance up and the glimpse of your friends had a wide smile breaking out on your face.

Todoroki was splashing in the shallows, completely soaking his fur. Jirou and Hagakure shrieked as Mina chased the two of them around, sparking an impromptu game of tag. Koda was in the middle of showing Tokoyami his seagull friend when Uraraka bumped into him.

Tsuyu and Kirishima were beachcombing for shells a little bit away when Kaminari skidded to a halt in front of them with Yaoyorozu in tow.

Aoyama, Ojiro, Sato, Iida and Mineta were playing beach volleyball with the inflatable ball that the former class president had brought along with them.

Dragging the beach bag behind you over to your spot that you set up far away from the shore so that when the tide came in, it wouldn’t wash everything away, you took out an array of towels, more sunblock, floaties, snacks, water bottles, coverups and a pair of sunglasses for Aoyama in case he forgot his again.

Standing up tall, you cupped your hands over your mouth and yelled, “Lunchtime!!!”

Several whoops and hollers pierced the salty air and you snorted when Midoriya almost tripped over his boyfriend’s outstretched feet in his haste to get there first.

Amidst the clamor and friends swarming around you, you twisted around, looking for your tiger hybrid boyfriend. “Shouto—”

“I’m here.”

You jumped as the low rumble sounded right by your ear, shivering unconsciously as his warm chest pressed up against your back.

“Hey…” You murmured as he mashed the top of his head in between your shoulder blades before planting a soft kiss there. “Did you have fun?”

He nodded, resting his chin on your shoulder to look over it as everyone rearranged themselves in a large circle.

You and Bakugou took care of the food prep while all your friends engorged themselves on the pre-made sandwiches and finger food.

“Oi, half-n-half bastard.” Bakugou growled, breaking the bubble of peace you two had with his temper that came out the longer your hands stayed motionless. “Stop bothering her, she’s not doing shit.”

Normally Bakugou’s crude language didn’t bother or upset Todoroki in any way, so you were shocked with a snarl echoed, washing over the group and effectively silencing them.

You squeaked as his arms tightened around you almost protectively and landed with an ‘oof’ as he pulled you to the ground.

“Shouto?!” You cried out incredulously as he unabashedly nuzzled his face into the hollow of your throat, setting his thick thighs on either side of you.

You rolled your eyes when Bakugou went rigid with anger. You could feel the heat emitting from your beloved’s glare as he locked stares with the pomeranian who was furious that the dumb extra thought he was flirting with you.

“That’s enough.” You scolded, though it was unclear who you were really talking to.

Neither wavered.

“Icyhot, you dumb fuck.” Bakugou spat, never once breaking eye contact, even as the chatter picked up again.

Todoroki snarled but the expression of rage contorted into meek sheepishness as you ran your fingers lightly through his hair, being mindful of his ears.

Humming softly, you coaxed him back down to earth long enough for common sense to return to him.

Todoroki bundled you up in his arms, tail swishing back and forth lazily as he held you. “Sorry.”

You shook your head at his apology, knowing he couldn’t fully control his impulses sometimes. “Not your fault.”

Bakugou snorted, smacking Kirishima in the face with a fish fillet when he asked to see what he was cooking. “Yes it fucking is.”

He just barely managed to dodge the shoe you launched at his head, straightening up with an enraged scowl etched on his features.

“OI!!!!”

You giggled, wiggling back to get comfortable against Todoroki’s chest. “You deserved it.”

“TAKE THAT SHIT BACK!!!!!” He thundered, smoke coming out of his ears.

“Kacchan!!” Midoriya cried out, wrestling back his boyfriend before his temper tantrum could reach the two of you.

He begged Jirou or Kaminari to help him but the two of them simply flipped the bird to Bakugou, and he exploded.

Literally.

What happened next was a flurry of the class rep containing the situation and a spark of green lightning before it was over as quickly as it started.

“I’m going to fucking kill all of you.” Bakugou seethed angrily, eye twitching from where his loving boyfriend had used One for All to pin him to the ground, tying him to the trunk of a nearby coconut tree until he calmed down.

“Ah…” Midoriya winced sheepishly as his glare turned on him. “K-Kacchan—”

Jirou’s loud slurping of the smoothie that Sato just made interrupted him and she regarded the fuming grown man disinterestedly. “Who’s up for a game?”

“Oh, oh, oh, meeeee!!!” Hagakure shouted, raising her hand high in the air alongside Uraraka and an intrigued Tsuyu.

“MEEEEEE!!!!” Mina screamed, nearly blowing out Kaminari’s eardrums as he collapsed on top of his girlfriend.

Jirou pushed him off without hesitation, fighting back a smirk when he let out an overexaggerated whimper of pain, knowing full well that he wasn’t actually hurt.

Shoji stopped what he was doing to pay attention and even the usually shy Koda looked interested in her proposal on how to deal with the tied up pomeranian thrashing in place.

Jirou raised an eyebrow slyly and everybody held their breath in anticipation.

One.

Two.

Three.

“PIN THE TAIL ON THE BAKUGOU!!!!!” Jirou screamed, holding up a sticky dart that they all regularly used for training.

How she managed to sneak equipment out of the agency she worked at was beyond you.

Jirou whooped, scrambling forward and held it up high. “I’m going first!!”

“Me next, Kyoka-chan!!!” Uraraka pleaded.

“Class A, this is highly inappropriate!!!!” Iida shouted, trying to curb the situation before it got out of hand.

Too late.

As the girls, save for Yaoyorozu, clustered gathered around a livid Bakugou, Tokoyami uncrossed his arms and pushed off of his post from where he had been keeping watch over the perimeter of the beach.

“I will join.”

You and Todoroki were both surprised, not expecting the normally reclusive individual to join in on the shenanigans.

Your dropped jaw caught Tokoyami’s attention and the corner of his mouth twitched in amusement.

“I find great satisfaction in tormenting the souls of the wicked.” He declared impassively and a light bulb went off in your head.

“Ahhhhh,” You drew out with a grimace. “I get it.”

Back when you guys had lived in the dorms, Bakugou had made the fatal mistake of scaring Tokoyami during Halloween, making the latter let out an inhuman scream that traveled all the way across campus. Even though he had sworn to the moon and back that it was accidental, that there was no way he was actively participating in the game that Raccoon-Eyes and Flat Face had going on, Tokoyami never forgot it.

And now it was time for his revenge.

Tokoyami caught the tomato that Sero threw his way and tossed it up in the air with the most menacing glare on his face as everyone advanced to the struggling pro-hero.

“Bakugou, you ready?!” Kirishima shouted excitedly, removing the gag from his best friend’s mouth.

“PISS OFF, SHITTY HAIR!!!!” Bakugou exploded once he was free, yanking at his restraints even though he had no chance of getting out of them.

His boyfriend tied them.

Hagakure tapped Jirou’s shoulder warily. “You think we should’ve left it on?”

The other girl shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by the rage rolling off of him in waves. “Eh, he would’ve found a way out of it eventually.”

Shinsou twirled a piece of Tsuyu’s hair that he was braiding, boredly looking on at all the chaos as they all pushed and pulled each other. He had asked Aizawa to teach him how back when he lived in the dormitory so that he could do it for Eri whenever she came over to visit.

“Shinsou-chan, are you going to take a turn?” She asked curiously, staying still so that he could braid her long hair properly.

He shrugged even though she couldn’t see him. “I don’t really see the point in it.”

“Kero,” She ribbeted thoughtfully. They were the only two not contributing to the shouting other than you and Todoroki. “I see.”

“Ehhhh?!?!” Kaminari exclaimed, losing his footing as he accidentally tripped over Kirishima’s foot and crashed into Shinsou.

Shooting him a sharp glare as all his hard work undid itself, Shinsou pushed himself off the ground, not sparing him a glance as he marched back over to the frog girl to fix it.

You giggled to yourself at Kaminari’s expression of mock hurt but pursued your lips quickly when his head snapped towards the sound. Pure smile dripping with innocence, your shoulders shook with laughter when he turned all the way around suspiciously, piercing gaze landing on his girlfriend as she doubled over with laughter at something Yaoyorozu said.

Bakugou thrashed helplessly against the coconut tree. “I’M GONNA FUCKIN’ KILL YOU, EARPHONES!!!!!”

But Jirou’s boisterous chortling was all that answered his threat.

You sank back against Todoroki, sighing blissfully despite the war raging on as they started the game, Bakugou protesting violently all the way.

Angling your head up, your eyes squinted against the sun but you still smiled as soft fur brushed your cheek.

“Are you happy, Shouto?” You asked softly, quiet enough to not catch the attention of the others as they yelled for Midoriya to keep his boyfriend still.

He paused, choosing to play with the fringe of your shirt instead of responding right away. “Right now?”

Your smile dimmed a fraction, not expecting that answer. “... I suppose I meant just in general, but you could answer with whatever comes to mind…”

You trailed off, leaving the question itself open ended so that he could opt not to answer it if he didn’t feel comfortable.

Todoroki hesitated. “Where… Where is this coming from?”

Outright frowning now, you pushed off his knee so that you could sit across from him to see him better.

“I was just wondering...” You said slowly, trying to keep the defensiveness out of your voice.

Was he not happy? Why did he hesitate? Would he be happier with someone else? Did he not want to be with you anymore?

You shook your head at the insecure thoughts invading your head. That wasn’t right. He would’ve told you if he didn’t want to put work into this relationship anymore. You two had made that pact when you started dating, to break it off if one person no longer wanted it instead of stringing the other along and ended up hurting you both in the long run.

Taking a deep breath to calm yourself down from spiraling too far, you steadied your heart before opening your mouth again.

“I asked because I wanted to know.” You told him honestly, speaking from the heart. “Your happiness matters a lot to me, I always want you to be happy. That’s why I wanted to ask.”

Placing a hand on his knee, you smiled apologetically at him and the shenanigans from your friends faded into white noise as you tuned out everything else besides him.

Your Shouto. The person you loved the most in this entire world. The one who had been with you through thick and thin and the one who swore he would never abandon you.

He knew what those words meant to you. He had your heart.

And you had his.

Todoroki’s heterochromic eyes softened a fraction and his ears and tail drooped as he realized that he had acted so defensively out of reflex.

“I—”

“You don’t have to apologize.” You reassured him swiftly, clearly. You knew what he was going to say. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Todoroki’s rapid heartbeat steadied at the loving conviction in your voice and a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in whooshed out of his lungs.

Reaching out, he laced his slim fingers with yours and tugged you closer to rest his forehead against yours.

He closed his eyes and sighed.

“I am happy.” He murmured quietly so that only you could hear him, emphasizing the soft declaration with a gentle squeeze of your hand. “I feel… the most when I am with you.”

Despite his words growing softer and softer, you still heard them and your heart leaped in your throat.

Swallowing thickly, you gave him a wobbly smile at his admission and fought to keep the tears at bay as you leaned in to press a quick kiss to his lips, commending him for his bravery and vulnerability when it came to expressing his innermost thoughts. You knew it wasn’t easy for him to do.

“I’m glad.” You sighed, trying not to get too caught up in the moment so that your emotions didn’t run away from you. “And I’m honored you feel that way around me. I will continue to do my best to make you happy.”

This time, Todoroki was the one to frown, his nose twitching in displeasure.

“You do not need to do anything.” He stated matter-of-factly, tilting his head in confusion. “It is your company, I believe, that makes me feel this way.”

That was an understatement. You elevated his heart and spirit in all the best possible ways. With your encouragement and kind nature, he felt like he had the strength to do anything. Including tough out this quirk incident that was causing a huge inconvenience in everybody’s lives.

Todoroki ducked his head and hid a smile, recalling to mind the time you blurted out in passionate fervor that it was not an inconvenience to anyone, let alone you, when he confessed thinking such to you.

You really were too kind to him. He was going to make sure you were protected forever and always.

Nudging your temple softly with his nose, Todoroki purred contentedly as your sweet scent washed over him like the summer breeze.

“Starfruit and coconut?” He questioned curiously.

Ever since his temporary transformation, he had been picking up more and more of what you smelled like, and he loved it. But this certain combination was brand new to him.

The tips of your ears burned red and you gnawed on your bottom lip shyly. “Y-Yeah… it’s a new lotion. I liked the scent.”

Todoroki hummed thoughtfully, another throaty purr emitting from his chest as waves lazily crashed upon the shore. His arms tightened around you in silent request and his ears perked up as you repositioned yourself so that your back was flush against his bare chest.

“It smells good.” He finally admitted, glancing down at you.

You shifted in his hold, stretching out your legs and crossing your ankles. “Yeah?”

Todoroki buried his nose into your soft hair and inhaled deeply, eyes fluttering shut as he thought about how lucky he was to have someone like you in his life. How much tragedy and hurt he had to go through, what he had to sacrifice almost to the point of giving up, when he met you.

You were his light, his partner, his everything.

Vibrant turquoise and cloudy grey hues softened imperceptibly as they gazed down at you, his tail coming around to wind around your thigh, clutching it almost possessively.

“Yeah…” He whispered, allowing his eyes to finally slip shut as the sun got to him, exhaustion washing over him like a tidal wave.

And you, you sat there in his embrace, ready for whatever this life threw at you next. Because in spite of the hardships, you knew that you could face it together.

Playing with his fingers, you relaxed against him and wriggled more comfortably into his side.

“Hey, Shouto,” You murmured under your breath, fully aware that he couldn’t hear you based on the even rise and fall of his chest. “When we get home…”

Hooded eyes darted to the bag you brought with you, honing in on the small cube outline bulging from the pouch on the side. The size of a ring box.

“I have something to ask you.”

Bonus:

Everyone had worn themselves out. Night had fallen, the ambiance only broken by the occasional remark of the ocean spray as they made themselves known.

Stars twinkled high in the sky and the group of 22 felt the most at ease that they had been since they assumed positions in society as top pro-heroes.

Well, all except one.

Bakugou glowered at his boyfriend sitting a couple paces away from him. “Deku, I swear to fucking—”

“Kacchan, shh!!! I’ll never get this opportunity again!!!” Midoriya whisper-shouted at him, furiously scribbling in his hero notebook.

He glanced up once in a while at your sleeping form draped against Todoroki’s white and red fur.

He had turned into an actual tiger halfway through the night when everyone else had fallen asleep and Midoriya had no idea if it was because he felt at ease enough that he let go, or if this was another step in the quirk manifesting itself. Either way, it was incredibly interesting and he was jotting down everything he noticed.

Rolling his eyes when his fanboy of a boyfriend didn’t put down his pen, Bakugou tapped his foot impatiently. “Of course the fucking Number One Hero still is hung up over these shitty extras.”

Midoriya squealed excitedly despite the other’s discontented grumbling, clutching his notebook close to his heart. “Kacchan, it’s so cool though!!!”

Bakugou huffed, turning away but that was so he couldn’t see the pinking of his cheeks.

Alright, look, it wasn’t his damn fault the shitty nerd was so fucking cute when he got like this!!

Tugging at his restraints purposefully, Bakugou burned a hole in the back of Midoriya’s head when he refused to look his way.

“Oi, let me out of this shit.” He demanded hotly, trying to blast his way through, only to find out that the ropes were made of some kind of quirk-cancelling material.

Fuck.

“In a minute.” Midoriya babbled, waving him off as he scrambled closer to his slumbering friend to get a better look. “Todoroki-kun is so cool!!”

Bakugou’s eyebrows scrunched together at that and he frowned. “What the fuck, you shitty nerd?!”

Midoriya yelped as a red aura emitted from him. “Eep!!! K-Kacchan?!?!”

“IS THAT A CHALLENGE, DEKU?!?!?!?!”

“N-No, of course it’s not!!!” Midoriya replied desperately, waving his hands to ward him off and hopefully stop him from waking everybody else up.

That hope was diminished as quickly as it came as Bakugou roared. “WAKE THE FUCK UP, ICYHOT!!!!!”

“I really rather not.” Came the dry reply, catching the both of them off guard.

Bakugou recovered quickly and his expression contorted into fury. “WHAT THE FUCK?!?!”

Midoriya approached him cautiously, hoping to placate him. “K-Kacchan, maybe we should—”

“HAH?!?!” His head whipped around towards him, wrists already chafed from how hard he was yanking against it. “YOU STILL THINK FUCKIN’ HALF-N-HALF IS BETTER THAN ME?!?!”

“I didn’t say that!!!” Midoriya cried out.

Bakugou leaned back against the trunk, vermilion eyes glinting dangerously. Every muscle in his body was coiled and ready to strike. “Get the fuck over here, damn nerd.”

Midoriya’s feet moved before he knew what he was doing until he came to a standstill directly in front of his boyfriend looking at him with an entirely different expression on his face.

One of mild interest and pure determination.

Bakugou smirked. “I’m gonna make you eat your damn words, Deku.”

His eyes lit up at the implication and he ground his fist into the palm of his hand before untying the bonds.

“Bring it on, Kacchan.”

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TWO DO?!?!” You shrieked, horrified at the sight that greeted you in the morning.

The two of them were covered head to toe in bruises and scrapes, and absolutely soaked.

Iida was the most upset. “NO QUIRKS WERE ALLOWED ON THIS VACATION!!!!”

Bakugou stuffed his hands in his pockets and scoffed. “Vacation’s over, Emergency Exit.”

“THAT IS NO LONGER AN APPROPRIATE NICKNAME!!!!” Iida corrected and you pinched the bridge of your nose.

“I can’t believe this.” You mumbled to yourself exasperatedly. “You guys actually sparred all night?!?!”

“L/N-san, it was awesome!!!” Midoriya rambled enthusiastically, the glow in his eyes never faltering even as Iida continued to chew out a bored Bakugou. “Kacchan was so cool!!!”

You sputtered. “This was supposed to be a vacation!!!”

“It was!!” Midoriya insisted with a determined pout and you shook your head.

“You don’t understand the concept of a vacation, hospital boy.”

“Hey!!”

Tokoyami nodded, satisfied as Iida punished Bakugou with a week’s worth of chores despite the fact that none of them lived together anymore. “Vengeance is served.”

“Anyone got any food?” Hagakure chirped while Mina whined in the corner about how hungry she was.

Kaminari was already rifling through the beach bag you brought with you, fishing out every single piece of food you had left.

You looked on fondly at them as they handled the food emergency themselves. You were lucky to have friends like these. Ones that could goof off whenever and be as silly as you were, as well as be there when it counted.

Todoroki tapped you on the shoulder with the tip of his tail, offering up a bagel he had managed to snag before everyone else emptied out the reserves. “Hungry?”

You shot him a thankful look, breaking it in half to share with him before munching on your piece happily. “Very.”

The two of you basked in the momentary peace the sunrise brought as Bakugou argued against Iida that he wasn’t even the one to start the brawl, even though it fell on deaf ears.

You bit back a smile as Todoroki’s tail looped around your waist, pulling you into his side and you laughed lightly. “Is this your way of telling me you want to cuddle some more before we have to go back?”

“Maybe.” He mused, gaze filled with adoration and humor as he fixated his eyes on you.

Todoroki blinked slowly, dipping his head down to draw your head close to his. “Y/N?”

You tilted your face up at his inquiry. “Yes?”

The depth of love in your eyes was reflected in his heart.

“Later today, if you get a chance, stop by my agency.” He requested somewhat timidly and you raised an eyebrow in surprise at the odd desire.

“Yeah… okay, sure.” You affirmed with what you hoped to be a reassuring smile to put him at ease, even though you had no idea what this was all about.

Todoroki chuckled softly at your lost expression. You looked cute when you were trying to figure out what he was thinking. No chance though, you could think about this one all you wanted, you were never going to figure out where he was going with this.

“There is something I would like to ask you.” He hinted with a mysterious smile, unlocking his grip around your waist to stroll over to Koda and help him pack up the picnic basket.

It took a second for you to process. And then another passed before you realized what he meant.

“W-Wait a minute— Shouto!!!!”

Ringing laughter was all that accompanied your cries and torrent of questions as you asked over and over again if he was insinuating what you thought he was.

In a moment of bravery, he threw you a wink. “You have to wait to find out, Y/N.”

“No fair!!!”

“Patience.”

“UH UH, YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE A GIRL HANGING LIKE THAT!!!!”

“I don’t see how it’s any different than what you pulled last night.”

“... I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Todoroki shrugged nonchalantly, aiding Iida and Yaoyorozu in packing up the rest of the supplies. “Okay.”

“TODOROKI SHOUTO, GET BACK HERE!!!!”

“Wait six hours, Y/N.”

“SIX HOURS?!?!?!”

Your wailing only made that grin on his face grow. “I could double it.”

You shut your mouth at that ominous threat. Like hell he was going to do that to you.

Todoroki smiled triumphantly but it only lasted for a second when you glared at him.

“You’re a cruel, cruel man, Todoroki.” You proclaimed dramatically, stumbling back when Kaminari took that opportunity to plop a heavy basket in your arms to make you carry it.

Todoroki’s shoulders shook with laughter at your attempt to catch yourself. You were as clumsy as a newborn deer. “I learn from the best.”

Your eyes glittered with mischief and throwing down the basket, you sprinted over to somewhere behind the rocks, disappearing from sight.

But your voice still carried.

“BAKUGOU, I’M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!!”

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peter-parkner · 6 years ago

Text

All I Want

“Pep, I don’t think I went overboard.”

“Didn’t go overboard!? Tony, there’s fifteen boxes of gingerbread cookies on our counter!” Pepper jabbed a finger toward the offending baked goods while she spoke.

Tony’s lips quirked into a nervous smile as he rubbed idly at the back of his head. When he opened his mouth to speak, Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, you said we needed cookies for Christmas.”

“Yes, Tony. I asked you to order a few boxes of cookies, not the entire bakery! We’re only having four people over!”

“I kept telling you I could have made them.” The moment the words left his mouth, Tony instantly regretted them. Pepper’s left eyebrow rose and her stare hardened as she continued glaring at her husband. Gaping like a fish, Tony desperately grasped coherent sentences, “I mean, you’re completely right sweetheart. I would have burned the kitchen down if I tried to bake.”

Tony slowly moved toward his wife. His eyes never left her while he approached, like prey warily eyeing a predator. “You gave me one job and I definitely screwed it up. Royally.” Pepper’s resolve cracked a little as a small smile appeared on her face. “Think of it this way,” Tony’s hands came up to rest comfortingly on her shoulders, “now Morgan won’t be pestering us for dessert for at least another six months.”

Pepper broke into a grin and rested her forehead on Tony’s chest as he hugged her. She emitted a small laugh that Tony felt in his chest. Pepper’s voice came out muffled as she spoke, “At least they’re good cookies.”

Four hours, three showers, two disasters and one hour in the oven later, the Stark penthouse smelled of lasagna, cookies and home. Normally, Tony and Pepper would host Christmas at the lake house, but this year they decided to use Stark Tower in an effort to create new, good memories. Pepper was setting out the last of the plates on their dining room table when JARVIS alerted them to visitors at the door.

“Morguna, can you go get the door for our guests?” Tony smiled sweetly at his daughter while carefully balancing the lasagna straight out of the oven.

She nodded in affirmation before setting off down the hall on her mission. Somewhere, a door opened and muffled voices spilled down the corridor. They became clearer the closer they got until the entourage, led by Morgan, entered the kitchen.

“Merry Christmas!” May gleefully exclaimed as she wrapped Pepper into an expected, unexpected hug. Happy trailed close behind and delicately shook Tony’s hand while his other balanced a boatload of presents.

Behind the couple were Harley and Peter, the latter of which was holding Morgan in his arms. “Merry Christmas old man! Thanks for having us again.” Harley nodded in Tony’s direction while he made his way over to the ceiling high Christmas tree in the living room. He whistled while looking up at the evergreen monstrosity and started unloading his miniature pile of presents. The Stark’s Christmas tree was at least twenty feet high and lit up brighter than Rockefeller Center’s.

While Harley admired the Christmas décor strung about, Peter set Morgan down and walked over to Pepper. He wrapped her into a tight hug and tried to ignore the fact that, in heels, Pepper stood three inches taller than him.

“Is there anything we can help you with?” May asked while Happy followed Harley’s lead by setting their gifts down under the tree. “I feel so bad not even bringing anything!”

“Oh May, we insisted. All you needed to bring was yourselves and an appetite!” As if on cue, Peter’s stomach growled from the living room.

“Well, guess that’s our cue to start dinner!” Tony chuckled and led everyone to the dining room.

After dinner, everyone moved to the living room to open their presents. Morgan had already unwrapped a majority of hers in the morning, but Tony and Pepper saved a few for the evening when company was over. The flurry of presents and laughter fueled the unwrapping chaos while Nat King Cole’s Christmas album blasted in the background.

“Pepper, I have literally never been this full in my entire life,” May groaned while slumped over in an end chair. A slew of wrapping paper was at her feet.

“Yeah, I’m feeling full and that shouldn’t even be possible with my metabolism,” Peter chipped in from the loveseat, where he sat plastered to Harley’s side. The older boy had an arm contentedly slung around Peter’s shoulders.

The adults idly chatted while Morgan nodded in and out of consciousness on the couch. Her head was propped up on Tony’s lap, and his hands intermittently ran through his daughter’s hair. Surveying the scene, Peter nervously running his hands through his curls before turning toward Harley.

“Hey, I have one last gift I want to give you if – if you don’t mind going somewhere more private.”

“Oh?” Harley waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Normally, that move alone would send Peter into a flurry of giggles. When it didn’t, Harley’s expression morphed from playful to worried. “Hey, what’s wrong? Is it something I said?”

“No, no. It’s fine. Just, uh, follow me.” Peter grabbed his boyfriend’s hand reassuringly and stood from the loveseat, hauling Harley up as well. “Guys, we’ll be right back! I have to, uh, grab something from my room.” He gestured weakly down the hall toward his part-time bedroom, where Peter would stay when he was too exhausted to go home after a long night working or on patrol.

Pepper nodded, businesslike, while Tony smiled and tried to suppress his laughter at Peter’s badly concealed lie. Thankfully, May was in the kitchen pouring more wine so she didn’t have to witness the funeral of Peter’s finessing skills. Ignoring all of the adults, Peter continued towing Harley down the hall toward his room.

Inside, Peter paced nervously while Harley shut the door behind them. The lights came on automatically while the glittering city outside illuminated the room further. Peter’s pacing came to a stop in front of Harley. “I have one last gift for you, but I’m kind of scared of how you’ll react.”

“React? What are you talking about, Peter?” Harley’s faced was scrunched up in confusion.

Peter thought it was adorable, but now was neither the time nor place. “I know we’ve only been dating for six months, but I already feel like I’ve known you for my whole life.”

“Yeah, the feeling’s mutual.” Harley flashed Peter a small smile.

During the stretch of silence, Peter reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small, plainly wrapped box. Harley’s eyes widened impossibly larger as he zeroed in on the present. “I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not a ring,” Peter chuckled as he gingerly plopped the box into Harley’s outstretched hands.

The other man hesitated before slipping his index finger underneath the wrapping paper and neatly tearing it open. The silence in the room was deafening, and the anticipation caused Peter to bounce lightly from foot to foot. He could hear Harley’s heartbeat quicken as shaky hands flipped open the lid of the now unwrapped gift box.A brief look of confusion flit across Harley’s face before he broke out into a wide grin. He looked up, “Peter, is this the key to your apartment?”

“Spare key, actually,” Peter cleared his throat. The grin on his face mirrored Harley’s. “You’re already over so much anyway, that I thought moving in with me would just make things…more convenient. I know we haven’t been dating for a long time, and that moving in with me is obviously a huge commitment, but it just feels right. You know?”

Harley nodded, considering Peter’s words while he fumbled to take his keyring out of his pocket. As he fixed the precious piece of metal onto his key ring, Harley spoke in a serious tone, “What exactly will be made more…convenient by this arrangement?”

With an eye roll, Peter let out an exasperated sigh and held his head in his hands. “You’re impossible, Harley Keener.

“I know, but you love me.”

Peter leaned up on his tip toes to give Harley a peck on the lips before dragging him back to the living room, where their small family and the rest of Christmas waited.

Merry Christmas @the-fifth-marauder101 !!!! I hope you like your gift for 2019′s @parkner-secret-santa exchange

#parkner #harleypeter #spiderlad #potatowebs #keenker #parley #harley x peter #christmas fic #christmas drabble #otp #otp moodboard #gift exchange #ironfam #domestic pepperony #parkner secret santa #parkner secret santa 2019

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thecreaturecodex · 6 years ago

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Seismitoad

Bobabobabobaboba © deviantArt user Haychel

[Commissioned by @cupofsorrows. I chose to give some time to the pre-evolutions here because in part the best images of Seismitoad had them present, and in part because there’s plenty of Pathfinder frogs to modify for their statistics. I’m going to be ignoring the pre-evolutions for the other two Pokemon I’m planning on statting up.

Edit: The original picture was taken down because, as @cirnineball pointed out, the artist on the original image, on pixiv, asked to not have their images used without written permission. I can do that]

Seismitoad CR 9 N Magical Beast This blue creature resembles a toad that walks on its hind legs. Its body is covered with large warts, two of which crown its head.

Sesimitoads, also known as ripple toads, are oversized bipedal amphibian predators. They feed mostly on small fish and crustaceans, but are fiercely territorial and protective of their young. They prefer shallow water with plenty of mud to wallow in, but are more than capable of swimming in deeper lakes. They occasionally venture onto land, particularly in forested regions, in search of novel prey or to disperse.

In combat, a seismitoad will often open with its spell-like abilities, hoping to separate or stun opponents in order to focus on a single foe. Their bulbous growths vibrate in time to their movements and the movements of creatures around them, allowing them to sense invisible foes and deal sonic damage with their strikes. If injured, they use their drain punch to recover some health.

In areas where the two creatures overlap, boggards often consider seismitoads to be potent symbols and possible allies. Although boggards are known for their cruelty, they are often doting on seismitoad pets, being careful to give them ample food and care in order to prevent them from leaving. A tribe with multiple seismitoads often attempts to breed the creatures, but they are reluctant to breed in captivity, and a mother seismitoad will often lash out as her keepers if her children are moved or mistreated.

A seismitoad stands just under five feet tall and weighs about 150 pounds.

Tympoles and Palpitoads Seismitoads lay their eggs in water, like other batrachians, and their larvae are known as tympoles. Tympoles are capable of wiggling onto land for brief periods, and their poison is more lethal than that of their fully grown form. Treat a tympole as a poison frog with the magical beast type and aquatic subtype, the water dependent special quality, sonic and fire resistance 10 and the ability to cast hydraulic push and acid arrow 1/day each at CL 1st. A tympole is a CR 1 creature. Statistics for a tympole are provided below.

Juvenile seismitoads are called palpitoads, and they resemble a puffy version of their parents with no forearms and a paddle-like tail. Their sensory powers are as developed as when they are adults, but they rely primarily on a long tongue to lasso food rather than powerful fists. Treat a palpitoad as a giant frog with the augmented simple template, the magical beast type and aquatic subtype, the amphibious special quality, sonic and fire resistance 10 and tremorsense 30 ft. A palpitoad can cast hydraulic push and acid arrow 3/day, and sound burst 1/day, at CL 3rd. A palpitoad is CR 3. Statistics for a palpitoad are provided below.

Seismitoad CR 9 XP 6,400 N Medium magical beast (aquatic) Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +7, tremorsense 30 ft. Defense AC 23, touch 12, flat-footed 21 (+1 Dex, +1 dodge, +11 natural) hp 121 (9d10+72) Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +6 Immune electricity, sonic; Resist fire 10 Defensive Abilities poison skin Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 50 ft. Melee 2 slams +16 (1d8+7 plus 1d6 sonic), bite +16 (1d6+7 plus 1d6 sonic) Special Attacks drain punch Spell-like Abilities CL 9th, concentration +11 (+15 casting defensively) At will—acid arrow, hydraulic push (CMB +11), sound burst (DC 14) 3/day—hydraulic torrent (CMB +11), shout (DC 16) Statistics Str 24, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 15 Base Atk +9; CMB +16; CMD 28 Feats Combat Casting, Dodge, Iron Will, Power Attack, Toughness Skills Acrobatics +11 (+15 jumping), Climb +12, Perception +7, Stealth +5, Swim +15; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics (+8 when jumping), +4 Stealth SQ amphibious, marsh movement Ecology Environment temperate marshes and freshwater Organization solitary, pair or family (1-2 plus 2-12 tympoles or palpitoads) Treasure none Special Abilities Drain Punch (Su) Three times per day as a standard action, a seismitoad can make a slam attack that, if it hits, grants the seismitoad temporary hit points equal to the damage the slam attack deals. It cannot gain more temporary hit points from this ability than the subject’s current hit points plus its Constitution score. These temporary hit points disappear after 1 hour. Marsh Movement (Ex) A seismitoad ignores penalties for difficult terrain from mud, water or vegetation in marsh environments. Poison Skin (Ex) Any creature that hits a seismitoad with a natural weapon, or that scores a successful critical hit against a seismitoad with a piercing or slashing melee weapon, exposes themselves to the following poison. Weapons with the reach property do not threaten their wielders in such a way. Seismitoad poison—contact; save Fort DC 21; duration 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d4 Dex damage; cure 2 saves. The save DC is Constitution based.

Tympole CR 1 XP 400 Variant poison frog N Tiny magical beast (aquatic) Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +3 Defense AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 size, +1 Dex) hp 5 (1d10) Fort +2. Ref +3, Will -1 Resist fire 10, sonic 10 Offense Speed 10 ft., swim 20 ft. Melee bite +3 (1 plus poison) Space 2 ½ ft.; Reach 0 ft. Spell-like Abilities CL 1st, concentration +1 1/day—acid arrow, hydraulic push (+1 CMB) Statistics Str 2, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 1, Wis 9, Cha 10 Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 6 (cannot be tripped) Feats Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +5 (+1 when jumping), Perception +3, Stealth +13, Swim +9; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics (+8 when jumping), uses Dex to Swim SQ water dependency Special Abilities Poison (Ex) Injury; save Fort DC 10; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution based.

Palpitoad CR 3 XP 800 Variant advanced giant frog N Medium magical beast (aquatic) Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +5, tremorsense 30 ft. Defense AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +3 natural) hp 21 (2d10+10) Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3 Resist fire 10, sonic 10 Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft. Melee bite +6 (1d6+4 plus grab) or tongue +6 touch (grab) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (5 ft. with tongue) Special Attacks pull (tongue, 5 ft.), swallow whole (1d4+4 bludgeoning, AC 11, 2 hp) Spell-like Abilities CL 3rd, concentration +3 3/day—acid arrow, hydraulic push (+3 CMB) 1/day—sound burst (DC 12) Statistics Str 19, Dex 17, Con 20, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 10 Base Atk +2; CMB +6 (+10 grapple), CMD 19 Feats Iron Will Skills Acrobatics +11 (+15 when jumping), Perception +5, Stealth +7, Swim +12; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics (+8 when jumping), +4 Stealth SQ amphibious Special Abilities Tongue (Ex) A palpitoad’s tongue is a primary attack with 15 ft. reach. A palpitoad's tongue deals no damage on a hit, but can be used to grab. A palpitoad does not gain the grappled condition while using its tongue in this manner.

#seismitoad #pokemon #tympole #palpitoad #pathfinder rpg

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outdoor-24 · 2 years ago

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Explore a World of Artificial Bait for Successful Fishing Adventures

Title: Explore a World of Artificial Bait for Successful Fishing Adventures.

Introduction:

Fishing is a beloved pastime for many, offering relaxation, adventure, and the thrill of the catch. While traditional bait options like worms and minnows have been go-to choices for anglers, artificial bait has gained popularity due to its versatility and effectiveness. In this article, we will delve into the world of artificial bait and explore how it can enhance your fishing experience.

Variety of Options:

Artificial bait opens up a whole new world of choices for anglers. From soft plastics like worms and creature baits to hard baits such as crankbaits and topwater lures, the options are virtually endless. Each type of artificial bait is designed to mimic a specific prey species, making it more appealing to target fish. By having a diverse range of artificial bait in your tackle box, you can adapt to different fishing conditions and attract various fish species.

Realistic Presentation:

One of the key advantages of artificial bait is its ability to replicate the look and movement of natural prey. Advances in technology and manufacturing techniques have led to incredibly lifelike bait designs. Soft plastics can mimic the texture, color, and action of worms or baitfish, while hard baits can imitate wounded or fleeing prey. This realistic presentation triggers predatory instincts in fish, increasing your chances of a successful hook-up.

Durability and Reusability:

Unlike live bait, artificial bait is highly durable and reusable. Soft plastics can withstand numerous bites and strikes, allowing you to catch multiple fish on a single bait. They can also be easily rigged and replaced when necessary. This durability not only saves money in the long run but also reduces waste and helps preserve the natural environment by eliminating the need for live bait collection.

Fishing in Various Conditions:

Artificial bait shines in a variety of fishing conditions. In murky or stained water, bright-colored soft plastics or noisy topwater lures can grab the attention of fish. In clear water, more natural and subtle presentations like realistic crankbaits or finesse worms can entice wary fish. Moreover, artificial bait enables you to fish in areas where live bait may be challenging to obtain or prohibited, such as certain protected or invasive species habitats.

Innovative Fishing Techniques:

Artificial bait encourages anglers to explore new fishing techniques. From finesse techniques like drop shotting and Carolina rigging to power techniques like flipping and swimbaiting, the versatility of artificial bait allows you to experiment with different approaches. Trying out new techniques not only keeps fishing exciting but also increases your chances of success by presenting the bait in unique and unexpected ways.

Conclusion:

Embracing the world of artificial bait opens up a wealth of opportunities for anglers. The vast range of options, realistic presentations, durability, and adaptability to different fishing conditions make artificial bait a go-to choice for many successful fishing adventures. By experimenting with various types of artificial bait and fishing techniques, you can hone your skills and improve your catch rates. So, gear up with some artificial bait and embark on an exciting fishing journey that is limited only by your imagination.

#Braid for fishing #saltwater fishin #Artificial lures

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livefreeordie13 · 7 years ago

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Strawberry Sake

I received a morning after prompt request from @hiyuimdad: “... We didn’t, did we?!”

it’s a little silly, but i hope you end up enjoying this fam. here’s a couple of naked boys and some innuendo near the end. thanks for the prompt!

Strawberry Sake

“. . . We didn’t, did we?!” It slipped out of his mouth before Yosuke had a chance to realize how desperate he sounded. “No way,” he laughed as he began to panic. “No way . . .” He shook his head slowly from side to side as the reality dawned on him, as the conditions of his body - as Yu’s body - presented themselves to his wide-awake eyes and trembling hands.

Yu lay a foot away, wrapped in Yosuke’s sheets, with mussed hair and a naked torso and a puzzled expression. He began to sit up carefully, guilt and confusion furrowing his brow. He kept his distance, too - which strangely did nothing to calm him, which just made his panic form into a dark mass in the pit of his stomach.

Yosuke was naked, too, if the way the sheets clung to his most private areas was any indication.

This was not good. This was not good.

“Yosuke-” Yu’s calm, rational voice began before Yosuke cut him off.

“What happened?!” These sheets were a trap. He wanted to rip them off but they were hopelessly twisted around his legs. Also nudity.

“Calm down.” Yu had both his hands raised, regarding Yosuke like a frightened stray. But the line worked (as it always did, he thought grimly). Against all logic, the ball began unwinding itself inside him, loosening its hold on his emotions.

His blood was pumping. He was panting like he’d just run a mile. But Yu told him to Calm Down, which meant he had to.

So, he held his breath, let it out slowly, and blinked away the sting in his eyes. He looked down at his lap, his sheet-covered lap, ashamed and embarrassed and angry at his own nakedness, at Yu’s nakedness . . .

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Yosuke tried to let Yu’s voice guide him through his memory. He knew this was important, that Yu would never do anything to hurt him, would never, and that staying calm and tracing his steps was the only logical step forward. It was certainly better than freaking out.

He took another deep breath. He remembered all the sake, of course, but that would have been hard to forget. He remembered the kitchen lights bothering his eyes, and Chie’s laugh, the sheen of Yu’s skin as it grew hot beneath his polo shirt. He remembered . . .

“The game,” he croaked.

Yu gave him an encouraging nod, set his eyeline carefully at Yosuke’s downturned face. “Anything else?”

Yosuke put a hand over his mouth (it both tasted and smelled funny and he was not about to question why that might be). “The . . .” he mumbled through his hand. He clearly recalled leaning over Yu, whipped cream can shaken at the ready, the sound of its contents bursting in mounds over Yu’s neck. “I . . .”

The potent taste of Yu’s skin mingled with the sugar, gliding beneath his tongue.

The gasps rounding the table like a carousel.

Yu’s hand clenching the front of his shirt so hard the material was stretching out and the sound he could feel rumble in Yu’s throat as his tongue trailed over it again, needlessly, all evidence of the whipped cream long licked clean -

“I . . .” Yosuke lowered his hand. It was clear now. Yosuke had done something . . . and Yu? He’d done something back.

“It’s okay, Yosuke.” It was not what Yosuke had been expecting Yu to say, so he looked up, the tears reformed and pooling at his eyelids. Yu smiled at him, and then Yosuke could see tears in his eyes, too, shimmering off the light pouring into the room. “We were drunk. These things happen. This doesn’t have to change anything, I promise. And . . .” He looked down and Yosuke felt misery swim up his throat. “I’m sorry. I should have stopped it, but . . .”

But Yosuke got it. He brushed a tear off his cheek hurriedly and scooted closer to Yu - Yu, who he’d just been trying to scramble away from minutes ago. “Hey, it’s fine, like you said . . . like you said, it doesn’t . . .” He tried to swallow down the sick feeling in his stomach and failed. This was so not good.

What had they done? Nothing hurt, not at all (and Yu wouldn’t have done anything to hurt him anyway, he reminded himself again), but the thought of what might have transpired, what Yu had touched, what Yosuke had touched on him. How they even ended up completely naked . . . the mysteries propounded, one on top of the other, until the weight was too much for his mind to carry at once.

“Do you remember anything? A-about what happened?”

When Yu looked up at him, Yosuke’s heart broke at the sorrow on his friend’s face. He noticed the wet trail down his cheeks where tears had begun to fall and it made his own well up again. He decided against reaching out to touch him, but the desire to do it wasn’t lost on him. He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t more mad, actually; he should be furious. But instead he felt vulnerable, confused. More than anything, he needed his best friend more than ever.

Yu nodded his head hesitantly.

Yosuke wanted to blurt out “TELL ME”, but the fear in Yu’s demeanor was palpable and Yosuke couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth at all. He waited until Yu gathered his courage and found the words he was looking for.

“After . . . um, everyone left, you . . . we, uh . . .” Yu took a deep breath and restarted. “I was trying to put my shoes on, but then you grabbed my hand. Everyone left, they . . . they didn’t even wait for me,” he let out a small laugh. Yosuke could only remember pieces of this part, and most of it not at all. “Once we were alone, we were kissing in the hallway to your bedroom. I can’t remember who kissed who; it happened just like that. The next thing I remember is being on-” Yu gulped.

“. . . go ahead,” Yosuke urged through a whisper, as if he was teetering on the edge of some great precipice that only Yu’s voice could save him from.

“On top of you. Here.” And by ‘here’, Yosuke assumed he meant literally - this bed. Yosuke’s bed.

That still left many questions. How had it ended? Who had done what? If they’d gotten so far as to end up completely naked, then . . . “And after that? D-did we really . . . ?”

Yu’s face flared red and he looked down, smoothing down a rough patch of hair on the back of his head. He nodded. “Yes.”

Yosuke’s head swam. “I see.”

The morning sun was making the room hot. He fell back until one of his arms could brace him, his other hand grabbing as much of the sheet as it could to cover him all the way to his ribcage. Yu reached out and grabbed a share of the sheet for himself so Yosuke wouldn’t reveal him. He looked just as lost and afraid, and guilty, so guilty.

So, they had done it. And the secrets and desires Yosuke had been trying his damnedest to suppress for close to a year had broken free at last. All it had taken was a little booze and some whipped cream and for his inhibitions to take a night out and suddenly everything about him was exposed.

It felt . . . well, familiar.

“Heh.”

Yu looked back up at him, a question appearing across his face that remained unspoken.

“It just figures, you know?” He smiled lopsidedly. “I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you I like you for so long now, and it ends up coming out just like my dumb shadow.”

Yu gaped at him like a fish out of water.

“I mean there’s no denying it now, right?” Yosuke continued, oblivious to Yu’s reaction. “I sabotaged myself with that sake; I should have known I’d give myself away somehow . . .” He sighed. “Well, I guess the thing that matters most is that you-mmph!”

Yu’s mouth, smooth and sweet, reminded Yosuke of the strawberry sake. He didn’t remember this, not as well as he’d liked to have, anyway. As soon as he inhaled Yu’s scent, his brain snapped and succumbed to the sensation of Yu’s lips against his and the gentle tongue prodding his mouth open with practiced finesse. If it had been like this in any way last night, it was no wonder neither of them could stop it.

Before Yosuke was ready, just as he was prepared to throw Yu down onto the mattress and create new memories, Yu pulled back, panting.

“Sorry, what were you going to say?”

Yosuke groaned, “Later, partner,” and pulled him back in.

#souyo #work #Strawberry Sake #yu narukami #yosuke hanamura #morning after ask prompt #hiyuimdad

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themulletrun · 2 years ago

Video

youtube

Snook Season Spectacular: Hooking Legal-Sized Slot Snook on Florida's Beaches with the Lunkerdog!

Hey there, beach-loving anglers! Get ready for an exhilarating adventure as we join forces with the one and only Lunkerdog to explore the bountiful beaches of Florida during snook season. In this exciting video, we'll witness the Lunkerdog's expertise and passion as he hooks into legal-sized slot snook, creating memories that will last a lifetime. So, let's dive in and discover the secrets of successful snook fishing on Florida's sandy shores!

"The Thrill of Snook Season": When snook season rolls around in Florida, it's an angler's paradise. The excitement is palpable as the Lunkerdog eagerly tackles the challenge of landing these prized gamefish. Snook, with their sleek bodies and relentless fighting spirit, provide an unforgettable angling experience, and the Lunkerdog is here to show us how it's done.

"Choosing the Right Gear": Before hitting the beaches, the Lunkerdog carefully selects his gear to ensure optimal success. From his trusty fishing rod to the perfectly matched reel, he's equipped to handle the powerful runs and acrobatic jumps of these feisty snook. Pay close attention as he shares his favorite setups and reveals the secrets behind his gear selection.

"Beach-Friendly Snook Tactics": Snook are known for their love of structure, but during snook season, they migrate along Florida's coastlines in search of baitfish. The Lunkerdog demonstrates the art of reading the water, identifying key areas where snook are likely to ambush their prey. From troughs and sandbars to jetties and rocky outcrops, he expertly positions himself for success.

"Mastering Snook-Specific Techniques": The Lunkerdog showcases his mastery of snook-specific techniques, such as targeting the sloughs and troughs where snook often seek refuge. He shares valuable tips on lure selection, retrieves, and presentation techniques that entice even the wariest of snook to strike. With each cast, he demonstrates the finesse required to fool these cunning predators.

"Responsible Angling and Conservation": Snook are a valuable resource, and the Lunkerdog emphasizes the importance of responsible angling and conservation efforts. He educates viewers on size and bag limits, catch-and-release best practices, and the significance of protecting the snook population for future generations. The Lunkerdog is not just an angler but also an advocate for sustainable fishing practices.

Conclusion: Join the Lunkerdog on an unforgettable journey along Florida's sandy beaches during snook season. From the thrill of the catch to the beauty of the coastline, this video captures the essence of snook fishing like never before. Be inspired by the Lunkerdog's expertise, passion, and commitment to conservation as he hooks into legal-sized slot snook, celebrating the sport and the incredible fishing opportunities Florida has to offer.

So, grab your gear, hit the beaches, and let the adventure begin! Don't forget to share your own snook fishing tales and tips in the comments below. Together, let's embrace the magic of snook season and preserve the legacy of these remarkable gamefish.

#SnookSeasonSpectacular #BeachFishingAdventures #LunkerdogSnookFever

#youtube #fishing #snookseason

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icybreaths · 2 years ago

Text

|| @sunniestshark-ocs || continued from here ||

@sunniestshark-ocs said:

The answer wasn't unexpected, but it was always worth a shot. Seeing a friend having a tough time... Jo knew she can't fix everyone's problems, but she was always willing to share the burden.

Her mismatched eyes moved from Jewel's face, to what was almost said, down to her arms and back again. It was a burden Jewel didn't want to share. Something personal. It's not like she couldn't relate. She still had the mask, just pushed up into her hair for the time being.

"You are a tough bitch," Jo offered with a lopsided smile, "just... you know you don't have to handle it alone."

Instead of going with her deepest instinct to pry, she stopped there. She fished around in her bag for a moment before holding up her prize- a large bottle of sake, a gift from the commander, and two rough-hewn cups.

"Or you can share this with me and talk about the weather or something."

“Hah,” the presentation got a clipped chuckle out of her.

Was Jewel so predictable to be swayed with a little alcohol? It depended on who was offering.

The bottle did look unfamiliar to her. A new drinking experience sounded nice, may even calm the thoughts that had festered in her over the week.

“I’ll do ya one better,” sharp nails finessed the fabric over the last of her left digits, “Share that with me an’ I’ll air all my silly grievances 'bout it t’ya.”

A grin, “Since ya asked so nicely.”

Right arm was next. Jewel scooted the old stained bandages off to the side and grabbed a fresh roll. “… Lil boy I’m lookin’ after. Yuudai. Saw my arms fresh the other mornin’. Like ta’ve made him reel he looked so.. off put by what he saw.”

Her bare arm was hued in an irritated cracked pink, noticeable even in the firelight. Pockets of crusted black splotched her. Luckily only one spot was bad enough for a sliver of her bone to peek through.

“I ain’t even been fightin’, Jo. I’m wakin’ up ta this now.”

She pursed her lips in a flicker of hesitation.

She didn’t want to admit it. “It’s painful.”

#sunniestshark-ocs #v: harbinger of the ice age #//yells she never tALKS ABOUT SHIT #tw body horror

0 notes

slavicviking · 7 years ago

Note

26 for the writing prompt? :D

I hope you enjoy!

“The diamond in your engagement ring is fake.” from this.

Ffnet version ao3 version

Engagedin a dangerous kind of business

The dress was too long.

She had filed a complaint toher boss but what she was met with in response was a slap on a back and a condensinglaugh. Lesson learned - apparently being attractive meant more than beingeffective because there was no way in the world she would be able to throw adecent kick in a dress as long as this one.

She huffed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror wall.

“It’s almost time, Astrid,” Hiccup announced as he entered the room. Hefixed his cuffs absently, mind miles away as it always was at moments likethese. His left hand dove into the expensive jacket’s pocket and he fished outa small box, handing it to her with a strained smile.

The ring was…okay, nothing too attention-grabbing, nor tacky-looking.

Enough for them to sell the lie.

“M’lady?” Hiccup inquired as he raised his arm, his smile more genuinethis time. Astrid felt herself relaxing as she hooked their arms together. As planned,there was a black limousine waiting for them outside, their usual driver,Snotlout, already waiting for them to get in. As they sat down, her hand wentto fix her hair, noting that at a certain angle her earpiece remained visible.

Gods, this plan was destined to fail. Not that anyone wanted to listento her. Except for one person.

“You look, eh, you look beautiful,” Hiccup’s nervous voice sounded toher left and she allowed herself to smile, just a little. There was somethingheart-warming in the fact that she was not the only one that had their doubtswhen it came to their mission; she knew he had her back, he always did.

Having been thoroughly checked at the entrance, they entered the GreatHall hand in hand, immediately blown away by the richness of the room – thediamond chandeliers, marble floors and highest-quality furniture, where asingle piece was worth more than her monthly wage. The dance floor in themiddle was filled with couples dancing a waltz as Johann Strauss II’s ‘WienerBlut’ filled the enormous Hall.

“Care for a dance?” Hiccup quirked an eyebrow her way.

“You know I don’t dance,” she answered with half-hearted shake of herhead though her lips stretched into a tired smile.

“I know Astrid Hofferson does not,” he laughed quietly when she hushedhim. “but perhaps Lady Fowler does?”

“Fine then,” she pulled on his hand, “Mr. Danaher. I suppose a dance it is.”

Hiccup grinned cheekily at her as she tugged him by the sleeve towardsthe dancefloor. They swerved across it with surprising grace and finesse as thefinest Vienna orchestra played their soft tunes in the background. The secretjoy of doing something as simple as dancing was brutally interrupted when, fromthe corner of her eye, she saw her target. She had gone through Castel’s fileand it had been long since she had felt so disgruntled, so disgusted whiledoing so. She would have taken him down if it were up to her but it was not thefocus of her mission here and she was not going to be the one to go againsttheir boss’s wishes.

The task was simple; make sure Hiccup had enough time to do what he wassupposed to – hack into the system, destroy Castel from the inside.

She was a distraction, as much as she did not like it.

Once the piece finished, Astrid felt Hiccup’s arms around her loosen andshe knew it was time to do what they came here to do. She saw Castel meetingher eye for a split moment, a strange expression gracing his quite handsomeface. He was young, so terrifyingly young – his gentle manner did not match thebrutal reports, it was almost too easy to doubt.

She made sure Castel was occupied before pulling Hiccup away from thedancefloor. He noticed the man, their target, and frowned. Castel being here,so close, was not part of the plan, but perhaps they could use it to theiradvantage.

“I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll be back soon,” he squeezed her hand ashe said it, a signal between them both. She used it to hug him shortly.

“Be careful,” she quickly whispered.

“Aren’t I always?” Hiccup mustered a smile she knew was just a cover-upfor how nervous he was, understandably so; Hiccup was never supposed to haveleft his office back at their base. But he did, and she would what she could tokeep him safe. Her heart jolted sharply in her chest as she saw him leave.

He would be safe, there was no other way.

Astrid took her place by one of the tables, beautifully set up and almostbuckling under all the exquisite foods placed on top. She took a moment toremind herself of Castel’s file, thinking of a good way to approach anddistract him. Her stomach twisted as she thought of the folder, swollen withabuse, violence and manipulation. A glass of surely very expensive red wine temptedher from across the table.

“Lady Fowler, is it?” A voice cut through her thoughts like awell-sharpened knife. Castel appeared to her right, his hands in the pants’pockets.

“Yes?” she inquired with a slight nod of her head, surprised that he wasthe one to approach her. It wasn’t right. She quickly stood up, fixing thefolds on her dress. “Is there something I can help you with, Sir?”

“I wanted to ask if you have seen the art exhibition yet?” he didn’tlook at her as he spoke. There was some roughness, some rawness hidden underthe perfect smile, perfect hair and perfect clothes. She swallowed.

“Oh, I fear I haven’t had the pleasure yet,” Astrid shruggedhalf-heartedly, her eyes shifting towards the direction in which Hiccup left.He caught that and she cursed inwardly.

“Let me show you then,” Castel held out his arm for her, a charmingsmile accompanying his gentleman-like manners.

“I should wait for my fiancé-“

“Mr. Bailey here will inform him to join us,” he quickly jumped in witha nonchalant wave of his hand. Mr. Bailey, a man that had to be in his oldfifties at the least, smiled warmly her way. His gentle blue eyes and longblond moustache fancily done gave away a trustworthy impression. He lookedalmost…familiar, or so it seemed to her. “Now, if I may-?”

She linked her arm with his, keeping as much distance between them aspossible. It was awkward, painfully so, but she was not willing to disrespecther personal space any more than she had done already this evening.

The art gallery, as it turned out, was truly a sight to behold.Awe-inspiring baroque and romantic paintings graced walls on both sides of thecorridor. She and Castel walked down the red carpet that her legs sunk intowith each step, with the man himself presenting each landscape and portrait witha detailed and personalized description. Her eyelids felt heavier as moreinformation was shared and the hall didn’t seem to get any shorter, quite theopposite really.

Art was never her domain; it was Hiccup’s more than anyone else’s out ofpeople she knew.

Gods, she hoped he was safe. She remained unsettled as the earpiece keptsilent on his end.

It was then that she realized – the Hall was empty. Gone were the lonecouples wondering around and young artists fawning over the masterpieces fromcenturies ago. A shiver ran down her back as she realized how dangerous of asituation she was currently in.

Castel released her arm and she knew.As he threw a fist her way, she was ready and blocked it with her forearm, herother hand going to unsheathe a small knife. She choked as Castel managed tograb her by the throat and press against the wall, in-between two paintings.She hid her hand grasping the knife under her back – a foolish and amateurmistake on his part.

He pressed his forearm onto her neck and she gasped for air.

“You think you had me fooled?” he hissed, his irritation growing by thesecond. Astrid saw an insane glint in his eyes.

“The diamond in your engagement ring is fake,” he sneered as he roughlypulled off the piece of cheap jewelry, thrusting it down the hall. It rolleddown on the floor, falling into a small ventilation opening. Astrid used the briefmoment of distraction as she bit into his arm, hard.

Castel ripped his arm away and clutched it, with a low growl under his breath.Taking the brief moment of distraction to her advantage, she cut through theside of her dress with the knife and threw a kick into his stomach. The manstumbled backwards. She pressed the earpiece into her ear.

“Hiccup, it’s over, get out of there – now!” she quickly said as she felt herself being thrown sideways. Witha groan, Astrid tried to throw a punch his way but he caught her fist andtwisted her arm, her back now pressed tightly against his front. She elbowedhim in the stomach, setting herself free.

Until she heard a clung of a gun.

She turned around slowly to see him point it her way, his face radiatingfrom insane rage and glistening with sweat. He wouldn’t fire. He wouldn’t darewith so many people in the room right next to them, not with so many witnesses.

He loaded the gun.

She felt a beat of sweat roll down her forehead as she cursed herselffor not taking her glock pre-emptively. Her boss had forbid her from doing so,but she should have anyway.

“Astrid? Where are you?” Hiccup’s nasally voice sounded in her ear. Hewas safe, he had to be, right?

“Go without me,” she whispered back as the gun stared at her from acrossthe corridor, framed with a confident smirk on Castel’s face.

“Astrid, what-?” she heard his confusion and panic as she turned off theearpiece. It’s me and you, Castel.

“You think I won’t shoot you?” his voice quivered, his shaky fingerghosting over the trigger. No, she had no doubt that she would. Her eyes roamedover the room in a weak attempt to find a way out. She saw a bulky shadow andher heart stopped.

“I wouldnae do that if I were ye.”

She released a shaky breath as Castel lowered the gun. Mr. Bailey pressedhis own glock to the young man’s skull.

“This is the FBI,” the man said through gritted teeth. Castel, all of asudden, appeared stupidly vulnerable as he dropped his gun and fell to hisknees, his arms falling limp by his sides.

“You betrayed me, Mr. Bailey,” he murmured surprised with a child-likeinnocence to it, and she found it hard to believe it was the same guy that wasready to blast her brains out just a minute ago. “You betrayed me.”

He kept repeating that as Mr. Bailey handcuffed him and as he waspositioned safely by the wall, his gun out of his reach.

“Gobber,” the older man informed as he went in to shake hands with her.Noting Astrid’s obvious hesitation, he fished out an ID. “I worked undercoverfer Castel fer a year now.”

“No such information was forwarded-“

“Those muttonheads are as organized as-“ Gobber waved his hand as shelooked at him skeptically. “Never mind. Point is, I was informed, agent Hofferson.”

She heard sirens outside. Her heart leapt and she jumped to reach thedoors to the Great Hall. People must have been evacuated as the ballroomremained empty, untouched food filling the tables still. She saw Hiccup, safe,talking to their boss by the main entrance, worry prominent on his face. Theireyes met. It took all her will power to not ran his way. But he was safe. Shesmiled, adrenaline wearing off.

“Good thing it was a fake one,” Astrid huffed, taking out a small velvetbox from her safe in their office. She unlocked the lid and took out a smallsilver ring before sliding it onto one of her fingers. Hiccup barked a short laugh.

“Gods, I don’t know what I would have done,” he shook his head. “I can’tafford another one.”

She snorted, a lazy smile making its way on her face.

“Well, it’s more about the person than the ring, don’t you think?” sheinquired teasingly as she leaned forward to peck him on the lips.

“True,” her fiancé agreed thoughtfully. With a smile of his own, hehanded her his arm, for the second time this evening. “Ready to go home, LadyHofferson?”

Her laugh was truly something that could brighten up anyone’s day, hisespecially.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, Mr. Haddock.”

The End

The rest of my writing.

If you want to request a drabble.

#httyd fanfiction #httyd #hiccstrid #hiccstrid fanfiction #modern au #my writing

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fishingtel · 4 years ago

Photo

CHOOSING THE BEST FISHING LINE FOR CRAPPIE

Having a problem selecting a first-rate

fishing line for Crappie

your needs? Perhaps you maintain losing your entice because of the reality of wrong line choices. Learn more approximately the first-rate fishing line in your fishing needs.

Why Choosing the Most Appropriate Fishing Line for Crappie Key I frequently discover random bits and topics people have left with inside the once more of when I fish, however, the maximum common shaking-my-head absolutely really well worth problem desires to be the discarded rigs, jigs, and line that ties them all together.

While monetary institution fishing with my son the opposite day I determined the all-time strangest rig pictured below, putting from a useless department which can have disintegrated if the wind blew difficult, tied on with pink 20+ lb. Monofilament. The Jig will become trailerless, the Tube turns into rigged flawed on an EWG 2/zero hook and the small Crappie Jig will become naked as I come to be on the day I emerge as born. It was regarded as a person who had located on a blindfold, went into Walmart, and virtually grabbed the critical few lures their hand touched. All 3 lures had been tied at the identical time on the identical line with overhand knots, without the terminal knot on the Tube which will become an awful clinch knot and is thrown into the water as an entice-line.

This turns into glaringly a character's first strive at fishing/trapping (I hoped) and it left me thinking why they didn’t truly display up an educational online. It furthermore made me mad, even even though it had an, in reality, the low risk of catching fish, over some time, I knew faster or later the tube could probably in all opportunity be eaten the usage of the manner of the ability of a fish and the fish killed on the identical time because it used to accept stuck on the entice.

Many human beings that have been fishing longer than I actually have, although use the incorrect line and knots even as fishing whilst quickly as I even have endorsed masses of instances, to their annoyance that they now not do that.

So why is it that we forget about analyzing strains? I assume for too many people, which embody myself, it's far ways one of the more uninteresting elements of fishing even as in assessment to new and charming lures, reels, rods, and tools. Especially close to catching fish. The truth of it's far a ways that line impacts our fishing achievement greater than a few different a segment of our equipment, absolutely what diverse fish we catch.

First, I would really like to debunk more than one famous fantasy surrounding fishing line for Crappie

Top Fishing Line for Crappie! Fishing Line for Crappie #1: Fish can’t see crimson. The Redline is invisible.

Many people I talk to swear that Bass, Catfish, and plenty of unique species that I fish for, can't see the sedation pink. Therefore, the reason for the crimson line is invisible! This reasoning is flawed. Wouldn’t groups have ceased making crimson/invisible lures via way of means of manner of the functionality of now? Even if they didn’t have pink cones or rods in their eyes, it wouldn’t make the street disappear, it can virtually default to every unique sedation.

I consider this fantasy comes from semi-present day findings that many deep-water fish are pink because of the truth deep/darkish water filters crimson, which has the longest wavelength of considered mild out of the spectrum first, rendering them identical sedation as their background. Anyways… you need to do your very very very own studies alternatively I’m calling this one debunked. Stick with a clear, small, Fluorocarbon line if you don’t need the fish to appear to be it.

Fishing Line for Crappie #2: Braid catches in reality as many fish as small Mono/Fluoro

Bass and unique Gamefish are truly dumb animals and a tiny little bit of difference in line diameter isn’t going to matter. They’ll hit whatever that actions, right? Wrong!

I can’t depend on the quantity the variety of conditions that I actually have had my 50-sixty five lb. Braid fall slack on a long forged, zig-zagging its way once more to me at the top of the water, and then had a Bass every spook from seeing it, or surely smack my line wondering that it will become prey. I won’t say that this doesn’t even display up with a smaller diameter line, however, it takes region very infrequently. When finesse fishing, stay with a small line until you’re with inner the thick of it.

A sub-branch of this fantasy is that fish can’t tell the distinction with inner the road we use.

While this will be partially proper for some species like Catfish close to Bass and energetic Gamefish, they may now not continuously see the massive distinction in line, however, they have to frequently trip it. Again, on the identical time as fishing with braid, I could probably be aware that finicky Bass could probably frequently spook formerly than my lure had been given in all locations near them. This forced me for a prolonged-term till I placed out that the road is coming via way of means of manner of the location that they are in extended formerly than they absolutely have sight of the lure. Braid transmits vibration plenty more than Monofilament and in precise Fluorocarbon. So… the fish could probably not see this, however, they have to in reality experience it.

Now approves get right all of the manner right all the way down to the right strains of this Article. What type of line is right for what and what type of line suits the rod. Always make it effective to test the street recommendations to your rod as a place to start too. I try and live as low on that spectrum as I can besides demanding that I will destroy off.

Braided Line: Now that I actually have dissed braid so badly, permit me to permit you to be privy to the reality: I love braided strains. I in all viable use it masses greater than the common remaining angler does and I have faith that it's far an extended manner the reason that I actually have landed, in preference to dropping the 3 largest Bass I actually have ever stuck. Because I can’t have adequate coins to move expert and I am very near breaking maximum of the time, I spool nearly all of my reels with braided line and tie a 1 to the 6-foot leader of Fluoro or Monoline with an FG knot (rather encouraged knot to examine). Braid lasts for months if you cope with it appropriately or maybe the mild stuff I.e., 10 lb. is lots more difficult to break off with than the 10 lb. Versions of Fluoro or Mono.

It will prevent loads of dollars online if you are on a budget. It works fabulously as a stand-on my very very own top-water lure line too if you use a mild or sluggish rod as opposed to a quicker rod with mono. Although I pick out expensive 8 companies braided line, I constantly turn out to be getting the plain vintage Power Pro Braid I actually have reels that have had those topics on the spool for 2 years, truly ‘til it gets too brief to solid with and it although has all 4 groups (character fibers) intact. You actually can’t beat those topics for the price. If you've got offered the cash though, move together with the Power Pro 8 company Super Slick or probably the top-rated Spider Wire. I surely just like the darker green sun sunglasses absolutely for Bass fishing.

Monofilament: The unique fishing line for Crappie. This stuff has been around because of the reality of the 1950s. This could probably surely be my least favored line (even even though I understand all 3 have their locations and I sound like a novice declaring this), however, it's far a manner the least luxurious and maximum normally used line. The simplest time I use mono is for top water dog-on-foot programs. It is a stretcher than Fluorocarbon and doesn’t sink and get stuck underneath the essential treble like Braid or Fluoro even as used with dog-walked lures like a spook. Many execs may also scoff at me for this and I can moreover furthermore test my lesson one day… rather nowadays do not appear to be that day. It moreover may be used at the same time as you need to hold a crankbait better than its score with internal the water column. I use the Sufix Elite. It’s reasonably-priced price-clever however high-quality stuff and it doesn’t get kinked up or birds-nested absolutely effortlessly as some mono does.

Fluorocarbon: Fluorocarbon might be the maximum bendy of all 3 not unusual region strains in fishing. It may also moreover be used for each software which includes topwater or even though many human beings could probably argue withinside the path of this, I like having a softer/slower rod paired with a stiffer line in preference to a stretchier line paired with a stiffer rod. There are many reasons for this, personally, alternatively, nearly it’s because of the truth Fluorocarbon is lots tougher, smaller, and consequently, lots heaps a great deal is much less seen/palpable to the fish than Monofilament or Braid.

Fluorocarbon furthermore sinks in water and smaller diameter line sinks quicker because of the reality of this which you have to get lures deeper, quicker on the identical time as power fishing as well. I choose out Sunline Sniper if I actually have more dough, however, the toughest stuff I use is the regular antique Seaguar. Fluorocarbon is a nearly invisible internal thing of the water any case alternatively if you’re intense approximately stealth move together with the Seaguar InvisX which feels and actions like silk internal side the lessen take a look at lbs.

All 3 strains produce unique merits that I didn’t component out here, rather furthermore have general articles devoted to every out there.

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The thicker/heavier the lure/hook, the thicker/heavier the rod, the thicker the road. It’s so easy!

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Line Tips for Power Applications For Power applications (fast retrieval and casting) begin at 10 lb. Test if the water is plain and works your way up to 20 lb. line if the water is stained. In muddy water, I prevent stress approximately whether or not or now no longer or not or now not to have a look at the braid and move together with it nearly solely.

Line Tips for Hybrid Applications For Hybrid functions like Skirted Jigs or Spinnerbaits/Chatter baits, use this rule of thumb - the thicker/large the hook, the better up the test lb. you have to circulate on the rod and line. With a 4/0+ gauge heavy-twine hook or better, you choose at least 12 lb. Test. If you've got emerged as an outstanding deal as five/0 and 6/0 heavy or ultra-heavy you’re going to need 15-20 lb. take a look at fluorocarbon till you get in reality unique at it.

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#fishing line #crappie fishing #fly fishing #fishing boat #fishing

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zeldahijinks · 8 years ago

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Hi! I love your writing and I was wondering if you would write something for your flock sideways fic. If Revali goes to Link and asks for his help for asking you out/hitting on you. And Link (knowingly) gives him TERRIBLE advice like, "she loves pickup lines. Yeah, the really cheesy cringy kind." "Have you talked about yourself enough? She swoons every time." "Trust me Revali. Im her best friend." Hijinks ensue.

[A/N: Sorry this is super long, but I loved the idea so much and thought it’d be a great way to celebrate my birthday and having 200+ followers! Also i’m really sorry there are no puns, I am so bad with puns ;A;]Revali/ReaderWord count: 1715

Link is a decent guy that most would agree on. Despite that he is a glutton and an occasional airhead, he worked his way to become the appointed Knight of Princess Zelda and the one chosen by the Goddess to keep evil at bay. He was resourceful, strong willed, and the kind of guy that allowed anyone to cry on his shoulders. Most folks would even say he has a natural charm, and women crawl after him like starve wolves.

Revali felt violently ill thinking of Link like that.

As he stood from afar of the group he watched as you laughed and shoved Link’s shoulder, and Revali had to control himself from rolling his eyes too hard out of his head. He never understood how the two of you got along so well when it took him forever to even get on your good side, and not like Revali was totally ignoring that fact Link and you had known each other since childhood.

After months of struggles and dangerous missions Revali had found himself growing attached to you and thinking of you in a different light. These elated feelings brought him to the moon and back, but he felt hollow being unable to express himself in a way to let you know he wanted to be something more.

But as charismatic and talented as he was, Revali’s courting techniques fell….well, flat. He never had any interest in anyone before, not like now, where he felt his life would improve by taking you under his wing.

However, he felt you were not the conventional person and that is why he is stewing like the dinner in the crock-pot you all were surrounded by. The closest person to you was Link, no one knew you better, but Revali’s inside felt like they were disintegrating. Did Revali really want to stoop so low by asking for his help?

When you turned around and caught Revali’s gaze, your smile made his heart thump against his ribcage and he looked away feeling bashful. Okay, he thought, perhaps for you it would be worth going through all the trouble. His moment arrived when you waved and walked away with Urbosa. It seemed like the two of you will be gone for a good moment and once you were out of sight Revali was hovering behind Link.

Link crunched his shoulders feeling a presence behind him and turned around to only be scared out of his wits. Revali looked at him feeling completely disinterested and spiteful, “I would like to make this quick, but I have predicament that requires your assistance…as poor of a choice that it already is.” Link only rose a brow and gave Revali a sour look. Revali grabbed the scruff of Link’s shirt and dragged him away from the campsite. Link fumbled around like a fool while Revali grumbled aloud, “Honestly.”

Revali made sure the area was clear of prying ears before glaring at Link. “You are well acquainted with [Name]. I believe they have mentioned knowing you since childhood, is that correct?” Link only nodded, and rubbed the area where his shirt had choked him.

Revali only hummed, looking Link over and started pacing around him. One wing tucked behind his back while his other one waved around to emphasis his words, “Very well. I supposed you will do. As you know the Princess has been pairing [Name] and I together. Although there have been…hardships between us the truth of the matter is… I have grown fondly of [Name] and wish to swoon them. However, despite all my talents and charming personality; I lack, oh what is the word I am looking for, a certain finesse when it comes to expressing delicate sentiments.”

Link had zoned out halfway through Revali’s speech and was dozing off waiting for him to finish. Revali finally stopped in front of Link, his back turned and gazed into the stars, “It brings to my attention I do not know what will win them over. That is why-” Revali sighed heavily, “I am asking for advice. Your advice. Perhaps, I can bring some use out of you in the process.”

Link stared a moment, one hand holding his chin and hunched over. Now, there wasn’t many things that got under Link’s skin, but something about Revali poorly asking for help didn’t sit well with him, and, as your best friend, Link knew exactly what would woo you and what would not. Link had to prevent a smirk sneaking on his face as he realized Revali was giving him complete control. Would Revali listen to everything he said, he wondered, and stood up crossing his arms while nodding.

Revali coughed and straightened out his ascot, “V-very well then. Perhaps I shall start with the basics…” He rubbed the back of his neck, the feathers fluffing from the action. “What compliments would be suited for them?”

Link could feel his resolve slipping and tried his best to suppress the smirk that threaten to make its way forth. For the next hour, Link explained and gave suggestions while Revali, although he loathed to admit it, hung onto every piece of information.

Attempt 1: [Name] likes pick up lines

You had been sitting on a fence laughing away with Zelda and Link not having a care in the world while Revali was working up the nerves to speak to you. He’ll be damned if he allowed the Princess and Link prevent this opportunity and marched straight over. All the laughter came to a stop as Revali stood dignified next to you. You smiled and patted him on the shoulder, “Hey, Revali.”

Revali felt butterflies in his stomach and nervously spoke. “My, [Name], did you know you make me feel like a Lynel?”

Blinking, you just said, “What.”

“B-because when I see you I come charging.”

There was a silence between all four before Link turned around with his shoulders shaking. Revali felt himself starting to choke but he remembered Link told him that no matter what to keep going and no matter what you did it really meant you liked it. He tried to regain his confidence, opting to lean on the fence to get closer to you. “You know of my gale, correct?”

Fearing you’ll regret it, you asked, “….Yeah…Why?”

“I am not the only thing it can bring to new heights.”

Link’s choking could be heard while you stare incredulously, “What the fuck, Revali. Ya weirdo.” You gave him the stink eye, lifting yourself off the fence and walked away with Zelda who was having just as a hard time like Link. Revali stood there his jaw to the ground.

It hadn’t worked?? He looked over to Link questionably. Link only shrugged, trying not to let the smile be too pleased. Huh, Revali thought, on to phase two.

Attempt 2: [Name] dreams of flying

You bristled each time Revali approached. He had gotten some strange delusion that you wanted to go flying, but not on your glider.

On him.

Sweat began to form at your brow, crouched, and ready to spring away when an opening presented itself. Revali was exacerbated throwing a wing on his hip and the other covering his face, “Honestly, [Name], you are overreacting. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

“‘M not afraid!” You screeched,” I am just trying to point out all the reasons why that would not be a good idea!” He gave you a flat look, his wings held up in disbelief.

“I am much more reliable than that pathetic excuse of a glider!” “It’s not the glider I’m worried about!” Revali just rolled his eyes and swooped for you, and you screamed bloody murder as your body lurched over his. What Revali was thinking you have no idea, but you weren’t even on his back properly, your legs choking his neck while the rest of your body flung around. Link was fishing on the other side of the hill when he looked over and seeing Revali and you spiraling to the ground. The poor boy couldn’t catch his breath when heard the screams of agony.

Attempt 3: [Name] LOVES music, especially banjos.

Revali was irritated to say the least, none of the previous courting methods worked at all. He was going to give it one more shot before he called it quits.

Link had courteously let Revali borrow his banjo, and as Revali stood outside your yurt in the moonlight he wasn’t sure if this was a good idea at all. Revali knew you were a light sleeper and got absolutely irritated being woken up. However, again, Link had mention that there was nothing more than you wished for then being serenaded awake. A deep fantasy, Link had claimed.

Revali glanced at the instrument and strummed the strings nervously. He wasn’t completely horrible at playing, but he was no master musician. He was dressed in his best Rito garbs, free of his chest plate and warriors’ kilt. He hoped once you looked outside you’d be enamored by him playing under the moonlight.

THRAAANG

A rude sound tore you from your deep sleep, and in the midst of waking into reality you were confused by what you were hearing.

THRUNNNG

Oh no, you paled.

No, no, you knew that sound. You rubbed your hands across your face when you heard singing accompanying the dreaded banjo. To your surprise, it wasn’t Link this time, and you were thrown into further confusion hearing Revali’s voice.

You flung yourself out from the yurt marching toward Revali. He was still playing when he noticed you approaching, and despite the nerves the threaten to freeze him, he kept going. It must be working! ….But then why did you look like you were ready to murder…?

You ripped the banjo from his feathers and thrashed it against the ground. You kept smashing the bloody instrument until it was in unrecognizable pieces and Revali had taken a step back. Huffing and wiping the sweat from your brow, you handed the neck of the banjo, the only thing left intact, back to Revali. He was left dumbstruck holding the broken instrument and watched you drag yourself back to sleep.

He stood there when a string curled off the neck, “W-why?”

#botw #revali botw #revali #link #link botw #botw fics #reader #reader insert #revali x reader #revali/reader #fics #hijink's writing #hijink's scenario #long post

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kitty-bandit · 8 years ago

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Double Teamed

Fandom: D.Gray-Man Rating: T Paring: Allen x Lavi x Tyki Words: 1.7K

For the D.Gray-Man Fanworks Initiative, Day 4: Alternative Universe

Read on AO3.

The chiming of bells signaled Lavi that he was no longer alone in the bookstore. He’d been reading one of the new editions his grandfather had ordered when he looked up from the page. His heart jumped into his throat, a blush rising on his skin. He cleared his throat and set the book down. “Again?” he asked, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

Allen smiled, broad and unabashedly as he set the bouquet down on the counter in front of Lavi. It was another large arrangement, full of stargazer lilies, tea roses, and delphiniums. Lavi wasn’t an expert, but the whole thing had to be expensive. “Another delivery for—” Allen took the time to read off the card nestled in the greenery. “—the cute redhead at the bookstore.”

“You both need to stop bringing these over.” Lavi rubbed his face and let out an embarrassed sigh. He already had three other flower arrangements scattered about the store that he’d been gifted just this week alone. His grandfather began to grow suspicious that he was in a secret relationship—or alternately, he was wasting too much money on bouquets on some secret beau that were thrown back in his face. Honestly, he would’ve believed the second story more if he wasn’t already dancing around this strange relationship.

Allen pursed his lips, and Lavi was certain he was holding in a laugh. “And stop seeing that look on your face? I think not.”

With another heavy sigh, Lavi pulled the card from the arrangement and tucked it into his back pocket. He didn’t want to leave it in there for his grandfather to find. That would open up a whole host of questions he wasn’t ready to answer. “Don’t you two have anything better to do? Like actually run your flowershop?”

“Nope. We’re totally bored. If not for this, we’d already have started growing moss on our backs.” He pulled out his phone and lifted it up to face Lavi. “Oh, and say cheese.” He snapped a picture, grinning the entire time.

Lavi could already feel his cheeks growing hotter. “What was that for?”

“Tyki wanted to see what your face looked like when I gave you the flowers. I think he’ll be pleasantly surprised at how red you are.”

“Goddammit.”

The notification sound dinged on his phone, and Allen turned the screen so Lavi could see Tyki’s response. “Look—Beautiful flowers for a beautiful redhead.”

Lavi groaned. “Why are you both so extra?”

Turning, Allen headed back towards the door. “We don’t know any other way to be. See you later, Lavi.”

Once Allen had disappeared back outside, Lavi dropped his head to the counter and whined. He didn’t know what the hell to do about this situation. He’d never had two people hitting on him before, and certainly not two people already in a relationship. This was new territory, and he was like a fish out of water for all his finesse as he tried to wade through the murky bog of flirtations, mixed signals, and opulent gifts.

Though, the flowers were beautiful…

Lavi shook his head and stood up straight, staring at the ceiling and letting out a long, frustrated groan. He briefly toyed with the idea of working somewhere else, just to avoid these sexually charged and awkward meetings, but he liked the flexible hours he had here, especially considering his university schedule, and it didn’t hurt that his grandfather was his boss. He turned to the large storefront window, looking out across the street at the flower shop exactly opposite his bookstore. Tyki was in the window, watering some of the potted plants on display. When he caught Lavi’s eye, he grinned and made a lewd, sexual gesture with his hands.

Lavi hid behind the counter and groaned again.

Lavi swallowed, the lump in his throat stuck halfway down as he clutched the paper bag to his chest. He could do this. He could do this…

Everything had begun a month ago, when his grandfather had taken ill. While he was on bedrest, Lavi took care of his bookstore. It was easy enough to deal with the customers, and the chores were minimal, so it was the perfect job for him to work while getting some extra cash and being able to study in the down time. And when his grandfather got well again, he just kept working.

He had originally stepped into the flower shop across the street to grab a bouquet for his grandfather. Nothing fancy, just something to cheer the old man up. Sick people liked flowers, right? And that was how he had met Tyki and Allen.

Looking back on it now, it had to have been some weird twist of fate to encounter them. He’d never been in a flower shop before, nor did he frequent the places Tyki or Allen went to. But this shop, just across from his grandfather’s, had thrown him into a chaotic whirlwind of flirting, double entendre, and flowers.

So many goddamn flowers.

Allen and Tyki had flirted with him shamelessly, and while Lavi could be an incorrigible flirt himself, when the attention was focused on him, he shriveled up like snail covered in salt.

But there he was, gifts in hand and staring down the flower shop door. He took a breath, and entered. The shop smelled wonderful, as always. The mingling scent of flowers and fresh dirt was pleasant, though not enough to untie the knot in his guts. The bell chimed overhead, and he only had a few seconds of reprieve before Tyki’s golden eyes were on him. He smiled boldly.

“Oh? What’s this?” Tyki asked, a seductive lit to his voice as he leaned against the counter. “My favorite redhead has come to grace me with his presence? I’m honored.”

Lavi let out a soft breath, his cheeks already rosy from his words. It didn’t help that Tyki had a way of looking at him that left Lavi’s skin on fire and insides turned to mush. And Allen wasn’t much better…

“Just came over to say hi and to bring you and Allen something.” He held out the paper bag, handing it to Tyki as he stopped just on the other side of the front counter. Even the two feet of formica between them wasn’t enough to keep Lavi from fidgeting.

“Ooh? Presents?” Tyki turned towards the back room, already grinning widely. “Allen! Lavi brought us presents.”

Allen was in the storefront within seconds, wearing the same pleased look Tyki had on. “Aw, Lavi. How thoughtful.” He didn’t hesitate to grab the bag from Tyki’s hands and peek inside. His eyes widened and an excited grin spread over his face. “Chocolate?! Dibs!” He grabbed the box of chocolates and left Tyki with the remaining item in the bag.

Tyki snickered as Allen took a few steps away, making sure he couldn’t reclaim the chocolate. “I’m sure I won’t see any of that.” He pulled out the rest of the bag’s contents and smiled. “A book? I should’ve figured.”

Lavi rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding both of their gazes. It was a large, hardcover book on flowers, one of many that his grandfather had in his shop. He’d seen it weeks ago, and every time he looked at the cover, he could only think about Tyki and Allen. “Ah, yeah. I thought that you might like it—I mean, considering you work in a flower shop and all. And Al is always buying chocolate when he stops by to deliver flowers, so I brought that, too.” God, he must’ve looked so ridiculous as he stood there fidgeting and blushing like a 12 year old with a crush.

Setting the book down, Tyki shared a quick glance with Allen before turning back to Lavi. “Lavi, I hope this means that you finally realize our intentions.”

The wording gave Lavi pause. “Intentions?”

Allen set the chocolate down, watching Lavi with his intense, silver eyes. “Well, we have been flirting with you rather shamelessly.”

Lavi tried to swallow, but his mouth dried up. “Uh, yeah. I kinda noticed.”

“And we want to go out with you,” Tyki added.

“W-What? Really?”

Tyki’s eyebrows raised. “I thought that had been pretty obvious?”

“We did bring you quite a few bouquets over the past few weeks.” Allen giggled, amused as he tried to hold back more boisterous laughter. “Did you think we were just flirting with you for fun?”

“To be fair, it was fun,” Tyki said, still watching Lavi with that seductive gaze. “You never failed to blush.”

Lavi knew he was blushing right then, too, and it made Tyki’s point all the more clear. “I just thought you were teasing me or something. I don’t—” He cut himself off to sigh. “I don’t usually get that kind of… attention.”

“Well,” Tyki began, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Allow us to remedy that. Allen?”

With a chuckle, Allen reached out and took one of Lavi’s hands as Tyki took the other. Lavi could only blink and watch as the two of them pulled his hands to their lips and kissed his knuckles. Lavi let out a soft gasp, too embarrassed for words.

“Lavi Bookman—” Allen began.

“—Would you do us the honor of having dinner with us tonight?” Tyki finished. They were both looking up at him with those beautiful faces, and Lavi didn’t know which way was up or down. He felt faint with all the attention focused solely on him.

“You… You both really want to go to dinner with me?” Lavi asked, still flushed as red as his hair.

“Absolutely,” Tyki replied, never breaking eye contact.

“We would love to,” Allen added.

Lavi was quiet for a moment, too overcome from the suddenness of the question to answer it. He hadn’t been expecting this at all when he’d come over to the flower shop. How had he been so oblivious to their motives all this time? He felt like a fool.

But here they were, putting themselves out there and asking him for a date. Even if he had wanted to say no, he couldn’t.

“Yes,” Lavi finally said. “I’ll go out with you both.”

Allen elbowed Tyki in the side as he let go of Lavi’s hand. “I told you we should’ve been direct from the start.”

Tyki sighed with fake exasperation. “Yes, but I still think it was more fun this way. After all, we got to see Lavi blush after all that teasing. And he’s so cute when he blushes.”

“You are right about that,” Allen agreed.

The two of them turned their eyes on him again, and in that moment, Lavi realized he might have gotten himself into more than he’d bargained for.

#dgm #dgrayman #d gray man #dgmfanworks2k17 #tyki mikk #allen walker #lavi bookman #allen x lavi x tyki #kitty bandit writes fanfiction

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snootysith · 8 years ago

Text

The Mark of a Good Sith (1/?)

@fluffynexu This is way overdue. So overdue.

Title: The Mark of a Good Sith Words: 4269 Fandom: Star Wars: The Old Republic Characters/(Pairings): Darth Vowrawn/Lord Cytharat, Darth Vowrawn/Darth Gravus, Lord Haresh, Overseer Harkun Rating: Mature (for now) Warning: Age Difference (it’s huge), Power Imbalance (also huge), Vowrawn’s Ego (astronomical) Summary: Darth Vowrawn spies promise in young Cytharat. A/N: I haven’t dedicated this much effort in writing in actual years lmao but Vowrawn is worth it. I’m trying to pace myself and drop lines here and there to expand in future fics. Hopefully. Story under the cut.

Korriban was exceptionally frigid today.

Darth Vowrawn would call it bracing.

After having spent the last few hours rattling off the annual budget plan, he needed something to lift his spirits. The attendance of Dark Councilors tended to flounder this time of year. It was practically a holiday and he would have been happy to treat it as one himself if Darth Marr wasn’t so insufferably diligent.

Always present, always punctual, and never asleep behind that mask. Definitely not. Never the great Darth Marr.

Vowrawn gave a snort, startling an acolyte who hadn’t noticed him standing in the shadow of the statue. Amused, he watched her bow her head and quicken her pace. Fifty years and the novelty still hadn’t rubbed off. He enjoyed the attention. It came with being a social magnet and not a terror like Ravage whose temper evoked hysteria more than deference.

Unseemly. Where was the panache?

Vowrawn spotted sleek, silver hair bobbing up the steps. Why, here he was.

Vowrawn pressed himself closer to the statue and carefully blanketed his presence, waiting until his quarry passed him. He propelled forward. “Surprise!”

Darth Gravus didn’t so much as bat an eyelash as he latched to his arm. “Still beating that dead horse?”

“If it worked once…”

Gravus raised his eyes upwards praying for strength as Vowrawn cheerfully rattled on about their academy days-- how Gravus nearly gutted him like a fish the first time they crossed, how the overseers had to keep them in separate dorms following the incident, how the two of them had been rivals until a compromise was made inside a second-floor utility closet, and how the overseers had to keep them in separate dorms again for all the racket they made—

“Are you proposing we recreate our first time?” Gravus interrupted. “I’ll have to disappoint you. I can’t lift you up without killing my back.”

“Nothing so pedestrian,” Vowrawn huffed. “You could at least try to play along. I’ve had a dreadful day as is.”

“Ah, Darth Marr was in attendance again?”

“He’s doing it to spite me,” Vowrawn said peevishly. “He thinks I’m up to no good in my free time.”

It was truly a mark of their bond that Gravus made no attempt to take the bait. Disappointing.

“You never relax,” he replied. “Even when you sleep. Business is your pleasure. You capitalize your time and effort. Which begs the question: why else are you here?”

“Can’t a man spend time with his oldest and dearest friend?” Vowrawn asked innocently.

Gravus gave him a long-suffering look.

Vowrawn chuckled and leaned heavily on his companion. “I’m in the market for a new apprentice if you must know,” he said.

Gravus’s mouth twitched. “As am I.”

“What are the chances! I hear there’s a promising batch of acolytes this month. I wanted a sneak peek.”

“What are the chances, indeed…” Gravus said, narrowing his eyes. “You still have Qet, don’t you? He could just as easily do this for you. There’s no reason to get your hands dirty.”

“I might as well stamp my name on his forehead,” Vowrawn drawled. “They all know who he serves. It’s counterproductive. Besides, I thought you could use the company.”

Gravus raised an eyebrow. “I should be so lucky.”

“How is dear Thana?” Vowrawn simpered. He gave Gravus’s hand a brief squeeze before those brown eyes could harden. “I’m only teasing.”

“She’ll be back,” Gravus said dismissively. “Until then, an extra pair of hands would not go amiss. I don’t have time or the appropriate people to run other operations.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

“Really?”

They stopped short in front of the ancient obelisk that dwarfed the room but they might as well have been standing beside rubble for all the attention they drew. Overseers and acolytes alike stared at them as they passed. Whether it was out of curiosity, awe, or fear it mattered not. No one, not even a fresh initiate, could be heedless of their power.

“You’ve always spoke so highly of Qet,” Gravus continued. “I thought he was more than capable.”

“He’ll never lack in enthusiasm,” Vowrawn said. “But I want someone with more finesse. More guile. Someone able to move about without riding any coattails. Chiefly, mine.”

“An assassin.”

“Of sorts.”

“A glorified errand boy.”

“You’re so sure it’s going to be a boy.”

“You have a track record. And a predisposition.”

Vowrawn pulled a face. “Sith in glass houses should not throw lightning.” With that, he broke away to head down the lower hallways.

“And just where are you going?” Gravus caught up to him and grabbed him by the elbow. “The acolytes are upstairs with Cestus.”

Vowrawn shook off his hand. “The academy has more than one room, you know.”

“There aren’t any ‘rooms’ where you’re going. Only slave pens.”

“Semantics.” “Slaves, aliens, and Harkun’s ilk.” Gravus sneered as though the words left a bad taste in his mouth. “They are not worthy of your time. You shouldn’t be seen with them.”

Ah, there it was. Rearing its ugly head again. Always so quick to discard diamonds in the rough.

Vowrawn made a dismissive noise. “By all means, head upstairs if the muck scares you. I have other robes and a strong stomach.”

He really ought to stop baiting the man but he wanted his company and a second opinion once they got around to reaching the training room.

Good student that he was, Vowrawn had done his homework before coming to the academy. The subject had changed but the principle was relatively the same. Analyzing class rosters, weighing each potential’s strengths and weaknesses, predicting the likelihood of improvement—he had done so in his youth to help cull his competition early. Now, it would help in preserving where it mattered.

But numbers and secondhand information only painted broad strokes. Something like this required a deft hand, a critical eye, and—

Vowrawn paused briefly as he was hit with a potent smell of battle and musk.

— apparently, his nose too.

His interest only intensified when he slipped into the training room amidst the fracas of clashing vibroblades and curses. He leaned against the doorjamb right beside a ragged training dummy while Gravus lurked just out of sight near the doorway, clearly too proud to step further inside but apprehensive about letting Vowrawn out of his sight.

Darling man.

There was suddenly a ferocious snarl and Vowrawn was immediately drawn back to the other occupants in the room.

A Zabrak with dusky orange skin and a web of black facial tattoos had launched himself at another acolyte, nearly toppling them both. The strength of his attack belayed his lanky form. There was no technique in his attacks just raw instinct. This clearly wasn’t his first fight though. His response to the other acolyte’s flurry of swings was almost immediate, weaving side to side, managing to dodge all attacks— save one.

The Zabrak stumbled back with another curse as the vibroblade landed a blow on his upper arm. Tricked by a clever little feint by a surprisingly proficient swordsman.

And, hello, what a dashing swordsman it was.

Vowrawn’s nose twitched as he scented the air again. There was no missing a fellow Sith pureblood, especially one battered, bruised, and drenched in sweat. There were deep shadows beneath his eyes that spoke of sleepless nights and long training hours but in the heat of the duel, those yellow eyes shone bright as gold.

His steps were more certain than the Zabrak’s, more practiced and quick, but there was a pattern to his movement. His eyes kept darting to the position of his blade, he constantly corrected his posture, and his lips moved soundlessly to form… encouragement? Or was he reciting instructions? Right foot forward, lunge, disengage, parry, advance, retreat, advance, advance.

The footwork did look pretty if one ignored how much ground he lost for it.

“What is he doing here?” Gravus muttered. “Blood as blue as he is red… what is he trying to prove pitting himself against slaves?”

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Vowrawn said absently. His gaze remained fixed on the young Sith pureblood, admiring his lean but strong figure as he pressed another attack.

“Beg—oh.” Comprehension flickered in Gravus’s eyes as he reexamined the young Sith pureblood more closely. Tailored robes. Perfect posture. A fondness for jewelry.

Vowrawn’s eyes crinkled in amusement when Gravus gave him a sidelong look. Why, yes darling, the similarity was uncanny. It tickled his interest and, admittedly, his vanity too.

“A boy like that doesn’t accidentally find himself in a slave pen,” Gravus said slowly. “A fall from grace?”

“Oh, most certainly.”

“How far up?”

“Very.”

Gravus clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “Politics.”

Vowrawn stifled a laugh and crossed his arms. “Politics,” he agreed. Such was the capricious life of the Sith aristocracy. Hosts of houses could be made and unmade over mere trifles. The pretense, the promises, the scandal—it always upset Gravus’s nouveau riche sensibilities. Ho hum.

It was disappointing but perhaps it was for the best. Politics, while entertaining, demanded the highest stakes for the greatest rewards and he was not ready to surrender his favorite just yet. He’d invested so much in him, after all. He had aged so well and was clever enough to keep him amused after all these years. Losing him would be a terrible waste.

The duel carried on a great deal longer. Neither acolytes would yield despite the toll it was taking on them. Their footwork became less steady, every swing seemed to shave a week off their very lifespan, and drawing breath was its own labor. So wrapped up in wearing each other down, they still had yet to even notice their audience. Incredible.

“That boy.” Gravus indicated the Sith pureblood with a raised chin. “Caught your eye, has he?”

Vowrawn raised his brow. “Perhaps.”

“I heard Malgus has designs on him already.”

Vowrawn finally tore his gaze away to give him an odd look. Darth “Gossip is For Spinsters” Gravus?

“You aren’t the only one who likes to know things,” Gravus said dryly. “Besides, do you really want to make an enemy of that man?”

Vowrawn smiled. “I love it when you fuss over me,” he said. “Have no fear. I know what I’m doing.”

He waited until the Zabrak pressed an advantage over the Sith pureblood, virtually throwing all his weight behind one last desperate attack. The Sith pureblood stumbled down to one knee, chest heaving, arms trembling, and he seemed to brace for a blow that would knock him clean out.

Which, no doubt, would have been his fate if Vowrawn hadn’t chosen that precise moment to loudly clear his throat.

The Zabrak gave a start and whirled around—only to trip on his opponent’s vibroblade and land face-first into the sweat soaked mat.

Gravus wrinkled his nose.

Vowrawn smothered his chuckle with a cough and scampered out the room, shoving lightly at Gravus to pick up the pace before the young Sith pureblood could catch sight of them.

It wasn’t until they were both entrenched in the second-floor library that Vowrawn allowed himself to laugh. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“The boy.”

Gravus rubbed his chin as he mulled over this. “He’s pretty,” he said at length. He suddenly glanced at Vowrawn. “He looks like you when you were his age.”

Vowrawn’s lips quirked up into a playful smile. “You thought I was pretty?”

“There were other things that came to mind when I thought of you.”

“Disgusting,” Vowrawn crooned.

Gravus smirked. “Truthfully,” he went on. “His pedigree is plain. He must have come out of preparatory school with high marks. If not, I wonder how he hasn’t choked on the silver spoon in his mouth yet. It must be small then if he’s still sorted with aliens. Politics. Everything to lose and little to gain. But then…” He gave Vowrawn a sidelong look. “You already know all this, don’t you?”

Vowrawn only smiled.

“Is this you testing my good sense again?” There was a touch of annoyance in his voice. “Or do you really intend to make the boy your apprentice?”

“Perhaps.” If anything, the demonstration today also kindled an interest in the Zabrak but Vowrawn kept that thought safely to himself. Gravus had a limit in tolerating his eccentricities.

“What is his name? The boy.”

“Cytharat.” More a title than a name. Much like Vowrawn had inherited his from his own father.

Gravus wrinkled his nose. “My condolences.”

“It’s from the Old Tongue. It’s lovely.”

“As I’m sure you’ll describe ‘it’ once you’re through with him.”

“Cestus is calling,” Vowrawn huffed. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

Gravus answered with a knowing smirk before departing. Vowrawn chalked this up as a tie.

Despite all the unsavory rumors of his private life, he seldom dabbled with men as young as Cytharat. Youth had its advantages but when it came to romance, they tended to fall in love too easily and it was more trouble than it was worth disentangling from them. Qet was evidence enough of that.

But that wasn’t to say he couldn’t indulge himself once in awhile.

With a little skip in his step, Darth Vowrawn made his way back downstairs, acolytes scattering in his wake.

Cytharat held Harkun’s stare in the thundering silence that followed.

He had already taken a sound beating in the training room. His pride could withstand a little more.

After dragging themselves to the nearest refreshers to scrub off the worse of the grime, he and Haresh were immediately summoned to Harkun’s office. More acolytes had huddled in the closed space before but their numbers had dwindled in a matter of weeks. Now it had come down to just four of them.

Haresh was a formidable rival, more so because he prevailed despite the deck stacked against him, and Cytharat respected him for it. The feeling was not mutual. Harkun had seen fit to drive a wedge between them at every turn. He was intent upon driving Haresh into the ground and considered Cytharat’s predicament with little more than a sneer.

There was no honor in being handed someone else’s accolades but Harkun had done so time and time again. It wasn’t even out of favoritism so much as ease. Cytharat just happened to be the nearest receptacle. He had tried to explain it to Haresh once the Zabrak had dragged himself out of the lower wilds.

Haresh had glowered at him. “You never turned them down.”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

Haresh’s laugh was devoid of humor. “Right, because you know how that feels more than me.”

No. They’d never be friends.

The Sith Academy was a treacherous path to navigate alone. Cytharat endured but he had his limits.

Haresh was stone-faced as Harkun’s hurled insults at him, while Cytharat stood to the side watching with a tired detachment.

“—any wonder why I have to suffer when you can’t amount to anything more than an animal,” Harkun snapped. “Even against the lowest Sith, you fail. What good is being an animal if you can’t even hold your own against a few swats—”

“No.” Cytharat could not stomach the indignity.

A terrible hush fell upon the room.

Haresh was giving him an odd look. Harkun had gone tightlipped with anger as he suddenly turned to glare at him.

“No,” Cytharat said in a low voice. “Haresh would have won.”

Harkun’s eyes narrowed. “Modesty will get you nowhere.”

“It is a fact.”

“Then it is a wretched lie. Are you a liar, boy, or just a fool?”

An insult sat heavily on Cytharat’s tongue. It pressed tight behind his teeth. He need only open his mouth.

Harkun stared into his face expectantly. “Well?”

Cytharat stared back at his overseer and felt his disapproval bake on his skin. Foolish. One step to completing his trials. One step to breaking free of the humiliation. He had inherited a legacy of soul crushing shame, what was a little more? It was only temporary and—and mother. To disappoint her would… to have come so far, to have sacrificed what favors they had left for nothing—

Cytharat lowered his eyes and swallowed.

Harkun’s smugness was almost palpable. “I thought so.” He turned his back to him. “Spineless like your old man.”

Oh no.

Bile rose in his throat. “And are you spineless, overseer, or just a fool?”

Harkun went ramrod straight as though he were hit with a bolt of lightning. He turned back ever so slowly, his eyes brimming with murder. “What did you say to me?” he whispered.

Mother was going to skin him alive. “Haresh would have won,” Cytharat said. “He is strong, he has potential to be Sith, he is an asset. We stand to gain nothing from squandering power.”

“You dare tell me how to do my own job, acolyte?”

“Someone must.”

Harkun reddened. His knuckles audibly popped as his hands curled into fists.

Cytharat resolutely held his gaze and braced for the brunt of his rage. He was only distantly aware of Haresh stepping to the side. Out of firing range.

Smart.

His tongue swiped out to wet his cracked lips. He wondered if his punishment would be greater if he threw up his own protective barrier.

The tension was thick and crackled with energy—or perhaps that was just the lightning between Harkun’s fingers.

There was suddenly a smattering of applause.

Harkun glanced towards the doorway and his face fell. The tension bled from his body and he seemed to curl inwards. He was as pale as a sheet, looking for all the world like a lost child.

There was no time to relish the moment. Not when Cytharat’s own mind stalled when he turned around to look at their visitor.

“D… Darth…” Harkun seemed only capable of wheezing.

“Darth Vowrawn…” Cytharat breathed.

The elderly Sith leaned against the doorway with a crooked smile. He wiggled a few fingers at them in a half-hearted wave. “Have you considered being an actor?” He smiled at Cytharat. “Playing martyr wins you many hearts.”

No. The novelty had definitely not worn off.

Harkun’s face alone could cheer him up for several rainy days.

The Zabrak—Haresh— looked at him warily but uncomprehendingly. An fresh, off-world slave, no doubt, if his name invoked such little reaction.

Ah, but Cytharat recognized him in an instant. Interesting.

“So sorry for the intrusion,” Vowrawn said. “All the excitement piqued my curiosity. It is always a pleasure to see an acolyte take his education so seriously, no?”

“As you say, my lord,” Harkun said weakly.

“Might I borrow him?”

Harkun’s mouth audibly clicked shut and he glanced back and forth between Vowrawn and Cytharat. Did the man have the stomach to swallow all that pride and answer a smile with a smile?

A grin—a grimace really—split Harkun’s face. Close enough. “He is yours, Dark Lord. May you find him as agreeable as I do.” Well, well. Bold move, overseer.

Vowrawn’s gaze drifted to Cytharat’s bald faced astonishment and then briefly on Haresh.

Resentment bled from the Zabrak like an open, festering wound but he wore his mask well enough. Such potential there, too. Quiet and insidious and familiar to Vowrawn as his own limb.

“This won’t take long,” Vowrawn said once Cytharat fell into step. “As I’m sure you’re eager to join the fray again. I take it introductions are unnecessary?”

“I… yes, Darth Vowrawn. It is an honor.”

“The honor is entirely mine, dear boy,” Vowrawn purred. “I am rarely afforded the time to mingle with acolytes but it is always refreshing to find one with such passion and avant-garde. Between you and me…” He lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. “The empire could stand to have more of you.”

The young Sith cracked a smile and Vowrawn counted it a victory.

He led them further down the hall and into to the academy’s cantina—empty, always curiously empty— where they settled comfortably on a couch. Or he did anyway.

Cytharat carefully put distance between them and kept his spine perfectly straight. He kept his eyes lowered, deferential and attentive, while Vowrawn’s mouth started running on autopilot.

Such a dutiful, well-mannered son of the empire.

A dime a dozen. How droll.

Where was the initiative he saw?

Cytharat chuckled softly at something he said and—

What was he saying? “—cient history, of course. You should thank your stars Overseer Ragate only administers the rite. The mortality rate of Sith purebloods increased under her tutelage no thanks to me.” Gossip. Hmph. Gravus was right. He could write an entire series of holomagazines.

“You know, it’s positively criminal that we haven’t been acquainted yet,” Vowrawn said abruptly.

Cytharat blinked the glaze from his eyes. “We have met before. Once.”

“Oh? I’m afraid I don’t remember.”

“I was only a boy then,” Cytharat said. “It was at a party celebrating Darth Ananta’s sixtieth birthday.”

Vowrawn stifled a laugh. His dear aunt had been celebrating her sixtieth birthday for almost four decades now. He’d be hard pressed to pick one face from swarming partygoers—not least because he’d been blind drunk more often than not.

“Cytharat, Cytharat, Cytharat…” Vowrawn hummed as he racked his brain. The name had come attached to someone that was certainly not a child then. Someone of note. Someone he had bothered to remember, fuzzy outline notwithstanding.

His eyes drew to the intricate gold bar clamped to the bridge of his nose. There were stories in the bits and baubles a Sith pureblood wore and it was a mark of pride that Cytharat stubbornly kept his.

Trying his best not to ogle, Vowrawn managed to translate bits of the High Sith he could decipher—something, something, valor and honor and… “to live is to serve”… the empire? No, that term represented a more abstract concept—ah! “the greater good”.

Yes… he’d heard that before. Not spoken at him precisely but… whispered against his skin. He remembered the brandy fogging up the air between two bodies. Hands clumsily navigating through robes while he laughed, head full of fluff, at how clever this man was calling him his greater good while he sank to his knees, pulled down his trousers, and—

Oh. Oh.

“Yes…” Vowrawn dragged the word out into two syllables. His eyes flicked away from Cytharat’s jewelry. “That’s right. Your… father was there.” Doing very unfatherly things in dark corners.

“You knew my father well?” Cytharat asked, giving a start.

Vowrawn regarded him with a tight smile. “We were well-acquainted, he and I.”

“I see.”

“Surprised?”

Cytharat’s eyes dimmed. “My father was dedicated to his work. He was a man of solitude who lived as he died in glorious servitude to the Empire. I am honored to carry on his legacy. Acquaintances were… rare.” There was as much passion and candor in his voice as a loaf of bread. He might as well have been reciting a dictionary. His father must have been a complete stranger to him.

A terrible shame. Such raw intellect and strength deserved to be honed by the best. Cytharat should never be left wanting.

“Socializing with the unsociable happens to be a gift of mine,” Vowrawn said. “Perks of being an extrovert.”

“As you say, my lord.”

Oh dear. He hit a nerve.

“Forgive me but I should return to my training.” Cytharat suddenly rising to his feet. “My trials…”

“Of course, of course. You’ve more important business than listening to an old man natter the day away.”

Cytharat looked utterly thunderstruck. “My lord, you more than that. You stand amongst the greatest Sith. You are a pillar of the empire. It is wisdom you speak and it is honor that I feel in attending to you. I am yours. I am—”

Vowrawn pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him before he could draw breath.

Mmph. He could stand to hear that in a more private setting.

“I think I can squeeze you in somewhere,” the older Sith purred and pressed a kiss to the corner of Cytharat’s mouth.

Cytharat’s eyes went comically wide and his mouth moved soundlessly for a minute.

Vowrawn watched him carefully, patiently waiting to see how his message would be received.

Another minute passed and Cytharat remained unresponsive.

With a heavy sigh, Vowrawn rose to his feet to leave but a hand suddenly closed around his wrist.

Bemused, he looked at Cytharat who immediately let go of him and clasped his arms behind his back.

“If… if you will have me, my lord,” he mumbled.

Vowrawn chuckled.

The young man beat a hasty retreat to the door and Vowrawn waited until he was out of sight before he followed, a skip in his step. He was pass the door when someone behind him spoke.

“‘Well-acquainted’? Is that what you call it now?”

Vowrawn tipped his head down with a smirk. “It’s poor etiquette to tell someone you’ve fornicated with their father,” he said without turning.

“I would have told him.”

Vowrawn laughed and faced his companion. "Of course you would. You’re beastly.”

Gravus’s lip curled and he pushed away from the wall. “Going to send him a dinner invitation?”

“You’re not invited,” Vowrawn retorted.

“Yet.”

Vowrawn held his knowing look for all of five seconds before he relented with a smile. “Yet,” he amended. For now, Cytharat was his and his alone to enjoy. Nothing stimulated intellect like a generously spiced meal.

And if the night took them out of the dining room and into his bedchamber…

Well.

It wouldn’t be the first time he served dessert there.

#darth vowrawn #lord cytharat #darth gravus #lord haresh #overseer harkun #swtor #slash #m/m #fanfiction #star wars #the old republic

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