#I grew to like him in the books but getting in his head really hammers home his inherent tragedy

[redrobin-detective]

I keep thinking how sad Quill Kipps' whole deal is. He's brought up as a child soldier and he becomes quite good at it, good enough to work at one of the best agencies. He works hard, suffers, loses people, carries on because it's all got to be worth it. He ages in a system that prioritizes youth and feels everything special about him slowly starting to slip away. He has put everything into being an elite agent and he's about to age out of everything he's ever known.

He gets tangled with an unruly bunch of independent agents. They're annoying rule breakers but god they're amazing. Part of his beef with them is he can feel their talent rolling off them in waves making him acutely aware of how his is almost used up. When it becomes unsafe for him to pretend any more, he does what other agents do and becomes a supervisor. He keenly feels the separation from himself and agents in the field and finds he now can't just sit on the sidelines and watch others put their lives at stake when he can't help.

He's adrift, nothing to his name but his old reputation and a set of skills that are no longer useful. He ends up tangled back with the independents because they trust him - need him - and by god does he want to be needed. He wants so desperately to be part of their world again. They find some goggles that allow him to see visitors again and he's like a kid at Christmas. He can finally be involved again! It doesn't have to be over!

While working with them he learns everything he was taught to believe in was a lie, the prestigious agency he gave his entire being for is causing the rise of spirits. Once his involvement is found out, he loses his pension and privileges. He is cut off entirely from his old support system. With nothing left, the independents take him in. He's useful but he knows it's more out of pity. He works hard, almost dies and fights to dismantle the very establishment he spent his best years serving. The battle is won but things stay the same for him.

He is still a young adult clinging with aching fingers onto his childhood and teen years because that was the only way he had purpose. His closest friends are still young teens, five or more years younger than him. He chastises them for their childishness even as he desires more than anything to be one of them. He is Peter Pan, refusing to grow up because there is nothing for him as an adult in haunted England. He does not even look towards his future because he cannot let go of his shining past where he was actually needed.

[phthalomushroom]

The Family (2)

last next

pairings: modern!mafia!aemondxreader

summary: You had left Kings Landing and the Targaryen family four years ago. Now back and living with your old roommate you realize that the life you had thought you escaped had seemingly been waiting for you. But will the family really let you go? Will the people you left behind forgive you? Can you forget the past and look to the future?

warnings: language, mentions of trauma, mentions of shooting, alys rivers, Italians

word count: 1.7k

notes: thank you for all the love on the first part, and sorry I wasn't able to respond I've been really busy this week. I changed the name and I think this fits a bit better. I hope you enjoy this chapter the next one will be a bit more drama filled - there's plenty more to come. <333

Six Years Ago….

No one ever got a table at Federicos. No matter how early someone called to ask for a reservation they would tell you they were booked out weeks in advance. If you did get a table they would cancel the reservation on you, apologizing for the important event they had to host. Everyone in town knew this challenge, but that didn’t stop anyone from trying to get inside. 

Well, at least that was how it was for everyone besides the Targaryen family. The Targaryens owned all kinds of shops and restaurants across King’s Landing that were fronts for their other dealings. But Federicos was special because it was just a gathering spot meant for celebrations and get-togethers, the family friend who owned it always had the private room of the restaurant ready for use in case the family had a need for it. 

Aemond didn’t tell you much about the family business, you only knew bits and pieces from overhearing conversations or from the gossip of those in the city. He always said that he never liked the idea of you being caught up in the craziness of it all. 

You’ve known Aemond since grade school, basically grew up together. You’d always catch him staring in Science and English. It was only in highschool when his locker was next to yours did he finally start talking to you. Those brief conversations quickly turned into study sessions during study hall, which turned into after school plans, which turned into him asking you out. 

But tonight, the first big homecoming dance of your senior year, Aemond had booked the private room of Fredericos to celebrate with all your friends. You would say that everyone was going their own way but everyone who grows up in King’s Landing usually stays, either opting to start work right away or going to Citadel University.

Unbeknownst to everyone, not that it was their business anyway, you had applied out of the city, far away places.You had gotten into all of them but were still waiting to hear back from your top school at North College of Winterfell. 

Your phone pinged with a text from Aemond telling you he was waiting outside. 

You finished getting ready, though, Federicos was a formal place you never went over the top. You opted cute and semi-formal, since you were heading to the dance right after. You quickly stuffed your purse with the essentials before bounding down the stairs. 

You walked past your passed out father, the typical beer cans surrounding him, and headed for the door when you noticed today's mail had slipped through the door’s mail slot. You would have stepped over it all when you noticed a big thick envelope at the bottom of the pile.

Bending down you grabbed the letter, flipping it over to see it was addressed to your from Winterfell. You quickly opened it, heart hammering in your chest when you read the words you didn’t know you were hoping to see.

Congratulations.

********

There were people who you never wanted to see again from King’s Landing and there were people who you couldn’t wait to see.

Vincent Federico was someone who you could not wait to see.

The small Italian man was as heartwarming as his meatballs and was always willing to do what he needed to help. When he first heard of your moving out after your blow out with your father, he offered you a job as a waitress to help keep you off the streets. When he found out that you were leaving for Winterfell he didn’t say a word to Aemond about it, keeping it a secret until the very day of your departure. 

Of course he would say he knew nothing about it, but you knew he had overheard your conversation with Baela that night. 

Now walking into Federicos the nerves hit you all at once. Vincent smiled as he saw you come in from where he sat at the bar, getting up from the stool to envelope you in a big bear hug.

“Long time no see, kid.” The man grinned in a way that his gold tooth where his left canine should be shimmered in the light.

“I know, I tried to visit but I didn’t want to ruin business.”

He waved you off. “You're outta your mind.”

“No hug for me Vinnie?” Baela piped up from next to you.

Vinnie grinned wrapping his arms around her, lifting her up off the ground before setting her back on her feet. “I saw you last week, you miss me that much?”

“Of course.”

“Careful, Jace might get jealous.”

“Jace knows that our relationship is one of pure garlic bread, he knows better than to interfere.”

Vinnie chuckled, waving his hand as he turned toward the tables. “Follow me, I got your favorite table all prepared.” 

He seated us at the corner booth that overlooked the restaurant. Vinnie had already set out a plate of his famous garlic bread, knowing it was your favorite, as well as having already poured your favorite wine. Since Baela and you have been coming here for years, you already knew what you were getting and put your orders in. 

Baela and you started catching up on the things that you weren’t able to share over the phone. Baela caught you up on the latest gossip of the city, of the schoolmates you left behind. Unsurprising, a majority of your graduating class  still lived in King’s Landing. 

Which meant you were bound to run into someone eventually.

“So,” you started taking a sip of your wine. “What’s the plans looking like for you and Jace?”

By now your meals had arrived, in between mouthfuls of spaghetti Baela asked. “What do you mean?”

“I’m just trying to get an idea of who’s gonna get the apartment in our divorce.”

“Why? Sick of me already?”

You chuckled. “No, I just mean with how serious Jace is I’m surprised you two haven’t made bigger moves for the future.”

“We’re still young, marriage now is like being a child bride.”

You grinned, understanding the feeling. “Oh, I know. But have you two talked about moving in? I mean you’ve been together since middle school, you know everything about each other.”

“We knew everything about each other.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since he officially became part of the family, he doesn’t tell me as much. He keeps secrets from me, tells me it's for the best and that he’s protecting me. I don’t know, this probably sounds cliche.”

“It does,” you admit, but you remembered a similar feeling when you dated Aemond. “But that is who he is now.”

“Can I ask you something?”

You leaned closer. “Anything.”

“If the shooting never happened, would you have ranaway?”

You played with the rim of your glass, causing a slight high pitch noise. “I think I would have left eventually.”

“Would you have left with Aemond?”

You looked up meeting Baela’s eyes. “I think if everything didn’t go down as it did I would have stayed here and I would have regretted it like my mother did.”

“Is it really so bad?” She asked. “Being here, being with us?”

I shook my head, about to respond when a hand slapped down on the table, nearly spilling the wine. Alys Rivers leaned down smiling sweetly at you.

“Look who's back in town.”

Her green eyes were like daggers as she looked you up and down. You returned the gesture noting her skintight red dress, her too tall heels. 

You smiled. “I see you haven’t changed since highschool Alys.” 

She whipped her dark hair over a shoulder, threading her fingers through the strands. “Well, I hope you’d see some change in me (Y/N), I certainly see you have changed.”

You remained composed, taking a sip of wine. Even though she was three years older than you she still found it in her to act like the child she did in highschool. Aemond always told you it was because her dad didn’t give her enough attention but you knew she hated you because you didn’t come from a well off family. You didn’t back down then and you certainly weren’t going to back down now.

“So what have you been up to?” You asked, faking nice.

“Oh, I’ve joined the family business.” She made note to move her left hand to the side of her lips, bringing attention to the ring on her finger.

Your ring. The same oval diamond ring you saw four years ago. 

Which meant…

You let your eyes widen for a second before composing yourself. “Wow, congratulations! I’m happy for you.”

“Aren’t you going to ask who the lucky man is?”

She would not win, you wouldn’t let her. You can spiral later, but not in front of her.

You shot a look at Baela to find her frowning at her plate, she knew and she didn’t tell you. Now you were in the midst of a battle of wills and she was trying to sit it out. 

Hell no.

You kicked Baela under the table, gaining her attention. If she was going to keep something like this from you, the least she could do is help.

Baela cleared her throat. “Who is the lucky guy Alys?”

 “Well, you should already know who it is,” she waved Baela off. “It’s Aemond of course. We’ve been going out for the past three and half years, now. The proposal was long overdue.”

“Of course, you aren’t getting any younger are you?”

Alys sucked her teeth. “What a joy it is to have you back in the city, (Y/N). You’ve really been missed. I just hope that the Targaryen are as welcoming as I am.”

“She doesn’t have any involvement with the Targaryens anymore, Alys.” Baela sat up straighter at the mention of the family.

Her family now.

“Of course she does. Aemond told me everything about your relationship you know,” she leaned closer. “I just hope they don’t find out the real reason you left.” 

Your heart sank but you kept your composure. You finished your wine. “I have no idea what your talking about.”

Alys grinned, clearly satisfied. “Well, it was nice running into you. Send my regards to Jace, Baela.”

She went to leave but before you were relieved of her presence she reached into her black hermes bag and pulled out an envelope, setting it on the table.

“Aemond and I would love to have you at our celebration dinner.” With that she blew you a kiss and joined her friends in the private room.

You didn’t look at the invitation as you grabbed it off the table and shoved it in your bag. “What the fuck just happened?”

Tag List: @dixie-elocin @liannafae @toodlesxcuddles @watercolorskyy

[thegurlwhoisntthere]

Okay, HTTYD fandom I’m coming for you.

I want an au where the gang were always friends. Like, they grew up to be just as tight-nit as they are in RTTE, but because of reasons they hide the fact that they’re friends with Hiccup from the adults. Why do I think this could work?

Well:

Hiccup by nature is very forgiving, so when all his friends come to him and say they can’t be friends in public because of one reason or another, he sympathizes, as long as they’re still friends, he doesn’t really care.

Snotlout is the first in the group to start drifting away, and they all ask him why

Spitelout doesn’t like that his son is hanging around Hiccup when he’s so unviking-like

He pressures Snotlout to cut ties with his cousin and to start putting him down for not living up to “what he should”

This backfires

Baby-lout hasn’t yet had the time to really internalize his father’s teachings, so when his friends ask, he tearfully tells them

Most of the group is furious, but Hiccup understands

If it had just been up to him the group probably would’ve disbanded then and there

Lucky for him it wasn’t

They figure that if Spitelout doesn’t want them to friends then they won’t… in public

In private is a different story

In public they treat it like a game, to taunt each other and be as sarcastic as possible

But when they’re alone they let their guard down

The next one to go, surprisingly, is Astrid

After her uncle died her family’s reputation takes a dive

At first, the fact that she’s friends with the chief’s son is a good thing, but as time goes on and he doesn’t grow, her parents start getting pressure, and Astrid, not being as young anymore, feels it, too

Astrid’s extremely conflicted, because on the one hand she doesn’t want to abandon Hiccup, let alone insult him in front of the village like Snotlout

But on the other, she needs to restore her family’s honor

So they come up with Astrid’s cover: in public she’ll distance herself from all of them, working hard to be a shield-maiden, only being a part of the group in an orbit-sort of way

She grows into ignoring Hiccup in public because if she doesn’t she’s going to take the head off the next person who insults him

For Fishlegs and the Twins, there’s no specific moment that they start to distance themselves in public

Overtime, the twins become more destructive and so does Hiccup, so being seen together is a no-go

Fishlegs is growing evermore into the scholar and is completely uninterested in fighting, to the point where, if it wasn’t for his stature, he’d be in the same boat as Hiccup (if less magnified, because he’s not the Chief’s son)

So they all “grow apart” into the roles we see in the first movie, with some noticeable differences

They sit together in the great hall, but to anyone casually observing Hiccup’s excluded from the conversation

In actuality, Hiccup and Fishlegs came up with their own little version of sign language which Astrid forced everyone to learn, though some are more fluent than others (Tuffnut is surprising good at it, but Snotlout’s lucky to understand a full sentence)

Astrid still trains extra in the forest, but usually you can find the rest of the group somewhere nearby doing their own thing, if they’re not needed elsewhere

Similarly, because they hang out around her while she trains, she manages to bully at least Hiccup and Fishlegs into being at least passable with one weapon (sword and hammer)

Snotlout still flirts with Astrid, but it’s far more joking and well timed than in canon (of course he still has a crush on her, she’s Astrid, but he also flirts with her to escape that weird fluttery feeling he gets when Fishlegs gets excited about the book he’s reading)

The twins outward behavior doesn’t change as much as their friends’ perception of them

The group is very aware that the twins are far smarter and more capable than they let on, and are aware that a lot of their chaos is carefully planned and not just violent stupidity like the rest of the village might assume

The gang even joins in a lot, the twins made them far more mischievous than they let anyone know

Due to the closeness to Astrid, Ruffnut is far more willing to be serious about training and other things, even if she still tries to downplay it

In reverse, Astrid is far more willing to chill the fuck out and have some fun, let her creativity take the lead, even if she’s very strict about keeping a mask in public

This is getting really long and repetitive so I’m just going to leave a few more thoughts

Fishlegs is far more confident and courageous because of his friends, but he’s still skittish in public

Hiccup is far less he’ll-bent on proving himself, but he’s still a sarcastic insane inventor so the results are pretty much the same he’s just happier (less lonely and lacking self-esteem)

Snotlout and Astrid are more comfortable with their emotions

Snotlout has less self-image problems (still-there though, fuck Spitelout)

When Hiccup says he shot down a Night Fury, they can tell he’s telling the truth, but they don’t have time to search with him that day, so he still meets Toothless the same

They plan to work together come dragon training, but Toothless kinda throws a wrench in that plan

Hiccup tries to keep him secret, but they know him, so when the Zippleback thing happens, he stands no chance

I have a lot more ideas but this so long

Just. Let them be friends damn it

[99hook]

Home

Synopsis: Hook’s homesick & you feel just like home

Best friends to almost lovers

Warnings: just some cursing

A/N: this is sweet but also pretty sad towards the end. Not gonna spoil anything, enjoy babes!

Hook rarely finds himself questioning his life’s choices. He’s always been passionate about being a professional wrestler, and when he’s not going through a tough time, he knows that he’s living the dream he’s had since he was old enough to walk, but sometimes he can’t help but reminisce on the life he had back home, and the one he misses the most while he’s constantly on the road.

He forgets all about time zone differences as he shoots you a text from the other side of the country, and he stares at the little black words beneath the blue bubble that say delivered as he waits for you to read it.

Like most nights, he falls asleep waiting.

Little did he know, after venting to his dad about everything that’s been weighing on him, Taz took it upon himself to contact you and fly you out for a few days to surprise Hook. He knew that you were his best friend and the entire time Hook was confiding in his dad, he kept diverting any topic of the conversation back to you. How he wondered what you were doing and how you two don’t talk as much as you used to. How he wonders if you tune in to Dynamite or Rampage sometimes and if you still have that dog you found on the street a year ago.

Taz realized pretty quickly that Hook was homesick, but not just for home. For the one who feels like it the most. So, after all of the things Hook told him, he headed back to his hotel room for the night and Taz was quick to whip out his phone and give you a call. Seeing Mr. Senerchia’s number pop up on your screen scared you immediately.

“Hello?” You quickly spat through the line. Your very first thought was that something must have happened to Tyler, because his dad never calls unless it’s your birthday.

“Y/N?” His deep voice bellowed through the phone.

“Yes sir?” You grew anxious already, needing to get to the point of this phone call. “Is everything okay?” You blurted, the tone of your voice certainly showed the worry you felt, and Taz could tell.

“Oh yeah, everything’s fine, it’s just, well my son misses you a lot.” He cuts straight to the point, and you immediately felt the relief wash through you. “We’re out here in California right now and he’s a little homesick. Not acting like himself. If it’s not too inconvenient I was thinking I fly you out here to surprise him. The kid needs a familiar face, you know?”

It really didn’t take much for you to agree. You were going to have to request time off work but you never took time off, so you were sure it wouldn’t be an issue at all. Hearing that Tyler had been missing you was all you needed to know. You were going to give your best friend the best surprise with the help of his dad and you were already buzzing with excitement.

“I would be more than happy to fly out and surprise him! Just let me know when and I’ll be there.”

“Great!” Taz belted out. “I can get you booked for a flight in a couple hours if you think that can work.”

Well, it wasn’t the most convenient and definitely would leave you on rocky terms with your boss for the last minute use of emergency time off, but you weren’t going to pass up on this. You missed Tyler more than you usually admit to anybody unless you’re wasted, so you agreed, Taz went on his phone as soon as he hung up and booked your flight for four a.m. and when you received a text from Tyler that read, “Can we FaceTime?” You were already flying over the states on your way to him, so you had to ignore that message.

Taz had arranged for a cab to pick you up from the airport when you landed and bring you to the arena where he and Tyler already were. You felt like you were severely jet lagged but you weren’t going to show it. Your heart was hammering against your chest the closer you got to the arena and when you spotted Taz waiting outside the back entrance doors you had to remind yourself to breathe.

You slid out the back of the cab with a suitcase that Taz grabbed from you before he pulled you into a tight hug. Back in high school, when you and Tyler were nearly inseparable, Mr. and Mrs. Senerchia were practically like your second parents. They were always inviting you over for family dinners and pool days during the summers. They always teased you and Tyler about how you were going to get married and have tons of babies, which always made you roll your eyes and Tyler blush.

Things changed when Tyler left for AEW. You knew it was coming but the two of you always swore you’d stay just as close as you’d ever been. Of course, distance is like a deadly disease. Different time zones, both having busy schedules. The nightly FaceTime calls turned into regular phone calls every few days, then into texts here and there until the only source of communication you two really had was a message every so often. It was bound to happen but you both hated it. You never wanted to bother him, assuming he was always really busy and he kind of assumed that since you stopped calling and texting every night before you went to sleep that you forgot about him all together.

That’s why it came as a surprise to you when he texted you asking to FaceTime. It made sense, considering what Taz told you and you wanted to so bad, but surprising him in person was going to be so much better than seeing him on the screen.

You slid out of the back of the cab and were greeted with a warm smile from Mr. Senerchia. He pulled you into a hug before he grabbed your suitcase from your hands and waved the cab away.

“It’s good to see you, kid. Tyler is gonna lose his mind when he sees you.” Taz chuckled as he started walking and you followed. You felt overwhelmingly nervous the more the two of you walked through the building. You weren’t sure why there was a knot in your stomach but you chalked it up to the fact that it was the end of June and you hadn’t seen Tyler since the day after Christmas.

“You’re staying until Friday right?” Taz asked as you tried to keep up with his strides down the hall.

“Yes sir.” You nodded.

“Good. Tyler is off tomorrow so that works out well. I can’t wait to see the look on this kid’s face.” Taz claps his hands and rubs them together as you round a corner and stop in front of a door with a sign that reads, HOOK.

Right when Taz goes to knock, you tell him to wait. You were so nervous that your hands were suddenly trembling. “I’m scared.” You half-joked with a weak laugh.

Taz chuckles back at you. “Nothing to be scared of. He’s still the same ole Tyler. Just don’t bring the Hook out in him and you’ll be alright.” He teased before he knocked on the door and your heart quite literally stopped for a second of two when you heard Tyler’s voice from the other side calling out, “Who is it?”

“It’s your father.” Taz shouts back.

“Come in.”

Taz opens the door and stands there. Tyler’s back is turned as he rummages through his bookbag, until Taz clears his throat in a rather dramatic way.

Tyler turns around and his eyes instantly widen when he sees you standing there next to his dad. He had the look of pure shock on his face and you weren’t sure if he was happy or not. You gave him a small wave and softly cheered, “Surprise.”

A split second later Tyler somewhat regained himself and managed to speak. “Y/N?!” The tone of his voice was one clearly filled with confusion and excitement and it made you instantly relax a bit.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Give this girl a hug son, she flew all this way just for you.” Taz steps out from between the two of you and Tyler takes two slow steps foward, opening his arms to you. It was suddenly the easiest thing in the world for you to wrap your arms around him and be enveloped by his embrace. His hold was strong and the tight squeeze he gave you before he unwrapped his arms made you miss the hug as soon as you separated.

Looking up at him you could see now that the initial shock was wearing off and the happiness was settling in instead. His dimples on his cheeks were proudly on display as he smiled down at you.

“Alright, I gotta get to work. You kids have fun, and remember son, you need to be Hook in about twenty-five minutes so don’t get carried away back here.” Taz points at Tyler and Tyler nods back before the door is shut and the two of you are left alone.

A low chuckle slips past Tyler’s lips as he shakes his head. “I can’t believe this”. He says as he grabs your suitcase from where Taz left it by the door and slides it next to his in the corner of the room. “How long are you staying?”

“I’m leaving Friday night. My flight’s at eight.”

That was music to Tyler’s ears. He was originally going to just chill at the hotel or the gym on his off day but now he was already planning all kinds of stuff to do in his head.

You glanced around the room and took sight of the white shorts laying on top of the counter with blood stains all over them. “Damn.” You remark as you run your fingers over the dried blood. “This must be from when you knocked Preston Vance upside the head with that chain.”

Tyler’s eyes lit up. “You watch me?” He asked, not even trying to hide the smile that spread across his face.

“I do sometimes.” You admit. “I’m pretty sure you are the hometown hero at this point. Everyone watches you. Dynamite and Rampage are always on at the bars”

“That’s sick.” He beams, obviously feeling proud to know that. Then there’s a small moment of silence and his smile fades to a frown before he mutters, “I miss home.”

“Home misses you.” You softly smile.

Tyler watches as you run your fingers over his ring gear. Then your eyes find his from the reflection of the mirror and you feel something spark inside that you weren’t sure you ever felt before. Something that made you feel both giddy and anxious. Full of joy and full of despair.

Tyler dropped his head and cleared his throat before he glanced at his watch wrapped around his wrist and realizes he needs to get his gear on for his upcoming match.

He grabbed the forest green pair of shorts from where they laid on the back of the only sofa in the room and said, “I’m gonna go change real quick.” Before he headed out the door. You took that small window of time as your opportunity to look around that room. There wasn’t much to it but it smelled like Tyler’s bedroom back home. Aftershave, cologne and some other scent intermingled that you could only describe as Tyler.

You looked around at his items laying around the room. The white bookbag laying over the back of the sofa was left open and you were so tempted to peek inside since there was so much curiosity around what is actually in that bag, but you fought that urge and took a seat on the sofa instead.

Tyler came back in and tossed the sweats and hoodie he was previously wearing on the sofa next to you. This is when you noticed all the little changes. New tattoos, more chest hair than he probably ever has had, much longer, messier hair but somehow he still looked like that same boy you grew up with your whole life.

“I want to stay in here with you but I have a match in about five minutes. Do you wanna sit and wait for me in here or do you wanna maybe watch my match from the viewing room?”

It seemed to you like he wanted you to watch his match, so you nodded at that and the way a slight smile spread across his lips let you know what he did in fact want you watching him. He ignored all the questionable glances from his coworkers all around as the two of you headed to the viewing room. You were relieved to find it empty.

“Make yourself comfortable while I go beat some ass.” He chuckles. “I’ll be back after.”

Just having you there and knowing you were watching was the whole entire reason why Hook was out to play for the show. He had a burst of confidence that felt like power surging through him just from having your support.

He secured the win proudly and was overly excited to get back to you. It was hard for him to stay in character and to keep that scowl on his face when he knew who was waiting for him in the back.

He sent his dad a text that said he was leaving for the night and usually Taz would tell him he shouldn’t leave until everyone else does, but this one time, Taz didn’t object.

Tyler didn’t want to waste a single second of this time with you.

“Still never been to LA?” He asked, and you shook your head as you looked around his hotel room. He dropped your suitcase next to the bed along with his and smiled. “There’s a lot to do here. Name something and we’ll go tonight. Anything you want.”

“Anything?” You quipped. “Okay.” You thought to yourself for a minute, but truthfully you didn’t even know what there was to do. And all you really cared about was being with him. It really didn’t matter what the two of you did.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know what’s really out here. You pick something.”

Tyler didn’t know either. He couldn’t think of something good enough for your first time in Los Angeles.

“There’s a boardwalk not far from here with a bunch of rides and stuff.” He suggested. “There’s also a bunch of clubs. We can either be kids or adults tonight. Whatever we want.” He shrugged, leaving the choice to you.

You found yourselves on the top of a Ferris wheel, overlooking the beautiful starry sky that reflected like diamonds in the ocean below. You were in awe of the view but Tyler was in awe of you and it was making this time with you the best and the worst, because he knew it wasn’t going to last long enough.

“It’s so beautiful.” You sigh as you snap a picture of the view. It was a little grainy. It didn’t do the view justice.

“Let me see.” Tyler says, and you hand him your phone. He holds it up and leans back enough to get you in the shot, admiring the moon, the stars, the carnival lights and all. He nudges your arm to pass your phone back. “That picture is ten times better.”

You felt a blush creep up to your cheeks unsure what to say next. The feelings rushing through you were nothing new, but that was your secret. You knew you had feelings for him before but the distance between the two of you made it easier to deal with after a while. You thought you were over it but the way your heart just fluttered when he smiled told you that you weren’t.

Tyler was on the same page as you but he was just too good at keeping it under wraps. He wanted so badly to have something real, something that kept him going, something that sparked a fire within him. That something was undoubtedly you, and had always been you since the very beginning.

If he wasn’t traveling all over the country. If he wasn’t living the chaotic life he lives now, he’d without a doubt be settled down with you by now. Maybe you’d have a few kids in the near future. He could always picture it, but this life he lives won’t allow it that easily.

You and him both knew that if you ever admitted your true feelings and tried to have something more than what you have now, time and distance was going to destroy it. It wasn’t worth it to either of you. Tyler had hope that maybe one day life would slow down enough to let him settle down and if you’re not married by then he’s sure that he will do whatever it takes to put a ring on your finger but for right now it’s not fair to you to wait for him and he knows it.

There’s a moment of silence before the Ferris wheel starts again and the two of you are lowered around the wheel. Tyler and you both have confessions on the tips of your tongues but hold back completely out of the fear that the business will tear you both apart forever.

It hurts him to bottle everything up and it hurts you when he slings his arm around your shoulders and you rest your head against his chest, because you both know that it’s uncertain what the future will hold but what is unfortunately set in stone is that this is all you have to hold onto and time is harshly limited.

Still, you both do your best to force those thoughts away and enjoy the time you have together. As much as you wish it could last forever you are grateful for the moments you have right now.

“I’ve been so homesick lately.” Tyler confesses, his thumb stroking your shoulder. “Thought I needed to take some time off of work and go back home for a while.” He adds on. “But it turns out that I wasn’t really missing it as much as I have been missing you.”

You felt your heart flutter and a little bit of a tear sting the corner of your eye that you were quick to blink away. Tyler’s arm tightened around you as he rested his cheek on the top of your head.

“Please keep visiting me like this if you can. I need you to be with me more often.”

You nodded, glancing up at the relaxed features of his face and the way his eyes sparkled in the carnival lighting.

“I will Tyler.” You saw his lips pull upwards in a small smile. “I’ll miss you too much not to.”

[kayadrake123]

Batboys x Thor!Reader

I HAVE TO I HAVE TO I HAVE TO. I just rewatched Ragnarok and I have seen a few posts speaking about Thor!Reader x the Batboys and I just had to write this. Please can people start making more headcanons and stories about this! Anyways, this is gender neutral and race neutral. I have also included some Marcel characters as well so hehehee enjoy!

Dick Grayson

First off, Dick loves your humour and how you deal with tricky situations

Like he admires how you can make lighthearted jokes as a giant dragon is trying to eat you

Which brings us to how you met

You piss off a lot of people, and this time you had happened to piss off someone with a dragon that’s trained to hunt down people

You knew you had to get off the beasts radar, so you went to the one place everyone would least expect you to be: Gotham City

Unfortunately the dragon wasn’t as dumb as you thought and followed you there, which ended with a lot of damage to Gotham’s streets, an angry dragon trying to bite your head off and an even angrier Batman

Nightwing joined the fight and just as he thought he was going to die when the dragon went for him, your hammer went straight through the beast and saved him

”Dragons have never really liked me that much”

”What?”

”Which is weird since they’re meant to be like puppies. I’m good with puppies.”

”They’re meant to be like WHAT?!”

He instantly fell in love with you. He enjoys how fearless and determined you are, even if you get beat up by a large creature occasionally.

You care about those you love and would do anything for them, something both of you share.

He understands your complicated relationship with your adopted sibling the best out of everyone you know, since it’s kinda similar to the one he used to have with Jason.

He knows your strong asf, but it never stops him from worrying about you.

He would do absolutely anything and everything for you.

He’ll never admit it but whenever you go into space and you take him with you, he gets really nauseous. Space makes him feel sick.

A lot of your enemies like to use him against you, and visa versa. It usually ends with the criminal being in critical condition in hospital after you beat the shit out of them. (Yes you beat up your own kidnappers)

Jason Todd

You were in a library cursing at the book in your hand as Jason walked past you.

He found it amusing how you were trying to be quiet as the librarian had shushed you a couple of times already, but what really prompted hi, to approach you was the fact that the book you were cursing at was a Greek mythology one.

He’s never seen anyone that worked up over a book about the Gods before.

The answer he received from you was one he was not expecting

”This goddamn book has so many inaccuracies! Thor is not the God/Goddess of Lighting, it’s Thunder you fucking idiots! They always get me confused with Zeus…”

”…What?”

When you saw his confusion, you held your hand out to greet him.

“Thor, child of Odin. And you are?”

”Uh, Jason…son of Bruce?”

He met you as Red Hood a few weeks later when Bizarro had a run in with a large green good friend of yours

“Ah! Jason! Son of Bruce.”

”I have no idea who that is.” He lied, but you could see straight through him.

You were actually able to recognize him due to some of his left arm getting exposed from having his suit torn somehow during the fight. He had a scar there that you had noticed during your first meeting. It was shaped similarly to a lightning bolt, which caught your interest.

You grew close and you both became very protective of the other

You always defend him against his family members, especially Bruce (who won’t admit it but sometimes he finds you scary)

You get along with the Outlaws very well too. You sometimes even join them on missions.

You love it when he teaches you something about plays, poetry and novels. You think it’s really cute that such a dangerous man can be so cute and romantic.

He’s definitely helped you save the world a couple of times.

Tim Drake

He met you during his Robin days

You were a friend of Kon’s, and he called in a favour when his team was failing miserably on a mission.

They were being attacked by some angry aliens who happened to be using some of their tech to mind control parts of the planet

Bart had gotten one of his legs broken pretty badly so he was out for a while, Cassie was knocked out, and Tim and Kon were barley winning their fights.

Suddenly some thunder sounded in the sky and everyone was blinded by a bright light (your thunder bolts hehehe) and the most beautiful person Tim has ever seen appeared out of nowhere from the sky and beat the function out of the remaining enemy

He’s a bat, and is very much like Bruce when it comes to being suspicious of people so he wasn’t so friendly to you in the beginning

Your first impression of Tim was that he gave zero fucks about anything. He’s pretty, but definitely doesn’t care about shit (or acts like he doesn’t)

You guys saw each other more when you helped the Titans, Justice League and even Batman out with a few missions

And also whenever Kon would invite you both out to the same places to hang out. You guys got very close over the years.

Then you guys began hanging out by yourselves in and out of uniform

You saw people while you were each other’s close friends, but you just always knew that you loved each other.

Then he became Red Robin and fell into a dark hole after Bruce’s ‘death’ and became very standoffish with you

You spent more time in space, where you made more enemies with dragons and men made of fire who like putting you in cages (Ragnarok reference hehe) and your family issues got a lot worse too

All the times you spent away from Tim (a few weeks) made you both realise that you’re in love with each other. So you returned home through Bifrost, and turned up at his nest one night when it was raining and confessed your love for him. (You were still covered in blood as you literally just came back from a fight)

You guys have always been inseparable together, but in a romantic relationship? UNSTOPPABLE.

[tom-whore-dleston]

Home is Wherever I'm With You

Pairing ▹ roommate!Joaquin Torres x f. reader

This fic contains ▹ fluff, some angst, implied smut, idiots in love, friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, smoking weed, hospitals, mention of gunshots, a lot of pancakes

Word Count ▹ 2k

Summary ▹ Oh, home, let me come home | Home is wherever I'm with you

Notes ▹ Finally got around to completing my submission for @the-slumberparty’s Across the Universe (week 4) challenge. This fic is inspired by this moodboard from an old sleepover. Feel free to listen to the playlist for extra vibes! This is unbeta'ed so I take full responsibility for all the errors. Remember to reblog and comment if you enjoyed! 😊

You didn’t understand the phrase “home is where the heart is'' until you moved in with Joaquin Torres.

This living arrangement happened by chance, a chance that you were grateful to have stumbled upon. After deciding it was time for you to leave the nest, you found a place for rent that also had a few other roommates. One of them being Joaquin.

You met Joaquin and the other roommates before moving in with them. Luckily, you all hit it off right away and settled in fairly quickly. But you found yourself really close to Joaquin. He was the one roommate that had a similar schedule to yours. You both would wake up late in the morning before heading to work, and then come home in the darkest hours of the night. 

The first time you discovered how late Joaquin returned home from work was the night your friendship began. After coming home from a long day, you decided to treat yourself to a batch of pancakes. The rest of your roommates were heavy sleepers so you rarely disturbed them. Since you were occupied with the pancakes, you didn’t hear Joaquin come through the door. He waltzed into the kitchen upon smelling the pancakes and crept up behind you. 

“I bet those would taste amazing with bananas,” Joaquin commented nonchalantly. You whipped your head around, swatting the spatula in his direction and accidentally coating his nose with batter.

“Oh shit! I’m so sorry!” You gasped, attempting to clean the mess from his face. “I thought you were an intruder. I didn’t mean to hurt you…or cover you in pancake batter.”

Joaquin snickered. “Don’t worry, you didn’t hurt me at all. But I admire your self defense skills. I think that will give me motivation to keep the bathroom clean.”

You joined in his laughter. “I think I made enough for you if you’d like some pancakes. You might have to slice your own bananas, though.” 

With that, you and your roommate shared the short stacks while getting to know one another better. This ritual of late night snacks after work persisted until the conversations grew louder to the point of accidentally waking one of your other roommates. Since that incident, you and Joaquin decided it would be best to meet one another at the 24 hour diner down the street. 

Over time, your roommates moved out one by one until you and Joaquin were left to hold down the fort. The two of you living together consisted of movie binges on the weekends, checking out the monthly farmer’s market, dancing while cleaning the perimeter of the house, and taking walks along your street during sunset. Slowly, but surely, you were falling deeply in love with Joaquin. 

You knew you had strong feelings for him when you both decided to buy a bookshelf for your ever growing book collection. While building the bookshelf, you jammed the hammer against your finger, causing you to shriek in pain and the rest of your body to go numb. All you remembered before blacking out was your roommate rushing to your side and carrying you out the house bridal style. A few hours later, you woke up in the hospital with a cast wrapped around your finger and a relieved Joaquin holding a bouquet of roses and baby's breaths. The smell of the flowers and his sweet, handsome face instantly brought you comfort.

“Shouldn’t you be at work right now?” You asked upon noticing the time on your bedside.

“I told Sam what happened and he ordered that I stay here with you.” You gave him a sad look, feeling bad that your clumsiness caused him to miss out at work. Joaquin smiled, patting your hand. “Don’t worry, Sam is understanding.” The softness of his hand against yours sent butterflies to your stomach. Your heart began to swell as if it would explode inside your chest from all the feelings you were experiencing in that moment. His touch, his smile, his affection for you. It was all clear to you then. You were in love with Joaquin Torres. 

After returning home from the hospital, Joaquin spent the entire week by your side, making sure you were taken care of. Sure, you were a grown up and could care for yourself, but you appreciated how your roommate reminded you that you don’t have to be alone in the healing process. He would sing softly while tending to your finger and let you smoke some of his weed to ease the pain. Once you started feeling better, you and Joaquin finished building the bookcase together and he offered to read one of his favorite stories to you.

One day while Joaquin read to you, Sam called him, notifying him of an emergency assignment and was expected to leave right away. The night before he left, you and Joaquin crashed on the couch after getting high and watching an alien documentary on Netflix. You fell asleep before he did, and, naturally, your body curled up next to his as you dozed off. He listened to your snores for a few minutes before planting a tender peck on top of your head. Before he knew it, Joaquin drifted off to sleep.

You woke up alone in the living room, searching for Joaquin. Instead, you were met with a note on the coffee table.

Sorry I couldn’t give a proper goodbye. You looked so peaceful sleeping, I would have been a horrible friend to wake you up. I’ll see you in a month!

-J

While your roommate was away on mission, you spent your days sulking and missing him. You tried to go on with your routine as if he was still there, but things felt empty and meaningless. The pancakes from the diner didn’t taste as fluffy when you ate alone. The music you listened to while cleaning the house didn’t lift your mood the way it did with Joaquin. His favorite stories didn’t sweep you away to another world the way it did when he read them. The flowers around your house died faster, even though you tended to them the same way you always had. You didn’t even bother taking walks or going to the farmer’s market by yourself. It was the longest month you had ever experienced in your life. 

Meanwhile, Joaquin could not wait to fly back home to you. The days were long and draining, and it seemed as if he and Sam were constantly running into dead ends. What kept him motivated during this difficult mission was a photo booth strip he kept of you and him at the summer fair. Even though looking at the pictures made him miss you dearly, he was hopeful of the day he would reunite with him.

“Is that the roommate?” Sam inquired from behind Joaquin’s shoulder. The Falcon’s cheeks warmed up and he began smiling like a smitten school boy. Joaquin didn’t need to say anything for Sam to know what was on his mind.

“So, are you ever going to tell her you love her?” Captain America added with a quirked eyebrow. 

“I’ve been wanting to. I just get nervous.” Joaquin peered down at his combat boots. “She’s my best friend, Sam. I don’t want to ruin that.”

“Ouch, and after all we’ve been through, I thought I was your best friend.” Sam’s joke led to Joaquin letting out a small chuckle. “No, but seriously, you will feel much more free once you just tell her.” The younger lad nodded, imagining all the best case scenarios of confessing his love for you. His daydreams of you were cut off by the gunshots that echoed in the distance.

The end of the month finally rolled around, yet there was no sign of Joaquin. Anxiety took over your body as you wondered why he hasn’t come home yet. Part of you wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but your sadness made your mind wander to anything and everything that could have gone wrong. You dragged yourself to work as you have been doing for the entirety of Joaquin’s absence. While you worked, you stared at the matching photo booth strip pinned to the wall of your office. A hot tear streamed down your cheek, longing to see Joaquin’s face and hear his voice again.

After work, you came home, ready to settle into your comfy bed. You sighed loudly as you hopped out of your car, slamming the driver’s door shut and locking it behind you. All of a sudden, your eyes landed on a motorcycle that you haven’t seen in over a month. Then, you saw light coming from inside the house. Could it be?

You ripped off your work pumps, bolting into the house barefoot in hopes that your mind wasn’t playing tricks on you. As you entered through the front door, the delicious scent of bananas and vanilla filled your nostrils. Your heart bursted at the seams upon the sight you found in the kitchen. Joaquin was humming along to your favorite song while drizzling a stack of banana pancakes with syrup. As if sensing your presence, he beamed a sparkling smile while turning to face you. 

“I came home an hour ago to an empty home. Figured you were still at work and you’d probably be hungry when you come back.” He paused, glancing at the plate on the counter. “I made sure to add bananas this time.”

Your lips trembled as you fought the urge to cry. You wanted to run and jump into his arms, feel his warmth bring you back to life, kiss the lips you have been aching to taste for an entire year. All you could do was drop your bag and heels by your side as you succumbed to the tears that fell from your face. Joaquin took that as his signal to step closer to you. He caressed your face, wiping the tears from your eyes. 

“I missed you,” you croaked, finally embracing him tightly. Your hearts beat in sync with one another, as if that was the way the universe wanted it.

“I missed you too.” He stroked the back of your head before making space to gaze into your glossy eyes. “It’s hard to be away from the girl I am madly in love with.” You couldn’t help but let out a tearful giggle at the words that left Joaquin’s mouth. It felt as if all of your wildest dreams were coming true. Yet it was only the beginning.

“Being The Falcon requires me to travel the world so often, and to see places I’ve always wanted to visit. But none of that matters to me because despite where I go, I find myself wanting to be wherever you are instead.”

“I love you, Joaquin.” You started to close the space between you and him. The tips of your noses brushed together, the heat from your breaths mingling like your feelings for one another.

“I love you, too, cariño.” With that, he finally pressed his lips against yours. You kissed one another with a passion that no one could snuff out. His lips were sweeter than the pancakes that were long neglected on the counter. Joaquin lifted you up and you immediately wrapped your legs around his waist as he led you to the couch where you both professed your love throughout the rest of the night.

When you both woke up the next morning, bare bodies intertwined under the thin blanket, you felt a sense of belonging. It was unfamiliar to the two of you, but it was a feeling you accepted with open arms. You and Joaquin were both hopeful of the future that you were ready to build together like the bookcase filled with stories you hoped would become your reality. After locking eyes for what seemed like eternity, Joaquin kissed you with fervor, and you picked up where you left off from last night.

He was home, and so were you.

Navigation | Fanfic Masterlist | Joaquin Torres Masterlist

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 40 - Mirror, Mirror

Astarion goes fishing (and not for fish).

On AO3.

Y’all coulda made it back by nightfall, now that y’all know where you’re going. But both Wyll and Gale agree that arriving after a whole day of hiking is a bad strategy (to the disappointment of Karlach and the disgust of Lae’zel). So y’all stop about an hour away—close enough y’all can be rested when you get there, but not so close a patrol might trip over somebody’s tent.

Gale has a spare canvas, nobody has spare poles or stakes; Karlach solves that problem by sauntering to the edge of the trees and ripping three saplings out of the ground to whittle into poles with that bigass ax.

She drives them into the ground and does not use a hammer.

You ain’t the only one watching this with a little too much interest.

big lady your brain chants.

She carries a regular pack, from which she pulls out a blanket that smells vaguely like vasoline, and a raggedy teddy bear she introduces as Clive. The bear is singed around the edges, and seems nearly shellacked in the not-vasoline stuff on the blanket. Some kinda fire-resistant salve she says.

She’s careful not to touch nobody, or even get too close. You watch this, lips pressed tight, chest hurting for her.

Dinner is, once again, bread and cheese and wine. No fire so close to the tollhouse. Karlach strikes up a conversation with Lae’zel about the best way to twist somebody’s head off, while Shadowheart watches over the rim of her goblet.

Gale, without much to do in the way of a cook fire, plops down outside his tent with a book, several scrolls, and an ink pot to start scratching away. Meanwhile, Wyll volunteers to go on patrol—make sure y’all really are out of fake paladin range—and set up some snares. You can’t tell if he’s upset with y’all’s decision to let Karlach join, or if he don’t like her around, or if it’s some secret third thing that’s got him so tense. He’s seemed like a real good dude—though everybody has shit takes on something.

The sun sinks low and the light goes gray as evening deepens. Lae’zel actually takes a night off from breaking your ass (either distracted by Karlach, or deciding that leaving you like, rested, increases your chances of not fucking anything up tomorrow).

Which leaves you just…hanging out. For the first time, you have the mental and physical energy to stay awake, but you have no phone, no internet, no books or movies or anything to fiddle with. Maybe you could work on that strip of linen Astarion “gifted” you. But then he’d see you doing it and start shit and besides, you got no clue how to sew.

You’re so busy trying to think up a way to be busy, that you notice the man skulk out of his tent. He’s got something shiny in his hand. He’s positioned his tent slightly facing away from the fire, tonight, which leaves it facing your tent more than usual. He’s not, like, hiding, but he’s not out in the open as he holds up what you realize is a mirror.

Huh. Lots of different cultures have vampire lore; you wonder if the mirror thing is accurate. You got nothing better to do, so you find yourself trailing over, coming up behind him.

“Looking at something?” he says. It’s addressed to you, even though he hasn’t glanced over.

“Saw me coming?” you say.

He stares a moment longer, before turning. There’s no sparkle to his eyes, tonight. His lips are a straight line. “The only benefit to a mirror when you have my condition. It doesn’t make up for a lack of reflection, mind you.”

Ah. That part of the lore is true, then. Ouch.

“Sorry to hear that,” you say. “You must miss it.”

And then you want to kick yourself over how stupid that sounds.

“Preening into the looking glass? Petty vanity?” he says all flamboyant. Until he deflates. Until you see what might be a flash of sadness in him. “Of course I miss it. I’ve never even seen this face. Not since it grew fangs and my eyes turned red.”

You didn’t know about the eye color thing. None of the others are anywhere nearby; you wonder if that’s why he’s letting this show. He’s never made so much as a peep that wasn’t joke-flirting, complaining, stabby, or bored.

“What color were they before?” you say. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“I—” he starts. Blinks a few times and there’s the barest shiver of, dare you call it, vulnerability in his face. “I don’t know. I can’t…remember.”

He stares out at nothing for a pause. Don’t got the presence of mind to slip the smarmy mask back on. It’s like he…like he just realized that. Doesn’t remember his own eyes.

Then his face shutters. Tight-lipped anger slips down and buries all traces of confused horror. He chucks the mirror to smash on the ground.

You try not to wince even as you take a step back.

“My face is just another dark shape in my past,” he says. Looks away. “Another thing I’ve lost.”

You can forget some details about your own face, sometimes. You don’t generally wear makeup (never learned, and then when you could, that shit is expensive), and your hair mostly sorts itself out when you comb conditioner through it in the shower. So you don’t see your reflection every day (the ladies room at the office don’t have a mirror—used to be a closet until the seventies or eighties when they converted it).

But you know your eyes are dark brown the way you know your own name. It’s just a fact about you. You can’t imagine what it would take to just…lose that.

“How long you been a vampire?” you say.

His gaze flits around a second. “About two hundred years, give or take. Things start to run together a little.”

Two…two hundred years? Under that fuckface? Without ever being able to see himself?

Holy fucking shit.

Holy fucking shit.

And yet, he’s standing here, traveling with all y’all, acting…well, not normal. But he ain’t catatonic. He’s only killed people when y’all were fighting already, and he only tried to bite you the once (without asking). He’s talking to you, and he makes jokes and…

And he said you were his first “thinking creature” blood.

In two hundred fucking years.

The kind of strength it would take to scrape himself together and hold in there…even if it was barely. Even if he wasn’t all there. You’d known that shit for over a decade. But two hundred motherfucking years.

You been staring. He notices, and turns to you. “What?”

The man teases you. Steals from goddamn refugees (he has got to stop that). And he hasn’t seen his face in two centuries. You can maybe afford to make a fool of yourself if the idea blooming in your brain makes a fool outta yourself.

“I can be your mirror,” you say, your neck heating up, trying not to squirm. “You don’t have to. Or I don’t have to. If I made this weird, that is. I can, uh, leave.”

His eyebrows twitch down into a micro frown. He stands there a hot second, sucks in a breath through his nose. His mask is slipping again, and the man underneath…

“I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me,” he says. “What, well, what you see.”

Slight emphasis on the “you” that you ain’t gonna read too much into.

A long face. Thick brows. A strong, straight nose. Thick lips, pointy chin, and floofy, white hair.

You ain’t never really described somebody in detail. Not like this, and not to their face directly. You ain’t a poet or an artist. This was probably a really bad idea.

“Your face is very, uh, symmetrical,” you say.

He pauses a moment, before drawing back. “Oh darling, you’re terrible at this.”

Fuck you, too!

“Well, I mean, it’s the most noticeable thing aside from the granny hair.”

And now he fucking recoils.

“What? I have the best hair in camp. If this is your idea of a joke—”

“Sorry, I’m sorry, I’m kidding,” you say. It’s only kinda a lie. It’s granny hair, no two ways about it. “Your hair is very shiny and it looks real soft. The rest of you” —you wave your hand vaguely around— “looks good.”

“Really?” His usual smirk slips back on and he damn near purrs. Then he lifts his hands and gives a slow, little runway spin. “Anything in particular?”

Jesus lord. Man’s moods turn on a fucking dime and he cannot stop being a prima diva.

You think. What would you want to know about your own face? You got no idea how elves age or how old he was when he got bit. He looks young, in the dim light, but there’s an age to him, a smattering of fine lines at the corners of his eyes that you started noticing on yourself recently. You ain’t gonna mention how gaunt his cheeks are, even if they do make the bones stand out all high fashion or whatever. It ain’t a healthy look (any time anybody mentions native cheekbones, you have to bite back the little historical fact that a lot of those photos was of starving natives, of course their cheekbones stood out like that, their food sources were butchered, burned, or a thousand miles away after a forced march).

You’re gonna ask in the morning if Wyll can bring back what his snares catch before he field-dresses them, and ask Astarion if he wants the blood. Man needs to eat more often. Put some goddamn flesh on them bones (oh god, you sound like your aunties).

“You got these eye creases when you smile,” you say.

But he does not take that as the compliment you mean.

“Excuse me?” he says like you just called his mama ugly. “I’m an eternally young vampire, forever beautiful.”

Forever corpse-y.

“It’s a good thing.”

“It sounds an awful lot, my dear, like you just called me old.”

“You just said you was at least two hundred.”

He gestures down to himself. “Vampire. Come on, darling, you can do better than this sorry excuse.”

And then the man has the audacity to fucking pose. Hand on his hip. Shoulders swaying like some old-timey, rich debutante.

“This whole thing is just you fishing for compliments, huh?” you say.

He looks at you like you’re the weird one. “Well of course it is. Now don’t leave me waiting.”

You ain’t sure if this entire cluster started as a sham, or if it just naturally devolved into one (he’s very good at the latter). His frustration had seemed genuine, though. He wouldn’t meet your gaze for a time. And you’re picking up on a pattern: obfuscation. He gets all fussy and theatric right around the time you notice (or he notices, maybe) he’s expressing something that ain’t flirt or murder.

You…kinda want to see what he’s trying to hide. What’s actually under that mask you caught a glimpse of.

In any case, it’s funner to play along right now, so you don’t got to think about the bullshit waiting tomorrow.

What would a vain peacock like him want to hear?

“Your eyes,” you say. “They’re real sharp, especially when you’re focused on something. I think people call that ‘piercing.’”

He rolls said eyes. “Acceptable. Finally. Now just tell me I’m beautiful and we can end this travesty.”

And you can’t help yourself. “Well, Karlach is beautiful. You’re fine, though.”

The moment of truth. See if he’ll engage…

He gasps, but through a grin. Literally splays his fingers over his chest. “How dare you. I thought we had something special.”

Warmth flutters through you. You set the game down and he picked it up. He’s returning it. Holy shit, you went and established banter with a maybe-friend. It’s a damn good thing you got so much practice keeping your face blank.

He clucks his tongue. Nudges at you with his hip. “Still. You’re nice, too.”

Well that’s an overstatement. You are plain and plus sized, and it ain’t some false-modesty thing. If you ain’t in some colorful or flowery blouse, you can feel kids staring at the store. More than once you caught a, “Is that a boy or a girl” and a parent frantically shushing.

You’d always thought the boobs would be a giveaway (they ain’t subtle), but hey, baggy clothes.

Sailing too close to the rocky Shore of Truth. Time to veer back into the humor pool. You deadpan. “Oh good. The pretty boy thinks I’m acceptable. Now I won’t have to cry myself to sleep in shame.”

The smallest snort tears out of him. Seems to catch him off guard. But he quickly folds it under his mask and sighs. “I’d better go get some beauty sleep, darling. Seems like I need it if I’m to catch up with the competition.”

“You do that,” you say, letting a tiny grin crack your own stoic mask.

Which he returns.

Which is right when the ground in the middle of camp cracks open and some kinda hell goo burbles up, spinning in a vortex, before it bursts into flame. Out pops a winged demon lady with her tits half out.

***

Notes:

Hell week is done! Still tired, need recovery time to wash the spoons (this is a metaphor). But updates will continue because those get me through the week and there's Stuff coming up (the Sadness Arc). Probably gonna slap new warnings into the summary (which I'll tag on the chapters as they appear). But that won't be this week. Next chapter: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

[scoopssquad1440]

All Tied Up S.H.

Warnings: SMUT, bondage, AFAB! reader, sub!reader, dom!steve

~~~~~~~~~~~MINORS DNI~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prompt: Steve didn’t know you knew so much about shibari. 

The Hawkins hardware store was lit up on the dark street, the beginnings of winter causing dusk to come early. Steve’s hand was held tightly in yours as you stepped onto the curb. The bell of the door dinged as you walked through.

“I just gotta grab some lightbulbs, babe.” Steve said, heading toward the aisle labeled lighting. You nodded, following behind him. Unfortunately, the following was short lived as you passed through the paint wall. All the colors were a great distraction, and you pulled a couple of the sample cards out to check them against others.

You and Steve were now the proud owners of a trailer in Forest Hills trailer park. It was small and cramped, nothing like Steve grew up with. But you were making it yours. Painting the bedrooms, making a flower bed around the front porch. There was a special hook Steve hung for you where you placed your windchime. Domesticity with Steve felt so easy to slip into. He had this innate caring nature that paired with your compassion to create the most welcoming home. He still worked at the family video while you picked up shifts at the hardware store on occasion. You never wanted for anything, Steve always found a way to provide.

Green paint sample in hand, you wandered around the aisles in search of Steve. He was nowhere to be seen in the lighting section and the flooring was also a no. “Steve!” you called out. It was getting later in the night, only one other customer was in the store. You had passed him through the lighting. You wandered a bit more, taking a left down one of the aisles. Steve was deep in concentration looking at the many rolls of chains and ropes displayed on the wall.

“Steve, what are you doing?” you asked, a brow quirked up in confusion. “Huh? Oh, just looking at this rope.” He mumbled, grabbed the frayed end in one hand and tugging it taunt with the other. “Do you think this could hold a person?” he asked. You couldn’t help but feel your heart skip a beat. You looked at the rope with a frown, reaching out to touch it. It was rough under your fingers, itchy even. You didn’t know Steve was thinking about that kind of thing. You hardly strayed from vanilla sex, not that you were dissatisfied. “I wouldn’t use that kind of rope if you’re wanting to tie me up” you started, “I would use something silkier and less irritating, like this!” you grabbed a smaller, white rope with silky strands. “But I really wouldn’t buy rope for bondage somewhere like here.” You shrugged.

Steve was quiet for a moment and you looked at him confused. His cheeks were very red, and his hands were frozen in time with the thick harsh rope in his hands. “I…I was going to make a swing for the tree out front.” He stammered, holding up the short wooden plank that was tucked under his arm. Now it was your turn to be embarrassed. “O-oh yeah that should be just fine then.” You stuttered. The warmth in your belly sizzled away. He was still looking at you incredulously. “I-is that something you want me to do?” Steve said, not sure if he should pry. He felt this spark of curiosity in both his heart and his dick. You shrugged, despite every nerve in your body telling you to scream yes, “I like it. I’ve only done it a couple times.” Your shoes suddenly became interesting as you fingered the white rope in your hands. Steve crossed his arms in his Steve way, “And how did you hear about it?” He was trying to look confident, but he couldn’t help the way his heart was hammering in his chest, thinking about how beautiful you would look with rope caressing your body. And the way you would look in the heat of orgasm, arms bound behind your back, back arching as he held you in place. He shook the delicious thought away.

“Eddie gave me a book a while back because of a campaign we were planning. And he gave me the wrong one.” A blush fell upon your cheeks as you remember the awkward interaction. When you had sat down to read the new dungeon guide, you were met with a page featuring a beautiful woman suspended by rope, naked, and shiny with sweat. You had slammed it shut and let out a yelp. Eddie turned back, shocked by the loud noise in the library. “What’s the matter- oh. OH.” His eyes bulged as he grabbed the book back. He ruffled through his bag with red cheeks and handed you the actual dungeon guide. “Sorry about that.” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “What is that?” you asked softly, curiously.

And so began a three-month investigation into the world of bondage. Borrowing books from Eddie, experimenting with decorative rope pieces under your clothes, but never quite getting the confidence to ask Steve about joining in it. Something about the rope against your skin became this addicting sensation and imagining the loss of control when being restrained had infiltrated your brain.

“A book?” Steve said confused. You nodded, “Yeah, it was a book about bondage.” You finally took your focus off your shoes and met his gaze. He looked concerned, yet curious. “Why didn’t you ever bring it up?” he whispered, coming closer to you, eyes darting around to make sure you were alone. It was near closing, you knew there was only the clerk left here. “I don- I just…I didn’t want you to think something is wrong with me for being a rope bunny.” You said frustratedly, horror filling your features as the clerk approached and caught the tail end of the conversation.

“Uh… we close in a couple minutes.” He muttered, looking at you like you were a freak. Well. You are a freak.

“Can we get a couple feet of this?” Steve asked, holding up the end of the white rope in his hand, “We’re making a tree swing.” He glanced at you with a sly smirk.

----------

“So, it’s important that we talk the entire time.” You said shyly, poised in Steve’s lap. “Or I guess talk isn’t what I meant to say. We have to communicate.” Steve nodded in agreement, “Like a safe word?” he asked curiously. Your eyebrow quirked, “Where did you hear that one?” you asked. “Eddie.” You both said at the same time with a laugh following. “How about red for stop, green for go.” You suggested, thinking back to the crash course Eddie gave you, trying to educate and not traumatize you. “I can work with that. Do you still have that book?” Steve asked softly, rubbing his hands up your legs, playing with the edge of your silky shorts. You nodded, reaching under your side of the bed and pulled it out of the shoe box you kept secrets in. He took it from you gracefully, opening it up and flipping through. His eyes lingered on several of the ties and their step-by-step guide. “Can I pick which one we do?” he asked bashfully. He leaned the book forward so you could look at where his finger pointed. It was a relatively easy tie, putting your thighs and ankles bound together, a simple column linking your wrists to the leg tie. Though simple, the knots do take time to make and master. “I like that one. Are you okay with moving me around? I won’t have the ability to move around.” You peered up at him. He looked a little nervous, his hair flattening where he had run his hands through it a few times. “If you don’t want to do this, we truly don’t have to.” You mentioned, grabbing his hand and pressing a kiss against his knuckles. “I want to.” He said with certainty, squeezing your hand back, “I think it’s…beautiful. And I can’t stop thinking about seeing you like that.” He murmured.

He leaned forward, lips pressing into yours and hands pulling you closer. The swipe of his tongue brushed your lips and you happily obliged. You rested your hands on his shoulders, playing with the tank top adorned on his chest. There was no urgency, you had time. “Patience is the first lesson of roping” you could hear the echo of Eddie’s voice in your head. Steve kissed you for quite a bit longer, pulling away only to let you breathe and readjust.

“Would you like me to start tying?” he whispered against your ear. The warmth in your chest spread to your stomach and even down to your fingertips. “Yes, please.” You nodded, standing up to pull off your shorts and t-shirt. His hands followed yours, brushing against your sides, thumbing over your nipples. “God, baby. You are just so beautiful.” He praised, leaning forward to kiss your sternum. His lips made their way to your left nipple, pulling you to stand between his legs. A soft whimper left your lips, brushing your hands through his hair. “Hand me the rope.” He muttered, pointing to the two pieces wound up on the pillow. You placed it into his outreached hand, eyes meeting his with nervous excitement. “Safe word?” he asked, a soft hand brushing against your cheek. “Red for stop, green for go.” You rubbed your cheek against his hand. “Good girl.” He murmured.

He placed you on the bed, the book open with the instructions next to him. He pulled off his t shirt, pushed his hair back (only for it to flop back into his eyes) and got to work. He followed the instructions carefully, still messing up here and there, allowing there to be a shared giggle between you two. As he finished with the wrap on your right leg, he checked in, “Are you doing okay?” You nodded, “green.”

After a few more minutes, a couple more knots had formed, and he was finished. “There we go.” He panted a little, checking the ropes of his hard labor. “Everything feeling okay? Nothing pinching too tight?” He worried over you. You laughed, “Stevie, I am just fine. Now please start touching me.”

The rope was taunt just enough over your skin. There was a slight burn when you tugged at the rope, but it was not unwelcome. This was everything you were expecting from the feeling. Being at Steve’s mercy like this was not scary, it was comforting. You knew he would take care of you. He would never do anything to hurt you, he would protect you, and he would make you feel good.

Hands trailed down your front, tugging at ropes here and there, gently pinching your nipples and chuckling when you whined. Goosebumps followed his fingers as he dipped past your hips and between your aching thighs. This tie allowed him a full view of what this was doing to you. Your folds were slick with desire that made his mouth water. His finger swiped at your entrance, gathering the wetness and bringing it back up to lubricate your clit. A low moan fell from your lips, heading falling back while he kept the same pace. He watched you intently, adoring the way you struggled against the rope to get more friction from his finger. His other hand trailed up your thigh, squeezing your hip gently and falling down to your entrance. He pressed two fingers into you, keeping his other finger in a consistent rhythm against your clit. Your back arched, or rather tried with the restraint. “Fingers feel good.” You said dumbly, whimpering as you felt a fire building in you. “oh baby, are you gonna come on my fingers?” he cooed, easing a third finger into you. You whined, tensing up and starting to shake. “’M coming.” You cried, your orgasm flooding through you. Your thighs shook, muscles flexing as you rode though it on his fingers. “Good girl” he praised, giving you a kiss. You panted, staring at him with your mouth slack. “Color? Want me to move you before I fuck you?” He asked softly, pushing your hair from your eyes. “Green. And yes please, my foot is falling asleep.” You giggled. “Thank you.” He praised and rolled you onto your front. Ankles and wrists posed in the air and pussy full on display for Steve. He pulled off his pants and boxers, rubbing his cock slowly as he admired you. “Love when you’re all tied up, baby. It’s like a present for me.” He joked. You rolled your eyes and smiled as he settled between your legs. You could feel him press against you, hands on your thighs. He pushed into you fully with a deep groan, “You feel so good.” He whined, rutting against you slowly. Moans left your lips as he thrust into your sensitive hole. The grip on your thighs tightened as he sped up his thrusts. “S-Steve.” You let out a long whimper, already feeling the warmth building deep within you again. “You’re squeezing me so tight. Fuck don’t know if I’ll last.” His thighs slapped against your ass, pulling hard moans from your lips. You weren’t going to last from this. “I need to come, stevie, please” you begged, face shoved into the mattress. You were covered in a sheen of sweat and your legs were shaking. The rope burned deliciously against your skin. And then you snapped, coming hard on Steve’s dick, whimpering and gushing around him. “Fuck” he moaned, sloppily rutting against you as he came. “Good job, baby, good fucking job.” He praised, breathing hard as he pulled out and watched his cum drip from you.

His hands gently tugged at the knots, pulling them loose and freeing you. As the ropes fell, you felt fuzzy and warm. Steve quickly checked all areas that were covered with rope for blisters or abrasions. “The book said to take a shower and then treat any sores. I don’t see any sores, but how does some lotion sound when you’re done?” he reached for your hand, bringing you back to the moment. “Yes, please.” You murmured, standing up with him. “Did I get you all subby?” he smiled, leaning down to press a kiss against your forehead. “mhm.” You smiled lazily and waited for him to start the shower. “Thank you for taking care of me.” You said, hugging his arm gently. He brushed your hair off your shoulder and pressed a kiss there, “You’re my girl. Gotta take care of my girl.”

[pianapplez]

Hello there 👋👀,

So I just found your blog and had a lot of fun scrolling through all the pjo show crit😂 I couldn't help but notice that one tag you left on a post where you said you had some beef with Annabeth's portrayal in the books 👀 Would you mind elaborating on that if you're comfortable with it🙈? Because I absolutely share that sentiment, but it's sooo veeeery rare that I see other people express anything like it... I've found that trying to be a part of the fandom can be pretty alienating most of the time, if you're not exactly the biggest most devoted Percabeth shipper...😅 And often any criticism leveled at Annabeth just gets you a smack with the "internalized-misogyny" hammer... it's even worse in the tv show now due to... obvious reasons...

Again just if you're comfortable with answering of course🙈 There is a reason I stayed on anon after all...😅😂

Really glad you asked because i finally get to ramble about this heheheh (going forward, know that i skimmed over The Last Olympian to have a clearer sense of what I meant because that's the book where Rick fumbles her character more than the others)

i'm gonna try to make as much sense as possible but short answer would be, she's underdeveloped. Long answer:

She really got on my nerves in the last two books, with the whole Rachel debacle and then the Battle of New York. I can't really remember a single moment in those books where she and Percy aren't bickering or having heated discussions, which really made me question their friendship status. Of course, it's not like friends can't fight and it obviously builds up the (romantic) tension between them, but it got unbearable at one point.

I understand she's a teenager in an incredibly stressful situation that didn't even get to have a normal upbringing- she grew up way too fast (run away at 7, head counselor at 12) while also not really maturing, which is not a problem for a character, if it is handled properly. Given the fact that I am writing this, Riordan did not.

On the surface, my biggest beef is that Annabeth is not exactly held accountable for her actions (ie. treating Rachel a bit like shit and going off on Percy for a bunch of stuff.) I know Percy is to blame a bit here: as far as we know, in TLO he basically cuts the greek world out of his life as much as he can as a coping mechanism. And while yes, he never apologizes either, he doesn't give her nearly half the hard time she gives him: always either giving him the cold shoulder (there must be at least one example of this in the entire series but i cant be bothered to look it up sorry) or starting an argument only to then storm off (see the "you're a coward, Percy Jackson!" scene, which is not the fairest example since she was confronting Percy about ignoring camp but also was a bit too harsh about it) (especially after finally reading the prophecy and being under the impression that he was absolutely going to die when he turned 16 lmao) or just straight up storming off (see, Annabeth reacting when Rachel shows up for the first time during the battle of new york). While most of these feel, at least to some degree, fairly justified given how the entire situation does an absolute number on her emotions, she comes off a bit brattish and like she's trying to rile Percy up, especially when it comes to Rachel, which in the context of a battle that could mean the destruction of the world.... Well, it reads as a bit childish to me, and i wouldn't exactly have that much of a problem with it if it was dealt with in some way (a two-way apology would be nice).

After that first impression, i realized that Annabeth is barely ever anything else other than a plot device (when relating to Luke) or a love interest (when relating to Percy). This might be because the books are on Percy's POV. Hell, on the third book he's even conflicted when Annabeth is considering joining the Hunters of Artemis, aka, when making a choice for herself would mean he loses her (which is fine and dandy but it feels like Percy is more upset about her choosing her own path rather than being sad about not seeing her as often); we really only get a few glimpses of her, as in, actually her when she's on her own.

Obviously it's impossible to talk about Annabeth without touching on percabeth, which also is, in my opinion, what hinders Annabeth's character the most. On paper they sound great. The guy whose fatal flaw is loyalty falls in love with a girl whose been let down by people over and over, and she decides to never give up on the boy whose always had people give up on him (can't find one of the million posts that talks about this right now but it always goes something like that) And yeah, the bickering is really well written! But that's literally as far as it ever goes: they don't ever seem to have fun together, because 8 times out of 10 the bickering ends up being passive aggressive, and mostly done by Annabeth. My biggest gripe about percabeth is that their friendship seems to be based off... shared trauma. Literally. Other than going on quests together we are given no examples of them hanging out, nor a reason why they would want to spend time together in the first place, not even a shared hobby. Yes, in the fourth book they had a movie "date" planned but of course they didn't even get to it, and surprise surprise, they had a minor discussion, and surprise surprise, Annabeth was passive aggressive again. It's hard to picture them having fun together when even the author doesn't write in any scenes in which they get along smoothly (and before you say anything, a scene in which they get along where neither of them is about to die, and they're not talking about previous adventures. Gets a bit hard then, doesn't it?) It's even harder to picture them as a couple when the moment she gets upset about something, she starts coming off as emotionally manipulative (see, again, literally any conversation with Rachel or about Rachel)

To be fair, the books are relatively short and don't allow many "filler" chapters, if you will; there's always something happening to keep the main plot or a minor plot point moving forward, but it's not like there is no room to develop the characters' relationships, especially when we're talking about the main char and what is essentially his endgame. As an example we have Percy and Clarisse, or Percy and Beckendorf. Their interactions are brief but still hold so much weight.

Worst of all, Annabeth could be one hell of a character; what's most interesting of all is how being a daughter of Athena she is still incredibly emotionally driven, which is displayed very clearly with her fatal flaw being pride: her telling the Sphynx that her questions were too easy was not smart nor strategic: it was completely impulsive. I seriously think she wasn't far from being the best character in the series had she been given more time.

I guess i have as much beef with Annabeth as i have with Rick for doing her dirty. I really could sum this up with: while her emotions are justified, she acts upon them quite poorly. And this is what i mean when i say she's underdeveloped, because it would've been nice to see her come to her senses a bit.

Would love to read anyone's opinions on her character though, feel free to comment, even (or especially) if you don't agree with me!

[eruden-writes]

Desperation's Summit - Part 7 (Troll x Human)

Summary: What happens when a rich human woman gets kidnapped by a troll in the mountains? The troll claims it was an accident, but is that really true?

cw: spousal death backstory

Taglist: @coolninjavoid

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4  | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 (coming soon)

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Want early access to chapters? Join my Patreon!

Or you can “buy me a coffee” on  ko-fi. ❤

Comments, reblogs, and replies are also super appreciated!

---

As she set about the kitchen, gathering things for peeling and mashing the fruits, she mused how this would all turn out. Soon enough, sweet scents of fresh fruit filled the air. It intensified as the triplets learned how to mush softer foods into sauces. Of course, while Cordelia used the pestle and mortar, the three trollings used their own hands. Or the table's surface. Or one of their father's hammers.

Eventually, all the new experiences and hard work exhausted the little trollings, though. As each fell asleep, Cordelia would deposit their messy little selves into their beds.

"Oh, you're back," she said from her spot at the kitchen table when Rakash entered the home. There was a brief moment where Rakash was none the wiser to the chaos in his kitchen.

He shook snow off from his outerwear, kicked off his boots, hung up his coat. His refusal to look at Cordelia, in part, came from the thoughts that had rounded his head. Her offer to help his children understand Common and Trollish through her magic book and how that made him feel. The inferiority that struggled against a grudging approval that she'd help in such a way.

Maybe it was just to lord her abilities over him, but still. If his children knew both languages, it'd serve them well in the long run. He couldn't deny that.

With that grudging delight came other considerations and reconsiderations. Namely for her offer to help with certain needs. His lower stomach jolted at the thought, as it had over the course of his chores. It had been a long time. It should be longer, a bitter part of him hissed. He should keep it in his pants indefinitely, since no one would ever amount to Karina.

But fucking was not the same as love. What she had said made sense, as well. They were two adults who were going to winter together, taking care of his children. Close quarters - at least insofar as much as Cordelia realized - would heighten certain appetites. Whether logical or not.

As he turned, his eyes widened and his thoughts froze. The scent of ripe sweetness slammed into him. His eyes traveled from mess to mess, from his grime-crusted children to their dirty clothes and sheets to the kitchen.

Cordelia's smile grew wider with each passing second. Just about the time when she noticed his cheeks darkening and his angry gaze tilting toward her, she pressed a finger to her lips. "Quiet now, you don't want to wake them up."

"What happened here?" Rakash quietly asked, hoping there was a reasonable explanation for the utter disaster around him. His eyes shifted to the kitchen, thinking maybe they had an infestation of fruit mimics from her caravan supplies. It was far-fetched and highly unlikely, but he needed a glimmer of hope.

"I fed them," Cordelia chirped, sitting tall in her chair with her chest puffed out. Acting proud of herself, while Rakash was still trying to understand, still trying to come up with a good reason for the state of his kitchen.

In an angry hiss, he pointed to the counter. "Is that my hammer?"

"Oh, I was teaching them now to make fruit sauces, like apple sauce," Cordelia replied, her voice all sweet and sugar. Her smile ached at her cheeks, waiting for Rakash to realize the mess was intentional. He was buying time, hoping for a better answer. But, nope, he would just have to accept it.

Glancing at the hammer, her voice theatrically softened to something Cordelia presumed was proud. "Ebra got ingenuitive and got your hammer and, well, I couldn't stop their creativity!"

Her continued tone and smile told Rakash enough. Cordelia had planned this. Or at least came up with the idea and didn't have the sense to not follow through. He took a step closer to her, a growl in his throat. "And this mess?"

"You only told me to feed them. Not clean up after them." Her eyes flew wide as she turned back to him, her hand pressing to her cheek. A perfect farcity of innocence. Rakash even thought her tone, as sweet as it was, had a pointed, bitter undertone. "You didn't seem to appreciate my proactive thinking, so I just did exactly what you told me."

"I hope you intend to clean this mess." He took another step closer to her, trying to keep his swords reasonable. It was difficult with the snarl still in his throat.

"Oh no, you're back now." She laughed, getting to her feet and patting down the front of her clothes. When she straightened, her hands landed on her hips. "I'm going to take a nap. Where's my room?"

"You destroyed my kitchen, Cordelia." It was a miracle that Rakash managed to keep his tone level and low. His sleeping children's peace-of-mind meant more than the kitchen, he told himself. But, still, the mess was the last thing he wanted to come home to. Especially as his body ached from chopping wood and any other chores he sought to do outside to distract wayward hormones.

"It's just a little fruit," Cordelia huffed, waving a hand dismissively at his concerns. Her expression shifted from unmoved to something a little more sharp and vicious, as she tilted her gaze up at him. "Wait until you see their diapers later. They ate so much fib-"

Her word ended with a yelp as something wet and slimy and cold splashed across her face. The flavors of mixed fruits soaked into her lips.

"That was uncalled for," Cordelia hissed, wiping the mashed fruit off her face. She made a sharp motion with her dirtied hand and the mess ended on the floor. At Rakash's feet.

"It was plenty called for," he snarled, storming past her to a cabinet. She watched as he pulled out two buckets and a small pile of rags, filling the buckets with soapy water.

"We're going to clean," he bit out. The mess was too much for one person and, though he doubted Cordelia deserved the excuse, Rakash wondered if things just got out of her control. She was too overwhelmed with the amount of work to do anything. So she put on an impetuous show. Though he severely doubted that was the case.

Cordelia raised her eyebrows, her voice dipping into imperiousness, "We?"

"You and me," he returned, dropping the sudsy water at her feet and shoving the rags in her general direction.

The warm water slopped over her feet, making Cordelia dance away from the moisture and the rags in Rakahs's hand. "I didn't agree to that."

"Do it or I'm dousing you with soapy water," he threatened, hefting his bucket up in warning.

Her eyes fell from his face to the bucket in his hand, then to the bucket he set at her feet. With a melodramatic roll of her eyes, Cordelia swiped up the cleaning implements and headed to the far side of the kitchen. She made a show of dropping the bucket on the floor, water sloshing over its rim, and splashing water as she plunk the rag into the suds.

Rakash bit back a groan, rubbing a hand down his face. He decided to work on the side away from Cordelia, if only to save himself from the pain of watching her make more of a mess in her pettiness.

The two managed to clean for the better part of an hour without speaking, let alone killing one another. To her credit, Rakash admitted, once Cordelia got off her high-horse, she worked diligently and managed to tidy up a good deal of the kitchen. There was still a little bit of biting anger in his blood, though. His body ached and, with this new live-in nanny situation, he was looking forward to resting a bit.

His slow, stiff movements were not lost on Cordelia, either. She noticed early into grudgingly cleaning that Rakash was moving slow. Then she considered how backbreaking splitting wood may be. She honestly didn't have a frame of reference for it.

When it finally seemed as if they'd gotten the kitchen back to a seemly condition - her work extended to little under two-thirds of the kitchen - Cordelia turned to Rakash. At some point, he had taken a break, sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. His legs stretched out, back slumped, and hands interlocked over his stomach.

The half-lidded look he regarded Cordelia with made a complicated heat knife up her back. Hurriedly, she crossed her arms, to shield her skipping heartbeat from Rakash. Sticking her nose in the air, and garnering as much haughtiness as she could, she harrumphed, "You're welcome."

"For what?" Rakash cocked his head, not entirely sure what had reignited Cordelia's fire. The ordeal of cleaning had left her hair in disarray, her cheeks flushed, and her clothing dirtied. It was strangely appealing to him. Maybe it was seeing her out of her element. Or knowing she was capable, if she put her mind to it.

Either way, that simmering heat stirred again and Rakash didn't have the energy to ward entirely against it.

She snappishly motioned to her portion of the cleaned kitchen, which obviously was more than his.

One of his eyebrows ticked upward, not even glancing to the area she had scrubbed. He wasn't about to thank her for the mess she had caused, but he found himself fighting against shooting her a snarky smile. "Am I supposed to thank you for destroying my home earlier?"

"'Destroy' is a strong word and it was only the kitchen. And, well, some sheets, I suppose." With her arms still crossed, Cordelia shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. Agitation gnawed at her insides, as Rakash didn't budge from his position. He simply stared at her, unimpressed.

Rallying against a squirming sensation in her stomach, Cordelia added, "But I cleaned as you wanted. You're welcome."

He didn't say anything in response, which only made the squirming sensation in her stomach worsen. Turning away, she gathered up the rags and buckets, and dumped the dirty water down the sink hewn in stone.

She still marveled that he managed to get pipes this far out of civilization. And it all seemed to work fairly well, despite the cold. But this fascination only made Cordelia even more irked. She doubted Rakash would share how his home came to be. If he even knew how it had. Perhaps he'd simply stolen it from someone else.

That thought renewed a little pettiness in her.

"You know, you really shoul-" Cordelia froze, suddenly aware of body heat behind her. Caught unaware, she realized Rakash had crept closer without her realizing. The chair he'd been seated in hadn't even creaked! When had he even moved?

Cordelia must have picked up on the shift in heat between them. Her motions slowed, as if she were facing a wild boar that would take any sudden movement as a threat, as she turned off the water and placed the bucket in the sink. Rakash watched her move, trying to imagine how she'd feel, even as a small part of him balked at the thought.

She glanced back, over her shoulder, before turning to face him. Part of her thought it ironic, how quick he'd changed his tune. Another part of her absolved him, though. Widower, struggling with his sense of duty to his late wife. It would take time, if it ever happened. The firestarter that was irritation might be the catalyst, she realized. And she was very good at causing problems.

It had been presumptuous of her to think he wanted anything like that from her, though. When he'd rejected her in the wagon, part of her thought that was it. The final word on the subject. He seemed stubborn like that.

Apparently, he just needed time to consider her offer.

For Rakash, the carnal want that had simmered since she offered herself for other kinds of relief flared. They'd hedged at his thoughts all through his outdoor chores. Rakash had studiously ignored them, but in the tired haze of his thoughts, he did wonder. It would be easy, Rakash realized, to just hoist her onto the counter, let her balance precariously on the lip of the sink. He clamped down on that imaginative scenario, before it got too far.

Cordelia could almost feel the lewd thoughts in Rakash's head, though. Her eyes flickered up to his as she leaned back, her teeth digging into her lower lip in a way Rakash found disgustingly cute.

"What should I do?" He asked, his voice low and almost menacing as he braced his hands on the counter, boxing Cordelia in. Even like that, his arms grazed her body, and he could feel the implication of how soft she was.

Rakash stooped over her, taking up even more of her personal space than before. The scent of fruit mingling with her natural aroma. Likewise, Cordelia caught the smell of sweat and forest and snow from him, beneath the soapy and fruit odors. His body heat soaked into her and, faintly, she wondered if trolls ran warmer. It would make sense, at least for those who lived in the frigid mountains. Not that you could tell from Rakash's personality.

All Cordelia could do was stare up at the troll, her eyes sliding over his blue skin and purple eyes and double-tusks as she struggled to say something. All her petulant remarks seemed to have fled.

"You, um- You should really..." Growing more embarrassed by the second, Cordelia laughed and covered her face. Her blushing cheeks burned her palms. She'd felt this giddy anticipation with plenty of lovers, one-time and habitual, in the past. But somehow the excitement was different with Rakash. Sharper and deeper. "Honestly, I forgot what I was going to say."

For the first time, it seemed like a genuine response from her. At least, from what Rakash noticed. It was so difficult to read her, but there was a crackle to her voice that couldn't be manufactured. She wasn't that good of an actor. And that made a smile twitch at Rakash's lips. Though, with her hands covering her face, Cordelia missed it.

He gave an amused huff and electricity jumped in her chest. It was so close to a chuckle, but it left Cordelia wondering what Rakash's laugh was like. That was, if he ever laughed. He had to, right? Sometimes?

Her hands slid down a little, just enough for her to pin him with a look while still covering swaths of cheek and mouth. Beneath her fingers, her words were muffled, but her own delight tinged her words, "Stop doing that!"

"I'm not doing anything," he replied, his deep voice soft and taunting. The space between himself and Cordelia filled with the strange mingling of fruit and soap, as the heat jumped between them.

A pout scrunched at Cordelia's lips as she made a wild hand gesture to Rakash's whole form and the space - or lack thereof - between the two of them. Her other hand fell from her face, landing on her hip. The movement made her arm graze against his, sending sparks along his skin.

The ghost of a smile lingered on his lips. "I am just standing here."

"In my personal bubble," Cordelia huffed, raising her eyebrows pointedly.

"Yes, but it's in my house." He knew she had boundaries that superseded his place as head of the household. But her habit of saying things, simply to get a reaction, was catching.

At that, Cordelia crossed her arms, her unimpressed expression mingling with the amused glint in her eye. His tone lacked the conviction that would have told her he genuinely thought that way. Rakash's lips quirked a little more, a little closer to a half-grin. But something behind him drew Cordelia's gaze away from his face.

Reality dropped on Rakash, a chill coasting down his back as he remembered his children weren't so far away. From across the room, he heard the shift of a little body on a little bed. Suddenly, a lump caught in his throat and he straightened his stance. A chill filled the space between Cordelia and himself.

Glancing over his shoulder confirmed that at least one of his children was up. Kazri peered over the edge of their bed, spying on the adults with big innocent eyes.

"Looks like naptime is over." Cordelia's soft words were teasing and, unless Rakash was imagining it, a little rueful. The expression that crossed Rakash's face when he realized his children were up said enough. Whatever his little ego trip was, boxing her in the kitchen, it wasn't well-thought. It was the spur of the moment. Probably driven by having a woman around after so much loneliness, and nothing more.

For some reason, that made Cordelia feel the slightest bit wretched.

[spectresbase]

Naughty November Day 13

Oh ho! Naughty November day 13 was spicy one!

Themes: Exhibitionism - Bitchy - Sex Work

Click on to read the collected tweetfics!

Adventuring took cash, and even heroes had to supplement their incomes. The belly dancer outfit set Aether back a bit, but was super worth it. Squatting in an alley, cum running down his chin, he counted his cash while the next John got into position. Business was good!

Kelly had timed it wrong. Instead of the empty corridor she'd expected, she found a dozen marines between the showers and her bunk, and the towel she'd left there.

Oh well.

Their eyes called heat to her cheeks, but even more to her crotch. Turns out, she liked being looked at.

Getting the rich and powerful to give their horded wealth to those who actually needed it was next to impossible. But she was Wonder Woman. And few would pass up the chance for a night with her. Not even if it cost a small fortune. Or in some cases, a not so small fortune.

"I'm Commander Shepard." The Commander beamed at the cameras.

"And I'm Miranda Lawson." Kneeling with her legs on either side of the fuck machine, Miranda used one of the shop's cock sleeves to jerk him off.

In unison they said: "And this is our favorite shop on the Citadel!"

When she found out the 'cure' to her condition was legitimately to have her ass fucked a lot, Bo-Katan almost screamed.

She gritted her teeth and accepted the humiliation. She really did scream when the first cock filled her ass.

Not from pain, from how fucking GOOD it felt!

"That the best you got? I've fucked Flubls that go harder than that!" The fact that Blackfire was able to talk, nevermind be such a bitch, with her face pressed against the window glass and your cock hammering at her cunt was infuriating. Setting your feet, you increase the pace!

The music dipped at just the right moment for the entire club to hear the Asari moan. Liara didn't know her name, but the woman called her goddess as she creamed all over her fingers. Wiping them off on the woman's dress, Liara walked back to Aria. "I believe I just won the bet?"

"Paying for sex? God, you're pathetic." Delivered in Rin's scathing tone, the words impacted like physical blows. Your cheeks burned even as the pressure in your head grew too strong to resist. She lifted her messy hand away. "Great. Now I have to clean my tights. Thanks."

Superheroing might be rewarding on a personal level, but it hardly ever paid off financially, and college books didn't buy themselves.

Steph felt a bit silly buying a cosplay version of her costume, but no way she was adding crotch zippers to her real one just for OnlyFans!

"Let me get this straight." Ben said, rubbing his temples. "We don't fuck for like, 10 days, and you decide to invade the planet?"

Attea sniffed. "It got your attention."

"So would've taking your shirt off!"

"This way your blood's already up. Now fuck me or I melt a city!"

[queenxxxsupreme]

Little Shadow (dad!Eskel fic)

A/N: Writing has been so difficult for me lately as you can probably tell by my lack of posting lmao but this is the first thing in a while I’ve been able to actually complete! And that’s all because @writingmysanity !! Thank you so so much for all of your help, for always letting me bounce ideas off of you, and for helping me through this :)

Note: This is not related to the fic where it’s mentioned that Eskel and reader want to adopt! This is just a stand alone (for now lmao)

Warnings: none, pure fluff

Word Count: 1.0k

Summary: As Eskel is working around the house, Maks is his little shadow. 

***

“Why do you always have to fix the fences?”

“Because Lil Bleater likes to be rotten and bust through them.”

“Why don’t you build the fences to be stronger?”

You grinned, lifting your head from the book you were reading to look across the yard. Your husband and your son were examining a broken section in the fence. As always, Maks was right beside Eskel to ask any question that popped into his head. 

Maks was a very curious five-year-old boy that you and Eskel had taken in. It was unclear what had happened to him before your paths crossed, but you found him walking alone in the middle of nowhere. When asked about his family, the boy would burst into tears. 

In the three months that he had been with you, he grew attached to the witcher. 

Eskel loved to answer any and all questions Maks had. But his favorite thing to do was pass his knowledge along to Maks. 

Eskel paused for a moment to make sure he had heard Maks correctly, then he chuckled a little and looked over in your direction. You brought your book up to cover your mouth as you giggled yourself. 

“I suppose that’s, um, that’s what I need to do, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Maks put his hand on one of the fence boards and wiggled it. “I could probably break through this just as easy as Bleater.”

“You’re a strong fella. I’m sure you could. Come on. Let’s go grab a few things from the barn.”

Just like usual, Maks was Eskel’s shadow. He followed right behind the witcher. 

“What kind of things?”

“Well, we need new pieces of wood for the fence. And we need a hammer and some nails.”

Maks skipped right over to where the spare wood was kept and waited patiently for Eskel to catch up. 

“Can I hold the wood, Eskel?”

“I reckon so. You’ve got plenty of muscles, don’t you?”

Maks flexed his arms and squeezed his bicep. 

“Feel those, Eskel.”

Eskel smiled at the boy and gently squeezed his upper arm. 

“Wow! You’ve got big muscles!”

“Yeah, I do!”

“Hold your hands out so I can put two boards on your arms, okay?”

Maks did as he was asked, and Eskel very carefully put the wood in his arms. 

“You got it, Maks?”

“Yeah!” He grunted a little and turned to leave the barn. 

Eskel quickly gathered the rest of the supplies he would need and then followed Maks out of the barn. 

Once they got to where the broken place in the fence was, Eskel got down on his knees. Maks followed every move he did, which included sitting on his knees as well. 

“Can I try to hammer a nail in, Eskel?”

“I don’t know, Maks. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“But I’ve watched you plenty of times.” Maks frowned. “I could help you.”

Eskel thought about it for a moment before nodding his head. 

“Alright. I’ll get the nail started for you, okay? That way you don’t have to have your fingers in the way.”

“Okay!” 

Maks watched carefully as Eskel hammered a nail in just a little bit. The biggest grin came to his face as he was handed the hammer. 

“Make sure you always watch where the hammer is going, okay?”

“Okay, Eskel.” 

While Eskel still held the board in place, Maks put all of his focus into using the hammer as correctly as possible. He held it with two hands and swung quickly until he was just about to reach the nail, then he slowed down and basically firmly tapped it. 

This went on for quite a while until the nail was finally in the wood and Maks sat back to examine his work. 

“Good job, little man!” Eskel cheered him on. “That was really good.”

“How come you can get it in in less swings than me?”

“Well…. I think it’s just because I’ve done it so many times. Once you’ve done it a few more times, you’ll be a professional. Are you ready to try again?”

“Yeah!

***

Once the fence was completely fixed, Eskel and Maks began to make their way towards you. 

“Y/N! Y/N! Guess what I did!”

You closed your book and brought your eyes up to watch Maks. 

“What did you do?”

“Fixed the fence!” 

“Good job, darling!” You clapped your hands. “I’ll have to go look at it afterbit when we go to the garden. Was it hard work?”

“No, it wasn’t hard.” Maks shook his head. “But the hammer was a bit heavy, and my arms are sore.”

“How about we go inside and get some lunch?” You suggested.

“I’ll race you inside!” 

Before you even had a chance to get to your feet, Maks was taking off towards the cottage. 

Eskel chuckled, holding his hand out for you. 

“He has so much energy.”

“If only he could share some of it.” You brushed off your skirt. “I’m glad he had fun helping you.”

“He did really good.” Eskel smiled, golden eyes lingering on the door to the cottage. Maks had already made his way inside. “He, um, he bent the nails quite a bit as he was hammering them in. There’s no way they’ll last even something like a strong breeze.”

The smile fell from your lips. 

“Oh, no.”

“No, no. It’s okay.” Eskel assured you. The both of you began to walk together towards the cottage. “I’ll go back here in a little bit and fix it…. I’ll just add a couple nails where he won’t be able to see them.”

“Why where he can’t see them?”

“‘Cause I…. I just can’t bring myself to tell him what he did isn’t going to work.” Eskel shook his head. “He was just so excited and happy and-and eager to help, Y/N. He didn’t have the strength to really get the nails in there but…. But I don’t know. I just didn’t want to break his heart.”

You stopped walking and turned to face your husband. 

“Oh, my love.” You brought your hand up to cup his cheek. “You’re such a sweet man. But I don’t think it would’ve broken his heart.”

“It might’ve broken mine.” He muttered. “I didn’t want to see him disappointed.”

You leaned up to kiss his cheek. 

“I’ll keep Maks occupied inside after lunch while you come outside to fix it.”

Eskel squeezed your hand as a silent thank you as the both of you began to walk to the cottage once again.

Taglist will be reblogged because tumblr hates me :)

[ikaroux]

Xiao: Who are you ? (part 1) (v.EN)

f!reader

I want a sweet Xiao <3 and then when you have Matsuoka Yoshitsugu as a seiyuu, how can you not love him?! (even if it will surely be complicated for him to understand the emotions that go through him!).

Zhongli being written.

Masterlist

Part 2

Who are you?

The last Yaksha guardian was collapsed on the ground, wounded, exhausted. His last battle with the darkness had lasted most of the night, further weighing down the karma of the young man with dark hair dotted with emerald strands. The voices of those he had killed fogged his mind, causing excruciating pain to his soul and body. Lying on his stomach unable to open his eyes, his hand struggled to find his winged jade spear that had fallen to the ground with him. A groan of pain scraped his throat at the movement.

The young man flinched briefly as he heard footsteps approaching him quickly, feeling hands grasp his shoulders to carefully turn him around.

He tried again to open his eyes, his vision was blurred and foggy. He could not distinguish the features of the human who had seized him, feeling only his hand gently caressing his hair in an attempt to soothe him. The voice he heard calling him with concern sounded like a woman's, soft and warm.

A soothing light enveloped the young woman, the boy did not understand what was happening because in the second that followed, his body lightened, his pain evaporated, was he dreaming?

Although his vision was still blurred, he nevertheless managed to distinguish a little better the contours of the young woman with long hair (color).

"Who are you? "

His voice was marked by fatigue. He managed to distinguish a thin smile on the face of his rescuer. He repeated more weakly:

"Who are you...? "

His eyes sank, the ethereal form of the young woman reminding him of distant memories, a sudden warmth burst in his heart. Tears beaded in the corners of his eyes.

"Gui...zhong? "

The landscape around him darkened, leading him straight into a soft torpor.

Xiao woke up with a start. Where was he? The Wangshu Inn? Yes, he recognized his quarters, but how did he get there? He still remembered his fight against the horde of monsters he had defeated. He raised his right hand to his face, examining it more closely.

He had no more wounds, no more pain, which brought him back to the young woman he thought he had seen. Had he hallucinated? Had she really healed him? Everything seemed to be a blur. He got up from the bed without difficulty, heading directly to the balcony which was on the top floor of the inn. He looked around, hoping to find the woman who had helped him. The sun was beginning to set, so he had spent the day resting here. It was unusual for him, not being human he didn't have the same needs as them, sleeping, eating, living with others, all that seemed ridiculous. He was almost angry at himself for staying unconscious for so long, hitting one of the wooden columns on the balcony.

Xiao turned around, heading towards the stairs, quickly walking down the steps to Wangshu's innkeeper, Verr Goldet.

"Verr. "

The young woman turned her attention to Xiao.

"Good evening lord Xiao, have you recovered from your last fight? "

"Did you see who brought me here?"

Verr didn't take offense to his curt tone, simply shaking her head to indicate that she hadn't.

Xiao clicked his tongue, annoyed. He needed to know who this mysterious woman was who had taken care of him. The memory of the warmth that emanated from her gripped his heart again, drawing his steps back towards the exit of the inn.

He suddenly bumped into a young man with blond hair, accompanied by his annoying little creature.

"Xiao?"

Aether looked at Xiao with big round eyes, he was not used to seeing him with such an expression. He was confused, frustrated and angry, these were all emotions that were running through the yaksha since he woke up.

"Xiao is not in a good mood"- Paimon twirled around him- "You should come eat something with us, nothing beats a good meal for..."

"I don't need that! "

Paimon gasped, hiding behind Aether. Xiao tried to calm himself by inhaling a deep breath of air, passing by the traveler without saying a word.

"Wait Xiao! Where are you going? "

Aether stopped him, grabbing his arm loosely so as not to rush him further. Xiao immediately gave a sharp blow on his arm to disengage himself, he regretted his abrupt words, he hated it. Before he met Aether, he never had to worry about others or how to behave with them, he was alone and he was fine with that. It was all too... human for him. Slowly he turned his gaze to the traveler.

"Aether I... am sorry. "

"Xia...! "

Without saying another word, Xiao disappeared in a draft.

When you landed in Liyue from your native land, Sumeru, a few months ago, a terrifying battle took place at the city's port. An ancient God who had once been sealed by the rock lord had broken free from his prison, attempting to destroy the port of Liyue in the process, but fortunately he was quickly stopped.

Since these events, you had started to travel in the lands of the geo archon, studying the local fauna and flora. Flowers had always fascinated you, their shapes, their smells, their meanings or their benefits, you studied absolutely everything, noting and drawing in a notebook everything you saw.

In Sumeru, you joined the prestigious magic academy to perfect your Guizhong, that was the last thing he said to you. Who was he? It seemed to you that you had already read this name in one of the books you had borrowed from the academy. You couldn't ask him, tiredness taking him away from you. You knew that not far away there was an inn, it was going to be difficult but you had to take him there so that he could rest. When you picked him up, wrapping your arm around his shoulders for support, his spear on the ground disappeared by itself. You had adjusted your grip before you began your walk.

After several minutes of recalling these events, you noticed that you had finally arrived at the high cliffs of Huaguang. Taking your courage in both hands, you prepared yourself mentally to climb the cliff. Up there was a flower that you wanted to study, the Qingxin flower. They grew exclusively on the highest stone peaks, avoiding heat and humidity, a lonely and hard to reach flower.

"It's okay! "

You rolled up your sleeves, putting your feet and hands where they could grip, slowly you began your ascent.

Night had fallen on the Liyue plains, and it was at the top of Qingyun Peak that the Yaksha had taken refuge, watching the stars brighter than ever. Sitting on the edge of the cliff, the memory of the young woman haunted him. The pain in his chest made him clench his fists, he had never felt like this, he didn't even know what name to put on these feelings.

Xiao was a thousand year old follower, human feelings didn't concern him, so why? Why such pain at the mere thought of a... stranger? But was she really a stranger? This woman had reminded him of an old friend, Guizhong, who died during the Archon war. Could she have come back in an ethereal form? Or maybe it was a new trick the demons had found to torture him a little more.

In the distance, Xiao saw a faint jade-colored light coming from the Huaguang stone forest. He widened his eyes, remembering that glow that had saved his life. His heart began to beat furiously in his chest.

"This is... impossible... I found you. "

His voice trembled at the sight of the sweet emanation. It warmed him, soothed him, the voices that constantly hammered him fell silent and his usually aching body was now light. At last he understood his obsession with you, when you had treated him earlier this morning, a bond had been established between you, a bond as strong as the one that bound him to Morax for whom he had the greatest respect and devotion.

Xiao stood up, looking in the direction you were facing. He disappeared into the wind.art and deepen your knowledge. More than once your teachers told you that your manipulation of your dendro vision was exceptional, some city-states were already looking to recruit you as a researcher or healer, but you always refused, preferring to remain free of your movements. Once you had finished your studies, you quickly decided to leave your homeland, wanting to learn more from your neighbors. Your steps finally led you to Liyue.

You had left early that morning, heading towards the Huaguang stone forest from the Dihua swamp. On the way, you passed a badly wounded young man with emerald tattoos on him. His face, despite the wounds, was beautiful and when he opened his eyes, the amber color immediately fascinated you.

You couldn't leave him like that, wounded and bruised, using your Dendro vision to heal him. When you used it, it projected a jade aura on you and a flowery area grew around you, releasing energy that allowed you to heal even the deepest wounds.

He had tried several times to ask you to identify yourself, which you did, but his apparent fatigue had closed off his senses.

Guizhong, that was the last thing he said to you. Who was he? It seemed to you that you had already read this name in one of the books you had borrowed from the academy. You couldn't ask him, tiredness taking him away from you. You knew that not far away there was an inn, it was going to be difficult but you had to take him there so that he could rest. When you picked him up, wrapping your arm around his shoulders for support, his spear on the ground disappeared by itself. You had adjusted your grip before you began your walk.

After several minutes of recalling these events, you noticed that you had finally arrived at the high cliffs of Huaguang. Taking your courage in both hands, you prepared yourself mentally to climb the cliff. Up there was a flower that you wanted to study, the Qingxin flower. They grew exclusively on the highest stone peaks, avoiding heat and humidity, a lonely and hard to reach flower.

"It's okay! "

You rolled up your sleeves, putting your feet and hands where they could grip, slowly you began your ascent.

Night had fallen on the Liyue plains, and it was at the top of Qingyun Peak that the Yaksha had taken refuge, watching the stars brighter than ever. Sitting on the edge of the cliff, the memory of the young woman haunted him. The pain in his chest made him clench his fists, he had never felt like this, he didn't even know what name to put on these feelings.

Xiao was a thousand year old follower, human feelings didn't concern him, so why? Why such pain at the mere thought of a... stranger? But was she really a stranger? This woman had reminded him of an old friend, Guizhong, who died during the Archon war. Could she have come back in an ethereal form? Or maybe it was a new trick the demons had found to torture him a little more.

In the distance, Xiao saw a faint jade-colored light coming from the Huaguang stone forest. He widened his eyes, remembering that glow that had saved his life. His heart began to beat furiously in his chest.

"This is... impossible... I found you. "

His voice trembled at the sight of the sweet emanation. It warmed him, soothed him, the voices that constantly hammered him fell silent and his usually aching body was now light. At last he understood his obsession with you, when you had treated him earlier this morning, a bond had been established between you, a bond as strong as the one that bound him to Morax for whom he had the greatest respect and devotion.

Xiao stood up, looking in the direction you were facing. He disappeared into the wind.

You had finally reached the top of the cliff, immediately spotting two-three Qingxin flowers. You immediately knelt down beside one of them, taking out your notebook and pencil. You began to draw this beautiful flower from every angle, noting here and there the characteristics you could observe. Satisfied with everything you could see, you finally turned to the landscape plunged in the darkness of the night. Liyue's sky was dotted with stars that shone brightly. Sitting cross-legged in the center of the cliff top, your gaze turned back to the flowers of Qingxin, suddenly reminding you of the young man you had rescued. When you looked into his eyes, his eyes seemed so sad, so lonely. The pain that seemed to be emanating from him had struck you at the highest point.

You turned your attention back to the stars. Your mind was obsessed with this boy and it was with him in mind that you began to sing an ancient poem by Sumeru. The words, although sung in your native language, were undoubtedly sad and melancholic. Your hands were placed in front of you, palms up, eyes closed, activating your dendro vision. A jade-green circle encircled the entire surface of the cliff, particles of light streaming from the ground. Gradually, luminescent blue flowers began to grow around you, following the rhythm of your song.

It was a violent draught that cut you off, opening your eyes in surprise. You gasped as you saw the young man with the amber eyes standing before you.

He was out of breath, stiff as a board, his eyes never leaving yours. Something in him seemed different from this morning, in his eyes you could see... peace?

He cautiously approached you, kneeling down in front of you to get to your level. He took one of your hands in his, squeezing it gently. The particles you had created swirled around you, lighting up the scene. Your heart was pounding now that he was in front of you, you found him even more attractive under the moonlight. His eyes shone with an incredible brilliance, his tattoos also glowed with a soft emerald glow.

Your voice, your appearance, everything seemed sweet to him, no wonder he confused you with Guizhong, you looked like him in some ways.

His lips trembled slightly as he continued to examine your face, a question seemed to cross his lips.

His free hand went up to your face, tucking one of your locks behind your ear.

"Who are you? "His tone was more brutal than he had intended it to be.

Your eyes widened at the question. Of course you couldn't introduce yourself or learn who he was, his name, what he did. You wanted to know everything about this man who had marked your heart.

Seeing that you didn't answer, he asked again in a soft whisper, making you blush.

"Who are you? "

"(y/n)..."

And for the first time since you met, a smile stretched his lips, a silence accompanying your answer. His smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, his hand dropped yours.

"Xiao. "

You looked at him intensely, your face completely red as he straightened his legs.

"As long as you're in Liyue, I'll protect you. Call me and I'll be there in a second."

You slowly nodded, fascinated by this man who was decidedly not human. He watched you for a few more seconds, his eyes entranced by your presence before disappearing as he had appeared...

"Xiao..."

[missymurphy1985]

The Writer (Tommy Shelby X Fem.Reader) - Part One

Warning - SMUT (eventually)

Request? Yes

Taglist @queenshelby @margoo0 @being-worthy @peakyscillian @peakyciills @janelongxox @elenavampire21 @noctvrnalmoth @ysmmsy @cloudofdisney @lauren-raines-x @namelesslosers @misscarolineshelby @screemqueen @cilleveryone @peaky-cillian @misselsbells06 @heidimoreton

You looked in the mirror, straightening out your dress and taking a deep breath. Your boss David, who also happened to be your older brother, had arranged a meeting with you in the offices of the Birmingham Herald at 6pm sharp.

On the way there, you couldn't help but marvel at how you'd ended up here. Your husband had died two years after returning from war having suffered severe injuries, and after you'd taken on his job at the Herald while he was away fighting, falling ill on his return and subsequently dying, your brother, the editor, had kept you on so you weren't destitute. It was against all the principles of the time, a woman working, but your brother never once allowed the other men at the newspaper to talk down to you. You were the best storyteller and strongest journalist they had on the books and he would always have your back. The other men had grown to look at you as a sister almost - you were blessed to be in the position you were in.

Arriving at the Herald, you made your way to David's office.

"Y/n, I'm sorry to call you in this evening..." He smiled, embracing you and offering you a whiskey which you gladly accepted.

"I never have evening plans David, you know that. What was so important it couldn't wait til morning?"

"We've had an incredible offer and I want you to be the one to report it. The story is made for you."

"What is it?"

"Thomas Shelby has agreed to an article on his life to date!"

"Thomas Shelby? As in the Peaky Blinders?! Not a fucking chance David..." You recoiled in horror. You knew the man's history very well, you'd gone to school with his younger brother John and the stories of the Peaky Blinders were infamous. You hated the man - the thought of interviewing him mad your stomach turn.

"This story could launch your career into the big time Y/n! Think about it! The most secretive, elusive man in the country wants to tell his story to you!"

"To the Herald."

"No, y/n, to YOU. He asked for you. By name."

"How the hell does he know my name?" You'd written your articles under a male pen name so as not to distract readers from the content. Not all men were as modern as your brother and coworkers.

"No idea, but he specifically asked for you."

You mind turned - no one knew you worked at the Herald. You'd kept yourself to yourself, even moving out of Small Heath after your husband passed away. You'd lost touch with John just before he went off to war. There was no connection to the Shelby family at all.

"The reason I dragged you in at 6pm is because he wants to make a start today. This evening actually, there's a car picking you up in 30 minutes."

"David!! I can't do this interview for goodness sake, I'm not even close to prepared!"

"You have 30 minutes! Pull your finger out!" He laughed.

You'd crammed as much as possible in that 30 minutes as you could - your mind was whirring at 70miles per hour when the silver Bentley pulled up outside. Glaring at David, who simply smirked in response, you got in the car as the driver greeted you.

"Arrow House ma'am, won't take long to get there," the driver smiled as you asked him where he was taking you. Arrow House? His home? Why would the most secretive man in Birmingham want to meet you in his sanctuary?

************************************************************

Pulling up outside the huge mansion, you couldn't help but be impressed. The gardens were immaculate.

A middle aged lady greeted you at the front door and offered to take your coat. You smiled and handed it over, as she led you through to the dining room. You took the seat she offered.

"Would you like some tea Ms. Y/L/N?" You nodded, and she signalled one of the younger maids to action.

"Mr Shelby will be with you in a moment, please make yourself comfortable," the lady smiled warmly and headed out the door with your coat. You looked around the room. A large painting on one wall of the man himself with a large horse. There was a smaller picture on a cabinet just underneath that caught your eye. A beautiful blond woman, with piercing eyes and a loving smile, holding a small boy in her arms. You didn't know Thomas was married, let alone had a son. The house didn't seem to have much of a feminine feel to it though, it was borderline drab in its decor.

"My wife, Grace. And my son Charles." A voice behind you startled you, and you turned to see Thomas himself walking towards you, a glass of whiskey in one hand, a cigarette in the other.

"She's beautiful, Mr Shelby. And your son is adorable," you smiled, but he didn't return it.

"She certainly was." Your eyes grew wide as the realisation of what he'd said sunk in.

"Oh I'm sorry -"

"No need. It was a long time ago. Shall we get this over with Ms Y/L/N?" You nodded and he led you out of the dining room into a smaller one - clearly an office. The large oak desk sprawled out in front of the bay window. You took your seat opposite his at the desk and pulled out your pen and pad as he poured himself another whiskey. You shook your head when he offered you one, drinking the tea the young maid have brought in to you instead.

Your questions for him were simple at first. You asked about his childhood in Small Heath. His schooling. His childhood friends. Pretty much all one word answers, driving you insane, until you asked about his brothers.

"You knew John, didn't you?" He asked.

"Yes. Same year at school."

"Sadly, he's no longer with us. Shot by the Italians last year." You heart dropped - you heard through the grapevine that John had children and a wife and the news hit you like a freight train. You took a breath and a moment to compose yourself.

"I'm so sorry Mr Shelby..."

"I'm sorry too, I didn't realise you were so close?"

"We were close before the war. Lost touch after that."

"I don't remember seeing you with him?"

"My father wouldn't let me see him, so we had to be careful.."

"You and John were..."

"No no.. god no! Just friends Mr Shelby." He went quiet again, and sipped his whiskey.

Back to the questions. Mundane as they were, you needed them to get the full story. He wasn't forthcoming with the details. You had to really press him, but he spent most of his time drinking his whiskey and looking out of the window at the dark clouds rolling in outside.

"Listen, Mr Shelby, you clearly don't want this any more than I do so please, if you don't mind, I'd like to end the interview here." Your voice was stern, patience had officially gone out of the window he was so fixated with.

"Jack said you were feisty." You froze at mention of your late husband's name.

"How did you know Jack?"

"We served together in France. Good man."

"Is that how you knew my name?" He didn't answer, just nodded, again watching the weather changing quickly outside.

"Storm looks bad."

"If I leave now I should be fine." The first rumble of thunder made you jump, Tommy noticed your fear instantly.

"Scared of storms?"

"They used to scare Jack.." a second rumble had you grasping onto the chair.

"Stay until it passes." Was that a request or an order.. you weren't sure but he took your hand gently and led you into the hallway away from the window, into the main dining room again.

"Frances, have the curtains closed please." He spoke to the older woman who greeted you at the door and she dutifully obliged, closing the curtains in the large windows.

Tommy sat you at the table and gave you his glass of whiskey, your shaky hands accepting it this time. Every thunderstorm brought flashbacks of Jack's terror filled eyes.. his anguished cries of pain.. and ultimately the sound of the gun he placed at his temple before he took his own life. You took a sip of the warm liquid as Tommy sat beside you, a fresh glass of his own in his hand.

"Jack saved my life."

"He did?"

"Yes. We were underground digging.. we could hear the Germans on the other side of the dirt digging towards us... They broke through first and grabbed me. Jack beat them to death with his hammer to get them off me." Tommy's memory made you smile, and you laughed gently.

"He was always brave.. and strong. Put everyone else first. He never told me.."

"He never wanted praise, it was just part of his job. In return.. I said if anything happened to him I would make sure you were looked after."

"What?"

"The men at your office? They're under my watch. They respect you because you're a damn good writer, but they also know if they gave you any shit..." He raised his eyebrow and you couldn't help but smile. Even after his death, he was making sure you were okay. That was the Jack you wanted to remember.

"In that case Mr Shelby, I thank you."

"Call me Tommy eh? Here's to the bravest man in France." He clinked his glass with yours and you felt him almost begin to relax.

"I noticed a piano in the hall - do you play?"

"I did as a boy. My mother was a keen player, I used to watch her all the time. Gave it up after she died."

"I played for Jack all the time. It soothed him when he couldn't sleep." He smiled, a warm genuine smile that you couldn't help but return.

You'd spent the evening drinking whiskey and talking with Tommy, the whiskey hitting you much quicker than it did him, and you could feel your eyelids growing heavier.

"I have a spare room upstairs y/n, maybe stay tonight, I'll have my driver take you home in the morning." He stood before you had chance to argue and you followed him up the stairs.

He led you into a beautiful bedroom, the decor in here much more appealing than downstairs and the large oak double bed even more so.

"I don't want to impose Thomas..."

"That storm isn't letting up any time soon, and you're exhausted. You're welcome to stay. There's fresh clothes in the wardrobe. My wife was the same build as you, they should fit. I'll have my driver take you home at 7am. Goodnight Y/n..." His blue eyes lingered on yours a moment and you felt a rush of something you hadn't felt in a long time... Scaring you. Quickly looking away, you bid him goodnight.

[nyxdelanuit]

Feral (Tendou x F! Reader)

Hey! Here’s Nyx being super late with a collab fic for the Haikyuu Headquarters Collab, which can be found here! 

Special shout outs to @the-great-queen and @fallingintoimagination for getting me hooked on Feral Tendy <3 and @mammonrights for bein a heathen with me.

Warnings: Biting, Marking, Slight breeding kink cause it’s me, A lil bit of predator/prey play, and NSFW abound~ 

You quite enjoyed the calm, lazy weekends where you curled up with a book or movie, ignoring the outside world and the coming work week. The same couldn’t be said for your friend, currently draped over your lap, whining.

 "I'm so bored, let's do something fun." Tendou looked up at you with pleading eyes as you kept watching your show. You were only a few episodes out from the season finale, and you weren't too keen on stopping now.

 "I am having fun, Sa-to-ri." You grinned, glancing down at him, "It's not my fault you don't have any taste." He pouted at you, the teasing something that had thrived in your friendship.

 “It’s not my fault I’ve already read the whole series before the show started. I could tell you what happens if you want.” Your attention turned fully to him, what he wanted all along.

 "You wouldn't dare, Tendou." You tried to keep your gaze hard on him, despite the growing grin on his face.

“Ooh, pulling out the last name, that hurts.” He put a mocking hand over his chest. “And I wouldn’t have to ruin the whole series for you if you just entertained me a little.” You huffed, pausing the show and giving him an unamused glare.

"Fine, and what do you want to do exactly?" He sat up, leaning in close to you. You could feel the heat of your face at his nearness but kept up your mask. It wasn't new for you and Tendou to flirt like this, but it never failed to excite you.

 “Would you believe me if I said you?” The coy grin he wore made you roll your eyes.

 “No.” You turned your face away, trying to calm your desperate heartbeat before you gave him more ammunition to tease you. His calloused fingers slid under your chin, bringing your face back to his gaze.

 "I think you're lying… you want it, don't you?" You bit your tongue softly, trying to weigh your options. Tendou would notice right away if you lied, and you wouldn't dare tell him the truth, that you had been dreaming of the day he'd finally make a real move.

 It seemed Tendou was especially impatient that day, pressing a light kiss to your lips before retreating, hopping off your couch to stretch. “Let’s play tag.”

 You were snapped out of your stupor at the kiss by his words, wondering if you had possibly imagined it. "W-what?" His eyes drifted to yours with a predatory smile.

 “Tag. If you can keep away from me for… hmm… fifteen minutes, you win. We keep watching your show, no more complaints from me.” You furrowed your brows.

 “Satori, we’re not kids anymore. I figured you’d want to go out to a club or something, why tag?”

 “Cause it’s fun. Live a little, play tag with me.” He shrugged and held out a hand, which you reluctantly took, pulling you to your feet.

 “Fine, and what happens if I lose?” His eyes glittered with a curious mischievousness, and you were almost tempted to pull your hand away.

 "I'll think of something. Now for the rules. No leaving the house, no locking doors. I'll give you a 30-second head start. You can hide if you really want to." His grin only grew as he spoke, showing his excitement for your little game. You rolled your eyes again, ignoring the spark of adrenaline that ran through your veins. "Sound good to you?"

 "Yeah, sure, Satori."

 "Then… Run." The look in his eyes sent a shiver down your spine, and you couldn't help but wonder if this was how a rabbit felt staring into the eyes of a wolf. Once he started counting, you were pulled from your frozen state, turning and bolting down the hallway. You could still hear him, his singing echoing through your house as he counted down the seconds to his hunt. With no more than a handful of seconds left, you crept into the ancient wardrobe in your room, thankful you hadn't had the time to fill it properly. You bit at your lip, trying to get the door to close from the inside was harder than you expected.

 Your breath hitched as you heard his footsteps, far too close for you to fiddle with the door anymore. You pressed yourself into the dark of the wardrobe, hoping it was enough to conceal you as his shadow snuffed out what remained of the light.

 Your hands flew to your mouth, holding in your breath along with the whine that threatened to escaped as he paused in front of you.

 “Come on out sweetness, maybe I’ll make your punishment something we’ll both enjoy?” His voice was deeper than usual, a darkness you’d only caught glimpses of before now on full display. You shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as you were, the heat pooling in your stomach as he lingered. Something about the tension, the anticipation of being found was a drug to you.

 He slowly moved away, something you only noticed by the return of the light. You sat for several long moments, trying to hear past the blood rushing in your ears as you peeked through the door. The room in front of you was empty, and he could no longer be heard. If you wanted to run, now would be the time. Cautiously, you pushed open the door, creeping out one leg at a time until you released a shuddering breath, straightening your clothes.

 "You should probably run now, little lamb." The voice made you jump, even more so the sight of Tendou, leaning against the door you had just open, a malicious grin splitting his face in two. You ran without any thought, slamming doors behind you as you tried and failed to remember your house's layout. Every step, every labored breath you took, you could hear him nearing. You could feel him hot on your heels, to the point where the doors were no longer falling closed behind you, merely bouncing off his extended arm, slamming against the wall.

 You had made a mistake somewhere in your panic. A room with no other doors, no easy means of escape, just you and Tendou standing at separate sides of the room. All you could do was watch as he closed in, your heart jack-hammering against its cage. The only way out was around, to fake out the former Guess Monster of Shiratorizawa.

 Breathe in, breathe out- glance to the side, opposite of where you were planning of going. Your mind was working faster than you thought possible, acting on the barest hint of thoughts as Tendou's hands neared you. You ducked, somehow slipping through the narrow escape between his arm and his body. Your lungs burned as you ran, the peals of laughter echoing throughout the halls as the hunt continued. How long could fifteen minutes be?

 Each step, each ragged breath sent a fire through your veins. Maybe Tendou had the right idea, when was the last time you felt this alive? Slipping through doorways, skidding along tiled floors, nervous laughter seeping through your lips as his cackling rang in your ears. Faster, quicker, just seconds ahead of his hands, you ran. You couldn't hide, not anymore, all you could do was hope that you were faster than him until the clock ran out.

 You somehow found yourself back where you started, the timer of his phone counting down the last seconds of your game. You had won, you knew it, just a few more seconds…

 A shrill scream tore through your throat; you had let yourself get distracted. Calloused fingers wrapped around you, holding your arms tight to your chest as the alarm rang through the house. You had almost won… Tendou pulled you flush against his chest, every inch of him wrapped around you, pressed against your back.

 “Too bad, little lamb.” He taunted, his lips brushing against your ear. “You were so close.” You hadn’t even noticed the whine that escaped you until you heard him chuckle, low and dark. “You stopped there near the end… did you want me to catch you that bad?” You shook your head, belatedly noticing how his hands sunk into the plush of your chest. “You can deny it to yourself all you want, but your body says differently. You haven’t even tried to slip away.” He moved his head to brush his lips against your neck, the barest brushes of skin. There was no fighting the shiver of pleasure that ran down your spine or the gasp that slipped past your lips.

 You resisted even less when he turned you, pressing your chests together as his head dipped to kiss you hungrily. You opened to his whims easily, tongue and teeth clashing with no other thought than the hunger that burned deep in your stomach. When had your hands buried themselves in his? When had he stopped kissing you in favor of trailing bites down the length of your neck? It was happening so quickly, and yet it seemed as if this had been building up as long as you could remember. He devoured you, as he did so many other things. Headfirst into his passion with little regard to anything else as his rough hands slid under your shirt, quickly pulling it up and over your head. He barely pulled away to pull his own off by the collar, whipping it to the abyss that existed outside of you and him.

 Throughout the house, he led you, a trail of clothes littering your path. He was nothing but a storm of lips and teeth, marking every inch of skin he could reach, claiming you as his prize. He hadn't even stripped you of your underwear, but the way he was grinding against you, laving his tongue over the deep imprints of his teeth had you writhing for release. Finally, a single finger dipped between you, dragging over your covered folds and feeling the dampness that made the fabric cling to your skin.

 “Pretty little lamb, I’m going to destroy you.” He chuckled, his breath falling heavily against your neck. You nodded, already a whining mess.

 “Please, Satori… I want you, please.” Was that your voice? You hardly recognized it, buried beneath all the lust and longing weighing down the tone.

 He spoke mockingly as he slowly pulled the last scrap of fabric down your legs. “I knew you wanted me, little lamb… but I didn’t mind playing our little game to make you admit it. You opened your mouth to refute him, to say something in your defense, but the only thing that came out was a sinful moan as his teeth sunk into your thigh, marking you so close to where you wanted him.

 Words failed you, lost in the haze that was Tendou Satori, and all you could do was pull him in closer, desperate to feel him inside of you. He fit against you so well, the feeling of his lips on yours was a drug like no other. You melted against his touch, conforming to his body as he hitched your leg high up on your hip. His touch on your hip was firm, holding you still as he teased at your entrance, watching your face with a sadistic smile.

 Ever so slowly, he sunk in, his mouth open as he let the softest of groans escape him while he watched you writhe as you tried to push down further on his length. "You know, little lamb… I never said what I would take as my prize…" You attempted to clear your cloudy eyes, focusing on his gluttonous face.

 "I thought this…" A sharp thrust, bottoming Tendou's length inside you brought your sentence to a breathy end, but you tried to continue on, "I thought I was your prize?"

 “Hmm… but you gave yourself over to me without me even asking… I guess I’ll just have to cum in you as my prize.” It shouldn’t sound so appealing falling from his lips, but all you could do was keen out, desperate for him to take you in any and all ways he wanted. He won you fair and square.

 “Please, Satori, whatever you want, just move!” His smile darkened, a calloused finger coming up to brush lightly against your cheek.

 “How can I resist when you beg so nicely for it?” With that last word, his hands returned to your hips, holding on in a bruising grip as he pulled out slowly, watching the tears gather on your lashes as you pleaded for him to move faster. As soon as the tip traced your entrance, something in him snapped. He bucked into you wildly, pulling a loud moan from your lungs.

 Gone was your lazy, teasing friend that you spent calm Sundays with, replaced with a hungry animal, intent on devouring you from the inside out. Each roll of his hips pushed you further from your thoughts, focusing only on the carnal way he hunched over you, sucking deep marks into your skin to remind you long after this was over of what he turned you into. Just a mewling, desperate mess, falling apart underneath him, pliant to his every touch. And touch he did, imprints of his hands seemed to be carved into your hips, the ghost of his teeth in every bite he laid on your skin still stinging, only heightening the pleasure of his cock pistoning within you.

 The pleasure became overwhelming, and you dug your nails into his shoulder, desperate for anything to ground yourself in this moment. It only spurred him on further, a deep growl rumbling in his chest as you marked him in kind. Some small stake that showed you weren't just a passive participant in his game. You pulled him close with the grip you held on his shoulders, panting heavily on his shoulder before you bit into his neck, mirroring one of the many marks he had left on you. The whine you pulled from his throat only made you moan against his skin as he pushed your legs higher, trying to find a better angle to sink into you as you savagely attacked his neck.

 You only pulled away when you felt the peak growing impossibly close, a breathy moan of his name bringing him back to himself.

 “Please, Satori, I’m so close.” You let the tears spill from your lashes, twin rivers framing your face as you stared up at him, pleading. “Fill me up, please.” He groaned lowly, pulling back just enough to sneak a hand between your bodies. Those stupid, calloused fingers you had grown to appreciate so quickly deftly found your clit, sensitive from all the friction of his rutting, and he relentlessly assaulted the swollen nub. You felt him start to twitch inside you as you tensed, finally cresting in pleasure.

 He was thrown violently into his orgasm as you cried out his name, clenching your fists around his shoulders once more. Each thrust as he worked through his release brought you closer to over-stimulation, the added friction on the edge of pain as he filled you.

 The house was finally quiet, the only sound coming from your intermingling breaths, heavy and satisfied. He collapsed next to you, content to relax against your pillows as you processed all that had just happened. When you remained silent, he turned his eyes to you with a grin. “We can go watch that show now.”

 You couldn’t stop the nervous giggle that escaped you. “After all that, you want to go watch that show?” He nodded, smirking.

 "Yeah, why not?" He sat up, stretching out his shoulders, and giving you a good view of the angry red lines you had left all over him.

 “So… do we just pretend this didn’t happen?”

 "I don't know what you mean, I thought I made it pretty clear." You wished you could see his face as he got up for even a hint of how he felt.

 “What do you mean, Satori?”

 “I won you.” He sung, “I marked you inside and out. You’re mine now.” He turned with a mischievous grin, and you wouldn’t be surprised if this was the outcome he wanted when he walked through your door this morning. Still, you stood, walking over to him and running a hand down his chest.

 “You did, didn’t you?” With your confirmation, his grin softened to a more sincere smile, ducking to place a kiss to your cheek.

 “So, time for your show, little lamb?”