#I don't know that I could have asked for much better except lai surviving

[booasaur]

Warrior (2019) - 3x10

[luffyrose]

Barry, Constantine, and the Kid

I was reading "I Just Wanna Talk" by foldingfacets and the way Barry interacts with Danny, and his whole misunderstanding just gave me a very very good fic idea.

Danny was Constantine's kid! But thanks to whatever ex had him, John had no idea who Danny was, nor that his kid had been put up for adoption. (I'm feeling a random one-night stand with some god-adjacent being so that Danny was already very much Other, compared to normal people). His not fully human blood had him survive the Fenton household, seeing as Jazz had radiation exposure since she was little basically so she'd survived thanks to that.

Danny kinda figured he was adopted. Sure his hair was black like Jack's and his blue eyes weren't anything abnormal, but his parents were both very very white. And he was much more tan, definitely Mideastern. Jazz actually confirmed it when he asked one time, but he still loved them all dearly. He tried to love them all, but it was hard when the only one he really remembers raising him is his sister. Until the accident happens and things just go south.

Like, Danny does his whole hero thing, and works things out with his ghosts because most of them were either messing around or didn't realize he was actually a baby ghost because he was so strong or smth, idk, they cooperate with him and just come to bug him and play fight when bored or needing to satisfy their core. All in all, he's King of the Infinite Realms now and he is not having a good time tm-

He's SEEN all the John Constantine things, but never bothered with tracking this guy down because hey! selling his soul to multiple entities to prevent ANYONE from getting it was really smart! Who was he to fault the guy.

It kind of all comes crashing down though when things go horribly ary with his adoptive parents. He overheard them talking, and even though they did love him, he learned that to them he wasn't just their kid. He was still the kid Jazz really wanted for a brother. After literally growing up in their house, he wasn't on the same level as Jazz. Simply because he was adopted, and neither had truly planned to adopt him.

And despite learning this, he tries so hard to still love and few them as his parents, because he's NOT their kid! They're right, but they still raised him no they didn't it was Jazz and he thought that they at least loved him more than that some part of him knew they never had. So when Jazz suggests they tell them, together for his own safety, he agrees for two reasons. 1, he loves and trusts Jazz and she really wanted to believe they were better than just ghost hunting. 2, he could finally know the truth, whether they would not believe him, hate him, or love him.

They don't.

Maddie and Jack both believe he died due to their creation. They don't doubt that for a moment. Jazz is thrilled at first, thinking that meant they would feel sorry, apologize, accept Danny, ANYTHING except harm him. But she was wrong as they tried to shoot him. She tried to stop them, and they told her even if he was Danny, that he was a ghost which meant it wasn't ever really going to be him again. And Jazz was horrified, asking how they could shoot their own son, ghost or not, and as if it was the simplest thing in the world, they say he wasn't their son.

And that was it.

Danny ran.

He hid in the ghost zone, and Jazz tried to come with. She ended up destroying the portal, outing Vlad, and running away with a voice recorder of their parents and the conversation they'd had. Sam and Tucker have to lay low, only messaging Danny to ask if he'd been hurt.

Danny didn't reply.

After a few months, his friends had gotten a reply a few days after, so had Jazz, saying he was fine and Fright Knight was watching over him, which was true but the Knight was more worried than anything, Pandora stopped by. She was kind of like an aunt, so she hated to see him sad. But she'd also realized something.

Halfa, as most VERY old ghosts and Ancients know, are rare to find. Vlad was an odd case, being Halfa-adjacent but not a true Halfa since it took 20 years for his powers to grow to what they were when it was normal for quick power growth like Danny. Not only does one need to die with a bunch of ectoplasm nearby, but they must have a few other requirements. Such as a bond with the supernatural, strong magic, etc. No mortal being without very strong and innate abilities would survive a full Halfa creation. So she'd always been curious as to how Danny survived when even heroes who'd been exposed to death would not near chance of being a Halfa.

Being a demi-god made it a lot easier. Even then, not all demi-gods would survive either, seeing as it would be rare for them to be within range of the ectoplasm needed to balance their god-like blood. Danny was an incredibly special case. Pandora had found out that Danny wasn't just a demi-god, but the human who was his parent was an incredibly strong magic user. So much so, that he'd tricked and tried his way through many many years of his life. Honestly, Pandora was amazed the human was alive.

Telling Danny of his father was not in her plan, though she did tell him of his demi-god blood. She also told him, that it may be safer with heroes.

So with a little time to heal, not really he was still bandaged up but at least he wasn't about to fall apart, Danny got Wulf and Cujo, the former opening a portal with a sad goodbye for the time being. (Really, Wulf would always know where Danny was.) Either way, Danny had planned to find this John Constantine, since seeing as he'd somehow avoided death all while dimension hoping, he was probably a good bet. Or at the very least could help him find a hero to help.

Falling through the portal with Cujo, he hadn't expected a giant room in what he could only guess was a secret base. There was a hero, he really should have looked up heroes, but most of his childhood hadn't really given him access to anything outside of his hometown, which was staring in shock at him.

And Flash meets Danny.

And instantly wants to adopt the kid. Sorry, Bruce! This one is his kid actually! But when he hears the boy's reason for being there, the poor kid looking utterly terrified and apologetic for barging in and trying to explain how Constantine's contact info had led him here, Barry is just crushed. He's keeping the kid entertained, panicking, and trying to contact John.

Wally ends up meeting him while they're waiting, and it instantly taking this kid as his own new brother. If his boyfriend gets a bunch of younger siblings so does he!

Either way, both speedsters are already filing adoption papers, not really as much as Barry wants to because he knows better than to take in an unknown even with how horrifying this child's accidental slips of his home-life was like.

So we have an MIA John, not like that's rare-, an unknown child who they really need to test DNA for but don't want to scare him, speedsters already mentally said kid's parent, and a whole lot of chaos. Danny had no IDEA that Constantine is his bio dad, Clockwork had Pandora hint him this way for a reason though...he got a dad one way or another and in some universes, he had 2. So. No loss situation to the Ancient.

They are not ready for this traumatized ass kid because he doesn't even realize he'd traumatized. Wait till he has a panic attack though, Danny, despite his apparent obliviousness to how fucked up he should be, will finally seem like the hurt kid he is.

And oh boy, wait till someone accidentally jostles a wound during that whole first meeting since Danny's hiding his wounds. Now that's a whole other bag of worms to open, like how'd he get them????

[stiltonbasket]

Vampire WWX/Fae LWJ: What is their first time sleeping in the same room like? Their first breakfast? Or when WWX notices that LWJ is softer with bunnies?

part 1

On the morning after his arrival at the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian opens his eyes to find Lan Zhan's moon-white face hovering less than an inch above his.

"I am going out to fetch breakfast for us," Lan Zhan says stiffly. "What do vampires eat when they cannot get human blood?"

So rude, Lan Zhan! Wei Wuxian laments to himself, rolling a sleeping A-Yuan onto his back. You could have at least wished me a good morning first, couldn't you?

But then, he had woken Wei Wuxian to ask what he wanted for breakfast, so perhaps this is just what Lan Zhan is like when he tries to be kind.

"Meat, mostly," Wei Wuxian replies, watching as his husband grimaces in distaste. "But half-blooded xuemo can survive without it, so you needn't hunt for me. I'd be grateful for a bit of the porridge you and your brother like as long as you give me permission to eat it."

He winks, making Lan Zhan blush all the way up to his ears. "You will give me permission, won't you?"

"I will, but that is beside the point. By the laws of your people, I am your husband, so it is my duty to provide the nourishment you need." The faerie takes a deep breath. "If you require meat, I will bring you some suitable creature to kill and eat as you see fit. I cannot do the killing myself, but fetching the animal—that I can do."

Wei Wuxian's heart melts; for all faeries hate to do harm to living creatures, and yet his Lan Zhan is willing to do most of the hunting work on Wei Wuxian's behalf.

"There's no need for that," he says gently. Lan Zhan opens his mouth to protest, clearly not liking the look of Wei Wuxian's thin wrists and sallow face; but Wei Wuxian only motions toward the south side of the cave, where he can hear the river gurgling through the trees on the other side of the wall. "You go out and buy some rice and vegetables, and I'll catch some fish for myself while you're away."

Lan Zhan inclines his head and departs, taking his money purse with him; for while the Lan faeries grow their own vegetables in the wood, they have to buy rice and dried spices from the human settlement to the north.

No wonder their food is so bland, Wei Wuxian thinks wryly, as he makes his way towards the river with A-Yuan in his arms. Lan Zhan doesn't have a single herb in his kitchen, except for that old lump of ginger.

He plants A-Yuan in the soft ground near the water, as he usually does at this time of morning. Wei Wuxian helps him dig his little legs as far into the ground as they can go, looking on in satisfaction as the three long leaves on the baby's head unfurl and reach up towards the sun; and then he lays a fish trap in the shallows and splashes across the river, keeping A-Yuan in his field of sight as he searches for kindling seasonings.

He manages to find wild cloves and garlic growing on the far bank of the stream; and by the time he goes back to examine his fish trap, A-Yuan has finished sunning his leaves and soaking his little body in the mud.

"I don't know if you're old enough to eat food," Wei Wuxian muses, marching back to the cave with A-Yuan wriggling under one arm and the laden trap under the other. "You need to be sunned and watered like a plant, so eating fish might make you sick. We'd better not risk it."

A-Yuan squeals and looks up at Wei Wuxian with wet, reproving eyes. "So you do want to eat fish!" Wei Wuxian says accusingly, making A-Yuan shriek with laughter. "But you don't have any teeth. I don't know very much about babies, Yuan'er, but I do know that the women in Jieyu Village never started weaning theirs before the babies cut a first tooth."

The baby looks more wronged than ever. "Bu!"

"Perhaps we should boil the rice into porridge, and put pieces of the fish inside," says a deep voice from behind them. "That way, the rice will be soft enough for A-Yuan to swallow without chewing."

"Oh!" Wei Wuxian turns around and nearly jumps out of his shoes at the sight of Lan Zhan, standing at the mouth of the cave with a bag of rice slung over his shoulder. "Lan Zhan, don't be so quiet when you're walking. I nearly dropped A-Yuan."

Lan Zhan shakes his head. "I doubt you could ever do such a thing. But in the future, I will endeavor to make more noise when you are close by."

He lowers his eyes to Wei Wuxian's fish trap. "Did you catch anything?"

"A pair of grass carps," Wei Wuxian tells him, extracting the fish from their prison and holding them up for Lan Zhan to see. "Now, go light the fire and fetch some water from the well. I need hot water for A-Yuan's bath, and it's past time for breakfast."

So Lan Zhan lights the fire in the little courtyard; and there is a courtyard, much to Wei Wuxian's relief, because Lan Zhan built his small refuge after the fashion of most human dwellings, so that Wei Wuxian could almost forget that his cave was a cave and not a wooden house. After that, he sets off for the nearby well with a yoke fitted about his neck and shoulders, returning scarcely ten minutes later with enough water for both breakfast and A-Yuan's bath.

"I will bathe A-Yuan while you fry the fish," Lan Zhan says, dropping the pails and taking the baby from Wei Wuxian's arms. "There is oil in the bag of groceries I brought, if you need it."

"You didn't have oil in your kitchen?"

His husband sighs. "I used the last of it for yesterday's dinner. Now go."

Wei Wuxian nods and makes his way outside, where he finds a strange contraption for grilling set up in the middle of the courtyard. It looks strong enough to support a hook and pan; but the fish will cook faster in the coals of the fire, so he spears the two carps and roasts them with his foraged seasonings until the skins are burned black.

"Is the rice ready?" he calls, ducking back into the cave. "And what about A-Yuan?"

"A-Yuan is ready. The rice is not," is his husband's laconic answer. "Come take him, and I will bring the rice out to you when it is cooked."

In the end, it takes another quarter-hour before the rice porridge is cooked through and made cool enough to eat. Wei Wuxian feeds some of it to A-Yuan and tries a little himself, after which he puts down his spoon to scold Lan Zhan for being so miserly with the salt and ginger.

Lan Zhan looks oddly pleased for a faerie being scolded about his cooking, though Wei Wuxian can't begin to imagine why.

Stranger still, that breakfast is one of the best Wei Wuxian has ever had; and he doesn't understand that, either.

[wonderland-smile-stories]

~ Chapter 6. 02 ~

I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes and how poorly written this fanfic is. English is not my first language and together with my dyslexia ass things can go wrong I'm sorry.

I lean my head against the wall letting out a sigh. I need to be alone, after what Ji-su told me earlier today.

I hadn't seen Miss Im yesterday evening. The kids and Mister Han were okay and here, but she wasn't. I wanted to ask Ji-su or Jae-heon about it, but they were both already asleep when I came back from guarding the door.

In fact, everyone was already asleep except Eun-hyuk, Jae-hwan who had to go take over guard duty from me, and Sang-Wook.

I think.

I hadn't seen them sleeping with the others, but he didn't seem the type to sleep among them. My best guess is that he's somewhere on the first floor sleeping.

I didn't want to sleep now. I was tired of everything that had happened, but I was scared I would have a nightmare again.

So I just sat in the hallway all night. I finally found Ji-su the next morning. Her face changed when I mentioned Miss Im and asked where she was.

She was hesitant to tell me, but eventually, she did. She had turned. When we went downstairs she had turned in the bathroom. Ji-su told me that she didn't hurt anyone and that she was actually harmless to others.

I could feel myself choking up while my eyes began to burn from the tears that wanted to come out. I wanted to know more.

I wanted to know what happened and if she wasn't in pain, but looking at Ji-su I could tell that she didn't know much as well.

The only ones I could ask were Mister Han, Hyun-su, or the kids. I didn't want to ask the kids. I don't even think they let them see her.

Mister Han was busy making sure every entrance was secure and safe, so I didn't have to change to ask him. The only one who was left was Hyun-su, but he had left this morning to go upstairs.

Just like me, it seemed like he didn't sleep well or at all. I wanted to yell at Eun-hyuk to give him a break, but that would change nothing, so I just gave him a death glare when he looked at me.

I began to even get more angry when I found out that the residents gave him more work. They had given him a list of things that he had to bring with him when he came downstairs.

So not only is he risking his life for supplies so that we could survive, but now he's also risking his life for stupid shit.

After watching the door close behind Hyun-su I needed a break from everyone or it wouldn't end well for any of us.

“So this is the place you have been hiding.”

I looked up and saw Eun-yu standing in the closet doorway.

I shrug my shoulders before speaking up.

“It’s better for everyone if I sleep here. I don’t want to annoy anyone by waking them up if I have a nightmare.”

I asked Eun-hyuk if I could stay here at night. Like I explained to Eun-yu I told him that I don’t want to scream everyone awake. I know that they didn’t know about my nightmares, but I rather tell them than if they have to find out when I actually scream at night.

“I got scolded at when I wanted to sleep somewhere else,” Eun-yu said with a sigh before sitting down next to me.

It’s not like I’m having a room for myself. This was just a little walk-in closet that had some stuff in it. It had enough space for me to lay in, but that’s it.

"Why do you have that 'I'm angry.' look on your face?"

I look at Eun-yu with from brows.

"What are you talking about?"

She sat down beside me before answering.

"You always had that look on your face when someone makes you angry and you want to kill them." I rolled my eyes letting out a sigh.

"Because I am angry and want to kill people."

She nodded her head looking away from me.

"Is one of those people my brother?"

I looked at her with an 'are you kidding me look.'

"Don't look at me like that. You have my blessing to kill him though. Besides I understand why you would want to."

I pressed my lips together debating if she was serious or not about killing him, but I don't think she really wanted that.

"Yes," I answer looking back outside.

I felt her move beside me before answering.

"What?" She asked confused.

"Yes, your brother is one of them."

I could hear her click her tongue, but it was silent after that. Which was odd for Lee Eun-yu. I looked at her to see what she was doing, but she was just looking in front of her. I could see on her face that she was in deep thought.

I wanted to open my mouth to ask her what was bothering her when she beat me to it.

"So, are we gonna talk about those pictures?"

I turn to her surprised that she brought up those pictures. Only Sang-Wook and Eun-hyuk had seen them.

"How do you know about those?" I whisper.

"I found them in the office. I wanted to ask my brother about them thinking that they were his, but seeing that they were taking like the person was hiding while taking them I don't think my brother took them." She explains looking intensely at me and making me look away.

She is right about the hiding part.

"Besides my brother is maybe weird, but not this weird."

A little laugh escaped my lips before I shook my head looking at her.

"It wasn't him." I pause for a second letting out a sigh.

"It was Yoon-jae. He took them."

"That creep from 802?! I know that he was a pervert. That explains why that gangster killed him. I knew he had a good reason." She spoke looking away from me to think.

"That was not the only reason he killed him. There were pictures of little girls." A grimacing expression appeared on her face when those words left my mouth.

"Some were just normal pictures but others were them beaten up, tortured, and dead. He killed those innocent kids. I don't know how Sang-wook knew, but he did."

I wanted to talk with Sang-wook about it and thank him for what he did, but I hadn't seen him. Also, I don't know if he even wants to talk about it or me. He doesn't seem the person to talk much

"I took this from the security room. I didn't know if you would have wanted this or not. I had thought that maybe you would have wanted to destroy them yourself." Eun-yu took the pictures out, handing them to me after that she stood leaving me alone to think.

It felt wrong to hold them and I wanted to rip them apart or burn them the moment I had a chance.

Nevertheless, looking at them now I don't want to destroy them all.

The pictures of me with other people I actually wanted to keep. In times like this everyone can die in just a snap of a finger, so why would I throw something away that would remind me of them?

Besides the pictures of Eun-yu and the kids, there were also pictures of me with Miss An at the store. She was smiling at me while I gave her one of her favorite foods I had gotten from my job.

She didn't always have the chance to eat it because of her husband, so when she mentioned it one time I knew I had to get her some from my job.

In another picture, it was Ji-Su and I coming back from work with our guitar and bass cases on our backs and some takeout in our hands.

Even though it was late and we were exhausted we were still smiling.

Another picture showed me and Eun-hyuk talking while waiting on the elevator. Then there was a picture of me standing in front of Mister Han at his doorway. I must have probably helped him by bringing some stuff to his apartment.

All those pictures actually made me smile. The time I had lived here was the best time of my life. It doesn't seem much or just ordinary to everybody else, but for me, it was peaceful and I was genuinely happy for the first time in my life.

It's just sad that it didn't last long.

My smile disappeared when I took the next pictures. It was a picture of Miss Im. She had just come back from a walk with her so-called baby when I came back from the store.

We began to talk while we walked to the elevator. My finger moved over her face and I could feel a tear running down my cheek.

I didn't have much time to grieve when the sound of a whistle came from somewhere on the floor. After putting the photos in the pocket of my dress I jump up taking my axe from beside me.

Eun-hyuk had told me I needed to carry it around with me just in case something happened. When I came around the corner I saw Eun-hyuk running out of the security office with a bat and the others were standing all together on the other side.

I moved forward trying to get a glimpse of whatever the monster was. Slowly, a long-haired look figure came from around the corner. It was moaning and groaning, but it didn't seem like a threat to me.

Sang-Wook was about to take a step forward when Miss An stopped him.

"It's my husband. I have to do this." She walked toward him with the steel pipe tightly in her hands.

"Pull yourself together, Kim Seok-Hyeon." It was the first time I heard that tone in her voice.

She wasn't afraid of him like she was before.

"Kim Seok-Hyeon"

Her voice was louder than before when he came closer and closer.

"Pull yourself together!" She now yelled before swinging the steel pip at him.

For a second I thought that it didn't affect him, even when that horrible sound went through me when the pip made contact with his head.

It did stop him from moving.

"You're back." Her voice sounded cold and without any regret from hitting him.

"Do you have any last words?" I could hear him breathing hard, but after a while, a voice came through the mop of hair.

"Please kill me. And."

It took him a second to say it and the word that came out of his mouth was a surprise and one I had never heard him say before.

"I'm sorry."

Miss An. Let out a cry before swinging the pip down at him. This time it did hurt him. A shiver ran down my spine when I could hear it go through his head.

Even when he fell down on the floor Miss An didn't stop. I had seen and heard a lot of horrid things these past couple of days, but for some reason, a chill ran up my spine when I heard her hitting him.

At some point, I had closed my eyes turning my head to the side. She's killing her husband. Yes, he was a horrible person who deserved to die like this, but still, it made me think.

If I could end up like this in the future. Just because I have some control of it now doesn't mean I will forever.

Just yesterday I attacked Eun-hyuk without actually trying or realizing it. Could the people here easily kill me as Miss An could kill him?

Would it be one of the residents of don't really care about me? Or Eun-hyuk, he is serious about protecting everyone, so would it be easy for him to kill me?

If they really had to would Ji-su or Jae-heon do it?

Mister Han?

The kids?

Or Hyun-su....

Would he kill me if they asked him?

Or.... Could I kill him if he turned and hurt someone?

'I can guarantee they will kill you the first moment they have a chance." My hands turned into fists when I heard the voice again in my head.

Shut up.

'Just wait and see. They are just the same as the people in the orphanage. Only thinking about their own wishes and desires without caring who gets hurt in the process.'

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt someone brushing past me making me open my eyes.

To my surprise, Hyun-su had returned.

He was looking down at the scene just as intently as I was.

Is he thinking the same things as me?

My eyes followed his figure while he wobbled back to the room. To be locked up and alone.

Previous Chapter ~ Next Chapter

[thebiscuiteternal]

if we can still ask about wips, what's the "sad abdication au" about?

So, I pretty much never got around to actually turning this into a story, it's just a set of notes in docs.

The basic idea was that during the period between Mingjue's death and funeral (you know, the whole time Huaisang's sitting with his body), the elders and senior disciples get together and agree they super don't want Huaisang becoming sect leader.

And obviously Nie Mingjue was about to disinherit him, I mean, look at the bonfire incident! Look how Huaisang wasn't spared from being attacked! Clearly if he had survived that qi deviation, he would have updated the paperwork!

(Is this complete bullshit to justify what they're about to do, or do they sincerely believe it? Huaisang will never know, so neither will we.)

So literally the day after Mingjue's interred, Huaisang is called before the sect's inner council and told that the sect has collectively decided, in accordance with their previous sect leader's (un)official wishes, that he is to get lost.

Exhausted, emotionally shattered, still recovering from his own injuries, and fully willing to believe his brother did die hating him, Huaisang makes no attempts to argue.

With most of what he owned having gone up in smoke, he has very little to pack, and a few of the maids are willing to help find new homes for his birds (except Zhihua, who perches herself on his shoulder and refuses to let go).

And he leaves.

But he doesn't get far before being found by Jin Guangyao, who of course has heard the news before any official announcement has been made because of his spies.

He takes Huaisang back to Koi Tower with him on pretense of keeping him as an assistant, but it's... complicated. Guilt, concern, manipulation, all that.

Anyway, this throws a huge wrench in Jin Guangshan's plans. He'd been banking on the Nie sect having (in his perception) a spineless, pathetic weakling who could be lead around by the nose in charge. The new sect leader is almost as much of a belligerent brute as Nie Mingjue was.

But at least now he has a Nie the sect doesn't give a shit about within reach to take his irritation out on.

(Though once Jin Guangyao finds out about that, it'll be one more reason on his checklist of why his father has to die. Once he's sect leader, nobody will ever be allowed to lay a hand on Huaisang again.)

And without people sneaking behind his grieving brother's back, Nie Mingjue's body doesn't get stolen and he doesn't end up dismembered, so he can eventually reincarnate? And the sect doesn't have to worry about losing its reputation?

But Huaisang is pretty much never going to emotionally recover from his sect's abandonment, Jin Guangshan's abuse, and his own guilt and self-loathing... and also without him finding out the truth, Wei Wuxian's never coming back. So whether it ends up working out any better balance wise is... really up to perception.

Anyway, I really kind of lost where I was going with the idea once I got to that point, so that's why it never got written.

[bhaalbaaby]

The Stillness Bends // Chapter 3

Title: Hero (1679 Words) Pairing: Shadowheart/Fem!Tav, Astarion/Fem!Tav, Mentions of Karlach/Fem!Tav Warnings: Flirtating, Sexual Tension, Tiefling Party A/N: be gentle and thank you for my beta @tragedybunny 💫 Taglist: @spacebarbarianweird @tragedybunny @astarionsbeloved @razrogue @celestialomlette @rentheannihilator @rinmoon7 (let me know if you want to be on the tag list or subscribe on AO3~)

Read on AO3!

Hero. Penelope hears the word murmured from the Tieflings as she walks around the party. It is odd being around her kin, so many memories from her childhood come to the forefront. She sighs as she gazes at the moon shining down on their camp. 

Alfira smiles, bumping Penelope with her hip. "Why so down? You saved our people from another untimely death. If only all bards were as brave as you, my dear." 

Her laugh is infectious, but Penelope scrunches up her nose, "Remembering people lost." 

Beside her, Alfira comes to rest. "Elturel was a lot on all of us." 

Penelope nods solemnly, "I don't know who I lost there... I haven't been there since I was around Mol's age." 

The bard's eyes widen, "Oh, no wonder our paths never crossed." Penelope wonders if she'll pry, most bards do. 

Lakrissa saunters over, lust in her eyes as she wraps her arm around Alfira's shoulders. "It's so lovely out. Us beautiful queens will take Baldur's Gate by storm!" She says brightly, Alfira's giggles returning. Penelope keeps quiet, sipping her wine. "What will you do when you return to the city, Penny?" Lakrissa asks, her words almost slurred. 

Penelope politely smiles, "Hmm, check on my place. Make sure my landlord hasn't kicked me out." 

Lakrissa's eyes bug out, "You got your own place already? Mind if we crash once we get there?" 

Penelope laughs, "If I still have one. You got a deal." 

Alfira sighs, "We just have to survive! But we can do it. I'm feeling inspired. Lay, give me some lyrics." 

Penelope walks away as they start drunkenly riffing. There are plenty of other people she could talk to. Halsin stands near Zevlor, the two talking with merriment, but serious still the same. She didn't expect Halsin to be so... Large. She bites her lip as she imagines his hands on her body, his mouth exploring her skin. Gods... She downs the rest of her wine, her lips puckered. They could have gotten better wine. She refills her glass anyway, it’s time to celebrate after all. She might as well enjoy it while she can with so much going on.

Penelope nurses her cup of cheap wine as she walks around the camp. Back in Baldur's Gate, she's used to the finer drinks, especially when one of her favorite clients would come in to spoil her. She smiles as she glances over at Rolan, Cal, and Lia. Rolan reminds her of him except as a Tiefling. A stuffy Wizard with money. He liked playing up that she was his mistress only interested in his money as he got her drunk and she pretended that he was the best she ever had. She curses to herself. If only she had her coin purse when she got kidnapped. He kept her coffers heavy. But luckily, she kept most of her savings in her account at the Counting House. She sighs. What good is it there if not here where she can use it? 

Her scowl is matched by Astarion who watches as Alfira and Lakrissa chat next to him. He sips his wine, shaking his head. "If one more Tiefling thanks me, I will lose my mind. This hero business is your doing, not mine." Astarion flares his nostrils as he looks her up and down. 

Tonight she wears a form-fitting black dress. Plenty of eyes trail wherever she goes. Even the righteous Zevlor watches. 

"Aww, you're not a fan of praise?" Penelope teases before sipping her wine. It's easy with him to slip back into her familiar role, flirtation falling from her lips and landing in his lap where Astarion returns in kind. 

He rolls his eyes, "Plenty of praise, but maybe not like this... There must be something more fun to do than standing around our camp drinking this mediocre wine." 

"What would you like to do then, Mr. Astarion?" She asks, stressing his name. It's an old trick she would do with clients back in Baldur's Gate. Men who preferred being in charge liked being called mister, and in turn, would call her princess and their baby. She doubts Astarion would venture that far. 

He smirks as he looks around the camp, before allowing his eyes to venture across her body, the low-cut of the bodice then up to her full glossy lips. His eyes flick up to hers as he holds his cup, considering. "Hmm, something more lively, more exciting and fun," He purrs. 

She hides an inward smile behind her chalice. "Really?" 

"We could get away, make our own entertainment, darling. Get a little closer, so to speak. Finish some unfinished business." 

Heat creeps around her neck as she remembers the night he revealed he's a vampire, their quick shared kiss. She clears her throat, taking another sip from her cup, tilting her head to the side, her pink eyes looking deep into his, "Perhaps we could... If you say please." 

Astarion's eyes widen in shock, his voice dropping to a whisper, "What?" 

She quickly bites her bottom lip as she steps closer, holding her cup closer to her exposed cleavage. "Say it. Say 'please.'" 

He keeps his voice low, close to that sultry purr, "Please." 

She exhales deeply through her nostrils feeling the heat radiating from their bodies as she smiles. "Good boy!" She coos, before adding. "I'll think about it." 

She grabs his bottle, taking a sip before handing it back to him. "You're right about this stuff. We'll have to find a better wine for next time." She winks. 

He holds the green glass bottle, pondering it momentarily before taking a sip himself. An indirect kiss. "Cheeky little pup... I hope I see you later." She smiles as she walks away. The camp will be so annoyed with them by the end of it, Penelope thinks as she moves on to Shadowheart and Karlach.

The duo are as close as they can be, giggling and whispering. There's a pang of jealousy in Penelope's chest as she steps closer. "Ah, the lady of the hour. Penelope!" Karlach raises her glass. "I'd kiss you if I knew I wouldn't melt you." 

Penelope smiles brightly, her fangs peeking out. "I'd allow it for you, Karlach," Penelope flirts as Shadowheart's eyes drink her in. Karlach clinks her glass against Penelope's, heat radiating from her hand. 

"Don't get me too het up, darling. Besides, we saw you talking to the vampire," Karlach lowers her voice, winking. Shadowheart brings her cup to her lips, and shadows dance across her eyes. 

"We just talked," Penelope replies, trying to keep her butterflies down. 

"Be careful with him," Shadowheart interjects, a smile on her lips. Penelope can't decide if it is genuine or not. 

"Be careful?" Karlach asks, her eyebrows raising in curiosity. 

Shadowheart nods as she clears her throat. "She might be bloodless in the morning, or dead. We won't know what to do without our fearless leader." 

Penelope doesn't believe her, but she keeps up her smile. "He's going to need to feed you know," Penelope laughs, flipping her long hair. 

"There are goblins still running about, Penny," Shadowheart says, her eyebrow twitching. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you'd want me to hang out with you instead," Penelope steps closer to the cleric who rolls her eyes. The blush around her cheeks and neck is unmistakable. 

Karlach cackles as she sits back. "Gods, one day we should just have one big orgy. When I can touch that is." She says, her energy is infectious. 

Shadowheart scoffs, "I don't want to sleep with any of you." Penelope and Karlach's expressions mirror each other in disbelief. "Really?" Karlach asks, her eyes softening. 

Shadowheart crosses her arms, looking away, changing the subject. "I still can't believe we did this. Well, sort of anyway."

"Did what?" Penelope asks, standing next to Shadowheart as they gaze upon the party. 

"Saved the refugees. Though, I'm not entirely surprised." Shadowheart waves half-heartedly at Penelope. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Karlach reaches for more wine as she asks the question. Penelope is curious too. Of course, she would save the Tieflings. They're kin even if strangers. 

"Penelope is a good person. Probably a true follower of Selûne." Shadowheart sneers, before chuckling. "Lady of Sorrows forgive me. I forget myself." Karlach's eyes dart between Penelope and Shadowheart, a knowing smile on her lips. 

"Is it wrong to do the right thing?" Penelope asks, her eyes searching Shadowheart's. There's a hint of doubt in her eyes. 

"Not... Necessarily, but not what I pictured for myself anyway." 

"What did you picture?" Penelope asks quickly. 

Shadowheart opens her mouth to reply before holding up her cup. "We can speak of specifics later, Penelope. Besides, don't you have to go play with Astarion soon?" 

Penelope rolls her eyes smirking, glancing over at the brooding Astarion. "You know, you are welcome to join us. I don't think Astarion would mind," Penelope says in a sing-songy tone, playfully smiling. She leans forward to look at Karlach. "Same for you, my love." 

Karlach bursts into laughter as she shakes her head. "I'm probably sobering up, but as much as I love to ride him throughout the Feywilds, I would rather have you to myself. At first anyway." Goosebumps rush Penelope's skin as she sits back, focusing on Shadowheart. 

The raven-haired woman is lost in thought again before sighing. "We can talk in private if you want before you have your fun." 

Penelope nods, "That could be arranged." Penelope hopes there won't be that much talking, unsure what she wants to share. 

"You two play nice then," Karlach yawns, shaking her head. "I'm going to go to bed soon. I'm sure we'll be up bright and early." Karlach teases before heading to her tent, leaving the two alone. 

Their eyes meet, but Shadowheart glances away first. "I'll be at the waterfall. Don't keep me waiting." Shadowheart says, leaning close as she presses a kiss on Penelope's cheek, her body soft against Penelope's. Her mind races as she watches Shadowheart disappear into the shadows.

[asherloki]

The simple marriage

BBC Sherlock

Fluff, comfort Sherlock!

Sherlock and I now are dating for a year now, properly dating. We have always felt we have some kind of a connection really, being absolutely or mostly similar to eachother helped us get along even better. Until my insecurities and trust issues crept up on me. I know, Sherlock finds it hard to deal with but he stays calm as much as he can, so unlikely of him, but he knows what loneliness does, he knew, even though I have my family and friends I was still alone, except for the time when Sherlock is with me.

It was Tuesday when I was lying down on our bed. Apparently being alone makes my mind go wild. Sherlock was also out for a case. When he came he saw me, he could deduce how I felt so he just smiled and sat beside me,

"You look tired".

I nodded because I did look well absolutely lunatic.

"Do you think we should get a nap?"

"Sherlock, I... Your work's done ?"

"Hmm for now, come here"

He pulled me to him and held my head to his chest, listening to his beating heart could calm me down I knew. Yet I noticed he was a little uneasy, being with Mr detective taught me a little bit of deduction myself. I raised my head and said, "lay down".

"You too, come on be the small spoon to my biggy" he said.

"Lay down Sherlock" I said and got up from the bed to the drawer and walked towards him with a balm, "I see you have got a headache didn't you, let me rub it to your forehead."

He smiled and layed down, "what else do you see?"

He asked, I gave a soft smile. Then took out some balm and rubbed it, my tiny hand seemed more tiny when it touches his face.

"Here you'll be fine" I said,

"Thank you, nobody ever did that for me" he said.

"When I was at my lowest you stayed, now I'm finding it hard to find anything good around me, maybe I should do some good to feel better ".

"I'm sorry you are feeling this way" he said taking my hand and placing it on his heart. This made me smile, he's so sweet sometimes and then his work drives far for a little longer. But when he's sweet, he's extra special dear to me.

"You love me do you?" I asked.

"Do I? Well yes ofcourse, nothing to hide" he said then got up and kissed my cheek.

I looked into his eyes and said, "we'll get through this one day perhaps."

"We can survive anything together." He said.

"If I ever try to break free, what will you do?" I asked, as I said, I could barely see anything positive at that time .

"Well, I'd come after you". He said chuckling.

"And ?" I asked.

"To protect you" he replied.

"Like you've always done".

"Yes, like always."

"Don't let me go then, keep me to you". I said what I was feeling.

"Ofcourse you and me against the world okay?"

I nodded smiling, thrilling isn't it? Eloping with your lover , hiding from the whole world , just my detective and I.

"I can climb mountains if I have you" I said and he seemed pretty delighted. He got up and picked me, literally scooped me into his arms.

"Ofcourse, princess" he whispered, oh his heavy voice calling me princess, it was seductive.

"Princess?" I asked.

"Yes, princess, I was just a knight protecting you, but now I'm feeling like a king".

"That makes me a queen".

"Absolutely, queen, princess and my love" he said kissing the top of my nose.

"Keep me tied to you" I said.

"Sure" he replied.

"How about we tie the knot too?" I finally made the proposal. Oh his face, he was just stunned. But then he smiled and said, "I'd love to, is this a good time?"

Okay he was way too forward, now? Like now? But hey, who cares I'd Marry him anyday so I nodded and replied, "yes ofcourse".

"Now then, we'll do a reception with our families later".

"Let's go to the church" I offered. Without delay we got ready and went to the nearest church. Sherlock opened the door to a small, local parish church and he leads the way inside.

He talked to the priest and he said that we can proceed, and asked us to come to the altar.

And then a short and a very simple ceremony, and before you know it the two of us are being declared married. And as it happens the sky outside the windows is clear blue, and the sunlight shines softly into the church.

"so Sherlock" I said finally after getting married to my man.

"Yes my love?" He answered.

I looked at him, I'm glad I did what felt right, he was a bit older than me but loving him never felt awkward, "so, married are we?" I asked it was unbelievable.

He smiled and answered, "together forever."

A tear falls from my eyes, perhaps a happy one but Sherlock seemed concerned he immediately cupped my face and said, "hey hey, do want to sit, come here". He wiped my tear and we on a bench inside the church.

"You feel okay?" He asked, he was totally worried.

I nodded smiling, still can't believe this rational rude unromantic detective can have so much concern in his heart for me and for his friends ofcourse, "yes, You know what, now I see what being married is".

"You do? What's this?" He asked.

"It means to always hold on to eachother for better for worse " I said, because it's always been like this, he tolerated all my mistakes with a smile and a little inconvenience from his side caused me loosing my temper.

"Right" he replied, "I'll never let you go, I can never love anyone else atleast after you, no one after you, that's how I love you".

"For better for worse " I said,

"For richer for poorer" he replied.

We kept repeating our wedding vows. And giggled on our own, now that's us.

"Well now, let's not keep others waiting. God has more works than to listen to our silly talks, oh you don't believe do you?" He was a man of science I always presumed he never believed in God.

"But you do" he said.

"Yes" I replied.

"If you believe in him then I do too, if you believe in ghost then so I." He answered with a smile.

I smiled back at him. He got up and so do I he leaned and kissed me deeply. Then we pulled away from the kiss and he said, "let's go now"

"Where?" I asked, I was daydreaming that I forgot we have to go home.

"Why to our house, of course." he replies, and then he looks at outside "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

He smiles The sky is clear, and the sun shines brightly. For a moment, he watches the people walking and then he asks the question again his eyes fixed on me

"Would you like to go home?" He asked,

"221b Baker Street?" I asked.

"Indeed, my love." He smiles, "221b Baker Street."

He adds, with a twinkle in his eye, "And in the words of a certain detective, "Come, join me in Baker Street." And he takes my hand and leads us to our own home.

[dolcid]

Cozy Nights | Star Wars | Fallen Order

Pairing: Cal Kestis x Nightsister Merrin

Summary: Cal and Merrin spend the night underneath the stars.

A/N: I have no clue if anything I say about Dathomir is right, so correct me if I'm wrong! :)

After being with the crew for a few months now, Cal noticed how intrigued Merrin was when she saw something new to her. Her eyes brightened and her brows lifted, sometimes she would even scratch her chin in thought. Cal thought it all was adorable, and as much as he hates the thought of a nightsister being adorable, he figured she was an exception. After only knowing Dathomirian customs and such, he also figured he could be the one to show her the vast beauty of the universe.

Tonight, Greez had taken the crew to Alderaan, a galactic hub of art, culture, and most importantly, freedom. While Merrin may have had free will on Dathomir, it was the only way of life she knew. Cal was determined to change that.

As the sun settled behind the clouds, the crew had already begun to hit the hay. Cal, however, was still wide awake and watching the sunset when Merrin found him.

"Cal? What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be asleep?" She asked, brows furrowed as she looked him over. Cal smiled as he turned to her.

"I'm watching the sunset, wanna watch it too?"

Merrin's face twists into confusion, the sun on her planet was beautiful yes, but she never thought of watching it set.

"Sun..set? Do you mean to say you watch the sun as it sets?" She asks carefully, stepping a bit closer to Cal now. Cal laughed gently at her question and motioned for her to sit.

"Yeah, it's beautiful. You've never watched the sunset?" Merrin sits as he asks, simply shaking her head in reply.

"Night was when Dathomir was the most dangerous. Creatures that hide during the day come out and hunt, most people did not survive the attacks," she explained simply, eyes focusing on the horizon.

"Oh, well I can understand that. But here? There are no creatures to hurt you. Only the sun, the stars, and you." Cal quips, leaning back onto the ramp of the mantis. Merrin hummed and took in her surroundings. Cal wasn't wrong, the sky was beautiful. A shade of pink and purple gently mixed with orange, the bright light of the sun slowly drifting underneath the clouds.

"It is beautiful," Merrin spoke, her eyes fluttering at the sight. Cal smiled and took in her looks. The sun casted perfectly onto her cheeks, the pink hues making her look almost angelic, the wind only adding to the affect. Cal mentally saved the image, wondering if she always looked this beautiful. Which he knew she did, he was just to busy to ever notice.

"Yeah, it sure is," he spoke, eyes still fixated onto her face. A red hue suddenly appearing on his cheeks.

"The sunset isn't the only thing that's beautiful, have you seen the stars?" Cal asked looking up briefly before turning to Merrin.

"The...stars?" Merrin questioned, her puzzles look from earlier returning. Cal chuckled again. She was unbelievably cute.

"Yeah, those orbs of light that appear after the sun sets?" He describes, watching as her face seemed to contort more.

"I don't think I have seen these...stars. The red sun on Dathomir is very different from regular suns. It makes the atmosphere appear dark red at night." Merrin explains dutifully, her finger resting on her chin before clasping together over her legs. Cal widened his eyes.

"You've never seen the stars? Oh Merrin, you're in for a treat!"

"Treat?"

Cal laughs again, a hearty genuine laugh. Gently grabbing Merrin's hand, Cal walks them down the ramp onto the soft grass.

"Here, it's better to watch them like this," he says, laying down onto his back before patting the spot next to him. Merrin arches a brow but follows suit, resting her hands over her stomach.

Slowly, the sun rests beneath the horizon and stars begin to pop out, taking Merrin by surprise.

"Are those the stars you are talking about?" She points, looking to Cal as he chuckles.

"Yeah! Aren't they great? Just wait till more come out, then I can show you the constellations," Cal says, already expecting questions.

"Constellations? What are those?" Cal smiles and holds up his pointer finger, pointing out certain stars that form the constellations.

"That's Orion's Belt, and that's the Big Dipper, there's also a small Dipper too,"

Merrin watches in astounment, utterly fascinated by the facts she's being told.

"I did not know other planets had these...customs, it is fascinating to hear about them," she says to him, absentmindedly leaning into his side. Cal visibly blushes but says nothing, secretly enjoying the action.

"Now's the best part," Cal speaks softly, his voice a mere whisper "falling asleep under the stars." Merrin hums.

"Sleeping under the stars? I had never imagined people doing something so...calming, usually on Dathomir, ne and what's left of my family had to search for shelter. A place where we could be safe from roaming creatures."

Cal listens carefully, interested in her culture.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything hurt you here," Cal says gently, staring at Merrin as she slowly looked to him.

"Thank you, Cal." Without question, Merrin suddenly leans into Cal's side, resting her hand over his chest. Cal blushes madly at the action, but simply drapes his arm over her own, both slowly falling asleep as the stars shone.

In the morning, Cere finds the two in the same position, figuring that waking them would be foul.

Tags: @bxmxtx @reader8679

[titanicfreija]

Something Else

Even before they got close, they could smell the death. The bodies strewn nearest the entrance clutched weapons and a few featured steaming green wounds. Not fresh but not old either.

"Our work?" asked Freija. "Looks like we've been here."

"I can't tell if it's us or Hive. It's really hard to tell," said Thomas. "It doesn't help that we take our enemies' weapons so often. There's definitely Hive magic here, but it could be relics or Thorn or Striga..." He shrugged.

"If it was the Hive, they'd still be here," Rex said.

"Then they've either gone or they've hidden their energy signatures," Sunny replied.

"Glimmer says the latter," Thomas agreed, checking his Perpetualis and adjusting his gloves.

Freija and Thomas ventured into the derelict Golden Age building, Ghosts over shoulders providing light. The lobby was empty except for puddles and dust and Eliksni corpses.

"I'm gonna guess you're more okay with genocide when it's Hive?" Thomas asked.

"In a cultural sense," Freija admitted. "Dunno about the species, but genocidal cultures get to die by the sword. Or gun. Whatever. It was your line, you know what I mean."

"It's another old one. Live by the sword, die by the sword," Thomas said. "I was being cynical at the time."

"I know. But Xivu is literally genocidal. There is no treaty to be had here. If-- when we get them down to the last thrall, it'll be trying to kill us just as hard as Xivu Arath herself, because all it wants is to kill. If this is where hunting to feed takes the Hive, they need a predator to keep them in check or they need to be wiped out."

"At least two entities in the universe believe that about us," Rex said snidely.

"I don't think they're wrong about us needing to kill, but we can kill each other just fine. If left to our own devices.... That's pretty much exactly what the Warlords did."

Rex didn't answer, but Thomas chuckled quietly. "He likes you."

"This looks a lot like hating you," Sunny said. "It means he'll actually hunt you down to be antagonistic."

"Oh. Then he's liked me for a while. Since the Imbaru Engine." Freija looked back at Thomas. "He all but stalked me any time I came back to the Tower, giving me shit about my names for the Hive symbols."

"Aww," teased Thomas. 

~

"If the Hive have been in here, they decided it wasn't worth nesting in," Freija said. "Looks like Guardian work."

"Corpse count is high. We're normally pretty bad about disintegrating everything."

"I don't see dead --ohhh."

The facility opened into a huge room of desks with screens, littered with Hive and Eliksni corpses. Mostly acolytes and dregs, with a couple of knights and Captains. A single wizard lay amongst them.

"If anyone survived, they fled," Thomas said. "Not that I blame them."

Sunny and Rex scanned the ruined computers while Thomas and Freija searched the room. Just corpses. Couple of ether tanks.

"There's another server room down the hall," Rex said. He and Thomas strode ahead while Freija watched his back.

Freija shot by reflex, immediately regretting it when she finally saw the dreg, but they didn't fall. They ran back into cover, glowing shield from its servitor saving it from the Guardian.

"Hey-- velaask?" Freija called.

Thomas watched the crack in the wall where they vanished into.

"I hate to kill a last survivor. Always feels dirty," Freija complained. "Why the fuck do they keep trying to fight?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"I'm immortal, that's different."

"If it was Hive?"

Freija's mouth twisted. "I wanna say I would be smarter than that but I'd be lying," she admitted. "So good point. Either way." She directed her external comm into the ruined wall. "Look, guy, we're here for data retrieval and nothing else. Not fighting. Get out. Illa tokal aaska."

Thomas turned back to his task, trusting her to handle this. "Your enunciation has gotten a lot better. You getting practice?"

"A little."

She deliberately moved past the gap so the alien could see her do it, went to a t-junction of the corridor, and pretended to ignore them. She watched her radar as they snuck through the wall and up the hall, away from them and toward the exit. She stuck her head into the room to check for others, finding nothing threatening.

Thomas banged around in the closed room and Freija did her best to keep still as he swore at the terminal and a chair he kicked, and the soft crackle of electricity immediately followed by a hiss of pain.

Sunny ventured in and Rex hovered out, refusing to look at any of them. Freija could hear the low hum of electric device working for the first time in centuries.

After a few minutes of silence, she called in. "Anything?"

"My name," Thomas said. "And an employment history. Apparently I did tech work. My name was-- You're kidding."

"What?"

"Ambros Zaunbrecher."

"What, like ambrosia? Or amber?"

"It translates to immortal. Roughly. Zaunbrecher means 'fence-breaker'."

Freija didn't make a sound, to the extent that Thomas wondered if she muted or changed channels.

"When we figure out time travel, I'm going to ask my original parents why," he promised himself. "I was cursed from the first life," he added under his breath. "Let me find out my middle name was wizard or something.... No. Schreiber. I think that might be worse. Cursed, cursed, cursed. And I'm a second! There's no way the other guy with this name is still dead! Suddenly I understand your feelings, Freija, calling him my father felt weird."

"Right? Even after Crow pointed out that dead family is still family. Got anything else?"

"Not much. I was with a Braytech subsidiary, doing network maintenance, according to this. Nearly ten years. Clean disciplinary file except one time listed as "insubordination" with no details, that sounds fun. Termination date 30-6-2471. Less than a year after that write-up."

"Sounds like you found the good dirt," Freija chuckled.

"With the name, I can find lots of other things, but not here. I won't have data in the Tower like you did, but first name and last name is fantastic. Secondary education was Heinmann Polytech, they're gonna have more details. Can maybe look up some news stories if I can find a good catalogue...."

"I could make a hobby of this," sighed Sunny happily.

"Did we want to make sure the Hive are cleared out?" Freija asked.

"What happened to sparing the last survivor?" Thomas teased.

"Shut up, I know it's a double standard, but Eliksni run and Hive don't," she grumbled. "I'll be right back."

~~

When Freija came back out, covered in ashes and carrying a lump of cloth, she found Thomas holding a glaive at the servitor's eye while it and the dreg dangled helplessly, tangled in green threads.

"I spared them for your sake," he told Freija. "But it shot first."

"I found why," Freija said, shifting the bundle. Thomas sucked a breath when he saw that the hatchling was dead.

The Eliksni struggled in its bonds with a harsh squawk and loud chittering. The servitor groaned as it tried to get an eye on them, fighting hard and losing.

"Tell me you didn't," he breathed. "And you brought it back up here?"

Freija shook her head solemnly and wrapped the bundle, securing the cloth. "I didn't. They wouldn't have gone if it was alive when we got here. They were guarding the body. They were trying to keep us away from it. Let them down." Thomas backed off and let the hold fall away. Instantly, the servitor shielded the Eliksni, which charged at Freija with two knives. She knocked one knife away and curled a shoulder as if protecting the hatchling. The Eliksni stopped short, stumbling back, second knife falling wayside.

Freija waited to make sure the attack stopped, and she held the bundle out. The Eliksni crept up cautiously and took it at the length of their reach. They brought the bundle to their chest, clutching it with their lower stumps and one upper arm. The other slowly moved across their torso to stop near the other shoulder, and they offered the subtlest of nods. Freija nodded in return and said, "Illa tokal aaska," again. "Sunny, can you give the servitor coordinates?"

"I... think so?"

"Can you send them to a waypoint and contact Three?"

Thomas almost cried out in surprise. "Three? You call up Three? Ever? Don't you guys hate each other?"

"Mutual distaste, but we agree on some stuff, including that the Eliksni need help, not war." Freija stepped away from the Eliksni, holding her hands clear of her weapons. Both Eliksni and servitor stepped backward, refusing to look away from the Guardians until they backed around the building's lobby door, out of sight.

Thomas watched Freija for several long moments, then sighed and shook his head. "I'll hear about this in the city later," he declared incredulously. "I'll go to the Eliksni quarter and I'm going to hear about this Guardian that found the sole survivor of a Hive attack and sent her a ride to the Tower with her dead hatchling for proper funeral rites. And you make this look easy, like it's easy to just peacemake, like she didn't try to kill both of us twice. You know fifteen words in their entire language and at least two of them are swears, and you--" he shook his head and turned away with a heavy breath. "You are something else."

"The Eliksni don't want to fight," Freija said with a shrug. "Most, anyway. Some of them are angry at us for stealing the Traveler, still, and some of them are angry because of what we've done to them and theirs, but fuckloads, even the raiders and warriors, would rather just fucking not. I can't do it in big groups or anything, laying down arms in front of an army is a great way to die, but one on one, one on a few, they  know I'm the biggest threat in the area, and if I stop, they don't wanna start."

Thomas nodded slowly and fixed his Perpetualis under his arm. "Something else," he repeated.

~~~

Request

Communication

The Database

Something Else

Campfire Stories

Jealousy 

Bickering 

Revealed

[vbecker10]

Shadows of the Past

Part 53 (Part 52)

______________________________________

(LOKI POV)

You carefully lay her on the exam table in the medical bay and slowly take a step back. The last thing you want to do right now is let her go, even for a second, but you know she needs to be examined as soon as possible. You fidget with your fingers anxiously and watch Y/N over Dr. Palmer’s shoulder. She quickly goes to work connecting all the wires from the various monitors to Y/N and then she moves onto the physical exam. Dr. Palmer listens to her heart and lungs then uses a small flashlight to check her pupils, nodding to herself as she goes but not saying anything.

She continues examining Y/N, taking note of each of her injuries as she cleans and bandages the ones needing attention. You grind your teeth with anger when you see the extent of her injuries. Y/N is covered in cuts of various sizes, some superficial and some deep, all at different stages of healing. There are bruises on her ankles and wrists from the restrains but one wound seems to catch Dr. Palmer by surprise.

“What is this?” she says to herself quietly when she lifts Y/N’s shirt to examine her chest and abdomen for injuries.

“What’s wrong?” you ask her, taking a step forward to see what she is looking at. There is a blood covered piece of gauze taped loosely to her chest, just below her left collar bone. It is the only wound so far that looks like it had any type of treatment. 

“Can you help me check her back?” she asks you.

You nod and carefully roll Y/N onto her side so Dr. Palmer can see her back. There is another piece of gauze on her back, also soaked with blood. You already know what that means but you wait for her to say it.

“She was shot, through and through from the looks of it. Based on the location, I would say she is lucky, it missed her heart and lungs,” she slowly peels off the piece of gauze on her back. Its still open and bleeding slowly so she cleans it and stiches the wound closed. After she redresses it, you gently roll Y/N onto her back again so Dr. Palmer can do the same for what you assume is the entry wound.

"I don't know much about bullet wounds in all honesty, but it seems odd they just literally put a bandage over it doesn’t it?" you ask.

She sighs, "I'm not sure they were worried about her surviving it. Most of her other injuries don’t appear to have been treated at all. It's almost as if they were inflicted and then just left to heal on their own."

You gently stroke Y/N's cheek and wonder what they had done to her. You feel a mix of sadness and guilt but also anger. If Marc was here right now, you would tear him apart slowly, making sure he suffered for whatever his part he played in Y/N's torture.

Once all of Y/N's injuries are cleaned, dressed and noted she begins to draw several tubes of blood to analyze when they reach the lab. You watch Y/N's face closely, wishing she would at least wince as the needle is inserted into her arm but she doesn't move at all. When Dr. Palmer is finished, she takes off her gloves and turns to face you.

"Tell me she's going to be ok... that she's going to wake up soon," you say, almost pleading for it to be true. You don't think you could bear it if you were too late to save Y/N.

She looks down for a moment and then at Y/N on the exam table, "I can't. I'm sorry, I wish I could give you better news but... I don't even know why she is unconscious. The tests I am able to run here all came back within normal ranges except for two things. Her temperature is a bit lower than normal and her pulse is weak but steady. Other than the bullet wound, she has no injuries that could be considered life threatening. When we get her back to the infirmary we can take her for an MRI and CT scan while we examine the blood samples but until then..." She pauses and looks at you, "There isn't much more we can do now except wait and hope she wakes up. I'm sorry Loki."

You nod slowly and Dr. Palmer put her hand on your shoulder, “I’ll give you some time with her.” With that, she leaves the medical bay to inform the rest of the team of Y/N's status. 

You bring over one of the chairs from against the wall and set it next to Y/N. Standing over her, you tuck a lose strand of her hair behind her ear before placing a soft kiss on her cheek. Her skin still feels cold, although she is a little warmer than she had been when you first found her. You sit in the chair and take her hand in yours as you lean close to her ear. You whisper, “Y/N, I’m here...”

You pause, taking a deep breath. “Y/N, I need you to listen to me, love. Dr. Palmer doesn’t know you like I do, none of them do. You have to show them how strong you really are and that you never stop fighting. I know you can do this," you whisper to her, as you hold her hand and stroke her hair lightly with your other hand.

"Please Y/N... I can't do this without you," you say, closing your eyes as the tears threaten to escape. You open your eyes and let them fall, not able to contain your emotions any longer. "I love you, more than anything in the nine realms," you tell her. 

You kiss her lightly because of the large cut on her lower lip and sit back in the chair, still holding her hand. You sit there, watching her steadily breath in and out. After a few minutes you can feel your exhaustion overtaking you and you start to close your eyes slowly. You don’t want to sleep, you need to be awake for when Y/N regains consciousness but it is getting harder. You close your eyes for a second, listening to the sound of Y/N’s breathing and the rhythmic beeping of the monitors. 

“Y/N!?” you call desperately as you force open the large metal door. In the middle of the concrete room is an empty hospital bed with blood stained sheets. You run from the room and into the next one, but there is another empty bed. “Y/N! Where are you?” you yell as you break into the third, almost identical room.

“Loki!” you hear a faint voice call for you.

You turn to leave the room but the door is closed. Without stopping for a moment, you rip the door open to go into the hall but it’s another room. “Y/N!” you say loudly again, hoping the voice will answer. You turn towards the door you just came through but its gone. 

“Loki!” the voice calls for you again. You can’t tell where it is coming from, it sounds far away but doesn’t seem to have a direction. 

You stand in the middle of the room and look for an exit but you don’t see the door, all four walls are solid concrete. The only other thing in the room is the hospital bed, which no longer looks empty. There is a form under the blood soaked white sheets and you feel yourself moving towards the bed. Reaching out slowly, you take the edge of the sheet in your hand. You can feel the warm, wet blood when you grip the fabric but you can’t seem to stop yourself. 

“Mischief,” you hear, looking up to where it sounds like the voice is coming from. You look into the bright light in the ceiling of the concrete room and blink a few times.

You open your eyes and realize you had fallen asleep with your head resting on your arm by Y/N’s hip on the exam table. You sit up slowly and run your thumb along Y/N’s knuckle and suddenly you feel her squeeze your hand back. You look up at Y/N’s face but her eyes are still closed and you are unsure if you imagined her moving her hand or not.

You look back at her hand and sit up straight, fully awake now. The three inch thick, purple and red bruise that circled her wrist is no longer visible. You check her other hand which is resting on her chest, and the marks on that wrist are gone as well. But how is that possible, you wonder to yourself. You pause for a moment and then look back at Y/N’s face, realizing you missed something. The bruise around her eye is also gone, and her lip is no longer split. 

"Y/N?” you ask hopefully as she stirs slightly, moving her head a little and letting out a quiet moan. She opens her eyes slowly and closes them again. You squeeze her hand and your heart jumps when she squeezes it back. She turns her head towards you and smiles at you, her eyes half open.

“Hi Mischief,” she says quietly, as if she is half asleep. “I knew you would find me.” 

"Y/N, I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner, I-” you immediately start apologizing for failing her but she reaches up and puts her hand over your mouth.

“Stop, stop,” she whispers as you become quiet. You can’t help but smile behind her hand, her fingers feel warm against your lips. “I love you Loki,” she tells you as she moves her hand from your mouth to your cheek.

“I love you too,” you tell her. You lean down and kiss her, her hand moves to your hair and you kiss her deeper. When you finally pull away, she sits up carefully with your help and you tell her, “I should get Dr. Palmer and let her know you are awake. I’ll only be a second, ok?”

She nods and says, “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” 

You walk quickly down the center corridor of the plane until you get to the area where most of the team is sitting. You open the door to the room and before you can say anything, everyone turns to you with worried looks. 

“Loki?” Thor asks, you can hear the concern in his voice. 

“Is Y/N ok, did something happen?” Steve asks.

Dr. Palmer gets up from her seat, checking the tablet in her hand that is showing Y/N’s vitals. “Everything looks stable, what’s wrong?” she says as she comes to meet you by the door.

“Nothing is wrong, calm down everyone,” you tell them not able to contain a smile. “Y/N is awake, I told her I was going to get Dr. Palmer and be right back,” you say motioning to her. 

“Let’s not keep her waiting then,” she says happily and follows you out of the room. You can hear everyone talking excitedly but you want to get back to Y/N as quickly as you can. 

When you open the door to the medical bay, you let Dr. Palmer go in first. Y/N is sitting on the edge of the exam table, swinging her legs causally as she looks around the room in boredom. She looks at the two of you as you enter and smiles. “Hi,” she says, waving adorably.

Dr. Palmer says hi back and asks Y/N if it is ok for her to examine her and ask her a few questions. Y/N says, “I’m still really tired but I feel fine otherwise. Can we do all the questions after we get back and I’ve rested a bit?”

She agrees and after making sure all of Y/N’s vitals are stable, she excuses herself from the room. “Are you sure you feel alright?” you ask, worried about her injuries.

“Loki, I promise you, I’m fine,” she says as she hops off the table. “I just... I don’t want to talk about what happened right now. I want to be happy a bit longer,” she tells you and you can see the smile leave her face. 

You wrap your arms around her, pulling her as close to you as you can. “We don’t have to talk about it yet,” you tell her, kissing the top of her head. “But I’m here when you are ready, you know that right?”

She nods against your chest and holds onto you as if you might disappear if she loosened her grip. For the first time in weeks you feel like you can breath again. 

(A little bit later)

You and Y/N walk hand in hand down the corridor towards the rear of the plane once it has landed at the Tower. The rest of the team is gathered around the ramp, waiting for it to open. They all turn and see Y/N, smiles start to spread across everyone’s faces. Thor comes up to her first, he pulls her in for a hug although you can tell her is being much gentler than usual. “I’m so glad you are ok Y/N, we’ve all missed you so much,” he tells her. 

She smiles back at him when he lets go, “I missed you too, all of you.” She looks around at the team, “I don’t know how to thank all of you for finding me.”

You stand near the back and watch with a smile as everyone on the team welcomes her back with a hug before exiting the plane. Thor comes over to you and doesn’t say anything, he just stands next to you. When the last member of the team hugs Y/N and steps onto the ramp to leave, Thor goes to leave as well but you stop him. Grabbing his wrist, he turns to look at you and you hug him tightly. “Thank you Thor, for believing me and helping me find her,” you tell him. It takes him a second but he hugs you back. When you let go you know Y/N is staring at the two of you, smiling from ear to ear. 

“That never happened,” you tell her with a laugh. Thor laughs too and pats you on the back hard.

“I won’t tell anyone... that it was the second time you hugged me,” he says.

“Second time?” Y/N’s says in shock.

“I have no idea what he is talking about,” you tell her, trying to sound innocent. Thor continues to laugh as he leaves, making his way down the ramp. When you are alone with Y/N you take her hand again and lean down to kiss her. 

She squeezes your hand lightly and says, “I love you Loki.”

“I love you too, Y/N,” you reply. 

The two of you leave the plane and see the team is lingering near the rear door of the Tower. When you reach the bottom of the ramp, Nat turns from the group and calls to the both of you, asking what’s taking you so long. 

Y/N laughs and walks a little quicker, pulling you with her. You smile, thinking about how amazing it is to be able to be with her again. To be able to hear her laugh, see her smile, feel her in your arms and kiss her. Suddenly you stop walking completely, causing you to pull on Y/N’s arm. 

She turns, looking at you confused but doesn’t let go of your hand. “Loki, are you ok?” she asks, sounding concerned.

You take a deep breath and take a step towards her, closing the distance between you. “Y/N... there’s something I need to ask you,” you say to her.

@michelleleewise @evansabove1981 @ace-of-gay @fic-recs-from-lokis-gem @poetic-fiasco @lokisprettygirl22 @soubi001 @kats72 @misswimberly @meibruges @juulle987 @asgardianprincess1050 @el-zef @xorpsbane @sweatyroadcowboyjudge @lulubelle814 @annoyingmarvelreader  @yoongissidebitchh @ihategreeneggs  @daggers-and-mischief @nonsensicalobsessions @chaotics17 @redbluekjw @lokiprompts @lovingchoices14 @roseeatta @hopefuldreamers-world @ladymischief11 @stevihj @too-strong-to-lose @imalovernotahater @lokisninerealms

Let me know if you want to be added! 💚

[strawberryya]

welcome home

Seonghwa x reader

request: Oooh, idk if requests are open, if they're not I'm sorry but if they are, great!! Prompts: 'I missed you' & 'please stay'. Seonghwa (dom) + angst+ praise+ corruption+ fluff+ shy!reader. Can't wait to see what you come up with :) @whatudowhennooneseesyou 

word count: 5.3k

genre/contains: established long-distance relationship, dom!Seonghwa, afab!reader, nb!reader i think except for the typically fem petnames, petnames (sometimes degrading), angst , praise, corruption, fluff, shy!reader, unprotected sex (don't, just don't), thigh grinding, cream pie, mentions of phone sex and nudes, phone sex foreplay, porn with very little plot ngl, mentions of food, please let me know if you find something else

rating: 18+

a/n: oh god, this took so long to write, smut is a lot of fun but so hard to write sometimes. I imagine it'll get easier with more practice but idk. anyways, I hope this fulfilled the request and that you all enjoy it :)

.・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・.

All day you had been horny, it was just one of those days where it kept bothering you no matter what you did to distract yourself. Luckily it wasn't a weekday, and you could stay at home while trying to distract yourself from your own thoughts. Specifically those about him.

Of course, you knew you would have to wait a while longer if you wanted to do something with his help. However, when you're watching the cooking channel and a random chef's knife skills turn you on, you kinda have to face reality and do something about your situation.

So you ended up calling him, deciding that, at least making sure he was on board would be a bit reassuring as you tried to fight off the urge to just help yourself.

His sweet tone when he picked up with a "Hey my baby," derailed everything though. And when he innocently asked "How has your day been so far?" it made you feel rather shy and unsure of how to bring up the subject you intended to discuss.

Feeling restless you flipped yourself over, laying on your side with the phone still pressed against your ear to hear his every word. You had missed his voice - even though you had spoken just two days ago and texted in between. It had been hard, not seeing him in person these past months, not being able to talk into the small hours at night while lying next to each other and without a damn phone in your hand. 

Additionally, not being able to feel him had been torture. Occasional phone sex and dirty pictures had of course been sent to help each other out, but you were never really completely satisfied. It didn’t matter how many times you came on your vibrator or your fingers; nothing came close to how he could make you come within minutes with only his mouth, sucking and lapping at your pussy like he had been starved for ages. You missed having his head pressed up against you in between your spread-out legs, only seeing the top of his head when you looked down and moaned at the sight. You missed how he would groan when you pulled at his hair, sending vibrations through your body. And you missed how he would fuck you senseless when you were already about to pass out from your previous orgasms. 

Clenching from the thought of just this finally pushed you over the edge. You needed to hear him tonight, you needed to see him as you both came undone, calling out to each other over the call, and your self-consciousness would have to be pushed aside for now.

"Could we talk on facetime or something tonight? I'm feeling a bit 'wound up' and... idk I just thought that maybe..." you began, getting more embarrassed from what you were about to ask of your boyfriend with every word. It wasn't like it was the first time- absolutely not - these calls had become both of your saving graces these past couple of months. Altough, phone sex, even when they felt like personal cam boy streams, wasn't exactly ideal. However, it was so much better than having to survive on only the memory of him moaning into your ear.

"Cmon, tell me what you want," he teased, snickering a bit at your awkwardness.

It wasn't easy, asking him to do what you wanted him to do. It didn't matter that you had done it before. You accidentally let a small whine slip out, inadvertently letting him know of your dissatisfaction due to his incessant need to hear all of the dirty thoughts you had to be said through words. But you very quickly gave in, too horny not to do exactly what he said. "Could we have phone sex tonight?" you hastily mumbled out, words stumbling over each other.

He heard you though, however, his laughing slowly came to a halt, only to lower his voice and demand "Again, clearer this time. Tell me exactly what it is that you want today."

You were burning up, the complete flip in his tone of voice had your stomach doing flips at every syllable.

"I-" you began, your words getting caught in your throat. You knew what you wanted, you knew exactly what you needed from him. You knew he would do what you wanted, as long as you told him. But that was of course the hardest part... the words continuously trying to turn into whispers due to the heat creeping up all over your body from embarrassment.

"I want you, to call me tonight... on a video call. I want you to look at me while I touch myself," Oh god, you could hear the desperation in your own voice, but at the same time you began uttering the words, you couldn't keep your legs apart, seeking the friction your thighs gave you as you rubbed them tightly together. Taking a moment to take a deep breath, you continued, trying your hardest to keep your words clear and coherent.

"I want you to tell me how to touch myself. I want you to imagine, that you are the one doing it, as you satisfy yourself, with your hand. I want to see you do it." And with that, you let the rest of the air out of your lungs, feeling like you could die of embarrassment.

His answer came after a couple of seconds of dead silence that would give you a stress-induced heart attack in any other circumstances.

"See, that wasn't too hard, was it? You have learned so well; look at you now, saying these things to me. So needy. Now, do you want to wait until tonight, do it over the phone, and do it all by your lonesome? Or would you like to answer that door for me, like the obedient slut that you are?"

At that very moment, you heard the doorbell sound loudly, and you sat up from the couch at once. You were just about to start questioning how Seonghwa could've known that it was going to ring right at that moment, but he hung up before you could collect your thoughts enough for a single word to come out.

It couldn't be, he was hours away. There was just no way he could've traveled that entire way without telling you that he was coming home. You tried to calm yourself, not wanting to get your hopes up too much, in case your rational thoughts actually were the truth and he just had some magical levels of perfect timing today.

You pulled open the door and your jaw fell, all the words you had running through your brain sticking on your tongue. All rational thoughts dissolving as you looked at the man standing on the other side of the door.

“So you’ve decided to be a good little whore today?” Seonghwa said with a playful smirk.

Your eyes widen in complete shock, but you nod and back up from the door as if in a trance. The horny in you was momentarily stunned by the overwhelming joy of having him back right in front of you after so many weeks without him there.

"Work? How? You didn't..." you tried and failed at making complete sentences, just staring at him while he unloaded the bags in his hands. You closed the door as he took off his shoes and let your back fall against it for support.

"It was a surprise," he smiled, looking at your still confused face.

"Oh," was all you could muster up now.

Then his smile shifted into a knowing smile, and his eyes switched into something a lot more devious. You shifted, nervously avoiding his gaze. He fought your chin in between his thumb and index finger, stabilizing your face and forcing your eyes to meet his own unrelentless ones.

"But before we talk about any of that, we have a couple of things to deal with. Wanna tell me again what you want from me tonight?"

Your breath hitched as you imagined the possibilities of what you could do now that he was here.

However, "Kiss me, please," was all you could find the words for.

"With pleasure," he whispered as he pushed you up against the cold door behind you. The kiss - aggressive, messy, and wet- and the relief of finally feeling his lips on yours combined with your breath caught in your lungs creating a deliciously dizzying feeling. It was taking over your mind, clouding your every thought, making you stuff the questions, and pleas for this to last forever, into the back of your mind.

This was not the time to bring up your wants when he was already giving you exactly what you needed by letting his leg slip in between your thighs. You moaned into his mouth as you let yourself sink down on his steady thigh.

Your mind was already beginning to feel fuzzy, it had been too long. While tracing his body, you let your hands travel from their previous position on Seonghwa's neck, letting them slide over his back, around his sides, and down to the hem of his shirt. A simple black shirt, comfy, and perfect to travel in. However, you needed it gone. Letting your hands slide up inside of his shirt, your fingertips sliding up over his toned abdomen until he broke the kiss, both of you out of breath and high on the feeling of finally feeling each other like this. He let you pull his shirt up, letting out a single chuckle at the way you licked your lips seeing his bare chest.

"Eager are we?" he pulled your head up by putting his index finger under it and tilting it towards his face. "Are we?" he repeated sternly.

"Very," you said breathlessly, feeling the embarrassment crawling into your brain, but it was quickly pushed aside when he smirked yet again and brought his lips to yours.

Moaning into the kiss again due to the muscles in his thigh shifting you felt your pussy getting wetter by the second. It was unbearable, especially since you had felt so needy the entire morning.

You needed more. More of this moment. More of his lips and hands all over your body, squeezing and caressing. You needed more of him.

Trying to create some more friction, you pushed your pelvis up a bit and let it drop again, your sweats on top of his thigh covered with jeans gave you exactly what you needed for just a moment.

But it was soon taken away as Seonghwa pulled back, seeing your distressed expression searching his face for a reason for his action.

"Did I tell you to do that?" he said in an unsympathetic voice while staring you down.

You froze, "No," you tried to look away, but his "Look at me," made you bring all your attention to him once again. "I go away from home for a couple months, and you start becoming disobedient just because we have been slacking off a little while on the phone?" he said and cocked a brow, awaiting your defense.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I just-" you tried, your voice giving in a bit.

"Did our sessions really make you so desperate that you're now grinding on my leg without instructions while we're just making out?" his voice deepening with every word as he thought about how you had become more and more comfortable with expressing your desires over the past couple of months. It was honestly a huge turn-on to see you like this, so desperate. He loved it more than you knew.

However, seeing you acting all shy about it was also a lot of fun, and teasing you about it like this made it all even better. Now you were both shy and desperate, he couldn't get enough of it.

"Don't you want to be a good slut for me?" he asked, fake innocence lacing his dark voice.

"I do!" you said a bit too loud for your own self-respect to stay fully intact, it didn't matter though, because he smiled at your eager response and kissed your surprised face. He let his lips fall onto yours, both glossy and plump from the previous kisses.

This time, his kisses were softer, more tender. Giving you the opportunity to pull yourself together enough for you to find some sort of coherent thought in your fuzzy brain. "I missed you," you breathed out in between the kisses.

"Oh baby, I missed you too, I missed you so so much," you felt yourself melt into him as the sweet tone of his voice came back for just a moment as he told you this.

He slipped his hands onto your waist, pulling you away from the door and leading you back into the living room. Still kissing you, tentatively and affectionately until you felt a cold and hard surface hit your ass. Lifting yourself up a bit, you managed to put yourself on the table behind you. You were sitting on the dining-room table in the middle of the open area of your living room. But where you were didn't really matter right then.

Your mind was so completely focused on how Seonghwas lips traced the skin on your neck with small kisses and how his hands had begun making their way underneath your shirt. You felt his hands making their way up your torso until they found your breasts. He brushed his fingers over your nipples and you quivered.

His hands felt right at home on your skin, slightly pressing down on your nipples with two fingers and letting the other sneak back to your lower back, pulling you closer to his body as he made his way up to your moaning lips again.

He pulled back and before he could even ask you burst out "Please take it all off." And he followed your orders, smiling when he got back to your lips after having slid off your shirt and sweats, leaving you in just your underwear on the cold surface of the table.

"So pretty," he whispered into your ear while he let his hand drop to your thigh, dragging his fingers over your skin, just beside the fabric of your panties, but not so close that you got any of the satisfaction of actually feeling him on your sensitive and throbbing pussy.

"If you want something, you need to ask for it," he amused, feeling you shift underneath him in search of friction.

"Touch me, everywhere, I'll do whatever you want, just please touch me!" you wanted to cry, so horny that all your inhibitions were going out the window the moment he let his fingers slide over your clothed cunt. You moaned, earning a "Such a good little one you are," from Seonghwa before he let your moans become muffled by his lips pressing into yours.

You kissed back with such passion that you heard him let out a groan himself. The moans from his fingers rubbing down onto your clit, your panties soaking from the close contact with your dripping pussy, you didn't even notice how wild it all drove him until you wrapped your legs around his waist and felt the bulge, stretching underneath the restraint of his clothes.

"Just a bit more," you pleaded into the kiss. Feeling increasingly needy himself, Seonghwa did as you had asked, rubbing in circular motions on your clit, a bit faster, a bit harder, while he used the other hand to press you against his chest. Your breasts pressed up against his chest, the kiss continuing to swallow your moans that were becoming more fervent with every second until you felt your orgasm approaching. You were so close, you were almost screaming. pressing yourself so impossibly close to Seonghwa while your legs began to shake a bit around his waist.

With one last harsh movement of his fingers, you came, clenching around nothing, screaming a silent moan into his mouth. He continued to move his fingers, slowly, on your still clothed clit until you had come back down to earth again.

You were still out of breath, kissing him sloppily while you calmed yourself down more.

"I missed you," you confess again, pulling back from his lips to look into his eyes. They had been dark and hungry, but your words made them look at you in another way, a softer way, almost apologetic you thought. Or maybe it's just what you wanted them to say, you wanted him to say that being away from you had been a mistake and that he was sorry and wanted to come home. But you knew you couldn't expect that, because it hadn't actually been a mistake, taking this opportunity was good for his career and a little time apart right now was the sacrifice you both had decided was worth it for him to be able to reach his goals.

An apology wasn't what you wanted in the end, you just wanted him to stay this time. Asking him to do that was not an option however, you couldn't put that decision on him, making him choose to do as you asked or do what he needed to. You knew it wasn't an option.

Instead of waiting for an answer from him, you grabbed him by the neck, pulling him towards you for a kiss. Once again, the kiss was soft and tender, but it became more ferocious as you pulled him closer by the neck and then the waist, feeling his still stiff and untouched cock pressing against you. You wouldn't ask, but you would show him how much you needed him. Because right now he was here and you wouldn't ask for more.

"Can I ride you?" you ask while kissing his neck down to his collar bone and up again, leaving dark marks over his skin from your moments of stopping and sucking on small spots all over his skin.

"My baby wants to ride me?" he growled out while you sucked on a particularly sensitive spot below his ear. When you let go of his skin, stopping to drag your thumb over the faint purple color where your mouth had been, Seonghwa took the opportunity and lifted you up, your legs wrapped tightly around him for support. You moaned feeling the friction of his movements on your still sensitive clit.

He groaned at the way you moaned and ground down on him. "Being all greedy and already so desperate for me, perfect in every way aren't you.” He said as he let you down on the couch that you only now realized had been just a couple steps away from the table where you had ended up at first. "If you want me to fuck you, you need to take those off," he mentioned and nodded down towards the one article of clothing you had left on your body. You didn't hesitate to throw it off of you and into some corner of the room.

However, removing your own clothing meant that you almost missed seeing him undress. But just almost, because you couldn't help but catch yourself gawking at him as he finished pulling down his zipper and reaching for the edges of his pants. And you most definitely didn't miss when he finally pulled them down, a small gasp of excitement leaving your lips when you saw his dick being uncovered by the fabrics of his underwear, standing erect and looking just as deliciously good as you remembered.

You licked your lips unknowingly at the sight and shifted on your seat when you noticed him twitching and leaking as he watched your reaction to his cock.

"So so needy... My sweet angel, so cock-hungry just for me," he said, breaking the trance you had been put in by the thought of him inside of you, stretching you out, filling you up. You really were hungry for his cock and you had no inhibitions keeping you from showing him just how much you wanted him left.

"Please, let me ride your cock," you pleaded, sounding more desperate than you thought you would, but not caring one bit when he smiled at your request.

He sat down on the couch next to you and helped you shift yourself on top of him. "So beautiful," he murmured as you bent down to kiss him while reaching down to align yourself with the tip of his eager cock. Not being able to contain yourself any longer, you didn't wait for him to tell you to move, you just began sliding down his shaft yourself.

Once you had taken all of him in, sitting firmly in his lap, pulling at his hair that was tangled in your fists, you let a sigh of relief out from somewhere deep within you. Nothing could compare to the way he completely filled you up, how you could feel him pulsate through your walls while your pussy gripped tightly around him. And absolutely nothing could top the way his moans sounded in person. Every whimper, every hitched breath, due to you clenching down on his cock, made a new wave of desire seek its way through your body. 

"Move," Seonghwa ordered, not being able to handle your pulsating walls around him without you moving for a second longer. At the demand, you lifted yourself up a bit, moaning at the feeling of him moving inside of you, and dropping yourself down onto him again. Both of you let out sounds of pleasure at the sound of your pussy squelching every time you went up or down on his cock and the simple feeling of having each other so close - so real compared to the video images you had survived on for months.

Your mind was blank, you rambled on and on about absolutely nothing. Moans mixed with “please” and “more” came out in a blur. Seongwha pulled you in by the neck, kissing you with such passion that you felt your high approach with the speed of lightning. It hit you before you knew it and you screamed a silent scream into his mouth as you pressed your chest into his and continued to grind close to his body, no longer able to find the energy to lift your body up.

Seongwha continues to kiss you, rubbing your thigh with one hand and running the other one up and down your back in a soothing motion. However, you could feel him inside of you, pulsating and twitching.

It doesn't take long before he has reached his limit, grabbing your hips in a firm grip and lifting you up by himself, and letting you drop down again. His steady grip digging into your skin combined with the low growls and sweet moans coming from him every time you took him in turned you on yet again.

With the absolute last of your strength, you help him, making it easier for him to lift you, and pushing down harder onto him when he let you fall down onto his stiff cock. You're a moaning mess yourself, and when he hisses out "God, you sound so hot," you can't help but feel your orgasm build up once again. It's even more intense than the first two times and the overstimulation combined with the increasingly aggressive thrust that hits just the right spot every time makes you crash into a wave of pleasure.

You're shaking from the stimulation, still moaning and letting out obscene noises as Seonghwa continues to push into you, holding you steady with all of his strength as you're about to let go of every muscle in your body and drift away. He can feel your pussy clenching uncontrollably around him as your orgasm continues to fill your mind and body. Your walls squeezing him so tightly pushed him past his utmost limit and he groans loudly into your ear as he comes inside of you, your cum combining with his and leaking out of your overfilling cunt and running down onto his lap.

You both stay like that, cum spilling out of you, breaths heavy and quick at the same time, your pussy continuing to clench around his sensitive cock, and small moans leaving both of you every time either of you shifts while you come down from your highs.

Even after you regain some ability to form coherent thoughts you don't move. Instead, you let yourself rest against his shoulder, taking in the scent of his perfume that you had missed so much and basking in the sensation of his hands moving slowly across your naked skin. Now that you had him back in your arms you really didn't want him to leave.

The thought of having to let him go like you had before, even if it was the logical thing to do, made your heart ache. And the thought of how he would be forced to respond if you asked him to stay almost broke you, and without realizing it, you had begun silently crying. Your tears fell down onto Seonghwas bare shoulders, making him snap out of the state he had been in after his own orgasm.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Are you in pain or did something not feel right?" he asked while trying to shift you both so that he could look at you properly. His entire face was filled with worry, his eyes searching yours for answers you couldn't yet articulate.

"I'm okay, I promise you didn't do anything wrong, I'm just... Please stay." you let out in between your sobs. "Just for a bit, I want a little more time with you right here."

"I'm not going anywhere." Seonghwa comforted you, letting you fall down into his chest and letting you cry. You knew he was just saying that to calm you down. It wasn't like he was leaving you, he wasn't lying in that way, but he wasn't being truthful. He was leaving, he was going somewhere, you both knew he had to. But thinking about how he could know that and still try and get you to believe that you could somehow stay just like this forever just made you cry harder, letting your sobs take over the silence as you clung to his body.

.・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・.

You woke up hearing the clanking of pans and plates from the kitchen. While pushing yourself out of bed after feeling your stomach scream after something to eat. The godlike smells coming from downstairs drove you to get up even though your entire body felt sore.

You were all cleaned up, and you smiled when you realized that he had put you in one of his own oversized t-shirts that hugged your body with the warm scent of his perfume.

"Good evening sweetie," Seonghwa chimed when he saw you entering the kitchen.

"Good evening to you too," you said and smiled broadly back at him, but continued, intrigued by the food simmering on the stove. "What are we cooking today?"

"Just pasta, but I made a tomato sauce from scratch if you're wondering why it just looks like crushed tomatoes so far," he grinned at your curious face as you bent down to smell the soon-to-be sauce puttering away in the pan.

"Smells incredible! I'm so hungry right now and omfg pasta is just perfect," you beamed over at him, receiving a wide smile back from him as he chuckled at you.

Scrunching your forehead a bit, you ask "What?" partially wondering what he found amusing and also just wanting to hear him speak more.

"Nothing really, I'm just glad to be back home."

You watched as he continued chopping some more basil and all the emotions you had felt earlier came crashing into your consciousness once again. This wasn't the time to bring anything up though. Pushing away the heavy weight of knowing you wouldn't have him like this for a while made you force a smile onto your lips and just go over to him, hugging him from the back and resting your head on his steady frame.

"Welcome home then," you said quietly, so as to not let the devastating sadness in your words slip out. Of course, you had been on board originally, but your feelings had changed surrounding your situation. Long distance wasn't something you felt like you could put up with for much longer. Missing him in this way and getting only weekends from time to time like this would never feel like enough. You needed him in your life all the time, you wanted him there - without any distance.

The entire dinner had been spent talking about everything you two had missed about each other, sickly sweet words spilling out of both of you, giggles and flirty glances filling up the silence when you both ate. It wasn't until you were both done eating and you asked him when his flight would be leaving that he looked at you in complete shock. Why he would look at you in that way was a conundrum to you.

"My flight?" he questioned.

"Yes... you know the airplane that will take you back to where you need to be for work?" you articulated, looking at him as if maybe he just had a momentary slip of reality and that your explanation would snap him out of it.

But he didn't snap out of anything, questioning once more "What are you talking about? I don't have a flight booked to take me anywhere. I thought I told you I wasn't going anywhere."

Now it was your time to look at him in complete shock.

"Are you trying to tell me that you're home home? Like home for real? You're not leaving for work again?"

Seonghwa only chuckled at your questions, "You welcomed me home just a little while ago? I thought you knew," he said and gave you a look of wonder as you still hadn't truly comprehended what he was saying.

"I thought you were just talking about like this temporary home situation and that you were, I don't know, not going anywhere in the metaphorical sense or something," you tried to explain yourself, groaning at how strange it sounded now.

"I'm sorry baby, I really should've told you that I was coming home for real, but that kinda would've ruined the surprise, and then I thought you had understood when you began crying so hard earlier and also when you hugged me before and I just, I didn't think you thought that," he looked at you with an expression that told you just how apologetic he felt about the whole thing now.

"I'm just so sorry, but I can tell you that the moving truck with the rest of my stuff is coming here tomorrow, and I promise that it's not a metaphorical truck, and I truly am not going anywhere this time." he rambled on.

But honestly, you were barely listening, "You're home," was all you could say and think in response. Grinning from ear to ear when the words finally settled in your brain.

"Yeah, I'm home."

You hopped over to him, bending down as you grabbed his face in your hands and showered him with kisses all over his face. His giggles filled up the entire room and you didn't stop until he grabbed your waist and looked up at you from when he was sitting, his eyes sparkling in the dim light of the lamps over you, his smile mirroring yours, and pulling you down by the neck to give you a kiss as you let the feeling of him being there settle and push away all the worries you had ever felt in the past couple of months. Because he was staying, and that was all you needed.

.・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・.

[navigation post!]

[mistwraiths]

2 stars

Warning!!! This will be super spoilery

You know I didn't think there could be a bad gays in space book but WOW. Okay, maybe that's a little harsh but I hated this book for the majority of the time reading it because it was just... bad. The only reason I finished it was because I was stuck at work and didn't have anything else to do except read.

Let me get this right out of the way first. After like the first part and the second part, the book got better only because they were very short parts after that and it did focus more on the tension. Once you learn the big thing in part 1, it's not that hard to kind of guess where it is headed. It's not even particularly done well. There's also so many plot holes lmfao.

The BIGGEST problem was the characters themselves. Like I hated them. It doesn't make any sense that this TRAINED FOR THIS SOLO MISSION SON OF THE SPACE TECH/WAR TECH/REALLY SMART PROGRAMMER EMPIRE would be the absolute whiniest, mopeyest, I'm lonely, I just lay around and not do the work the OS asks me to crybaby. Like????? He's so fucking juvenile and literally doesn't act in the SLIGHTEST as a capable astronaut. All he does is eat, whine about how lonely he is, lust over Kodiak, and get horny. He accuses Kodiak of homophobia in his head despite no evidence, suddenly feels something is UP with OS/the mission despite nothing being very obvious to the readers??? He was just genuinely insufferable to be in the mind space of especially when things started getting repetitive.

Kodiak was only a smidge better only because I never had his POV. Other than being apparently the only capable astronaut and engineer, he didn't really seem to have a personality other than gruff, pseudo-cold war Russian dude. I didn't care for him, didn't get attached to him or cared about their relationship.

Even though part 1 was the WORST part of the book, which is hysterical because that's where most of the important shit is, the relationship between Kodiak and Ambrose at least had the longest to actually form and you could at least understand. But my god, the rest of the relationships that Ambrose and Kodiak have get phenomenally short in how quick they get together. Why? Because a voice recording says that they love each other basically. Y'ALL I'M ???? If I found a voice recording of myself telling me ALL THIS SHIT and included yes you love them, I'd be like okay maybe old you did but i don't have any real reason to??? I wouldn't immediately want to bang them?? It's just bizarre.

So yeah, this book features clones being sent to basically to go to a viable planet and eventually restart the population with zygotes left behind. This secret mission is hidden by playing off a sense of duty to rescue Minerva, Ambrose's sister on Titan, who went offline 2 years ago testing Titan and recently sent an emergency distress signal. But after they do all the tasks, OS kills them and travels thousands of years until the tasks pile up and opens a set of new clones. So there's a lot of repetitive moments as the clones find out and do tasks, etc.

I don't understand why the OS just didn't figure out that Ambrose started acting weird and figuring shit out after watching porn. Like it's supposed to be smart. Why was there a mention of the air leak multiple times to have NOTHING be done about it or anything happen?? Also, why the fuck were we given so much information about Fédération and Dimokratía, all this information about how different they were and everything for it to not even matter!!! Like could have cared LESS. Also the killing of the clones just felt pretty extreme. Like lol imagine you learn that you're the hope of humanity and the clones are going to make sure the journey goes well (and yes sad you died and you even as a clone don't really deserve that) so you ritualistically murder a clone that's not alive yet so you can live yourself for maybe 30ish years and hope that the ship survives the rest of its journey without needing those.

The ending was also very oh look you crash landed and survived. Grow a greenhouse and now you get to have a baby. It's just weird y'all.

I came here for a good time, I think it was kind of mentioned like a Stucky in space vibe. I didn't get that at ALL. I wouldn't recommend.

[sirendeepity]

[ Nessian one-shot ]

A/N: I derailed while writing this fic, and then I derailed again. It's a lot of things, and I'm not sure if that's good. But it did give me some ideas for more smut, which I don't know if I'm ever going to write at this point. I'll think about it. Also, don't ask questions - I didn't know what was going on either. If it's utter trash, I take no credit; if you liked it, it was all me. Anyway, enjoy? <3

(Shoutout to @faeriebambula for choosing the title, kudos to u bestie)

W/C: 2.8k

T/W: ---

Nesta used to think her pain tolerance was high. Nesta also found out she was wrong.

Azriel had warned her about the risks and the process in its entirety, from the first prick of the needle to the last day of healing, but it was the subtle “you can’t do this” implication in his tone that had her laying on that goddamn table for hours on end. No one did things out of spite better than Nesta Archeron.

Not even halfway through, she’d contemplated the idea of giving up. She could’ve walked away still in one piece, but she knew her pride and ego would’ve never survived the hit, and it would’ve been easier for her to die in silent agony than give the Shadowsinger just an ounce of satisfaction. So Nesta had stayed still as a statue, gritted her teeth to the point of breaking (they didn’t, but it was a close call), and had reminded herself to breathe every now and then.

Now, a little more than a week later, she was glad her brain had erased every memory of what actually went down. Maybe it was a little overdramatic of her, but she could live with it—well, without it.

She rolled her shoulder in a weak attempt to ease the tingling sensation on her back, hoping to create some friction between her skin and the pillows underneath her, to no avail. With a huff, she turned her attention back to the book in her hands, reading the same line for the fifth time. Because of her lack of focus, she was missing out on the good part.

The first boom of wings bouncing between the bookcases of the library had her heart jump in her throat. Nesta sat up straighter, snapping her head toward the door, eyeing the fluttering lights in the process. Like a child caught with her hands in the cookie jar, she rolled her eyes and let herself fall back onto the pillows.

“So much for acting cool and collected,” she muttered, both to herself and the overexcited House.

With a deep breath, she steeled her nerves and resumed her play pretend.

Get it together, Nesta thought, even as her every instinct screamed at her to get her ass up and reach the door first. It had just been ten days, not a lifetime.

It might as well have been, though. It was not the first time she and Cassian had to stay away from each other to fulfill whatever duty or mission required their presence, and it was far from being their last, too, but even after decades she still couldn’t get used to it. The anxiety, the yearning, the relief. Every mission was like the first, with no exception. Logically, she knew—that he was safe, that it was work, that things couldn’t be any other way. Physically, on the other hand… It was a completely different story, one she had no control over, no matter how many times she’d tried to instill some sense into her own troubled heart. Just a few years back they had celebrated—mourned was more like it—the hundredth year since Nesta and her sister, Elain, had been taken from their home and turned against their will. For more than a century Nesta had been purely fae, and although she’d since gotten used to some changes—heightened senses, strength, magic—the mating bond was far from making it to the top of the list. It still caught her off guard sometimes—the feeling of having two souls while sharing the same one.

The soft click of the library door closing made her breath catch, that amber and sandalwood scent invading her nostrils. It made her dizzy, turning the words into a blurry mess of ink. It pissed her off. Who gave him the permission to make her feel that way, when just a touch from him would make her implode, but no touch at all would be the end of the world—her world?

It went against everything her mother had ever taught Nesta. To let someone hold such power over her, to make everyone and everything aware of her one true weakness.

Loving Cassian has always been her most beautiful mistake.

Nesta kept her eyes pinned on the page as footsteps approached her, every thud, thud, thud in perfect rhythm with the loud beating of her heart.

Nesta didn’t even have the time to take a proper look at her mate before he raised her skirts and sunk his teeth in the flesh of her thighs.

Their friends and family often joked about how passionate they were, and how “inappropriate it was for the kids”. They imagined clothes tearing, hot breaths, and flushed skins. Nesta never had it in her to ruin their fun, no matter how far from the truth it might be. It was not something meant to be shared. The tenderness of his touch, the soft press of his lips on hers, the leathery texture of his wings as they closed around them both.

Most times, they hid in the warm cocoon and held each other for hours on end, reveling in the sound of their heartbeats syncing, their ribs fitting like puzzle pieces. This time was not one of those.

Nesta hissed, biting her lower lip to keep herself from moaning.

“Why did you shut your end?”

It took her a moment to register the question and the meaning behind it. He knew, then. Of course he knew, perceptive as ever. Why had she even bothered to keep it a secret? She should’ve known it would be nothing but a waste of time.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nesta breathed. Her eyes fluttered shut the moment his tongue flicked against her skin, tracing a trail up to her most sensitive part. She could feel his breath on her, hot against her wetness, and it sent shivers up her spine.

“Don’t lie to me, Nesta,” Cassian murmured against the bundle of nerves, “Tell me what happened.”

The concern underlining his tone would’ve unsettled her if her core wasn’t already throbbing with need.

Nesta opened her mouth, closed it, and tried again. Her face was still hidden behind the open book, but there was no denying the thickening scent of arousal stinking the air.

“Nothing happened.”

Cassian stilled, his unanswered questions hanging above her head like an ax ready to fall.

Then it was only strained breaths and lace tearing. Nesta didn’t even feel the cold kiss of air on her bared sex before his lips closed around her clit, sucking.

“You know I don’t like when you shut me out,” Cassian said against her, the deep timbre of his voice shooting straight to her core. “What is it that you don’t want me to know?”

He slid his tongue between her gleaming folds, nudging at her entrance before circling back up.

Nesta moaned, her free hand running through his hair. They felt like silk under her fingertips.

She found herself unable to think straight, unable to form words as his teeth nibbled her swollen clit, making her whimper. His fingers dug into her thighs, keeping her legs open for him to feats undisturbed as heat pooled low in her abdomen, begging for a release. Just as her breaths turned frantic, her climax just a lick from reaching its peak, Cassian pulled away. He swirled his tongue around the bundle of nerves one last time, taunting, and said, “What is it, Nesta?”

Grunting, Nesta tugged at his hair, silently cursing him for denying her what she so desperately craved. The bastard only laughed, pressing a kiss to the sensitive nub before lazily circling it with his thumb while he stood, prolonging her misery. His eyes danced across her body, laying open and waiting. With a shift of his hips, Cassian pressed his bulging length against her dripping cunt, and smirked in satisfaction as her back arched off the pillows and her mouth hung open, the book forgotten on the floor. Nesta used what little willpower she still had left to lift herself up, locking her legs around him. She rolled her hips against his, and the pressure between her legs was so delicious that Nesta did it again. She tightened her grip and pulled Cassian closer, undulating her hips as he choked on a string of curses.

Their heavy breaths melted together as Nesta rode her mate’s cock, still clad in dark leather. She felt it twitching and pulsing, begging to be released. She looked down at the same time Cassian did, taking in the wet spot she’d left on him. Nesta huffed a laugh at the sight, the mess she’d made. She was dripping all over him, and that was reason enough for her to do worse—be worse.

She clawed at his shirt, sparing him the effort to take it off himself before pushing at his chest until he was flat on his back.

“Someone wants to play,” taunted Cassian, folding an arm behind his head as his eyes rolled down her body, clothed as it was.

Grinning, Nesta reached behind her and started undressing. She watched as his eyes tracked the neckline of the dress, lowering as button after button came undone. They hardened at the first hint of the linen bandages wrapped around her torso.

Cassian’s breath turned uneven as his gaze snapped back to hers. “Nesta—”

“Quiet.”

Usually, Cassian would’ve been the one to give orders, using that General Commander voice of his that made her toes curl. Every now and then he needed someone to make him behave, too.

As soon as Nesta rose to her feet, Cassian lunged for her. She only pointed a finger at him, the act speaking for itself. Cassian growled deep in his throat, wild eyes on hers, but settled back on the couch. Unknotting his leathers, he wrapped a hand around his cock, the head already gleaming with precum.

Nesta’s mouth watered at the size of him, the memory of that same cock hitting the back of her throat, stretching her cunt to the point of pain, filling her with his seed.

“Nes,” Cassian pleaded, the fast rising and falling of his chest a clear sign of how close he was to losing it. Reaching behind her with unsteady hands, Nesta untied the bandages, letting the material caress her skin until it slipped to the floor. Cassian’s eyes zeroed in on her peaked nipples, heating her skin.

Nesta stepped forward, unsteady on her own two feet as she reached her mate.

“You know, Cassian,” Nesta murmured against his ear, grazing the tip of her nose along the strong column of his neck. Cassian groaned, his hand twisting harder around himself. Nesta wrapped her fingers around his, dragging her nails up his length. He bared his teeth, hissing, as Nesta lowered her head and licked clean the tip of his leaking cock. Just a taste, but enough to bring him a breath away from insanity. He looked about to do just that.

“That was very rude,” she went on, retrieving Cassian’s discarded shirt as she turned her back to him. She swayed her hips a couple of times before wrapping the ripped cotton around herself, making sure he’d see the markings on her skin.

Ever since she’d called in the bargain made with the Cauldron she’d thought of ways to replace it. Too used to the splashes of black painted on her back for decades, she had found herself unable to see the naked extent of her skin and not feel like something was amiss. It was Feyre who gave her the idea, just a couple of months before, and then everything fell into place. It took her quite some time to choose the design of the tattoo, one too many ideas crowding her mind. Until Cassian had told her she didn’t need wings to be Illyrian after a particularly heated fight, right before he had to leave. And that was it. Two days later, a pair of black, bat-like wings were inked on her back, the dark presence a quiet comfort to her senses.

A muffled thud made Nesta turn her head. Cassian was on the floor, on his knees, staring at her like he’d seen her for the first time. She forced herself to look away before she would combust under his gaze.

“I’ve been patiently waiting for you to come back to me,” she repeated, “and what did you do?”

Nesta didn’t wait for his reply. She wasn’t sure Cassian even remembered how to speak, how to formulate a full sentence. “You marched in and interrupted my reading. You didn’t even say ‘hi’.”

Once she reached the table, Nesta faced him again. She leaned back, just enough for the shirt to part and reveal the valley between her breasts, the taut muscles of her stomach, her pink, throbbing sex. Ignoring the aching needs of her body was getting harder, even for her. Cassian shifted on his knees, crawling to her. He knew he was utterly at her mercy, so he did the only thing he knew would be of use: he begged for forgiveness, for salvation.

“Is that how you treat your mate?”

Nesta saw it in his eyes how just saying that word fucked up his brain. Said hazel eyes now followed her hand as it sneaked down between her thighs, lazily circling her clit.

“Indeed it isn’t,” Cassian forced out, his throat working. “But I could show you if you’d let me.”

“Let you?” Nesta’s breathy laugh turned into a gasp as her fingers inched toward her entrance, teasing the wet entrance.

Cassian moved closer and closer, eyes wide like a madman.

“You don’t deserve it, Cassian,” Nesta panted as she dipped two fingers inside herself, down to the knuckles. She rested one thigh on the edge of the table, granting herself easier access as she started pumping her fingers in and out and in again.

“I know,” Cassian growled, pained by the gratification she was denying him. “Let me earn my forgiveness. Please.”

Nesta loved hearing her mate beg. It awoke some primal part of her, and she always let it take control. Let it guide her body until she was fucked raw and worn by pleasure.

She slipped out her fingers, whimpering at the emptiness, and arched her back.

An invitation, and a command.

Cassian shot to his feet, reaching her in such a rush the impact made the table slide back a few inches.

He gripped her hips and rolled on her stomach before sinking into her, buried to the hilt. Nesta couldn’t even catch her breath as Cassian started rocking his hips, diving into her so hard she saw stars every time he hit that spot deep inside her. Their moans and the slick sliding of their bodies were the only sounds filling the library.

Cassian ripped what remained of his shirt from Nesta’s back to feel the tattooed skin underneath his hand. His touch was light, almost reverent, so at odds with the hammering of his cock inside of her. “Fuck, Nes.”

Nesta propped herself on her elbows, arching her back to look up at her mate.

“Do you like it?” she whimpered. Cassian closed his hand around her throat, trapping her lips in a bruising kiss as his thrusts picked up pace. She moaned frantically in his mouth, feeling her release just a flick away. Cassian sank his teeth into her neck, claiming his mate again and again, and it was all Nesta needed. Her mind shattered, the orgasm like lightning running down her spine as she screamed his name for Velaris to hear. Nesta collapsed on the table, her hardened nipples scraping against the wooden surface with every movement of his hips as he kept riding her, even as his own movements turned sloppy. He was close too. Nesta clenched around him once, twice, and Cassian erupted. He stilled, breathing heavily as his cock pulsed, twitched, spilled. Nesta closed her eyes, focusing on the blood roaring in her ears while she came down from her high. Gradually, she flew back inside her body, gaining it back inch by inch.

She felt his lips first, kissing the outlines of her wings, tracing talons and tendons.

“Surprise,” Nesta sighed, shivering under his carefulness.

Cassian, still buried in her, aligned his chest to her back, letting his weight pin her in place. He nuzzled his nose in her hair, under her jaw, along the curve of her shoulder.

“It’ll take me a bit more to be forgiven, won’t it?” He murmured against her oversensitive skin. Wherever he touched, she burned.

“Definitely.”

And with that, Cassian was moving again.

[daryl-dixonswifey01]

Levi X Female Reader

This is based on season four events. Well its post war Levi 🖤❤️, it will have a little spoiler from the anime. Like how he got his scars on his face and lost two of his fingers. So don't read if you don't want spoilers!

Warnings: none just pure fluff. Levi being the best husband ever. Levi is also insecure but the reader is best wifey and makes him feel better and loved ❤️❤️❤️. Also reader is pregnant❤️❤️❤️

It was a peaceful quiet morning. The sun could be seen slowly rising on a small tea shop. You let out an annoyed and tired groan at the sunshine on your eyes. You had slowly gotten used to sleeping in unlike during the time when you were a scout. The best part (in your opinion) was the ability to lay in bed with your amazing husband, levi.

You two had set up tea shop after the death of all the Titans along with the life changing injuries levi had got after zeke tried to take his life as a suicide bomber. You could remember that horrible day when you first saw him laying unmoving on the grass with a cart smoking from a fire. You could remember how much you had cried and freak out, thinking your husband had died that day. Much to your relief, he had survived. He was just now unable to get around except if having help (which he could be too stubborn to ask for at times) or by use of a wheelchair. He had also lost two of his fingers alongside gaining a lot of scars on his face. It had caught you off guard at first, but you still loved him more than life itself. Speaking of your husband. He wasn't beside you this morning. You stood up and got off your shared bed, stretching with a yawn.

You walked into the living room to see the man you fell in love with in his wheelchair looking out the window. “There's my handsome husband. Good morning my love.” you said waddling over to your husband. You bent down to him to the best of your ability. Being heavily pregnant is a struggle. You kissed his lips. He smiled slightly and you had a feeling something was wrong. “Is something wrong my love?” you asked worried about your husband. "Why did you fall in love with me? Why me?” he asked, catching you off guard. “What are you talking about silly? I fell in love with you. Because you're handsome, sweet, and grumpy sometimes. But you're a cuddly bear and you have a big heart, my handsome man.” you said softly. “Why would you be in love with this?” he asked, referring to his situation as of now.

“Oh Levi.” you said softly, grabbing his face gently with your hands. He leaned into the touch. “To me you're still the handsome man I fell in love with all those years ago. The man I said yes to. The man I married. I'm so happy to be called Mrs. Ackerman. I love you regardless of the scars.” you said softly, kissing his scar on his face. You felt him put his hands on your pregnant belly and rubbed it softly. “I don't think I'm cut out to be a father.” he sighed sadly. “Yes you are babe, to me you're already a good dad to the little one. You're gonna be an amazing dad our kid could ever ask for.” you said softly. He looked at you. “Are you sure?" he asked. You knew he was scared. He had grown up without a father. And after his mom died the only father figure he had was his Uncle Kenny. But he never really got to know the man well. Kenny being dead and all. “I'm sure my love.” you said softly.

The man smiled at you. You smiled back at him “I love you so much Levi. I will say these words everyday. Even on my deathbed I will. Till death do us part.” you said. "I love you too angel, till death do us part.” he said back. You hugged him close to you. "I will always be here my love.” you said softly. You pulled away and pecked his lips. "Now how about some breakfast and tea?” you asked him. He nodded. The man loves your cooking and how you make his tea the way he likes it. You smiled and went to cook breakfast and make tea. Before having to open the tea shop for the day.

I love me some Levi fluff. Levi deserves some love ❤❤❤. I'm also giving credit to @darkswordsmen01 thanks love for helping! 💗💗💗💗

[cheekygreenty]

I Know You part 2 - The Darkling x Reader

I knowwwww I took my time writing this but I think it deserves another part? Let me know 🥰

Read part 1 here.

You missed the warmth of the Little Palace and you hated that you missed Aleksander's warm embraces even more. As the tracker led you further up north, Alina and Mal reminisced on old memories and ultimately you stopped listening and kept to yourself, leaving you at the mercy of your own thoughts which were solely devoted to your intense betrayal. How could I of been so blind? You loved this man with your whole being and up until a week ago you would've gone to the ends of the earth for him and he had the audacity to lie to you. My Aleksander never existed, he was a figment of my imagination.

'Let's set up camp here.' Mal said putting his pack down with a wince. His shoulder was still badly wounded, your poor patching up did little to soften the pain. You pulled out your provisions and shared them with the others, thinking back as to whether selling the horse was a wise decision for mere hardtack.

'What do you think the General will do once he finds you with me?'' Alina never mentioned Aleksander's name and you guessed it was to avoid being questioned by Mal.

'Probably brand me a traitor and kill me.' You faced the truth head-on 'He was about to lock me away before I escaped and I'm guessing he's even angrier now.' You blurted as you chewed on the flavorless biscuit.

'Why are you here then? You can get away from Ravka, go to Ketterdam and never look back.'

'He'll find me, Alina. I might as well do something meaningful before I die.'

'What if he won't kill you?' Mal spoke up.

'I'd rather he did.' The thought of being Aleksander's prisoner struck a somber note in you and not for the reason they assumed. You didn't trust yourself enough to keep up your broken heart in Aleksander's presence for too long, that kind of love doesn't fade and around him, you were a slave to that emotion.

'We'll find the Stag and I can defeat him Y/N.' Alina sounded hopeful but at her words, you recoiled. Firstly, you knew she would fail, possibly killing Mal in the process but secondly, her statement ignited a brief spark of anger in you, a feeling of protectiveness for the man that was willing to take your life away from you. Stop being foolish. The man has killed countless times and will continue to commit atrocities in the name of power. You're better than that.

The rest of the night carried on as usual, Alina applying a salve to Mal's wound and you sitting against a tree, contemplating your life. Perhaps you should go to Ketterdam. You have connections there that would hopefully prevent you from becoming an indenture, but those connections could be used against you, a way for Aleksander to find you. Perhaps Novyi Zem would work for you. Alina and Mal had spoken about escaping there if she failed to defeat the Darkling, but you knew it was pointless. You had been by his side long enough to know there was truly no way you could hide and survive.

You know the parts of me that I showed you. His words echoed in your head as you tried to settle to sleep. Although you had uncovered his true face, you clung to his words like a lifeline. He showed you his loving side, he told you his name and his complicated relationship with Baghra, his mother. He trusted you with those things and he loved you, so he said. I do love you.

The tears came once again like they did every night. You had quickly come to understand that Alina and Mal were blind to your waterworks and were under the impression you hated Aleksander and wanted him dead as much as they did. If only they knew you fell asleep dreaming of his arms around you, whispering sweet nothings like he always did.

The snow was a thick blanket now as you approached the Fjerdan border. Mal was certain the Stag would be found any day now and with each passing moment spent dredging through the snow, you cursed your decision of coming with them. You haven't been of much use to the pair on the journey anyway, except letting the wind carry the smoke away when the fire was burning or blowing snow out from the trees when you settled for camp, but Alina insisted you were necessary. From Mal's behavior, you gathered he felt uneasy around two Grisha, so maybe Alina wanted you here to know she wasn't alone and her powers weren't strange.

You listening half-heartedly as she explained to Mal she was the one who needed to kill the animal but stopped when you heard a rustling in the distance.

'That way' Mal noticed too

'Hang on'

'What are you doing'

'I need to get closer to it' You blocked them out, your senses wholely devoted to watching the magnificent Stag. Saints, it's even more beautiful than I imagined it.

You saw her reach out and touch its snout, a light dome so bright erupting from their contact you shielded your eyes away. In doing so, you noticed the faint outline of a blue kefta in the trees, quickly heading for you.

'NO' you tried to block the shot but it was too late, the dome fell apart.

'The animal is not meant for you' Zoya bellowed as she fought to secure the stag.

You fought her in return, desperately attempting to knock her and the others off their feet but two strong hands caught you, restricting your movement.

'Take her' You heard his voice before you saw the contrast of his black attire against the snow. You fought against the soldier keeping you trapped, thrashing and kicking with all you could muster, completely ignoring the screams and shouts erupting from Mal and Alina.

He came to face you, eyeing you up and down, as if searching for any injuries. Even in the dark, you noticed the tiredness evident in his eyes with a hint of desperation. But no relief or love directed to you.

'Ivan, subdue her' was the last thing you registered before your eyes closed shut and deep sleep came over you.

***

You woke with a start, having felt no time pass in your dream-lacking slumber. The snow from earlier was replaced by lavish silks and drapes in a warm tent, his tent. You would recognize the eclipse sign from a mile away, especially on the embroidered cushion beneath your head or on the buttons of the coat you were donning. His kefta. He must’ve put it in you while you were passed out.

There were no cuffs around your wrists or restraints around your ankles as you lay in his comfortable cot surrounded by the sound of a crackling fire in the stove that always brought some level of comfort to you.

There was nobody in the tent with you, but you suspected a guard was posted by the entrance flap to ensure you didn't try anything stupid. You hesitated to get up. Will he be waiting for me? You didn't want to face him or fight him. The thoughts of a civil conversation with him withered away the more you reflected on your throbbing feeling of betrayal, but there was still that small voice in the back of your head, or rather your heart, that wanted to forget about everything and just lay with him like you did every night. The conflict caused you to cry yet again that night for exactly the same reasons as before.

You finally got up once the last tears dropped, your light footsteps carrying you over to the small fruit bowl sitting by the lamps. It was rewarding to taste the sweetness of a grape after so much time spent eating hardtack and hard cheese, all Saints willing, you'd never have to look at those things again. You heard the tent flap open and slowly, you turned to face Aleksander.

'You've been crying.' He observed and took off his heavy cape, laying it carelessly on the cot you had just slept in and standing away from you, keeping his distance although his own heart dropped to see you in such a state.

'Do you blame me?' Your voice was strong despite your appearance,

'I hope you are well-rested. The journey here mustn't've been very kind to you.'

'It was better than being your prisoner and rotting away in a cell in the Little Palace.'

'Do you really think so lowly of me Y/N?'

'I don't know what to think Aleksander.' You hugged his huge kefta closer to your body, enjoying being enveloped by his scent. Another thing that brought you comfort.

'I never lied when I said I love you.' His voice grew softer but you willed yourself to ignore it. The small voice told you to run up to him, kiss him, hold him and tell him you loved him too, but the logical part kept you firmly planted in your place.

'If I recall correctly, you said 'I love you but'...'

'You never stuck around to what I wanted to say next.'

'I doubt it would have fixed this.' You gestured to the lengthy space between your bodies and he took it as an opportunity to walk closer to you.

'Is there anything we can do to fix this?' He asked desperately and your heart leaped in your chest but it didn't last long as his hand caught your attention, The Stag.

The realization flooded over you with a jolt of pain for the second time in two weeks. Unable to hold it back, a bone-shattering sob erupted from you at the impending doom he was about to unleash on Ravka.

His eyes followed your own with anguish so obvious it hurt him, but he had to avert them fearing if he watched your pained expression any longer, he would rip out the amplifier himself without a second thought just to stop the heart-breaking sobs shaking your body. He reached out for you but stopped himself, the last thing she needed was his comfort of all people, he thought.

But you yearned for him despite the situation, so when he stepped closer once again, you rested your head on his chest still uncontrollably crying.

‘Why are you doing this’ your hands now held a deathly grip on his shirt, but all he could think about was the fact that you sought his touch out first, maybe there is some hope left.

‘For Ravka, for all Grisha.’ The answer felt automated and scripted but it was all that remained of his goal. There was nothing else, no one else, that would benefit from this except him and her.

He wrapped one arm around you and when you didn’t pull away, his other arm went to your waist, pulling you close and pressing his lips to the top of your head in an attempt to soothe you. Ironically, it had the exact opposite effect as you cried even harder because despite everything he’d done and everything he was about to do, you didn’t want to leave his side.

The conflict was rampant in your head and part of the shed tears were in an effort to calm your mind.

‘I’m going on a skiff journey across to Novokribirsk in a couple days. I wish for you to go back to the Little Palace.’ He spoke but didn’t loosen his comforting hold on you.

‘Why?’ You managed to croak out.

‘You want to come with me?’

‘I don’t know’

‘Let’s sleep. You’ve had a long day.’ He only briefly let you go to take off the kefta he placed on you earlier, but he was right back at your side as you settled against his chest on the cot. Although you had only just woken up from Ivan's induced sleep, your mind was tired from the self-hate your logical side spewed at you.

‘This is wrong. They’ll hate me for this.’ I hate myself for this.

‘If it is so wrong then tell me to go away. I’ll listen.’ You knew he would but you wanted him here with you.

‘Were you ever going to tell me?’

‘Yes. But I stopped myself after seeing how happy you were. I couldn’t bring myself to stop that.’

‘And look where it brought us. Look at me now.’ You raised your head from his chest and looked him in his onyx eyes. They radiated affection and forgiveness, both of which you were ready to give him. I’m a fool for this.

‘And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy Y/N.’ The determination in his voice pulled at your heart, for the next thing you knew your lips were on his, kissing him as if there was no tomorrow.

-----

Taglist (tell me if you want to be added !!)

@aleksanderwh0r3 @theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @lostysworld @0-artemis @exo-1204 @staradorned @bookfrog242 @simp-for-ben-barners @keepdaydreamingbb @acciorudolphx @pansysgirlfriend @pansysgirlfriend @justmesadgirl @theriveroftruth

[skellebonez]

Who Do I Go To? (Monkie Kid Fanfic)

I totally did not accidentally post this early before I edited it or added everything from my wip file... no... but anon, you gave me so much FREEDOM with this that I just went absolutely off the rails. This is not only set in a post S3 scenario where everyone survives and most of the villains have some kind of at least semi-redemption (except LBD, rip), this does feature a crackship or two of mine (you can read the tags to see the ships before you read)! Sun Wukong also has all of his immortality and some of his powers, I am writing this with the idea that he transferred most of them to MK and some of that was permanent once LBD was defeated and MK got his own back.

So... what if Sun Wukong did start communicating with the others in S3... but still has been bottling up his emotions about the past for so long he doesn’t feel he can talk to anyone because of their shared experiences? And what happens when that guilt and grief finally has someone willing to listen?

“What are you doing here, Si-SUN Wukong?” The Demon Bull King asked slowly, stumbling over his usual insult for the one once so close to him. They still weren’t close, and it was doubtful they would ever be as long as the sworn brothers they once were, but they were no longer at each other’s throats anymore.

That didn’t change how bizarre it was to see The Great Sage Equal To Heaven just... sitting outside his new home with no warning.

“DBK!” Wukong exclaimed, more startled than the larger demon was expecting as he jumped up and turned and if he didn’t look like he’d been hit with a truck metaphorically DBK didn’t know how to describe the way his fur stood on end and the redness in the other’s eyes. “I. UH. Was. Just stopping by to say hi!”

“No you weren’t,” DBK said, face falling into a deadpan glower. “You don’t do that. Even after 500 years I know you don’t.”

“I can start!” Wukong defended, crossing his arms and looking away with a wide teeth showing smile.

Too wide.

Even after everything that happened between them, from Red Boy to what happened when he needed his wife’s fan to sealing him in the mountain and everything that transpired with the Little Thief, he recognized that unhappy nervous smile.

“You can,” DBK said with a nod, gesturing to the smaller being. “You can also be here for a reason. Like what I heard you muttering to yourself behind the door.”

“And that’s my cue to leave!” The Monkey King announced as he turned to walk away before a large hand, with shocking gentleness for the one attached to it, wrapped around his shoulders.

“If you need to talk-”

“No, haha, I most certainly have no need for that!”

“-you know we’ve already made peace. I-”

“You don’t need to do anything,” Wukong insisted, struggling only a little before freeing himself from the other’s grip with an even wider nervous smile.

“-am willing to listen.”

“Don’t have to!”

“Are you at least talking to anyone?”

Neither of them said anything, The Demon Bull King staring down at The Monkey King with both frustrated annoyance and genuine concern in his expression.

The former he could deal with, but the later was so new again that...

Sun Wukong panicked.

“.... OKEY BYE!” He yelled, jumping and allowing his cloud to catch him and take him off.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM YOUR FEELINGS FOREVER SUN WUKONG!"

"I HID FROM THE WORLD FOR 500 YEARS AND I TURNED OUT JUST FINE, I THINK I'LL MANAGE!"

“He turned out fine, he says,” Princess Iron Fan called from behind her husband as she emerged from their home. “So fine that it took him losing his invincibility and his successor nearly being killed for him to admit he needed help.”

DBK grunted, nodding in agreement at her words.

“He needs more, still, my dear. Even I can see that.”

“Let’s call in some reinforcements then, darling. I think there are two people who may be able to get through to him.”

~

Sun Wukong sat on the beach of Mount Huaguo’s island home, clearly trying not to think about what had just transpired.

“Hey.”

“How did you even know to look for me here?” Sun Wukong asked, not nearly as startled this time. He’d heard the footsteps coming for a long time, the other apparently wanting to make his presence known.

“Bull King called Pigsy’s asking for MK. MK called me since he’s working. I remembered where you like to sulk. Hence: I’m here.”

Wukong groaned, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his face in them. “I shouldn’t have even left the house today.”

“But you left,” Macaque said with a shrug, watching the other stew in his frustration at himself. “And you went to see DBK... and I guess Princess Iron Fan too? But you ran off. Why?”

“I can’t check up on an old friend turned enemy turned less enemy to ‘not exactly friend but we’re not trying to kill each other’ without being questioned?” Wukong grumbled into his arms.

“Not when you make him sound as worried as he did when he talked to MK,” Macaque continued, voice becoming more tense. “You didn’t go to apologize or explain anything, I was there when all that went down. So... did you finally go to talk about everything e-”

“No.” The word was said with such coldness that Macaque knew it was put on. It wasn’t out of malice but something else, something more worried and fearful. “No. I can’t talk to him about... I told him everything that explained what happened. I apologized. I don’t need to talk more.”

"I don't understand why you're so opposed to to just talking about, you know... how you’re doing," Macaque said with a concerned frown. It almost felt odd on his face. Almost. He was still getting used to the whole "not being mortal eternal enemies and now being friends and kinda sorta caring about each other again" thing. "I know it's been centuries and all and you're out of practice but like... it's been centuries."

"I just... can't, Macaque," Wukong rebutted as he refused to lift his head from his arms. "I just can't."

"Why?"

"Don't."

The single word stayed in their air between them, heavy and hard and meaning more than the immortal would ever admit to.

"Come on, there has to be a reason," Macaque insisted as he sat down beside the other immortal. When no response came he sighed, tail flicking absently and flipping over some of the rocks on the beach as they sat in silence for few minutes. "You know... I started talking to someone."

"What?" Wukong turned his head, just enough to look at the other monkey from the corner of his eye.

“Sandy’s a good listener,” Macaque continued, falling back down to lay flat on his back and gaze up at the clouds. He remembered that Wukong felt better, sometimes, when you looked away when talked to. Didn’t know why, but he remembered. “Not exactly the kind of therapy he thinks I need, but he lends me his cats and he lets me talk and sometimes asks if I want advice. Sometimes I say yes, but when I say no he understands. Sometimes I just want to rant at that one little one eyed cat he has and she listened to... I think. She’s a cat so I wouldn’t know. He thinks I should see someone more experienced, an expert. Maybe he’s right, I dunno, but this helps enough for now.

“... who are you and what have you done with the Six-Eared Macaque?” Wukong asked with a soft glower, one that was clearly in jest from the tiny smile the other could see.

“Same Macaque,” the other said with a laugh, sitting back up with a theatrical flourish. “Just realized that talking to someone isn’t as dumb or useless as I made it out to be in my head. A lot of the stuff I thought about alone wasn’t exactly the best. Or healthiest. But now I can get that out there and sometimes it makes Sandy look like he ate a whole lime which probably means it’s good it’s not in my head anymore.”

“You ramble a lot,” Wukong said with a chuckle, tail swishing softly beside him before nudging against Macaque’s. He tensed before it slowly wrapped around the other’s. “It feels odd, having you try to cheer me up again after... everything.”

“Bad odd or good odd?”

“Good.”

“That’s.... good,” Macaque said, squeezing Wukong’s tail with his own. “Feels odd for me too. Like I’m out of practice too. But it’s good odd...” The two sat in silence for a moment, just enjoying each other’s company before he continued. “I do think you should talk to someone. Anyone.”

“I don’t know who, though. Every time I try I just... clam up and run away. I’ve put so much on MK already,” Wukong said, tail squeezing around Macaque’s loosely in return. “And Pigsy and Sandy... After all that came out, that Sandy is Sha Wujing and Pigsy is Zhu Bajie’s reincarnation... I just... I can’t talk to them either, even though Pigsy doesn’t remember anything at all. And you... DBK... everyone... who do I go to that knows enough about me to know what they’re in for but I won’t have those memories floating around in the back of my head toward making me run away?”

“Well, you could have Sandy help you get a therapist. Prepare them in advance. Or, if you’re not ready for that, you could talk to Tang?” Macaque suggested with a shrug. “He listens to me when I’m not talking to Sandy... but that’s probably because we’re dating, that’s what it is now instead of courting, right? So he kinda has to I think? Pigsy and MK talk to him too but with me I think it’s different.”

"I don't think that's how it works," Wukong said with a half hearted chuckle as he finally raised his head all the way. "Besides, I've known Tang longer."

"By like 3 months."

"3 months more is still enough to know that if he doesn't want to listen to you he won't. The man knows how to make a speedy exit."

"Guess that's one more thing that sets him apart from his great-great-great-great-great-whatever uncle," Macaque admitted with a shrug and a chuckle of his own. He squeezed his tail around Wukong's, smile softening when he felt it being returned.

“Feels... weird though,” Wukong said with a shrug. “The two of them looking so much alike.”

“Yeah, but that’s it,” Macaque rebutted. “He’s Tang Sanzang’s great-whatever nephew 5 times removed or whatever and he looks like him. Other than that? He knows pretty much all of your history. He’s mostly out of the hero worship zone but he still respects you a lot. Aside from everything that happened with LBD and MK you two have the least history out of everyone so maybe whatever’s in your head making you clam up might not stop you. And it couldn't hurt to try. It’s not therapy, it’s just talking about something that’s bothering you. Worst that can happen is you get nervous and fumble and he takes the opportunity to ask you 40 questions about the times you were almost incinerated by a baby."

"That was one time!"

~

“Uh,” Tang started, staring out the open door with wide eyes at the being before him. “Hi. I didn’t exactly expect to you see today.”

“I didn’t exactly expect to be here today,” Wukong said awkwardly, nervous smile taking over his face as his tone became far too jovial for what he was about to ask. “Macaque sent me to... talk to you. About me?” His smile drooped bit by bit as he said these words, slowly starting to lose his determination to go through with this. “Oh second thought, maybe I should-”

"No," Tang said, reaching out to put a hand on the immortal's shoulder. It was nothing, really, not to someone as strong as he was. Not when he could brush it off and walk away. Go home. Just sit on his couch and watch Monkey King The Animated Series again and just think about how no one deserved to be saddled with his problems anymore. But Wukong didn't. "Whatever it is, we’re going to talk about this now. I know I’m not trained like Sandy is, but I know how to listen. And if you need someone to listen to you, I can. You wouldn't have come here to talk if you didn't."

“... ok...” Sun Wukong said, letting Tang wrap his arm around his back and guide him inside his shared home with Pigsy and Macaque.

It was... odd. Being inside this place for the first time. He’d been outside of the door more than once, invited in as well. But never inside.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Tang said, stopping his guidance once they reached the sofa. “I’m no Sandy, but I was making myself some tea and it is a batch of his own anyway. I’ll grab us some snacks too.”

“Snacks would be great,” Wukong admitted, watching the other disappear into the house’s kitchen before he sighed and gripped his thrashing tail and muttered to himself. “What am I doing..? I shouldn’t put all this on Tang... I should have gone with Macaque’s first suggestion, I’m-”

“Do you prefer lychee or persimmon?” Tang asked suddenly, startling the immortal for the second time that day. “We’re out of peach bao, but MK’s been making them out of lots of fruits and we have so many that I was planning on eating them myself.”

The scholar returned, faster than expected, with a full tray in hand. Teapot, two tea cups, and a steamer box that presumably held the buns he was asking about.

“Uh... persimmon,” Wukong answered, and he watched as Tang poured each of them a cup of tea and removed some clearly fresh (or at least made some time earlier in the day and freshly steamed), pieces of fruit laden bao to put on a plate for his guest before taking a seat in a chair across from him. “You were... getting lunch?”

Tang shrugged, laughing as he took a bite of one of his own. “Just wanted a snack. But,” He smiled, gesturing to the Monkey King. “We’re not here to talk about snacks. What’s on your mind?”

“Awfully forward start.”

“I try to be forward with the people I consider my friends.”

“... You consider me... a friend?” Wukong asked slowly, turning the bao over in his hands. It was well made, perfect he would say. You’d think MK would have been making them all his life, not that he’d learned how to on the drone ship while on the run from an evil super demon bent on erasing his mentor from the world.

“After everything we went through, how could I not?” Tang said, putting his food down to sip his tea and then putting that down as well and looking at him seriously. “You’re here because it’s the anniversary of the day you sealed away the Demon Bull King, aren’t you?”

The bao in his hands wasn’t perfect anymore. Instead the red lychee inside dripped from his claws from where they punctured it in surprise.

“How did you-?”

“My specialty study is your history after all,” Tang said, smile returning with a sad tint. “I’ve known the date for years but I felt it was something to keep to myself. For some reason. Now with you and DBK back I think that was a good choice. It feels too personal to have out in the open for everyone to make a spectacle of.”

“Is it selfish of me to be thankful for that?” Wukong muttered, gently placing the bao on the plate to lick his claws clean.

“I don’t think so,” Tang answered.

“I feel selfish though,” he continued, not managing to take note of how Tang sat up straighter and turned more toward him. “I went to DBK’s to... I don’t know. I wanted to apologize again? But I already did and he accepted it and it feels selfish to want to again. Then I just. I froze.”

“Why?” Tang asked, scooting closer.

“It felt wrong.”

“Because you would make him feel awkward?”

“NO!” Wukong groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I just. I feel...” He took in a shaky breath, claws digging into his skin slightly.

“Don’t,” Tang’s voice came soft and closer than Wukong expected, as did the hands on his own slowly pulling his claws away from his face. “Don’t hurt yourself. And don’t bottle it up. I’ll listen to you. No matter what it is. It’s not selfish, feeling things isn’t selfish.”

“I miss it,” Wukong breathed out, shaky and choppy as his throat tightened as the words started to pour out of him. “I miss him. How things used to be between us and Iron Fan. I miss that I never got to meet Red Son when he was Red Boy. I miss Beng and Ba and Ma and Liu and how things used to be. I miss Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing even though they’re here. I miss my Tang Sanzang. I’d been alone for 500 years and I missed so much and I did that to myself and it’s selfish to miss like that...”

He didn’t realize his cheeks were wet until his hands had been let go and one of Tang’s rubbed a cloth against them. Tang cupped his cheeks softly before wrapping his arms around him and tucking the Monkey King’s head into the space between his neck and shoulder.

“No... no it’s not. You’re allowed to miss things, Sun Wukong. Just like anyone else.”

Sun Wukong started to feel better.

He didn’t know why that was what did it, but the dam broke. It broke and his tears came pouring out as he hugged the man who reminded him so much of his Master. He didn’t know if anything he said in the mean time made any sense, if he was just blubbering and finally letting himself mourn what he’d lost and never had, but Tang didn’t ever chastise him. He let him weep and hold him and for the first time in years...

~

“Oh!” Princess Iron Fan startled as she opened the door to see who had knocked, finding herself face to face at sunset with one Great Sage. “You’ve returned.”

“Are you and DBK free?” Sun Wukong asked, smile no longer too wide. “I... kinda just wanna talk with you for a bit.”

“Well... I think that would be lovely.”