#Hopefully dragging this to a new thread is alright with you.

[traveler-at-heart]

Get your cardio

Lena Luthor x Fem!R

A/N: Lena joins her girlfriend at the gym. What happens when she gets jealous? Fluff and (badly written) smut. Per @jujuu23's request :)

Early bird gets the worm.

Or a ride to the gym. You pull over, surprised that Lena is already waiting for you.

“Hello, darling” she presses her lips against yours, the taste of coffee lingering.

“I’m so happy you decided to join me today!” you say, beaming as you drive. “It’s been a while since we trained together”

“I do enjoy watching you all sweaty and out of breath” she comments, arching her eyebrow. Before you can reply to her comment, her phone pings and she reads an email thread that screams incompetence.

Another mess to clean once she gets to the office.

“Everything ok?” you ask as you open the car door for her. She takes your hand, finding comfort in your presence.

“Nothing than can’t be solved”

“Alright then. Wanna start with weights?” you leave your jacket in the locker next to your gym bag. “I was thinking that we could try with the new… Lena?”

She’s standing there, looking at you.

“Your clothes…”

You grimace, scratching the side of your neck.

“Messed up my laundry and a couple of shirts… got smaller. Do I look that stupid?”

Lena shakes her head no. The opposite in fact, but she doesn’t know how to say it without sounding… crass. The white tee raises all the way to your midriff, giving a tempting glimpse of your abs. The muscles in your arms strain as the fabric covers them, leaving little to her imagination.

She’s seen you naked a great number of times. But this… she wants you, now.

And yet, she has to behave.

“Let’s just get this over with so we can go home and I can ride your abs” she whispers as she walks next to you and your mouth drops.

“Lena!”

“What? I know how important it is for you to complete your routine. So get it done and then we can go back to mine” she says with a sultry voice.

“I thought you had an emergency at work?”

“And what good will I do if I can’t focus?” she smirks, eyeing you as you begin to adjust the weight on some of the machines for her. She steps closer and whispers in your ear. “Or if all I can think about is your hand up my skirt while I bent over my desk”

Your movements falter for a second, almost dropping the disc.

Lena steps on the machine and begins to exercise, thinking she has won. Then, she feels you approaching from behind, making sure her posture is right.

“Behave, or I’ll have to drag you to the locker rooms and have my way with you” to anyone else, it might seem like you’re giving her instructions on how to workout. Lena shivers. “And who knows if I’ll even let you come”

The final blow is a kiss behind her ear and she hesitates.

“You’re skipping cardio” she warns as you step away to start your own routine.

“Yes, Ma’am”

You’ll both get plenty of that at home.

The music at the gym will have to do today, as you prefer to not use headphones in case Lena needs you. Hopefully it isn’t an open invitation for other people to approach and chat.

You begin with the leg press, and just as you’re about to finish, a girl waves.

“Can we share”

“Yes, of course, I’m almost done”

Standing up and taking your towel, you leave room for the girl to adjust the seat.

“Would you like some help?” you offer as it becomes clear she has no idea how to do it.

“Yes, thank you”

Kneeling beside her, you move the seat forward until it’s better for her smaller frame.

“Try it now” you ask and she takes a seat.

“Better, thanks” she places a hand on your arm that lingers a little to long and you blush.

“No problem” you walk back to put some distance but then crash against another girl that’s walking behind you. “I’m sorry, are you ok?”

“My, you are all muscle, huh?” her eyes go over your figure and you cough. “I’m more than fine. Don’t worry about me, gorgeous”

All you can do is nod and try to escape to another area.

—

Lena keeps an eye on you and all your little fans. You’re trying to keep out of everyone’s way but there’s always someone coming up next.

First, the girl that leaned against you as she showed you her phone, asking about an exercise she allegedly couldn’t understand.

Then, the blonde who asked you to “spot her” and you’re too nice to say no, so you do, trying to keep distance between your bodies. But you’re trapped, behind you another girl that is “observing”.

A guy joins you and he pulls their attention enough so you can slip and continue with your routine.

As you sit on the floor, ready to start with hip thrusts, Lena loses it.

You’re about to pull the bar with the weights to your lap when she stands over you.

“You won’t be needing that”

“Huh?” at first, you fear it’s someone else interrupting you -it’s been nonstop today- but you relax when you see her. “Hey, I’m almost done”

“Yes, you are” she retrieves the bar and instead, straddles your lap, making you blush furiously.

“Lena, what are you…?”

“I’ve spent the last hour watching all these girls flirt with you. And now, I want you to do this so they know who’s on top”

You begin to lift your hips, holding her stare. There’s sweat going down your back, and it’s not the physical exertion, but the fact that some of the girls are staring, while Lena only has eyes on you as your hips go up and down.

“That’s enough” you say after two and a half sets.

“You’re halfway…”

“I said that’s enough” you stand up, carrying her over your shoulder.

Lena gasps and laughs a little, forgetting that you’re in a public place.

Except you only put her down once you reach the underground parking lot.

“You’re gonna ride me until you scream my name” you instruct as she pants, trapped between the car and your body. Lena nods and allows you to open the door. You pull her on top of you, and even if it’s a large space, it’s not enough for her to raise herself completely.

So, Lena ends up laying on top of you, her mouth sucking and kissing your neck as she moves her center against your abs, just like she teased before.

You can feel the heat and a patch of arousal even through her leggins and underwear, and that prompts you to spank her, making her moan and pick up the pace.

She pants against your ear and when she’s on the edge of release, bites down on your pulse point, effectively marking you.

Both out of breath, you stay in the car, limbs tangled together.

“I’m building you a private gym” she says when her breathing goes back to normal.

“If this is what happens after every workout, be my guest” you laugh against her temple, placing a soft kiss.

Early birds get laid, if they're lucky enough.

[ruinakete]

☽ ・ 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 & 𝐏𝐑𝐄-𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 / 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 ━━━ ooc post.

hello everybody! with my formal return to the dash sent to the masterlist, I thought it only necessary to make a post regarding my muses; interpretations, changes, mission board prompts, etcetera. we'll tackle only one of these as of right now since I'm already late on the mission board—

LONG STORY SHORT? recent events have made me unsure of myself and, unfortunately, I can tell that those insecurities are bleeding into my portrayals now. I apologize if my writing seems weaker than before because of this; it's something I simply have to work through to get fully comfortable again.

—simply know for the other listed points that, after threads are cut down for one muse, a cap of five per character will be set for all and a schedule will be implemented properly next week, as I've been slacking with reply times.

as always, I'm never the one to step first when it comes to thread statuses, so if you'd like a thread dropped, please let me know! no hard feelings! otherwise, I'll continue under the assumption that all interactions are a-go. concerning the mission board, feel free to claim a thread via DMs on Discord ( @ barelyelix ), since I do not check for Tumblr IMs and I sometimes overlook server pings. down below are the prompts I'm looking for, though my interest may exceed these:

━━━ MISSION BOARD: SHOWCASE !

ZEPHIA? @ here

none, as her character is the one I am now most unfamiliar with. not open for any new non-event threads until mid-May.

EREMIYA? @motheruin

FAITH +1: the specifics of this idea need to be fleshed out more but I am interested in exploring Eremiya's fear of fire and how it subconsciously ties into religious ideals and the life of magic. whether or not they save a maiden, her main intention is to selfishly steal the spell's makings for herself, despite it just being shown off for this occasion and nothing more. (GOLDEN DEER REQUIRED)

BOOMS: of course, Eremiya will do everything in her power to report the group; they're more than a disturbance, they're taunting. however, she'll begrudgingly require a partner who is like-minded as she, since the sudden bursts of fire in the air are hardly... tame, and productivity will not prosper if she remains uneasy with every passing image of a spiraling rocket. or you can be a BOOMS enthusiast stopping her before she snitches.

otherwise, she will only be open to pick up one new non-event thread come May.

EMMERYN? @emblemartyr

HEAVY ARMOR +1: has anyone ever sat a pirate down and asked them how they felt? no? alright then, Emmeryn's interested in serving as a more, pacifist diplomat between the Leicester Alliance and the pirates. no one acts so recklessly without a reason, right? has a grievance between the two parties caused the rift? besides, the fortified sea vessels will keep her, her partner, and the crew safe. hopefully. long enough to enjoy the ride, at least! (GOLDEN DEER REQUIRED)

FAITH +1: something something persecution... religious corruption.... something something fire and sacrifice.... insert sun metaphor..... curiosity equaling bravery and the opposite....... me and Emmeryn want the skill point, further plotting necessary (GOLDEN DEER REQUIRED)

PHOTO-ARTIFEX: a way to keep memories trapped within an image? perfect! Emmeryn's all too happy to volunteer herself for testing! she doesn't mind who wishes to help either since she mainly wants to see how well the machine works, and if she can satisfy the gaps in her memory by creating new, frozen-in-time moments she can never forget. also not against swaying volunteers who only want to help technical-wise and not have their pictures taken.

SWORD +1: half for the point and half because I am absolutely enamored by the return of the silly rat orchestra MSKMWNSDJ it's highly possible that Emmeryn was dragged into this, as her place in the town may have been too far from the monastery to notice students going missing; plus, she doesn't fit the criteria of victims, per se! of course, her first idea is speaking to the culprit, so your muse may have to be bait unless they mistake Emmeryn for a student. she won't let anything happen to you so no worries! worst case scenario, the culprit can't understand the common tongue and we have to play instruments to communicate.

always open for threads, as of now! necessary to bounce her voice testing off of someone else, whether mission board or otherwise.

[sheerfreesia007]

Fxck This

Title: Fxck This

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC!

Author: @sheerfreesia007​

Words: 5,853

Warnings: Smut, Missionary, Cowgirl, Standing sex

Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @linkpk88, @weirdowithnobeardo, @athalien

Gif Credit: @rowan1703

Steve frowns softly as he walks into his office noticing quickly that Sunshine isn’t at her desk like she normally is. He walks into his office and spots the neon blue post it note in the middle of his computer screen. Walking around his desk he sets his things down before grabbing the post-it so that he could read what she had written for him.

Working with facilities today to figure out the easiest way to get the new gear and equipment in the building. If you need anything, call me.

Steve sighed softly but then smiled when he saw the tiny little sun drawn on the post-it note underneath her words. He had wanted to talk to her about what had happened yesterday but with her working out of the office for the day he didn’t think he’d get his time with her. Hopefully she’d finish quickly and be able to come back to the office because Steve was eager to talk to her. After last night he spent hours thinking about ways he wanted to hold her and touch her. Her raspy voice was constantly in his mind either telling him exactly what she wanted him to do to her or moaning his name like it was the only word she knew. Taking in a deep breath Steve tried to calm himself down as he realized he was getting hard just thinking about her again. The phone on his desk rang and Steve reached forward and picked up the receiver without even looking at the caller I.D. screen.

“Captain Steve Rogers.” he greeted the caller with a soft frown.

“Rogers, it’s Fury we have a mission. Gather your squad and have them meet in my conference room. Agent Hill will brief you on the mission.” Fury’s voice said over the phone and Steve nodded his head along with his words.

“Of course, Director.” Steve said and the two hung up together. He sighed softly and picked up his desk phone again dialing a number that he knew by heart. “Bucky tell everyone to meet us up in Fury’s conference room. We have a mission to go on.” Steve said into the phone and listened to Bucky’s response before hanging up. He then looked down and picked up his cell phone, swiping it open he pulled up the text thread he had with Sunshine and began typing out a message to her.

Going on a mission will send you the details when I get them. I’ll see you when I get back. Steve looked down at the screen as he saw the three dots appear almost immediately on her side of the screen.

Alright, be safe Captain. Steve knew that he wanted to say more but he wanted to talk about, was something that needed to be said face to face. Sighing softly he knew that it would probably be at least a week before he could speak with her again.

*-*-*-*

Steve frowned softly as he moved down the empty hallway with his shield raised in front of him, according to Fury’s intel this warehouse should be active and full of people packaging the mind controlling gas that their target Ashton Calum, a scientist who created the mind controlling gas to be able to sell it on the black market. But the warehouse is empty and by the looks of it they had all left in a hurry, supplies and packaging materials were left abandoned where they stood. Kicking one of the shipping crates Steve gritted his teeth in anger as Bucky entered the same room Steve was in on the opposite wall.

“Fury’s intel is bad.” Bucky said darkly and Steve nodded his head slowly. Sighing softly Steve rubbed a hand down his face slowly in exasperation. It had already been a week and a half of them following the intel that Fury had given them on Ashton, and each step of the way they were too late to catch him. It was as if he was always one step ahead of them each time they got close. Steve was getting frustrated with this mission dragging on. Not only was it concerning about this mind controlling gas possibly getting onto the black market but he was also tired of being away from Sunshine and the conversation he wanted to have with her.

“Natasha, we need better intel.” Steve said into the comm device in his ear. “I need you to gather any information you can about this guy and start reaching out to your sources.”

“On it.” Natasha chirped back to him quickly and Steve nodded his head. He stored his shield on his back and stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips surveying the room. He sighs knowing that this is probably going to set them back another couple of days. He swings his leg out, kicks another crate across the floor and Bucky looks over to him with furrowed eyebrows.

“You alright punk?” he asks cautiously and Steve huffs softly before turning towards him.

“Yeah, just frustrated that this is going to set us back more.” Steve replies and Bucky nods his head.

“Well let’s get going so that we can unwind and relax. Natasha will definitely get us better intel. Fury’s gonna be pissed though that we had Natasha get it though.” Bucky said knowingly and Steve shrugged his shoulders as he gestured outwards to the empty warehouse.

“He’ll have to deal with it. It’s better to get good intel than to keep chasing after this guy with bad intel.” Steve said resolutely and Bucky nodded his head as the two of them began to make their way out of the room together. 

“Are you sure it’s just the bad intel?” Bucky asked softly as they moved down the hallway back towards the exit and Steve frowned softly at the question.

“I want to get back already. This shouldn’t be taking this long. I want to talk to Sunshine about what happened before we left.” Steve confessed softly and Bucky smirked at him knowingly. Steve had already told Sam and Bucky about what had happened between Steve and Sunshine, the two men eagerly trying to boost Steve’s confidence that Sunshine would be agreeable to something happening between them. Steve was still unsure about things but after listening to Bucky and Sam he felt slightly better at his chances with Sunshine.

The two of them met back up with Sam and Wanda at the safe house that they had all been holding up in. Natasha had already left to get the intel from her local sources leaving the four of them to just relax and unwind together. Steve found himself lounging on one of the couches while an old sitcom rerun played on the television in the room. He stared at the television not really seeing the show and began to let his mind wander. Sunshine was once again at the forefront of his mind.

Steve had kicked in one of the doors in the warehouse and found Sunshine tied to a chair with a blindfold tied around her eyes, her skirt had been ripped up the side to her hip showing off her smooth skin while her blouse was missing the top two buttons causing it to gape open over her chest. Steve’s eyes eagerly raced up and down her form as she squirmed after hearing him kick in the door.

“Please, I don’t know anything.” she pleaded with him and Steve felt arousal race down his spine after seeing the state of her attire.

“Sunshine, it’s alright. It’s me, Steve. I’m here to save you.” he said swiftly as he stepped over to her and pulled down the blindfold. She blinked up at him as her eyes squinted against the light in the room. Her whole body seemed sag in the chair she was tied to when she recognized him.

“Captain.” she breathed out relieved and Steve felt his cock harden in his suit. He moved around her and began untying the binds around her wrists. When he was done he eased her arms slowly back in front of her body and began to massage them as he loomed over her from behind. He tried to keep his eyes on her wrists while massaging them but when she groaned and leaned back in the chair resting the back of her head against his abdomen he got a clear shot down her torn blouse. Her breasts were heaving slightly with the relieved breaths she was sucking in and Steve bit his bottom lip at the motion of her body. “Thank you.” she whispered out to him and Steve directed his eyes to her grateful ones.

Nodding his head Steve watched as she turned in the chair and kneeled up on the seat so that her head was closer to his. Her hands crawled up his broad chest over his navy blue suit until they came  to entwine behind his neck and she smiled prettily up at him.

“How can I ever repay you?” she asked him in a seductive tone that made electricity race down his spine. He stared down into her eyes as she fluttered her eyelashes at him and Steve had to bite back a moan as he thought about all the way she could repay him. “How about a kiss to start?” she asked with a slow smile forming on her mouth. Steve leaned down towards her as her head tilted further upwards to his, their lips grazing slightly in a gentle tease. Steve couldn’t hold back as he lunged forward and captured her lips in a scorching kiss causing her mewl softly at his actions. Steve’s arms wrapped around her frame and lifted her easily in the air as he moved around the chair to sit down with her nestled in his lap. Her legs fell open his thick thighs and her skirt rode up to her hips exposing her purple silk underwear to him while her core sat on top of his crotch. Steve groaned into the kiss as she ground her hips down into his, causing him to buck upwards into her. “Please Captain, let me repay you.” she begged him and Steve sucked in a harsh breath as he felt her hands gripping his utility belt around his waist. 

Steve eagerly helped her undo the lower half of his suit. When she had managed to get it undone he listed his hips and she slid the material down to his knees before he took a seat again. His hard cock has slid up between the two of them and Sunshine moaned wantonly to him as his cock stood straight up between her covered core and his abdomen. Steve grunted softly as he watched her lift up on his lap before reaching down between her legs and pulling her underwear to the side, she then lined his cock up with her entrance and slid downward until he was fully encased by her dripping wet cunt. The two of them moaned loudly together as her walls throbbed around his hard as steel cock trying to suck him further inside of her. Steve stayed as still as possible as he waited for her to get used to his size, his cock throbbed with the effort he used to stay still. Sunshine then began to move up and down on his cock causing Steve to throw his head back and gasp, her walls were like a vice as she moved on top of him staying clamped around him.

When it all became too much for her she fell forward onto his chest and moaned into his suit. Her hands gripped the leather straps around his shoulders and used them to help leverage herself over him as her hips began to piston up and down on his cock. Steve cupped the undersides of her thighs as she moved, not allowing her to fall fully onto his cock. He could see the frustration building within her as he continued to stop her from fully taking his whole cock inside her. She glared at him from her position as her hips swirled and bucked along his cock and just as he restricted her movement again she smirked at him. Steve shivered at the look on her face and then groaned loudly as she stopped all her movements and hovered on his lap before her walls began to clench and unclench around his cock.

Groaning loudly in his throat Steve bucked his hips up into her and Sunshine began to bounce on his cock once more. She leaned over him and tilted his head down so that his eyes stared into her heated gaze.

“I’m in charge of your pleasure right now. I’m repaying you right. Not the other way around Captain.” she told him darkly and Steve numbly nodded his head as he supported her body with his hands. Suddenly she slammed down onto him and clamped her walls around him harshly. Steve moaned loudly as his orgasm was pulled from him and he began to fill her with his cum, the smirk that graced her face made his orgasm prolong as he knew she had just repaid him for him saving her. He wrapped his arms around fully and bucked up into her as he continued to cum, he was desperate to make her cum as well. When he slammed his cock up into her Sunshine cried out as her walls clamped around him and Steve moaned loudly at the sensation. 

The two of them slowly came down from their highs and Sunshine limply draped herself over his body while Steve cooed into her ear that she did so well for him. His lips pressing soft kisses to her heated sweaty skin within his reach.

Steve jerked on the couch when he heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway, he had completely submerged himself in his daydream. Grimacing slightly he felt the wet material of his boxers stick to his softening cock. He stood from the couch and quickly shut the television off before making his way towards his bedroom, he grimaced again as he passed Wanda’s bedroom and heard her shuffling against her bed. He no doubt had projected his thoughts to  her once again. Hopefully they’d get done with this mission soon and he wouldn’t have to worry about that problem anymore once he got back to Sunshine.

*-*-*-*

The ballroom is packed full of people as Steve moves about the room, the photostatic veil disguises his widely known face so that he looks like just another rich bachelor in the crowd. All the Avengers in the field are wearing the photostatic veil since they are so recognizable. Natasha and Wanda look like two gorgeous women eyeing the rich men at the party while Sam and Bucky are both the lookouts for the group keeping to the shadows outside. Tonight they’ve managed to trace their target, Ashton Calum,  to this private gala that was held for the elite billionaires interested in the black market, standing near the bar in the corner of the room. The group had managed to subdue three guests, one man and two women, so that they could attend as well thanks to Natasha’s intel she had gathered. Ashton is dressed in a black clean cut suit with a black shirt underneath and a black tie to go with it, he’s a man of smaller build and Steve eyes him disgustedly, to think this was the man who had created so much chaos all with his mind controlling gas. The woman on his arm is dressed in a low cut form fitting red silk dress that she wears like a second skin, she’s smaller than Ashton and has long wavy black hair that falls down her back in silky waves.

Steve’s eyes travel up and down the woman and imagines what Sunshine would look like in a dress like that. Frowning softly he knows that she’d go for a more jewel tone than a vibrant red like the woman had on but imaging her in that dress made his face flush slightly. Steve’s hands clenched at his sides as he imagined what it would feel like under his fingers to glide against the silky material when Sunshine wore it. He knew it’d fit her like a glove and showcase all her curves and assets that she kept hidden away under her work blouses and pants. Shaking his head he focused his eyes on the target and cleared his mind of nothing but the mission. He would have time later to think about Sunshine.

Just then a slender arm slips through his and he looks down at Wanda who smiles up at him, he knows she probably could read his mind again and he sighs softly. Her smile widens and she moves closer into his side as her eyes dart around the room surveying everything going on.

“Stay focused Steve. We’re so close to catching him. Natasha’s moving in now.” Wanda said softly to him so that only he could hear her. He nods his head with a slight grimace and she pats his arm kindly. “Don’t worry about it. We all want to get home too. You more than any of us.” she says teasingly as they both move closer to the bar to be able to lend Natasha a hand if she needs it.

“I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated it’s taken this long to get this done. Fury’s intel was incorrect and we’re the ones to have to fix it.” he said in a low tone that projected his frustration with how the mission was going. It had been three long weeks on mission and everytime they received intel from Fury it always put them one step behind Ashton Calum. They had all grown frustrated with Fury and his intel to the point that Natasha had conducted her own intel gathering which had led to here. Being as close as ever to their target they had ever been during the whole mission. Wanda nodded her head before shrugging her shoulders as she agreed with him; they were all tired of the mission and were eager for it to be over.

“That’s our job though. We’re here to prevent these things from happening. You can take it up with Fury when we get back.” she told him and Steve nodded his head as he frowned softly.

“I will be.” he told her darkly as his eyes spotted Natasha at the bar talking with Ashton. The man was eating up Natasha’s attention and Steve could see her luring him away from his date towards the doors that led out to the balcony. Steve and Wanda began to walk around in a wide circle in the opposite direction of the bar then towards the balcony doors. They nodded to the other patrons of the party and smiled kindly at them as they made their way to the edge of the balcony doors just as they closed behind Natasha and Ashton. 

Steve could hear Ashton grunting softly in the communication earpiece that he had in his left ear and Wanda smiled proudly as they both heard Ashton moan loudly. Undoubtedly due to Natasha knocking him out cold. Then Natasha’s dark voice came over the comm device.

“Target has been neutralized.” she said softly and Steve moved with Wanda to the balcony doors. They exited them without anyone noticing and began helping Natasha secure Ashton before Steve picked him up and hopped over the railing of the balcony. He fell lightly onto his feet still holding Ashton and began walking towards the meet up point for the group where Sam was waiting with a dark van. Natasha and Wanda would then make their way back into the party and lure the woman that had come with Ashton into the bathroom and knock her out before gathering any intel from her phone and her body. They would then meet up with Bucky at the entrance to the building and make their way to the van.

Due to Natasha’s intel that she had gathered before this party they had found out the hiding base where Ashton kept the rest of the gas and had sent the coordinates to a second team that had been dispatched out to collect the gas. Steve waited in the van with the unconscious Ashton and frowned tiredly at the man. Three long weeks and they were finally done with the mission, Steve could feel body slowly relaxing as he realized that they would get to go home now. He smiled tiredly and leaned back against the side of the van as he sat in the back. His mind began to wander about what Sunshine would look like in a dress similar to Ashton’s date tonight.

Steve is standing behind the bar back at the Avenger’s compound, he’s got a tumbler sitting on the bar top as he pulls out the aged whiskey from under the bar and pours himself a third of it into the glass. He hears the click of high heels on the floor and looks up to see Sunshine making her way towards him. He loses his breath as it’s sucked out of his body as his eyes take in her outfit. She’s dressed in a floor length silk deep purple dress that fits her like a second skin, accentuating all of her curves and dips that always make his mouth water. He gulps audibly and she smirks at him as she settles onto the bar stool.

“What’ll it be doll?” He asks her before he takes a sip of his whiskey. He watches her as she reaches out and takes the glass from his hand before knocking it back herself.

“I’ll have what you’re having.” She tells him sultrily and Steve leans forward on the bar top so that he’s closer to her now.

“Is that right?” He challenges her and she nods her head confidently. Steve swiftly cups the back of her head and pulls her closer as his lips slant against hers and she moans loudly into his mouth. He slips his tongue into her mouth tangling with her own tongue as he tastes the whiskey on her tongue. Her arms come and circle his neck as she leans across the bar towards him. Steve effortlessly pulls her over onto his side and nestles her between him and the bar. He crowds her there as he continues to kiss her lips heatedly, his hands glide down the material of her dress and he groans loudly at the feeling of the silk under his fingers. He begins to hike the dress up and she gasps loudly as her head tips back while his lips slide down the side of her face and down her neck. “What if I have you?” He asks her huskily and she whimpers softly at his question.

“Have me.” She pants out and Steve suddenly whirls her around so that she’s facing the bar now and her back is to him. He gathers the dress until it sits at the base of her spine and he can see that she’s only wearing a thong, his moan is loud and wonton as his hands grip her hips tightly.

He doesn’t let her settle there as he quickly unbuckles his belt and undoes his pants so that his hard heavy cock slaps against her ass cheeks. She whimpers and coos at him as her hips shift from side to side. He toys with the thong letting it snap back against her skin and she gasps loudly  before his cock slides between her cheeks. He slides her thong to the side and guides his cock along her slick folds gathering the slick along his cock before he slips it into her cunt. She cries out as her head falls back on her shoulders as he thrusts fully into her, his hand comes up and grips a handful of her hair pulling her head back to gaze up at him from her position.

He doesn’t waste any time as he fucks up into her dripping cunt while listening to the wet squelching of their movements. She gasping and panting as her head is pulled backwards while his hips pound unmercifully into her cunt. He slides his hand that’s in her hand around her neck just under her chip and cups her there so that their eyes stay connected while he fucks up into her.

“You’re mine aren’t you doll?” He asks and she coos at him as her eyes dilate with lust.

“Yes, Captain.” She answers and Steve slams into her as his orgasm is ripped from him while her walls clamp down on him and she keens loudly as her body shakes under him.

The slam of the van door wakes Steve from his daydream and sees that Nat has climbed into the back with him while Bucky, Sam and Wanda are sitting up front. Steve shakes his head slightly before meeting Wanda’s eyes in the rear view mirror.

“We’re finally going to get home.” She says with a knowing smile on her face and Steve feels the blush creep across his face.

*-*-*-*

The sound of the Quinjet’s engines starting to power down are music to all of their ears as they rise from their seats. Steve stands and pulls his cell phone out of his pocket, he had sent Sunshine a text earlier asking where she was at headquarters, he sighs softly when he sees her response letting him know that she was in the office. He quickly types out a response to tell her to stay there and that he’s on his way. 

Steve can feel his lust simmering just under his skin for his admin. After months now of thinking and daydreaming of her different scenarios he felt as if he was going to combust if he didn’t get to her now and find out if she felt the same way. He needed to unleash his pent up desire for her and he knew that if she felt the same way he would be unleashing it all on her.

The ramp of the Quinjet seemed to slowly lower as they all eagerly waited to get of the aircraft. The group was frustrated and so ready to unwind after the mission. Steve could see Agent Hill and Nick Fury waiting for the group in the hangar and Steve gritted his teeth with simmering rage. Sam and Bucky looked over at him as they spotted Fury as well, no doubt wondering if Steve was going to go off on Fury for the bad intel. But Steve had other things to take care of other than Fury. Wanda was the only one watching him with a knowing smirk on her face. Steve stalked down the ramp and Fury moved to greet him.

“Welcome back Captain, we need to debrief.” Fury said firmly and Steve shook his head as he walked closer to the Director.

“Fuck this, I have better things to take care of right now.” Steve sneered out to him as he continued past the shocked Director and a surprised Agent Hill. Steve continued walking out of the hangar and down the hallway straight for the elevator that would take him up to his office. He waited as patiently as he could while the elevator made it’s ascent but he could feel himself growing more excited as he watched the numbers light up as the elevator moved up. He could feel his cock twitching in his suit as he shifted from foot to foot with the anticipation building for him.

Finally the elevator dinged and the doors barely opened wide enough for Steve as he quickly walked out of the elevator and down the hall to his office. It didn’t take him long to stand in the doorway and spot Sunshine sitting at her desk typing away on her computer. She looked up with a furrowed brow and then her eyes cleared with a happy glint as she recognized him.

”Captain!” She greeted happily as she stood from her chair and Steve met her at the corner of her desk. He quickly grabs her hand and drags her into his office, closing and locking the door behind them before crowding her up against it. She gasps softly as she tilts her head up to stare at him with wide eyes.

“I need to know if you’re interested in me. Sexually and romantically. Because I don’t think I can hold back anymore.” He said seriously and watched as her brow furrowed slightly and then a smirk slid across her face.

“Did you finally figure it out Captain?” She asked him teasingly as her hands slid up his chest to grip the leather straps on his uniform tightly and pulled him down towards her. Her lips captured his in a heated slick messy kiss that had Steve groaning into her mouth as his body fell flush against hers and held her in place against the door.

“Fuck doll.” He breathed out to her when he felt his mind go numb.

“Language, Captain.” She teased him and Steve growled at her while his hands slid down to her skirt clad ass and lifted her up against his body as her arms wrapped around his neck.

Steve blindly turned towards his desk and swiped an arm across it to get rid off all the things that were on top of it. The loud crash made Sunshine flinch in his arms as she looked down at the mess he had made while Steve hurriedly seated her on the desk and pushed her back to lay down on it. He was panting as he slid the skirt up her hips, he knew he wouldn’t be able to wait with her not after all of the daydreams he’d been having about her.

“I won’t be able to wait. I won’t be able to prepare you.” He told her darkly and she looked up at him with a sultry look on her face as her hands glided down her body to her thighs which opened widely for him. His eyes darted down as she showed him the wet spot on her light blue panties and Steve groaned loudly while one hand fell to the bulge in his pants and palmed himself. “Damn.” He breathed out huskily and she smirked up at him.

“C’mon Captain, make me scream for you.” She simpered and Steve felt his cock harden further in his pants. He quickly unbuckled his suit as Sunshine slipped her panties down her hips and legs. She was getting ready to drop them to the floor when Steve grabbed her hand and slipped the panties from her hand and into his pocket.

“You’ll get them back when the other personnel hear you scream my name.” He husked out to her and she moaned loudly at his words. Steve then gripped under her knees and slid her across his desk to his waiting cock that fell onto her skin above her pubic bone with a loud slap.

“Won’t take long.” She whimpered out as she squirmed on his desk. He chuckled softly as he glided his cock between her wet folds and nearly groaned with how good she felt. But no matter how much he had dreamed of this reality was infinitely better. Steve guided his cock down her folds and felt himself notch inside of her as a gasp was ripped out of him.

“Oh doll. This-I’m not going to last long now. But I swear I’ll make up for it. Been dreaming about doing this to you.” He began to babble to her and she tilted her head to the side with curiosity.

“For how long?” She asked breathlessly as he began to slow push into her. Steve focused on sliding his cock fully into her and only looked up at her when he was seated within her to the hilt.

“Months.” He whispered and she moaned loudly as she arched her back against his desk.

“You mean you could’ve been fucking me months ago?!” She hissed at him as her hands clenched at the edge of the desk to try to ground herself. Steve groaned loudly and pulled back from her at her words before sliding back into her.

“Oh shit.” He hissed and began to fuck himself into her at a steady even pace. She gasped and her legs came up to hook around his waist while her heels dug into his ass.

“Oh, there! Yes Captain!” She cried out loudly and Steve groaned as he began to pick up his pace. Soon Sunshine wasn’t even saying words as she cried out loudly. Steve gripped her hips as he kept thrusting into her feeling her walls flutter around his cock, he lifted her hips slightly and when he slid his cock back into her she screamed with pleasure. Sunshine was thrashing against the desk as Steve continued to move inside of her, her hair was plastered to her forehead as sweat dripped from her body, her hips were undulating against Steve’s as he fucked her harder and she screamed as her body trembled underneath him. “C’mon Captain, fill me up.” She panted out to him as her eyes stared directly into his. “I want all of it.” She told him and Steve moaned loudly as he slammed his cock up into her as his cum spurted up into her as he came. 

Steve hovered over her as he slowly caught his breath while she panted underneath him. The two of them gazed into each other’s eyes adoringly and Steve smiled before leaning forward and capturing her lips with his. He hummed satisfied as he gathered her in his arms and pulled slowly away from her lips.

“I can’t believe we could’ve been doing that for months.” She panted out to him, her voice sounding raspy with all the screaming she had done. Steve chuckled softly at her words before tilting his head from side to side.

“That’s my fault.” He said softly and she nodded her head quickly at his words.

“Oh yes, I blame you fully for withholding yourself from me.” She teased him and Steve chuckled again while her hands came up to cup his face. “We have quite a lot of time to make for Captain.” She informed him and Steve felt his blush heat his face as she grinned at him. “Let’s go get dinner and then we can go back to my place.” She suggested and Steve grinned down at her while blinking owlishly.

“Are you asking me out to dinner?” He asked teasingly and she rolled her eyes at him.

“Well I mean after that workout you just put me through it’s the least you could do.” She teased him and Steve chuckled before pressing a sweet kiss to her lips.

“It’s a date then.” He told her and beamed at him while still laying out on his desk.

[kiyokokaguya]

Time to meet up at the pond || @kimimarothechosenvessel

"Yes I was," her bright green eyes looking up at him from a sitting position. Hand patting the ground next to her, wondering if he wanted to sit down as well.

"I'm certain I've done nothing wrong. I want to know why, but after all of that," she gestured her hand, referring to the bloodshed and carnage the clan just committed and most likely died causing, "I feel like I won't get an answer." A quick correction came from her lips, "We won't get an answer."

There was an attempt at a soft smile toward him, but it quickly faded away, "I'm Kiyoko Kaguya." Maybe this was for the better? Their clan was gone, no one to keep her locked away like a bad child or an animal.

"There were no other cages where they had me locked up. Where were you?" This made her think they were kept separate on purpose.

[edensrose]

Hey :> Could i please request thanduil/reader smut where reader loses her virginity to him? And he's kinda dominant but also gentle cos its her first time.

Thank you so much :D

( ❀ ) ˙ ˖ thranduil ⠀〳 reader⠀ ❜࿔

· ⊰ synopsis. tonight would be special, for tonight, thranduil finally claims you entirely and makes you his queen ( smut ៸៸ minors dni ៸៸ sexual content ៸៸ penetrative sex ៸៸ nickname usage ៸៸ rough sex ( towards the end ) ៸៸ explicit descriptions )

· ⊰ note. hi there! hope this is to your liking. I honestly am a little nervous even putting this out since I kept second guessing myself and writing in stages — hopefully it doesn't suck too bad phaha

Gasping for the sweetness of air, shoulders tense, head lolled back 一 you await the burning in your lungs to fade as you gradually come down from the clouds, the blissful high. The blurs of colour melt away and soon enough, you are faced with the source of your most recent state. . . the elvenking himself. 

He rises from your heat with a grace that only an elf could muster; despite oh so vigorously driving you up the wall but a moment ago. The smile on his lips would lead anyone to believe that he hadn’t just sent you to the stars and back with nothing but his tongue. 

What a trickster. 

“Are you alright, my darling?” 

The nerve! To ask such a question as if he hadn’t caused you to keen and cry out whilst being brought to nirvana repeatedly. Your glare earns a chuckle and soon, silvery tresses cascade around you. 

“Worn out already. . . Should I be surprised?’’ A shiver crawls up your spine as cold lips trail a series of wet kisses along your neck, teasing at marks left behind by his majesty. “After all, this little hole is a virgin.’’ You gasp, hips craning into his hand as a finger leisurely drags along your slit. 

“Thranduil,’’ he bites back a groan, the way in which you whine out his name is beyond heavenly. It shoots straight to his already pulsing shaft and almost sends him over the edge. Almost. If it weren’t for the voice in his head reminding him that this was indeed, your first time, surely 一 you would have been fucked into the mattress by now.

Sapphire hues meet yours for a mere moment before you are pulled into a kiss, passion, want, need. The king poured all of these vast and raging emotions into one single act of intimacy, whilst all you could do was cling and attempt to return it all. The fire had been lit once more, surged on by the feeling of a new pressure against your heat and Thranduil’s eager desires. 

“Meleth,’’ he groans, grasping your face after forcing himself to part from your lips; which intoxicated him far more than even the finest elvish wine. “Are you ready for me?’’ His voice is shaky, words but a murmur. “I am unsure if I will be able to stop once we have started.’’ 

It was a warning, that much you could tell. From his throbbing length flushed between your labia to the unsteady breathing above 一 it took not a genius to deduct that your elven lover was holding on by a thread. The chance to back out was now, although you were certain Thranduil would internally curse a thousand times and over; you knew he would withdraw the second you gave word. 

Glancing down at where your heats met, you almost shivered at the sight of his cock, upright and ready to claim you as his own once and for all. It’s almost frightening, but you enjoy the thrill, the unknown waters you seem to venture deeper and deeper into. 

You would be lying if you said you weren’t as needy as him, for you had lost yourself to the lust and pleasure long before this point had even been reached. All thanks to him. His touch, the way he brought you so high 一 eager. You were eager for the bliss his eyes silently promised. 

“I. . . I’m ready.’’ His gaze finds yours in search of any hesitance, he finds none. You take his face between your hands and whisper your want, your need. “My king, I am yours to take.’’ 

Thranduil exhales a groan. What had you done to him? Surely, you must have been aware of your hold on him; the ability to tear him down into nothing but a man greedy to have it all. He’d almost call it cruel, the way you enticed him. 

“As you wish;’’ he starts, repositioning himself to hover over you whilst icy hands capture your hips and bring them forward. “Tonight. . .’’ Pale sapphires bore into your soul, distracting you from the tip of his cock rimming your hole. 

“I make you my queen.’’ 

Your breath lodges within your throat and all you can do is gasp as he finally breaches your most sensitive walls. It’s the sting, the burning stretch and abrupt fullness that leaves your head spinning and falling back into the pillows. He follows in-suite, face looming over yours as he claims what’s his. Inch by inch, steadily, agonisingly. Tears sting your eyes and when your voice finally returns you let out a meek whine. 

Thranduil halts, pelvis flushed to yours as the room fills with a series of heated pants and trembling murmurs. You can all but cling to your lover whilst he cooes a hundred promises, assuring you that the searing pain will last but a moment. Things such as: 

“You are doing so well,’’ 

“Meleth you feel so good.’’ 

“A little more, my darling, just a little more.’’ 

You greedily accept his praise and reassurance, letting it distract you from the feel of his steadily rocking hips. His length eases in, dragging against velvety walls and leaving your eyes fluttering from the tiny intrusions. “Thranduil,’’ You call once the sting subsides, replaced by a dull ache. 

The sudden restriction of your core leaves him groaning as you pull him in by gaze once more. “Are you ready, my darling?’’ He’s barely holding on, driven to near-madness by the warmth of your cavern, the tightness that encases his cock and traps him in this torturous haven. 

Hunger. Like a ravenous predator, his eyes meet yours, promising more than you could ever imagine. Pleasure beyond your wildest dreams, the high you so desperately yearned for. It almost feels dangerous, what you’re getting yourself into 一 and yet you nod, accepting the uncertainty and all its mystery. “Please,’’ it’s all the confirmation he needs. 

Thranduil’s hands find your hips once more and raise them in the slightest. The once minuscule entries now turning into drawn-out thrusts. He pulls out, only to fill you to the brim again. And again, and again. 

The previously slow pace is replaced by a more moderate one that has you gasping as your core flutters around his manhood, begging, pleading for more despite only recently adjusting. The searing heat returns, yet this time it is more than welcomed, much like his cock which thrusts within, leaving not a spot untouched in its way. 

“Th-Thranduil,’’ he has to shut his eyes, unable to behold the sight of you. Head hung back, lips parted and back arching as you give yourself to him. He fears that if dares to glance down he’ll lose hold of the restraint he has oh so desperately been holding on to since the start of the evening. Your moans do little to help the difficulty, drawing out his own groans of delight as his nails press into your skin further, fingers trembling and displaying all that he’s holding back. 

It’s the sound of your voice, the tremble of his name 一 the pleading and squelching of your core as it greedily accepts his every intrusion. The breathy moans which escalate into desperate mewls and the faint bucking of your hips. All of which makes it all the more harder to keep himself from throwing your legs over his shoulders and bringing you both to bliss until neither of you can take any more. 

Thranduil makes the mistake of looking down at you and instantly sucks a breath. You feel the falter in his pace and flutter your eyelids wider in an attempt to look at him. Furrows brows, clenched jaw, it’s enough to stimulate your need even further. 

“My king,’’ it’s a soft murmur but enough to catch his attention. “More. . .’’ Nails find purchase on his shoulders as your legs find his waist. “M-More please,’’ you rasp. 

He can take no more. 

The elvenking responds by grabbing ahold of your hips and driving himself the deepest yet, knocking the air straight out of your lungs and leaving you clutching to his pale flesh. “It’s as if you are trying to send me over the edge.’’ His voice is low, unsteady 一 a mere shadow of its usual self. “My pretty petal, so eager to be claimed.’’ 

You are unable to even process the series of events. All you see is him, all you feel is him. With knees now brought to your chest you can do nothing but claw at the sheets as a strong hold keeps you in place. The feel of his cock more pronounced than ever as it seeks to bring stars to your vision. 

“Thranduil!” “This is what you requested, is it not?’’ 

A mewl is ripped from your throat, a series of pants and gasps filling the room before your jaw is in his grasp once more; forcing your gaze upon him. “It is what you begged me for. To claim this little virgin hole?’’ 

You can do nothing but gape, parting your lips and staring into cerulean hues now wild and firm, boring into your very soul. Yet you can focus not, for all your attention is on the snapping of his hips, the feel of his tip touching that one bundle of nerves that makes you cry out in desperation. “Th-There - There!” 

The words are jumbled and slurred as if you’ve become drunk from the bliss overtaking your body one tidal wave after another. You buck your hips, frantic for that sensation once more. 

“Here?’’ He drives into it again, prompting your eyes to loop back into your head. The only word mustered being that of his name and hushed pleads interrupted by your countless gasps and mewls. 

A familiar feeling pools within the pit of your stomach, sending all your senses into overload. It’s blistering, devastating, you’re unsure how much longer you can hold on. With Thranduil’s fingers now capturing your clit between his thumb and forefinger, combined with the heat of his kisses down your neck and shoulder 一 of course, not forgetting the feel of his cock practically splitting you in two, it’s beyond more than you could ever imagine. 

Searing, hot, like a rapid, undying fire you pleaded with heavens to never be put out. With eyes barely open you try to warn your lover, yet your walls did it for you. They clamped down, earning a curse in his mother tongue as fresh, red marks now stain the skin of your hips. 

“C-Can’t - I can’t,’’ you cry. “Thranduil -” 

He cuts you off with his lips, dragging you into a kiss full of passion you had yet to experience from him. Hunger, vigour, it’s intense and demanding, like that of his tongue which soon joins the mix 一 invading you in yet another way and stealing your breath for the umpteenth time. 

“Cum, my queen’’ his voice almost missed your ears after he parted from the kiss, straying only an inch away. “Cum for your king.’’ 

It’s all you needed to finally shatter around him. White clouds your vision and a violent jerk overtakes your body as all your nerves tense and contract. It’s blinding, fierce and in a fervid moment, you arch your spine and finally release the blistering heat with a cry of your king’s name 一 surely heard by all of Mirkwood. 

Tremble, that is all you can do. You are taken to the stars above and in a sudden, shattering second, dropped once more. Your form hits the sheets, head spinning, gasping for air 一 you barely even notice Thranduil being brought to his own release and shuddering out your name in the process. The once fervent snaps melt into nothing but a few bucks until he steadily comes to a stop. 

Your swollen lips are captured by his own more, slower, gentler, and still just as passionate. Unable to return, you merely hum and lean into him; sighing at the feel of his length retreating from your core and leaving behind a strange, empty feeling. 

It takes a moment to gather his composure, and even longer to catch his breath 一 but soon Thranduil draws away and instead positions himself at your side. Within seconds you are in the warm embrace of your lover, kisses pressed to your hair as the sheet tickles your moist skin. 

“Rest.’’ It’s a quiet whisper, yet all the more adoring. “You did so well, my queen.’’ He sighs, pressing a peck to your mouth. “But for now, rest.’’ 

There was no rebuttal, you had no energy for it. Your head lolled against your king as you found refuge in his warmth, snuggling into his embrace as observed your limping form and shutting lids. 

He smiles, bringing your head to his chest. “Gi melin.’’

[archonoftears]

info: modern au! reader receives a package that helps her tease her boyfriend while he’s at work. 

warnings: 18+ smut, slight breeding kink (mentioned), lingerie, phone sex (kinda), pretty vanilla, no penetration, just description, a tiny bit of dom/sub (implied through dialogue)

word count: 1,626

authors note: umm head empty, thoughts only filled with laying in zhonglis bed and teasing him over the phone. i really can’t remove myself from modern au! with ceo daddy zhong. so here we are again. not gonna lie though, i found myself looking at dragon dildos yesterday and now i just wanna write dragon zhongli and sacrificial maiden. so maybe after i finish with the first chapter of my other fic i’ll get right on that. 

ps no beta, i just kinda got this out and edited it once. so sorry if any mistakes or issues.

please thirst with me if you want to!!

Glancing around your dining room table you felt defeated by the amount of packages staring back at you. You were surprised by the latest delivery of clothing you had received for PR from a few high end designers. You knew you shouldn't have been shocked, dating a CEO of a multi million dollar cooperation came with many perks. Yet you never imagined anything like this. Knowing the mess would only stay on the table if you didn’t start tackling it. You began opening up a few packages, finding bags and shoes. Even the latest spring wear from the major brand ‘Liyue Qixing’ sat in a box for you. Before setting your eyes on a more intricate looking box. Opening it to discover some of the most beautiful lingerie you had seen in a long time. Looking at the brand name ‘Scent of Spring’. You didn’t recognize it, but you were quite enamored with the pieces inside.

Forgoing opening any more packages you quickly gathered the items in the box and wandered off to the bedroom you shared with your boyfriend. Selecting a ivory and gold silk longline balconette bra, with matching thong, and harness. The gold tulle flowers that patterned the silk and lace were soft and delicate under your fingers. You couldn’t go a second longer without wearing the beautiful set. Quickly stripping off the clothes you were wearing and slipping on the lingerie. Loving the feel of the soft lace and silk against your skin. Staring at yourself in the mirror. 

‘This lingerie had to be designed by some deity who knew Zhongli’s taste.’ You thought to yourself as you admired the way the balconette bra exposed half of your breast and how the thong straps cut into the flesh of your hip in a sexy way, giving your body a more defined silhouette.

A light bulb went off in your head, walking over to grab your phone and opening the camera app, returning back to the mirror. Posing yourself quite provocative as you snapped several photos, dropping to your knees and taking a few more photos, before flipping through them. A coy smile playing on your lips as you went to call Zhongli.

Zhongli was startled by the sound of his phone ringing on his desk, glancing down to see your contact photo, a smile immediately forming on his face, he swiped to answer.

“Hello (name), is everything alright my dear?” Zhongli greeted as he turned from the documents in front of him and leaned back in his chair. You seldom ever called him when you knew he was going to be in the office all day, preferring to email him if you needed anything so he assumed this must have been important.

“Everything is fine, just calling to see what you were up to.” You greeted over the phone. Zhongli let out a small sigh, relieved that nothing was wrong.

“I’m just preparing for a meeting with Fatui Industries in a little bit.” Zhongli started, glancing at the clock to check the time. “What are you doing today my dear.” He asked, knowing you didn’t have much on your schedule today.

“Well I was going through some packages I received, you know the PR kind. It was mostly clothes from some nice designers.” You hummed, he could hear you twirling your hair in your fingers as you spoke.

“Oh really? Hopefully they sent things that are your style.” 

“That’s why I was calling actually. There was this one package, the clothes are really nice. But I think they’re more to your taste, and I wanted to get your opinion on them.” You confessed. 

“Of course, I can do that when I get home for you if you would like.” Zhongli replied, glancing at the clock noting that he had about 27 minutes until his meeting. “I should be done with work after I meet with Signora and Childe.”

“I’m actually sending you a couple photos right now, please check your email and tell me what you think.” He couldn’t put his finger on it, but you seemed awfully excited about all of this but he complied with your request.

“Of course, one moment.” Opening his email, quickly finding the one from you at the top and opening it, his eyes widening in realization as he enlarged one of several photos in the email. His voice catching in his throat as he examined it.

“Are the clothes to your liking, sir.” You cooed from the other end of the phone, knowing very well they were in fact to his liking. 

“Ms. (Name)..” Zhongli growled quietly.

“Yes sir?” You asked innocently, Zhongli aware of the game you were playing, but nevertheless here he was clicking on the next photo, feeling his pants grow tighter as he continued to view the photos. The one of you on your knees sending more blood rushing to his already aching erection.

“Are you being a good girl right now?” 

“I’m always a good girl Sir.”

“Are you? You don’t look to be acting like a good girl in these photos.”

“Then should I send you some more photos so you make sure I’m being good?” He could feel himself getting riled up just by the implications of what was being said.

“Well… I’ve already sent them so hopefully you don’t mind.”

Not needing to be told twice Zhongli refreshed his email inbox to find a new message. Opening it to discover new attachments. Slowly he clicked the first picture. Finding you not in front of the mirror in the bedroom anymore, but now on the black sateen sheets of the bed the two of you shared. Angling the camera in a way to show how you would look if he had you pinned down. You looked ravishing, from the way you let your cleavage spill out exposing your nipples, to the way you spread your legs. 

The next photo your hand was on one of your breast cupping and pinching the nipple. The next photo was taken lower, your hand was now in your panties clearly teasing yourself. And the final attachment was a video, it was no more than 15 seconds, but in those 15 seconds you show yourself pumping your fingers in and out of your pussy, before dragging your fingers out of yourself and licking the wet slick off your digits. Zhongli was taking deep breaths as he watched. His eyes following your every movement.

“Sir…” You moaned, lust lacing every syllable. “Do you think I look like a good girl in those photos?”

Zhongli couldn’t say anything for a moment. Letting the video replay itself over and over, his eyes finding new things to focus on each time it replayed. From the way your plump lips wrapped around your fingers or the way you quivered when you plunged your two digits into yourself. He just wanted to see you do more.

“When did being a good girl equate to acting like quite the little slut? Surely I’ve taught you better than that.” Zhongli replied firmly, as he adjusted the way he was sitting to accommodate his throbbing cock.

“This is what you’ve taught me…” the breathiness of your voice letting him know you were in fact still touching yourself as you replied.

“I don’t recall teaching you to send provocative photos to me while I’m at work.” He glanced at the clock again, 16 minutes until the meeting. Fuck. 

“Did they make you hard?” You asked suddenly.

He was not a liar, so he wouldn’t lie to you. “Yes they did…” 

“Did they make you want to come home and stuff your big. thick. cock inside of me.” The punctionaction of your words were breaking him down.

“Yes they did…”

“Master are you going to come home so I can show you how much of a good girl I am, when I’m milking your cock.”

“My Lily… I-” Zhongli wasn’t used to you being this forward with him.

“I need you to come home and fuck me now. Because if you don’t pump me full of your cum I might go crazy.” You whined your voice working wonders on his resolve. “Please… Please come home and breed me sir.”

One final weak glance at his clock showed he had 9 minutes before they would arrive.

You moaned again calling his name out through the phone, the thread holding his composure together snapping.

“You’re not allowed to cum until I get home do you understand.” Zhongli growled into the phone, quickly on his feet, grabbing his bag and making his way to the door of his office. “Do you understand?”

“Yes sir..!” You exclaimed.

“I hope you understand you won’t be walking for the next few days my Little Lily.” He warned before leaving the safety of his private office.

“Yes yes! Hurry please.” 

“I am.” Quickly saying goodbye and hanging the phone up  with you, while walking towards two approaching figures. 

“Mr. Zhongli goo-” Signora began, reaching her hand out to greet him, but he didn’t meet it.

“My apologies, there seems to be an emergency at home, can you meet with my assistant to reschedule.” Zhongli haphazardly explained. “Again my deepest apologies.” He finished, turning on his heel and b lining it to the exit. Letting the receptionist know that he was leaving and scrambling for the parking garage.

“What do you think his emergency was?” Signora stood bewildered where Zhongli had left her and Childe.

“Do you think everything is alright?

Childe seemed to be having the best laugh of his life as his colleague pondered the obvious.

“Trust me everything’s fine.” Childe said in between laughs. “We should probably reschedule for Monday, he’ll probably need the whole weekend off.”

“This is why I hate partnering with you, you’re too vague sometimes.”

[kiss-inthekitchen]

of the jealous kind

summary: you and Harry are out at the local farmer’s market when a girl starts flirting with you and Harry gets jealous. only thing is, you don’t exactly realize she’s flirting with you. classic wlw vibes, am i right ladies? (please say yes)

my submission for @bopbopstyles and @harrysclementines bi-ficathon!

a/n: fun times with Harry calling you “his girl” and being just a bit pathetically jealous (his words!) also i might continue this...in a smut type of fashion... if y’all are interested

word count: 2.2k 

--

“Oh, let’s stop over there! I want to get one of those chocolate chip custard things,” you exclaimed, spotting your favorite bakery stand at the farmer’s market and dragging Harry along by your joined hands. 

“A’right, love, m’comin,” he laughed, trying to keep in step with your suddenly quickened pace. 

It was a Sunday morning, cloudy but not too cold, and you and Harry were visiting your favorite farmer’s market in town. You tried to come here at least twice a month if your schedules allowed it. Today, it just so happened, you both had the entire day free to spend with each other. 

Harry knew you had to look at everything the bakery had to offer before you inevitably bought the same items as usual (a good, crusty country loaf and the same danish you never remembered the name of). There was a produce stand across the way that immediately caught Harry’s eye, a “buy 2 get 1 free” sign atop a display of various berries calling out to him. You noticed his distraction, the two of you speaking at the same time.

“M’gonna-” 

“Go on, then.”

“Know me so well, don’t you?” He gave you a soft smile and pressed a kiss to your temple before heading off in pursuit of his beloved fruit. 

You took the last few steps over to the booth’s main table, which held a majority of the baked goods as well as this week’s free sample: a garlic rosemary bread, cut into bite size pieces. You picked one up, on instinct taking a sidelong glance at the basket of your favorite pastries by the register, when the woman behind the counter finished ringing up a customer and turned to you.   

“Can I help you with anything, hon?”

“Oh, um, I’m just looking,” you answered, looking up at her. She must’ve been new, you thought, not recognizing her from your previous visits. She had dark hair, twisted up into a bun at the back of her head, an oversized t-shirt with a phoenix decal on it. Her name tag informed you that her name was Allie. 

“Alright, well, I will say that’s the best flavor we’ve got,” she gestures to the small wedge still held between your fingers. 

“Really? That’s quite a bold statement,” you smile back at her, appreciating her friendliness.  

“You’re gonna want to trust me on this one,” she said, nodding at you to go ahead. 

You took a bite, blushing a bit at the knowledge you were being watched and that she was awaiting your response. “Mhm,” you agreed, around a mouthful of bread. “Okay, you’re right, that’s better.” 

“Thought so. I have been told I’ve got very good taste.” 

“Well, I’m not surprised.” 

She made eye contact with you, the hint of a smile playing on her lips. “So, will you be taking a loaf of the garlic rosemary then?” she asked. 

“Yes, please.” Why not try something new, you thought. And she was right, it was delicious. You’re sure Harry would like it too, and you could just imagine the playful ribbing he was going to give you when he noticed you’d deviated from your usual order. “Oh, could I also get that-” 

“The chocolate chip danish? I saw you eyeing it earlier,” she said, picking one up with a gloved hand and placing it in a small paper bag. “That one’s on the house.” 

“Oh, you’re so sweet! Thank you.” Allie was really on top of it with the customer service. 

“Anytime,” she said, “Anything else I can get you?” 

“No, that’s all for me! Thanks again.”

She rang up your order, handing you the bag before speaking. “You know, we also come out to the beachside farmer’s market on Wednesday’s, if you’re ever in the area. I’ll write it down for you,” she said, picking up a business card from a stack on the table and turning it over to write on the back. 

“Sounds great,” you replied, mostly to be polite. You probably wouldn’t make it out, Wednesdays being a busy day for you with classes. 

Just as she was handing it back to you, Harry appeared behind you, fruit in tow. 

“Thank you so much, have a good one!” you said cheerily, dropping the card into the bag with your goods. You’d look at it when you got home.

She waved back. “See you soon, hopefully.”

You smiled as you turned around to see Harry already standing there, startling a bit at his unexpected presence. He raised his eyebrows a bit, but didn’t say anything as he put his free arm around your shoulders. The two of you headed back to the main walkway, and he waited until your new friend was out of earshot before he spoke. 

“So, yeh just gonna let someone flirt with my girl like that?” 

“What?” That was not what you were expecting. “She wasn’t flirting with me, Harry.” 

“Oh, please, love. Saw the way she was lookin’ at you. Poor girl. I’m sure you led her on.” 

“Excuse me, I did no such thing,” you scoffed. “And she wasn’t even flirting with me, so I couldn’t have.” 

He breezed right past your denial, having already made up his mind. You weren’t going to be able to convince him otherwise, you knew that by now. “Told ya before love, you come off very flirtatious. Almost feel bad for her.” He was smirking down at you, the bastard. “Almost.” 

“Being a pest,” you grumbled, shoving against his shoulder with yours to throw him off balance. 

He stumbled a bit, but recovered quickly. “Oi! ‘S not very nice, is it?” 

You giggled in response, loving when he used that playful tone. He tried to keep a serious face on while looking back at you but failed almost immediately, looking at you with such adoration in his eyes that you forgot what you’d both been talking about. 

“Anyway,” you sang, reaching out for his free hand and threading your fingers through his. “What did you buy?” 

His face lights up at the memory of his purchase. “Got strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, plus some local clover honey.” 

“Such a sweet tooth, hm?” 

“S’pose I do,” he said with a slight smirk. “Ready to go home and eat, then?” 

“We’ve barely been here half an hour, H. Trying to get me home already?”

“Look too good today, love. Worried if we stick around I’ll have to beat the other vendors off with a stick.” 

“I thought we were done with this conversation,” you rolled your eyes at him playfully, but allowed him to steer you back toward the car park. You were getting kind of hungry anyway. 

--

You’re sat on your kitchen island at home, Harry placing the bags on the counter next to you. 

“Have a nice time, love?” He asks, moving over to you and situating his body between your knees at the edge of the counter. 

You drape your arms around his neck, thumb coming up to his cheek to rub back and forth as he leans into your touch. “Always have a good time when I’m with you,” you breathe. 

“That’s m’girl,” he speaks in a husky tone, before leaning in to press his lips to yours, slow and lazy at first. That is, until he lifts his hands to your thighs, sliding them around to your back and suddenly tugging you closer to the edge of the island, body flush with his. You gasp into his mouth at the action, and you can feel rather than see his resounding smirk. 

“Harry,” you pull back, attempting to admonish him but no one would know from the way your voice shakes. 

“Sorry, love. Know what they say, kitchen’s the most romantic room in the house.” 

“I don’t know anyone who says that.” 

“Y’do now,” he grins lopsidedly at you, and it’s all you can do to remember that the two of you still need to eat. 

You grin back at him. “You’re a dork, you know that?” 

“But you love me,” he responds, and you can’t argue with that. “A’right, I’ll take everything out and we can have a picnic in the backyard, how’s that sound?” 

Your smile nearly knocks him off his feet. “I’ll go get the picnic blanket!” 

He removes himself from between your legs and you slide off the counter and head towards the linen closet in the hallway. When you return, Harry’s taken out the loaf of bread and the danish, and is holding the business card in between two fingers. 

“What’s this, then?” He asks, holding up the bakery’s business card, logo facing you. 

“It’s just their card, the cashier told me they come out to another farmer’s market during the week and she was gonna write it down for me.” 

“Oh, she wrote it down, love.” In a second, he elegantly flips the card over in his fingers to show you the back. “But that’s not all she wrote.” Underneath the name of the other market is her name and, unmistakably, a phone number. 

“No!” you gasp, not believing he was right and you’d fucking missed it. 

“And you bought a new flavor bread?”

“Well, I-  Allie said it was the best one…” you trail off, trying to remember the details of your earlier interaction. Maybe Harry was right, you guess you did seem a bit flirtatious.

“Oh, Allie said, did she? That’s all it takes?” He’s kind of joking, kind of not, when it finally sinks in for you that you’ve, yet again, completely failed to notice when another woman was trying to flirt with you. 

“Oh, god damn it!” you exclaim, completely in your own head and you didn’t even hear what Harry had said to you. “I do this every time!” 

What’s left of Harry’s joking demeanor drops. “Every time? How often does this happen?!” 

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice again.” 

Your friends were gonna have a field day with this one. Three out of the four of you identified as bi or pan, though when you’d all become friends back in high school only one of you had actually been out. Now, you all joked that you had one “token straight” in the friend group. 

“Y/N?!”

“I know, H, can you give me just a moment, I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that I’m apparently a raging stereotype,” you reply, laughing at yourself a bit for being so predictable. 

“Oh, of course, don't mind me. I’ll just be here. Waiting. Very patiently.” It’s a wonder he doesn’t start tapping his foot, clearly the farthest thing from patient right now. 

You snap back to attention, realizing that if you don’t stop Harry he’s just going to keep spiraling. “You do know I’m dating you, right?”

“Do I?” 

“Oh, come on. You’re being such a baby about this!” 

“Oi! I am not!” He huffs, and you can just picture him as an indignant toddler, standing with his arms folded and a deep frown set on his face. 

You hold back a laugh at the image you’ve conjured, closing the distance between the two of you. “Baby, I love you,” you say, pressing a kiss to his cheek.“You know I do.” His jaw. “Why don’t we just throw that out, hm?” You kiss his lips this time, reaching for the card and plucking it from his fingers before tossing it away from you.  

“I guess,” he grumbles as you pull away, but you can tell he’s not quite over it. 

You rest your chin against his chest, looking up at him with your best puppy dog eyes. “You don’t believe me, gorgeous? Need me to prove it to you?” 

“Maybe,” he mumbles, and you know that you’ve brought him back from his little jealousy spiral at the mere suggestion, so you decide to make him wait for it. Just a little while.  

“More than happy to,” you murmur, tracing your fingertips over the back of his hand. “Only thing is, you’re gonna have to have this picnic with me first,” you reach behind him for the blanket, “and you have to stop pouting.” You step around him, laughing as you run toward the glass door that leads to the yard.

“M’not pouting,” he lies to the empty kitchen as he grabs the rest of the food and some utensils before following you outside. 

His mood is definitely lifted, though, when he comes outside to find you seated on the blanket already, grinning widely at him and holding your arms out for him to crawl into. 

Maybe he had been just a tad bit dramatic. 

--

About half the bread is gone now, a bowl of honeyed berries and a plate full of crumbs resting on the cloth-covered grass next to you. Harry’s shifted so he’s laying down with his head resting on your soft thighs, with you carding your fingers through his short curls, just enjoying each other’s company. 

“Wait a minute,” you break the comfortable silence, a thought suddenly popping into your mind. “Other people flirt with you all the time! Sometimes right in front of me!” 

“And?” he muses, reluctantly sitting up in order to face you. 

“And! I never get jealous like that!” 

“I know. Rather insulting, if you ask me. You can get possessive, love. I certainly won’t mind it.”

[old-fanfiction]

Hi! I would like to humbly request the obey me bros reacting to MC leaving devildom and then showing up a few months later as a surprise? Some angst>fluff :) thank you sm ❤️✨

Brothers with MC Coming Back to Surprise Them

☆

This one I had a lot of fun with!!

☆

Lucifer

You had everything planned out perfectly. Satan, with permission from Diavolo, would pick you up and bring you back to Devildom.

Lucifer would be dragged to the movies by his brothers, them all making him sit at the end. You would sit right by him, offer him a snack, and all would be well.

Except it wasn't.

You slipped into the seat beside him, his favorite snack in hand. He wasn't much for junk food or snacks, but these were the ones you'd always given him after a rough day.

You tapped his arm a little ways into the movie, and when he turned to snap at you, you offered the snack.

He froze, before standing up and brushing past you, not saying a word.

All his brothers were staring. You looked to them, and then you chased after Lucifer.

Finally, catching up to him, you grabbed his sleeve.

"Luci, what's wrong?"

He told you not to call him that, shrugging you off and continuing to walk away until you grab him again, scolding him.

"You left." He says flatly. "You left, and then decided to come back without telling me. You haven't contacted me in weeks. I had no idea if you didn't feel the same anymore, or..." his voice trailed off. He was getting emotional.

You pulled him into a hug.

Mammon

Diavolo had brought you back himself.

He, Belphie, Levi and Satan had planned to play a prank on Lucifer with Mammon's help.

But you would be joining in.

You heard the yell as Lucifer had found whatever fate the five had planned for him.

You peaked out from Levi's room, feeling the vibrations as their feet hit the floor. Your job was to grab Mammon, get him inside Levi's room, lock the door, and make sure he didn't steal anything while you two hung out.

You reached out, grasping the sleeve of his shirt and yanking hard, falling back as he stumbled your way.

You pulled him in roughly, shutting the door and locking it.

"M... MC..?"

You turned around, jumping up and wrapping your arms around his neck.

He pushed you away, and you saw the tears.

"Ya... ya left! Ya left me all alone with my brothers. Ya didn't tell me anything about this!"

"Mammon..." you reached out, hand hovering over his shoulder. "Mammon can I touch you?"

"No. Fuck off!" You moved back, startled, as you heard a bang on the door.

"Mammon!" Came Lucifer's angry voice.

You looked to Mammon and then to the door, staying where you are.

"Mammon..." your voice got soft. "Mammon I'm so sorry."

He just walked over, leaning on you as he cried, not saying a word.

Levi

Lucifer had helped you.

He had come to pick you up and helped you buy a few things for Levi that he knew he wanted.

He assured you through all the panic and worrying that everything would be fine.

It wasn't.

You had entered his room, and the Otaku hadn't looked up from his game as he told you to bugger off.

You didn't, and instead sat by him and grabbed a controller. "Can I play?"

Everything went quiet.

"MC..?"

He started to cry, hugging you.

He was mad that you left. You even got a little lecture, but all was well.

You stayed for a while, and planned a way to visit.

Asmo

Asmo is loving and caring, but he can only take so much.

Lucifer saw how distraught he was when you left, so he was the one to make the arrangements for you to come back.

He said he wouldn't say anything to Asmo as per your request.

So, when you entered the dining room, arms spread wide with a bag of makeup to give Asmo, he was surprised.

He was ticked off, you had hardly talked to him the past few weeks, though he was glad you were here now.

Jumping up from his chair with tears in his eyes, he embraced you, paying no mind to the presents at your hip. He peppered your face with kisses and held you close as he rocked back and forth, telling you how much he had missed you.

Fuck food, he needs cuddles.

Satan

Mammon had warned you that Satan would be angry.

So had Lucifer, Levi, Asmo, Beel and Belphie.

Though, you didn't expect him to be that mad.

You had almost no way to communicate, and you had barely talked to him any in the months you were gone. You expected this would make up for it.

Lucifer raised a brow, and went as far to call you naïve.

Lucifer was right.

Entering Satan's room, he looked up at you, almost like a wounded puppy. And then he eyebrows furrowed and he took a deep breath. He got up and passed straight by you without a word.

"Satan!"

He kept walking.

"Satan!"

Silence.

"Satan, talk to me damnit!"

"You left. You didn't talk to me. I didn't know you were coming back." He paused, wiping his face. "Do you really think that was okay?"

It took a lot of coaxing to finally get him to calm down. There was some minor yelling, but no things were thrown.

Afterwards you both sat on his bed, his head in your lap.

He was exhausted, but happy you were back.

Beel

Beel almost never gets mad.

This was one of those cases. He wasn't mad... just hurt.

He wished you had talked to him, let him know that you were coming, and that you were alright.

His eyes got all wide and he embraced you. You swore you thought he was crying.

You'd hate to think you made beel cry out of anything but happiness.

But, a little bit of food and a lot of cuddles later, he was alright.

Belphie

Belphie had acted like he was OK. Like he didn't care. But you leaving tore him apart. You were the one thing that kept this family together, the one thing that kept him sane. Before there was just the thought of you leaving, but then it was real. He couldn't handle it, and didn't even say goodbye.

He did regret it now that he saw you, looking at him hopefully, but sadly nonetheless, a new blanket that you had gotten for him out in front of you.

He was quick to hug you, tightly as he could to his chest.

He ran his hands down the side of your face, making sure you were real, threading his fingers through your hair.

He had never been so relieved to see someone.

[mondscheinprinzessin]

Number 72 from kisses promts & Joel/Olli would be lovely 💗

More Baby Channel! :D In case you're uncomfortable with this stuff: Olli is 16 and Joel 19 if we go with the original age gap. But I've only explicitly stated Olli's age in this so make up something else for Joel if you want.

accidentally bumping noses

“Come on, help me out here a bit.” Joel demanded with Olli in his arms and dragging him along to his room.

Olli giggled like Joel had said something extremely funny. “Are you saying you’re weak?” He struggled to say in a new fit of laughter when Joel almost stumbled over the threshold.

“No, I’m saying you ate too many burgers. Seriously dude, how are you not rolling around on the floor like a ball? Would make it easier as well to get you to bed.”

“Ohhh Joel, are you trying to flirt with me?” Olli’s whole body was shaking after he burst with laughter after his questions as he very well knew that that wasn’t Joel’s quest who always looked out for him and made sure he was alright. 

Never would he take advantage of the situation to get into Olli’s pants. Or that’s what Olli thought at least with a little hint of sadness in the part of his brain that wasn’t yet turned off from tiredness.

“Shh.” Joel tried to get him to shut up. “You’re waking my parents.”

“Hello Parents Hokka!” Olli said loudly but Joel had already managed to close the door behind him.

Thankfully. He didn’t need an earful from his parents that they had only arrived at eleven pm when Olli’s parents had explicitly told them Olli wasn’t supposed to be out after nine. Hopefully they would cover for them in case Olli really had managed to wake them up with their stumbling around and loud talking.

Also Olli was sixteen and not twelve, his parents shouldn’t be so stuck up and let him live a little. They had nothing to scold them about. They weren’t even drunk. This time.

And Joel had made sure that Olli got to Joel’s room safely, now it was just another wrestling match to get him into bed because he was clearly not in the mood to sleep although all signs indicated that he was tired. But now he was only giggling to himself and struggled against all measures taken by Joel to get them to their destination.

Olli was hanging off his shoulders, his grip tightening so Joel couldn’t wrangle him off him and despite Olli being smaller than him his weight was pulling him down and after another attempt they both fell into bed but not the way Joel had planned to.

Olli was the first to touch the bed and as he was still holding on to Joel, he fell right on top of him with a surprised noise that got halfway stuck in his throat when he almost collided with Olli’s face.

Barely so he could avoid their heads ramming against each other, but he couldn’t cushion the fall altogether and with his eyes wide open he got to see a blurred face of Olli in front of his eyes as they got so close that their noses bumped together.

It wasn’t the only thing that touched, Joel could feel Olli’s whole body against him, under him, fuck. His giggling had abruptly stopped, and Joel felt his breath on his face, but he couldn’t make himself get up.

Neither did Olli push him away, lying still under him, only the raise of his chest and his heartbeat palpable for Joel signs he was awake and aware of what was happening.

It all happened in mere seconds, and it only took another second until Joel felt a pair of lips on him. He gasped into it, taken by surprise. It needed another short moment for Joel to close his eyes and lean into the kiss, a hand by Olli’s head threading into his hair.

It wasn’t until Olli lightly moaned into his mouth that Joel came to his senses and pushed himself up with a bit of reluctance, but it was Olli they were talking about here. Sweet, innocent, sixteen-year-old Olli, the band baby.

It wasn’t right and Joel rolled off him, quickly covering himself with the blanket. “We should sleep.” He told Olli and faced the wall to not having to see the expression on Olli’s face, to not see what he was thinking of him now.

“Okay.” Olli breathed out after a while and Joel heard him shuffling around till they were back to back, every noise died down in the dark room.

[cultgambles]

The Pro Hero Gala

Summary: Your first major outing as Hawks’ S/O turns steamy when his jealousy gets the best of him. 

Warnings:  n s f w ! , semi-public, not really use of pronouns referring to you, but u got a vag

WC: 2.3k!

Masterlist | Requests? open

“(Y/N),” Hawks whined, “We’re gonna be late! I’m sure you’ll look fine.”

“Alright, alright, I’m coming! I’m just trying to zip up the back of my dress,” you giggled back. 

“The Number Two can help you with that!” he all but burst into the bathroom, taking in your form. You wore a sparkling red evening gown, with a low back, high leg slit, and dainty nude heels. Hawks whistled, pressing cold fingers against your back, slowly zipping the zipper up. “Got a bit stuck there, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, thank you. You’re my hero,” you sighed sweetly, pecking him on the cheek. His suit was a deep black, so different from his usual tan outfit. His tie was red, almost the same shade as his wings.

“You’re gorgeous in that,” he said, taking your hand to lead you out, “but we’re going to be late if we don’t hurry up.”

“I know, I know. Just a little nervous maybe.”

“Don’t be, they’ll love you.” This was your first time at a Pro Hero Event, of course you were filled with butterflies. You definitely didn’t belong, especially just being a normal citizen. Maybe you’d look just as fancy though? “Stop overthinking, chickadee, just be yourself. Stick by me, and it’ll all be okay. We can sneak out later, if you’re really feeling it.”

“While I would definitely love too, I’m not sure your PR team or fellow heroes would commend that.”

Quietly, a jet black limo pulled up in front of your apartment building and the driver opened the door for the both of you. 

“After you,” Hawks smiled, “Ww would just have to find the perfect time.”

“You just wanna look at my ass, huh?”

“You got me.”

The ride to the event was filled with mindless chatter, soft jazz drifting through the air. Hawks reached out to your clammy hand and gave it a squeeze as you both stepped out of the coach. In an instant, camera flashes blinded your vision, tens of reporters shouting your name for comments. 

“Get outta here, guys, you’re making my baby jealous!” Hawks scolded lightly, a wing covering your frame. Inside was as lavish as you could have imagined, rows of chandeliers, butlers floating around, gold accents everywhere, and of course heroes everywhere. Hawks checked in at the booth, gesturing to you as his plus one.  “C’mon, let’s go say hi to Endeavor.”

You shook your head at his enthusiasm, “One day I’m going to lose you to him.”

“Maybe! But not soon. Not tired of ya yet, kid.”

“Maybe!” you exclaimed in fake shock.

“He got a tight little ass,” Hawks shrugged. “Hey-yo! Endeavor, this is my partner I told you about, [Y/N] [L/N].”

You held your hand out to the fiery man, “Nice to meet you!”

“Likewise, I’ve heard a lot about you, Hawks never stops talking.”

“That’s cute,” you coo to your boyfriend.

“I’m gonna get something at the bar real quick. Want anything?”

“I’m okay, thank you. Well, actually, maybe a martini, please?” Hawks nodded and gave you a quick pat on the head. 

Endeavor was already talking with some of his acquaintances and you were left alone for the time being. Soon enough, some Pro who you didn’t recognize made his way to you. 

He was really laying on the sugar, standing oh so close, his hand ghosting over the curve of your hip. You laughed along, as to not be rude. Little did the two of you know, Hawks could hear every sweet word the man whispered, his feathers puffing up slightly. 

“[Y/N], here, I got it just the way you like it,” he glanced at the other hero, “Hey man, haven’t seen you around before.”

“Oh yes! This is my first event since my debut. Half a year, maybe?”

“Congrats! Hummingbird, I heard Miruko just came in. Wanna go say hi? I know you guys got along.”

“Sure, baby,” you smiled, feeling his bitterness seep through his mask. “Nice talking to you!”

“Wai--”

“I leave you alone for less than ten minutes and you’re already cheating on me?!” he huffed, trying to hide a smile.

You sighed dramatically, doing a woe is me pose. “I just can’t keep them at bay!”

“How ya feelin’ for ya first fancy event?”

“Feeling a little better.” After twenty or so minutes more of mingling with everyone, the presenter stands at the podium.

“My Heros, I thank you all for attending this event, hopefully crime will just pause for this evening”--a couple people chuckled softly--“and have a wonderful rest of the evening. Please find your seats! Dinner will be served shortly.”

“Any ideas of what’s for dinner?”

“Not sure, I heard they hired American chefs, though. Where do you wanna sit?”

“Maybe over there?” you asked, pointing to an empty circular table.

“Lead the way, baby,” Hawks replied.

You and Hawks sat next to each other, facing the stage. Rumi across from you, and a couple others you didn’t quite know. As the lights dimmed, a familiar voice rang over your head.

“Mind if I sit here? I can’t believe all the seats were filled by the time I got back from the bathroom.”

“Ah, of course,” you smiled slightly. It was the Pro from before. Hawks huffed under his breath. The bread bowl made its way around the table and you leaned over to Hawks, telling him how much you love sour dough bread. 

“I like sour dough too!” the man next to you loudly said.

“It’s nice, isn’t it,” you agreed. C’mon, just leave me alone. Dinner continued, different groups putting on stage show shorts for entertainment. And with each comment from the stranger, Hawks’ attitude changed a little. His words a little sharper, eyes a little narrower. Of course, this was only noticeable to the trained eye. A spotlight shown on the stage, illuminating a row of women. Their beautiful display of the Thousand Arms Dance almost made you forget about the hand resting on your thigh. 

In two moments, that changed.

Dangerously close to your sex.

Rubbing small circles on the inner side.

“Hawks.”

“[Y/N].”

“What are you doing?”

“Enjoying the show?”

“Don’t play coy with me, you whisper yelled. 

“No idea what you’re talking about, songbird,” he purred, fingers prodding your sex through your panties softly. 

“Okay. I see how it is.”

“What ever do you mean? Don’t go ignoring Mr. New Pro over there.”

You looked around at the table, everyone enthralled by the dance. Mr. New Pro was cutting his steak into fifty tiny meticulous pieces. Weird. 

“He’s not even talking to me,” you snorted, “for once.”

“But you like the attention, don’t you?” You choked on your water.

“Hey, [Y/N], look at my meat,” the other hero said, gesturing to his plate. 

Hawks’ eyes twitched. “Need to go right now.”

“Show’s not over, it would be rude!”

“Right now,” he hissed, getting up abruptly and dragging you with him. “Dinner was good, but I really want dessert right now.”

The bright lights of the lobby made your eyes take a while to adjust. A supply closet door left unlocked, now your small haven with your boyfriend. “In there,” you pointed.

“You got great ideas, hummingbird,” Hawks praised, pressing you against the wall and kicking the door shut behind him. He gave you a quick kiss before kneeling between your legs. They rested on his shoulders, fingers digging into your supple thighs. “Be quiet, you don’t want to attract any unnecessary attention, do you?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Something about a bunch of Pros seeing you in such a compromising position piqued your interest. 

Hawks attacked your sex, sucking on clit before dragging a tongue along your folds. You threaded a hand through his wild blond hair. Even though you two weren’t dating for a super long amount of time, he was already a master at knowing how to please you. You chalked it up to his keen observation skills. 

His hot mouth brought you so close to your release until he pulled away suddenly. 

“Good girls don’t get to cum until they learn to not flirt with other guys.”

“Barely flirting!” 

“Not what I saw.”

He plunged a finger into your sopping entrance, massaging the spongy patch of flesh that made you throw your head back. 

“What did I say?”

It took you a couple seconds to find the words, to which he pulled his digit out. “No flirting?”

“Close, baby.” Hawks gently placed you on your feet. “Turn around.”

“I wanna see that cute face though,” you pouted. It almost cracked his facade.

“Well, I wanna see your ass pressing against my hips.” You bent slightly, placing your hands on the wall to brace yourself. “That’s it…” you heard his belt buckle come undone, pants dropping to the floor in a heap around his shoes. Hawks’ cold fingers moved your dress to the side, and slowly pulled your silky panties down.

“Glad I wore this dress?”

“You plan it?”

“Didn’t think it would be in the way when we got back home,” you shrugged. “Guess it works for any place, huh?”

Hawks breathed deeply, cock in his hand, running the tip between your ass cheeks. You pushed back, trying to get some friction.

“What are you not supposed to do? Get it right, and I’ll sink into that cute little pussy of yours. Otherwise, we go back to the ballroom, yeah? Dunno if I can handle it though, what, with what’s-his-face all over you.”

“I didn’t catch his name either,” you giggled before clearing your throat, “uhm...you said to not come until you tell me. I’ll be good. I’ll do as you say. Just please--”

“Since you said please,” he hummed, “easy to slide in since you’re so wet for me. Only for me. No one else.”

“Of course!” your walls stretched to accommodate his length. Hawks let out a low groan. “So tight…” 

You let out a high squeak, urging him to go faster. “Birdie, I...I can’t believe we’re doing this here…”

“A certain someone couldn’t wait..”

“I saw you getting pretty antsy too!”

“That little fucker had no business flirting with you right in front of me; and you. You allowed it, egged him on even,” Hawks growled in your ear. 

“Maybe..maybe I wanted a reaction out of you!” your sentence ended with a lit when his tip kissed your cervix.

“Bad move, kid, you know I’m not gonna go easy on ya. When I came back and he was all over you, oooh, I just wanted to kill the bastard. Hero status be damned. When he leaned a little too close at the dinner table, I just wanted to bend you over the table to show him that you’re mine.” Suddenly, Hawks pulled out of you, flipping you around to face him. “Look at me, beautiful.”

You struggled to open your eyes, Hawks’ pinprick eyes trained on your own. They were honestly set ablaze.

He looked beautiful like this: hair more tousled than usual, a bead of sweat on his temple, mouth panting and parted open. “Whatcha lookin’ at baby bird?”

“Just you,” you sighed contentedly, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into a searing kiss.

You heard his wings ruffle, and his hips slammed into yours at a more fervent pace. Mmmffmmm, came out of your mouth. “I’m--close!”

Jealousy forgotten for the moment, Hawks nodded against the nape of your neck. “Hold on a lil longer. Can you do that for me? Wanna countdown?” he cooed.

“Y--yeah, okay,” your legs squeezed his body to yours impossibly tighter. 

“Five,” he moaned. At least he didn’t start at ten, that would have been an eternity.

When four came around, you ran your hands on his feathers close to his back.

Three. Almost there.

Two, and it’s so close to one. You felt like you’re almost going to vomit, but in a good way. A tightening just about to unravel.

“One, look down at me ravaging this pussy. No one else can do it as well as me, don’t cha know?” Hawks snarled. 

You peeked at where the two of you became one, his hand snaking around to rub at your clit.

“Hawks! Coming, I’m coming,” you moaned, his name falling off your tongue like a prayer. You briefly wondered when he would tell you his real name, but quickly coming to this moment when he spoke.

“Sing me my favorite song, songbird. You know I love to hear it!” His hips stuttered, wings flaring out (you loved that part) as he came, hot cum shooting out into your waiting entrance. Your pussy milked the rest out desperately as you both felt the aftermaths of your highs. He rested his forehead against yours. “I just wanna stay here.”

“In this closet?”

“No, dingus, with you,” he rolled his eyes, pulling out of you gently. “Round two back home?”

“Maybe nail me in the sky or something,” you suggested, pulling your panties up and shifting your dress around.

“Don’t tempt me,” he smirked, picking you up bridal style. He managed to fly out without being seen, and the both of you looked upon a sea of shining lights.

“I’m jealous you get this view every day.”

“It’s better with you, though,” he smiled softly.

“Hawks…”

“What is it?

“You’re hard again? Already?”

Hawks let out his beautiful laugh and you snuggled closer into his chest. “Can’t blame me that my baby bird just put that idea in my head!”

👉👈 hi this is my first smut since a lil while so hope you enjoyed it! Maybe tell me what you thought?

[maaaddiexo]

Birthday Encounters | Legolas Greenleaf

Mainlist | Serieslist

Pairing: Legolas Greenleaf x fem!reader

-

“Aragorn!”

Strong arms wrapped around her waist as her friend of countless years lifted her and spun her in circles.

“Y/N! It has been far too long.” The King placed Y/N back on her feet in his home.

Y/N nodded. “I agree. Thank you for the invitation.”

Aragorn gave Y/N a kind smile and gestured for them to walk. “Of course. How have you been?”

Y/N smiled. “Good. I have been helping the Ents repair their land since Saruman’s destruction of Fangorn Forest. Did you get my wedding present? I heard Arwen enjoyed jewelry-making in her spare time.”

Aragorn smiled. “Yes, she loves it.” He was upset Y/N could not make their wedding and considered postponing it just so that she could attend. But being so ill, they had no idea when she would be well enough to attend. “What else have you been doing?”

Y/N shook her head. “Traveling. Relaxing. You know that fight took more out of me than I ever got back.”

Aragorn nodded. “Somehow, I always forget you fought in the Battle of the Five Armies all those years ago. Perhaps because you never speak of it.”

Y/N smiled sadly. “Well, there’s nothing good to speak of. Perhaps if there was, I would talk more of it.”

Aragorn frowned. “Sorry. I did not mean to upset you.”

Y/N looked over the balcony they had stopped at, seeing Arwen talking to two elves she did not recognize. Not that she knew many to begin with. “It’s alright.”

“Come, Lady Y/N. I am sure you’ve missed Arwen.”

As they descended the stairs, Y/N said, “I’m not a Lady. You know that.”

“You are in my eyes. But don’t let Arwen hear that.”

Y/N laughed as they reached the bottom of the stairs, catching the attention of Aragorn’s wife, Arwen.

“Y/N!” The elf exclaimed happily, reaching forward to grab her arms. The woman had become used to the customs of men and women while married to Aragorn and moved to hug Y/N, a custom most elves did not engage in. As Arwen had put it years ago, elves did not like to touch people they were not close to.

“Arwen! I have missed you, my friend.”

Arwen, who looked like she had not aged a day, smiled in agreement. “The last time I saw you-”

“I looked horrible,” Y/N laughed. “Hopefully, I look much better now.”

Arwen smiled. “Much better.”

“Arwen? Are you not going to introduce us to your friend?” The two elves waited expectantly behind the dark-haired elf. Both were fair-skinned with braided silver hair. The one who spoken was a young girl, though it was hard to tell just how old she was.

Arwen smiled. “This is Y/N. She and Aragorn met when Sauron tried to regain power. She has been a friend ever since.”

The two elves gave short bows. “And this is Selina and Legolas. Sindar elves.”

Mirkwood elves, Y/N realized. And the name Legolas rang a bell. “You are the son of Thranduil.”

Legolas nodded but displayed a slightly sour face. “And Seline is my guard. She goes wherever I go and has become quite a close companion to Arwen and Aragorn.”

Y/N smiled at Seline, who did not talk much. Both were ethereal in their elven beauty, practically glowing. Y/N felt ugly in their presence – but that was what most non-elves felt. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

“I assume Aragorn’s birthday brings you here as well?”

Y/N nodded. “Considering I missed their wedding, it was the least I could do.”

Aragorn sighed. “For the last time, we do not blame you. You made great sacrifices on the Lonely Mountain. It is not your fault you get sick often.”

Y/N looked away in shame.

“Oh, leave her be, Aragorn. You know how stubborn she can be. More stubborn than that red-bearded friend of yours, Gimli.”

“Seline!” A small girl appeared from the west hall, reaching the she-elf’s waist. “You’re back!”

The elf smiled and bent down, whispering something in the little girl’s ear before being towed down the hall to an unknown location. The little girl barely dodged the incoming servant, dressed in purple and gold thread.

“My Lord and Lady, the advisors need to speak with you. Urgently.”

Aragorn sighed and reached for his love. “We will be right there. Y/N? Do you mind showing Legolas around? He has not visited since the attack.”

Y/N chanced a glance at the elven prince before nodding. “Of course. Does that include the wine cellar?”

Aragorn playfully flicked his friend’s nose. “You stay out of there. You drink like a dwarf.”

“I take that as a compliment!” Y/N yelled as the duo followed after the servant. Once they were out of sight and earshot, she turned to Legolas. “Shall we start at the wine cellar?”

•••

“And that’s it,” Y/N said, stopping where they had started. She hid her pain well, casually leaning against a stone pillar to relieve some of the pressure in her lungs.

“They have expanded since I was last here,” Legolas mused, taking in the almost-elvish architecture. Then again, Aragorn had spent a lot of his live in Rivendell. Legolas looked back at Y/N, who seemed to have trouble breathing. Her chest expanded roughly, stuttering as her eyes watered. “Are you alright, My Lady?”

Y/N forced a laugh. “Why does everyone call me that? I’m not a Lady.”

“You look like one.” Legolas looked an elf caught off guard, which was a rare thing to behold. His fair cheeks flushed slightly and he looked away momentarily before speaking again, this time much faster. “You seem to have trouble breathing.”

Y/N waved him off. “It’s nothing, really. It’ll pass soon enough.”

“What is ‘it’?”

Y/N sighed. “A long time ago, I used to live in Lake-town. I lived there when Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins woke the dragon, Smaug, and he burned my home. The smoke damaged my lungs. I have struggled to breathe since but exercise makes it worse. I don’t expect an elf like you to understand. I know your kind never tires.”

Legolas squinted at Y/N. Her ears were round and her skin was not flawless but…there was something about her. The way she carried herself. “You have elven blood in you.”

Y/N was surprised. Most people didn’t notice the drop of elf in her. “Yes. One of ancestors was elvish. Though, I inherited nothing but prolonged aging and the ability to jump.”

Legolas felt himself smile at the news. There were few of his kin left in Middle-Earth. And halfling or not, she counted.

“Do you know any elvish?”

Y/N shook her head, still trying to catch her breath and stay the pain deep in her lungs. “No. Aragorn tried to teach me but it just doesn’t sound-” Y/N couldn’t finish her sentence, interrupted by a coughing fit. She bent over the railing, coughing and trying to catch her breath. Something touched her back – Legolas, she realized. She waved him off. “Just give me a moment. This damned corset makes matters so much worse.”

“Corset?”

Y/N nodded and something was brought to her lips. Legolas’ waterjug. She drank eagerly until the rough burn in her throat was soothed. “Thank you. And, yes. My mother insisted I wear a corset because it is what women do these days.” Y/N harrumphed at that and Legolas laughed.

“Is your mother here?”

“No, she stayed with my father back home to work on our farm.”

“Then why not loosen it? Or lose it entirely?”

“You make it sound like disobeying a parent’s order is easy.”

“I know for a fact that it isn’t,” Legolas said firmly. “But doing what you desire is freeing. Even if it means just losing a corset.”

“Legolas! Y/N!” Aragorn and Arwen appeared at the end of the hallway before Y/N could say anything. “Dinner is in an hour.”

Y/N smiled and Arwen moved forward. “Let’s get you changed, my friend.”

Y/N let herself be dragged off to her friend’s chambers where Arwen searched through the wardrobe, stopping on a pale blue dress with an attached cape and gold ringlets at the shoulders.

“Perfect.”

Arwen braided Y/N’s hair in a signature elvish braid, pulling it back to reveal her perfectly round ears. “I sense Aragorn and I interrupted something between you and Legolas back in the main entryway.”

Y/N shook her head softly. “He just said something, is all.”

“You’ve got the furrow in your brow you always get when you think too hard. Did his words bother you? He is from Mirkwood. They don’t have the best manners.”

“No, not at all,” Y/N assured as they moved to the door. It was almost time for the birthday feast to begin. “He just said something…eye-opening.”

“An elf? Saying something wise? How odd.”

Y/N laughed as they approached the garden. Legolas, Seline, Aragorn, and red-bearded dwarf were waiting for them. The human and two elves had changed, and Aragorn now wore his signature crown. He looked like a king. Arwen left Y/N’s side to join her husband’s.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just your wife finally grasping human humour. She’s become quite good at it.”

Aragorn rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me. Y/N, this is Gimli. I’ve told you about him.”

Y/N curtsied. “I have heard plenty about you. Pleasure to finally meet you.”

Gimli touched his heart like an elf would. “The pleasure is all mine, Milady.”

“Why do people keep saying that?”

Gimli stuttered. He was expecting a thank you, not an argument. “W-well…you look like a princess.”

Y/N glanced at Legolas from the corner of her eye in amusement. He was already staring at her. “People keep saying that too.”

Aragorn chuckled and the two humans shared a look. The other four looked between the two humans as their eyebrows furrowed and raised and, finally, Y/N stuck out her tongue childishly.

“Something is happening that I do not understand,” Gimli finally said.

Legolas, who did not take his eyes off the two, said, “Me neither.”

“Shall we go in?” Aragorn said. “The little ones are already inside.”

“You mean the Hobbits you always talk about in your letters? Y/N asked eagerly.

Aragorn chuckled. “Yes. I will introduce you.”

“May I escort you to our table’ Milady?”

Y/N smiled at Gimli and nodded, slipping her hand around his upper bicep. Legolas and Seline followed behind them. The vines parted to reveal a garden from a fairytale. People were chatting loudly and small children ran around their parents’ feet. Ahead, four small men were already seated at the head table and turned to see them arrive.

“Legolas! Gimli!”

Y/N moved away so that the six could rejoice, looking for her place at the table. Her name was written in beautiful Elven cursive and knew Arwen had written it. Her name was between Legolas’ and Aragorn’s and she felt comfort in that. Though she wasn’t sure why Legolas’ proximity had an effect on her. Y/N moved to walk around the garden, examining all the details that had been considered for Aragorn’s ninetieth birthday.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Y/N turned to see Legolas had approached her. She was standing by the wall of well-wishes, where guests wrote notes for the birthday boy.

“Yes. Arwen did a wonderful job of combining both human and Elvish customs. I’m sure Aragorn will be quite overjoyed when they finally come in.”

“May I escort you back to our table?”

Y/N stared at Legolas’ outreached arm, waiting for her take it as she took Gimli’s. “I was under the impression that Elves did not touch people outside their loved ones?”

“You are correct,” Legolas smiled humbly. “But humans do. Besides, I spent plenty of time with the Hobbits, Gimli, and Aragorn while fighting Sauron. I do not stick as strictly to Elven customs as I once did.”

Y/N smiled. “In that case,” she wrapped her arm around Legolas’ bicep. “I would love to be escorted. Perhaps…we could dance later too?”

“Mirkwood elves don’t really dance,” Legolas admitted. “But a few years back Gimli introduced me to drinking games. I’m quite good at those.”

Y/N laughed. “I’ll take your word for it and pass on that offer. I’ve heard elves cheat at them. But we could sit and talk.” They were at the table now. “Arwen and Aragorn have told me all about Rivendell but I know very little of Mirkwood.”

Legolas bowed. “You have an accord.”

The night was filled with laughter, spilt ale, and dancing. Pippin and Merry had been up on a random table for the past thirty minutes, singing as their mugs of ale were continuously filled.

Nyx’s stomach hurt from laughing so long and hard and was grateful her dress didn’t have a corset. Her lungs began to ache and she reached for a goblet of water in hopes of staying the oncoming coughing fit.

“You should try marshmallow root,” said Legolas suddenly. He and Y/N were the only two at the table, retelling stories of their past and laughing at their friends. “It will not heal your lungs, but it will soothe your throat.”

“Does nothing get past your eyes?”

“Well,” Legolas smiled. “Elves do have excellent eyesight.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “I see you’re catching on to human humour as well. Do you know any jokes of ours?”

Legolas smiled. “Gimli once told me one. Are you ready? Okay. What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole it’s poked before? And I’ll give you a hint. It is not what you think it is.”

Y/N squinted. “It’s a dwarf joke? The answer must be inappropriate somehow.”

“I can assure you it is not.”

“What is it then?”

“A key.”

Y/N laughed, though she found it be less funny and more of a riddle. She did not want to hurt Legolas’ feelings.

“Now tell me something about your culture. Humans never cease to amaze me.”

“What do you want to know?”

“You commented on how elves treat loved ones. I know Aragorn is human but he was raised in Rivendell. What are your customs?”

“My father always kisses my mother on the cheek. And whenever either of them leaves the house, they tell the other they love them. And my mother often falls asleep on my father in sitting room when he reads.”

“Was he boring?”

“What?”

“She fell asleep on him when he read. Was he boring?”

Y/N laughed. “No, not at all. He was very good at telling stories, actually. And my mother always says that falling asleep on his shoulder is when she gets the best sleep. Because she’s close to him.”

“How is that comfortable? How does that even work?” Legolas laughed. Y/N could see he was trying to imagine it in his head.

“Like this.” Carefully, so as not to cross too many of Legolas’ boundaries, she moved closer to Legolas and slouched in her seat, gently resting her head on his shoulder. “And my father would read chapter after chapter. Tell story after story. And my mother would fall asleep on his shoulder and I would fall asleep in front of the fireplace.”

Legolas smiled, watching his friends dance together as a beautiful girl rested on his shoulder. “I understand now. This is nice.”

“So nice I may not move,” Y/N joked.

Legolas touched Y/N’s hand beneath the round table. “So don’t.”

[seacottons]

— christmas with ateez

notes: fluff, mildly suggestive dialogue.

— park seonghwa

"But it's not fair! I gave you your present early!"

The male merely spun around, ignoring your whines as he adjusted the flickering lights over the fireplace. The wood crackled merrily in the fire and casted a brilliant orange glow onto the man's chiseled face.

"Yes, and I love it, but I never agreed that I'll give you your present early," he spoke as he jabbed the wood with the poker stick, sending bursts of sparks in the air, "Just be patient, love. Only a few more days."

"Okay, but," you grumbled as you sat crossed leg onto the couch, arms crossed and lukewarm coffee long forgotten on the table, "It still isn't fair."

With a sigh, your lover stands up to walk into the bedroom, before towering over you with a palm sized gift box. Taking the cover off, he dipped his hand inside, "Alright, fine. Since you won't stop acting like a baby, I guess it's only fair if I return the favor. You're going to love this," your eyes grew wide in anticipation as he simpered mostly to himself. He drew out his empty hand, only to shoot you a heart with his index finger and thumb. You guffawed momentarily, jaw dropping and heart sinking. Disappointment washed over you as he nearly doubled over with laughter.

"Park Seonghwa! You're not funny!"

You attempted to push his chest away with your fuzzy sock-clad feet, only for him to settle down in between your legs, hand propping his face up as he gazes at you in amusement. A mischievous glint sparkled in his orbs, one that you matched with a subtle glare.

"I was going to save this for Christmas, but you're so stubborn and insistent," reaching back, he pulled out a tiny, blue velvet box, hands working it open to reveal a ring, its brilliant, prismatic colors beaming against your shocked face as it caught the bright lights overhead, "I take it you know what this is for, right? I've been thinking about this for a while now, really, and I wanted to wait for the perfect opportunity to ask you, will you marry me?" His face fell instantly as tears streamed down your face, his brows knitting in worry as you broke down and wrapped your arms around his throat, nearly cutting off his air supply and circulation as you nodded aggressively against the column of his neck, voice hoarse and weak from the onslaught of overwhelming emotions, "Oh, you're such a big baby. My big baby."

— kim hongjoong

The sound of spools and scissors clattering down onto the floor snapped you out of your train of thought.

"This is too hard," Hongjoong flops down onto the floor of the living room, a whine escaping his throat, "I give up. I can't make an ugly sweater!"

Numerous colors of thread, ribbons, felt, and pom-poms littered the floor. The sound of snipping pierced the silence, and you smiled as you finally cut out the shape of a snowman. "You're just too much of a perfectionist, baby," you smile as you reach down to fluff his hair, "It's not supposed to look good. That's the point."

"But I can't help it," he whined as he rolled over so that his head rests in your lap, "It needs to look good! Even if it is supposed to be ugly. It still should look decent."

Rolling your eyes playfully, you lean down to place a peck against the tip of his scrunched nose, "Relax, Joongie. Just have fun with it."

You munched on gingersnap biscuits as you amusedly watched him as he fringed the edge of a red ribbon for the cuffs of his sweater. His brows furrowed in concentration as he added more stitches and pieces of fabric scraps onto the emerald-green article of clothing. An hour passed and you grew tired, hands trembling while readjusting the thread on the spool. Hongjoong was still going at it, stubborn hands picking and taking away at decorations he had already added onto his sweater.

"Stop, it looks great like that," you nudged him playfully, a yawn escaping your mouth as you leaned your head against his side, "Hurry up and finish, Joong. I'm sleepy."

He contemplates momentarily, hesitant hands outstretched over his sweater on the floor. Dropping his hands in his lap, he glanced at you for a split second, hands reaching to brush the hair out of your face as your head nodded with drowsiness, "Alright. I'll take your word for it, baby. Now let's get you into bed before you sleep on the floor again."

— jeong yunho

"Come on! The last store is closing in thirty minutes!"

The snow crunched beneath your boots as you pulled along your best friend through the numerous window shops. Lilac and blue shadows danced along the snow-covered sidewalk as shoppers briskly walked about in droves to shop for holiday gifts. Twinkling lights hung along eaves of the buildings, lampposts, as well as the bare trees in town. A variety of holiday songs can be heard throughout every turn, each shop displaying sparkling wreaths and flashing lights to beckon customers in.

Giant candy canes flanked the streets, leading to a monstrous sized evergreen tree in the center of town. Yunho's cheeks and nose flushed red from the cold, and despite trembling in his boots from the onslaught of sharp flurries beating against his face, he takes one look at your beaming expression and is instantly filled with a strange warmth that not even a crackling fireplace can provide.

He'll admit, maybe today wasn't the best day to get dragged by his best friend to go window shopping for all your mutual friends, but his soft spot for you prevented him from disagreeing. While you rambled on and on about how it would be cute to buy Jongho a muscly teddy bear and Mingi a sparkly crown, his mind drifted to when you stopped at a particular store and suddenly ceased your talking to gaze open-mouthed at a large snow globe filled with iridescent glitter, sparkling snowmen, and penguins. The afternoon sky was flecked with shining amber and pink clouds that illuminated your sparkly eyes, and the smell of cinnamon tea and roasting chestnuts filled the town's air.

He smiled to himself, already mentally preparing the gift wrap color and ribbon. Hopefully, this year his wrapping skills will improve. Maybe he'll just let Seonghwa help him out.

"Yunho, are you even paying attention to me!?"

— kang yeosang

You woke up to an unusually bright light, brows furrowing and eyes scrunching shut. Peeking your head over your lover's sleeping frame you noted the piles of snow gathering against the window you decorated with silly, little window clings last night. Frost stretched into arabesque patterns on the glass window panes, the crystals glistening gold in the morning sunlight.

The second your foot grazed the icy tiles of your bedroom, you opted to remain in bed and steal some of Yeosang's body heat. Lifting his limp arm, you tucked yourself into his hold, face buried against his chest. The shift in movement stirred him from his slumber, and he sat up bleary-eyed and confused.

Peering down at your frame silently, he settled back against the bed, tugging you closer and placing multiple pecks onto the crown of your head. Mornings like these were your favorite. You loved to cling onto your lover like second skin as the two of you slept soundlessly. He was always so, so warm and soft, and his embrace always felt like home.

The extra hours of sleep felt like mere minutes, and by the time you peeled your eyes open for the second time, Yeosang was no longer in the center of the bed spooning you. Sitting up with a deep inhale, you grimaced at the glistening snow outside, the icy wind howling and sending tuffs of ice scattering about. The sound of padded footsteps caught your attention, and you were suddenly overwhelmed with the scent of cocoa.

Yeosang stood in the doorway with an unamused expression, two steaming mugs of hot chocolate in hand and chocolate stains on his beige, fleece sweater, "Oh good, you're awake. You slept like a rock while I nearly set the kitchen on fire."

"What did you do.." you mumbled, fists reaching up to rub at your eyes, "Should I even ask?"

You're suddenly aware of the faint smell of something burnt in the air and the thin haze of smoke lingering throughout your apartment.

"Don't worry," he mused as he handed you the red mug of hot chocolate, your eyes instantly drawn to the dollop of cream and marshmallows floating on the surface. He settled onto the bed beside you, leaning in to give you a chocolate-stained kiss, "We needed a new microwave anyway."

— choi san

"See, your shower wasn't that bad," you cooed gently as you swaddled your boyfriend's cat, Byeol, in a fluffy blanket, carrying her out to the living room. You bumped into a hard chest, Byeol instantly taking the opportunity to dive out of your arms to scurry away. Snapping your head up, you were met with a smirking, cardigan-clad San who leaned against the doorframe.

You dropped your gaze to the dangling mistletoe in his hands, scoffing playfully at the sight. Throughout your entire apartment, mistletoes hung from every doorframe and corner with San's stubborn insistence. Leaning forward, you cupped his dimpled cheeks bringing him in closer to slot your lips against his own in a chaste kiss.

"I told you, you don't need a mistletoe to ask me for a kiss," you murmured against his mouth as he placed numerous pecks onto your glossed lips. Pulling you taut against his chest, he burrows his head into the crook of your neck, and you feel his lips twitch up into a knowing smile.

"But I've been getting more kisses thanks to all the mistletoes," he laughed against your skin, arms coiling tightly around your frame, his hands fondling your rear, "Even more than Byeol. So, I think I might just keep them hung up even after-"

The sound of glass shattering startled him, his frame jolting up instantly, eyes wide as saucers.

"That better not be my new snow globe."

Peeling himself from your hold, San scrambled to the bedroom, the sounds of his cries reverberating throughout the apartment. Reaching down to pick up the forgotten mistletoe, you laugh as he scolded Byeol, who in return dashed out of the room without a care in the world.

San stood in the doorway with a broken snow globe in hand, a pout eminent on his features, "I'm giving Byeol coal for Christmas," he spat angrily as you walked over to him, eyes rolling and hands working on unbuttoning the cardigan he had on to continue what he had previously started, "I knew she should've been on Santa's naughty list."

He suddenly ceases his rant, peering at you with a questioning gaze.

You raised your arm high in the air, and the mass of green dangled in front of San's curious face. His eyes flickered from the mistletoe to your face repeatedly, before his crestfallen expression morphs into one of mischief, "And you are most definitely on San's naughty list."

— song mingi

Mingi lets out a loud shriek as the roof of his gingerbread house topples over into a mess of frosting and gummy treats. Peeking over from your side of the table, you nearly laugh at the sight of him apologizing to the fallen gummy bears smeared with excess frosting, "Ming-Ming, try adding more frosting! It'll help."

"This is a lot harder than it looks!" he complained as he delicately squeezed a line of vanilla icing onto the edges of the cookie, "I nearly killed the gummy bear family. My hands are just too big and clumsy-"

He squeezed his eyes shut as he once again placed the remaining piece of gingerbread cookie onto the house, one eye peeking open to stare in awe at the stabilized cookie house. His eyes glimmered with joy, mouth stretching wide into a contagious grin as he silently points at his creation in fear that his voice will send it crashing down for a second time that night.

Mingi's gingerbread house was cute, you'll give him that. Smears of frosting stained the sides and the roof, and excess frosting dripped from the seams connecting all the pieces together. His hands scrambled to pick out the first of his decorations.

"Let's see," he hummed in satisfaction, "Baby, help me out. Peppermint candies or gum drops for the wreath on the door?"

"I don't think your gummy bear family will approve of their kind being used as a wreath," you giggled, your sock-clad feet intertwining between his legs underneath the table as you reached into the bowl of treats to plop a few in your mouth, "Pass me the red icing, please."

"You're absolutely right," he says in a matter of factly, eyes wide and curious as he squeezes dollops of icing onto the sides of the gingerbread house, "The gum drops will be the flowers around the house. Y'know, just like Spongebob's house?"

When he wasn't met with a reply, he peers up curiously, mouth dropping instantly with a loud gasp, "No! Stop! Don't eat the gingerbread men! I need those!"

— jung wooyoung

Crouching down, you admired the way the frost glistened in the sunlight, your fingers reaching forward to trace the arabesque patterns on the tree trunks and leaves. A flying mass of white flung over your head and onto the tree bark, another hitting you square on your bum. A high-pitched scream rung out almost immediately from your throat, your frame stumbling onto the snow littered ground.

You whipped your head back at the source of laughter from behind you, and your eyes instantly squint in aggravation at the cackling male behind you. Wisps of ebony locks peek out from his red beanie, framing his amused face and cheeky grin. He trudged towards the snowmen you two built ( the same one with the goofy, crooked smile he insisted looked like you ) and struck a pose on one leg, arms stretched high to form a heart as he winked at you, his long, lilac shadow stretching onto the expanse of soft snow.

"Baby, haven't I taught you to never turn your back on your enem-" He startled as a tiny golf-sized snowball slammed and crumbled onto his nose. Brushing off the snow and clenching his jaw, he then released a huff through his nose and whined, boot-clad feet stomping into the snow, "Ah! I was being cute for you! Don't ruin my moment!"

His nose grew considerably more flushed from the impact of snow, and he drew back, threatened, when you stomped your way towards him, a sheepish smile finding its way onto his features. Attempting to assert dominance, he cleared his throat, eyes smoldering as he leaned in close towards your face with a faint smirk, "It's okay to be a sore loser, you know?" Reaching down, he pats your bum free of the remaining snow, snickering to himself when you slap his hands away, before releasing a loud cry of surprise when you push him back to land on the smaller of the two snowmen.

"No!" he whined instantly, "Baby! You made me crush your twin." He scrambled up to assess the damage as you cackled beside him, his eyes practically slits as he pulled you in by your scarf, "That's what you're going to look like too, after I'm done with you."

— choi jongho

This year, your boyfriend disagreed to all your attempts to buy a faux tree for your living room, and instead flaunted his strength as he single-handedly chopped one down and dragged it to his car. The pungent smell of cedar was overwhelming in your tiny apartment, but you thought it was well worth the trip to see Jongho so proud and satisfied with himself for doing all the hard work with no aid.

He carefully stood on a stool as he wrapped golden tinsel around the tree, his brows furrowed on concentration, "Tell me if it's crooked, baby," he crouched down as he reached the end, hand outstretched in a silent gesture for the scissors. You placed the box of hand painted ornaments and ribbons down, hands reaching in to grab at a few, only to be stopped by Jongho, "No, no. It's okay, I can do it. Don't worry, love."

"But I want to-"

"Ssh," he places a finger to your pouting lips and stops your futile attempt to persuade him, "Let Macho Jongho do all of the work, princess."

Crossing your arms with a roll of your eyes, you watched him tie multiple bows of ribbon along the edges of the tree. Jongho always regarded you like delicate glass, never allowing you to do any tiresome work if he was around. In the beginning, it was quite endearing, but moments like these you wanted to pull on his ear and demand him to accept your help. Besides, decorating the Christmas tree was the highlight of the entire holiday.

A muffled cuss caught your attention, and you perked your head up to gaze at the frustrated male across the room. You watched as he struggled with the fairy lights, the thin metal coiling around his arms and fingers, "Babe," he called out in defeat, "I need help."

"I thought you'd never ask."

[drabbles-of-writing]

Be Alright

This is part of my Four Years AU

AO3

Masterpost

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Luz was never known to be overly cautious.

She was reckless, impulsive, and an overall disaster of a human.

Titan, Amity loved her.

It was almost routine at this point, how it would go. Luz would jump into oncoming danger, others would (sometimes) follow, and she’d limp out with a big grin and a cheer about how she’d shown them, whether or not she’d actually won. It was no surprise that Amity had taken up healing as a secret secondary track.

It was always a gamble how things would go. Sometimes Luz would only have a few scratches, other times she’d be clinging to consciousness by a thread, moments away from breaking Eda’s house rule of nobody jeopardizing the rebellion by going to a public hospital.

But they usually had it handled. Luz would bounce back with twice the enthusiasm, even if her scars told a different story.

Despite all of this, Amity knew she’d never get used to seeing a scar in the making. 

,

“Who brought fireworks?”

“Ed!”

“Worth it!”

Explosions rung out, painting the emptying Night Market in scattered debris and bright flashes. Amity ducked under a broken roof, cursing as another explosion sounded off further away, accompanied with whoops and cheers.

“It’s a miracle none of them are dead yet,” Came a hiss from beside her.

She whirled around, relaxing when she saw it was just Willow appearing by her hiding place, vines wrapped all along her arms. Out of everyone, Amity was sure she would come out the most unscathed.

“I’m convinced Eda’s already died a few times,” Amity said, tilting her head to the sounds of explosions. “But she keeps coming back. My bet’s that she’s on life seven now.”

“That would explain a lot,” Willow agreed, peering out of their hiding place. “Dawns breaking, we should get out of here.” She added, raising her head.

“Already?” Amity lifted her head as well, seeing that, indeed, there was light seeping around the Market.

“Think you can wrangle Luz without setting more things on fire?” Willow asked, glancing at her with a smirk.

“If anyone is going to set things on fire, it’s Luz.” Amity said matter-of-factly, wincing as she heard shouts and a crash from elsewhere in the Market. “I can promise my best,” She said simply.

“That’s the best I could ask for,” Willow chuckled, stepping out of their hiding place. “Good luck.”

“I’ll need it,” Amity muttered, peering around the debris as she heard another explosion sound off. “Titan knows who she's going to piss off this time.”

,

Amity felt like she shouldn’t have been surprised.

And yet, she still felt a wave of exhaustion just finding situations like these.

Luz stood atop a pile of debris, swinging her staff like a club and knocking it against the heads of those in the Night Market who had stayed to attempt to fight her and the rest of the Owl House residents. Aside from a few scrapes and cuts to her hands and cloak, she wasn’t any worse for wear. Even her owl mask was relatively intact.

Eda was somewhere at the bottom of the pile with King, also giving their attackers a hard time. Amity was almost about to be surprised at how tame Luz was being...before she combined a firework and ice glyph and shot it towards an attacker, flinging them back with an explosion and into a busted stand with a gleeful cheer.

Amity sighed and calmly summoned a regular sized abomination, sending it off behind her towards other assailants that had assumed she couldn’t hear them approaching. In boots covered in metal. Honestly, she wondered how nobody had caught them yet.

Luz swung her staff at a different demon, grinning as she turned and scanned the area. Near instantly, her eyes landed on Amity, who was a good few meters away from her trash pile.

“Hey, Ams!” Luz shouted across the battleground, frantically waving her hand, her smile somehow growing.

Amity couldn’t help but return a smile of her own, her ears flicking back as her features softened. 

There was a bark behind her and she snapped out of it, glancing back as Barcus ran by, giving her a tired look.

“Oh don’t you start,” Amity warned, flashing a fang.

Barcus rolled his eyes and rushed off around a broken stand vanishing from sight. Though the sounds of yelling from those of the Night Market confirmed he was still as much in the fight as everyone else.

“Hey,”

Amity yelped at the sudden noise by her ear and spun around, almost falling over before an arm holding a staff hooked around her back and stopped her falling.

“Oops,” Luz smiled sheepishly, her head hovering over Amity’s as her shoulders hunched. While the top half of her face was hidden by her mask, the eyes were very expressive. “Sorry, wrong time for surprises?”

“That’s not going to stop you,” Amity grumbled, getting to her feet as Luz pulled her staff back and thumped the blunt end against the ground. “I was just with Willow, we need to--”

Luz’s head tilted away from Amity’s face for barely a moment before she withdrew a fire glyph from her sleeve and activated it. She chucked it right by Amity’s head, almost grazing her ear.

Amity turned barely half a second later, watching as the fire glyph made contact with a demon trying to sneak up on them. This one hadn’t worn metal boots and Amity hadn’t heard them approaching. Smart. She’d see if she could get the Emperor's Coven to help her arrest that one.

“Sorry about that, you were saying?” Luz said, looking right back down at Amity. She assumed so, at least. The eyes of her mask were more like pale circles than actual eyeholes. 

“The Coven, Luz.” Amity said, also unphased. “It’s dawn, the Coven will be here soon. You know how they like to come early to catch people trying to flee the Night Market.”

“Aren’t you also in the Emperor’s Coven?” Luz reminded, unconcerned. “Can’t you make them leave or something?”

“I’m the leader of my small, and remarkably passive,” Amity enunciated, ignoring explosions sounding off. “Group of the Emperor’s Coven. They don’t come here. Other guards do. I have absolutely no power here.”

“I wouldn’t call Archie breaking Jerbo’s nose passive,”

“Oh you have not seen the kind of guards they have by the Toes.”

“Shame,” Luz leaned against her staff. “Perhaps you could show me sometime?” She asked, the eyes of her mask moving in a sort of eyebrow wiggle.

“Luz,” Amity sighed, clasping the palms of her hands together and pressing it against her nose as she mentally reeled herself in to keep her composure. “Asking me on a date in the middle of a battle is bordering on impressively bold and tacky, which is a line I didn’t know even existed.”

“What can I say? I like making new lines.” Luz beamed widely. “Does this mean I can keep kicking in teeth?” She asked hopefully.

“Absolutely not,” Amity crossed her arms. “I just said the Coven is going to arrive. Do you want to explain to the rebellion you need another prison breakout because nearly everyone here got captured for not leaving?”

“Tell you what,” Luz said, passing her staff to her other hand. “You can grab everyone who’d rather not be here when the Coven arrive while Eda and I finish up here.” She suggested casually.

“Luz you're going to get captu--”

“Oi, there she is!”

Luz and Amity calmly turned their heads, spotting that over the crest of the fallen stands, with the sunrise behind them, was a small band of demons and witches. A little less than a dozen or so. They all looked a little beat up, but many still sported a decent amount of weapons and, likely, magic.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me,” Amity groaned, leaning her head back.

“Well, since we’re already here…” Luz said, nudging her shoulder. “I mean, it's pretty bad form to back down from a challenge…”

Amity, ignoring the gang approaching them (who clearly thought they had the high-ground at were taking their sweet time, the idiots), gave Luz a half-hearted glare. Luz was still giving her a hopeful look, giddy with excitement. And Amity had to admit, it had been a while since they’d fought an enemy on the same side. Publicly, at least.

“Fine,” Amity relented, sagging as Luz perked up. “But as soon as they’re gone we are leaving.”

“As you wish, Miss Blight.” Luz said with a low, dramatic bow, mocking the title Amity’s Coven would give her.

“Only you could get away with that,” Amity muttered, finally turning her gaze back to the group of demons and witches, who had spent the last few minutes pulling up weapons from the debris and scattering to ‘hide,’ if you could call it that.

Snowy finally decided to show up, flying around Luz before landing on the end of her staff. Luz stood from her bow and gripped her staff with two hands. Amity summoned her own, already determining where to place three different abominations in the area.

“Shall we?” Luz said, giving Amity a coy look and gesturing broadly to the approaching witches.

“Try not to get your head blown off,” Amity said casually, offering the tiniest of smiles. Luz’s staff began to glow as she took a step back and braced herself, a springboard moments away from uncoiling.

“No promises!”

,

It was hardly a fight.

But Luz didn’t seem to mind. She never did. She was just thrilled to be part of one.

Amity would’ve been bored were Luz not there. One could count on her to make things interesting. Granted you had no say on if it was for better or for worse.

Amity swung her staff, her abomination following and lumbering right into a cluster of demons. She had multiple up and running around, and she’d admit, it was a little tiring. But she’d done worse before, and their assailants were almost gone.

Dawn was well upon them now, the light casting long shadows. Amity had lost track of who was or wasn’t around them anymore. She figured Willow had already left, and likely dragged a few others with her. She’d get yelled at later, she knew it.

There was a holler to her left and she turned towards it, flicking her wrist to move an abomination out of the way.

A spire of ice shot up from the ground, sending three witches flying off to who-knows-where. Luz’s head popped around from behind it, laughing as Snowy flew at another witch trying to run at her. In the same movement, Luz drew a plant and lightning glyph. She threw the plant glyph at one of the larger demons around the ice spire, wrapping his arm in vines. She ran by and slapped the lightning glyph on the vines, causing them to erupt and explode as the demon yelled and bolted.

Amity shook her head, glancing at her own palisman, Fang, sitting on her staff and giving her a bored expression that could rival Willow’s.

“Hey, at least she's effective.” Amity shrugged. Fang only huffed and clung tighter to the top of her staff, melding into it until he looked like nothing more than a fancy wooden carving.

There was a crack and a shout, and Amity looked back just in time to see a demon stumble away from getting Luz’s staff whacked right into their face. Amity quickly moved an abomination towards them to get them stuck, should they try to retaliate. She did a double check on the rest of her abominations, which were thankfully beginning to drive away the remainders of their attackers and beginning to melt into the ground when they were done doing so.

“And you better stay out!” Luz shouted after a demon behind her, waving her fist in the air. 

Amity was about to call out to her, but sounds of rapid footsteps grabbed her attention. She whirled around, summoning a small abomination as a shield before a witch crashed right into it. It took all of two seconds for Amity to recognize their white cloak and gray mask before she recoiled and cursed under her breath.

“Titan I hope you weren’t paying attention,” She mumbled before drawing a circle in the air. One of her other abominations turned into goo and quickly fused with the abomination in front of her, caging in the guard as they yelped and thrashed about.

Amity flicked her wrist and her abomination lumbered off, taking the guard with them.

They had run out of time.

“Luz, we gotta go!” Amity yelled, her shoulders tense as she searched for her human.

Luz had ended up a good few meters away on a slope, hollering after a few running demons. She glanced back at Amity’s shout, and seeing the worry on her face, wasn’t about to argue with her.

“Well, it was fun while it lasted.” Luz shrugged regretfully. “I suppose this is where I bid you adieu” She said, giving Amity a cheeky bow. In the same movement of her bow, she had hooked her hand into her mask and easily took it off and held it out in a hand. It was mainly for show, anyway.

Amity huffed and raised a brow, despite her amused smile. Luz lifted her head slightly and gave a teasing wink before standing back to her feet.

The witch, who hadn’t paid attention to anything else going on, saw a sudden movement from behind Luz. She could only process the mild annoyance at having to patch up another bruise on Luz before she spoke.

“Behind y--”

In barely a second, the demon behind Luz wrapped an arm in front of her and tugged her back, startling the human. In the same moment, before any of them could react, they brought up their other talon. There was the flash of a blade between their fingers before said blade was jabbed straight into Luz’s throat.

Amity froze. Luz froze. Everything seemed to go still. The blade was dug high up on Luz’s neck, blood already coating the object and beginning to leak around the demon's claws. Blood trickled down Luz’s neck and began to stain the collar of her shirt.

And, just as fast as it froze, time snapped back at a jolting speed.

There was a shriek overhead and a dash of white. Snowy reappeared and slammed her body into the demon's face, flashing her talons and screeching. The demon threw the blade to the side, yelping and stumbling back to try and throw off the palisman.

Blood gushed from Luz’s neck, and upon finally being released, the human gasped as her hand flew up to her wound. She stumbled, having nothing holding her up. Her knees shook and buckled, sending her tumbling to the ground, still grasping at her neck.

Amity could only stare, her eyes wide and pupils so narrowed they practically vanished. She visibly flinched and broke out of her state when Luz’s body hit the ground.

“Luz!” She screamed. A scratchy, shrill sound that even Amity didn’t know she was capable of.

She was running before the name was out of her mouth. She suddenly knew what tunnel vision was like. Her focus was solely on Luz, collapsed on the ground. Her feet seemed to hook and stumble against every little pebble as she rushed up the slope, her heart in her ears. Everything else was fuzzy and irrelevant, and they faded into background noise.

Amity was at Luz’s side far too soon and still too late for her liking. She stared down at her, her throat going dry.

Luz was gasping and pressing both hands to her throat, whether it was due to the pain or some part of her conscious enough to try and stop the blood flow, she couldn't tell. Blood pooled out, creating almost a sort of halo around her head. 

But her eyes, oh Titan her eyes.

They were blown wide, and were so white it looked almost unnatural. Her pupils had shrunk to sizes that she’d learned from Luz should not be physically possible for humans. A constant side-effect of shots she had gotten years ago.

Her eyes stared off into nothing, glazed but still so full of pure, unbridled terror. Luz was not someone who was scared easily, and seeing such an unmasked horror from her was nothing short of unsettling. Her eyes darted about as she wheezed for air, and she looked as though she couldn’t tell where she was.

Then those eyes landed on Amity.

Her face barely changed, although her eyes did. Her pupils dilated, ever so slightly. She locked those eyes with Amity as she gurgled through the blood bubbling in her throat. Amity could see her own petrified, still expression reflected back at her in those eyes. She was like a deer in the headlights, and she could feel her hands going numb.

One of Luz’s hands left her wound and she reached out, coated and dripping with blood as her fingers grazed Amity’s pant leg, weakly trying to grab at her.

Finally, though now that she looks back, the entire experience probably only lasted a few seconds, Amity snapped out of her trance.

“Luz,” Amity’s voice cracked, startlingly quiet as she dropped to her knees.

She panicked, and she knew she was. She looked over Luz rapidly as she wracked her brain for what to do. She knew healing magic, for Titan’s sake!

Instead, all she could think of to do was to press down on Luz’s throat, taking over as her girlfriends own hands started to shake and fall. Her eyelids drooped slightly and Amity felt a violent spike of fear at the sight.

“Viney,” Amity croaked, shaking her head as she wrapped an arm around Luz and pulled her closer, placing her head on her lap in some feeble attempt to elevate the wound, even though that wouldn’t do anything for a neck wound because of course it wouldn’t.

“Viney, Viney!” Amity cried, raising her head and frantically looking around the debris and dying--wrong word--chaos around her. “Where’s Viney?” She yelled pitifully, tightening her hold on Luz.

Yes, Viney could help. She was a far better healer than Amity. She’d healed bad injuries all the time. She just needed Viney and everything would be fine.

“Where are you?” Amity wailed, her panic rising to near hysteria as she searched the area with blurry, tear-filled eyes. She wasn’t sure who specifically she was calling for now. “Please, please she…”

Amity risked a glance down at Luz. She was now breathing through laboured breaths, raspy and shaking like a building that was about to collapse. Her eyelids were droopy, but she was stubbornly keeping them open as she lightly tried to hold her hands against her neck.

“There you guys are! What--”

Amity jerked her head up, pulling Luz closer to her chest as her ears dipped low.

Eda.

It was Eda. She was going to be okay. They were going to be okay.

Eda faltered, her confused, but still cocky, grin falling as she looked over Amity. Sitting on her knees, covered in blood that wasn’t her own, holding Luz like she was going to slip away from her at any moment.

“Kid!” Eda exclaimed, rushing forward and skidding to her knees so fast she likely cut them up as she grabbed Luz.

Amity was too numb to stop her, letting Eda take her as she stared off. Eda turned Luz over, sharply inhaling at the sight and her pupils narrowing and ears flicking back. Amity felt selfish for being glad that Eda had to see this, too. Because now Eda could take Luz, and she’d be fine, and tomorrow this day would be a funny story they’d tell the rebellion on a slow day.

Snowy had shown up again, though Amity couldn’t remember when. She had landed beside Eda, chirping and flapping her wings frantically as Eda scooped up Luz in her arms. She stood, momentarily forgetting about Amity as she yelled words the younger witch could no longer make out.

Her vision became splotchy and her ears felt fuzzy. Everything felt like a blur, and she was barely aware of being lifted off the ground. But she could still acutely hear the frantic beating of her heart and feel the stickiness of the blood drying on her clothes and hands.

,

When Amity finally came to, she was in the Owl House.

It wasn’t a consciousness she eased into, but rather was jerked out of by nothing in particular. She simply suddenly snapped up, her eyes shiny with emotion again as she looked around.

She was sitting on the couch, and Lilith was beside her, obviously lost in thought. Willow, Barcus and Gus were the only ones in the room, all of them sitting on the floor around the table in front of the couch.

She felt something warm in her hands and looked down, realizing she was holding a cup of tea. Lilith must’ve made it, considering how obsessed she was. Likely one of the kinds that helped keep her calm, she used those a lot.

She stared at her hands in fascination, seeing that they were no longer covered in blood. And for a moment, she thought she’d imagined it all.

But if she looked closely, she could still see the small bits and splatters of dried red liquid on the back of her hands. And when she looked down at herself, she saw that while her cloak and extra layers had been removed, her pant legs were still covered in dried blood and her shirt had specks of it that had soaked through.

Amity felt like she was going to be sick.

“Are you back?”

She blinked, forcing her eyes away from herself as she looked to the coffee table in front of her. Gus was sitting next to it, leaning his arms on it. He was looking at her now, face full of concern.

“Come--” Amity stopped and cleared her throat, hating how strained it sounded. “Come again?”

“You, um,” Gus gestured to his face with his hand. “Had a bit of a...gone look, for a while. You just, I dunno, you were…” He shook his head and swallowed. “H-how are you doing?”

He was nervous, clearly so. And seeing Gus as such did little to ease her own nerves. At least it was only nervousness, Amity wasn’t sure how she’d react if he was full-blown freaking out.

“I…” Amity blinked a few times, trying to get her mind in order. She was aware of everyone else in the room looking up towards her. “I’m--I’m fine.” She said, looking down at her hands again before sharply turning away. Right, the blood.

“Where, where’s Luz?” She asked, looking around the room. She tried to push down the growing feeling of unease, she didn’t trust herself not to hurl if she thought about it too much.

“She’s upstairs,” Lilith said, frowning slightly. “You saw Eda carry her up there with Viney.”

“I-I did?” Amity said, staring at her mentor.

“Yeah, you wanted to go with them.” Gus nodded, looking increasingly worried. “You don’t remember? You were freaking out and Willow had to calm you down.”

Amity turned to Willow at that, like just looking at her would suddenly explain everything. Willow was sitting at the other end of the coffee table, looking tired. That was nothing new, but her looking ready to fall asleep where she sat wasn’t. She met Amity’s gaze with exhaustion, cringing slightly and glancing away.

“Oh,” Amity said, gripping her cup of tea a little tighter. “I...I don’t remember that.” She said, shrinking in on herself. “Is Luz okay?” She asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Nobody met her gaze. Aside from Barcus, who lay underneath the table, for some reason. He met her gaze for a moment before his ears flicked back and he growled something under his breath.

“I’m going to check on her,” Amity said, pushing back the way it felt like her heart dropped as she sharply put her cup down on the table and stood up.

Her head felt dizzy as she did so, and it didn’t help that everyone started talking over each other as soon as Amity spoke. She stumbled for a moment before Lilith grabbed her shoulder and awkwardly pushed her back onto the couch.

“Absolutely not,” She said sternly. “We barely got you cleaned up, and still need to get you out of that.” She said, gesturing to the stained clothes Amity still bore. “Eda only took her up there a few minutes ago, we were simply catching our breath before you came to, it's why not everyone is here yet.”

“I know healing magic!” Amity protested, shrugging off Lilith’s hand. “I can help Viney.” She said, getting up again.

“You are in no condition to help Luz right now,” Lilith insisted, getting up just as quickly and lightly touching Amity’s arm as she stood in front of her. “Not after all that.” She said, her voice softening.

“What would you know?” Amity growled, more harshly than she meant. “You weren’t there. Nobody here was!” She hissed, resisting the urge to throw her hands in the air.

“No, we weren’t.” Lilith agreed, and the fact Lilith had done so with no argument had Amity shutting her mouth instantly. “But Eda told us where she found you, and judging from how you reacted and looked when they brought you back, I highly doubt seeing Luz in her current state is going to help anyone.”

Amity wanted to protest, she really did. She wanted to shove Lilith aside and storm up to wherever Luz was and do all she can to make her look up at her with eyes that didn’t get burned into her mind like a nightmare and a smile that didn’t have blood gushing out of it. But she knew she’d never make it far. Lilith was stubborn, and Willow would surely help keep Amity downstairs. There was no fighting Willow.

And, if she were honest with herself, she doubted she’d be able to do anything, anyway. Eda was probably already panicking, and the mere thought of seeing Luz laying on a cot with bandages around her neck and curled into a ball made her knees feel close to giving out.

“Luz will be okay,” Lilith continued, moving her hand up from Amity’s arm to the shoulder. “Viney said the blade entered too high,” She explained. “It didn’t hit any main arteries. She’s made it through a lot, this’ll be barely any different.” She assured, giving a tense smile.

If Amity had the energy, she’d argue that the fact everyone was anxiously waiting around didn’t exactly give any good signs. But right now, she wanted to do anything but dwell on today.

“Come on,” Willow said, pushing herself to her feet. “I have spare clothes here, we should get you out of that mess,” She said, offering a hand for Amity to take.

Amity stared down at it for a moment before her shoulders slumped and she took it, letting Willow guide her out of the living room. Gus and Barcus gave her pitying looks as they left through the door by the stairs.

“I’m sorry,” Amity mumbled, bringing her free hand close to her chest, where it was currently fisted. “I didn’t get her out of there in time, I humored her and now--”

“Hey,” Willow said sharply, turning around and narrowing her eyes. “I know how Luz is, this isn’t your fault.” She said, lowering her head so she could keep eye contact with Amity. “Something like this was bound to happen, anyway.” She mumbled bitterly.

“But I…” Amity trailed off, her throat feeling dry as she broke away from Willow’s gaze and glue her gaze to the ground, her hands trembling.

“It’s alright,” Willow said, gently squeezing her hand. “Luz will be fine, and so will you. Knowing her, she’d probably fight the Bat Queen herself if you so much as said you vaguely missed her.” She added, trying to joke.

“I know,” Amity said, looking up as her ears flicked down. “And that's what scares me.”

,

Amity was on her fifth cup of tea when the door to the Owl House had opened.

Barely an hour had passed, with no word from anyone upstairs. Barcus insisted that if Eda wasn’t worrying about having to risk a hospital visit, Luz was bound to be fine.

Nobody had left the house since Luz had been whisked away, leaving none of them able to tell the others they hadn’t picked up on the way back about the situation.

So the laughing and jeering that greeted them when the door opened was a bit jarring.

“Ey, there they are!” Edric grinned, walking in as he shoulder-bumped Jerbo. “I can’t believe you guys left us!”

“Ed almost got caught by the Coven,” King said, sitting up on Jerbo’s shoulders. “I rescued him.” He added proudly, a paw on his chest.

“You did not,” Jerbo shook his head with a smile. “What was the rush? We thought you’d all been carted off to prison again.” He asked, looking around the room.

Exhausted, stricken faces greeted them. You could see the joy die from their eyes, replaced with bone-chilling worry.

“What happened?” Emira demanded, stepping in and closing the door.

“Luz got hurt,” Lilith said calmly. “Badly.” She glanced to Amity beside her, who was staring at her tea. “Amity witnessed it.” She added, quieter and full of pity.

The twins looked to each other with similar faces of fear before they rushed in, moving to crouch beside their sister. Lilith silently moved to the furthest side of the couch so Emira could sit next to Amity. Jerbo and King glanced to each other before hurrying to the others on the floor, talking in hushed tones.

“She’ll be okay,” Amity said, her eyes flickering between her siblings. “I’ve learned from you two that things often look a lot worse than they actually are.” She added with an obviously forced lighter tone, giving a small smile.

“Oh, Amity…” Edric trailed off, his ears pressing back. “What...is…”

“Wasn’t fun,” Amity said, continuing her fake tone. “I can tell you that. I think I washed my hands raw.” She said, looking down at where said rubbed-red hands were shaking as they held her cup. “She’s--” She broke off, swallowing thickly and refusing to let her voice break. “She’s with Viney and Eda.” 

“If you start using humor to cope I’m going to punch you.” Emira warned, a growl forming before dying out. 

“Hypocrite,” Amity rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her tea.

“Well hey, if Viney’s with Luz, then she’s going to be up and running in barely a day.” Edric said, quickly changing the topic away from them. “She's dealt with all kinds of ridiculous injuries, especially from Em.”

“Oh your one to talk,” Emira snapped. “If Jerbo was a healer--”

“Behave,” Lilith called sharply, giving the twins a warning glare from the other side of the couch.

“Yes, mom.” Edric mumbled under his breath so she couldn’t hear.

“Hey, Luz is tough.” Emira said, wrapping an arm around Amity’s shoulders and pulling her against her side. “A little scrap will barely graze her. It’ll be a joke within hours, just you wait.”

Amity raised a hand to her neck, lightly rubbing it as she glanced to her sister, grimacing before looking away.

“It was here,” She said quietly, almost inaudible. “They got her here.”

The twins tensed. Edric squeezed Amity’s arm and she slumped, letting Emira keep her upright.

Neither of them spoke after that.

,

It was late afternoon when they heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Everyone's heads were up in a flash, waiting in bated breath.

It was Eda.

She looked drained, a hand running down her face. She paused at the doorway, looking out into the living room with anxious faces staring back at her.

“She’s okay,” Eda said, and it was like the weight of the sky had been lifted off their shoulders.

Amity almost fell off the couch by how fast and heavily she sagged in relief. Emira’s arm around her was the only thing keeping her stable.

“She’ll need rest for a few days, but Luz will be back to normal in no time.” Eda said, walking into the room. “Viney’s doing a final once over,” She added, catching Emira’s eye.

“Can we see her?” Gus asked, standing up.

“Kids exhausted, you can’t all see her at once.” Eda deadpanned. “Viney already almost bit my head off for staying that long,” She mumbled under her breath. “One at a time, and honestly, Viney might yell at you to leave her alone within the hour.”

Amity was on her feet in seconds, her cup forgotten on the table. She took a step towards the stairs before pausing and turning back to Gus.

Sure, Amity had seen what happened to Luz but...he was Luz’s friend, too. He and Willow were still her closest. And...well, she couldn’t help but feel guilty as she met his eyes.

Gus seemed to understand and smiled, sitting back down on the floor beside Willow.

“Go ahead,” He said, and Amity once again wondered how his emotions could almost flip on a dimel. “But I call seeing Luz next.” He said, looking back to the others with a joking glare that couldn’t frighten a squirrel.

“Yeah, good luck fighting for that.” Willow taunted, punching his arm as he yelped and gave a sheepish smile.

“Don’t break anything,” Amity warned, but smiled back as she nodded to her siblings and made her way to the stairs.

As she passed Eda, the witch reached out for her. Amity paused, watching her. Eda seemed to hesitate for a moment before patting her shoulder and moving away, towards where the rest of their family began to discuss who-knows-what, all the tension having left them.

Feeling a bit lighter, Amity made her way up the stairs.

,

She hung outside of Luz’s room for a moment, scuffing at the floor with her feet. She could hear shuffling and muffled voices through the door, and wondered the consequences of busting in when Viney was still packing up.

The door opened and Amity jumped. Viney stepped out, looking surprised for a moment before relaxing with a smile.

“You know, she was just asking to see you and the others.” She chuckled, re-situating her medical bag under her arm. “Try not to--never mind.”

Viney only shook her head as Amity pushe right by her, rushing into Luz’s room. Viney couldn’t blame her, and only shrugged and shut the door behind her.

Amity paused for a moment to take in the scene, suddenly remembering she probably should’ve mentally prepared herself better.

Luz was laying on her mattress Eda had upgraded her too, under a single sheet. She was laying on her back with one hand hanging off and brushing the floor. The other was situated on her stomach. She was still wearing her outfit from earlier, but her purple cloak had been discarded on the other side of the room, and Luz had been changed out of her surely bloodsoaked shirt. She wore one of her gray tank tops instead, and her eyes were partially closed.

For a brief, horrifying second, Amity was reminded of a corpse in an open casket.

That was, until Luz saw who had entered the room.

“Ami--” Luz’s gleeful cry was cut off by her hacking loudly, coughing as she sat up and pressed a hand to her throat.

“Are you okay?” Amity worried, rushing over and standing over Luz, reaching out a hand.

“Fine,” Luz wheezed, lifting her free hand to reassure Amity. “Voice is just gonna be off for a little while.” She said, her voice scratchy as she rubbed at her neck once before dropping her hand.

And once it moved away, Amity finally got to see the bandages wrapped tightly around her. True to Lilith’s word, they were much higher up than a typical throat-slit. On Luz, it was just below her chin, right where her neck met her head. Though it still didn’t stop Amity from wincing at the sight of the gauzes.

Luz noticed and deflated slightly. She attempted to shake it off and grabbed Amity’s hand, pulling it closer and encasing both of her hands over it. Which was an easy feat, considering they were noticeably bigger.

“I’m glad you're okay,” She said in her strained voice, looking up at Amity with a smile that the witch lingered on a moment too long to be natural.

“I’m not the one you should be worrying about,” Amity said, a little sternly as she pressed her ears back. “If anything, I should be saying that I’m glad you're okay.”

“Aw, you care.” Luz teased, sticking out her tongue. Amity gave her a half-hearted glare and she faltered, her smile falling along with her eyes.

“I just,” Luz swallowed, biting the inside of her cheek as she noticed Amity’s unease. “I’m--I remember what you looked like when I,” Luz hesitated, clearing her hoarse voice as a hole opened in Amity’s gut. “I...I was worried about you.” She mumbled, lowering her head.

Amity stared at Luz’s hunched form for a few moments. Then, tentatively, like she was expecting Luz to bolt, she lifted her other hand and stepped right to the edge of the bed. Luz spared a glimpse up as Amity wrapped her hand around Luz’s back and pulled her closer.

Luz drooped into her hold, thumping her head against Amity’s chest and squeezing her hand tighter. Amity lightly ran her hand through the hair at the base of Luz’s head, which she also rested her chin on and rocked subtly to the side, shutting her eyes.

They stayed like that for a while, letting the memories of the day roll over them before forcing it back, all in silence. Amity was sure Luz could tell she was fighting back crying again, and she knew Luz wasn’t as alright as she acted. Not from how her hands left her own and clutched tightly at the girls sides, pulling at her baggy shirt and pressing her face close.

“I was scared for you,” Luz finally broke the silence, her raspy, painful-sounding voice almost inaudible. “You looked like you’d seen the end of the world.”

“Well, I was certainly scared for you.” Amity said matter-of-factly, trying to cover up her disturbance at Luz having remembered more than she thought. “Don’t worry about it, I’m alright now.”

“That’s the worst lie I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“Oh, and you're a master at figuring out liars now?” Amity snarked, looking down at Luz and meeting Luz’s eyes, which were wonderfully normal and not full of panic.

“I’m good with you,” Luz said cheerfully in her stupid scratchy voice that Amity hated she kind of liked. “Your right ear moves when you lie, when you forget about it.”

Damnit. Edric and Emira had always remembered that tick of hers and Amity had learned to stop herself from flicking said ear whenever she was lying. But every now and again, she forgot.

“That proves nothing,” Amity said stiffly, turning her head away. “I move my ear when I’m annoyed all the time.” 

“That's your left ear,” Luz said with gleeful factuality. “I noticed.” She said proudly, giving Amity an expression like she’d solved a puzzle and was looking for praise.

“That you did,” Amity mumbled, ruffling Luz’s hair so it’d fall into her eyes. She needed to cut that sometime. “You're very annoying like that.”

“Too bad I’m your annoyance,” Luz teased, giving Amity a smug wink.

“Woe is me,” Amity said in a bleak voice, laying her head on Luz’s to hide the blush creeping up her face. “I’m going to be suffering for the rest of my days.”

“C’mon, I do that all on my own--” Luz broke off in a fit of coughs, doubling over and releasing Amity.

The witch stepped back, eyes flashing with fear as got to her knees beside the bed and laid her hand on Luz’s leg. She shoved down the helpless feeling she thought would’ve been gone by now as Luz coughed and rubbed at her bandaged neck.

“Sorry,” Luz wheezed, her fit finally calming down.

“It’s alright,” Amity said, her voice quiet as well. “You should rest your voice.”

“No, I-” Luz flinched, rubbing at her neck more before shaking her head. “I’m sorry for scaring you,” She rasped. “You said we had to leave, and I didn’t, and--”

“Hey, hey,” Amity chided softly, lifting to hold Luz’s free hand. “It was an accident, I don’t blame you. Nobody does.” 

“I know, but…” Luz sighed, her shoulders slumping. She leaned forward, lightly knocking her forehead against Amity’s as she closed her eyes for a second before opening them. She kept her eyes locked on where Amity was still holding her hand.

“I’m a mess,” Luz mumbled, stroking her thumb over the back of Amity’s hand. “And I should’ve...I dunno...I just…” She groaned and finally met Amity’s gaze. “I’m sorry. For a lot of things. And I wish that it,” She gestured around them with her other hand. “Didn’t end up like this. You know? This is a rebellion, I thought it’d be fun. They always make rebellions sound so cool and how you’d always escape them okay and be heroes.”

“So, Azura, then?” Amity lifted a brow.

“Don’t patronize me,” Luz huffed good-naturedly. “Look, I’m just...sorry. That I got hurt, that someone else could’ve gotten hurt, that you're stuck in this mess, that…” Luz muttered and blinked her eyes rapidly, like Amity somehow couldn’t see they were beginning to water. “God, I think I’m still high off those pain medications.” She groaned, covering her face with her hand.

Amity blinked before giving a small smile. She moved her head back slightly and raised her other hand, reaching out for Luz and cupping her cheek. Luz immediately leaned into it and slipped her hand off her face to hold Amity’s in its place.

“I’ve been stuck before,” She said, pointedly keeping her gaze away from Luz’s bandages. “And if this is your idea of stuck, then you better believe I’m not leaving.”

Luz gave a small half-smile, leaning further into her hand. Amity brushed her thump behind Luz’s eye, looking over her with mixed feelings. Luz wasn’t one to admit her fears so openly, and even Amity could tell how she tried to cover up her awkwardness at being open. Perhaps taking a page out of Luz’s book wasn’t a good idea, but she couldn't be bothered to worry about herself right then.

Amity leaned forward, catching Luz’s minor surprise for only a second before she placed a kiss on the side of Luz’s mouth, where a small scar went right over it. She remembered when Luz had gotten that scar, and she recalled how at the time it seemed like nothing more than an inconvenient cut. 

Amity pulled back only a moment later, almost snickering at the sight of Luz. She was flushed and looked like a deer in the--nope. Wrong analogy.

Amity hoped her quick cover-up smile was enough to make up for her sudden shift. 

Luz eventually reeled herself in and her expression shifted to that of a pout, letting her hand fall from Amity’s as she thumped her head on her girlfriends shoulder.

“Cheater,” She whined, her voice muffled.

Amity giggled, relaxing as she wrapped an arm around Luz and held her close. It was an awkward position, but she couldn’t find it in her to care.

She remained there for a moment, laying her cheek against Luz’s shoulder. She glanced to the side, looking over the bandages around her throat. And for a moment she saw just how deep that blade dug into the human’s skin.

“It’s going to scar over,” She found herself saying, feeling Luz stiffen in her arms. “Isn’t it?”

Luz was silent for a few moments, and in those moments Amity feared she shouldn’t have spoken. Luz had never been one to dislike her scars until...well, she’d gotten a rather nasty one from Eda she’d rather forget. But then Luz exhaled, sounding far more tired than she had been before.

“Yeah,” She croaked. “Viney said it would.”

“I’m sorry,” Amity murmured.

“It’s okay,” Luz said, resting her chin on Amity’s shoulder so she could be heard better. “This isn’t my first and it won’t be my last.”

Amity felt a chill at that line. She knew it wasn’t meant to be foreboding, only a small joke so she wouldn’t worry. Yet, it made her uneasy at how Luz brushed it off. And it was a small reminder that, even if Luz felt regret, she was still a naturally reckless person. And one day she’d be right back in her bed, covered in bandages and possibly in a worse condition than a hoarse voice.

“Luz,” Amity said, tightening her arms around the human. “I…”

Titan, what even was there to say? Don’t say that? You deserve better? I love you?

She wouldn’t get anywhere with any of those. And especially not the latter. There was too much going on already, and this was neither the time nor the place.

Amity squeezed her eyes shut and sighed before leaving her eyes half-lidded.

“Be careful,” She said instead. “If not for yourself, then for the others. You have no idea how scared we were.” She flicked her ears further down. “Don’t do anything overly stupid, okay?” She said, her voice hitching as she tried to cover it with a more teasing tone.

She could feel Luz swallow against her shoulder, shifting in her hold slightly.

“I’ll try,” She murmured.

And Amity supposed that was the best she could ask for.

“Also,” Luz started nervously. “Uh, not to rapidly change the subject,” Luz said, lifting her head slightly, her voice a bit more strained than before. “But your claws are kind of digging into my back…”

“Oh, right!” Amity squeaked and jerked back, sharply tugging her hands off of Luz and wincing when she felt her claws slide out of Luz’s shirt and skin. “Sorry, sorry,”

“I’ve had worse.” Luz chuckled, pulling away and giving Amity a mildly pained smile. “And as much as I love having you here,” Her eyes trailed somewhere behind Amity. “I think Gus is about to break something if this doesn’t hurry up.”

Amity turned around, confused. Sure enough, the door to the room was just barely cracked, and Gus could be seen pacing outside it. And Amity was willing to bet Willow was there, too.

“Seriously, guys?” Amity rolled her eyes, exasperated.

“We weren’t listening, I swear!” Gus insisted, pulling the door open further and poking his head in. “We weren’t even here that long!”

“Next time, you can just knock.” Amity grumbled, flicking her ear at Luz’s snickers behind her. 

“Eh, figured you’d tear our heads off if we did,” Willow said, pulling the door open further. “So, can we come in then?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Amity sighed, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. “Eda’s going to kill you if she finds out both of you were sneaking in at the same time.”

“Eh, I’ll probably be fine.” Luz shrugged, her voice scratching more as she clearly tried to hold back another cough.

“Get it out of your system,” Amity told her simply, deciding to push back her earlier turmoil as she turned back to the door. “You want me to cover for you two?”

“You and I both know it's going to take ages for you to finally go downstairs instead of hovering by the door.” Willow deadpanned. 

“This is bullying,” Amity complained as Gus and Willow walked in, with Gus instantly springing to Luz’s bedside and going off about some topic Amity was tuning out.

“Yeah, hurts, doesn’t it?” Willow said with a smirk, raising a brow as she passed Amity.

“...Touché,” Amity mumbled with an acknowledging nod.

Willow only shook her head and came up by the head of Luz’s bed, calmly watching as Gus talked a mile a minute, so much livelier than how he was mere hours ago. Amity stood back and watched, fiddling her hands together as Luz coughed and assured her friends she was fine and letting Gus continue his rambling.

Amity unconsciously rubbed her hand at her own throat before quickly dropping it again. She fiddled her hands together, feeling that her claws were still unsheathed. She pressed along her fingers, trying to coax her claws to sheath. It only somewhat worked, and she relented that her claws weren’t going to go away for a while.

Willow glanced over at her with a questioning look. Amity cringed at seeing her concern and gave a forced smile and nodded her head. She knew it didn’t convince Willow, but she didn’t push and turned back to Gus and Luz without further comment.

She’d always be worried about Luz, she decided as she watched said human listen to Gus and pointedly ignore the warning glances Willow gave her as she messed with her bandages. Luz would always be a handful, no matter how much she changed, she’d still be the human who had to learn as much magic as she could and the one who wouldn’t stand for an emperor like Belos. If nobody would do it, Luz sure as hell would.

And, as scared as she was to blink and suddenly see that blood on her hands again, she decided it was worth it. She’d never get used to it, not completely.

Amity could almost hear Willow calling her a hypocrite, because the more she thought about it, the more Amity began to realize that she’d likely do anything of Luz’s request to make her safer. Hell, she didn’t doubt she’d fight her own parents one-on-two if Luz asked nicely.

And while the thought of that terrified her, she couldn’t find the common sense to find a reason to stop herself, should it happen.

Perhaps that's just the impact Luz had on people.

Or maybe it was just Amity.

She couldn’t find it in her to care anymore.

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: Family - 28

The Tower: Family An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 2024

Warnings:  Pregnancy, Smut (MMF, oral sex, vaginal sex, pregnancy sex)

Synopsis: With new powers, Thor now living on Earth full time, a wedding to plan, and Natasha and Wanda expecting, a lot is changing for Elly and her large and rather unconventional family.  When Elise’s parents try to reestablish connections, Elly questions what being a family actually means.

Chapter 28: The Tour

Rose and Sarah stayed in the medbay under observation for almost two weeks all up.  Wanda had been told that she could come home after a few days, but she wanted to be there if they needed to be fed, so she stayed the whole time, while each of us took turns staying with her too.

The day we got cleared to bring them up, Steve and Thor carried them swaddled in pastel muslin wraps.  Everyone was waiting excitedly for them to arrive and when the elevator dinged Riley and Pietro ran over with the dogs on their heels, dancing around excitedly.

“Dey’re hewre, dey’re hewre!”  They both chanted as the doors opened.

Thor laughed loudly as he, Steve, and Wanda stepped out.  “What a wonderful welcome home for your sisters.”

“Alright, alright,” Steve said, as he tried to navigate his way around them. “We don’t want to scare them do we?”

“Daddy, daddy, we wanna show dem deyre woom,” Riley said excitedly.

“And our wooms too,” Pietro added.

Steve chuckled and ruffled Pietro’s hair.  “Wanda?  You don’t need to feed them yet?”

“No.  We can take them for a tour of the house,” Wanda agreed.

Riley and Pietro showed them all around the house, making sure the rest of us came along too. There was no rhyme or reason to where they went.  First heading up to the bedrooms then back down to the kitchen.  To the games room above the cinema, then to the cinema and the dining area.  Steve told them the garden had to wait for another day so instead, they led us all up to the gym.

By the time they were done the babies had started to complain a little, they looked exhausted and my back was killing me.  Natasha looked like she wasn’t feeling particularly comfortable either, and I figured it might be time for her, me, and the kids to all take a nap.

“I think it might be time to feed the babies,” Wanda said.  “Thank you, Riley and Pietro, for showing them around.”

“I think it might be time for you two to have a nap too,” I added.

“No, mommy,” Riley complained.  “I don’d wanna.”

“Tell you what,” I said.  “You come up with me and I’ll read a story and you rest.  And if you don’t go to sleep you can get back up and play.”

Riley wrinkled her nose but gave a reluctant nod.

“El,” Bruce said, rubbing my back.  “You and Natasha look exhausted.  Why don’t you both go have a nap and I’ll read to the kids.  We can go down to the garden with the dogs if they don’t fall to sleep.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” Bruce agreed.

Wanda, Natasha, Bruce, and I headed upstairs, followed by Steve and Thor with the kids and we all veered off in different directions.  Bruce took Riley and Pietro to Pietro’s room, Thor, Steve, and Wanda took the babies to the nursery, and Natasha and I headed to the main bedroom.

“Now the fun stuff starts,” I said, getting up into bed and pulling my body pillow into place.  “Midnight feedings.  Diaper changes.”

“Mm… I think the others are going to try and make it so we’re not the ones doing that,” Natasha said as she got into position facing me, with her own body pillow tucked under her, supporting her stomach.  “At least until these two are born.”

“I guess that’s what the nannies are for too,” I agreed.

“Yes, they are,” Natasha said.  “I mean obviously if we’re breastfeeding we’ll have to get up, but hopefully that means our sleep cycles aren’t too interrupted.  There are 12 of us including the nannies after all.”

“Guess we’ll have to see,” I said.

She smiled and caressed my cheek.  “I don’t like that we’re too big to cuddle up to each other.”

I giggled.  “Me either.  We need a third person to act as our cuddle surrogate.”

She started laughing.  “I guess we could convince one of the boys to do that.”

“FRIDAY, can you ask the guys if anyone wants to come nap with us because we need a human body pillow,” I said.

“Of course,” FRIDAY said with a touch of humor to her voice.

“I wonder who will come,” Natasha said. “My money is on Clint.  He’s always up for a nap.”

“Yeah probably,” I agreed.

To our surprise, it was Tony who showed up.  “You order a human pillow?”  He asked, taking his jacket off and draping it over the back of a chair.

“You don’t sleep,” Natasha said.

“No, but my need for human touch is extremely high,” he joked as he got up into bed.

“Aww, my poor touch starved baby,” I said, cuddling into him and putting my leg up on his hip.

“Won’t have to worry about that now,” Natasha teased as she mimicked my position on his other side.

We each rested our heads on his chest, so we were facing each other and breathing in each other’s exhaled breath.  Tony hummed and curled his arms around both of us.  “Yeah, this is nice.”

It wasn’t long until I was deep asleep.

I’m not sure how long I was asleep for when I woke again.  The room had been darkened by FRIDAY so there was no real indication about what time it was.  I felt very well rested though, so I must have hit that sweet zone where it was long enough to actually count but not too long to make you feel more tired than before you napped in the first place.

I opened my eyes and came face to face with Natasha who was still asleep.  Her eyelashes fanned out over her cheek and her lips were parted slightly.

I ran my hand up under Tony’s t-shirt and ran my fingers over his stomach.

“What are you doing there?”  Tony teased.

I looked up at him and he was looking down at me with a smile.  “Sleep well, dear?”  He asked.

“Mm-hmm…” I hummed and leaned up and kissed him.

His arm tightened around me, drawing me in closer as we kissed.  The kiss was cut short as Natasha cleared her throat.  We broke apart and looked at her.  “You starting stuff while I’m using you as a pillow?”  She scolded.

“You’re welcome to join in, Red,” Tony countered.

She seemed to consider it for a moment.  “El, can you tell what everyone else is up to?”

I flicked my fingers through the threads that connected me to the others.  “Umm, all the kids are still asleep but it feels like maybe twenty minutes more tops.  Wanda is in the kitchen with Bucky.  Bruce is down in the lab.  The rest are all in the games room so I assume they’re playing Among Us.”

“God damn Clint introducing that game to Steve,” Natasha laughed as she brought her lips to mine.

We kissed deeply over Tony’s chest and Tony massaged our asses.  She hummed softly and pulled back and looked at us both.  “I guess we have twenty minutes until we need to be anywhere.”

“That’s enough for ten times,” Tony joked.

“Maybe for you,” Natasha said, pushing him onto his back.  “But not for me.”

She kissed him hard and for a moment he didn’t seem to know where to put his hands.  He just hovered them above her as he submitted to her kiss.  Slowly he wrapped them around her, pulling her in closer as he slowly and passionately returned the kiss.”

I pushed his t-shirt up and kissed his chest as I watched them.  Natasha slowly pulled back and looked at me.  “This might be a little awkward given how big we’ve both got.  Do you want to go down on me?”

I bit my bottom lip and nodded.  We all stripped off our clothes, Tony helping Natasha and me with ours until all three of us were completely naked.  Natasha propped some pillows behind her back and spread her legs and I crawled down between them, nuzzling at the insides of her thighs and the small thatch of red pubic hair.  Tony ran his hands down my hand and over my ass as he leaned in and kissed Natasha’s neck.  He spanked me gently and ran his fingers up and down my pussy in an unfocused way.

As I began to lap at Natasha’s cunt he kissed lower down her body and his fingers became more focused.  When he reached her breasts, he pulled one of her nipples into his mouth, and at the same time, his fingers began to work my clit.  Natasha gasped and her head dropped back as her cunt flooded.  I moaned as I lapped up the tart fluids that dripped from her.  My own arousal was growing and as Tony’s fingers explored my pussy they became soaked in my fluids and ran more easily up and down my folds.

I pushed two fingers inside Natasha, slowly moving them in and out while I sucked on her clit and ran my tongue quickly back and forth over it.  Her moans got louder and she pushed her hips up like she wanted more.  Tony let her nipple go and moved behind me, nudging my legs a little further apart and slapping the head of his cock on my clit.  I gasped and pushed back against him, rolling my hips a little as he teased me.

My fingers became more focused and I began seeking out here g-spot.  Tony pushed the head of his cock into my cunt, and just held it there like he was teasing me.  I mewled needily and pushed back against him.  “I know, dear,” he teased and spanked me before thrusting hard in and bottoming out. 

I cried out and for a second I couldn’t focus.  He spanked me again and Natasha grabbed my hair and pushed me back down against her cunt.  I focused in, sucking greedily on her clit as I pushed my fingers deep inside her.  My fingertips touched down on the soft, spongy surface of her g-spot and I dug them into it.  Natasha cried out and bucked up and more of her fluids seeped from her.  They ran down my wrist in little rivulets as I dragged my fingers over that sweet spot inside her again and again.

Tony fucked me hard from behind, thrusting into me again and again, and pushing me up against Natasha with every snap of his hips.  I tried not to let him distract me.  I kept moving my fingers inside Natasha, working them hard over her g-spot as I sucked and nipped at her clit.

Her legs began to tremble and she began to pant.  The sounds she made were needy and animalistic like she’d lost the ability to control herself anymore.  She lay back and her hips jerked up, and with a loud cry, she came - gushing onto me.

I didn’t stop what I was doing right away, I just kept stroking my fingers over her g-post.  Natasha mewed, and tried to close her legs.  “Stop…” she gasped.  “Stop, Elise.  I can’t.”

I stopped immediately pulling my fingers from her.  She lay back panting and stroked my hair and I relaxed back into Tony, bouncing on his cock as he fucked me.  Natasha crawled over and began to rub my clit hard.  My own orgasm built and threatened to break.  Natasha pinched my clit and I cried out, my body seizing up as I came hard.

“Fuck!”  I moaned as Tony kept fucking me.  He groaned and leaned forward, panting heavily without easing up at all.

“I’m close,” he groaned.

“Please, Tony,” I mewled.  “Come inside me.”

He groaned loudly and his hips began to stutter.  His fingers tightened on my thigh and he jerked inside me, releasing in hot ribbons.

 He slipped out of me and I slowly flicked through each thread connecting me to the others.

“How long have we got?”  Natasha asked.

“Mmm…” I hummed.  “I’d say enough time for a shower.”

She sat up and smiled at me.  “That sounds perfect.”

// NEXT

[nukapind]

Hi can you pls continue the late night visit fics their great and I love seeing dad!dabi content yours became a new favorite of mine 🥰💜🤗

Enough (Dabi x Reader)

+ Request: “Hi! I was wondering if I could request a continuation of your series Of Visits and Drop Ins? Honestly I look forward to seeing more interactions between Dabi and his son along with how the family dynamic has changed to accommodate Dabi. Happy New Year!”

So I actually didn’t even notice it was the day to post and I did literally all of this on my break at work lmao. Lemme know if y’all have any requests and like always, this was crossposted to my AO3.

Late Night Visit (Part One)  Daylight Drop-In (Part Two)

___

The first change you made was the olive branch— a small key to your apartment that you’d left on the counter with a note. It’d always been an extra key but lately it’d found a home looped in some twine around Dabi’s neck in a makeshift necklace, hidden to the prying eyes of his so called coworkers under his shirt.

The second was the extra space that’d seemed to free itself up— from the empty hook on the coatrack to the new seat at the dinner table, there’d at least been an attempt to accommodate a third person in the house, even if there was no guarantee that it’d be used. After all, Dabi had never seemed to care about the smaller things before— never once cared if his placemat was at the table or if you’d freed up space in your closet to make room for his clothes— yet you still made space for him in your life.

And the final change certainly had to be Takeshi himself, he’d always been such a sweet and quiet boy outside of the home. He’d never been one to be loud nor to be mischievous

With Dabi here, he seemed to come to life just as his powers had.

“Mommy, look at what Dabi taught me!” An excited squeal rang in your ears, quickly followed by the sound of little feet running around the house. Those words had never been followed with anything good, the last he’d said that your hair had been singed slightly— Takeshi was very apologetic, Dabi not as much but he’d certainly got a kick out of it.

Immediately your eyes darted over the fire extinguisher on the kitchen counter, fingers antsy to reach out for it already. “Mom look!” He whined and reluctantly you turned, a soft gasp leaving your lips. A small blue flame rested on his fingertip, glowing just as much as the smile on Takeshi’s face.

“Wow sweetie, that’s wonderful. But remember that we don’t use our quirks inside the house, practicing is for our outside time.” He huffed but the proud look on his face didn’t seem to vanish. “It looks just like Dabi’s fire! I’m getting good.” You snorted, he certainly did seem to be getting the same amount of confidence that Dabi had, that’s for sure.

“It looks very cool, now put that fire out quick.” He pouted but nevertheless the flame quickly dissipated— only proving that though Dabi may have been a pain to have around before this, he had been teaching Takeshi quickly. The elementary school you’d sent him to had already said his control was far greater than the other students, that he had a remarkable quirk— a quirk that was an awful lot like Endeavor’s, that could work perfectly for a hero. You wanted absolutely none of that, and you were sure Dabi would rather skin himself alive than to hear that Takeshi had been compared to Endeavor at your parent-teacher conference.

Thankfully, Takeshi hadn’t had such an interest in heroes like all the other children his age— hopefully he never would.

“Kid’s got good control, better than me at that age.” Biting your lip, you nodded softly— though you’d made all these changes to fit Dabi in both of your lives, it didn’t mean seeing him was any less uncomfortable. It was obvious, from the beginning at least, that you’d only wanted him around to help Takeshi— who still hadn’t wanted  to call Dabi his dad.

It’d been a nightmare at the beginning, but slowly things had started to get better.

“Well, you’ve had more than enough time to learn how to control that firepower. Now you’re just passing it on I suppose.” You’d threaded your fingers through Takeshi’s hair, frowning softly at the white that was poke through at the tips— Dabi had said it was something that couldn’t be helped, that it’d happened to him as a kid too and the only solution would be to dye it back.

“Kid, go clean up. Your mom and I have to talk.” And just as he always did whenever Dabi told him to do anything, Takeshi nodded obediently before running off to the bathroom— Dabi had been his idol recently, hanging around him every second he could.

Which made this talk a whole lot scarier.

“Doll I—” “Dabi, I just wanna say thank you for being here.” You quickly interrupted him, wringing your hand nervously. What other reason would he have to talk other than to say he was done with teaching Takeshi? After all, Takeshi was already ahead of the curve, the schools could handle his quirk from here on out— there was probably no need for Dabi to stick around. But these last three months had been the easiest of your life, with the help with Takeshi you’d barely had to worry too much.

Because despite everything he’d done, you trusted Dabi to keep both you and Takeshi safe. That’d been enough.

“Takeshi has been… so so much better with you here, honestly I’ve never seen him this happy. He loves being around you, It’s all I fucking hear.” You laughed, rubbing the back of your neck. “You’re… you’re really helping us out Dabi.” The conflicted look on his face was enough to prepare you for the worst.

And his mind was conflicted indeed, all he’d promised was to get the brat’s quirk in check— he’d never promised all these family dinners and babysitting while you were out. He had better things to do than to watch a shitty movie with some snot-nosed brat while you did the dishes in the kitchen.

But then again, he’d been the one dragging out the training sessions, and he’d been the one that’d been showing up at the league less and less each week. He’d been the one passing out on your couch even though he’d told himself that this was just gonna be a quick thing.

He’d gotten too comfortable with all this fucking domesticity, and it was just causing him even more fucking problems.

“I can’t be here anymore Doll, you think they wouldn’t take your ass to Tartarus if they catch me with you? And if they find out who Takeshi really is, they’ll send him right to that asshole. He’ll do to Takeshi what he fucking did to me.” He kept his voice low, Takeshi had never liked hearing the two or you argue. “We can leave this place then, we can figure this out.” Your pleading almost made something in his chest twinge, but it was easy enough to shove that away.

“They could send him to the hero commission too, they’d make him a fucking soldier there.” He spat, the very idea was vile— for his own son to be working in what was one of the most flawed hero systems ever.

“If you run out on us again, you’re not coming back, Dabi. You’ll be out of his life for good. I mean it this time.” He hesitated, watching as Takeshi ran out the bathroom only to settle himself into the couch, cartoons already blaring way too loudly. And he hesitated again as he watched you: arms crossed and defensive, ready to protect your little fucked up family at any cost.

What he’d give to have just a little more fucking resilience.

“Fine.” He hissed. “You have one week to sort out all your shit, I’ll be back and we’ll take the kid and go. But don’t fucking say I didn’t do anything for you two.” Promptly he was pulled into a bone crushing hug, your face buried in his chest as tears dampened his shit. “I gotta do some stuff before we go, but seven days. Don’t go changing your mind.” “I won't! I won’t” Your grin wasn’t at all dampened by the sniffles escaping you. 

“Dabi, thank you so much.” 

And in that moment, it was a reminder of what had dragged him into your life in the first place. “Don’t fucking bail out on me, alright Doll?”

The nod into his chest was enough.

Masterlist

[bookwyrminspiration]

Shattered Upside Down

A kotlc wings au: masterpost here

Chapter 7: The Outside

word count: 8.2k

chapter summary: Everything seems to be crashing down around Sophie, so she had to try and figure out how to clean up the aftermath.

warnings: explosions, injuries, burns, panic and numbness, theft, desire to pull out hair (no actual pulling), collapsing, swearing, intentional misuse of grammar

taglist: in the replies. let me know if you want to be added or removed!

I had a lot of fun with this one, so hopefully you'll enjoy it even a fraction as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I don’t want to keep you here, so enjoy the chapter!

ao3 link here or read below

The world ended years ago.

Left in haphazard chunks littered across the sky, cracked glass sunken and molding at the bottom of a lake, stone pillars crushed into ash.

So why was it still breaking?

Why were those shards of glass splintering into dust, why were the pillars scattering in the wind? Why did every single day wake a new horror from the shadows.

Sophie’s ears rang hollow, each and every second stopping as the mist parted. Marella and Linh were moving so slow, each fork of lightning visible and trackable, the nothingness building to a roar in her mind and then everything was happening all at once.

Creatures had abilities now.

Lightning struck and something screamed and the thunder cried and her hair whipped about her face in a frenzy the winds were agonizing the air pressure pressed against her ears her shirt stuck to her skin the air yelled its fury and dragons fought fought fought in the sky.

When had she last breathed?

Air rushed, choked into her lungs as the world broke around her. Focus. Choose a fight and win it.

Marella.

That would be her fight.

Far below, the assortment of friends she’d dragged into this hellish world watched as Marella glowed hotter and hotter, a light against the storm. Sophie took the single moment it took to find her amongst the rain, pinpointed her location, and moved.

The dragons were not the priority, getting Marella away from them was.

Distance ceased to exist before Sophie as she darted forward, carried by those wings. She jumped through pockets of space, teleported through around and out of reality, blinking through existence, each jolt taking her closer and closer to Marella.

Marella, who had nearly reached the origin of the storm.

Sophie was mere feet away now, a single glitch away from grabbing her.

Her fingers wrapped around Marella’s wrist; Heat boiled against her skin, the glow of the flames simmering beneath her skin scorching her eyes. Don’t let go. She couldn’t.

Energy drained from her fingertips, dispersing and scattering and leaving and powering and enhancing.

No difference existed between the two of them.

Her eyes were alight with flame and pain, the very core of her power thrumming outside her skin, her gaze focused on those beast above, the lightning crackling all around them, the boom of smoke curling through the air, the harsh rasp of teeth and talons on scale as they fought just above the two of them.

Marella and Sophie were the only two people in the entire world.

And then it ended.

Pure heat exploded out from Marella in a shock wave, turning the rain to steam, lighting the sky as though the sun had gone out and she was the only thing left to replace it. Something bright white flashed around her, enveloping her for a brief moment as the sky shook. Sophie’s skin screamed, but she did not let go. She would not freeze. She couldn’t.

Sophie glitched away, dragging Marella with her.

And the void did not let them out.

There was nothing everywhere as far as the eye could see. Infinite empty for eternity. The everything in between.  

And they were ablaze.

Sophie’s eyes were pressed closed against the deluge of dry heat and light emanating from Marella, but she just couldn’t bring herself to let go. She couldn’t now, would lose her forever if she did not hold tight for all she was worth.

“Marella!” she hissed through clenched teeth.

Marella. No response. All she could find within the web of consciousness around this void was the--

 MARELLA.

Something snapped, and a downpour of something aqueous crashed through their minds, sizzling and popping against the flames. Streams of multi-colored thought flowed, flooding their minds until they were completely submerged, sinking down down down into the depths of an ocean, bubbles rising above them as they descended, utterly helpless.

Down

down

down.

Until the fire went out.

An ocean surrounded them, infinitely deep, the surface trickling further and further away. Smoke curled against her skin, the taste poignant on her tongue as she drowned her fury, her pain, seeing nothing but everything.

They hovered there, time meaningless as it ticked past, suspended in those watery graves, that space between.

Distantly, she became aware of ragged breathing, uneven and pained rasping against her ears. The sound was so far away, yet she began to follow it, chase it through those depths until it became clearer and clearer and she could hear it and she was aware and the ocean parted around her and she erupted into her own mind and body and she was alive alive alive.

Sophie’s hand remained clenched tight around Marella’s wrist, the flood of adrenaline dancing through her veins masking the pain for now, but eventually it would fade and she’d have to face the consequences of playing with fire.

The breathing continued, harsh, uneven.

Marella. She needed to check on Marella; there was no way she was alright after an event of that scale--

No.

That wasn’t Marella’s breathing.

The pained breaths were coming from the figure beside her, draped over her shoulder, holding tight like the world was in her hands and it was made of glass and she couldn’t dare break it.

That was Linh.

“Don’t let us out,” Linh grunted, fingers spasming as her breathing quickened.

She had followed. Sophie had been reaching for Marella, but Linh had been too. And now her fingers clenched in Marella’s clothes were red and raw and bruised and peeling and her skin was cracked and dry and nothing but pain pain pain caressed her face. No. There was fear there, too.

Not for herself. No, she was staring down down down at the figure she held so tight, so fragile. She had come to save her and she would not stop until she had.

What? Her mind was moving too quickly to make sense of what Linh had said, to remember to respond, or what she meant--out of where? Don’t what?

“The void,” she said, having heard her confusion. Sophie didn’t bother raising her mental barriers now, the thought not even occurring to her. “Give her--Marella--a few minutes to cool down. Don’t let us out yet.”

Oh.

Marella’s eyes moved beneath shut lids, the rhythm of her moving chest hypnotically slow as they drifted through the void, waiting waiting waiting. Light continued to pulsate out of their unconscious friend, a glimmer of bright against this endless dark, pressing in like an ocean of inevitability around them.

Her gaze darted back and forth between all the space around them, the tiny threads she could feel, the places they would take her. Memories of when she’d been here before, the places she’d gone, the places she could return to.

The Lost Cities, the underground.

Home.

It was foolish to even think about--Havenfield had one of the first places overrun with all those animals around. And the people she wanted so desperately to hold her wouldn’t be there anyways.

She needed to stop thinking so hopelessly about the past. It was gone. Remembering it did nothing but propagate heartbreak and regrets.

Linh inhaled sharply, jerkily, and Sophie’s shot to her, the crease between her brow, the gritted teeth, the--

“What the hell,” Sophie gasped, leaning forward involuntarily with disbelief, the sudden movement sending them spinning as they floated along.

Linh grimaced, offering a shy, embarrassed smile as she flexed her hand. It was...iridescent. The surface of her skin was separated into small, chaotically organized sections, reflecting the light from Marella’s skin off her own. The effect was not local, instead spreading up her entire arm, across her chest, over her face--every inch of skin.

Rainbows of faint color refracted, lighting her up and setting her aglow, a muted complement to Marella’s intense blaze.

Linh’s muscles spasmed, disrupting the brief serenity as she glanced down at Marella, exhaling heavily. Shit. How badly had she been hit? How close had she been to Marella when she’d gone off like a bomb?

Close enough that she tagged along on Sophie’s teleportation. Close enough to make skin to skin contact. Shit.

How badly was Sophie hurt? Adrenaline still buzzed through her as they floated, but it became less and less with each second, even as Linh’s clear pain marred her determined face.

Dammit. What was she supposed to do in situations like this? Burns--how did you treat burns?

“We need to leave now,” she said, gentle. The next step was to get them out of here. They couldn’t do anything just floating around in the void, and they’d left their other friends behind.

Fuck.

It hadn’t even registered until that very moment. How long had they sat here, what had happened back at the gnomish village? Were they all looking for them? They’d just vanished out of the sky--

“Okay,” Linh whispered, and it broke Sophie. Whatever happened, she had two injured friends on hand, alongside her own injure body.

She conjured up the clearest picture she could of the village, the one she knew by heart, had stared at so solemnly she could tell you how many flowers dripped down the shattered window even without her photographic memory.

The void ruptured, the intricate web parting before her as she pulled them all through, into that bedroom she’d claimed as her own.

They needed to be with the people who could care for them when the adrenaline faded.

Hard wood and poignant petals grated against her skin, tearing down her arm as she skidded slightly. The echo of the thunderclap lingered in her ears, haunting as that nothing was replaced with everything.

Move.

Forcing herself to push upwards, propped on her elbows on her back, she allowed herself a few moments to observe before taking action. Marella was still unconscious, sprawled across the floor, petals and glass curled in her hair. Linh lay beside her, still conscious but fading quickly, flush with Marella’s back.

Okay. She could do this, she could think this through.

Sophie?! Sophie where are you--

Never mind. A cascade of voices barraged their way into her mind, the mindbubble screaming with activity the moment she’d left the void. Every single friend howling and scrambling, their minds hives of thought and panic.

They’d heard the thunder, heard them return, now frantically running about trying to locate them.

My house. She responded, unsure how else to describe it. It wasn’t hers, but it was the one she’d claimed. Gingerly, she sat up fully, pressing her hands to her temples, fingers tangling in her hair. It was so loud--

“Sophie. There you are--wait, what? Hang on--” Fitz had burst into the room,  cutting off as he saw the prone figures on the floor.

Over here. His voice echoed through her mind, reaching out to the others and giving them a sense of direction to follow, a way to find them. He winced slightly as he did so, the cacophony overwhelming for him too.

All at once, the adrenaline faded and reality came crashing into her, the scrapes on her arm the burns across her skin the dryness of her lips the crackling simmering skin coating her body.

Fitz caught her as her muscles went limp and tensed, sagging to the floor. He set her down, and it was all she could do to breathe breathe breathe and hold her eyes closed as footsteps approached, as the door was tossed open and voices whispered and screamed and panic and sweat and indecision coated the air, dripped down her tongue.

People were moving talking singing crying, yet Sophie’s world was painted with deep blues and hurt reds and all she could see was nothing.

Cool water poured over her head, gliding down her hair and back, soothing the burns, the ache, the regret. Tam had told her Linh rerouted the irrigation systems. He hadn’t told her she’d redone the entire goddamned room. Rich greens frothed and bloomed from every available surface, overwhelming the pots and creeping up the walls. The open wall to the side showed off the night sky, starts blinking overhead, moonlight reflecting off the glass pots and decor scattered around the space.

There was no way she could’ve done this on her own in such a short time.

Sophie sat, curled in a raised bath, water spilling over the edge into other pools, sprawling through the room until it eventually drifted off towards the open wall, spilling towards the ground below. It reminded her of those natural hot springs she’d visited as a child--although this one was chilled, reminiscent of a pool on a summer day.

Stop. Stop remembering what’s past.

Her fingers clenched and she pushed off the edge, drifting back until that silent pour of water from the top hit her in the head once more. Carefully, she made sure the wings were held above the water line. Linh wasn’t here to keep them dry anymore.

Linh.

No, as talented as Linh was, she couldn’t have done all this. What purpose this place used to serve the gnomes, she couldn’t even begin to guess, but the overwhelming scent of pollen and nectar pressed against her mind, a heady lull that wouldn’t fade. The flowers were unnaturally bright, the way white glowed under a UV light. That’s not important.

Cool water to soothe burns. That’s how it went. That was important. So she sat here.

Tam had taken her here, pushed her gently through the door, and left. To give her privacy. Fitz had stopped by a few minutes later, dropping off a thing of water, along with an elixir or two he must’ve grabbed from Elwin’s office before they’d run. Smart. Thinking ahead. She’d have to ask him how he did it.

Cool the burns, replace lost fluid. That was the procedure. So she did.

She was the only conscious one, that’s why she’d been left here. Marella was unconscious, Linh too, so they were being cared for elsewhere. She shouldn’t be so calm.

She should want to be by their side, wait with them till they woke, hold cold compresses to their skin and wait wait wait for them. So why was she so unbothered?

Her friends--

Oh.

Her friends, the ones she trusted so entirely, were taking care of the situation. Sophie had got the three of them out of the sky, held them till they mellowed and brought them back. She’d done her part. Everyone else could handle the rest. For a brief moment, she could breathe easy. Delegate.  

So what was she supposed to do? What was next?

Faint rain pattered against the roof, splashing through the open wall the water fell from. But it was...natural. Where had those beasts gone? What had happened to them after the three of them tore the sky apart and vanished into it?

There was so much information she was missing--

No. Not now. That was a problem for the future, for when her skin didn’t peel from her bones and her tongue didn’t grate against the roof of her mouth.

It was like a river, the flow of the water around her, constantly in gentle motion, running against her skin. But she couldn’t follow it, couldn’t linger and tip over the edge to see where it led.

Her friends had covered where she faltered, but she still had a responsibility to them. Sophie belonged with them, beside them, leading them.

Grabbing an elixir and downing it like a shot, she rose from the water.

   Fatigue pulled at her each step she took, bare feet thudding against the wooden bridges as she moved. Twigs and flower petals pressed against her skin, but she ignored it. She’d tracked the others with her mind, now all she had to do was get to them. The rest she’d figure out later.

   Fitz had left a change of clothes alongside the elixirs, a simple pair of black drawstring shorts and a blouse to match. She’d torn slits in the latter, wings protruding through the loose fabric. Mindlessly, she pulled her hair back, braiding it out of the way as she went, wet strands sticking to the back of her neck. Vertina had taught her how. She wasn’t sure, but Vertina might be broken now. In her destroyed bedroom.

   It didn’t matter, don’t think about it.

   She wasn’t as tired as she should’ve been. Wasn’t in as much pain as she knew she should’ve been. They were completely without the resources to properly treat burns, yet she was walking and talking--well, she could talk, she just hadn’t yet--perfectly fine, if a little loopy. Whatever fragrance those flowers gave off was strong.

None of this matched any of her past experiences with medicine, and she had plenty. What was going on with her?

   One of her friend’s presence flickered close by and she paused, looking around for them. They weren’t with the rest of the group, the others who were clustered around one space, the place she was heading. She assumed that’s where Linh and Marella were.

   Her ears were better than her eyes, and the telltale creak of a swinging bridge off to her right had her pivoting in place, turning to see--

   Dex. His pace quickened when he saw she’d noticed him, but he winced slightly, holding a hand to his chest as he came to a stop beside her. When had he gotten so tall?

   “You...alright?” he asked, but it clearly wasn’t what was on his mind. Like he was expected to ask and he just wanted to get out of the way. He seemed...distracted, fidgety--more so than usual.  

   “I’m not dead. You?” He laughed slightly, then winced again, the movement jarring to his injuries. She didn’t know what else to call it; none of them knew what was wrong with him, but at the very least it seemed to be improving with time. Maybe. She couldn’t tell if it was the lighting, but he seemed unnaturally pale.

“About the same.” Okay, so he wasn’t going to make this easy. Whatever was eating at him would have to be drawn out then.

“I was going to go check on Linh and Marella, need anything?” That seemed a good place to start. Open the conversation for him.

“Oh. Cool. I’ll go with you,” he said, turning alongside her as she resumed her stride, much slower with him beside her--not that she minded. She’d prefer he take things slow until someone could figure out what was going on with him. Not that any of them were qualified to do that. No, that was something for--

“I have a request,” Dex blurted out, uncharacteristically formal.

“What is it?”

He wouldn’t make eye contact, looking around the trees, surveying the flowers. “I…”

Sophie nudged him slightly, playfully, trying to encourage him. “I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me, dumbass.” He smiled slightly at that, although he didn’t stop wringing his fingers. She’d take the partial win.

“I want you to take me back to The Lost Cities.”  

   What. She’d stopped moving. Clouds drifted by overhead, wind swayed through the leaves, time ticked onward. But Sophie had stopped moving.

“What.” Her voice was dead flat, shocking even to her.

Dex bit his lip, holding his hands up, placating. “It’s not what it sounds like, I promise.”

“I hope not. Because it sounds like you’re saying you want to go back home, you know--where there are hordes of creatures. Creatures that drove us underground. Just...roaming around. Everywhere.” Shivers trembled down her spine at the mere thought. That one day, when they’d crushed the gates and shattered through crystal walls, looming and gaping and towering over her--

“Okay so maybe it’s a little bit like that.” She could feel her eyebrows raise, and the color staining his cheeks reminded her that he was a friend a friend a friend. She should be nicer. She didn’t have the energy left to be nicer. “Just for a quick trip. To...pick up some things there. And I’d go on my own but--”

“Nope. You cannot go alone to the monster-infested Lost Cities--”

“I’m not going to! I can’t! The pathfinder cracked, remember? You’re our only form of long-distance transportation.” Fuck. He had a point. “I literally cannot do this without you! And I don’t want to, either.” The last part was so quiet she would’ve missed it could she not hear every single sound screaming through the night.

“Where exactly in the Lost Cities do you want to go?” She wasn’t agreeing, not yet. But dammit she was curious. And he was her friend. She trusted him, wanted to hear him out.

Dex shook his head slightly, as though trying to keep himself awake, hand shooting out to catch himself on a nearby tree trunk. She reached out as if to catch him, but he wasn’t falling and there was nothing for her to do. Her hand dropped back to her side.

“I’m fine,” he said. She didn’t believe him. “I need to stop by Slurps and Burps, where my old lab is. Just...Eternalia in general.” Right. He’d said he needed supplies; there’d be a plethora of things for him to work with there. Whatever project he was working on, clearly he hadn’t brought enough when they’d run away.

Run away. Huh. They were runaways now, weren’t they?

“I’ll think about it. I can’t...too tired to think through all the details right now, okay?” She rubbed at her eyes and he nodded along. “I’m not saying no.” She wanted to. “I just…” she trailed off, exhaling heavily.

He nodded even more, looking slightly off kilter and pallid after doing so. He really shouldn’t be moving around so much without treatment for whatever it was. But they didn’t have anyone who could do that sort of thing. Or properly treat her and Linh’s burns.

“I understand,” he said. “Thanks.”

For what? The world had ended already. She wasn’t doing anything.

Dex had left her a ways away from the clustered mass of minds she’d been approaching, most of them in some sort of lull. Worn and tired. She glanced towards the sky, the stars on full display--Dex hadn’t seemed even remotely tired. Fatigued? Yes. But that was from his healing injuries, not any kind of natural exhaustion. She’d forgotten how late it was despite the ache in her own bones.

He seemed...better. Like it was just a matter of time before whatever had happened yesterday--holy fuck was that just yesterday? Why was everything moving so fast? Life had been so much more peaceful, even boring when they’d been underground. She supposed this was why they were down there in the first place. Just a few days above the surface had tossed them into absolute chaos so consuming it felt like the last few hours had lasted weeks.

And now she sat on the floor of an old dilapidated cottage, flower petals scattered beneath her, two friends unconscious before her, other’s resting around her. They’d made the most out of what they had, cool water poured over burns and pressed against feverish foreheads, torn clothing wrapped around blisters. But they hadn’t anticipated this. Any of this.

Their world had only shifted underground a few months ago, how could everything above be so chaotic, so frantic? Beasts could have abilities, control the weather, breath smoke and scream ash. She still didn’t know what had happened to those two, the one’s battling up above, the one’s Marella had tried to join as if entranced.  

She didn’t want to ask.

And now Marella lay sleeping before her, skin pulsating and gleaming with sweat, uneasy even in rest. The blankets had been thrown to the floor, damp sheets sticking to her exposed skin--entirely unblemished from the blast.

Linh hadn’t been so lucky. Her skin was angry angry red, shining in this dim light. And not the way her new iridescence sparkled, no, this was hurt, damaged skin coating her body. And still...it didn’t seem bad enough.

Marella had exploded, each of them mere feet away at most. They should be coated, covered, dying from these burns. Instead she was only aching, wincing, awake. What had happened?

“It was Maruca.” Tam’s voice took a moment to register, but she looked at him. He was perched beside Linh’s bed, sitting absolutely preposterously in a chair--how hadn’t he fallen out of it? His lip was red and raw, chewed over and destroyed. How had he made such a mess of it? Sleep appeared to elude him, and he tugged at his bangs as he shifted, eyes darting towards her. Wait, right, she was supposed to respond.

“What was Maruca?”

“She happened.” This was a very productive conversation. Tam exhaled, tugging harder at his bangs, like he was trying to gather the proper words. “You said it into the mind bubble,” he continued. “What happened? Maruca did. That’s why your injuries aren’t as bad as they should be--or at least part of it.”

Oh. She checked her mental barriers and sure enough, most of them were down, her consciousness standing exposed within their shared network. She fixed it.

“What did she do?”

He took a moment to respond, looking down at Linh. “It was hard to see what was happening because of all the rain and storming, but Marella was easy to track. She lit up the sky like a beacon. Whatever was happening with her...it clearly wasn’t good. So Maruca threw up a shield, trying to isolate her, but she wasn’t quick enough. It only blocked some of the explosion. But it was enough to help.”

Wait.

“Wait I saw it,” she responded, talking mostly to herself. “There was a...like a white light just before she went off. It wrapped around me--that must’ve been the force field.” Oh. Okay. Problem solved. She wasn’t as hurt as she should’ve been because she’d been shielded. So why did the question still irk her?

Turning, she searched for Maruca; she had to be in here somewhere. Ah, there she was, asleep against a wall beside Biana. Everyone had passed out from stress and exhaustion, littered around the room like they couldn’t even muster the energy to make it past the door. She could see Keefe and Fitz cuddled on a couch in an adjacent room, haphazardly draped over one another. Wylie was nowhere to be seen, and Dex hadn’t come into the room with her.

It was just her and Tam awake against the world.

Neither of them spoke, falling into an anxious, taut, comfortable silence. Pain buzzed along her skin, and she lowered herself backwards onto the floor, staring into the ceiling. She hadn’t thought ahead enough to take any elixirs from Elwin’s office when they left, and none of them had grabbed nearly enough. She didn’t even know what they had and she still knew it was insufficient.

What the hell were they going to do?

She sat up. Tam looked at her and she stared back.

An idea struck. A stupid one, but those were the best kind. “How do you feel about petty theft?”

“I can’t think of any possible way this could go wrong,” Tam whispered, and she resisted the urge to shove him over.

“I can. I can think of several.” They stood just outside the cottage, the others’ sleeping forms still visible through the window. She pressed her hands together in thought, trying to think through as much as she could in the next few minutes before all reason left her.

Tam crossed his arms, looking down at her with faint amusement. She scrunched her nose at him.

“Okay. Okay okay okay,” she repeated to herself, shaking her hands slightly to get her mind working. “We need to stay hidden. So who would...” She glanced back inside, looking towards the couch. Who out of their group would be the most prepared when they’d run away, specifically…

“What are you doing,” Tam hissed as she crept back into the building, stepping over Biana’s legs, hoping she could muster just enough agility to make it through without waking anyone else up. She already had Tam on her side, but she didn’t know if she had the energy to convince anyone else.

The wings at her back shivered in agitation. “Something smart.”

Silently, she crept towards that couch, the one Fitz and Keefe had collapsed upon. She was looking for--there. Fitz’s bag was discarded towards the end, spilling out various elixirs and fruit bars and water bottles and an old shirt. Hands ever so gentle, she pried open the top as she crouched down, the sound of the shifting floorboards grating against her ears.

Keefe’s breath caught. She stilled, not daring to move a muscle. Tam pulled at his bangs in her peripheral vision, face planting.

She eyed Keefe; his hand tensed in Fitz’s shirt, the fabric riding up his back. He relaxed, turning slightly.

Sophie exhaled heavily. He was still asleep. For some reason, the idea of anyone else knowing what they were doing was absolutely unacceptable. She rummaged through the bag for a moment--aha. Perfect.

She held the obscurer close, rising fully and making her way back to Tam, moving around cluttered floors and unconscious friends. Fitz’d had the foresight to bring an obscurer along when they’d run away to join the Black Swan, wandering through Florence. If anyone would have one, it’d be him.

She pressed the gadget into Tam’s hands, and he looked at her in question

“I don’t know how to use it” she explained, hooking her arm through his and dragging him away. The longer they were near those rooms the more anxious she became that someone would wake.

He fidgeted with the thing for a moment before a faint ripple marred its pristine surface, and she knew he’d turned it on.

“And what’s the next step in this brilliant plan of yours?”

She glanced around the area, then pointed to the near straight path of bridges laid out before them.

“I’ve gotta be honest, I’m mostly winging it,” he glared at her unintentional word play, but she just ignored it. “But now we run really fast.”

“We what--” his words vanished into the night air as Sophie charged forward, building speed with each step, the trees a blur around her and she pounded over the wooden bridges and platforms, darting so quick her feet barely grazed the ground. Tam, to his credit, tried his best to match her pace, but she was mostly dragging him behind her.

And then she could taste the void on her tongue and they vanished.

Sophie always forgot how much the Forbidden Cities stunk, but the gas fumes and humidity was home. Tam’s face was apprehensive, lip curled as he adjusted to the poor air quality.

She just stood there a moment, observing the scene--she hadn’t seen humans in months. Tam’s unease propelled her forward, shaking her out of it, ignoring the people on the street who ignored them. They couldn’t even see the two of them, obscurer clutched tightly in hand.

She glanced to the sky--the sun was just beginning to set, late afternoon. Good. That meant a few select places would still be open. It was disorienting, almost, to jump that quickly through time zones.

“Okay. This is good. This is fine.” Sophie grabbed Tam’s wrist, pulling them along the street, past the rush of the cars.

“You don’t sound confident.” She ignored him. She could hear the faint whine and compress of each individual engine as it shot past, and she made a mental note that they’d all need earplugs if they went literally anywhere ever. Especially the Forbidden Cities. They’d been loud before, but now…

They both winced as a motorcycle revved a few streets away.  

A few minutes passed in relative silence until the building Sophie was looking for became visible as they rounded a corner, narrowly avoiding some family out for a casual stroll. It was so...normal. She’d known that the Forbidden Cities had been left unaffected, had been untouched by the ruin, but to see it so clearly--

“Wait for me to say it’s okay, Tam!” she screeched, jerking on his sleeve, hauling him back with a burst of that new strength. He’d been inching out into the road, Sophie so lost in thought she’d almost let him walk into the intersection.

He nearly toppled over from the force, and she mentally scolded herself for not giving him at least a basic rundown of how to not die.

“You can’t just walk in the street,” she began, trying to calm her pounding heart. “The cars won’t stop for you, and they can’t even see us right now. See that little red hand over there?” She pointed to the street light on the other side of the crosswalk and he nodded, confused but sensing her distress. “When that turns into a white figure, then we can go, okay?”

He fiddled with the tips of his bangs and nodded, face flushed beneath. His eyes were too bright, too reflective, and he looked away.

“Anything else I should know?”

“I…” Huh. Everything human was so deeply ingrained in her mind she didn’t even know what was useful to share, what she just assumed was common sense and didn’t need explaining. “We’ll see.”

Tam’s attention shifted and he pointed across the street, to the white figure now on display and the countdown that had just begun.

“See, now the cars are all stopped,” she gestured as they hurried by. She wasn’t comfortable with the idea of crossing the street when no one could see her, so she moved a little faster than necessary.

Once they made it to the other side with no trouble, she began to cut through the store’s parking lot, holding Tam close. No cars could see them and he didn’t know what to look for, so she was not taking any chances.

The more she thought about this, the more she began to realize maybe she should’ve come on her own--but she’d already snuck off once today, she wasn’t pushing her luck.

She was hoping she’d never have to tell them about that creature she found in the forest, about what she’d done.

A couple walked through the doors just ahead of them, and Sophie dragged them in behind. She didn’t think the automatic doors would be able to detect them, and even if they could, it might draw attention.

“What is all this?” Tam asked, glancing around. Aisles of overflowing shelves filled the space, everything from scented soaps to candies to old movies to vitamins to books to prescription medication counters.

“A human store,” she whispered--she knew the obscurer covered any noise they made, but she didn’t want to give it more work than necessary. She could hear the pounding of each of their hearts as they moved, beating a fraction too quickly to be comfortable.

Their bodies were so close they nearly bumped into each other with each step, slipping through aisles and around humans, each of them none the wiser to their presence. She brought them towards the back of the store, the rows of human medications and ointments and creams--this was what they’d come for.

Tam had been willing for this reason alone. They didn’t have any useful medication, hadn’t thought to bring any--aside from Fitz--so this was their next best bet. Sophie eyed the shelves, grabbing bottles of pills and tubes of cream at random, just looking for key words--she’d figure out what to actually use later. Burns, irritation, pain relief, blister, you name it, she grabbed it.

Footsteps sounded as an elderly woman wandered into the aisle, moving with surprising agility. A family approached from the opposite way, two young children in tow. Shit.

One of the kids screamed, throwing a fit as they tossed themself out of their parent’s arms, running down the aisle directly towards them.

Neither Tam nor Sophie dared breathe as they searched for an escape; they couldn’t get caught between the two. Tam’s hand clenched around her arm as he hauled the two of them back, narrowly avoiding the kid as they skirted by.

Shit, he hissed, and her eyes darted to him, widening as she saw him fiddling with the obscurer, tapping it frantically. Fuck. Shadows condensed around the two of them, but they wouldn’t do much in the middle of a well lit store.

Panicked, she turned back to the scene--that little kid. The parents were chasing after the kid, the old woman’s eyes following. They had a few seconds at most before they were noticed, two beat up, ragged teens with fucking wings just appearing in the center of a store.

“Woah!!” Her heart constricted, head whipping around to the source of the noise, mind on high alert, only to see the other kid, no more than three, pointing directly at her over their parent’s shoulder, eyes wide.

“In a minute, buddy,” their parent said, but Sophie couldn’t think over that pair of too-brown eyes boring into her own. She stepped back almost instinctively, the urge to run overwhelming, the tapping of Tam’s finger’s against the obscurer incessant.

The movement jostled her arms, and a bottle slipped, careening towards the hard tile floor. No no no no no no no--

Got it! Tam breathed, and Sophie watched as the child’s mouth fell open in shock as the two of them vanished once more.

Desperately, her mind reached out towards the bottle, jerking and clenching around it as she stopped it midair, levitating it an inch above the floor. She didn’t dare move. Only slowly directed it back towards her, sending out other little tendrils of energy to the bunch she held in her arms, a preventative measure.

“Here,” Tam mumbled, shuffling the two of them over and away from the people. She had severely overestimated the number of things she could hold at one time.

They paused for a moment in a vacant section of the store, adrenaline lingering in both their systems. Neither said a word, just breathing until they stopped shaking.

“We need a bag,” Sophie whispered, barely audible even to her own ears. They should’ve thought of that before they left. Dammit, there always seemed to be one little detail she was missing when he planned something out and it always came back to bite her in the ass.

“Umm...there’s a few over there. Does this work?” He handed her a cloth backpack from a shelf after they shuffled over a little.

She dumped all the contents of her arms into the bag, pleased to see there was plenty of room left over for anything else they could grab once the aisles were a bit more vacant.

“Sure. This works,” she said, grabbing the handles. “We could put the obscurer in there too.” He seemed to consider the suggestion for a moment before he shook his head.

“If it stops working again it’ll take too long to get out and fix.” She hummed in agreement, looking around. They might as well circle around the entire store while they could. Fingering the straps on her shoulder, careful to keep the wings from brushing against them, she glanced at the display Tam had grabbed it from.

Her heart stopped.

It was a local artists display, filled with various embroidered backpacks and totes and hats and anything cloth, vibrant threads of red standing out against browns and rich purples and electric teals. She took the backpack from her shoulder, flipping it around to run her finger along the design. It was a bird of some kind, a peacock or a phoenix, golden tail feathers spilling down the black fabric of the bag. It came to life with luscious greens popping white, layer upon layer of stitches running together in such a deliberate, careful pattern she couldn’t breathe.

There was someone, somewhere in the world, who had the time, the safety, to decorate a backpack. To painstakingly carve the details into permanence, to render it exactly how they wanted at their leisure.

“It’s like nothing has changed here,” she whispered, and Tam’s hand came to rest on her shoulder. He had no connection to this past of hers, but he surveyed the people mingling in the store, the smiles and laughter and idle chit chat. No, these people were unaffected.

The world had ended for them, but it flourished here.

He glanced at her fingers fisted around the backpack handles. “Are you okay?”

“No.” How could she be? “But let’s finish this first.” He squeezed her shoulder in reassurance, and she threw the bag over her shoulder once more, that embroidered bird out of sight.  

They started moving again, shadows condensing around their feet as Tam added to the obscurer's power, Sophie scanning the shelves for anything that could be useful. She grabbed bars of scented soap, washcloths, fancy water bottles, heart pounding pounding pounding.

This had been her idea, so why was she so goddamned nervous? Her intestines squirmed and wiggled within her abdomen and she ran a hand through her still-wet hair, gripping it tight. She wouldn’t pull it out. She wouldn’t. It was braided anyways.

A hand intertwined with hers and gently began tugging at her fingers, untangling them from the strands. Tam’s face was blank as he pulled her hand away from her head, smoothed out her hair, and pulled them forward.

She couldn’t do this. There were so many people everywhere she looked, so many people living completely ordinary lives unaware of the creatures that roamed their Earth, wreaked havoc upon the delicate ecosystems. They didn’t know it yet. But they would. Eventually. When the ocean spoiled with more than just crude oil, when the animals vanished entirely, when the bees fell from the sky like rain.

“Breathe, Sophie,” Tam’s voice slammed into her, dragged her from the depth of her mind and suddenly she was breathing she was processing she was dying. She didn’t know where she was, blurs of shadows and nothing fuzzy in her peripherals and she was inhaling faster than she was exhaling and there was everything in her lungs and her heart was trying to implode, to scatter itself into pieces.

“I said breathe, dumbass.” His voice was so so soft, so gentle, a damp cool stone against the night sky of her imagination. She inhaled. She exhaled. She did it again.

The first thing she saw was her knuckles, white. Her fingers were wrapped around Tam’s wrists, gripping him so so tightly. She inhaled again. His hands were on either side of her body, holding her by the shoulders. She exhaled.

Slowly, she raised her gaze, meeting his eyes for a prolonged moment. They shone red, reflecting some far off light, oh so wide. Fear and concern lined the soft edges of his face, relaxing slightly as she held eye contact, as she breathed, as they both listened to her heart slowing, the race of her blood calming.

“Sorry,” she whispered, vision going blurry again, sagging beneath the weight of the world.

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” She nodded instinctively, not even fully registering what he said. Time ticked by, the sky darkening in silence.

She released his wrists, the skin red where she’d grasped him so tight, and he dropped his arms back to his sides. Carefully, she wrapped the guilt that sparked into the knot beneath her ribs, pressing her palm against it.

Tam noticed, but didn’t mention it. “Are you ready to go back?” She debated for a moment, taking stock of her body, all the signals and alarms beeping in the background. They stood a ways away from the store, off in a shadowed segment of the parking lot. She had no idea how he’d gotten them out here.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Let’s go.” Her limbs were made of lead, her brain an amalgamation of dense fog, but she’d be okay.

He just nodded, retrieving the obscurer from wherever he’d set it before they turned back to the illuminated store.

“How are you so...awake,” she slurred, rubbing at her eyes. His brow creased for a moment, glancing down at her.

He wiggled his shoulders, drawing her attention to the movement, the things behind them. “I haven’t been able to sleep since the mission.” They flared under the attention, and she realized somehow she hadn’t taken notice of them this entire trip. Just how oblivious was she?

The wings protruded sharply from his back, bones spreading, membrane stretched between each section. Charcoal blacks textured like leather melding into fuzzy browns near his shoulder blades. Sharp talons graced the top--wait, were those talons? Her mind was too mush to tell, but it was painfully obvious what they were.

Bat wings.

It made sense, she realized. The reflective eyes, the alertness this late at night, the--wait a minute. Curiously, she looked to his face.

“Open your mouth.”

“What?”

“Just do it, real quick.” Something had clicked together in her mind, and she just couldn’t find the energy to be cordial about it.

Hesitantly, he opened his mouth slightly, bewilderment and embarrassment written plain across his face. Her own mouth fell open as she leaned forward, trying to get a closer look.

“What are you doing--”

“You have fangs,” she whispered, cocking her head to the side as he clamped his lips shut, hiding those sharp canines. That’s how he’d bitten through his lip earlier, chewed it raw so quickly. It might’ve even been an accident.

She shook herself off, backing away slightly, skirting towards the doors of the store once more. Just a quick, final lap, and then they’d head back. Nothing could go wrong this time. She’d hold it together, as long as it took. She wasn’t doing this just for her, although the longer she moved the more each of her muscles begged her to stop, the more her skin chafed against her clothes.

Tam’s face flushed as they snuck back through the aisles, heading straight for the pharmaceutical section. Her determination was just enough to get her moving. She knew the moment she stopped her body would give out, collapse, but she couldn’t allow that to happen.

She was Tam’s only way back and none of the other’s even knew they’d left.

They grabbed items in relative silence, more alert of their surroundings. Sophie was the only one between the two of them who could read the labels, and Tam was the only one with any energy. They made quick work of it, that embroidered backpack stuffed so full she could hardly close it.

As they made their way out of the store, weaving around people, Sophie stumbling along, eyes falling shut, she spotted one more thing she wanted. It was stupid and nostalgic, she knew.

But goddammit if she was going to commit crimes, she might as well enjoy it.

Tam said nothing as she swiped the items off the shelf, only smiled exasperatedly as they emerged into the dark parking lot.

The streetlights seemed to flicker above her, and Tam gripped her tight, more prepared for what was to come.

She took off at a sprint, fueling every last drop of remaining energy into her run as she cracked the void open before her, the lingering sweet scent of the memory fogging her mind.

Hard wood met her skin, her palms, scraping against fragile, healing skin.

And she collapsed.

 She couldn’t see herself.

 She was supposed to be here.

 That wasn’t her.

 That wasn’t anybody.

 Water rippled pulsated groaned over an endless expanse of everything, echoing the sky and screaming. Delicate. Inescapable. Never.

 The hallway stretched on for miles upon miles upon forever and ever and she couldn’t find her way back and this. was. not. her.

 The choice was not hers. It hovered there, taunting, before plummeting and vanishing beneath the surface, leaving not even a ripple in its wake.

 Wake. Wake up.

 No. She couldn’t. She wasn’t asleep.

Focus.

 Everything shattered.

 It rained down in heaving whorls and coasted through her consciousness and broke and broke and splintered and caved and cried and screamed and she was screaming too. It was not her and she was not dreaming and she was screaming too.

 Wake.

 Up.

 Something was breaking--no, broken. Something was going to break.

 It was her.

Commotion. Everywhere. Everything. Slammed into her all at once and she was choking she was breathing she was thinking the sun was burning her alive and her skin had turned to ash and her mind was fog and--

“Sophie? What do we--” Keefe hissed beside her, uncharacteristically tense, but she eased. Okay. Everything was okay. Keefe was right there and everything would be fine and--

Something buzzed and vibrated. Several somethings, all in sync.

Keefe supported her by the shoulder as she jolted upwards, that familiar tune gravel grating against her ears. She fumbled, the floor dancing and her stomach swimming, reaching for that bag, the one she’d taken from home not the one she’d stolen.

She slipped the device out of its pocket. Saw everyone else present in the room look towards their own. Their imparters, each buzzing with an incoming call.

Sophie tilted it towards her so she could read the screen, the words taking a few seconds to sink in.

An incoming hail, one for each of them.

Hers was from Councillor Oralie.